Baby A - "The Tornado"

Baby A decided she needed to unto all the hard work I had just done while she was napping. She loves to stand against the clothes baskets, but this time while I was not looking, she climbed in and unfolding and throwing every piece of clothing out. Of course, the first thing I did when I noticed was grab the camera to get some pictures and video footage. Dang tornado touched down on 3 loads of nicely folded clothes!

Menu Plan Monday

I have finally completed this week's menu plan. It's so hard trying to cook only one meal that is healthy enough for the Mommy to loose weight, solid enough to feel the hungry hippo (aka Daddy) up, and fun enough to feed Baby A. I am learning as we go, and I think this week is going to be a great one!

On the menu: 
Chicken and Veggies (Crockpot)
Applesauce Chicken (Crockpot)
Herb Garden Chicken (Crockpot)
Beef & Broccoli
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes
Shrimp & Asparagus with Sesame Seeds

As you can see, I have been planning way more crockpot recipes. We all know that it is nice to have the meal cooking while we are cleaning, working, or watching the kids. Last week Mr. Man got home after 8pm two nights. Those types of nights drain me. Between school, keeping up with the baby, preparing for a birthday and family coming to visit, and mentally preparing/planning for a move can be exhausting. Mr. Man's new job keeps him all the time. This weekend our phone rang nonstop for him. On Saturday, every time I would go rock Baby A for a nap, the phone would ring and she would totally want the phone. It was frustrating, but we survived.

That week was enough for me to realize that I need to plan more crockpot meals and plan to cook them every other day of the week. We also try to have chicken every other day of the week for my diet, which is why all of the crockpot recipes this week are chicken.

I stuck with some originals for our family, like the Beef & Broccoli and the Stuffed Bell Peppers. But I also added in something very new for us, but seems delicious! The Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes!! Have you tried these? If so, please let me know what you have thought of them. When we went to Baby A's 9 month dietician appointment, they told me that she could have tuna - just not every day of the week. Basically, how it was when I was pregnant. Once or twice a week is good for them, so I was eager to finally be able to include fish recipes in our menu. Shrimp is still on the "no-go" list, but I think we are going to go ahead and introduce it to her because we are from Louisiana... and we are introduced to shell fish very early!

I have been cooking so much lately, and being in the gym more consistently every day has upped my energy level by 1,000! No kidding. I am so excited to drop these last few pounds and tone up my body again. As well, as get in shape and continue to eat healthy with this little munchkin!

Summer Swap? Here.

</p><p><br /></p><p>Have a great week!!!<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://s1044.photobucket.com/albums/b441/kshisley/?action=view&current=signaturenew-1.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1044.photobucket.com/albums/b441/kshisley/signaturenew-1.png" /></a></div></p><div><br></div><div><div><center><a href="http://ftmommyferg.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="The Not-So-Secret Confessions of a First Time Mom" src="http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m335/kayedani/newmondaybutton.jpg"/></a></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://choochooandcurls.blogspot.com/search/label/wordless%20wednesday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc443/jmomma1203/WWbutton.jpg" alt="Triple Duty" width="131" height="150" /></a></center></div></div><p></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

First Birthday Inspiration

Freezable?

Since doing my research on natural cleaner, I have also came across some great tips for kitchen storing, organizing, and cleaning. One of the topics that has really caught my interest is the things that are freezable and how long they will last in the freezer.

Did you know that you can freeze baking supplies? Like nuts, blocks of chocolate, chocolate chips, marshmallows, and many more.

I did not! I knew that they could be frozen, but I never thought to do it to keep them fresh and save them for other baking projects! Well... now I know!

Another thing I never really put much thought into is freezing diary products. Things such as cheese, milk, butter, and yogurt. Even though we go through all of these fast on a weekly basis, I still think it is such a great tip when going on vacation. Recently, Mr. Man, Baby A, and I went to Germany for 2 weeks. Our milk was going to expire while we were away, so I just threw it out. WHAT A WASTE! Had I realized I could freeze it, I definitely would have. It would have saved me from having to go grocery shopping immediately upon our return.

Is there anything that you freeze that is uncommon? or a bit sneaky?

Some of my favorite things to freeze is ripen bananas and other fruits for smoothies, baking goods, leftover meals, and vegetables (like spinach) to make juices or add to my smoothies!

10 Month Update

I thought I would do a quick 10 month update. Baby A turned 10 months on February 10, 2012. She weighs 15.5 pounds and is about 26 inches long.

She has 3 teeth. 2 of them are on the bottom and she has 1 on top. She is now eating all table food with us and learning to chew and bite off pieces of food.

She is standing, but has not completely mastered standing on her own. Although she is very close.

She has started independently playing and digging through her toy baskets, which I love. She has always been independent, but the playing is even better. I am able to get more done around the house now.

We encourage her to climb when we are with her. She climbs to the top of the stairs every single night to go to her room for bedtime. She has not slipped yet.

She has become much more interested in baby dolls and teddy bears lately. I think because their arms and legs are so "grabbable" (if that is even a word). She loves ducks, pigs, and her vtech steering wheel.

She has learned how to make most of her toys do what they are suppose to do. For example, she has a ball popper. You push the top button and the balls flip around in the bottom part of it. She has figured it out and does it all the time. It is the same way with her other toys.

She still loves bath time, but it is hard to get her to stay sitting in the tub. She will sit on her bottom in the water without us holding her down now.

Her hair is super long, and we always have to pin it back with a bow.

She is still going to the sitters' on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so I can do school and things around the house. She only goes for 2-4 hours in the mornings. I couldn't go all day... I would miss her too much!

She is still waking in the night, about 1-3 times a night. Majority of the time, it is because of the loud dog that our neighbor has that is right at her bedroom window.

She wears mostly 9 month clothes, but she is starting to fit into some 12 month stuff.

She has started walking while holding our hands, which is so sweet!

She loves music, and has to have her music when we are in the car.

She still loves her books. She flips through them all the time. The ones that are touch and feel, she knows where to touch them.

She has started saying more syllables. She started saying "Mama" last month. Now she says just about every basic syllable.

I think that covers her for now!

Here's a picture:

Preparing for First Birthday: Thoughts

I swear from the time Baby A was born I was already beginning to think of party ideas to make her first birthday a happy and memorable one. I knew family was not going to be around (or I thought) and she wouldn't have any "friends", so I wanted to do something with her that would still be special but she would get more out of it.

My first choice was to take her on a Disney Cruise. After Mr. Man and I discussed it, we decided that she would be too young and possibly scared of the characters. Which then could end in disaster.

Then came the next thought. Disney World. Who doesn't think of that... especially me when that is where I wanted our honeymoon and it was where I spent my 15th birthday. Since we are in the UK, I went for EuroDisney. This thought then lead to Paris and France, and all these other fun thoughts of where we would be and what we would be doing.

From there came the thought of her outfit. Would it be warm or cold? Cold.... England, April, Spring = Cold. I started making hairbows and tutus, so I thought an adorable tutu and hairbow with an embroidered onesie. I could put black leggings underneath the tutu. But for me, that wasn't enough. It was too plain, too simple... and well, just not me.

As time went on, I decided to check out the website birthdayexpress.com. It has such a wide selection of party supplies, and people who are stationed here with us have ordered their children's birthday things from there. I decided to look at the different themes, and then I saw it! "Pink Poodle in Paris"! It was so adorable, so cute, and so me!

In the next birthday post, I will post some pictures that inspired me and where I am at with the planning process. I will also do a post on gift ideas as an idea and refresher for myself!

Menu Plan Monday

I am back menu planning for the week. We have been back to doing this for a few weeks, but with travelling so much lately I had not taken the time to post our plans and such. I thought I would get back to it because typing it out also helps me to stay organized.

As always, I will post one of the recipes we have tried at the end of the week.

This week we are having:

Crockpot Chili
Korean Beef Tacos
Honey Garlic Chicken
Turkey Lasgana
Basic Burritos
Mac and Cheese with Baked Chicken Tenders
Roasted Chicken

We have been sticking with healthy and basic recipes because Baby A is now officially eating with us. Since she has only been eating with us for a couple of weeks, we are still being gentle with our food selection. She likes to eat with her hands and refuses anything off of a spoon, so I try to make all meals finger friendly for her.

I hope you enjoy this list, and it gives you some ideas. I always love reading other blogs for their recipe ideas!