Happy Hump Day!



Abundant sunshine {and warmth} required the shades!

I'm happy to say this week is flying by relatively nicely! I'm going to borrow from my dear friend Kelli at I'm Flying South and call today a "Wordless Wednesday" - just pics...of our recent developments and fun activities!

Loved the Polar Bear exhibit at the Como Zoo and had fun with our friend Mr. P!

Luckily, we found a playground with TWO baby swings next to each other.
Perfect for our playdates with Miss C!!

Learning that St. Patrick's Day means
St. Patrick's Weekend -
having fun outside on Friday afternoon!.

We love exploring our crib, including our monitor,
which cracks mommy up!

Loving this weather and wearing our summer dresses
(that mommy bought while garage saling last year)
Note: how well we stand up straight!

I love these beautiful blue eyes!



Prior to picking up recent visitors from the airport,
we visited our "family" at Daddy's work
{even though Daddy was in Orlando for work}

Best.Picture.Ever - It really sums up her current cuddle-factor - really lovey and snuggly! {and slowly becoming a "Daddy's Girl" }

$7 Dinner {and 2 lunches and more!}

I used to love grocery shopping. And so did my husband. In fact, we loved grocery shopping together, it was "our thing."  We would just go up and down every aisle later in the evening when the store is nearly empty, filling the cart full of randomness - which would make us 3-square meals every day for a couple of weeks.

I must admit, that was pre-kids, pre-budgets and of course before we moved to Chicago... where grocery stores occupy the footprint of an Old Navy, have the merchandise selection of a Sears {blah} and the price tag of a Nordstrom.

Then, we moved back to suburbia in Minnesota. I can recall the first time I went grocery shopping in a Cub Foods and I came home and told Jeremy how the produce area was so big and smelled so fresh, and the aisles were so spacious, and they had all kinds of merchandise offerings to select from.

Of course this was an upgrade from the Chicago-version of grocery stores, however, as I started to focus on meal planning and being budget conscience...I began to grow more and more frustrated grocery shopping.

There is no longer one store that "has it all." I truly do miss my Kroger, or even a Meijer. My lack of a one stop shop that is priced right, requires me to either visit three different grocery stores with a 7-month old in tow...or carefully select which one will offer the deepest discount pending our meal plan for the week, what's on sale at which store, and if our grocery needs are more staple food versus more produce and meat. As you might imagine...now, I loathe grocery shopping. At the end of the day, the only thing the grocery landscape in the Cities has going for it - is the fact that there is a SuperTarget on every corner, which is always a delight shopping in...just not always the least expensive route. {Thankfully, Miss L started joining me at the stores in the beginning and is used to my usual Friday routine!}

With all that said, I am pretty proud of my $7 Dinner|Lunch|Lunch|Additional Dinner meal{s} as outlined below:

I noticed a 5pk of Johnsonville Italian Sausage on sale for $2.99 {usually in the $4-5 range}, so I found a great recipe on their Website for Italian Sausage Rigatoni:

I modified the recipe for the size of our family...and boy is it uber-easy and delicious!!

• We grilled 3 of the 5 sausages to add that extra "grill flavor" {Plus, it was 80 degrees in March in Minnesota...grilling was kind of a requirement this past weekend!}
• Meanwhile, I prepared the pasta {I bought farfalle pasta on sale for $.98, and only used half of the package, so there is more for another meal}
• I added some EVOO to a sauce pan, added some minced garlic and about 1/3 of a sweet red pepper diced {$2}
• Once cooked, I added some Hunts Zesty & Spicy Pasta Sauce {on sale for $1}
• Tossed the sausages {cut up coin size} into the pan, along with the farfalle and some freeze dried fresh parsley and some crushed red pepper!
  
  And just like that...a delicious, easy and inexpensive dinner {$7 total}

Plus, we didn't even eat all of this - so...we made 2 containers of leftovers for lunches this week and we plan to make the sausage brats with some leftover St. Patty's Sauerkraut {purchased buns for $.88 on sale}, the leftover red pepper will help with our Chicken Shisk-ka-Bobs on Saturday and the farfalle pasta will be ready in our pantry for an impromptu meal purpose.

So, there you have it...Italian Sausage Rigatoni dinner, another dinner of  Brats, 2 lunches for Jeremy...all for $7! That makes me feel a slight bit better about my grocery shopping situation. Plus, this recipe pleased even the most particular palate in our household and is now a staple in our dinner line-up!

Enjoy!

Meal Planning Monday

We strive to try new recipes each week and this week is no exception.

Friday:

• With our usual Lenten {no meat Fridays} challenge, we made Shrimp Fondue. I marinated uncooked large shrimp in a white wine & herb marinade...then did an oil fondue, with a Cumin dipping sauce - afterall, a great marinade and dip makes the fondue.

Shrimp Fondue for Two

Saturday:

• We planned on grilling hot dogs {and chili dogs} with potato wedges for lunch.
• Dinner was an Irish feast with friends at their home

Sunday:

• We grilled out Johnsonville Sausage Brats and then combined it with sweet red peppers, garlic, and pasta sauce for a delicious dish! {See tomorrrow's post!}

{Mexican} Monday:

• Creamy Chicken Enchiladas - a recipe found on my BigOven app. {review to come}

Tuesday:

• Grilled Chicken Salads - with a baked potato on the side

Wednesday:

• Pizza - It's not delivery...it's DiGiorno {$5 on sale this week}

Thursday:

• Grill out - Brats {with leftover sauerkraut from the Irish dinner} & Hot dogs...and a side of steamed cauliflower

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, Smoothie, Cereal, Peanut Butter Toast
Lunches: Leftovers, Salad, PB&J, Lean Cuisines

Hopefully, I have inspired you to make something new, borrow an aforementioned recipe or begin meal planning yourself.

Mother Nature's Apology

After the never-ending and uber-snowy winter of 2011, Mother Nature is working overtime this winter to apologize. This Minnesota winter has been extremely mild {for us and everywhere else in the Midwest}, hardly any snow, it melted as fast as it arrived and on January 10 - golfers were on some courses, here in MN!!

The cherry-on-top of this extremely melty ice cream cone was the 7-day weather forecast for the Twin Cities from last week. As luck would have it, the thermometer continued to rise up and up further than the weatherman suggests in this picture. The past 4 days continued to peak over 80 degrees, breaking records and making it darn right - hot and humid. But I am not complaining!! I love it hot, hot, hot!!

Unfortunately, my dear daughter takes after her father in the internal thermostat department. We are soo close to turning on the air conditioning...in MARCH....in MINNESOTA! It is so hard to believe. It truly feels like July. However, when the 7 month old has a difficult time napping {with fans on}, and the husband is a bit on the cranky-side...it is tempting to cool down this home!

Regardless...we are soaking it up with lots of walk/jogs, grilling out and relaxing outside on our patio furniture that came out of basement this weekend!!

The best part is getting Miss L in her sundresses that may not fit her when the real summer arrives...

Mommy loves the fun colors of Summer!

Cuddling with Daddy!

I'm sure next month we'll get a snowstorm, this "winter" weather is too good to be true to last us into summer. For now, I am enjoying flip flop season.

St. Patrick's Day Fun

March 17th is one of my favorite days of the year. Being Irish, I wear my green proudly and always find a way to eat and drink my way through the holiday! This St. Patrick's Day was a bit different than in years past, there was no green Chicago River in sight, nor did I drink bottomless Appletinis into the wee hours {with a dash of Midori, please!}. This year, was filled with lots of joy, as it was very unseasonably warm {80-something and sunny} and fun, as we hosted a Baby GTG for our classmates from our Mom & Baby class back in the fall.

The morning included a casual get together with our classmates - all within 2-3 weeks of Miss L's birth day, with her being the youngest by about 3 days.

Here are some photos of Miss L sharing her jumperoo with her friends...

We always have fun with Miss C, as she lives nearby making stroller walks very convenient!

Mr. S is 3 days older than Miss L. Perhaps a potential boyfriend!!

With my love for all things green on this day, we had a green menu including:

• Green Popcorn {Combine oil, sugar, salt and green food coloring in pan, heat and then add popcorn kernels, shake until completely popped} - taste likes Kettle Korn
• Green Fruit Salad {Kiwi, Green Grapes...and could add honeydew if you wanted!}
• Pretzels dipped in white chocolate, topped with green sprinkles
• Guacamole and chips {brought by friends Kelly and Kellie}
• Green-leafed sugar cookies
• Lemonade with fresh limes floating
• Mini cupcakes brought by another mommy

After the Baby GTG, we had some family fun...

Where is Miss L?

Miss L was intrigued by daddy's hat!

She obviously had a fun day, her naptime was lengthy and sound. We noticed on our monitor that she was using the bumper as a pillow...

How stinkin cute is this??

Our day was complete with a special Irish dinner with friends - Irish soda bread, whiskey butter, beef brisket, potatoes and more! Here is a photo of us girls...

Wow, what a fun day! Happy Saint Patrick's Day 2012!

Miss L is 7 Months!

7 months ago this morning, a little princess entered our world. As we were expecting her arrival, it was impossible to imagine just how vibrant and pretty her blue eyes would be, how adorably cute she is {most of the time}, how fun of a personality she would grow or how fabulous our life is with her in it.

But it all has far exceeded our expectations.

Below is a current status update:
I don't have her current stats. I can tell you that as of 6 months, she weighed 14 pounds 7 ounces and was 25 3/4 " long.
Miss L is really starting to reach for things; especially our cat Mr. Cole.
She is eating solids like a champ, and breastfeeding well.
She began crawling 3 or so weeks ago.
Within 2 days of crawling, she began standing up against everything while holding on to things. Although from the beginning, she has always wanted to stand up on our laps...so this comes as no surprise to us. I imagine with her tiny frame, she'll probably be walking in no time.

She craws over the diaper caddy about...24 times per day!
Problem is: we can't get ourselves back to the floor from this position...yet.

She is beginning to play independently, often waking up and relaxing in her crib for about 15 minutes prior to actually giving me vocal cues that she is ready to be out of her crib.

This is how I found her today, sitting up in her crib corner playing with her silky.

Of course, we also are standing in our crib and learning to make noise by banging on the crib rails. Just lovely!

Today, we had a {mini} photo shoot with her lovely and talented Aunt L, who was in town visiting during her Spring Break; and of course brought her nice professional camera. Below is a snapshot of our fun today and earlier in the week!

We are inching closer to that 1-year mark, so this momma is going to hit up Pinterest for some more birthday party inspiration!

Happy 7th Month {Birth Day} Miss L! Mommy & Daddy love you sooo much.

Org. Chart

I recently started printing this weekly chart of activities, to-dos, meals, work out plans, etc.

I have always been a list maker and so it only makes sense to make one big list for the week. I have found this as a great tool to organize my individual days as I wear multiple hats as mommy, employee, employer, wife and more! I write in the various rows with my daily phone calls and tasks to do for my part-time marketing job and my personal event planning passion; as well as, outlining meal ideas, work out goals and even blogging ideas. Besides, it always seems like I have 5 phone calls per day to make in an effort to chase after medical bills, erroneous utility bills, or some other random household issue.

This is a new kind of "org chart" for me...but it definitely helps keep our household on track, focused and productive. As the weather warms and we long to spend more time outside or at the zoo, I think this chart will grow even more important.

How do you keep your household organized? Any favorite "apps for that"?

We Lost Our {Baby's} Weght

How do you lose a baby? Well, I'm not quite certain. But I do know J and I have been working hard at getting more fit and healthy. We have lost an amount equivalent to the weight of Miss L.

After stepping off the scale yesterday morning with joy, J followed suit. When we added our weight loss together since vacay back in early-Feb...we've lost at least 14-15 pounds. I said to him..."that is a whole Miss L!" I am stoked!

This has not been met without challenges and setbacks. It has involved running in the cold, dusk evenings after J arrives home from work. I mean this Minnesota winter has been mild...but it is still not as warm as our friends to the south! And...some days the timing doesn't bode well for Miss L's schedule or safety (too dark, too cold). But for the most part, we are determined to stay frugal and not pay for a gym membership. Afterall, spring will be here soon. {52 degrees tomorrow!}

Yesterday, with Miss L's auntie in town to visit, we decided to take advantage of our "visiting nanny" and go for a bike ride {since J was starting to develop shin splints this past weekend}. The sun was shining, the thermometer was maybe boasting 30 degrees and we bundled up for a 45 minute bike ride. Here a recent photo {prior to 2" of fresh snow in the last week}.




Note: yesterday was sun-filled and looked a bit more inviting  than this photo taken earlier in the week!

 Needless to say, we were the only bikers on the miles of paths near our home. We rode our bikes to friends home to pick up something. And then ran into neighbors at the nearby snow hill, sledding with their kids. It makes me excited for spring, when this can be a weekly family trip. Now, we just need to find one of those baby carriage/bike carriers on Craiglist.

I am ready to hit the sidewalks again this evening when J arrives home!

Baja Blackened Fish Tacos {Recipe}

I have loved fish tacos for quite some time. I am thankful Jeremy now is now on the Fish Taco train! So, the first two Fridays of Lent have yielded attempts of fine-tuning our fish taco recipe.

Here is what we did this past week:

Baja Fish Tacos

We took cod, patted dry and then rubbed a home-made blackening seasoning mix on it.

Here is the recipe for the rub:

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

Then, we made a dressing:

1/3 c sour cream

1/3 c mayo

1/4 c. cilantro

2 tbsp taco seasoning mix

Mix together and chill until served.

Then, we made a crunchy slaw for a taco topper:

I just mixed some cabbage, red onion, cilantro, with 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp lime juice and 1/2 tsp cumin

On to blackening the fish. We both have enjoyed blackened fish in restaurants, but never really had made blackened fish previously at home. So, we found a home video on Youtube.

Our side was the "best black beans" recipe that we have perfected over the last month or so.
Best Black Bean Recipe

Soo....a good base + a great rub on blackened fish + a fun slaw = a delicious fish taco and the perfect Lenten Friday dish! Last week, we finished it off with jalapeno corn bread (1 box Jiffy muffin mix with chopped fresh jalapeno)...a good "sweet" for the two of us who gave up sweets for Lent!




Stock photo sorry! We were dashing off to the bowling alley after dinner
this past Friday night and I forgot to snap a photo of our fish tacos!

Enjoy!

1 Takeaway From College

Aside from how to develop a marketing plan or which closing technique to use in a sale...I did learn something from my time away at college. You see, friends of mine during college worked at Bed, Bath and Beyond {B^3} in Ann Arbor. Keep in mind...these friends are male and straight as an arrow...but they came away with insider tricks and tips for us girls in our new apartment.

The one tip I use to this day...while using a knife block, insert the serrated knives in upside down so that the sharp/serrated edge is facing the ceiling. See the photos below.

Our knife set, 6 years old and still loving them!
I'm glad we listened to my wise Aunt Shelley and registered for
"really nice knives"

See knife is right-side up

Serrated edge up, keeps them from digging into the wood.

Another thing we do to protect the integrity of the knife set - keep them OUT of the dishwasher. This dulls them, so handwash them, dry them and insert them right-side-up in the wood block.

Happy Knife...Happy Life...well, not exactly, but you get the idea!

25 Ways to Encourage a Mom-to-Be...

I recently read GypsyMama's blog featuring 100 ways to help a new mom. It was filled with tons of ideas and I encourage everyone to read it and then re-read it when a woman in your life is expecting. Many seasoned moms would admit they forget how difficult it can be in the beginning...the whole "momnesia" sets in and the early days of motherhood become very romanticized.

This list inspired me to develop a new spin on this...25 ways to encourage an expectant mother. From my experience, people generally love prenant women. They are overly helpful to pregnant women to ensure they 'take a load off'...but here is a list of ways to provide more than physical support.

1. Tell her she is glowing
2. Don't critique the future name of her baby
3. Organize meals to be delivered by family and friends
4. Make her a mocktail

5. Offer to paint the nursery
6. Invite her for a pedicure
7. Don't remind her life will never be the same
8. Order her an upcoming subscription for a new parents magazine

These are my favorite magazines to read!

9. Stop asking if she plans to breastfeed
10. Offer to help her register for baby gifts
11. Buy her a little maternity-wear something
12. Don't ask if she plans to get an epidural
13. Call to find out how her doctors appointment went
14. Stock her freezer with meals for many weeks postpartum
15. Send her a gift card for ice cream {Hello Coldstone!}
16. Buy a bottle of champagne to pop open in the hospital
17. Bring her a fresh, delicious fruit salad
18. Don't tell her to "sleep while she can"

Me - approximately 21 weeks pregnant

19. Mail her a Mother's Day card, if this occurs during her pregnancy
20. Tell her she barely looks pregnant
21. Send her a non-baby book to read
22. Offer to babysit older children so she may rest
23. Give her a bottle of wine for a random night postpartum
24. Shower her future baby with a baby shower

Me at one of my baby showers with my Grandma

25. Tell her she is never alone and give her permission to call, text, or email anytime, anyday

I hope you can take a cue from this list when a lady in your life is expecting - whether it is her first or her fourth pregnancy! I have been blessed by friends and family that have executed some of these to make the {long} 9, er, 10 months...just a little bit easier!

What other ways would you add to the list or did you experience yourself?