Hopeful Pins

I haven't run into too many recipes on Pinterest that were total fails, and I'm hoping these aren't either.  If you make one of these recipes, I'd love to hear from you.

Primal Jambalaya

Baja-Style Chicken Bowl

Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

Little Changes Add Up

So me and my booty crawled out of a perfectly warm bed at 5:10am.  I always question my sanity when I wake up with a '5' on the clock.  I'm more like and '7' kinda gal.  If you had asked me even 6 months ago if I'd be willing to get up at 5:10 on my own free will once a week, I would have laughed in your face.  Laughed hard.  Early is just not me.

It's funny how things change.  I still like my sleep, but I like my family a whole lot more.  I also like feeling good about my appearance.  Therefore, I find myself getting up earlier throughout the week to get my workout in without missing out on family time.  It was a big little change I was willing to make.

This getting up early stuff also makes me think about the way Steven and I used to eat.  We've been married for almost 10 years now.  I've been feeding that man for quite some time.  Looking at the way I used to cook compared to how I cook now is very different.  Different in a good way.  Used to Steven and I would hit the gym for a couple of hours and then come home and heat up chicken nuggets and fries, or pick up Taco Bueno or something fast on the way home.

Then I became pregnant with Little Man.  It took us almost a year to get pregnant so I wanted to make sure I did everything possible for this little baby.  I looked at my diet.  Goodness, it was bad.  I was skinny.  I had muscle definition, but I ate junk!  I started making little changes.  First thing to go was the frozen foods. Our dinner meals no longer consisted of things you could heat up.  I wouldn't say we were eating well then, but I did begin to focus on my servings of fruits and vegetables.  One fruit, one veggie per meal plus no freezer meals. It was a fairly easy change.

While making changes to my diet, I began taking a Power Yoga class.  I was about 7 months preggo and had done well with the little changes, but chips were still on my plate with every lunch (I love chips).  As we were striking the child's pose and getting ready to Namaste, the instructor who just had a baby herself began to share how she got her body back after baby.  She mentioned my beloved chips.  Her comment was something like this...

I had to cut out the chips.  Now if I need a crunch I grab a few slices of bell pepper.

And that my friends is when I looked at that lady like she had done lost her ever loving mind.  Chips, bell pepper.  Not the same thing.  Good for her, but I was still gonna munch on my BBQ and Sour Cream and Onion.

That was 6 years ago, and guess what?  I now munch on my bell peppers and have chips maybe once a week as an after meal treat.  I fill my plate with 2/3 veggies and fruit, 1/3 protein, 1/3 carb (whole grain).  If I still have a craving for chips after lunch, then I don't deny myself.  I'll have a few, but usually I'm not hungry after lunch so there's no need for the junk.  

I try really hard not to look at what I'm not eating, but what I am eating.  I focus on filling up on fruits and veggies first, then filling my plate with other items.  For me, it takes away the stress of 'eating right'.  And, when I want a good old fashion comfort meal (chock full of calories), I don't beat myself up about it because I know I didn't eat that way the whole day.  Just one meal out of a big, long week.

1. 

   Lunch Today...crackers aren't whole grain though...oops

I'm not even sure if this helps you, but I want you to know that I wasn't always the crazy bell pepper lady.  I simply began making little changes to the way I prepared food and ended up here.  Holy cow!  I wonder where I'll be in 10 more years. Maybe I'll be one of those people who live solely off the land...NAH!!!!

Menu Monday

Another Monday just sneaking up on me.  Here's the weekly menu

Monday-Chunky Monkey's Birthday Dinner (Happy 4th, Chunky Monkey)
Tuesday-Baked Seasoned Chicken, Green Bean Casserole, Stuffing
Wednesday-Mummy Dogs, Banana Ghosts, and Pumpkin Veggie Tray
Thursday-Taco Soup and Cornbread
Friday-Chicken Tacos, Grilled Veggies, Brown Rice
Saturday-Poor Man's Beef Stroganoff, Salad, The Bread
Sunday-Dinner @ Mom's

What Doesn't Kill You

I'm a closet Kelly Clarkson fan.  I like this song.  I like to hear it while I'm working out.  It gets me going.  Yes, I admitted it.  Yes, it's embarrassing.

Contrary to popular belief, I do not enjoy pain.  I don't particularly like running 3 miles multiple times a week.  I don't like working my legs or arms until feel like they are going to fall off.  

I like working out for one reason.  The after feeling.  I feel stronger.  I feel revived.  I feel less stressed. I feel better about my body (You know the one that popped out 3 kids). I feel like I made time for me.

Since I know how I feel when the alarm goes off early in the morning, I can identify with the reason why people shy away from doing what's necessary to keep our bodies healthy.  It's really easy to make excuses. It's really easy to talk yourself out of working out.  It's really easy to want results.  What's not easy is taking that first step.

That's where I'd like to encourage you.  I'd like for you to know that you won't regret that first step.  You may hate the pain you feel while working out, but you won't hate how your feel afterward.  In all reality, your pain is your gain.  Like Kelly says, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  It's kinda true.

  I'd like for you to experience the high of doing work. I'd also like to workout with you.  I've talked about my friend, Erica, who began her own business, F.I.T Boot Camp.  She knows how to get you results.  She knows how to encourage.  She cares about your health.  

She offers her classes 3 mornings a week, and her next session begins Monday.  This is your chance to get the change you want.  She also began a Refer-A-Friend Program that I would like to share with you.  By sharing this, I receive absolutely nothing.  This is something that I want to share with you because I have benefited from Erica as a trainer and as a friend.  You won't just be her client.  You'll be her friend.  It's just how she is.  So here's her new program.  Now call her up!

One Of THOSE Days

Yesterday I posted this picture to Facebook...

With this caption...

This stage makes me want a TON more babies.  Such a fun age.

It was such a fun afternoon with the babies.  They are so animated and excitable.  So much of their day involves excitement over the littlest things.  Like Tupperware bowls.  I love just watching them explore.  It is the best.

AND THEN...

It was time to pick Little Man up from school.  It was also time for the babies to take their 2nd nap.  I thought they'd fall asleep on the way to school and continue sleeping while waiting in the carpool line. Nope. The had a screaming match for about 20 minutes.  At this point I'm not sure who won because I've never heard decibels at that level before.  Like ever.  So I'll call it a tie.

Poor babies.  They get the shaft on their sleep sometimes.  I wish I could clone myself sometimes.  One of me could stay at the house and let the babies nap and then the other me could be there for Little Man awaiting his presence in my car ready to fully listen to his day.  Babies could sleep peacefully.  Little Man could have my undivided attention.

The hardest part is Little Man doesn't even care.  He was too worried about the babies screaming, trying to make it all better for them.  It was me with the poor attitude.  I hate that.

What's even worse is Chubby Cheekers never got his nap.  Little Man had a flag football make up game.  He did well all things considered, but my neck muscles were all balled up and my nerves were shot.  Then I thought of the irony involved with what I posted on Facebook.  Uh, NOPE!  I'm good with 3 kids.  I don't need a ton.

We finally arrived home from a very long day and Chubby Cheekers got his bath, booby, and bed.  He konked out so fast.  Deep baby sighs. Hot breath. Fresh baby lotion smell.  All snuggled in.  I loved it.  All of his screaming and fussiness just left me, and I rocked and rocked him.  It was a moment I needed and a moment he needed.  It reminded me of all the reasons why I love being a mom.  I could totally have a ton of babies...I think...

Making Yo' Own Baby Food

I'll admit, as a working mom I brushed off making my own baby's food.  I'm a working mom.  I ain't got no time for no food. With Chubby Cheekers, I have no excuse. He gets homemade.  Now, I'm kicking myself in the booty for NOT doing this with the other two for three reasons.

Reason #1: It's fresher.
Reason #2: I have more choices.
Reason #3: It's too fast and simple.

Here's a bit o' information to get you on the easy baby food makin' train...

What do you need?

• blender, food processor, Baby Bullet, Magic Bullet...something that purees
• fruits and veggies (fresh or frozen)
• breast milk or filtered water
• small containers or jars

What foods do you begin with?

• Banana (I mash this with a fork and breast milk until there are no clumps.  Great for when you head out to eat and need to feed the baby.  Grab a banana and toss it in your purse.  Done!
• Carrots (I buy frozen)
• Peas (I buy frozen)
• Cantaloupe
• Super ripe pear
• Sweet Potato
• Russet Potato
• Avocado (I mash this with a fork)

I encourage you to start with these because these can either be quickly boiled then blended or can be thrown straight into the blender.  For example, I get out 3 pots and boil water.  Then I toss a peeled sweet potato in one, carrots in another, and peas in the third.  While I'm waiting for those to soften, I toss the super ripe, pealed, pear in the blender (no water or breast milk needed).  Empty that out into serving size containers. Rinse the blender.  Toss in the cut up cantaloupe (no water or breast milk needed).  Rinse out the blender. Strain the peas (they don't take long to soften). Toss in the blender. Add breast milk or filtered water for desired consistency. Pour into serving size containers. Rinse blender.  Follow the same steps with carrots and sweet potatoes.  That's it!

All of that work will produce 1 full month of food for your baby.  Total time invested is about 30 minutes.  Total money spent is roughly $15.  I freeze it all until it's ready for use.  All the above items will freeze well except bananas.  I haven't tried those because I haven't needed to.

Other foods I have done:

• Butternut Squash*
• Pumpkin*
• Zucchini
• Summer Squash
• Mashed Black Beans
• Apples
• Kiwi

*These items are super easy, but it does take a longer to roast. All roasting consists of is filling the bottom of a pan with water, cutting the squash or pumpkin in half, removing the seeds and 'stuff', placing it face down in the water and bake it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Scrape out the inside and toss it in the blender with a bit of breast milk or water. I did half of a pumpkin and this is what I got from it.  Heck, I didn't even use the whole thing because I ran out of containers.

Now, all you other baby food making mamas, what am I missing?  What other foods should I do now that Chubby Cheekers is increasing his solids intake?

Menu Monday

It's hard to get back into the routine after such a relaxing and enjoyable Fall Break.  I forgot how easy life was when there were no demands or timed constraints.  It hit me this morning after I returned home from the run.  Rush, rush, rush.  Don't forget your lunch.  Rush, rush, rush.  Little Miss, get your shoes on.  Rush, rush, rush.  Little Man, do you have your binder?  Rush, rush, rush.  Chubby Cheekers, don't lick the toliet!!!  Rush, rush, rush.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

It's so much sometimes.  Our Fall Break went more like this.  PJ's til 10:00am.  Baking.  Playtime. Outdoor movie.  Wake when you want.  More playtime.  Picnic lunches. Art projects.

It was awesome.  It is gone.  Back to the norm.  Here's the menu...

Monday-Pizza Night (Gooooo CHICAGO BEARS!!!)
Tuesday-Dinner at Rene and Lindsay's
Wednesday-Zucchini Parmesan (zucchini on sale at Aldi 3/$.99), Salad, The Bread
Thursday-Mock Beef Stroganoff, Green Beans, Crescents
Friday-Enchiladas (freezer meal), Seasoned Brown Rice, Salad
Saturday-Dinner on a Stick, Buttered Bread
Sunday-Baked Chicken, Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole

My Brilliant Idea

Little Miss and Little Man have birthdays 3 weeks apart.  It makes planning a bit difficult. I have to start planning both parties early to ensure both kids feel important and special.  In years passed, we've invited our closest friends to both parties.  As Little Miss has grown up, she's developed friendships outside of her brother's friends.  Well, actually, she's stolen one of her brother's friends.

My friend from high school has two girls.  One Little Man's age and the other girls is Little Miss' age.  When planning LM's party I thought doing something super girly with her two girlfriends would be her party.  What is more girly than getting your nails and toes painted.  I found a place in our area that had kid chairs and were more than willing to accommodate these 3 cutie pies for the afternoon.

Watching these little ladies soak their tootsie, get their nails filed, painted, and dried was so cute.  After getting their mani/pedis, we headed back to our house where Little Miss thought she was going to play with her friends while I threw some cupcakes together.  Instead she walked in to this...

  

She was so excited to walk in the entry way filled with balloons and family.  She had the best time and watching her little smile as she tried to figure out what was going on was priceless!  It took her a few minutes.  Then she was down to party.

The best part of this party was the set up.  The only things I did a few days before was make her #4 and the balloon bouquet (we hid it in the laundry room).  Everything else (i.e. the house cleaning, baking, setting up) was left to the hubbie.  Yes, this was my most brilliant idea yet.

Now onto Little Man's party. I have also devised another brilliant plan of being a spectator.  It's a Football Training Camp Party.  And guess who knows a whole lot about football???  Steven.  Another party falls on his shoulders.  Muh-hahahah...(that's my evil laugh)

Chubby Cheekers

I know, I know.  All you lovely ladies logged on today to get Mommy's menu.  Well, guess what?  You get me today!  It's my eight month birthday, and I'm doing big things.  Doing big things, makin' lots of noise.  

In just a week's time, I have two more teeth.  I've got a big pearly white popping out upstairs and one more downstairs.  That is a total for four teeth. I'm looking so fine.  This has allowed me to dine on the finer foods.  Like Cheerios.  

In addition to my teeth growing, I have mastered pulling up on any surface and then walking around to get where I want to go. I've almost given up my speedy army crawl for the full on crawl and bear crawl.  I've come to realize that army crawling wrinkles my shirt.  I don't like wrinkles just like Daddy.  He's a wrinkle freak!  Plus, I look more grown up to the ladies by getting up on all fours.  I've found they are impressed by my skills.

My verbal skills are developing as well.  I now can chase Mommy around and say, "Ma, ma, ma, ma," when I want her.  This is in addition to da-da, blowing bubbles, raspberries, and ba-ba-ba-ba.  You know all the languages of looooove.  I've also discovered my temper.  I can clench my fist and screech really loud to communicate my frustrations.  What is super funny about that you ask?  Mommy and Daddy do not find this amusing at all.  They give me the 'business face', and the 'business face' is NOT something you want to get.  It's u-g-l-y!

I guess this is long enough for now.  I'm a growing boy and I need my rest.  Plus, I'm trying to convince Mommy to come in my room for a little snack at 12:45am again.  She's not digging that.  I fooled her two times, but I don't think she's going to come in tonight.  She said something about no more milk twins until morning.  Geez!  What's a boy to do?

{Me. 8 Months. Trying To Reach the Dang Ball.}

Love,

Chubby Cheekers

Four. 4. IIII.

She's F-O-U-R!  Whaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

My only precious baby girl is four today.  She is really coming into her own lately.  I'm proud of the little girl she is developing.  Her strong will, determination, self-assurance, and obedience make me so proud.  I love you, Little Miss.  You are my only pink in a whole world of blue.  

Happy Birthday, Princess!!!

In honor of my only little girl, the menu will post tomorrow.  Today is her day, and if you know anything about Little Miss you know she has been politely reminding EVERYONE to wish her Happy Birthday for a week now.  She would not be pleased if she knew I posted a menu on HER day.

Crazy As I Am

I've got a bunch of slacker readers!  Except Jamie Jones.  Everyone else, you are TROUBLE!  Yesterday she was the ONLY person who said she'd be at the FREE bootcamp session.  I suspect it's the time.  Five thirty in the morning is early.  I can relate, but I promise it will be worth it.  You will thank yourself later.  Like Erica says, "It will be over before you're even awake."  She has a lot of quotes in her back pocket.  I think I'm going to refer to them as 'Erica-isms'.

Speaking of Erica, I have a story to tell you.  First off, I need to share that I rarely find friends who are as frugal as I am, but she gives me a run for my money.  She is the ultimate dumpster diving, garage sale entrepreneur I have ever met.  You must know this before I tell you the story.

Yesterday morning I got up early to meet Erica for our morning run.  As I was walking down my street to meet her at our corner (that sounds really bad), I noticed some trash that our neighbors left out.  I stopped, checked it out, and convinced myself that I had to have it.  I walked on down to the corner, met Erica, and while we were stretching I told her of the trash I wanted to pick up off my neighbor's yard.  I told her what it was and she said, "Heck yeah, I'll help you carry it."  Now that's a friend.  Here's what I picked up.  

I'd like to call it upcycling. It sounds so much better than 'I Took My Neighbor's Trash'.  Let it be known that my last DIY project took me about four months to complete.  Considering this is a larger scale item that needs sanding, a little wood putty, paint, and knobs, I could possibly get this done before the kids go to college.  Possibly.

And thank you Erica, for not being embarrassed to help me carry this from my neighbor's trash pile to my front porch.  At least it was dark out.  Couldn't be anymore embarrassing than our other neighbor we busted having a neighborly booty call.  True story, friends.  True story ;)  See what happens when you wake up early to workout?  Imagine what would happen to you if got up early and came to bootcamp.  You could possibly go home with furniture too!

Fall Fitness Festival

I love fall festivals.  Our church has one every year and it rocks.  Love it.  This year I'm also attending another Fall Festival.  This Fall Festival has a workout included.  HEY!  I'm ready for that.  I like the feeling I get from working out.  You can have that feeling too. Trust me, you may not love how you feel during the workout, but you will love how you feel afterward.   Exhilarating.

Are you wondering how you go about obtaining the exhilaration?  Well you can join me for this Fall Fitness Festival.  Here's the deets...

Basically, you show up at Renaissance Park Practice Field in Broken Arrow on Friday, October 19th.  Then  you get an amazing workout, and you get to see me hurting from that workout.  It's a win-win situation.  Oh yeah, it's at 5:30am.  Did I fail to mention that part to you?  Oops.  My bad.

In all seriousness, if you are interested in attending you can leave a comment on here or on the facebook link and I will get you the specifics.  It's going to be a great morning!  Not to mention you'll be getting a workout from my favorite morning running/workout partner, Fitness Instructor, Erica McMullen.

What's In That Stuff

A few weeks back my good friend asked if I would talk to her fitness group about eating healthy on a budget.  WHOA!  I can talk about a budget all day, but when you throw the health part in the mix I get a little nervous.  What in the world do I have to offer to others in the way of health advice?  I felt a little unsure of myself in this area.

Then I started thinking about what I serve my family.  By no means to we eat a raw food diet, but I do carefully plan what my family ingests each day.  I focus on our servings.  Are there fruits and vegetables present?  Are those fruits and vegetables serving our bodies in the manner in which they were intended?  Are we having our correct servings of protein and calcium?  Can I read and understand the purpose the ingredients on the foods I'm serving?  This last question has really changed my thoughts of feeding my family.

Since having the opportunity to stay home with my kids, it allowed me to focus more on cooking from scratch.  When I make sauces, breads, and baking goods from scratch I see exactly what goes into our food.  This has opened my eyes a ton.  For example, I never realized how much sugar can be dumped into spaghetti sauce.  When I buy the jarred sauce off the store shelf I lose my connectivity to my food.  Making my own sauce, I'm able to use other seasoning to lessen the amount of sugar and I'm aware.  Being aware allows me to focus on the other items that will be served with our meal.  Before, I never ever thought about sugar in my sauce.

{Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and Homemade Meatballs}

Cooking from scratch has also allowed me to take the convenience out of junk food.  I no longer purchase store bought cookies or cakes.  If we want to have sweets, I have to make them from scratch.  It makes those cookies, cakes, or brownies turn into true treats and not a go-to crave food.  It has me weighing my options.  Do I want those cookies bad enough that I am going to take the time to make them and then clean up the mess from baking?  Sometimes it's worth it and sometimes it's not.  However, if I had a package of Oreo's sitting in the pantry all I would have to think about was whether or not I wanted to get my big booty off the couch.  Much more convenient to eat trashy.  I took that convenience out.

Same thing with chips.  We have them in the house, but it's not something the kids ask for with their lunch.  Instead, their 'crunchy' items are carrots, cucumbers, celery, or bell peppers.  I usually take the time to cut up veggies for the week so all I have to do is reach in and grab the desired serving amount.  It's just like reaching in a bag of chips.

All in all, I'm no health expert.  I am a little embarrassed to even write on this topic, but you know what?  I have worked hard to get our family to eat how we eat now.  I will continue to work to make small changes until I know I'm fueling our bodies to be the way God designed them to work.  As moms, we all want our families to be healthy and strong.  I believe feeding our bodies allows us to be that way.  This doesn't mean I will cut out our comfort foods or foods we love altogether, but I will continue to find ways to make those meals a bit more healthful or use them as special treats.

Chubby Cheekers

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies,

I was going to wait until I turned 8 months next week to update you, but there is so much I have been doing I had to break out and tell you now.  First off, I'm totally vertical.  I can pull myself up on anything.  My favorite local hangout is the Entertainment Lounge.  This is where Daddy stores his sound system.  There are so many fabulous buttons and knobs.  It's no wonder why he doesn't want to share with me.  He wants all those buttons to himself.  I get it.  For now I'll just stick with my own turn tables.

     
Besides getting up and around, I am also feeding myself.  I'm pretty good at it.  Good as in, I'm pretty good at making messes with my food.  I've always done well making a mess of food on my face.  Mainly because after each bite I like to suck my thumb.  It really helps me savor the flavor.  However, now that I can shovel Cheerios and other small bites in my mouth, I have become proficient at getting food all over the floor as well.  Food on my face.  Food on the floor.  It's all so messy and glorious and wonderful and it drives Mommy crazy.

You know, my bib says it all.  And with that Ladies, I'm heading to bed.

Love, 

Chubby Cheekers

   

Menu Monday

I know this cold front that blew through Oklahoma is a bit controversial, but let me say, I LOVED IT!!!  Little Man had a football game early Saturday morning.  I bundled up and watched that guy rip off 9 flags and score one touchdown.  He definitely excels in defense.  Just like his Daddy.  Thankfully, my mom came and stayed with Chubby Cheekers so I could enjoy his glory day.  It was a bit chilly for him.

Sunday we ate our weekend breakfast together in our warm pj's, bundled up to play outside, went for a family walk, and enjoyed chili at my mom's for dinner.  Fall has to be one of my favorite seasons.  It makes you want to cuddle with your husband and snuggle with your babies.  Magical.

I also love the comfort food.  I had to make a bit of an adjustment to our last week's menu to accommodate the cold front.  On Friday we had PW's Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Glorious.  Simply glorious. Since I'm going strictly on cash for our grocery/toiletry/baby supply budget, I wasn't able to throw in a lot of my favorite fall foods, but just know they are coming.

Monday-Oven Baked Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Tuesday-Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garlic Knots, Salad
Wednesday-Crescent Chicken Roll Ups, Broccoli Bake, Fresh Fruit Salad
Thursday-Pasta Bake (freezer meal), The Bread, Green Beans
Friday-Crispy Southwest Wraps, Raw Veggies and Dip
Saturday-Beer Crockpot Chicken, Crispy Potatoes, Salad
Sunday-Honey Garlic Pork Chops, Sweet Potatoes, Crescents

What Comes Out of Their Mouth

We spend a considerable amount of time in the car.  A lot of times we sing or play games, but sometimes I just listen to their conversations.  You never know what's going to come out of their mouths and it usually leaves me laughing.  Hysterically laughing.  Which leaves the other cars around us wondering what in the world is wrong with me.

The other day we were headed to story time and Chunky Monkey was super concerned about food.  Mind you it was 10 o'clock in the morning.  Mind you he had breakfast.  Mind you we had just had a snack before leaving for story time.  Yet, Chunky Monkey was still thinking about food.

CM (Chunky Monkey): Aunt Amanda?
Me:  Yes, honey.
CM:  I want fish sticks.
Me: Fish sticks?
CM: Yeah, fish sticks.  You can get me some?
Me:  Well, I don't have any of those.
CM:  You should take me to the lake and we can catch some.

STOP HERE...the conversation gets a bit long about filleting fish...just know it happened.

CM: I don't want fish sticks anymore.  I want Chinese food.

(Little Miss joins the conversation)

LM: (turns to CM)  Where does Chinese food come from?
CM: DUH!  From MEXICO!
ME: Mexico?  Sweetheart Chinese food comes from China.
CM:  Well, what kind of food does Mexico make?
ME:  Mexican food.
CM:  Okay.  I want fish sticks.

And that my friends is the day and life of Amanda Torres.  AND, we will be working on cultural studies in the very near future.

Pinterest Strikes Again: Fall

Let me just say this was not my idea.  This pumpkin landed on my front porch and who was I to let it go to waste.  Seriously, the pumpkin landed on my porch courtesy of my gal pal, Erica.  She first stuffed her daughter (a few weeks older than Chubby Cheekers) in this pumpkin, then she delivered to my front porch.  Only one problem, I had to cut out more of a booty space for Chubby Cheekers.  I couldn't get the little guy in there.  But (no pun intended), once I got him in he look so cute.  Right???

He even looked cute when he peed in it.  Yes, I put his full on naked booty in there.  He even looked cute when he ate the pumpkin.  He even looked cute when I pulled him out crying because he wasn't done eating the pumpkin.  Basically, he looked cute.  He always looks cute, and I'm not one of those parents who just says their kid is cute when they really aren't.  He really is. So there.

My Baby Cakes

Teething is striking again, and I kind of like it.  I do not like that I'll get him to bed and five minutes later he's up and crying from pain.  However, it's nothing a little Mommy and Advil can't cure.  What I do like about it is the cuddle time.  He's not getting any younger so I'll take as many chances as I can that allow me to feel his little baby breaths into my neck.  The little tiny sighs when he readjusts, and the sweat that forms on his forehead when he snuggles so closely into my neck.  This is the best moments of being a mom.  The complete vulnerability your child has when they are in your arms.  Allowing the full weight of their body to sink and melt into yours. I won't ever get enough of it.  Ever.

It honestly saddens me when I think about this stage passing.  There will be a time he won't have a crib.  The rocking chair will no longer be used, and I will have big kids.  No more babies.  Although I'm excited to see where the kids will go, and having time with just my husband again, my heart breaks to lose this baby stage.  I love this stage.  I love seeing my kids light up when they see us.  I love seeing them look for their sole comfort in us.  We are the center of their universe.  One day they will turn to their friends and eventually to their chosen spouse.  I'm just not ready for those stages.  So I'll just rock.  Rock my baby cakes.

Pinterest Hit~Ultra Crispy Potatoes

How many times have you excitedly pinned something on Pinterest thinking your life was going to improve tenfold, only to realize you've been bamboozled?  Well guess what?  I pinned a side dish on Pinterest, thought I was going to be bamboozled, but ended up being wow-ed.  Maybe that should be my new motto when making dishes.  Just think they'll stink and then be pleasantly surprised when I love it.

Sooooo, do you wanna know my big hit?  Good.  I'll tell you tomorrow.  I kid.

It's these lovely crunchy bites of deliciousness...

Ultra Crispy Potatoes

And with a 5 lb bag of Russet potatoes being on sale this week for $0.99, it looks like we'll be having these again soon. It also looks like my butt will be getting larger soon as well.  But, it's totally worth it!

(Erica, we're still running in the morning, riiiight???)

Menu Monday

I've totally fallen off the Menu Monday wagon.  I am so ashamed.  Not really.  I have these cutie pie little munchkins I like to play with more than I like Menu Monday.  Sorry.

Monday-Nacho Pie, Guacamole (can't beat those $.25 avocados) and Chips
Tuesday-Chicken Pot Pie Mini Muffins and Green Beans
Wednesday-Broccoli Rice Chicken Casserole, Buttered Bread
Thursday-Honey Garlic Pork Chops, Smashed Potatoes, Corn
Friday-Tortilla Soup and Salad
Saturday-Pork Tenderloin, Baked Potatoes, and Broccoli Bake
Sunday-Dinner @ Mom's

Off to play outside, and then a little Barbie time.  My Barbie is going to look bangin'.  I already have her outfit picked out and everything!  Don't be jealous...