Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Tough Week

Reality set in this week.  The newness of my "new job" has worn off, and I'm back to feeling antsy.  I'm tired of waking up early (I am NOT a morning person).  I'm tired of missing waking up with Jackson and watching Sesame Street snuggled with him on the couch.  I'm tired of the drama. 

But right now, it's a necessity. 

Whine over.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Funny Things You Never Expect to Say, But Do Routinely Once You Have Children...

1.  Honey, don't put the fork in your ear.
2.  Please get your feet out of the dogs water bowl.
3.  No, we do not wash our hands in the toliet.
4.  Please don't put your eggs in the orange juice.
5.  Get the dog food out of your mouth!
6.  Do you want the boogie-sucker?  (the nasal aspirator keeps him entertained during diaper changes)
7.  Why do you have pasta in your nose?
8.  Why are there teeth marks in the chapstick?
9.  Is this crayon on the health insurance application?
10.  Please take mommy's keys out of the stereo.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Photos from the Day

 Like most of the northeast, we were buried under snow today.  We took Jackson out to play in the snow for the first time!  

 

Hanging out with daddy.

  
In the backyard...


Catching snowflakes on his tongue!


 

Bella had a blast too!

 

He loved it!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Best Friends

Bella is our 5 year old "terrier mix".  Terrier mix is apparently a euphamism coined by the shelter we adopted her from, for 'pitbull mix'.  Honestly, we were a little freaked out when we realized that she wasn't going to be the easy dog we were looking for.  But we immediately put her into obedience training and bought a few books on raising a pitbull (we got her when she was 8 weeks old).  Everything we read said that if raised well, pitbulls are the best dogs to have around children.

I know our family was a little bit more freaked out at the thought of us having a pitbull, but I can honestly say that we couldn't be more pleased by her behavior with Jackson.  She seems to genuinely like him, and respect our relationship with him.  Please don't get me wrong, we don't trust her AT ALL.  This isn't specific to Bella, rather our not taking any dogs behavior for granted.  We never forget that she is only an animal and that she can only understand so much.  Accidents can easily happen; and not just with a pitbull.

But on a sweeter note...

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Ummm.....

Bella, I think we need to talk about this.

.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

...and Life Strikes Again!

It's funny, and this has happened a few times.  But when I am up against a wall, tired and frustrated and bored with what I am doing, life throws me a curveball.

A position opened up in my office for a more administrative type nursing position, as the Egg Donor Coordinator.  I am now recruiting, screening and coordinating cycles between egg donors and their respective recipients.

I can still do it part time from home (which is great!) and it came with a pay raise (also great!).  Even better, I am now giving up taking call a few nights, which means a couple days of blessed silence, where I don't have to be a slave to my phone.

Even though it's a few extra hours of work, I am only in the office each morning, and home by 1:30 at the latest.  This gives me the afternoon to decompress and write, while Jackson naps.  When he wakes up, I have relaxed and can completely focus on being a great mom.

On a side note, Jackson has taken to saying "hug-a-mama" whenever he wants to be held a little longer, like before bed or a diaper change.  He wraps his little arms around my neck and snuggles in as tight as he can, then murmurs those sweet little words.  What is a mom to do with sweetness like that?  How could I possibly turn my little man down??

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Yummy!

I love to cook and bake. In fact, if chefs worked better hours, I might have gone to culinary school. This morning, I made 3-Bean Salad. While the recipe is ridiculously easy, it is by far one of my favorites. I could eat the whole thing in one sitting, it is that good.


You will need:

1 can of kidney beans
1 can of wax beans
1 can of green beans
1 can of mixed vegetables

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 tbsp of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse thoroughly the first four ingredients. You of course can use fresh or even frozen vegetables if you are concerned about the amount of sodium. Mix together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients with a fork until well blended. Pour into the large bowl, over the beans. Cover and let sit in the fridge. This salad gets better the longer it sits in the fridge (within reason, of course!).

I love it for a late afternoon snack and at under $4 dollars for the whole bowl, who can beat that?!