Mexican Stuffed Shells. Ole!

This past Sunday we spent the whole entire day just lounging. I can't tell you how great it felt to have NOTHING to do because we are a busy family and this rarely happens. We have either had a wedding or some other engagement to attend for what seems like every single weekend for the past 3 months!! I think we had forgotten how to just relax, but this past weekend, we were reminded....and we were BORED!!! We ended up taking Brady on a couple walks and Steve even cleaned out the inside of my car!! JUST because we didn't know what else to do!! I know. We are pathetic.

I decided to make this recipe I found on a facebook site because it just looked so good! It is something I would not be able to make on a weeknight so I took the opportunity since we had nothing better to do.

I freakin LOVE Mexican food. Steve freakin LOVES pasta. So here is a little something that combined the two! It was delicious! We made some mexican rice and had some chips and salsa and it was a GREAT meal that I would definitely make again!

Indredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups salsa
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 16-ish jumbo pasta shellls
• 1 cup taco sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup monterry jack cheese
• Green onions and sour cream for topping

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F. In a skillet, brown the ground beef, drain and return to skillet. Add the taco seasoning. Add the cream cheese, cover, and simmer until the cheese is melted. Stir and mix well. Set aside and let it cool completely.

• While the ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to package instructions and drain. Set the shells out individually on a cutting board so they don't stick together.

• Pour the salsa on the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish.
  

•  Stuff each shell with 1-2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and place the shells in the baking dish open side up.
  

• Evenly cover the shells with the taco sauce.  

• Cover the dish with foil and back for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the shredded cheese and bake 10-15 minutes longer with the foil removed. 

• Top with Sour Cream, Green Onions, or whetever else you like!

Meghan

10 Random Facts About Me

Well I was all set to post this blog and then everyone started doing the "Random Facts About Me" Thing. Now it's going to look like I copied that idea from Facebook. But as I mention in this post, I wrote this back on October 24th. So there! Facebook copied it from ME!!!....because you all care....

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There are about 5 blogs I follow regularly. There is no rhyme or reason as to why I follow these blogs except the fact that I find their posts useful or interesting. I do not personally know any of these 5 people. None of them even live in Ohio so that is seriously how random they are. But since I do follow them regularly, I feel like the writers let me in on their families and lives just a little bit and with each blog they post and I become more and more intrigued. One girl even posted "5 Little-Known Facts" about herself and this was one of my favorite things to read about her just because it helped me to learn more about her and where she is coming from. By following where the traffic on my site comes from, I know that not everyone who reads this blog knows me personally. So today I have decided to do the same thing and post 10 random facts about myself for anyone who would like to read!

1. I am obsessed with my nails.

I have not gotten my nails done professionally in over a year. I typically do them myself if I have any spare time. I probably have every nail polish color known to man and if my polish chips or peels just the tiniest bit, I have to take it off and re-do the entire nail. I am just weird like that. My husband got me a gift certificate to get my nails done for my birthday this year and I have still yet to use it because I am having the hardest time deciding what I want to get done! Also, I am currently waiting on my first order of Jamberry Nail wraps to get shipped to me! I can't wait to try them out!

2. I am extremely sarcastic.

I don't think people understand this. It is so subtle sometimes that I think people take me seriously when they honestly don't realize I am being a smart ass. I usually do know the appropriate places to turn it off and on...but sometimes I slip and become a HUGE smart ass at work. I remember on my 2nd day of work at the company, my brand new boss called me a smart ass. My 2nd day!!!! Luckily he thought it was funny, but I CAN get myself in trouble sometimes for being too sarcastic. Whatever. If my life were a sitcom at least it would be funny.... 

3. I love country music, however there are a few country music stars I don't care for.

Kenny Chesney would be the first. I don't mind the music as much as I do his cockiness. I just get this vibe that he is a cocky A-Hole! Does anyone else get this feeling? I feel the same way about Toby Keith sometimes too. If I didn't like Toby Keith's songs so damn much I would probably hate him. But what can I say....dude has some catchy tunes and funny music videos. (Except for "Drinks After Work". What a God-Awful Song!!!) Lets see...Taylor Swift for many reasons. A)  It took her years and years to sound decent live. And that is most likely because she has had EXTENSIVE vocal training due to the backlash she has gotten for SUCKING live. B) She needs a new topic for her songs. I am sick of hearing about the 17 year old she was dating who "screwed her over" because she was most likely annoying and way too clingy. C) She is annoying. If she gets up to accept ONE MORE DAMN AWARD and actually acts surprised that she got it and fakes being all excited....I mean....she has all these Grammy's and CMA entertainer of the year under her belt and someone will give her an award for like...best shade of lipstick and she FREAKS out. SHUT UP!!!!!! Ok and one more. Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland. I'm sorry. I really am. She seems like such a sweetheart. But UGH!!! I just can't stomach her voice. Its so awful. All that twang that she stretches out almost sounds whiny and its like fingernails on a blackboard to me. I also could not stand when that stupid "Stuck Like Glue" song came out and she was performing it on all these shows and when she would sing the chorus "There you go makin' my heart beat again" she kept making heart-beat signs with her hand while dancing and she would look like she was having convulsions.  And she did it EVERY SINGLE TIME she performed this annoying song.












JUST STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



   4. My husband loves to camp. I don't.

I think Jim Gaffigan put it best when he said he doesn't want to spend 4 vacation days sleeping on the ground. Neither do I. I also don't want to spend them in a tiny-cramped camper if that was going to be the next argument. God love you people who like to camp but I just don't. My version of vacation is laying on a beach somewhere and sleeping in a bed inside a hotel. Call me high-maintenance, but my family NEVER camped growing up so I never took a liking to it. Plus my idea of relaxing is not "roughing it". My idea of relaxing is relaxing.  

5. My house is usually VERY clean.

Now, I DO have a 2 year old and a lot of toys so I am not saying it is clean all day every day. But by the time we all go to bed, it is usually spotless. Our bed is made every morning, and our kitchen is spotless every night. I believe I do have some sort of OCD where if I find ANY down time at all I am usually LOOKING for something to be cleaned. It drives my husband nuts!!!! I think a big advantage of being a working mom is that it is easier to keep our house clean because we aren't IN it all day. I don't think I would be able to do it if I was a stay at home mom and I was CONSTANTLY cleaning up messes all day long. 

6. I CANT STAND when people debate controversial topics back and forth and back and forth....and THEN get mad when someone has a different opinion!

If I hear one more person going on a rant about why they did or didn't get their kids a flu shot I am going to delete them from my life!!! Do what you want and shut up about it!!!! Also, I can't stand when people go and post their political/religious beliefs on a social media site and then when someone disagrees with them, they go ape shit!!! That is like being mad that you got wet after jumping into a pool!!! If you don't want to hear what other people have to say, then keep your mouth shut! Maybe other people don't want to hear what you have to say! Ever think of that oh wise one?? There is a reason we all have different opinions! WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT!! Some of you seriously need to go back to kindergarten and re-learn that. We all have different life experiences that lead us to feel certain way about things! Arguing to get someone in a different walk of life to see things your way is like shoving John Goodman into a tire swing!! Its not gonna happen! Rant over. 

7. I typically write my blog posts LONG before I post them.

I usually have 3 or 4 sitting in the queue. That way I can pick which one I fee like posting that week and I never feel pressured to have one written. One just always is. Some may sit in the queue for weeks or months at a time, because I get better ideas that come along and it will get pushed back. It is currently October 24th, 2013 as I am writing this. I DO have a couple posts I have written that I do not plan on ever posting. They are not posted for reasons I do not want to get into, and they probably never will be, but I just had fun writing them. Some posts take me a day to write and others I can be working on for up to a week at a time. But I usually have a LOT waiting in the wings just in case I ever want to take a few weeks off! 

8. I once supported myself financially solely from winning Karaoke contests.

Let me be clear....this was for a VERY short time and it was when I was in college so I can't say I was COMPLETELY supporting myself. My dad helped a lot. BUT I was working at a tanning salon on campus at the time and the manager of the salon told me "Oh by the way we are staying open during the holidays but I am taking all the hours for myself so you are SOL for 6 weeks. Merry Christmas." Needless to say I didn't stay at that job much longer. All the seasonal positions at the mall had already been filled so I had NO options as far as work went. Turns out, 2 different bars were having karaoke contests during the winter break. There were preliminary winners who received money and then all the winners would be entered into the finals and receive more money if they won that. I won the preliminaries for both bars and then won first in the finals for one and second in the finals for another. I made a small fortune and was able to financially make it through the next 6 weeks AND buy Christmas presents for everyone that year. I wish i could do that every year!!!! If anyone hears of anything....let me know....I never turn down easy extra cash! And NO! I'm not a hooker!


9. I make Grocery Lists in drafts.

Yeah I know. I'm OCD. But hear me out for a minute. During the week I jot down things we need when I think of them. There is the first list. Then I also jot down what is on sale and what is on sale that we have coupons for so we can get them extremely cheap! Then I make a list of what I want to cook for dinner the following week and the ingredients it will require that we do not have in the house. (I actually have a good stock pile so it is usually only a few things) THEN I ask Steve what he wants from the grocery store. THEN Steve and I argue over who is going to do the grocery shopping that week. This is a constant battle because he thinks he is BETTER at saving money, but I don't trust him to get the correct brand of products that I want. (If there is make up on the list he will lose this battle). Then after the list is done, I actually go through and order all the items according to where is is in the store so I can have everything in order. I do this for one reason. It saves a TON of time!!! I have done our grocery shopping on my lunch hour at work on SEVERAL occasions and have actually had time to spare!! I bring all the cold stuff into my office and put it in the fridge and freezers and then just take it all home with me at the end of the day. It is one less thing to do during the weekend and it really helps when we have extremely BUSY weekends!!! So laugh all you want but when some of you are spending hours at the grocery store, I am in and out in less than an hour AND have saved money!

10. I wanted a Dog SOOOOOO Bad growing up. Now that I own my own home....I don't want one.

I have absolutely nothing against dogs. I actually like dogs a lot, as does my son! We stop and pet the neighbor's dogs all the time when we are out and about. But I do not want a dog for the same reason some people don't want kids. I don't want the extra responsibility.  I want to be able to pet/play with the dog and then give them back to it's owner when it needs to be cared for. I can't stand the way most dogs smell and I can't stand they way smelly dogs make a house smell. I have been in some BEAUTIFUL houses that absolutely REEK because of a smelly dog.  My house smells awesome. I would like to keep it that way. Also, I don't want the pain in the ass of finding someone to watch my dog when we go on vacation. Nothing against dog people at all! I am just not one of you! 


Meghan

What I Am Thankful For This Year

I HAD to begin this week's blog post with this eCard. One of my co-workers shared this on Facebook and I laughed so hard because it is so true! 

I decided to not take the Facebook route and post 30 things I am thankful for every day. While I probably COULD think of 30 things, I don't want to do that because I would end up listing stupid things, like beer and my flat iron just to fill in the numbers.

Instead I have decided to just list 5 things that I am especially thankful for in 2013. I could list my son and my husband to the end of the earth. I AM thankful for the 2 of them every single day of my life. I'm sure you all know that. But I have decided to be a little more specific. Although this has not been the most eventful year in our lives, we still had some frustrations and some celebrations and I thought I would blog about what has made me happy to be me this year!

    

1. I am thankful for our new home!

For any of you out there who own a home, you probably understand all the highs and lows that came with finding it. Steve and I sold our small home in the middle of nowhere at the end of last year. To make a long story short, we ended up bidding on a house we fell in love with. We won the bidding war and were EXTATIC to be moving! Well....the appraisal report came back and the house appraised significantly lower than what we were going to pay for it. Like 14 grand lower!!! The only way we could buy the house would be if the sellers would agree to sell it for the appraisal price. That didn't happen and the house fell through...a week before we were supposed to close. Steve was disappointed but I was CRUSHED!!! I had already taken the time off work to move, already had a carpet cleaner lined up and paint colors picked out! What a horrible way to start 2013! After a few days of moping we got back out there and began our house hunt yet again. I hated everything we looked at. Nothing compared to the house that slipped through our fingers. We finally made the decision that if we were going to get what we wanted, we would have to raise our price limit, because frankly, you get what you pay for. After we did that, we found a lot of houses we really liked and get this, actually had houses to choose from!!! We ended up putting an offer on a house that was a brand new construction!! It was even bigger and better than the one that fell through! Lots of room, modern looking, upstairs bonus room, the walls were painted a pretty earth-tone and brand spanking new! Oh and this one actually appraised too!! We moved in February and since then, we have been busy making the place our own! We still have a long way to go since this house is more than twice the size of our old one, so ya know....we have to find more stuff to put in it. But we have a lot of time to do it. I am also in LOVE with the neighborhood. I have got to say that we have some of the friendliest neighbors in the world and there are a TON of kids Brady's age to play with. When I say Brady's age I mean one little girl is 2 days older and another little girl is 2 weeks older! (We have already had a birthday celebration together for the 3 of them) People are always outside and very social, as are we so we fit right in. I never thought I would say losing that first house was for the best....but it really WAS!! I feel like we hit the jackpot and am very thankful for that!

2. I am thankful for my husband's new job.

Before September of this year, Steve had a job that paid the bills, but didn't offer him much else. He didn't feel like he had that many advancement opportunities and he felt as though he wasn't really contributing in any way shape or form. We decided that if he wanted to make a career out of his place of employment, he would need to look elsewhere, which is exactly what he did. I have to hand it to Steve. When he wants something he goes hard for it. He interviewed with several different companies, all which made him offers and even then, he negotiated the hell out of all of them. The final company ended up offering him a completely different job than what he interviewed for. The job offered a lot more advancement opportunity and a lot more benefits than any other company. And most importantly, it offered a lot more flexibility than the last job he had. This has made life, in all aspects, SOOO much easier for our family. He accepted the job offer and I am very proud of him and everything he has done to make a career for himself, as well as look out for the best interest of his family. The past couple months have been a breath of fresh air since he works from home and can be more flexible when my work schedule cannot. It goes to show that hard work really does pay off.

3. I am thankful for MY job

For anyone who has heard me talk in the past few months, you are probably thinking I am full of shit. Sometimes I think I am as well. But hear me out. I have been at my job for the past 2 1/2 years. I am able to financially contribute to my family, as well as feel like I have a purpose elsewhere. Because I work, my family does not have to live a frugal lifestyle. We are still responsible with our money, but we don't have to penny pinch the way some families do that have only 1 working member of the household. I work for a good company. They have been very good to me and I am thankful for that. Being a full-time working mother is never easy, especially because I feel guilty for it everyday. But I am very proud of myself for sticking it out the past 2 years. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to just quit and stay home with Brady sometimes, but I have many neighbors who are all stay at home moms and have made me realize it is not as glamorous as it sounds. I actually have one neighbor who is bored out of her mind and dying to go back to work. I have also known a few working moms who have quit their jobs, only to find themselves out looking for another one a few months later because they couldn't make ends meet. Honestly I am glad I am not in either one of those situations. In the past 2 1/2 years I have never once gone to work with a pit in my stomach like I have with some other jobs. I like my job and I like the fact that I can make money, socialize with other adults (some in my same situation), have a purpose, and my son is STILL a mama's boy and knows I love him unconditionally. 

4. I am thankful that our parents live close by.




Brady and My Parents (Mimi and Papa)

 




The 3 of us with Steve's Dad (Also Papa)



 We are extremely fortunate to have our parents from both sides live 10 minutes from our house. Growing up, I lived 6 hours away from the closest relative we had. We did not see our grandparents that often. Steve and I chose to live close to our parents and I am very glad we made that decision. Brady adores all of his grandparents probably more than anyone else in the world. When I tell them that one of them is coming over, he freaks OUT and gets so excited!!! On the morning of his birthday party this year, instead of being excited about his party, he was more excited about all 3 grandparents being in his house at the same time (true story).
It is also very helpful to Steve and I to have them so close. We love being able to still have date nights and take time for ourselves. I believe that in order for a marriage to thrive ESPECIALLY when you have small children, it is important to take time for just yourselves. Life becomes so crazy and so NOT about you when you have kids. Your marriage suddenly gets pushed onto the back burner and your child's needs are first and foremost. Thanks to our parents we have been able to still take time for ourselves sometimes and even go away on overnight trips. I am very thankful that Steve and I have the help we have. Even though I thank God every day for our beautiful son, I am thankful for the opportunity to still be able to date my husband!

5. I am thankful my child is happy and  healthy.

I am lucky. That is all there is to it. My child is extremely happy-go-lucky and healthy. I was bummed this year when I learned we were going to have to have tubes put in Brady's ears but, really, if THAT is the worst we have to deal with, I will definitely take it. It was a 10 minute surgery that he will never remember. My heart breaks for parents who have children in and out of the hospital constantly, have serious health or developmental issues, or have children who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. This year, I have been following a family in Georgia, whose 3 year old son Tripp was struck by a fallen branch when playing outside at his daycare. A lot of you may be familiar with the Halsteads. This accident almost killed Tripp and now he has extensive brain damage and is constantly struggling health wise. Here is the facebook link if you want to familiarize yourself. https://www.facebook.com/TrippHalsteadUpdates

Tripp's mom Stacy posts daily updates on his progress and just how he is doing that day. Sometimes I find my self crying while reading her posts. Sometimes I find myself celebrating his small little milestones as well. I have just fallen in love with this family and hope and pray that Tripp makes progress every day. (And recently he has!!) But also, they are a constant reminder of just how blessed I am to have a happy, healthy and normal child. Brady is such a blessing and I am thankful for who he is and continues to become!    

Alright there ya have it! I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

Meghan

Grilled Chicken with Black Bean Mango Salsa

Usually by the time I get home from work, prepare a meal and try and snap quick pictures of it while my hungry family is waiting, all my natural light is gone. Also, my kitchen is set up weird, where the prep area is nowhere near a window, so I decided to go outside and snap a few photos of this dish in natural light so I could capture more of it's "prettiness". I think the next step is for me to buy some new dishes because the ones I always use are hand-me-downs. So not that any of you care, but look forward to better-plated dishes in the future!!

This dish is something I prepare the night before because my full-time work schedule does not allow for me to cook it the way you are supposed to. The chicken only really needs to marinate for an hour and you can make the salsa right before serving, but in order to save time (which I know many of us have so little of) I prepare it the night before and all my husband has to do when he gets home is throw it on the grill. And then the salsa is already made when it is done! Simple enough! And delicious too! Chicken with 2/3 cup salsa yields 6 weight watcher points.

Ingredients:

For the Chicken

• 16 oz (2) boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
• Salt and pepper; to taste
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Juice of 1 lime

For the Black Bean Mango Salsa

• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt; to taste
• 1 can black beans; drained and rinsed
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro; minced
• 1 chopped jalapeno (removed seeds if you want it less spicy)

Directions:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well to coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. (Or overnight if you want).
• In a medium bowl, combine the red onion, lime juice, olive oil and season with salt to taste. Mix well and then add the remaining ingredients and combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

•  Heat the grill to meduim high. Discard the chicken marinade and grill the chicken breasts about 3 minutes on each side or until cooke through.
• Transfer to a cutting board and slice the chicken on the bias. Serve topped with the Mango Salsa!

Beautifully Delicious!

Meghan

10 Baby Products That Make Life Easier

Let's face it! When you are a new parent, you are clueless. I have been a parent now for 2 years and I STILL am. But I have come to learn that what you do not prepare for, you will learn quickly with trial and error. I completely believe that instinct DOES present itself when you need it.

I remember being pregnant and sitting at my parents' house with my sister and my sister-in-law going over both of my baby registries on my laptop. BabiesRus gave me this little checklist with about 5 million items on it that I ABSOLUTELY WOULD DIE WITHOUT! We all sat and laughed at some of the stupid stuff the registry was suggesting I buy. (Like 2 different diaper bags and 2 different types of strollers?) Nice try trying to capitalize of naive moms-to-be BabiesRus. A-Holes. Sometimes when I am browsing someone else's baby registry, I find myself laughing at some of the frivolous crap on there....but I also understand that they are probably in the same position I was in and just don't know any better. It happens to all of us. We are all naive until we aren't. But anyway...as we are all still learning and growing as parents, I thought I would share a list of 10 things that I am glad I DID have for my child when he graced us with his wonderful little presence. These 10 things made bringing a newborn home that much easier and I am hoping if and when I DO lose my mind and decide to have another baby, I will be THAT much more prepared:

10. A Dishwasher Caddy

So I made it KNOWN that I was going to breastfeed my kid as long as I could because that's what good mothers do and I was going to be supermom!!! Well that lasted about a month. Without getting into the gory details, it just wasn't working for myself OR Brady. I will leave it at that. I decided I would pump instead and we would also supplement with formula. This way Daddy could also join in on the feeding fun and give me a break. Pumping ended up becoming a chore that took waaay too long. There was no way I was going to be able to go back to work and take enough time away from my desk to pump. Also, switching between formula and milk was beginning to upset Brady's stomach, so the easiest decision I have ever made was to put him on formula completely. (I still catch myself growing envious of mom's who lasted longer than I did, but ya know? My son is still healthy regardless so who cares?) So frequently feeding an infant who is only bottle-fed leads to some serious dirty bottle build up. Steve and I went on a bottle run one time and I think we came back with like...22 bottles because we were just sick of constantly washing them to reuse. We wanted to be able to put them in the dishwasher and just run them with the rest of the dishes when it was full. These caddies are great because they protect the nipples from becoming ruined while washing. We actually still use this for sippy cups! What a wonderful and cheap investment!


9. Moby Wrap or Baby Bjorn (or Both)

Either of these are wonderful for when your baby is still fairly small. (Moby wrap shown above) It basically allows you to still be pregnant with your baby while not actually being pregnant. (aka: hold them and still have full use of both hands) You can clean, eat, apply make up, throw your beer at the tv, ect...all the while your baby is still snug and cozy up against you and most of all...content. I ate Thanksgiving dinner with Brady strapped to me in the Bjorn because he did not want to be put down that day. Steve even wore Brady in the Moby a couple times and let me tell you...he is an ADORABLE pregnant man!


8. Jumperoo

Brady eventually outgrew the Moby and the Bjorn and became more active, as babies tend to do. We went from bouncy seat, to bumbo seat, to exersaucer, to whatever stupid-named baby product we could fit him in next and keep him entertained. He would last about 10 minutes and get bored and cry to be picked up. It got frustrating after a while because as much as we loved holding our baby, we needed to get other things done. His sleep time was also getting shorter, thus so was our "clean the house" time. We finally inherited this colorful little contraption from Steve's sister and wow!! The first time I put Brady in I watched him in amazement. The kid jumped and jumped and jumped and I cracked up watching this tiny little body bounce up and down and a pretty intense rate. I even texted Steve's sister and asked her if he was going to give himself shaken baby syndrome! (She said he wouldn't) I think Brady averaged 45 minutes at a time in this. Sometimes longer!! He couldn't get enough of it and frankly, sometimes, neither could we. I also believed it helped him build his little leg muscles quite a bit and he walked at 10 months old! I 100% recommend this product and just in case we do ever decide to go for Miller baby # 2, it is still in our basement!


7. Similac  On-The-Go

Sometimes, I look back on some of the stuff we did, and wonder why we were so dumb. When we would venture out with Brady for long periods of time, we would actually bring formula, bottles, our own clean bottled water, and pray that wherever we were going had an accessible microwave. Then when I learned that the hospital wasn't hoarding these and you can get them at Walmart, I felt stupid. Open the bottle, pop a nipple on, and you are done. We're stupid.


6. Gas Drops

Babies have sensitive stomachs and they get gassy. This makes their stomachs hurt. This makes them unhappy. This will also make YOU unhappy. Ours went through a 2 week period where he was unhappy. So were we. Turns out his lil' belly was full of gas bubbles. These gas drops helped quite a bit! They help to bring the gas OUT of the baby. Whichever exit it comes out...well...that's a fun little guessing game! But the fussiness will hopefully subside along with the gassiness. I am not saying this is the cure to all baby fussiness. There could be a thousand reasons. But this may be a good start!


5. Video Monitor

I think I can sympathize with most new parents in the fact that one of the scariest and most difficult nights is the night you first put your baby in his or her own room. Everyone does it at a different time and there is no right or wrong time to do it in my opinion. We waited as long as we could because everything freaked us out. Brady finally got too big for his swing and bassinet and we moved him at 6 months. (Don't judge me. 6 months is when the risk of SIDS reduces tremendously and I am super paranoid) Although it seemed like we checked on him every 10 minutes to make sure he was still breathing, we were able to relax and have a much better peace of mind. Truth be told, I still use it. Our room is on the opposite side of the house from Brady and the way our house is designed (it's kind of a weird design), we cannot hear jack from the 2nd floor when we are on the first floor of our house and vice versa. If he needs us, we can be there instantly. It also picks up EVERYTHING, which is nice because I have a partial hearing loss in one ear. This thing works so well, that we can hear him sucking on his paci at night. The video part is great too if you are teaching your baby to put themselves to sleep and "cry it out" so to speak. That is something that is very hard to do because the first thing you want to do is run in their room and make sure a scary monster isn't trying to steal them. This is a great way to calm that fear. It is also a good spying tool too when your kid is a teenager. HAHA! KIDDING....kind of. 


4. Swing

   
Let me tell you something about newborns and bassinets. They don't always like each other. The pediatrician at the hospital may as well have just slapped me in the face when I asked about letting him sleep in a swing instead of the bassinet after a rough night at the hospital following Brady's birth. He ALWAYS broke out of the swaddle no matter how hard we tried to keep him in there and he would wake up after 3 or 4 minutes of bassinet time. After my apparent stupid suggestion, the pediatrician, (who was about 109 years old) said "No! Why would you put him in a swing? He does not need to be put in a swing". This woman was lucky I was recovering from a c-section and didn't jump out of my bed and slap her. I didn't slap her, but I also didn't take her advice and we set the swing up as soon as he got home and Brady slept MUCH better! We even tried to move him to the bassinet, but every time we did, he would wake up. Then it was "no sleep for anyone". Brady ended up sleeping in a swing for the first 5 months of his life. He kept his swaddle much better and the motion of the swing soothed him. He did NOT die and he did NOT develop any sort of complex from this. (That old hag can suck it and if you agree with her then so can you). Brady now sleeps wonderfully in a crib. There just ended up being one night where he was not happy in the swing. So we put him in the bassinet and he slept. Just like that.  This won't hold true for everyone, but it is a prime example of following your baby's lead and figuring out what works best for you. So if your baby is having a hard time with the bassinet and you don't want to co-sleep (which I did as well sometimes, although old lady river would probably have a coronary if she knew), this may be a good option.


3. The Miracle Blanket

 Unless you are super-human, mastering a swaddle is like mastering Chinese. (Or at least it was for me) I only know 1 single person in the world who was able to swaddle my son to where he could not break out of it...my brother-in-law Jorge. He is some kind of sorcerer. But only problem is he lives in  the Washington DC area so he was not as my disposal. My sister suggested the miracle blanket and let me tell you, it WAS a miracle. This kept Brady tightly wrapped without having to rubix-cube him into an ordinary hospital blanket. Turning him into a burrito, combined with the swing gave us so solid sleep stretches! Say that 3 times fast!


2. She Needs No Introduction

Now here is a high-tech modern advancement! A friggin' DOG TOY that costs $22!!! I registered for this stupid thing because my sister told me I needed to. I ended up getting 2. Its friggin' awesome. NO attention was paid to any other sort of teething toy. We brought her EVERYWHERE with us. It provided quite a bit of teething relief for Brady and I am actually glad to say we have an unopened one waiting in the wings. So Thank you ToysRUs for selling this stupid product....that actually turned out to be not so stupid...

and finally....my FAVORITE...

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wait for it....







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1. A MECHANICAL Nasal Aspirator

This needs to win some sort of award for BEST invention ever!!! Let me tell you something about those bulb syringes they give you at the hospital. THEY SUCK! And not literally! They suck so much because they suck so little!

So parents, no matter how much you try to shelter your baby, you cannot face the inevitable. They are going to get sick. They are born with very weak immune systems and it will happen. Especially if they are in daycare like my son. Yeah, we pretty much threw him to the wolves on that one. (Sorry Brady)

At some point, there will be coughs, infections, viruses and most of all, snotty noses that make breathing a whole heck of a lot harder since babies can't blow their noses. Well never fear!!! The mechanical nasal aspirator will fix that for you! Particularly the one shown above. I must warn you, your child probably will not like it. It plays music to try and help soothe the child, but yeah right. It does no such thing. However, it IS nice to have a jaunty tune to torture your child to. (Joking) The best way to use it is to put the child on the changing table, one of you holding their head and limbs so they can't flail, and the other person to use the aspirator in one nostril while plugging the other one to create a suction. Yes. I know. This sounds horrible and I sound like I have no heart. But I do because I promise, it pulls on my heart strings STILL when I use this on my 2 year old. But DAMN!!! (Disclaimer: Gross) There is this little cup that catches all the snot that gets sucked out and we have FILLED it up before! WADS and WADS of snot no longer obstructing his or her breathing! Its fascinating. But in all seriousness, I am sorry if it makes you barf, but it REALLY WORKS!!



OK so if you take anything from this, even one minuscule product that you never thought about using, then my work here is done. I hope you have found it informative and helpful. I am going to go buy some stock in Graco now.

Meghan

Weight Watcher-Friendly Chicken Taco Chili

It is Fall!!! My absolute FAVORITE time of year! I am your typical white female in her 20's who wears yoga pants and loves everything Autumn and pumpkin spice. Our local news station calls it OFD...Obsessive Fall Disorder. And I have it! Our house reeks of pumpkin spice and our decorations are plentiful. My husband I am sure can't wait for me to be out of this stage....but then I will just move onto the Christmas-Obsessive phase so he is screwed!

With fall season, comes Chili season...the reason my husband looks past my obsession!! My favorite thing to do is have a lazy Sunday afternoon where the boys watch football and I am in the kitchen cooking something delicious. This chili recipe is not only delicious and full of flavor, but it is not bad for you! 1 1/4 cup of this hearty recipe (sans toppings) is only 5 Weight Watchers points plus! Typically I prepare everything the night before and then just throw it in the crock pot on low and go to work and it is almost ready by the time i get home...and it is FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 small red onion; chopped
• 1 16 oz can black beans
• 1 16 oz can kidney beans
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 10 oz package frozen corn kernals
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup cilantro; chopped
• 3 cans Rotel

Directions:

Combine beans, onion, Rotel, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. (I usually combine this all in a bowl the night before and cover with saran wrap and put in the fridge. Then in the morning it just dump it into the crock pot)

Place the chicken on top and cover.

So here's the deal. I go to work and leave this on low and it is fine. All the liquid in the ingredients keeps the chicken from drying out. If you want to cook it on high, it should be ready in 3-4 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, remove the chicken and shred it with 2 forks.

Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it in. Allow it to cook another half hour so the flavor can incorporate into the chicken.

Serve with cheese, sour cream, chives, or whatever toppings you prefer, but remember it will add extra points ;)



Brady and Papa after they enjoyed their Chili!

 Meghan

Brady's Birth Story

It is almost impossible to believe that exactly 2 years ago today, I became a mommy. I remember every detail as if it were yesterday, despite being so "out of it" for most of the process. The thing I love about reading other people's birth stories is the fact that no two are alike. Some are EXTREMELY similar, but still, they are like fingerprints in the sense that no two are identical. My favorite birth stories to read from others are typically the first born, just because you are entering a world and an experience that no book or childbirth class can really completely prepare you for. You just have to have the experience to really understand.... here is ours:

For many of you who know Steve and I, you already know that Brady was not a planned baby and he was born before Steve and I were married. Although our relationship was already headed in that direction and we were already living together, we were scared. I made that more evident than Steve did since I knew my body and emotions were about to go on a little journey. (In fact, I had been extremely emotional in the first place, so that is why I took a pregnancy test). We had both talked about our shared desire to have children, but not anytime soon. Most likely in our thirties. When I learned I was pregnant, Steve and I were both 25. Life had solely been about the 2 of us and no one else. We were both in a very selfish phase of our lives. On February 17, 2011, that all changed when there were 2 lines on the pregnancy test. Since this was obviously NOT a planned a life event, I threw myself INTO planning for it. That is, after the 20 straight weeks of horrible "morning" sickness subsided a bit. (Morning...more like ALL DAMN DAY!!) By the time my due date rolled around we had an (almost) finished nursery, we were registered at the hospital, we had a full day of childbirth class under our belt, we had a hospital bag packed, we knew the gender, and we had chosen a name. We were ready. The only one who wasn't ready was Brady. My due date (October 12) came and went. I was miserable and STILL working and EXHAUSTED!!!! I grew so incredibly sick of people walking by my desk at work and asking when I was due and THEN asking why I was STILL working when I told them, "Two days ago". I was so incredibly fed up. The only reason I was still working was because my maternity leave would begin the moment I took off, and I wanted as much of that time as possible to be spent snuggling my new bundle of joy. However, two days after my due date, a Friday, I just couldn't do it anymore and I told my boss I was done. I was tired, in pain , HUGE, and my feet wouldn't even fit into shoes. I was the only employee allowed to wear flip-flops to work...in October....

The boss was completely ok with this. He wished me well and I took off. 

The next day, per my request, Steve and I spent pretty much the entire day on our feet. You would think I would take the time to rest, but no. I wanted the baby out and I was willing to take matters into my own hands. We went to a bunch of different stores and a fall festival and out to eat. We even took Steve's truck, which was very high up and hard for me to haul my pregnant butt into, but I did because it was bumpy and I thought it would make me go into labor. Those of you who think that is stupid, can shove a sock in it because it worked. My water broke at 3 AM that morning.

We went right into the hospital where they confirmed that I was, in fact in labor. HALLELUJAH!!! I was starting to have some mild contractions but they gave me some Pitocin to help speed up the process. Since the contractions were not yet painful and there wasn't much to do but wait, Steve decided to use this opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I however, was too anxious and settled on watching "A League of Their Own" to focus my attention elsewhere. By the time Dottie decided to come back with her hot husband and play in the world series, my contractions were finally starting to hurt. With every contraction, it just got worse and worse. I had all back labor, which sucked, so the only way to relieve some of the pain was to get up off my back. I remember the contractions getting closer and closer together and just more and more painful. I remember getting to the point where my contractions were making me cry, when they offered me the epidural. They didn't have to ask me twice. I was ready. And it worked almost instantly. I didn't feel a thing! WHEEEW!! Time to relax. We checked the little chart that measures your contractions and after the epidural, the hills got bigger and bigger with each contraction. I have NO idea how some of you freaks of nature endure natural childbirth (Mom) but kudos to you!!!!

With the rest of my labor, a few complications arose. They could not get accurate readings on my contractions OR Brady from the monitors that I had strapped to my stomach. So I had to have internal catheters for both of those. Once that bridge was crossed, I had issues with my blood pressure falling too low and the nurses had to be by my bedside non stop pushing on my IV bag until that was finally under control. Although, I wasn't in any pain anymore, I was exhausted. People were constantly in and out of the room, I had been awake since 3 AM, and I had only been allowed ice chips to eat. My throat was extremely parched and even though I begged for water, the nurses said no. The IV was keeping my hydrated, but I still felt extremely uncomfortable. 

When the time finally came for me to start pushing, I had no energy left to do this. My epidural had worked so well, that I could not even feel myself trying to push. Brady was still sitting extremely high and had not descended at all. My temperature had climbed to 103 and the doctor was worried about Brady catching an infection, so he immediately decided an Emergency C-section would be best. At first, I was not happy. I went through ALL this for a c-section??? I could have had a c-section 20 hours ago and not been so exhausted!!! And NOW, after 9 months of having a perfectly healthy fetus, his health was in danger?? It was all too much to take in and I began to cry. My nurse (who was wonderful) and the doctor told me not to worry. It would all be over soon and I could rest. Brady was also going to get the best special attention if he needed it. This did nothing to calm me down. I was still terrified. Steve sat with me and we had a moment. I needed reassuring that we would come out of this ok. And that is just what he did. He reassured me that the doctor had done thousands and thousands of these in even worse situations and I was going to be fine and so was our baby. And that was that. He strapped on his scrubs and I was wheeled into the OR.




What a Dork


At this point I could barely keep my eyes open from how exhausted I was. Also, the BLINDING lights in the room did not help either. I was placed directly on my back, which was a position I had not been in for a while. I had an almost 8 pound baby resting on my lungs and I felt like I could not breathe. I began to take frequent deep breaths, almost as if I were hyperventilating. The doctor told me to try and breathe normal but I couldn't. It was impossible and I began to panic. Lying on my back at 40 weeks pregnant was almost unbearable. Especially when the baby had not descended and was resting on my lungs. I vaguely remember being given some oxygen and relaxing a bit. Then I drifted in and out of awareness. At some point I heard the anesthesiologist say : "Ok Daddy get the camera ready". They were ready to pull the baby out. I had no idea they had even started the procedure!! That's how well the epidural worked! The I heard the doctor say "Whoa! Where were you hiding this guy?" Meaning he had my son in his hands...

Then I heard the cry. I had yet to meet my son, but I heard his beautiful healthy cry. He was here. On October 16, 2011 at 11:02 PM I delivered my 7 lb 14 oz baby boy.

  



For whatever reason, they didn't show him to me right away. (Or maybe they did, but I was too busy in lala land to notice) I made sure Steve went with the nurses as they cleaned him off and got his APGAR readings. (He was perfectly healthy and my fever had not affected him). Then, the nurse told me to look to my right. And that is the picture that was snapped at the beginning of this blog post. There he was in his daddy's arms. Absolutely perfect. His skin did not have a single mark on it. Almost like he was made of porcelain. He was squinting in the bright lights and blowing little spit bubbles out of his mouth. All while wrapped up like a little baby burrito. Now THAT was love at first sight. It was the most surreal feeling I have ever had. And I do not think I will ever be able to duplicate it again. I just couldn't even fathom that he was mine. I MADE him....well I guess his dad helped too...I guess...But it was just this incredibly powerful force of bewilderment that coursed through my veins. So many emotions overtook my being as the placed him in my arms and wheeled me out of the OR. But stronger than anything at that point, was exhaustion. After nursing him and holding his beautiful little body for a while, it was evident that I needed sleep. Even though the last thing I wanted to do was hand over my child and sleep, I had to. And that is exactly what I did.

   
We finally got to go home 3 1/2 days later and begin our tiresome yet rewarding next few months as parents of a newborn. I fast forward 2 years later, and although 2 years is not a long time, it seems like this all happened a lifetime ago. I still catch myself staring at him, unable to believe he is my son. I still cannot believe how miraculous life is and how we created a living, breathing, thinking, talking, smiling and laughing human being. The craziest thing, is that I can actually sit and have conversations with him. We will sit at the table at dinner time and talk about his day (which mainly consists of his asking about where his friends from day care went and me explaining over and over that they went home too) but still, it is just surreal. I can not imagine life being more fulfilling than it is now.

Today, I celebrate the happiest (and most exhausting) day of my life. I celebrate this little present God nicely wrapped up for me before I knew I even wanted it. I celebrate all the awesome things Brady is, as well as the not-so awesome things that I know are just normal parts of being a toddler. I am so thankful for the smiling, happy-go-lucky, easy-going child that he is. What a wonderful 2 years it has been! Happy Birthday Brady!



Brady enters the world!





Brady on his 1st Birthday!

My 2 Year Old!!!!



 Meghan