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!