I'm A Lazy Mom....

Parenting the Lazy Mom Way: Teach them Delayed Gratification

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:50:00 +0000

The other day I was reading an article on why French parents are superior to American parents. (Seriously, go read that article. It's long, but good.)

I wasn't too far into the article when I realized that the "French" way to raise children was not too far off from the "Lazy" way of raising children. (If you don't know the lazy way, start here.) In fact, there weren't much differences at all.

Then it dawned on me that I must be WAY more cultured and French than I had previously anticipated. *tosses hair over shoulder and strikes a pose*

Anyway, in this article I found one of the main differences from French parenting and American parenting was how we teach our children gratification. The French emphasize delayed gratification, and they do so from infancy–not picking up a baby when they start to cry, but letting them fuss for a bit first and fall back asleep–while Americans notoriously teach instant gratification (What? Let the baby cry? That's so cruel!).

Interestingly, the natural by-product of the French approach is that their children learn something very valuable that American children aren't learning–patience.

I mean let's face it. We currently live in a culture that when we want something, we want it NOW. Even though it wasn't too long ago that our grandparents understood and practiced delayed gratification. They saved up for that family vacation and squirreled away money for a car so they could buy it with cash. Now we just charge it on a credit card and pay for it later... with interest! And could it be that we really are teaching our children this from infancy?

I like to think Lazy Dad and I have been pretty good about teaching our children delayed gratification. Could we be better at it? Sure. But like I said, our "lazy parenting" was so similar to "French parenting" that I think we got off to a good start and didn't even realize it.

I vividly recall being at the hospital after having our firstborn and telling the nurse that I had already started my baby on a schedule. Before the words finished leaving my mouth the nurse rebuked me and said, in so many words, that I was "a mean parent" for doing that to my newborn child.

Not to be deterred, Lazy Dad and I stuck to our guns and kept our baby on schedule (after all, he was MY baby, not HERS) and much to our delight he started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks old.

We didn't realize it then, but just by putting our son on a "mean" schedule we were already teaching him delayed gratification. And so we did with the second and the third child.

For some reason Americans have gotten it into their heads that when we delay gratification for ourselves or our children we are, as that nurse put it, being mean or depriving ourselves. So we've twisted our way of thinking about delayed gratification. Instead of instant gratification being wrong, we think delayed gratification is.

By thinking this way, in my opinion, we are successfully raising our kids to be spoiled brats. They call the shots and we jump to fulfill them. So who's the parent then?

But a "lazy mom" doesn't let her children call the shots. She's the parent. She knows what's best for them. And teaching them delayed gratification doesn't make us bad or "mean" moms, it makes us GOOD moms. It also teaches them that invaluable skill of patience, which a good mom should teach her children.

So what are some ways we can teach our children delayed gratification in a culture obsessed with gratifying every whim immediately?

Teach your children from infancy! Letting a baby cry for a few minutes never hurt anything. Don't pick them up right away. Often times a baby can settle themselves back down if given 10-15 minutes to do so.
Teach your children how to play by themselves. Americans tend to feel the need to entertain their children constantly, but teaching them how to entertain themselves is a great skill to learn and also teaches them delayed gratification and patience. Toddlers can even play by themselves if taught to. Set up a baby gate in the door jam of their room and let them have 30 minutes of alone play time with their toys every day. It may take several days to a week for them to get the hang of it, but if it's a part of their daily routine, they'll catch on quickly.
Teach your children how to wait for a treat. According to the article, French parents feed their children three times a day with a snack around 4pm. Even if they buy a special treat, the children have to wait for it until an eating time. Americans definitely have a more leisurely meal schedule, but teaching your child to wait for a treat later is something we should do regularly to teach them delayed gratification.
Teach them how to wait to interrupt you. We were fortunate enough to learn this idea very early with our children when we took a Growing Kids God's Way class. "The interrupt rule" is something our kids institute often, especially at church! If Lazy Dad or I are talking to someone or even if we are on the phone at home, our children know to use the interrupt rule: putting their hand on our shoulder or leg to let us know they need to interrupt us. You would think this would be difficult to teach a child, but actually it isn't. When they ran up to us and tried interrupting we would take their hand and put it on our shoulder or leg and instruct them that we were talking and they should wait with their hand there till we could ask them what they needed. In no time at all our children learned the interrupt rule and again, it teaches them delayed gratification and patience.
Teach your children how to save up for something. This may be the biggest culprit in American parenting–we don't teach our children how to save, we just buy them what they want when they want it. Like I said before, it wasn't too long ago that our grandparents saved up for things–a house, a vacation, a car–but somehow we've lost that trait in our culture and we're inadvertently teaching it to our children. Lazy Dad and I are teaching our children that saving for something is the better way, because if they don't save for it, they'll be in debt. My middle child especially wants things he sees in the store. One day he really wanted something that was about five dollars, but I wasn't willing to buy it for him. He pestered and pestered, and asked and asked, the entire time we were at the store. I finally stopped and said to him, "Do you have the money for it that you can pay me back when we get home?" "No," he said. "Well, if you want it so badly then I can buy it for you..." he started to smile... "but then you are in debt to me and owe me that money. And the way you can work off your debt is by doing LOTS of work around the house whenever I want you to do it." He thought about it a minute and decided he didn't like the idea of being in debt to me, so he decided he could save up for it instead. Side note: Just make sure if you use this approach you are really willing to make them work hard to pay off their debt–don't make it easy!
Teach your children that delayed gratification is way more satisfying than instant gratification. If your child saves up for something or works hard to achieve a goal, be sure and point out how much more satisfying their approach was. Just by pointing it out, you are teaching them delayed gratification. "I'm SO proud of you for working so hard to save up for that game you really wanted. Doesn't it feel so much more rewarding than if you had gotten it right away?"

Delayed gratification and patience are such important things to teach our children. It not only translates into our children being better behaved (it really does!), but it also is shaping them into great adults, which is what every parents wants their children to ultimately be. That is the point of parenting after all!

What are some ways you teach your children delayed gratification? Leave a comment below to share with us!

Start at the beginning of this series

Remind Me to Tell You... About Less Than Perfect

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:16:00 +0000

A few weeks back I decided I was going to finally get around to telling you about things I've asked you to remind me to tell you. It started with tulips, remember?

Well today, I thought I'd tell you the story behind why Lazy Dad and I have a inside joke about the TV sitcom Less Than Perfect. Even though it's not on TV anymore. And as most TV shows go, it started off all harmless and funny and then got pretty raunchy. I just hate how TV shows turn on you like that.

But anyway, it was a seriously funny show. We would laugh and laugh and laugh at it and were sad when it ended. One of our favorite characters was the TV anchor Jeb Denton (played by Patrick Warburton).

And if you know this actor at all, then you know that he has a very funny way of talking.

Also in this show was a character named Kipp Steadman (played by Zachary Levi).

Kipp becomes Jeb's assistant, but much to Kipp's dismay the boss never calls him his assistant, instead he only calls him "Secretary." And the WAY he calls him "secretary" is just too funny because of how this actor talks.

I couldn't find a great clip of the way he says it, but here, just watch this clip on YouTube to get the gist. (You'll want to hit stop at the one minute mark, unless you want to watch the other nine minutes of it.)

So Lazy Dad and I thought this was too funny in the show. The way it irked Kipp and the way Jeb said, "secretary." So any time Lazy Dad or I said the word "secretary" we would say it the way Jeb did in the show. Cause, you know, *throws hair over shoulder* we thought it was too funny.

Several years after the show went off the air, Lazy Dad was at a meeting with our area pastors. In this meeting they were voting for two offices to be filled, Presbyter and Secretary.

And guess which one Lazy Dad was voted in for?

*stifles laughter*

That's right. Lazy Dad was himself, a bonafide "secretary."

We laughed so hard over it. And for days on end called him "secretary."

And THAT, my lazy people, is the inside joke Lazy Dad and I have over the TV show Less Than Perfect.

Uh... guess you had to be there.

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A Long Line of Lazy Moms

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:36:00 +0000

For the record, I am not a first generation lazy mom.

No, no. I come from a long line of lazy moms.

To prove this to you, on my last Lazy Mom Radio Show tomorrow, I'm having my mom on. It should be very... um... shall we say, interesting?

But also to prove to you that the lazy mom genes went further back than just my mother, here is a true story that my dear sweet Aunt emailed me several weeks ago. It's a Lazy Mom Confession from a 60's housewife, namely my grandmother, as told by my Aunt.

This is a true story. This really happened, and it happened to me. We were a nice family of 6 living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Our two-story gray stone house was lovely, and heated with floor furnaces. After a day in the snow, the four kiddos would drag out the wooden fold-up clothes hanger and toss our gloves, mittens and scarves over the dowels and let them dry. Seems we didn't own a "real" clothes dryer at the time.

When my mom didn't use the floor furnace, she used the gas kitchen oven as a dryer. I'm not kidding. Just slide a few garments in on a cookie sheet and hit "warm." One cold school morning I awoke to no underwear... not a single shred in my drawers. I raced downstairs and told my mom I was fresh out of panties. She told me to get dressed and that after breakfast she'd have a clean pair for me.

I watched in horror as she took a cold, wet, pair of my older brother's whitey tighties, spread them over a cookie sheet, and "cooked" them in the oven. Yes, and I had to wear HIS underwear, NOT girl's underwear, boy's underwear.

I was humiliated. utterly and completely. And, since you are the grand daughter of my mother, you wonder where you get a lazy mom blog... just take a look over your shoulder. She had a head start on you.

So see? The laziness at least goes back to my grandmother. Who also, by the way, was a Pastor's wife. Mm, hmm. But I bet if we reached even further back, we'd find her mother was a lazy mom as well!

Be sure and tune in to the last Lazy Mom Radio Show tomorrow at 2pm EST/1pm CST to hear my mom and I chat it up!

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Slim-Fast Update {and a Giveaway!}

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:25:00 +0000

It has officially been four weeks since I started the Slim-Fast 321 Plan so I figure it's time for an update on my progress.

Am I still on the program?
Have I lost weight?
How have I managed to stay so gorgeous since youth?

All these questions begged to be answered. Some more than others.

Yes, I'm still on the program and I guess good genes have kept me gorgeous since my youth. But I imagine the question you are all wondering about the MOST is how much weight have I lost. Right?

Well in four weeks time I have lost....

{drumroll please}

9 pounds!

Woohoo! I'm very happy with this. And would love to share with you some tips I've learned along the way.

As you know, Slim-Fast is not a long-term diet or way of life. It is mainly a way to slim down for an event or to help you reach your goal. That's a good thing to keep in mind when you start the Slim-Fast 321 plan because I've found it helps you stay on track and focus on your goal. My goal? 30 pounds. And I'm not stopping till I get there!

But here are some more tips and tidbits I've learned over the past four weeks:

Savor each sip and bite! The first few days (and for some, weeks) on Slim-Fast are the hardest. Just like with any diet you go on. At first it's easy to feel deprived or like you aren't eating enough to satisfy you. The way I got through this was to take teeny tiny sips or bites of what I was having at the moment. It made the meal last longer and in the end I felt more satisfied.
Drink lots of water! My first week I was not drinking enough water and I quickly learned you have to really up your water to see the weight come off. I know people say water helps you feel full, but that has never been the case for me. But if that's a by-product for you, then work it, girl, work it!
Chew gum! My second week of being on the 321 plan Lazy Dad and I were at the grocery store and I maybe sorta-kinda went a little bit crazy buying gum that tasted like food. Strawberry Shortcake gum, Orange Creme pop gum, and even Apple Pie gum! I even bought some breath mints that tasted like fruit. This gives me something with very minimal calories to pop in my mouth to get me between meals and snacks.
Change things up! After four weeks on the plan I'm getting a little bit "bored" with my options. To change things up a bit I've bought a container of the Slim-Fast powder and am blending it up with milk in my blender. This makes it a bit frothy and I likey. I've also heard that you can put the Slim-Fast shakes in the freezer for a bit and turn it into a slushy drink. I haven't tried this yet, but that's a great way to change things up as well!
Set your alarm! If you're like me, you can get carried away with your day and before you know it, you're totally way beyond hungry and blow your diet by pigging out. On the Slim-Fast 321 plan I'm supposed to eat every 2-3 hours. So I set my cell phone alarm to go off to remind me it's time for a snack or a meal!

These are just some of the things that have helped me stay on track over the last four weeks. Have I blown it here and there along the way? Yes! But I'm happy to report that it's been very minimal and when I have blown it, I've picked myself up and gotten back on the plan as quickly as possible.

By the way, did you know that Slim-Fast is having a contest right now for someone to win $10,000 and a makeover with celebrity stylist Jacqui Stafford?

AND you can also win a Red Carpet Getaway with Slim-Fast and Live with Kelly!

Uh, GO ENTER THOSE!

Slim-Fast wants you to have your own WOW moment this year and reach your weight-loss goals! So they are giving away one $50 American Express gift card right here to an I'm a Lazy Mom reader!

This giveaway is open to anyone that can use an American Express gift card where you live! Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. You can do as little or as many as you like on the form, but each one you do is an entry to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway (Subscribers click over to my blog to see the form!)

Disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast® Women of Wow Program. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation.

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A Valentine's Dessert Party

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:37:00 +0000

So you know my friend Carrie? And how she throws super fun parties? Like that one time she had a caramel apple dipping party? Yeah that friend.

This Saturday she threw another great party. A Valentine's dessert party.

Isn't she so fun?

Remind me to never let her break up with me. Which I KNOW she wants to do once my kids hit High School since they'll graduate one right after the other. That's three graduation gifts she'll have to fork out in three years.

Then they'll possibly graduate College one right after the other and then maybe even get married one right after the other. She's no dummy. She knows this could be costly on her part. So she threatens to break up with me before all that ensues.

But I'm not letting her break up with me. Not if she keeps inviting me to such fancy soiree's.

When we walked in she had candles lit everywhere, love songs playing on the TV, flowers and decorations all around, and desserts. (excuse the horrible cell phone photos)

She had thought of everything. Even had picture frames around the house with quotes about love printed in them.

We played fun games, including The Newlywed Game, and she had us each open a fortune cookie so we could act like teenagers and add "in bed" to the end of each of them.

What?

You didn't do that when you were a teenager?

She even had the Valentine theme right down to the drinks. How cute was this?

Then she made us all take pictures with our sweetie.

Which, incidentally, we were told in the invitation to her party that we could bring more than one sweet tooth to the party, but not more than one sweetie.

I told you she's fun!

In fact, she's so fun she made Lazy Dad and I celebrate a holiday we don't even celebrate ourselves!

And Carrie, you're never breaking up with me.

Unless you start throwing un-fun parties.

Then I may have to let you go.

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Recalculating

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Lately my internal GPS has been *said in my best British accent* "recalculating... recalculating...."

In my "recalculations" I'm having to let some things go. God is shifting and rearranging some things in my life and when this happens it's always good to reevaluate and see what things you've picked up out of "doing good" that maybe you either shouldn't have, or the season of doing it has passed.

For me, in "the season of doing it" vein, a few things have passed. One of those being The Lazy Mom Radio Show. This was a tough decision for me, but I knew that it had served its purpose for my life and it was time for me to let it go. This makes me sad and relieved all at the same time.

I have learned so much from my radio show experience. Seriously, I discovered new skills, gifts and talents that I didn't know I had, and for that I am SO thankful. It's so hard to discover those things on your own and because the BNNS Radio staff pushed me out of my comfort zone I was able to not only discover them, but use them! The show was instrumental to me in that regard.

Today's show will be a replay show because I can't do it live today. Next Friday (the 17th) will be my last radio show and as a fun farewell to something that was fun in my life, I'm having my mom on the show as my fun special guest.

In an interestingly humiliating type of fun. *smile*

Also in my "recalculations" I'm letting go of some things that maybe I should have never picked up in the first place. There's so many good things that present themselves to us over periods of time. And because they are a good thing and a good opportunity we often pick them up thinking it's what God wants us to do.

If there's one thing I've learned as a Pastor's wife and being in ministry for almost 12 years, it's that there's PLENTY of "good things" to do. It's so easy to start adding those to our to-do lists because they seem like their God's plans for us because, well, they're good things after all!

So after having gone through a season of time where I've added lots of good things to my plate I'm "recalculating" and reevaluating these things. In other words, I'm dumping what's on the plate and starting over with a clean plate!

Now, I know you're all worried and on pins and needles thinking that I'm giving up this here lazy blog, but put your mind at rest my dear lazy people, cause I'm not. Until it's clear that I need to move on from it, it's here to stay.

That either just brought you joy or terror.

Please don't tell me which one.

So, if my blog posts have been sporadic lately, or continue to be, it's because I'm busy recalculating.

That and being lazy.

Are you recalculating anything in your life? I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment below!

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In the News {and a giveaway!}

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:16:00 +0000

1. Last week Lazy Dad and I went shopping at a local thrift store that two fellas from our church own. While we were browsing around I came across this.

Does anybody remember this toy?! Cause I totally had one. I remember the blood pressure cuff and the stethoscope and the shot and the... okay, I remember it all.

I wanted to buy it so my children could relive my childhood for me. But I refrained.

2. Speaking of wanting to buy things at the thrift store. I wanted this red cabinet SO. BAD.

This picture doesn't do it justice. It was beautiful. And red. And beautiful.

The inside was not red. It was deep brown wood. Sort of a rustic wood.

I loved it and I wanted it desperately. I begged Lazy Dad for it. I said I wanted it for my birthday. I pointed out it was such a good price. I told him it would be perfect in our kitchen. I said I just HAD to have it and that I would never ask for anything ever again ever if he got it for me.

So we measured it and they put a hold on it for us and then we went home and he measured the spot in the kitchen where I envisioned it and then he told me it wouldn't fit there. And so I had him measure again. You know, just to double check. And then I had him measure a space in our family room for it. And it wouldn't fit there either. And then I said we could put in in the basement. And he said no.

Then I cried.

And pouted.

And said, "but it could fit somewhere in our NEXT house!"

To which he looked at me with that, "really?" kind of look.

And then I pouted.

And cried.

And he still said no.

I still want you beautiful red cabinet!!!!!!

3. After our fun trip to Kalahari we had the chance to meet up with my brother-in-law for dinner. He lives in Georgia with my sister (that's generally how the whole marriage thing works) but he is FROM Texas. As is my sister. As is myself. (Just in case you forgot).

He was near Cleveland for a business trip and we were super pumped we got to meet him halfway for dinner. He's such a nice brother-in-law.

And I'm his super-fly sister-in-law.

He's just so lucky to have me in his family now.

4. This morning we said goodbye to a special member of our household. She was so special to us that this is apparently the only picture we have of her.

Inside that blue wrapping paper is a fish tank with our dear fish Holly in it. Our middle child got her for his birthday last year. And she brought joy to all our hearts.

She was a good beta fish. She never talked back. She never complained. And she mostly kept her room picked up.

She is survived by her loving family, The Lazy Dad and Mom, and their children, A, B and C. In lieu of flowers please send memorial donations to the National Advocacy for Fish Rights, Awareness and Humaneness. Or NAFRAH for short.

It's a 501(3)c I just started this morning out of my home. So just make those checks out to me and I'll be sure it gets in the right hands. *ahem*

5. Speaking of my middle son. He took first place in the Pinewood Derby for his Cub Scout den.

His car was the fastest so that means he's advancing to the next round and we now have to take him to District races. Which is a WHOLE DAY of Pinewood Derby races.

We took him a few years ago when he was a Tiger Cub and endured that long day in the stands. So each year after that Lazy Dad and I have secretly hoped he wouldn't advance to the next round so we wouldn't have to go back again.

Aren't we such great parents?

6. How 'bout we end this post of news worthy items with a giveaway? Have you tried the new McBites at McDonald's yet?

My kids and I tried them a week or so ago and they are really good! I only ate one since I'm Slim-Fasting, but it was nice and juicy, and the small snack size actually had a lot more in it that I anticipated.

"McDonald’s new Chicken McBites are made with juicy pieces of bite-sized premium chicken breast and a savory home-style seasoning. To enhance the taste experience, chicken fans can also pair Chicken McBites with a variety of dipping sauces for their dunking pleasure.

McDonald’s Chicken McBites are perfectly poppable and served in a convenient new package for today’s busy lifestyles. Its three sizes – Snack (3 oz.), Regular (5 oz.) and Shareable (10 oz.) – can accommodate any occasion whether customers are on-the-go or sharing with friends."

McDonald's wants you to try their new McBites out so they are sponsoring a giveaway open to U.S. residents only. You can win a prize pack that includes:

- McDonald’s branded backpack
- Mini speaker
- Car charger
- $10 McDonald’s Arch card

To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. As usual you can do as many or as little as you like on the form. Each thing you choose to do is an entry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
(subscribers, you may have to click over to the blog to see the form.)

I Had Another One

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:52:00 +0000

I had another birthday yesterday. It wasn't too painful, but it did hurt a little.

By the way, this is where you all jump to the comment form on this blog post and tell me how young and gorgeous I look and you'd never guess in a million years that I was a day out of High School. And then you all would mail me chocolate and cash in lieu of flowers as condolences for my grief of turning another year older.

Go ahead and do that while I continue with this blog post, mkay?

Speaking of flowers, I got some beautiful ones from my sweet family. They must have not gotten the "in lieu of" memo, but they cheered me up just the same.

I also got the sweetest note from my daughter.

Who doesn't tear up over that, I ask you?! She even told me that while she was writing it her "eyes were dripping."

Isn't she so sweet????

Gosh, she takes after me.

*ahem*

Lazy Dad also really delivered on the gifts this year. He bought me this magnet, that you may recognize as one I already bought for myself.

But he also got me a gift certificate for a one hour massage! Ahhhhhhh.

AND he got me this fun necklace to remind all of you'ns where I hail from. Which is NOT Ohio. In case you forgot.

I just wuv it. (He bought it from this Etsy Store if you're wondering.)

After the festive present opening ended we went to Ruby Tuesday for my birthday dinner. Because Ruby Tuesday has a dish there that is exactly 500 calories and is DELICIOUS.

*Side note: I did NOT cheat on my Slim-Fast 321 Plan at all yesterday!!

Who's a rockin' rock star that's so awesome she didn't cheat on her diet on her birthday?

THIS GIRL!

Woot! Woot!

So. Anyone else share my birthday with me? Surely one of you turned another year older yesterday too, right? FESS UP! Then we can console one another.

Signed,
The rockin' rock star that's so awesome she didn't cheat on her diet on her birthday.

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Swiss-Wrapped Asparagus {A Lazy Mom Recipe}

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:01:00 +0000

Doesn't that title sound all non-lazy like? But it really IS lazy, and a delicious Lazy Mom Recipe straight out of Robin Miller's cookbook, Robin Takes 5.

Speaking of Robin and her great new cookbook, I'm giving away two of them here, and today is the last day to enter to win! (Open to U.S. and Canada)

ALSO speaking of Robin and her great new cookbook, she's my special guest on the Lazy Mom Radio Show today! She is giving away another cookbook to a live listener that is in the chat window! Here's how to listen to the show today and chat in the chat window. Don't miss it!

Now on with the lazy recipe already!

Chicken Cordon Bleu
serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 5 ounces each)
8 ounces deli-sliced smoked ham
4 (1-ounce) slices Swiss cheese
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard with horseradish (we just used regular Dijon mustard)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

Place the chicken in a large freezer bag or between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to a 1/2-inch thickness. Top each chicken breast with the ham and Swiss cheese. Starting from the shorter end, roll up each piece of chicken and secure with wooden picks. Transfer the chicken to the prepared pan and season the top with salt and pepper. Spread the mustard all over each chicken roll. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

For one serving of chicken, it's only 338 calories, but it's so delicious it feels like you're cheating and eating something super bad for you!

To go with this yummy chicken, we also made one of Robin's side dishes.

Swiss-Wrapped Asparagus Spears
serves 4

16 asparagus spears, ends trimmed
4 teaspoons honey mustard
8 slices Swiss cheese

Preheat the boiler. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Immerse the asparagus spears in a large pot of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Brush the honey mustard all over the asparagus. Wrap each slice of Swiss cheese around 2 asparagus spears, making 8 bundles. Transfer the bundles to the prepared baking sheet and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese is golden. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.

Each serving, which is 2 bundles of asparagus spears, is just 82 calories!

So this whole delicious dinner is only 420 calories! And seriously feels like you're eating way more and leaves you very satisfied!

Now, if you aren't a big mustard fan, you can totally omit the mustard in both of these dishes and it would still be fabulous!

A big thank you to Robin Miller and her publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me to share this recipe with you! Don't forget to listen to the Lazy Mom Radio Show today to hear more from Robin and possibly win her fabulous new cookbook!

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A World Away

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:59:00 +0000

My family and I just got back last night from a Ministers Retreat at Kalahari Resorts.

If you aren't familiar with what Kalahari Resorts is, let me give you a three word hint....

America's.

Largest.

Waterpark.

Did that help?

Yes, Kalahari is known for being the largest indoor waterpark in America. And it is SO. MUCH. FUN.

But before I tell you about our stay at Kalahari, I have to tell you about some "preparation" I did for my looming gallivanting around in a swimsuit in a big ol' waterpark full of people I would know from all across our state.

I got a spray tan.

Don't think less of me.

It was necessary, my lazy people. Totally necessary. You see, I'm SUPER fair. Like, as a friend of ours says, that pasty-near-death-looking fair. And I've spent my whole life this way. I just don't tan. Not even in tanning beds. So I thought for fun I'd give a spray tan a go and see what happened.

I emailed Beauty Call by Liz for the job because I know she uses products developed by a Stage 3 melanoma cancer survivor, who decided to create an organic, natural-looking sunless tanning product for those who want that sun-kissed glow, without all the harmful effects of tanning. Liz came to my house, set up a tent for me to stand in and sprayed me down! It was fun. And she was very professional and made me feel totally comfortable. Jiggly thighs and all. (Thanks Liz!)

Here's what I looked like moments before she sprayed me:

And here's what I looked like the next day:

TAN! People! I was TAN!!

(If you live in the Toledo Ohio area and want to use Beauty Call by Liz, be sure and tell her I sent you. I love that she does it in your home!)

Okay. Rocking my spray tan, we packed up and headed out to Kalahari for four days and three nights. We shared a room with Jenilee and her family, so Kalahari hooked us up with their Village Suite. It slept all ten of us with tons of space to spare and boasted a full kitchen. Check it out...

It was fabulous. And a great way to bunk with another family, make meals in your room and still have plenty of space to relax in!

But even though the room was wonderful, that, my friends, was NOT the main attraction.

You see, even though it looked like THIS outside the day we got there...

...we were busy doing this in balmy 84 degree weather....

That last picture is of their outdoor hot tub. If you've never sat in a hot tub while it's really cold outside, then you are missing out! It is so refreshing. Seriously, you must do it!

But the waterpark isn't the only thing there is to do at Kalahari. Oh my, no! They have a FULL arcade, black light miniature golf, an indoor play structure, and so much more. We played a round of bowling in their cute mini bowling alley:

Everything was smaller so it was super easy for the kids to play.

We also took advantage of some of the activities they host while you're there. My girl and I did the manicure one and it was fun mother-daughter time together.

BUT, we weren't just here for all of THAT. We were also here for a conference, remember?

I was SUPER impressed with Kalahari's conference area. It is HUGE.

Kalahari wouldn't have been the first thing to come to mind when I thought "conference," but it sure will be now! The conference area was just perfect and very impressive.

But what was MOST impressive about Kalahari was their customer service. Every employee, from the front desk check-in, to the lifeguards, to the ones you pass in the hallways, all the way up to the managers were so nice, helpful and went out of their way to make you feel like you truly were "a world away!"

And one last thing to leave you with. At our conference, there was an "Ohio's Got Talent" night. And for those of you who think Lazy Dad is all reserved and stuff, here's my chance to show you that he is NOT. As in, AT. ALL. He only is "reserved" when I ask him to do stuff for this here blog o' mine.

Here is Lazy Dad (on the left) with JulieAnn Pratt's husband (in the middle) and Jenilee's husband (on the right) doing their "talent."

A HUGE thank you to Kalahari Resorts for a great room upgrade and a free night stay in exchange for my honest review of our experience at their resort. All opinions expressed are my own and our family had a fabulous time!

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Official Worship Signals

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:31:00 +0000

I saw a picture floating around on Facebook lately and just had to share it.

Especially seeing that I was raised Baptist and ended up going to an Assembly of God Bible College and am currently married to an Assembly of God Pastor. Where they are, shall we say... more exuberant in worship than their Baptist counterparts?

That's also why I liked this cartoon, remember?

Plus it's Sunday and all, so it just seemed right to share this with you....

(I LOVE the expert warning: Baptists- do not attempt! HA!)

So now that you know the official worship signals, you can be all "official" and stuff at church.

You're welcome.

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Robin Takes 5 {Cookbook Giveaway!}

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:13:00 +0000

How'd you like to win a cookbook that has FIVE HUNDRED Lazy Mom Recipes in it?

Yes, that's right. I said five hundred of them!

I've been talking almost non-stop about this cookbook ever since I had the fun opportunity to meet Robin Miller at the Slim-Fast Studio Wow! event in New York last week. And guess what? I got my copy of this fabulous cookbook in the mail on Monday! Woot!

Robin Takes 5 is a lazy mom's DREAM book, I tell you. What lazy mom couldn't use 500 recipes that are 5 ingredients or less and are all less than 500 calories?! *jaw drops*

So today, thanks to the generosity of Robin Miller and her cookbook publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing, I'm giving away two of these fabulous cookbooks to two fabulous lazy moms (or dads!).

To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter form below. You can do as little or as many as you like on the form... but each one you do is an entry!

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Special thanks to Robin Miller and Andrews McMeel Publishing for sponsoring this giveaway. No compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

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Our 'I Love Lucy' Table

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:19:00 +0000

A week ago Lazy Dad sent me to our second home to pick up a few odds and ends we needed from there.

(In case you're wondering what kind of second home a Pastor's family has, click here to see a picture of it.)

I was happy to make the trip to our second home because I had a few things to return and I hadn't had a trip there in a few days. Which was weird because I practically go there every other day, if not every day, if not a couple of times a day. Just depends on my need to get away to our second home.

While at our second home, Lazy Dad calls me and says to buy a card table. He wants to get a puzzle out to do with the kids. It's something we've done off and on over the years, not consistently by any means, mainly because a puzzle takes up our whole kitchen table and we can't eat there for weeks on end. Thus the reason for the card table.

But Lazy Dad was also inspired by a conversation he had with my mom. You see, when my dad was growing up his family would keep a puzzle on a card table that was being worked on in their home. Of course this was the late 50's, early 60's when life was a bit slower and people actually did things like puzzles for entertainment.

A few times I've put a puzzle out at Christmas time. You start it on December 1st and as the festivities and the subsequent lazy days of the month go by your family works on it, and those who stop by might too.

Okay, I did this one time. But I liked it!

Anyway, I picked up the card table and drug it all the way through the store behind me up to the checkout lanes (I was there for odds and ends people, not a card table, so I didn't grab a buggy... thus the dragging part). I brought it home, sent my oldest out to the car to retrieve it, and as the kids were excitedly tearing off the packaging and putting down the legs my oldest says, "Hey! This is an 'I Love Lucy' table!"

Cracked me straight up. "Why, yes, yes it is an 'I Love Lucy' table," I said, realizing that the only time they've probably seen a card table was on reruns of I Love Lucy. It's one of our favorite reruns to watch together... there's just so little you actually can watch with your kids these days. And Lucy pulls a card table out regularly in the show for playing cards, having company for dinner and other various things.

So the I Love Lucy table was set up and the puzzle was dumped out and the piecing together began. In one week the kids have made a lot of progress. See?

My oldest son even declared to me that if we had to give up television, he would proudly do it because he's having so much fun doing the puzzle on our I Love Lucy table.

And it just goes to show you that kids don't have to have video games, TV, computers, or the latest gadget to be entertained. The "classic" way of having fun is still, well, FUN to them.

So I'm wondering... what's something "classic" that you've done with your kids that you've been surprised was a hit with them? Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear about it so we can try it out too!
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Sledding

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:44:00 +0000

This weekend we took the kids sledding.

There wasn't a ton of snow on the hill we like to go to, but there was enough.

The kids had a ton of fun.

And I can just image the conversation in this picture.

"Sup?" "Sup." "So, what kind of board you ridin'?"

They sled (sledded? slided?) down that hill over and over for an hour.

Till they were exhausted, cold and thirsty.

And, uh, just where was Lazy Dad and I during all of this?

Ummmm, we were watching from here.

And doing stuff like this.

What?

It was cold.

And my electric blanket was at home.

And like you don't act like a lazy parent every once in a while yourself! So there.

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Orange-Glazed Pork Chops {A Lazy Mom Recipe}

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:29:00 +0000

Before I started the Slim-Fast 3-2-1 Plan I knew that the 500 calorie meal was going to be difficult for me to figure out.

I mean, let's face it... a whole meal that's under 500 calories? For someone who doesn't love to cook? And quite possibly is... every once in a while... could maybe be conceived as... just once in a blue moon... well okay, some days... sorta-kinda... I mean just a teeny-tiny bit, lazy? Next to impossible!

That's why I was so excited to learn about chef Robin Miller's new book! But what's a Lazy Mom to do until her new book arrives in the mail, I ask you?!

So I went snooping. Snooping around Slim-Fast's website. And you know what I discovered? {spoiler alert} Their website is pretty cool!

This weekend I played around on it and found that there's not only a whole community on there, which offers a lot of support, but there's also a great way to track your progress, ask their nutritionist, Ali Auerbach, questions, and even whole meal plans laid out for you!

I loved the meal plan part because it takes the effort out of planning your food intake for the entire day and puts it on auto-pilot. And let's be real here... isn't that what every mom needs?

But what I was most pleased about with their meal plan was their 500 calorie recipes! I quickly printed off a bunch because most of the recipes I found were very easy to make, and some were even Lazy Mom Recipes (being 5 ingredients or less). SCORE!

One of the ones we tried this weekend was the Orange-Glazed Pork Chops. Mm, mm. It was so good the kids asked for seconds! And so, I just had to share it with all of you! Especially seeing that most Lazy Mom Recipes on my blog (okay, quite possibly all of them) are not very healthy. *hangs head in shame*

So without further ado.....

Orange-Glazed Pork Chops
(makes 4 servings)

1/2 cup Wish-Bone® Light Italian Dressing
1/4 cup orange juice
4 boneless pork chops (about 1 1b. total - making it about 4 ounces each)
1 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
2 green onions, chopped (optional)
1/4 tsp grated orange peel (optional)

In measuring cup, combine dressing with juice. In large, resealable plastic bag, pour 1/3 cup marinade mixture over chops; turn to coat. Close bag and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remove chops from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill or broil chops until done.

Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, bring the remainder of the marinade, the brown sugar, onions (opt.) and orange peel (opt.) to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute or until sauce is thickened. Serve sauce over chops and garnish, if desired with additional sliced green onions.

Serve with 2 cups of snow peas (steamed) and 1.5 cups of corn for each person, making this entire meal 450 calories!

And bonus: this dinner goes together super fast, so even busy lazy moms can do this!

Doesn't that bad boy look good?

It was delicious and VERY satisfying. There was so much food on my plate! I hope you'll try it sometime and let me know what you think.

Stay tuned for more great Lazy Mom Recipes that are GOOD for your family in the coming months!

Disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast® Women of Wow Program. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation.

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Remind Me to Tell You... about Tulips.

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:57:00 +0000

Over the course of blogging for almost five years on this blog (and almost seven years total), I've asked you all to "remind me to tell you" several things.

I randomly throw them into blog posts upon occasion when a story pops in my head while writing about something else. So I thought it might be high time for me to make a list of things I've been asking you to remind me to tell you about.

Things like the time I asked you to remind me to tell you...

the inside joke behind why Lazy Dad and I liked the TV show Less Than Perfect.
how much I love tulips and how every spring I make plans to plant tulips in the fall so I can have some grow up in my own yard.
a funny story about my dad.
how when we first got married and were living in Wisconsin, Lazy Dad tricked me into believing that there was such a thing as "winter air" for car tires.

And so I thought I might get around to telling you these stories. Some may make you laugh, some may make you cry.

Today? The tulip story. Cause it's one of my favorites....

Every Spring when all the tulips pop up out of the ground in our neighborhood, and around town, I tell myself that I'm going to plant some in the Fall so that next year I have some in my own yard to enjoy. Because I just love tulips. They're so happy and perky and the first to let you know that the world is turning into a warm place again after such a cold frosty winter. What's not to love?

My love for tulips all started back when I was 19-years-old and working at Lee Transportation Services in Lufkin Texas. It was Valentine's Day (you know, one of those holidays I don't like to celebrate) and I was single.

*sniff, sniff*

So as flowers arrived for all the married ladies and those with boyfriends, I "oo'd" and "aw'd" over their flowers and balloons and chocolates with them and then went back to working diligently at my desk.

It wasn't so bad. I didn't really need a boyfriend. I mean, I was 19... this was my time to live it up, right?

Then low-and-behold, another lady's sweet husband showed up with flowers for her. He was an older gentleman and was full of energy and life. He never failed to make us all smile when he stopped by the office. He gave the pretty bunch of flowers to his wife, gave her a quick kiss, whispered "Happy Valentine's Day" and then headed to my desk.

"These are for you darlin'," he said with a big smile. In his outstretched hand was a big bouquet of tulips. They were beautiful.

"What?! You got these for me?" I said, starting to smile. Suddenly not having a boyfriend wasn't so bad. "That is just SO sweet. Thank you! They're beautiful."

And they were. They had dual colors, yellow on the outsides and pink in the middles. I had never gotten tulips before, but I have loved them ever since. And every time I see tulips or get some from Lazy Dad, I remember that sweet man and his loving act of getting a 19-year-old single girl tulips on Valentine's Day.

And one of these days I am going to finally plant some tulips in my own yard. One of these days....

Odds and Ends...

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:53:00 +0000

{1} I've heard a rumor that people using Internet Explorer to browse the internet can't load my blog. This makes my heart hurt. So if you are one of those people, ditch IE already and download FireFox. It's free, and better, and makes you see my blog again.

Those of you who know someone suffering from IE disorder can you let them know? Cause I'm betting they can't see this anyway.

{2} Today on the Lazy Mom Radio Show I'll be sharing more behind-the-scenes details about my Slim-Fast Studio Wow trip among other random things. My good friend Carrie will be on with me to chat it up. She's gorgeous and funny and awesome. So, now that you know why we're friends, you won't want to miss it. Here's how to tune in.

{3} This morning when I woke up it was 2 degrees outside. I'll now be accepting all-expense paid vacations to Hawaii from now till April.

April of 2050.

{4} If you live in NW Ohio or SE Michigan (or will be passing through here at any point in your life) there's still time to enter my McDonald's Happy Meal giveaway. So go do that already, mkay?

{5} Speaking of giveaways, I still haven't heard from the SurfShelf winner. So, um, go check and see if you won.

{6} On a lazy note, I wore my house shoes through the New York and Chicago and Toledo airports on the way home from my trip on Tuesday night. I felt it was my lazy duty to lazily represent the lazy side of all lazy moms in this lazy way. You're welcome.

{7} I'd like to give a shout out to Bob. Evans, that is.

We ate at Bob Evans on Wednesday night and thanks to their "Fit from the Farm" menu it was SUPER easy to eat my Slim-Fast 500 calorie meal at their restaurant. So thanks Bob.

Evans, that is.

{8} My daughter is in to this new "pose" for the camera. The open mouth, oh-my-gosh pose.

Can't image where she gets that from.

{9} I found this magnet at Cracker Barrel the other day. I feel it sums up my whole Pastor's Wife personality pretty beautifully and I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy it.

I may drive back over there and get it.

It would go great with my Mom's Menu Planner magnet.

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Studio WOW!

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:45:00 +0000

Ohmygosh people.

Yesterday was a crazy, fabulous, long, exciting day.

I flew to New York City for a grand total of four hours to attend Slim-Fast's Studio Wow event. And boy was it wow!

I woke up at 3am bright eyed and bushy tailed even though my alarm clock wasn't set to go off till 5am and my car wasn't scheduled to pick me up for the airport till 6am. Who can sleep when you're about to fly to New York, I ask you? Four car rides, four flights and lots of walking later, I collapsed back into my home at 11:15pm. It was a long day!

At the Slim-Fast Studio Wow event, I was able to meet four of the other Women of WOW! bloggers, some awesome people behind the scenes at Slim-Fast and, well, some other folks that were more "in front of the scenes."

Here's the "in front of the scenes" people.

Ali Auerbach, Robin Miller, Joey Maalouf, Nigel Barker, Jacqui Stafford

Talk about a fun bunch of people to have one-on-ones with! Each of them was fabulous, but I just have to give a special shout out to Jacqui Stafford who personally declared me her new BFF.

I think she felt lucky to have met me.

*ahem*

The Studio Wow event was all decked out Slim-Fast style. It looked amazing and we all decided we wanted to live there for the duration of the Women of WOW! program.

Here, I'll give you a quick tour to show you why....

The downstairs area where we did a quick video interview:

Upstairs there was a lounge area:

The "Welcome! We're so glad you're here" area:

The hair and makeup area:

The totally cute and totally fun kitchen area:

Where I just HAD to take a picture of these super cute Slim-Fast shakes that I now realize, upon uploading, has my big ol' finger in it:

Doh!

And last, but not least, there was Jacqui's fashion/style area... which I didn't get a picture of because Jacqui and I were busy being new BFF's and all.

But wasn't the event all cute and stuff?!

It totally was.

After taking a tour, (the one I just took you on) we loaded up in some cars and headed to lunch at Bryant Park Grill. Super yum. The bloggers and Slim-Fast representatives got to know each other a bit better over lunch and then we grabbed a quick blogger photo afterwards in the park.

Then, it was time.

Time to go through the whole "experience" with the experts.

** Warning! ** You will see some very unflattering pictures of myself as we proceed. Keep in mind these are my "before" pictures of me at a weight that I am sorta-kinda embarrassed to show you, but for the sake of keeping it real, which you know I'm all about, and to maybe help you make your own Slim-Fast "vow to wow" with me, I'm showing them to you.

Against all better judgement and all that is screaming within me to not show them to you.

And besides... I'll be a smoking hot super model by the end of April, so it's all good.

I think.

Okay, maybe not.

Just tell me I'm gorgeous after you read this post today, mkay? That may help take the sting of how I look in these pictures out a little.

Here we go!

This is my new BFF Jacqui Stafford. She's beautiful and brilliant and British. Kinda like me. Except the British part.

After looking at this photo I now realize that my shoes did not match my outfit AT ALL. Good thing I write a blog about being lazy and not how to be stylish in New York City at a brand event with celebrities. Otherwise that would have been totally awkward.

Jacqui gave me some fun style tips, showed me how to tie a scarf that I got to keep, in some fun new ways and made me adore her all in one fell swoop. She's pretty amazing.

After Jacqui made me love her, Joey Maalouf showed me how to restyle my hair in a fun new way while I got my makeup touched up by a lovely woman that I didn't properly meet (sorry lovely woman that I didn't properly meet!).

In about five minutes flat Joey parted my hair differently, added some loose curls to accentuate the ones I have since giving birth to three children, and showed me that I don't have to look like a lazy mom ALL the time.

Then. THEN. *heart starts to pound* I was whisked off to my "photo shoot" with Nigel Barker.

We shook hands, chatted a bit and then I told him that before we started I wanted to take a picture of him taking a picture of me. To which he said jokingly, "Are you telling ME what to do at MY photo shoot?"

"Yes, yes I am. Now go over there and let me take a picture of you!" I said all boss lady like.

Wasn't he sweet to comply?

Would you ladies like to see that picture again?

I thought so.

Now this was the really nerve racking part of the day and why my heart was pounding.... Doing a photo shoot where YOU are the subject. Eek! I never felt so awkward. Mainly because it wasn't just me and Nigel in the room, but me Nigel and about 8 other people all watching ME stand there all dorky like.

Here, let me walk you through this....

This is me realizing I'm about to have my photo taken by Nigel Barker in a room full of people that all are watching me.

They put on a Switchfoot song I like to loosen me up a bit, which helped, but it was still a bit awkward feeling.

I danced, jumped, laughed, tried to "work it" all while cringing on the inside. But I must have really worked it because...

This is me making Nigel beg for more of my fabulousness.

Then. THEN.

This is me when they put "the fan" on me.

That's right people. They did the FAN THING.

*sigh*

I've always wanted to do the fan thing.

...well, 30 pounds lighter and with shoes that match my outfit.

But I must have made quite an impression on ol' Nigel, because this is me when Nigel asked me to leave the Lazy Dad and run off with him.

To which I promptly turned him down and told him the only man for me is my hunky hunky husband that's back home caring for the children we brought into this world together.

True story.

In my head.

After I left Nigel all heart-broken I met with Food Network Chef Robin Miller. Which I didn't get a picture of because my car was already waiting on me to take me back to the airport, but I was SUPER excited to talk to her. Mainly because it was my mission to leave the Studio Wow event with LAZY MOM RECIPES that were 500 calories for the Slim-Fast 321 plan I'm on - 3 snacks, 2 shakes or meal replacement bars, and 1 - 500 calorie meal. I knew I'd have problems with that 500 calorie meal, so I was hopeful she could help me.

And guess what y'all?

Robin not only delivered... she wrote a whole cookbook about it!

That's right lazy moms! A WHOLE cookbook of five ingredients or less recipes that are all 500 calories or less!

COULD. YOU. DIE?

You can find her cookbook in The Lazy Mom Store. I've already ordered mine and she gave me permission to share some of the recipes with you over the next few months during the Women of WOW! program! I was SO excited about this.

So yes! It was a crazy fun day! After a short conversation with Slim-Fast's nutritionist, Ali Auebrach, I was shuffled off to a car and headed back to the airport. I couldn't believe it was all over so quickly.

Thank you to all of you who held my hand through all of this yesterday via my Facebook page! You all were so sweet to encourage me and I truly appreciated every single ounce of it.

You can now find me on Slim-Fast's Women of WOW! Facebook page where you can meet the other 9 bloggers participating in the program and see my Slim-Fast related posts.

I'd love it if you left a comment on my area of that page and shared your own "Vow to Wow" with me! I've got lots of helpful weight-loss tips to share with you in the upcoming months, not to mention, healthy Lazy Mom Recipes, giveaways and more!

Woohoo!

And let's all forget how I look in the above pictures and concentrate on how FAB I'm gonna look at the end of the program in April, mkay? It will help me sleep better tonight if you say you will. So thanks in advance.

Oh, and get ready for my WOW moment people!!!

Disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast® Women of Wow Program. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation.

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Big News. Big, BIG News.

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:32:00 +0000

I've been DYING to tell y'all about a fun opportunity that has landed in my lap. I've been trying to keep it under my hat, which is hard for me.... Seeing as a I blog and all, and uh, I don't have a hat that big.

But TODAY I can tell you about it! I can shout it from the rooftops! I can write it in the sky! I can... I can... well, you get the idea.

Remember when I posted on my Facebook and Twitter that I had received a couple of big boxes in the mail this Friday, but I couldn't tell you what was in them yet?

Well, now I can!

But, forgive me, I thought it would be more fun to tell you about it in a vlog...

So there you have it! I'm now a Slim-Fast Women of WOW! Brand Ambassador!

Does this mean my blog will now turn into Slim-Fast only content? Not at all! I'll be sharing Women of WOW! related things from time to time, but other than that, I'm a Lazy Mom will be the same!

Now tomorrow is a BIG day.... I'll be flying to New York City for Slim-Fast's Studio Wow event! You can follow along with the fun on Slim-Fast's Facebook page where tomorrow they'll be launching a special Women of WOW! tab with yours truly on it!

You can also follow my tweets and Facebook status updates all day tomorrow using the hashtag #SFStudioWow as I'm sure I'll be posting my one day New York City adventure on there like crazy!

Whew! What a day tomorrow will be and the next 3 and a half months!

Don't forget to check Facebook tomorrow for the new Slim-Fast Women of WOW! tab... I'd love it if you supported me on there!

Yours Truly,
The Lazy Mom

Disclosure: This post and video was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast® Women of Wow Program. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation.

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McDonald's New Happy Meal is Coming Soon! {Plus a Local Giveaway}

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:19:00 +0000

Okay, is it just me, or is McDonald's doing a good job of introducing healthier items to their menu these days?

Just yesterday I had their new Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal (I was already a fan of their Fruit and Maple Oatmeal) and it was yum! yum! and DOUBLE YUM! -as my daughter likes to say.

Seriously, if you haven't had the new oatmeal yet, go get some soon! It's only around for a limited time. Which makes me sad seeing that it's seriously good stuff and I like it even better than the Fruit and Maple one.

Anyway! Also coming soon to McDonald's everywhere (but already available now in NW Ohio and SE Michigan) is the new McDonald's Happy Meal®!

The new Happy Meal®, coming soon to a McDonald's near you, will now automatically come with apple slices as a side item, whether you ask for them or not! McDonald's is very excited about this new option behind their "Commitment to Offer Improved Nutrition Choice" initiative and anticipates introducing upwards of "100 million cups of produce annually into the diets of our youngest customers."

In addition to apple slices, the meal also automatically comes with a new smaller (and cuter) size of french fries. If you don't want the fries at all, an additional bag of apples is available to replace them, so you can still control whether or not your child receives fries in their meal.

Here's my daughter modeling the cute new french fries box from her Happy Meal® when we grabbed McDonald's to eat before church the other night.

She loved that she got both apples and french fries in her meal that were sized perfectly for her. (Plus did I mention how cute the smaller french fry box is?) My boys, who are moving toward the bigger Mighty Kids Meals® since they are *sniff* getting older, felt there wasn't enough food in the new Happy Meal®, so they weren't quite as fond of the changes as their sister was.

But I think this new automatic offering of fruit in every Happy Meal® is smart. Before, kids had to choose between apples and fries. And uh, HELLO, what would you choose if you were a kid?! It turns out that only 11% of kids were choosing apples before. Now, the choice is eliminated for them (unless you opt to only have apples) and parents have a great chance to get more fruit in their children's diets.

Be on the lookout for these new Happy Meals® at your local McDonald's!

Do you live in NW Ohio or SE Michigan and want to try the new Happy Meal® out with your kids? Enter to win Happy Meal® cards to try the new Happy Meal® out for free using the Rafflecopter form below! There will be 2 winners - each receiving 5 cards!

a Rafflecopter giveaway (Subscribers, click over to my blog to see the Rafflecopter form.)

Thank you to McDonald's of NW Ohio for sponsoring this giveaway. I received 5 Happy Meal® cards to try out the new Happy Meals® with my kids. No other compensation was received and all opinions expressed are my own.

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Some Blog Housekeeping

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:32:00 +0000

There's a few little blog housekeeping things I'd like to inform you about. Stuff that might be of interest to you, or might not be of interest to you.

Either way, it should be interesting.

Or not.

*clears throat*

{1} Our adorable, loveable, amazingly talented Traci Romine, who writes our Decorating the Lazy Mom Way series for us is taking a break for a while. Her dad has had some very serious and life-threatening health issues for a very long while now, so needless to say, she's drained in every which way. Until she feels up to blogging about all things lazy in decorating again, you all will just have to wait on pins and needles in suspense of her return!

You can read more about her dad's story on her blog. I'm sure she'd appreciate your prayers.

{2} So I've been wanting to have a way for you (and me) to respond to comments that are left in the comments area below my posts. You know, so you can reply to someone else's comment? Are you following me? But I wasn't aware of a way for that to happen on my blog until *stop the presses* yesterday.

Then low and behold I saw this morning that someone left a comment on my Facebook page saying that they'd like to comment on someone else's comment, and I was all, "Hey! I'm like, totally aware of how to do that now!" So I went and I did it! (Isn't this an interesting story?)

So, the moral of the story is that you can now leave comments under other people's comments in the comment area by hitting "reply" to the comment.

Comment, comment, comment.

Have I said that enough?

Now, I'm not sure that the reply to the comment will send a message to the person you're replying too, but baby steps people, baby steps.

And for all the rest of you who have totally not followed this second announcement at all, it's okay. Just press on in life. If you can.

{3} Did you see my perty new Lazy Mom Store button on the right sidebar over there? The lovely Shawntele whipped it out in a flash for me (thanks Shawntele!) so now you can click on it and see stuff that I am really digging right now. And you can click through the categories on the right and see stuff I love and/or want to love and/or want you to love. *smile*

And now for our last announcement!

{4} Don't forget to listen to the Lazy Mom Radio Show today at 2pm Eastern/1pm Central! I'll be sharing a new website I've discovered with you and I think you'll want to learn more about it too! Click here to learn how to tune in.

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SHOUT OUT to Cousin Tom!

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +0000

Okay, so you know how this fall I discovered that Tom Hanks is my cousin? (Seeing as I like to laugh and all, this works out well for me.)

So, I ask you, how could I NOT share this funny video with you sweet little lazy moms (and dads) out there when it makes me laugh AND stars my cousin?!
(video)
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Hello, my name is Stacey and I'm a Lazy Mom

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:20:00 +0000

Last night while one child o' mine was off at Cub Scouts with Lazy Dad, the other two kids and I didn't do much of anything. As I recall it, they were watching something on TV and I was hanging out on Facebook.

My oldest decided he had a hankering for some popcorn, and seeing that I'm trying to use up our last bit of microwave popcorn so that I can start using this lazy and cheaper way of making popcorn, I complied.

I popped some popcorn for the kids and myself, pulled three bowls down from the cabinet and put them all out on the counter. As I went to pour popcorn in the bowls I noticed one of them was a bit dirty. Just a bit. Not a lot. It had a random remnant of who-knows-what stuck to the side of the bowl.

Being too lazy to wash the bowl out, or grab another one from the cabinet for that matter, I just chipped off what was stuck to the side of the bowl with my fingernail and served up the popcorn anyway... being careful to give the "dirty" bowl to one of the children, and not to me.

*ahem*

So basically, this is my Lazy Mom Confession....

If a bowl or plate doesn't come totally clean in the dishwasher and it was put away anyway, I wipe it out with my hand a little bit or chip the stuck-on-stuff off with my fingernail and use it for my kids anyway. EVEN THOUGH, I would never use it for myself.

Does that make me a bad mom?

Nah!

I say it makes me a mom that has lazy moments in motherhood, like we ALL do.

That's MY Lazy Mom Confession, what's yours? Learn how you can send it in to me.

Oo! And don't forget to enter my current giveaway!

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Lazy Chicken Alfredo

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Let's rock another Lazy Mom Recipe out, shall we?

This one, sent in by lazy mom Becky, is SO easy even a lazy mom's KID could do it!

Hey Lazy Mom! I have the easiest chicken alfredo recipe!!! It's super yummy...all 3 of our kids and my husband love it!!! Here's what I use for our family of 5!

Lazy Chicken Alfredo

5 frozen chicken brests
2 jars Bertolli Alfredo sauce

Put frozen chicken breast in the crock pot, pour alfredo sauce in and add seasonings to taste (optional).
Cook on low all day or high for 4 hours. Serve over rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes (make right before dinner). For side dishes you can open a bag of salad, open a can or two of veggies, and some store bough garlic bread (or Lazy Mom's Lazy Garlic Bread)!

Mm, mm. Love me some Chicken Alfredo... but love it more when it's lazy! Thanks Becky!

Have a lazy recipe to share? Find out what makes a recipe lazy and send it in to me!

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SurfShelf {Giveaway}

imalazymom@gmail.com (Stacey - The Lazy Mom) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:25:00 +0000

A while ago I saw a news segment about companies that had changed their offices from traditional desks to something called treadmill desks. These treadmill desks were decked out just like a regular work desk, having desktop space on either side of the treadmill for paperwork, a computer in the middle and a headset for the phone.

The employees did all their work at these treadmill desks by walking at a very slow 1 mile an hour, which doesn't sound like a lot until you stop and think about it.... That means that by the end of a traditional work day these people could be walking up to 7 miles! Needless to say, the employees started dropping weight and loved the new treadmill desks.

So I thought to my lazy self when I saw this news segment, "Lazy self! You work on a computer most of the day, why not look into these treadmill desks so you can walk while you work and drop some pounds too?"

So I took my lazy self's advice and I looked up treadmill desks. And you know what I found? You'd have to be a lot richer than I am to buy one! These bad boys can be up to $4,000!

So then I retold my lazy self, "Lazy self! You already have a treadmill in your basement, why don't you find something that will let you use your laptop while you walk on it?"

So I took my lazy self's new advice and went Googling. And you know what I found?

This.

SurfShelf

I was SUPER excited to find SurfShelf! An affordable way to use your laptop on any treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, or pretty much whatever fitness machine you use (or, if you're like me, should be using)!

As soon as I discovered SurfShelf and saw that it was only $39.95 on Amazon, I yanked one off of there so fast I didn't even have time to blink!

Besides, it was a Christmas present to myself that I informed Lazy Dad he was now giving me.

The SurfShelf is a sturdy polycarbonate plastic that can hold up to 60 pounds and works with any laptop on the market! It even works with an iPad for all you iPad people out there!

Most people buy the SurfShelf for the entertainment factor. They can watch movies, catch up on TV shows, surf the web, etc. So Randy, the super nice creator of SurfShelf, also started a fun website called iN-Gym to house tons of stuff to entertain yourself with as you exercise!

But me? I bought mine so I could walk at a slow pace as I work like the people in that news segment I saw, and guess what? I'm walking over 2 miles a day! That's right people... I'm walking at about 1.5 miles per hour and logging over 2 miles a day as I check my email and do some of my work right on my treadmill, when before I was sitting that whole time. LOVE IT!

Plus, if you don't own exercise equipment at home, you can easily take it to the gym! It folds up and fits easily in a gym bag!

You can learn more about the SurfShelf on their website. You can also buy SurfShelf right there on their website or on Amazon. I've even put it in my Lazy Mom Amazon Store as a Top Pick since I'm digging it right now!

Randy at SurfShelf was so helpful and so nice, that he has generously agreed to give away one SurfShelf to a super awesome lazy mom!

To enter the giveaway, U.S. and Canadian residents can use the Rafflecopter form below. For those of you who haven't used Rafflecopter in a while, they have changed a few things to make it better, so if you get confused, just shoot me an email me and let me know! I'll help make sure you're entered to win, so no worries if you can't figure it out.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Subscribers, click over to my blog to be able to see the Rafflecopter form.)

Thank you to Randy at SurfShelf for sponsoring this blog post and giveaway. I was compensated for this post in exchange for my honest review of this product.

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