Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Father's Day 2010 Pictures
It's amazing how much he grew in a year. Even though it's been months since Father's Day, I thought I'd post the 2010 edition of D A D that was photographed for my hubby. Maybe next year we'll be able to convince him to sit still... maybe not...
What's For Dinner
Recently I've been trying to "switch it up" with what we've been having for dinner. Last night, on the recommendation of my sister, we tried pulled pork in the crock pot. It was good... a little spicy (I think we're used to less spice, more sweet), but very delicious. Per my sister's advice I cooked it in the crockpot for 8 hours on low. She said that it comes out tough if you cook it on high for less time.
For the recipe I used a McCormick flavor packet and the recipe below (which is also on the back of the packet).
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
Makes 10 servings.
You Will Need
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, well-trimmed
1 pkg. McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
PLACE pork in slow cooker.
MIX Seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.
COOK 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.
SHRED pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker; mix and heat with sauce before serving.
For the recipe I used a McCormick flavor packet and the recipe below (which is also on the back of the packet).
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
Makes 10 servings.
You Will Need
3 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, well-trimmed
1 pkg. McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
PLACE pork in slow cooker.
MIX Seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.
COOK 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.
SHRED pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker; mix and heat with sauce before serving.
Products I Can't Live Without
When I found out I was pregnant with my first, one of the hardest things was trying to figure out what the heck I would register for. What products would I need? What was just a gimmick and would I really find useless. Here are some of the things (past and present) that I could not live without!
Munchie Mug
http://www.munchiemug.com/
You can not beat this product! It keeps the snacks CONTAINED. My boy has easy access to his snacks on the go, the top has a spandex top that stretches to go around my kiddo's hand and unlike other products, I have never had the goldfish (or other contents) spill. It is STURDY and even after a year of daily use, it is still in tip top shape. It is worth every single penny.
Mabel's Labels
http://www.mabel.ca
Even though the boy is not in daycare, there are plenty of situations where we have to leave him with other kids and he needs his belongings labeled. This has been a particular challenge with his food containers (his Munchie Mug, sippy cups, etc.) and no matter how many times I use a Sharpie, it doesn't seem to work very well. Mabel's Labels sells a variety of different labels that you can use to keep track of your kiddo's things. Recently we purchased the labels below, they are dishwasher and microwave proof and will be marking his things for months to come!
Exergen Temporal Thermometer
Nothing about taking a child's temperature is easy, until this product. When I was registering I thought that getting a thermometer like this was unnecessary... then I had a screaming child who was burning up and was impossible to measure. Enter, stage left, the exergen temporal thermometer. Hallelujah! One pass over the forehead and behind the ear and we had an accurate reading. No rectal thermometer reading or holding down the arm. If you get one of these DON'T get it at a baby store. They are GROSSLY overpriced. Walmart and Costco have the same product in different packaging.
I'll post more at another time. In the meantime, what products have been lifesavers for you?
Munchie Mug
http://www.munchiemug.com/
You can not beat this product! It keeps the snacks CONTAINED. My boy has easy access to his snacks on the go, the top has a spandex top that stretches to go around my kiddo's hand and unlike other products, I have never had the goldfish (or other contents) spill. It is STURDY and even after a year of daily use, it is still in tip top shape. It is worth every single penny.
Mabel's Labels
http://www.mabel.ca
Even though the boy is not in daycare, there are plenty of situations where we have to leave him with other kids and he needs his belongings labeled. This has been a particular challenge with his food containers (his Munchie Mug, sippy cups, etc.) and no matter how many times I use a Sharpie, it doesn't seem to work very well. Mabel's Labels sells a variety of different labels that you can use to keep track of your kiddo's things. Recently we purchased the labels below, they are dishwasher and microwave proof and will be marking his things for months to come!
Exergen Temporal Thermometer
Nothing about taking a child's temperature is easy, until this product. When I was registering I thought that getting a thermometer like this was unnecessary... then I had a screaming child who was burning up and was impossible to measure. Enter, stage left, the exergen temporal thermometer. Hallelujah! One pass over the forehead and behind the ear and we had an accurate reading. No rectal thermometer reading or holding down the arm. If you get one of these DON'T get it at a baby store. They are GROSSLY overpriced. Walmart and Costco have the same product in different packaging.
I'll post more at another time. In the meantime, what products have been lifesavers for you?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Staying Content during the "In Between" Times
Over the last seven months I've been kept pretty busy. Every single day was a learning experience, and quite honestly, many days I felt like I was behind the eight ball. There was just so much to learn about being a mom. I needed to get a groove, and Joshua and I had to get used to eachother. It took a lot of effort, and there were many days that I cried, felt like crying, or just felt altogether inadequate. However, seven months (!) later, we seem to finally be getting into a groove. We actually might have something that I would roughly consider a "schedule" and there are finally norms! Don't get me wrong... life with a baby is always less than predicatable, but lately it's feeling... well, NORMAL. And folks, normal (and I use that term loosely) is new. Things haven't been "normal" since February 2008... the last month I wasn't "with child."
In the last few weeks this "normal" feeling has been very discontenting to me. To be honest, one of the main reasons why it was is because I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly HOW I was feeling. I only very recently figured out what I expressed above. We've had a LOT of rain recently (almost 4 straight weeks to be exact!) so I've had a LOT of time to think, and during that time I began to become frustrated because when I think about my "next step" it's usually something like doing laundry, cleaning up after the baby or buying diapers... nothing much beyond that and that's not the way the rest of my life has gone. I've never really allowed myself to live in the short term. There was always something exciting looming on the horizon. After high school there was college. After college there was living on my own and establishing a career. Then grad school, then being determined to put myself out there in order to find the man God had for me. After marriage there was grad school completion and buying a house. Then, after two years of living in the reality that we were actively trying to have a baby, I got pregnant. There's always been a next move.
Recently, there's been events to look forward to (our trip to VA, my sister's wedding shower that I'm planning for this weekend, her wedding in September) but there really isn't this milestone or fully attainable goal that is on my plate. Joshua has had plenty of milestones and his milestones were beginning to become my milestones, which was not okay with me. I want to live through and celebrate his milestones, but I know that in order to keep my identity, I need my own milestones. Sure, one of my huge goals is to raise Joshua to be a strong, respectful, truthful, and loving man of God, but that's not something that's going to be fully achieved by say, June 2010. It's a process, something to work toward on a daily basis for most of the rest of my life. We're DEFINTELY not ready to add to our family, it's going to be a while before we can afford to move from our townhouse into a single family home, and I'm not sure that I desire to return to school or work just yet. So, right now is learning to live and stay content in the "in between" times. (Your suggestions on how to do this are very welcome... leave me a comment!) Each day that I get to see Joshua grow and learn and each day that I get to love him is a gift. I need to teach myself not to miss the daily life I'm living because I'm waiting for the next big thing. I guess I'm learning that every portion of life doesn't have to be a marathon with a prize at the end. It's more like a jog. It can be enjoyable, steady, and a day to day delight.
It's a new way of living. It's a new way of looking at life. Welcome to motherhood. Welcome to your 30s.
In the last few weeks this "normal" feeling has been very discontenting to me. To be honest, one of the main reasons why it was is because I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly HOW I was feeling. I only very recently figured out what I expressed above. We've had a LOT of rain recently (almost 4 straight weeks to be exact!) so I've had a LOT of time to think, and during that time I began to become frustrated because when I think about my "next step" it's usually something like doing laundry, cleaning up after the baby or buying diapers... nothing much beyond that and that's not the way the rest of my life has gone. I've never really allowed myself to live in the short term. There was always something exciting looming on the horizon. After high school there was college. After college there was living on my own and establishing a career. Then grad school, then being determined to put myself out there in order to find the man God had for me. After marriage there was grad school completion and buying a house. Then, after two years of living in the reality that we were actively trying to have a baby, I got pregnant. There's always been a next move.
Recently, there's been events to look forward to (our trip to VA, my sister's wedding shower that I'm planning for this weekend, her wedding in September) but there really isn't this milestone or fully attainable goal that is on my plate. Joshua has had plenty of milestones and his milestones were beginning to become my milestones, which was not okay with me. I want to live through and celebrate his milestones, but I know that in order to keep my identity, I need my own milestones. Sure, one of my huge goals is to raise Joshua to be a strong, respectful, truthful, and loving man of God, but that's not something that's going to be fully achieved by say, June 2010. It's a process, something to work toward on a daily basis for most of the rest of my life. We're DEFINTELY not ready to add to our family, it's going to be a while before we can afford to move from our townhouse into a single family home, and I'm not sure that I desire to return to school or work just yet. So, right now is learning to live and stay content in the "in between" times. (Your suggestions on how to do this are very welcome... leave me a comment!) Each day that I get to see Joshua grow and learn and each day that I get to love him is a gift. I need to teach myself not to miss the daily life I'm living because I'm waiting for the next big thing. I guess I'm learning that every portion of life doesn't have to be a marathon with a prize at the end. It's more like a jog. It can be enjoyable, steady, and a day to day delight.
It's a new way of living. It's a new way of looking at life. Welcome to motherhood. Welcome to your 30s.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Here are some things that I’ve been thinking about lately. Going into mommyhood I felt like I knew a lot about what to expect. However, there have undoubtedly been some surprises along the way. Here’s a few….
I never realized…
I never realized…
- I would not only wipe noses, but pick others noses too
- How much of a lifesaver infant Tylenol would be
- How much more I would love and admire my husband as I watched him be a daddy
- How many physical complications one can have postpartum
- How important it would be to have friends with kids the same age
- That my ability to trust my pediatrician would directly contribute to my ability to sleep on a frequent basis
- I would begin to appreciate grocery shopping alone, just because it’s time to think straight (before the baby I despised grocery shopping alone!)
- How much swings, pack n plays and exersaucers ROCK! Can you say shower, people?!
- How complicated picking out a carseat would be
- How much awe and respect I would have for parents of twins, triplets, etc … I don’t know how they do it, I have a hard enough time hauling one kiddo around.
- How many court shows there are on daytime tv
- That the right fit and brand of diaper can completely change your life
- That facebook can help to prevent major feelings of isolation and maybe even stave off some post partum depression
- Hearing his little sigh when he's sleeping would warm my heart so much
- How all day long he would be able to communicate with me without using words!
- Getting him on a consistent nap schedule could completely change my life (we’re still working on this one!)
There are many more to list, but that’s enough for now. Are there ones that you identify with? What are some things that you never realized?
Friday, June 5, 2009
I can hardly believe my boy is now six months old. SIX MONTHS! That's six months of diapers, strange sleep patterns, bottles, and huge changes in my life. But it's also six months of smiles, giggles, bonding, growing and loving unlike I ever have before. Truly, I am a different person than I was six months ago.
The past few months have come with some major changes, some of them being struggles and some of them being welcome differences. I am now a mom and no matter how old he is, or where he is I will always be his mom. Weird, cool, and unbelievable. I've always wanted to be a mom, but I never knew how it would feel. Quite honestly, I still don't know that I could define how it feels. Everyday is different. Yesterday it was run down, like a perpetual smelly burb cloth, and totally done. Today, it's proud, snuggly, and happy. One of the major lessons that I have learned is that every day, every hour, every minute needs to be take step by step. I can plan a day that has many different things in it (not too many, I'm not crazy!) but ultimately, everything depends on him. Which is ironic because while all that I do depends on him, he depends on me for everything! You can't plan around a baby. Naptime is never the same time (in fact many days he skips it altogether!) and teething doesn't happen on my schedule. This has taught me a lot about life and the way I view it. I have walked around for years trying my best to control things... but this is not a good way to go through life. More and more I'm trusting God and others for my day to day and minute to minute activities. There's nothing like a baby to bring you to your knees.
The past few months have come with some major changes, some of them being struggles and some of them being welcome differences. I am now a mom and no matter how old he is, or where he is I will always be his mom. Weird, cool, and unbelievable. I've always wanted to be a mom, but I never knew how it would feel. Quite honestly, I still don't know that I could define how it feels. Everyday is different. Yesterday it was run down, like a perpetual smelly burb cloth, and totally done. Today, it's proud, snuggly, and happy. One of the major lessons that I have learned is that every day, every hour, every minute needs to be take step by step. I can plan a day that has many different things in it (not too many, I'm not crazy!) but ultimately, everything depends on him. Which is ironic because while all that I do depends on him, he depends on me for everything! You can't plan around a baby. Naptime is never the same time (in fact many days he skips it altogether!) and teething doesn't happen on my schedule. This has taught me a lot about life and the way I view it. I have walked around for years trying my best to control things... but this is not a good way to go through life. More and more I'm trusting God and others for my day to day and minute to minute activities. There's nothing like a baby to bring you to your knees.
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