Avocado recipies

In our house there is one food that can make everyone (but Winston) happy. That food is avocado. Peanut lights up when he sees me grab one. My husband and I have decided that Peanut's favorite food is avocado. Since he loves it so much, my husband and I have been coming up with different ways to incorporate it into our meals.

There is the ever classic guacamole:

• Grab how ever many avocados you want
• garlic cloves (I use 1 clove for 2 avocados- so grab the amount that you need) 
• Onion (I cut up a quarter of a small onion for 2 avocados)
• Lemon juice
• Lime juice
• dash of salt and pepper

I mix everything together, squeeze half a lemon and lime over the guacamole, mix that and serve.

I also have added avocado to :

• grilled cheese
• chicken salad
• tuna fish
• baked chicken
• turkey burgers
• and so much more. 

I love experimenting with it, and really love seeing Peanut's face when he has some.

Ciao,

Silly Stories

As I sit here, finishing up some lesson planning and making a site words book for some some my students, I can't help but laugh.

This week has been crazy, but crazy good. School was school, my students are wonderful and I feel that I am doing a pretty good job. Can I improve, you bet ya, and I hope that I do improve. I really do.

Home has been fun. My son is walking all over the place. But he doesn't just walk, he runs. He runs fast. He chases after Winston and plays ball and fetch. He loves to run up to Dada when he gets home. It is the sweetest thing in the world to see.

Peanut has not only started walking, but he has a big personality. He says no, stop, isses (for kisses), up, naa( More) as well as the classic Nana, Papa, Mama, and Dada. He loves to eat solid food and does a wonderful job at it.

Now to a silly story. The other day my peanut walked on over to my wonderful husband said isses and stuck his cheek right into my husbands face.

I'm back

I am back.
I took a hiatus from writing for a while. I was struggling trying to figure out what I wanted to write. I was looking for that light, those words that I knew would be worth reading. While, now I know.

Tomorrow is Winston's 4th birthday. I can't believe that my pup is no longer a puppy but a dog and that I have had him for over 3 years. I feel that time has started to fly. This year I shopped local for his present. I went to a small local pet store and got him some chew toys designed to clean his teeth. I have been bad at brushing his teeth lately so I am hoping this will help.

I have also started working on birthday presents for my son. I have decided to do 25 books as a count down for Christmas. Each day in December we will open a new book to read at bedtime. Both my husband and I are very excited to do this. We have 6 books already wrapped. Even though my son is only 10 months, we believe this will be a great family tradition. 

Mommy notes

Oh motherhood.  I have changed so much in such a short time. Yes I still love to read, bake , and knit. But I also love my son. And I have learned that things on the mommy are not as easy as things seem.

Take feeding my son. For example, Jeffrey is breastfed. He only gets milk from me. Who would have thought how I decided to feed him can cause so much controversy.

Then there are those who don't vaccinate.  You all already know how I feel about that.

There are also people who have issues with circumcision.  Really,  an issue with that. Who really cares.

Just some mommy notes.

I'm 25!

Today is my 25th birthday! I can't believe I have lived a quarter of a century already. This is super exciting. I thought I would feel old, and at times I do, but I feel like I have so much more, than just my age. I feel so blessed with everything. In fact, I can list 25 things I am blessed with.

1. Life. God gave my a wonderful life.
2. My Husband: I feel like the luckiest girl in the world with him. He is a wonderful man, who does so much for me and our son, and I am truly blessed to have him in my life

3. My son: I have never realized how become a mom would be such a blessing. 

For more beautiful sayings about being a mother to a little boy, please check out Disney baby's blog.

4. Winston. He stole my heart the first time I laid eyes on him, and I know he loves me. 

5. My family, my mom,step dad, dad, step mom, siblings, and my in-laws. Family is important, and I have learned in my 25 years of life, that family is more than just blood. 

6. Speaking of family being more than blood, my friends. I am blessed to have friends who I can count on. 

7. I can't keep mentioning my family, without having a special spot for my mom. I am very blessed to have her in my life. She has taught me so much; from helping me in school, to helping me learn how to cook and bake, to just talking to me about every day life, and now helping me with my motherhood journey. I am very blessed for her in my life. 

8. My siblings. With out them, I don't know what I would be. I know, even though we fight, that we all love each other and that we would do anything for each other. I hope I can bless my son with siblings. 

9. My education. Something I want to be able to instill in my son is a thirst for knowledge and to never stop learning. Having an education is a blessing, one that women weren't able to get, and one that some countries are still fighting for, so all their children can go to school. 

10. My safety. For this one, I am thinking about how blessed I am to live in a country where men and women go to war, and risk their lives just so I can have a family, pray, go to church and get an education. 

11.  Being able to love music. From my love of singing (and if I can toot my own horn, being able to sing) as well as knowing how to play the flute and dance. I am blessed with those talents. 

12. Speaking of talents, I am blessed to have a grandmother who knitted and crocheted items for me. Her love to work with her hands, and helping me learn, was and still is a blessing. 

13. My friend Becky. We have been friends since we were 7. Over half our lives. She is always there for me and I know I can count on her. I am very  blessed to have her and her family in my life. 

14.My siblings. I really want my son to grow up with siblings.

15. My friend Brit, the best friend I made in college.

                                      

16. And Joy, my best friend from camp. If you haven't worked at a camp, or gone to one, I suggest, if you ever have children, send them to camp. It is so much fun. 

17. MY step-dad. He is a wonderful man, who makes my mom happy.

18. My Dad and step mom. My step mom has been so warm and caring, it really makes me wonder where the term "evil step-mom" came from, because I know I don't have one.

19. My non-blood family. Family is not made up of just blood. IT really ins't (and I can't stress that enough) but it can range from friends, to step family to any one. Someone else who I am blessed with a women whom I am very lucky to have in my life. My old church in college did an adopt a student program and my mother through that is wonderful and great. 

20. Love. The ability to love and be loved. I am blessed for that. 

21.A roof over my head. I forget I take that for granted, but always remember it when it rains. 

22. And food on the table. Not everyone in the world is lucky enough to have that.

23. All my first world items; phone, computer,and such.

24. You readers.

25. And of course, today being my birthday. 

See, 25 reasons why I am blessed. I have lived a great 25 years and I hope to be able to live many more years. 

Ciao,

Baby wearing

I have decided to do a mini post on baby wearing, with pictures of me and how I wrap my wrap, so I can wear my baby to write these posts. (Wow, holy run on sentence batman)

I have found, being short, baby wearing is a bit of a challenge. I still can't do some activities like cook(I don't want to hurt him with any splatter from the stove) or dishes, because I can't reach the sink. But for other activites, it's perfects. Plus, he loves to nap on me and hear my heart beat.

My wrap is a woven wrap, s it isn't stretchy, but I like that, I feel he is safer and held tighter/closer into me. Now for how I wear him.

1. I grab my wrap and fold in half hot dog style. I find the middle and place it with the folded part down and the opening up on my lower torso.

2. I take the two side pieces and cross them behind me and bring them to the front. I make sure that the openings are facing in toward each other.

3. I then slide the two front pieces underneath the middle pieces. And cross them again, creating a pocket for my son to sit in. (This is very similar to the Moby wrap style, if not exactly how to wrap a Moby)

4. I wrap the two sleeves around me and tie a knot in back. Now for adding my son. I do this from the Molby website I linked about. I practiced and practiced in front of a mirror for a while and even had my husband help me at first. But, for starters, I open the wrap and on the side closes to me, I slide my son onto the sleeve pocket.  (Watch the head. I would do a different hold if your baby doesn't have good head control. My son is resting his head on me while I'm holding him)

5. Then I slide the other sleeve over the one that my son is in, creating a small pocket for him. It looks like a V when he is in the sleeves. 

6. I then pull the middle piece (from the very beginning up over him. So his back has support. I also make sure there is some under his legs,giving them support. That way he is sitting froggy leg style. I also make sure he can breath, so I move his head to where he isn't buried in me or fabric. I make sure that every thing is nice and tight (including the knot behind me, some times I need to loosen it and re-tie it.) and then wear him. 

When he wants out, I lower the middle piece and pull him out. He loves being worn around the house, and loves it when I dance while wearing him.
Ciao,

14.5 weeks

I cannot believe that on Friday, this Friday, I will have been a mom for 15 weeks.  In those 15 weeks, I have learned so much about life. I never knew before that I could function on little to no sleep. But, I can.  And I never knew that I could love some one so much, but I do. My little boy, is so precious to me.  He is adorable, and I  love him so very much.

I can tell that his dad loves him too. It makes me smile when I see my husband and son playing together. Last night, my husband gave him a bath, and you could just tell that both he and my husband were having fun.

Ciao,

Bath time fun!

I just have to share, because, well, these are some very cute pictures. My son has started smiling now, and it's not just for gas, which makes me one very happy mama. The other day I was giving him a bath and he smiled, and I was able to catch it on film! (Do you like how I said on film) So, here you go, some cute bath time photos.

Ciao,

Two months

Monday was a bit of a tough day. My son turned two months and got his first round of vaccines.  Now, I am not a fan of shots myself , and seeing my son get shots was so hard. He cried the minute he got poked.  I know there are some people who aren't a fan of vaccines, they think they cause Autism...THEY DON'T! Other people think vaccines are more dangerous than  the diseases they are suppose to be preventing, and some people think they don't work.

Well, here is what I have to say...if I can protect my baby against some terrible diseases like measles, polio and diphtheria, then I will do it. I want to keep my son protected.


Okay, I'm off my rant now.  My son can roll from tummy to back and is starting to coo. He is a very chatty little guy. He must take after his mama, he also takes after me with his taste of music, (which I already posted about) and his love to wiggle (dance) to music. Which makes me happy because he is his daddy's mini-me.

Dance Parties

Do you ever just want to turn on loud music and dance? Sometimes I like to do that, Winston likes to dance when I play music, and I have found that my son likes to do that too.  I wonder if that will make him a dancer?

 Some songs he loves to move too include:

I think my son has some good taste. What are some of your favorite songs to dance too?
Ciao,

What is offensive?

A recent post from a facebook friend got me thinking what is offensive? My friend has been through a lot and her story isn't one for me to share, and yet, instead of showing support, people aren't.

I have always thought that people loved baby pictures and why not, they are so cute. Yet, not everyone loves all baby pictures. So, I am going to share some picutres of my son. These are a bit more on the...graphic, real life, sad, heart breaking side of life.  And to some people, these would be classified as offensive.

 Right before they put in the nasal cannula so he could breath. 

Treatments to help him breath.

His transport to the NICU

Waving around his IVs

Wrapped up in a Bili Blanket to heal his Jaundice

 Can you tell me what picture or pictures could be offensive?  I guess people don't want to see pictures of a baby that isn't healthy. But, not all babies are born healthy, and sometimes, parents need support instead of being told not to share.

Ciao,