My Tootsie Pop

Jadyn & Momma
May 2010

Meals for a Month – May

I’m still loving my month-at-a-time meal planning. Like with any planning, it has saved me a bundle of time. But doing it for a month seems to save me even more time.

Once I plan my menu, I lay out a grocery list for the needed items each week. Recipes requiring special, more pricey ingredients, I plan to have at the end of the month so I can hopefully find what I need when it’s on sale.

Then, I schedule a cooking plan of meals I can make ahead, double the recipe, and freeze.

After that, it’s sit back and relax time. I love that!

Here’s what May shaped up to be:

1. Out of town
2. Out of town
3. Out of town
4. Chicken | Asparagus Casserole
5. Spaghetti, Salad, Focaccia 
6. OUT – Birthday dinner!
7. Pizza, Green Smoothies
8. Cilantro Chicken, Rice, Corn Casserole
9. Tacos
10. Turkey Loin, Veggies
11. BLT Pasta (I used orzo instead and topped with croutons baked in bacon fat – Yum!), Applesauce
12. Spaghetti, Salad, Focaccia 
13. Rotisserie Chicken, roasted potatoes, veggies
14. Pizza, fruit
15. OUT – Birthday picnic – Curried Tuna Wraps – YUM!
16. Dinner with friends
17. Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, homemade buns, leftover salad
18. Spaghetti, Salad, Focaccia 
19. Asian chicken, rice, stir-fried veggies
20. Tuna medallions, guacamole
21. Pizza, fruit
22. Leftovers
23. Tacos
24. Crab legs, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach
25. Chicken | Asparagus Casserole
26. Steak, veggies
27. Spaghetti, Salad, Focaccia 
28. Pizza, fruit, leftovers
29. Out
30. Out
31. Out – Happy Memorial Day!

Double, Double... Toil and Trouble?

I got me some bravery earlier this week. :-) Many of you may laugh at my heroic efforts, but the truth of it is... I gave both the girls a bath at the same time.

Oh, yeah. I = awesome.

Or not.

‘Tis true that many before me have done this and more. I’m sure my sweet aunt, the mother of twins that she is, is reading this and smirking at me. Oh honey, if only you knew.

But I did it. I’m pleased no one drowned. And I have the pictures to prove it.

Does it count if each girl was in her own bathtub?

Celebrating Love... and New Life

Twenty-nine years ago today the love of my life was born. He arrived here before I did, but I know the Lord had recorded all his days on this earth... and on one of them, 21 years later, we would meet for the first time.

Not as husband and wife. But as friends.

And we’re still friends.

What better way to celebrate the gift of love and new life than to indulge in the beauty of spring in the great outdoors?! I packed a yummy picnic lunch of curried tuna wraps, brie & crackers, chocolate-covered bananas and strawberries, and peanut-butter cookies and we headed for the trail.

The trail at Red Rock Wilderness, which overlooks the Potomac River.

We basked in the beauty, munched on yummy food, considered the ant, and celebrated the gift of each other.

It was a wonderful afternoon!

The beautiful Potomac overlook!

 

Yes... just some subtle advertisement.

We had so much fun watching these ants!

Doing the manly thing. Showin’ off to the ladies. Er, lady.

Happy birthday to my best friend!

General Life Update

Life with two has been such a joy and a challenge. I’ve always heard it’s tough to adjust to two... or three (depending on who you ask)... and at least for me I think the former is the truth. I’ve struggled to live without sleep, find time to use the bathroom ALONE, and care for my family with grace and patience. It’s been a tough journey, one far from over, but I’m finally feeling more on top of things.

And I’ve had time to focus on all the joys of living life with two growing girls!

Morenna  - 25 months

Morenna continues to amaze me with her vocabulary. She definitely takes after her father in that regard. When Matt was five he was amazing people in grocery check-out lines with properly used words like “obstreperous” and I’m just waiting for Morenna to do the same.

She chatters constantly and will dialog with short conversations on the phone. And also by herself. Her capacity for imagination has definitely grown... which is something I’m thrilled about!

She can sing the entire alphabet and recognize the letters “O”, “M”, and “B”.  And she can almost recognize all colors.

Numbers-wise she can count to 10... and counts objects, too.

Dancing and music are definitely her forte, so I’m sure we’ll be looking into ballet or tap lessons in the near future. And dresses. She loves dresses with a passion!

And recently she’s mastered summersaults all by herself.

A haircut might be coming soon for her, too.

Potty-training still is a taboo subject. She will pee on the potty if we sit her on it, but other than that she has no desire. And I’m ok with that.

I’m also ok with they fact she still sleeps in a crib, with no apparent desire for the contrary.

Today we moved Jadyn into Morenna’s room... so we’ll have to see how that goes. :-) As a big sister goes, Morenna has definitely started to show more of an interest in Jadyn, but mainly to take her toys or let me know when she’s spit-up or lost her beloved binkie. There is the occasional kiss, but I’ve been a bit disheartened at her lack of gentleness or care towards her. Oh well, I shrug it off in light of her age.

Food wise she is my vegetarian in training. She’s not a huge meat lover, but will gladly pig out on beans, cheese and eggs... in addition to yogurt, fruits and veggies and crackers. Don’t forget the crackers.

She finally has both canine teeth on the bottom. Just two more to go and then we’ll be waiting for the last of her molars. I’m not at all saddened to see that phase of growth pass us by. I’m not big on teeth. :-)

 

Jadyn – 5.5 months

My little tootsie-pop. What a joyful spirit Jadyn is... despite how little she sleeps. Which is more than I can say for myself. :-)

At halfway through her fifth month she has taken to eating cereal like a pro. She. Loves. It. Funny how I’ve failed to make it to the six month mark with both girls before introducing them to solids. But both have been ready, so who am I to deny?

Jadyn can’t stand to be on her tummy, so about a month and a half ago she mastered rolling over from tummy to back on demand. Simply lay her on her tummy and before you blink, she’s flipped over and is giggling back at you.

Her latest accomplishment, though, is to sit unassisted. And she really likes this position. She does well with reaching for toys and keeping herself from toppling over.

Jadyn continues to act like she’s teething... as she has since month number one. Her favorite activity is to gnaw on daddy’s finger as he totes her around the house. Spoiled? Maybe. Adored? Yah.

And what a drama queen! I thought Morenna was passionate... boy, we’re in for it with Jadyn. Her version of a temper-tantrum is to cease breathing until her face turns bright red and then to squeal. A funny thing to behold!

In as much as Morenna is a Daddy’s girl (BIG time), Jadyn is a Mommy’s girl. She simply lights up whenever I’m around and thus far has belly-laughed really only for me. I’m not complaining. Such adoration is a small payback for the number of sleepless nights I’ve spent with her.

Morenna was a great sleeper right off of the bat. But Jadyn continues to get me up several times a night. I finally wised up to the fact she wasn’t waking in order to eat, but rather to cuddle with me... every three hours. Still not too sure how I’m going to handle that one... but I’m hoping it goes away soon.

For the Love of an iTouch

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like Apple® and those who don’t.

I’ve always been a proud member of the latter category and even went so far as to marry a fellow member. We lived in ignorant bliss until just a few months ago.

Last year my husband announced it was time for him to get serious about studying to take the bar. A few hundred thousand dollars later, my husband relayed to me the shocking news: personal bar studies were only available through the use of an iTouch or iPhone.

My first thoughts were not pleasant ones. The words “disgusting monopolistic garbage” may or may not have floated through my mind.

But we had to do what we had to do.

And now... I’m a believer.

So why devote a blog post to such a topic? Just this: I’ve discovered another device that has saved my life. And I know several other mommas who just might be tempted by what I’m about to share.

Our iTouch now joins with our iRobot Roomba, Mosie, (which I could swear I wrote a post about but I can’t seem to find it now) as a couple pricey, but well-worth-the-money technologies.

Though my iTouch has allowed me to significantly increase my ability to maintain a social presence (through facebook and email), most importantly it has helped me stop wasting time on the internet.

It’s nothing new. I’ve mentioned internet addictions in the past. And I’m sure many of us mothers continue to have some moments each day that we’ve blithely tossed into the internet-surfing void.

And that’s precisely where the iTouch comes in. I’m able to manage my blog subscriptions, check and respond to email, browse and update facebook, and be consistent with devotions all through the use of this handy... TINY... device. I emphasize tiny because that is precisely what keeps me from over-doing my internet time. I mean, who wants to stare at such a small screen with such small font for more than 5 minutes?

My point exactly.

Blogs and facebook are browsed while I’m nursing, after devotions. Email is check multiple times during the day, but only long enough to see what’s new and if a timely response is needed. I’m more organized and MUCH more attentive to my girls this way.

And that, for the record, is what works for me!

What works for you?

An Evening with Daddy

Matt has great work hours in my opinion... he gets home early and takes the girls while I get dinner.

A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Most of the time they tromp off to the neighborhood playground to swing and slide.

Morenna has become more and more courageous in what she’ll do by herself at the playground. So last month I decided to bypass dinner in lieu of venturing out to snap some pictures of all their fun. Here are my favorites:

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Time with Grandpa

Morenna & Jadyn spending some quality time with Grandpa John.
Morenna was quite fascinated with Grandpa’s magical ability to pull candy out of her ear. :-)
“More candies, Grandpa? More candies from my ear?”
April 2010

Meals for a Month

I’ve definitely joined the camp praising the benefits of meal planning. A little preparation makes for a lot of ease. But I’ll be the first to admit to you: I dislike meal planning, too. 

It takes time and precious brain cells (from my dwindling supply) to pull together a meal plan.

Some women plan completely from scratch. Others have a 2, 4 or even 6-week rotation of family favorites.

I fall into the first group. For a while now I’ve dedicated a portion of my Saturday mornings to planning our menu for the following week. Armed with the weekly ads, my menu planning cards and my links to favored recipe sites, I’ve taken 20-30 minutes to do my thing... until recently I switched things up again.

One of my highly-esteemed blogger friends finds time to menu plan on a larger scale. And so, for the month of April, I took the plunge and decided to plan out my entire menu... for the whole month. While I’m on a roll, why not? And you know what, we have a winner!

It certainly works for me.

Here’s some noted differences, however:

- Additional flexibility. I don’t have as much control over my month’s schedule as I do for the current week. Solution? I made sure to plan out meals for every single day of the month. Then as issues arose, I swapped days.

- Planning around unknown sales. Obviously you’ll never know the ad from one week to another. Solution? Enter freezer cooking and good ol’ fashion guesswork. I’ve been attempting freezer cooking for some time now, and in planning for the month, it’s really been a lifesaver. When things are on sale, I stock up in hopes to utilize the items the following month. Additionally grocery chains rotate their sales every 4-6 weeks, for the most part. So it helps to keep a mental tab on what sales might be coming up.

- More rotation. I’ve never been a big fan of meal rotation. However, I have found that planning for the month required a little more structure than normal. Solution: Taco Tuesdays Sundays and Friday night pizza.

That said, here’s what our April plans looked like:

1. Spaghetti, Salad
2. Pizza, Fruit
3. EASTER
4. EASTER
5. Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Biscuits, Salad
6. BRC Quiche, 3 Bean Salad
7. Hamburgers, Fruit
8. Rotisserie Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Bread
9. Pizza, Green Smoothies
10. Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo, Broccoli
11. Tacos|Burritos, Fruit
12. Sweet/Sour Turkey Meatballs, Veggies
13. Crab Legs, Roasted Potatoes, Veggies
14. Vegetarian Lasagna, Bread
15. Jamaican Salmon, Rice, Carrots
16. Pizza, Fruit
17. Cilantro Chicken w/ Avocado Salsa, Rice
18. Tacos|Burritos, Fruit
19. Rotisserie Chicken, Veggies, Corn Muffins
20. Vegetarian Curry, Rice, Fruit
21. Asian Chicken Orzo Salad, Fruit
22. BRC Quiche, Salad
23. Pizza, Fruit
24. BLT Pasta, Salad or Fruit
25. Tacos|Burritos, Fruit
26. Soy Salmon, Baked Potatoes, Veggies
27. Crepes, Sausage, Fruit
28. Spaghetti, Veggies, Bread
29. Rotisserie chicken salad sandwiches w/ yogurt
30. Pizza, Fruit
31. Lettuce Wraps, Fruit

BON APETIT!

Menu Cards

An Early Nap

I found Morenna sound asleep in her play box one day when I was making lunch.
So precious! March 2010.

Flower Child

Morenna’s Blue Flower
March 2010

Professional Grade

Jadyn, Punky Brewster, Gi-Gi, Pookie Bear
March 2010, 3.5 months.

Cherry Blossoms!

Morenna’s middle name, Sakura, is Japanese for cherry blossom. Matt and I chose that name for a reason; she was born on the first day of the D.C. cherry blossom festival two years ago. You may remember my friend Rachel and I packed up our newborns and headed down for pictures in the blossoms. Morenna was less than two weeks old.

Well, as is tradition, Rachel and I packed up the kids – four kids now, ages 2 and under – and headed down to the D.C. chaos to snap a few pictures. The kids have certainly changed... but the blossoms hadn’t. :-)

It was a beautiful day to go, sunny and in the low 70s. We packed a picnic lunch and sat under the trees next to the tidal basin (not too brilliant of an idea when you have two little ones interested in water and ducks, with nothing between them and the enticing waves lapping the sides of the basin).

But we all survived. Yes, much to our surprise Rachel and I survived... and we’ll probably do it all again next year. Maybe. :-)

And of course we snagged some fun pictures:

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A Wohlschlegelian Easter

He is Risen! He is risen Indeed!

Holidays for us almost always mean travel of some sort. Travels to Ohio. Travels to California.

And family. Always family.

But Easter was a bit different this time around. We snubbed our typically travelled states and headed North, instead. To Pennsylvania.

But though the holiday wasn’t spent with immediate family, it was spent with some good friends whom Matt and I consider our “second family.” And we had a wonderful time!

Both Matt and I became independently acquainted with the Wohlschlegels during our college days. Their large, welcoming family provided some meaningful comforts to us during those years. And we’ve loved feeling like a part of their family for, well.... almost 10 years (ok, 9.5 for Matt and 8.5 for me).

The weekend provided us a chance to kick back and have some fun... while our kids were otherwise engaged with some other family member for our entire visit. Yes! Did I just say that out loud?

Here are the shots from our weekend in the Keystone State:

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Turning Two

My baby isn’t my baby anymore. She’s my oldest.

Mommy: “How old are you, Morenna?”
Morenna: “Good.”

That’s close enough. :-)

She’s two. And this momma has already witnessed so many new changes in her. Like overnight. Yes, there was the arrival of a new attitude as sassy as the little high heeled dress-up shoes she parades around in. But there was more, lots more. Her curiosity in the world around her has blossomed, too.

Morenna: “Mommy, what’s that?”
Me: “Those are the cow’s horns.”
Morenna: “Ooh. Beep, beep!”

In light of this burst of curiosity, it was only fitting that we had a Curious George birthday party. She loves the “monk”, as she’s termed him, and perhaps he’s the one responsible for her newfound adventurous spirit.

We had just a few of our friends over for the celebration, along with my parents. Of course there has to be another little one present for it to be a real party, so her buddy Kavan was there, too. :-)

Here’s some captured moments:

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Legal Shoplifting

Pardon my play-on-words. :-) But it’s true that sometimes using coupons and scoring good deals makes one feel rather like a shoplifter... but in a good way.

Can I say that?

Anyhow, you all know I love a sweet deal as much as the next person, but when the items you purchase are paid to take end up being family favorites – expensive favorites – it just makes the feeling that much greater.

Hence my happy night last night. And with any luck and some coupons, perhaps you could get the same!

Giant Food Stores are currently (through Friday) running a promotion: buy $15 of select Kashi products and receive $5 off your next shopping order.

They also are offering their dollar doubler days.

Being the Kashi junky I am, I had printed multiple Kashi coupons here and here, in addition to having several that had been mailed to me and some found in previously purchased items.

Note: If you only print coupons online, and you have access to two home computers, you can print each coupon above twice and do a pretty sweet deal.

I rolled my deal, meaning I split all I bought into two transactions and used the money from the first to help pay for the second.

First Transaction
2 boxes of Kashi cereal ($3.29 each)
1 Barenaked Granola ($3.99)
1 box of TLC bars ($2.99)
2 Kashi to-go cups ($1 each)
6 Pillsbury Grands Jrs ($1 each) [*These currently have a catalina deal running... buy 6 get $4 back]

- Used 4 ($1) coupons that doubled = (-$8)
- Used 2 ($0.75) coupons on the biscuits = (-$1.50)
- Used a $10 Giant coupon from a deal I did last week (I also threw in a dozen eggs to the deal)

Paid $5.46 ... and got $9 back ($5 for the Kashi, $4 for the Grands)

Second Transaction
3 boxes of Kashi cereal ($3.29 each)
1 Barenaked Granola ($3.99)
1 box of TLC bars ($2.99)

- Used 4 ($1) coupons that doubled = (-$8)
- Used 1 ($1) coupon that didn’t double = (-$1)
- Used $5 dollars from the previous perchase

Paid $4.17 ... and got back $5

So for the Kashi deal and the Grands deal I technically paid $6.74 and got $9 back. So cool.

And that, my friends, made for a really great night. :-)

Ravioli Party

I love when old friends introduce you to new friends. And your new friends are friends with others who are your friends. A network of friends makes the world just a wee bit friendlier smaller.

Such is the case with my dear friend, Hannah.  We were introduced through a mutual friend. And it turns out we have many other mutual friends. Who knew?!

And who knew I could use the word “friend” so many times in one post?

Anyhow, Hannah is just about the most talented Italian cook I know. When I discovered her spaghetti sauce tasted better than mine (an amazing feat, in my prideful humble opinion), I knew it was time to get down to business. The business of learning all her Italian kitchen secrets. :-)

Hence the ravioli party was planned. Our occasion: Matt’s completion of the bar. And what a celebration it was!

Here’s a recipe for a party of your own:

1 batch of homemade genuine Italian raviolis

1 batch of red sauce (my own little concoction)

1 batch of lemon sauce (Hannah’s own little concoction. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G)

4 glasses of wine

4 friends

1 game of Bang!

For the ravioli, mix 2.5 cups of flour with 1 cup of boiling water. Let dough rest while you make the filling of your choice. Hannah can provide you some awesome suggestions. :-)

Roll out your dough. Add your fillings.

Be sure to crimp your edges!

Drop into a pot of salted boiling water ‘til raviolis rise and then for an additional 2 minutes. 

Remove and enjoy! Yum!

 

I love new friends.

Gettin’ Bigger All the Time

March 2010
Jadyn, 3.5 months

Of Poppins and Priorities

Since the beginning of the year, Morenna’s video of choice has been Mary Poppins.  Such an honor bestowed upon a movie means that it is watched dozens hundreds of times.

It was fun at first, bringing to mind memories of my own childhood pleasures surrounding the popular songs and lighthearted magic.

But I grew bored with the fact I could recite the script by memory. I had dishes to do, a floor to clean... and no one around was going to snap their fingers to complete it for me.

Somewhere around the 27th viewing *yawn*, I woke up and began to catch on to some iconic dimensions of the movie I had missed the 26 times before.

I’m slow, I know.

I sat there, suddenly aware of how greatly I was behaving like those in the movie.

Mrs. Banks was a valiant knight in the world of women’s rights; namely, their right to vote. To have a say. Fighting to have an impact in the world around her.

Yet she overlooked the greatest impact of all: motherhood. And it was slipping away from her.

Mr. Banks was a noteworthy, important man. His job defined him; he was a great investor.

Yet he didn’t invest in the right things. His “life ambitions go, with one fowl blow” and he realizes those ambitions were build on the sands of disillusionment.

What a perfect movie for a discontented, stressed out momma to watch.

It’s not about the daily chores; it’s about the time invested in the lives of my children. Motherhood is what I prayed for during those years through high school and college. The blessing was given to me... now what am I choosing to do with it?

One of the only blogs I take time to read is (In)Courage. Earlier this month a writer posted an article entitled, “In the Season of Rain, Pray for Rain.” It touched a disillusioned part of my heart and has drastically altered how I proceed in my day.

In the words of Zechariah, “Ask for rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain . . . .” (Zechariah 10:1)

Here’s the message, mommas. We’re the caretakers of little souls right now. It’s our season. And like all seasons, we know it only lasts for a short time before passing on. Remind yourself of this the next time a small being attaches themselves to your leg while dinner is burning, the dryer is buzzing and you can’t find a matching pair of shoes because someone smaller than you was reeking havoc in your closet this morning.

You’re in this season, so pray for this season. Pray for grace and peace and joy. And most of all, pray for wisdom to make a worthwhile, solid, investment. Won’t you join me?

And it can’t hurt to pray that someone like Mary Poppins arrives to snap her fingers and clean your house. :-)

What’s for Dinner

It’s good to be getting back to normal in our house. And to prove it’s true... here’s this week’s menu at a glance... already complete on a Monday morning. :-)

15. Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken, Bread, Veggie

16. Sloppy Joes, Fruit

17. Crepes, Fruit

18. Asian Chicken & Orzo Salad, Bread

19. Pizza & Salad

20. Spaghetti, Salad, Bread

21. Fajitas, Fruit—Morenna’s 2nd birthday party foods!