Happy Monday!

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  Ours was nice, the weather ended up being great! Jack also turned 19 months this weekend which makes me more and more sad as we get closer to 2 years.  I feel like everyday he is becoming less and less of a baby, and turning more and more into a little man.  I love this stage but I just wish I could have it a bit longer.

If anyone is a baseball fan you might know that there was a pretty big series this weekend between the Cubs and the Red Sox.  They haven't played each other since 1918 in the World Series.....Boston won.

We rooted for our Cubbies...and Jack has now learned to say "Cheese!"

 

Have a great Monday and a great week!

Something very exciting is happening...

So the day is finally here...I have been counting down the days and my wait is over!  What is it you ask?
I'll let my buddy Johnny give you a clue.....

Yes it's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN!!!!!

Now it may be a bit strange, but I love all of these movies.  I own them and can watch them over and over and over!  The husband and I are going for a date night because I had to see it the night it came out.

I have read mixed reviews, but either way, I can't wait to see it!

I hope you have a great weekend.  I hope your weather is great and that you have some time to relax.  Our weather is going to be rainy....again. 

What are your plans????

Wordless Wednesday....

just showing his muscles......

 

Check out other wordless Wednesday posts at the paper mama!

Exhausted...

You know those nights where your son is screaming all night becuase he is so stuffy and sneezy that he can't sleep?  Or those nights where your son is coughing so bad and so miserable that he only wants "Mama"?

I had one of those nights last night.  Poor guy was coughing so bad and just miserable.  This means that I am miserable today with no sleep.  I am hoping this is just a one or two day thing becuase I am not a nice person when I don't get my sleep.

Yet through all of this I can't help but LOVE it when I hear him whimper "mama? mama?".  It makes my heart melt.

It's Monday...

And I'm lazy.  I have been so run down and ready for the school year to be over that I have been slacking on many other things...taking pictures, cooking, blogging.  I promise to get better with all of them in the next week.  I am hoping to get some more energy, and time. 

In the meantime I wanted to share a super tasty, super easy meal I made last week. 

photo from eclectic recipe.com

Cashew Chicken.  I pinned it last week on Pinterest and had to try it right away.  We were not disappointed.  This was so quick and perfect for a weeknight meal.

I hope you all are doing well, and that you had a great weekend...summer is almost here!!

Cashew Chicken (courtesy of Eclectic recipes.com)

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast chopped
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 4 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
• 8 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 3/4 water or chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper
• steamed white rice

Method

1. Cook white rice according to package directions. Preheat large skillet or wok over low heat. Add olive oil, garlic and cashews to skillet. Saute over low heat until garlic becomes golden, but don’t let the garlic brown, or it will become bitter.
2. Salt and pepper chicken. Add chicken to skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add cornstarch to a small bowl with the water and mix well.  Add cornstarch and water to chicken. Then add hoisin sauce and vinegar. Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Just before serving, add green onions and serve with rice.

Wordless(ish) Wednesday....

One thing I've learned from Jack:  Enjoy the small things....like a sucker.....

Mother's Day

My second Mother's Day already.  Pretty soon I will be saying this is my 40th Mother's Day, time is going by way too fast.  We had such a nice Mother's Day, spent time at both the grandparent's homes, had bbq's at both homes and just enjoyed the 70 degree weather for maybe the third day this year. 

We had a really hard time getting any pictures with Jack.  He is at the stage where he doesn't want to sit still and doesn't want me telling him what to do.  So we try to get them when we can.

 

I couldn't ask for a nicer day.  How did you spend your Mother's Day? 

hug your mom.

(a 1970's pic of me and my mom)

I hope all of you have a wonderful Mother's Day. 

Working Madre Meals....Cinco de Mayo style..

So it's Cinco de Mayo.  Which means margaritas to me.  I also like to get in the spirit by making a meal to fit the occasion.  Today it's this:

(photo courtesy of duhlicious.com)

I just found these on dulicious.com and will be trying them for the first time tonight.  My husband and I love guacamole, so why not make them into a taquito like thing?

If you celebrate Cinco de Mayo, what will you be making?  Have a great Thursday and Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Guaquito – Guacamole Taco Rolls(makes 10 rolls)

Ingredients:

-       3 ripe Mexican avocados (slightly squishy, but with some firmness)
-       1 medium size red onion (~ ½ cup), diced
-       1 medium size tomato (I used a handful of cherry tomatoes– it’s all I had), diced
-       2 tsp lime juice
-       3 gloves of garlic (or more, up to you), minced
-       ½ jalapeño, finely chopped (less or more; again, up to you)
-       ½ tsp cumin powder
-       ¼ tsp ground cardamom
-       ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
-       1 tbsp sour cream (optional, but adds to the creamy-ness)
-       salt + pepper to taste
-       10 flour or corn tortillas
-       2 cups of oil for frying

Directions:

1. In a deep and heavy pan bring the oil to 350’F.  
   
2. Carefully cut the avocado in half, length wise, and pit the core. Using a spoon, scoop out the avocado, and dice neatly.
3. In a medium-size bowl, fold all the ingredients together. I like my guacamole to be slightly chunky—stir to the consistency you prefer.
4. Place 1 tbsp of guacamole in the center of a flour tortilla, fold the outer edges in, and tightly roll. Secure the tortilla rolls with toothpicks.
5. Fry the tortilla-guacamole rolls for 90 seconds on each side, or until golden brown. Carefully remove the rolls from the oil, and allow to cool slightly on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Serve alongside sour cream, and pico de gallo.

A new time sucker

The little free time I have has now been eliminated by something new.  Pinterest.  Pinterest is a wonderland of beautiful things.

For those of you who have never heard of this ...let me explain....
Pinterest is a site where you visually bookmark anything! You create "boards" and then when you come across a yummy recipe, a craft you want to create, something you want to do with your kids, a DIY project you want to create ...you "pin" it to one of your boards.

You can also "re-pin" ideas that other people have.

I have never realized how many things there are that I want to do, or buy, or make.
At least now I have them all in one place...and it's looks so pretty! You can check out my jewelry board here!

In order to join Pinterest, you need an invite.  I have 2 left...if you would like one just comment below.  I will give them to the first 2 that comment for one!

I've got nothing

I really do have nothing.  Things around here are pretty uneventful.  The weather is still not that great, and I did not take ONE picture this weekend. 

It was relaxing though, we did a lot of cleaing and ran a lot of errands and just relaxed.  Sometimes those are the best weekends. 

The highlight of my weekend?  This:

Yes,  Skull and Glossbones from OPI.  My all time favorite movies are the Pirates of the Caribbean series, so I was thrilled to see their own line of new OPI colors.  Now I'll just countdown the days until Of Stranger Tides opens. 

Hope you have a great Monday!

Help, and appreciate others...

Now that I am a mother I see things so differently that I used to.  It's not all about me anymore.  And with Mother's Day coming up, I can really stop and think about my mom and how she has helped me over the years. 

I know that I can always go to my mother if I ever need anything. And I know that I can always go to her for advice or just for a talk. She is everything a Mom should be, caring, helpful, kind, a good listener, and always there. 

This Mother’s Day is the perfect time to let your Mom (or other special woman in your life) know just how special they are with a thoughtful gift.  Hearts for Haiti is just that.  All items are made by women and men inside Haiti who were victims of the Earthquake of 2010. All proceeds go to provide life-saving income to the devastated communities they live in.
These are some of my favorites:

All of these are a great way to show the women in your life you appreciate them while helping a GREAT cause.


Heart of Haiti is offering all of you a 15% off code! You can use it to purchase a Mother’s Day gift from HOH!

Promocode: CLEVERGIRLS
Discount: 15% off Heart of Haiti and Rwanda Path to Peace products
Good From- 5/3 – 5/8

To purchase any product from Heart of Haiti please go here- http://bit.ly/gaalFP


I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.

You snooze..you lose, a new winner

The first winner of Blessed Baby Knits giveaway never replied, so I choose a new winner.

  #24, Heather Allen, congrats!

Please contact me at Justanothermomdayblog@gmail.com!

Wordless Wednesday...flashback

Just felt like posting some old school Jack pics....

Easter fun...

So it was a VERY busy Easter and Jack had a ball, no naps and all! I was surpised how much he LOVED looking for eggs.  He didin't care if they had things in them or not!  He also had an outfit change..it was a 2 suit day becuase both grandparents bought him suits!

I am back at work and now getting over an awful cold, but I wanted to be sure to share some Easter pics with you.
I hope all of you had a wonderful Easter also!

 Suit #1 courtesy of my mom....

and....suit #2 courtesy of my mother in law..

 The Easter Bunny brought a new "computer"

 and trucks...

 and a kalidescope