My Husband Hates Boned Meat

Call him crazy, or call me the lunatic that tries to cater to this, but he doesn't enjoy eating meat off the bone.  What could be better than picking up a chicken leg from the grill and all of its delicious wonder?! Welp, not for him.

My "butcher" job

So anyways this weeks shopping trip I took up an offer for a sale on split bone in chicken breasts. Yay for money saving! But I skipped the usual stop of grabbing our usual boneless chicken breasts.  So this morning I mustered up the courage to figure out the art of "de-bone-ing" these little guys for all of our casserole needs. Don't think I'm delusional-I still make bone-in meat, he just deals. So with the help of YouTube, and some patience I went to work.

My slightly butchered boneless chicken breasts are safely in the freezer. And all the cutting mishaps went into this recipe for dinner:  Swiss Cheese Chicken

Found this recipe at http://prepared-housewives.com/ it was soo easy,
I'm sure it will be just as delicious! 

It smells pretty delightful. Oh, and all those bones went to the freezer for later when I have the time to make chicken stock. BONUS! Maybe I'll start doing this more often!


*UPDATE: We ate this for dinner: next time Ill only used half a box of stuffing, and try serving it with egg noodles.*

Becoming Transparent

I must say, I don't consider myself the most transparent of people. But you're thinking...'uh why blog?'.  Well, writing is easy, and it usually all makes sense on paper: or in this case, the screen. Speaking up=a flustered, jumbled mess. So why go through the hassle? As I said before, I feel like mom's seclude themselves.  Not on purpose or to be anti-social, but there's always another pressing matter, a messy house, a busy toddler, a sports game.  So I feel like adding to the blogosphere and give my perspective. If it helps relate to someone person, I'll be happy.


Without Further Adieu:  Here's my Blogging confessions:
1. I am currently backdating my journal entries, to fill in the blanks. Dont know if thats against the blogging commandments, but I'm going for it.
2. I haven't started broadcasting my blog yet. No facebook shares or emailing the link to friends. I guess I'm a bit particular and so I've spent a lot of time, tweeking, editing, pre-writing, and brainstorming.
3. I stayed up till 2:30am last night attempting the "PERFECT" layout. Oh good grief. So unnecessary, and its nothing really to gawk at, I just couldn't make up my mind.  

Raising A Big Brother

Disclaimer: B was only a 1 1/2 years old when we brought home little brother. We wanted to still enjoy his toddler-hood and babyhood, so we tried to preserve that even with a little guy on the way.

After finding out we were pregnant our family/friends were split into two groups:


 1.) believing we needed to push B into big kid mode.
 2.) believing we would just have to balance two babies.

With everything in life: balance is key. So we listened to the opinions, comments, and advice and here's what we settled with:


Step 1: Put away all the baby things that he still had out: the bumbo chair, receiving blankets, toys that were a little bit too young for him, etc. We wanted him to realize he was the "Big Brother".  Of course, baby things were being pulled out to prepare, but we called them his new baby brother's stuff.

Step 2: Teaching some new chores and responsibilities: Before walking he learned to help put toys away, and as he grew, he learned to take things to trash, get things for me, and sit beside me instead of on my lap all the time.

Step 3: Helping with the baby: Sounds a little scary I know, but B loves helping with his little brother, grabbing books to read, holding bottles, mixing formula, getting diapers and wipes. He even tries to help carry the car seat.  There have been scary moments as well. Blaine sneaking over to feed him cheerios, or trying to hold or carry him. But there brothers and every day they become better friends.

We did a few other things, but I think they are part of growing up, not needing to be held 24/7. or especially not while I'm cooking, time outs when his emotions got the better of him. Maybe there was more we could have done. I've heard baby dolls help out too.  Hind sight is always 20/20 but so far, we like our method, and it works for us.

God's Got This

An Article I wrote for  FSU InterVarsity's Alumni spring newsletter: 

www.premierlife.ca

I had big post grad dreams: traveling,  missions trips, landing a real job, and owning a house. Isn't that why I went to college: to buy a better future? Its been 3years and I am a stay at home mom of two little boys, and we have just moved into our 3rd rented space. Not part of the plan.

In the midst of everyday chaos, financial strain, and even frustration, its easy to loose faith in my life. But here's what I try to remember: God takes care of the birds (Matt 6:26-34) so why wouldn't he take care of me, the one he created for companionship.

In the last year or so I've adopted the phrase, "God's Got this". It's an easy thing to say, but not so easy to put into action. It means not worrying when our money is tight, when things don't go our way, or when we hear bad news. Just let it go and wait for God to handle it. Its not easy, and it takes patience, but God is always faithful. 

It's a change of perspective. Things I couldn't make sense of God works together for my good. My degree is used all the time as I lead a program for elementary girls at church. My husband being faithful at his dreaded retail job helped open doors of opportunity to travel and work above his bosses.

Its easy to worry, complain and take matters into our own hands. But the weight of it all stole my happiness. When I let it go, I remember what he has done before, whether it was gas in my car or strength to get through an impossible situation, and know that he will be faithful again. So even though that hefty $40k college degree cannot guarantee the beautiful future I had planned for myself, God's got this.

Bringing Home Baby #2

Bringing home a new baby is an exciting mix of scared, anxiousness, and joy. But bringing home a baby when you have a baby at home waiting for you adds a new layer to those emotions.

B didn't understand our warnings and explanations. He couldn't talk through his feelings. He was only a 1 1/2 yrs old. What can you do?

A called my Mommy.
No seriously, I invited my mom over for a few days. B missed his mommy and daddy and wasn't sure about the creature we brought home. Having her with us, gave Todd an I a few extra minutes to sleep, and B a few extra minutes with us. Not to mention Nama hugs, and mom's cooking.

We also kept B in his routine. He woke up to milk and dried cereal as he always does. (He eats breakfast a little later) took naps when he always had in his crib, and still kept his bedtime routine.

When mom left and Todd returned to work, I did my best. Toggling the two was and is still exhausting but I just remind myself I only have 2 hands. As long as they are both safe it will be OK if one is crying as you take care of the other.

I don't have a magic formula to balance it all, and I am surely still learning. With a little bit of chocolate and a whole lot of Jesus I know we will be alright.

Pregnant with a Baby at Home

Me at 40wks pregnant

10 Tips to Surviving Pregnancy with a Baby

I searched for ideas online but there's not much support on the subject more on how to decide when your ready for #2. Well, when God blesses you with a new addition you just have to live and learn. Here's my first hand tips:

1. Sleep: Duh! You're a busy mom! Taking care of a baby and making a baby is exhausting. When the little guy goes to sleep-try to catch a few minutes too! It also doesn't hurt to go to bed a few minutes early. 
2. Big brother in training: I didn't want to grow my baby up too fast, but even at 8 months old we taught him some important big brother skills. Look forward to that blog coming soon!
3. Floor time: He wants held and played with but that can be exhausting. I made 5-10 minutes in morning and afternoon (when I was home) for playing and read a few books in the evening. You could sit together and read books, let him play on your lap or make time to play on the floor together. 
4. Cleaning can wait: Yes its frustrating to have a messy house. But spend 15-30 mins doing cleaning and try to get help with the big stuff. This isn't the time to try to spring clean or clean out the garage. 
5. Ask for help: Ugh! I hate asking, but its ok to go to your OB appts without the baby. Maybe you shouldn't try and pull out boxes of baby clothes without your hubby's help. For me, I was contracting early and was told to limit my time carrying and lifting my little man. No fun!! 
6. Talk to someone: Unless you were planning to have two bundles of joy, or you really love babies, you probably have mixed emotions, plus the hormones talking. I remember worrying that C would know he wasn't planned, and feel unwanted. I also was scared that I would go nuts with my two boys.  I'm thankful for friends, my church family, and others with close children and my husband who always responded with a casual but calming "you'll be fine"
7. Have some fun: Go take family pictures, go on a date, take a weekend trip. Make memories. We only live once-and your first born will only be little once. Don't put life on hold while your pregnant. One day you'll miss this chaotic chapter of life. 
8. Make a baby proof space: Morning sickness, emergency needs to pee, or even a deathly contraction can happen. For my very mobile child, I had to have somewhere to put him. For me it was the crib. I just grabbed a few toys and told him I would be right back. As he got bigger, I just took him to the potty with me (jumpstarting those potty training cues)
9. Set a routine: I learned in my Ed. Classes that children thrive in routine, it rang true for student teaching and I carried it through to parenting. If you haven't made one yet. Find one that works for you. It also helps keep your big kid if you stick with it when you bring the new little one home. 
10. Chill out: We stress ourselves out so much and it's really unnecessary. Its ok not to make the homemade mac n cheese or have the house clean by 10am.  Stay positive and be confident in your Mom-hood. 

Baby #2 Say What?!

We were happy. We loved doing life with B, and we even considered having him as our only child. Before leaving for Easter weekend with my grandparents, I realized I was late.  I dismissed the thought and continued preparing B for his first Easter. I would have never considered later that week baby-talk fever would catch us.

Easter Sunday Mom and Mama caught a bump silhouette and started with the questions, unable to tell when mother nature visited me last; I was doomed. So there with the presence of family outside the door and the smell of an amazing ham...I was sitting there, taking a pregnancy test.

I would be lying to say I wasn't praying for a negative result. In fact in the midst of everyone's excitement-I was still in denial.  I think it's fair to say I struggled with the thought of a second baby for most of my pregnancy.  I was even a little surprised when I met him-because he really did exist. But that has nothing to do with how I feel about C. He's a cute little chunker, and we love him to pieces.

Getting ready to take pictures for baby announcement

Lets get this started

I've been journaling since the summer after 2nd grade, when my teacher challenged us all to write each day through the summer. It wasn't a novel or anything to brag about...but I found a secret love of writing that summer and an easy way to channel any of my feelings. For better or worse, it has led me to be able to write 100x's better than I speak.

I've wanted to blog for quite some time. But the real determining factor was the birth of my second son, C. I found out I was pregnant when B was only 8mths old, and I was searching everywhere for supportive information on my soon to be family of two babies. Well-theres not much out there: scary faces, flustered moms, and nightmare tales. So now that C is a little bigger and I have a few minutes of sanity. I want to share my story so others have what I wanted, a "you can do this" Blog.

Listen to my tales, Enjoy, leave comments. But please, stay positive. :)