Month one. Check.

JJ just finished up his first month of Residency.  P.T.L.  We knew the first week would be the worst.  The first month would be the hardest.  The first year is the toughest.  We knew that.  But it didn't make getting through them super easy.  JJ worked long, long hours and long, long weeks with little time  off while dealing with some difficult cases.  But he survived.  And we survived.  Actually, I spent a lot of time feeling guilty for all the fun we were having.  We carried on and were busy while he worked and worked away.  He even missed a big wedding and spending time with most of his family.  But, really, he enjoyed his month too.  He got more familiar with the processes (and paperwork) of the hospital.  He wouldn't tell anyone this, but he got a lot of positive feedback from patients, attendings, and colleagues.  I am so proud of my husband! 

Baby #3

This baby seems to be a bit on the crazy side.  I can't decide if he/she is wearing him/herself out now and will just sleep when he/she makes his/her appearance or if this will be his/her temperament... the latter scares me a little bit!  :)  I also feel like my body is gearing up for labor earlier than with the other two.  I am more achy.  More tired.  More moody.  I have had some Braxton-Hicks.  At my 28 week appointment, my doctor checked me and there is no progression, thank goodness!  I also had the pleasure of doing the glucose test - no gestational diabetes.  Phew.  Then I got a shot in my behind since I have a negative blood type.  So, all in all, it was quite a wonderful appointment. 

In talking with my doc, I made some realizations about why this 3rd pregnancy feels different.  First of all is the obvious - my body knows what's going on and has started adjusting earlier each time.  Then there is another obvious - I am chasing after two children.  I kind of forgot about this third reason - I've never been more than a few weeks pregnant in the summer.  7+ months preggers while doing our busy summer things has quite frankly started wearing me out!  I have started noticing and taking more breaks.  My kids don't seem too affected by me sitting more and running after them less.  C is not happy that I won't carry him around anymore, but c'mon dude.  You're three.  It was bound to happen sooner or later! 

I am getting really excited to meet this new little one.  I thought it would KILL me not to know the gender, but it doesn't really seem to have changed much for me... besides maybe curbed some of my spending!  hehee  I *think* we have a boy and girl name picked out and have just finalized plans to get a hand-me-down crib.  Things are falling into place!  Now we wait and grow and get kicked and punched!  :)

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Meatballs Recipe

We were superexcited to have visitors a little while ago and I wanted an easy to put together meal that would be kiddo friendly.  There were 4 kids almost exactly a year apart from 5-2 years old!  What a grand time was had by all!  I found this little gem tucked away in my recipe folder.  It wasn't M's favorite, but she mowed down the rice and C wanted seconds, thirds and leftovers the next day!  This recipe COULD NOT be easier.  Seriously. 

Ingredients:
32 oz package of precooked, frozen meatballs
13.5 oz can of unsweetened pineapple chunks (save juice)
1 lg green pepper, diced
1 c brown sugar
2 TBL cornstarch
2/3  c white vinegar
2 TBL soy sauce

Directions:
Place meatballs in crockpot and top with green pepper and drained pineapple chunks.  In a separate bowl, mix reserved pineapple juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, and soy sauce.  Pour sauce over meatballs, pineapple and green peppers.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through.

I made brown rice for the side.  Yum-o!

Love me some lists!

I think I've written about this before... like a long time ago... but I really love lists.  They make me so happy to get my crazy to do's out of my head and down on paper.  I feel motivated crossing things off and excited to have a starting AND (maybe more importantly) ending point.

I have several lists currently going.  One is my cleaning list.  I got this idea from my sweet SIL, who uses an index card system of daily, monthly, semiannual and annual chores.  I just simplified mine into a 4 week system - I have some chores that repeat weekly, some that show up every other week and some that are once a month.  Again, love crossing things off, seeing what I have left for the week, etc.

Another list is fun things I'd like to do in the evenings, aka Mommy Time.  Some items currently on t that list include: sew M''s jammies, read the next book for Book Club, print off recipes from a stack of fun Taste of Home mags my SIL borrowed me and add them to my new recipe binder that was on my to-do list last week, and finish our family digital scrapbook from last year.  All fun things, but all things I'd like to get done.

So.  The reason for this post?  Several times while visiting the library I've admired this "100 Picture Books to Read in Kindergarten" poster (put out by www.pla.org) while my kids have played in the Wiggle Room.  One time I took a few pictures of the poster along with the website so that I could print my own list.  I wasn't able to find the list online.  Today my kiddos and I were at the library again and I mentioned this to a great librarian I've seen several times.  She said they used to have a similar list available for parents and went in the back to see if they had any more.  She came back and said that apparently people have to buy the list now.  BUT, she was able to find me some left over posters (identical to the one I had oogled over to begin this whole process!).  I got "100 Picture Books to Read in Kindergarten" (which sorts the books by genre like Animal Stories, Imagination, and Stories in Rhyme), "100 MORE Picture Books to Read in Kindergarten" and even "75 of the Best Books for Young Children".  Hip-hip-hooray!  I understand that I am a big geek, but I am superexcited about this!  Now I have to decide how we're going to tackle this list.  There are big circles next to each book, so I think I might have the kids put stickers next to the books we read.  Happy Reading!!  

A nighttime poll!

Scenario: Your child wakes up in the middle of the night... wet.  : (  I'm assuming everyone's first step is to get the kiddo clean and put on new jammies. 

I couldn't figure out how to put the poll IN my post, so look right for the poll!

Operation: No More Tears

Transitioning with a move can be hard. I think our kids did an awesome job. They miss their friends and favorite KS hangouts, but they're jumping into life here in the north. The biggest thing we needed to rein in post move was bedtime. It got a little out of control in transit: sleeping on a mattress on the floor until we got beds, later bedtime because Dad was a single Dad for a week and then Mom & Dad were busy unpacking, transitioning to sharing a room in a new house, etc. What came to life was "Operation: No More Tears".

We sat down and had a family meeting to discuss our bedtime routine and how it wasn't working for anyone really. We brought up some ground rules, like kids need to sleep in their own room, Mommy & Daddy need to sleep in their own room, and no kiddos leaving the room post bedtime unless they have to go potty (or poopie, C chimes in).

Here's our bedtime routine compromise, put together by our family:
1. Brush teeth, go potty, get jammies on
2. Each kid picks out one book to read
3. Kids get tucked into bed
4. Lights out, M turns on her book light (she likes it LIGHT, C prefers the dark!)
5. Mommy (usually - or Daddy!) reads the next Bible story from our favorite Jesus Storybook Bible 6. Mommy (or Daddy) reads M's favorite Psalm 23
7. We pray, Mommy sings "It Only Takes a Spark" (sung something like this... not sure what key I sing it in... hehe!) and then Mommy leaves the room while kiddos go to sleep.

It may seem like a cumbersome system, but I personally love it. I enjoy that quiet wind down time with my kiddos. With a few different steps, if Daddy is home, we can sub in and out, too!

What is your routine like?

Clothespin Craft

First of all, Happy 4th! I hope you have some fun family plans! Hubbers is on call for the first time... And on a holiday no less. Prayers to him, but he can do it because God has prepared him each step of the way! My kids are ALL about crafting lately. They love painting especially it seems. I love crafting too so it all works out! As long as we have ample clean up materials, we are good to go! ;). This latest project came from a need to get some clutter off the counters! I "made" three areas with command hooks and ribbon: one for cards (above the sink), one for the kids' artwork (behind the front door) and one for notes and drawings from their friends and relatives (behind their bedroom door). But with what to hang all this important stuff? I came across the perfect solution at Target: a pack of about 50 (smallest they had!) plain wooden Clothespins. Aha! A project within a project- M & C had a blast painting the pins, adding glitter (M) and finally putting foam shapes on them. I think they're wonderful. My counters are thanking them as well!

Jamberry!

One of my sweet RAs (MW) from when I was an RHD in college became a Jamberry Consultant.  Not familiar with Jamberry?  It is a "home party" business I think similar to Thirty-One or Mary Kay, but this one is all about nails.  They have regular nail polish, but they also have fun wraps.

Anyways, MW hosted a "Mystery Hostess Party" via Facebook.  There were fun ways to earn free sheets of Jamberry nail wraps and also one person was drawn to be the "Mystery Hostess".  That person took away all of the hostess gifts earned from the party sales.  WELL... drumroll please... that mystery hostess was ME!  :)  I'm so superduper excited!  The party "totals" were outstanding and I can't believe the amount of stuff I got!

Here are a few of my favs that are on their way!!!

I even have some gifts on order, and MVJ got to pick out a favorite as well!  She chose this:

I think it is WAY too grown up!!  Ugh.... my baby is not a baby anymore!  I suppose if she's going to choose a sophisticated style, choosing one for her nails is the most "ok" with me!  :)

If you're interested in finding out more about these, check out MW's site or let me know and I'll get you in contact with her -- there's a Buy 3 Get 1 Free promotion!  (I think it's always on, but not sure about that part!)  Here's a plug from me, if I (!!) can put them on, anyone can!  And this last time I did four fingers with wraps and one finger with nail polish - my OPI stuff (so not super duper cheap polish!) and the jam wraps totally outlasted the polish.  In fact, I put mine on a week and a half ago (first time by myself!).  Today I trimmed them (and my nails) with just a regular nail trimmer and they look like a fresh application.  Yippee!

Rosy Applesauce

It feels weird to say that in my "old life", I was a teacher, because we always get a summer break.  Surely nothing has changed just yet.  It will really set in in August I'm sure.  I already promised C that when we got Back to School shopping with Miss M, we can each pick out something too.  :)  hehe  Not that that is what I'll miss most about teaching, but just sayin', I love me some office supplies.

One thing I that is not high on my Things I'll Miss About Teaching list is school lunch.  Granted, I found some things I loved in the cafeteria (did I mention that I was a lunchroom supervisor for most of my teaching stint in KS?), but overall, not the highlight of my day for sure.  So one of those loves was "Rosy Applesauce".  Sounds weird right?  Just reddish applesauce... why would I be writing a post about reddish applesauce?  I came across this recipe on pinterest the other day, and well, chalk it up to another win for Team Mommy!  So, basically, you just add jello to applesauce.  And that is it!!  My kids gobbled it up, and with unsweetened applesauce and sugar free jello, I happily scooped more on their plate!

Pan Fried Chicken with Orange Salad

Last night I officially finished going through some old Taste of Home magazines, cutting out recipes I'd actually try, and recycling the rest of the mag.  I've been on a mission to organize my random recipes - sorting by type, laminating them, and putting them in a binder.  Sounds easy enough right?  I have A LOT of random clippings from magazines, recipes I've printed, and old magazines.

I found this gem in a stack.  It comes from a Jan 2005 edition of Redbook (No, I don't have THAT many magazines laying around, but I did obviously cut this out awhile ago!).  I had about three helpings of the salad the other night and M requested the chicken again for lunch the next day.  Can't go wrong when my picky eater loves it!

Chicken Milanese with Organe-Arugula Salad
*Note from my sub list that this is not an exact science for me!  :)

Orange-Arugula Salad
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil (I used my fancy-pants hubby's avocado oil)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Half of a fennel bulb, stalk, and leaves removed, halved lengthwise, cored, thinly sliced crosswise (1 c) --- I did not go out to get fennel.  Instead I used celery!  :)
3 small oranges, peeled, in sections
1/2 c thinly sliced red onion strips
2 c baby arugula leaves (another sub!  I just used a baby greens mix in one of those rectangular cartons)

Chicken Milanese
1/3 c plain dry breadcrumbs (I used panko)
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
3 T chopped parsley (oops, thought we had some of this, but didn't.  Instead I grabbed some basil I think)
4 (4-oz) thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
Flour, for dredging
1/4 c fat-free egg substitute (I cracked two eggs!)
Olive oil cooking spray

1. Orange-Arugula Salad: In a medium bowl, whisk zest, orange juice, oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until blended; stir in fennel, orange sections, and red onion.  Place arugula on top (do not toss).
2. Chicken Milanese: Mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and parsley on a plate to blend.  Season the cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper.  Dredge cutlets in flour, patting off excess, then dip in egg substitute, letting excess drip off.  Coat cutlets with breadcrumb mixture.
3. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  lightly spray cutlets with cooking spray (I just sprayed pan... not cutlets).  Fry cutlets 1 1/2 to 2 min. per side (I always do a little more... I get worried about cooking meat all the way through!!), until golden and just cooked through.  Drain on paper towel.
4. Toss salad and enjoy!

Sunday Sillies

C was upset that I couldn't carry him and M said, "Well, Mommy has a BABY in her tummy!"  He looked to Daddy and declared, "And Daddy has a puppy in his!"

Watch out, this one's a rant!

I think most people would say I'm a fairly positive person.  I sure try to be anyways, but I'm ready for a little blog rant.  I'll blame it on the pregnancy; this poor sweet baby sure makes a great scapegoat!

First of all, since I mentioned the baby: setting up my OB appointment.  Let's see.  Basically when we found out where we were moving to in March, I started soliciting advice from area ladies (via my sweet SIL LJ) about local OBs.  I chose one and in April I called a local hospital to start the process.  (At that point, we did not have a place to live yet; JJ was making a trip to ND at the end of April/beginning of May, but we did know which hospital JJ would be working at, so it seemed natural to deliver there.)  So anyways, back to the phone call.  The gal said they would not be able to do anything because I didn't have a local address and also because they didn't have my records.  Ok, fine.  I finished out my OB appointments in KS and had my files transferred to the new doctor.  A short while later (while we were still in KS), a gal from the local office called and said, "This is so weird.  We have your files here, but don't have you in the system at all.  Do you have an appointment here or something??"  WELL, gosh, I sure would've liked to be in your system and would sure have liked to have an appointment, believe me!  Then, when I said who I preferred to see, she got a little huffy and said, "There is NO way you'll get in to see her with such little notice.  You would've needed to call earlier to set up an appointment with her.  You could see a NP, but that's about it for your first appointment here."  That's the EXACT reason why I called in April, you dodo foofy!  (term stolen from C).  Then, a nurse called to talk to me about my preggo history, etc. etc. to add to my file.  I indicated that time that my doctor in KS had requested that I have an ultrasound at my first appointment in ND because I would be over the 20 week mark by then.  She said that was no problem and said she left that note in my chart.  At my appointment, the nurse said they can't order that and wasn't sure how that happened... SO... long story short, I had to come back a week later for my ultrasound, at 22 weeks.  It wasn't that big of a deal, really, especially since I've been feeling so good and since we weren't finding out gender anyways, but at EACH step, I felt like I was trying to be proactive, was stopped, and then was basically told I should've done what I actually HAD done!!  Phew.  That felt good.  Thanks for listening.

Rant #2: a little road rage.  It has taken me some getting used to our new city's interstate system.  I have found it pretty easy to get around EXCEPT for one thing.  All of their on ramps are in screwy locations!!  Basically, if I want to head west (left), I'm pretty much guaranteed the exit ramp will be on the east side (right).  Pretty much.  Except when I remember this rule, of course!  :)  And then, the on ramps USUALLY turn into off ramps, which means people just getting off want to get over and people in the right lane might not want to move over because their exit is coming up.  UGH!  Do you SEE the dilemma people?!  I know I'll get used to it, but until then I WILL grumble, grumble, OK??!

Rant #3: my face.  Ugh.  This pregnancy has been really weird.  For my head.  I have constant breakouts coupled with the fact that I seem to be allergic to my old used-forever-and-never-had-a-problem shampoo/conditioner.  Granted, it's the cheap kind, BUT STILL.  I've never had a problem.  And now my head itches.  The end.      

Solving the "I Wanna Watch a Show" Conundrum

My kids' default, probably not unlike many of their peers, is to want to watch TV.  My default is NO SCREENS.  Especially not in the summer!  Moving back home means we need to soak up these rays, people!  At my kids' ages (5 & 3), they are not totally independent, so we decided to come up with an "Activity Jar" (actually made from my hubby's pottery when we took Ceramics together in college... awwww for cute!).  We brainstormed our favorite activities and put them on slips of paper.  Then if my kids need ideas of what to do, we pull a slip.  So far we haven't decided on any hard and fast rules - like you HAVE to do that activity for a set amount of time - if they want to put it back and draw again, that's ok at this point!  :)  So far, I'm sure in part to the novelty factor, they are in love with pulling an activity from the jar and do the activity with enthusiasm.

Here is our activity list:
Brain Quest cards
Activity Book
Dance Party (a family favorite!  Disney Pandora and we are SET!)
Lace Ups
Trains
Take a Break (Quiet time on the couch -- C-man put that one in -- interested to see what happens when that one is pulled!) 
Play Princess (Or any dress up)
Pretend Play (like House or Kitchen)
Paper Airplanes
Puzzle
Read
Go to Library
Bake Something
Playdoh
Go for a Walk
Board Game
Color/Draw
Legos
Hide and Seek
I Spy
Do a Chore (one of my inputs!  But seriously, they enjoy wiping down pretty much any surface from the table to the sink!)
Watch a Show (there is a bonus slip of this in there! I do have to say I enjoy most of their shows and feel good about them watching things like Magic School Bus and Wild Kratts!)

What are we missing?  What are some of your kids' favorite activities?

Happy Playing!

Cooking Win (yay!)

Alternate title: You mean these kids eat at least three times a day, every day?!

JJ officially started work this week (so far 3 days on payroll... but who's counting?) and I am the chief cook and bottle washer.  Sunday night I completed my meal plan for the week and added to the grocery list a few breakfast and lunch staples. 

I am just not a great "on the spot" cook.  Maybe I just don't have my "kitchen legs" yet, but I can't do what JJ can do, which is throw stuff together without prior planning or a recipe, and it tastes good.  Jerk.  I mean... awesome!  SO, what is the point of this?  I had a WIN the other day with an on the spot lunch that was a hit! 

I had used up our bread making french toast the other day (and forgotten to take the next loaf out of the freezer [did I mention we just recently reuppped our Sam's Club membership?]), but we did have frozen tortillas.  I got out the fryin' pan, warmed several tortillas up on low (one at a time), smeared them with pb & j, and rolled them up.  Viola!  PB & J Rollups!  Add in peaches and cottage cheese and tater tots and by golly, my kids survived another meal made by their mother! 

New year... new post

Today I turn... more than 30... ;)  [I even updated my profile... no longer the typical 20-somethings...] and I think I might jump start this blog thing again.  Our lives have had some big changes:

*JJ graduated from Med School (woot woot!)
*We moved across the country for Residency (to our home state- yay!)
*We are expecting Bambino #3 in October
*I finished out the school year, but will be staying home for a while (double yay!)
*We're gearing up for MVJ's first year of elementary school - that's right - Kindergarten is just on the horizon!

So let me reflect a little bit.  I loved LOVED our time in KS.  It was an awesome adventure and really the only downfall was lack of family within 10 hours of driving.  But, it was a big downfall.  I also loved teaching.  I really enjoyed what I did, and more than that, I enjoyed the people I worked with and the kiddos I got to interact with (sorry for those dangling prepositions... I am back home, dontcha know).  But I am thrilled about this new enterprise of being home.  Armed with a background in Education, a new subscription to a cooking magazine on my Kindle and hardcopy (from JJ for my bday!), Pinterest, my own crazy brain, and lots and lots of prayer, ready or not, here we go!