Is this thing on: The Sequel (and other random musings)

Oh hey.

Is this thing on? I think the last time I said that I was sleepless in Seattle and navigating my way through new mommyhood. But now I have a toddler, I work, I manage a household (and all it's members), and I have no time for this blog. I love it & I love to write--really, I do. It's just that sometimes at the end of the day, I just want to zone out and watch an hour of whatever Housewives season we're currently in. And sleep. Yes, sleep.

I'm not totally sure how you pick up and start blogging again after being away for almost three months. So I think I'll just start talking as if I never took a break in the first place.

First up? We have a toddler, folks. One with really bad hair when she wakes up from a nap.


Exhibit A:

On a good day she looks like this:

And on St. Patrick's day she looks like this:

She's just shy of turning 17 months and wow...that was fast! She keeps us on our toes, that's for sure. She's so awesome & I know every mom says it, but I don't know what we did before her arrival (my guess is that I was watching way more reality t.v. than you could shake a stick at). She's talking & mimicking A LOT these days. Which means I have to watch my god damn f*&!ing mouth now. Great. Which, by the way, is really hard to do when you have a dog who never stops barking. And half the time he's barking at air. (And now you just got a glimpse of what our household is like on a daily basis. Your welcome.). Which would explain why this sometimes happens:

 

Anyhoo. Moving along.

I've been meaning to do a post on toddler meals for so long now. When I started (and never finished) the original post on this topic it was months ago. And since then, we've been all over the board. It seems teething--as well as a very opinionated 17-month old--are the reasons why mealtimes can be a down right challenge at times. I will say this--Emme is a pretty good eater on most days. I'm sure this is likely to change over the years (or the next 10 minutes), but for now it's all about providing a protein, grain, fruit and veggie with every meal (as well as striving for variety...something I struggle with on the daily). That doesn't mean all of those things actually make it into her mouth during each meal. But at least I'm holding up my end of the bargain.

 

Right now I swear by the Weelicious cook books. They're the bomb. If I was in the business of writing cookbooks (of which I am not) I would have written these for sure. They're typically my go to cookbooks when I'm trying to meal plan for the week. Which I usually do on Sundays. And then I head straight to Wegmans where I go to battle with the entire city of Buffalo (who also thinks shopping on a Sunday is a greeeeaaaaat idea).

I often sometimes get anxiety trying to put meals together for a toddler & two adults. The family cook book is right on...I can usually find something that's interesting, healthy, and pleases the three of us. Usually. So to sum things up, I love these books. Also, I need Xanex to grocery shop or pack lunches.

In other news....

So after we had a child, the old scrapbook room/office/store all my junk room turned into Emme's playroom. And I know, I still have not shared pics of the space. But for right now you should know that it is finished, it's awesome, and it helps keep our living room from looking like a daycare facility (most days anyway). The husband has his room/office, but for whatever reason he wasn't super welcoming when it came time to find a place for my stuff. So I purchased (with the help of my in-laws--in the form of a birthday gift) this shelf/cabinet:

It's awesome. I found it on Amazon. It came a little nicked and battered, but nothing overly noticeable. It was super easy to put together too (i.e., it didn't require the use of the husband or a drill). Also, I finally have a place to corral all my stuff (that isn't on the dining room table)! And since all my belongings are on display, I have no choice but to keep things looking good and organized in there. Unfortunately--and it didn't take long--little hands have figured out a way to get inside this thing, so I don't know how long things will stay looking like this. The other good news is that this thing replaced the stupid wine fridge...that we still have yet to get rid of. Anyone want to buy a wine fridge? Anyone?? Please? I've been reduced to begging.

Sources:

Cabinet: Amazon

Wire baskets: Hobby Lobby

File folder storage & turquoise box: HomeGoods

Horsehead book end: thrifted

And if you're not too busy this evening, think about tuning in to watch my alma mater, the University of Dayton, take on Stanford in the NCAA tourney, won't you? I know someone who won't be watching. In fact, she could give a crap.

Whew...this was fun. It's good to be back!