I realize that I have not been blogging much lately. Life has just been too busy. Hubs is FINALLY feeling better and went into work today! Hooray for him feeling better!!! Boo for his entire time home spent in bed. He has quite the busy day, too. He is a deacon at our church and in charge of a bathroom remodel that began today. He left bright and early to go unlock the church and get things ready for the contractor. Then off to work. When he leaves work, he's going straight to the church to check things out, do whatever needs done there, and then heading back to... work?!?! Yep, that's right. Church, work, church, work, and then home pretty late. I have the upmost respect for military wives, or any momma who does this alone day in and day out. Despite how busy I am and how much I'm NOT cut out for this type of parenting, I'm choosing today to be happy and rejoice in the new day that I get to spend with my kids...regardless of how crazy they make me :)
Sweet T: Sweet T continues to try to show us who's boss. It seems like a never ending battle. He is becoming very independant too and wants to do everything on his own (unless it's something he sees us doing for his brother). It requires a lot of patience on our end, which is something I have very little of these past few weeks. It also requires consistentcy, even when I'd rather just let things slide for one night. I KNOW that this is an important stage for him and that this is how he will learn that our behaviors have consiquenses and all that good stuff. I also KNOW that it's good to let him do things on his own, to figure it out and become an independant little guy. I just wish that I had the enegry and patience to help him through this ever so important phase of life.
He has shown a lot of growth in his relationships to peers this past week. For the first time, I saw him playing with someone. Not just next to this child, but with him. I was so proud of him. He's really growing up. He also went to his second birthday party this weekend. It's really cute to see him interacting with other kids. He doesn't cling to us and is involved with whatever activity is going on. He seems to prefer to play with older kids, as in elementary school age kids, rather than kids his own age.
On a slightly grosser note, he ate a red cupcake at church last night. Guess what color his poop was this morning. Nasty!!! But kinda funny too.
Little L: Little L has also matured quite a bit recently. He's like a new baby! He has discoved his hands and tries to grab everything! His favorites right now are hair and anything on T. Poor T gets grabbed a lot, but he doesn't seem to mind. L tries to grab plates and cups on the table, T's toys, blankets, fingers, anything other than baby toys really, lol.
He has also become a pro at rolling from his back to his belly. Diaper changes have become a bit of a challenge, and sometimes he screams like crazy because he gets stuck. But I LOVE it! You can tell that he is so proud of himself by the huge grin on his face each time he does it. Occasionally, he figures out how to roll back onto his back. The days that he "gets" it, he goes back and forth, back and forth, all day long. It's so much fun to watch. Then it's like he forgets how to do it the next day. I've also seen him try to scoot. He is just so determined to get things. Maybe he's more like his brother afterall :) It wont be long before he's mobile. While my job as Mommy will continue to get harder and harder as he figures things out, I can't wait! This is my absolute favorite stage so far! Everything is so new and exciting. You can see the little wheels turning in their heads as they try to figure it out. I just love it!
I could talk about my kids all day long. I really think they're great! And today, as I choose to focus on all of their wonderful qualities, I encourage you to do the same with the people YOU love. I'm sure your kids, spouse, parents, or whoever drive you just as crazy as my guys drive me, but I wouldn't trade this for the world!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thursday: My wonderful hubby!
My house is a disaster. I am still playing "single mommy" while my husband tries to recover from this nasty, horrible flu that has my poor man stuck in bed. Actually, I've seen him more today than I have in the past week. Yay! But that doesn't change the fact that I've been handling everything on my own for what seems like forever. With my hubby practically disabled (I'm possibly exaggerating... just a tad though), I can see very clearly how much he helps me out. My hubby really is amazing. Since my house is currently a mess, I thought I'd dedicate this week's cleanliness post to all the work J does. Most husbands do the manly chores like car maintenance and trash. Mine does those things too. He does more than that, though. A lot more! He does all of the dishes. Yes, you read that right. He does ALL of the dishes. There are two reasons why. The first has to do with his love for me (I absolutely hate dirty dishes. They are so nasty to me) and the second is because he is a little OCD about it and re-does everything when I try to help him with them :) I won't complain though. I'll let him correct me all he wants (with regards to the dishes) if he continues to do them for me. I hate dishes! He also does a lot of laundry. I have taken over some in this area, but he still helps me out a lot. He used to do all of the laundry for us. Never complained or asked me to help out either. Isn't he sweet? Then I started doing more and more. Part of me thinks he enjoys it. He even asked me to leave his clothes, or at least his work clothes, for him to do. OCD kicking in again ;) If the house is a little cluttered when I go to bed, he straightens up before I wake up. If I leave crumbs on the kitchen table, he wipes them off. It's not unusual for him to vacuum, sweep, cook, put clothes away, and so on. In fact, he is willing to do everything except the bathrooms. It's true. My husband does it all! I'm not saying he does it all on a daily basis, but he's always willing to. There have been plenty of times in our 5 years of marriage that he HAS done it all for extended periods of time (like after a baby is born...). What can I say? He spoils me! And do you want to know how often he has complained about it? Never. Well, ok. Maybe a few times, but usually only when I complain that he isn't spending enough time with us as a family because he spends all his time working or cleaning (he is a much cleaner person than I am). My point is, he not only cleans, but he does it joyfully. He knows that I am busy with the kids all day and respects how much time and energy I devote to them. I'm pretty sure he doesn't mind me pitching in more, though... as long as I leave the dishes and his work clothes alone ;)
J-Mo, I love you! Thank you for taking care of us! Now hurry up and feel better soon! I miss my house keeper...I mean...umm... partner. Lol, kidding :) You're the best though!
J-Mo, I love you! Thank you for taking care of us! Now hurry up and feel better soon! I miss my house keeper...I mean...umm... partner. Lol, kidding :) You're the best though!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tasty Tuesday:Kabobs! Or something like it...
I know it's not really Tuesday, but like I said on Monday, it's been a hard few days. Anyway, Tuesday my sister came over to cook with me. We decided to make Kabobs. So we found a recipe that sounded good on All recipes and decided to give it a try.
Ingredients
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 pinch ground ginger
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups whole fresh mushrooms
1 pound beef sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
skewers
Directions
1.In a large resealable plastic bag, mix the teriyaki sauce, honey, garlic powder, and ginger. Place red bell peppers, onion wedges, mushrooms, beef, and chicken in the bag with the marinade. Seal, and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.
2.Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
3.Discard marinade, and thread the meat and vegetables onto skewers, leaving a small space between each item.
4.Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 10 minutes, turning as needed, or until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
Without reading the directions, we wrote down the ingredients and headed off to the store. We made a few of our own adjustments because we don't like mushrooms or ginger. We also added a green pepper. Once we got home, we got started. That's when we realized that you're supposed to marinade the food for 4-24 hours! Whoops! We definitely didn't have 4 hours... more like 40 minutes. Oh well, we'll do it anyway. We started up the George Forman, and then realized that we didn't have skewers either. Ha! This is pretty much how a normal cook experience goes when we're together :) We cooked it as it was. So basically, here's OUR recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 green pepper
1 pound beef sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
Directions:
Mix the teriyaki sauce, honey, and garlic powder in large zip lock bag.
Add peppers, onion, steak and chicken as you cut them into pieces, and mix often.
Heat grill to medium/high
Cook for about 10 minutes, turning as needed.
Enjoy!
Believe it or not, it turned out really good even though we didn't marinate it! Stacy gave it an 8, Jason gave it a 7, and I gave it a 7 1/2, I think it would have been even better if we had done it the correct way :) Enjoy!
Ingredients
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 pinch ground ginger
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups whole fresh mushrooms
1 pound beef sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
skewers
Directions
1.In a large resealable plastic bag, mix the teriyaki sauce, honey, garlic powder, and ginger. Place red bell peppers, onion wedges, mushrooms, beef, and chicken in the bag with the marinade. Seal, and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.
2.Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
3.Discard marinade, and thread the meat and vegetables onto skewers, leaving a small space between each item.
4.Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 10 minutes, turning as needed, or until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
Without reading the directions, we wrote down the ingredients and headed off to the store. We made a few of our own adjustments because we don't like mushrooms or ginger. We also added a green pepper. Once we got home, we got started. That's when we realized that you're supposed to marinade the food for 4-24 hours! Whoops! We definitely didn't have 4 hours... more like 40 minutes. Oh well, we'll do it anyway. We started up the George Forman, and then realized that we didn't have skewers either. Ha! This is pretty much how a normal cook experience goes when we're together :) We cooked it as it was. So basically, here's OUR recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 green pepper
1 pound beef sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
Directions:
Mix the teriyaki sauce, honey, and garlic powder in large zip lock bag.
Add peppers, onion, steak and chicken as you cut them into pieces, and mix often.
Heat grill to medium/high
Cook for about 10 minutes, turning as needed.
Enjoy!
Believe it or not, it turned out really good even though we didn't marinate it! Stacy gave it an 8, Jason gave it a 7, and I gave it a 7 1/2, I think it would have been even better if we had done it the correct way :) Enjoy!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Monday Madness: True madness here!
Hubby is very, very sick.
Sweet T is cranky, whiny, and unusually disobedient (as in, moreso than his average self. I expect a little disobedience from a two year old, but this is a bit much).
Little L is CLINGY and extra needy tonight
Momma, me, well, I'm not feeling great either but thankfully not as sick as the hubs. You could pretty much use the same words to describe me as I used to describe Sweet T. Cranky, whiny... yup.
I don't think I need to go on any further. You can pretty much tell how my day has gone just from that little bit of info.
Sweet T is cranky, whiny, and unusually disobedient (as in, moreso than his average self. I expect a little disobedience from a two year old, but this is a bit much).
Little L is CLINGY and extra needy tonight
Momma, me, well, I'm not feeling great either but thankfully not as sick as the hubs. You could pretty much use the same words to describe me as I used to describe Sweet T. Cranky, whiny... yup.
I don't think I need to go on any further. You can pretty much tell how my day has gone just from that little bit of info.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Thoroughly Clean Thursday: Vinegar
So a few years ago, I used to roll my eyes at people who were conscience about chemicals and all things "crunchy granola." I thought that people overreacted a lot and that they should not make a big deal out of it. So many people use chemical based products and are just fine. However, I find that as I get older and research more about what is best for my children and family, I am becoming one of those people. It started with being determined to deliver my babies without any medical interventions. I know many people use epidurals or other pain management during child birth, and I'm sure if I had long labors that involved pitocin or other extreme circumstances, I would have ended up with one. I'm not trying to say anything negative about medication because I know sometimes, it really is necessary. For me, however, it was best to go natural. Anyway, next came vaccines. Again, I wanted to limit medications entering into my babies little, delicate bodies. We get some vaccines, and eventually they will have all of them, but I see absolutely no reason why my one day old newborn needs to be vaccinated against an STD. I moved from there to making my own baby food, and then on to cloth diapers and wipes(something I swore I'd never do...). What does this have to do with cleaning? Well, my new obsession to do things as "crunchy" as possible has moved on to the way I choose to clean. I am now using vinegar. Yep, that's right. From now on, I am going to use that stinky stuff. It's great though! And it really doesn't smell THAT bad. I have a spray bottle filled with half vinegar and half water, and then a smaller spray bottle filled with just water for Sweet T to use (but don't tell him that it's different than mine:)). I feel safe with it. I do not worry about nasty chemicals coming into contact with my precious babies. Sweet T can help me as much as his little heart desires, where as before he could only help with dry wipes and such. You can also scrub the shower with it! Just sprinkle with baking soda and then spray with vinegar. It can unclog drains. Again, sprinkle with baking soda and pour vinegar down the drain, wait a little while and then pour boiling water down the drain. I have seen websites that list other ways you can use it to clean too. Added benefit: it's cheap!
Disclaimer: I still roll my eyes at a lot of "crunchy" things people do. While I believe that God commands us to care for the earth He created for us, I think people take it too far. I do what I do because it's best for my CHILDREN, not because I want to save the planet or anything.
Disclaimer: I still roll my eyes at a lot of "crunchy" things people do. While I believe that God commands us to care for the earth He created for us, I think people take it too far. I do what I do because it's best for my CHILDREN, not because I want to save the planet or anything.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wednesday's Walk with God: Money
I decided to write about money today, mainly as a reminder to me of how we should handle our money. I have been a little stressed out over money lately and I feel like I need a reminder from Scripture.
First, I need to look at my attitude toward money. I should be careful not to make it too big of a deal, an idol if you will.
Mark 4:19
But the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark 8:36
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
1 Timothy 6:9-11
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness
Secondly, I need to remember to be content. Money does not meet my needs, GOD does!
1. Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
Matthew 6:31-33
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Philippians 4:11-13
For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be. I know now how to live when things are difficult and I know how to live when things are prosperous. In general and in particular I have learned the secret of eating well or going hungry of facing either plenty of poverty. I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me.
1 Timothy 6:7-10
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.
I wanted to write more regarding money, but I'm tired and I have a cranky baby. I will try to finish my thoughts on this next week. Have a great night, everyone!
First, I need to look at my attitude toward money. I should be careful not to make it too big of a deal, an idol if you will.
Mark 4:19
But the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark 8:36
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
1 Timothy 6:9-11
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness
Secondly, I need to remember to be content. Money does not meet my needs, GOD does!
1. Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
Matthew 6:31-33
“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Philippians 4:11-13
For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be. I know now how to live when things are difficult and I know how to live when things are prosperous. In general and in particular I have learned the secret of eating well or going hungry of facing either plenty of poverty. I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me.
1 Timothy 6:7-10
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.
I wanted to write more regarding money, but I'm tired and I have a cranky baby. I will try to finish my thoughts on this next week. Have a great night, everyone!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Monday and Tuesday, because I am having a hard time finding time...
Monday Madness: Jan 31 (actually written on Tuesday the 1st of Feb)
This past weekend, hubs was sick. He's actually still feeling pretty icky, but that's besides the point. He needed to get as much rest as he could so I took the kids out with my mom. My fabulous neighbor told me about a local gymnastics place that has open gym on Saturdays. My 2 year old was wild and so disobedient for the past week...at least... I decided it would be good for ALL of us to take him somewhere where he could get some of that energy out. Let me tell you, that was one of my best parenting decisions ever! Lol, ok, maybe not quite ever, but still a great decision. Kiddo swung on a rope, jumped on a trampoline, RAN RAN RAN all over the place, and best of all, jumped into a foam pit. I jumped in too. It was fun! When we left, he was back to his normal, sweet, and obedient self. Oh how I had missed that boy! I'm glad he's back :)
Little L has been cranky lately. I feel bad for him. I think he's working on teeth. I'm not a big fan of teething. It breaks my heart to see him so miserable. His infant car seat quit working on us for some reason. It wont latch in properly without a fight. It also makes us fight to unlatch it. Good think BRU is having their trade in sale! We took it in and got 25% off a new big boy car seat. I have been dreading this day. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to carry both kids, along with our stuff, to and from the car. We have a billion steps out front and I am scared to death of ice. I was really hoping we'd make it through the winter with that carrier. Oh well though. L is just about 20 lbs anyway, so it would have only lasted another month anyway.
Tuesday: Chocolate icings (X2) :) YUM!
Chocolate cream cheese icing:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
1.Melt chocolate and the butter together. Let cool and blend in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Gradually add the confectioner's sugar until the frosting is of spreading consistency, beat well.
I'm not a big fan of cream cheese, but if I were, I think I'd love this recipe! It was really easy to make and looked great! Spread on the cake nicely too. J does not like cream cheese either, but my mom really likes this icing.
Texas Chocolate Frosting:
Ingredients
1/2 cup margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1.Melt margarine over a low heat. Gradually beat in cocoa, sugar, milk and vanilla, mix well.
Yum! Yum! Yum! I love this one! It's very sweet...too sweet for some. But I love it. J loved it too. He gave it an 8.5. I need to keep looking for a chocolate icing recipe that my mom and I can agree on (she is not a huge fan of this one), but this will be my go to recipe for my home cakes. Why are we trying all of these chocolate frostings? Because we are doing a cupcake wedding cake and the groom wants chocolate frosting. Yay for having another wedding cake!!!
This past weekend, hubs was sick. He's actually still feeling pretty icky, but that's besides the point. He needed to get as much rest as he could so I took the kids out with my mom. My fabulous neighbor told me about a local gymnastics place that has open gym on Saturdays. My 2 year old was wild and so disobedient for the past week...at least... I decided it would be good for ALL of us to take him somewhere where he could get some of that energy out. Let me tell you, that was one of my best parenting decisions ever! Lol, ok, maybe not quite ever, but still a great decision. Kiddo swung on a rope, jumped on a trampoline, RAN RAN RAN all over the place, and best of all, jumped into a foam pit. I jumped in too. It was fun! When we left, he was back to his normal, sweet, and obedient self. Oh how I had missed that boy! I'm glad he's back :)
Little L has been cranky lately. I feel bad for him. I think he's working on teeth. I'm not a big fan of teething. It breaks my heart to see him so miserable. His infant car seat quit working on us for some reason. It wont latch in properly without a fight. It also makes us fight to unlatch it. Good think BRU is having their trade in sale! We took it in and got 25% off a new big boy car seat. I have been dreading this day. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to carry both kids, along with our stuff, to and from the car. We have a billion steps out front and I am scared to death of ice. I was really hoping we'd make it through the winter with that carrier. Oh well though. L is just about 20 lbs anyway, so it would have only lasted another month anyway.
Tuesday: Chocolate icings (X2) :) YUM!
Chocolate cream cheese icing:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
1.Melt chocolate and the butter together. Let cool and blend in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Gradually add the confectioner's sugar until the frosting is of spreading consistency, beat well.
I'm not a big fan of cream cheese, but if I were, I think I'd love this recipe! It was really easy to make and looked great! Spread on the cake nicely too. J does not like cream cheese either, but my mom really likes this icing.
Texas Chocolate Frosting:
Ingredients
1/2 cup margarine
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1.Melt margarine over a low heat. Gradually beat in cocoa, sugar, milk and vanilla, mix well.
Yum! Yum! Yum! I love this one! It's very sweet...too sweet for some. But I love it. J loved it too. He gave it an 8.5. I need to keep looking for a chocolate icing recipe that my mom and I can agree on (she is not a huge fan of this one), but this will be my go to recipe for my home cakes. Why are we trying all of these chocolate frostings? Because we are doing a cupcake wedding cake and the groom wants chocolate frosting. Yay for having another wedding cake!!!
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