Look Who's Walking

My little man has definitely taken his time meeting milestones, but I have always been okay with that because he still seems more like a baby that way. He didn't crawl on his hands and knees until he was 11 months. I thought walking was much farther off then it is. He is finally getting the hang of moving forward.

It is somewhat bittersweet for me to see him conquering these milestones; however, moving forward is such a positive perspective on life and babies embrace this the most. They are never scared of change and always excited for the next thing life has to offer.

I am definitely proud of this baby big boy, but still will not refer to him as a toddler ; )

Note to self. Next time video with a real video camera and not a picture camera. Mental note saved!

Sorry for the blurriness :)

Happy Tuesday!

What was that Honey??

It is mind boggling to me some days on how down right comedic our lives can be. None of this happened until I became a momma, but trying to get everyday task done with a 1 year old can get quite hilarious. Just yesterday we were in Market Street; I was just running in to grab a pound of chicken. In a matter of 10 minutes the munchkin managed to spit up 3 times; yes I am convinced I will be sending him to Kindergarden spitting up. Amidst the frustration sometimes all I can do is laugh that I am wiping spit up off of the side of an isle, the floor, as well as my purse. Which leads to this.....

Like I said in the last post, Pinterest has change my life in the kitchen, so much so that I have surpassed Betty Crocker to become Better Crocker : ). If that doesn't make sense read my last post.

 I was in the middle of cooking dinner when I looked over to see little man doing this.

He loves this particular box of dog treats so much that I have turned around before and he has had one sticking out of his mouth. Where is the camera when you need it?!?!

I redirected him and turned around 2 minutes later to find him unloading every plastic baggy in 3 boxes. At that point I had to give up because 1) It was keeping him entertained and 2) it allowed me enough time to wash the raw chicken off my hands. 

He migrated over to the drawer, at which point momma cracked open a Corona and watched as he played enthralled at the strainers and pans. I LOVE that he is at the age that everything is new and amazing to him, so fun to watch and maks those, ahem... frustrating moments so much more bearable!

He was quickly redirected when he decided the cabinets with all the bakeware was where he needed to play and from there it all went down hill. A fit or two was being thrown when Daddy walked through the door and this is where I sit and ponder.

 Daddy came in scooped up Crewe and started talking to him, like he does everyday. He continues to talk and I here him say to Crewe, "Daddy doesn't like to walk in and find you giving Momma a hard time. You need to be nice to Momma. Trust me, I know!" I stopped stirring for a moment, turned around to find them walking towards the hallway and caught myself before saying, "What is that supposed to mean". It was significant moment in my life that I decided to pick my battle and this is not one I was willing to fight. I write this and still wonder what he meant by that. : )

Hope everyone had a great week!

Dr. Appt, Grease, and a Meal

My little munch has be sick for going on 2 weeks now. I typically like to let his little body get over these things on its own, but his fever was getting a little out of my comfort zone, so we decided a trip to the doctor was necessary. For all you mommas out there, the nurse practicioner told me that you don't really have to worry until the fever gets over 105. Who woulda thought?! I also learned that ibuprofen is more effective at bringing a fever down in a infant that tylenol. I know I am a wealth of knowledge today! ; )
Crewe has been sneezing and couching up a storm. Oh and you are not considered cool in our house unless you walk around with a noodle on your shoulder. In case you ever come over you have been warned.

Chillin with Scout, waiting for the Dr. to call us back.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Playing with his Nemo sticker.

Who me?

Telephone outlets are the new "it" toy in case you didn't know. Keeping an active baby happy in a germ infested place is no easy task. Yes I am THAT mom. :)

Another important tidbit of information I must share. Have you ever tried these little gems? 

No? Well let me tell you, if you are a chip fanatic like myselft, but don't like that one serving of cheetos is only 13, these are a game changer. You can eat and entire container of these for same amount of calories in those 13 measley cheetos.

See for yourself! Momma has polished off serveral of these containers, in 1 sitting, by myself, since Crewe started solids. 

Onto the Grease, aka: your skin has never felt so gloriously soft. Our skin is so dry this time of year and I have never figured out a lotion that can not only treat it but also prevent it, UNTIL I stumbled upon this little concoction. All of this can be purchased at the Dollar Store for only $8.36. You know they really should rename that store to the Three to Five Dollar Store, since hardly anything in there is a dollar anymore. Anywho, this will last you a while and is definitely worth the money.

Crewe LOVES helping his Daddy make this stuff. We usually end up finding lotion strung all over the kitchen before we are finished.

Just dump it all into a bowl, mix together, and get ready to say hello to the softest skin ever. It works best to mix with an actually mixer rather than a spoon.

He always gives us this look when we let him do something he normally can't touch.

We try to be as economical as possible since I have started staying at home, so we just scoop it all back into the original containers. It is really too thick to put into any kind of squeeze bottle. Crewe gets lathered in this every night after his bath and smells delicious.

Pinterest has changed my life when it comes to my cooking abilities. I literally went from despising cooking to your everyday Better Crocker in days. My hubby would most definitely agree. I NEVER used to cook.

I made this yummy recipe and it is sure to please even a picky eater. An added bonus, it is a Weight Watcher meal. I have never followed weight watchers myself, but know some people who have had incredible results thanks to it. It is 9 points for 3 shells if anyone is interested.

I also modified the recipe just a bit by using a rotisserie chicken. Anything to save time when you only cook during naptime.



(Source)

12 jumbo pasta shells

1 1/2 c pasta sauce
2 large egg whites, gently beaten
1 1/2 c part skim ricotta cheese
4 oz. chicken, cooked and diced
1 c frozen spinach (chopped) thawed (drain all excess water)

2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp chopped basil
3/4 c part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350
Cook shells in boiling water according to the directions on box.
Rinse with cold water and set aside for later use.

Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread 1/2 c of pasta sauce evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

For filling: Stir together egg whites, ricotta, chicken, spinach, garlic powder, basil, and seasoning. Stir in 1/4 c of mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Fill each shell with mixture and place filled shells in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Spread remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 30 minutes.

Pinterest and other blogs have given me so many new ideas for cooking and making it healthy. I think I might start posting a recipe a week to share with anyone who reads my blog. What do ya'll think about that?

Stream of conciousness might have been a more appropriate title for this post seeing as how jumpy it is! :)

Get ready for a walking post becuase my boy is a walker!

 Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

How to put it nicely

I am going to get on my soapbox for 1 blog post. It is something that weighs on my heart and I feel makes everybody have just a tinge of insecurity about themselves. I have fallen quilty many times to comparing my life, marriage, parenting to other peoples through social medias, to the point that it has effected my daily life because I wonder what is wrong with x, y, or z in my life.  I have never been able to figure out why everyone always feels the need to act like their life is perfect. So many people constantly only post the positive and don't get me wrong I think trying to be positive is always good, but I don't get the vibe that is their intention. It is as if they want everybody to think they are not human in how perfect they make their life out to be. The perfect marriage, house, job, kids, you know the people. I think we would all feel a little more secure in ourselves if everyone, who chooses to expose their life whether it be through facebook, blogging, twitter, etc..., was honest about their life.

 I just think people have stopped acting REAL! What is so wrong with other people knowing you have struggles in your life?!? Life can be joyous and life can be hard. I would much rather have people around me in the joyous and even more so in the hard than try to keep up with the perfect persona and be isolated when life gets hard.

I can't tell you how many times I have read something that I completely relate to that somebody has posted and it makes me feel a little more secure and normal in the person I am. It is my goal in 2012 to find my balance in between being honestly happy and honestly real. For people to feel like they can relate to me and know I have my struggles in my marriage, in parenting, and there are skeletons in my closet too.

Here is where I will start. I struggle sooo much with my body image. When I was pregnant I was obssessed with not gaining to much weight and gave myself a 12 week window after delivery to get back to my pre pregnancy weight. I have been like this as long as I remember. Body image has always been one of the tops things on my list. Sometimes when I look at myself it breaks my heart a little that it is soo important to me. In my head I know there are so many more important things in life than body image and my goal in 2012 is to let go and focus the energy that I am no longer using on obssessing about my body image to reading the Bible, playing with Crewe, and being okay if I miss a work-out.

Ok I am steppin down :)

I would love to hear about goals you have set to make you a better you.

And just so I don't have a post without a picture.I Love, Love, Love when this little guy sits with one leg tucked up and the other sticking straight out.

Monthly Stickers: Say What???

Can I tell you I totally failed at the cute stickers you can buy from etsy to put on a onesie to show how many months your little one is. TOTALLY FAILED!!!! I missed the first 2 months because I did not have them yet and maybe achieved months 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11! Mom of the year right here! Now that I am looking I am more than a failure at it. What would that be? An uber failure. Either way here is proof that I have kept up with him even though he doesn't have cute little ties on all his shirts to prove it.

Month 2, mommy is still a little frazzled from the lack of sleep and her bra straps are hanging out.

Month 3, Momma is starting to slowly feel like a momma and not like the hospital was CRAZY sending me home with this little human.

Month 4, you are actually starting to act like you like me and that I am not just a dairy cow. Sorry but that is how I felt the first 4 months.

Month 5, your daddy is starting to show more and more in your personality, which is a good thing, because your momma can be a little up tight and organized which might not make you too popular in school if you take after me! 

Month 6, MIA

Month 7, Looking as precious as ever

Month 8, MIA

Month 9, finally starting to get the hang of being vertical.

Month 10, first experience at the fair. Don't worry your momma ate enough for 3 grown adults.

Month 11, actually remembered to put the tie on you and man do you look like a little man here.

Month 12.5, you are officially looking and acting like a toddler. Fits and all. 

Sooooo, I offically remembered to put 3 out of 12 ties on this little guy. Hopefully I will be more successful with my next babe. Love your smile little boy!

DMV = H E double hockey sticks

So I have now been married for almost 4 months and had yet to get my license updated because I have horrible memories of what the DMV can be like when you go by yourself, nevermind trying to accomplish this task with an infant.Well Friday I set out to get this done, after all I am a Moran now. Crewe's naps didn't quite pan out how I had hoped but darnit I was going to cross this off of my to do list. I wholeheartedly function off of to do list. When I say Crewe's naps didn't pan out that means he slept a whole 15 minutes for his morning nap which is usually 1.5 hours. You need to know that to get the full effect of the situation when we walked into the DMV at 2 pm with literally 100 people waiting and people commenting how they had been waiting for 2.5 hours. I tried to get a picture of the waiting room, but decided it might seem a little creepy for me to take a picture of 100+ strangers. Crewe really did remarkable well considering we were scrunched in a small space.

I kept him entertained for the first 30 minutes by letting him put gum in and out of a packet. He thought it was the best.
 

This is about the point that I started sweating more than the average female. He was getting antsy and tired. The gum had lost its aura and he was ready to go. I was wishing I hadn't worn a gray shirt as well

He started launching the gum at people and it crossed my mind that this would be so much easier if he was still in my stomach than an active 1 year old. I think I have already mentioned how social my little guy has gotten in the past month and has gotten quite determined that he does not need to hold on to anybody when he walks. He sooo still needs a hand when he walks. Literally 100+ people where watching me chase him around (sweat stains and all) the DMV and probably hoping I would not sit next to them.

I made a comment to the lady next to me for a nano second and when I turned back to Crewe he had walked himself over to a gentleman that looked rather gangster (sorry if that offends) and was trying to feed the guy his yogurt puffs (crossed my mind to take a picture and then common sense kicked in).  I was mortified and had to remind him, not everyone wants to be his best friend. In all seriousness the guy ended up being super nice. Anywho, 2.5 hours later our number was called, FINALLY, we got up to the counter, Crewe spit up all over the place, the lady looked at me like I was digusting, we had our picture taken and I am officially a Moran (was that a run-on)?

Hope everyone had a great week~

Party for 2

It is so neat to be able to be a momma with my sister even though we don't live in the same city we definitely try to make up for lost time when we get the boys together. I remember taking baths with other kids when I was small. Sidenote: some of those other kids are full grown men now with wives and kids so it kind of creeps me out when I see them to think I used to take a bath with them when we were small, end sidenote. Either way, Wyatt and Crewe took a bath together one night while they were here and it went pretty smoothly. At the first mention of it I had visions of Crewe getting dunked in the tub, but Wyatt proved me wrong. In fact it was Crewe who made bath time come to an end.

Poor Mr. Wyatt had to were a girl diaper after, if I recall correctly, having a blowout and no back up.

They both look a little concerned about what is going on.

 Putting pajamas on two active boys is no easy task especially when one of those boys was not at all happy about his sweet cousin spitting up in the tub causing bathtime to end way before he was ready. Sorry Wyatt!

This has nothing to do with cousins taking a bath, but I came out to this after putting Crewe down for bed and a husband doing laundry. Really did I get that lucky! The note made me laugh out loud.

I cannot believe it is a new year!