Hmmmm....

No comments on my last post, so I guess I'll take my cue from that silent message. 

I think this blog lasted longer than my last attempt, at least.  I'll be done with it.  Maybe I'll try again, someday. 

Bye!

Long Break

So, I disappeared for a while.  I'm not sure I'm going to continue with the blog at all, or just periodically.  I know that when I was trying to post everyday, I got tired of it and didn't think I had much of worth to say.  I don't know if anyone regularly reads this, so if you do and you want me to keep writing, please let me know. 

My dad and sister told me to write more about diabetes, but I don't think they understand just how many diabetes blogs are out there.  Seriously, google it.  I read 4 regularly, and my favorite one just posted a link to some of her favorites.  I checked them, and now I'm adding at least 2 of her favorites to my list.  I'm not sure that I want to focus on diabetes primarily.  I spend a lot of my time dealing with the disease, and don't really want it to take over anything else in my life.  If I could kick it to the curb permanently, I'd be ecstatic.  (you could find me celebrating at Dunkin' Donuts, which is also a Baskin Robbins....yum....)  Regardless, if you're reading this and agree with them, please let me know.  I will consider it, and may ignore the suggestion completely, but maybe not. 

Since it's been so long, and you may have forgotten, my kid is still cute:

Taking Moo for a drive.  She had to sit in the "trunk". At least she only fell out once.

Success! Butternut Squash

Last nights dinner was both successful, and not.  The butternut squash was yummy, and I'm so glad my impromptu side dish went well.  I cubed it, and sauteed it with garlic and olive oil.  The recipe I found for my cooking directions advised it would take 20 minutes, which I planned for.  However, it was a liar.  I had to put them in a bowl and nuke them for about 4 minutes after the rest of the dinner was ready, and they were not.  They were very tasty!

Cubed and in the pan!

On my plate, now get in my belly!

The part that didn't work was the main course.  A friend/business associate of the Husband's gave him some steelhead trout.  We baked it according to the directions he gave, and it tasted delish.  The problem was that it "shouldn't have any bones" in it.  The Husband's portion didn't have bones.  Mine had 5 or 6.  I have this weird thing about bones in fish.  It makes me want to gag, and then I can't finish it.  I wanted to, and I tried to, but I couldn't.  I'm kind of like a child.  Actually, I'm worse than a child.  Colin ate his fish, and then asked for more.  I gave him mine...sans bones.

Anticipation

I went to the grocery store earlier and bought a butternut squash.  All I have to say today is that I am SO EXCITED for dinner.  I'm going to sautee the squash with some garlic.  There is really no reason for me to be this excited to make dinner, but there it is.  I'll let you know how it turns out, with pictures, if it's beautiful! 

I'm not even kidding that this is all I have to say today.  Short, sweet, to the point.  I can not stop thinking about how good dinner is going to be. 

Winter Just Got Better

We've been having a mild winter so far.  We've had some snow, but it doesn't last.  Sledding/playing in the snow has only been possible with 2 snows, and the temperatures have been mild in between "snowstorms".  (That's in quotes because nothing quite qualifies for that word, yet.)

Today, we went to play outside.  We still had on coats, and I put on Colin's hat and mittens.  I tried to get him to take them off part way through playing, but he said no.  It was way too warm to be February 20th in Michigan, but we didn't mind. 

We were out for an hour and a half.  We walked around the block, rode a tricycle up and down the driveway, and used a sand shovel to dig at the tiny amount of snow left from the snowplow/snowblower piles of snow.  We even went over to the middle of our yard and the neighbors to play in their Little Tykes house and slide, as well as pick up sticks from their yard and drum them on the sandbox seats and their tree.  It's amazing how much fun that little boy can have with the oddest things. 

The best part of the adventure was that when we came back in the house, I took Colin's hat off, and he had the best hat hair I've ever seen.  He wouldn't sit still long enough to get a picture, but it was pretty awesome.  I couldn't stop laughing, and chasing him with the camera to try to capture it.  All I got were blurry, back of the head pictures.  I think he thought it was a game.  I'm so bummed I didn't get a picture.  I think only a lot of hair product will ever reproduce the look.

No Mess Painting

I've seen a bunch of mommy blogs talking about painting in a sealed plastic bag, taped onto a table.  It looked like fun, and an easy way to paint without worrying about a big mess.  I found a homemade finger paint recipe on Pinterest a while ago, and have hesitated making it because I'm not sure that Colin is ready for it.  This gave me an opportunity to try both. 

First, I made the finger paint.  It's very easy, and you can find it at this website. I was expecting it to be like the photos, but it didn't quite work that way.  I followed the recipe exactly, and got lumpy, thick "paint".  I added some water and it thinned, but it was still lumpy.  I found another website that used this recipe that advised to remove the mixture from heat before it reaches it's desired consistency because it will thicken as it cools.  I found this website after I made it all and had a lumpy, thick mess.  I added color to it anyway, because I wasn't going to stop the project midway through.

This is what my paint ended up looking like:

I put 8 drops of food coloring in for blue and red, less for yellow, and it worked for the yellow, but everything else was still pretty pale.  I wonder how much I'd need to use to get the dark, beautiful colors I was picturing.  Also, if I have to add much more food coloring to get dark colors, won't it stain fingers?  I guess it's a good thing we were bag painting with it and not finger painting. 

After it was all set, and in a bag, I couldn't figure out how to get the air out so Colin could "paint" without a bunch of air bubbles.  I tried several ways, and lets just say it's good there was no video camera on me during this portion of the project.  For me, it was good.  You all would have had a good laugh. 

I taped the bag down on Colin's high chair first, because I was making more granola bars and I thought it would keep him occupied while I cooked and cleaned up my mess.  I was wrong.  He told me "done" less than 2 minutes after I put him in the chair.  After that, I taped the bag to the tile on my kitchen floor, and just let him come back to it when he wanted.  We both played with it for a while, but it didn't really hold our attention. 

I ended up putting paint in a smaller bag, and that worked better.  I had put too much in the large bag, and that plus the air in it didn't create a really workable surface. 

So, if you want to do this for your kids someday.  Learn a few things from me.  1) Don't let your paint thicken so much when it's cooking.  2) Use lots and lots of food coloring, except with yellow.  I used 6 drops of yellow, and that was plenty bright.  3) If you buy painters tape from the dollar store, you should expect that it won't stick really well.  Splurge and buy nicer stuff, maybe it will work better and your kid won't have more fun peeling it up over and over.  4) Only put in a small amount of paint into the bag.  If you use a large amount, it just doesn't smear around as well.  5) This is probably an activity meant for children a little older than Colin.  Not quite 2 is not the ideal age for this. 

He enjoyed it a little, but I expect it to be more entertaining in a year or so. 

The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers, and Nanas

Nana stopped by today with a few little somethings for Colin.  One was this Tigger, which upon waking from his nap, Colin wasn't all that interested in.  He's kind of a grump when he gets up from a nap.  (I wonder where he gets that from...)  Once Nana left, however, he and Tigger bounced all around the house like old pals.  He loves it!  He grabbed the old Winnie the Pooh that used to be mine, and they all bounced for a while.  I followed and took pictures, of course.  :) 

I made him smile at me so I could show Nana he really did like it.  He wasn't pleased to take a break from bouncing, but agreed to my request. 

Thanks, Nana! 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, readers!  I hope your day has been filled with a little love and joy.  Mine has been blessed with love, as was yesterday, my birthday.  Today, I watched my little man open his Valentine's Day gift from his Nana.  He got a tricycle on Sunday when we were over at their house, and today was a bag of treats and a card.  He was so excited, he couldn't even get all the way onto the couch to sit and open it. 

And then, he fell off the couch. 

He was fine, don't worry.

I made a gift for the Husband.  It was easy, inexpensive, and it turned out lovely.  I took a square votive holder from the dollar store, used Armor Etch to etch a band around it, put a smaller votive holder inside it, and filled the space in between with a zillion punched out hearts in red, white, and pink.  I used white and red ribbon to tie a heart shaped "Love" charm left over from my scrapbooking days over the etched band.  In went a pink votive, and there you have it!  Everything I needed, I had on hand and the only time consuming part was punching out all the hearts.  I think it looks pretty!





The best part is, if I want, I can punch out other shapes, change the ribbon and make it fit any holiday or season!  Yay!

Tentative Treats

This week has been tough, so yesterday I decided to try and make my own granola bars because I hadn't done anything crafty or tried a new recipe yet.  I've found a few recipes on Pinterest and decided it looked easy enough.  I was hesitant, though.  Granola bars are my go-to low blood sugar snack.  (Unless it's REALLY low, then it's straight to the juice.)  I didn't want to make them and then not like them.  I'm the one who will be eating them, so I didn't want them to suck. 

The recipe I used can be found here, but I changed it just a little bit.  I used a little less sugar, and added peanut butter chips also. 

Here's the recipe:
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup rice cereal
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 tsp vanilla
generous, unmeasured amounts of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips

Directions:

Mix rice cereal and oats in a large bowl, set aside.  In a small pot, melt butter, honey, and brown sugar over medium high heat.  After it bubbles, reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes.  Add vanilla, stir, remove from heat.  Pour mixture over dry ingredients, mix well.  Press mixture into lightly greased 8x8 pan, firmly.  (This is key so it doesn't fall apart.)  Pour assorted chips over mix, press gently to set them.  Let sit for 2 hours, cut and enjoy!

I didn't take many pictures, as I was doing this while Colin was awake.  This does not leave a lot of creative time. 

Cooling in the pan

Yummy side view.

Ready to eat!

Enjoy!

My Favorite Things!

Can you count all of my favorite things in this photo?

There are four things in this photo that I love very much.

1) Colin
2) Books
3) Winnie the Pooh
4) Firetruck (More specifically, my love of firemen.)

I love getting a photo with so many things I love.  It's a little 4x6 of love that I can carry around.  How perfect!

Car Trouble

Last Thursday, my car wouldn't start.  It would turn over, but not start.  My husband jumped it, I went and got a new battery and was told that my battery was the only thing testing with an issue.  The new battery should solve the problem.  I was relieved that it wasn't more serious and went on my way.  

Yesterday, I loaded the dog and Colin into the car to hurry to the vet because Olive broke her dew claw nail. It was bent towards her other paw, instead of forward and was bleeding.  She didn't want to put weight on it, and didn't want me to touch it.  A call to the vet resulted in them asking me to bring her in to see if they needed to take off the nail or not.  The preemptive question was, "Can you get a hold of the nail and pull it off easily or is it more firmly attached?"  I swallowed hard and made myself get a hold of the nail to see if it was firmly attached or not, which it was thank goodness.  I don't think I have the stomach to pull off my dog's nail.  It makes me shudder to even think of it. 

After everyone was loaded, I tried to start the car.  It turned over and wouldn't start.  After a few attempts to start it, and several four letter words shouted in my brain.  I stopped trying, sat in the car for a few moments, sighed, and got everyone out.  The Husband was due to be home in another half an hour, so we waited.  Olive's injury wasn't life threatening, so I knew we had time, plus the vet was open late yesterday so we didn't have to pay for an emergency visit. 

Today, we tried to jump the car to take it to our mechanic but that didn't work.  Instead we called our AAA Roadside Assistance people, who sent a tow truck.  The mechanic was supposed to look at it tomorrow, but must have had extra time.  He called a little while ago to tell us that it started up just fine for him and did we want to come get it?  My brain may have flipped around while I was trying to suppress the "ARE YOU KIDDING ME" scream.  They're keeping the car until tomorrow and will keep trying to start it.  If it doesn't start, then they can diagnose and fix the problem.  If it continues to start, we have to come get it.  My guess is that if it keeps starting, once it's back home and I go to try and drive somewhere, it won't work.  I don't think I should be responsible for any pain or damage I cause if/when that happens. 

Wish me good luck and send me good car karma, friends.  I need this to be 100% fixed, and on the cheap.  Please.

PS - Olive is fine today.  She was a champ at the vet, and is back to her normal self.  See:

Olive is not a big fan of the camera.  It really doesn't do her justice, ever.  She's beautiful. 

Nap Time Bliss

Most of my blog posts happen when a small ball of energy stops to recharge.  (i.e. Naptime)  I love, love, L-O-V-E, love naptime.  It lets me recharge also, and that's a good thing.  If this mama is a bear, then no one is going to have a good day. 

Yesterday was one of those not so great days.  Colin hadn't slept well the night before and his nap didn't seem to help.  He was wonderful one second, and a terror the next.  I was exhausted, and wanted to lay down during his nap, but instead I did more job searching and applying. When that was done, there wasn't enough time to nap so I did some blogging and other interweb related activities. (cough, cough...Pinterest...)

This morning, someone slept in until 8.  It wasn't me.  My alarm goes off early enough for me to get a workout and shower in before the Husband goes to work.  That left me time for reading this morning between his departure, and Colin getting up.  That was a little gift from Colin to me, I think, to make up for yesterday being exhausting, frustrating and stressful.  So far, today has been much more enjoyable.  It's amazing what a good night of sleep can do!  Now, I think I'll just lay down on the couch and see what happens...

Not a Runner....but....

I do not like to run.  It is my least favorite fitness activity.  I wish I liked it, because it's good for you.  You know, when it's not damaging my knees, ankles, or feet.  It makes me so TIRED.  People who say they feel good after a run are crazy.  Or something is wrong with me, because after I run all I want to do is lay down until I can catch my breath.  Then when I can breathe normally, I want a nap. 

So, quite obviously then, I am not a runner.  However, have you heard of the Color Run?  If not, go to their website and check it out.  It looks like so much fun, aside from the running.  I am so tempted to start a couch to 5k type workout so I can do this.  There's one in Chicago in June, and I'm pretty sure I can tempt a lovely Chicago friend of mine to join me in this. 

I'm going to consider working towards running this race, because if I can feel/look like this after a run, it might just be worth it. 

Runners at the end of a Color Run. Image courtesy of www.colorrun.com

 

Something Shiny

So, readers, this is where diabetes is going to show up.  I have a confession to make.  I do not wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace.  My endocrinologist has lectured me about this, and told me over and over that I need to wear one for my own safety.  "But they're ugly" is always my response. 

Well, that's where Lauren's Hope comes in.  They make BEAUTIFUL (and handsome) products that people under the age of 120 would be proud to wear.  The ugly ones that you can buy at any pharmacy are just that.  Ugly.  No one under the age of 120 enjoys wearing them, they just do because they need to.  I know I need to, and I should.  Lauren's Hope has give-a-ways on Fridays, and I'm hoping that I can win one someday, for my own safety.  Also, I'd like to get my endo off my back on this topic. 

Need a medical alert bracelet?  Go here to find one that fits your style: http://www.laurenshope.com/

I wouldn't mind a little something shiny to keep me safe.  Like, this maybe. 

Let's Get Messy!

Today, someone started out a little cranky.  It wasn't me.  I decided that in an effort to keep his attention and redirect some negative energy, we were going to do one of the messier toddler activities I've found on Pinterest.  (Is my Pinterest addiction showing?)  We made cloud dough.  I found the activity on Pinterest from this blog, who found it here.

The recipe is easy.  You take 8 cups of flour and 1 cup of baby oil, mix it really well for a few minutes, then play. 

I made half the recipe because I didn't think we'd need that much.  I was wrong.  I should have made the whole amount, and used a much larger storage container/box.  A lot of the dough ended up outside of the box it was in. 

We had fun, and got messy.  Here's what we did:

First, I measured 4 cups of flour into my container, and added 1/2 cup of baby oil to it. 

I mixed and mixed, and had lots of fun with that.  It's really soft!  I love the smell of baby oil, so I enjoyed this part.

This is all mixed and ready to go.  I have several different sets of measuring cups.  This one we don't use much, so now Colin gets to use them. I laid an old sheet on the kitchen floor, since I knew this would get messy.  I sat down with the little man, after taking off his tee-shirt as a precaution, and showed him what this stuff was about. 

He wasn't sure about it at first, so I added a shovel from a shovel/pail set I picked up on clearance last fall.  It was waiting for summer, but came in handy today.  Then I added a plastic drinking cup that Grandpa gave us.  It will be a while before he can drink out of it, so for now it's a toy.  After that...things got messy...

And ended up like this:

I was able to pretty easily pull the sheet up and save the cloud dough that spilled.  Then I shook the sheet out in the backyard, put it in a plastic shopping bag for storage, and put the lid on the box with the tools in it.  I expect we'll be playing with this pretty frequently, so we'll wash the sheet later.  I will need to get a bigger container and make the other half of the dough.  I think that will make it more fun, and easier to contain the cloud dough.  I also wondered if I could add food coloring to the oil to make it more fun.  Thoughts?  Has anyone tried that? 







Everything Hurts

I'm at the point in my goals to get fit that my workout has gotten harder.  As I mentioned here, my workouts started small and are getting progressively more difficult and longer.  They are starting to kick my butt.  I'm sore because of the chest flys I did yesterday with 5 pound weights.  FIVE POUNDS.  That's all!  Why am I so sore?!?  You'd think I was using 50 pound weights.  I'm sore because today I ran for 10 minutes (with only a 15 second pause to take some breaths and tell myself I could do this) straight. There was more to my workout today, but it was the running that did me in. 

Actually, the running for 10 minutes surprised me.  I didn't think I could do it, so I spent the entire time chanting with each step: I. Can. Do. This. I. Will. Get. Fit.  It actually worked.  I got through it.  My legs are sore now, but not that badly. 

I'm trying to remind myself that this takes time.  It will be a while before I see results.  I have no patience, so it's hard for me to stick with a fitness routine.  I'm determined this time, though.  I'm not sure what changed, but I know I'm tired of feeling badly about myself.  Now, I just need to tell myself every day that I can do this.  I will get fit.

Oh, and I'm up to 12 pounds lost, just in case anyone is keeping track. 

Boys in Hats

Cuteness overload:

Boys in hats, reading books, being silly.



My guys were reading this morning before the hubby had to go to work.  I couldn't resist taking pictures of them in their hats. Colin loves that book, and when we get to the page that's the same as the cover, he likes to make the same face.  It doesn't get old.  It's always funny. 

Colin recently found his hat in his room.  He'd gotten it for his first birthday, but it was too big.  It's still big, but he wants to wear it all the time.  He walks around saying "hat" if he wants it, if he's wearing it, or if he's just had it and has put it somewhere and forgotten where he put it.  It's cute.  The thing is, we're not sports fans.  People will think we're Cubs fans, but Colin will grow up thinking that "C" is for Colin.  See:

I'm not going to be the one to tell him that's not true.  

R - E - D, red.

Ooooh....I got crafty! 

I have seen several crafts out there that take advantage of the paint cards you can pick up wherever paint is sold.  However, I have not been interested in trying those crafts out, so I came up with one of my own. 

Colin is starting to recognize colors, thanks in part to Blue's Clues.  He knows that Blue is blue, and now he can pick out the color blue.  I decided that he should learn the rest of the colors, so I made him some flash cards using paint cards.  The store I picked them up from has larger cards with just one color, instead of the 4 or 5 hues on one long card.  This made it easier for me. 

Here's what you need:
Paint cards
Plain index cards
Colored markers (optional, you can use just black if you want)
Glue (I used rubber cement because I like it.  It's fun and reminds me of childhood.)
Scissors or a paper cutter (I used my scrapbook paper cutter.)

Here's what you do:

Cut out a color in whatever size you need to fit your index card.  My measurements were not exact, but they were just under 4 inches by just over 3 1/2 inches. 

Write the color on the bottom of the card.

Glue on color card.

Let dry.

Teach. 

I tried using them after they dried, but Colin thought they were to color on.  I distracted him and put them away.  We'll try again when the crayons have been put some place safe. 

Time to Buy a Frame

I had a whole post planned for today, but when I was getting the photos I need off my camera, I found this picture from the weekend.

 It melts my heart a little bit, and I'll be ordering a copy of this in 8x10 and going to get a nice frame to hang it on the wall. Will they always love each other like this? I hope so!

Dollar Store Wins!

On Saturday, I spent $4 on Dollar Store items to be used to entertain Colin.  I bought a pack of foam sheets, an 8 pack of Mardi Gras beads, an 80 count bag of colorful craft puffs, and a pack of 25 balloons. 

With the foam sheets, I cut out 5 shapes: a square, a circle, a triangle, a star and a heart.  These were put into the bath on Sunday, and Colin stuck them to and took them off of the tub and tile happily until the water got cold.  We spent a lot of time just naming the shapes, and pointing to them.  (See how it's educational?)  Since then, I've begun cutting out other things to play with in the tub to make scenes.  So far, we have some flowers.  The plan calls for a few clouds and a sun.  After that, my creativity runs out, so we'll see what happens. 

The Mardi Gras beads were opened and placed in a large plastic bowl and paired with a wooden spoon as soon as I got home.  They were the main source of his entertainment for the rest of the evening.  We're talking about 5 hours of fun, people! 

The craft puffs were opened this morning.  The goal was to put some into a clear plastic bottle we cleaned, put the top on, and use it as a shaker.  Instead, Colin spent about 90 minutes putting them in, putting the top on, taking the top off, shaking, spilling, kicking and throwing the puffs around.  After a break, he came back to them and spent another half an hour or so playing with them. 

I haven't opened the balloons yet.  We have 3 left in the last bag.  The last two balloons I blew up, two weeks ago, are still in my living room.  They are kicked, hit, thrown, sat on, layed on and all around enjoyed nearly every day.  I'm amazed they've lasted this long.  Balloons can save just about any day for us.  They cause big smiles and shouts of "boon!"

That was the best $4 I've spent in a long, long time. 

Chicken Corn Chowder

I told you earlier in the week that we had friends over for dinner last weekend, and that I'd give you my recipe for Chicken Corn Chowder.  After two days off of blogging to do, well, nothing much of interest.  (Seriously, I had nothing worth noting.  I made another dinner I thought I'd share, but it turns out I didn't like it.  I made a snack I thought I'd share, but it turns out I didn't like it.  Dinner was my own creation, lesson learned.  The snack was from Pinterest, but was the first thing I've made and didn't like.)

So, here's the recipe for my chowder, which is my favorite soup/chowder.  I love winter because I can make it a bunch.  It makes A TON, so invite friends over, freeze some, or be prepared to eat it for lunch and dinner every day for a week.  I have no idea where the recipe came from, because it's handwritten, but must have been just a corn chowder, because the note on the chicken is on the side, not in the list of food. I'll give you the actual recipe, and then note what I've changed.  Feel free to make adjustments or add/remove things.

4-6 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (this should be in the notes section, but I feel like it's a pretty important ingredient to have at the top of the list)
1 med onion, chopped
2 tbls thyme
2 tbls margarine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 can whole corn 
1 can creamed corn
4 c chicken broth
2 c milk
6 red potatoes cubed, skins on
2 carrots, chopped
2 tbls flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbls olive oil

So, here are my changes/notes:  We use yellow onion because the flavor works best.  I don't usually add the thyme, but if I do, I only use 1 tbls.  It's just a taste preference thing.  We use butter instead of margarine.  I like corn, so I use 2 cans.  Really, the more corn in this, the better.  We usually use larger red potatoes and 3 or 4 carrots, and then add 1 cup of water to accommodate the extra veggies.  Because of the extra, I also increase the flour to 1/4 cup. 

Instructions: (based on my changes, take out whatever you may not add or change)
1 - Saute onion and olive oil with the crushed red pepper.  Transfer to cooking pot.
2- Add cream corn, kernel corn, butter, broth and water. Add carrots, potatoes and chicken.  Cook for 15 min.
3- Add milk, slowly stir in flour to thicken.
4 - Simmer 20-30 min.

Wow this is going to be long, because here are some pictures:

The recipe I have.  See, note on the chicken is in the upper right corner.  You should not pay attention to any misspelled words you can find.  Sometimes, spelling is not my thing.  By sometimes, I mean all the time.

When I was making this last weekend, I chopped ahead of time, so that's why my veggies are in water.  It prevents the potatoes from browning. Also, I bought frozen corn since it's cheaper. 

Almost done! Paired it with a salad, yum!

Yum, yum, yum!  The leftovers are always thicker than this, and I think, even better!

Enjoy!

Mini Me

I'm a reader.  I'll read almost anything, and have only once or twice not finished a book.  I love to re-read, because I read too fast and miss things.  I'll go back a second or third time and still pick up new things.  I love, love, love books. 

This is how I know this child is mine (as if being fully aware at his birth wasn't enough):

My kid is awesome. 

Forgotten Gifts

For Christmas in 2009, my mother in law gave me a Tupperware Blooming Teapot Sampler.  At the time, I was pregnant and didn't know about the caffeine/herbal content of the teas it came with.  To be safe, I put the teapot and teas in our closet/pantry and decided I'd wait until after my pregnancy to use it.  I saw it just after Colin was born, but was nursing so decided I'd wait to use it.

Fast forward to this past weekend as I was searching in our closet for the electric hand mixer needed to bake.  I found the teapot, and decided to use it as I made dinner and desert.  We had friends over, which is why there was desert.  You can not invite folks to dinner without offering desert as well.  I'll post the dinner details later in the week.

So, I used the teapot and now I'm in love with it and blooming tea.  The tea was delicious, and the visual effect is beautiful.  I served my tea in a pretty cup, instead of just a coffee mug, to get more from the experience.  I checked the Tupperware website, and I don't think they sell the teapot or blooming tea directly anymore, but Amazon has it if you're interested. 

I think I'll be making more this week, as Colin and I are both battling congestion, and I always feel like drinking tea helps me. 

(Disclaimer: Tupperware has no knowledge of this post, and did not provide these products or pay me to use them.  Though, if they want to send me more tea, I'll happily drink it and tell everyone about it.)

Roller Coaster Day

This was not the day I expected yesterday:

(picture found with a Google images search and located here)

I had a good morning and felt good about things.  Times are tough, but we're managing and I felt like there were possibilities in the job market that could work.  Then I got an email informing me that a job I had interviewed, the one it had been narrowed down to another person and me, went to the other person.  Ugh.  That was enough right there to spin me upside down.  I had felt really good about the interview, and felt that I would enjoy working at that location. 

It turned out, it was enough to bring me down for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  I'm usually pretty good about managing emotional roller coasters and getting myself right side up, and feeling better.  But yesterday, I couldn't manage it.  I had a little pity party, I'm afraid, and didn't care to blog anything.  (sometimes I don't blog for a better reason, but yesterday there was no good excuse.)

Today, I feel better.  I'm still bummed about the job, but I've decided that if it didn't work out, then it was for a reason.  Something better is out there for me, even if I can't see it yet.  Here's to a day with more optimism and less self pity.  Besides, we have a playdate today and those are always fun!  

Holy Unexpected Kisses, Batman!

For Christmas, my sister sent Colin this great Bat Cave from Fisher Price with these extra heroes.  Santa brought extra heroes as well.  The Bat Cave came with Batman and Robin, so we've got them hanging out with Superman, the Green Lantern, Batgirl and Wonder Woman.  (side note: I love them all!  They're the coolest toys we have, I think.)

Here's the whole group:

Colin was told to wait to play.  He's not thrilled back there.

Now, Wonder Woman and the Green Lantern are often found together a little far away from the others.  I have to wonder what's up with them.  I would not have been surprised if this morning's events involved them, but they didn't. 

I was in the bathroom testing my blood sugar (diabetes rears it's ugly head, readers!) and Colin comes around the corner with Batman and Batgirl in his hands.  I asked him if Batman and Batgirl liked each other. He responded by putting them face to face and making his "muh" kissy sound. 

WHAT IS THAT?!? HE'S 20 MONTHS OLD!

I don't think he understood my question, and his response surprised me.  I guess we'll just have to welcome our household's newest couple, Batman and Batgirl!

(Disclaimer: Fisher Price does not have any knowledge of this post.  They did not pay me or provide me with toys, though if they wanted to, I'd talk about them all the time.  They probably wouldn't approve of their Little People having relationships with each other anyway...) 

Monday Blues

Mondays suck for people who have to go to work, I've been there.  I get it.  What I didn't realize is that Mondays suck for people who stay home too.  I suppose this could only apply to me, and that's fine.  I'll re-phrase: Mondays suck for me. 

All weekend long, I get used to someone else being around and able to change a diaper, read the same book several times in a row, get *another* cracker.  (Seriously.  My kid survives on crackers and ketchup most of the time.)  Monday comes along, and it's just the little man and me.  Don't get me wrong, I love that kid more than I knew was possible.  We just have to adjust after waving bye to dada out the front window.  He looks at me and I swear he's thinking: "Oh, not you again.  What happened to going to play with those other kids all day?"  I'm afraid he's bored with me.  Even though we just got new toys a few weeks ago, I wish we had something more exciting to keep him entertained all day.  I keep looking for fun craft ideas, but they're either for older kids or involve a potential messy disaster. (i.e. finger paint)

I guess I'll just go blow up some more balloons.  He loves them, and didn't freak out when one popped.  Maybe it will save our Monday.   

Toddlers & Toothbrushes

I've been unemployed since mid October 2011.  (Reduced in force, laid off, position eliminated, let go, those are some of the terms that are used for this situation now.)  Since I've been off and looking for work, I've been taking care of my son, Colin who is currently 20 months old and full of mischief.  He is a sweet boy, who could charm the crankiest of people.*  When I do have to go back to work, it will be difficult, but for now I'm just enjoying it.  

*He may even be able to charm a reader I know, who says she dislikes children and will never have them.  She knows who she is, and I challenge her to spend an hour with my kid.  She'll have fun.  I promise. 

Today I created a YouTube account, because my family all lives far away.  Whenever I try to email a cute video, I get errors.  I have no patience for figuring out how to fix things, so YouTube is my roundabout fix.  I have it unlisted, since I don't want a bunch of strangers seeing videos of my kid.  I am tempted to post the link here, since I know all 3 of my current readers. (Hi ladies!)  However, as I hope to some day reach a wider range of people, I won't post it. 

Oddly, I'll put up pictures of said cute kid.  Here you go:

Awwww....look how cute.  (We responsible parents are in charge of his dental care.  This is a staged photo taken for a gift for his Grandpa, who is a dentist.  Don't worry, his teeth are safe.)

Pintervention?

I just made a small batch of brown sugar vanilla body scrub.  I found the recipe on Pinterest, changed it a bit, and made some for me.  It uses brown sugar, white sugar, sunflower oil (I changed it to Coconut Oil, because it smells good.) and vanilla extract.  (Sidebar: I may need a Pintervention.  Lately, all my non child rearing and job hunting activities revolve around crafts and/or foods I've found on Pinterest.)

So, I made up my little batch and used it just on my hands as a test. My hands feel super soft and smell delish!  It's a bit greasy, due to the oil, but it absorbs quickly and leaves hands feeling soft and moisturized.  I recommend using the coconut oil.  It's in solid form at room temp, but melts in your hand.  You have to melt it first, and mix before it solidifies. 

I used a small plastic container that I got from the Family Dollar to store it. (A two pack of the containers cost me $1 so I felt it was a good investment. My crafting budget is small.  Or, nonexistent.)  I don't expect it to last long, since I quartered the recipe, so I didn't feel the need to buy a glass container.  Besides, glass in my shower?  No thanks, I'm a klutz.  If I give it as a gift, I'll probably get some cute containers to give it in and let that person determine if glass is allowed in their shower.  Maybe other people don't have a case of the dropsies like I do, but I don't think I'd recommend it. 

Best part of this project?  Husband asked me if he could put it on toast after I told him what the ingredients were.  I told him to go for it.  Technically, it's all edible.  He'd do it, though, so maybe I should hide it.  After all, I want to use it myself! (Please don't eat this, if you make it. It's not for consumption.)

Here's the link for the real recipe: Brown Sugar Vanilla Scrub
I didn't take any pictures of mine, because I didn't think of it until everything was cleaned up.  Since my container is not as cute, I figured you all didn't need to see it.  :)

Ugh. Resolutions.

I hate resolutions.  It's the same every year.  People decide to make huge changes to themselves and their lives starting on January 1.  Here's a question: Why can't we decide to make changes in, say, July? Or starting January 11, instead?  During the post holiday letdown, I don't feel like overhauling my entire way of life or the contents of my kitchen.  I feel like napping.

Does anyone else need a nap right now?  No, just me? 

I decided last November to make some changes in my life that will make me healthier.  I did not decide to make these changes starting on January 1st.  I started after the Thanksgiving leftovers were gone, and took a break for Christmas.  (Come on, like I could have said no to EVERY cookie offered to me over Christmas.) Here's the kicker: I still made better choices when I was taking a break.  At my in-laws' holiday party, I ate the party food in smaller quantities, stuck with the veggies & hummus instead of chips and various dips, and didn't pay much attention to the desert table until the end of the night when I looked over and thought, "Holy crap!  Where did that stuff come from!? That looks GOOD!"  Then I ate a small something, and was done.  

This is an attempt to be healthy, and maybe even get fit.  I've decided to eat healthier, but not to cut out everything that I enjoy.  I can have pasta still.  Only, it's whole wheat pasta and it's eaten very infrequently.  I'm eating smaller portion sizes, and if my brain tells me that something is delicious and I need to eat a second helping, I tell it to SHUT IT!  It's not like I can't make that yummy dish again sometime, or have leftovers for lunch. 

I started working out.  It's like Working Out for Dummies, but it's a start. I try to work out everyday, but that doesn't happen all the time.  Some days I need coffee right away.  No one wants to go do crunches or jumping jacks with a belly full of coffee.  I'm doing a slow build up type of work out.  What I'm doing now is getting moving, getting my heart rate up, and building up endurance.  My workouts are getting longer, but are still short.  I expect in the next 2 months to be working out for 30-45 minutes a day, having started in November at just 5 minutes a day. 

So, resolutions this year?  Nope.  I don't do resolutions.  I made a choice a few months ago to be healthier.  Now that the holidays are over, and I'm nearly out of the holiday letdown mode, it's back to business.  I know that by making small changes, I'm going to end up with a lifestyle change that sticks.  I'm excited to see how everything looks this time next year. 

Oh, and I lost 7 lbs already. 

Blog Beginnings

The first blog post is always the hardest.  Should I give my history/background?  How do I introduce myself?  Do I just jump in and start sharing things?  It's a lot of pressure, you know. 
I'm Kathryn.  (I introduced myself!) I am a wife, mom and step mom.  I used to have a job.  I survived the first downturn of the economy.  However, it has not picked up.  I did not survive the most recent "reductions" at my previous employer, so now I get to stay home with my toddler son while I search for a new job.  (There's the shortest version of my history I could manage!)
I'm diabetic.  It sucks, but I've managed it for 18 years.  I've been diabetic for more years than not.  (I shared!)  I don't plan to post too much about being diabetic, but as it is a large part of my life you should know about it.  It sneaks into just about everything, so this blog should be prepared for it. 

That's all you get for today.  The first blog post is so awkward.  Now that it's done, I feel much better about having started.