Weekly Menu and Nap Time



Reading to Georgie before nap time

Friday: Tuna Melts (didn't make them last week)
Saturday: Takeout (Chinese!)
Sunday: Frozen Pizza
Monday: Cashew Chicken, Rice, and Broccoli
Tuesday: October Skillet with Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday: Taco Bake
Thursday: Leftovers



Somebody is so, so tired.

You Might Have a Baby If...



 

 

 

You have brightly colored toys hanging from your bedroom ceiling fan.

 

 

 

Your living room floor looks like this 90% of the time.

 

You walk around with a "lovey" stuffed in your shirt so that it smells like you at bedtime and your little one will (please, please, please) sleep longer at night.

 

You put ham, broccoli, and potato bake on the menu but forget to put the ingredients on the grocery list. Duh! No wonder my grocery bill was so low. Breakfast for dinner instead!

And now, last but not least, you can't get enough slobbery wet kisses.

We can't have a post without a picture of Georgie. Can we?

 

Easy Slow Cooker Chili

This is an quick and easy recipe that I make often.

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1/2 of an onion, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
15 oz. can kidney beans, undrained
1 T. brown sugar
2 t. chili powder (you can add more if you like spicy chili)

Brown ground beef and onions in skillet. Combine everything in slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-5 hours. We like to top our chili with shredded cheese, sour cream, and sometimes avocado slices. I serve this with cornbread.

Weekly Menu

Precious boy, I worked so hard to get this smile.

Friday: Chili with cornbread

Saturday: At a friend's  house

Sunday: Frozen pizza with salad

Monday: Cranberry Chicken, Green Beans, Rice

Tuesday: Ham, Broccoli, Potato Bake

Wednesday: Mama's going out with her coworkers. Daddy's coming home early to watch baby.

Thursday: Leftovers

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real

Like Mother, Like Daughter does a weekly post every Thursday called Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real. It's meant to be a weekly encouragement and help in finding contentment in everyday life. I'm happy to join.

 

Pretty

The view from our condo in Hilton Head. Dreaming and hoping for warm weather. Daddy and I were just talking about why we didn't plan on going this year. (Who doesn't want to drive 12 hours with an 8 month old?)

 

Happy

 

Georgie loves, loves, loves his doorway jumper!

 

 

Funny

Georgie has this tuft of hair that does not want to lay down.  It kind of curls too. He reminds me of a Kewpie doll.
 

See the resemblance?

 

Real

 

Ugh, putting together the exersaucer. Time to call for help!

 

 



Easy Roasted Veggies

Here's an easy, healthy, and delicious recipe I make at least once a week. I used to buy a whole head of broccoli or cauliflower and cut it up. Since having George, I buy pre-cut veggies. They come in a bag near the bagged salad in my grocery store.

1/2 bag of pre-cut fresh mixed vegetables (or just broccoli or just cauliflower)
2 T. olive oil
1 t. sugar

Heat your oven to 500 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Dump veggies in a bowl and drizzle olive oil and sprinkle sugar over. Mix. Spread in a single layer on cookie sheet. Bake 10-11 minutes.
Tada!

This recipe serves 2 (if you like your veggies to take up half your plate).

(The sugar helps caramelize the veggies. A teaspoon of sugar won't kill you, but if you must, you can do without.)

5 Months

 

Five months today!

 

He's getting so big. Look at that belly!

Bath Time

Georgie loves bath time. He likes chewing on his orange toy.

 

 

 He likes splashing and kicking around in the water. He gets Mama's clothes soaked. 

 

He gets mad when it's time to get out. Soon it will be time to graduate to the tub. Sniff, sniff.

Weekly Menu and Farmer Brown

Farmer Brown in bib overalls, hehe

Friday: Cheese and Salad Pizza
Saturday: Out (with friends! Grandma's babysitting.)
Sunday: Frozen Pizza, Salad
Monday: Breaded Pork Chops, Salad, Baked Sweet Potato
Tuesday: Four Cheese Bow Ties, Salad
Wednesday: Honey Garlic Chicken, Rice, Green Beans
Thursday: Leftovers

Special Snacks: Peanut Butter Cookies (Ugh, I attempted these a few weeks ago. My first from scratch baking attempt after Georgie was born. Disaster! Burned horribly. So, I'm trying again.)

How To Keep a Clean House with Baby

(The "bath" on the side are the days I give Georgie a bath.)

I've just recently begun to feel like I can function like a normal person after having Georgie. He's four months now. People tell you that three months is when it all gets better, and it did get better. But at four months, I am able to keep a relatively clean house, make dinner each night, and do at least one load of laundry a day. This took some time and a little finagling to figure out. Here are some tips that have worked for me.

The Key: A Cleaning Schedule
I first came across the idea of a cleaning schedule from Sarah at Clover Lane. It has helped immensely with keeping my house clean. Instead of floundering about, wondering what I am going to do with my day (besides keeping a small human alive), I know! It's Thursday. I am going to clean the bathroom today. It gives each day a small purpose and I like that.

This works for me because I am very list oriented. I love crossing things off. So, I sat down and wrote out a schedule on a piece of notebook paper and I taped it to the side of my refrigerator. I know that I can at least accomplish one thing each day. It's not overwhelming this way. Remember, ONE thing each day. You can do it!

Monday: vacuum/mop
Tuesday: dust
Wednesday: kitchen
Thursday: bathroom
Friday: pay bills and grocery shop (Hmmm, I guess this is two things.)

Everyday: make dinner and do one load of laundry

This is not a deep clean, but it does keep my house clean enough that I'm not embarrassed when friends or family stop by. It also means that if Georgie is having a rough day and I don't get to something, it's okay. I'll get to it next week. It's probably not that dirty anyways because I just cleaned it last week. That's the beauty of the schedule.

How Do I Actually Find the Time to Clean?

I don't clean a lot while Georgie naps. It wakes him up in our small apartment. Unfortunately the kitchen is right next to the nursery, so I can't get much done in the way of cooking either. I'm able to clean while he's awake now that he is older. He enjoys watching me. I sing to him and talk about what I am doing.

He is also able to entertain himself nicely for a little bit in the various baby gadgets we have around the house. He spends a little time in all of them: the doorway jumper, the bouncy seat, the Bumpo, and the highchair while I cook or clean.

It wasn't always so. Up until recently he wanted me to hold him all the time. If you have a baby who wants to be held, baby wear! I use the Moby wrap and more recently the Ergo carrier to get things done. The Moby is perfect for little newborns, but as Georgie got heavier I switched to the Ergo.

Perfectionism with Baby

Unfortunately, you may have to learn to let go. It can be painful, but learn to feel confident in what you can get done. Know that you've done your best with the time you have allotted, then go play with your baby. I love having a clean house and in the past would turn down invitations to do something fun in order to clean. But, after having baby I've learned to lower my expectations a bit. There's mud on the rug in my peripheral vision as I type.

Try the schedule! It may help. You can do it!

 

Ham and Cheesy Noodles

This is really good! It's Daddy's favorite and I make it for his birthday every year. I don't have a picture because we ate it all, so here's a picture of the baby instead.

One of my favorite outfits

1/4 C. onion, chopped
1/4 C. green pepper, chopped
1/4 C. butter
1 T. flour
1 t. salt
3 1/2 C. milk
2 C. chopped ham
8 oz. package macaroni, uncooked
1 C. sour cream
1 C.  shredded Swiss cheese


Melt butter in pan and then cook onion and green pepper until tender. Stir in flour and salt. Whisk in milk slowly. Add ham and macaroni. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes (stir a few times so the noodles don't stick to bottom of pan). Stir in sour cream and cheese. Keep stirring until cheese melts, but do not let boil! Eat obnoxiously big servings because it's so good.

Babies Don't Keep

Looking a bit tired in the early days

All the "experts" tell you not to rock your baby to sleep. People will tell you that it creates bad habits. Baby will never be able to fall asleep on their own, etc... But, I have to be honest. There is nothing in the world I enjoy more than rocking Georgie to sleep. I love looking down at his sweet little face as he drifts off to sleep. Here is one of my favorite poems that I think of often as I rock my baby to sleep. I tear up as I read the last line.

Song for a Fifth Child by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton (1921- )

Mother, oh mother, come shake out your cloth!
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking!

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby, loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo.)

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
But children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby. Babies don't keep.

Weekly Menu and Some Cheer

We need a little sunflower cheer around here!

 

I always love it when other blogs post a weekly menu. I need ideas of what to cook because I can get into a serious cooking rut and make the same things over and over. To fix this, I try to attempt a new recipe once a week. I usually can try one new recipe each week without feeling overwhelmed. I shop on Fridays so our weekly menu starts today! So, here's our weekly menu in case you need a little inspiration.

Friday: Ham and Cabbage, Pillsbury Biscuits

 

Saturday: Daddy's Birthday Party Dinner (All Daddy Favorites)
Pizza, Green Salad, Fruit with Dip, Chips with Queso, Deviled Eggs, and Cake

Sunday: Sub Sandwiches, Applesauce

Monday: Macaroni and Cheese with Ham (Can you tell I'm trying to use up ham from Christmas?), Green Salad
    
Tuesday: Mongolian Beef, Rice, Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday: Sausage Sandwiches with peppers and onions, Green Salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Special Snacks: Oatmeal Cookies

How To Feel Pretty After Having A Baby

Getting Ready to Go Out

Feeling pretty after having a baby is all relative. Relative to how old your baby is now, the personality of your baby, how many children you have, and what your beauty routine was like before baby. My beauty routine before having a baby was pretty simple, except that I spent a lot of time on my hair. In the first few weeks after Georgie was born I was pretty happy if I could get dressed in clean sweats! Newborn= essentially no beauty routine. Now that he is older and will sit in the bouncy for awhile, my routine has changed a bit. I think the key is to decide what makes you feel pretty and prioritize. You won't be able to do everything every single day. So prioritize and start with what's most important. Here are a few things I do to feel good about myself while keeping up with a four month old.

• Most Important: shower everyday and brush my teeth. Why do I include brushing my teeth? That's a given, right? Well, there were a few days in the beginning when I couldn't remember if I had brushed my teeth or not. So, that's now at the top of my list. I shower and wash my hair everyday. Your hair stylist will tell you not to wash your hair everyday, but I have to if I want to feel pretty. Otherwise, it's a flat, greasy mess.

• Moisturize: It's winter in the Northeast. Lotion, lotion, lotion! It doesn't need to be expensive lotion. But, it does need to smell nice. I like Nivea from the drugstore. It has a light, clean scent.

• Blow Dry My Hair: Remember, these are my priorities. You may be blessed with hair that looks nice if it air dries. I have really thick hair that resembles a lion's mane when it air dries so I have to blow it dry. Otherwise, I feel like a lioness. I used to curl my hair everyday before baby, but I don't have time for that now. I use a round brush and try to turn the ends under. I can be happy with that.

• Dress in Clean Comfy Clothes: At this point in my life I feel pretty if I have on clean yoga pants and a sweatshirt without stains. Auntie Leila will tell you more if you want to worry about what color flatters you or what clothes look nice on your figure. It's great advice, but I don't have time for that yet. Like I said, clean yoga pants and a stain free sweatshirt are what I can manage now. (If I'm going out, I spice it up by pairing jeans with my stain free sweatshirt.)

• Put On A Little Makeup: The keyword here is little. Some of you might have lovely complexions that don't require makeup. If that's you, yay! Move along. I, however, have very noticeable dark circles under my eyes. So, in order not to frighten away the Jehovah's Witnesses* (Let's face it, they may be the only adults I talk to before Daddy gets home.) I put on some under eye concealer, face powder, and neutral colored eye shadow. This is just enough that I don't feel embarrassed to answer the door when unexpected company comes.

• Drink Water: I pretty much only drink water. I allow myself two cups of coffee in the morning because I love it. But other than that, I drink water. I feel so much better when I stay hydrated. I think it helps with my hair and skin too.

• Eat Fruit and Something Green: I'm embarrassed to admit it, but when Georgie was first born I pretty much lived off of granola bars. I would get to the end of the day and realize I hadn't eaten one piece of fruit or a vegetable that day. Not good. So, I started by eating the easiest fruit to prepare: bananas. If I had time to open a granola bar, I could manage a banana. And I could manage a few baby carrots too. It's gotten a lot better since the newborn stage. Now I have time to actually wash and cut things so it's easier to meet this goal.

That's it! These are my top priorities. If  I'm going to church I obviously get dressed in something other than yoga pants. But this is what I do on a daily basis so I don't feel like a slob.


*Disclaimer: I don't actually open the door to strangers, no matter how badly I want to talk to an adult. I'll call family or a friend. So, please don't leave me comments about how dangerous it is to open the door.

Growing Up!

Georgie graduated to size three diapers today. He's growing so fast! I feel a little bad for Sophie the Giraffe.

Georgie Likes! 4 Month Edition

 

Here are a few of Georgie's favorite things this month:

Favorite Toy: Mr. Agoo
Mr. Agoo has been one of Georgie's favorite toys from the very beginning. Daddy picked his name because Georgie says (and now yells) "Agoo!" every time he sees him. Grandma had a great idea and hung him from our bedroom's ceiling fan. Pure genious! Georgie loves looking up  at him when he's hanging out on the bed. Lately we've been taking Mr. Agoo down to play with and Georgie loves to hold him even more. Mr. Agoo is a great toy because he's easy to hold and he's soft when Georgie hits himself in the head. Someone gave us Mr. Agoo at our shower so I don't know where he came from, but he is awesome!

 Favorite Song: The Farmer in the Dell
This song came on during a YouTube video while I was making dinner and Georgie went nuts laughing. This is now my go-to song when Georgie starts fussing during a diaper change or if he's in his high chair and I need to get one more thing done. He really smiles and laughs when I sing this song. (The past favorite has always been Let's Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins. It still ranks up there pretty high, especially at bedtime.)

 Favorite Game: Patty Cake
Patty Cake has been Georgie's favorite game since I started playing games with him around 1 month (I think). Hands down, this is Georgie's favorite activity. He laughs and laughs every time we play.

Mama's Favorite: Bumpo Seat
We all know that when you have a baby your house gets invaded by crazy amounts of baby items. A sea of plastic, in my opinion. I fought against this during my pregnancy. Proudly announcing that I Would Not fill my house with so much junk. But then, you actually have the baby and realize it's a very long day and you need to get stuff done and plastic things seem to keep baby occupied. So, my current favorite contraption is the Bumpo seat. Georgie will happily sit in this seat while I make dinner or bake cookies (I did! Once). I think that the Bumpo is actually made of rubber, but let's not get technical.

Two favorites together!