Morning Commute

When It Rains It Pours

Maybe it should be, instead of snow flurries, we get blizzards.

So much has happened in the past few weeks. Good, bad, ugly, worse.

Chewie gets violently ill when he eats shellfish (crustacean AND mollusk). He also randomly pukes and gets fevers.

The original laundry tub fell apart and needed to be replaced along with some pipes and a drain needed to be snaked. As our cleaning person pointed out - she said now we won't have that cement sediment going down the drains from the laundry tub falling apart which should hopefully mean we won't need it snaked again for a really long time.

Because of 40+ inches of snow, the air vents were covered on our roof and they started leaking so we've been clearing snow/ice from our roof for weeks now. YAY FOR REPAIRING AND REPAINTING PLASTER.

The dishwasher was leaking (all the way into the basement!), which thankfully was a super easy fix - the seal needed to be replaced.

The toaster died.

I need a new pair of glasses.

The battery died in the Honda.

My phone needs to be replaced.

The list keeps going on.

So I've been a little crabby lately. I haven't been my best self. I HAVE been taking my prescribed 20,000iu of Vitamin D plus extra. But that somehow hasn't been helping. Mostly I think I just need to NOT shovel snow for a week. HA! Or roof rake (I've been shoveling AND roof raking neighbor's houses too for the past few weeks!). I think I need a day of 40 degrees and sunshine.

I have read a few great books lately - Washington Black; The Alice Network, I just started Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.

I've been working out almost daily thanks to Beachbody On Demand (no, I'm not going to sell you crap), so hopefully biking long distances this summer will be better, more fun, and not as painful as last year. My quads and ass are killing me two days later and later today is core day. So yay for painful abs two days from now.

The Monkey's old preschool closed so I had to scramble to find a new preschool for Chewie - by the way, preschools are SO FREAKING COMPETITIVE. It's seriously like college applications for babies. I was afraid we wouldn't get into the next preschool closest to our house and I would have to start the search all over again. Chewie is starting in the fall but all applications are generally due by February 1. And most kids arent' ready for school yet which means it's even harder to predict your child's personality to pick a school. This is ridiculous because you should just be able to go to the nearest neighborhood preschool but there's really no neighborhood preschools. UGH. It's a challenge and I'm hopeful that I found the right school for Chewie. So YAY for 2.5 hours per day to myself 3 days per week (aka my cleaning and riding time!).

And one of my best mom friends is moving to Colorado - since we visit Colorado every year, I will still get to see her but it's still sad.

Gosh, I've really word-vomited everything now, haven't I?

Friday Finds 2/8

This week I'm taking on kid's clothes. The Monkey has her own style which means I'm on the hunt for mermaids this year (last year it was rainbows!) and so far, Mini Boden hasn't let me down on the swimwear end of mermaids.

This Cross-back suit fits the mermaid theme this year, and not too spendy either at $22, regular price!

This Flip Sequin suit is pretty awesome too! The higher price tag of $38 though, but I'm sure there's coupon codes floating around for a discount!

This is a toweling beach dress ($42) - so basically it's a wearable towel. For the past few years I haven't pulled the trigger on buying these but this year...I did it! I bought one for The Monkey and one for Chewie because I'm tired of wet clothes or just wrapping in a towel coming home from the pool or beach. I'm hoping these will solve our problems!

In a quick Google search, lots of mermaid themed clothing pops up but now The Monkey has reached the age where she doesn't want any "baby girl" styled clothing, so now when she wants themed clothes, that means that I have to hunt for more grown-up clothes that aren't too "baby-ish" which can be difficult but also super fun! This also means that Disney's Ariel is OUT. 

These Hatley pajamas might actually be ok for my little fashionista, mostly because they're pajamas!

Possibly this mermaid shirt from Macy's too. But I'm going to be honest, I have to give it the shoulder shrug because The Monkey may give it the shoulder shrug. She's reached the age where she now knows that if she says she likes it, I might actually buy it and SHE GETS TO GET SOMETHING (what it is doesn't matter to my little hoarder!). 

Clothes shopping is so hard for kids! Hopefully this gives you a few ideas for your little mermaid without the little kid-Disney theme.

Patty

Falling Behind

Holy moly, have I freaking fell behind with blogging.

I suppose part of it is busyness - but another part is putting it off - and another part is losing steam - and another part is not feeling very creative - and another part is having a 6 year old that knows how to read hanging over my shoulder. And I hate people hanging over my shoulder. I'm currently flipping back and forth between this and my calendar because I miss privacy. I should probably pretend I'm pooping in the bathroom instead and bring the computer in there.

I WILL BE BACK PEOPLE. I WILL BE BACK.

Chrissy Teigen's Granola

My kids ate it. I made her recipe for Peanut Butter Covered Pretzels and Granola with leftover granola. And I effing hate whole stories to go along with recipes so why I'm still typing this crap, I don't know. All you need to know is that the kids ate it all. 

Buy her book, Cravings: Hungry For More and then you'll be able to experience the utter delight of eating homemade granola warm from the oven. 

OBSESSED: Jeggings

Am I really all that fashion forward? No, not at all. The Monkey though, that girl knows how to dress and she's got STYLE.

Me, well, after two kids and weight gain/loss I effing hate wearing pants. Or trying them on. So I generally stick to leggings and yoga pants and jeans that are so old that they're so comfy. So I needed to try something else.

I found "comfort waist band" jeggings at Old Navy. I literally about died laughing at the store. But then I grabbed a pair for myself anyway. They are so comfortable. I have three pairs. I probably shouldn't have three pairs.

But I don't fit into the size medium leggings at Eddie Bauer (THAT'S RIGHT BITCHES, I'M LARGER THAN A MEDIUM ON THE BOTTOM). My hips pretty much hate anything if the pants aren't curvy enough.

So lo and behold...the jeggings come in actual number sizes. THANK GOODNESS BECAUSE I WASN'T ABOUT TO BUY FOUR PAIRS TO FIND OUT THAT THEY JUST FALL OFF MY ASS.

So if you're at Old Navy buying up all the flip flops for next year, pick up a pair of these (but for the love of chocolate, don't buy this pair because LOOK AT THE ANKLES! BUY THE REGULAR ONES!). There, you'll thank me. Or you'll curse me. I'm not sure which. But whatevs, because if you now found a new pair of pants that fits your hips/ass/waist and doesn't need to be hitched up every few minutes, then you rock! Actually, I rock for recommending them.

Happy weekend shopping!!

CSA is Ending Soon

Oh, man. I am going to miss getting fresh eggs and cheese and vegetables on a weekly basis.

I think next year I'm going to sign up for their meat share too. It's so easy and convenient to pick up our food in one spot...then go to Costco once a week. Ha! 

The kids are getting better at eating all the different vegetables and I'm getting better at cooking them how the family likes to eat them. For example, Chewie and I demolished a whole bag of brussel sprouts sauteed with bacon. THAT WAS DELICIOUS. With just a sprinkling of salt. The Monkey eats raw broccoli, I haven't been able to cook ANY of the broccoli because it disappears even before it gets home. The kids eat the tomatoes like apples. I am the only person in the house that likes beets - I like them roasted and then cut like matchsticks and mixed into quinoa bowls (just watch out for pink poop the day after!). The kids need to have their eggs every morning.

Oh, I will be so sad when the deliveries end. 

Book Review: This One Summer

Graphic novels. When I think of graphic novels I think of the old school comic books, where the illustrations are bright, and I'm not quite sure where to move my eyes so the story continues. And when I read I'm not sure if I should pay more attention to the artwork or the words. I've never really been drawn to comic books so I thought I might have to trudge through a graphic novel.

As it turns out, this was AMAZING.

The illustrations are beautiful. I love how I get to see what the authors are thinking and the emotions of the characters.

The story is beautifully written - the teen summer angst is real, the authors capture the selfishness of the teen plus the story of the parents from the teen perspective. It makes me (as a parent) so frustrated and angry but as an adult and remembering my teen years, this graphic novel fits my memories perfectly.

I think that now, as a child of the 80's, reading books by authors who are also children of the 80's makes reading a bit more fun and possibly more interesting. I get to read books that have more of a perspective on life that are a bit closer to my own and it's nice reading books that include that. This particular story never happened to me, but I can see how the teens/preteens are acting.

So, overall, give graphic novels another go. They're fast and easy reads, the illustrations let you see exactly what the author wants you to picture and I love that!

I Need My Caffeine

For the second time (and second coffee-maker!) this year...my coffee-maker broke.

I'm so sad.

I never really liked coffee until I realized that I was making it wrong. And then after I learned NOT to follow the directions to make sludge on the coffee instructions on the bag, I've been really happy with my weak coffee (with coconut creamer!). Two cups and I'm good...well, usually they've been microwaved a few times and the last half I drink around noon. What can I say? It takes me a long time to drink coffee. Busy people have shit to do.

I bought a Hamilton Beach Flex Brew to replace an old (10 year old) Krups. That Krups was AMAZING. It was so simple and easy.

This Hamilton Beach started taking 45 minutes to brew a pot of coffee. Then when I tried cleaning it out last night...and descaling it...it totally stopped working. Except for the single brew serve half. So now I'm stuck with K-cups until Tuesday (I think that's my delivery day). I ordered an old school hotel coffee maker that only makes 4 cups along with a Bodum french press.

I'll have to learn how to make coffee all over again.

AND I'M WHINING ABOUT IT.

Ugh, first world problems.

This Week's Food

Right. So I've got 5 Delicata squash on my counter, 4 Butternut squash, several cherry tomatoes, and it looks like parsley is about to take over my deck. I'm not quite sure what to do.

Last night I roasted Delicata squash (400 degrees for 30 minutes) topped with olive oil, salt, pepper, and ras el hanout seasoning. That was DELISH. I also threw in half a bag of brussel sprouts. They were pretty good too but my favorite way to cook brussel sprouts is in a large pan with BACON. YUM! I'm planning that for tonight. I will probably cut up another Delicata squash and try it mixed in with the brussel sprouts and bacon.

I'm also planning on black bean + butternut squash tacos - there's a recipe in one of my Thug Kitchen cook books but I'm not sure if I have all the ingredients. We don't eat soy so sometimes I have to sub in something else (like...chicken...because we eat meat! HA!).

Wednesday is soccer practice AND The MOnkey is supposed to have a playdate but I'm thinking her sniffles/cold will thwart those efforts for the playdate. We'll see how snotty she is tomorrow morning. On those days, I HAVE to start using the crockpot but I'm just not inspired. At least with the crockpot, the meat is finished and I just have to worry about veggies/starches. So uninspired this week. It's also a New Moon so that means my focus is elsewhere anyway - this moon I'm trying to encourage myself to make time to exercise. I have discovered that I can really only focus on one "extra" at a time because life with kids is ridiculous and their needs come before my own. It is what it is and that's why our house is extra dusty. I don't have time.

This means I'll be scouring Pinterest for good crockpot recipes.

One day will be pizza day.

One day will be soup day.

And chili. I'm craving a HUGE pot of chili with the delicious cheese we got from our CSA this week. Note on our CSA: next year I'm going to sign up for the meat too! All of the food and veggies have been so delicious, it'll be easy to eat more from the farm!

Happy Tuesday!