Mother Tested..Kid (and Husband) Approved!

Hello friends, It’s been a while…but I thought I would post this yummy crock pot recipe since it is now fall one of my favorite times of year 🙂

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/spiced-braised-beef-sweet-potatoes

All three of my kids enjoyed this (minus the spinach and chickpeas which I added later) I also didn’t add the couscous, felt as though there was enough going on in there that we didn’t need it. A slight kick with the Cayenne pepper, but my husband still added hot sauce (he can’t help himself!)
Also an important beverage to pair with this meal….Shipyard Pumpkinhead beer.

Happy Fall…Enjoy!

It’s gettin’ hot in here..

I ditched the diaper bag this weekend for my trusty (dusty) yoga mat. I have been out of exercise mode after some minor surgery. I figured yoga would be good for the mind and body.  As of late, I have been frequenting our local gym, but had one more class left to use on my pass to Open Doors Yoga Studio.  I hit power yoga hard in the winter months, but for some reason this spring I have been doing more cardio/weights at the gym and walking/jogging outside since it’s warming up.

I picked an early morning power yoga class level 2/3 (difficult) which I have taken in the past, but like I said not recently.  Don’t be fooled people. Power means wicked hot and steamy!  With the temperature hovering around 95 degrees and the humidity high I felt like I was in the Caribbean until about a half hour into the class when I felt like I was a stick of butter melting in a hot frying pan. Oh, and did I mention I forgot to bring a towel?! My yoga mat turned into a slip and slide and I was laughing to myself and the woman next to me.  Child’s pose became my best friend, and I drank all of my water down to the last drop. When I could hold downward dog without slipping onto the hardwood floor, I would count the drips of sweat landing on my mat.  I was soaked and definitely left everything on my mat (mind and body).

Today, I grimace as my quads scream walking up and down stairs. I have mat burn marks on my elbows from some crazy plank and dolphin action.  Was this some form of extreme sport or worse torture?!  I think not, and will I be back for more? Heck yes, but I will definitely bring a towel and load up on Advil!

Motherly Pet Peeves

Not in order of importance…

1. Changing a pee diaper to have it immediately filled with poop! (my toddler)

2. Having complete strangers touch your babies….ewww I would never do this, have you heard of personal space and GERMS hello?

3. Why did my two year old eat a bushel of corn two days ago and now he won’t touch the stuff?

4. Random strangers saying “my you have your hands full” when seeing me out with my gaggle. Why yes this is painfully obvious, but really don’t all mothers have their hands full (of bodily fluids, snacks, bottles, toys, babies, ect?) PS would you like to help me??

5. Why are all toddler snack foods shaped like bunnies? How about a nice monkey or squirrel for some variety?

6. All musical toys and vehicles must have an on/off switch and or a volume control.

7. Snap pajamas are a pain….there must be some more zip ones somewhere I could save a whole 5 minutes at bedtime!

8. The tangled mess of velcroed bibs coming out of the dryer sticking to everything.

9. Laundry (see above)

10. Nap skipping..seriously? Now I can’t shower/eat/nap/clean all in a couple of hours. This goes along with car napping which also is not cool.

Back in the Saddle….

I’ve been slacking on the blogging lately.  Two reasons, I have gone back to work Per Diem and I have three kids! I guess I may have overused the second excuse:) Oh, and I also ran a 5K last weekend in Cambridge (despite minimal training) I was wicked slow, but didn’t stop to walk. Although I was mighty tempted to at the one and only water station. It was cold and drizzly, but there were lots of folks out there and the race energy was good. I don’t really like to run, but do enjoy the cold beverages at the end and hanging out with good friends. I also like to get free T shirts, and this one wasn’t half bad!

On the work front… It was definitely weird to go back as I had been on leave for about six months. I was more nervous about the work part and not leaving my brood for the day. On my ride in, my early morning drive thru coffee lady remembered me and wished me good luck back at work! Things went pretty well although I must admit I was lacking some sleep, but didn’t miss a single I.V.  My co-workers were lovely and welcomed me back with open arms. It was heavenly to eat (not shovel) lunch for thirty minutes in peace and quiet without having to juggle a baby or toddler. It was also pretty nice having adult conversation with my patients.

Everyone survived, the kids and house were in one piece and I got lots of smiles and love as I entered the door. And off I went to continue my “double shift”, hmm…what’s for dinner?

Five Months

 Almost half a year. Time is going quickly with these two.  They are turning into little people who have great personalities.  Things I am enjoying at the moment in baby plus toddler land…

1. An abundance of smiles

2. Belly laughs (Charlie) usually associated with tickling

3. Blowing raspberries (Claire)

4. Ticklish under arms (Charlie)

5. Loves it when I kiss their cheeks (Claire)

6. Bounces like crazy in the jumperoo (Charlie) So much so that he passed out in it.  This also happened when Henry was an infant.

7. Oatmeal splattered over two sets of chubby cheeks

8. Sophie the giraffe (it’s back, the most expensive chew toy!) Claire gnaws on it mostly, Charlie indulges a little.

9. Warm weather….FINALLY! It’s been a long winter…

10. Coffee (still not consistently sleeping through the night here) but hey since it’s warm, make it iced!

11. Love “taps” from Henry on the twins heads (this sounds much nicer than it actually is)

12. The opening of http://www.somersetcreamery.com/ I’m headed there this weekend.

 

 

 

Shopping Cart

Now that Henry is getting older, he is boycotting sitting in the shopping cart.  I used to be able to bribe him with toys, fruit filled pouches and yes the occasional munchkin from Dunkin (no judgement).  He would rather run around the store now which makes the task of grocery shopping pretty difficult.  Our local Trader Joe’s has miniature shopping carts perfect for toddlers.  I don’t know who was more excited to see this, Henry or his mom!  Off we go to conquer the store right?
Not so much….this “quick” trip to pick up a few things turned into an hour-long excursion.  I turn left with my cart and Henry goes right.  He scours the same aisle multiple times.  He loves the samples of oranges the nice lady is handing out.  Ok, time to move on buddy as he is covered in orange juice.  I pick up random assorted items, cheddar rockets, pretzel sticks and other snacky things all of which he wants to sample.  And we finally get to the checkout line, what a process….I’m spent.  At least he was a big hit in the store, everyone exclaiming “how cute!” Yeah he’s cute alright until you drive home, unload your groceries and realize you still have nothing for dinner!  Time for takeout?

Party of Five

Venturing out for a meal as a family of five poses some new challenges. We were always a fan of breakfast out with our toddler as it’s a relatively quick meal when you get there at the crack (7AM) and order your kids food first (blueberry pancakes).

Now with two infant car seats, a toddler needing a high chair and two adults, we have to scope out a new seating arrangement for our brood.  Our local breakfast joint http://starshingham.com/ can accommodate us.  The food is tasty and the coffee is free flowing for us sleep deprived parents.

We get a six person table in the back and use two tray stands for the car seats. This is brilliant! Never would I have thought to use this for an infant carrier back when I was in college waitressing during summers…not on my radar at that point! A high chair for our two-year old and plenty of cars and books out of the trusty lobster diaper bag and we are good to go.  Bring on the bacon…bon appetit!

Supermom

Most days I feel like a juggler…heck maybe I should join the circus..oh wait the circus is in my own home!  Mealtimes are especially hairy here trying to feed a two-year old and the twins. I can only imagine when all three of them are having three square meals a day (whatever that means).  We have discovered one item which is helpful sometimes with feeding the twins.  It is a bottle holder, if you get the angle just right and the babies can grip the holder, they can slug down the bottle themselves.  http://www.diapers.com/p/lil-helper-baby-bottle-holder-pink-920776.  This also sometimes works with a rolled up burp cloth or blanket.  Ultimately they all need adjusting at some point as evidenced by shrieks when the bottle falls out of their mouths.

This may give me 10 minutes to prepare/help Henry with his meals or throw some dishes in the dishwasher. Maybe even throw down a cheese stick for myself, what a novel idea!  Gone are the days when I can sit all nice and cozy and have that baby bonding feeding time.  Now that we are onto kid two and three this is survival mode.

My first reaped the benefits of those mommy/baby moments when no one else was around, no distractions, and no need to juggle anything. There are some sweet moments with the twins when Henry is sleeping that I get lots of smiles and snuggles. I cherish those fleeting moments and then put back on my superhero cape to join the circus that is called home.

What’s not in my diaper bag…a grocery list!

This weekend after a quick workout at the gym, I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few ingredients for dinner and staples for the next few days.  In my younger/single days I would go to the store without a list as I could remember everything I needed and wasn’t planning meals for a family.  These days we plan a few meals out for the week that can also yield some leftovers. Our crockpot has been getting tons of mileage as well as our Le Creuset dutch oven.  I am now realizing these were some of our best wedding presents.  The one pot meals have become the way to go in our family.

I decided to go shopping list free which was not the smartest idea. Working on a few hours of sleep and hungry post workout..I was wandering the aisles up and down without purpose.  I must have looked like a lost puppy dog or a mom of three children age two and under!  Without a plan of attack or menu in mind, I randomly picked up sweet potatoes, an onion, boneless chicken thighs, some broccoli, yogurt, milk, bread, ect.

I got home and started to google recipes for the crockpot which included ingredients such as chicken, sweet potatoes, and apples which I already had.  I came across this one…http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2013/09/crockpot-chicken-with-apple-and-sweet-potato/

The only ingredient I was missing was ground ginger and I used sweetened applesauce because that was all I had in the pantry.  Also, we have been hooked on boneless chicken thighs lately rather than chicken breast.  Needless to say about 6 hours later it was a hit! My picky toddler ate his whole bowl and exclaimed “more food!”

Maybe I’m on to something here…being listless wasn’t such a bad thing!

Lobster Tote..An Upgrade

I realized after I had twins plus a toddler still in diapers, that I was going to need a MUCH bigger diaper bag.  The original Skip Hop brand I received at my baby shower for my oldest was no longer cutting it. I tried for about a month to shove all my baby paraphernalia in there.  It was busting at the seams.  Time to move on to bigger and better things. For Christmas, my lovely husband gifted me a lobster tote handmade in Maine. I love lobsters, both as a meal and an accessory.  This bag is up for the challenge.

This blog was inspired by the US Weekly’s celebrity segment “What’s in my bag?” US Weekly is about all I can muster to read these days..it’s quick and doesn’t require thinking. With almost four month old twins and a two year old at home, it fits the bill. No novels here, maybe someday when I don’t pass out after page two.

Now to the good stuff..what’s in my diaper bag you ask? Well at the moment, a Luna bar for that snack on the go (Mom’s eat last around here) Two sizes of Pampers diapers (man will I be happy when we are a semi-diaper free household!). Pacifiers, baby wipes, hand wipes, antibacterial wipes, whew that is a lot of cleaning!  Cars, trucks, sippy cups, books, bottles and bourbon (whoops, scratch that last one!). Oh yes, and my wallet for all of those drive-thru coffee runs and a lovely MAC lipstick which is buried in the very bottom of one of the pockets…I guess I’m not wearing that! Don’t forget my phone so I can check in with everyone on Facebook 🙂

Needless to say this tote is pretty heavy, but it works and it’s cute and reminds me that summer is just around the corner right? I am dreaming of using it as a beach bag……

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BHiveDesign