March 8th, 2010 by j. No Comments »
Poor Muffin isn’t going to like this post when he gets older, but I can write about it now because it’s a phase that is starting to come to an end (I think). Up until a few months ago, my little man would show a great appreciation for girly things. He often will go into my closet and attempt to try on my shoes. He was most attracted to the high heels, of course. One day I came downstairs ready to go out and instead of my usual flip flops, I had on some super cute leopard print Corso Como flats. Well, Muffin took one look at them and said, “Ohhhhhhhh, cute shoes Mommy!” Little dude has good taste. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of them. Granted, I am rarely seen out of my flip flops, but I think it went deeper than that. He also used to love the women’s handbag section in Marshall’s and would b-line it straight there once we entered the store. The ladies hat section was also on his hit list. I have a cute pink mini-handbag that I was saving for when/if I had a girl and Muffin found it and commandeered it. He would walk around with it over his arm, saying “Look at my purse, Mommy. Isn’t it cute?”! Poor Madam Poopsalot is going to have to wrestle him for it when she’s older.
Now, I know that it is not uncommon for boys to be interested in girly things and if you think about it, toddlers like nice textures, shiny things, and pretty colors…so, what toddler in her (or his) right mind wouldn’t be attracted to pretty feminine things? Besides, he really didn’t have a hope in hell – it’s in his DNA. I am part Crow – I love shiny, sparkly, pretty things. Way to embrace your feminine side little dude! Just take it a bit easy on your Daddy – now that he’s got 3 princesses to contend with.
Posted in Fashion, Fun Stuff, Mommy Moments, Stories, Uncategorized
March 5th, 2010 by j. No Comments »
Some days I want to just throw my hands up and send everyone out naked. Laundry sucks. When I was working outside the home, my husband was The Laundry Fairy. Now that I am a SAHM the tide has turned. Gone are the days when I could put my dirty clothes in the hamper and they would mysteriously reappear nice and clean. Oh, how I hate laundry. Nevertheless, I have resigned myself to the fact that I am now The Laundry Fairy of our house. I suppose being the Laundry Fairy, has it’s advantages. I now know some secrets about laundry. Brace yourself for the exciting money-saving revelations about to come your way.
1) Wash the laundry in cold water.
2) Cut dryer sheets in half.
3) Wear jeans more than once before washing (this one I write with much reluctance as I have a thing about washing things immediately, which is evident by my never-ending laundry mountain).
4) Use less detergent.
5) Line dry your Laundry. By line drying you save money on electricity, which is frugal and green. You also save wear and tear on your clothes. The dryer actually beats fibers out of your clothing, causing them to wear out sooner. That’s where all that dryer lint comes from! Dryer lint is the kryptonite of The Laundry Fairy.
Which brings us to…
6) Keep your dryer lint free!!! A full lint trap doesn’t allow the moist air to escape properly, which slows down the drying cycle and uses more energy. While you’re at it, check your belly button too.
Okay, so maybe these aren’t really earthshatteringjumpupandkissme secrets…this is laundry we’re talking about, after all. Sheesh!
Posted in Fun Stuff, Money, Uncategorized
March 4th, 2010 by j. 1 Comment »
I adore the smokey eye look. I’ve long coveted the eye make-up of a certain celebutant who’s name may or may not rhyme with Tim Fardashian. I may have even possibly spent time on her website…but I only read it for the pictures, I swear! Anyways, I have found that this look is really hard to recreate. At least it’s hard if you’re not aiming to look like you’ve just gone a round with Mike Tyson. Also, it’s time consuming. And unlike Tim Fardashian, I have two kids, a husband, and a laundry pile to deal with every day.
Well, enter Cover Girl. Now, thanks to their Smokey Eye Kit, this look is easy(er) and quick(er) to recreate. Tammi, over at My Organized Chaos, is giving away 4 kits. Visit My Organized Chaos and enter here.
So, the question is…
Is it really okay for me wear the smokey eye look with my daily mom uniform (yoga pants and nearest clean nursing top)? Probably not. The playground can’t handle the foxiness that is the nursingyogapantwearing smokey eye.
Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Uncategorized
March 4th, 2010 by j. No Comments »
Seriously?! Seriously. Did he-who-can-be-heard-farther-away-than-the-Sonic-Boom just shush me?!
Posted in Uncategorized
March 3rd, 2010 by j. No Comments »
Yum! Super easy and very low fat. A great way to enjoy a low fat curry. It’s got a nice West Indian flavor. Very delicious.
Ingredients:
5 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
4 medium russet potatoes, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 bell pepper, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
1 (9 ounce) jar peach preserves
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 TBSP minced fresh ginger
Directions:
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and place into a slow cooker. Add potatoes. Whisk together the preserves, chicken stock, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and ground ginger in a bowl. Pour over chicken breasts.
Cover, and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low for 5 to 7 hours. Make sure to flip over the chicken breasts once during cooking. Add bell pepper cubes during the last 45 minutes.
Posted in Fun Stuff, Nutrition, Uncategorized, What's For Dinner?
March 3rd, 2010 by j. No Comments »
Oh oh. I’m not sure I like this month’s focus of The Happiness Project. The resolution for the first week is Aim Higher. Oh dear. This seems a bit daunting when sometimes I feel like I’m already just treading water to stay afloat. Can’t we just have another resolution like Kiss More, Hug More, Touch More? I like that one! Okay, okay, I do agree that aiming high and achieving (or at least knowing that I tried really hard) does indeed make me happier. Hmmm, so what should I aim for? Should I aim to help build my children into happy well-functioning, thoughtful, caring and productive members of society? Oh wait, no, I’ve already charged myself with that small ridiculously easy not-at-all-time-consuming task. No pressure there at all. How can I aim higher than that? Okay, forget the kids. Maybe I’ll make this week’s resolution about outside work (as opposed to family work) and aim for a consulting project…or better yet, I’ll aim higher in my blogging efforts. Yes, that’s what I’ll do…thanks for the think aloud. How about them apples?!
One of my favorite Theodore Roosevelt quotes seems apropos here:
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, “Certainly, I can!” Then get busy and find out how to do it.”
Posted in Fun Stuff, Happiness, Stories, Uncategorized
March 3rd, 2010 by j. No Comments »
Early last month I wrote about a goal I had set for myself to keep to our food budget in February (preferably coming under budget). For the past few months we had been running WAY over budget in the grocery category. We track all our expenses and so we are able to easily see where we are at any given day in the budget. I’m a bit of a data freak (and by ‘data freak I mean ‘control freak’). Anyways, it’s kind of a fun game for me and it also helps keep our spending in check. So, last night we looked at the expense sheet and…(insert drumroll)…I did it! We have budgeted $400 per month in groceries (not including diapers) and our spending in that category reached only $302.87. That’s $97.13 under budget! Yay! Of course, it’s a bit of a cheat because February is a short month and we also had Dr. CutiePant’s father visiting for about 4 days of that, during which time he treats us to dinners and lunches and I never have to cook. Regardless, I do think we still would have come in a little under budget. Goes to show that I have to start paying better attention to the numbers throughout the month and not just at the end of the month.
Posted in Fun Stuff, Money, Nutrition, Stories, Uncategorized
March 2nd, 2010 by j. No Comments »
Dear Muffin,
Today is your third birthday. My goodness, my sweet son, where has the time gone? I can’t believe that you are already 3 years old. It seems like only yesterday that I held you in my arms for the very first time. My heart was bursting with love. I had been waiting my whole life to meet you. I truly had. I feel so incredibly lucky to be your mommy.
Mommyhood with you has been a joyous, crazy, intense, maddening, frustrating, exhilarating, wonderful ride so far. You came into this world with determination and never seemed to want to miss an instant of the action. You barely slept as a baby (even as a newborn in the hospital). Mommy was crazed with lack of sleep. You are my little energizer bunny. Oh how I wished you had slept more, but thank you for eventually learning how to sleep. When I think back on it, the lack of sleep was the hardest part by far. Fortunately, you were so darn cute and cuddly that I was able to keep from holding it against you. Nature’s way of helping sleep deprived new parents cope – NATURE MAKES YOU SO DARN CUTE!
I love your infectious laugh and I love to hear your thoughts (most of the time anyways). I love that you are so full of cuddles and smiles. You give the best hugs and kisses EVER. I admire your courage and your creativity. This year has been big for you. You have had to deal with Mommy being pregnant and on modified bed rest. You became very good at picking up your things (and some of mommy’s things) since Mommy couldn’t. You were very understanding about Mommy not being able to pick you up and carry you. I am so glad that I can again now! I missed that terribly. I am so proud of you for being such a good big brother to your baby sister. I knew you would be a sweet and caring big brother – it is your nature. I am so proud of you for so many reasons, but mostly I am proud of you for being such a nice caring boy.
Thank you for all of the smiles and even some of the tears. Thank you for always showing me love and everyday teaching me how to be a better person. You have taught me how to appreciate life more. Thank you for making me examine life on a large and small scope. I now truly do stop and smell the flowers and try to soak in every moment. Well, I try really hard to anyways. I don’t want to miss any moment with you – it goes by too quickly.
I feel so fortunate to be your mother and I am so incredibly grateful for you. Every. Single. Day.
Happy birthday my sweet boy. I love you so much.
Posted in Fun Stuff, Mommy Moments, Stories, Uncategorized
March 1st, 2010 by j. 1 Comment »
I hate laundry. It’s never-ending. I have not seen the bottom of my hamper since the day we brought Muffin home. In fact, I’m not convinced it has a bottom. For all I know, under it, there could be a huge tunnel going all the way to the center of the earth, full of dirty socks and chocolate stained shorts. At least, I hope that’s chocolate.
Anyways, it’s pretty apparent that I am now the Laundry Fairy even though I didn’t get any pretty fairy wings, or useful magic wand that removes even the toughest stain. I don’t even get to wear a tiara. What a crock.
Well, at least I’m not the Toilet Bowl Fairy.
Posted in Fun Stuff, Mommy Moments, Stories, Uncategorized
February 28th, 2010 by j. No Comments »
Sleepless nights with my son Muffin had me looking like I could join the local zoo’s raccoon exhibit. Those pesky dark circles are sure hard to cover! Although now that I’ve found make-up guru, Kandee Johnson’s Erase Dark Circles video tutorial, I may be able to fake my way to looking like a Supermom (because if a mom doesn’t look tired she must be a Supermom, right?!).
Kandee Johnson has some other really great video tutorials. A few of my favorites are: Katy Perry/Megan Fox Eyeliner and Megan Fox Flawless Skin.
Kandee Johnson is a professional make-up artist and has worked with hollywood elite and on tv and movie sets. She’s also a single mom, so support her and subscribe to her facebook profile and website.
Check out her blog here.
Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Mommy Moments, Stories, Uncategorized
