Menu Monday Linkup

Well, I haven't linked up to share a Menu  Monday in a LONG time! Like, over a year. I guess I feel like since I'm not at work, I have plenty of time to menu plan. But, that couldn't be further from the truth. I still stalk menu planning sites (especially Rachel's!) for new ideas. And, I've gotten a few new recipes from her blog! So, won't you check out her blog (and the other posters) for a few new ideas?

Here is what we are grubbing on this week:

Monday: Soft Tacos with homemade salsa

Tuesday: Penne pasta with asparagus

Wednesday: Meatless taco bowls with homemade salsa

Thursday: Turkey stuffed peppers with a side salad and bakery sourdough bread

Friday: Tortellini-tomato salad with Aidell's chicken sausage

Saturday: Jason cooks! He will grill us something delicious!

Sunday: Bean & cheese burritos with homemade salsa


A few things: we are heavy on the Mexican this week because, well, it's been a while! I will obvi be making my homemade salsa by the boatload! Ha! Also, I have no pictures, but more often than not the link has a picture.

What are you all eating this week? If you have a menu up, leave me a link to your blog, or comment. Or, join in the Menu Monday fun with Rachel!

Smile! It's a good day!

So a few weeks ago, I wrote a post entitled Thank You, God. In it, I discussed the reasons for reading certain blogs. One blog I stumbled across recently really made me think and be grateful. Audrey's Path was that blog. The mom has three children. Two of them have SLOS, a genetic mutation that affects the way cholesterol forms in the human body. Recently, she had to bury her third child, a son affected with SLOS. I instantly became addicted to this mom's blog. She is super honest, still funny, and immensely faithful. I learned that her daughter had a cleft lip and palate, along with numerous other medical problems.  Eventually, the mom opted to get corrective surgery for her daughter's cleft.

I'm being totally serious when I say that I have never read about or "known" a child with a cleft palate. This may sound ignorant, but I honestly thought cleft problems were present mostly in other countries. I am familiar with Operation Smile, thanks to my monthly dose of STAR magazine. I always want to turn away quickly, but I make myself look and then I think how hard it must be for those sweet children and parents. Those children and parents who probably just want a "normal" smile. 

EVERY THREE MINUTES, A CHILD IS BORN WITH A CLEFT.

From Nationwide Children's

Cleft lip and/or cleft palate is one of the most common birth defects in the U.S., affecting approximately one in 700 babies. Cleft lip and palate may occur as part of an underlying syndrome or be an isolated birth defect. A cleft lip is the result of the lip not “fusing” together during the first few months of fetal development. This often includes the separation of the upper gum line. A cleft palate, which also occurs during the first few months of fetal development, is a separation in the roof of the mouth caused by the sides of the palate not completely fusing one another.

Luckily, there are a lot of people that work to make Operation Smile possible. CampusBookRentals.com donates money to Operation Smile every time people rent textbooks from them. That is wonderful! I know renting books for college is a new thing-I wish it would have been around when I was in school. Some perks you get by renting your books from CampusBookRentals.com are:

-save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
-free shipping both ways
-can highlight in the textbooks
-flexible renting periods

So, what can you do to help? If you're in school, try renting your books! 

Or, make a donation to Operation Smile today! 

OPERATION SMILE: A Smile Is A Universal Right!

SMILE!

SWEET LIPS

CHEESE!

Disclosure: This is a paid post from CampusBookRentals.com. All opinions are my own. Support Operation Smile!

Eight Years

Eight years! How have we been married that long?? It doesn't seem like it Songy. I wish I had cool pictures of our wedding and "back then" but we are old and didn't have digital stuff like today's kids. I love doing life with you! Thank you for all of your sacrifices. I love your funny sayings, the things you make up, the way you play with the kiddos, and the way you always joke with me. You're awesome, babe. I love you! 

Happy 8th Anniversary!

Haha! So cute!

This will totally be us, but you'll have a fishing pole in hand.

Love you.

Toddler Eating and my Defense-HELP!

Ok, so I'm coming to the web to get some help from my peeps. The eating in my house from the children? Needs some help.

Emma is very picky. I blame this on the fact that I fed her baby food until she was 20 months old. You see, she went to an in home babysitter until I had Harrison. While at the babysitter's house, she ate real food. Pork chops, sweet potatoes, lentil soup. Most likely because the other four children there ate it. When we got home and I would try to give her a real food she had already tried (and loved at the sitters!), she wouldn't touch it. No amount of begging, fine, go hungry, etc worked. While I was having Harrison, my mom got her to eat a few real things like chicken nuggets and turkey dogs. And real fruit. So when I came home, she would eat a few things. Now at almost three, here is the list of foods she will eat. Literally. Not including junk foods like popcorn, gummies, goldfish, all the other crap kids like. She eats: chicken nuggets, hot dogs, corn dogs, french fries, cheese pizza, turkey meatballs, grilled cheese, noodle soup, pb&j, most fresh fruit, cheese, yogurt, crackers, bread, cereal. Occasionally she will eat spaghetti with sauce but no meat. Very occasionally she will eat a cheese quesadilla. I'm sooo serious. She won't touch a hamburger or any ground beef, and will not eat any vegetables. She has tried carrots, corn and green beans but will only take one bite then deem it yucky. Mealtimes are often repetitive and unhealthy.

This kills me because Harrison will eat anything. I think there are three things he doesn't care for. So when I make them dinner? I make two. Tonight, Emma had a hot dog and easy mac. Harrison ate a hot dog, carrots, and pears. He's been eating real food since he was about 6-7 months old. Thanks to my sister for telling me about baby led weaning and just making me do it. He's been feeding himself since then and tries everything on his plate at least once.

Above I spoke of my defense-because I know one question/comment I will get is, "Why don't you all eat together and offer them that food?" Well that would work if my husband didn't have to work until 7pm. But he does so I can stay home. I can't feed them at 7, they go to bed at 7:30. They eat around 5:30 each day. So my "defense" is that ain't happening with our fam right now. So I get to make two dinners.

I guess the thing I'm most concerned about is the health aspect of Emma's meals. No veggies is no bueno. And really hope no one suggests hiding her veggies in homemade things like mac and cheese-cause I really can't whip up a cauliflower mac for her to eat. She does still drink milk, and take a multivitamin. A wise woman with a picky child once told me that her doctor said meat, milk, and a vitamin was essentially what they needed at this age. I feel like I'm setting Emma up to be picky and unhealthy later in life. It's really bothering me.

Likewise, I'm OVER making the same two or three meats each day and feeding it to them. I'm out of ideas!

Here is a typical list of what I feed the zoo animals: waffle or pancake, turkey sausage, yogurt or fresh fruit. That's our breakfast special. I got nothin else. Emma doesn't like eggs-shocker. So do I want to make Harrison eggs? Not really, because then I'm a serious short order cook. I'm out of breakfast ideas. As for lunch and dinner, I rotate through sandwiches, chicken, pizza, hot dogs. Add in a fruit and starch (veggie for buddy) and there's that. So they're eating the same stuff like three times a week. I just need HELP AND SUGGESTIONS, people. Please. How should I handle this with Emma? I don't want to set her up for a lifetime if unhealthy eating habits and weight problems.

Weigh in. Please.

Project Hope

If you have been reading my blog since the beginning, you probably know that I had two pregnancy losses before having my precious babies.

My first pregnancy was in late 2006 and ended at 6 weeks. The doctors called it, "just one of those things." In their words, something was wrong, it was common, etc. It was December 20th, I was on my way out of town and stopped at my doctor for my first real checkup after the checkup where they confirmed I was pregnant. I never in a million years thought a miscarriage would happen to me. I don't know why. Maybe because I was idealistic and just thought it happened to other people. Anyhow, it was crushing. Jason and I had been trying to conceive for about 6 months. I took that loss very hard, and became involved in Infant Loss Awareness month through some friends at school who had also lost babies. It's something no one talks about until it happens to them.

The next pregnancy was about 6 months later. We were anxious to try again and got a positive in early summer of 2007. At almost exactly 12 weeks, right before I planned to tell school and my friends, we lost the second baby. It was awful. I was at my school's open house greeting my new class for next year, mingling with parents. I excused myself to go to the bathroom and was bleeding. I freaked. I grabbed my best friend, Jill, and she took me to the hospital, no questions asked. After an eternity, I learned my second baby was gone. I scheduled my second D&C for the next day. Unfortunately, I pretty much went into "labor" that night around 4:00 and by my 9:00 surgery, was having delivery contractions. They asked if I wanted to deliver the baby and then have the procedure. I told them to knock me out ASAP. Later we were told that the baby had an abnormal amount of chromosomes and it would never live outside of my body. We both went into a depression. Understandably so. It was a dark, hard time. I wish I had something, anything to remember that baby by. I still wonder both of their sexes.

When I read Diana's (Hormonal Imbalances) recent post about Project Hope, I actually felt compelled to help. I KNOW the feeling. So what if your baby was 6, 12, or 20 weeks and you lost it? YOU LOST YOUR BABY. You want a memory. Everyone deserves that. I am so grateful for Laura from Bits of Splendor for doing this. Making a difference. Caring.

You don't have to have gone through a pregnancy loss to care or be involved. My involvement right now is this button and blog post. Can I do more? Sure. I'm weighing out what I'm available for. I pray that some of you will read the links to the actual Project Hope post and maybe just post about it. Let's try to make women that experience this now have a scrap of something to make them feel just a little but better.

Catch Up and Questions

*We are done traveling until the end of the month. We got back from our family reunion in Nashville last Sunday and have been working our way through the week with lots of cleaning, washing clothes, and getting back into routine. Having the fourth fall on a Wednesday did not help, but we did have fun!

*We went to a neighborhood block party for the fourth and had a blast! Everyone brought sides and the hosts did LOTS of hot dogs. We ate great food, let Emma and Harrison run wild, and stayed till 10:00 watching fireworks! Harrison went home for bed, but since we live 2 houses down, the baby monitor worked! Emma lost her mind around ten, she was so tired, so we packed it in and headed home. Where she proceeded to toss and turn until eleven, then came and got in bed with us.

*Don't let your kids eat watermelon unless they are wearing a bib and/or are naked. I let them both go to town on watermelon at the party, and they were in smocked outfits. Yikers. The next morning I began the stain removal process-soak cycle with LOTS of Oxi-clean. After that, a wash. Still there. Crud. I took to the interwebs for advice. Finally soaked them in Shout for 3 hours, then poured boiling water over the stains, then soak cycle again, then another wash, all on hot! Finally came clean! We are not doing that again.

*I am having issues with my hardwood floors. I have a Shark steam mop, which I love for the ease and no chemicals. However, I've noticed that they are still not really clean! I need something to use once a week in addition to the Shark. Something with cleaner. I'm thinking Swiffer wet jet. I'm also thinking not above $50. What do you all do? Please give me some advice. I really don't want to get down on my hands and knees and go Cinderella style.

*Question:  how do you get a baby off a bottle? One would think I hadn't already raised a child, but I seriously cannot remember how I transitioned Emma from bottle to cup. Maybe one of my problems is that I don't have a cup I love that DOES NOT LEAK. For the love. So, please tell me: how old and HOW can I do this? Is he still supposed to be having 4 bottles per day? He's still killing them and crying for them, so..........please help.

*Question: how do you get a potty trained almost 3 year old to get up and potty at naps and night? I'm honestly scared to do this. She is a great sleeper, but I wonder what will happen when she has to get up out of bed and go on her little potty. I think we have some wet sheets ahead, but I would LOVE to know how you get them to get to the panties during sleep point. All suggestions welcome!

What have you all been up to?

Life Lately

We have been super busy, hence the lack of blogging. I still have to get Harrison's first birthday pictures uploaded and post about that, but until then, here is what we have been up to:

*Harrison is totally a full time walker now! It is so freakin' cute. I have to get a good video, cause he's fast. He also has this little push car he got for his birthday from sister, and he drives that joker everywhere! He and Emma have "races" with their riding toys. More like he chases her, but she loves it.

*Emma is fully POTTY TRAINED, praise Jesus! She wears a diaper at night until I can figure out/research how to best get her out of her bed in the middle of the night to tee tee. It is awesome! However, while we've been traveling we have been taking our portable potty. She is real good about telling me when she needs to go, and sometimes I have to pull over off an exit ramp for her to get in the back of the Expedition and sit on her pot. Yesterday she "had to poop" and I pulled over to accommodate. She did not disappoint. This is super nice for many reasons, but I also thought this would never happen! Just goes to show you that they will do it when they're ready.

*We had a bomb ass 30th birthday party for sister this weekend. Friday night was cooking in (steaks and twice baked potatoes), then lots of beer/wine and a board game called Battle of the Sexes. Which was totally awesome and we won! Saturday started out with sleeping in, pedicures, Mall of Georgia, relaxation time, dinner out at 5 Seasons Brew Pub, then home to continue wretched excess with beer/wine and more Battle of the Sexes. Sadly, we lost. Sunday was more sleeping in, brother made an awesome breakfast consisting of Cotswold cheese grits and some Waffle House hashbrown concoction. It was amazing! We had a great time just being like the we were pre-kids. Lots of sleeping in and we still had "phantom baby crying" moments where we all swear we heard a kid crying. I also got an AWESOME ice cream cake from Publix. Remember when sister did this hair tutorial? Yeah. Picture. On a cake. With ugly roses. It was too much! 

This was the lovely picture gracing the cake. I'm sure Sarah has a picture of

 the cake and a blog post coming  about our weekend!

*We are heading back to Nashville this weekend for a family reunion and to see Grannie. I'm really excited to go! I missed last year because Harrison was 3 weeks old.


So, we've been very busy and having lots of summer fun! Next up-Harry's birthday recap!