Weekend Recap

We love weekends around here!  We had a fun, relaxing weekend.

Friday night, we cooked dinner then I hung out on the couch by myself while the boys crashed early.  Was nice to be able to watch whatever I wanted on TV and read a book.

Friday was also National Donut Day so I treated this little guy to donut holes.  He said they "were yummy in his tummy!"

Saturday, I got up and cooked us all breakfast and cleaned up around the house.  We had a pool birthday party right before lunch.  B is like a little fish!  Couldn't get enough of the water!

Pool birthday parties are the best!  Especially before naptime...we came home and everyone took reallllly long naps!  That afternoon, we went to eat my in-laws parents house for dinner.  I also worked on doing a little embroidery!

Sunday -we went to church.  It was Pentacost so everyone was asked to wear red.  Well a certain 2 year old told us, "I wear farmer, I wear Aggie!" when he saw it hanging.  Haha!  Well okay...Aggie farmer it is! :)  Our pastor told him, "maroon isn't red, but it's just as good!"  His boys are Aggies!

I had a VBS meeting that evening at church, then came home for dinner and watched a little of the Miss USA pageant.  We had watermelon (with real salt) for an after dinner snack.  So yummy!!  I hated to see the weekend come to an end...

Whole30 {Week 1}

So today marks one week since I started Whole30.  I am currently on day 8 and thought I would share a little about this experience.  If you aren't sure what Whole30, click here to learn more.

I heard about Whole30, maybe two years ago but just had a baby and dieting wasn't really on my radar.  Plus, I read what you had to give up and thought "there's no way!" ha.  I decided to get the book It Starts With Food to see what it was all about.  After reading the first few chapters, I knew it was time to make a change regarding my relationship with food - mostly carbs and sugar.

Yea, all the things that taste amazing, call my name at 9pm after dinner, and all those wonderful looking desserts all.over.Pinterest.

So enter Whole30...here are a few things I've learned so far.

-Everything.  Everything has sugar in it.
-Finding sugar-free bacon is near to impossible.
-Reading labels is a must and honestly kind of scary to think about all the "things" we consume without even realizing it.
-Soy is in everything.  Again, everything.
-Farmers markets and local co-op are lifesavers.
-Breakfast is my favorite meal and I am not a morning person!
-I really miss having coffee.  I've been tempted to try it black, but just haven't.
-Not all salts are created equally.

Here's a run down of what I've been eating:

Day 1:

Breakfast: sweet potato hash, egg fried in coconut oil, garden fresh cucumbers and tomatoes with S&P, cantaloupe

Lunch: Pan seared porkchop in olive oil, paprika carrots cooked in coconut oil, and more tomatoes and cucumbers.
Dinner: I had bunco that night and ended up going to eat with a friend...at Chili's.  I ordered a bacon burger without the bun and all veggies.  Squeezed mustard on top of it.  For my family, I baked a whole cut-up chicken in oil olive, onions, carrots, celery, with spices (garlic, onion powder, salt & pepper)

Day 2: (I guess I didn't photograph this day & now I don't remember what I ate)

Breakfast: was probably the same as day 1.

Snack: apple with almond butter sprinkled with cinnamon
Lunch: ????
Dinner: Slow cooked a chuck roast in the oven with onions & carrots.

Day 3:

 Breakfast: sweet potato hash, fried eggs, pasture ground pork patties, and apple slices.

Lunch: Compliant hotdogs topped with yellow mustard & pickles (with no sugar), cucumbers/tomatoes, slice of cantaloupe.
Dinner:
Wednesday is grocery day so after the farmers market, we went out to eat before I took off to the grocery store, alone!  They had half price oysters on the half shell so we got a dozen & ate them WITHOUT a cracker!  I know...actually I didn't even miss the cracker!  I had the fish of the day (drum), grilled with a side of asparagus.  AB had surf & turf.

 

Day 4: Beach day!

Breakfast: egg scramble with mushrooms, yellow bell peppers, fresh pico, and spinach leaves.  Pasture pork, and cucumbers and tomatoes.
Lunch: For our beach lunch, I packed Applegate salami, green olives, cherry tomatoes, and sugar-free pepperoni (sliced thick) and salt & pepper pistachios to snack on w/ La Croix to drink!

Dinner: grass-fed burgers topped with bacon, sliced avocado & onion, and pico and homemade Whole30 mayo.  Sweet potato fries and sliced tomatoes.

Day 5:

Breakfast (on to go!): 2 hard boiled eggs with S&P, an apple
Lunch: don't remember...???

Dinner: Spaghetti sauce with creamy roasted garlic sauce from Planks, Love, and Guacamole.  It was sooo yummy!  Like we really eating pasta, will definitely make this recipe again!

Day 6:

Breakfast: egg crepe topped with pico, yellow bell pepper, mushrooms, and pork sausage.
Lunch: sausage links with yellow mustard (later I googled the ingredients of sausage & it   wasn't compliant, oops!)
Dinner: sliced brisket, bbq'ed chicken (without sauce), balsamic green beans, salad with ranch dressing using whole30 mayo, and watermelon.

Day 7:

Breakfast: apple- since I didn't have time to cook before church

 Lunch: tuna fish boats made w/ whole30 mayo and watermelon

Dinner: pork chop seared in avacodo oil, oven roasted brussel sprouts, a few green olives and tomatoe slices.
After dinner snack: watermelon with pink salt!

Whew, there's week 1!  I will say that days 2-5 were probably the toughest and randomly yesterday I was craving a Dr Pepper and sausage cheese balls like something fierce.  Totally random!!  I try not to snack but if I do I try to have an apple or watermelon, a few unsalted cashews, or half a Lara Bar.  I mostly drink water with lemon in it.  B loves "lemon-add!" and even B eats better because it.  He always eats whatever we eat so this is forcing us to feed him good stuff, instead of "junk!"

Overall, I am feeling pretty good.  I can tell a difference in mental clarity (thank goodness), and for the most part have more energy.  My body is still adjusting to the whole "shock" of it all, but I am excited to see where I am at the end of this.  I am already planning on doing another Whole30, right after this one!

B's Books: Current Favorites

We have acquired quite the book collection for B. since we found out we were pregnant.

There for a while it seemed we read the same books all the time, without exploring the other ones on the shelf.  Mostly out of pure laziness on our part.  We would pick the books that were closet to the nightstand or rocking chair to read.  At the beginning of the year, I decided to try a new thing to help in reading all the books we have.  We pick 3 books (mommy, daddy, & B. each picks one) each night to be read.  This system works out perfect for us and it's great for rotating the 568 books we have.

But of course, there are still favorites.  If it's a favorite, it normally gets read throughout the day multiple times, goes in the car with us, or stays out wherever B. is playing so he can look through it himself.  Here are currently some of his current favorites:


Roadwork by Sally Sutton - We've read this one 100 times.  Brady picked this one out himself one day at Barnes & Nobles.  It details how a road is made in sequence order, and has fun rhyming and "sound words" at the end of each step.  It is colorful, and just fun!  Perfect for any construction/tractor loving kid!  I just bought Demolition the other day so we are now mixing it with up with that one.

Tiger Can't Sleep by S.J. Fore and R.W. Alley - I happened to find this one in some of my old teaching stuff.  This has quickly become a favorite!  It's about a tiger that can't sleep.  Obviously ;) He lives in the boy's closet and has a hard time going to sleep.  He plays the tuba, clicks the light on & off, bounces a ball, and the list goes on in order to finally get to sleep in bed with the boy.

Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton - We love all off the Boynton board books!  But this one is a current favorite, probably because it's the newest one to our collection.  This one gets read sometimes 3 and 4 times in a row.  Brady cracks up at every single "oops!"  It is such a simple book, but for some reason so very funny!  And at only $3.30 on Amazon, it is a must have!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff - This classic read aloud is about a mouse who wants a cookie, then milk, then a broom to clean up his mess, then a nap, and the list goes on.  It actually reminds me of myself throughout the day.  It's one thing, one thing leads to another, and then another...a never-ending process.  We have the Christmas version of this one also.  There are several versions of this book that I'm sure as time goes on we'll add to our library.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman - Can't go wrong with this classic board book.  Brady loves to ask each of us after we read it, "are you a snort/cow/doggie?" then tell us "oh there's my mother/daddy!"  It is a sweet little story of a bird who gets out of his nest and goes looking for his mother.  This is another cheap one (under $3) that you won't regret adding to your child's library!

These last few aren't really read alouds but more just fun, semi-informative books that B. happens to love and looks at over and over.  And perfect for in the car!

First Look and Find Mickey Mouse Clubhouse On the Go - When out and about, I try really hard not to get toys as a "treat" but rather he gets to pick out a book.  We picked this one out at Wal-Mart when he was into "mouse."  He still watches Mickey Mouse every once in a while but he still enjoys this book.  It has a list of things on the side of the page that you are supposed to find. He has pretty much mastered that part and basically just tells us what they are, instead of us asking him.  So now we ask/find other things that aren't listed. He loves to find "Pete" in the scenes and thinks "Goofy" is just too funny!  He now has a Doc McStuffins version of this book that he got in his Easter basket.  These are great for in the car, on long road trips.  Lots to look at!

These truck books by Roger Priddy have been worth every penny.  They are board books but they have been read/looked through so much the board corners are starting to fray.  I got both of ours from Sam's Club.  They are perfect for my truck/tractor loving little boy!

I have a huge Amazon wishlist of books that I keep adding to.  I love that B. loves to read and ask several times a day to read.  I hope his love for reading is like his daddy's and never ceases.  Because I'll be real honest, I am sadly not an avid reader.  I'd much rather sleep!  :)

With that being said...what are some of your favorite children's books? 

Park, Birds, and Water

 Today, I randomly decided let's go to town.  Daddy had forgotten his lunch on the counter so I thought it would be a good excuse to get out of the house and deliver him his lunch.

Notice "cabin fever" has I said in my previous post.  I am normally a homebody and have to drag myself out of the house, but not lately.  I'm sure B appreciates it, poor thing is probably bored to death with me. ha!

After a quick trip to daddy's office and trip to Sonic for daddy and The Corner Bakery for me...we headed to a park on Ocean Drive.

As we were pulling into the park, B tells me with excitement in his little voice, "ohhh yea the park...I love it momma!"  I laughed and said well then that makes it all worth it!

He loved looking for "goldfish" and I so enjoyed just being by the water and listening to the waves.  It's these kind of days/moments that make my heart so full.  Fresh air really does wonders for me, ha!

Love this sweet boy so very much!  I am loving his independence but still has a need for momma.  His little mind is always working and totally cracks me up some of the things he comes up with.  Turned out to be a gorgeous day for the park!  So glad I made a random decision to get out of the house.  Please excuse the 2 day old hair and no make-up...just keepin' it real! :)

We played, ran, climbed, climbed some more, and then took a break by the water.  After we chased a few sea gulls...he would run up to them and say, "Hi bird, how are you?" then when they would start to run off, he would tell them "go faster, go faster!"  Love!!!  He also liked to tell me on the playground, "no momma go away!"  I guess when you're two, it's not cool to have your mom with you....such a funny boy!

Books & the Mouse House

In attempts to update more often...here's a weekend update!

We had a busy, but fun weekend.

Friday - we had Preschool Praisers in the morning at church.  Afterwards, I wasn't really feeling going home (to do laundry, sweep/mop) so I thought we'd make a trip to the library.  I've taken B. to the library once before for story-time, probably a year ago.  He wasn't really interested and I wasn't really into forcing a wiggly 18 month old sit through the ordeal.

He is really into reading books so I thought we'd just go and maybe check out a book or two.  At least, it would be something different to do.  Lately, I've felt like we've had cabin fever.  All.day. Every.day.

We went and he loved looking at all the books.  He was on the hunt for a "fireman" book.

After the library, it was time for a little afternoon nap. Even though a certain little some one didn't was telling me "no night night!" a few minutes before I snapped this photo.  I think we'll frequent the library more often.

Saturday - we had several Easter mini sessions to do and then I had a luncheon fundraiser for a local library.  It was our lucky day!  It is a really fun event where each table is decorated based on a book and then judged.

My MIL sponsored a table and ended up winning over all best table.  She did her table about a trilogy series about dolls.  Every thing and doll was made by her or her mother or friends.  We also won 2 door prizes. 

Sunday- we went to church and Sunday school.  Afterwards we headed home to change clothes and then go get a last minute birthday gift since we had a birthday party right after lunch.  After many meltdowns due to it being naptime, being hungry, and a two year old not understanding that the present is for the persons' birthday party you are attending...we were off to drumroll....Chuck E. Cheese.  (aka mouse house)

Funny thing is earlier in the week, B saw a commercial of the "mouse house" and said, "momma, go there!"  I acted as if I didn't hear........

He thought he died and went to heaven.  He didn't even want to eat pizza OR cake!  Just wanted to play, run around, and drive the car with mouse. 

 

Luckily, he has a daddy who is a great sport at playing games, chasing him, and keeping him happy by letting him ride "the ark" 20 times or so.  We made it out of there without a major meltdown and he fell asleep on the way home.  We came home and made dinner, cleaned up a little, and got ready for the week.

Was a fun, blessed weekend.

Brady Update

So it's been awhile since I've blogged and definitely a good minute since I've updated about my sweet, sweet boy!

He is growing up way too fast, but I am loving him more and more each day!  Twos are definitely trying, but also so fun.  Thought I'd jot down some things that I just don't want to forget.

The biggest news is NO more diapers!  The weekend of March 8th, my mom came to town to help while we had a few photo shoots and by the end of the weekend, diapers were a thing of the past.  I slowly weaned him off during nap-time.  And tonight is the first night we are going to bed with just undies on.  Ekkk!  He's been waking up lately with a dry diaper and tonight he requested no diaper.  So I thought we'd go with it & just see.

Honestly, I was dreading the whole potty training process.  I also was in denial.  I wasn't ready for "my baby" to grow up.  He must have been ready because it was a breeze.  A few M&M's and a little bit of patience and boom.  Potty trained.

Other than that, his vocabulary has just exploded.  Stringing words and sentences together like he's been doing it his whole life.  Most days, I think "did he really just say that?" And his memory is incredible.  A steel trap!

The Easter bunny came early to our house and we have TWO bunnies. He is loving them and thankfully they are really great with him.  I came in from the garage one morning to find in and "Papa bunny" in a bucket.  He told me "bunny bucket, momma!"  Haha!  Love him!

Here are just a few things he has said lately, that I just love!

"Best momma/daddy ever!"
"Go work, do something!"
"Momma so pretty!"
"Princess momma"
"Ohhh little bunny"
"B. firefighter, momma firefighter, daddy firefighter"
"Read bible right now."
"...the Bible tells me so"

He is really into singing these days.  Request us to "sing song."  His favorites are "deep & wide", "Bible tells me so", "spider", and "wagon wheel."

Here is something on posted on FB just last week:
Because I don't want to forget these things/moments:

- was trying on clothes today when Brady said, "cute momma!"

- during lunch Brady told me (while hugging his daddy) "momma go to work, go do something!"

- "read book to bunny" & picked out a farm book then showed/pointed to the various items & told bunny "shovel, hay in there, farmer, etc"

- AB went to the potty & B got all excited & came to tell me "woohoo daddy went peepee in the potty, get M&M!" (M&M's were his prize while potty training)

- and my absolute favorite when he hugs me & tells me "best momma EVER!"

Our nighttime routine normally consists of dinner, bath (normally given by daddy), read 3 books and a prayer book, sing songs, then lights out.

He's gotten into the habit of wanting to say the prayer before dinner and talk about melt your heart.  I am certain daddy and I have to hold back tears some nights! :)  Also, hearing him say his prayers before bed is SO incredibly sweet.  Warms my heart!  I need to get it on video.

He is also really into birthdays right now.  "Yay birthday party!"  His face says it all.

He is still a really good eater.  His favorites are cheeseburgers & fries, pasta, and smoothies.  He basically eats whatever we eat.  He's not the best fruit eater, so the smoothies are a great way for me to sneak those in.

He has stolen our hearts.  We can't imagine our life without his silly, sweet, and fun self.  Lately, I've been in awe that he is mine and God has entrusted us with this little human.  Some days are tough, but at the end of every single day regardless of how hard it is - I go to bed with a full heart.  So thankful I get to be his momma.