I think I have finally recovered from the weekend. Talk about busy! I really wish I had more time lately to blog, instead of recapping an entire week, each time I do. Things have just been crazy and non-stop lately. Joe and I have also been really hooked on watching all the seasons of Dexter on our Instant Streaming Netflix (best $11 per month ever!), so that doesn’t help either. Each episode is an hour long. And it’s so addictive...
Thursday night my friend Gina gave birth to her new baby boy, so Friday, after putting the munchkin to bed, I headed up to the hospital to see them. Per her request, I brought some apple dump cake with me, which is basically 4 ingredients dumped into a special bowl just for this dessert, and cooked in the microwave for 8 minutes. Easy peasy but sooooo good! I stayed just long enough to get some new baby love, share in polishing off the dump cake, and then headed home.
Saturday we celebrated our friends 30th birthday with a trip to a local winery. Joe headed out around noon, riding with some friends, and I headed out at 2:00 after my mom showed up to watch the munchkin. I arrived around 3:00, and found everyone. I purchased a bottle of wine (a semi-dry red), and poured my first glass. It was very warm outside, the view was absolutely gorgeous and it had been a while since I was fortunate enough to visit a winery. I was feeling good. Maybe a little too good, cuz I finished most of the bottle of wine within an hour and a half. It was a good time and I wasn’t ready to leave, but around 5:45 we started to gather our belongings and head out. I was due at my house at 6:30 to meet up with my girl Anna to head over to an engagement party.
We didn’t get far from the winery before we saw the lights and emergency vehicles lined up ahead, re-directing traffic. We were not too far out of town, but the area we were in was only used (by us) to get to the wineries. We didn’t know the back roads (they were all “back roads”) to take to find an alternate route. We followed the cars in front of us, thought we were making progress, and 20 minutes later, we were spit back out onto the road right by the winery we had originally left. As we came up to the lights and traffic, we were re-directed in the same direction once again. As we pulled up to the man directing traffic, I rolled down my window, explained to him that we had already been through this and it only took us in a big circle. He said go to the top of the hill, and near the fire hydrant, make a right on Schlausselburg (or something like that).
After we pulled down the street, I was so elated to not have the previous car in front of me that had only been driving 15 mph. I pushed down on the gas, and suddenly realized that I was flying down a gravel road. WTF?! Apparently, we had come to a dead end, in which I was supposed to make a sharp left, but instead continued straight. After looking into my rear view mirror, I saw that I had led a couple of young girls down the same wrong turn as well. Oops. I turned my car around, as they backed up. Our cars moved, facing each other, back towards the paved road. The girls were laughing hysterically, it got me laughing pretty good as well. I had a feeling they too, had just left one of the wineries. They motioned us on to go first. I guess they still felt better about following us then going on ahead of us. I wasn’t so sure that was the best idea.
Joe turned on the Sprint GPS on his phone. It was no freaking help at all. It kept telling us to do U Turns or to make a left on a street, but would call it by another name. I think we were in too deep for the GPS. And where the hell was “Schlausselburg”? Or the fire hydrant? I am pretty sure there was no way out, and this guy was laughing at all of the trusting souls he had sent on this wild goose chase. After taking a couple of different turns we finally turned back onto the same main road, this time we were right by the accident.
As someone drove by, we asked them what had happened. Apparently, a car and a motorcycle had hit head on, and 2 of the passengers had to be air lifted out of there. I was no longer in a hurry and frustrated with the hold up. I could only feel bad for whoever was involved in this accident. We waited, somewhat somberly, another 30 minutes or so and cars were allowed to pass through. I finally arrived home a little after 7:30. I did a quick wardrobe change, grabbed my gift, and headed out the door with Anna.
After stopping at Walgreens to get a card (I can’t remember everything, I’m luckily I had a gift that I had already wrapped!), we arrived at the party around 8:15. Luckily the location of the party was only a mile or so from my house. How convenient is that? We found our way to the house and out into the backyard. We made ourselves a couple of drinks and started to mingle. Not long after we arrived, so did someone else I wasn’t too excited to see. Remember this chick? I guess it’s hard to avoid people forever when you run in some of the same circles. I was warned she may be coming, so I wasn’t completely unprepared, but it was still incredibly awkward. Well, for me anyway. Once she walked up, she gave Anna a hug, then turned to give me one. Completely caught off guard, I half hugged her back. Other then some forced, polite conversation, we didn’t speak to each other much the rest of the night. And then she left early.
I’m not gonna lie, the hug not only threw me for a loop, it also kinda pissed me off. I haven’t spoken with her at all since the whole debacle, and I was still feeling just as hurt and confused as I did when it happened. Plus, we were at a friend’s engagement party. Not exactly the right place or time to confront someone about something like this. I couldn’t help but feel relieved when she made her exit.
Apparently, I drank more wine then I had realized. I would have loved to blame all of the purple stains going down my shirt and pants on some drunk idiot, but the glass of wine in my hand was most likely the point of origin. It had been a long day, and I seemed to have lost the ability to regulate myself or know my level of tolerance. I guess that can happen when you drink much less frequently and also start too early in the day. I do wish I had been alert enough to notice the mosquitoes feasting on my feet. No exaggerating here at all, I have at least 50 bites on my left foot alone! I think one of the highlights of the evening was when Anna and I found the dessert table and shared in 3 different pieces of insanely delicious cakes. Mmmmmm.
Another highlight was seeing our friend Brooke so happy. I remember how amazing it felt to be newly engaged to Joe. How filled with hope and romantic everything was. It’s wonderful to see a friend beginning that journey as well.
I made it home around 12:15 or so and after a make out sesh with the hubs, I passed out.
Thank goodness, Sunday morning, Joe was getting up with the munchkin (we alternate between Saturday and Sunday). I woke up at 7:15 with a pounding headache, took my Tylenol, and went back to bed until 11:00. I definitely had to pay for my fun. Later in the day, I took the munchkin with me on a trip out to Trader Joe’s, along with some other errands.
I also wanted to mention that I bought the Trader Joe’s brand Sprouted 7 Grain bread there on a whim. So far, I have had it with an egg, turkey bacon and cheese sandwich, a turkey sandwich, a cheeseburger, and with peanut butter spread on top. It was absolutely delicious in every situation. Not only is the bread super nutritious, it has only 4 net carbs and 5 grams of protein per slice! I am loving this bread!
For dinner we made a double batch of spaghetti so we could bring some of it to Gina and Brian. I remember how impossible it was to cook a meal that first week after being home with a new baby. After I put munchkin to bed, I headed over to Gina’s. I loved snuggling up with the baby, as he slept soundly in my arms while I was there.
Monday morning I was finally starting to feel normal again. Not long after I arrived to work, Joe called me and told me his car wouldn’t start. Yay. So after only being at work for an hour, I headed home, picked up the munchkin and took her to the sitter so Joe could get a jump start from the neighbor and take his car into his friend’s shop. Luckily, it only ended up being the battery. It could have been much worse. Last night my girl Brenda came over to visit me. I made her watch the Bachelor Pad with me. (Sorry Brenda!) What is it about escaping into other people’s drama, that helps you to forget your own? And that show is never short on drama.
So tonight, I am meeting up with Anna for some sushi. I am REALLY looking forward to it. Nothing like an evening with a good friend, some sushi and a glass of wine to rewind and decompress. And yes, I am sticking to a glass, maybe two, but NOT a bottle!
Now I just have to get through work today....
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Bad Breath Assault, A Kidney Stone, and a Near Death Experience
Last Wednesday, I got a massage. I was so excited about it. I hadn’t had one in quite a while, and I definitely needed one. I had some major knots in my shoulders that really needed to be worked out. Everything started out okay... her name was Laurie and she was nice enough. She did a good job, but she was a little lacking in the “deep tissue” department. Oh well, I was just happy to be getting a massage. Then it came to the part towards the end when you lay on your back and she sits right behind your head and rubs your shoulders and underneath your back using your weight to help with the pressure.... and I noticed how terrible her breath was. I mean bad. Really really bad. She was clearly a smoker (I have nothing against smokers, I used to be one, but when you don’t smoke you don’t want someone that does breathing right into your mouth). And she definitely had something strong for lunch. Maybe even a hint of garlic? Her face was inches from mine and every breath she let out fell across my face and stung my nose. I tried to breathe through my mouth and time my breath with hers so that I was breathing in at the same time as her and my breath out would be in combat with hers. It was so hard to do... her breathing seemed sporadic and I couldn’t match her rhythm at all no matter how hard I tried. I had no idea how the massage was going or what she was doing, all I could focus on was avoiding her stank breath. I wonder if she noticed how awkward my breathing had become. I hope she knew why and chose to chew some gum or pop a mint before the next client. Thanks for ruining my massage with your dragon breath. Man was that disappointing.
Thursday morning Joe woke up with a strange pain in his side. He dropped the munchkin off at the sitter and since he couldn’t get in to see our regular doc, he went to the Urgent Care Center. He had a kidney stone. I would say that I felt terrible for him, but he wasn’t in much pain considering the source of the problem. Seeing as how I have had at least 15 of them myself, I was a little miffed how he could even drive at all. Each one has caused me to curl up in the fetal position writhing in pain, unable to continue with normal daily activities. If anything I was relieved and happy for him that his stone was obviously very small. Why can’t I get the itty bitty baby ones? He was still very uncomfortable, so I cancelled my movie plans with my sister and stayed home so that he could rest and wasn’t left alone with the munchkin.
Friday was interesting. The munchkin had a snotty nose for the second day in a row, so we decided not to send her to the sitter. I was pretty sure it was allergies or due to her teething or something, but I figured I would play it safe. I stayed home with her for the first half of the day, then Joe came home around 11:30 am and I headed into work. We had some strong storms coming through, but they seemed to have calmed down. It was another story after I arrived at the office. A monsoon moved in shortly after I arrived. The rain was pouring in on all sides. You might think I am exaggerating, but I assure you, I am not. There were streams of water three inches around pouring in from the windows and the water was rising fast. The streets had turned into rivers of water gushing past carrying tree limbs and branches and other debris. The lights were flickering and outlets were smoking. A strong smell of burning electrical wires was coming from the copier. What the what?! I work in a very old building... and you could definitely tell. Luckily the storm moved on as quickly as it came in and our boss sent us home early so he and his brothers could clean up the mess. I basically drove to work, followed by the storm, waded through the water trying not to get electrocuted, and then left. I was only there for an hour. I am still not sure if I am going to have to use my vacation time for this, or if we are getting paid since he sent me home early. Even though I arrived 3.5 hours late anyway. Hmmm.
I had to pick up diapers and wet wipes on the way home. But the store was closed due to the power being out. I had to drive 30 minutes out of my way to go to the other location (I buy her diapers and wipes in bulk at Sam’s). Then I had to stop at the grocery store to get supplies for the pizza I was making for dinner. By the time I got home, another wave of storms were starting to move in. I made the pizza (the almond flour crust was yummy!), and we cleaned up, played with the munchkin for a while and put her to bed. Joe and his friend were going to play golf that evening. Even though it was lightning outside, they felt they could still go to the driving range, as they would be under a roof. Twenty minutes after they left, the storm really started. It was like there were fireworks going on outside. The thunder seemed to shake the house and the rain was pounding on the roof. Then the tornado sirens started to go off. You would have thought they were in my back yard, the sound was deafening. I completely freaked out. I ran into the munchkin’s room, flipped on her light, grabbed her out of her crib, grabbed my purse and her diaper bag, ran down the stairs, and crawled into the little closet under the stairs in the basement.
Now what? Why didn’t I grab a blanket? I could have at least grabbed a binky?! Or something to entertain the munchkin. Obviously safety is more important, but seriously what were we going to do? How long was I going to have to sit under the stairs? The lights started to flicker, then they went out. Crap. I dug around in my purse and found my cell phone. I pushed a button to bring the light on. It was completely black other then the light from my phone. The munchkin seemed completely chill, which was amazing to me. I always figured if I had to wake her from a dead sleep and rush her to the basement that she was going to be pretty pissed about it. But on the contrary, she seemed pretty happy about it. Weird. I tried calling Joe. Nothing. I did get a hold of my mom. It was nice to at least talk to someone. She lives right down the street. They were in the basement too watching their TV to see what was going on. Then all of a sudden I realized I that it was completely silent. No sounds at all. No thunder, no rain, no nothing. My phone lost reception. I just knew it was the “calm before the storm”. They say that it becomes really silent right before a tornado hits you. I just knew that was what was happening. And I was FREAKING OUT.
Then the power started to come back on and I heard Joe walking through the house. “Joe?” “Laura, where are you?” “I’m under the stairs”. I was too afraid to move. He came down the steps and opened the closet door to find me and the munchkin huddled on the ground. “What are you doing in there?”, he asked me. “What do you mean?! I am hiding from the tornado!” What tornado?”
Apparently it had calmed down outside and even though he drove home in quite a bit of rain, he hadn’t seen any tornadoes. I put the munchkin back in her crib and shut the door. Having been fully awoken, she talked to herself for an hour before going back to sleep. The storms continued through the night, but never got as bad and the sirens never went off again. That was seriously scary and it took me several hours to recover.
Saturday I went to see Eat. Pray. Love. I went with my friend Sarah. I think I needed that after such a traumatic evening. Just to lose myself in a movie for a couple of hours. It was a great movie. That night Joe and I just stayed home and hung out. We watched an episode of Dexter and I went to bed kinda early. Sunday we went to a baby shower and then dinner at my girl Anna’s house. It was so nice to visit with her family and meet another couple that they are friends with. They made us all a delicious dinner and the munchkin had fun exploring their home and checking out all the new toys.
Now it is Monday and Joe starts back at school tonight. I have really enjoyed the summer break and am not quite ready for school to start again. We gotta do it though if we want to make our lives better later.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!
Thursday morning Joe woke up with a strange pain in his side. He dropped the munchkin off at the sitter and since he couldn’t get in to see our regular doc, he went to the Urgent Care Center. He had a kidney stone. I would say that I felt terrible for him, but he wasn’t in much pain considering the source of the problem. Seeing as how I have had at least 15 of them myself, I was a little miffed how he could even drive at all. Each one has caused me to curl up in the fetal position writhing in pain, unable to continue with normal daily activities. If anything I was relieved and happy for him that his stone was obviously very small. Why can’t I get the itty bitty baby ones? He was still very uncomfortable, so I cancelled my movie plans with my sister and stayed home so that he could rest and wasn’t left alone with the munchkin.
Friday was interesting. The munchkin had a snotty nose for the second day in a row, so we decided not to send her to the sitter. I was pretty sure it was allergies or due to her teething or something, but I figured I would play it safe. I stayed home with her for the first half of the day, then Joe came home around 11:30 am and I headed into work. We had some strong storms coming through, but they seemed to have calmed down. It was another story after I arrived at the office. A monsoon moved in shortly after I arrived. The rain was pouring in on all sides. You might think I am exaggerating, but I assure you, I am not. There were streams of water three inches around pouring in from the windows and the water was rising fast. The streets had turned into rivers of water gushing past carrying tree limbs and branches and other debris. The lights were flickering and outlets were smoking. A strong smell of burning electrical wires was coming from the copier. What the what?! I work in a very old building... and you could definitely tell. Luckily the storm moved on as quickly as it came in and our boss sent us home early so he and his brothers could clean up the mess. I basically drove to work, followed by the storm, waded through the water trying not to get electrocuted, and then left. I was only there for an hour. I am still not sure if I am going to have to use my vacation time for this, or if we are getting paid since he sent me home early. Even though I arrived 3.5 hours late anyway. Hmmm.
I had to pick up diapers and wet wipes on the way home. But the store was closed due to the power being out. I had to drive 30 minutes out of my way to go to the other location (I buy her diapers and wipes in bulk at Sam’s). Then I had to stop at the grocery store to get supplies for the pizza I was making for dinner. By the time I got home, another wave of storms were starting to move in. I made the pizza (the almond flour crust was yummy!), and we cleaned up, played with the munchkin for a while and put her to bed. Joe and his friend were going to play golf that evening. Even though it was lightning outside, they felt they could still go to the driving range, as they would be under a roof. Twenty minutes after they left, the storm really started. It was like there were fireworks going on outside. The thunder seemed to shake the house and the rain was pounding on the roof. Then the tornado sirens started to go off. You would have thought they were in my back yard, the sound was deafening. I completely freaked out. I ran into the munchkin’s room, flipped on her light, grabbed her out of her crib, grabbed my purse and her diaper bag, ran down the stairs, and crawled into the little closet under the stairs in the basement.
Now what? Why didn’t I grab a blanket? I could have at least grabbed a binky?! Or something to entertain the munchkin. Obviously safety is more important, but seriously what were we going to do? How long was I going to have to sit under the stairs? The lights started to flicker, then they went out. Crap. I dug around in my purse and found my cell phone. I pushed a button to bring the light on. It was completely black other then the light from my phone. The munchkin seemed completely chill, which was amazing to me. I always figured if I had to wake her from a dead sleep and rush her to the basement that she was going to be pretty pissed about it. But on the contrary, she seemed pretty happy about it. Weird. I tried calling Joe. Nothing. I did get a hold of my mom. It was nice to at least talk to someone. She lives right down the street. They were in the basement too watching their TV to see what was going on. Then all of a sudden I realized I that it was completely silent. No sounds at all. No thunder, no rain, no nothing. My phone lost reception. I just knew it was the “calm before the storm”. They say that it becomes really silent right before a tornado hits you. I just knew that was what was happening. And I was FREAKING OUT.
Then the power started to come back on and I heard Joe walking through the house. “Joe?” “Laura, where are you?” “I’m under the stairs”. I was too afraid to move. He came down the steps and opened the closet door to find me and the munchkin huddled on the ground. “What are you doing in there?”, he asked me. “What do you mean?! I am hiding from the tornado!” What tornado?”
Apparently it had calmed down outside and even though he drove home in quite a bit of rain, he hadn’t seen any tornadoes. I put the munchkin back in her crib and shut the door. Having been fully awoken, she talked to herself for an hour before going back to sleep. The storms continued through the night, but never got as bad and the sirens never went off again. That was seriously scary and it took me several hours to recover.
Saturday I went to see Eat. Pray. Love. I went with my friend Sarah. I think I needed that after such a traumatic evening. Just to lose myself in a movie for a couple of hours. It was a great movie. That night Joe and I just stayed home and hung out. We watched an episode of Dexter and I went to bed kinda early. Sunday we went to a baby shower and then dinner at my girl Anna’s house. It was so nice to visit with her family and meet another couple that they are friends with. They made us all a delicious dinner and the munchkin had fun exploring their home and checking out all the new toys.
Now it is Monday and Joe starts back at school tonight. I have really enjoyed the summer break and am not quite ready for school to start again. We gotta do it though if we want to make our lives better later.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Flax Seed Pizza Crust (sugar free • gluten free • low carb • dairy free)
I wanted to share with everyone the recipe for the pizza I made the other night. I thought it was delicious, my husband not so much. It's all a matter of taste I guess. If you have made things before with flax seed and have liked it then I think you will really enjoy this. Joe just hasn't had too good of an experience with it so far. If you are looking for an extremely low carb, nutritious, and healthy pizza, then you should give this a shot.
It was so good and filling. I could only eat half of my half
Flax pizza crust:
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients, and mix very well. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Spread on pan (I spread it as thin as possible). Bake for 15-18 minutes until cooked through, then add toppings and cook until they are done.
I am going to be making a pizza later this week using almond flour for the crust. I have a feeling this one will go over better with the hubs. I'll let you know how it goes!
After mixing my ingredients I spread the dough out over a silicone baking mat
and placed it on a cookie sheet. I love this mat and I use it often.
Especially when making Parmesan crackers. Plus, you can
slice your pizza (or crackers) directly on it without cutting the mat.
and placed it on a cookie sheet. I love this mat and I use it often.
Especially when making Parmesan crackers. Plus, you can
slice your pizza (or crackers) directly on it without cutting the mat.
Then I baked the crust in the oven watching for it to brown. Then I topped it with
pizza sauce, fresh grated mozzarella cheese, and my toppings.
pizza sauce, fresh grated mozzarella cheese, and my toppings.
That is Joe's half on the left.
He wasn't interested in my black olives, onion and mushrooms.
What a wierdo.
He wasn't interested in my black olives, onion and mushrooms.
What a wierdo.
Mmmmm more cheese.
I popped it back in the oven and finished it up!
It was so good and filling. I could only eat half of my half
and then I took the rest to work for lunch the next day.
It was even good reheated!
Best Part... I could eat it guilt free!
Best Part... I could eat it guilt free!
Flax pizza crust:
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 C flax seed meal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Sweetener to equal about 1 Tablespoon of sugar (1/16 tsp stevia extract powder)
- 3 Tablespoons of oil
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 C water
Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients, and mix very well. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Spread on pan (I spread it as thin as possible). Bake for 15-18 minutes until cooked through, then add toppings and cook until they are done.
I am going to be making a pizza later this week using almond flour for the crust. I have a feeling this one will go over better with the hubs. I'll let you know how it goes!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Munchkin Pic Update - A New Kitchen and Chair
I actually remembered last night to upload the pics I promised! Here is the munchkin's first kitchen set along with all of the miscellaneous and random accessories. She is a little short for it yet, but that hasn't seemed to phase her much. It's hard for me to justify buying something brand new sometimes, when I can get it for 1/4 of the price used and no one is the wiser. Gotta love a good bargain!
She doesn't sit in the chair much yet, instead she mostly climbs into it
and plays with the gadgets on the little side table.
Here she is chewing on her little plastic knife.
She has hardly set the fork and knife down since she found them Saturday morning.
She started pretending she was stirring things and eating them with her fork. I was totally surprised when she did this! It was so cute and I had no idea she would even think to start doing that yet. I mean obviously she sees us doing it and I feed her with a spoon, but still, it was pretty amazing to me. Guess we are ready to start feeding ourselves with a spoon... I am not sure I am ready for the big mess though. I guess I need to just get over it already!
Here she is shaking around her cinnamon and nutmeg.
Stirring the donut...
She then decided to take a break and watch some news.
Clearly this exhausted her, and she had to take a little nap.
Ha ha... sike!
She likes licking the little mushroom on her table.
Reading the little book. As you turn the pages, a voice reads the story.
I was hesitant to buy her any new toys before her birthday party next month, but I am so glad that I did. She had been so crabby in the evenings lately and I really felt like she was getting bored and stir crazy. I think I was right, because she's been in a much better mood since these items appeared! I would definitely recommend the little Laugh and Learn Chair... that thing has really kept her busy and she gets so excited about it!
Here's the little Laugh and Learn chair that I scored for $5.00.
The time that she has enjoyed it and spent on it already was well worth the money.
The time that she has enjoyed it and spent on it already was well worth the money.
She doesn't sit in the chair much yet, instead she mostly climbs into it
and plays with the gadgets on the little side table.
Here she is chewing on her little plastic knife.
She has hardly set the fork and knife down since she found them Saturday morning.
She started pretending she was stirring things and eating them with her fork. I was totally surprised when she did this! It was so cute and I had no idea she would even think to start doing that yet. I mean obviously she sees us doing it and I feed her with a spoon, but still, it was pretty amazing to me. Guess we are ready to start feeding ourselves with a spoon... I am not sure I am ready for the big mess though. I guess I need to just get over it already!
Here she is shaking around her cinnamon and nutmeg.
Stirring the donut...
She then decided to take a break and watch some news.
Clearly this exhausted her, and she had to take a little nap.
Ha ha... sike!
She likes licking the little mushroom on her table.
Reading the little book. As you turn the pages, a voice reads the story.
I was hesitant to buy her any new toys before her birthday party next month, but I am so glad that I did. She had been so crabby in the evenings lately and I really felt like she was getting bored and stir crazy. I think I was right, because she's been in a much better mood since these items appeared! I would definitely recommend the little Laugh and Learn Chair... that thing has really kept her busy and she gets so excited about it!
An Action Packed Weekend and Mini Rant
Guess who's walking?! That's right the munchkin is walking! Well not very good and usually not more then 6 steps at a time, but still, she is working on it. She has been practicing this weekend and it has been melting my heart to watch her. She will take off with this look of determination on her face, that just really cracks me up. She flings her body forward, wobbling 5 or 6 steps then tumbles over. Sometimes she moves on and doesn't let it phase her, other times she yells or cries out in frustration. I just can't believe she is going to be full time walking soon. I am excited to see her more mobile, as I think she will be less frustrated once she is, but at the same time, I am sad to see her growing up so fast.
I bought her a little kitchen set off of someone on craig's list. It was pretty dirty and neglected when I picked it up, but with a little elbow grease, you would never know. It is really cute and it came with a bajillion accessories. All sorts of dishes, along with lots of plastic foods and condiments. The lady threw in all sorts of random items with the kitchen set. Included was a pop-up toaster with toast, a tea pot, a little pitcher that makes liquid noises when you push a button, pots and pans, and cups. A chicken leg, a donut, pancakes, salt shaker (no pepper) and jelly. There is even a DQ ice cream cookie and dilly bar. What is funny is that out of all of that stuff, her favorite items have been the little plastic fork and knife. She carried them around with her all weekend. I will have to add a pic of that later. I don't have any good photos with me at work. For now, here's a pic I took of the kitchen with my phone camera.
From the same lady, I also purchased a little Laugh and Learn Chair. It plays music when they sit in the chair and also when she touches things on the side table. There is a voice that reads the words in the book as she turns the pages and also sings songs when she pushes down on the crayons. She climbs into the little chair and plays with all of the stuff on the table. It is really cute and she loves it. Gotta be one of the best five bucks I have ever spent! Here's a terrible picture Joe sent me from his phone while I was out grocery shopping.
I think we are finally getting the table foods down better and getting her off the jar food completely. Fruits and vegetables have been pretty easy for her, but I have been having trouble finding meat that she would eat (other then out of a jar). I had been feeding her Earth's Best Organic Stage 3 foods, which she loves and anytime I would try to give her other stuff like cut up chicken she would just have a hard time figuring out what to do with it. She would gnaw on it with her gums and store it all in her cheeks like a squirrel. Most of it would end up getting pushed back out instead of swallowed. I realize that chicken can be kinda dry, so I would get dark meat to start with, but it didn't help much.
So on my last trip to Trader Joe's I picked out some new stuff. I grabbed some turkey dogs and turkey deli meat that were preservative/nitrate free with no msg or fillers, and some all natural salmon patties. I had to de-skin the turkey dogs for her, but she gobbled them right up! I couldn't believe how much she ate! I steamed some carrots and threw in some applesauce and she ate everything I gave her. Yay! Most of it she fed herself. I was so excited... I really wanted to get her completely off of jar food before she was a year old. Her cousin Q, along with most of my friends kiddos have been off of jar food way before then and even though every baby is different, I felt like I was really lagging behind on getting things going. Part of the problem was finding things I felt comfortable feeding her. I felt very good about the particular jar food she was eating. I knew everything that was in it, and it was hard for me to venture away from that. Plus, she only recently got her first 2 teeth in, and even though everyone says that her teeth do not matter, I just didn't feel right giving her too much table food without any teeth.
This also brings me to another subject. What we feed our kids. I am not going to get too into this right now, but I just want to say that I truly believe that this is a very personal choice for each individual parent. I have been very picky about the food that I put into my own body (especially lately) , so naturally I am going to be the same way about my baby. I have been really frustrated lately with the way some other parents look at me like I'm a wierdo because of what I will or will not let the munchkin eat. I do not care what other parents feed their children. Infact, I couldn't care less and realize that it is none of my business. I am not judging you, so why are you judging me? I don't say anything to them about how I feel about the food they are feeding their kid, so why are they giving me a hard time for what I am feeding mine? It really pisses me off sometimes actually. I feel so much more comfortable feeding her natural, healthy food, that doesn't have preservatives or fillers. Isn't that a good thing? It doesn't make any sense to me why I should be made to feel uncomfortable by other parents because of these choices? It's getting old, and I am worried about the mom that says something to me on the wrong day at the wrong time, when I have finally had enough.
Does anyone else ever have an issue with other parents commenting on what they are feeding their kids? Whether you are feeding your child a hot dog or won't let them have one, what do you say when another parent is actually rude enough to make a comment on how they feel about it?
Ok... moving on...
All in all, we had a fantastic weekend. Friday night I got caught up on a bunch of things I needed to get done around the house. Saturday, I met my sisters for sushi for lunch, then went to the container store with Amy. After that, we went to a birthday party for our nephew, and then my parents and Amy & Q came over to hang out. We watched 3 comedians in a row. We just recently got a blue ray player (awesome sale price at Best Buy!) and can now get netflix streaming instantly. I gotta say for 8.99 a month it is totally worth it. We can watch all kinds of movies and tv shows instantly! Plus we can still get the dvds in the mail. With the money we were spending every month renting movies at blockbuster and red box, this is way cheaper. And way more fun! We love movies. We went so long without hardly being able to watch any at all, so I feel like we have alot to catch up on. We started watching season one of Dexter, after it was the most highly recommended show from a poll I did amongst my friends on facebook. And they were right, so far that show is awesome. Sunday, was my weekly trek out to Trader Joe's (why won't they build one closer to me?!) and the rest of the day was spent hanging out at home with Joe and the munchkin.
I hope everyone else had a fantastic weekend! I am not going to try to get caught up on everyone else...
I bought her a little kitchen set off of someone on craig's list. It was pretty dirty and neglected when I picked it up, but with a little elbow grease, you would never know. It is really cute and it came with a bajillion accessories. All sorts of dishes, along with lots of plastic foods and condiments. The lady threw in all sorts of random items with the kitchen set. Included was a pop-up toaster with toast, a tea pot, a little pitcher that makes liquid noises when you push a button, pots and pans, and cups. A chicken leg, a donut, pancakes, salt shaker (no pepper) and jelly. There is even a DQ ice cream cookie and dilly bar. What is funny is that out of all of that stuff, her favorite items have been the little plastic fork and knife. She carried them around with her all weekend. I will have to add a pic of that later. I don't have any good photos with me at work. For now, here's a pic I took of the kitchen with my phone camera.
From the same lady, I also purchased a little Laugh and Learn Chair. It plays music when they sit in the chair and also when she touches things on the side table. There is a voice that reads the words in the book as she turns the pages and also sings songs when she pushes down on the crayons. She climbs into the little chair and plays with all of the stuff on the table. It is really cute and she loves it. Gotta be one of the best five bucks I have ever spent! Here's a terrible picture Joe sent me from his phone while I was out grocery shopping.
I think we are finally getting the table foods down better and getting her off the jar food completely. Fruits and vegetables have been pretty easy for her, but I have been having trouble finding meat that she would eat (other then out of a jar). I had been feeding her Earth's Best Organic Stage 3 foods, which she loves and anytime I would try to give her other stuff like cut up chicken she would just have a hard time figuring out what to do with it. She would gnaw on it with her gums and store it all in her cheeks like a squirrel. Most of it would end up getting pushed back out instead of swallowed. I realize that chicken can be kinda dry, so I would get dark meat to start with, but it didn't help much.
So on my last trip to Trader Joe's I picked out some new stuff. I grabbed some turkey dogs and turkey deli meat that were preservative/nitrate free with no msg or fillers, and some all natural salmon patties. I had to de-skin the turkey dogs for her, but she gobbled them right up! I couldn't believe how much she ate! I steamed some carrots and threw in some applesauce and she ate everything I gave her. Yay! Most of it she fed herself. I was so excited... I really wanted to get her completely off of jar food before she was a year old. Her cousin Q, along with most of my friends kiddos have been off of jar food way before then and even though every baby is different, I felt like I was really lagging behind on getting things going. Part of the problem was finding things I felt comfortable feeding her. I felt very good about the particular jar food she was eating. I knew everything that was in it, and it was hard for me to venture away from that. Plus, she only recently got her first 2 teeth in, and even though everyone says that her teeth do not matter, I just didn't feel right giving her too much table food without any teeth.
This also brings me to another subject. What we feed our kids. I am not going to get too into this right now, but I just want to say that I truly believe that this is a very personal choice for each individual parent. I have been very picky about the food that I put into my own body (especially lately) , so naturally I am going to be the same way about my baby. I have been really frustrated lately with the way some other parents look at me like I'm a wierdo because of what I will or will not let the munchkin eat. I do not care what other parents feed their children. Infact, I couldn't care less and realize that it is none of my business. I am not judging you, so why are you judging me? I don't say anything to them about how I feel about the food they are feeding their kid, so why are they giving me a hard time for what I am feeding mine? It really pisses me off sometimes actually. I feel so much more comfortable feeding her natural, healthy food, that doesn't have preservatives or fillers. Isn't that a good thing? It doesn't make any sense to me why I should be made to feel uncomfortable by other parents because of these choices? It's getting old, and I am worried about the mom that says something to me on the wrong day at the wrong time, when I have finally had enough.
Does anyone else ever have an issue with other parents commenting on what they are feeding their kids? Whether you are feeding your child a hot dog or won't let them have one, what do you say when another parent is actually rude enough to make a comment on how they feel about it?
Ok... moving on...
All in all, we had a fantastic weekend. Friday night I got caught up on a bunch of things I needed to get done around the house. Saturday, I met my sisters for sushi for lunch, then went to the container store with Amy. After that, we went to a birthday party for our nephew, and then my parents and Amy & Q came over to hang out. We watched 3 comedians in a row. We just recently got a blue ray player (awesome sale price at Best Buy!) and can now get netflix streaming instantly. I gotta say for 8.99 a month it is totally worth it. We can watch all kinds of movies and tv shows instantly! Plus we can still get the dvds in the mail. With the money we were spending every month renting movies at blockbuster and red box, this is way cheaper. And way more fun! We love movies. We went so long without hardly being able to watch any at all, so I feel like we have alot to catch up on. We started watching season one of Dexter, after it was the most highly recommended show from a poll I did amongst my friends on facebook. And they were right, so far that show is awesome. Sunday, was my weekly trek out to Trader Joe's (why won't they build one closer to me?!) and the rest of the day was spent hanging out at home with Joe and the munchkin.
I hope everyone else had a fantastic weekend! I am not going to try to get caught up on everyone else...
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Summer Fun at the Pool
We took the munchkin over to my parent's house yesterday to play in their little pool that my mom set up for the babies. She LOVED splashing around and playing in the pool. It was great because we could kinda let her go and play on her own. If she slipped and fell, she would just bounce off something soft. She kept standing up and clapping. She had so much fun!
Dad helping her down the slide.
I am not sure what she is doing here, but this face always cracks me up!
Reading books with grandpa.
She was definitely worn out by the end of the day. She passed out when we got home and even slept in this morning.
This afternoon we are going to our friends daughter's birthday party, and then back home to make some food for the week. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.
Here she is sporting her new suit.
Watching the waterfall come out of the fishy's mouth.
This pool was just too cute.
Look at that happy face!
Dad helping her down the slide.
Having so much fun!
Checking out the palm trees.
I am not sure what she is doing here, but this face always cracks me up!
Reading books with grandpa.
Snuggling up with grandpa.
She was definitely worn out by the end of the day. She passed out when we got home and even slept in this morning.
This afternoon we are going to our friends daughter's birthday party, and then back home to make some food for the week. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.
Friday, August 6, 2010
“You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.” ~ Dave Barry
Although yesterday's post did make me feel better at the time, I also am feeling a little guilty that I let myself listen to what the little devil on my shoulder was telling me to do. I swear, I am usually not that catty. I promise. But in my defense, I have never had any of my friends be that down right mean to me for no reason. I wasn't even sure how to respond.
Although I still feel the same way about what went on, I apologize that you all had to witness that.
Ok, now we are really moving on.
The munchkin is teething soooo bad right now. I mean bad. She is pooping yucky all day long. She is crabby and in pain. She wakes up in the middle of the night screaming. It's usually about the time her tylenol has worn off, so I go in there and give her some more and after a while she calms down again and falls back asleep. It's awful. I feel so bad for her. I know that she has many teeth to come, so I really hope that it gets easier for her. Normally, when she is crabby, I take her somewhere outdoors or even just walk around a store, but it's so incredibly hot lately, that I don't even want to take her out of the air conditioning. With her constant yucky diapers, I don't want her out in the heat too much to make things worse. I literally feel like I am melting when I step outside the door. I am so glad that I was pregnant last summer and not this one. I can't even imagine. (Gina I feel really bad for you).
I am really grateful that it's Friday. It's been a long, strange week and I am hoping to do some relaxing and recouping this weekend. Tomorrow I am having lunch with my sisters. We are going to head out for sushi at the new place I went to the other day with Gina. It's sooo good and cheap I just can't believe it. Joe and I have a dinner date with Gina and her hubby for next Wednesday to go there again. I guess I am making up for lost time. I love that you can order your roll with brown rice there. And their spicy tuna just melts in your mouth. Mmmm. Sunday we are going to a birthday party and will probably spend the rest of the day lounging around, doing laundry and getting things ready for the next week.
Tonight Joe is going to play golf with a friend at a night time golf course. I think I might finally clean and organize my computer room. Exciting.
Although I still feel the same way about what went on, I apologize that you all had to witness that.
Ok, now we are really moving on.
The munchkin is teething soooo bad right now. I mean bad. She is pooping yucky all day long. She is crabby and in pain. She wakes up in the middle of the night screaming. It's usually about the time her tylenol has worn off, so I go in there and give her some more and after a while she calms down again and falls back asleep. It's awful. I feel so bad for her. I know that she has many teeth to come, so I really hope that it gets easier for her. Normally, when she is crabby, I take her somewhere outdoors or even just walk around a store, but it's so incredibly hot lately, that I don't even want to take her out of the air conditioning. With her constant yucky diapers, I don't want her out in the heat too much to make things worse. I literally feel like I am melting when I step outside the door. I am so glad that I was pregnant last summer and not this one. I can't even imagine. (Gina I feel really bad for you).
I am really grateful that it's Friday. It's been a long, strange week and I am hoping to do some relaxing and recouping this weekend. Tomorrow I am having lunch with my sisters. We are going to head out for sushi at the new place I went to the other day with Gina. It's sooo good and cheap I just can't believe it. Joe and I have a dinner date with Gina and her hubby for next Wednesday to go there again. I guess I am making up for lost time. I love that you can order your roll with brown rice there. And their spicy tuna just melts in your mouth. Mmmm. Sunday we are going to a birthday party and will probably spend the rest of the day lounging around, doing laundry and getting things ready for the next week.
Tonight Joe is going to play golf with a friend at a night time golf course. I think I might finally clean and organize my computer room. Exciting.
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