Coupon Train

Choo! Choo!  I'm on board a pretty cool train that I had never heard of a mere 4 months ago.  A group of my fellow March 2010 moms decided that we wanted to save money and start sharing coupons, but not quite to the extent of shows like Extreme Couponing found on TLC.  To be honest, watching that show kind of scares me...the people seem nice, but it's almost like they are hoarders in disguise.  I mean, who needs 64 bottles of Soft Soap or 100 cases of Power Ade even if it is all only for $20?!  I can think of at least a dozen other things I'd much rather spend $20 on...ah-hem, pedicure!

One of the moms in my group had "ridden" on something called a coupon train in the past through the (fabulous) website called A Full Cup and said it worked out well.  So, we asked for interested riders among our group of moms (since charing addresses would be required) and started our own coupon train.  The first train ride was just 6 weeks long with 6 riders and was a big success.  Several of the moms really got into clipping coupons from circulars and printing them from on-line from various websites.  We decided to test run a second train ride and invited more moms to join in.  Our second train ride just ended with a 9 week long cycle and nine riders.  We just started our third train ride and now have a whopping 16 riders and it will last for 15 weeks!!  Most of us don't spend a lot of time couponing, but it can be a time guzzler if you're serious about it.  Several of the moms have spreadsheets that keep track of their spending and savings and what the price of a good is at the particular stores they shop at regularly.  By doing this, they can hunt for super sales and end up buying the products they use regularly for next to nothing by combining a store sale with coupons from the coupon train.  Considering a lot of the moms stay at home and need to balance a super tight budget, this coupon train is a huge help for only the cost of one envelope and one stamp per week.

The coupon train can have as many riders as you want, but works well with at least a half dozen or so to get a good variety of coupons in circulation.  Each week you cut out coupons that you aren't going to use and look for coupons that you know the other train riders need and send them out in an envelope.  Around 30-40 coupons can be sent with one postage stamp depending on the paper they are printed on (cardboard coupons are heavier and could weigh an envelope down).  On a typical week, I take the envelope I recieved from the prior week, go through the coupons and pull out what I need, then throw out those coupons expiring that week, and then add the coupons I've clipped from the Sunday paper or printed from on-line and add them in, address the envelope, and then mail along to the next train rider.  The total time I spend on it varies, but usually it's no more than an hour. If I go on-line in search of more coupons it can take a bit longer.

I organize the coupons I get into envelopes right now in my purse. I have three envelopes (household items & baby, food & restaurants, and cleaning supplies) and each time I make a shopping trip I check my coupons and use what I can.  If a product I buy every so often (think shampoo, deoderant, razors, toothpaste, cleaning supplies) is on sale and I have a coupon, I usually buy it in advance to save extra.  It's a bonus if I am able to double the coupon on top of the sale!  I haven't yet started to track my savings, but I think by the end of this coupon train cycle I might be ready to or at least curious to see what my actual savings are in dollars.  If you are interested in couponing check out http://www.afullcup.com/ and if you'd like to inquire about joining our coupon train feel free to leave a comment and I can add you to the next round!

17 Months! Really?!

This was scheduled to be posted yesterday, but Blogger didn't do it.  STUPID technology!

Warning: cliche mom-like saying is about to be typed/read/said once again.  Squish your eyes closed and block your ears if you have to!

Time flies by.  I mean it really zooms on in the blink of an eye.  One second you have a newborn and the next you have an almost 1 1/2 year old "kid".  I never really noticed the passing of time before I had a little one.  My sweet baby is 17 months old today and I don't see the baby in her anymore.  My fellow moms out there will understand what I mean.  It makes me a little sad in a bittersweet sort of way.  I look at M now and I see a little person, not a chubby roly poly baby.  She's becoming more independent by the second and I have to steal my hugs and kisses before she runs off on her next adventure.

This girl has two speeds.  Stop and run.  She never walks anymore and the stop mode only happens when she's eating or sleeping.  Every day I'm amazed by her.  M is kind, gentle yet rough, loving, easy-going, determined, smart, and stubborn. (Hmm, I wonder where she gets that from?!  Dare I say, moi? Nah!)  Her best friend is our dog, Tomas, and her cousins (except her cousin, J- they fight constantly and my poor mother-in-law has to keep the two of them apart all day while they are in her daycare.  I bet they'll be best friends and he'll protect her when he's older, though!  J, you have my permission to drag her out of the club and scare any potential boyfriends off!).  M LOVES Barney and I often wonder if she thinks her stuffed Barney will come to life like the one on the television.  She dances.  All the time and everywhere.  If she doesn't like the song, she'll wait for the next one and dance to it.  My father-in-law writes and plays music on his Spanish guitar and M loves to watch and listen and dance with him.  It melts my heart and I'm sure his, too.  She is his only girl afterall. 

The girl also speaks both English and Spanish and understands it both which I find absolutely fascinating considering after two semesters of Spanish I barely know the basics and am still a little embarassed to try to speak what I know in front of my fluent in-laws.  You know, with my "American" accent and all... :)  She speaks too many words to count and can even do phrases like "I did it!", "I want that.", "Uh-oh, Mami" (never good to hear this one over the baby monitor), and "I peepee/caca". We retired her highchair and she now sits in a booster seat at the kitchen table with us.  She drinks from a cup and hates sippy cups now (we retired bottles at 14 months).  M also has her first potty, but she doesn't seem interested in it yet.  She likes to put things in my purse and the trash.  There was a vacuum cleaner attachment in my purse yesterday and I regularly find her toys and Tomas's ball in our kitchen trash.  M unrolls toilet paper and uses it to wipe her face or "blow" her nose.  And at long last she's discovered the toilet and how things disappear into that never ending abyss when you flush it.  How fascinating it must be for a little person to discover such things!

Everyday, I make sure I hold her close and tell her I love her and that she's special even as she's trying to wriggle out of my arms.  When she does let me hold her, oh how intoxicating her hugs and kisses are.  There is nothing like chubby toddler hands clenching you close in a tight squeeze.  I cherish the two nursing sessions we still have each day as I never know which one will be our last.  I remember rolling my eyes when my own mother used to (and still does) tell me I'll always be her baby.  Thanks, Mom, I get it now.  M, you will ALWAYS be my baby even as I watch you spread your wings and fly away.  Just please don't leave our little nest too soon.

Slow Cooker Creamy Tacos

I found this recipe on the blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, and thought I'd try it out.  It was super easy and quick to prepare (great for a work day meal) and came out tastey.  I don't like a lot of spice and was not disappointed with this recipe.  It is even A.R. approved.  I must say that I've bought a couple other flavors of the Philadelphia cooking cream to try out.

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken breast pieces (I used frozen- no need to thaw first)
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes (you can use garlic-seasoned, or plain)
1 (10-ounce) container PHILADELPHIA Cooking Creme--- Santa Fe flavor
taco shells or corn tortillas
Optional- 1 cup frozen corn, 1 can black or pinto beans- drained

optional toppings:
sour cream
avocado slices 
tomato
shredded cheese

Directions:
Use a 4-quart slow cooker (if adding the optional add-ins, a 6-quart might be a better fit).
Put the chicken into your cooker. Add the entire can of tomatoes. Scrape out all the Cooking Creme.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Stir well and serve in taco shells or corn tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Baby Red Potato Salad

Um?!  Who doesn't love a delicious potato salad in the summer time?  This recipe is both delicious and also a healthier version of a picnic time favorite.  Thank you to Gina on Skinnytaste.com for this recipe.

Ingredients:
4 cups baby red potatoes, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
3 scallions, diced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, approx 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, combine red onion, green pepper, mustard, olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let the flavors marinade while the potatoes cook.

3. Once the potatoes are done and cool, mix into the bowl and add scallions and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve

Classic Turkey Pot Pie

I got this recipe from a Diabetic Holiday cook book gifted to me from a friend and I've been delighted with the number of delishous recipes I've made from this book.  A.R. has been diagnosed as pre-diabetic, so I've been slowly altering our eating habits and trying out new healthier recipes.  This cook book was a good start for us both to get back on track with our diets and we have been pleasantly surprised that eating healthy doesn't mean bland.  Don't let the steps in this recipe intimidate you...it's actually easy to make and fairly quick.

Filling:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup cubed peeled potato
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast (about 10 oz)
1/3 cup frozen peas

Biscuit Topping: (I actually cheated and used Pilsbury pre-made biscuits to do the topping)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cold reduced-fat stick margarine, cubed
3-5 tablespoons buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425 F

2. For filling, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add bell pepper, celery, and onion; cook and stir 4-5 minutes.  Stir in flour until blended.  Stir in broth, potato, thyme, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 8-10 minutes.

3. Stir in turkey and peas; simmer 5-7 minutes or until potato is tender and peas are hot.  Pour into 1- 1 1/2-quart casserole

4. For topping, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl.  Cut in margarine with pastery blender or 2 knives until margarine is the size of peas.  Stir in buttermilk until dough forms.

5. Place dough on floured surface; knead lightly.  Pat out to to about 1/2-inch thickness.  Cut into 5 biscuits with 2- 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, rerolling dough as needed.  Place biscuits on top of filling.

6. Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.

More Family Room Progress!

Looky what A.R. put up in our family room just before we left on our trip!  Me likey a lot.  We still have to paint that wall, so this isn't the final snapshot (it's taken at night BTW- hence the glare from the flash), but you get the idea.  The only photo that isn't ours is the 5x5 on the left side, I'll be putting a picture from our cruise in there.

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

This book wasn't actually a bookclub selection, but I read it anyway after reading the first book, Something Borrowed.  I hate to admit it, but I love me a juicy chick lit book every now and then and this one filled that craving as anticipated.  The first book in the series was from the point of view of best friend, Rachel, while the second book was from the point of view of best friend, Darcy.  The book did not end as I thought it would, but it did end in the all warm and fuzzy feeling way a chick lit book should.  At least that is my opinion...popular or not. :)  And seriously, I would totally love to try living in another country and starting all over again after reading this book.  What an adventure it would be! 

If you need a quick read and want to get your fill of some juicy chick time (think Lifetime Movie), this book is for you.  Put on those fuzzy bunny slippers, curl up in your bathrobe, grab some dark chocolate and enjoy.

Bermuda. Bahama. Come on pretty mama!

It's that time again folks. Cruise time.  It's been almost two years since our last cruise and boy are we long overdue for another vacation.  As you read this post, I'll probably be on board with a mojito in one hand and my daughter in the other.  Relax.  I'm far from a lush (in fact I can't even remember my last drink) and we aren't cruising alone this time.  My parents-in-law are coming along with one of my brothers-in-law, his wife, their three boys, my sister-in-law's mother and brother, so we'll have plenty of sober adults on hand for toddler wrangling.  I cannot wait to see how M likes cruising and show her what we love about it.  I really hope she takes to the pool and beach this year as we'll be docked in sunny (I'm ignoring Tropical Storm Emily's potential storm path) Bermuda for three days.

Without further adieu I hope you have a wonderful week and I hope to have a few blog posts set up to post while I'm away for your entertainment.  Bon Voyage to my family and I!

No Boil Lasagna

My friend never boils her lasagna noodles before making a lasagna and I wanted to try this fabulous time saver myself.  My grandmother wasn't feeling good a month ago (she had Lyme Disease and a muscle disease with some long complicated name on top of a clogged carotid artery that required surgery) and I wanted to make some meals for her to freeze and reheat and I thought I would use her as my test dummy.  Lucky for her I found this recipe and it really worked and the lasagna was delishous!

No Boil Lasagna (from Cooks.com)

1 lb lean ground beef or Italian sausage (I used the sausage and always do in my lasagnas)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jar (32 oz) spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 pkg (8 oz) extra wide lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (it's best if you use fresh grated instead of pre-packaged)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. In a 10-inch skillet brown meat, onion, and garlic; drain.
3. Combine spaghetti sauce and water in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of parmesan, parsley, and 1/2 of mozzarella cheese.
4. In a 13x9 baking dish, layer 1/3 of sauce mixture on the bottom of pan, 3 uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/2 of combined ricotta mixture.  Repeat layers ending with sauce mixture.  Cover tightly with foil.
5. Bake 1 hour; uncover, sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese and continue to heat until cheese is melted.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Mmmmmm!  You can freeze this lasagna before cooking for a quick meal as well.

Family Room upgrades

A.R. and I have slowly been getting the itch to paint and finalize the rooms in our home ever since we painted M's nursery over a year ago.  That's probably a good thing since all white walls is getting rather boring and we have lived in our home now for almost 2 3/4 years (yes, I just actually counted that out...).  I'm sure our neighbor wouldn't mind us putting up the remaining curtains in the back windows of our home if I just actually took the time to sew them!  A.R. still gives me a hard time for not making the curtains for the solarium and formal living room considering I've had the fabric since before I was pregnant with M (I'll let you do the math on that one!).  I tell him I'm in no rush because we haven't painted yet and he has yet to buy the curtain rods.  Hello?! Can't hang pretty curtains up without those.

After view of our FR in the evening

Before view

Since he is not a fan of my artistic skills with the paint brush- he saw those skills when we painted my condo- I'm not allowed to touch a roller in our current home, so the most I can do is tape and clean up.  Let me tell you that putting up painters tape with a toddler following behind you and peeling off said painters tape you just applied is a real treat.  She even had painters tape stuck to her Baby Legs yesterday as we try to get our kitchen painted before our great vacation (more to come on both of those)!  We finally painted the focal wall in our family room when Uncle Sam was rather kind to us and A.R. found a good sale on a new flat panel television we've been eyeing to hang above our fireplace.  Yup, that was back in March and we are just now finishing up the room.  Disclaimer: it still isn't done if you count finding a mantel, valances, and hanging pictures after painting the other 3 walls (we have a light tan color picked out already, but it will involve painting up a staircase and the entire upstairs hallway at the same time). :P


After- I have a family photo to hang in the spot above these shelves



Before

Anyhoo, the focal wall is painted, the flat panel is mounted above the fireplace, and we have fabulous new shelving courtesy of my local IKEA.  The shelving is all custom from IKEA's Besta line.  The best part is that we were able to childproof the DVR and satellite boxes behind glass doors so we can turn the television off/on, change stations, and use the Wii without little sticky toddler fingers pushing random buttons.  Of course she has figured out how to sneak her little arm behind the door even with the childproof latch and turn the surround sound off and on, but the novelty of that is quickly wearing off for her when she realizes it makes Barney go away.  The paint color is Macchiato from The Home Depot's Behr Premium Ultra line.  The paint is pricey and is supposed to include primer, but we still had to do two coats of it to cover all of the original white paint.  Here's hoping that it doesn't take another month to finish the room up and hang the last of the pictures!  The link is the picture collage we will be hanging above M's toy box which is to the right in the first picture.

An Inconvenient Wife by Megan Chance

This is the first novel in a long time that left me wanting something more.  I wanted to identify with one of the main characters in the book, but I found myself just getting angry with them.  The story line itself was interesting and captivating and I couldn't put the book down after reading through the first chapter.  I think the setting itself and the history of what our culture used to be like is what interested me even though the characters angered me.  The book is set in the 1800s and tells the story of Lucy, an upper class housewife who doesn't wish to conform to the "norm".  She is attended to by her seemingly doting husband, William, and a new doctor, Victor. 

For me, the story was an interesting glimpse into what life must have been like for some women in the 1800s.  I found myself angered at the oppression against women and against Lucy for just not fighting for herself (or did she?!).  On the other hand I was angered at her physician, Victor, for using his patient to boost his own career and at Lucy's husband, William, for not only killing his wife's spirit just to conform to the social norm, but for using her wealth to build his own social status.  To him, life was all about keeping up with the Joneses.  At times I was sympathetic to Lucy and her predicament, but I truly feel she had an "out" and was too concerned about pleasing others due to her upbringing that she would rather draw attention to herself in other ways (her fits) then escape to a bigger freedom.

I didn't hate the book, but I didn't love it, either.  I really think it was just because I couldn't sympathisize completely with any of the main characters. 

I Spy

What/who do you spy in this picture?! 

That's right!  Tomas curled up in the aftermath of M's play things one night.  I think he was exhausted from a day of playing protective guard dog over her. :)

The next Iron Chef

M was starting to show interest in "cooking" and everything that has to do with the kitchen a few months ago and I've been dying to get her a kitchen set. I was going to wait until Christmas to get her one, but with her interest and a casual visit to a store that had a half dozen Stage 2 kitchen sets on display we both caved.  She was in love with them from the minute she saw them.  When she saw the first kitchen she pointed and said, "Este! este! este!" (This! This! This!) and wriggled out of my arms and ran to it.  (Have I mentioned that M has two speeds?!  Stop- to eat, watch Barney, or sleep only- and run.)  Even without the fake food and pots and pans she was in love, so we picked one out and brought it home. 

That night after she had gone to bed, A.R. spent an hour putting it together and then I put on all the stickers and it sat in our kitchen overnight waiting for her the next morning.  As a side note: A.R. is no longer allowed to sticker kid toys...he messed up putting them on M's Dora ATV and she has since ripped half of the stickers off of it!  Kid does not miss a thing.  The next morning when we brought her downstairs she spotted her new kitchen in an instant and wriggled out of my arms and ran to it with the hugest smile on her face.  It was like a little ray of sunshine was shining down on it from the heavens highlighting it in all it's glory.

M loves it and definitely has some room to grow into it as she can't quite reach the microwave yet and was only just able to reach the cupboards in the last week and only on tippy toes.  M "cooks" for us everyday usually when I'm cooking our dinner and she'll bring you samples to try.  It is so adorable when she walks up stirring an imaginary concoction in her pot and offers you a taste.  The kitchen also came with a play phone and she regularly gets phone calls for us and hands her phone off to us to chat on. :)  I can say that I've found plastic play food upstairs in our bathroom (her kitchen is downstairs in our kitchen), in her diaper bag, in my purse, under the couch, in the dogs' dishes and water bowl, and in her toy box so far.  She takes this cooking thing seriously and really surrounds herself with food. ;)  Watching her play with her kitchen set reminds me of my favorite Strawberry Shortcake kitchen set (that really smelled like strawberries!) from when I was little.  I just hope M is lucky enough to get an Easy Bake Oven which I was never lucky enough to own...

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

I have to say that I absolutely LOVED this book!  It was set back in Biblical times and is supposed to be the story of Dinah from the Book of Genesis Chapter 34.  The story is from Dinah's perspective and depicts the life of women in that era.  I found it completely fascinating how the author protrayed what biblical times were like for women in Dinah's era.  Some of her writing is based off research of events that really happened in that era, but the rest is pure fabrication and I find her thoughts and details entrancing.  After reading this novel, I believe I will now dabble around and read more historical fiction novels.

Dinah is the only surviving daughter of Jacob and Leah in the Old Testament times.  This story is of her life from birth to death.  I found myself laughing and crying with her and I could easily relate to her character.  Perhaps it's because the author depicted her as a fellow Piscean?!  I love the details Anita provided in the story and reading about life where men had more than one wife (and it was acceptable) was interesting.

Even A.R. commented on how I just couldn't put the book down throughout the last half of it.  I had a few super late nights up reading this one which, to me, is a sign of a good book.  Here is a link to Anita's website with more details and FAQs on this novel.

4th of July 2011

I know this post is late in the game by over a week, but life is busy these days with a toddler on the loose and gorgeous summer days to revel in.  I wanted to wish all of my readers a very happy (belated) Independence Day.  I hope you all enjoyed the cookouts, swimming, family time, an extra day off of work- if you were so lucky, and I hope you took a moment to remember what Independence Day is really all about even if you aren't a history buff (um, ME!). 

This 4th of July I took time to stop and smell the roses and enjoy my family...my husband, my daughter, and our two fur babies.  It was nice to slow down and enjoy our time together.  On Saturday, we drove up to Massachusetts to visit my ailing Grandmother.  A visit from her Great Granddaughter gave her renewed energy and a huge smile on her face (but, I'm still worried about her alone up there) and we stocked her fridge with frozen meals and goodies until my mom gets here in a couple weeks for her surgery.

On Monday, we watched fireworks in the one local town that actually had fireworks on 4th of July with some of my in-laws and it was the perfect ending to a great long weekend.  As an aside, can you explain to me why more towns don't do their fireworks on the actual holiday?  For instance, Hartford didn't have their fireworks until the weekend after the 4th on July 9th!  They did the same thing the year before and the 4th fell on an actual weekend day.  A little birdy told me it was due to budgeting and having to pay holiday pay and OT to the on duty police and fire fighters, but I'm not buying it.  Let's celebrate our country's independence on the actual holiday just like we did when we were kids.  Who cares if it costs a little extra or our little ones are a bit crabby from the late night the next day.  Isn't it part of what summer is?!  I'll even throw out that it's tradition...Fireworks ON 4th of July.

Alas, I will close this post by sharing some extra pictures of our 4th of July weekend...enjoy!

With cousin Julian- 6 mo older than she is



I know...out of focus- I need a tri-pod

A day in the life...

I think most of you know that I had a hard time coming back to work after M was born.  I had always envisioned myself as the hardcore working mother with an amazing balance between home and work life.  Then, I looked into my daughter's face for the first time and my world (and dreams) changed.  I always think of the movie Baby Boom with Diane Keaton for some reason when I look back at my maternity leave and how I felt having to come back to work and leave my daughter behind.  I hated the thought of it with a passion.  Dropping her off with my parents-in-law for the day would leave me in tears on the short drive to work from their house or sobbing in bed at night because I didn't want to have to do it all again the next day.  I knew M was in excellent care, but I couldn't help but feel that the excellent care should come from me or A.R not my in-laws who have already raised four boys of their own.

Luckily, my company is large with lots of excellent employee benefits and allows its employees to do flexible schedules (whether you're a mom or dad, injured, sick, or just trying to save on fuel costs by not having to commute everyday).  I wasn't sure if my boss would go for it, but I filled out a proposal and hoped for the best.  I was stunned when she approved it and we did a trial run.  In the earlier days I did a compressed and slightly reduced work week where I had Wednesdays off and worked 4 days for a total of 36 hours, but with having to break for pumping my boss didn't feel like I was getting the hours in.  I was devastated thinking that she'd take the opportunity away from me, but she made a suggestion and I asked for some time to crunch numbers, speak with A.R., and make a decision.  Well, the numbers crunched nicely, A.R. was 110% supportive, and we decided to go for it.  I feel so blessed to have this oppurtunity and I appreciate the added balance it gives my work and home life.  I now work a 4-day work week and have every Wednesday off.  I get an extra day home with my girl and a chance to get out of the house and do adult things and interact with my coworkers.  I lost pay and vacation time doing the reduced schedule, but whenever I look into M's sweet face as she smiles sleepily and pads around upstairs in her footed jammies with hair all askew, it is beyond worth it.

Deep down now that I've had a taste of that one extra day at home, I crave more.  I hope one day to cut back another day, but it won't be anytime in the near future (unless I get the big ole pink slip due to outsourcing- more to come on that!).  I still feel a twinge of guilt thinking of the student loans I'm paying for a Bachelor's in Accounting and an MBA knowing that I would rather be home than utilizing my degrees, but the time will come when my kid(s) are grown and I no longer need to be home with them and alas they will be put to great use.  So, back to the point of this post...what do I do on my day home with Miss M?!  Here is a typical day: 

7:15/7:30 M wakes up and I sing her "Good Morning" song as I change her diaper and then nurse her

8:00-8:45 We start some laundry, she "helps" me of course, and I usually do one cleaning item on my chore list whether it's cleaning the toilets, vacuuming one floor, or dusting the upstairs/downstairs

9:00 breakfast!

9:30 play time with M mixed with more chores for me.  I usually make a game out of them or we go for a walk/run if it's nice out.  I've also treated her to watching me do Jillian Michael's 30DS in this time slot.  She thinks I'm a giant dork.

10:45 snack time!

11/11:30 M goes down for a nap while Mommy does things she can't do easily with M awake like shower, computer work, mopping, cleaning with heavy chemicals.  Sometimes if I'm super exhausted I try to sleep at least a half hour while she's asleep, but it is rare these days.

12:30-1:30 M wakes up somewhere in this time frame depending on the day and as soon as she's up we have lunch

2:00-4/4:30 Errands begin.  They can include going to the vet, doctor appointments, grocery store, Target, bank, library, play dates, walk/run, play time, snack time, etc.

5:00 Start dinner

6:30 Papi comes home and we eat dinner!

8:15/30 Bedtime routine begins.  We call it triple "B". Bath. Boob. Bed. ;)  Now we add in teeth brushing and we've implemented a brief (3 books- or she'd do it all night) story time if A.R. puts her to sleep.  Once she's weaned we'll do books every night to switch the second "B" in triple "B" to Book instead of Boob. :)

As you can see my day "off" isn't really a day of relaxation. I barely ever get to nap when she does anymore and she is constantly on the go.  Chasing a toddler who has two speeds (stop and run!) is a great workout!  I've attached some pictures of a recent trip to walk/jog the Farmington Heritage Trail when I was home with her on a Wednesday.  The trail is a great change of scenery for us and gets us out of the house on nice days.  It's only about 10-15 minutes from our home and is an old railway that was converted into a biking/walking trail

She was chilling as I did all the work walk/jogging!

Run, Mama! Run!

This post is so very, very late but it's better late than never, right?!  A month ago I ran in my first 5k with my older brother in Boston, MA.  Running in a 5k was an item that both my brother and I had on our bucket lists to complete and what a better way to do it (and remain motivated) than to run for charity.  We named our little team of two the Bucket Listers and set about fundraising for the HIV/AIDS Action Committe of Boston.  I'm very proud to say that we both finished the 5k in just under 45 minutes (my time was 44:45) and raised $440 to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Registered and ready to run

The race was run along the Charles River in Boston with beautiful scenery and gorgeous weather.  We were also fortunate that there were no hills to contest on the race route! :P  My brother made the trip to Boston from sunny Florida and brought his boyfriend along with him.  It was so great to finally meet him and discover that he is absolutely perfect for my brother.  They are such a cute couple and both look so happy together.

Almost to the finish line...

A.R. got to bond with my brother's boyfriend while we ran the race (they were our cheerleaders along with Miss M) and said that he was such a nice guy.  M loved watching as the racers finished and cheered and clapped them along.  There were about 700 racers on race day and the winner finished in just under 17 minutes (EEK!), so she had a lot of cheering to do before her Uncle and I made it to the finish line.

We finished!

After the race we all hung out for the health fair that the walk was hosting and got great samples from various companies that sell prodcuts at local Whole Food stores.  Then, we stuck around for some of the entertainment after the walkers finished their walk before calling it a day and heading out to Fanuel Hall for a late lunch at Cheer's.

My brother's bf, me, big bro

Both my brother and I have "the bug" now and are itching to do another race.  He lives in prime 5k country down in Florida, so he could do one almost every weekend if he wanted to.  I'm going to look to do another one the end of August here in Connecticut and maybe a third one in October??!!  Running in the race and finishing was such a high.  Now, I want to do it again to improve on my time and better my own fitness level.  I hope to use 5ks as a motivation to keep my new gym routine up.  Maybe someday I'll be able to try a 10k...HA!

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

I must be crazy.  I joined a second book club with my fellow September 2008 brides when I barely have time to finish the one book a month I've commited to in my other online book club with my fellow March 2010 mommies.  This month I actually pulled it off and read two books in a month.  Incredible.  Of course it involved a few late nights and a rainy weekend of reading every chance I got, but I did it and thoroughly enjoyed it.  The first book I'll review this month was your classic chic lit novel.  I loved it.  I can't wait for the movie to come out on Netflix even though I know the movies based on books are never the same.

My two favorite characters (Ethan and Hillary) in this book actually weren't the main characters in the story, but both played fairly important roles and added to the dynamic of the story.  I grew to feel sorry for the main character, Rachel, and loathe her self centered, materialistic friend, Darcy.  Their relationship reminded me a lot of one that I had where I played the part of Rachel (except for the sleeping with BFF's fiance part) and it even opened up some old feelings that I had buried away.

I won't go into too much detail about the story for those of you who have not yet read the book or seen the movie, but the basic story is about a woman, Rachel, who slept with her best friend's fiance after her 30th birthday party. The story tells of their affair, the feelings that went along with it, and how they lived happily ever after- or not. You'll have to read to find out!

Do I think that it was okay for Rachel to sleep with her best friend's fiance no matter how vile she was?   No.  Having been cheated on before, I can empathisize with how it feels to be betrayed.  I wasn't even engaged to the guy and it was awful.  We were living together at the time, but I can't imagine how awful I would've felt if we had been engaged.  Darcy lost two people in this story.  Her fiance and her best friend.  In a way, Rachel was no better than her "friend" in that she commited the ultimate betrayal.

Would I chose true love over a friendship, though?  It depends.  If my friend didn't approve of my love interest and it was a healthy relationship I probably would chose love.  I'm a romantic and I feel that if my friendship was genuine, they would love me unconditionally and offer support with my choice in a mate.  If they had a valid reason to not support the relationship (i.e. abuse, past knowledge of said boy's behavior that was damning) then I would hope they would explain themselves and we'd go from there.

Pork with Spicy Orange Cranberry Sauce

YUM to the E is this recipe from my new diabetic cook book!  A.R. was recently diagnosed as prediabetic/diabetic and he has had to get serious about making changes in his diet to regulate his blood sugars.  It's been a hard adjustment for him, but he's making progress and since he now has to take his blood sugar levels 5 times a week (three nights and two mornings) it has helped to see how various foods effect the readings.  I received this cook book from a friend and coworker of mine who is also diabetic as a pleasant surprise one day.  I'm really greatful to her for the tips and advice she has given to me as I am the primary chef in our household and I prefer to keep A.R. around a lot longer to watch Mariela grow up with all his limbs in tact.  His doctor scared him into taking positive steps forward by saying he literally is risking limbs now if he doesn't start taking care of himself- which translates to him not being able to walk Mariela down the aisle one day in his head.  I'll take the scare tactic since nothing I've said has seemed to sink in!  Making changes in my cooking hasn't been difficult yet, but I still have a lot to learn about it.  So far, A.R. doesn't have to take insulin, but we'll know more about that and his prognosis after his follow-up next month with his primary care physician.

Pork with Spicy Orange Cranberry Sauce

Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Spring Peas

This recipe was a-mazing and husband approved.  I liked it as well and there were hardly any leftovers for my lunch the next day because A.R. chowed down.  If you haven't had a chance yet, check out http://www.skinnytaste.com/ for more amazing recipes.  Thank you, Morgan, for sharing this site with me!

Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Spring Peas