Hurry It's Not Too Late!

I was just checking out one of my favorite blogs Green and Clean Mom and I learned about this great new contest going on at The Soft Landing. Please check it out for a chance to win either a beginning solids or advanced BPA free fedding kit. Hurry up though 'cause the contest ends in two days. Good Luck!

5 Things Meme

So I really do have a serious topic that I wanted to blog about today but the truth is I just don't have the ambition or the brain capacity to do so. I also want to do a little research before my blog! Thanks to Danielle at New Mommy rant for tagging me 'cause now I can blog about a fun, non-brain hurting topic! Come back tomorrow for more serious stuff.

Anyway here are my 5 things Meme . . .

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago

• Getting through my 2nd semester at Fairleigh Dickinson University


• Just starting to date Justin


• Hanging out w/ my college pal Melissa


• Deciding where I wanted to go to college the following year 'cause I wasn't happy at FDU


• Driving around in a 1987 Ford Tempo

5 Things on my to do List Today

• Food Shoppping (or eat at Mom & Dad's House)


• Motivate Justin to paint the last wall of our bedroom (tall ceiling my pregnant self should not be climbing scaffolding)


• Clean the bathroom & Madison's room


• Fold laundry or just continue to let it pile up on the couch in the den


• Lesson Plans (aka lock myself in my room and take a nap while the family thinks I'm working)

5 of my favorite Snacks

• Watermelon (can not get enough even if it is currently $25.00 per lb.)


• Popcorn


• Carrot Sticks and ranch dressing


• Pita Chips and Hummus


• Just about anyhting covered in cheese

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire

• Move


• Open a funky little bead shop that holds inexpensive classes


• Help Justin start his dream charity that would benefit sick and underprivelaged kids (sorry don't want to jinx it by giving away too many details right now)


• Take all of my friends and family on a well deserved vacation


• Golf lessons for myself so I can be the one that disappears for the whole day to go play a round of golf

5 Bad Habits

• Impulse shopping


• Lack of Patience


• Procrastination


• I'll fet back to you with more

5 Places I Have Lived

• Manchester, New Jersey


• Livingston, New Jersey


• Lavallette, New Jersey


• Sorry that is it!

5 Jobs that I Have Had

• Beach Badge Checker


• ShopRite Cashier


• Tanning Salon Attendent


• Financial Advisor


• Waitress

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Win a BPA Free Camel Bak Water Bottle!

I've seen them in the L.L. Bean catelog and read about them at New Mommy Rant yesterday. Now I want to let you in on how you can win one ! Click on the link below for details. Make sure to read all of the ways that you can increase your chances of winning. The contest closes on April 8th. Good luck!



http://greenandcleanmom.blogspot.com/

Kids Say the Darndest Things

If I haven't mentioned it before I am a compensatory education, supplemental instruction, and ESL teacher. Basically the commission that I work for sends me out to private schools in the area and provides these services to the students of that school with special needs. One of my autistic students just left my classroom but before doing so he informed me that his teacher has very smelly breathe and that he likes me better because I don't. Score one for Listerine breathe strips! Obviously social skills are one of the areas that we work on with this student but I'm sure even the thickest skinned parent has had their child(ren) say something that has made them wanted to crawl into the deepest hole they could find. My sweet little angel Madison has recently become one of these children. Justin and I always praise her for being so observant but here are just a few of the times that we secretly wished for a child who was oblivious to her surroundings.

1. Several months ago while in Dunkin' Donuts on a Sunday morning a very rotund man comes walking in an Madison in her very loud, proud to be a big, smart girl voice says "Mommy, Daddy that man is BIG!". We explain that yes he is large but we don't need to tell everyone and her response again very loudly is "But he is really, really BIG!"
2. Last month at my ob. appointment I was making my next appointment with a rather deep voiced woman. Right then and there Madison decides to tell me "Mommy, that lady is a man!" I told her no honey it is a lady and explain to the receptionist that she gets men and woman confused but Madison response it "She sounds like my Daddy and Uncle Corey!"
3. This one thank goodness is not nearly as embarrasing because we were at home among family. I had just finished making a comfort food dinner (mashed potatoes and gravy with Swiss Steak). My husband dished it up in a less than appetizing manner and Madison announced "I can't eat that it looks like poop!".

I'm sure this is just the beginning of more embarrasing times to come. Please share some of the things that your children or children you know have said that have made you want to run for the hills!

To Give or Not to Give

Let me just start by saying that I'm generally or at least think I am a good gift giver. I enjoy giving gifts to people and often times more generous than I should be (at least that is what my husband Justin says when he sees what I spend). With that tidbit of information about me, I'm asking for any advice you can give on a particular predicament that I find myself in.



Last summer friends of mine and Justin's got engaged. They asked Justin to be the best man, our daughter Madison to be the flower girl and me to be one of the bridesmaids. We said yes of course to all three although deep down wondered why. We knew Justin would be asked because he has been best friends with the groom since he was 8 years old. Although I really like the bride we don't spend time together other than when we get together as couples and they already had a niece as a flower girl so they really didn't need a 2nd one. I also let them now immediatly that we were trying for another baby so a maternity dress may be needed.



Fast foward to now. The dresses have been ordered, the shower planning has begun and we are already quickly approaching the $1,000.00 mark for money spent on this wedding. We have yet to pay for dress alterations, Justin's tux, shoes, hair, two nights at an upscale hotel, bachelor party (the groom has high hopes of a weekend of golf in Myrtle Beach, guess he thinks we hit the lottery or something), wedding gifts and other incidentals. By the time the wedding hits I will also most likely be a stay at home mom (other than my Mary Kay buisness that I am building) with a new 7 week old baby added to the mix.

Now maybe it is because I'm not one for a traditional wedding (hubby and I had a destination wedding in Mexico) or maybe it is because I'm not really close to the bride. Then again maybe it is because there are only 3 bridesmaids that are throwing a very pricey shower at an upscale B&B at the Jersey shore or because I will soon be out of a steady income but I find myself questioning my choice of gifts for the shower. The other two girls in the bridal party want to do their own thing for a gift instead of all chipping in together for one nice gift. This leaves me in limbo. Do I get a gift on my own, do I chip in with my mom or do I say screw it your wedding (2nd by the way) is already costing more money and more aggravation than my own so the shower and all the little extra touches that I've added are your gift. I can't help but think that if this were one of my truly close friends or if the crazy future sister-in-law who calls me on the daily left me alone, I'ld be a little less bitter. So my question to you is what would you do and am I making a big deal over nothing? Can't wait to hear your advice and as always any stories of similar situations that you have found yourself in.

Tracy

Tasty Tuesdays - Spanish Food Cravings

One of my passions is cooking. Last night for dinner I made an old family recipe. It is not one of the healthiest meals I make but it is oh so yummy and usually a hit with kids. Hope you love it!

Grandma Stella's Empanadas

Makes approx 20 empanadas (average adult can eat between 2-3)



Ingredients



approx 3 lbs. ground beef

1 onion

1/2 - 1 green bell pepper

3 cloves

olive oil

2tsp cumin powder or Goya Adobo w/cumin

1 tsp oregano

1-2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 10 count packages of discos para empanadas (La Fe cook the best but Goya work to. They can be found in the ethnic food freezer section)

2 chopped hard boiled eggs (optional)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped olives

Vegetable or Canola Oil

***This is the first written version of this recipe so all of the measurements are approximations. Feel free to adjust any of the amounts!***

Finely chop the onions, garlic and bell pepper. Saute in 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil until tender. Approx 5 minutes. Add the chopped meat, cumin powder and oregano. Cook until beef is browned. Drain excess fat. Add the tomato sauce. Make sure you add enough so that the meat looks moist but not so much that it looks soupy. I wish I could give you a more exact amount of tomato sauce to use but it seems to vary every time I make this dish. Mix in the eggs, olives and raisins

You can save the meat to make empanadas another day or just let it cool enough so your hands don't get burned when you handle it. Roll one of the empanada discs out to about 6 inches in diameter. Place 2-3 TBSP. of meat mixture on the lower half of the disc. Fold the disc over and crimp edges with a fork. Repeat with all of the discs. Fry in your choice of oil until golden brown on each side or bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

****In my family everybody likes/dislikes different ingredients in their empanadas. My mom used to wait to add the eggs, olives and raisins until she was about to close the pastry disc. She would then make our first initial and place it on the empanada made for us with a cut up piece of pastry disc. This is always on option but more time consuming. At my house everyone gets the same and none of them have eggs because I don't like them!****

I'll get better at this. I promise!

Wow! Where did the past month and a half go? Every day I make sure to check out newmommyrant.blogspot.com but I'm not nearly as diligent about posting on my own blog. I've even commented on my friend's site but nothing added to my own.

Anyway as my about me section mentions, I'm expecting my second daughter this summer. My due date is August 6th but it is looking like she will be a scheduled c-section around July 31. I was really hoping for a Vbac but my docs feel that my lack of progression (only 2 cm after more than a day) and the size of my first daughter (8lbs. 9oz.) the chances of me having a successful labor is very slim and they would feel much better if I opted for another c-section. Although I'm not 100% sold on another c-section, right now it is not on the top of my list for concerns.

My current concern is my weight gain or more so my lack there of. Tomorrow I will officially be 22 weeks pregnant and have yet to gain a pound! During my first pregnancy I gained a more than healthy 38 pounds and never quite lost it all. When I got pregnant this time I already had weight to lose and started off being very cautious with what I ate. Throughout the first trimester I dealt with some morning, noon and night sickness but a ton of food aversions. Besides that I also had 2 rounds of asthmatic bronchitis (no I don't typically have asthma) and 1 case of sinusitis. Needless to say eating was not high up on my list of things to do and I ended up losing 15 pounds. This led to me visiting my ob every 2 weeks and receiving warnings that if I did not stop losing I would find myself in the hospital. Hello, don't you think I wanted to eat????

Fast forward two more months. I've now lost a total of 18 pounds but baby girl #2 is estimated to be a very healthy 1 lb. 2 oz. The weight loss has pretty much stopped and I have been eating everything within arms length for the past week or so. I've become so paranoid about my lack of weight gain that I step on the scale a minimum of 5 times a day. I didn't realize how bad it had gotten until my daughter started following in suit and hopping on to "see how big she is" every time she passes the bathroom. This is not at all an issue that I want embedded into my child at any age let alone 3 years old! So I guess my question to anyone who is willing to comment is do you think the number on the scale should matter if the baby and I are both healthy (I'll post some pictures soon but even a blind person can see that I'm pregnant at this point. Okay maybe not a blind person but you know what I mean). I'd also love to hear anyone else's weight gain/loss stories from their pregnancies just so that I know I'm not the only one out there!

Promise to blog again soon,
Tracy

P.S. I know my site is UGLY at this point. I'll be working on that in the weeks to come too!