Bad Blogger!

I realize I have been a delinquent and pathetic blogger lately.  I have multiple posts started but there they sit in my pending list, collecting dust.  I will try to get to them in the next few weeks and post updates on our busy little lives and stinking adorable monkeys soon.

In the meantime, here is a must-read blog I've recently discovered from someone who's a much better blogger than I am:
http://honesttoddler.wordpress.com/

Apparently Barrett has been writing a blog under a pseudonym behind my back! 

It's hilarious and oh-so-true, so if you have young children, be prepared to laugh your behind off. 

This week's meals

Yet another busy week for this working momma.  We have our auditors in the office, a visitor from our parent company and meeting after meeting.  So it's been even longer and busier days than usual. 

Sunday - In celebration of Father's Day, we had spicy flank steak on the grill, grilled asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes (instant).   I highly recommend this steak.  It's very easy and even Barrett eats it. 

Monday - I made buffalo chicken in the slow cooker.  This was the first time I did this, but it was easy.  I used frozen breasts, covered with about half a packet of dry ranch dressing mix and poured in about 2/3 of a bottle of Frank's buffalo wing sauce.  When I got home, I shredded it and we had it over a salad of romaine and sliced red pepper.  It was really good!  Barrett disagreed though and acted like I was poisoning him.  I think it was too hot for him.  I liked it over the salad because I think it cut the heat a little bit.  But it'd also be good in sandwiches with some provolone or swiss cheese. 

Tuesday - slow cooker Indian chicken stew.  Very good and, as necessary, very easy.  I prepared everything the night before and then just added the frozen chicken breasts in the morning.  I didn't cut them up, so just shredded the meat when I got home.  I also made brown rice on Monday night and just reheated Tuesday after we got home.  Of course I bought spinach for this meal and completely forgot to add it when I served it.  Doh. Oh and looking at the recipe again, I realized I also forgot the lime juice.  It still tasted good despite my forgetful brain.  This made extras so we have leftover, to either have Thursday or to freeze.  I think I could stir in the leftover rice and freeze the entire thing just fine.

Wednesday - Tim beat me home and made spaghetti with meat sauce.  We used Newman's spinach florentine jarred sauce and it was really good.  I topped it with fresh basil from my garden.  B ate it - well whatever didn't end up on his shirt, his chair or the floor. 

Thursday - I think I'll take the leftover brown rice from Tuesday and add diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, green onion from my garden and some lime juice, roll in a tortilla with shredded cheddar cheese and maybe some salsa and make burritos. 

Friday - I was thinking of making dinner for this night but just remembered we have family pictures on Saturday morning and visitors coming into town for the weekend so I'll need to get the house in order and pick out outfits for the family for photos.  So I am fairly confident that we'll be eating takeout Friday night!  As usual!

Mother's Day 2012

(Ack!  Published in October but backdated to June, when it was actually written!  Somehow this didn't get posted then.) 

(Let's pretend the calendar doesn't say June and instead close our eyes and pretend it is three weeks ago and Mother's Day just happened.  mmkay?)

I was a very lucky mom this year.   I am very blessed to have TWO beautiful babies this year and thank God every day for my precious little ones.

Tim prepared a great picnic and we went to a local park to hang out.  I'll admit it wasn't super relaxing like I'd envisioned.  Barrett has to get into everything that he can so the idea of a Mother's Day picnic was a lot easier than the actuality.

But my husband did great, he prepared an amazing feast for us and gave me a gorgeous silver bracelet with "A" and "B" charms.  I feel so blessed!

Little Munch Mouth

Audrey has been showing a lot of interest in what we're eating or drinking.   She watches us the entire time and tries to reach out her hand to touch our fork or glass. 

This is a very normal sign apparently that they're ready for food.  I wouldn't know - Barrett's only interest in eating food even now is begging for candy.

While we were on vacation (more about that in another post), we decided to go ahead and start having her eat oatmeal, one week shy of her 6 month birthday. 

She actually is doing pretty well with it.  She ends up wearing 95% of it, I think, but she's relatively receptive to the spoon and to trying it.  As much as eating has been a struggle with her, it'd be a big relief if she takes to solids easily but we'll have to wait and see. 

This Week's Meals

Sunday - we made an amazing Alaskan salmon on the grill.  It was great and we could have eaten even more - even Barrett!  He kept asking for "more fishy" so I think it was a hit.  We cooked it on our charcoal grill and served it with mixed veggies and brown rice.

Monday - Pulled pork.  I can't find an exact recipe of what I use but it is a pork roast in the slow cooker with chopped onions, dry mustard, garlic, cayenne (but I didn't have any so used chili powder), Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and a can of root beer.  It takes me a few minutes of prep the night before to trim the meat and chop the onions. Then the next morning, I add the liquid ingredients.  Cook all day in slow cooker and shred and add a bottle of bbq sauce at end and serve on buns.  We eat this a lot in the summer. 

Tuesday - leftovers from Monday

Wednesday - I am contemplating making this Fiesta Lime Rice.  I have some leftover brown rice from Sunday and think it could make a meal if I throw in the beans and corn and maybe some chopped green pepper. We love Zatarain's black beans and rice, but once I found out about the sodium value (50% of the daily amount!), I stopped buying it.  I came across this recipe the other day and think it looks like a good substitute.  We shall see!

Thursday -  I have a few meals still in the freezer from a stash I made before returning to work.  I need to use these up so think this will be a good night for veggie enchiladas. These are really good.  I like that they're jam packed with vegetables.  I am always perplexed with what to serve as a side with these, so we'll probably just have them alone.

Friday - probably our usual Friday night take-out.  By the end of the week, I'm way too exhausted to think about dinner!

Audrey - Six months

 
Baby girl -

Say it isn't so!   Six months.  That is as close to turning 1 as to being born.  Oh goodness, where did these last few months go?  You are becoming such a big girl.  I look at your filled-out belly and the rolls on your legs and I realize you are definitely a solid little thing now and not a skinny little newborn.  I love seeing your personality emerge as you grow and discover new things!

You have become a master sitter this past month!  Sitting is such a nice milestone and I was glad when you learned to do it.  It gives you so much more freedom to look around and play and you really like it.  It makes you seem so much older now.

You also had your first taste of real food.   We started oatmeal about a week before your 6 month birthday.  You are fairly receptive to it, but, of course, usually end up wearing most of it. You still drink about 30oz of milk per day.

You are basically fitting perfectly into your 6 month clothes.  We just moved you into size 2 diapers although could definitely have done that a few weeks ago.  I love dressing you in little outfits and bows.  All the teachers and parents at daycare comment on how cute you look every day and I think some are very jealous of all your hair.  Your hair is still crazy but the new blonde hair is growing in so maybe within a few months it'll even itself out.  I'm not sure how it'll work though because your newborn dark hair shows no signs of falling out but your new blonde hair is growing in.  I thought you might have light brown hair growing instead of blonde but now I think you may be another blonde in the family.  For now anyway.

Your favorite toys are your teething ring, your seahorse that plays music, and your piano.  You especially like musical toys. 

You've been a little cranky lately and I wonder if it's your teeth bothering you.  As you've always been, you don't fuss a lot but when you do, it takes a lot more to calm you down.  You are still drooling up a storm and will soak through your bibs in mere minutes.  The combination of teething plus the cleft is bringing a whole lot of drool into our house.  You are a big chewer and will grab anything you can find to immediately put it into your mouth.  

 

 I once referred to you as an old soul and you really do seem that you are.  You are a much more reserved child than your older brother was.  You aren't nearly as generous with your smiles or laughs and are a tougher cookie to crack.  You watch everybody and everything but when strangers try to make you laugh, you just stare at them.  That's okay, girl, because it means your smiles are even more special when you give them!  When you get excited though, you definitely show it and start kicking your legs and flapping your arms.  It never fails to make
me smile.  Things you smile at:  getting your legs and belly kissed, when I make popping sounds with my mouth, when I tickle you with my hair, your brother Barrett, and when we lift you up in the sky and bounce you up and down off our laps.

 It is so much fun to see you growing up.  I love having you in our family!