Red, Yellow, White & Blue - Oh My Taters, I Love You!

This year is my first year REALLY doing a garden. I am getting some decent tomatoes, awesome cauliflower (fresher is WAY BETTER than the store stuff), one large zucchini, and I'm  going to have so many red Italian sweet peppers I'll probably hate them by next spring.

I so tried potatoes! My son hilled them (piling dirt around the stem to keep all those baby taters warm and happy and hidden) and I let them grow grow grow. 

Lately they haven't been looking all that great, so with a Google and a determined mind-set, I harvested most of the potatoes.  I was SHOCKED at how many I have. Easily 25 lbs. 

My purple ones are much smaller than the red, but that's ok. There were many more. Odd though, smaller potato, bigger plant. Hm.

I still have about 5 plants in the ground, they look hale and hearty (always wanted to use that phrase!) so I'm leaving them until they start to look brown.

Had one totally stinky rotten one. Smelled so foul I gagged. Bleh!

Tonight we are dining on the purple - or blue - ones and they're getting sautéed in olive oil, a touch of garlic and salt.  We are having a shepherds pie type of meal - no crust - over rice! Because Asian, duh.

Anyway, here are the photos from today and only one broken nail to show for it!

Also a couple potatoes were weird inside. I chucked them in the compost bin. 

One looked like a baby Pokemon: 

After cutting them, into my reclaimed antique but totally usable square cast iron pan where they turned a nice shade of blue!

I can't wait to eat these!!!!

The Label of "Parent"

The purpose of my blog originally was to write about my journey as a SAHM, or a stay at home mom.  I do that sometimes but I think lately I've been getting away from that and trying to stay "current".   I'm not awesome at that.

I've been reading other bloggers lately and trying to find my groove. I'm not a shock-blogger, I don't have a lot to say that's edgy.  A few things, but not enough to base a whole blog on. I'm not into any industry that is marketable really - unless you count parenting. I do know one or maybe three things about parenting my children.

Something invaluable that my parents taught me was that just because a thing is out there and costs money, has a label, and says it will sing your little one to sleep while making dinner, walking the dog, and giving you a foot rub - doesn't mean that is in any way true.  The only thing that can do that is yourself or your partner.  Unless you are a celebrity, then I suppose you could have a team of assistants. But for those of us less celebrity-fortunate, it's down to us.

New parents. Be easy on yourself.  Trust yourself to do the right thing for your babies but know that

once in a while you will fail. Because you are human and are not perfect. If you try to live up on a pedestal with very little sleep juggling first a baby, then add house work, a job possibly, a to do list, going to the doctor (yours and the pediatrician), diaper rash, colic, groceries, dinner, the dog walks, play dates, mom's birthday - guess what? You are going to drop something or you're going to fall off the pedestal and land down here with the rest of us mere mortals.  We will gladly offer a hand and pick up your spilled groceries and re bag them, offer to walk them into your counter, help you find an app to schedule your mom's birthday reminder, advise some diaper rash cream, get you a cup of tea and take your dog for a walk.  Because we've been there. You are not alone.  Every child is different, yes, but every child is still a child. And you are still a person who needs attention and a village.

Co-Parents of a more than one kid - please take time to yourself. Remember that you aren't being selfish by doing something for yourself, but you are being healthy. Your relationship MUST have time for you and your partner if you are going to survive the tiny terrors that are threatening your very existence yet affirming it at the same time. Such a constant battle - being so proud and so in love with your little ones yet - so desperately needing to get away. Don't forget the one you chose. Remember how you thought they'd be a good parent? Don't get mad when they don't live up to your expectations.  They're juggling too. Talk to them and then LISTEN too.  Don't think that just because you know what's going on that they'll know why you're mad.  Your children will grow up and move on - you have to work harder to keep your partner.  Do the work.  Reap the rewards.  Love them but more important, love yourself too.  This is hard.

Single parents - you have one of the hardest jobs in the world.  Being your kids' everything at some point. Having no one to really share the burden with. Feeling all of the responsibility and man that's a heavy load.  Your children WILL remember how hard you worked for them. They will grow up and if they have kids of their own become awed by how much you did and marvel at how you did it all on no sleep, $7 in the checking account, and worry always nipping at your heels.  Think back to when they were tiny and you had no sleep? You've got this. You can do it.  Find people around you who can be your support, your rock, your friends and family. Other moms, dads, or grandparents. We are out here, and can lend a hand.

And all of us, if we practice patience, kindness and make a commitment to ourselves and our kids, it will be ok. They will grow up and think of us one more time as super heroes.

Because we are.

Weight Loss Stuff

So today I decided to just begin jotting down a few words a day on my struggle to lose weight or at least get healthy.  It's close to the new year celebration, so I'm not quite out of the holiday eat-your-weight-in-terrible-choices season, but I know I will be soon and I'll be joined at the gym by hundreds of folks that will disappear around mid-january/Feb.  I'll work out at home until then.

So. TODAY.  Today I ate craptastically. I did have a salad.  But it was a cobb salad adn It had eggs, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, avocado, nuts, etc.  I also had two waffles. Oh, and too much at dinner (dinner at my sisters).  Sigh.

But I did get in 20 minutes of a good vigorous walk/jog on the treadmill only allowing one break when I thought I was getting dizzy.

So that's my day.  Not awesome but not the worst day. No candy or - woops. Yep. I did have pie.

Well at least there was 20 minutes in there.

I'll try again tomorrow.

Still 173.  :/

How to keep that mold out of kids bath ducks, frogs, monkeys, etc.

Rubber ducky, you're the one!  You make bath time lots of fun!  Except when you get the inevitable gross, and unhealthy, mold inside the duck. Or frog. Or alligator. Or whatever rubber/plastic bath toy you have to squeeze water out of after each bath.  (If you haven't seen it, don't google it)

There is a really simple, REALLY simple solution that doesn't involve any kind of bleach or chemical or scrubbing. Well - besides not using the toys that is.

Cut a hole in the bottom.

Here are the super easy, super simple, and-it-still-floats, directions.

(1) Assemble your tools, which include scissors, a razor (or sharp pointy
cutting tool of any sort), paper towel, and your duckigatofrog of choice.

(2) Start an opening with razor.  Then cut a half circle with
with scissors. Usually there's a ring to follow as a guide.

(3) Bend back the flap a bit, pour out any water inside. 

(4) Make Rubber duckigatofrog do an endo. If needed use a
towel and wipe out any water droplets & let air dry.

See! They still float!  Thank you Fairy and Princess ducks!

(I told you not to google it. Now you're grossed out.  Click here to make your brain forget that image)

Mom Stuff on the Couch - Parenting styles and pretty girls.

Do you think telling your daughter she's pretty all the time is bad? Or not a big deal?  Do you have a parenting style? Do you consider yourself a natural parent? A gentle parent? Or just a parent?  Drop a comment after the vlog and let me know!

Oh...You Again (again, repost from WorkingMomFu)

Had a "date night" in tonight, and it was pretty cool. I made dinner, Okoi (yum yum) and we watched "You Again" starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and Betty White!  There were other cast members, notably Odette Yustman who plays Kristen Bell's characters arch-nemesis.  She did a great job at playing the role of that evil, vile, mean - yet gorgeous, popular and beautiful girl we all knew in high school.  Not to ruin the movie - but she did redeem herself at the end of the flick.  In the movie, Kristen Bell's character's name is Marnie.  Marnie's brother is marrying this arch nemesis Joanna or "JJ" as she was called in school. JJ's Aunt Ramona, played by Sigourney Weaver, is Marnie's mothers' ex friend. Marnie's mom is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. Betty White is the grandma.  Of course, she steals the show.

The movie plays out with the with the four women working through their pasts and has the requisite amount of problems, issues and hilarity.  Even though it is decidedly a chick flick. The men in the movie do a good job of being props - the movie is TRULY about women and the situations we find ourselves in - but of course way more extreme than real life.

Over the past few years, thanks largely to MySpace, FaceBook and Classmates.com people from all over have found themselves (sometimes unwillingly) reconnected with people from high school.  I don't know about you, but that time for me was about 80% bad, 10% good, and 10% forgotten. In my opinion, I was more like a Marnie but I WAS on the JV cheerleading team. My situation wasn't extreme but I did have my share of bullies, girl and boy.

It's odd, but I have found one similarity, those that tortured you RARELY remember doing so. Mostly anyway.  I guess obviously it's because they were not nearly as affected by it, branded by it if you will, as you were.  I mean, it probably didn't hurt, embarrass or scar them - but it did you.  And probably left a huge memory burned into your brain.

Now granted, most of us lived somewhere happily in the middle, not too picked on and not too exalted.  Most of us floated in that teen haze of self absorption and shallowness, bad music and poor choices, awful hairstyles and even worse clothing options. I was an 80's child. I was an ASIAN 80's child. I was an ASIAN living in the South 80's child.  Have you ever seen pink and teal makeup on an Asian? Think Mimi from Drew Carey but with slanty eyes. Oh, and younger and way thinner.  And tan. OK so nothing like Mimi from that show but you get where I was going!  Yea, I tried so hard to fit in.  I wasn't just awkward and in high school, I was DIFFERENT and awkward and in High School.

For me it wasn't necessarily a death sentence. I had friends (HEY MARINA!!!), frienemies, and those people I both loathed and envied all at the same time.  It started before high school really. In middle school, one girl ripped open my Michael Jackson styled snap up shirt I suppose hoping to embarrass me. HA! I had a tshirt on! Still embarrassed me though.  Same girl liked to pick on me and snicker and giggle and exclude me.  A couple years later, she said I looked like I was having seizures as I tried out for cheerleading in 8th grade.

She was best friends with a girl I wanted to hate soooo much. That girl was perfect. She was Miss All-American, gorgeous, great grades, smiled at everyone, the teachers loved her.  Her mother was also all of that just in grown up form.  They went everywhere together, that mean girl and Ms. All American.   Straight through high school. They were loved by all.  Over time, I did manage to hang out with the Mean Girl once or twice, though I found out that Mean Girl was only doing it to get to the boy I liked at the time.  Ah....lessons.

Ms. All-American never did anything to me to make me hate her. I was just so jealous of her. I hated on her long before that phrase became a catch phrase.  She had everything I ever wanted (or so I thought).  To my knowlege, she never said a bad word to or about me. While her best friend at the time was, however, quite mean to me, she herself never EVER said anything or did anything mean to me.

Seems somehow I turned into the mean one around Ms. All American.  It's funny though - I did reunite with my ex Mean Girl - and she didn't seem to remember all those times she put me down in front of others, tried to humiliate me or some other form of emotional terror.  Not one thing.  She was friendly, funny, and dang it all, I liked her.

*sigh* I'm not those characters in the movie. I'm neither clever enough nor do I have a script writer to make sure everything works out in the end.  I didn't bring any of it up. I didn't remind her or ask for her apology.  I did take a look around using what I've learned in my 37 years of life to realize that well, it doesn't really matter. Sure, back then I thought she made me hate everything that was about me.  But since then, I've realized that I do like me.  Had it not been for me getting knocked down - I couldn't have ever stood up for myself.  Something I've learned to do. Do I thank HER for it? No - not really. She was just a small part of that, my first stepping stone.

But tonight, sitting with the love of my life on a couch with my two adorable pooches in my warm house under my beautiful and smart and healthy daughters blanket, fiddling with my snuggly little smart healthy son's toy car I realized that no matter what happened to me back then, or what happens to me in the future, THIS is good. THIS is happiness. THIS is enough - and life is good.  I also realized that while I may not be the VP of a PR office in New York (Marnie) or tall, thin, beautiful and popular (Joanna), or the owner of the most successful hotels in the world (Aunt Ramona) I am a lot like Marnie's mom.  I have a lot to be thankful for.

I also have an apology to the one I called Ms. All American. I don't know where she is these days - but to Crystal Williams from Leland, NC - I want to apologize for ever being mean to you. If I did or said anything that hurt your feelings EVER, I do truly apologize. I never meant to be the Mean Girl.  Hopefully, if we ever run into each other you won't say, "You Again".

SAHMing is like vacation

A vacation in HELL.

Ok, look, truly - I love being a stay at home parent.  I never ever EVER thought I'd actually utter those words, much less live them, but I do.  Both that is. Utter and live.  Anyway...

Whatchoo Talkin' bout Willis?

When J-Man and I decided the best option for our family was for me to stay at home and handle da bizness here, I thought, "hey, I can do that! I keep the house clean AND work now! It will be like a 2 year vacation".

I'm now officially in for one month and I have no meat in the freezer for dinner, 12 cans of green beans I got on sale with a coupon (and felt like a supermom doing so despite there being zero nutritional value), 3 gallons of milk (that I can't drink) and one single bagel. My living room looks like I run a daycare and I swear there is only one baby in this house. No one can find their laundry, I seem to have misplaced the cloth diapers and I think we have a dog missing.  Maybe?  Didn't we have two?

I'm not sure where I took a sharp right turn into "that lady" who is home all day and can't seem to keep her house clean. I know I've been in houses with SAHMs before who have sparkling counters, neatly piled laundry, vacuumed floors, AND they find time to put their feet up, have a coffee, and survey their kingdom of Martha Stewartness.

This new career didn't start out like this, though. The first week I had everything neatly planned out. Scheduled even. Grocery stores on Mondays - check. Laundry day on Wednesdays, check. Coffee date on Tuesdays with mom friends to avoid becoming SAHM in pjs forever with only Facebook to keep me connected - check.  Dr. Appts for new kiddo  in calendar with drive time and allowing for puke changes - check.  Dog walks each day to keep ass size in check - check, check and check.  Schedule time to sit down and review schedule - check.

That first couple weeks I was on it! J-Man, Diva, and the Boy would come home, the house would be clean, food cooking, and me smiling with clean baby and all was well. Then, it happened.  Baby girl decided to take a monkey wrench and firmly plant it right up my....well, calendar.

Like an accident on the beltway on a Monday in the rain at 4pm - my new "schedule" came to a screeching halt. I panicked. I tried to stay up that night and get it done.  Sans coffee because I'm breastfeeding.  Sans nap because I'm behind! Sans clothes because who has time to get dressed? Ok maybe scratch the dog walk today- we'll have the Diva do it.  Ok, so maybe laundry can wait because dinner is burning wait is the baby crying again? Oh look we DO have two dogs!

*sigh*

At some point in my failure to become June Cleaver I began just going with the flow.  Then magically - I found my Fu. Baby Girl was finally asleep, the other two were at school, the dogs were sleeping and all was quiet.  The house was an utter disaster, laundry needed folding, baby toys everywhere, but - it was peaceful.  I was watching HGTV and was absentmindly scratching off the dried puke on my nursing/pregnancy top and J-mans pj pants that I had on.  I was sitting in the glider enjoying my 1 of 2 cups of allowed caffeinated beverage daily. My feet were up. I noticed a smell, recognized it as milk vomit, realized what I was picking at and chuckled thinking, "I should hug Diva when she gets in...heh heh heh", which I promptly posted on FaceBook.

I also realized that in every aspect of my life right now I'm happy. I can't be that lady that lives a perfect life because I enjoy our life as it IS. Our house was clean before because no one was IN it. The dogs were always in my face because they never saw me.  My kids were...well wait, they were the same so no change there.

The biggest change for me honestly has been realizing what truly makes me happy.  It used to be recognition, bonuses, raises, and title. Now it's harmony, love, respect and showering 5 days in a row.

And you know what? I LOVE it.  Stand back people, I've found my Fu.

4moms Mamaroo Review - In Depth

When I first saw the Mamaroo by 4moms I was stuck by it's simplicity.  (And because it looked like some hybrid Jetsons/Mork from Ork baby gear.)

Someone forwarded me a link to the website for this item, http://www.4moms.com/mamaroo, and I decided, "I want".

LOL - and what pregnant mama wants, pregnant mama begs for.

I did get it as a gift and currently (though not when it was bought for me) it retails for about $230.

So here comes the review. This is more indepth than what the video has. That is only two minutes and goes only over the pros & cons.  Here we will break them down more.

First I'll give the details or "specs". Then I'll discuss how they work IRL compared to what is advertised.  

Finally - I'll say whether I think it's a good purchase, a nursery must have, value, pros/cons etc. 

The Details

• Six patterns to choose from (shown is "green plush")
• Smooth reclining seat, locks to adjust (left picture, back bar is the adjustment)
• Built in nature sounds, with volume OR you can connect an ipod/iphone
• Reversible toy balls
• 5 Unique motions with variable speeds for each
• Up to 25 lbs

...And In Reality...

This item came unassembled but was a snap to assemble, truly.  Took a very round pregnant lady very little time.  It's a heavy item, which is good, you don't want to be knocking stuff over while lumbering around on invisible feet.  After the baby is born, you don't want something flimsy holding your kid. It's a solid item, and I felt safe putting my newborn into it.

However, the first test subject wasn't too happy.  We try out all our stuff on our 12 lb Shih Tzu. The Mamaroo is NOT intended for pets.   And Shih Tzus may get extra cranky. Just a warning.

Ok - so on to the Details and how they work.

• Six Patterns - not much to say about this. Pick your pattern and go with it.  We picked green, simply because I liked the green.
• Smooth Reclining Seat - This is actually pretty cool.  The bar that runs along the back of the Mamaroo is the bar that slides through the locking mechanism.  You can slide it to the lowest position for a more "laying flat" baby or up to have them sitting up straighter.  Note however, there are no shoulder straps.  This means if you have your seat in the most upright position, if your baby has great abs like mine, they could theoretically fling themselves out. So stay nearby if you put the seat this inclined.
• Built in Nature Sounds or music player - I use the nature sounds, which are called "white noises" every where else, frequently.  I have to, because I lost the little cord that goes from the Mamaroo to the iPod/iPhone. It detaches from the unit and is only about 3 inches long.  I never got to try out my stunning collection of Eminem or P!nk.  Dangit!  
• Reversible Toy Balls - Well yes. They are there. Three soft plush football shaped toy balls.  On one side of the balls are black and white images. On the other side of them are the same images in bright primary colors. And they dangle.  Just - dangle. All I could think of when I saw it was:  Angler Fish of DEATH!  Seriously - they just....hang. It's kind of odd. And the tags are 2 inches long. ON EACH BALL.  Very strange.

• 5 Unique motions with variable speeds for each- Here's where it gets good. This detail is the reason I wanted the Mamaroo.  Unlike regular swings which can typically go either side to side or front to back in a swinging motion - the mamaroo has two moving parts. First, the post that the seat is perched on slides side to side on the base. Then, depending on which of the "...five unique motions" you choose, the seat section bounces up and down to create a different movement.  Additionally, after you choose your motion, you can increase or decrease the speed of the motion.

• Up to 25 lbs. Well - no need to review this.  You can put a child, up to 25 lbs, into it provided he or she is not sitting on their own, crawling, etc.  This item is for babies that don't yet move too much. 

The Pros: It's versatile. It really can be tilted to just about any position to sit/lie in.  The style of it is good and its pleasing to look at. It's not an overly loud mechanical item either.  With the player attachment and decent speakers it's pretty nifty.  The movements and options mean they sleep well, and if they get tired of one movement, you have 4 others and various speeds to choose from.   The material literally zips off for easy cleaning should your little one have a blow out or upchuck.  (If you don't have kids yet and don't know what a blow out is, I'll let it be your pleasant surprise)

The Cons:  The cost is a big one.  While it's cool looking, no doubt, the price is prohibitive for parents who are, like most of us, on a strict budget. Shelling out $230 for an item Lil' Suzie will only use for six months seems a bit much, but I have one so clearly not all that prohibitive.  One thing I didn't like was the rounded seat, it often had her chin on her chest as she slept - which is a big no-no. If the back where straighter that would be better.  The player cord detaches from the base.  It's tiny and was lost pretty much in the first month.  There are no shoulder straps to keep babies like mine, who like to lean and move a lot, more secure.  I would love to see some plush straps. 

All in all - I like the 4Moms Mamaroo. For the first three weeks, my daughter wouldn't sleep anywhere else.  She needed the motion and the swing we were given just wasn't doing it.  Now at 12 weeks she is in it sometimes, but not as much for sleeping through the night as the occasional nap in it.

If you can afford it - I'd say it's a good purchase. Definitely not a necessity item, but one you'll appreciate.  It's also a conversation starter, and if all else fails...just keep shopping, just keep shopping....

*This is an UNPAID product review.  I was not asked to do it nor was I compensated or paid in any way. The item was bought by a family member and given to me at my baby shower. I have no affiliation with 4moms.

No Sexual Feet!

Feet.
足
chân
pé
Aleut
pairo
piedi
pies.

All words for Feet. Imagine all that creamy soft supple skin, kept moisturized. Imagine how soft they would feel in your hands. Imagine how they would feel brushed up against your cheek as you rested there. How can you adorn the feet you love? Would you go to boutiques and buy the sexiest dainty sandals?  And how they would look all tanned up at the beach?  You could play with each little toe at the end of a long day in the bath, massaging and licking each one to your partners delight.  Throw on some soft music, light some candles and spend time caressing the feet.  You buy wonderful soft socks to keep them covered (only for you ya know!), provide good shoes for arch support, and (like above) buy adorable or sexy sandals! In your mind, your special foot "owner" shouldn't ever actually USE their feet to walk, because that would make them dry out, less soft, and not as supple as you would like and the "sexiness" might wane.  

How can anyone say no to feet? They are incredibly sexy, and you know you can't keep your eyes off of them!

No? Feet aren't sexy?  Well I'm sure SOME folks think feet are sexy but lets assume for a moment YOU don't.  How ridiculous would it be for someone to expect someone else to not use their FEET to walk around, simply because feet are considered sexual organs?

That's exactly how ridiculous it sounds to us breastfeeding moms when somoene who has sexualized all that is breast and we are asked to cover up or go elsewhere.  BREASTS ARE MEANT TO FEED INFANTS.  They were NOT incuded on our bodies to be "sexual".  If so, we'd just have nipples like men, no need for mammary glands.

(c) Duker Photography
Model: Me & Nila

Honestly, our culture could have sexualized any part of the body, making it shameful to expose that part in public. Breastfeeding is 100% normal and natural and mothers who breastfeed should never be asked to go elsewhere or cover up.  WHY is this still happening?  If you, or anyone else, feels uncomfortable when a woman is breastfeeding then here's an idea, don't look. Don't follow her with your eyes. Don't wonder if she's one of "those" women who will breastfeed until the child is 5.  It's none of YOUR business. Don't stare, that's rude dude.

Personally, I think seeing a mother feeding her child is a remarkable expression of love and selflessness. If you have never breastfed, newsflash: it's not easy. It's not impossible or difficult necessarily, but it can impose restrictions and you have to think about what you eat, drink, and expose yourself to.  You are solely responsible for the ENTIRE food of another human being. You are their lifeblood, so, to be responsible, you eat healthy, drink lots of water, and limit other things such as wine, beer, and that cigarette you REALLY want. Not too much coffee, not too much of anything really (except water. You need lots of that).

So for people who say that breastfeeding is unnatural or should be covered up ask yourself these questions:

1)  If you just don't want to see the woman's nipple, then why is ok for the Abercrombie male models to show THEIR nipples? The only difference is the fat part, so the argument that nipple showage is porn or something sexual doesn't work.

2) Do you stop eating when someone with anorexia or bulemia enters the room? No. Of course not.  So why should *I* (or any breastfeeding mother) have to stop feeding our children because YOU have sexualized a mammary gland and now have issues with doing what's natural?

3) Do you want to eat a steak under a towel? Try it one day. Put two people (you have to be one of them) under a blanket. Then YOU eat a steak.

So here's the deal. We're feeding our children with the tools nature gave us. It's natural, a gesture of love, and completely legal anywhere that mother has a right to be.

And just one more thing:

Just be glad society hasn't yet made feet the sexual equivalent of breasts.

2 Minute Reviews - pre and post baby

Hello out there fellow parents (and parents-to-be)!

If you're at all like me, you go out and google reviews, check Amazon.com, and go down your own checklist before committing to a purchase or moving on to the next product.

I like to look at videos as well as read commentaries - the videos help me understand size, how things move (if they are meant to) and basically how to put it together.

I'm going to be doing reviews of baby items, as a new-again mom (my youngest is 10), there are SO many new items out there that weren't even in the thought process stage yet when my son was born!

The difference between mine and many others, namely the videos, is that mine will be 2 minutes, will highlight the pros/cons, strengths/weaknesses and go right to the heart of the matter. There won't be a lot of talk, jokes about my dog, or unnecessary commentaries about my kid.  Thats what the rest of this blog will be for!!!

I have a YouTube Channel that will be used to Vlog and do reviews.  Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the first few reviews!!! 

Chef Boy!

I am one of those people who thoroughly enjoys cooking. If I could have learned to do it professionally I probably would have, but - as it stands, I just cook for friends and family.  That being said, I'm also one of those WOMEN who finds it incredibly impressive when a man who isn't a chef, makes me something to eat that doesn't involve boiling water and a jar of spaghetti sauce (not that there's anything wrong with your spaghetti J-Man...).

Because of this, and because my Little Man - the Boy - has shown some talent and enjoyment in the kitchen, I thought now would be a good time to teach him a basic recipe, quiche!

He put the pie crusts in, and was cutting off the excess!  He really enjoyed playing with the leftover dough....

After he did that, I gave him all the ingredients .In this case, it was spinach  ham, onions and garlic for one quiche, and spinach, ham, onions, mushrooms and garlic for the other quiche.

Then we poured in our egg (one has no cream - due to my inability to have dairy).

 After that we cooked and ate them! I do believe he was really impressed with himself and quite proud of himself too!!

Look out Gordon Ramsey, Chef Boy is beating down your door!!!

I'm a Crafty One...

These days, down to one income, I'm looking at any way I can to save moola and make things better on our growing little family.

Everything from contemplating sewing things for the kids, to making my own diapers, to making diapers to sell, to knitting gloves, hats, diaper covers, etc. to just watching another kid for awhile.

I've also had the treasured and rare time to spend with my kids.  Having been a career focused mom for so many years, just hanging out with my son and daughter has been really nice!  The daughter has one heck of a great sense of humor, and the boy is still as sweet as he ever was, but he's growing up. Both of them are.  I've had a wonderful time this month teaching my son to make quiche and making my daughter her requested birthday dinner (filipino style!).

Even so - as much as it pains me - I do have to find something else to do with my time while they're busy having social lives.

I've been learning to knit (mostly to keep myself from going insane in the last few weeks of pregnancy).  It doesn't require much in the way of physical exertion, but keeps my hands and brain busy.  I've managed to knit a pair of mismatched sized (and shaped) baby booties, a pair of fingerless gloves, and now I"m working on a baby cap. Today I may run to Michaels and get a new pair of knitting needles and some different yarn.  

Another thing I've been researching is wool diaper covers. I did go to Goodwill and buy two wool sweaters and successfully felted them down for use. I debated on deconstructing the one and knitting with the yarn, but I opted to felt it instead. For those of you who don't know what Felting wool is - I have only done it once so I'm no expert - but it's the process of shrinking the crap out of it, basically. To learn more about how to felt wool, click here.   The two sweaters I felted down will become diaper covers for the baby one she's here.   I'll be doing another blog/vlog on that once she's born and I get my new serger!!!

Couponing - Well, I'm not getting all my groceries for .37, but i am saving on average about $7 bucks a trip.  That's nearly $30 a month.  Maybe it doesn't qualify for "Extreme Couponing" but it's pretty exciting to me!

Other than that, just working on slowly adding to my CD stash, thinking about the baby, and waiting.

Welcome to the Dark Side....

MWAAHHAHHAHAAHHAHA.....


Well. Not really.  It's just that I always considered being a SAHM (this means "Stay at home mom" for those of you who don't know the lingo.  Stick with me kid, I'll teach you what you need to know and fill you in on stuff you will probably wish you never heard...) something of a laughable task.

NOT that being a SAHM is an easy job, I meant laughable that *I* would ever be caught doing it. No way Jose.  Uh uh.  No siree bob.  I go to work and get to get AWAY from home for a few hours.  Everything 50/50 down the middle, housework, bills, kids, etc.

 Yea, that was when I was younger and had something to prove. I wanted to prove I COULD be a career mom, a housewife, a laundress, a chauffer, a nurse, AND STILL VOLUNTEER at the school!
I had a healthy social life, a lot of friends, a job, two great kids, what on earth would I be wanting to stay home for?

Fast forward a decade.  A new relationship and new relationship dynamics with my kids now that they're older.  I'm due to have a baby again in about a month and J-man and I have concluded that I cannot afford to work and pay daycare. It's not only impractical, but nearly impossible.

For the first time in my life, I'm looking forward to staying home. Keeping my house together, seeing my kids more than for dinner and bed time.  Being able to network with other moms. I don't relish the idea of climbing the corporate ladder for at least a couple years.

This doesn't mean forever, at least it's not intended to at the moment. I will more than likely return to the workforce after Baby Girl is a bit older and able to attend a preschool. At least that's the plan right now.

So - because of that, I invite you to join me on my journey of being a newly christened SAHM and share my family's adventures in late parenting, teens, tweens, relationships, cloth diapers, and money saving tricks and tips I've learned (and will learn).

Yea. I'm the princess.  (not really)

Thanks for popping by!!!