Good Morning!

Snow! Being a southern girl, this used to excite me very much. I’d wake up and see our lawn, well weeds that resemble a lawn, blanketed in white powder and be so excited I had to run outside and play in it. Fast forward to two years later…not so much. Don’t get me wrong I think its pretty and all, but not while I’m shoveling our driveway and sidewalk. On the bright side spring is almost here and this winter has had little resemblance to last years. Ice storm with a five day power outage anyone? Yeah, I didn’t enjoy it either. I’m a lot happier about winter when we’re not in the middle of a deployment, trust me. On the plus side Snuggle Bug is really going to enjoy going outside and playing in it!

Public Service Anouncement

Just a note, don't run down your carpeted stairs if you are wearing shorts. If you fall you will get rug burn on your bum and it isn't very fun. Take my word on this one. Ouch.

Learning to be a morning person

I am now on the quest to become a morning person. Before having Snuggle Bug I was always a night person. I was raised in a family of night owls and I can remember going grocery shopping at 10pm when I was just eleven years old. By the time I hit my teen years I was generally up till around 3am….which was only two hours later than when my mother was going to bed. By the time I hit college I would be up till 4am and purposely try to schedule my classes after 10am so I could roll out of bed at 9:15am and get ready to go. This sort of thing is fine when you don’t have children but now that I answer to the name "mommy" things have got to change. Most of the children’s activities I know of begin in the morning and I don’t want her missing those because mommy didn’t want to get out of bed. I have even noticed Snuggle Bug getting into the same habits as me. Trying to push her bedtime later and sleeping later into the morning. So now I’ve decided I have got to become a morning person. I don’t want to go as far as waking up at O'dark thirty with the hubby, but it would be nice not to have to fight with myself over getting up each morning. It feels like I’ve tried this so many times before. I try to get to bed early and set my clock for 6am, approaching the idea of being a morning person with great fervor. Then I roll over at 6am wondering what I was thinking and consequently roll out of bed later than I would normally. Tonight I’m going to seriously make an attempt to go to bed early and to crawl out of bed at a normal hour. On the rare days where I have been able to change my schedule to something more workable I have noticed an increase in my energy. I always seem to get a lot more done and I’m generally more pleased with myself. Wish me luck.

12 Month Check Up

Snuggle Bug had her 12 month well baby check up this morning along with her next set of vaccinations. Lucky enough, things went smoothly this morning getting us ready to go and we made it on time to the appointment, which is rarity these days. It is funny; I used to be on time all the time to wherever I went. Since having Snuggle Bug with getting her and myself ready, diaper bags and everything else I’m lucky to get anywhere at all much less on time. The doctor said she is doing well and looks healthy and gave me a few tips for starting whole milk and a few new foods to try with her. Snuggle Bug is a little on the small side but the doctor told me not worry just to start giving her milk so she can get more calcium. She was a trooper with the vaccinations and stopped crying as soon as I was able to pick her up and hold her. Since her six month appointment she has had a real issue with the exam tables and freaks as soon as she is placed on one. I wish I knew how to calm that fear but so far no such luck. But now she is cuddled up for her nap and doing well and I’ve got some chores to get done around the house. Life continues.

Baby Kisses

Snuggle Bug made my night. We were on the floor this evening, playing and reading and doing our normal mommy and daughter time, I usually look forward to it each night. Well tonight we were looking at a book and I was pointing at the pictures and talking to her when she grabbed the book and threw it the side. She reached over and grabbed my face and was pulling at it, at first I though because she wanted to crawl over me to a toy or something. I finally turned my face to the side and she planted a big kiss on my cheek! That is what all the pulling and pushing my face was about; she wanted to get to my cheek. I know it sounds silly and small but it truly made my evening. There is something about a baby kiss that is so genuine and loving. No amount of money could top moments like these.

Meal Plan Monday

It is Meal Plan Monday! This is the day I make my meal plan and do my grocery shopping for the week.

Meal Plan Week of 2/23:
Monday: Hawaiian Chicken w/ rice
Tuesday: Potato Soup
Wednesday: Rellano Casserole
Thursday: Flounder w/ asparagus and salad
Friday: Chicken Pot Pie
Saturday: Take Out
Sunday: Crab Stuffed Shells

It all sounds good, doesn’t it? I got lucky today and the grocery store was fairly empty so I was able to comparison shop a bit more and keep a good watch on my budget. I was only able to find one coupon for this week’s trip, for rice cereal, but it is still 75 cents saved! I even had enough money left over to buy three snazzy new reusable grocery bags. I had bringing home so many plastic bags only to watch them pile up and end up in the garbage. So I can say today I made an attempt at going green; though the checker didn’t seem too thrilled with my choice. Maybe she was just having a bad day?

This is the day that doesn't end, yes it goes on and on my friend....

I would say that I’m a reasonably patient woman. I’ve built up my mommy tolerance slowly over the last year plus years of being a nanny and babysitter. But today was one of those days. Last night I got a phone call from the hubby at 1:30am so due to my late night I got a bit of a late start this morning…..and that set the tone for the rest of the day. Snuggle Bug woke up in a mood that carried on throughout the day. She didn’t want to finish her breakfast and wanted my full and undivided attention at every moment. I normally try to set aside times throughout the day for play time with her but that didn’t work for her today. During her nap I tried to snag a quick bath but the phone wouldn't stop ringing. Of course that is when everyone has something urgent to tell me. Snuggle Bug was getting into everything she shouldn’t get into and I barely sat down trying to keep up with her rampage. I have truly got a toddler on my hands now. I confess when I was reading her bedtime story I breathed a sigh of relief that the day was over. But now I get to worry about all those chores that didn’t get done today. Tomorrow is grocery shopping day so I’ve got to make my meal plan, shopping list and organize my coupons tonight. I’ve got time to have one glass of wine from that bottle I opened last night, right? I have no doubt the laundry and dishes will be waiting for me once I’m done.

Losing weight the real estate way!

We are currently in the process of selling our house. With the market being so slow and another PCS, meaning Permanent Change of Station for those not in the know-basically moving, being immanent in the future we have been talking about doing it for some time now. After I got back from seeing the family in Texas I went ahead and interviewed some realtors and got the house ready to be put on the market.

Are you looking for a good weight loss plan? Well, I’ve got one for you…..sell your house! I painted all three bathrooms, hallway and laundry room and all the other rooms have a fresh coat of paint already. I’ve placed new mulch in the front flower bed and pulled the weeds and turned the soil in the back flower bed. Picked up all my dogs “presents” in the backyard. A lovely job I assure you. Rearrange furniture, shampooed carpets, de-cluttered closets, cabinets and any other storage, rearranged pictures and spent ample money for staging certain areas of the house. One month and four ads on craigslist, one add on a local site later I have lost ten pounds but the house has been sitting here for four weeks with only one showing. Definitely disappointing after all the work I’ve put in.

The realtor is telling me that it is just a slow market and we’ll have to wait and see what happens. But we put it on the market for exactly this reason. I would really rather us not be saddled with two mortgages have a repeat of out last move. Let me tell you, not fun.

Fingers crossed!

Did you know...

....that a deck screw and a pair of pliers can open a bottle of wine? I didn't until my cork screw broke off into the cork. Just a little factoid.

Adult Conversation

I love having a good lunch with friends! I met a friend of mine today at Applebee’s for a late lunch and its always so nice to relax and chat with an adult for once, even when Snuggle Bug is throwing things from her highchair! I often forget how to have a conversation that doesn't include me saying "We don't bite the doggy!" or somethig along those lines. I really need to start making time for myself every now and again. But that can be easier said then done sometimes.

…..And, of course, it has just dawned on me that I didn’t pull out anything to make for dinner. It is definitely time for me to start getting organized around here.

I'm a student again!

Before getting married I was a full time college student majoring in Theatre w/ emphasis in stage management. I loved what I was doing and spent every day doing it. I had planned my entire life around traveling for different shows and marriage and family never even popped into my head. I met my husband; he swept me off my feet and things changed. I still managed to take online classes and as it stands I’m seven classes away from my Associate of Arts degree. I’ve only been able to take two classes since having Snuggle Bug and today I finally decided to register for a class and finish that degree! If feels really good to be working towards my educational goals again and to do something for me. Education has always been so important to me. So now I get to balance home, Snuggle Bug, deployment and daily life with school….wish me luck!

Yum Yum

I woke up this morning feeling fairly motivated and decided to make pancakes for Snuggle Bug and I.

I found a great recipe for homemade pancake mix and i've had the mix sitting in the pantry for a few weeks. I love homemade convenience food mixes!

Homemade Pancake Mix

By Wendy Mink

4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 table baking soda

INGREDIENTS WHEN MAKING PANCAKES:

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

The mix will stay good for up to six months in an airtight container, I just put mine in a freezer bag and wrote the instructions on it. To make them, just mix 1 cup pancake mix with 1 egg and 3/4 cup milk.

Not the most beautiful in the world but they tasted good. I love the addition of the whole wheat flour, it gives it a lovely flavor. Since it made a few more than I needed, the dogs got a yummy treat for breakfast too!

We Have a Date!

We finally have a date for R&R!! I’ve been waiting for the date practically since he deployed. He had requested dates so he could be home for our anniversary but, thank you Army, they decided it’d be nice to have him fly out one day AFTER our anniversary. But that is all the complaining I’m going to do because we have dates and I’ll be seeing him soon! Now i've got to book a hotel for the weekend getaway we have planned and get a pet sitter to watch the dogs for a few days. The countdown begins!

Morning Coffee

It is a wonderful thing isn't it? Gotta love that warm caffeinated pick me up to start the day...


To Do List 2-18-09:
Laundry
Run to post office
Clean the bathrooms
Sweep
Mop
Vacuum (my daily battle with pet hair)
Put away the decorations from Snuggle Bug's birthday
and if I feel really motivated, give the dogs a bath...it is long overdue

I know there is more that I should be doing, but I just can't think of them to list them.

First Birthday

Today is Snuggle Bug’s first birthday! I cannot believe the time has gone by so quickly but here we are! It has been a year of so many exciting changes and developments and a sad year as we had to say goodbye to daddy as he left on this deployment. Last night, after Snuggle Bug went to bed, I began making all the birthday preparations. It may only be the two of us but it doesn’t mean we can’t have a great birthday anyway! I’m not much of a baker, as you will probably find out later on, but I decided with the help of some boxed cake mix and a can of frosting to make Snuggle Bug some birthday cupcakes....

Yum, Funfetti! I know I need to buy a new muffin tin but this one has served me well for so long I think i'll keep it a little longer.
Time to mix! I do actually have a decent stand mixer but this was what was clean. Plus, with this you get to lick the beaters when you're done. Mmmm, cake batter.

Time to pop them in the oven! 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I believe the box said it would make twenty cupcakes and since this was my only muffin tin, needless to say this process was repeated numerous times.

I didn't burn them.....yay!! But if I had, it is nothing that a jar of pink frosting can't fix! Like I said before, I just don't bake.

And here is the birthday girl's special cupcake! There are more, but this one is the prettiest of them all!

So I didn't burn down the house last night and that was the most important thing. But now i'm left with 20 cupcakes and myself in a house.....hmmm not a good combination! Maybe this is the time to practice that will power thing everyone is always talking about.