Party Planning

The past year has FLOWN by.  It’s hard for me to believe that I need to be planning Munchkin’s first birthday party.  She turns one in three weeks.  THREE WEEKS! 

We don’t want to do anything huge for the party, just some friends and family to help us celebrate the amazingness that is Munchkin.  So we’re going to do a cookout.  Hamburgers, hot dogs and the sides that go with them.  Simple, easy and yummy.  I also wasn’t going to do any decorations.  Then I was thinking about it and figured that a few decorations couldn’t hurt.  I know I could make some but I don’t want to.  There, I said it.  I don’t want to make party decorations.  It doesn’t make me a bad mom, just one who knows that it’s not worth it to me to add to my stress level by making them. 

At first I was thinking I would do a Minnie Mouse theme.  Munchkin likes Minnie Mouse and how cute would that be?  So The Man & I checked out what the Dollar Tree had for decorations because I don’t want to spend a fortune for  decorations for a 4 hour party.  Sadly they did not have any Minnie Mouse decorations.  I guess it’s not surprising but I was a little disappointed.  They did have some super cute monkey decorations so we decided to go with a monkey/jungle theme.  We bought what we liked and decided to check out Walmart/Target/Party City to see what else we could find.

Party City had some really cute monkey decorations and we decided that we would get a few more things.  Then we decided to just see what else they had.  They had some super cute Minnie Mouse decorations and I was sad for a minute I had changed my mind.  Then I thought that there’s always next year and that cheered me up!  There was one more aisle and as we walked down it we came to the section that was for 1st birthdays.  It was cute and I was doing fine until we found the section that had Minnie Mouse first birthday decorations.  I just about lost it.  I just stood there and stared.  And stared some more.  They were so cute! The Man, after a bit, told me that I could change my mind if I wanted.  Can I just say how much I love that man?  The decorations we already had are non returnable (they just do exchanges) but he was willing for us to spend even more money for the decorations I really want.

I hemmed and I hawed.  The Man and Munchkin walked around the rest of the store while I just stood there and debated with myself.  I try really hard to not waste money and I felt that if I changed the theme I’d be wasting money.  I might have started crying because I was so stressed out (I blamed it on hormones.  They do go back to normal eventually, right?!?!?)   Once The Man assured me for the 6th time that it really was ok to change my mind, I did.  So Munchkin is having a Minnie Mouse birthday party after all.  She’ll also have more decorations that I had originally planned but it’s ok.  She’s worth it!

What do you think about 1st birthday parties? 

Should they be all out, laid back, or not celebrated?

Details of the Day

As I mentioned on Twitter I’m having a hard time blogging.  I have 5 or 65 drafts sitting, just waiting to be worked on.  The words aren’t flowing though so there they sit.  Then I saw that Ashley writing about the details about her wedding and I thought I can do that!  So here ya go!

I planned our wedding while The Man was deployed on a West Pac tour.  Being on a submarine means limited communication so I made the majority of the decisions by myself.  I would email him what I decided and he was fine with that!  Before he left we did decide on a date.  We decided that August would be a good month because the boat was supposed to return at the beginning of June.  However schedules in the Navy have a way of changing and we wanted to make sure he would be home.  When his parents found found we were thinking August they asked if we would mind being married on their anniversary.  It sounded like a good idea to us.  We are the third generation to be married on this date as it is also his grandparents anniversary. 

The date just so happened to fall on a Tuesday.  So we got married on a Tuesday.  We invited about 125 people but 70 came.  This was fine with me as I had wanted a small wedding.  It was mostly my friends and family as The Man’s family & friends are spread out across the country.  His parents and brothers did make it as did a couple of friends from upstate New York.  The wedding was held at Country Gardens in Rehoboth, MA. 

We each had three attendants.  The Man had his brothers and I had my cousin-who-is-more-like-my-sister, my closest friend from college and my then roommate.  My cousin/sister’s oldest son and daughter were our ring bearer and flower girl.  My colors were red and silver and they fit in nicely with the Asian theme that was going on.

We flew The Man’s pastor from Florida up to marry us.  The Man wore his dress blues.

One of the most important details is that my father was able to walk me down the aisle.  He had been in and out of the hospital in the month leading up to our wedding and there were times we weren’t sure he was going to be able too.  I’m am so thankful my daddy was able to walk me down the aisle.

I carried red roses and white calla lilies.  My mom made my jewelry out of pearls and crystals. My veil was made by a friend I went to high school with.  I wore red strappy heals with my wedding dress.

Our favors

I remember being stressed out trying to find a cake.  Four years later and I can’t remember what flavors the tiers were.  I just know that they were all different.  We had a hard time cutting into the cake.  I’m not sure if it was because the fondant was really hard or in our knife was really dull.  The knife and server we used are the same ones my parents used at their wedding.

We had a buffet.  On each table we had a menu card so people knew what was in the buffet.  The center piece was a little vase filled with flowers.  That was placed on top of a red cloth napkin that had the Chinese character for love stamped on it.

For our first dance we played 18th Floor Balcony by Blue October. 

The second verse of our song starts off by saying “So we talked about mom’s and dad’s/about family pasts...”  We did the father/daughter and mother/son during it.  It’s a long song so after a little bit we dance with each other again and had everyone come up a join us. 

There was a little dancing.  Since it was a weekend night people couldn’t stay very late.  It would have been fun if there had been more.  It was fine that there wasn’t though.

The Man and I still say that our wedding was perfect.  And it was.  It was perfect for us.  The best part of it was the fact that it was the beginning of the rest of our lives together. 

And the honeymoon?  The pre-pre-honeymoon was packing up my apartment and loading up the u-haul trailer.  It was NOT fun.  I DO NOT recommend doing this. It was probably the worst first day of marriage EVER.  The pre-honeymoon of driving cross country with stops at Mt. Rushmore & Yellowstone and a honeymoon of an Alaskan cruise made up for it. 

I’m linking up with Melanie and Holly.  You can go check out the details from other weddings too!

The Daddy’s

I am blessed to have an amazing Daddy.  My Daddy was an orphan and because of that family was so important to him.  He worked hard, sometimes two jobs,  to provide for my mom and I.  He helped out around the house by doing most of the cooking and other chores. He made sure to tell me that he loved me often.  He would also tell me that he was proud of me.  At his wake there were people there that I didn’t know but they knew about me.  They knew that I had graduated from college, had lived in Asia and was married and living in Seattle because my Daddy was always talking about me.  He just wanted to share with everyone what I was doing because he was so proud.  He also told me I was beautiful on a regular basis.  I’m glad he told me these three things often because even though he’s not here anymore I know that they are still true. 

Thanks Daddy, for being an example of what a dad should be.  I love and miss you lots!

I’m thankful I had a great example of what an amazing daddy is.  Not only do I have an amazing daddy, I live with one.  My husband is an amazing daddy.  He’s like my dad in so many ways and this is one of them.  He loves his daughter so much.  He works hard to provide for us.  He loves spending time with her.  Whenever I need some “me” time he is more than willing to keep the kiddo (and he doesn’t babysit…he parents!)  He’ll take her with him to an AA meeting, to go shopping at Home Depot and anywhere else he needs/wants to go.  She loves it when daddy comes home and lights up when he walking in the door.  Munchkin loves to get daddy snuggles too.  She’s a daddy’s girl.

Happy Father’s Day Baby.  We love you lots!

11 Months

This time last year I was 35 weeks pregnant.  I remember that I loved feeling Munchkin kick and move around. I was looking forward to meeting her and nervous about becoming a mama at the same time.  The Man and I were doing our best to enjoy the last weeks we had together just the two of us.  The past year has flown by.

Now I have an 11 month old.  A walking and trying to talk 11 month old.  She’s learning thing so quickly now.  Just this week she figured out how to stand up without holding onto anything.  She had been working on it and all of sudden she did it.  There really isn’t much slowing her down anymore!  When she’s excited she tries to walk faster and often lands on her bottom but she getting more and more steady everyday. 

She babbles and there are times that it sounds like she says words.  Baby and yeah have come out of her mouth but she hasn’t used them correctly so we’re not counting them.  She’ll also go mamamamamamama and dadadadadadadadadada and we’re just waiting for the words to come out.  I think she’s going to be a talker.  I’m looking forward to having her tell us what she’s thinking about!

She knows the word NO and what it means when we say it to her.  We usually get one of two reactions.  One is that she keeps doing whatever it is until we make her stop.  The other reaction is for her to cry like someone just took her favorite toy away from her forever.  We just smile at her crying and give her a kiss and the crying usually doesn’t last very long. 

I love being her mama.  It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun.  I love the snuggles and her hugs can make any day better.  Being a mom is the best job I’ve ever had.

What Was I Thinking?

On Friday night, before I headed out for a few hours with some friends, The Man tells me that he knows what he wants for his birthday.  This is huge because he NEVER tells me what he wants. So I think Awesome!  Then he tells me that he wants to do the Seattle Tough Mudder in October.  In my head I think that he’s crazy and I smile and say sure!  Then he drops the other shoe and says…”I want you to do it with me!”  I just kind of looked at him, stunned.

I don’t think I said anything for a few minutes.  My smile was just pasted on my face.  For those of you who don’t know me, I’m not a runner and I’m horrible out of shape.  I’ve never, ever, ever enjoyed running.  There is no way I could run even a 1/4 of a mile right now.  I couldn’t do it even if there were zombies after me.  The last time I ran was 10 years ago for college cheerleading and then I only did it when it was mandatory.

The Man knows me well and didn’t say much of anything else.  I think I started to come up with objections like “I’m fat and can’t do the obstacles!” and all he said was we have four months to train, I know you can do it and I want to do this with you.  That shut me up.  It also had me agreeing.  I still can’t believe I agreed to do this.  It might kill me. 

Every time I think about wanting to back out, I remember that I’ve had a baby.  I labored with Pitocin induced back labor for 10 hours.  I’ve recovered from a c-section.  I want that baby to not be embarrassed by a fat mama.  I want to be an example to her, of how to live a healthy life.  A healthy life of eating good, nutritious food and of working out to take care of your body.  I’m not that example at the moment.  I can say it all I want but I need to actually do it.  This is making me get my butt in gear in a big way.

I not only agreed for my husband and baby but for myself as well.  I’m not longer comfortable in clothes or in my own skin.  I’m fat.  We eat well most of the time but I need to add activity to my life.  I want another baby but I don’t want GD again.  I want to lose weight to help avoid getting it again.  I also don’t want diabetes and losing weight will help with that too.  I just want to be comfortable in my body again.  So I’m doing this for me.  I’m doing this for The Man.  I’m doing this for Munchkin. 

I have 4 months to get ready.  I’ll be updating you as I go along (like I started the couch 2 5K programs today!  Go me!)  I have a long way to go and I know I can get there, one day at a time.

A Cute Munchkin

I was watching a friend’s kids yesterday and while I was changing a diaper, Munchkin crawled up this step all by herself.  This is how I found her.   When she saw me she lit up and looked so proud of herself! I’m so thankful she didn’t try to get down!

And a few more cute photos:

May Things to Smile About

May was a great month and I can’t believe it’s gone already!  Here’s a recap of the things that made me smile:

Munchkin

This little girl ALWAYS makes me smile, even when she’s a cranky pants girl.  She’s getting so big! She turned 10 months in May and is becoming such a big girl. She’s a joy and I’m so thankful I get to be her mama.

Child Nutrition and Cooking Class

I’ve been loving this free class offered on Coursera.  I’ve learned some great new recipes that I’ve enjoyed trying.  I always knew that cooking was better and this class has been a great reminder.  I’m taking our menu planning much more seriously now and am doing my best to make sure that we can eat in a healthy way.

Trip to MA

It was short but great trip.  We were able to get the ball rolling for my mom’s move to the PNW.   We had dinner with friends and I was able to have a play date with friends. It was fun because my friends and I met before most of us were married and now we’re all married with kids.  The kids make it a little harder to talk but they are so fun!

Munchkin learning to walk

I’m LOVING that munchkin is walking.  She’s so proud of herself! I love watching her learn new things.  She’s amazing and I’m looking forward to her talking.

New Loveseat

Our sofa just wasn’t working for us.  It was no longer comfortable and it smelled like dog. So we decided to buy a new loveseat.  We got a reclining one and we love it.  We still have the old sofa and now that puppies are allowed on it.  We have super happy puppies!

Warm Weather

The beginning of May gave us a taste of summer weather.  It was in the high 70’s with clear blue skies.  It made the cooler weather that followed a little hard to handle.  It was nice while it lasted!

Bountiful Baskets

We’ve been using Bountiful Baskets for about  months now and we love it.  I love being surprised by the veggies we get. I love having to be creative with what we get. I love that it makes The Man try new veggies! The last basket of the month was one of my favorites so far. There were plums, mangos, pineapple, bananas, a melon,  green beans, swiss chard, romaine lettuce, carrots, onions and cherry tomatoes.

Farmer’s Markets

May is the beginning of the Farmer’s Market season in Kitsap County.  I love going to the Market.  So far we’ve been to the Port Orchard one a couple of times. It’s been fun to just walk around and enjoy the amazing weather we’ve been having.  I even managed to replace the rosemary I had that died.

House Hunting

We’re not house hunting for us but for my mom.  The Man and I enjoy looking at property so we’ve been driving around trying to find houses for mom to consider when she comes out in July.  She won’t be buying until her house in MA sells but it’s fun to look!  We’ve found some cute neighborhoods that I think my mom will like.  I’m looking forward to seeing the inside of some of them soon!

My Husband

He’s amazing and he always makes me smile.  I’m so blessed by him.  I can’t imagine being married to anyone else.

 

I’m linking up with Emmy over at EmmyMom.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

One of the recipes we watched a video on in the Child Nutrition and Cooking class is for homemade chicken nuggets.  My family makes popcorn chicken and it’s almost the same but I think that nuggets are great for kids.  This recipe is easy and much healthier than the store bought frozen ones. Who really knows what is in the processed ones in the freezer aisle? Some of them are suspicious!  I like knowing what we’re eating!  The other nice thing about this recipe is that it can be made gluten free if you can’t have gluten.

I know you’re thinking “But Poe, it’s so easy to pull them out of the freezer! And what do you know, you’re a SAHM and only have one kid.  You have a ton of time on your hands to make your own nuggets!”  I promise that these are easy and while they do take a little time, you can make a big batch and freeze them.  I like to reheat them in the toaster oven on a piece of stoneware as they crisp and crunchy that way.  You can nuke them in the microwave but they sometimes come out soggy (but still delicious!)

You’ll need:

~ Boneless, skinless chicken.  I use breasts but you can use thigh, it’s up to you.

~ Flour (gluten free flour if needed)

~ Eggs

~Planko bread crumbs.  You can use regular bread crumbs but they won’t turn out as well.  Make sure to use gluten free ones if needed.

~Oil, whatever kind you prefer

~A cute helper (optional)

Steps:

1. Cut your chicken into pieces.  You can do whatever size/shape you want and they don’t have to match.  Cut into the sizes that work best for your kids.

2. Place your ingredients in separate bowls.  In the first, put about one cup of flour. In the second, two eggs.  In the third, about 1 cup of planko bread crumbs.  Keep them in that order.

3.  Cover a piece of chicken with flour.

4. Take the flour covered piece of chicken and cover it in egg.

5.  Take the flour and egg covered chicken and cover it in bread crumbs.

6. Repeat until all the chicken pieces are covered in all three.  Depending on the amount of chicken you have, you might have to refill the bowls.  I let them hang out on a plate while I finish up.

Your fingers will get messy during this process.  I just deal but you can wear gloves if you want.

7.  In a pan, pour enough oil to cover the bottom.  Place over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, place the chicken in a single layer to cook.  You’re not deep frying, so just use enough oil for it to cook.  If it starts to look dry you can add some more.  When the first side is brown, flip it over.  If you want to be totally sure your chicken is completely cooked, use a meat thermometer to measure the internal temp.

8.  When the chicken has finished coking, place on a paper towel to soak up excess oil on your nuggets.  Add more raw nuggets to your pan and keep cooking until all of them are done.

9. Enjoy! Refrigerate/freeze leftovers and eat until gone.

 

I’m linking up with: