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Friday, May 23, 2014
I always planned to just buy the pre-made baby food at the store. I'm all about easy around here. But when I noticed how much my child eats and how dang expensive that baby food is, I decided to try making it. I got lots of advice from my friend Brittany who also has a baby about Scotty's age and exclusively makes her own baby food. Enter two of my best friends these days:
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Munchkin Steamer and Chopper here.
And Blendtec here.
I went to Sprouts yesterday (on Thursdays students and teachers get 10% off!) and stocked up on fruits and veggies.
I experimented with two different kinds:
Green beans with avocado and applesauce
and
Peach-Blueberry
I decided to try green beans and peaches homemade because so far Scotty isn't digging those two in the store-bought version.
I chopped and steamed the green beans in the chopper and steamer (you just pop it in the microwave, so easy!), threw them, some avo and applesauce (for texture and flavor) in the blendtec on "smoothie" and let er rip! It was quick and easy and Scotty really liked it!
When I steamed the peaches and blueberries (peels and all) they smelled like pie! I tasted it and definitely gave it the thumbs up. P.S. I haven't had the guts to try ANY of Scotty's store-bought food. That's bad, right?
I got the covered ice-cube tray tip from Brittany. It's perfect because they have silicone bottoms and then you can pop the cubes out, throw them in a baggy and save them for later use! I'm excited to try some more recipes!
And I know I have posted this meal before but it is just too good not to share. It's one of my favorite quick dinners.
BLEAT Sandwich.
Aka, Bacon, Lettuce, Egg, Avo and Tomato. We do a BLT with avocado and a fried egg. YUM. One of my favorite parts is the paper plate. ;o) No one likes to do dishes. Maybe I should blend this one up for Scotty? haha
Happy Friday and Long Weekend!
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
With Spring/Summer in the air, it has been so fun to see what pops up in our yard. Since we bought the house in the winter, we had no clue what was previously planted. We have discovered an awesome grapevine, a loaded cherry tree and a hybrid apple tree that grows 4 different varieties of apples! We also have some beautiful mature trees and bulbs that add color to our yard. While we are super excited about all this stuff, we are a bit overwhelmed. We have a pretty unruly backyard and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed to say the least. I started two raised garden boxes (not pretty) loaded with veggies that I am really excited about.
I share these (slightly embarrassing) photos with you to get your advice. I'm really excited about gardening but pretty much know nothing about it. We have kind of an ugly chain link fence that I feel like I want to mask. So what do I do?! Gardeners of the world, help a sister out.
Here are my veggie boxes. AKA free. My uncle had some old cinder blocks so I made use of them. I planted lots of veggies and I get so excited when I see a new sprout pop up! I started most of those plants from seed. Probably won't do that again, but it was a good experience. :o)
And what's for dinner?
Grilled fish tacos. LOVE.
Here's what I did:
1. Rub hake loins with taco seasoning. (I got frozen ones from Costco. Could use halibut, tilapia, whatever you have.)
2. Make mango-avocado salsa: mango, avo, red onion, cilantro, tomato, apple cider vinegar, pinch of sugar, lotsa lime, S&P.
3. Mix salsa with sour cream for sauce.
4. Grill fish turning only once.
5. Assemble tacos on corn tortillas: fish, salsa, red cabbage, sauce. YUM.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
A while back a friend and I were discussing blogging and how we feel like it may have taken a turn for the-"posting things to make money and not really because you care about them." We both really wanted to have these awesome, popular blogs but realized that the "popular" blogging has often (but not always) been about companies trying to sell their products through the blogger.
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At that point, we both decided we would just blog about what we wanted and if people cared, they could read, and if they didn't, that's OK too. I still feel like blogging is a great tool to find out about awesome products or great recipes, fun DIY crafts etc. And if/when I find those things, you bet I'm going to share them with you! But, please forgive me for sometimes just posting the mundane. (i.e. my baby feeding himself on video or "Wheels On the Bus" in all its beat-boxing glory).
This blog is equally for me as it is for you. I like to keep a record of the things going on in my life. SO today I am going to blog about Little Bear's 6 month appointment! Hooray!
Today at Scott's appointment, his doctor said, "I just LOVE him!"
And I was like, "Um, yeah! You're tellin' me!"
6 month stats: 16.75 lb (30%)
27.75 in. (87%)
He is doing great developmentally and hitting all his benchmarks.
This round of shots was particularly hard but he's sleeping it off as we speak and will be glad we immunized him when he can understand that sort of thing. :o)
Fun things he does:
-Puts his own binky in his mouth
-Gives kisses
-Very close to crawling
-Fake-coughs
-Loves baths
-Doesn't love swimming but we are working on that in swim lessons (started yesterday!)
-Totally poses for the camera
-Loves being sung to, especially repetitive songs
-Loves the mirror
-Loves other babies and kids
He is really such a ladies' man. We're in trouble with this one.
How do you all feel about the blogging world these days? Do you agree to a certain extent? I'd love to hear your opinions.
Monday, May 19, 2014
I have been basil-happy these days because I am proud of my little plant I am growing so I have made many different forms of caprese in the past couple weeks. I found this recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Chicken on Pinterest and decided to make a few tweaks.
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1. Marinate the chicken in balsamic vinegar for as long or as short as you like.
2. Make a strawberry bruschetta. I added some minced garlic and a drizzle of olive oil to my recipe in addition to diced strawberries, fresh mozzarella and basil.
3. Salt and pepper the chicken and (I added this part) throw it on the BBQ. I really love grilled meat in the summer (especially when it is hot as blazes in my kitchen with the oven on.) I took a pastry brush and brushed the extra balsamic on the chicken several times during the cooking process.
4. Make a balsamic reduction. AKA boil it until it is thicker and half the volume.
5. Top chicken with bruschetta and drizzle with reduction.
I didn't really use amounts or measurements because when cooking for two I am always having to cut down the recipe so I often just adjust from the original recipe.
In family news, Scotty is just like his mom and loves food. His recent love is feeding himself with this awesome munchkin feeder. It is the best. Mesh bag=no choking=happy mama. Plastic ring=self-feeding=happy baby. Yes. I like to put banana, strawberries, avocado, really anything soft enough for his little gums to handle.
Find it here.
Awesome baby stuff FTW!
I know you all love watching my messy baby eat. I just think it is pretty cute.
HAPPY MONDAY!
HAPPY MONDAY!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Well, not sure if you care but I thought I'd give you all an update on the Meltdown Challenge I joined. The first week was a joke. Whoops. I did exercise more but the eating thing was not the best. This week I began with a renewed determination to eat right and feel better.
Making the effort to cook and prepare meals has really helped. Here are a couple of the things I have been making:
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Tonight I kind of made up a recipe that I actually really liked. I made a little caprese-type salad without the mozzarella: cherry tomatoes (halved), fresh basil (I grew from seed!), garlic, olive oil and balsalmic vinegar. I then grilled halved chicken breasts with just some S and P on each side. I made a yummy sauce with lemon, chicken stock, garlic, a little bit of cream, salt and pepper. Dump all that on top of some fettuccine and it was really pretty tasty!
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Making the effort to cook and prepare meals has really helped. Here are a couple of the things I have been making:
I have been making this salad for lunch these days and I am loving it:
-Romaine
-Cherry tomatoes
-Avocado
-Green onions
-Cucumber
-Feta cheese
-Bacon bits
-Sliced chicken breast
-Kraft restaurant style Italian dressing
SO GOOD!
Something I have been working on, is waiting a few minutes after I have a craving for sweets. If I wait about 15 minutes, drink some water and then still have the craving, I will eat a little treat, but very often, I totally forget about the craving and don't end up eating a treat.
Sis and I have been running and planking 3x/wk and gradually working our way up in endurance. I am trying to go to Zumba the other two days when I can.
I am also doing My Fitness Pal to keep track of what I eat, it keeps me accountable and reminds me of how many calories certain things are. The most awesome cheat I have found is that when you add to your food diary, you can enter in breastfeeding and it will credit you the calories that you burn nursing (since nursing mamas need to eat more calories each day.)
As a new and still-nursing mama I'm trying my best to lose weight and get healthier without losing my milk supply. So far it is working well! I am now down 2.5 lbs after only 9 days!
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Scotty wanted to wish all the women in his life a Happy Mother's Day with this song.
(Sorry about my breath issues, I'm obviously a professional singer...)
Saturday, May 10, 2014
I really just can't believe my baby is 6 months old. I know all moms say that but now I really understand the feeling! My sweet boy has seriously been my greatest joy, it has been so fun to watch him grow and change and I know we have a lot more growing ahead! Here is a little collage of his first 6 months.
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I love to look at these photos and see his personality emerge little by little.
I got the month-by-month stickers on Etsy, here.
I was contemplating today what might be fun to do for Mother's Day. Maybe a day off, where I could go shopping, or have Jer watch the baby while I just relax. But I found myself realizing how much I love being a mommy to this little guy and how much I would miss him if I spent a whole day away from him. No, every minute is not extremely awesome but I truly do appreciate the time I have with my little boy and that I am able to watch him grow and learn. Mother's Day is about being a mom, right? So what better way to spend it than with the little guy that made me one!
Friday, May 9, 2014
Jer and I have found a new calling in life. Look for our new album, "Songz From Da Crib" coming soon.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Remember that part of my blog where I'm supposed to cook and craft? Well I've been doing a lot of cleaning, and moving and baby-ing. So I'm just going to keep going with this mushy stuff, ok?
I have two sisters. It was my brother and then us 3 girls right in a row. All 3 of us live in Utah which is a dream come true. My mom visits at least once a month these days (can you say Grandma?!) and the 4 of us are best friends. Really.
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I have two sisters. It was my brother and then us 3 girls right in a row. All 3 of us live in Utah which is a dream come true. My mom visits at least once a month these days (can you say Grandma?!) and the 4 of us are best friends. Really.
We even match without trying! (haha)
One of my favorite things to do with my mom is shop. We have always loved shopping together. On her last visit to Utah we went to TJ Maxx to get sippy cups and of course spent $100. Most expensive sippy cup I ever bought. I saw these shoes:
Find them here.
And immediately thought of my sister, Anna. I told my mom we should get them for her. There was only one pair left and they were in my size. (We are about a half-size different but when it is the perfect shoe, what is a half size, am I right?) I realized I really liked them too and tried to find another pair, I had seen a bigger pair earlier and went back to find them being tried on and carried off by another lady! Grrrr. So I chose a different pair in Anna's size and decided to let her pick and I would keep the one she didn't choose.
Anna picked the above shoes. I really did like both pairs so I was OK with it.
Later I told my sister Katie the whole story and how it was a bummer that we couldn't both get the green shoes.
The next day, my mom, Katie and I went to a movie together. When I got in the car, my mom had the beautiful green flats waiting for me. My sister had relayed my disappointment to my mom, those two sweeties had gone to the TJ Maxx in Sugarhouse, scouted out my size and got me the shoes I had wanted!
As I thought about this small but very sweet gesture, I realized that Mother's Day celebrates the motherly love in all of us. Whether it is past, present or future. I'm so grateful for my sweet loving mother and the example she is to me each and every day of what a wonderful mother should be. And for my beautiful sisters who emulate that motherly love even though they don't yet have children of their own.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Well, it is my hubby's birthday today, and it seems that on birthdays and holidays I always get to thinking about all that we have been through together. And then I realized that I really don't think I have ever blogged our story before. I think today is the perfect day to write about Jer since his birth is one of the best things that ever happened to me :o).
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Rewind 8 years to Heritage Halls and BYU, 2 days before fall semester was to start. We had a mutual friend that I had met at BYU Summer Dance Camp and Jer went to high school with. She knew we were meant to be. I remember what I was wearing: Camo t-shirt (totally in at the time). Jer was wearing: FOL T-shirt. We hugged and I gave him a little extra squeeze, as was my M.O. at the time (so embarrassed.) I think I startled him a bit. But boy was he dreeeaaaamy.
Two days later we went to see Cars at the dollar theater and he turned to me and said, "Can you hold this?" I looked down and he was holding out his hand. I definitely rolled my eyes, but promptly took his hand. That same night, he kissed me on my doorstep.
From that moment on, we were inseparable. We became best friends. He was such a gentleman, like no one I had ever encountered in Santa Barbara. We had so much fun together, constantly laughing.
When spring came, we decided we were in love. Jer had his mission call to Taiwan and while he was beyond excited to go, we were both wondering how things would pan out in our future. I admit that I had already imagined marrying Jer, of course I imagined our kids, I thought about a future with him and I knew that I would be happy.
Jer asked me to "wait and date." We wrote each other almost every week with the exception of a few lost letters on their way to the mainland. While I dated a lot and had a blast, no one I met could quite match up to Jer Bear. I look back and still can't believe we survived those two years, it was a long haul.
In July 2009, we finally reunited by chance at a car mechanic shop. We were planning to meet later that day but as I was gassing up my car across the street, I saw him. It was pretty much like a movie. :o)
We got engaged that November.
And on July 13th, 2010 (almost exactly one year after his return from his mission) we got married in the Los Angeles temple.
9 months of dating, 2 year mission, 4 months of dating and an 8 month engagement and we were finally MARRIED! That was THE perfect day. Literally nothing went wrong.
We rented our first apartment.
Traveled to Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Nauvoo, and Hawaii together.
Jer had knee surgery.
We went broke.
We got un-broke.
We saw a LOT of movies.
Jer had knee surgery again.
We graduated from college.
We went to Disneyland.
We made some of the best friends.
Jer hurt his knee again.
We played LOTS of board games.
We bought a house.
And then, we had Scotty...
If you read my birth story, you know that our experience was less than easy. Never have I seen someone so attentive, loving and selfless as I saw Jeremy when his son was born. The most amazing part was his ability to care for both Scotty and I with equal love and concern at a time when others could have gotten emotionally overwhelmed.
From the moment I met Jeremy I knew he was special. I mean that. I remember telling my mom that when I first met him. He was exceptional, and I knew he would not disappoint as a husband and especially as a father. And he hasn't. He has exceeded my expectations and continues to be that special boy (man) I met 8 years ago. I'm so grateful he was born and that he chose me to be his best friend forever!
P.S. Does this count for Father's Day too? ;o)
Happy Birthday Jer Bearest!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
I'm going to detail this side of the room today:
Some of the items you see:
-Letter "S": Michaels Crafts, and I just covered it with some scrap fabric from his bedding. Super easy and added some fun color to the wall.
-"I am a Child of God" printable here. Thank you Pinterest!
-Canvas: Costco c/o my hubby
-Changing Table: Wayfair-Used, same one here. Had green baskets and I replaced them with the ones pictured from Michaels (50% off, score!)
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-Letter "S": Michaels Crafts, and I just covered it with some scrap fabric from his bedding. Super easy and added some fun color to the wall.
-"I am a Child of God" printable here. Thank you Pinterest!
-Canvas: Costco c/o my hubby
-Changing Table: Wayfair-Used, same one here. Had green baskets and I replaced them with the ones pictured from Michaels (50% off, score!)
Rug: Target. here.
Laundry Basket: Target here.
I want to go over the striped wall in more detail and how we made the stripes even and straight.
1. Measure your space. Make sure you subtract any crown molding or trim that will be on the wall. Then decide how many stripes you want. We decided to start and end with the grey to contrast from the baseboards and trim. We wanted a wide stripe, so ours were about 10" tall.
2. Choose your paint colors. We went with Behr in Pewter Vase for the grey and then Silk Pillow for the white. We painted the whole wall in the silk pillow first and then went in with the grey for the stripes.
3. Measure. We first used a laser that helped us snap our first stripe line. Then we just took the tape measure and went to several spots along the wall and marked 10" up from the snap line. We did this for each stripe.
4. Tape. We learned a trick to tape nice and straight without going crazy, but you need two people. One person should take one end and stick it on the first mark, the other should pull the tape as tight as possible and stick it to the end mark on the opposite side. Then you go in and tap the tape with your finger across the whole langth. You can then smooth the tape down going up and down not side to side.
5. CYA. Aka, make sure the paint doesn't bleed. The trick for this is to paint a thin coat of your base color (Silk pillow) along the tape lines where your grey will go. This will seal the paint down so you don't have any bleedage. Let that dry.
6. Get painting! Depending on the coverage of your paint, you probably want to do two coats.
7. Remove Tape. WARNING!! You should probably remove the tape before the paint dries. This will help with any peeling that might happen. A great tip we learned was to pull the tape off with at at least a 45 degree angle so you don't pull the paint right off. So if the stripe is above the tape, pull the tape DOWNWARD. If the stripe is below the tape, pull the tape UPWARD. (Very important, learned this the hard way.
And there you have it! We got this done in a Saturday, and we love the interest it adds to the nursery.
And in other news, I am starting the "Meltdown Challenge" tomorrow. It is a 6 week fitness challenge, the first one I have ever done and I'm kind of nervous! I am really motivated to get this baby weight off though, so I think it will work! I will probably be sprinkling a few progress posts in among all the home-reno craziness. Wish me luck! And if you want to join, send me an email and I will send you an invite. :o)
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