Mooooooomies

Also know as smooooooooothies.

That quicky visit to Mass a few days ago was not only fun but I learned some good mama stuff.

Umm, score!

Smoothies.

I've seen the smoothie, juicing thing take off on Pinterest and all over the blag-o-sphere so it's not exactly news to me but I never really jumped on the bandwagon. I don't know why. 

That is, until I saw it in action.

My good friend from college has a professional mom for a sister. As such, I've been picking her brain since my pregnancy with The King. She is an unbelievable wealth of knowledge and while we were visiting, she gave me the DL on smoothies.

Did you know you can totally sneak veggies into those things and your nugget won't even be able to tell?

Mind. Blown.

So we gave it a whirl this morning because vegetables are important.

Our first smoothie

Blueberries
Mango
Pineapple
Strawberry
Spinach
Green juice

Blend until smooth and creamy. Serve with a spoon or straw depending on the consistency you like and bam, you're done.

J also said you can freeze the leftovers too but I didn't make nearly enough this morning to do so.

Anyone have any good combos to share?

This has totally changed my mama life! No more worrying about veggies. Holla!

Wait, what just happened?

Holy moly has the past week been a whirlwind or what?!

I tried to make a conscious effort to disconnect a bit and enjoy my time off, hence, the lack of posting. There were so many times I thought "I should log on tonight and share that" and then, I just didn't.

Honestly, I was either having too much fun or was just plain too lazy to do it.

But, isn't that what vacation is for?

We had a wickedly awesome Christmas and I hope all of you did as well! The King was so so much fun and was totally stoked for "Ho Ho" to come. I think we have some awesome new traditions in place for the coming years and I seriously can not wait! Every year is going to be funner and funner. Yes, funner. With that being said, I did try to savor every single second we spent together as a family. I know these magical years are numbered.

Ah, bittersweet.

In true Grinch fashion, we took down our tree down the day after Christmas. Bam! Ho Ho had to go-go y'all. Up until two nights ago Kingy was still waking up in the middle of the night singing "ho ho ho" and was still asking to talk to him on the phone. Can you imagine if we still had decorations out? We simply had to.

As for gifts, I was spoiled rotten. I'm talking rotten. I'm not so sure what I did to deserve all of the awesome gifts but I sure am glad someone thinks I earned them. Here's looking at you parental units and PB. I've been baking my little mama heart out ever since and I can't wait to start sewing!

In other news, two days ago Kingy and I took a road trip to Mass to visit friends and it was a super short trip but just what we needed. And now, my sister is in town spoiling The King rotten with attention. We're just waiting on the other sister and all will be right with the world!

I have one happy heart.

I do not, however, have happy thighs. Can you say cookies, pie, bread and cheese?

Good golly

No surprise, I picked up the plague whilst in NYC.

It's impossible not to get sick when you have a meeting with 60 women, a good percent of them are sick and you hug everyone hello and goodbye. Plus flying. Yuck.

The trip was good. My presentation went well. I got to sing karaoke and eat way more food than I should have. I was forced to attend a play on Broadway which is easily my least favorite activity ever. I'd rather play outside with The King in the snow than sit through 2.5 hours of a play.

And that's saying something.

I'm not nearly ready for Christmas but I hope that all of you are! I'm slamming vitamin c and oranges in hopes that this sickness will be a one day deal and I can get to finishing up Christmas stuff. Given that PB has been sick for almost two weeks now, I'm not hopeful.

In other news, we surpassed the 20K views mark for ye old blog and I thought you all should know you rock my world.

For real.

Happy holidaying friends!!

I'm sure I'll be blagging over the next two weeks since I'm off and will be home with Kingy. God only knows what nonsense will come of it.

xxoo
ma

New Yawk

Well I'm en route to the Big Apple this morning. It should be a decent trip, except half of my favorite people probably won't make it due to weather. Which makes a meeting just a meeting and not nearly as fun because I'll have no one to scribble and write notes to after I reach the point of no return boredom after 10 minutes. 

What the hell is that about winter? Screw you. 

In other news, I realized this morning that I should probably pay a bit more attention to detail. And no, it has nothing to do with the email I got at midnight from my boss telling me I suck at life. 

I ran to Target last night in the frigid arctic that was -3 degrees and quickly grabbed a few pairs of tights for work. It was cold and late so I rushed to get home and get some sleep. 

Well I purposely grabbed control top because, control top. Is there any other option? I apparently paid zero attention to the rest of the package through because as I slipped these puppies on this morning, the band kept going and going and going. 

What the?

So as I reached my bra line with these damn tights that are the gift that keeps giving, I grabbed the package out of the trash to see what I bought. 

Not only are they control top, they are also high-waisted. 

Oh. Awesome. 

I mean, tights suck as it is but then add control top and then add an extra foot of control top and you could easily drag those puppies up to your chin. 

The more I think about it, I probably could use all that suction to catch these floppy mom boobs I drag around these days. I look flat chested as it is so it'd be perfect. 

Picture the packaging. 

"Burn your bras ladies! Buy these new high waisted control abdomen tights. You can easily tuck in your poor saggy mom boobies and stop scraping your nipples on the ground!"

I should totally be in marketing and advertising. 

Here's to hoping I don't bust out of these puppies after I eat a crumb for lunch and hoping you have a wicked awesome week! 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Until January 2nd and then I am totally done with you!

Holy moly it hasn't stopped snowing here since last week some time. It sure is pretty and a whole bunch of inconvenient. I have a trip to NYC this week and am not too confident I'll make it. Fingers crossed!

I worked a bit on my lengthy Christmas list this weekend. What is with spending a fortune and not really getting much of anything at all to show for it? And nothing special at all, that's for sure.

I really wanted to buy from small shops this year or make some things myself but I kept getting requests for tupperware and hand mixers. I don't think you can find those on Etsy and I don't have the slightest clue as to how to make plastic.

I also realized that buying for Kingy is damn near impossible. You'd think it would be the easiest and to a certain extent it is, but when you know he's going to be spoiled rotten by every single person you know, it kinda makes things difficult. Don't get me wrong, I love that he is so loved and I realize that some kids don't get much of anything. I'm just nervous to see how much he actually gets. And I kind of would like to buy him something cool too, ya know?

In other news, I made chicken pot pie last night and it was awesome. Go figure, PB is sick as a dog and suffering from an ear infection because, well he's my son's father, so he couldn't taste the awesome-ness. Sucks to be him.

I think I've shared the recipe before but just in case, here you go. It's beyond easy. The King ate a TON of it because he thought it was pie, pie. HA! Score one for the good guys!

Here's some weekend snaps.

Talking to Santa

Daily Happy

I know you probably don't need a happy reminder today because it's Friday, but here's one anyway.

"So we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness, since, if it be present, we have everything, and, if it be absent, all our actions are directed toward attaining it" - Epicurius

Santa Baby

Dearest Santa,

I have been gooder than any ever this year and think I have earned the following gifts.

1. Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Because I bake a lot. Duh.

2. Bread maker - yes, another gadget.

3. Sewing machine. This will go nicely with my sewing lessons from PB's Nana this winter.

4. Treadmill. Shoot, I'll even take a used one. 

5. Any of the boots on Pioneer Woman's giveaway. 

6. Massage, manicure and pedicure. Maybe two of each if you're feeling generous.

7. I love these.

8. And these or maybe just something similar like this. But really, I'll take anything and everything from Pottery Barn.

9. I'll take a gift card to Gap and J.Crew. One each please. Don't be stingy.

10. And a fancy new camera and some classes to go along with it. 

Love always,

mama

For fun

Everyone pick up their Mega Million ticket for that enormous jackpot?

No? Me either.

PB says you gotta be in it to win it but I'm 99.9% sure that winning the lottery would be a curse. And it's damn near impossible, duh.

But, that doesn't stop me from dreaming of what I'd do if I actually won!

1. If I really like you, I'm paying off your student loans and buying you a car. What, what?
2. I'd buy a massive amount of land and build my farm.
3. I'd start a bunch of businesses and a non-profit
4. Pay for my kids, friends' kids and future neices/nephews college education.
5. Travel.
6. Chill.
7. Probably change my identity and number so that people would stop calling and harassing me for money.

What would you do if you won?

Are you ready for babies?

I found this on the Huff today and had to share, it couldn't be more true. Or hilarious. Life is just hilarious.

Are you ready to have babies?

Here's an excerpt of the test:

Test 3: Nights
To discover how the nights will feel:
Walk around the living room from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 4 to 6 kilograms, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
At 10 p.m., put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight and go to sleep.
Get up at 11 p.m. and walk the bag around the living room until 1 a.m.
Set the alarm for 3 a.m.
As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2 a.m. and make a cup of tea.
Go to bed at 2:45 a.m.
Get up again at 3 a.m. when the alarm goes off.
Sing songs in the dark until 4 a.m.
Put the alarm on for 5 a.m. Get up when it goes off.
Make breakfast.
Keep this up for five years. LOOK CHEERFUL.

Yep. Sounds about right.

Shoes and Food

Nothing like rushing out the door only to find you have one shoe instead of two because, SURPRISE, your dogs are evil, can find anything you stash away and enjoy dragging your stuff outside in the snow to polish it up for you.

I mean, if you're going to steal my stuff, you might as well ruin it. It's more annoying to find something dirty and wet with the off chance that it might just be salvageable than to find it completely demolished. Just be quick with it, eat it, don't mess with my head. Jerks.

In other news, I made shredded chicken tacos last night. I thought they were good enough to share but I'd probably change a few things next time or maybe just go with Pioneer Woman on this one. She's always so dependable.

Shredded Chicken Tacos - I made these and used some chili powder and only two cups of broth. Sort of mixed this recipe with PW's below.

Pioneer Woman - Chicken tacos

Also, Pioneer Woman is giving away all sorts of awesome stuff if you're into that kind of thing. And you should be, because it's free and takes very little effort.

Happy almost Friday!

I dare you

Try not to giggle at this. I want this nanny.

Huff Post - 2 year old and a camera

Catchy

I can't explain why i like this song. It's too catchy

Duck. Duck. Chicken!

Before I share my roasted chicken recipe, I just want to ask if anyone has recently watched the Grinch movie and do you also find it to be completely creepy and maybe a bit terrifying?

I love ABC family for showing these movies every year but I think this is one I could live without.

On to the chicken!

I looked up about 8 million recipes before I settled on just winging it. None of them were terribly difficult but for whatever reason, I was always missing one ingredient.

So here goes nothing and don't be alarmed by the length of the instructions. I'm no professional and am again, winging it. It's totally easy. Promise.

You'll need:
1 whole chicken - 3ish pounds
2 cups chicken broth
Salt & pepper
Bucks or other poultry type seasoning
Rosemary
Thyme
1 lemon
2 tbsp minced garlic
Tbsp butter

1. Buy a whole chicken.
2. Get it home.
3. Pull out all of those gross innards and then rinse well with water.
4. Pat it down with paper towel to soak up as much water as possible. I read you don't want to start with a soggy chicken.
5. Season liberally with salt and pepper. I never season things enough so I went to town on this puppy. Make sure you season the inside too. I also used Bucks seasoning but if you're not from Upstate NY, you have no idea what that is and you're pretty much missing out on the best spice of life. I'd suggest adding some poultry seasoning or something if you have it.
6. I let my chicken sit out for about an hour, all seasoned up.
7. Preheat your oven to 375
8. Season again with rosemary, thyme and minced garlic - inside and out. Use as much as you like. I probably used about a teaspoon of each of the spices and 2ish tablespoons of garlic.
9. Place the chicken in a dutch oven or roasting pan with a lid and pour in about two cups of chicken broth. I didn't have a rack or anything to set it on and it was just fine.
10. Throw a few pieces of butter on top of the chicken - I tried to smush it in, didn't work out. You could also do this before you season but I didn't think that far ahead because I was winging it. You probably didn't either if you're just reading this for the first time. I didn't use a lot of butter so I'm leaving this step here.
11. Cut one lemon in half. Use one half to squirt juice on chicken. Cut the second half into pieces and place inside bird and in broth.
12. Cover and cook for about 2 hours. You'll want to check the temperature, I don't know how PB determined it was done because I was hunting out back (that still is hilarious to me).

The chicken literally fell off the bone and we ate the entire thing. The King even ate a bit which is saying something for a kid who only eats venison. I'm not usually a skin gal but it was crispy and awesome and if you can sneak some broth out of the pan, I definitely suggest scooping some onto your plate. We had roasted potatoes and squash to go along and it was perfect.

Good luck!

Tuesday Booze-day

Just kidding.

Ain't no booze round here.

I am having a rock star morning though. I'm going to guess it's because I actually slept from 9:30-4:30 without getting out of bed once. That's pretty much unheard of. I think The King slept all night too because he woke up feeling like a million bucks.

Hallelujah for small miracles.

Here's some random thoughts this morning.

1. The local news played Obama's speech at Nelson Mandela's funeral thing this morning and I thought for sure I heard boos. Then I heard an Abe Lincoln reference and I thought typical American, bring up Americans. Don't get me wrong, I have no idea in what context the reference was made because I didn't listen to the speech but I just couldn't help thinking that he was the worst choice because I'd have to bet 95% on the planet hates him.

2. I played Christmas music on Pandora for Kingy this morning and no more than five minutes later I had an email from Slacker advertising kids Christmas music. What the shit is that all about? Talk about stalking. I know it happens all the time with google searches but I just don't understand why that's ok.

3. I can't wait for spring and summer. PB is building me a green house this year. Yesssssssssssss.

4. I've been scheming some small businesses to start up like every day. I want to make some cashola on the side but not take anymore time away from my family. I'm thinking late night kind of business. Anyway, I'm doing this because PB and I agreed that our five year plan is to sell our house and build a new one with a farm. Like real farm with pigs and turkey and chickens and stuff. I get giddy just thinking about it. Two things have to happen though, I need to pay off some of this crushing student loan debt and I need a tractor and a barn.

5. I've been jamming all morning. I think I may ask for guitar lessons for Christmas. That's totally insane, I realize. But my thinking is that once you graduate from school you just sorta stop learning, like real book learning. I think my brain could use a challenge.

You wouldn't believe it

Well let me tell you what. We had such a good little weekend that my Monday couldn't possibly stink.

Friday night my parents came over for dinner and we had some awesome mexican food which is pretty hard to come by way up here. The King was a wild animal putting on a show but it was fun per usual.

Earlier in the week I made the executive decision to bring back Christmas cookies to our family so I spent the rest of Friday night baking. Literally, until midnight. I ended up making sea salt chocolate chip, peanut butter, brownies, raspberry bars, peanut butter with chocolate and peanut butter chips, sugar cookies and chocolate peanut butter ball things. It was totally exhausting and totally awesome all at the same time. I give myself a C+ for originality and an A+ for taste. (see below). I'll share the recipes soon.

Saturday was spent doing some good deeds and giving back to the community. All kinds of warm fuzzies up in here. We didn't do anything over the top or expensive, just a few small gestures that I think went a long way. My sisters willingly forfeited their Christmas gifts this year to help out which was awesome too. I don't tell you this because I want you to think we're nice people, I only tell you in hopes that you might consider doing the same. You'd be surprised how excited people are to get a few cookies and a Christmas card.

We have CM to thank for organizing all of us ladies. She did a really great job and was so thoughtful.

Sunday morning The King actually slept in to 7:19am which means I did too. I could hardly believe it when I woke up. I finally got my floors mopped, PB got the dogs organized and washed all the crap they drug into the kennel (see below). I put Kingy down for a nap, popped a chicken in the oven to roast (oh my goodness friggen good) and then I bundled up to sit night watch.

You read that correctly. I went hunting.

And let's be clear here. Yes, I had a gun and I actually had ammunition but the odds of me seeing something or getting the balls to actually shoot it were pretty slim. I'm pretty sure PB let me go just to humor me because I sat through that mother effing class for 12 hours but he was also pretty darn encouraging and supportive and I think he hoped I would actually shoot something.

But anyway, let's talk about hunting. 

It's a whole bunch of freezing, exciting, boring, back aching, terrifying, adrenaline pumping and satisfying all at the same time. 

To start, I'm terrified of heights so me getting the balls to climb into that tree stand was pretty enormous. You better believe that I said a prayer asking that if I saw something worth shooting I'd actually hit it but that I also wouldn't then fall out of the tree. There were several times I thought to myself, "why the shit did he put this thing so high up?" and "I wonder if I could die from falling out of here. No I couldn't, right? But if I fall, I should probably try to grab onto something or maybe hook my feet in right here if I shoot..."

No joke.

I saw two deer, what I assume was a mama and a baby (big baby). They were pretty far away and let's be honest, I wouldn't try shooting them anyway. I saw a rabbit some squirrels and heard a whole lot of mother effing screaming. Yeah, terrifying Blair Witch project screaming. You wanna know the culprit? Turkey. You want to know who is a chicken shit and freaked the eff out immediately? This gal. 

There were a few times I thought I heard something behind me but I couldn't turn around, nor did I want to because I didn't want to fall out of the stand and you're supposed to sit still. Which I also suck at. But when you hear something your heart gets pumping so hard in your chest and you start playing out what you'll do if whatever that thing is comes round so you can actually see it. It was totally fun and such an adrenaline rush. Also, your mind totally plays tricks on you.

I actually stayed out until dark and practically ran back to the house when PB said I could leave because lets be honest, the only thing more terrifying than falling out of a tree, the blair witch or screaming turkey is a dark woods and the sound of coyotes howling.

I made my way back to the house to a very confused Kingy waiting for me in the window. He couldn't understand why the hell I was hunting and daddy was pulling a roasted chicken out of the oven. It was great.

I asked him this morning "Did mommy go hunting last night?" and he nodded his head yes and smiled.

And then I realized that's why I did it, to make my boys proud.

I know for sure that I will be chopped liver when Kingy is old enough to hunt but it's really nice to know that PB is willing to let me in on the action once in a while. You know, so I can sometimes, occasionally, hang with the boys.

Here's the weekend in pictures. I hope yours was as wicked awesome as mine!!

Burning the midnight oil.

I found all of this in the kennel. Guess they were mad at us.

And this is a snip-it of our conversation whilst mama was in the stand...

I sure do love these two.

xxoo
ma

Mmmmmm GMOs

So this is awesome

7 Most Common Genetically Modified Foods

1. Corn
2. Soy
3. Yellow crookneck squash and zucchini
4. Alfalfa
5. Canola
6. Sugar beets
7. MILK

Click the link above to learn more and freak the eff out about you feed yourself and babies.

Awesome.

Now listening: George Strait

Love George.

A series of unfortunate events

Well, I fell asleep in bed with The King last night. And not in our bed, no no. I crammed into his tiny little converted toddler bed with him because who can resist their baby patting a pillow and sweetly saying "mommy?"

That's right, no one.

Sadly, this is not the first time. 

I woke up around 11 with a kinked neck which compared to what I found in my bed this morning is not so bad. 

Puke. Buck puked in my bed. 

Or as Kingy put it "E pooked!'

If you're keeping tabs, that's Buck - 2 and Ma - 0

And I know what you're thinking, just put him in the damn kennel and stop letting him sleep with you. 

Well here's the thing, I just can't. 

First, he cuddles with me all night. I don't get to cuddle with humans anymore because one of my favorites opts for the couch each night. I need affection and if it comes in the form of snuggling up to my dog well, then I'm sorry, I'm not sorry. 

Second, he cuddles with Kingy too when he comes into my bed in the morning. Have you ever seen a puppy and toddler spooning? The cuteness is just ridiculous. And their buddies. How could I deny The King his buddy Baboo?

Third, he's warm. I'm always cold. That's just a no brainer. 

So yeah, Buck puked in my bed. My logic, at least he had the decency to do it at the end of the bed where I can't reach and not on the pillow next to my face where he's usually snuggled up resting his adorable little puppy mug. 

Even stranger than all of this, none of it shocks me anymore. Its like, par for the course or something.

Happy hump day pals.

xxoo
Ma

Literally LOL

I can hardly breathe right now. You MUST watch this.

Huffington Post - Everything parents really want to say to people with no kids

Let's play a game

True or False

I eat the leftovers on Kingy's plate for breakfast

Truth.

And don't even pretend like you don't do it too.

This motherhood gig is funny sometimes. I can't tell you how many times I've caught myself doing things that I would have never, ever imagined I would do.

I've never had a laundry lists of things I said I'd "never do when I became a parent" but I do have a list of things that I really want to be sure that I do. I don't really know how I'll parent until I'm put in a situation that requires me to make a decision. I like to think I have enough logic to do right but hey, we all make mistakes.

But that's for another day.

Instead, I thought I'd share a list of my "what the hell just happened" moments.

1. See above. I eat leftovers. I even sometimes accidently eat ABC food. You know, already been chewed. Bleck.

2. I wipe boogers with my hand. This one really, really boggles the mind. And it gets better. If I have to, I go ahead and wipe said boogs on my clothes and move on. This may be why I never get dressed in adult clothes.

3. I can change a gross poopy diaper and not even bat an eyelash. Or you know, gag. Let's include puke there too. No biggy.

4. Farts are funny again. I've even had my head farted on. No joke.

5. I do some seriously silly stuff. Think; dance like a maniac (sober), sing songs (terrible, terrible singer but again, sober), put buckets and random objects on my head in public just to make The King laugh (sober). Who could have guessed that I'd start acting like a drunk person on purpose?

6. I'm including PB on this one and I can hardly believe we do this BUT we announce when we have to go to the bathroom. And I'm talking both functions. We have to make Kingy comfortable with the potty somehow right?

"Hey Ryan, mommy has to go poopy. Yeah! I have to poopy! Where's the potty?"

...

I totally wish I was kidding.

PB and I even pretend to get excited for each other.

I could probably think of a few more but I'm going to stop at six because I like even numbers and because well, what's more ridiculous than announcing to your kid that you have to take a number two while your significant other cheers you on?

Yay for motherhood and poops!

Happy Tuesday friends!

xxoo
ma

Back at it

Oh Monday after vacation. You are just plain rotten.

I was up pretty much all night with the dogs and The King last night which is some sort of cruel joke because Kingy ran me into the ground all day. Fortunately, I could stick the dogs in the kennel. Unfortunately, I can't do that with Kingy.

I really should try and figure out some sort of cage for him outside though...

Kidding.

Sort of.

And because we like to carry our momentum into the morning. We were 30 minutes late. Buck jumped on me and put a hole in the tights I'm wearing which I didn't see until I arrived at work. I only brought one shoe so I'm wearing the brown heels that were stashed under my desk. Great that I have shoes. Not so great that I'm wearing black tights and a black and white striped dress. I found banana all over my sweater aaaaand I left my coffee in the car.

I really know how to kick off a work week, eh?

Anyway! I hope everyone had a wicked awesome Thanksgiving!

Ours went rather smoothly, probably much like yours. I ate way, way too much food but it was totally worth the two pounds. I highly recommend that banana cream pie and those brussel sprouts. Like, whoa. They were freakin good. I officially have to make them for every holiday. That and 500 pies.

The King had a blast up north spending time with his enormous family and our friends. PB got a deer. Yay for meat in the freezer! And we spent the rest of our weekend decking the halls and hanging out, which is code for me trying every trick in the book to keep Kingy entertained. It's harder than you think.

Aside from discovering I gained two pounds from eating so much cheese, I also realized this weekend that there is one thing about motherhood that I truly, truly hate. And I mean hate with a passion. I know that sounds really bad because motherhood is always rainbows and butterflies (puhleaze) but hear me out on this one.

It's not staying up all night, cleaning shitty diapers and gross green boogers or any other hard mom stuff you face on the regular.

Nope.

It's playing outside in the snow.

I cannot even express how much I hate playing in the mother freaking snow!!!! I would stay up every night for two months and clean poopy diapers until he's five if I could just avoid having to bundle us both up for ten minutes just for us to go outside and freeze my ass off for a measly 20 minutes.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

Now that I got that off my chest, here's the mayhem in pictures. No captions necessary. Facial expressions say it all.

Watching PB hang the deer

Daily happy

Daily happy for all of the obvious reasons. It's November and family time and all that good jazz.

"In the tumult of daily life, it can be hard to appreciate the ordinary day, to realize how precious it is, and how fleeing."

I was just talking to a good friend about this last night. The days seem to be flying by faster than ever now that we're mommies. 

But the thing of it is, I'm not sad about getting older or wrinklier. I'm sad because I know our days with The King are limited. He won't be "ours" forever. So we've got to try and soak up the every day and remember to count our blessings.

Being a parent is seriously such a freakin rollercoaster!

Dear Ole Dad

It's no mystery that having a baby really changes your life, mostly your relationship with your significant other. Or in my case, my baby daddy.

Honestly, there are a lot of times that we don't see eye to eye when it comes to parenting. It's not necessarily that one of us is wrong or right, (for the record, I'm usually right) it's just that we do things differently. And it took me a long time to be "ok" with it.

I am, by nature, a bossy, demanding, control freak. I just can't help it. Even now, 18 months later, I sometimes want to whack PB upside the head and tell him to follow suit! But then I remind myself that doing it differently, is exactly what The King needs to learn to be flexible.

Because Lord knows his mother ain't!

So here's five things I think PB does better than me.

Sometimes.

Because let's be real.

1. He teaches The King things I would never even think of like jumping or building things. There's seriously so much stuff that's not on my radar. He also was the first person to start teaching him colors and shapes and such. I didn't even realize that he was ready to learn that stuff at the time.

2. He's way, way more laid back than me. I live and die by schedules and routine and eating healthy, for the most part. To a certain extent Kingy needs those things but I now realize he won't crash and burn if we stay up just a smidge later or gasp, have a damn cookie.

3. He's strict when it's necessary and totally not when it's not important. I am strict. Period.

4. He teaches Kingy all the man stuff. I just don't know man stuff.

5. He lets Kingy fail and fall down and teaches him to be tough. Plus he gives him more independence to figure that stuff out, sometimes too much (sorry, had to) but mostly, just the right amount. I don't think I'm a crazy helicopter mom but I do spend a lot of time interacting with Kingy, making sure he doesn't do something dangerous or crazy. I worry. He's my baby. And that's not a sexist, boys should be tough kind of thing. It's just that I kiss boo-boos and make a production and PB says, "you're ok bud" and redirects him. Not everything needs to be a devastating, dramatic scrape. I get that.

All of that to say, if you're a new mom or struggling with that stuff, maybe take a step back and take another look at how you both do things. It took me a year to come to terms with the fact that we're just never going to parent the exact same way. Being consistent on a lot of things is important but accepting the differences and embracing them, will make for a seriously awesome environment to grow up in.

T-giving

Because everyone at work this week will be definitely dreaming about having the rest of the week off, I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

I've decided on this recipe for my share of T-giving dinnah. In addition to the pie recipes I shared last week. I need to find a good squash or sweet potato recipe too. I think I have a good dinner roll recipe but I'll share it when I find it again.

Bourbon Bacon Brussel Sprout Skewers - yes, you read that correctly.
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup bourbon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound slab bacon, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 1 pound small Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved if needed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 15 to 20 (8-inch) bamboo skewers

Preparation

Heat a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the butter and allow it to cook until the butter begins to brown and starts to smells nutty, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the brown sugar and cayenne and cook another 2 minutes stirring regularly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the bourbon. Be careful as it will splatter. Place the pan back on the heat and ignite if desired. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until a smooth caramel has formed, another 3 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the bacon on a small baking sheet and bake in the oven for 8 minutes, just to begin to render the fat. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the sprouts and simmer for

3 to 4 minutes or until just barely tender and still bright green. Spread on a sheet tray to cool slightly. Toss with the olive oil and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.

Preheat the grill pan over medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Begin to assemble the skewers starting with a Brussels Sprout, then a piece of bacon, another sprout, another piece of bacon and finishing with a sprout. Continue until all of the skewers are assembled.  Brush the glaze lightly over the skewers. Place them on the prepared grill pan and grill, brushing them with glaze with every turn, until the bacon is beginning to crisp and the Brussels sprouts are starting to char, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove and serve warm drizzled with any remaining glaze.

Tips

Cooks Note: It may sound crazy, but the glaze for these Brussels sprouts also works well over chocolate ice cream with toasted pecans.

Serving Size

Makes 15 to 20 skewers

Amen for short weeks

Just another manic Monday round here. Except it's not so bad because it's a three day week. I probably should have taken the entire week off though. I haven't had a vacation since, I don't even know when.

Not much going on round the home front. I suppose no news is good news, right? The weekend was jam packed, per usual. I was asleep by 8 all weekend. I didn't realize I was so tired.

Also, the snow is flying and it was a brisk 16 degrees this morning.

Brutal.

The older I get, the harder it is to deal with winter. I also totally forget every year that it gets dark at 4:30. What a drag. I think I need a winter hobby to make things a little more enjoyable. I'm good in November and December but January absolutely kills me.

And I'm already dreaming about my gardens which is not a good sign.

I don't really have much to share other than I saw another Miley Cyrus performance and was totally confused again. By everything.

Someone needs to help her. Dolly? Where you at?

TGIF

To give you a sense of how my morning is going...

I've cleaned up dog shit, dog piss, chicken shit off of The King, myself and my car.

That oughta sum things up quite nicely.

We have a solid weekend of running around ahead of us so I'm really stoked about life at the moment.

I hope everyone has a wicked awesome weekend.

Yo

It be Wednesday, folks.

Hallelujah!

Wednesday is my second favorite day of the work week. By far.

Has anyone started planning for Thanksgiving yet?

I realized this morning that it's next week so I sent out a few text messages and was unanimously tasked with bringing dessert everywhere we go. I am totally ok with it because I know I won't embarrass myself. Fingers crossed.

I'm thinking a few apple pies, chocolate pie, banana cream and some Oreo truffle balls thrown in for good measure. They are ridiculously delicious.

I already have recipes for all of them but my banana cream pie is kind of easy and sort of a joke. I might give this one a go. (can anyone hear PB screaming and crying foul? He's not one for change)

Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:

Servings:
1 (9 inch) pie crusts, baked - I'm going with graham cracker crust.
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 bananas
Directions:

1 Have baked 9-inch pie shell ready. - Or graham cracker
2 In a large saucepan, scald the milk.
3 In another saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in the scalded milk.
4 Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook until thickened.
5 Cover and, stirring occasionally, cook for two minutes longer.
6 In a small bowl, have the 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten, ready; stir a small amount of the hot mixture into beaten yolks; when thoroughly combined, stir yolks into hot mixture.
7 Cook for one minute longer, stirring constantly.
8 Remove from heat and blend in the butter and vanilla.
9 Let sit until lukewarm.
10 When ready to pour, slice bananas and scatter in pie shell; pour warm mixture over bananas. - I layer my pie alternating banana and filling 
11 If desired, make a meringue (you'll have 3 leftover egg whites) to top the pie, or just let the pie cool until serving.


If anyone has a good recipe for brussell sprouts, sweet potatoes or dinner rolls, holla atcha girl! I have to bring those to my ma's. There will only be four and a half of us (counting Kingy) so I don't need anything crazy. I am going to take a gander at my Pioneer Woman holiday cookbook tonight and will report back if I find anything good.