a day in the life

On the 8th day {before} Christmas

This morning started off at 4am with about two hours of strong contractions...that then almost completely ended, but has made Mama and Daddy a bit tired today. So plans of a playdate had to be changed, and your Mama's need for family time suddenly got even more urgent. Thus it was an entire family event to build the gingerbread train this year, not just Mama and Lily. I'm so glad because although it is one of the saddest, falling sideways gingerbread trains you ever saw, everyone was very creative in their decorating and everyone had fun. For instance, "cow catcher" mustaches for Charlie
and for LIly
and one horribly iced (by me with really faulty icing...yes, it was the icing's fault) but creatively decorated Gingerbread Train.
I would love to see the people who make these market these like this-not with some professional cake decorator with expensive tools. Or maybe I really am THAT BAD at this. At least it is another great memory for the scrapbook :)

On the 11th day {before} Christmas

Tonight we started a new tradition-the cookie testing party. Thanks to the MOMS who thoughtfully created a bag of cookies for me even though I was unable to come to our annual Cookie Exchange, we had lots to choose from. We picked four cookies (that happened to have doubles) and cut them into four pieces. We then tested each and picked our two favorites to save for Santa on Christmas Eve. What a great idea Daddy! The before
YOU try and get a 2 1/2 year old to look at the camera with four cookies sitting in front of him ;) After we tested the cookies, Daddy asked everyone which one we wanted to give to Santa. When Daddy asked Charlie, he said "I think you should give that one to me."
Hee hee. We knew immediately which one was Lily's pick by her reaction.
All in all I think this was a successful start to a new tradition!

Ten on Tuesday::Marie Taylor's Food Revolution

1. For my New Year's Resolution this January, I decided to give up fast food. Thus the introduction of Crock Pot Mondays. So far this year I have only skipped one Crock Pot Monday and that's because Lily didn't have dance and Bj was out of town. Otherwise, I think that is a pretty good success rate. All in all I think the kids have had fast food maybe three or four times with Bj, I have gotten Panera (but we aren't going to count that) and we have gotten Subway maybe twice. I even packed our lunch the day we went outlet shopping to avoid the bad outlet food. Tonight I turned our crock pot chicken into a Chicken Corn Chowder which I adapted from two different recipes. It was my first time making soup from scratch and my first time really making up my own recipe. And if I do say so myself, it was amazing :)
2. My next hurdle was the grocery store. After much thought and much research, I decided to go organic with our meat. Yes, it adds some extra expense, but I find myself using it wiser and (I hate to admit this but I am going to bet it has to have happened to someone out there somewhere) I have only tossed one package of unopened meat during a particularly bad fail week on my part. We eat a little less meat so I can ration for a few different meals more, but this has also started me concentrating more on interesting sides including lots and lots of roasted veggies. And an added bonus, good gracious it tastes so much better.
3. I switched to cage free eggs. Again, yes more expensive, but we really don't eat that many and I feel much better about them.
4. Organic here and there. There are definitely many products I will continue to buy non-organic. Have to say I am probably not going to find Diet Dr Pepper in any organic section. That being said, if there is a special or if it is not that much of a difference, I will buy the organic version.
5. Juice Boxes. Once a week Lily gets a juice box in her lunch. Until recently, she got a Mots for Tots juice box which is supposedly less sugar than regular juice. Little did I know that not only does it really just taste like watered down juice (knew that part, but my kids still drink watered down juice around the house too) but it had two more grams of sugar than the organic high fructose corn syrup free juice I now buy. She is a fan and so am I.
6. Treats. The other day Charlie had his two year check-up and I finally got him the MMR shot. I thought as I was driving home, maybe I will stop and get him fast food as a treat for having to go through the appointment. But then I thought really? Is that really a treat? So we went home and I made him organic chicken nuggets (or CHICKEN NUT! as he calls them) with strawberries and yogurt. I felt much better about this treat.
7. Recycling. Oh don't get me started on our terrible lack of recycling around here. Back in Ohio they recycled every week and took plastic 1-5, cardboard, paper, glass and aluminum. We never filled our trash can and instead were always overflowing with our recycling. Here they recycle once a month and only take plastic 1-2, glass and aluminum. Pain in the you know what. Our garage is constantly filled with recycling and we have to take our cardboard ourselves to the recycling center. Thus I have switched from all those oh so convenient individual containers of apple sauce and yogurt to large containers and glass jars. Although they don't recycle the yogurt containers, I can ration the portions out better so Charlie doesn't fill up on yogurt or applesauce alone at lunch. But really, it is still so annoying to not have the ability to recycle everything.
8. I just found out last week on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution that chocolate milk has more sugar in it than a regular soda. And speaking of milk, the price of organic milk is coming down. Not so much that we can switch totally because goodness we go through a lot of milk, but I am going to start buying one gallon a week of Organic Milk. At least it's a start.
9. It has been a really long time since I have done Muffin Tin Monday because when we moved here my special muffin tins got ruined, but this week I replaced them and we resumed this special treat. Every Monday I am going to try to add one thing the kids wouldn't normally want to try-this week was hummus. Although Lily didn't eat a lot of it, she did try it and said she liked it. We have had WAY too many days of pb&j in a row.
10. So this is my food revolution. I don't mean this to be preachy. I don't want this to seem judgmental at all. I just want to keep a record of what I'm doing. And if anyone has any hints or advice, let me know. Next on my baby steps organic overhaul, fruit.

Eat well, friends!

Date night

Tonight Bj and I got to go on a very rare date night. Here's what we did.

First we went to Underhill's Games. 
For those of you in the know (and I am thinking that is exactly one person who reads this blog, Missy) this is where "the boys" go to get their games. Not just Scrabble or Monopoly, but award winning games that come mostly from Europe. This is generally our form of in home entertainment these days. He just wanted to show it off and show me how undorky it is.

Next we went to dinner at Macaroni Grill We just happened to have some giftcards which we needed to use while still in town and oh I am glad we did. Not only did we have a really good dinner, we also got some really good news from a friend :)

Finally we went to Archiver's which I neglected to take a picture of as we were running out of time and I jumped out of the car and ran in. Not nearly enough time in my 15 minute trip, and I felt like a crazy person who couldn't figure out where to go first, but I did get some goodies. Sadly they were all sold out of the Cosmo Cricket Jolly Holly Christmas paper...oh sadness, but I did get the paper I needed for my 12 days album. Here are my results. I got the chipboard in hopes that I can find the Cosmo Cricket still in stock somewhere. We got home and the fun continued. Check out 365 to see what we did next!

A picture review

Why of course I have to do a picture review of my weekend! So happy to have a real camera again-and Lily is over the moon to have Dink Dink. It will be well loved by that little girl (although I may have just created a monster ;) Note, I am only 1/4 of the way through the manual so I still have lots to learn but oh my it's like butter :)
1. I hung out with Maddie during naptime. She played, I read, we talked, and she was my "testing settings" model. 2. Watched in awe as the big girls flipped their way across the floor at gymnastics. 3. Did some spinning before the show at the Kennedy Center 4. Really enjoyed said show at the beautiful Kennedy Center. 5. Had donuts (for the first time for Lily-yes perhaps I have been a bit too strict on this...) for Bridget's birthday celebration. 6. Hung out with a good friend 7. Had another great girls weekend with this one. 8. And this one. 9. And this one. 10. And watched this one grow just a little older.

Flashback Friday::When I blogged...

Remember way back to the beginning of the month when I was secretly blogging every single day for the month of April? Do you remember me at all at this point? You know when you start getting "impatient" comments on other posts it is really, really time to blog. So here we go...Ohio in review.

Here are some of the things we did while in Ohio
1. Played games like Phase 10, Nerts, and Settlers of Catan (just Bj this time) with M & D
2. Saw Gracie 3. Took pictures of Maddie taking pictures of me 4. Finally got to see Jen...very pregnant :) 5. And Dylan who was very excited to birdy watch with me 6. Took some more iphone pictures (see 365)
7. Went to HIBACHI! 8. Got Cassie to scrapbook!
9. Tried to sleep past 8:00am, only made it to 8:05am but got to go to breakfast with M & D
10. Went scrapping with my girls! (see 365)
11. Colored eggs (missed that one unfortunately, but I'm SURE someone is going to send me some pictures??)
12. Went to Starbucks then Nancy's house and laughed (and laughed and laughed.)
13. Stayed up way too late again.
14. Went to church for Easter Sunday and saw so many old friends.
15. Got a bike!! *disclaimers-I completely forgot Lily's helmet, but she from this day forth will always wear one when riding. Also, as we have a boy who will someday need a smaller bike, yes, Lily's new bike is very boyish. BUT I pulled off all the "intimidator" and fire stickers and am now dubbing it the lady bug bike until further notice.
16. Hung out with Mor Mor and Uncle Justin!
*disclaimer...must do better about taking pictures with Grandparents and Uncles and Aunts-this is the only picture I have!
17. Had an Easter Egg hunt! 18. Were very happy with the results 19. Bj also saw I think THREE movies, had tons of boy time (thank goodness as I am getting a bit weary being his "guy" friend.) Played games, went to dinner, hung out and played guitar.
20. We had a wonderful time. And whew. Was it busy.

Christmas Day

What a wonderful day today was. Lily you woke up with so much excitement you could hardly contain yourself-you really got it this year. The excitement of Santa actually visiting and leaving presents and eating your cookies and leaving a note. It was almost more than you could bear. Charlie you didn't have quite the same reaction-we had to wake you up from your dreams of sugar plums. Off to Mor Mor's house for breakfast and present opening with Uncle Justin, Ed and of course Mor Mor. Then back to Nonnie and Bapa's house for...MORE! As predicted, Charlie your activity table has you fully entertained and after discovering that Santa had somehow found Pinocchio at Blockbuster, Lily your one Christmas wish was finally granted...at least for the next five days. We spent the next few hours napping, then up for one of the tastiest turkeys I have ever eaten with all nine of us. I am happy to report we did not have a walking miracle today, although I am sure that is just around the corner. We did have a wonderful, joyous and very blessed Christmas Day. I hope you had a great fourth Christmas Lily, and Charlie I hope your first Christmas was as enjoyable as the laughter we heard all day. Merry Christmas!

On the 5th day {before} Christmas

Tonight Lily and I decorated a Gingerbread House. And we had fun. It is delightfully imperfect and was carefully built and sweetly admired by an impressed Daddy. I think this will be a new tradition here to stay.

It smells so good...

**And it WAS SO GOOD. Although now that Tina has suggested white chocolate chips in it, I am going to have to make it again. Like tomorrow ;)

Posting a recipe (from allrecipe.com) that I have never tasted, never made before, but it smells so good baking in my oven right now that I have to share this with you RIGHT. THIS. SECOND.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey and sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon, stir into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the raisins and walnuts if desired. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sadly I wished to add some chocolate chips but alas, none to be found. I guess I will have to make it again...soon. Oh and I didn't do raisins or walnuts either...we are bare bones around these parts since the move. Breakfast is going to be good tomorrow I think :)

Ten on Tuesday

1. Seven more days in Ohio. Ohmygoodness.
2. Had a photo shoot yesterday...check here soon for a preview. All I can say is FUN.
3. Today Nonnie finally got to enjoy her birthday present, painting pottery with Lily and I. We had so much fun doing this. Took us about an hour and 15 minutes all said and done, and guess who was the last to stop? Yup, this girl. She LOVED it. Can't wait to see our finished products...in a week.
4. My eyes are killing me today. Boo.
5. We have something planned almost every minute of the last seven days. We are going to be very, very busy.
6. All I can say is Oh, oh, ooooohhhhh! Oh, oh, oooooooooohhhhh! And if you know what that means good for you. And if you don't, that's probably ok because you will just make fun of me for it anyway. Friday baby.
7. Did I mention that we are packing in the fun these days? Well we also went for ice cream. Yum. 8. All you Stow people out there be sure to join the "You know you are from Stow if..." group on Crackbook Facebook. It will CRACK. YOU. UP.
9. No really, my eyes really hurt.
10. And with that I leave you with this. She was singing to him :)