potty parade?

Oh, he's getting so big!

I've washed his first "big boy undies" and training pants in preparation...He's using the potty every day but not quite ready to make the switch. I'm amazed at how quickly he's taken to it. I guess it's been about a month now since I've been inviting him to go sit on the potty. Gradually he's been going more and more each day. I had no idea how exciting it would be when he did his first real poop in the potty last night. I am so proud! I didn't read any books on the topic (there's still time and we're in no hurry) but I think common sense prevails. We never force or rush him when he sits on the potty so there is zero pressure about him going - it's totally up to him whether he wants to try or not. And there's practically a tinker tape parade anytime he pees or poos because I show him how excited and proud I am! He's very pleased with himself, too. :)

I'll give you an update once we change over to big boy undies and we'll see if my theory still holds true. Oh, my baby is getting SO BIG!

natural backyard play space

Visit (cool)progeny to see my latest guest blog post! It's full of ideas for you to create a natural backyard play space for your cutie pie. Here's a dreamy sketch of mine:

Believe me, I'm fully aware of the fact that my dream space will be different than this idealized sketch. But hey - a girl's gotta start somewhere!

And since you're looking for reasons to play outside, why not turn an egg carton into a scavenger hunt? This is my version after I was inspired by someone else's egg carton on Pinterest.

aww!

This little man is keeping me on my toes! See what we've been up to in the last couple of weeks. E's first Easter egg hunt photos are here too.

Yes, mom. I'll help you make bread!

Who cares if my jammies don't match?

Raw bread dough...yum.

I found slate tiles on clearance in packages of 9 (I'm talking $3 bucks a set.)
For less than $10, I got enough to paint an outdoor alphabet set for E.
I'm gonna make these for my students, too.

E liked organizing the slate into a grid pattern.
Kinda related to his love for puzzles, I guess.

Bubbles!

Hand over those bubbles, mom!

Why does everyone have a basket again? Are you sure about whole "hunt" thing?

Ah-ha! I put the eggs in the basket!

Look there's something in these eggs, mom!

Once he figured out there was candy inside, he was all about gathering the eggs!

The egg hunt was hoppin'!
With any luck the Easter bunny will visit our house tonight....

big mouth

I'm pretty sure I'm the reason this term was invented. I'm always throwing my two cents in, whether I was asked to or not. And speaking up all the time means that a lot of the time my foot is in my mouth. (I think I'm the reason for that phrase, too.)

In case you haven't guessed, my "month of meals" was a total bust. *Sigh* Now, I'm sure you saw it coming from a mile away. You may have even chuckled under your breath, tickled to watch me self-destruct in the kitchen. Well, I'd like to think you were rooting for me. I was rooting for me. But alas, cooking every night wasn't meant to be. When my husband (yes, I'll blame him) told me "babes, I'll know you really wanted to cook every night even if you don't" that was just an easy out for a tired mama.

I don't know what other people do, but I just cannot keep up the standard! I definitely feel like I should be able to cook for one month and I can't! I'm not trying to (or at least didn't think I was) live up to an unrealistic expectation. I really didn't realize just how much I rely on the convenience of eating out. Call it spoiled, call it lazy, or just plain snobby that we'd rather buy food from a restaurant that will taste good rather than cracking open a can or frozen box of processed crap because we're too tired to cook a proper meal.

Someone does not like baby tomatoes.

"All done. That please!"

So maybe I learned something from my failed experiment: it's far more fun to cook when you don't have to; AND be grateful to feed your family healthy food no matter how the food comes about.

dough nuts?

I've fallen back in love with bread. Thanks to my BFF www.allrecipes.com, I've made whole wheat bread, white bread, and pumpkin banana bread, all easy and delish. So yummy straight out of the oven...it's no wonder I eat so many carbs. If you want an easy bread recipe, you have to try this one - you'll love it too!

I've been sticking to my word about said "month of meals" (and my bread doesn't even count.) Is it plain silly? I mean, do people do this all the time? Maybe I'm not so special to actually cook food with fresh ingredients every night? What's a typical dinner for you after working all day?

For me, I wanted to attempt this because we eat out 2-3 times a week, so I wanted to cut down on the expense there and the added calories. I'm not even talking about pricey food when we eat out - we just have our favorite standbys that we're bored with. Corner Chinese carry out, favorite Mexican restaurant, local deli, and of course pizza take out. Oh, how we are the connoisseurs of pizza places. You never really know where the food is coming from and my guess is it's not even remotely organic. Keep in mind, I prepare separate food for E, so he's not in on all this take out. And, there are so many fresh foods that are plucked right from the farm that I have never even tasted. For all of these reasons, I need to cook more at home.

Most recent meals? Apple/cheddar/honey melt sandwiches with roated root veggies and hand-mashed potatoes with spring onions (hubs sammy was a turkey melt).

The night before that was homemade pizza (real dough is so easy!) with fresh mozzerella/mushrooms/basil and Italian side salads. Hubby's pizza was strictly quarantined with his pepperonis.

You ask what E thinks? He'll eat anything, especially if daddy goes first.

Excuse me, I need to handle my business.

where'd he learn that?

Any guesses?

Fresh off a new hair cut I guess he had reason to give some 'tude. Can't imagine where he's seen that pose before...

So, you'll be happy to know that day 2 and 3 of "month of meals" were a success! The angel hair pasta with broccoli and parm was a hit (shrimp for the hubs). My homemade mac and cheese was delicious - I used cheddar and pepperjack for some zip. It was well recieved with the in-laws tonight, along with some yummy oatmeal cookies. Needless to say I'm sick of pasta so I'll have to switch it up tomorrow.

Yes, you have mastered the fridge. Now let's close it!

Because of the rain I didn't get to deal with the ivy yesterday. I mean it this time, tomorrow is the day!

month of meals?

I'm going where no modern woman has ever gone before. (Okay, that's a lie, it's just were I've never gone before.) I'm going to the land of homemade meals. Every night. For a month.

And by going to this magical place, what I really mean is making this magical place. All by myself. Except, my husband will be expected to open tight jars and shred cheese.

I love to cook. But it's something I'm often too tired to do. With warm weather here and the produce aisle looking more luscious than ever, I'm determined. Between the fresh spring fruit and my Vegetarian Times magazine, I've got all the inspiration I need.

So begins my attempt at a month of meals.

On Feb. 29 I did a trial run. Since it was leap day, best to pretend like that meal never happened. I tried to cook with fennel since I had no idea what it was. Needless to say I substituted orzo pasta for arborio rice which was disastrous. Possibly the nastiest pile of food I've ever cooked. Bless my sweet child he ate a whole bowl full of it! My husband, not so much. He's still apologizing for his obnoxiously honest reaction to my fennel fiasco.

Which means Mar. 1 is technically my day one of said month of meals. Good thing too, because I reverted to an old standby to save face. Homemade cornbread and chili is always a winner with Frito's at the bottom of the bowl. Not sure what's on the menu tonight...