Meal Plan Week #2

Well, it's that day again, time to put together our meal plan for the week, pick up the few things we need until shopping day and organize my shopping list. Since I posted a couple weeks ago about my meal planning I thought I would update with this weeks entrees for week night meal ideas.

This week we will be having:
 Baked Mac & Cheese with a panko crust and some broccoli
Loaded Nachos. (not very healthy but you can add any ingredients you want to healthify it)
Corn Chowder and breadsticks. (Pillsbury now sells breadsticks in a can.)
Homemade Pizza/Calzone
Homemade Chicken Finger with a Panko crust, peas and fries
Burgers on the George Foreman and Oven fries
Panini's with leftover chowder
Chicken Caesar salad with homemade dressing (Here is the pin. This stuff is amazing!)

Some staples your will need for this plan is your standard chicken, hamburger, oil and sauce but don't forget to pick up some pizza crusts (tip: spaghetti sauce works just as good as pizza sauce and doesn't go bad as fast.) You will also need some block cheese, panko and maybe some fancy bread for the paninis. You know, if your feeling especially adventurous.

Well, off I go to check out some sales. Good luck and happy shopping.

SAHM Yoga, Relaxing Or Rage Inducing?

Yesterday was a pretty busy day. I didn't have to work but I had shopping and had to go clear out stuff from the old place. (P.s. Always get the fridge first when moving. We had to wait for our refrigerator to arrive and it was a week late. I somehow managed to get my husband to clear out the nasty food. Guess we need new tupperware.) Anyway, with all the work on the new house, moving and watching the kids and cooking I haven't really had much me time. I needed a little down time so I popped in my yoga video and figured my munchkin would try to copy me or would dance to the soft music that plays.

Oh boy was I wrong. She wanted to climb on me like a jungle gym which started out cute and funny until her straw cup got dumped on my lap mid hero pose. I paused the video and cleaned it up. I grabbed one of her favorite toys and set her up on her mini couch beside me.

This worked out well for a few moments but the next thing I know she is hungry and wants a snack. Pause. Goldfish. Couch. Deep breath for Mommy. Press Play. At this point I'm not feeling very zen but I gotta push through. Breath in to cat lift making sure your catch your daughter regurgitating goldfish all over the yoga mat where your hands go next. Back to her feeding seat, fresh milk and a warning that she will get time out if she doesn't listen. Get through the last string of movement and now its time for the relaxing part. Lay on your back and breath deep. All I smell is those stupid goldfish and my eyes pop open long enough to witness my toddler about to force feed them to me. After some creative new words ushered under my breath I pick up my daughter to clean her off and she waves to me signalling nuh nights. Of course your ready for a nap now! GRRRR!

Deep breath, start video over and let my muscles guide me through. Arm's up and deep breath in, my husband walks through the door, if you have ever tried to do yoga in front of your husband you know what it usually stops being yoga and starts to become and activity for your husband to see just how much of the Kama Sutra you could really do. At least that's what my husband does, so he came in and made the mistake of asking how my day is going....

Moral of the story is this, always try to cut some time out for yourself but I urge you to wait until the children are napping or down for the night because when deep breathing is used to prevent drywall damage you don't really get the zen relaxation it's supposed to encourage.

I think after the kids go down today I'll try out some meditation and get my head back. 10 more inches of snow this weekend. Ugh

Please oh please bring me some sun!

Toddlers Are Nuts

 My daughter is a 16 month, don't worry that ends at 18mo then she is a year and a half. (When I was a photographer I had a woman tell me she wanted photos of her 42 month old. I, legit, wanted to slap her, just a little.) Anyway, she is cute as a button and smart as a whip. Seriously, she surprises me everyday with something new. She is also the demon baby from hell sometimes. You know, one of those kids who is always great and very well behaved when she is with Grammy but when left alone with Mommy throws tantrums smacking her head on the floor and fake crying. Even gone so far as fake coughing for a while but as soon as attention was paid to her again her ailments magically dissipated and she was just fine again.

Clearly less than amused!

If you have one of these children, and I'm sure there are a few out there, I have a little ray of sunshine just for you. It eventually ends. For real, I'm not pulling your leg I have seen it.

At the moment I think my case is just the beginning stages of the terrible twos and I know it is going to get harder before it gets better. That said, even New England's snow melts eventually and it does still get hot in the summer, (I have to keep reminding myself), and that will go a long way to keeping both tiny terrors content for a while but I still have a few months and three feet of snow to melt before that can become a regular thing. Once that happens all my gardens can get started and that will be a nice learning experience for them. It also prevents me from stabbing my husband in the face with a fork when he tells me about an annoying customer and how tired he is after I explain the four and a half hours of constant screaming, throwing food and milk... just.... everywhere. But I digress...

I did yoga for a while but, honestly, the 30 minutes a day I get to actually sit my butt on the couch I intend to take full advantage of. Besides when else am I going to get to eat something. Goldfish, pretzels and coffee does not a healthy diet make. I really thought I would be able to take the babies for a little sledding this year but if you have ever been caring more than one toddler, you know, the second you set them down they make a break for it in two different directions and think it's hilarious as you get red in the face trying to remain calm while you half nelson them both back into the house. I'm sure you can imagine that was not a fun day.

Despite the tantrums that only I deal with, (At least she doesn't do it in the grocery store or at restaurants,) or when no is the only thing she chooses to communicate for an hour. My baby girl is awesome. All our offspring are awesome and if you think about it, if they weren't perfect gray hair production assistants we would have a bunch of em and well.... that's not good for anyone or their wallet so have a glass of wine instead

 

Tell us about your rant or rave. Show off those munchkins being crazy, silly or just adorable. As always, feel free to leave a comment or question. 

Not Your Average Mom

The more I build my blog the more it becomes apparent that I should find a style that suits me and portrays the type of woman, wife, and mom that I am. And I can assure you I'm not you average mom.

The basics, I mean, sure, I make meal plans and grocery shop. I'm a stay at home mom that nannies on the side. I'm a home owner and an Aunt. But what people don't see in the endless stream of Facebook posts and mommy blogs is that we don't all start out as Mom's, wives etc. I like rock music and horror movies. I have gauged ears and tattoos. Don't bother asking the internet for they will tell you that I am teaching my daughter all the wrong things by having a tongue piercing or letting her stand on the couch.

To that I say, shut it! No one asked your opinion. I say this half kidding because when I was pregnant I joined a very popular mommy thread for new moms. While the information I could get was very relevant and eased a lot of fears I had about starting this new type of life there were so many women looking for real help and real advise that were torn down by other moms. By people who, for all intents and purposes, were supposed to be there to support each other in a very challenging and scary time in life. And that just sucks.

That all being said I am going to celebrate being different, being an alternative mom. I believe instead of focusing on how we can be more like other mothers we should focus more on being ourselves, something so easy to lose when you have children. Are we withholding vaccines because we believe they cause Autism or are we doing it because it is the new fad these days? What do you really think? Yet, no matter what you choose people on either side will give you a hard time with it.

I received almost hate mail when I mentioned in a post that I was thinking of getting my daughters ears pierced at three months. I can guarantee someone you know had their ears pierced as a baby and they didn't explode into flames or spend their whole lives believing they were mutilated as a baby. Still, this is how we think. Am I doing things right? What will the other moms think? How will society view me if I make this decision? These are things that we shouldn't care about. Our children are ours and no one else's, (assuming your children are safe and not being intentionally placed in danger.) So if you think earrings are a good idea then do it and stand up for yourself. If you want to dye your hair blue and wear shit kicker boots everyday and no one can stop you. Certainly if you believe that a drug of vaccine is unsafe then don't give it to your child. But please, as responsible adults, make sure your getting real information because your FB news feed is not real news.... please remember this. (Always do your research first!)

I say we take back a Mom's real power. We are responsible for our children and we alone get to make these decisions. If my four year old wants a mohawk then so be it and if my daughter wants to wear a hoodie with a skull on it then I am not going to teach her that self expression is unacceptable.

Besides, what is the point of having children if we turn them all into little adults. I guess we might as well just clone people. Have some fun.

If any of you have advise (positive) for other readers about parenting, kids or just being a Mom these days please post it in the comments. Any questions you have for me go ahead and post them or send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as I get it.

Thank you all for reading my blog and I will have much more to come as this parenting thing is just starting. (My husband mentioned having another baby soon YIKES!)

DIY's This Summer

One sick baby, two sick babies.... Thank the universe we did not decide to have a second sooner because I am already elbow deep in snot and poop.

We are enjoying our first year as a family and trying to get in all those story book times together such as apple picking, pumpkin picking and of course the local favorite, one of the many fairs that hit the area in the fall. This year we got an extra treat! The stomach flu... let me tell you how terrifying that is with kids all over the country getting sick and getting hospitalized. Fortunately, it hit us one at a time starting with my husband. He was down and out for two days, the poor guy, but once a year he always gets very sick then bounces right back. Then our daughter got it. No puking, (that's my girl) but definitely uncomfortable and lots of dirty diapers.

This was followed up by a seasonal cold and lord there are boogers... EVERYWHERE. Granted this is gross but it doesn't bother me so much. It bothers me more that my poor little one is feeling so crummy and anything I can do to help ie. aspirator and tissues just pisses her off more.

During the day I watch a little boy around my daughters age and they are the best of friends. In fact, they share binkies... This morning I started sneezing etc. I am so glad my husband is taking his vacation next week because one sick baby is enough for me, two, however, as well as being sick myself, is just far too much. So tonight it's a hot bath and fuzzy pj's, some Chicken noodle soup and an early bed time. I'm already exhausted.

This leads up to the fact that I have little time for projects left not to mention that I am currently looking for a house and we are slightly broke so it occupies a lot of my time. However, as promised, I have other little fun things I have done this summer. Such as,

Mission Impossible for Toddlers!

My niece and nephew are three and five years old and smart! Well, I like to have activities planned for them while they are here. A couple times in the summer my mom has Grandkids weekend. We go to grammy and papa's house and go camping.
 All this required was some bright red yarn. (I know it's a little difficult to see but it's there.) and you zig zag from tree to tree, high and low and cris-crossing every which way.

In this case I was not able to gather all the materials so I didn't use the bells but when tied to the yarn the bells will jingle when the "lazer" it touched letting them know they lost. On the other side of the obstacle is a small path leading them right back to the starting line. Not everyone has this kind of land especially when you live in the city so this can easily be done indoors. A long hallway can do the trick with some scotch tape (don't ruin your paint job.) and the yarn and bells if you want.

You can do this with older kids and toddlers alike. I am thinking we can do the spy theme when my daughter is a little older and set this up at her birthday party. The kids can win little prizes is they get through. (You can use the same toys as you have in the goody bags for the kids so that everyone gets a fun toy.

I did one other project for them with the help of my brother.
Sone day I'm driving down the road and I see the frame for a papasan chair on the side of the road. (I am a big fan of free or cheap.) So my husband picks it up for me and it is brought to my parents where the base was promptly shattered. Sad but hopeful I assure them I am going to make a swing out of it so please don't burn it. My mother rolled her eyes so hard she may have sprained one but the chair went unburned. Finally, the last big camping trip I have got to do something with it or it goes in the bon fire. Got some big fat rope, the kids and went hunting for a tree.

With the help of my monkey brother we got it hung and the kids loved it. It was like a carnival ride and strong enough to hold my brother and I.

Assuming the wood holds out through the winter I will be using a very large cushion I made to cover it but an old comforter will do just fine. I don't have a photo yet of the kids up high but that swing hums and the rungs of the chair serve as handles and foot wedges without the threat of tiny busted fingers. They had such a blast that they wanted to keep it up after the rain started. Until, of course, there was talk of s'mores and fire. 

Sadly, the camp is now closed but we certainly enjoyed it while it lasted.

Upcoming Projects

Ah Mondays, that oh so wonderful day that reminds us just how short the weekend is. Mondays are also my two job day and both of my morning kids are teething. Hooray! They also have discovered that they prefer solid food so I share every meal I make. All these things are manageable but my daughter has suddenly decided she doesn't like her crib anymore so when we try to put her to bed she screams bloody murder. I am hoping this is simply a phase but I will tell you, we are exhausted.

The joys of parenthood. This all being said we did have a very fun weekend at the Fair on Saturday. Daddy and the boys heard the call of the man and had to show off the tractor pull to his little girl. The sound of engines is the male mating call I think as every time you heard one in the distance the boys noses went up in the air trying to locate that particular truck like dogs trying to catch a scent. Quite comical actually.

 Me, personally, I am a bigger fan of the rides. I was a bit of a thrill seeker before  children so when my husband and best friend declined climbing into one of these rides by informing me, "These were built three days ago, I'm not climbing into that death trap." This made me think a second but decided.. Well that's part of the thrill right? All in all it was a lovely trip to the fair. Over priced food and all.

This week I have a few new projects to get working on. One of which is to look for a local Realtor. That's right! We were prequalified for a loan and we are ready to start house shopping! I am so excited I'm ready to start packing but I am aware of the home buying struggle so I am attempting to keep my radical impulses to a minimum. That I believe will be mostly e-mails and phone calls so I have room for a few more projects on my agenda. 

I found a perfect recipe for french toast sticks that are freezable so I'll be making some more of those for a quick breakfast. 

My landscaper friend gave me some tips on my little indoor garden and offered to help me build the greenhouse by the porch so looks like I'm going to have to be a little crafty. We have one of those screen tents and we never use it so I was thinking I can cut out the mesh and replace it with clear plastic sheeting. Maybe remove some squares in the roof and reinforce the plastic to prevent collapse in the event of heavy snow or rain. (Don't really need to shock the warmer plants by snow leaking in.

I have a bunch of pallets and boxes that are begging to have something built out of them. Sadly, I don't have any power tools at home so I have to wait for my husband to get home, at which point it's time for dinner and to give our daughter a bath and boom... It's our bed time. So who knows when I will get to that.

I also a few pieces of furniture that I will be sanding and re-staining, (super excited to turn an old hand me down armoir we have had for year into something modern and beautiful.) So I think this will be one of my first to begin. This project will be something I can do when the babies are sleeping. Photos and results to come.

I feel the more active I am, the more productive I am and the happier life feels.   

Life Is Full Of Firsts

First kiss, first job, first apartment, first house.

Me, I'm in the middle of a bunch of firsts, My husband and I got married about a month ago, our daughter just took her first steps and we are all embarking on the nightmare that house buying can be when you have crappy credit. I am insanely grateful for the life my husband and I have together and our beautiful little girl Neviah Rae. Whom, I might add, has just started taking her first steps, terrifying and very exciting.

Forgive the bragging but I happen to be super excited my little rugrat is growing up. Being a stay at home mom is harder than it looks especially when there are a couple other children in the mix. Now, my husband and I are talking about having another next year. Not sure how I am going to manage that but I will figure it out, I always do.

Sometimes, I think we forget to simply look back into our own lives to see what truly makes us happy. Sorry to get mushy on you but I'm kind of on a cloud of happiness and caffeine.
I watch my husband play with our daughter and get her laughing and it melts my heart every time. When that happens our cell phone bill or data usage is not so pressing. Suddenly my credit score means nothing at the moment. Some times I use yoga or gardening to sort of center myself but nothing works better than genuinely appreciating what I have instead of wishing my way into the future.

And now that I have successfully talked my family up like crazy, my daughter is getting into everything and my husband is calling for the 5th time. Time to put on mommy hat today. Perhaps later we will put the chef's hat back on.