Thrifty Finds

Today, we ran out to get detergent for his cloth diapers and kill an hour before nap time. I use regular poweder Tide on my diapers and they come out smelling clean and fresh. I am not a big fan of the "non-smelly" cloth diaper detergents and we use other detergents for our normal clothes. Anyway, I don't know about your area but is impossible to find a small box of Tide around here. They are HUGE and expensive. I don't have the space or money to justify buying such a large box even it will last into the next millennium. So I headed to my local Family Dollar store where they have small box for $5.25. I used a $1 off coupon and now I can go back to having clean smelling diapers.
After getting our detergent, we ventured down the local thrift store in the same shopping center. The first area I usually always check out is the boys clothing section to see if I can pick up any good deal on name brand stuff for E. Today was my lucky day! I scored three pairs of overall for $11 buck and change. One pair of jean OshKosh, another pair of jean OshKosh but shorts, and a pair of brown corduroy Arizona Jean Co. (cheaper). So there we have it, my boy will be again sporting overalls since the one we have before had become too small!

I really encourage all mama to try second hand shopping for your rapidly growing babes. I have found great success and am sure you will too. Happy thrifting!

How do you start your morning??

I start mine with a TJs cereal bar and vanilla soy mik. I also watch a little Sprout!

Early Saturday Morning

Another Saturday Morning
I am up before the sun
the only "one" wake
with a cup of coffee in hand
a pup at my feet
taking some time for me
to be alone and talk to God.

Good Morning everyone! I hope your day is amazing.

Mealof the Day

Wednesday

Saucy Chicken over Rice (Family Recipe)

Thursday
Hamburger Steaks with Onion Gravy
Steamed Broccoli topped with Mild Aged Cheddar
Roasted Mini Yukon Potatoes

I love the library!

Today was a odd day. Last night we had a snowstorm that resulting in a loss of power for lots of home in our area. We lost power at around 8:30 last night and we when we work up this morning, it was still out. Although work was delayed 2 hours, I refused to leave NK at home with E without any power. Plus, let's be honest...my crazy curly haired self did not want to be see at work without a shower. So I quickly developed a plan...breakfast! The roads were clear enough that we could got to breakfast and kill some time. Daddy decided to stay behind bundled underneath the covers. My sweet boy enjoyed a yummy, big breakfast at Cracker Barrel and came back home to see if we had power yet. Still now power, so we played for about an hour in our 56 degree house and that was about allI could stand. I called our local library and much to my suprise...they were open regular hours! So off we went to kill time before E's nap. It was awesome. There was barely anyone there. I checked out a few mamacentric books and they proceeded to the children's are where they have tables, puzzles, and a large busy box. Emory had a lovely time and I conversed with another mama while our children played. We even made a Valentine's Card for Veteran's down at the VA Hospital in Richmond. This was a special event the library was sponsoring this month. As such, the provided all the materials needed. I also swooped up the calendar of events for next month and plan to take Emory to at least one. What more can you ask for and all for free?

Meal of the Day (Catch Up)

Monday:
BBQ Chicken Breasts, Bone In (TJs Organic or All Natural, can't remember)
Egg Noodles
Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Almonds

Tuesday:
Chili
Rice
Corn Bread

Growing Up

Our baby boy is really growing up! He is making great strides in a lot of areas including eating more table foods.

1)He is still not sold on veggies but continues to eat his purees, well the orange and yellow ones anyway. He is going through a phase where everything green in the enemy! So we ill keep working on that by continuing to present it to him at meal time. He is also trying to master using a fork and spoon.

2) He is drinking a little whole milk in each bottle (2) and having no tummy issues so far! Keep your fingers crossed. I would really like to stop buying toddler formula soon.

3) He is down to just 2 bottles per day, one early morning and one after nap time.

4) He is starting to use his paci less and less. We are leaving it in the crib in the morning (He tosses it in) and leave it there until naptime. He is allowed to have it if needed in the car so daddy and I don't go bonkers!

Meal of the Day

"French Dip" Sandwiches

-Shaved Roast Beef (TJs, Veg Feed All Natural)

-Provolone Cheese

-Grilled Onions and Red Pepper

-TJs Ciabbatta Rolls

-Spring Mix

-Seasoned Beef Broth

Sunday Football

From August through early February, Sunday afternoons are designated to football. And it is not just because my hubby is a fan. I really like it too! It is very comforting to me and reminds me of time with my family, especially my dad. He has always been a big sports fan. No wonder why I married NK, who is a big sports guy!

Before the game, we went out for a quick trip to Trader Joe's to get our meat for the week as well as some veggies and other odd and ends. Now we are back home, watching the game and ready for a snack. I just made some fresh salsa for us to enjoy while watching the game.

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Meal of the Day

Filet Mignon (TJs All Natural,Vegetarian Feed)
Diced Oven Roasted Garlic Potatoes
Sugar Snap Peas Lightly Seasoned with Butter and Garlic
Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms

Super Saturday

I made it to Saturday! It was a long week for me and I am so happy the weekend is here. It is super cold here in VA and I am planning to stay close if not at home completely. Unfortunately, Emory picked up a cold so he has been very congested all week. He started a little coughing last night which I am praying is just a result of the draining. He has been doing really well on eating "big people" food and we are just giving him more or less what we eat. His daddy has been working with him to use a spoon and he is going really well.

Here are some of the things on my goal/to-do list for today:

-Laundr= wash, dry, fold, put away
-Pick up pants from the seamstress
-Use 100% Cloth Diapers Today
-Organize my Coupons
-Meal Plan and Make my Grocery List
-General House Clean Up

Have a great one everybody!

Meal of the Day

Hard Shell Tacos with Ground Beef
Refried Beans

Emory ate tortilla chips and dipped them in refried beans. He also ate cheddar cheese and a little lettuce.

Meal of the Day

Meatloaf (TJ Ground Beef, Sauteed Onions and Carrots, Bread Crumb and Cubes, Misc Seasonings)
Mashed Potatoes (Real Potatoes) with Gravy
Vegetable (TBD)



I am finding great success in expanding E's palate by allowing him to have more control and "dipping". This afternoon's snack was hummus and pita bread that he dippered himself!

16 Months

Has it really been 16 months since you came into our lives and turned it upside down in the best possible way? Oddly enough, it seems like you have been with us forever and I guess in some ways you have been. You are growing, learning, and changing everyday. You are definitely into full blown toddlerhood and it has presented some "unique" challenges lately. You are still happst in the morning and I love going in your room in the morning to see your smiling face. You are a ball of energy. Here are a list of your recent accoomplishments:

- You are able to follow lots of simple directions, like "please put your clothes in the hamper" or "please get your shoes"

-You enjoy coloring with Daddy and even put your crayons back in the cubby when you are done!

-You have learned to "pretend sleep" by mock snoring just like mama does. It is the cutest freakin' think ever.

-You climb everything, every box, chair, or pillow in site.

-You love mama to hold you when she is trying to cook or clean.

-You are OBSSESSED with plugs and outlets which drives us bonkers!

-You can figure out how to change the TV channel using the remote

-You love shaking your booty to all types of music.

-You love drinking lemon water and don't like drinking milk from a cup

-You love being outside and get quite upset if we bring you in too early

-You are learning how to whisper

These are just a few of the things you are doing lately but most importantly you ROCK OUR WORLD! We are amazed by you each day and love you more than ever.

Cloth Diapers, Continued

It is has been several months since I have been CDing on a more regular basis. It took me a little bit to get into my groove and figure out what worked best for us but once I got started there was little turning back. We still use disposables since NK is not keen on the whole cleaning poo issue but our consumption has been greatly reduced which saves money and the environment! My thought process about CDs has greatly evolved. I went from thinking I would only use them at night to using them all day and even going out with them. I just throw a small wetbag in my diaper bag and off I go! Heck I even bring along my cloth wipes! We do spend most of our time here at home because that is who we are but I am no longer afraid of the leaks. I experienced leaks with the Gs and it nearly did me in! Those days are long behind me and I now a CD advocate to other mamas. My current inventory consists of:

4 BumGenius V 3.0 AIO, Sized
2 BumGenuis V4.0 AIO, One Size
1 Smartipants AIO
2 Bummis Whisper Wraps, Medium
1 Bummis Superbrite Wrap, Medium
1 Thirsties Duo Wrap, Size 2
1 Thirstie Wrap, Medium
12 pre-fold diapers
6 hemp inserts

I really love all of my diapers and wraps except for the regular Thirsties Wrap. It is just too big for my narrow boy. He is so active that when he runs it starts slowly sagging down. So my cousin who has a little chunky monkey and I are going to trade her Bummis for my Thirties.

I am continuing down my path of more simple parenting and so far so good.

Meal of the Day

Oven Roasted Chicken (Trader Joe's Natural Split Breasts)
Basmati Rice
Homemade Gravy
Baby Spinach with Garlic and Olive Oil

Emory at the same meal!! What an accomplisment. I had to kind of "hide" the spinach and mix it with rice but it worked. I am working to get him adjusted to a healthy table food diet.

Meal of the Day

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Garlic Breadsticks

We hosted la familia and still had leftovers!

Meal of the Day

TAKE OUT-Italian Subs and Mozzarella Sticks! Just for the mama and papa! Baby ate something much healthier.

Food

I have to admit that prior to having E and even when he was little, I had some pretty strong conviction about the type and quality of food that he would be permitted to eat. I managed to go quite a long time controlling and limiting his intake to healthy food. I am embarrassed to admit that I have let myself convictions weakened and my will power slide. I really want to change this. I can fully admit that Emory eats thing I would rather him not because either I am eating it or it is easier at the time. It is increasingly challenging as we break away from pureed food and try to transition to table food. My hubby and I are not junk food junkies by any stretch but we do enjoy some junk. I lean towards salty/crunchy and he leans toward sweet. We do not give Emory candy, except for an occasional bit here or there. He does however eat more processed.salty things that I would prefer so guess what??? I am going to work change it and in the process change my ways as well! There are extensive advice columns out there they discuss how small children model eating patterns after their parents. Makes sense right? No kid comes out of the womb craving a chicken nugget. Now I will no sign myself for failure by saying he will never have junk, it just isn't realistic but I can go as far to say it will be limited to one meal once or twice per week. So today is a new day and back to being the food nazi I used to be!

Meal of the Day

Meal of the Deal:

"Salsbury Steak" baked with gravy and onions
Mashed Potatoes
Peas

Meal of the Day

Oven "Fried" Pork Chops
Buttered Macaroni with Parmesean (Our new favorite)
Corn

*Not a lot of color in this meal but pork chops were nice an crispy using Old Autry's seasoning.

Meal of the Day

Meal of the Day:
Seasame Ginger Marinated Chicken Breast topped with Pineapple
Basmati Rice
Steamed Fresh Broccoli

*UPDATE- I ened up changing this up a little. I stir fried the chicken with garlic, yellow pepper, and pineapple. I had all the ingredients here at home and I think it came out nice. Brocoli was TOO PLAIN. But overall a nice meal and I took the leftovers for lunch!

Sunday 1/9/2011

Meal of the Day:
Fried Chicken*
Scalloped Potatoes*
Green Beans
Tomato Wedges with Dressing
Butter Biscuits
Sweet Tea

*These two dishes were made from scratch.

Saturday 1/8/2009

Hooray! Emory is 16 mths old today.

Meal of the Day:
Braised Beef Tenderloin
Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Almonds
Buttered Macaroni with Parmesean Cheese

My Playroom is Back!!

Ever since we moved into our home in May 2009, we have never had a formal dining room set up. Sure we had the table and chairs but never felt compelled to set it up. On the advice of my MIL, we ended up making it a "playroom/mini nursery" when Emory was born. In fact, it was in complete disarray when we left to go have Emory and when I came home a few days later...poof! It was a done. Sure there was still lots of unrelated stuff in there but as the months progressed, the non-baby stuff moved out and we began setting it up as an official playroom. As Emory grew, the infant items were removed and finally the changing table and pack-n-play were removed. As I stated in an earlier post, we hosted Thanksgiving and a bridal shower here recently. To help accomodate everyone, my husband set up the dining room table...great right? WRONG!! I hated it and after some persuasion the table is again downstairs in storage and my playroom is back!! I even found a table and chairs to add to the room for arts and crafts. It is a Crayola Erasable Table that I scored a great deal on at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It was only $16.50!!

TGIF

Stuffed Peppers
Mashed Potatoes
Rice Krispie Treats

Thursday (1/6/11)

LEFTOVER NIGHT!!!

Wednesday (1/6/11)

Meal of the Day:

White Chicken Chili garnish with Jack Cheese and Sour Cream
Rice
Corn Bread

Tuesday (1/5/11)

Dinner with the In-laws (Carraba's), YUM-O!!!

Monday (1/4/11)

Mushroom Gravy Pot Roast (Crockpot)
Buttered Macaroni with Parmesean Cheese
Green Beans

Meal of the Day

Country Style BBQ Pork Ribs
Steamed Broccoli
Basmati Rice (You will see this A LOT)
Corn Bread

Thought for the day

Just because we may do things differently, does not mean either peson is wrong.