A week of Lunches...

Is it just me or is finding good lunch ideas ridiculously hard? I kind of envy those who only need to really come up with dinner recipes. Kind of.

Anyhoo, since I stay at home with Andrew and hubby is home most days, I figured it's something I should start doing a better job of.... you know, no more tuna salad sandwiches or cereal or "I don't know, grab whatever looks good I guess." LOL

Here is our full menu for this week:

Monday: Sloppy Joes for Lunch, Mac and Cheese for a quick Dinner before hubby goes to work.

Tuesday: Tuna Wraps for Lunch, Shrimp Stir Fry for Dinner.

Wednesday: Homemade Chicken Pot Pie for Lunch, Salad and Soup for Dinner.

Thursday: Leftovers for Lunch, Ordering Pizza for Dinner.

Friday: Deviled Eggs and toast for Lunch, Turkey burgers for Dinner ...REALLY excited about the Turkey Burgers! We got "Cowboy" ones from the store that have jalapenos, cheddar, bacon, etc in the meat. Also got a spinach and feta one to split :)

Saturday: Sandwiches (Ham or Turkey and Swiss) for Lunch, Skillet Sausage and Pasta with veggies for Dinner.

Sunday: Denver omlets for Lunch, Out to the Hibachi grill for Hubby's birthday dinner.

....Of course our menu starts with Saturday and ends with Friday because we do our grocery shopping on Friday mornings.

Not much new going on here, baby and I caught colds around the 16h, so I was pretty much MIA for 2 days straight. Baby has been pretty good, but STILL has a runny nose, so we will be going in to the doc later this week. Hubby has been pretty good about keeping away from it but started feeling sick today so I'm pumping him full of OJ, water and Cold Care tea. Echinacea is going on the shopping list, lol.

Our weekend was a LOT of fun! Friday we rented "The Butler" and "Captain Phillips", ordered pizza and had a nice night in.

Saturday hubby and I went to see "Catching Fire" finally. It was SO good! It was my favorite book of the series so I was a bit apprehensive but overall I really loved it! It felt so nice to have an outing just to ourselves. It's been a long while since we've had a real date night type of thing. 

Later that evening we headed out for hubby's birthday surprise. I'm pretty sure he thought I was literally leading him to be axe murdered, haha. We drive half an hour NorthEast of home, into a small town, parked in front of a park, and walked to a house on the corner. After a while though, he realized I brought him to a house concert for Bill and Kate Isles! They are a couple from Minnesota that we went to see a few times, on tour here in FL! It was a great night, we both love their music and we got to chat a bit which was a lot of fun :)

Sunday was hubby's actual birthday. We went to church, new member class and later that night, a hibachi grill with a bunch of his work friends for another worker's birthday. He got sung to, a few gifts, a cupcake and pretty drunk by the end of the night so I think he enjoyed himself.... and we got back in time for Downton Abbey so I had a pretty good night too hehehe ;-P

Weeeellllll, I think that's about it for tonight! Off to take advantage of some rare reading time! 

TTFN <3

Happy first birthday, Andrew!

How did we become parents to a one year old???

"If your one-year-old hasn’t yet mastered the art of walking, he may be clocking some serious miles anyway by hanging on to anything he can and propelling himself forward. (Don’t worry if your tot is doing neither of those — every child progresses at his own pace and some may not yet be pulling themselves up to stand.) In addition to cruising, he may be using his hands for some very important tasks, including holding his cup, picking up tiny objects, playing patty-cake, and waving bye-bye. He may also summon you with a loud and clear “Mama” when he needs something — even just a hug. Don’t be surprised if your little one protests (a lot!) when you leave the room these days.Separation anxiety is very common at this age. And while some toddlers are the life of the party, others may seem suddenly shy, which is actually developmentally appropriate. Try not to worry about it or other typical behaviors of the one-year-old set, such as hitting, not sharing, serious attachment to his bottle (though the time to ditch it is imminent), and picky eating. All are normal and most likely temporary as your child’s growing sense of independence leads to some trying moments. Weaning from the breast may be high on your priority list or months down the road, but either way, it’s one milestone that’s best approached with patience and a plan."

--whattoexpect.com

Andrew's birthday fell on a Thursday. His one-year check-up was on the same day. His grandparents got in on the 11th. So we were a bit confuddled about what to do when. We decided to do sort of a three part birthday celebration.

The first part came on January 4th. We took him to the circus! He was pretty transfixed for the bigger numbers started getting restless during the tigers but nothing some snacks and a nap couldn't fix.

On his birthday, like I said, he had his one year check-up. Shots and all. So we decided to go buy him a gift, and let him pick out a gift as well. He chose a xylophone and a peg puzzle. We also grabbed some triangle crayons and a large drawing pad. LOVE Melissa&Doug products!!

The last part came the next week on the 17th. We went to the Lowry Park Zoo after we all had breakfast. Arrived around noon and stayed until close at 5! We adopted an elephant calf, M-Pumi, in Andrew's name and got an annual membership. Andrew actually looked at a bunch of the animals and seemed interested which was great! We went on the safari ride which takes you into some exhibits/ behind the scenes of a few.... something I think we'll be repeating a lot. We also got a free ticket to feed the giraffes but we were too late in the day so we're thinking of going back later this month for more zoo fun :)

After arriving home we had his little party. He "opened" all his gifts, and ate his birthday cake - he was pretty unenthusiastic about getting frosting all over his hands but once he took a bite he loved it! (Recipe below*)

The adults had some cupcakes and moscato spumante hehe

I was a bit disappointed we didn't have a bigger party but #1 we have no parent friends yet/ Andrew hasn't made any friends and #2 it was so great to have all of his grandparents there to celebrate with him and #3 he's one. He's not going to remember. We all had fun and he was surrounded by people who love him to pieces so it was pretty perfect :)

Here are some pics:

Andrew at One Year:

• Stands alone for a few seconds at a time
• Will take a few steps on his own between things but refuses to try otherwise
• Hates all chicken except chicken nuggets
• No longer likes eggs
• Squeals and laughs all day
• Has learned to throw a ball back and forth
• Is matching shapes to their holes
• Has said "Mama", "Dada", "Yes", "No", "Ewwo" (Hello), and "Ligh" (Light)... and "Moooo" haha
• Has scooped up beets in his spoon and feeding himself
• Helps dress himself (puts his feet up for socks and pants/ pushes his arms through sleeves, etc)
• Will walk with you holding one of his hands
• Claps
• High-fives
• Will sort of sing  with you in baby language
• Bends his head so you can kiss him on the forehead
• Points
• Loves drinking water throughout the day
• Will book it toward any open door/ ungated Kitchen
• Drinking whole milk now
• Waving

*Sugarless Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting:

8oz (2 cups) whole wheat flour

1tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

pinch salt

10 fl oz (1 1/4 cup) water

6oz (3/4 cup)raisins

1tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp nutmeg

8oz (1 cup)carrot, grated

4 fl oz (1/2 cup)sugar-free applesauce

Preheat the oven to 375 deg F (190 deg C).

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Pour the water into a small saucepan and add the raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 mins.

Put the grated carrots into a bowl, then pour in the liquid mixture. Then, add the applesauce and stir the mixture thoroughly.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into a greased pan and bake for 45 mins to 1 hour, until a sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Stir together one 3 ounce package of cream cheese, 1/4 tsp of vanilla and 2 1/2 tbsp regular frozen apple juice concentrate (thawed). Spread over the top of the cake once it's cool.

Happy New Year!

So this post is really late. Life. Getting in the way of my blogging. Psch.

So long, 2013! Welcome, 2014.

This past year has been full of heartbreak, disappointment, lost friends, failed projects, anxiety attacks and stress. However, it has also been full of love, excitement, new experiences, adventures, lessons learned, planning, love, making new friends and the first year with our son. So for those reasons and the adorable little man who gives me sloppy open-mouth kisses, it is a year I will always look fondly back on.

2014 is promising visitors, fun events, more adventures, weddings, moving to a new apartment and big decisions.

I always fail at my new years resolutions, so I made some pretty easy ones: drink at least 24 oz of water per day (I'm pretty much continually dehydrated), go to sleep by 1am- the real kinda sleep, not light out with the TV on. And to be in shape!

I'm very much looking forward to each holiday this year for Andrew to enjoy a bit more, and I'm going to try very hard to be more aware of the future, like saving money for post holiday sales to save us money in the long run, planning out better family meals, and paying off debt!!

We spent NYE pretty much the same as any other day, just chillin around the house. After we put munchkin to bed (Granny babysat through the night and into the early afternoon for us) however, the fun began! Jesse's co-worker had invited us over so we took our time getting ready.... maybe also with a shot or two on my part.... and headed out. 

I am not a big people person, and I definitely am not the easiest around new people but they were nice, and soon the drinks kicked in, haha! We ended up staying until FIVE IN THE MORNING. What?!? I know, right? Jesse held off so he could drive home, and we ended up stopping for Mickey D's breakfast, and it was glorious. Best thing ever.

The next day was pretty miserable, but we made a trip for Monster Rehabs and ate a whole bunch of food and we felt better, haha.

All in all it was a great evening, definitely made me feel like a college student again LOL

The best part of 2014 is seeing Andrew grow. He is in a weird stage now, bashful, giggly, tantrum-y but I adore seeing more of his personality every day and he is such a little ham. I love him so much.

Happy (late) New Year everybody!! :)