Sneaky Mom Meals

I think I've posted this recipe before, but I completely forgot about it. Adelei loves tots, and she liked eating these before, so I thought I'd try them again.

Ingredients:

Yield: 12-15 mini tots

[Source]

• 1 cup zucchini, grated
• 1 egg
• ¼ of an onion, diced
• ¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• ¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grate zucchini on a paper towel, then use the paper towel to wring the water out of the zucchini. If you skip this step, your tots will be mushy, not crispy! Dice onion.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Spray a mini cupcake tin with olive oil and fill each hole until full.

Bake for 15-18 minutes!

That's it. Easy peasy.

Simple & Yummy. The proof is in the picture ;)

She loved them! Definitely going to be making these more often. The best part? They're not just toddler food. So go ahead and whip up a double batch for the whole fam. They're so delicious, you won't feel guilty indulging.

Sneaky Mom Meals

I always say that my daughter was born hungry, because, well...she was.

While I was being sewn up, the nurses fed her an ounce of formula, and from what I've heard, she sucked it down in no time.

My sweet girl, she's always had a good appetite. She's pretty much always eaten anything I've put in front of her.

Until lately...

For the last few weeks, she hasn't been eating very much. Even her favorite foods [spaghetti and chicken nuggets!] have been pushed to the side [or thrown on the floor]. She isn't being very receptive to 'new' foods, either. Do you know how frustrating that can be?

Very.

Anyway, I've been trying to find ways to get her the nutrients that she needs while masking it with something 'fun' so she doesn't immediately start demanding to get down from her high chair [yes, she does that.]

Here's my first try:

Cheesy Carrot Quesadilla

It's as easy as it sounds and it was a huge hit.

1 Carrot, shredded

1/4 cup Cheese

1 whole wheat flour tortilla

Shred a carrot [or 4 baby carrots]. I just put them in my food processor for a few seconds, and it was perfect. Heat a skillet on medium, using olive oil spray or a little bit of butter to help it brown. Add the quesadilla, carrot, and as much or as little cheese as you think is appropriate for your child. I used very little (1/4 cup) since Adelei already has digestive issues. Once the cheese has melted, just fold the tortilla in half and cut into 4 triangles. Wa-La! I served it with a side of raw carrots and homemade ranch dip.

I know I can't be the only one going through this phase, so I decided to document it, in the off chance that someone else just as frustrated may come across it. If you have any sneaky mom meals, feel free to share them! If you take a picture of your sneaky mom meal, use hashtag #sneakymommeal on instagram or twitter. Let's help each other out!

A Brighter Future

This past weekend, while we were browsing around the Easter Festival, we stumbled upon the credit union booth. They were setting up savings accounts for children with no start up fee, no monthly fees, and as an added incentive, if you completed the paperwork then, they would put $5 in the account. How could I say no to that? We've been toying around with the idea of doing this since before Adelei was born, but kept putting it off for one reason or another. Seeing how easy it was to get started, though, allowed me to fully commit and get the ball rolling. Now that it's opened, we're looking at our monthly budget to see how much we feel comfortable depositing each month. We are hoping that this account will be untouched over the next 16 years, so that Adelei will have money to use to pay for college/living expenses. 

For those of you who have kids, do you have savings for them? What other options have you found to help them become financially stable?

Quitting.

I've been wanting to write this post for a couple of weeks, but I waited.

I waited until I could tell the people that needed to be told, you know, just in case they read my blog. [Doubtful, but possible]

If you follow me on twitter, you may already know, but...

I quit my job.

I didn't just up & quit, though.

Last Monday I put in my letter of resignation, and felt an overwhelming sense of joy and relief wash over me.

For the sake of staying professional, I'll just say that the biggest reason that I decided to call it quits was because my babysitter is PCSing & daycare is just too expensive. 

The budget will be a little tighter, but I think it will ultimately make for a happier momma & baby.

So there we go. A single income family, once again.

I am excited to get back to teaching/learning with Adelei. I'm excited for library visits, afternoons at the park, play dates, and the hour or two each day I'll get to myself while baby girl is taking a nap!

And of course I'm excited to get back to my crafting. I've missed it so much!

Halloween Recap

The older Adelei gets, the more excited I get about holidays. Last Halloween came and went, and it never even phased us. This year, however, was a little different. Not only did I decorate, but I also made Adelei her first costume! 

We didn't go trick or treating, but she did parade around the house all day looking cute. We were set to go to a party for our playgroup, but had to cancel because she still wasn't feeling well.

The night was low key. We watched the Bubble Guppies Halloween Special and Hocus Pocus. We didn't even have one trick or treater! 

Bring on Thanksgiving!

How did you spend your Halloween?

The Rocking Chair

When Adelei was about 3 months old, I made the decision to not rock her every night before bed. Several of my friends convinced me that rocking her was a bad habit and when I asked her doctor about it, she agreed. The baby needs to learn to put herself to sleep, she said. I understood, and I tried it.
Some times it worked, some times, especially when she wasn't feeling so good, I'd give in and rock her. I loved it and felt guilty all at the same time. Was I setting her up for failure? It's something that I've struggled with over and over again. A few weeks ago, I read about a baby back home that passed away. She was just a little older than Adelei. From what I understand, there was negligence involved. My heart was broken for this innocent child. I couldn't help but hug Adelei more, tell her how much I love her, even though she doesn't really understand my words yet. And that night when she woke up crying, I rocked her. I have continued to rock her every night. I've decided for myself that this is okay. Life is too short. I don't know how many days we have together, and I don't want to take these moments for granted. Until that week, that rocking chair was just a chair. I could count on one hand the number of times it was used. But now, that chair evokes special memories. We rock and sing, we talk and cuddle.  It's our chair. It's our tradition. And I wouldn't change it for the world.

Over It

I can't understand for the life of me what it is about children and babies that makes strangers open up, but I'm completely over it.

If that sounds a little rude, I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

I'm okay with someone commenting that my baby has a beautiful smile, or even stopping at our table at a restaurant to say hello. What frustrates me beyond words and makes me fuming mad? Is when someone touches my daughter without permission, and when someone feels the need to tell me I'm doing something wrong in regards to my child.

This has been going on since the first time I took Adelei out in public 15 months ago, but this week it has gotten out of control.

On Tuesday, while at the commissary, one of the cashiers came over to speak to Adelei while I was checking out. Adelei was grumpy & the lady kept trying to make her smile. Adelei was not interested and I made sure to let her know that she wasn't feeling it. The lady touched her leg. I'm not sure if she was trying to tickle her or if she pinched her, or what, but Adelei started crying in full hysterics....

I was beyond pissed.  The only thing I could say was, 'Seriously?' Who does that? Really?

I had to completely stop what I was doing to comfort my child, who was FINE [grumpy, but not out of control] before this woman, this stranger, began messing with her.

On Wednesday, I dropped Adelei off at daycare for a few hours. When I got back, the first thing the teacher said to me was 'Does your daughter not like black people?'. Again, another 'seriously?' moment.

I said 'Excuse me?' and she proceeded to say that every time she got close to Adelei that afternoon, all she would do is scream and cry. This was after Adelei's favorite teacher left & there was only one other child in the room. Was there no possible way that she was just hungry? thirsty? tired? Oh you're right. It was none of those things. My 15 month old daughter was totally discriminating towards you.

Ridiculous.

On Thursday, a lady at Hobby Lobby made the comment that she could tell my daughter was so full of herself. I'm not 100% sure what she meant by that, but the tone in her voice [combined with my lack of sleep] was enough to piss me off. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure all babies think that the world revolves around them.

I like to think I've done pretty well up to this point about grinning and baring it. But, like I said before, I'm over it. I'm not going to stand for it anymore. If someone feels like they have the right to say ridiculous stuff to me, I hope they're prepared for the backlash.

Just for future reference, if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. And never, ever touch someone else's child unless they specifically tell you that it's okay.

Daycare Blues

A few weeks ago, I decided that it would be best for both Adelei and I if she started going to daycare one day a week. 

She needs more interaction with children.

She needs interaction with other adults.

I need a little bit of time to myself.

Luckily, hourly care on post is super cheap.

Last week was the first time I took her, and honestly...I was a nervous wreck. She didn't even notice me leave, she was too busy playing with toys.

I was so proud of her! I was scared she would freak out & I would end up taking her back home.

But the entire 3 hours she was there, I spent my time [running errands] constantly thinking about her.

Is she crying? Is she playing? Is she being a sweet girl?

Will she take a nap? Will she eat her lunch?

When I went to pick her up, she was sitting in the teacher's lap, being rocked while most of the other kids took a nap. Not my girl, though. She smiled really big and ran over to me when I came in.

It was the best feeling ever.

Thursday, I dropped her off. This was her second time, so she wasn't as shy as before. She walked right in and started 'talking' to another baby. This time, I wasn't as nervous. I had a dentist appointment, and barely had any time to wonder what she was doing. When I went to pick her up, she was laying down on a cot. She wasn't sleeping, but she was being quiet while the other kids slept. When she saw me, she finally realized I had left her & she freaaaaaked out.

I mean full on water works, hyperventilating and all! Who knew mommy being gone for 3 hours could cause such hysterics!

I know that her going just one day a week doesn't help her social skills a whole lot, but we've also joined a local Mommy Playgroup that meets once a week as well.

What are some free [or cheap] things you've done 

with your children to help develop social skills?

Tot School Supplies

While I was researching and creating Adelei's curriculum, I started writing a list of things that I wanted to get.

My first stop was at the Dollar Tree, and I was so, so surprised by all the wonderful things they had!

I know I'll be picking up more things along the way, but here was my loot from my first trip.

Large Zip Lock bags, Giant Art Pad, Hair Gel*, Disney cardboard book, Wild Animal Fruit Snacks, Die Cut Letters 69 ct, Teddy Bear Cookies, Playskool Shapes workbook, Disney Colors workbook, Sesame Street Alphabet with Elmo workbook, Fisher Price Zoo coloring book, Foam Letter Stickers 124 ct, Playskool Number Flashcards/Alphabet Flashcards/Colors&Shapes Flashcards/First Words Flashcards, Animal Window Clings, Highlighters, Mini Marshmallows, Bubbles, Stickers 300 ct

All of that for less than $25. Can you believe it? I can see SO many projects with all of these goodies we picked up today, I can hardly wait! 

*I know the hair gel seems really random, but I will be using it as well as the zip lock bags to create sensory experiences for Adelei!

Alphabet Board

I have always been a very hands on learner.

I can't just hear something and remember it.

I have to hear it, see it, write it down, read it over & over.

I'm only guessing that Adelei may be the same way.

Regardless, I decided that, to aid in her learning, I wanted to make her an Alphabet Board.

Start out with a piece of 20x30 foam core. You can use poster board if you prefer, I just wanted something that was a little more sturdy & would stand up against my rambunctious toddler.

I bought these die cut letters from the dollar tree, but they also sell them at Walmart.

All you have to do is line up your letters, add a little glue, & ta da! 

Note: I used yellow & blue instead of black & white so this can also be used when I'm teaching her colors!

If you're worried about the letters coming off, you can put a coating of Mod Podge over the top. I skipped that step, though.

This is a very simple project that will act as a visual reference and help enhance the learning process.  The whole project cost about $3 & took less than an hour. I know that we are going to get a lot of use out of it over the coming weeks!

With an alphabet board, you can:

Sing the alphabet while pointing to the letters

Have your little one trace the letters with their finger

Get your little one to point to the letters as you call them out

What kind of learning aids have you created for your little learner?

Pure Madness

Last night was the first night this week that I've been able to put Adelei in her crib and walk away. 

Every other night this week was a struggle, a fight.

Teething sucks.

More specifically, molars suck.

Not only is my sweet girl in pain, despite the tylenol & teething tablets, but it's also very emotionally draining for me. Yesterday, after 3 days of whining & grumpiness, my mind kept wondering 'when is this phase going to be over...?' I hate seeing my normally happy baby so...different.

Luckily, today was much better. 

She was still refusing to nap, but she was happy for the most part.

The only real plus side to all of this madness? All of the kisses and cuddles I'm getting. I think she knows it's been just as hard on me as it has been for her. She's been extra lovey lately, and I'm embracing it fully.

Any tips or tricks from experienced moms on how to deal with a teething toddler?

Learning with Adelei

I mentioned a few posts ago how fun my daughter's age is.

She's picking up on things & learning so fast, it's amazing.

Not that she hasn't been learning all along, but her brain is a sponge right now and I love it.

She has inspired me to create a curriculum for her!

My husband looked at me a little crazily when I told him what I was doing, but after all, I do have a degree in education, so it's not like I'm not going into this blindly.

After I put her down for a nap, or put her to bed at night, I pull out my computer and start researching & planning. What I know for sure is that the first step will be a 26 week curriculum learning the alphabet, colors, simple shapes, and numbers 0-9.

I cannot even to begin to express how passionate I feel about this right now. 

I know teaching is something that I am meant to do with my life, and I am so grateful that I have the ability to stay home & teach my daughter.

As we go through the curriculum, I will be sharing our activities, ideas, tutorials, and pictures of my sweet girl in action, so be sure to check back! 

Can You Believe It?

My baby is walking.

WALKING!

It seems like just yesterday, we just sat around enjoying each other's company.

And now?

We're constantly on the move.

Have I told you how much I love this age?

Because I do.

Never a dull moment.

Tot Food::Zucchini Tots

Adelei has been eating what I like to call Big Girl food for quite a while now.

I'm not going to lie, sometimes it gets boring.

And sometimes I can tell she gets tired of the same ol' same ol'.

So I've been on a mission to expose her to more variety.

Thanks to pinterest, this hasn't been hard at all.

Today we tried our first toddler recipe.

Not only was it super easy [prep work was less than 5 minutes!], Adelei loved it, and I did, too!

I will definitely be making these more often.

Zucchini Tots

1 cup zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan work the best)
1/4 cup bread crumbs - I used Italian style
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach; if you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.
4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.


Note: I didn't use onion. Also, I used Panko bread crumbs, and that helped with the crispness. I substituted Mozzarella in place of the cheddar bc it's what I had on hand. It worked perfectly.

Yummy, Mommy!

 And I know this is very unlady like, but I guess because I've been taking so many pictures of her eating, she thinks she has to show me the food in her mouth now. At every meal. And when I say no, no! She laughs. Silly Girl!

Do you have any interesting tot food ideas? If so, I'd love to see them. Link up here!

Father's Day

Growing up, we didn't celebrate Father's Day.

I could probably count on my fingers and toes the number of times that my sister and I saw our dad.

He usually showed up for Christmas and our birthdays, and even then, he was always drunk.

So when I found out I was pregnant, I hoped & prayed that Aaron would be the kind of dad that I never had. I'm not going to lie, at first it was rough. And he's still learning [as am I]. But the fact is that he does try and wants to be a good dad. And that is enough for me.

This was our first 'happy' father's day.

[Don't let the face fool you.]

No More Tears

I really hate the 'cry it out' method.

Really, really.

Adelei was doing so good! 

For a little over a month now, she has been sleeping through the night. 

Around 7:30 I give her an 8 oz bottle. When she finishes it, I put her in her crib, and she drifts off to sleep until morning.

Don't get me wrong, there would be times that she would wake up, whine a few minutes, and then go back to sleep. When we first moved into our new place, for a few nights she would wake up after a few hours because she was scared. I totally understood that. It took some getting used to for all of us.

But that was almost a month ago.

For the past few nights, she's been going down & getting back up after 30-45 minutes. 

Of course I would go get her because that wasn't like her. 

She couldn't possibly be scared again?

I don't know what was up, but after about 3 nights of her getting up several times, I decided it was time to let her 'cry it out'. 

Ugh, I know it's what needs to happen so she can comfort herself and not depend so much on me to do that, but it sucks to listen to.

It's heart breaking, quite frankly, and it takes all of my willpower to not go get her, rock her, sing to her, love on her.

But just when I think I've reached my limit...just when I'm about to run down the hallway and get my baby girl...

Silence.

And then I knew that I did the right thing.

That letting her cry for 5 minutes was truly for her benefit.

& Now, a word from our Sponsor

Baby Pedi Tips

I started painting Adelei's toenails when she was around 9 months old. 

I had been going back and forth about doing it for months, but finally decided to take the plunge one day when I was doing my own.

It was definitely an interesting experience, and I've learned quite a few tricks on how to get a great baby pedicure without unnecessary chemicals.

So many people have asked me 'how do you get her to sit still?' Or 'How do you get to look so good?'

Well, here you go:

I do it while she's in her high chair eating dinner.

This not only keeps her contained so she's not wiggling all over the place, but it also keeps her occupied. She is focusing on the food, not what I'm doing.

I only use professional grade lacquer on her. The main reason for this is because it lasts so long, that I only do her toes every 2-3 weeks.

Another perk to the high chair? It has a foot rest, so I'm not having to hold her foot in my hand. She rests her foot on it, and I hold it steady with one hand & paint with the other.

If you make a mess, it's okay! One coat is cute, but 2-3 looks more vivid and will definitely help it stay on longer.

The main reason I do this at dinner time & not breakfast or lunch is because after dinner, she always gets a bath. So, if she does notice what I'm doing & starts wiggling her toes around while I'm painting, I don't fret. As soon as she's done eating [after her toes have had plenty of dry time!] I put her in the bathtub & let her play [aka let her toes soak]. I almost always get polish on her skin, since her toes are so small! Soaking her feet in the water allows the polish on her skin to loosen & I can then get it off with a wash cloth or very gently with my finger nails. No need for acetone.

And when that is all done...

You have this

Hope these tips help you give your little girl a sweet little pedicure!

The Move

I had this really long blog post written about all of the 'fun' stuff that happened to us along the way, but lucky for you folks, when I hit publish it disappeared.

Now, here I am, kind of in shock, and I honestly don't feel like giving another play by play, so here are the highlights:

Monday

*A got a flat tire somewhere in MS.

*While he was in the process of changing it, it started storming...bad.

*Add hail to the rain.

*Our car was packed to the brim, we were stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere & Adelei decides that is the perfect time to relieve herself. This resulted in me having to change her while she stood up in my lap. Awesome.

*Made it to the tire store only to find out they had 1 tire to fit his car, not 2.

*Got to our hotel at 10 instead of 5.

Tuesday

*A went to the Firestone close to our hotel to get another tire.

*He got lost & drove around for an hour trying to find our hotel. [aka wasted an hour of precious travel time!]

*Dallas/Ft.Worth is a beast! But I conquered it.

*The townhouse we reserved a month ago was nothing like what we were expecting. [aka another night in a hotel & search continued for a place to live.]

One Last Beach Trip

With less than a week left here, we decided to make a last minute trip to the beach. It's only an hour & a half away, and that's something that we won't be able to do in Oklahoma.

It was Adelei's first time. My rationale of 'she loves the pool, so she'll love the ocean' was insanely incorrect.

She hated it.

The water, the sand......all of it made her cry. hysterically.

I felt so defeated.

All of my expectations were crushed & I honestly just felt like a bad mom for even thinking that it was a good idea.

The only pic I got of her being calm.

After only spending 20 minutes on the beach, we left. Went to the local outdoor mall, found bathrooms to change in, and spent the rest of the day shopping, eating, and just enjoying ourselves.