52 in 52 #11 - Car Seat ICE Labels

Over and over again, I have seen this pin on Pinterest. 

The basic idea is that if you and whoever is capable of relaying information in an accident are knocked unconscious or (God forbid) killed while driving, that emergency personnel will be able to have information re: your children that will be important in assisting them.  Since they won't be able to tell you their pediatrician's name and phone number or if they have any medical issues, this will be a suitable substitute. 

Each example of these labels online are a tad bit different, but it really comes down to what you think is going to be important in an emergency.  Below are my choices for my cards for my children:

• Child's name
• Child's DOB
• Parents with dates of birth
• Insurance Information
• Medical condition(s)
• ICE contact - not the parents
• Pediatrician

I decided to include both of the parent's names and DOBs since I don't know who will be driving the car at the time.  It is important to remember that your ICE contact, in this case, should be someone who isn't either one of the child's parents in case both are in the car together.  Ideally this should be a related third party who would be capable of providing the remaining information on the parents and children.  We chose my mother for this role since she has this information, is their grandmother and likely would be close in proximity to where ever we are. 

This pin is definitely something that you don't want to think about but it would be essential in an emergency.  What items would be on your list? 

Meal Planning 8/20- 8/25

The week back from vacation is always tough.  You have just spent several days not worrying about working or bills or what is for dinner.  And now you are back... sigh.  I guess that now is as good of a time as ever to start posting meal plans, grocery lists, and recipes again for weekly meals since I have been slacking on those. 

As a reminder, I always make a list of the meals that I want to have during the week but I never assign a specific day to a specific meal because that will ultimately go awry somewhere during the week and then my whole attitude towards meal planning will be thrown off. 

I write down the meals that I would like to have/make for the week like this: 

Then I take a separate sheet of paper and make a list of all of the ingredients that I will need to make any of these meals to see if I have any of the ingredients that are needed ahead of time so I don't repurchase items that we already have in stock.  As I find that item in my pantry or freezer I cross it off the list like this: 

 

 

Then, lastly, from that list I take all of the remaining items and write them down with an idea of where I am going to buy that item next to it like this:

 

                                              

 

Normally I try to buy the bulk of our items at Aldi because they are significantly less expensive especially when it comes to produce and usually dairy items.  If I have to go to Walmart, that is usually a last ditch trip where I have to buy name-brand items or something that doesn't exist at Aldi. 

 

As you can see, this week our meal plan is as follows:

• Baked Tacos
• Stuffed Shells and garlic bread
• Salsa Chicken and Spanish Rice
• Grilled Chicken/Steak and Twice Baked Potatoes or Baked Potato Casserole
• Spaghetti

What's on your menu for this week?  

Corry's Birthday Weekend Celebration

We didn't initially plan this trip to celebrate Corry's birthday, but it lined up perfectly with his 40th birthday this year.  Our friends that we met through NTTE wanted to go camping and it was decided that we were going to visit Lake Murray State Park near Ardmore, OK. 



 We decided to leave Thursday night, which was Corry's birthday, and head up there after work.  Luckily, it didn't take us that long to get up there, get set up and relax with our friends.  We stayed in the Rock Tower area of the park and it was awesome!  The first night there were very few people there and we got awesome camping spots right on the water.  The area was very quiet and the spots were spacious and ideal for a larger camper, which you don't always find in a campground.   This was our first time to camp at this state park and we definitely will return.  They have several hundred campsites in the entire park and awesome amenities like an ATV area, fishing, swimming, play grounds, etc. 

 

 

As I have mentioned several times before my children absolutely love camping.  I will admit that I am stressed for days before a campout that at least one of my children isn't going to sleep well at night, isn't going to eat what we are serving, is going to fall out of a camper and injure themselves - wait... too late on that one.  Needless to say, my children would live in the wild if I would allow them to.  They love being outdoors and have no problems just wandering around playing with bugs and dirt.  By the end of the evening, they are both so worn out and dirty that they really should be hosed off before going to bed but they couldn't even stand up long enough for that. 

 

 

 

Because we now have Grace living with us, we had a different sleeping arrangement this time than we normally do so we could give her the most comfortable sleeping placement possible.  We moved Isabella to the table bed and let Grace have the fold down couch bed.  It works out fine, especially because Isabella could sleep on a log, I think, if she was tired enough.  Most nights she sleeps so well that she ends up with awesome bed-head like this.  We called this her 'I went to prom last night' hairdo.  Silas slept amazingly well in the 'baby-jail' situation that we have set up for him in the bunk house portion of our camper since it gets dark and mostly soundproofed in there.  Our friends have children that are older than Isabella and Silas, and they have so much fun with their children.  They love other kids and are starting to not freak out 'stranger danger' style around our friends.  

 

Of course because it was actually Corry's birthday, we definitely had to get a cake.  And, of course, because we were ordering a cake I contacted Heather from A Sweet Fix bakery to make it.  She went so above how I thought this cake was going to turn out.  Everyone was amazed and oohed and ahhed over how awesome it looked and how great it tasted.  It was rich and chocolatey and delicious.  Corry agreed that this was definitely the best tasting cake that we have ever had from her.  I know that I have talked about her and her business in several blogs before but definitely if you are in the DFW area and in search of an amazing cake, you have to check her out.  This cake was an amazing chocolate inside and chocolate buttercream on the outside.  I know that buttercream is not what she normally deals with but it is always excellent.  She made these awesome donut shaped cookies that my kids loved as well.  She really goes above and beyond what I could expect every time that we order a cake from her.     

 

 

 

All in all we had an excellent weekend with family and friends.  My parents came up to bring the cake and celebrate with us.  We also met some very nice new people while we were camping who had some very sweet children.  I definitely could not have asked for a better weekend for my husband's birthday. 

 

What would be your ideal birthday weekend celebration?    

   

52 in 52 #10 Homemade Yogurt Melt Snacks

I have seen this pin like 9,000 times on Pinterest.  My kids were never that into the yogurt melts when they were younger, but they love yogurt now so I figured that perhaps this would be a less messy way to indulge their taste for yogurt.  I don't know what it is about yogurt but I can barely eat yogurt as an adult without getting it everywhere so you can imagine two toddlers and the mess that comes after them trying to eat yogurt on their own. 

The basic idea of this pin is very simple.  Dump a container of yogurt into a plastic sandwich bag, cut the tip, squeeze dime-ish sized dots onto a foil lined baking sheet, freeze and then enjoy.  Sounds simple.  I went into this however with apprehension because I have been burned by pins

that appear easy before. 

Homemade Yogurt Melt Snacks
Prep time: 10 minutes
Freeze time: 2 hours

1 container flavored yogurt
1 baking sheet
aluminum foil
plastic sandwich bag

Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Decide which yogurt flavor you want to make your snacks out of. 

 

Empty the yogurt container into the plastic sandwich bag and cut a *small* hole in one of the tips.  I quickly learned that what I first considered a small hole was vastly too big. 

 

Drop dime sized dollops of yogurt onto the baking sheet.  Be careful to not put them too close together unless you want them to run together and become bigger 'dots'. 



 

 

Freeze baking sheet with yogurt dots for at least 2 hours.  They will probably be frozen through sooner than that, but I think that it works better if they are SUPER frozen.  Once they are frozen through, you can gently scrape them off of the foil and store them in a plastic bag or container in the freezer, like this:

 

 

 

Now, since you are flash freezing your melts they will start to melt once you remove them from the freezer so unless you live in Antarctica, this is not a good "on the go" snack.  Mine also are starting to break apart a bit every time they are handled in the freezer.  I don't know how to rectify that problem.  However, they do amuse children and are super easy to make.  I haven't purchased the packaged variety of these snacks in over a year, but I would definitely be willing to say that these are cheaper than the ones that you can purchase at the store. 

 

Give this a try and let me know how it works out!

 

-Sara 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband's birthday

My husband's birthday is today.  We are celebrating his birthday this year by doing two of his favorite things: being off work and camping.  We don't normally do a lot for birthdays for each other, but I do have a few things planned for him this weekend.  I would like to celebrate his birthday this year by talking about three of the things that I love best about him. 

He is a hard worker. 
My husband works 6 days a week at a mostly thankless job to help ensure that our family is always taken care of.  When he comes home, he takes care of the 'man' jobs around the house like mowing, fixing things, or installing things whenever those are necessary.  He rarely complains about how much or when he has to work.  He has always had a strong work ethic and has never been one of those people who was happy with going to work sometimes and doing a half-ass job.  He is amazing and this is one part of him that I love to death. 





He is an amazing father.
Having four children is no easy task.  Having two teenagers and two toddlers under 3 is definitely difficult sometimes, and he handles it like an absolutely pro.  He is always there for his children.  We recently had a situation with our eldest daughter Grace and when she asked to come home he drove 6 hours that next morning to go and pick her up.  As a parent, I think that you always want the best that you can provide for your children, but he really does work hard to provide the most that he can for them.  He is always willing to get down and play with the children and even though he doesn't think that he is sometimes, he is an excellent teacher, especially with his kids.  One of the best things that I love about him related to his children is how much he compliments our daughters and really tries to build up their self confidence.  He calls our daughters "beautiful", "gorgeous", etc every chance that he gets and I really think that is important.  Whether or not you believe it, I am a firm believer that your relationship with your parents has a defining effect on your relationships when others in the future.  It really is important to him that his daughters are self confident.  I think that people say this a lot, but I really do feel like he is an amazing example of a great father. 

He is an excellent husband.
The same way that he is always complimenting the children, he is always complimenting me and that is awesome.  More importantly though, he puts up with me and all my issues with relationships and parenting.  Sure we fight and have our battles, but he is the most understanding and forgiving man that I have ever met.  He says the sweetest things to me when I don't feel good and he is quick to help me when I may not even know that I need help.  He will always and forever be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. 

There are a lot of things that I love about Corry but these are definitely some of the most important things to me about him.  Happy birthday, Corry!  I love you more and more everyday and I will love you forever and always. 

SMALL update: Isabella 22 months

Statistics:

                Weight: 34lbs

                Shoe Size: 6-7

                Clothes: 3t

Milestones:

                We have FINALLY started potty training.  For the longest time, she had absolutely no desire to even sit on the potty.  A few months ago I was reading an article about potty training your children and they said that sometimes they can be coaxed into potty training by you letting them choose a potty.  We were at the mall one day and found this potty that we have now and she seems to like it more than the one that we had before.  The first time that she sat on it, she sat there for an hour with her phone just hanging out.  She finally went and we were ecstatic!  Lately she has been more willing to sit on it for shorter periods of time, which is awesome.  We are still a long ways away but we are making good headway.  She has mastered putting on and taking off her shoes.  She doesn't always get them on the correct feet but we are working on it.  She knows her letters and some of her numbers.  She can sing her ABCs and most nursery rhymes.  She speaks very well and is very intelligent for her age.  She has been speaking in full sentences for months which is awesome and I appreciate now that we are able to communicate with each other instead of just me trying to guess what she wanted by what cry she was making.  She has an excellent memory and is very helpful with the two babies. 

Attitude:

                Isabella is very smart for her age, but I feel like she is very emotionally immature for her age and she always has been.  She has always gone through certain phases later than other children, which hasn't been a problem until recently.  She didn't go into the "terrible twos" when she was two years old.  Unfortunately Silas went into this stage early and they are not in the same phase together and it is proving to be too much sometimes.  She has a very strong willed personality sometimes and gets very emotional when agitated.  On the other hand, she is the sweetest little girl that you can find sometimes.  She is quick to apologize for hurting someone either physically or emotionally and she makes me cry on a regular basis because she apologizes after she gets punished for acting up and it just crushes me. 

Learning:

                She loves to assign time to certain things like how long before you have to go to bed, how much longer she wants to be in her chair eating, etc.  She is very helpful with teaching Silas things that she knows, even though sometimes that comes with a bossy attitude.  She loves to learn new things.  We are trying to teach her currently how to put words to her emotions and about telling time.  She is one of those learners that needs to hear something and then repeat it in order to learn it.  She absorbs a lot of information from educational programs and shows that she watches on 'her phone' and is able to easily regurgitate that information back to you.  She has an amazing memory with things that she has heard or said before, but we are also very lucky that she rarely repeats bad things that we say to each other or that she hears from programs from TV.   

Likes/Dislikes:

                Isabella likes:           

                       Playing with kids

                       Disney Jr shows like Doc McStuffins or Little Einsteins

                       Balloons

                Isabella dislikes:

                             Strangers

                             Heights
                       Bugs

SMALL Update: Silas 19 months

So, I wanted to start doing monthly updates for my children.  Mostly so I would have their milestones and stats documented somewhere since I am AWFUL about writing in a baby book.  Every month I will cover a SMALL (Statistics, Milestones, Attitude, Learning, Likes/Dislikes) update for each of my children.  Recent photos will also be included every month.  Let me know how your little ones compare! 

Statistics:

                Weight: 28lbs

                Shoe Size: 5

                Clothes: 18-24 months

Milestones:

                Silas has always been an ‘early’ baby with the exception of speaking and being born.  He sat up, stood, walked, and cut teeth early.  He is cutting at least one of his 2 year molars right now and has been for at least a month.  He has all of his other teeth.  He is currently completely weaned from a pacifier.  See other blogs here and here about that torture.  He is currently back into climbing, especially climbing into the car.  This is getting him into trouble during the day though climbing on top of the tables, his sister’s chairs, etc.  He is very adventurous and is definitely a boy, as evidenced by how rough he plays and acts, and his constant state of being filthy.  He is eating with silverware at almost every meal and can 100% feed himself with a spoon and a fork.  He builds with blocks, is capable of bringing items to you on command and can’t point to certain body parts when prompted.  He eats really well and is an excellent sleeper.  He goes to sleep at anywhere between 8pm and 9pm, and generally wakes up after 7:30am.  He also usually has 2-3 naps during the day and falls asleep without assistance.  He has just recently started drinking out of a sippy cup with a straw.  He mainly uses a water bottle style drinking cup or a normal sippy cup.  He is beginning to figure out how to take shoes and clothes on and off, he can brush his hair, and he gets his own snack out of the pantry.  Silas hates riding in the car.  He is miserable with any longer than a 15 minute car ride and doesn’t fall asleep in the car unless he is covered with a blanket and all the stars align.  He is now capable of letting you know when he needs a diaper change and he normally will approach you with a diaper and possibly some wipes.  He is now very interested in throwing trash away and putting plates in the sink.   

Attitude:

                As is his normal, Silas was early into the ‘terrible twos’ phase.  He is very headstrong and has an awful attitude when prompted.  He is very angry sometimes and has no problems displaying that angry to anyone.  He is very jealous of attention being paid to another person and will not hesitate to use violence to get what he wants.  On the other hand, he is very sweet when he wants to be.  He is quick to hug and make up.  When one of them hurts the other and does something that isn’t particularly friendly that they get in trouble for, of course they get a punishment of some sort depending upon the level of how awful they were being at the time.  When they are finished with their punishment, we make them go and hug the offended party.  Silas is normally down to hug.  Sometimes he follows that up with a slap to the face, but normally he is a sweet boy.  He is a big momma’s boy, especially when approached by strangers or scary situations.  He has a lot of fears, which is pretty common for this age, so we knew what to expect.  He is very afraid of his baby monitor in his room and has a strong fear of a lot of things right now, like strange animals, loud noises, hand dryers in bathrooms, etc.  Silas has very strong ‘stranger danger’ feelings, especially with men and even with men that he sees on a regular basis.  He is able to generally warm up to strangers that are women but he absolutely is not going to warm up to a lot of men that he doesn’t know or doesn’t see every day.

Learning:

                Silas is a ‘normal’ boy according to my pediatrician in that he is a relatively slow talker, meaning he doesn’t say many words.  He has the ability to say and can say about 20 words when prompted that aren’t names.  However, on a daily basis he uses about 5, not including this ‘nanu’ word that he uses for everything.  He is very intelligent though and so I have no doubts that he will be fine.  He knows almost all of his body parts that you teach at this age like arms, belly, belly button, head, eyes, etc.  He is now capable of operating an iPhone and can turn on his favorite PBS or Disney Jr. shows without assistance.  He gets very proud of himself when he learns a new skill and is very happy to show it off.  He loves to be read to and loves to interact with you while you read to him. 

Likes/Dislikes:

                Silas likes:           

                       Muslin blankets

                       Nutrigrain bars

                       Anything pink

                Silas dislikes:

             Car rides

                             Shoes and socks

                             Hats

Things you shouldn't say to your wife

Every married man has been there.  You are thinking about something completely different while your wife is talking and you utter a comment in response to something that she said.  As soon as you let it leave your lips your brain struggles desperately to pull it back.  At this point, if your tongue could leap out of your mouth and reel that comment back in like a fishing line it would.  As soon as you hear what you said you are instantly dreading ever even opening your mouth, because you know that "the Look" that you are about to get from your wife is going to be a cross between “I want to murder you.” and “You are the most stupid man ever.”   

 

Let’s say that up until this point you have been very lucky and have never seen "the Look", or you are just not paying attention and have never noticed "the Look".  Below are three things that you should never in a million years say to your wife.  Ever.

 

Are you going to wear *that*? 

This is destined for disaster.  As a woman, if our husband asks us this, we are automatically thinking that he means that we look awful, that it shows off that one part of our body that we hate the most, etc.  This one question is guaranteed to set off a barrage of other follow-up questions about the location, the other people there, what they will be wearing, how we look, how our butt looks, if you think that we look that bad then why didn’t you say something earlier, etc.  Unless you are prepared for something in the neighborhood of 30 minutes of questions related to “Are you going to wear that?” then maybe you should pick a different question.  A man might not even be saying anything bad; he might just be asking if we are ready to go and chosen the wrong wording at the wrong time.  Either way you are headed towards a black hole that you would never be able to recover from.  More appropriate questions would be “Are you ready to go?” or comments like “You look nice in that outfit – it really shows off (fill in comment re: one of the parts of her body that she likes).”  Odds are good a woman has already put on anywhere from three to seventeen different outfits before she decided on the one that she is wearing right now.  If she decides that she looks decent enough in the clothes that she has on to go out in public wearing them and you make any comments about how she looks other than to tell her she looks great can do a number on her self-esteem that you will end up paying for all night.        

 

 

 

That woman is gorgeous!

I don’t know what in a man’s mind makes him think that talking about another beautiful woman to your woman is ever a good idea.  Instantly, upon hearing that, your wife starts thinking back to the last time that you complimented her which better be immediately after complimenting a stranger.  It also starts her brain thinking about your liking that part of that woman’s body better than you like hers.  In case you didn’t already know, it is better to not ever say anything complimentary about another woman in front of your wife.  Of course, I know that there are some relationships that can stand behavior like this, but it is still a good practice to ensure that you compliment your wife MUCH more than you compliment strangers.  Paying more attention to a stranger, or even worse, someone that you know can really begin to drive a wedge of insecurity between the two of you in your relationship.  It’s the same as your wife constantly talking about how hot a male movie star is and how much she would prefer to be with someone like that.  If you would like to ever spend any private, quality time with your wife again, you should refrain from commenting other women or you should say something like “That woman is gorgeous, but she has absolutely nothing compared to your beautiful face and amazing figure.” 

 

You remind me of your mom. 

Great.  So your wife reminds you of a woman that usually you say that you have a problem with.  And she reminds you of a woman who is, at least, 20 years older than she is and that I see as not even remotely like me, as far as looks.  I love my mother to death, and I think that she will always be beautiful, but I definitely don’t remind myself on a day to day basis of my mother.  Most younger women, on a good day, think that they are beautiful, youthful looking, sexual creatures and to suddenly have your husband tell you that you remind him of a woman who is older, and who you remember taking care of you when you are sick and making you dinners.  Not appealing.  Also, when you say this, it is normally said with a negative connotation anyway usually when you are fighting.  You might say it but you don’t realize that you are also implying that your wife looks old, motherly and not sexual in any way, shape, or form.  If you are trying to say this to be complimentary, you should definitely rethink and use other words.  If you are trying to use this as a dig, then you get used to sleeping alone. 

 

I could honestly go on and on.  There are at least one thousand different things that my husband has said to me over the four years that we have been married that I could include here.  I usually don’t hear things like this from my mother about my father any longer, so either a man gets smarter over the years or the women just learn how to deal with it.  I am certainly not implying that every woman is a frail flower and that her psyche can’t handle being talked to in a negative manner by her husband, because that is definitely not the case.  I am merely suggesting that for a more harmonious home life, you should heed these warnings and just stop and think about how your comment is going to affect your wife and how much that is going to affect her relationship with you in the future.      

Savannah Banana Designs Review & Isabella's Birthday Dress

This year for Isabella's third birthday I wanted her to have a special outfit.  For her second birthday, I didn't go with anything special and I regretted it when I saw the pictures.  I wanted my baby to be very cute and look put together for her special day!  I began my search MONTHS before now looking for the perfect outfit.  Unfortunately, I was having zero luck because I don't care for a lot of ruffles, animal print, or skanky clothing for girls.  I also am not the biggest fan of tutus on children other than for dress up clothes, so I was very limited, it seemed, on outfit choices that would have been special for her birthday. 

Then one of my friends from high school started a website/business called Savannah Banana Designs.  I 'liked' her page on Facebook, found her on www.etsy.com, and began to browse her inventory of items.  In her pictures were the cutest pillowcase-style dresses that I have ever seen.  Her precious daughter and namesake of the company is the model for a lot of her items on her Facebook page.  Crystal makes handmade dresses, memory blankets, bibs, burp cloths, headbands, complete outfits like the one pictured on the right and much more. 

I am so glad that I decide to buy from her site!  She is an absolute joy to work with!  I had very little inspiration when it came to what I was looking for, so I just emailed her and asked if she had a certain print available as a jumping off point.  She emailed me back straight away with several different fabric choices and ideas about what could be done.  I appreciated the quick response since most other companies or stores on etsy.com will have a 24-48 hour lag time to read your email. 

Before I decided on the style of dress that I was interested in and the fabric that I wanted, she hosted a giveaway on her Facebook page when she got to 100 'likes' and we won a headband!  I decided that would be the perfect accessory for Isabella's party dress and placed an order that day.  She had the dress and headband made and ready for pick up in less than 2 days, which was amazing turn around time!  We decided on a teal and white chevron print and hot pink border.  She made the headband reversible with the chevron pattern on one side and the hot pink pattern on the other. 

Once we got it home, Isabella tried it on and we had a little photo shoot to show off how absolutely cute she looked in her new outfit!  She loved it!  All night long she raved about her new birthday dress and she wore the headband to bed that night.  This pillowcase dress has a halter top and is a perfect length of just below her knees.  I fully intend to order more items from her as this one is awesome and I am very pleased with the results!   

Savannah Banana Designs can be found on Facebook and also on www.etsy.com.  She takes custom orders on a variety of sizes, has excellent choices for fabrics and has excellent prices for the quality that you are getting.  If you are in the market for some of the cutest little girl dresses, handmade items like memory blankets and bibs or headbands for all ages, then you should definitely get in touch with Crystal! 

-Sara  

52 in 52 #9 - Homemade Taco Seasoning

Homemade Taco Seasoning – Pinterest Project #9

 

I have had my eye on this pin to make my own taco seasoning for months.  This is one of those items that I would not have previously brought up to my husband.  My husband is very practical and one of the things that he always wants me to think about is the amount of time, effort and money that it would take to make something personally versus the amount of money that it would cost just to purchase something pre-made at the store.  Since a packet of taco seasoning is like $.80 at the store and I figured that he would be less inclined to indulge my desires to try this recipe at home.  Luckily he was feeling generous that day and he actually seemed like he was into it. 

 

The original pin that I used as inspiration is here.  I was very interested in at least trying this because I figured that it would solve at least a few of my issues with the packets of taco seasoning.  We eat tacos, salsa chicken and other recipes that require taco seasoning a lot, so we were always buying at least a few packets of that seasoning mix when we went to the store.  We buy a lot of spices for chili mix and other cooking adventures so I knew that we would have everything on hand, I was always just hesitant to try a new recipe because I didn’t want it to be horrible.  Also, with the packet of seasoning, I was always getting HORRIBLE heartburn with it no matter what we put it in.  I am not sure what is in that mix that causes that but this homemade version definitely does not do that, which is awesome. 

 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Prep time: 10 minutes

 

2 Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp cumin

2 ½ tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Mix well and store in an airtight container.  Use 2-3 Tbsp per 1lb of ground meat depending on how flavorful you like your dishes. 

 

This seasoning blend tastes amazing in any dish that you would use the store bought mix in.  There are several different things that I love about this mix:

 

·         It’s customizable – you can add more or less salt if you like.  We use smoked paprika in place of regular paprika and we also usually add more red pepper flakes since we like ours a bit more spicy than some other people.

·         You don’t get that gross, heartburn-y feeling after eating this mixture.  There are no preservatives that aren’t already in the spices themselves and there is no MSG to leave you with an upset stomach like the package mix. 

·         We buy our spices in bulk most of the time, so this recipe ends up being fairly comparable as far as price is concerned to the package.  It will cost maybe a few cents more per use but to have something that tastes much better and you can customize makes it totally worth it.  Plus, people are impressed when you say that you make your own spice blend. 

 

You can buy cheaper mixes and get a bland result but if you are looking for something to add some kick to your dishes that require a taco seasoning packet, give this one a try.  Let me know what you would add or remove to make this blend different for your family.  I am always in the market for substitutions to try. 

 

World Breastfeeding Week 2013

To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week for 2013, I would like to take a minute to write about one of the biggest causes of my 'mommy guilt'.  That guilt stems from my inability to breastfeed my kids longer than 3-4 months.  I feel a lot of sadness when I think about it, and I am mildly ashamed to admit that it still haunts me even today, more than a year after I stopped breastfeeding my son.

Before I even found out I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed.  There were several reasons behind this but namely it was selfish in that I knew that it would save money and be easier than warming up bottles all the time.  At the time I didn't realize all of the benefits for both mother and baby of breastfeeding.  I remember chastising people silently who would give their children because "how hard could breastfeeding be"?  As it turns out, it was a lot more difficult than I realized... I never even thought that there would be a problem for me not having enough supply to feed a baby.  I had always had a larger chest and stupidly thought that the bigger your boobs, the more milk you were capable of making.  Unfortunately, that is not entirely the case.  I now know that you are equally as capable of producing enough milk to feed a child if you have a smaller chest than if you are more well endowed. 

Once Isabella was born, she immediately took to nursing.  She was a natural and that really helped with the first time mom jitters.  However, like most moms, my milk didn't come in until after I got home from the hospital and they warned me that she needed to be on formula until that happened because she was losing too much weight.  I was immediately devastated.  Didn't they believe me that I could do this?  Why weren't they more supportive?  It was the saddest that I have been in a long time.  My husband and mother were there to support me but it is definitely sad when your child's doctor is saying something completely against what you would like to do. 

We seemed to be doing well, but I was totally unprepared for how much a newborn would have to eat.  I think that with all of the support in the world, I still would have been unable to continue to breastfeed my daughter.  I wasn't feeding her often enough and because of that my supply started to dwindle.  Once it started diminishing, I began researching like crazy on how to get it back, but it was too late.  I was stressed out and tried everything that I could to increase my supply from drinking more than double the water expected during the day, eating right, eating more fatty foods from healthier fats, from eating lactation cookies, and drinking tea with fenugreek and taking fenugreek pills.  Nothing seemed to help and it was only getting worse by the day.  I was pumping so much that it was starting to affect me mentally and around 3 months, I threw in towel.  I was barely making enough milk for one feed during the day and I was absolutely devastated.  I felt like the biggest failure of a mother ever. 

Luckily feeding her taught me many things, namely that I can be comfortable feeding my children in public, that I can stand up for what I believe is right for my children, and that I needed to be more prepared the second time.  I had learned a lot from Isabella's breastfeeding experience, but unfortunately my body hadn't quite learned that it should produce enough milk for a child.  We started off great with Silas and I was able to feed
him really well.  I had an understanding of how much he should be eating and was able to feed him on demand throughout the day and night.  Unfortunately, around the same time that I began to experience problems with Isabella those same problems reared their ugly head with Silas, except that this time I was able to pump for awhile longer.  Again, I was absolutely devastated.  Failure x 2.  I knew that Corry didn't want anymore children and that this would be my last chance to breastfeed a child and as hard as I was trying, I just couldn't force my body to do what I knew that I needed to do. 

I was incredibly jealous of other mothers who were breastfeeding their children.  It seemed like everywhere I turned there were women who were feeding their children, or talking about feeding their children.  Hell, even around this time Selma Hayek was making news being in a different country breastfeeding someone else's child.  It was everywhere and I wasn't able to escape.  It sounds ridiculous but I feel like I needed time to grieve and come to terms with my body failing me with this issue.  I am not too proud to admit that I still am very jealous of moms who are able to breastfeed their children effortlessly.  Because of the circles that I associate with, I see more than my fair share of teen moms and moms that don't necessarily want to breastfeed and they are able to produce more milk than I was ever able to come up with.  That is such an incredible gift that some women take for granted and I wish that I was able to do it longer.

I appreciate this blog for times like this when I can open myself up and talk about something I have had issues for over a year.  I want to, if nothing else, let women in my position know that they aren't alone in this and that great things can happen to you as a parent even if you get off to a rockier start than you imagined.

-Sara  

Online Dating Lies

In the last few years, online dating has increased in popularity.  Before the year 2000, if you said that you were meeting someone from an online dating site, the news was not well received.  You would be chastised for being desperate and wanting to meet weirdoes online, everyone was concerned about your safety because of the one story that they heard on the news of a psycho killer meeting vulnerable women online, etc.  In this day and age, originating a relationship online is a regular occurrence.  According to a new study slated for publication in Psychological Science in the Public Interest, written by Eli J. Finkel, Paul W. Eastwick, Benjamin R. Karney, Harry T. Reis, and Susan Sprecher, online dating has become the number two form of matchmaking in the United States.  It seems like every third advertisement that you see while browsing the internet is for an online dating website.  Almost every religion, race, major city and definitely age group has a site that allows single people from that niche to flirt, chat, wink, poke and/or meet one another. 

 

There are many things that people like about online dating.  One of those things is definitely that you get to control the data that a potential mate gets to see about you from the beginning.  You regulate how much or how little information is shared with viewers of your profile.  It is both positive and negative that you can be whoever you would like to be while online.  It is good that strangers get to see the best part of you upfront.  The problem is, for some people, that anonymity is too tempting and they become an entirely, different person.  It might start out innocently with just a small fib about your age, and the next thing you know you are knee-deep in a thousand different lies and you don’t remember which ones are the lies and which lie you have told to whom.

 

Overall I think that there are four different kinds of lies that people use in online dating profiles:

 

Age

This is, I think, definitely one of the most common items that people lie about online.  Whether it is because you don’t want people to know that you are over 30, or you were over 30 like 15 years ago but still have been telling people that you are 29, it is definitely difficult for some people to even select the correct age range on online dating profiles.  I have been on many dates from different online dating sites and have been out with some people who were at least 10 years older than they said originally.  Unfortunately with this type of lie, there is no way to keep this up over the long term.  Eventually your potential mate is going to see your license or you are going to slip up and not know which year you were born relative to the age that you gave them.  I think that, if you must lie, you could get away originally with 3-5 years age difference, but nothing more than that.  Yes, everyone ages differently, but no one ages that poorly that you look 55 and are really 30.  Well, unless you are a crystal meth user and heavy smoker but that is another situation all together. 

 

Marital status

This is my least favorite and most confusing lie that people tell in online dating profiles.  Single doesn’t necessarily mean single.  If you select single on a dating website profile it should come with a box for comments next to it so folks could explain their situation up front.  Single is more freely used as a state of mind instead of a state of their current relationship.  I have seen it all, unfortunately, with this category of lies.  I have received an email from the man who says that they are separated but their wife just doesn’t know it yet.  I have seen the man who says that he is single and never married but after four dates sends me a text message on my phone and lets me know that his wife won’t let him speak with me anymore.  And don’t forget all of the men that have told me that they were single but that really meant in the process of a divorce. 

 

This lie that people tell about marital status is so ridiculous to me because this one is definitely going to be found out sooner rather than later, especially if you are still married or living with the person to whom you are legally married, in a relationship with, etc.  Eventually the person that you are dating is going to wonder why they are never invited over to your place or why you have a wedding ring tan and you will have to spill the beans.  I would imagine that someone could forgive a small lie about your age but I can’t believe that anyone would be able to forgive a lie about your marital status.  No one wants to hear that they thought you were single and available and instead you are really married with no plans on separation.    

 

Children

I am not ashamed to admit that I have not always wanted children.  In fact, in the past, I used to refuse to date someone if I found out that they had a child.  I have been on numerous dates with men who claim initially to not have children, but what they meant to say was that they had children who just weren’t living with them at that exact moment that we were chatting.  Again, I don’t know why someone would choose to lie about a subject that they cannot possibly change in the future.  Eventually any potential mates are going to wonder why you go to so many school functions for your "nieces and nephews", or why you have pictures of children hanging up in your house.  Having children is a miraculous event that one should never lie about.  You should advise someone upfront that you have children and how many because, honestly, this is a deal breaker for some people.  At that same time you can also tell them how often approximately that you see the child because that might be important information for someone to consider before agreeing to meet you. 

 

Weight/body shape

The most popular lie, in my opinion, is related to body shape and/or how much you weigh.  Most people who weigh more than 100lbs have perfected the art of taking a photo that makes them look 30 lbs. less than they really do.  This is definitely one of most ridiculous lies and will only work out for you if you plan on never meeting this person you are lying to and solely plan on living out this lie for the remainder of your life online.  Otherwise, this potential future mate is definitely going to find out that you were lying about your body shape and weight.  This is one item that you should not lie about.  I am certainly not saying that everyone should be their body weight, pants size and BMI online but just out of common courtesy, don’t say that you are "on the heavier side" or "height/weight proportionate" if you weigh 400 lbs.  There is a person out there who likes every body shape that God put on this Earth, so lying to get with the wrong person is ultimately going to get you nowhere.  If you lead people to believe that you look a certain way, eventually there is going to be disappointment when they find out that you look like a different person.      

 

If you are thinking that you are trying to meet a potential mate that you would like to stay with for more than a few days, then you should think clearly about how many items you would like to have to explain that you originally lied about.  Fundamentally, no one likes to know that they have been lied to.  Is the person that you find while online dating going to appreciate you having to explain that you are really still married, 15 years older than you originally said, with 2 more kids than you admitted to and no job?  I am definitely not saying that you have to 100% disclose everything about yourself upfront, but maybe one should take the stance that withholding information is not technically lying.  No one wants a relationship to start off with lies. 

Paci update - are we there yet?

I feel like the journey with Silas to be done with a pacifier is similar to a never-ending car ride.  You feel like you have been in it for days and it's really only been a few hours.  He was obviously not ready to be done with it and I was not ready for him to be done with the pacifier so this has been a lot more difficult of a transition for everyone involved than it was with Isabella. 

Isabella used her pacifier to go to sleep.  She soothed herself with it sometimes while she was awake but by the time she was biting holes in it she had found other ways to soothe herself.  She had several stuffed animals, babies and music makers that she was attached to by then and so her entire comfort didn't need to come from the pacifier.  Silas, on the other hand, has nothing.  He never warmed to a stuffed animal or anything other than the pacifier.  Yes, he loves those muslin blankets, but nothing compared to his dearest pink pacifier.  He used it for comfort, to go to sleep and to stay asleep. 

He has always been more of a 'biter' of things than Isabella ever was so I should have seen this coming that he would be biting holes in his pacifier earlier than she did but I was totally and completely caught off guard.  And yes, I understand that I was probably caught off guard more because he will be my last biological baby probably and I want him to stay a baby forever.  I'm going to leave that subject alone right now because if I think about it too much I will probably cry. 

Just to recap what has happened in the last few days in one sentence - life has been a challenge.  Once Corry cut the end off so Silas wouldn't choke if he bit off a bigger piece, Silas would no longer have anything to do with that pacifier.  We quickly realized that letting him see it was making him more and more upset as well.  I figured that he would take to it like Isabella had and just wear it on his finger but that didn't happen.  He acted like he didn't know what to do with it and kept having temper fits about it.  Durin one of his fits he took it outside, got mad and threw it down and so I left it in the garage.  It stayed out there for days until it got moved somewhere.  I need to track it down and save it like I did the one for Isabella. 

Needless to say, he is a lot more angry and has a lot shorter of a temper than he had when he was using the pacifier, but everyday seems to be getting better.  He is having fewer and fewer episodes when I would have previously let him have the pacifier so we are making progress.  Slowly but surely... Pray for us in the upcoming days as we are nearing the week mark and then I think that we will be over the worst of it. 

When did your kids stop using a pacifier?