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!