Problems Solved and an Upcoming Partay!!

The verdict is in.  It was definitely the footed pajamas causing everyone so much stress!  When the idea struck me, somehow it made sense considering her cues and signs, but I was also desperate to figure it out and could have been grasping at straws.  We are going on 5 nights since we switched her back to her little footed jammies, and our little girl is back to her old sweet self!

Thank effing goodness, I was about to lose my mind.

And thank goodness Children's Place sells footed jammies all year round and in every size there is!

She was like an entirely different kid.  Joe and I started to wonder if this was the "terrible twos" people warn about.  Obviously she had her moments before, but this was different.  This was a whole new bag.  She was whiny all day long.  Everything was so dramatic.  She would get so upset about the smallest things.  I missed my smiley little girl.  She was usually so sweet and playful, but also completely fine with entertaining herself if I needed to get something done in the kitchen that she couldn't really help me with.   These last few weeks, it was so hard to do anything without her.  She wanted me to hold her constantly.

I don't really want to complain about holding her.  I love holding her.  Some tasks, however, are just easier to get done with both arms.  And when she wants me to hold her that much, something is wrong, she's not a happy camper.

That girl needs her sleep.  And her schedule.  She was a hot mess.

So after 5 nights of footed pjs, peaceful sleep, and days well rested and in a good mood, I think I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Atleast until the next incident arises.

****************

I can't believe we only have 10 days left until the munchkin turns two!  Seriously, how did this happen?!  I know everyone always says this about their kids on their birthdays, and I have been known to say it myself, but wow..... two years old!  She's become such a big girl.  It's so bittersweet.

I have so much to do for her party!  I have been working out the recipe for the carrot cake cupcakes I am going to serve.  Not to toot my own horn, but they are pretty amazing.  I used organic sprouted whole wheat flour and lots of other goodies.  They are good for you and healthy.  And no one will be the wiser.  I have had my trusted taste testers assure me they can't even tell they are healthy.  This was my goal, and by golly, I think I achieved it!

I will share the recipe after the party incase anyone is dying to know what it is.

We are doing a care bear theme, so I ordered little care bear figurines to go on top of the cupcakes.  I am borrowing a cupcake tower from my awesome cake maker friend Sarah to arrange them all on.  So yeah, I have the dessert all planned.

And that's about it.

I haven't even figured out her dress yet.  Or the menu.  Although we did decide we are only doing snacks and appetizers, not a full blown meal.  It's just not in the budget.

So yeah thats about it.  Eleven days till her party.  Crap.

"I have about 100 pairs of pajamas. I like to see people dressed comfortably." ~ Hugh Hefner

The munchkin's sleeping has left much to be desired the last couple of weeks.  She has not been going to bed very good and waking up in the middle of the night.  I thought it was because she was going to a new sitter and kept hoping it would improve.  Her sleeping hasn't been terribly awful, but it hasn't been near as good as usual, and I could definitely tell something was wrong.

We would have to go in her room several times after we initially put her to bed, before she would finally drift off to sleep. She would cry (not really hard, but enough I needed to go in there) or call for us, or she would throw everything out of her crib and want us to put it all back in. She would want her socks on, then off, then back on.... We'd go in there, she'd calm right down and lay back down like she was going to go to sleep and then she would start it all over again after 10 minutes or so.  She would usually only do it once or twice, but sometimes it would be more. And then randomly she would wake up and cry in the middle of the night.  As soon as I went in there, she would lay right back down and go back to sleep.

Then last night, I started realizing that alot of times when she doesn't want to go to bed or is crying for me to go in there, it's because she pulls her socks off and wants me to put them back on, or she'll say her feet hurt and wants me to kiss them... just weird stuff she never does and alot of it revolved around her feet and legs and stuff.  Then it also dawned on me that we had recently bought her a bunch of new pajamas, the pants and separate top ones instead of her usual footed zipper ones....

It all suddenly clicked that that might have something to do with it!

So, last might while I was getting her ready for bed, I put a pair of her footed pj's on her.  She fell asleep immediately, and I didn't have to go in there once.  She didn't make a peep the whole night and she slept in extra late!

It could be coincidence, but I guess we will see after the next few days cuz I will definitely be putting her to bed in footed PJs to test out my theory!  I am hoping she will get better sleep and then be less crabby during the day.  When her sleep is effed up she gets insane.

It could be just coincidence and a crazy fluke.... but what if it isn't?  What if she really slept great last night because I put her back in her old PJs?   What if her really crazy behavior lately is all because of some friggin pajamas?!?!?!?!  

She has always loved her footed, zippered pjs, I just thought maybe she was getting too old for them. The ones she wears now are all starting to get tight on her, so I thought maybe for the next ones we would go with something different.

I am sure you are on the edge of your seat, so don't worry, I will update and keep you posted as this riveting story unfolds.

If it is really her pajamas that have been causing all this stress, I will be so relieved that we figured it out!  And I won't be too upset to have to buy some more and keep her in her footed jammies longer.  They do look pretty cute on her....

Any other mommies have weird sleeping situations come out of nowhere for a really strange reason?

My Dirty Little Confession

I have a confession to make.  Apparently I am a dirty dirty girl.  And not in a good way.

I recently realized that I have been mopping my floor with nothing but water to get it clean!  No soap or cleaner, whatsoever, of any kind.

Gasp!

I am all about going green and all natural, but this is going a little too far.

And for anyone who knows me well, they know I am a clean FREAK.  Like seriously OCD about it.  Every night before I go to bed, I make sure everything is picked up and put away.  I walk around the house picking up all the toys, making sure all the dishes are in the dishwasher, the counters wiped down, and so on.

I have to or I seriously can't fall asleep.

This does have it's advantages.  Yes, my house is usually pretty clean.  Straightening it up every night before I go to bed, means I never have to clean up a big huge mess from letting it build up.

But I also know I also go too far with it sometimes.

I wipe down the counters 5 times a day.  The kitchen is cleaned up from dinner, before dinner is done cooking. I do the dishes immediately, even Joe's glass that he is still drinking out of.  Poor guy, he's so used to it now, he just sees it missing and says, "so I guess you put my glass in the dishwasher, huh?"  I seriously won't even remember doing it.  It's like robot mode or something.

I think vacuuming is therapeutic.

If you think I am trying to brag on my cleanliness... I am really not. This definitely has it's major drawbacks.   First of all, my sanity and zen rely heavily upon it.  So even if I am exhausted and all I want to do is crawl into bed, I can't!  I have tried.  Unless I am under the influence, I can not fall asleep if the house is a mess.   It's the same at work.  If my desk is a mess, my brain is a mess, and all my creativity flies out the window.

Since the munchkin's birth, I have actually gotten better about it.  I am working on it.  Baby steps.

I could care less about other people's houses though.  I really truly am only that way with my house and anything that I am in charge of.  Infact, I often envy someone with a slightly messy home and a relaxed look on their face... no hint of crazies in their eyes at all.  It's only my own home that messes with my zen state.

So there, the cat is out of the bag.  I'm a clean freak wierdo.  Whatever.

So surely you can now understand my shock and horror when I realized what I had done.

Okay, maybe it's not quite that dramatic, but still....

I usually mop the whole floor once a week (aside from the immediate spill clean up here and there). I vacuum the floor and then go over it with my Mr. Clean Magic Eraser mop.  I bought the mop a while back.  I followed the directions.  Simply get the sponge wet, scrub the floor with it, squeeze it out, rinse, repeat and then I would go over it all with a towel to dry it.  Once the mop was dirty looking enough, I would replace it.  It seemed to do a really good job.  It scrubbed up spots really good and was super easy to use.

And the floor looked clean after I mopped it.

Then a a couple weeks ago, Joe and I started realizing that after walking around the house barefoot, our feet would get really dirty.  Like really dirty.  Like you would see black on our feet.  I started wearing socks or sandals around the house at all times.  You can imagine my unrest.

What the hell?

I started to question my mop, then after some reading of the fine print on their website, I saw this:

"For best results, use it with your favorite Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner."

Ooops.

I seriously thought there was cleaner in the sponge already.  This whole time I thought I was actually cleaning my floors, instead of just getting the dirt wet, pushing it around and then letting it dry again.  I felt like such an idiot!

This has been going on for months.  What a dummie!

So last week, Joe went to the store and brought me back a Swiffer Wet Jet.  When I was done, the pad was black.  Black!!

Oh the shame!

And shame on you Mr. Clean!

I have cleaned the kitchen floor with it twice now and it definitely gets it clean.  I HATE the strong chemical smell though and don't like using it on the floor.  I am definitely going to have to switch to something else.  I have tried Seventh Generation and didn't think it worked that great on the floors.

Any ideas or suggestions?  How do you ladies clean your floors?

Can Television Turn You into a Zombie??

I hope not!

Saturday Morning Scenes

The munchkin had some friends over to play this morning.

They tested out the new awesome wagon we rescued from someone's trash they had left out to be picked up.  Joe cleaned it up and it was good as new! You gotta love free stuff.

 

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

Anna's "Welcome Baby!" Dinner

My friend Anna is pregnant with her second little baby boy and is due in the next couple of weeks!!  So a a while back I asked her about having a little shower or party or something to celebrate the arrival of the new baby.  After going back and forth and throwing some ideas around we decided to have an evening out and dinner with some of her girlfriends.

I hope I look and feel as good as Anna my second time around.  The baby is due in less then two weeks and she is feeling fantastic!  

Here we are waiting outside for everyone to arrive.  Doesn't she look amazing?  

She's the one in the middle if you can't tell.

I had emailed all of the other girls secretly and we wanted to put together something special.  Anna had requested no gifts for the baby, as she already had everything she needed.  She never said we couldn't do anything for her though!  

Most of the girls signed up for a service of some kind, babysitting or cooking a meal, one of our resident artists signed up for a custom designed piece of artwork, and I made coupons for each one.  I put them all together in an envelope, along with a gift certificate for an in-home massage that a few of us all pitched in for.  I put them all in a basket with a couple of little tiny goodies for the baby that I just couldn't resist, and we presented it to her at dinner.  One girl even brought a home cooked meal for Anna to freeze and cook later.  I had brought a cooler with ice for Anna to take it home in.  I think it was a fun way to show her how much we all loved her and were there for her for those first few months when things can be VERY challenging!

Brooke, our "resident artist", is AMAZING btw, check out her work HERE!  She is just starting to make onesies and bibs that are o-so-adorable.  Pics coming for those very soon!

Anna's mother, who lives very far away, shipped me a blanket that she had made for the baby so that I could give it to her at dinner.  It was a great surprise, she didn't even think the blanket would be finished until after the baby was born.  And it was absolutely gorgeous!  That woman can sew!  I really really really wish I would have taken a picture of it.  She made the munchkin's baby blanket too, along with an adorable little outfit.  She also makes beautiful hand smocked dresses, bonnets, rompers and christening outfits made to order.  She also makes other custom items and is the sweetest lady you'll ever meet.  You should check out her Etsy shop, Bunny Luv Creations!

Here's our great group of ladies.  From Anna, moving to the right, there's me and then the next two girls are Toni and Brooke.  All four of us have know each other since we were 15, and if you take myself out of the equation, the other three have known each other since grade school!

I sure wish our waiter had a more steady hand.  He took two pictures and the other was even worse.

Here's me and Anna...  I am so lucky to have such an amazing friend!!  I just love her.

There seems to be a growing trend for people having baby showers for their second or even third babies.  I am on the fence about it myself, and can't really make up my mind.  I do think that every baby deserves a celebration, but maybe not necessarily a traditional shower where everyone comes and brings lots of gifts for the baby.  

I think if your first child and your second are 10 years apart, then yes, by all means, have a baby shower.  Or if your house burnt down and all of your possessions were lost between having babies....  girl, have yourself a shower!

If your first baby is a girl and two years later you are pregnant with another girl... I'm just not so sure that's appropriate or not.  Personally, for myself though, I don't know if I would feel comfortable doing that.  I would just feel weird inviting everyone to another shower in that situation.  Of course, if a friend was having one, I would still be there, happy to support her, present in tow.

I did however put my foot down, when an invitation arrived in the mail to attend a shower for a friend's 4th child.  I admit, I didn't even rsvp.

I have heard of people having diaper parties for consecutive kids.  Where someone throws them a little party and everyone brings a package of diapers to get the new mamma-to-be stocked up for a while.  I think ideas like that are cute and fun and just make more sense to me.  I guess it's all about your personal opinion and perspective though.

Any thoughts??

Introducing.... Lily Emerson!!

Monday, my friend Stacy gave birth to her little baby girl Lily.  Stacy is the munchkin's sitter and is on maternity leave right now.  I went to visit her in the hospital yesterday and snapped a few shots of her precious little bundle. She is so absolutely beautiful and it was amazing holding a little one day old baby.  I can't believe the munchkin was ever this small.  It's crazy how fast they grow!

Talk about giving me baby fever!!

She was so awake and alert while I was there.  She just kept staring at me the whole time I was holding her.  I totally fell inlove with this little girl...

I get to see her again on Thursday!!

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce (sugar free • gluten free • low carb)

This is comfort food to me.  This is an easy recipe that you can whip up quickly and will taste like you worked much harder on it.  It's great for company too.  The sauce doesn't get quite as thick as if it had flour in it, but it's nice and creamy and tastes delicious.  You won't miss the flour at all!

Start off heating up 1/2 stick of butter.  Toss in a chopped up yellow onion and saute for a few minutes.

Add about 10 oz off sliced baby bella mushrooms, parsley, oregano and basil and continue to saute for another 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are nice and browned.  Feel free to add butter if your mushrooms are soaking it all up.

Then deglaze your pan with either a dry white wine or apple cider vinegar.  I prefer the dry white wine, but either works...  Add in your cream and turn up the heat to bring to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat up butter in another skillet and drop in your chicken.

Once sauce comes to a boil, reduce hit and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook up those chickens nice and browned.

Once your sauce is thick enough to stick well to your spoon, it's ready! 

Plate chicken, and cover with sauce.

CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOM CREAM SAUCE

(sugar free • gluten free • low carb)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C (1/2 stick) Butter
• 1 small to medium Yellow Onion, chopped small
• 10 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms
• 1 tsp chopped fresh Parsley
• 1 tsp chopped fresh Oregano
• 1 tsp chopped fresh Basil
• 1 C Heavy Cream 
• 3/4 C Dry White Wine (or Apple Cider Vinegar, but it will have a stronger taste)
• 4 Chicken Breasts, pounded down and flattened
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat Butter in skillet and add chopped onion, saute for a few minutes.
2. Add Sliced mushrooms, parsley, oregano and basil to pan.  Continue to saute for another 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are nice and browned.
3. Add in the Wine or Vinegar and stir to deglaze pan.  
4. Slow stir in cream.  
5. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.
6. Turn up heat to bring to a boil.
7. Heat up more butter over medium high in another skillet for chicken.
8. Once sauce is boiling, reduce heat to bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce is creamy and sticks to your spoon.
9. Salt and pepper chicken and add to skillet, cook till browned on both sides and cooked through.  This usually takes me 6-7 minutes per side.
10. Once chicken and sauce are finished, plate your chicken and spoon the sauce over the top.
11. Enjoy!

This sauce is also delicious served over grilled chicken!  I like making extra and bringing it to work for lunch the next day heated up in my toaster oven.

This post is part of the Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Platter, Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday, the Healthy Home Economist's Monday Mania and Real Food Forager's Fat Tuesday.

An Awesome Chick, Some Crazy Good Sushi and a Few Glasses of Wine....

I recently met up with my girl Brenda for some sushi and wine.  I don't get enough girly time in, but I guess that's what happens when you grow up, become an adult, get married and start having babies.

Totally worth it, don't get me wrong!  But I definitely still miss a few things.

Our girls night out was so much fun.  The wine and juicy gossip was flowing.  We mostly gossiped about ourselves.  Nothing better then a dear friend and a little wine to make you share all your little secrets.  Sometimes it feels so good to get some things off your chest!

We didn't even mind that they gave all of our food to another table (well maybe a little).  The other table definitely didn't mind, considering they just received the three most expensive rolls on the menu for free.

The sushi chef came to our table, apologized profusely and handed us a free appetizer.  We just shrugged it off, laughed and asked for more wine.

We were starving though, and after quite some more time had passed, we started to get a little frustrated.

But then finally, they brought us these....

Am I making you drool??  They were so very very delicious!!

A few more glasses, another roll, and we were outside on the patio having another photoshoot.  Although we thought we looked fabulous at the time, I won't share those pictures.

On the way outside, Brenda stole the candle that was burning away on the bar.  Just straight up picked it up and took it outside with us.  I watched the bartender girl's face turn from pleasant to "wtf"?!

Brenda thought the candle smelled like fall.

A couple of employees came out to chat and hang out with us.  The place was pretty slow.  It was a weeknight.

Sometimes it feels good to head out in the middle of the week, meet up with a bestie, and pretend you don't have a care in the world.

It was an awesome evening!!

Thank you to my girl for taking me out for such a wonderful evening and to my wonderful husband for making it so I can do that every once in a while!!

Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Eyes

Link up below and add your own photo!

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge

 

G's One Year Photoshoot

Today I met up with my friend Gina over at Namaste By Day and we had a little one year photoshoot for her little boy G.  I gotta say, this little guy is sooooooo friggin cute!! He is so smiley and awesome and cute and fun.  I loved taking his pictures!

And for the story of how Gina and I met, go HERE!  Love this girl :)