Cute Kid Moment

The kiddo feels that everyone is her friend. It's one of the many ways that she's like me. She never meets a stranger. Our neighbors across the way, Paige and Jimmy, are part of her little entourage.Friday, Paige let the kiddo pet one of her cats. In the kiddo's mind, Paige had always been cool but now has moved up on her little list of favorite people. Jimmy has had a harder time breaking into the kiddo's top peeps list. He found a feather and used it to tickle her cheek which instantly earned him a spot because she thought that was almost as cool as having a cat. The kiddo has an open invite to come visit them before they move. (It'll be sad for all of us when they move because we really like them.)

 On Saturday, she wanted to go walk. She's just gotten the hang of this walking business and now that's all she wants to do is go walk. In the back of our apartment complex, people park their boats. The kiddo LOVES the boats. Saturday morning she wanted to go walk to see the boats. (I know it won't last, but I'd love her to stay this easily entertained forever.) When we got back home, she looked across the grass to Paige and Jimmy's apartment and this conversation happened:

Kiddo - "Paige"
Me - "Yea, that's where Ms. Paige lives."
Kiddo - "Cat"
Me - "Yea, Ms. Paige has a cat."
Kiddo - "Meow"
Me - "You are so smart! Ms. Paige's cat says 'meow'."
Kiddo - "Jim-Jim"
Me - "Yea, Mr. Jimmy lives there too."
Kiddo - laughing as she walks to our door and sits on the doormat "Ticky-ticky-ticky" while pointing to her cheeks

The kiddo has found friends and I'm not looking forward to the day they move and I have to tell her they don't live there any more.

Resolution Recap - March

I have completely neglected this blog during the month of March due to work and the kiddo, but I will get this resolution recap in before I hit the ground running with work today. I have some posts planned for the rest of the week, but this will suffice for now.

RESOLUTION RECAP 

(1) Cook one meal a month. This one got blown out the water with that whole "no day off from work" bit. I did cook one meal, that I did not blog about. I'll share that story later because it was a complete wreck, but with my mom's help was salvageable. 

(2) Read one book a month. Surprisingly, I did a great job with this one: The Fifth Assassin; Contingency; Stuck in the Middle; Me, Just Different; Reinventing Claire; and Friends with Partial Benefits

(3) Donate to charity each month. This month I donated to Super Sibs! which is an amazing organization to recognize the siblings of children battling cancer who oftentimes get overlooked unintentionally. 

(4) Place $500 in savings. Thanks to my tax refund, I've already accomplished this goal. Let's see if I can keep that in place until the end of the year. 

(5) Visit William. TBA

(6) Exercise/Drop Weight. I was shocked that I actually dropped 1/2 a pound this month. I was sure that all the ballpark meals and fast food would have up a pound or two. 

Where Have I Been?

Wow! Has it really been over 2 weeks since I checked in here? Times flies when you don’t have a day away from your job for 4 weeks. I have some much needed time away from work coming up this weekend, and I’m choosing to spend it as a fan at our conference basketball tournament to support the women’s basketball team. (That is if they win their game on Thursday, since I can’t go until after work on Thursday. If not, then I get to spend the night and the day in beautiful Katy, TX, and then come home and not get out of my yoga pants for the weekend. FUN STUFF!)

Speaking of “fun stuff”, my friends and I have taken a liking to this local family fun center and have kind of made it our hangout. We go right after work so we can have the place to ourselves for a few hours before families start showing up. Is it sad that we’re almost 30 and don’t want to share the mini-golf course or arcade with children? Personally, I just don’t want to see an 8 year-old beat my high scores on skee ball. (Yea, you read that correctly, I have gotten the high score AND THEN BEAT my own high score. Major accomplishment.)

#MOTY LATEST OBSESSIONS

I feel the need to share a few of my latest obsessions on here.Here are the things that I have become obsessed with in the month of February: 

• One Direction’s latest album. Listen here. Seriously, this album can make a bad day better because it’s just fun to rock out to. (Bring on the jokes; I can take them!)
• This girl. Her workouts are awesomely fun! I have been following her workout calendar since the end of January. I don't always have time to hit all of the workouts, but I try to get in as many as I can. I also tend to throw in a mix of some videos from FitSugar or other workout videos that I have as well. 
• Target's dollar bins. This Easter Bunny is about to tear that up. TONS of cute stuff in there. They have Sesame Street bath books that will be making an appearance in the kiddo's Easter basket. I'm thinking about getting her some of the maracas as well. 

RESOLUTION RECAP 

I guess I should do one of these since we’re in March now, right?

(1) Cook one meal a month. My planned meals for the month of February became non-existent towards the end of the month due to my never being home long enough to actually cook anything. Considering the lack of time at home, I think the fact that I cooked 3 meals this month PLUS did some baking counts for brownie points. (And am I just making up that I said one meal a month? Didn't I say one meal a week? I’m so confused right now and the coffee isn't helping to make things clearer.) 

(2) Read one book a month.  Books for February: The Shameful Diary of a Hopeless Romantic, Wild Pitches, Lucky Charm and Always the Last to Know.

(3) Donate to charity each month. This month I donated to Big Brothers/Big Sisters. My friend Donna was raising money in Bowl for Kids’ Sake, so it seemed perfect to make that my charity of choice for the month of February.  

(4) Place $500 in savings. I was able to put $125 into savings this month. I may have to turn around and pay this in taxes, but at least I was able to budget enough to be able to put some money in there to help with that.

(5) Visit William. TBA – with some unexpected expenses this year, I’m hoping I can still pull this one off.

(6) Exercise/Drop Weight. I dropped 2 pounds this month. Considering my crazy schedule and how I've been eating like crap, I consider that an accomplishment. 

Since I've been a slacker on this blog lately, this graphic describes exactly how I feel right now....plus it made me laugh. 

Valentine's Day Recap...(a little late)

I know it's been forever since I've posted but that's due to the crazy work schedule that I know I've mentioned before. This working 7 days a week for going on 3 weeks in a row now is a little crazy. I'm living off of Folgers coffee and am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. After Saturday, I won't have 4 games in one day anymore, so life should slow down to a pace of crazy that I can handle. Let's catch you up a little...

VALENTINE'S DAY
I'm a HUGE holiday freak! Of course Cupid helped me pick out some cute gifts for my kiddo.

                                                    

      Valentine's wreath                                                                                 office valentine's

                                               

     Our window decorations                                                                     The kiddo LOVES these!

                                               

And now for the cute gifts that the kiddo got! She got a stuffed owl, some Elmo socks, some monkey socks, and an Elmo brush and comb set. 

Happy Mardi Gras!

It's one of my favorite holidays, Mardi Gras! Growing up in Louisiana, Mardi Gras was always a holiday from work and since it isn't a holiday in Texas, I made it one. So how does a single mom with an adorable kiddo at home spend her Mardi Gras? Baking, cooking, hanging out and general housework, that's what!
Here's some of the decorations to get you festive:

Adventures In Cooking - OVERDRIVE
Today involved multiple adventures in cooking, so let's get to it. I started my morning off by making King Cake Bars. I thought about doing mini-king cakes, but my mom and I aren't overly big fans of cinnamon rolls, so I figured these would go over better and boy was I right!

         Yea, I've got my work cut out for me.                              Busted out my mom's new stand mixer

                    The crust...                                                      ...the filling...

                  ...the glaze...                                                         ... YUMMY!

Adventures in Cooking - ROUND 2
After making those amazing King Cake Bars, my mom called while the folks were on their way with the kiddo to ask about lunch. She had e-mailed me a pizza log recipe a few days ago and I mentioned that I had all of the stuff to make that, so I did...

 

Third Time's a Charm...

 I made energy bites - my fav snack. 

Adventures in Cooking - Slight Cheat 

Since I spent so much time on the King Cake Bars, I did a slight cooking cheat with dinner and made some jambalaya with the help of Zatarain's, left over Red Lobster biscuits, frozen corn and prepared salad. Still yummy!

CUTE KIDDO MOMENT
I just had to share this cute picture of my kiddo and her "dodo" (dinosaur)

Yes, the shirt says "Mardi Gras Princess" 

This post sponsored by the letters MG and this amazing coffee from Community Coffee: 

Lessons Learned Dating

I had full intentions of making this blog more than just a weekly update, but with how crazy busy things have been with work it seems like fate has decided that it should be that way for a bit. Also, the kiddo is usually at the g-parents for the weekends and I don’t have to try to think of a clever summary of my day after she goes to bed. There are a few things that I wanted to address that aren't normal blog topics, and I guess this post will do just that.

ADENTURES IN MOMMYHOOD

Well, I guess this one kind of ties in to the #moty theme of the blog. To catch some of you who may not know up, my parents watch the kiddo for me during the day while I’m at work and they stay with me during the week and then take the kiddo to their house on weekends. The kiddo, much like me when I was younger, spends most of her time with her grandparents. The only difference, I guess, would be that she is always with them as opposed to always being with me. This works for our family and I’m very grateful to my parents for the support they are providing me and the love they have for my little kiddo.

Now that you have some background, we are running into a small problem. The kiddo is going through the separation anxiety phase…and not with me…with Grammy (Bebe to the kiddo).  The kiddo is resilient and is used to being separated from me, so that’s probably why it doesn't faze her when I leave. However, she cannot stand to be away from Grammy. We are dumbfounded because she starts to get upset if Grammy is just going to take a shower and she is left to play with Granddad (Dad-dad to the kiddo). It would make more sense to us if she wasn't always with both of them. We know the people that she is being left with, and know they aren't hurting her. In fact, she even WANTS to go with these people. She’s just starting to freak out after she’s been with them for a bit. We've tried everything people have recommended to us, but so far nothing has worked. Grammy, poor Grammy, feels horrible hearing her cry. Prayers and kind thoughts are appreciated as we go through this. I know the kiddo will outgrow it eventually, but we hope it’s soon.

CRUEL TO BE KIND?

This one is a slight detour from the normal topics of this blog. This week I had to do something that I dreaded doing but knew had to be done. I had been on three dates with this guy who was a really nice guy, but I could tell that he wanted a relationship. I had made things clear up front that I couldn't commit to a relationship right now. However, he acted and treated me like we were in a relationship. It also became clear to me by listening to what he had to say that he wanted to be in a relationship, but he never really made it sound like he wanted to be in a relationship with me, just wanted to be in a relationship. I knew I had to let him know that this wasn't working out and that I wasn't interested in a relationship, especially with Valentine’s Day looming.

Now, I’m not the kind of girl who puts a lot of stock into Valentine’s Day. I don’t expect a guy that I’m in a relationship with to get me a gift for Valentine’s Day. I buy things for my daughter, but that’s different. I buy her a little gift for every holiday. (Example, for Mardi Gras, I bought her a Mardi Gras Princess t-shirt which you will see later J ) BACK ON SUBJECT – I could tell that he was the kind of guy who plans to go all out for Valentine’s Day, especially after he asked if I would mind him cooking for me for Valentine’s Day.

Knowing it had to be done, I spent an entire morning stressing over how to tell him. Since there wasn't a relationship (I don’t consider 3 dates a relationship…I think he did though…) so I felt a text message was fine. I told him that he was a great guy but I could tell he wanted a relationship and that I couldn't give that to him. Then I was nervous waiting on a response. When it came, it made me realize just how right the decision was. It started out by him saying that he knew I wasn't into having a relationship, but he felt if he tried hard enough that he could make me want one. (Newsflash to anyone who is in the dating world – you cannot make someone want a relationship when they don’t want one!) It was followed with the fact that he’s so used to being dumped (Can you call it “being dumped” when there isn't a relationship and you've only been on three dates?) and that he’ll be single forever. (This is the point that I literally rolled my eyes at the attempt of a guilt trip being laid. I don’t tolerate that well.) Later, I got a text saying he was glad I told him because he was planning on buying my Valentine’s Day present that day. (3 dates does NOT constitute buying someone a Valentine’s Day gift!)

What I've learned from all of this is quite simple. I need to continue to be upfront with guys that I date. I feel being upfront doesn't offer false hope for something that isn't there. I also learned that when I know it isn't going to work out, that I should say so immediately. I feel that 3 dates is a good measure of being able to tell if you want to continue seeing this person or not. I don’t feel that telling someone after three dates that it isn't going to work out is harsh; I feel it’s being honest. I would rather be honest with someone and have them try to guilt trip me, then to lead them on for a few months when they've invested a lot more than a few weeks. Also, if you have to pretend to be someone you're not to make the guy happy, get out ASAP. As the song says, sometimes you've got to be cruel to be kind. 

ADVENTURES IN COOKING

I may as well go ahead and share this week's adventure in cooking with you. I went with a recipe that I have made in the past and has been a crowd pleaser - BBQ Beef Cups. These are SUPER easy for those novice chefs such as myself, but tasty enough that people won't think about how simple they are!

           Really, this is all you need!                                      BAM! See, super easy!

Mommy and kiddo approved! 

(Grammy and Granddad approved too...) 

My dad actually told me that I could make these any time I wanted. As you can see, they are easy and quick to make. Brown some ground meat, mix in some BBQ sauce, dump that in refrigerated biscuits that are in muffin tins, top with cheese and BAM! instant crowd pleaser! 

 
#MOTY BOOK CLUB
My first book of the month of February was Wild Pitchers by Dirk Hayhurst. I love Dirk Hayhurst and all of his books that give you a glimpse into the life a professional baseball player are well worth the read, even if you don't like baseball. He is hilarious! Seriously, check him out here. Then buy all three of his books. In fact, if you tell me that you want them has a birthday or Christmas present, then I will buy them for you. You know I must really think they are good if I'm offering to buy them for you. Trust me, if you like to laugh, then you'll love these. If you don't like to laugh, then you should read them anyway because you should like to laugh.

#MOTY GREATEST HITS PLAYLIST
This is kind of a last minute addition to this post. I did a quick cross-fit-esque workout this morning and then had breakfast and wrote this post and my ITunes has been KILLING IT! Here's what I've been rocking out to:
I Will...But - SheDaisy
New Dark Ages - Bad Religion
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
Trouble With Goodbye - LeAnn Rimes
Ain't No Rest For The Wicked - Cage the Elephant
Dearly Beloved (Acoustic) - Bad Religion
Carry On - FUN
Only Prettier - Miranda Lambert
The Show Must Go On - Queen
Beer on the Table - Josh Thompson
Getting Away With Murder - Papa Roach
Santeria - Sublime
Just a Dream - Cover
Supersoul - Dilana
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
Call Me Maybe/Payphone Mashup
Drive By - Train

This post brought to you by the letter I for ITunes and Folgers Coffee. Off to work, so just throwing a quick shoutout - Go #LUSoftball! It's an exciting day in the history of the program as it's the first Opening Day after a 25 year hiatus. It's sure to be crazy, but hopefully lots of fun! 

Adios Free Time!

Today is my last free day for a long time. I will admit, I am taking a day off during all of this craziness to spend with my daughter and my family to help me stay grounded. Work is about to get crazy busy, but I'm still holding strong to my commitment to stick with my resolutions! So, let's get to this week's Adventure in Cooking and get a recap on some of those resolutions, shall we?

Adventures in Cooking
This week my worthy kitchen opponent was the Doritos Chicken Bake.

These ingredients don't look too intimidating. 

Don't let those cute ingredients fool you!

So, it looks good, right? It tasted ok. The only problem was some of the chips on the edges were burnt. I also realized after the fact that I forgot to put the Rotel in. That may have made a difference, it may not have made a difference, either way, the kitchen won this one. 

*Craft Star *

Just have to brag about my craft star moment! I saw on Pinterest (which I'm still convinced is of the devil somehow) that you can write on plain coffee mugs with Sharpies and put it in the oven and then you have personalized coffee mugs. Since I would only be out the $1 for the mug if this didn't turn out, I figured I may as well try it. Here's my creation:

I have a feeling that these may be a popular Christmas gift as this one turned out pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. 

Also, I've got a little holiday spirit going on with my Mardi Gras bow! There's some exciting stuff planned for Mardi Gras, so be watching the blog for that excitement. 

I also got a little creative and made a battery box to store all the batteries for the kiddo's toy collection. 

Date Day
I'm having a date today and I'm cheating a little on the lunch plans. We had LOTS of gumbo left over from the meal for our donors at the game yesterday so I brought some home and have "made" this fabulous meal:

Shhh! Don't tell him that this is how it started!

When you put it in a pot, he'll never know!

That will be placed in bowls before he arrives. 

Tear and bake cookies count as homemade, right? 

A partially made table should score some bonus points. 

I just thought this would be a fun game. 

RESOLUTION RECAP 

(1) Cook one meal a month. This blog is proof that I have done a decent job of keeping up with this one. I also have meals planned out for the entire month of February. 

(2) Read one book a month. I managed to actually read more than one book this month. Books for January: The No Sex Clause, Worth the Weight, The Aspen Account

(3) Donate to charity each month. This month I donated to Heifer International which is an organization that provides resources to poor families in third world countries to help them get on their feet financially. 

(4) Place $500 in savings. This one had a small set back this month as I had to take money out of savings. Things seem to have calmed down financially, so I should be able to get back on track next month. 

(5) Visit William. TBA

(6) Exercise/Drop Weight. I dropped 3.5 pounds this month, so I'm one month into making this one stick.