What I Never Thought I'd Do...

When I was pregnant, I told myself there were things I would never do as a new mother.  I swore I would do things differently than everyone else and knew exactly how things would go.  Well, you know how that saying goes, "You plan and God laughs".  Addie is nearly 16 months old and I can tell you I've been caught doing things I previously never thought would happen.  So here's a handful of things I never thought would happen.

1.  Poop.  I've never talked about someone's poop so much. How often, the consistency, the color, etc.  I sometimes catch myself telling non mommy friends because who wants to talk about poop? Especially if you're not a mom.

2.  Food.  I never thought I would let Addie have ice cream before she was one.  Now granted she didn't have a full on personal cone but she did have several licks from ours.

3.  Sleep.  I promised myself I'd never co-sleep.  It scared me.  The thought of rolling over my child and suffocating them while they slept was terrifying.  But show me a parent who has never co-slept.  It works for some people, not for everyone.  In fact, we only brought her into bed when she woke up at 5am to try to get a few more hours of sleep.

4.  Toys.  OMG the toys!  I always thought my house would remain my house versus a kid zone.  Our entire living room is full of toys thrown all over the room.  In fact, I've tripped over toys multiple times.  We're working to contain the toys after Addie goes down to bed so it resembles a somewhat orderly house.

5.  Breastfeeding.  This is a big one.  I knew I wanted to breastfeed while I was pregnant but I never realized how intense it could be.  The pain involved when latching in the early days was painful, the blistered and bleeding nipples, horrific.  I'm glad I stuck with it because it was a really amazing experience and something amazing I could provide to my child.  I judge less now because I realize how painful and difficult it can be.  Especially at 3am when you can't keep your eyes open but you have a 7 pound baby screaming at the top of her lungs because she's hungry but she cannot latch because she's so upset.  It's the later weeks where it becomes a wonderful bonding experience.

I'm sure there's more that my list isn't covering but mommy brain has me moving slowly this morning.  I need my cup of iced coffee to jump start me.  What are some things you thought you'd never do?

-stephanie

A Summertime Drink

I love summer.  I'm a Leo meaning I was born in the hottest time of the year, August.  I love everything about summer, the sun, the heat, the water, so this is my time to shine.  Something I love as much as summer is a cool summer drink.  We all know a mojito or pina colada are classic summertime drinks but what about a drink in the morning.  I also love coffee but who really wants to drink a hot cup of coffee when it's 90 degrees and blazing?  You might, I don't.  I love cool coffee drinks.  Starbucks makes a lot of money off of me in the summer.  Remember this post?

The nerdy side of me has been concocting some science experiments to find the perfect cool coffee drink. I think I've found a good replacement when wanting a taste of coffee without the expense of sweating at 7am.  It's incredibly easy and really tasty!

Here's what you'll need:
Ice cube tray (your choice, I chose to use one from Ikea with a funky star design)
Brewed coffee to your desired strength
Milk (nonfat, whole, again your choice)
Sugar (or some substitute)
Caramel (optional)

Brew your coffee as you like then slowly pour into an iced cube tray.  Freeze for a couple hours until set.

Then, remove the amount of cubes you want and place in a glass.  Remember the more cubes you put in the stronger your drink.  Add your choice of milk.  I used whole the first time and nonfat the second. I prefer a mix of the two for best taste.  Add sugar or your sugar substitute to taste.  

I also added caramel sauce for a bit more flavoring.  Let the cubes melt down a bit until the flavor is incorporated.  Enjoy!

-stephanie

Recipe: Lasagna

Last night I made lasagna for dinner. I love lasagna!  It's rather easy as well and you can clean up as you're baking the lasagna which is great for my mental health.  I hate cooking in the midst of a mess.  Rick doesn't like ricotta so I guess you could say this is a somewhat healthy version of a hearty dinner.  Don't want to make a large portion?  This is the recipe for you.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1-26oz jar of pasta sauce (I used Vodka sauce)
Lasagna noodles
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan shake cheese
Seasonings (onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil seasonings for bread)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Begin boiling water in a large pot and add your lasagna noodles when water is ready.  While water is boiling, begin browning your ground turkey and seasonings.  Add pasta sauce and heat through.  Spread a small amount of pasta mix in an 8x8 baking dish.  Next spread a layer of noodles, add cheese on top of layer of pasta.  Continue 2 more layers, after your last layer of pasta place remaining pasta sauce and the final layer of cheese on top.  Bake for approximately 15 minutes until cheese and brown and sauce is bubbling.  This makes about 4 servings.  Enjoy!

-stephanie

Wordless Wednesday: Pigtails in the Morning

I love when her hair is in pigtails like this.

-stephanie

How to Entertain a Toddler

Keeping a toddler's attention for any given period of time is a chore.  They are easily distracted when having a temper tantrum, which we're experiencing every day now.  This can be a good thing as we can quickly divert and change the situation or it can be bad because she's no longer focused on what we have given her or guided her towards.  I guess that's part of raising a toddler.  You have to know when to step in and when to throw your hands up and say, "is it going to hurt her or ruin the house"?  If not, then let it be.  It's not worth the drama.

So I know my list of ideas to keep her busy has to be a decent sized list but I also realize I can't put too much time into it because she may not enjoy it for more than 5 minutes.  Right now, Addie loves her books and loves playing outside more than anything.  Her toy box that's overflowing with toys is not holding her attention right now.  When it's nice out we're usually outside walking around or playing with a ball that she likes to throw and kick.

With the weather getting warm, we just purchased the Smiletime Toys Sprinkle Mat which she loves.  She'll play in that for an hour easily so it was a great purchase.  Even if you're looking for some fun activities they don't have to cost much if anything.

Here is my go to list on any given day.

1.  Books.  I've mentioned a hundred times, the girl loves her books so anytime she has the opportunity to read a book she plops herself down on your lap and will wait for you to read the book over and over and over again.

2.  Refrigerator Magnets.  A friend of mine made these for me and Addie loves them. They're fabric letters with magnets sewn into them.  I can see her in a few years spelling out words with these!

3.  Chalk.  She hasn't quite figured out the sidewalk chalk but she loves to carry them around and try to draw.  This is a super cheap dollar store find.

4.  Bubbles.  Like the chalk mentioned above, this is another cheap find.  The girl loves bubbles.  Seriously, can't get enough of them.

5.  Playdoh.  She still prefers to eat this so she's not quite ready for full on playdoh play but it's a cheap purchase and she does really like to feel it in her hands.

6.  Finger painting with yogurt/pudding.  We haven't tried this yet, but I know she'll love it. She's a messy eater and anytime she can play with her food she's in.

7.  Waterbins.  Another fun outside play idea.  Take one of your old bins that you store pictures or disks in and empty it.  Fill it up with water and grab a few water safe toys.  Toss them and let your little one play.  Guaranteed fun!

8.  Dance Party.  Addie likes to dance.  I like to dance.  Turn on the radio and dance together.  You'll get a workout, tire out the toddler, and create a fun memory to carry on as your child grows.

9.  Musical instruments.  Addie loves loud noises so it's no surprise that when we bought her a music set for Christmas she bangs on her drum and blows her trumpet.  If you can't afford the musical instrument set or just don't have one and need entertainment stat, grab a water bottle and fill it half full with dried beans or rice.  Secure the cap and let your little one shake it up.

10.  Target dollar aisle.  I love this aisle for myself, always great finds.  I recently found a water bottle with a spray attachment.  I keep this in Addie's room so I can have it handy when doing her hair.  She loves playing with that water bottle and it was $1.  You're bound to find something in those bins that will entertain your little one for some time.

What do you do to entertain your toddler?  Any good ideas on the cheap?  We'd love to hear about it.

-stephanie