It appears that germs have invaded again. Except this time, they're all up in my grill instead of the kids', (though I suspect that might be coming also. Trying to stave it off). I suppose that's a good thing but oy, they have a lot of energy.
Anyway, I might not be blogging much today (and didn't yesterday), but if you'd like to follow my mundane thoughts throughout the next day or two, (and beyond), follow me on twitter.
And really, it's mundane. And probably boring. Because brevity is not my middle name, (ask any person who's ever gotten a voice mail from me), and well... 140 characters? Not a whole of room for wit from this girl.
Anyway, monsterchew, that's me :)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
A Taste of Summer
I really wish I could have captured the colors of this salad in the daytime. I was craving melon way too much to wait til morning to make it, and at that time, half eaten, it wasn't nearly as exciting looking.
I bought a honeydew, a cantelope and a watermelon from a local grocery store and decided to combine them together for a little melon salad.
That honeydew was the sweetest thing I've ever tasted. Not kidding.
I bought a honeydew, a cantelope and a watermelon from a local grocery store and decided to combine them together for a little melon salad.
That honeydew was the sweetest thing I've ever tasted. Not kidding.
Shaun's not the biggest fan of watermelon or honeydew, so I added some blackberries, strawberries and blueberries to his bowl. Summer, anyone? Produce is tasting sweeter and sweeter so it's only a matter of time. Yum.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Accent on the Crazy
I married a Texan. A Texan with a cute accent. And though that accent is fading the longer he lives in Maryland, there are some things he says that will forever be odd.
For instance, there's this weird homonym-esque pronounciation of certain words that perpetually confuses me.
"Hey Jen! Can you go get me a pen?" (Pen pronounced "Pee-in")
"A Pin?"
"No, a PEN!" (pee-in) "Not a PEN!" (pee-in)
And on and on it goes until one of us starts describing the function of said requested item.
"Do you need something to WRITE with or something to poke someone with?!"
"Nevermind! I'll get the pen myself!"
So when we decided to settle in Maryland and raise our kids here, I silently thanked God that I would never have to deal with the weird homonym mix-ups that make my dear Texan husband and I want to throw things.
(Granted, I know that we'll have our own struggles with the kids saying things like, "Aw, we're goin' down ta Bawlmore, hon!" You Baltimoreans know exactly the accent I'm talking about).
Imagine my shock yesterday to hear this from my oldest,
"Mom! That's grass! A big old "hee-ool" of grass!"
Contextually, I knew exactly what she meant. But the pronounciation of "hill" was scarily the same as "heel". It won't be long before I'm asking whether Bean wants to make a DEAL or put some DILL on something. (They're both "Dee-ool"). Because I'm already at a complete loss.
Apparently Texan roots are stronger than I thought.
For instance, there's this weird homonym-esque pronounciation of certain words that perpetually confuses me.
"Hey Jen! Can you go get me a pen?" (Pen pronounced "Pee-in")
"A Pin?"
"No, a PEN!" (pee-in) "Not a PEN!" (pee-in)
And on and on it goes until one of us starts describing the function of said requested item.
"Do you need something to WRITE with or something to poke someone with?!"
"Nevermind! I'll get the pen myself!"
So when we decided to settle in Maryland and raise our kids here, I silently thanked God that I would never have to deal with the weird homonym mix-ups that make my dear Texan husband and I want to throw things.
(Granted, I know that we'll have our own struggles with the kids saying things like, "Aw, we're goin' down ta Bawlmore, hon!" You Baltimoreans know exactly the accent I'm talking about).
Imagine my shock yesterday to hear this from my oldest,
"Mom! That's grass! A big old "hee-ool" of grass!"
Contextually, I knew exactly what she meant. But the pronounciation of "hill" was scarily the same as "heel". It won't be long before I'm asking whether Bean wants to make a DEAL or put some DILL on something. (They're both "Dee-ool"). Because I'm already at a complete loss.
Apparently Texan roots are stronger than I thought.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Cheerios Circle of Helping Hearts (and GIVEAWAY!)
When was your last physical? This year? Two years ago? Five years ago? So many years ago that you need your fingers and your toes to calculate?When you had that physical, did they check your cholesterol? Most people know that high cholesterol is a bad thing, but most people don't pay enough attention to their numbers until it becomes an obvious problem, often requiring medicine or stronger interventions.
With heart disease being the number one cause of death for women today, it would benefit all of us if we paid attention to that little number more closely than perhaps we have in the past.
Sadly, there are many without the means to provide themselves with adequate health care, and thus, necessary tests pass by the wayside and the opportunity for early prevention is lost, particularly in the area of cholesterol screenings.
Cheerios has stepped up to the plate to raise awareness for heart disease prevention and to provide free cholesterol screenings for women in need. For every code from a specially marked Cheerio box entered at http://www.cheerioshelpinghearts.com/, Cheerios will donate a dollar to these causes, through their partnership with WomenHeart.
What can you do? Encourage women (and men!) you know to get regular screenings. Eat a healthy diet. Look for specially marked boxes of Cheerios and enter your code at the website! What costs but a minute or two of time for you could potentially save someone else's life.
Also, you can enter to win a beautiful freshwater pearl bracelet from Charity Charms. Each bracelet has a pretty little silver heart charm near the clasp. Wear yours to spread the word of heart health awareness!
Comment on this post and if you wish, tell me what you do to take care of your ticker! I will randomly choose THREE winners from the comments and send a bracelet to each of them!
(These things are SUPER cute and definitely high quality... I wear mine all the time and get tons of comments on it)
Giveaway closes next Tuesday at midnight. One entry per person UNLESS you post about the giveaway on your own blog. In that case, comment again with a link to your post and you'll be entered again.
Good luck and happy heart health!
If You've Ever Wondered Why My House Can Be A Mess
Bathroom Cleaning: Pre-Kids
Bathroom Cleaning: Post-Kids
- Put miscellaneous counter items away.
- Wipe down counter and sink
- Empty Trash
- Clean toilet
- Scrub down bathtub
Bathroom Cleaning: Post-Kids
- Try to put miscellaneous counter items away. Realize that with each kid, miscellaneous items multiply by 10. Attempt to shove them in places they don't fit. Give up. Artfully arrange them on the counter.
- Wipe down said counter.
- Fend off curious baby while scrubbing the toilet.
- Finish the toilet to remarkable silence. Turn to see baby emptying trash. Freak out, disinfect baby, empty trash.
- Stand on tub to reach high items in preparation for a scrub down.
- Remove baby from cabinet under the sink. Replace all strewn items as quickly as possible.
- Give baby and toddler crackers. Sit them in front of little used toy.
- Answer "Mommy, what's that?" 15 times about bathroom paraphernalia
- Attempt to wrangle tub toys in an orderly pile. Give up and chuck them into baby bathtub for
permanenttemporary storage. - Redirect toddler from playing with wet pile of bath toys.
- Rescue baby from falling headfirst into the bathtub.
- Give kids raisins, plop them in the back corner of the bedroom, bolt for the bathroom and hope for the best.
- Spray down shower. Turn to grab cleaning rag and catch sight of baby with three Q-tips hanging out of her mouth. Be thankful they're clean.
- Go towards baby and try not to giggle as she grins with the q-tips in place and runs away.
- Take advantage of lull to finish shower.
- Block the entry to the bathroom with your body as toddler tries to come in to wash her animals. Ban all bath sessions for non-tub toys for the foreseeable future.
- Debate refusing bathroom access altogether. Decide that the mess on the floor would be worse.
- Chase kids out of the bathroom and shut the door.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Dinner Hour: Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
The recipe for tonight's dinner originally called for red peppers instead of acorn squash, but the store was flat out of 'em and well? I was hungry.
To prepare the squash, cut a little off the top and bottom and scoop the middle out, turn upside down in a baking dish with an inch of water, and microwave for 8 minutes. (You can bake them, too, but it takes FOREVER). When they're done in the microwave, drain the water, flip the squash right side up, and place the liquid from the cans of tomatoes on the bottom of the baking dish and you're ready to stuff 'em.
The filling starts with about a half an onion sauteed in olive oil. When they get soft, add a couple tablespoons of ground cumin and a couple of crushed cloves of garlic. Sautee those for a minute and then add about a bag of thawed and drained spinach and two cans of drained, diced tomatoes. Cook until the liquid is mostly gone. At that point, add about 3 shredded carrots, a can of rinsed, drained black beans and 3/4ths a cup of quinoa. Add two cups of water and bring to a boil. When the quinoa is tender, add a cup of pepper jack cheese and spoon the mixture into the precooked acorn squash, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Take out, uncover, and add a smidge more cheese to the top of each one and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!
Verdict over here? We'd all eat it again in a heartbeat. Shaun would prefer that it be spicier, which I would agree with, but considering that Bean ate three helpings of the filling, I might just leave it as is and individually season each with crushed red pepper. Robin said that she didn't think she would have ever tried something like this a few months ago but loved it and has since said that she's becoming less and less afraid to try new things. That? That's a success in my book. Niiiiice.
To prepare the squash, cut a little off the top and bottom and scoop the middle out, turn upside down in a baking dish with an inch of water, and microwave for 8 minutes. (You can bake them, too, but it takes FOREVER). When they're done in the microwave, drain the water, flip the squash right side up, and place the liquid from the cans of tomatoes on the bottom of the baking dish and you're ready to stuff 'em.
The filling starts with about a half an onion sauteed in olive oil. When they get soft, add a couple tablespoons of ground cumin and a couple of crushed cloves of garlic. Sautee those for a minute and then add about a bag of thawed and drained spinach and two cans of drained, diced tomatoes. Cook until the liquid is mostly gone. At that point, add about 3 shredded carrots, a can of rinsed, drained black beans and 3/4ths a cup of quinoa. Add two cups of water and bring to a boil. When the quinoa is tender, add a cup of pepper jack cheese and spoon the mixture into the precooked acorn squash, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Take out, uncover, and add a smidge more cheese to the top of each one and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!
Verdict over here? We'd all eat it again in a heartbeat. Shaun would prefer that it be spicier, which I would agree with, but considering that Bean ate three helpings of the filling, I might just leave it as is and individually season each with crushed red pepper. Robin said that she didn't think she would have ever tried something like this a few months ago but loved it and has since said that she's becoming less and less afraid to try new things. That? That's a success in my book. Niiiiice.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
C - Eleven Month Update
Dear Mini-Shaun,
As you get older, you look more and more like your Daddy. He's cute, so this isn't bad at all. Funnier still is watching your personality change to be more like his too. Mainly in how you two always manage to find mischief. Your sister isn't exactly keen on this new development as mischief with you usually means tormenting her. But she's adjusting.
You are absolutely in love with music. I don't have a remote idea where you get your dancing skills since I'm most certainly rhythmically challenged and your Daddy isn't much better. (He'd argue that... but really, we're not much on the dance floor). I'll put on music and you'll immediately drop what you're doing, crawl to the radio and start dancing. First, you wave your arms in a sort of "raise-the-roof" motion. Then your head starts bopping. And if they song is upbeat enough for you, you stand up, hold on, and go crazy.
You're sleeping MUCH better lately. Most nights you wake up once, and lately, it's been all the way around 5:30 or 6am. That's a full night's sleep, kid. That? That's a nice little gift to give to your mother, even if it is a little late.
You've started standing on your own for a few seconds at a time, which delights us and freaks you the heck out. You definitely need to feel like you know what you're doing before you actually take a chance and do it. That should make for some interesting years to come.
You're stubborn beyond belief sometimes, and you definitely know what you want. Lately, you've been squawking your frustrations when your sister gets something for lunch that you think you didn't get on your tray. I'm working on a solutions to lessen the crazy that happens at meals and so far, it's going alright.
You're finally getting the hang of the sippy cup, but you don't drink much. I'm trying not to let that drive me crazy.
Bean is your best friend. You love me more than life, but when it comes to playmates, Bean's your buddy. Bean's starting to warm up to the idea of playing WITH you instead of trying to protect her playthings FROM you. I love when she goes out of her way to make you laugh and even more, I love hearing your laughter bubble up and out of you and hear her laugh along. One of my greatest hopes is that you both will realize how much of a gift you have in each other.
We're going to toss a brother into the mix soon, and in so many ways, I can't imagine a better situation. You'll always have your big sister for your girl bonding and now? A little brother so close in age that you guys will feel like twins one day. Just make sure he grows up knowing how to treat a lady, ok? You and Bean make sure of that.
I can't get over the whole reality that you're going to be one next month. You're still such a peanut of a kid. But you're fast entering the splendid world of toddlerhood and knowing you? You'll continue full steam ahead and never look back.
Love always,
Mamamama
As you get older, you look more and more like your Daddy. He's cute, so this isn't bad at all. Funnier still is watching your personality change to be more like his too. Mainly in how you two always manage to find mischief. Your sister isn't exactly keen on this new development as mischief with you usually means tormenting her. But she's adjusting.
You are absolutely in love with music. I don't have a remote idea where you get your dancing skills since I'm most certainly rhythmically challenged and your Daddy isn't much better. (He'd argue that... but really, we're not much on the dance floor). I'll put on music and you'll immediately drop what you're doing, crawl to the radio and start dancing. First, you wave your arms in a sort of "raise-the-roof" motion. Then your head starts bopping. And if they song is upbeat enough for you, you stand up, hold on, and go crazy.
You're sleeping MUCH better lately. Most nights you wake up once, and lately, it's been all the way around 5:30 or 6am. That's a full night's sleep, kid. That? That's a nice little gift to give to your mother, even if it is a little late.
You've started standing on your own for a few seconds at a time, which delights us and freaks you the heck out. You definitely need to feel like you know what you're doing before you actually take a chance and do it. That should make for some interesting years to come.
You're stubborn beyond belief sometimes, and you definitely know what you want. Lately, you've been squawking your frustrations when your sister gets something for lunch that you think you didn't get on your tray. I'm working on a solutions to lessen the crazy that happens at meals and so far, it's going alright.
You're finally getting the hang of the sippy cup, but you don't drink much. I'm trying not to let that drive me crazy.
Bean is your best friend. You love me more than life, but when it comes to playmates, Bean's your buddy. Bean's starting to warm up to the idea of playing WITH you instead of trying to protect her playthings FROM you. I love when she goes out of her way to make you laugh and even more, I love hearing your laughter bubble up and out of you and hear her laugh along. One of my greatest hopes is that you both will realize how much of a gift you have in each other.
We're going to toss a brother into the mix soon, and in so many ways, I can't imagine a better situation. You'll always have your big sister for your girl bonding and now? A little brother so close in age that you guys will feel like twins one day. Just make sure he grows up knowing how to treat a lady, ok? You and Bean make sure of that.
I can't get over the whole reality that you're going to be one next month. You're still such a peanut of a kid. But you're fast entering the splendid world of toddlerhood and knowing you? You'll continue full steam ahead and never look back.
Love always,
Mamamama
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