More smiles

J in action or at least as much action as you get with a 2 month old!

Kids 'N' Pets

Just thought I'd pass this along. E has been potty trained for awhile now and making it through the night. Sometimes she goes 12 hours or so, but every now and then she'll have an accident. I have found this is a great product for those such times. The whole "spill" completely evaporates away and there is no stain or odor. I've used it on the bed and the carpet. I found it at Walmart. Haven't tried it on pet stuff as we don't have any. 

And after a couple days of waking up to, "Mom, yucky, Mom," I have purchased a plastic mattress cover as well. Not quite sure how she can make it through some nights and not others. I try to have her stop drinking water earlier in the evening now. And I have gotten up and taken her too. It's just hard when she goes for so long w/o an accident then out of the blue, it happens again. Any advice? 

Keeping it real

everydayMOM tagged me in this game called "Keeping it Real"

Here are the rules:
Take a picture of yourself right now.
No primping or preparing.
Just snap a picture.
Load the picture onto your blog.
Tag some people to play.
That's it, have fun!

I actually followed the rules. This is me, yesterday, after getting up at 6:30 and getting out of the house with a 2 year old and 2 month old by 7:45 in order to get to a meeting in the city then get back to town to pick up a 5 year old, get home and make everyone lunch. That's me, just sitting at my computer this afternoon catching up on some e-mails and blogs and holding my little guy as he sleeps. Don't mind the messy office clutter behind me. This is REAL life for me right now.

Now I tag: 

Crystal

Jennifer S. 

Jennifer H. 

Erin 

Diapers.com

In case some of you Moms haven't found this site yet, you can get diapers and all sorts of baby stuff shipping right to your house. They also have things on sale all the time. If you use this code MAGG4802, you get 10 percent off your first order. Just thought I'd pass this along....

Two months old

Today my little man is 2 months old! 

He is smiling almost any time you look at him and starting to make cooing noises (so cute).

He usually falls asleep around 10:30, then is up at 1 or 2, then again at 4 and 6 to eat. Fortunately I just feed him in bed and we both fall back asleep. 

The girls still adore him, although Emma has gotten braver about picking him up or taking him from MJ when she's holding him. Thus, he's gotten a little roughed up lately. 

He's about to move up to size 2 diapers. 

His 2-month check-up is on the 15th. 

He is staying awake more during the day, but still sleeps alot. 

He still isn't loving bathtime, but he doesn't scream anymore until I get him out. 

He has several nicknames already including J Man, Little Man, Little J, JW and Jaytee (or at least that's how it sounds. It's from his big sister, MJ) And E calls him Gaynan. It used to be Yayten, which was closer, but somehow it's morphed into Gaynan. It's pretty cute. 

I just love him more and more every day!

First Smiles

I've been trying to capture Jayten's smiles. He pretty much smiles whenever you look at him now. He's also starting to make some coo sounds, which are just so cute! 

Recipes

Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread (from Simple and Delicious magazine with a few modifications)

You know I can't follow a recipe exactly?

I tried this recipe last night. It was really good.

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

Combine cheese in seasonings in one bowl. Melt butter and add garlic in another bowl. Tear dough into 16 pieces (don't know why it's 16, but I did that) and roll into balls. Dip in butter mixture, then roll in seasonings. I put mine in a bundt pan because that's what I had. (They used a loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled or for an hour. (I didn't have time for this step, but it turned out fine.) Bake at 350 degrees for 22-26 minutes. 

Swiss Steak (I made this recipe up and have made it for years. It's very simple.)

Package swiss steak or round steak (we have our meat butchered so they give us a cut called Swiss Steak, but round will work too. Usually 1-2 lbs.)

1-2 cans stewed tomatoes (sometimes I use Italian style with garlic and oregano because that's what they have at Costco)

2-3 bell peppers (green, red, orange and/or yellow) cut into chunks

1/2 red or white onion, cut into chunks. 

Season meat with meat tenderizer, salt, pepper and Worchestershire sauce. Add tomatoes, peppers and onions. I cook it in a crockpot on low, 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. 

Serve over rice. 

Variation-Stewed Chicken 

Cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a TB of oil in skillet. Remove from pan, cut into chunks (I find it easier to cut cooked chicken up and it's not so icky.)

Put chicken back in skillet, add stewed tomatoes, peppers, onions. Simmer 20 minutes. Serve over rice. 

Simple ingredients, easy preparation, great taste!