baby monitors + booster seats

a nursery in progress...

in one day, i got hendrix's new highback booster car seat and the baby's crib mattress and baby monitor in the mail.  it seems in a very short time, i have watched the baby who made me a mother become a little boy.  he'll be four in march.  i always get nostalgic this time of year when i start planning his birthday and walk around in shock that another year has passed us by. it's harder this year, though.  since, we're also planning to start all over again in may.  in may, we'll start the baby years again. for the last time.  it will also be hendrix's last birthday as the only show in town. the same day i got all those packages i started on the picture book project i have been wanting to do for awhile.  i have about 1000 pictures from the last four years that i am making photo books out of...one for each year of hendrix.  all this nostalgia combined with the fact that i am having a girl therefore i have EXTRA hormones...made for a crying fit while hendrix was napping.  how the hell did this happen?  we've slid into a pretty good routine around here and somewhere along the way i have a boy who zips his own coat, is saving his allowance to buy a trailer for his baby sister's toy car, has parent teacher conferences this week, and tells me a good cooker everyday.  in the meantime, i have a baby doing acrobats inside me who will make me the mother of a daughter in about 4 months.  this business of mothering is no joke, folks.  it always seems after the hardest days...the days dealing with temper tantrums, no naps, and poop in the pants...you will then be reminded what wonderful creatures you have created.  you will read a story of kids growing up and away or look at baby pictures while you pull the baby stuff out for newest creature. what a magical time it is for me. for me to be a mother watching the chill, somewhat aloof baby become a sincere, kind boy. a boy who has made the process of transitioning into a mother a joy.

february: month of meals

i'm sticking with my monthly meal planning.  it seems to really work for us and is super awesome on the days when i have no desire to cook.  it's much easier to throw something together when you already have a stocked kitchen and plan.  since, the baby is due at the beginning of may i have started working on my postpartum meal plan.  you know since when we brought hendrix home we had nothing to eat.  this time will be different, though, since we don't really have air conditioning in the kitchen and it can get quite warm already in may and june i am focusing on premade meals that don't require the oven.  you can check out some of my ideas on my pinterest board.  this month i am also testing or retesting a lot of these recipes to see how quick they really are, as well as, testing out some of the quick, premade freezer meals from costco and trader joe's that other folks have suggested.
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dinner
1. crockpot shrimp + bacon corn chowder
2. italian chicken bake
3. spaghetti with costco meatballs
4. crockpot beef + broccoli
5. beef + scallion skewers with bok choy
6. zuppa toscana soup
7. crockpot asian pork + mushrooms
8. rueben bake
9. roasted veggie tacos
10. sour cream chicken enchiladas
11. crockpot salisbury steak with potatoes & veggies
12. stromboli
13. crockpot frank + beans with slaw
14. philly cheesesteak sandwiches on bretzel rolls
15. pot pies
16. pork schintzel with sour cream mashed potatoes and sweet + sour cabbage
17. beef + snow peas
18. fajitas
19. chicken cutlets with salad
20. sausage + latkes
21. sloppy joes
22. greek burgers with greek cous cous salad
23. mini meatloaves with taters and veggies
24. crockpot chili
25. crockpot stuffed peppers

lunch
chicken wrap
creamy kale salad
black bean + quinoa salad
leftovers
sandwiches
salad with melty goat cheese crouton

snacktime
fruit
cut veggies
bread with nut butter
smoothies
bran muffins

resolve to be good

so.  i am guessing we all have some sort of food resolutions going on in our head.  it is the new year, after all.  i don't really have one since i am pregnant and have been eating pretty well.  i've already gained less weight then when i was prego with hendrix.  the first time i really thought i was eating for two.  turns out, you're not.  so.  my only resolutions are to mentally list every night (or morning if i was too tired the night before to think)  what i am grateful for and what i did RIGHT that day.  as well as, to commit to completing something creative every month.  i know, as a mother and wife, i put myself on the back burner. a lot.  then i start to feel guilty or short tempered.  then it is a domino effect of bad decisions weather with my eating, sleep, money spending, or how i am talking to others.  so, i am going to try to be kinder to myself and to do things that bring me happiness.  i am confident that this will spill over into all the facets of life.  the first half of this year will be growing this baby.  the second half will be taking care of newborn and introducing a new person to our family of three. i am going to take easy on myself.  because you know what?  most of us are doing good.  there's nothing wrong with wanting be better, but sometimes "good enough" needs to be enough.
HOWEVER.  we all have some food battle we want to win.  mine is my battle with sugar.  i love it.  the good thing and the blessing in disguise is that this baby does not.  if i eat sweets, i get sick.  baby does not like.  hendrix loved sweets and still does. i pretty much lived on apple fritters and cherry pie when i was pregnant with him.  healthy, i know.  so, i thought i would share some yummy and pretty darn healthy recipes & ideas with ya'll.  as well as, a cake recipe.  because who can resist?

my new favorite salad.  cabbage, apple, and walnut salad.  we made out on NYE.

got clementines? make this cake.  it's actually not the most unhealthy cake.

take the 7 day challenge.  7 new recipes in 14 days.  jump start dinner and get out of the rut!

make $20 stretch and help folks with real food problems

start planning.  month of meals.

this is the next salad that i'm going to make out with.  i love salads that can hold their own in the fridge for a bit.

finally, breakfast tacos!  i crave protein like nobody's business with this baby.  i made these up earlier and have been eating them for breakfast, lunch, and snack time.

breakfast tacos
1 egg, scrambled
1 fajita size tortilla, whole wheat ot whatever your prefer
1 1/2 T. salsa
small handful of shredded cheddar
2 T. smashed black beans or refried beans
dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt
avocado or cilantro, optional
in toaster oven or microwave, melt cheese on tortilla.  fill with beans, eggs, salsa, and sour cream. enjoy! 

january month of meals

last month, i planned our dinners out for the month.  it was the first time i had done it and i have to say i really enjoyed it.  we did save a bit of money, ate out less, and always had a quick meal to make.  most of the dinners i chose i could buy the ingredients for once, while others required perishables, i just had mike pick them up on our weekly milk + bread run.  i did find that i over planned a bit and did not end up needing as many dinners.  so you will see some repeats and less dinners this month.  what i did do right was picking up some frozen things like veggies, cheese pizza, and ravioli.  they really helped on those days that i was super tired.  and, frankly, if you are making dinner from scratch most of the time...you can give yourself a break and throw a frozen pizza in the oven.  this isn't food network.  it's just dinner.  so, here's the plan for this month.  i hope it helps with any new year's resolutions you may have...

dinner ideas
1. roasted veggie tacos with vigo brand rice + beans (add meat for mike's tacos)
2. salmon burgers with salad
3. tomato glazed meatloaf with mashed potatoes + spinach (smitten kitchen cookbook)
4. baked sausages with colcannon + applesauce
5. korean ribs with rice + cabbage
6. sausage bean + kale stew
7. ham + bean soup
8. refried bean enchiladas (vension for mike)
9. spaghetti with caramelized onion, spinach, and parm
10. beef stroganoff with noodles and roasted broccoli
11. crockpot chili with cornbread
12. beef shortribs with polenta and veggies
13. crockpot jambalaya
14. sweet + sour chicken with rice (time for dinner cookbook)
15. chicken + sausage potpies (i just use storebought pie crust)
16. sausage + latkes
17. frozen cheese ravioli with veggie sauce and sausage
18. pizza pockets with salad
19. italian sausage + peppers
20. grilled cheese with tomato soup
21. chicken cutlets with arugula salad
22. red lentil soup

breakfast ideas
cereal
yogurt + granola
huevos rancheros
sweet potato hash
whole wheat waffles
whole wheat muffins
whole wheat bagels
cinnamon raisin french toast (sundays)

lunch ideas
leftovers
sandwiches
quinoa + fried egg

snack ideas
fruit
yogurt
smoothies
cottage cheese
hardboiled eggs
granola bars
goldfish crackers
veggies + dip
chips + salsa

cranberry clementine muffins

while we all come down off the roller coaster of the last few weeks and get ready for the new year...let's eat some muffins. pour yourself some coffee or make some orange tea.  sit down and breathe.  muffins make the morning better.
.....
cranberry + clementine muffins (adapted from how to cook everything)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. of sugar
3 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. milk, plus more if needed
1 large egg
3 T. of melted, cooled butter or vegetable oil
1 c. of cranberries, can be frozen but do not defrost
1/2 c. of slivered almonds
zest of 2 clementines
preheat oven to 400 degrees. whisk flours, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon together.  in another bowl, combine milk, egg, and butter (or oil).  make a well in dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well.  gently combine.  batter should be thick, but moist.  add more milk, if necessary.  fold in cranberries, almonds, and clementine zest.  grease and fill muffin pan.  bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden.  makes 12 regular size muffins.
*muffins can be fully cooled and frozen.  but they are so good warm from the oven.

boredom busters

cloud dough

tis the season for stir crazy kiddos.  either it's too cold, windy, or rainy out or worse...the kids are sick AND the weather sucks. anyone knows that oftentimes when the kids are sick they are still mobile and extremely stir crazy.  which makes parents crazy. at least it makes me crazy.  enter my tried and true ways to bust boredom in the balls.  i'm sharing them with you today, but also recording them for myself...so i can look them up and implement them instead of having a meltdown.

cloud dough 
slightly messy, but worth it. store it on one of those "under the bed" storage containers. (found here)

fish for letters
fill the tub up and throw a bunch of those magnetic numbers or letters in it.  have your kid fish the letters or numbers out with a kid fishing pole that has a paperclip attached to the end of the line.  older kids can spell stuff out or practice math.  younger ones can identify the numbers or letters.

shaving cream
this cheap stuff is your friend.  in a tub, cover a toy in it and have your kid shoot water at it until they find their "prize".  OR put some on baking sheet and let them add color with those water tubes that come with flowers.  just dilute food coloring in some water.  then let them go to town.  very easy to clean up.

tub painting
strip the kids to their underoos.  cover the tub walls in paper and make some edible finger paint or just color some cool whip with food coloring.  let them create a masterpiece.  when they are done, remove the paper and start bath time. OR make your own bath paint by coloring shaving cream with food coloring and let them paint during bathtime.

rice game
fill a bowl up with uncooked rice and hide things like magnetic letters in it.  have the kid dig around until they find all the treasures. give them some smaller containers and let them transfer the rice from container to container.  keep it all contained on a large, rimmed baking sheet for easier clean up. (i used this one for all of hendrix's 2nd year so that i could get dinner made)

pompom game
find some unbreakable container with a lid and preferably clear.  cut a smaller hole in the lid.  give your kid some pompoms and have them stuff the pompoms in the container.  use different colors and sizes then have them practice colors and sizes.  (this was also great when hendrix was about 1 1/2 - 2 1/2)

balloon pong
things can escalate quickly but it gets a lot of energy out. see here for how to.

make granola or animal cookies
easy recipes for kids to help with and they freeze for up to 3 months.  granola recipe is here and animal cookie recipe is here.

clean up relay race
at my house, everything that is supposed to be upstairs is always (somehow) downstairs.  so i get a tub and set it by the bottom of the stairs.  i go through the downstairs and collect everything that needs to go back upstairs.  while i do it i have hendrix RUN the items to the box.  gets energy out.  sometimes he falls, but he loves it.

paper highway
tear off a big piece of kraft paper.  draw roads and a town on it.  give your kids some crayons and cars.  have them add to the town and go for a drive.

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what are your boredom busters? let's all share so that we have some arsenal this winter and upcoming rainy (hopefully!!) spring.



  

i love it when i'm clever

the bathroom in our house was a total afterthought.  like sometime in the late 50s, early 60s someone looked around and saw that EVERYONE else now had indoor plumbing and thought they should go along with the trend.  so they put up a wall on a porch and some drywall in the now "bathroom".  no insulation, though.  it is about 25 sq ft. with a full sized bathtub, sink, toilet, wall storage cabinet and a full sized water heater.  so, yeah.  it's kind of the bane of my existence in this house.  i love this house, but that bathroom. oh my god.  as you can imagine, there are no towel bars or places for towel bars, or wall space. so....after 3 years i have actually figured out a cute, easy option.  yes, it took me 3 years to be clever.
remember these from our wedding?

well, since i am not planning any dinner parties anytime soon. they are now cute, monogrammed towel hooks.

weird thing is...mike still used hendrix's towel this morning instead of getting a new towel.  why? boys are gross.  that's why.  new "systems" take awhile to take hold in our house. so, hendrix should have it down by yesterday and mike by next year. ha!
up next...turning an old door/entrance into a craft corner. sounds weird.  but it is going to be awesome.  let the nesting begin!!!