Made it through Christmas

Whenever anyone asks my daughter what she got for Christmas, she responds with “presents.”  She is so happy with her stuff and is just excited to open the gifts, it didn’t matter what was inside.  She was just adorable opening her gifts from the family and from Santa.  She loves playing with her new toys and looks adorable in her new outfits.

We had a good time.  On Christmas Eve, after making my husband’s Grandfathers 100+ family recipe for butter horns, I went over early to help Granny finish prepping for the party.  Jade and Jeremy joined me when Jade woke up from her nap. We had a yummy meal and a nice time talking with everyone, and Jade went crazy opening presents.

On Christmas morning, Jade woke up at 3 a.m., and didn’t fall back asleep until 4:30 a.m., only to wake up again at 7 a.m.  So, we opened presents and then headed over to my Sister-in-law’s house to open presents with my husband’s family.  Jade again loved opening presents, but wanted to play with toys that weren’t her own more than anything over there.  We spent the rest of the day playing with the new toys (while I packed) and flew out to see my family that night.

Jade travels well, so that was good.

We celebrated Christmas with my Mom, Dad, and sister and family the next day, complete with a big turkey dinner and more presents. The following day was my sister’s birthday. It snowed, ruining her big plans, but we still had a nice time spending the day with everyone.  And, because they won’t be able to fly down in 2 weeks for Jade’s birthday, they threw a party for Jade the following day.  So, we were there 3 days and we had 3 parties.

Finally home and things are not normal at all.  I have to get in gear with getting Jade’s party ready. Plus, we’re having company over for a bowl party on Monday.

And, to make matters worse, Jade starts school on Tuesday.  I AM SO NOT READY FOR THAT!  I know she is, but I’m not.

Well, I am making 3 dips and cooking the veggies so the kids can eat them for the Early-bird’s party at a friend’s house tonight, so can’t write any more.  Next couple posts will be about Jade’s birthday.

Not a lot to say

I know I’m a few days late with my weekly post this week, but I’ve found I don’t have a whole lot to talk about right now.   I’m a bit down and not feeling it, but I want to let everyone know that I’m still here and thinking of you.  I have been very busy too, with baking, and company, and fun with my wonderful family.

I made my husband’s grandmother’s date nut cookies and a batch of sugar cookies this week.  I also made my father’s famous peanut butter balls this week.  I made a trip out to Lakeland to see my old work friends. We made our annual trip to Hollywood Studios to see the Osbourne Lights as a family this week. We celebrated Christmas with Jeremy’s Dad’s side of the family. And, I lost another baby this week.  I guess you can say it has been a very busy week.

Ok, yes, I did just say that, and now you know the reason why I’m just not feeling it, sitting here exhausted (physically and emotionally).  It’s my 2nd miscarriage in 100 days and I am devastated.  It happened this weekend, and so I’m waiting until morning to be able to call the doctor to get in to see what is going on.  It is such an emotional roller coaster to be so excited to find out your pregnant at the beginning of the week, only to lose the baby at the end of the week.  And, to go through that twice in just 3 months is not something I wish upon anyone.

I am trying to be strong in front of Jade.  Do you realize how very sad it is for your adorable almost-2-year-old to say to you “What’s the matter, Momma?”  It makes you just want to cry even more.

My husband is the greatest, but he has no clue what to do for me.  Hell, I don’t even know what to do for me! I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I don’t feel like doing anything. I don’t want to be around anyone. I feel like such a failure.  But mostly, I’m scared that I’m not going to be able to have another child, just when Jeremy finally agrees that Jade needs a sibling.

I know this is not the upbeat, fun story that my loyal readers expect to read about and I’m sorry for bringing you down with my sadness.  I promise. Give me a couple of weeks, and I’ll be back to my normal self.  My daughter’s 2nd birthday party details will be coming soon. The invitations went out and I will be getting excited about it as soon as we get past this week.

The Potty

I talk to my daughter about the potty all day.  I ask her at regular times if she wants to go use the potty.  She uses it as a game with me.  When she wants more of my attention, she’ll tell me she has to go potty, but when she sits down, she never goes.  My husband is home for 1 hour (sometimes 2) of her waking time in the evening, and almost every night, she goes potty for him.  I have a feeling, if this girl is going to be potty trained, her father is going to need to be home more, because she just won’t go for me.

I am so proud of her, either way.  Tonight, he was getting her ready for bed, and she asked to go potty, and tinkled on the potty!  She is such a big girl, for not even being 2 years old yet!

Here’s my dilemma.  I don’t want to move her to a big girl bed yet. I want her to stay in the crib.  But, if she gets potty trained and starts to want to get up and go potty.  Well, how do you deal with that when they’re still in the crib?  What do I do?  If we move her to a bed, she’ll be in our room every night, and I’m not ready to deal with that yet.  So, do we just keep her in diapers at night until I’m ready for her to move to the big bed?  Am I holding her back by doing that?

Please comment if you have any advice for me. Although, she may take months to potty train. I’m just being very optimistic because she amazes me at every step.  Why not with potty training as well?

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1 whole egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup raisins Optional

Directions

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

Cut in butter with two knives or a pastry blender until it is fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla.

Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture.

Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined.

Pour into a greased muffin pan.

Bake for 25 minutes. (20 minutes if you’re doing mini muffins).

Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.

My love/hate relationship with December

This time of year is my favorite and least favorite, all at the same time.  I love Christmas! I love giving gifts to people. I love it even more now than before, because I can’t wait to see the look on Jade’s face when she opens her presents this year. I love baking and parties.  It is great!

But, there are a few things that I don’t like about this time of year.  1. My husband hates this time of year, so he’s extra cranky and miserable, which I don’t like.  2. I don’t do well at all with cold dry weather.  My skin cracks. I can’t stop drinking water. I’m uncomfortable.  It’s just terrible. 3. I’m too busy.  I hate rushing from one place to the next, and with 2 parties per day on each weekend day, that’s all we do is rush from one place to the next.

So, I have to make some adjustments to try to make the miserable go away.

First, I bake more.  This makes me happy because I have more stuff to give to other people.  Plus, it keeps the house warmer, which helps with that cold problem.  The downside is that it makes my diet plans more difficult, since I have to taste everything I make before it goes out to make sure that it is ok.  Ugh!

Second, I like to buy for just about everyone I know.  This has had to cut back quite a bit since Jade was born, since our income was cut in half for me to stay at home with my beautiful Jade, but I still buy quite a bit of stuff.  Of course, this is not good for our pocket-book and my husband’s mood, so I’m cutting back even more each year.  The one thing that makes both of us happy, though, is getting stuff for Jade, so I’m making up for it there.

One big problem for Christmas, though.  I want my daughter to wake up Christmas morning in her own bed to be greeted with Santa’s presents.  This means that we don’t get to see any of my family, since my Mom, Dad, Sister, etc. are all in Michigan. I’ve tried making arrangements to see my brother down in Palm Beach, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.  We get to see my husband’s family, since most of them are right here.

I grew up with a big Christmas Eve dinner at my Grandma’s and then a big Christmas lunch at my Grandpa’s.  It was really cool.  Now, we have a big Christmas Eve dinner at my husband’s Granny’s and we used to have his sister (and daughter), step-sister (and family), and Mom over for breakfast and presents on Christmas morning.  Well, it doesn’t look like the morning thing is going to happen this year (or at least not in its original form). I want to start traditions with her, but no one is cooperating.

I just keep looking at her smile and we’re all happy after that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks for what we have been blessed with, and the day of celebration will be here in just 3 days.  We get to spend time with family and make sure that those we care about know that they are important to us.  How much of this can an almost 2-year-old understand? How much can I help her see and understand?

Our Thanksgiving, since I got married, is just crazy.  We get up and make a dish (or finish a dish) and head to my husband’s dad’s side of the family for “dinner” at lunch time.  My husband’s grandparents, aunt, uncles, and cousins are there.  We all sit at one big table and enjoy a feast together.  My family’s tradition of watching the Lions game on TV is thrown out because there can’t be any TV on during the feast. We help clean up and then everyone leaves. I really do miss watching the Lions game.

We rush home to make side dish number two for dinner number 2.  In between, I try to call my family to let them know that I love them and am thankful for having them in my life, but have to run so that I can get the dish done and over to the next party in time.

“Dinner” at my husband’s mom’s family’s is next.  This is the entire family from Grandparents, Mom, aunts, uncles, cousins…they’re all there.  Dinner is a buffet and everyone sits wherever they can find room (couches, tables, outside).

I want to have my own Thanksgiving.  I want to have a group of friends that we care about dearly come over and I want to make a feast for them and tell them how much they mean to us.  I want to roast a turkey, stuffed with amazing stuffing.  I want to bake all kinds of yummy desserts.  I want to spend an evening where we can sit back and be thankful.

Here is what I’m thankful for.

I’m thankful for my wonderful family (all of them. Even the ones that drive me crazy).  I’m thankful for my amazing husband who works so hard so that I don’t have to.  I’m thankful for my beautiful and amazingly smart daughter.  She teaches me new things every day and amazes me with every word out of her mouth.  I’m thankful to have a house over my head, a car to get me places, and delicious food on my table every day.  I’m thankful that I live in a place where there is so much for me and my family to do, to help my daughter learn and grow.  I’m thankful that I get to go to the “happiest place on Earth” at least once a month and see my daughter’s face light up when she sees Mickey.  I’m thankful that my husband puts up with my faults and shortcomings and loves me for me and would do anything to keep me happy.  I’m thankful that my daughter loves me and wants me to comfort her when she is hurt or sad. I’m thankful that I am loved and that I have people to love. I’m thankful for my great group of support to help me through rough times and good times and to provide me with advice in this new adventure that I call my life.

To all my friends and all my family … THANK YOU!  I couldn’t have made it through these past 2 years without each and every one of you.  You have each provided me with support in different aspects of my life, and I am grateful to you all for being there for me.

9 days at Disney with 4 kids

I guess the title says it all.  I am exhausted!  My Mom and Dad came down and brought with them my sister and her children.  So, we had a 6 year old, a 4 year old, a 21-month-old, and a 4-month-old.

Jade is at that stage in her life now, where everything is amazing and exciting.  She sat at each parade with a look of excitement in her eyes, pointing at each character and saying their name as they go by. When we get through the line to see the characters, she runs up and hugs them, then turns and says “Cheety-cheese” for the cutest picture with the character.  It is just the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. And, it was so upsetting that Jeremy couldn’t be there to experience it and see her excitement.

I also learned that I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was.  This week, with my 28 pound baby on one arm, my 15 pound diaper bag on the other arm, and the stroller in my hand, I waited in line after line, and I carried it all on and off each bus.  And, when we could get Jade to ride in a stroller or to walk holding on to someone else’s hand, I carried around my sister’s baby or pushed around her 4 year old.  9 days with no breaks.

But, I see this as practice for when baby number 2 comes along.  I know there is no breaks with 2 kids, and since we have few options for help in the area, there really is no break. I am pretty proud of myself, and I am confident I can handle it. I have learned a lot about myself and I know now that I am strong. I have learned that I am not just strong physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.  I am ready. I can do it.

The next question is … how do we prepare Jade?

Halloween fun

My little one had her first real trick-or-treating experience.  We got her dressed up in her Hippo costume (Momma and Papa were zoo keepers) and walked her to a few of the neighbors houses.  She looked so cute walking down the street, in her costume, carrying her pumpkin bucket. She was so excited.

Then, we get to the door, and she freezes up.  She just stared at the neighbor, frozen, not saying a word, with her bucket at her side.  They talked to her. I tried getting her to talk. Nothing.  Finally, the neighbor would drop candy in her bucket. I would thank them and we would turn to go on.  As she walked away, she strutted, all excited about the candy she had just been given.  Even when we went to my husband’s grandmother’s house, she did the same thing.  She wouldn’t even speak for them.  But, after she got her candy, she was very excited and played very well.  She ran around saying “trick-or-treat” and asking for a piece of chocolate, like it was a game she could play with her dolls.

All in all, it was very cute. And, I am so excited for next year’s trick-or-treating fun!

But, now that Halloween is over, we all know what that means.  CHRISTMAS SEASON IS HERE!

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

Yes, my daughter can. We just got back from Sesame Place, in Pennsylvania. Jade had a blast having lunch with Elmo and friends.  She loved Big Bird and The Count, and her new friend Zoe. She loved sliding down the slides and riding on the carousel.  The trip would have been perfect, but in the middle, she got sick.

The first night, she refused to sleep unless she was on Momma.  By the 3rd night, she was running a fever.  We left Sesame early to head out to Hershey and to give her more time to sleep.  2 days of ibuprofen and she finally broke her fever and was able to enjoy the last day at Hershey, tasting Momma’s chocolate, making her own chocolate bar, and just being a wonderful toddler.

I had a great time. It was so cool to see her face at the Touch Me Museum, playing in the duck pond and climbing up the slides. She went grocery shopping and pretended to be a doctor in the hospital. I was surprised she wasn’t that interested in playing in the house, but I guess she gets that kind of stuff enough at home.  Her favorite thing was definitely the baby duck pond.  It was great to see her tell Abby (the flying ferry) about her chicken, and get upset when she wanted to go see Big Bird, but she still had food to eat.  It was amazing to see her asking for more chocolate at our “Tasting adventure.”  It was so cute to see her sitting on my husband’s lap waiting for the next Sesame Street show to start, both excited to see what was going to happen next. It was great to see my husband so happy that Jade is no longer afraid to stand on his feet and dance with him. She giggles and smiles, and is just one really happy sweetheart.

So, if you are a parent of a toddler, I would recommend heading to Langhorne, PA and going to Sesame Place.  In October, it’s too cold for the water rides, which didn’t matter to us, since Jade is too young for them anyway, but it isn’t very crowded either, so you can do lots of stuff and not have to deal with long lines. Be aware that they are only open on weekends, though.

Also, if you’re in Philadelphia and you have a child under the age of 8, go to the Touch Me Museum.  It is the coolest thing for kids. Just remember to wash their hands a lot.

While in Hershey, we didn’t go to Hershey Park. We just went to Chocolate World. They have free candy samples and inexpensive and fun activities (trolley rides, make your own candy bar, etc.) With a toddler, Hershey Park doesn’t make much sense, but this was a fun way to fill a day and not spend too much money.

Now, we’re back to Orlando and back to the grind.  Next, Halloween fun and then a visit from my family.  We will have lots to talk about over the next few weeks. I’m going to be doing lots of baking soon and I’m trying out some new recipes for dinners too.  Back on the diet tomorrow after gaining a couple of pounds on the vacation. Hopefully I can get back on the loss track.

Plus, check back soon. It has been requested that I post my pumpkin muffin recipe. It should go up soon.

Remodels and more

So, we’re in the middle of remodeling our bathroom.  It’s a big job. We tore down the closet that was in there and are making a double vanity. We’re building the shower and tiling everything in travertine.  Well, we’ve learned so much and I’m so glad that we’re doing this.  The wall in the shower was literally rotting.  It was gross!  Well, we’re 1 week into it, and we are not even close to done and I really hate having to go all the way across the house to use the bathroom.  Hopefully, we’ll have everything done except for the vanity/sinks this week.  Those won’t be ready because I haven’t ordered them yet.

Yes, I know, it’s a bit late, but we’ve been rushed to move on this faster than I had expected and Jeremy (the hubby) kept saying he’d take care of it, but then got too busy at work.  Poor guy!  So, I offered to do it, but I know nothing, so I take 3 extra phone calls to get something done that he could have in 1.  But, I got the vanity ordered and tomorrow I will order the vanity top with sinks.  But, Jeremy said he’d have someone booked to do it by the end of June and we’re finally doing it in October.  I can’t really say we’re rushed, now can I?

I don’t think Jade likes that we’ve invaded her bathroom.  But, she’s being a trooper.  I think she’s starting to get her second set of molars in, so we’ve had some sleepless nights, a lot of runny noses, and a lot of things going in her mouth lately.  Poor girl! Although, it’s hard to tell, because when I ask her what’s wrong, she doesn’t respond yet. I don’t think she understands yet when I ask her what hurts or what doesn’t feel right, I get no answer. I really can’t wait until the day she can tell me where it hurts.  That is going to make my life so much easier.

So, I’ve started my first period since my miscarriage.  It’s depressing and painful. But, it means we are one step closer to starting to try again.  I have to get through this one and one more and it should be safe.  Hopefully, I’ll have lost enough weight to make us both happy enough.  So far, I’ve lost 6 pounds.  With one more month, I should be able to lose at least 4 more pounds (as long as I don’t ruin it on our vacation).  It would be nice to lose at least 8 more, but I know that’s pushing it.  I’m just glad that I’ve actually lost some weight on this diet after all. I just wish I could see it and felt better.  I still feel tired, fat, and ugly. Maybe one day I’ll feel pretty and energetic again.  Maybe…\

I made some pumpkin swirl brownies. I’m still waiting to hear how they are. No other noteworthy recipes to talk about this week.  I’ll be trying more stuff after the vacation.

Being flexible and understanding

I’ve learned so much since I started my job as a stay at home mom.  Being an independent woman with two Master’s degrees, I felt like I knew a lot, but being married and raising a daughter has taught me that I know nothing.

There are many types of people in this world.  Some people need to be shown love through physical attention, some people need verbal attention, some people need emotional attention. I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what it is that I need to feel loved in a relationship.  I used to think it was physical attention, and to some extent I think it still is.  I need my daughter to give me huggie-mooches, and she loves to give them, so that’s good.  But, with  my husband, I think I need something different. Ever since we had Jade, I’m not the physically demanding person I used to be.  I always wanted him to hug and kiss me, but now, I think I need something else.  But what?

I know that he needs to see me happy to feel like I love him. If I’m not smiling when I’m in his presence, he feels like he’s not doing everything that he needs to for me to love him.  Anyone who has ever watched a one year old all day knows that come the end of the day, you can be too tired to smile all the time. Well, it’s hard to get that idea across to my husband.  So, I feel worse because I feel like I’m letting him down, because I know he needs it.  It’s a vicious cycle.

But, what about me? I think that I need understanding (if that’s even something you can really get).  I have gone through a lot of changes over the past 3 years.  First, I got married.  Then, I got pregnant. Then, I had a baby. Then, I change careers.  Then, very recently I got pregnant again and had a miscarriage. I’m not the same person I was when my husband and I met 5 years ago.  I’m a lot more submissive to the things that make my family happy, but sometimes I just want something for me. I feel selfish. But, in order for me to stay at home and have my most wonderful life with my daughter every day … in order for this wonderful experience to continue, we had to make sacrifices.  My husband works his butt off all day at work for us.  I give up spending money on me.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I hate to shop, but I like to have things.  I feel so special when I get things, whether I buy it for myself, or someone gives it to me.  I just feel special.  Well, now, I feel guilty if I get anything for myself, because we need the money to buy Jade things. I’m so torn. To feel special and loved, I need Jeremy to come home one day with a nice gesture for me.  It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, just something that is for me that I would like. Not, a figurine (when I hate figurines that don’t have any meaning to me). Not, let me take you shopping (so you can try on things that will just depress you because they don’t fit). Not, a tool that I need to better make dinner or take care of the house and the family.  Something for me. Something to make me feel pretty. Or something to make me feel loved.  Or something to make me laugh or smile. Something that’s not about being married or about Jade.  Something that’s just about me.  Now, I feel really selfish. But, I think that’s what I need, every few years.

Yes, I’ve changed. I’ve had to learn that life is all about being flexible. I will do my best to put that smile on my face even when I’m too exhausted to stand up each evening.  I do it because I love my husband and my life. I no longer carry my Coach purses.  I no longer wear nice clothes every day with cute shoes to match. I do it because I want Jade to have the best of everything and I make sacrifices so she can. I’m not very good at making friends (I’m very shy and I’m very much an introvert), but I have made several, even became Vice President of a moms club so that Jade can have a good social experience.  I do these things so that my wonderful life will continue to be wonderful, so that everyone around me will continue to be happy.

I understand that my husband is miserable having to spend every day at work away from us. I appreciate greatly the sacrifice he makes in order for us to have our wonderful life. He is my hero. He is my life saver.  He is my love.

My singing little girl

Pat-a-cake, Hey Diddle Diddle, Happy Birthday, Baa baa black sheep, humpty dumpty.  She can sing them all and she’s only 20 months old.  I am sooo proud of my little girl.

Ok, so I booked her 2nd birthday party location, so the planning has begun. I’m so excited, and it’s 4 months away!  Does that make me weird?

Tonight I made wild mushroom and barley risotto with chicken in a puttenesca sauce and mustard salad.  Jeremy loved it again!

Jade ran her first 100-meter dash this weekend. She actually ran the whole thing. I expected her to want to be picked up half way through, but she actually did the whole thing.  I’m so proud of her.

Ok, how many times can I say I’m proud of my daughter in one post?  I think I’m done for today on that.

In case you are curious on the diet progress, we’re still doing the Sonoma Diet and Jeremy has lost 10 pounds now, and I’ve lost two.  It’s something. I can’t complain, I guess. Let’s just hope that I can keep losing weight. I’m going to keep trying.

Ok, I feel like I’m rambling all over the place, so I’ll stop for tonight.  Everyone have a great week!

Week 2 of the new diet

My husband and I have been on this diet for a full week now.  He has cheated by snacking and drinking and he’s lost 7 pounds.  I have stuck to the diet, worked out, and still haven’t lost anything yet.  I’m getting very frustrated.

My husband loves the food.  I have not been that impressed with it.  But, it’s diet food, so I didn’t expect too much with it.

So, what do I do?  Do I keep with this diet and hope that I start to lose weight? Or do I try something new? If I move on, what do I move on to?

On a different topic, my cute 20-month-old daughter is fast approaching the terrible twos.  I can always tell when she’s tired or hungry, because she will cry over every little thing.  She can go from playing and being cute one second to total meltdown in an instant.  She knows what she wants and how she wants it, and she’s not afraid to tell you.  So, I’m trying to figure out how to get her to listen and do what she’s told.

Today, she had made a mess with her toys and had blocks and grocery carts and things all over the floor. I asked her to pick up her blocks and put them back in the wagon.  She proceeded to play with other toys.  I told her that I was going to count to five and if she hadn’t started picking up her toys by the time I reached five, then I was going to put Woody away (one of her favorite toys).  I counted to five (she actually sped me along) and when I got to five, I grabbed Woody and carried him away.  She started to cry as expected.  I told her that she needed to pick up her blocks and if she was good the rest of the night she would get Woody back.  She cried louder and harder.  I told her that she needed to pick up her blocks, and I was going to count again, and if I got to five, then Jessy was going to join Woody. She cried harder as I counted, and she walked over and picked up Jessy and started to pick up her blocks.

This evening we had a talk about it.  I told her that if she was a good girl all day tomorrow, she could have Woody back.  I think she understood, but I hate the fight.

Sometimes we try time-out. But that doesn’t work too well.  I threaten time-out and sometimes she stops doing what she’s not supposed to be, but most of the time, she just keeps doing it. Ugh!

On a high note, Jade can sing pat-a-cake the entire way through!  She is sooo cute and she is talking so well!  I am the proudest Mom in the world!

Very difficult week

This has been one of the roughest weeks of my life.  Luckily, I have the greatest husband and daughter in the entire world. But, with all the physical and emotional pain that I have been experiencing, my husband and I decided that it was time to try out a new diet.  So, let’s take a difficult week and make it worse.

We’re doing the Sonoma Diet, which is kind of neat.  My husband likes it because it is California/Mediterranean style food and because after the first 10 days, it includes a glass of wine with dinner.  Anyone who has dieted before knows that drinking on a diet is normally a big no-no, since wine slows your metabolism, but not this one, so he picked it.

We’ve been on it for a day and a half now and the food has been pretty good.  It’s killing me all of the cooking I have to do, and I’m always hungry, but it’s a diet. That’s the way it is supposed to be.  I just need to figure out how to change around the foods so that I’m not cooking morning, noon, and night.  And, so I can use the leftovers, instead of letting them rot in the refrigerator.

The bad news of this diet is that my husband has already lost 4 pounds, and I’ve gained 4 pounds.  Tell me how that’s fair!!!

My daughter is amazing through everything, though.  She finally has a table and chairs to sit at and so she throws tea parties all day now.  Her vocabulary continues to grow and grow.  She’s more and more demanding with what she wants.  She’s just perfect!  And, when I start to think about what has happened this week, I just look at her and am thankful that I am so lucky to have such a beautiful and perfect little girl.

Does anyone read this, or am I talking to myself

Well, I’ve been posting pretty regularly lately, with not a lot of responses, so I’m wondering … is anyone reading this, or am I just posting this for my own benefit and no one else’s. If you’re reading this, drop me a comment.  Tell me your here. I’d love to hear from you.

Ok, enough of me being selfish, and on to what’s going on this week.

I made a whole chicken in the crock pot today.  I followed a recipe that the person who posted it said it was the best, juiciest chicken they’d ever made.  Well, it wasn’t when I made it.  It was tasteless and dry.  I can not do anything in the crock pot that I like.  I know that many people swear by the thing, but everything that I put in there comes out terrible.  Ok, that’s not right.  I made a white chili that was pretty good, and my husband loves the double corn chowder.  But, really, everything else is terrible.  But, I’m not giving up.  I will conquer you, crock pot!!!

But, on an up note, I’ve made a couple of side dishes that were pretty good.  Yesterday, it was mashed sweet potatoes.  I used a simple pumpkin pie seasoning and cream cheese to add some yummy flavor to it.  The creamy vegetables that went with it weren’t that good, in my opinion, but my daughter ate them up, and for leftovers, so they are a hit to me.  Tonight I made a hash brown and veggie casserole that my husband really liked.  This is a big surprise, because he usually disapproves of my casseroles, but this time he said it was good.  And, it was easy too.  I just took a bag of refrigerated hash browns (they were BOGO at Publix) and mixed in cheese, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, onions, butter, and the Japanese Blend veggies.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for 40 minutes on 350.  If you took a bite of this with the dry chicken, it wasn’t too bad 

So, what’s coming up now?  Who knows.  I’m cooking 2 meals for a friend who just had a baby.  And, my husband has soccer 4 times in the next week (well, only 3 if he loses on Thursday), so we’re going to be alone a bunch in the next week.  I’m guessing we’re going to make a big casserole and just eat leftovers for days, because I hate cooking for just me and Jade.

Jade is still amazing. She’s talking all the time and still narrates my days.  I love to hear her speak.  I can’t wait to hear what she says next.

Busy and I miss my sister

Well, my husband took an extra long weekend for Labor Day, and his father came down for a visit, so we were very busy all weekend long.  We had a barbecue at the house on Saturday with his grandparents, dad, uncle, and some other people.  Sunday, we visited with family all day. And Monday we went shopping.

My sister had a baby 2 months ago.  She went back to work 3 weeks ago.  I’ve been trying to get her on the phone for over 3 weeks now, and she’s just too busy.  I know having 3 kids and a job will do that to you, but I miss her and really would like to talk to her, and not just message back and forth on Facebook and text messages.  I’m hoping that some day soon she will find some time to answer my phone call.

So, what have I been cooking lately?  Well, tonight, I made homemade pizzas (my husband made the dough over the weekend).  This past weekend, I made a macaroni and cheese casserole for the barbecue (it was an old fashioned macaroni and cheese with turkey and mixed vegetables added to it).   Plus, I have been making more than just oatmeal for breakfast every day.  French toast, egg scrambles, pancakes, and more.

My daughter is more amazing every day, just sponging up everything around her.  Today, she walked down the entire flight of stairs at Ikea, standing up holding the handrail.  In the past, every time she went down stairs, she would sit down to get down.  I am so proud of her!

I’ve resorted to what I didn’t want to become

Dinner needs to get made, dishes need to be washed, laundry needs to be folded … things just need to get done.  Unfortunately, not all of it can be completed while Jade is napping.    Unfortunately, when she’s awake, she wants me involved in everything.  If she wants to play in her room, she comes up and says “Hand … hand” until you take her hand and then she says “walking” until you go with her.  Otherwise, she’s just walking around my feet, saying “Up” or trying to get my attention in other ways, making it very difficult to get things done.

I always said, no TV until she’s 2. I didn’t want her sitting in front of the TV, begging for it all the time.

Well, a couple of months ago, I went to visit my family, and while we were there, my Mom introduced Jade to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It stuck with her, because when she returned home, she started asking for the “Hot Dog Dance.” I held her off for a little while, and that made going to the gym special, since they had a TV on in the Kids Klub at the gym.

But, as time went on, I’ve found that I couldn’t get things done and I was going batty trying to get things done and entertain her all of the time.  So, I started with just in the mornings, putting on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, for just the few minutes leading up to the Hot Dog Dance until the end of the show.  I figured 10 minutes of TV a day is not that bad.

Well, then it grew to the entire show (25 minutes).  Then, I added the opening skit and Elmo’s World from Sesame Street (another 30 minutes).  One day, I showed her Sid the Science Kid, and she loved it.

Now, she EXPECTS Mickey Mouse in the morning, and she EXPECTS Sid in the evening every day.  She wants the TV on all of the time. She’s even figured out the order in which I turn things on, and she’s started to turn things on herself (first turning on the XBox, then getting the TV remote to turn the TV on and switch it over to the XBOX, then standing in front of the Kinect to log in).  She’s really cute about it, but Really???!!!!

So, I at least can get dinner made in peace, but she’s watching TV at 19 months. Ugh!

Ups and downs of raising a child

Yesterday, I took my daughter to play at the play lounge and then to lunch with Papa.  When we got home, I tried to put her down for her nap, but she was not having it.  She cried for a few minutes and then decided to start playing with her stuffed animals.

I let her talk for a while, because I love listening to her practicing her words and playing.  It started out great.  She did Jack be Nimble with her animals.  Then she started practicing the 3 words that I have been waiting to hear from her.  “I … love … love … you”.  She did it over and over again. It was great.

Then, she decided she was done being in the crib.  She cried for a few minutes.  Then she yelled “Oh Toodles,” and waited a few minutes.  When nothing happened, the next thing I hear coming from her crib is “F%*K” over and over again.

I have to say, I went from so proud and happy to … well, I don’t know how to describe it.  Mortified, maybe.

So, no nap yesterday, and surprisingly she didn’t get too cranky all day and I was able to make dinner (spinach and feta stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes).  She wasn’t the best, so the chicken turned out a bit dry, but it was still not bad.

Then, today was my husband’s birthday. He asked for Spaghetti Carbonera.  So, that’s what I made him.  Of course, I used the wrong cheese and didn’t include wine, but he did say it wasn’t bad.  I’m bummed that I couldn’t make his birthday dinner everything he wanted it to be. I just picked the wrong recipe.

Jade still hasn’t said “I love you, Mommy” yet, but I know it will be coming soon.

Oh, and a recap of the party. It was a huge success!  Jeremy was very pleased with the turnout and like the cake and the food.  I wish I would have made one more cake.  The beer spice cake was a huge hit.

Great times with great people

I’ve been very bad. I haven’t felt 100% for the past couple of weeks, so my cooking adventures have been limited. I had some tests done at the doctors and I’m waiting for him to return from vacation to find the results.  But, excuses are just that, excuses.  And, it doesn’t change the fact that my meals for the past couple of weeks have been very normal and boring.

But, good times are ahead of us.  My wonderful husband is turning 32, so we’re throwing a sweet 16 part 2 party. We’re cheating a little bit and ordering in Wings for the main dish, but he’s letting me make the cake and some side dishes.  He has requested a beer spice cake, so we’ll see how that turns out.

I haven’t figured out what sides to make yet. I’m thinking cole slaw, because both my daughter, husband, and his grandparents love my cole slaw.  Potato salad, probably, because I love it.  Obviously, celery and blue cheese dressing.  And, lastly, I’ll probably make Macaroni and Cheese.

What do you all think of that menu? Does it sound like the perfect sweet 16 party for my hubby?

Oh, his gift … it is the most perfect gift. We got him a canvas print of a picture of Jade.  It is adorable!

Oh, and if the cake turns out well, I’ll post the recipe.

Chocolate Wine and new Ventures

Well, instead of cooking with the wine infused with chocolate, I’ve decided to drink it.  I have had 2 glasses over the past 3 days, it is too yummy to share with Jeremy. I’ll have to go back to Total Wine and get another one soon, and I’ll think about cooking with that one.

I made a rhubarb crisp this week.  It is so yummy, but I barely had enough rhubarb to make the crisp, so it didn’t come out as yummy as I would have liked (a little crispy on the edges).  The batch of rhubarb up at my parents house this year was not as good as in the years past.  They’ve had strange weather up there this year.  But, beggars can’t be choosers, right? Jeremy and I love it (and Grandma Breiding got a little of this batch, since we had Granny and Grampy over for the pie back in June).

So, I’ve been keeping myself very busy, even though we aren’t doing formal swimming lessons anymore.  We’ve had play dates almost every day. I’ve gone to the gym 4 times this past week.  We’ve done information swim lessons at the house 4 times this week.  I’ve cooked some good dishes, and some ok dishes (Friday I made Noises food, peach puree for Jade’s yogurt, rhubarb crisp, and sausage, broccoli, and carrot au gratin [what a busy afternoon]).  The au gratin was interesting because I originally was going to make the vegetables au gratin and then make sausage burgers, but decided last minute to saute up the meat and throw it in with the veggies and it was soooo yummy.

I’m also working on a new venture.  More on that to come, but there may be something very cool coming to the Conway area within the next 6 months.  I will post more when it gets closer and the plans firm up more.  It’s a little too preliminary now and I’m still looking to find a partner in the deal.  It’s exciting and scary all at the same time.  I can’t wait to be able to tell more. I just don’t want to jinx it before we even get started.  Wish me luck! I need it!

A year and a half

Jade is now 18 months old, and grew 3 inches in the last 3 months.  Some days she lets me do things, while other days she wants my attention all of the time.  Today, she got her 18-month shots, but after her nap and a quick trip to lend our trifle dish to a friend, she was great.  She needed a little help every now and then, and she wanted 3 books read during the hour and a half before dinner, but I was able to cook the dog’s food and get a dinner cooked that my husband actually liked.

Side Note: Yes, we make our dog’s food instead of buying dog food.  She is 15 years old and her teeth are very bad, so she can’t chew anything that’s hard or too chewy.  So, she gets steamed rice with sauteed ground meat (usually pork), peas, and carrots.

So, what pleased my hubby?  Well, first, he walked in the door and asked “What’s for dinner?” My answer, chicken, squash, broccoli, and pasta.  His response, “With no sauce” in a tone that was as cranky as it gets.  But, he made up for that, by telling me how much he actually loved what I made.

First, I chopped yellow squash and broccoli and steamed them. I then chopped green onions and sauteed them in olive oil.  In my corning ware, I combined the veggies along with the cheese I had left in the fridge (Mexican blend, mozzarella, and cheddar), cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, cilantro, and white wine.  I browned the chicken breast in garlic olive oil and placed the breasts on top of the veggie gratin and topped it all with bread crumbs and baked it.  It was all served over shell pasta.

I love that Jade loves to read. I can’t wait until she can read to herself … well, yes I can. I’m NOT ready for her to be that grown up yet. I’m still amazed she can count to 10.

Coming soon: I got a dark chocolate red wine that I hope to crack open this weekend.  Details on its flavor and something I may use it to cook hopefully coming soon.

My daughter amazes me

So, my daughter will be 18 months old next week.  She amazes me every day with the things that she can do.  She also amazes me at how much of a stinker she can be.  She hates having her hair done, so when I put her hair up in a rubber band, she takes it out and looks at me with a smile.  When she sees that I see her, she puts the rubber band in her mouth and takes off running, giggling the whole way.  See what I mean by stinker.

Today I made rib-eye steaks (seasoned with only salt, pepper, and olive oil and seared and cooked in a 500 degree oven), potato wedges (seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and olive oil), and sauteed asparagus (with butter and Adobo seasoning) for dinner.  This was tough, since my daughter became very needy this afternoon.  So, between cutting the potatoes, flipping the steaks, etc., I had to run into the living room and read a book.  We went through 7 books while cooking tonight (Note: she demands each book be read twice).  And, well, the steaks were a bit more done than I had wanted them to be.  But, the asparagus turned out just how Jeremy likes them, so at least something was good.

She’s counting … at 18 months, she can count to 10.  I asked her how many blueberries she wanted today, and she said “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 … Yea!!!” At swim lessons, she says “1, 2, 3″ and she puts her face under water and starts kicking.

What’s next? My husband wants me to teach her the alphabet. I want her to learn her colors. But, who knows what she’s going to pick up next. She’s amazing!

Parents Night Out

My husband and I got a babysitter tonight, well, actually 4.  We had Uncle Steve, Aunt Lori, and cousins Samantha and Victoria come over to watch Jade while Jeremy and I went to a parents night out event for LOK (Lots of Kids – our family group that we’re in).  I made dinner for the family and got dressed, after getting my hair cut short.  The clothes I wore this evening were all non-maternity, non-nursing clothes, every piece.  This was the first time that not a single piece of my outfit was maternity or nursing since when I was pregnant 2 years ago.  It was weird.

We started out night out at happy hour at Shari Sushi lounge.  This place is awesome.  Happy hour every day from 5-7 and the sushi is really good.  $3.95 for any sushi roll or beverage on the happy hour menu.  That includes volcano rolls and Pinot Grigio.  Then, we headed to Frank & Steins.  That’s hot dogs and beer.  But, it’s not just that.  They have turkey hot dogs, fruit beers, and board games.  I beat Jeremy at Parcheesi and ski ball, but got my butt kicked at the game of  Life.  It was really fun.

Ok, confession time.  We were gone for 5 hours. During that time, I didn’t get one text message telling me how Jade was doing.  We did get a phone call, which freaked me out.  But everything was fine.  I just wanted to know that was the case.  I need a smart phone so I could have checked Facebook to see the pictures that were posted of her having a good time.  I know I’m a freak, but I missed her terribly!

Jade’s 1st Birthday … the aftermath

Jade’s birthday party was amazing! She was awesome! I have to say, the best little girl around!

Both cakes turned out amazing. I have to say that I am a pretty good decorator, if I do say so myself.  Jade’s cake was really tasty too.  Too bad she didn’t want anything to do with it.  I guess she had too good of a lunch beforehand 

I didn’t get everything I wanted to, but I guess it is good I didn’t because there was quite a bit of food left over.  Noone touched the Butterfly salad until the very end, when I told Granny it wasn’t garnish.  The caterpillar snacks didn’t go and the homemade pita chips, there are so many left over.

But, the cakes are almost gone and Jade had a great time!  Thank you to everyone who made her first birthday party very special!

It’s been a long time

Well, it has been a long time since my last post.  I’ve been working on a white chili recipe, but haven’t found one I like well enough to post yet.  My daughter is 18 months old next week, and that means that it gets harder and harder to cook good meals, since she always wants Momma’s attention and wants to be played with.  I suppose I could try what most people do and sit her down in front of the TV, but I don’t think that would work, if I did want to go that route.  She likes to be the center of attention, for me at least.  So, it is very difficult to concentrate on creating new dishes when I have to keep running back and forth from the kitchen to the living room to read a story, build a tower, or taste or “soup” or “tea”.

So, hopefully within the next few months you’ll see my new vegetarian white chili, and maybe a couple of other new things.  I’m going to making the cake for my niece’s birthday this month. I’m not sure what else my sister is planning for food, but I may be involved with that.  Maybe I’ll post something about that in a couple of weeks.

Thank you to my loyal followers.  Stay tuned. I promise there will be more to come.

Welcome to my blog

Hello! Welcome to my blog!  This is my spot to talk about everything that is on my mind.  Whether it is the challenges of being a mother or my latest cooking endeavors, you'll find it all here.

Let me start out by introducing myself. I'm Wendy Breiding. I'm 30-something, happily married, and the proud mom of a beautiful daughter.  18 months ago, when I decided to quit my job to stay at home and raise my daughter, the world was shocked.  Until then, I was known as this super career girl.  I put myself through college at the University of Miami, graduating in 3 years with a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Math.  I went into the workforce, but was called back my the University of Miami a year later to join their new Master's program.  My current employer did not appreciate me bettering myself and passed me up for a promotion because I was in school, and so I quit and worked on a grant for the University of Florida's Tropical Research and Education Center.  A few months later, I was hired as the University of Miami's webmaster.

I got my Master's Degree in Communications while working at the University of Miami.  The web department at UM was just me when I started, but it quickly grew as the importance of the internet grew.  I went from being the webmaster to the Senior Manager of Web Development and Support.  I became well known for Content Management in Higher Education, traveling around the country speaking about its importance to other Universities.  I was also becoming well known in the journalism field, traveling the world speaking about newspapers using new technology and the internet.

I also decided to get another Master's degree in Computer Information Systems while there (it was free).

But, I was not happy in Miami.  I did not see any opportunity to move up in my career.  My boss was the Assistant Vice President for Planning & Institutional Research.  I obviously couldn't take her job. So, where was I to go.  So, I started looking elsewhere.

I was offered a job at Publix Super Markets as a Portal Administrator (definite step backwards), but they promised that the opportunities to move up were quick and easy at Publix, so I moved to Central Florida.  Sadly, the CIO retired shortly after my arrival and there was a huge reorganization at Publix I/S and my opportunities to move up were quickly taken away. I was there for 5 years, and had not returned to being a manager yet.  And, there was no sign that it was going to happen any time in the foreseeable future.

So, when my husband offered me the opportunity to spend my days hanging out with my beautiful baby girl, I could not pass it up.

So, here we are 18 months later, and I LOVE spending my days with her.  My life has completely changed.

I used to love to cook.  It was my stress-reliever from my life.  I would get home from a long day of work and go into the kitchen and create.  But, now, I don't have a long stressful day at work.  I don't have a reason to need to go into the kitchen and unwind.  I play with my daughter all day.

But, I don't have a lot of opportunity to outlet in my new life.  So, that's why we're here.  I have a lot of great stories about my amazing daughter, my goofy husband, my crazy dog, and just life in general.  But, I have no one to tell them to.  So, now I'm telling them to you.

So, why the name of the blog?  Well, I still love to cook.  It's just a bit different these days.  It's not creating great restaurant-quality dishes for my husband when he comes home from work.  Now, it's trying to create something edible while running between the kitchen and the living room to read stories, build towers, color, and keep my daughter happy.  It's trying not to burn tonight's dinner. It's trying to come up with something that my hubby won't complain about (since it's not as good as he's used to) that can be done quickly using as few pans as possible (since I HATE doing dishes and he stopped doing them for me when I became a SAHM).  I have lots of adventures to talk about in the kitchen.  And wine ... well, everything's better with wine.  And, now that I have finally stopped breastfeeding, I hope to start experimenting with some good wines and I plan to tell you about what I fine.  So, we're cooking, I'm Momma, and there is wine.

Borracho Chili

Ingredients

• 2 bottle Dogfish Head Raison d'etre or your favorite sweeter beer
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 large onion chopped
• 3 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 large bell pepper chopped
• 1 pound turkey sausage
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 cup Dry Pinto Beans
• 4 large tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 ounce Unsweetened Chocolate finely chopped
• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce seeded and chopped (reserve 1/2 of the adobo sauce)

Directions

Soak beans overnight. Then, cook them as directed for about 2 hours.

Also, chop tomatoes.  Puree 2 of them and cook down into a sauce the other 2.

Saute onions and bell pepper with the olive oil (2 tbps) in a soup kettle.

In a skillet, brown the ground turkey and turkey sausage with olive oil (1 tbps). Drain the grease from the skillet and add the meat to the soup kettle.

Add all remaining ingredients except 1 beer. Simmer for 1 hour on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining beer. Simmer for another 35 minutes.

Best after a day or two in the fridge to allow flavors to blend. Remove the cloves as you find them.

Jade’s 1st Birthday Party

My beautiful daughter is turning 1 in a few short weeks, and we’re having her birthday party next weekend.  I am so nervous to do everything right since there are so many people judging everything I do around me.  We have so many people that want to celebrate her first birthday, so we had originally decided we were going to have 4 separate parties since there was no way we could fit everyone at our house.  Then, one day at the park, Jeremy noticed the pavilion at Warren Park and decided that if it wasn’t too expensive, we should rent that and have it there and just have 1.

So, we’re back up to 70ish people (if everyone comes).

I’ve got 2 cake molds and a 6″ round for her smash cake.  I think I’m going to do traditional vanilla for the cakes and an apple cake for Jade’s cake.

We decided on butterflies to be our theme for her party, so here’s what I”m thinking for snacks to serve:

• Butterfly bagels
• Caterpillar snacks
• Cheese ball and pita chips
• Butterfly salad
• Butterfly snacks
• Punch

Hopefully this will be enough and will not be too difficult to pull off. Hopefully Jade will love her cake and be a happy baby for me.

Butterfly Snacks

Ingredients

• 2 stalks celery
• 6 tablespoons cream cheese
• 12 large Pretzels
• 12 slivered almonds
• 18 raisins

Directions

1. Cut the celery into three equal parts.
2. Place one tablespoon cream cheese into each celery stalk.
3. Gently place one pretzel into the cream cheese on each side of the celery to form the wings (lengthwise).
4. Place the raisins at one end for the eyes, mouth and nose. Place the push the slivered almonds at the top of the raisins for antennae.