It’s rare that I see movies in the theater – preferring to veg out with a big ol bowl of popcorn and my oversized jammie pants and my comfy couch instead – but occassionally, there comes a movie that you HAVE to see in the theaters… (And no – I’m not talking about Titanic in 3D.)

Marvel’s The Avengers falls into that category. and I’m not kidding.

In case you don’t know the story -

“Marvel’s The Avengers”—the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.

and if your eyes glazed over reading that… bear with me.

The casting on this movie – for starters -could NOT be more perfect – I think they finally got it right by casting Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk (no offense to Edward Norton)… and OF COURSE Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man? Yes Please – might have stolen the show for me… I even loved Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

Joss Whedon definitely knows his stuff and did NOT disappoint in this one either.

I had the priveledge of seeing this in 3D – as it should be… and I can’t imagine not enjoying it in the theater. Aside from the benefit from 3D cinematography, there is an energy that was palpable as the entire theater would gasp or burst into laughter or cheer and clap in near unison. Another reason why you should make this a date night excursion.

I really didn’t have any expectations when I walked in to the theater – well, except that I figured it would be decent seeing as how the line for the pre-screening literally wrapped around the building on a Wednesday evening… I was on the edge of my seat through the entire movie.

I’ve heard some say that there were slow parts – I musta missed those. I don’t have any complaints really… although a die-hard Marvel expert may have a different opinion.

A side note of “nerd Humor” you may appreciate – Robert Downey Jr.’s character -Tony Stark- can be seen wearing a Black Sabbath T-Shirt… as did a few of the other movie-goers… only wish I had thought it it myself… or that I had a Black Sabbath T-shirt to begin with. (for those who don’t know… Black Sabbath sang “Iron Man” – which was in the first Iron Man movie…)

Bottom line? If you don’t already have plans for this weekend, Grab your honey and go see this movie. NOW. Or – heck – I’m a fan of “dating yourself” so go alone. Grab your popcorn and beverage of choice and sit back and enjoy the show.

And, while you are at it -
“Like” MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS on Facebook:

Follow MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS on Twitter:

You wouldn’t know it by my stream updates on Twitter and Facebook (or in the Mamavation Forums) but this roller coaster has GOT to stop.  I go for a period of time where everything is on track and then… like a roller coaster… a STEEP drop to the bottom and I feel like I’m starting all over again.

And I REALLY hate admitting that.

It’s that whole, “I wanna be perfect” issue I’ve dealt with for-evah.

But… I’m NOT perfect… (shocking I know)

and according to those near and dear, being Not Perfect is a perfectly acceptable way to be.

So, over the last few days, I’ve been looking at my world to try to figure out WTH is going on… because this happens to many times to chalk it up to “just another set back” and it boils down to self sabotage.  And excuses.  And allowing the little things in life to completely overwhelm me.

and I’ve come to a conclusion.

There is not one single solitary person in this entire world who will make ME the priority… That’s on my shoulders (as it should be) and I’ve fallen back in the trap of allowing everything else to take precedence… Staying up too late because a friend wants to talk… which then means I’m not getting up early to get my sweat on (even though I KNOW that this is what I need to do because it makes me a MUCH nicer person)… not planning my meals in advance… skipping meals because I’m “too busy” and then eating like there’s no tomorrow because I’m ravenous…

It’s a slippery slope and I KNOW you know what I mean.

So today, I started meal planning again.

I’m going back to the meal plan that Alysa gave me during my reign as a Mamavation Mom.

• Breakfast – 1 fruit, 1 milk, 2 starch, I fat
• Morning Snack – 1 fruit, 2 fat
• Lunch 2 veggies, 1 fruit, 1 FF milk, 2 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 fat
• Afternoon snack – 1 fruit 2 fat
• Dinner – 2 veg, 1 ff milk, 2 starch, 3 lean meat, 1 fat

I KNOW that I have to keep my meal plans simple stupid so there will be lots of repetition.  I’m ok with that.  For some of you, variety may be the spice of life and that’s great… for me, I like not having to think too much.

Breakfasts with be either:

• PB & banana sandwich with glass of milk – 1/2 banana, 1 tbs Natural PB, 2 slices WW toast
• English muffin with fruit – 1 english muffin is 2 starches, 1 teaspoon of butter, apple slices (with peel) and glass of milk
• Breakfast smoothie - Smoothie with 8 oz. milk, 2 cup frozen fruit, 1.5 tsp. peanut butter.

Snacks (AM & PM) will be either -

• grapes and almonds
• apple slices with Natural PB
• 2 TBS dried fruit and pecans
• 2 clementines with almonds

Lunches – Salads.  Made in advance.  Easy breezy – usually a spinach based salad with tomato and cucumber and either egg, leftover meat, or garbanzo beans as the protein.  FF milk will most likely be a greek yogurt. and the starches will come in the way of crackers.  I’ll treat myself to dressing as my fat and employ the “Fork Dip Method” – for those who don’t know, the Fork Dip Method is where your dressing is on the side and you dip your empty fork in the dressing and THEN pick up a bite of the salad.  You get all the flavor but OH SO MUCH less dressing is actually consumed.

Dinner is where more planning is needed.  While it’s NOT ideal for clean eating, I did stock up on Lean Cuisine frozen dinners for those nights when life gets hectic… that and a salad and I’m good to go. add into the mix the occasional night out and it becomes all about portion control.  Yes I have a plan here as well.  When eating out, making smart choices and being like Sally from When Harry Met Sally and not worry about taking 45 minutes to order a sandwich (not the other restaurant scene you dirty birds) you know how Harry pokes fun at her for being High Maintenance?

Harry: (to Sally) You don’t see that? Waiter, I’ll begin with a house salad, but I don’t want the regular dressing. I’ll have the balsamic vinegar and oil, but on the side. And then the salmon with the mustard sauce, but I want the mustard sauce on the side. “On the side” is a very big thing for you.

Yeah… that’s gonna be me – take it or leave it.  Oh – and another “trick” I’ve forgotten about?  asking for the to go box up front.  Yes some may think this is weird, but honestly, out of sight, out of mind.  (also – need to re-watch that movie… it’s a good one)

For nights when I am cooking for one – I’ll plan in advance… as follows

Tonight – Dinner out – see above.  (which works out because I DESPERATELY need to hit the grocery store)

Wednesday – Plans after work so I will plan to bring my dinner with me – something light and simple – and something that can be cold – hmmm… I’ve got it – Salad – spinach, tomato, cucumber, Salmon (for the lean meat), crackers and milk to drink.

Thursday – Boys night so I need a crock pot meal as opposed to coming home and cooking – I’m going with a family favorite around here – Alysa’s Crock Pot Chicken and Sweet onions.  Boys LOVE it.  I love it. Paired with a side salad and dinner is done when we get home.

Friday/ Saturday: I have some tentative plans but I’m not sure which day they are falling on… so I have 2 dinner ideas that are interchangeable.  On the night that I have said plans, (I need to check at the store so this might change) I’m planning a Lamb Filet Dinner, side salad, roasted brussel sprouts (or roasted broccoli) and couscous on the side.  On the night that I don’t have plans – I’ll make a version of this EASY Veggie Frittata.

Sunday I’m planning leftovers. I KNOW I’ll have leftover SOMETHING that I’ll need to finish off.

So there’s this week.

The good news is that I’ve done SO MUCH better on my water – Averaging 100+ oz a day. (and living in the bathroom… sorry – TMI)

The other good news is that we are currently in that rare window here in Texas where the weather is GORGEOUS so that inspires me to get back outside.

I’m feeling empowered.  I know I can do this.  I know I have your support.  I also know that every time I stand back up, I’m that much stronger than before.  Food is my biggest hurdle right now.  Starting April 30th, I know that I’m going to be sweating alongside the gals who are the next set of Mamavation Moms so I need to get my act together NOW.

and you know WHY?

Because I’m worth it.

Here it is… Thursday again.  And that means I should share some new tips and tricks that you may or may not already be aware of!  YAY!!!

Last week, we talked about little known features of the iPhone.

Today, let’s talk about something a bit lower on the technology scale.

Have you ever watched Alton Brown’s Good Eats?  One of the key ideas he drilled into me as I watched and learned the “why” behind so many of the things we do in the kitchen was that there should only be ONE item in your kitchen that has single purpose functionality – and THAT should be a fire extinguisher.  Everything else should be a multi-tasker.   As a born multi-tasker myself, this always resonated with me.  Honestly, I’m sad that the series came to an end for MANY reasons, but alas, I digress.

Today, let’s talk a bit about some un-common uses for some pretty common household finds!

Just like last week, some of these may be old hat to you… some may be brand new.  I hope either way something strikes a chord and you have one of those “Why didn’t I think of that” moments. (Clicking on the images will take you to the original sources for these gems of wisdom but don’t worry… it will open a new window so you won’t lose your spot here)

Courtesy of Real Simple

First of all, I have no idea why this never occured to me before… but why NOT use your Bundt Pan as a roaster?  Or using a straw in the ketchup bottle as a way to help get things moving… or using an egg slicer as a mushroom chopper.  Brilliant I say.  Over at Real Simple, they have over 700 various tips and new uses for common items around your house - tips like these and so much more broken down into categories – Cooking, decorating, etc.  Seriously, I could get completely LOST over there…. ok, so I HAVE gotten completely lost over there but it’s good stuff I say.

Next up…

Dryer sheets have gotten a bit of a bad wrap in some circles.  Something about the chemicals and it’s coating power and a potential fire hazard… or something.  I’m not going to discuss the pros and cons of dryer sheets here because I really like my lavender and vanilla laundry as I pull it out of the dryer so I’ll go ahead and live dangerously m’kay?  BUT – did you know that there’s an alternate use for dryer sheets you may not have considered? (I mean aside from the obvious – smoth down hair fly-aways on the really static-y days so you don’t look like you’ve got your hand on a Van de Graaff generator when all you are trying to do is have a good hair day for your interview/date/chance meeting you run into someone important- oh – that’s just me? never mind then.)

Courtesy of Apartment Therapy

That’s right – keep your baseboards clean!  Apparently it helps repel pet hair, dust, etc.  WOO HOO!  Multi-tasker.

Another tip I adore is perfect for planning a birthday party… and it was definitely one of those “Why didn’t I think of that” moments I was talking about.

If you’ve ever planned a child’s birthday party and were serving cake and ice cream and didn’t buy the ridiculously overpriced individual ice cream cups then you know first hand what a mess that can be.  Scooping the ice cream whil impatient kids are waiting… The first scoop is the hardest to get out because the ice cream is still frozen fairly solid but by the time you get to the last child, it’s a goopy mess… and then there’s the arguments about how the first child got less than the last because well, melted ice cream just scoops better… (have I mentioned how glad I am that we are past the children’s birthday ages and now celebrate with just family) What if there was a way to avoid all of that?  Are you ready?

Courtesy of Real Simple

Yep – scoop out ice cream into paper lined cupcake pan and then freeze ahead of time.  No muss… no fuss… and by the time the party starts, it’s one last thing you have to worry about.  And let’s face it… kid’s birthday parties can be a lot like wrangling cats even with the best of prep done ahead of time.

and last but not least, We are coming upon what I like to call “salad season”.  Here in Texas, we really don’t have seasons – it’s hot, hotter, OMG I’m MELTING and Christmas… but when summer hits, the LAST thing I want to do is fire up the stove to make dinner.  So we have salads.  A Lot of salads.  (luckily, my kids love their veggies)

Sometimes though, after a long day, the prep work for a deluxe salad can be overwhelming… until now

Courtesy of the Art of Doing Stuff

A veggie peeler is the PERFECT tool to quickly get very thin and uniform-ish slices of veggies making it the PERFECT salad prep tool (although, I wouldn’t recommend it on tomatoes… that would just be messy).  Onions… Carrots… whatever.

Any of these new to you?  What are some of the uncommon uses for common items that YOU love and adore?

I love learning new things and figuring out how stuff works.

I’m a “tinker-er” and love to just get in there and fix stuff… or learn how stuff works. I’m convinced that I’m the one person who ACTUALLY reads instruction manuals, owners manuals, etc.

Yep… I’m weird. and if you are just NOW figuring that out, you must be new here so let me point you to the upper right hand column where you can find out all the different ways you can stalk me – I mean learn more about me and follow along for the off-kilter randomness.

Back to the point.

I’ve recently run across some pretty amazing tips and tricks that were new to me and would perhaps be new to you as well. You could hunt and peck through my Pinterest Tips and Tricks board of course, but I figured… for the next few weeks at least… I’d highlight a few for you to save you time and energy. You’re Welcome

Those who know me, know that I am A-D-D-I-C-T-E-D to my iPhone. Seriously need a 12-step program… I’m what you might call TOO connected… so when I came across a post of 40 “secret” iPhone Features… I KNEW it would be a great fit for this little post.

Some of these I already knew… For example – I already have the free Emoji app and anyone who has an iPhone and receives texts from me has seen the not-so occasional emoticon smiley pop up.  For the emoticon lover, this is a gold-mine full of pages and pages of symbols.  The downside, is that only people with an iPhone can see them, but hey – you can’t win them all.

I also was familiar with other features – how to Turn on Caps Lock and how to save images – as you can tell if you follow me on Facebook.

HOWEVER – TONS of the tips here were brand spankin new to me.  For example…

Did you know that you can set your flash for alerts?  Handy…

Did you know that you can see your calendar a week at a time?  Also handy…

Did you know that you can take a picture using the ‘volume up’ button?  HELLO… HANDY!

And there’s a ton more on the list.

So, IF you have an iPhone… even if you think you know EVERYTHING about it, I highly encourage you to review the list for yourself.  You might just learn a thing or two that you didn’t already know!

40 “secret” iPhone Features