Monday Funday, sort of...

Today is Monday Funday sort of because I have to work today. I'm covering the night shift, 5pm-6am so it's not a funday kind of day.  I did get out for a walk and enjoy the day but mostly I've spent the day napping in preparation for my long night.  We did have a great weekend though enjoying the spring weather (finally) and seeing friends in Des Moines for one of my best friend's baby shower.

It's always good to catch up with my girl friends.  We only see each other a few times a year but when we get together it's like no time has passed at all.  That's the sign of true lifelong friendship.  I'm so fortunate to have these ladies in my life.

Love these ladies!

When we got home Sunday afternoon, we quickly unloaded the car and left it all by the front door and headed outside.  After being in the car for 4 hours, we had to get out and enjoy the weather. Unpacking and housework can wait!  We played in the backyard and also went to the park by our house.  I had one dirty little boy when we got home.  It was a great way to spend our afternoon.

With legs like these he was born to wear shorts. 

Daddy and E on the sand digger.

Working hard with the sand digger.

Impromptu Post

I wasn't planning on posting anything tonight. I was working on my post for tomorrow and debating whether to include a picture or not.  The picture is not very flattering of me.  I'm self conscious of my tummy and with the way I'm sitting in the picture, my flabbiness is very evident.  I wanted to include the picture though because it's of my 3 best friends and me at Mandy's baby shower.  We hadn't all been together since December and I was excited to catch up will my girls and meet Mandy's baby boy.  It was a great night and I loved hanging out with my friends.  The thing is, when I was getting ready that night, I felt really good about myself.  I liked my outfit, my hair, and I actually wore makeup other than mascara.  Why would I let a simple picture ruin that memory for me?  Am I really that shallow to not post a picture documenting a terrific night because of my tummy?  That's when I realized I was being silly and decided to write this post to give myself a reality check.  I've had a tummy my entire life and having a baby didn't help matters.  It is what it is.  It doesn't make me any less of a friend to these women, or less of a wife to my husband and certainly not less of a mother to E.  It's just who I am.  So here's the pic and I'm glad I'm posting it.  We see each other so little that every moment deserves to be captured with a picture, flabby tummy and all!

Evan M. - 11 Months

Happy 11 months to my Little Man!  E still isn't walking yet, not even a few steps.  He’ll stand a little bit on his own but he likes to have his hand on something for support.  He doesn't really need the support because he flies around the couch and the coffee table.  I think he’s just being stubborn.  In a way I’m glad he’s not walking yet, that just adds a whole other level of child proofing and watching out we need to do. 

Sharing Breakfast

He continues to amaze me every day.  He’s starting to say Mamma and Dadda and something that sounds like Josie.  He loves Josie!  He chases her around and he always wants to pet her.  E’s pretty gentle with her but occasionally an ear will get pulled.  Before E, Josie was our baby and she pretty much ruled the house.  We were nervous to see how she would react once we had E.  I’m impressed with how well Josie handles him.  She’ll let him play a little bit but then eventually she’s had enough and gets up to find a new spot.  I can see them being best buds as E get older.

We've started to wean E off formula and introduce more and more solid foods.  He pretty much eats whatever we have for dinner which makes meal planning so much easier.  So far he doesn't seem to be bothered by any foods and likes the spice, chili mac and chicken taco meat were big hits!

E spends his days playing, he’s really into blocks and books.  He also loves his slide from Grandma and Grandpa.  He prefers to go down head first and then climb back up the slide. 

E, I love you so much and I’m so lucky to be your Mom!

Meatless Monday - Week 4

This week’s Meatless Monday dish was Mike’s favorite so far and E seemed to enjoy it as well.  This week’s meal comes from Pinterest via Prevention magazine, Spaghetti Squash Casserole.  I haven’t had spaghetti squash in a long time so when I came across this recipe I was excited.  Spaghetti squash isn't in season but after 3 different grocery stores, I found one!  The recipe is very simple and easy to make.  Cooking the squash is the most time consuming part, 30 minutes in the oven.  That’s something I could do ahead of time and then I have an easy weekday meal. 

I made a mistake and used a deeper baking dish instead of the shallow one I originally roasted the squash in.  The topping of parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs is delicious and with a deeper baking dish I didn't get a lot of that.  Next time I will use the shallow dish to get all that delicious topping. 

The golden brown topping is the best!

We’re headed into our final week of Meatless Monday and I’m using spaghetti squash again next week.  There’s a decadent pasta dish I've been wanting to try from the Pioneer Woman but was waiting for a special occasion since it is pretty rich.  I’m going to try spaghetti squash instead of noodles to lighten it up.  We’ll see how it goes. 

Monday Funday

Family, accomplish, relax is how I would sum up our weekend.  Family is a big part of our lives so Mike and I try to spend as much time with family as possible.  We spent Saturday out at Mike's Mom and Dad's.  My mother-in-law was the MC of a style show hosted at their church.  The show featured clothes and accessories from local business modeled by people from the community (including my father-in-law!) and all proceeds went to support the local food shelves.  For a small town, I was impressed by the community support.  My mother-in-law did a great job as MC and I'm glad we were there to support her.  Mike's sister and one of her friends came to the show so it was good to have everyone there.

My mother-in-law the MC and father-in-law the model.
My father-in-law is ready to come out of retirement and head to
the runways of Paris!

Program for the Style Show.

Sunday was our accomplish day; errands, laundry and other chores around the house.  E has learned to take the child proof locks off the cupboards in the kitchen.  There are some cleaning supplies under the sink so we had to move those down to the basement.  Lets face it, they don't get used that much anyway so the basement is a good place for them.  We also cleaned out E's toys.  He's already accumulated so much stuff we decided to store what he really doesn't play with or he's outgrown. Our toy area in the living room looks so much better now.

Monday was our relax day.  I spent my morning cooking and then went to get a pedicure.  Now if it would only warm up so I can wear flip flops!
 

In the afternoon we had school and then came home and in honor of Earth Day, planted a tomato plant. Hopefully we have luck, I've never done a patio tomato plant before.  It will be fun to see what happens.

         
And just to document this day, April 22, here's what it looks like outside my house right now...I have no words...

A Little Mommy Guilt

From the minute I leave work, my evenings are a whirlwind.  I don’t see E in the morning so evenings are my time with him.  But I must admit, there are times when I think back to my pre-Mommy days when my evenings were all mine.  It doesn't help that E is going through a phase where from about 5-7 in the evening he’s cranky, clingy and hungry.  Not a good combination.  Thank goodness for Cheerios, they make a perfect appetizer until we can get dinner on the table. 

After dinner, there’s cleaning up to do and lunches to pack and baths to take.  Before you know it, it’s bedtime for E and me.  There are some nights I come home from work and I swear, I don’t sit down until I crawl into bed!  What happened to my evenings?  I used to stop for some shopping on my way home from work, hit up a happy hour, or on the rare occasion go to the gym.  I could come home and sit on the couch and get caught up on my trashy TV or read a book and not have to worry about someone pulling a lamp over. 

The other night I came home from work and E was still napping.  I couldn't help but feel a little happy about that.  It was nice to come home and do whatever I wanted.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching some Kourtney and Kim while catching up on Facebook and blogs.  There was no crying, climbing, or “No, No”.  It was my time and it felt great.  As soon as I heard E wake up from his nap I felt disappointed my time was over.  Then came the guilt, lots of guilt.  How could I feel disappointed about seeing my baby boy when I hadn't seen him all day?  Because he’s a lot of work that’s why!   I’m not a bad Mommy for not wanting to spend every moment with my child.  I do love spending time with E and miss him so much during the day.  I honestly can say that.  But I’m still me, and I like watching trashy TV in peace and quiet.

Adventures from the Paternal Side

This post comes from the perspective of an At Home Dad (AHD)...and the joys that go along with having that title.  Being an AHD is a very rewarding experience and one filled with many adventures.  E, or Evie as I prefer to call him, and I partake in many adventures during the week. "Adventures" come in all shapes and sizes.  My favorite thing about being an AHD is that it allows me to tap into my imaginative side.  Like anything, if you don't use it you loose it.  I find myself thinking like I did when I was a child (insert joke here...haha) but this is a good thing.  My mind is constantly thinking of ways to stimulate his sense of wonder so he can continue to explore and learn new things.  I make up stories and little rhymes to sing to him throughout the day.  If he didn't know any better he would think I was crazy, but for now my secret if safe.


Our days are spent going for walks outside when the weather is nice or taking a trip to a store.  Recently, Evie and I have built forts out of pillows.  He absolutely loves to climb on couch cushions and fall onto pillows.

Our adventures can be grand, such as a trip to Edinburough Park.

Or, adventures can be simple such as hiding under a blanket and popping up with a Peak-a-Boo, which often triggers a squeal of laughter.  It's the simple adventures that are my favorites:-)