It's been a while

I have not posted in a while!  I am so sorry, this week has been crazy.  We have ISAT'S coming up (state testing) and getting ready for them is crazy.  We also had a pot luck hosted by the neighborhood parents last night; add that on to keeping our place clean, taking care of Jack, cooking and having a minute or two to myself.  I sometimes feel like everyday is a repeat. 

I actually was thinking this morning that I can't wait until things become a little more "normal".  Right now it's work, home, sleep, repeat.  When weekends come I want to clean, run errands, work out, there is time for nothing else.  I'm too tired to go out, and too tired to work out on most weeknights, no time to read or shop or even watch TV.  I wonder though, if things will ever be "normal" again.  Maybe this is just how things are going to be from now on. 

I think Jack feels the same way as me about this week.

New Giveaway: Newly Hatched Personalized Burpcloth!

CLOSED! Congrats Sarah, you will be contacted by email!

Burpcloths are a "must have" for every mom.  I have learned that the hard way.  Everytime I go out without one, Jack ends up spitting up all over himself, or me.  Since they are a necessity, why not have a cute, personalized burpcloth and show off yours (and your baby's) personality at the same time!

Newly Hatched (http://www.etsy.com/shop/NewlyHatchedBaby) is a wonderful shop on Etsy featuring funtional, custom made items for your little one.  Her burpclothes will turn heads and make you the envy of all your friends!  This is the perfect "Welcome Baby" gift for your friends or as a gift to yourself!

The winner of this giveaway will be able to choose the burpcloth of their choice, with a range of color and font options to choose from.

In order to receive an entry please do one of the following:

1. Visit Newly Hatched Etsy shop at  http://www.etsy.com/shop/NewlyHatchedBaby  and comment below about which burpcloth you will choose if you win.

2. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs (if you leave a comment on there you will receiv 1 extra entry)

3. Follow my blog (if you already follow just let me know)

4.  Blog about this giveaway on your blog (3 extra entries)
5.  Subscribe to my blog.

Please leave a separate comment for each item you complete along with your email.  Contest will end Tuesday March 2 at 7pm, and winner will be notified by email.  Good Luck!!!

Working Mom Meals #7:Spicy Whole Wheat Pasta with Arugula

As I made this meal Friday I thought, "I totally forgot about adding this to my blog!"  This should have been my first recipe on here.  We love it.  It is an oldie but goodie in our house.  I love the spice the arugula gives and the fire roasted tomatoes are a great addition.  It's so simple, and a great meal for those who do not eat meat during lent.  Recipe courtesy of Rachel Ray.

Ingredients:
Salt
1 pound whole wheat pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 1 small red onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
One 28-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
Black pepper
1 cup grated parmesean cheese
4 cups arugula, coarsely chopped

Directions: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water.

While the pasta is working, in a deep skillet, heat the olive oil, 4 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, then the tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Add the pasta and reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet and toss for 1 minute. Add the cheese, then toss in the arugula and cook until wilted, 1 minute longer.

4 months..

It's amazing to me that four months have passed.  120 days, 16 weeks.  I feel like just yesterday you were put into my arms.  Now it seems everyday you are growing so much, everyday you become more and more my "little man".  I want these days to last forever.  I want to remember every single moment with you.  I want to forget about work, cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping...life, and just stare at those big blue eyes and that heart-breaking smile.  That smile gets me everytime.  It's amazing how even a smile can grow up.  That smile is becoming more and more a part of you, and making you the person that you are.  As months go on I can't wait to see each little personality trait come out....but for now.  I'll just enjoy your smile.

 

The Mini Social

The Mini social is a site I read about on another blog, and immediately joined.  It is great! There are new deals daily for moms and babies.

Click on the link below to join and check it out!

https://www.theminisocial.com/myaccount.php?invitation=41854

Working Mom Meals #6: Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms

Chicken with Creamy Mushrooms

I found this in my new issue of Real Simple magazine Thursday, and decided to make it that night.  This meal takes 20 minutes TOTAL, and is simple and delecious.  This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:
4 thin chicken cutlets
olive oil
salt, peppers
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4cup heavy cream
1/4 cup goat cheese
chopped parsely to taste

1.Season 4 thin chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. In batches, cook in olive oil over medium-high heat until golden; remove.


2.Add 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms to pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender. Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup goat cheese, and chopped parsley. Serve with the chicken

Happy Heart Day

"your love is better than chocolate, better than anything else that I've tried..."

-sarah mclachlan

Every day is Valentine's Day when you're here, your smile fills the air with love! I would choose you over chocolate anyday!!!

Growing, Growing, Grown

We are  going to attempt to get Jack to sleep in his crib tonight for the first time. Saying goodbye to his bassinet is like saying goodbye to his babyhood.  I have been putting this off for weeks, saying "oh we'll do it next week".  Now his feet are touching the end of the bassinet and the bassinet is looking smaller and smaller.

Do you ever wish you could freeze time?  Just to be able to really enjoy and take in every moment of your baby's life?  That's how I feel right now.

Giveaway: Crazy Baby Knits

CLOSED: Congrats Julie!!!!!

My third giveaway is so cute I want to buy it for everyone I know that has a little one!  Crazy Baby Knits (http://www.etsy.com/shop/crazybaby), sells 100% cotton hand made hats for your little guy or girl, and loves custom orders.  This little mokey hat will keep your little one warm on those cold winter days and they will look so stylish in the process!  These hats are the perfect baby shower gift!!!

In order to receive an entry please do one of the following:

1. Visit Crazy Baby Knit's site at http://www.crazybabyaccessories.webs.com/ and comment below about your favorite item in either of her shops.

2. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs (brown button on the left)

3. Follow my blog

Please leave a comment telling me you have done one, or all three with your email address.  Contest ends Wednesday February 17th at 7pm.....good luck!

Working Mom Meals #5: Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Since we are scheduled to get a big storm tomorrow this will be the perfect snowy day meal. And really, who doesn't like mac and cheese? This recipe is adapted from foodnetwork.com. 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
8 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
4 ounces mozzarella, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:

3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Before we start Mom and me swim classes I thought I would take Jack to the pool to get him used to it.  He loves his baths so I figured he would love the pool.   We were right.

He couldn't stop staring at the water, and loved the waterfall.  After swimming he took a very loooooong nap.

Good Times

I decided after 2 1/2 years to finally make a photo book from our honeymoon.  So as I sat last night looking at the pictures of our 10 day cruise I got a little choked up and sad.  Not sad about my life now, I  woudln't trade it for anything; more of a growing up sad.

Somestimes it's hard for me to remember how life was before Jack.  Yes it's only been 3 months, I know, but when I look at our smiles in those pictures and think about how perfect that vacation was, it seems like lifetimes ago.  Neither of us had a clue how to raise a baby, and thoughts of having one were in the way distant future.  All we thought about then was us, having fun and material things for us. We had no idea what was in store for us some two years later, how our lives would so magically be touched by another human being.

I get sad sometimes thinking how we are only getting older and how we will never have those moments again, but I also think about the times ahead.   We will have many other fun times.  These times may not involve beer, and wine and McDonalds at 3 am, but they will be times that are so much better in so many different ways.  And in another 3 years I will probably look back at pictures of Jack and his first three years of life, and feel exactly the same way.  I am learning now to not take one second for granted.  Even when I feel like I can't hear one more second of crying, I instead need to think that in ten years I will wish for these days back. 

Kids say the craziest things..

With my job I work with many different children throughout the school and today one of them said to me, "How can you be a mom? You are a teacher!"

I am starting to wonder the same thing myself.

New Giveaway!

CLOSED...congrats coupon clippin mommy!!!

My new giveaway is so cute you'll want to order one for every little aspiring artist you know!  KimGDesigns (http://www.etsy.com/shop/KimGDesigns) makes these adorable little crayon caddies as well as custom shirts, onsies, bibs and baby feeding sets.  She loves custom orders, and if you purchase something from her store before February 16,  she will donate 15% of each sale to the Red Cross to help the people of Haiti. So you can buy something adorable for a gift or for yourself and help people! 

These cute crayon caddies hold 16 crayons and are perfect for restaurants, Grandma's house or long car rides! They roll up and are so easy to tote around, are made from 100% cotton fabric and there are so many options to choose from. 

Kim  is a stay at home mom with two little ones so take a look at her shop and please enter my giveaway! Contest will end Tuesday February 9th at 7pm, and you will be able to choose from a boy or girl fabric for your crayon caddy.

You will receive one entry for each of the following:

1. Visit KimGDesigns shop on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/KimGDesigns) and comment below about your favorite item in her shop.
2. Vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs (brown button on the left)
3. Follow my blog

Please leave a comment telling me you have done one, or all three with your email address...good luck!

Picture of the Day...

This moment of peace lasted a whole fifteen minutes before he punched himself in the face and started screaming.....

Working Mom Meals #4. Corn Chowder

With the cold weather here in the Midwest, we are always looking for a good bowl of soup.  Mondays has become our soup day at home.  This corn chowder will fill your stomach with warm goodness, and it's super simple to make. 
Just to clarify, these are not recipes I have invented, these are recipes I have found, tried and loved, and they are super easy to make.  I only wish I had time to also come up with the recipes!!!!

This recipe is adapted from Paula Deen on Foodnetwork.com.  I also add crumbled bacon to it when serving which makes it taste even better!!!

Ingredients:

1stick of butter
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 small celery stalk, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups white corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups half-and-half or 2% milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Melt 1 stick of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook until the roux is lightly browned; set aside to cool to room temperature.

Combine the corn and chicken stock in another saucepan, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the boiling stock with the corn (a little at a time) into the saucepan with the roux, whisking briskly so it doesn't lump. Return the skillet to the heat and bring to a boil. The mixture should become very thick.


In a small saucepan, gently heat the half-and-half; stir it into the thick corn mixture. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy!