Come Play With Us

Pumpkin Carving

The girls and I had a little pumpkin carving party.  We put the movie Corpse Bride on, and pulled up Pinterest on the computer to look for carving inspiration.  Once we had our ideas set, it was time to start getting the pumpkin "guts" out.

Last year, Big Sis was really squeamish about touching the inside of the pumpkin, but this year she dug right in, and Little Dude followed her lead.

Big Sis decided that she wanted her pumpkin to be "spooky" and Little Dude said she wanted a "pooky pumkin". 

I was pretty happy with the way they turned out, and the girls loved them!

MTM- Mama's too tired

I learned something about myself today.  

I learned that I should NOT take two benadryl at once.  I have been dealing with this viral rash (non-contagious- and please don't think I am groty because I have a rash) for over a month.  It is supposed to last 6-8 weeks and I am going on week 6.  But I am sooooo itchy, so I have been taking a benadryl here and there to deal with it, as the doctor said there isn't really treatment for it, and it will just go away on its own.  So this morning I took two benadryl, and then for the rest of the day I was a lousy piece of crap and could barely keep my eyes open.  It made me SO tired.  I finally started feeling better about 4pm.  

Andy and I both had today off, so by the time I started feeling better, he was going to bed so he could go to work tonight.  Ugh.  I feel bad because I kind of ruined our day off.  But I guess now I know I shouldn't do that again.  

I didn't make a MTM today, but last Friday the girls and I did a muffin tin meal on Friday. Both the girls love helping with cooking and they often request to help.  This MTM was put together entirely by my girls, they chose what they wanted to put in.  This was pretty fun.

There was a lot of eating as they go...

They chose Peas, Cheetos, Bananas, and Plain yogurt with honey and sprinkles. 

Even the peas got some sprinkles!

The ate really well.  They were so proud of themselves.  Whenever we have MTMs, Big Sis always wants me to tell me about their supper, so this time, she got to tell ME about their supper.  It was pretty cute.

We had a really nice weekend.  We attended a baby shower for the girls' new baby cousin who we expect to meet late August, when she arrives.  Then we spent the evening visiting with family that we don't get to see much.  Sunday we dropped off Big Sis's old crib for baby Loretta, and crossed a bunch of things off our to-do list.  

So fast forward to tonight, since I was not doing our MTM tonight, I made a little special treat for the girls--Bananas on a stick dipped in nutella, and then frozen.  

As you can see, Dudie was pretty excited.  I had one too and it was pretty tasty.  

I am linking up with Muffin Tin Mom.  Head over to her site an check out some really creative mamas!

MTM-Green

I was 3/4 of the way through my workday today and realized that it was Monday.  Muffin Tin Monday.  Oh crap!  I hadn't even thought about it--luckily I had preplanned my themes and am halfway through colors of the rainbow.  Except this week was green and didn't think I could scrape together 6 different green foods at home.  So I had to make a mad dash to the store at 2pm.  

1.  Guacamole with whole grain tortilla strips

2.  Dill Pickles

3.  Cucumbers and Ranch for dipping

4.  Cold Peas (just how we like 'em)

5.  Split Pea Soup (Amy's Organic)

6.  Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Big Sis said "Dis ice cream tastes like gum, Mama!"

 I gave Little Dude ice cream as well, and she didn't seem like she had a reaction.  I believe she is definitely growing out of her allergy!!  I am not to the point where I am ready to let her start chugging milk or anything, but am happy it is not a lifelong issue.  

After dinner, the girls had a bath and I got them in their jammies.  Then we went for a walk, and they really got a kick out of going in the stroller in their jammies.  

It ended up being a really nice evening with my girls.  

Andy is back to his normal shift for work, so it is just me and my girls in the evenings...they used to be stressful, but I think now that Little Dude is bigger, we are going to have a lot of fun!

I am linking up with Muffin Tin Mom.  Click over to her site to and see a bunch more cute MTM's!

MTM-Shiver Me Timbers

It is Muffin Tin Monday at our house again!

C has been quite infatuated with pirates lately...I think it all started when she watched Hook a couple months ago.  She calls herself "Captain C" and tells us to "walk da plank, Daddy!" , "Arrrr! Shiver me timbers!"  and the classic "Yo ho ho!"

So in honor of our recent love of all things pirate, we did a pirate theme MTM tonight.  I also had a little surprise for the girls for after dinner....

1.  Plank (buttered toast)

2.  Treasure (fruit cocktail)

3.  Pirate Hook (fruit by the foot and marshmallow)

4.  Pirate Ship (tomato ship with mozzarella sail and shredded cheddar under)

5.  X marks the spot (fish sticks and tartar sauce)

6.  Whales (cheddar crackers)

E ate just about every little thing on her plate.  There was just a little shredded cheese left and some tartar sauce.  Good girl!

And this one ate 10 fish sticks plus most of the rest in her tin!  Very successful dinner tonight.  

Don't forget to check out what other moms are doing over at Muffin Tin Mom's site.

Then it was time for the after dinner surprise...so I got out the Pirate's Map, so we could search for the hidden treasure chest!

Here the girls are racing around the house with the map trying to find the treasure.  I finally got them on the right track and we headed downstairs.

As soon as I turned the light on, C immediately spotted the treasure chest and was frantically trying to open it.

I am so glad I did this pirate themed night.  Sometimes I feel bad because I mostly gear this kind of stuff more towards C's interests and not E's, but E absolutely had just as much fun (if not more) than C did with everything tonight.  And I guess that is the biggest success of tonight.  It was so much fun for me to see them running around with that little map and opening up their treasure together.  

 

Menu Plan

I have been doing menu planning each week for a couple months.  I have found that it REALLY helps me keep under my grocery budget of $100/week.  Usually after coupons, I am coming in around $80/week.  The other big benefit is that I don't have to spend the last half hour of my work day being distracted by frantic thoughts of what I should make for dinner that night.  

Here is my Menu Plan for the upcoming week.  

Saturday

B: Bagel Thins and fruit

L:  Lunch at Andy's parents' house.

D:  Order Pizza

Sunday

B:  Waffles and sausage

L:  Grilled ham and cheese, veggie

D:  Chicken stir fry with brown rice

Monday

B:  Pancakes from freezer, bananas

L:  Fish sticks, hash brown, fruit

D: Muffin Tin Monday-Valentine Theme

Tuesday

B:  Cheesy eggs and toast

L:  Chicken nuggets and french fries

D:  Venison chops, baked potato, salad

Wednesday

B:  Oatmeal, fruit

L:  Frozen Pizza, veggie

D:  Ravioli, salad, garlic bread

Thursday

B:  Jelly toast

L:  Cheese quesadilla, fruit

D:  Chicken primavera over fettucini, croissants

Friday

B:  Poptarts

L:  Breadsticks and sauce, veggie

D:  Takeout or "kitchen roundup"

I typically do my menu plan and grocery shopping on Friday nights, and then fill in during the week if we need extra produce or milk.  

This week I did not do a weekly trip, because I am trying to get through some of our cupboard and freezer items.  

My hubs got laid off this week, today was his last day for a couple months.  I know that he appreciates the time and effort I put into planning the weekly menus, since now he will be home with the girls, and also when he does work his normal midnight shift, he is in charge of a lot of the cooking.  He doesn't mind the cooking part, but he definitely doesn't enjoy trying to find things to make for meals.  

2010 in Pictures

January:  Our sweet baby E joined our family on January 17, 2010.  She was born 9 days overdue, the day after her Daddy's birthday.  She was a big girl, 9lb 5oz, 21.5 inches.  She was a very calm, observant, and physically strong little thing.

February:  C took on the role as big sis very easily and loves her little sis feircely.  C loves giving E kisses and love, and E can't take her eyes off of her big sissy.

March:  E is very strong and has been sitting propped up for a month already.  She is already showing us her personality, which is independant and curious.  Our family has all been home together since E was born because Daddy had the opportunity to take a voluntary lay off from work.  It has been so nice to bond as a family of 4.

 

April:  I lost my dear, sweet Gram in April.  She was the strongest, kindest, sweetest woman I have ever known. 

May:  Grandma and Grandpa G love to come down and visit us, and we love to have them.  The girls really enjoy their time with them. 

June:  Before we had E, I had so many fears of how being a parent of 2 would be and how would I have enough love, energy and patience to go around.  To me, there is nothing better than watching my two girls together and seeing how much the love each other.

July:  C turns 2 this month, and E is 6 months old! 

August:  We took an ill-fated (literally) vacation to my family's lake cabin.  The only person that didn't get a 4 day stomach flu was me. 

September:  We spent some time in my hometown, visiting and playing with friends.  We did several family outings in September, and had lovely fall weather.

October:  Halloween was the highlight of October. We went trick or treating around our neighborhood and had a blast!  Also, E started walking in October, at 9 months.  

November:  The girls spend a lot of time with their Daddy and we all love him so much.  I couldn't have asked for a better partner for me and father for my girls. 

December:  December was filled with Holiday festivities.  We enjoyed all of it, the girls really got into the beauty of the season, opening gifts, spending time with friends and family, and that was so fun to see.

 I realize that all but one of these pictures are of my girls, but hey, that is what my year consisted of!! 

 

 

Worries

Today the hubs called me at work to let me know that he had given the girls some cottage cheese at lunch, and had just given E a bunch on her placemat.  So she kind of got it all over the place when eating it.  He said that everywhere the cottage cheese touched her skin, she got hives.  She has had cottage cheese a few times before with no noticeable reaction (spoon fed).  

A couple weeks ago while the girls were having lunch, E got a hold of C's glass of milk and spilled it all over herself.  The same thing happened where every place the milk touched she got hives.  These hives last about an hour and then go away.  

I put a call in to our pediatrician to see if we should get her tested for a milk allergy.  

I have heard a lot of kids have the allergies to milk, and grow out of it by the time they get a bit older. Hopefully that is the case if she does have the allergy.  

 

 

A Jelly Kind of Day

As I sit here listening to my dog downstairs yipping away in his sleep, (and wondering if I accidentally gave my cat brain damage when I swung the front door shut with my hip and he happened to be peeking out the door a the time) I really should just be heading to bed. 

Tomorrow is the Wisconsin "gun opener" as the fellas call it.  The hubs left this morning so he could get up north in time to put his deer stand up and give his neck a little time to swell for the rut....

The girls spent the day at Nana and Bop's today.  They really don't get to spend much time with either set of grandparents, so this was nice for them to get to spend the day.  Most of the day they were just with Nana, because Bop was heading up north as well.  

Andy's dad is pretty much well know for his sweet tooth, so I can always count on the C having had some treats while over there.  I get a little kick out of asking C what she ate when she was over there, each time she comes home from a visit with them.  So this evening when we were eating dinner, I asked her what she ate at N&B's today.  

"Jelly Donuts"

 I asked how many did she have.

"Two"

What else did you eat?

"Jelly Sandwich"

And what did you eat for lunch

"French Toast with Jelly" (I am pretty sure she had chicken noodle soup, actually.)

Hmmmmm.  A lot of Jelly, huh?

"Yeah, Mommy.  I like Jelly."

 

 

 

Girls

My dear husband thinks it is necessary for C to have short hair.  He quite seem to manage a ponytail on the poor girl.  He says his fingers just don't work that way.  A couple months ago I took her over and spent twenty some dollars on a haircut.  

I can't really justify that for a little girl's haircut that lasts about 5 minutes.  And considering I typically cut my own hair and Andy's, it seems silly to me to bring a two year old to the salon.  

So last night I gave it a try.  And if you don't look too close, it doesn't look too bad.  

She has really fine hair, and I actually think this makes it look much fuller.  The sides are a little uneven, but I did my best with the little wiggler.  

Please note the ratty old throw pillow this girl is so attached to.  This is her "soffie pillow".  This was the first pillow we gave her in her bed.  I recently got her a really cute Disney princess fleece pillow and put it in her bed.  Now she sleeps all crammed in the corner of her bed with her soffie pillow, completely ignoring the new pillow.  I suppose that is how it goes though, huh?  

And here is Miss E, who has taken to pretty much using whatever she can find as a pacifier, because we quit giving it to her during the day.  So I guess Strawberry Shortcake works in a pinch.  Poor little girl looks SO tired in this picture.  

I will keep trying to catch a video of E walking.  She is taking 3-5 steps at a time now, and I would love to be able to share some of those first wobbly steps.  I love how determined they are when learning to walk.  

Adventures

Last weekend my parents came down for a visit.  I had asked my Mom if she could accompany the girls and I to the Mall of America for a visit to the Build a Bear Workshop and Underwater Adventures.  So they came down on Thursday night and watched the girls so the Hubs could continue working on the bed he is building for us. 

Saturday morning, we got all loaded up and off to the MOA!  On the way there I found out that this was my Mom's first trip to the Mall of America.

We got to the Mall and got to stop and visit for a few minutes with a friend of mine who was in town from Chicago for a wedding.  

On to the Build a Bear Workshop!

C was feeling a bit nervous and didn't quite understand the process at first.  Usually when we do something like this I explain to her what is going to happen before we go inside, but since I haven't done this before, I didn't do much explaining.  It seems like when I am able to prep her a bit she does better in new situations.  

I have to say, the gal that helped us stuff our bears was great.  She really made C feel comfortable.  C picked out *two* hearts to go in her bear, and one for E's bunny.  
She is rubbing the bear's heart on her head to make the sure the bear is smart.

We have one bear done and are stuffing away on bunny.  C is concentrating very hard on pressing the foot pedal.  
C gives her new bear (Penelope) a nice cuddle.  

Dressing Penelope and Fluffy up in their outfits.  Actually, since C&E have a stingy mamma, Penelope and Fluffy had to share one outfit.  Bear got the shirt, Bunny got the skirt.  C suggested the sharing part.  I guess all the harping on we must share has paid off a bit.

Build a Bear was pretty fun, but could get expensive quickly if you go overboard on outfits and accessories.  E isn't really into stuffed animals too much, and C has pretty much confiscated Fluffy the Bunny for her ever growing menagerie of stuffed animals.  It was certainly a and fun treat for a special occasion.

Then we went to eat at the Rainforest Cafe.  Which was probably a mistake in hindsight.  Complete sensory overload.  C and E were both terrified by the gigantic frog man (Cha Cha) who just happend to wander around by our table for about 10 minutes.  

Grandma said her little heart was just racing.  She is still talking about Cha Cha 6 days later, bringing up that she was scared of him, and that Grandma wanted to be his friend. E just kept trying to get as far away from him as possible.

After lunch, we went to Underwater Adventures, an underground aquarium at the Mall of America. As you stroll through the tunnels, the aquarium is all around and above you.  It is pretty cool.  

By far, my favorite part was the Jellyfish area.  In fact, I think we all liked the jellyfish the best.  E was very relaxed in there, and was trying to touch the jellyfish.  

Yep, I liked the jellyfish.  Hmmm, can you tell?

After we were done at Underwater Adventures and I stood in line for 20 minutes to buy stuffed animals (seahorse for C and stingray for E), we made a quick potty break and headed home.  It was a great day.