laborofwonder

These Are The Days

by motherofwonder

So this is, what I believe, the “whirlwind month” of the year… at least until the winter-time holidays happen. 2 weeks ago was Easter, followed by a week of my brother-in-law staying with us, followed by a 2 day reprieve, followed by a week with my brother-in-law, his wife and son, all staying with us, followed by a mini vacation with the whole in-law family… followed by extreme exhaustion! But there’s no rest for the wicked- my side of the family is coming into town this week, for my brother’s wedding this weekend. Throw in a computer crash, an internet shut down, and kids with fevers and runny noses… let’s just say that today is the first real quiet day we’ve had in a long time and the kids are spending most of it in my lap or quietly playing nearby, and I’m totally ok with it.

While the busyness and the overnight guests have left me a little frayed, we have certainly had a good time. We have had late night dance parties, Uno games, and lots of Thomas the Train movie marathons. And yes, a few glasses of wine! My nephew (our only!) is the same age as Biggest E and they are best friends. It is so fun to watch them playing together. Not quite so fun to watch them turning it into a “boy’s club” that Miss E is not allowed in, because of her unfortunate gender. But 4-year-old boys will be 4-year-old boys. And I am happy to announce that today the biggest brother is happily playing with his sister, with no mention of her being “just a girl.” This last week, with my sister-in-law, I feel like I got a taste of what it would have been like to have grown up with a sister (I grew up with 3 brothers and no sisters)… we have had lots of long conversations, dish washing, dancing, and maybe some hair pulling and fighting. Mostly in fun. (*If you knew her you would totally be giggling along with me thinking of all the fun we’ve had. She’s tricky, that girl!)

We’ve had so many late nights, with early mornings that by last night, hubbyman and I were thoroughly exhausted. And the kids were too. Even the puppy was tired after his overnight/playdate while we were out-of-town. After doing a few odd jobs around the house, we all crashed on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and some Donkey Kong on the Wii (our kids actually enjoy watching us play- they like the monkeys). All-in-all, it was a WONDERFUL Mother’s Day. A hotel overnight (that had a huge playland for kids, lots of pools, and lots of fun), a Mother’s Day Brunch, a car ride home with the 2 youngest sleeping while the oldest serenaded us (for an hour), a yummy dinner (made entirely of reheated leftovers), an uninterrupted bath, and a banner filled with kids’ colorings and handprints that is better than any store-bought card! And as a Mother’s Day gift I’ll be adding littlest E’s birthstone to my mother’s necklace! I’m calling it a success! And my brother-in-law was kind enough to leave me his laptop so that I could attempt and actually do some blogging this week, and the internet is working again so hopefully the stars are lined up!

In honor of Mother’s Day, my children who made me a mother, my wonderful mother and mother-in-law… I am making a list of some of the best things about being a mom… or at least some of my favorite things.

You now have a legitimate excuse to nap!
A life-size doll you can dress any way you’d like… at least until they are old enough to take them off and redress themselves. This may be why my oldest has an affinity for ties and my daughter is already picky about her shoes.
You can make macaroni (or noodles with any form of cheese sauce) 5 days a week, without complaint.
The same goes for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Sprinkles are acceptable on any form of food/any meal of the day.
You can become a hero simply by adding a swirl of chocolate to milk.
You can watch Disney movies anytime you want.
The sillier you look/act- the better!
Laughter. lots of laughter.
Your receive your salary in kisses, hugs, and being told that you are the best person ever.

Motherhood is a tough job. Even Oprah believes it to be the toughest job in the world– and who am I to argue with her?! It often leaves me feeling tired, overwhelmed, and underappreciated. But for me, I know that no matter where life leads me down this crazy road, I am never going to be more fulfilled than when I look at my children; I will never have more pride than when I see them succeed; and never more happy than when I spend time immersed in the blessings that this little family of mine has created. I will never be able to express eloquently enough, my thankfulness to God for this unique, wonderful, crazy, exhausting, coffee-fueled life.

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Family Life According To Me

The Nonjudgmental Mom

by motherofwonder

So as I said in one of my most recent posts, these weeks are crazy. My brother in law and his family are in town and my brother is getting married in a week and a half! So lots of fun, lots of family, and not a lot of sleep is happening in my neck of the woods. Plus on Saturday, my computer decided to fritz out on me. Which is not a good thing. So while I have, of course, had ~~life changing~~ information to send out to the universe…my computer has had other ideas.

With family in town, every night feels like Friday night. The food, the laughter, and the lack of sleep! My poor hubbyman; I keep forgetting that he still has to get up and go to work, despite the Friday-feeling going on in our household. Something happens when I get less sleep than normal. Other than the doubled coffee intake. I sleep less. Sounds obvious, but even when I do get to bed, I am so overtired that I lie here continuing to think. About the day, about family, blog posts, life… I’m sure I’m not alone in this.

With the extra nephew in the house, it’s fun to watch the kids’ interactions with each other; to see their similarities and their differences. Sometimes I think it’s so easy to get caught up in our own lives that we fail to see the big picture. Parenting is no exception. While we (most of us) strive to be the best parents we can be, and usually acknowledge that we (most of us) are trying our best… sometimes it’s easy to pick on others. And while I have posted about some of the situations when I have felt “picked on”- today I have another side to tell. Sometimes I do it too. (Shh!) Now I don’t do it as vocally as others may do it, it’s mainly an internal dialog I have going on, only occasionally shared with my husband at the end of the day. But tonight I lie here wondering, is that really any better?? Sure, on some levels it is, but really… if I’m equally as judgmental, if even in my mind, am I any better? The answer is as simple and as complicated as this= no, I am not any better.

My daughter is ever inch of her father. Both in looks, and in attitude. And I do not mean that as an insult. What I do mean by it is this: she is fiercely independent and responds only in logic that can truly be rationalized. And she’s only two. Saying something as generic as “because I said so,” will never fly with this one. And where Biggest E would respond to my emotions, it is lost on Miss E, as it is on her father. (Which has been totally eye-opening for her father to see how he was probably much as he is now, even as a child.) That being said, she can be seen as a handful. Because it is not often easy to rationalize with a 2 year old. If you can give her an answer or a reason that her mind can be wrapped around, she will comply, if not…. there is no changing her mind. And I truly mean, no matter what. I can see how some may look at some of my talks with her and wonder about my parenting, and my daughter…asking who’s really the boss. But it’s not so much about me being the boss of her as it is me learning to relate to how she learns…and facilitating that as much as possible. Don’t misunderstand this, this does not mean that she is the boss, undisciplined, or anything else along those lines. What it does mean is that I am relating to her (or try my best to!) in a way that she can understand and helping her learn in a way that will actually help her to learn lessons. What if someone overheard my daughter saying something like, “I don’t want you to say that, you said the wrong thing.” (Which is actually something I’ve heard her say…repeatedly.) And then was overheard responding with, “Sometimes I may say things that you don’t like, and that’s ok, you don’t have to like it. But you do have to listen to what I say.” Which is undoubtabley followed by, “I don’t want to listen when you say the wrong thing.” Do any of us like to listen when someone is telling us something we don’t want to hear?! No, we don’t. And at 2 you are probably never more aware of this fact.

I admit it, I have judged a mom based on what she did or didn’t say/do in response to a child’s words, but that’s not exactly fair. We don’t know the day they’ve had, or what the days previous have been like. We also know nothing about this child or this mother. For all we know the child is very sweet and kind but today missed a nap that they take at least 6 days a week, or they’ve been carted around all day and have been well behaved through six different stores and three different dressing rooms. And what about the mom? Maybe she’s had a rough day as well, or week, or marriage, or life… maybe she’s willing to let one thing slide today and you just happened to witness that one thing. No, this of course, isn’t always the case…but it could be. Why must we always one up the other moms we come in contact with? I don’t like it done to me, why would I continue doing so to others, even if only in my head? I don’t have the answers to this, but it does seem to me that women, in general, are constantly seeking validation in their lives, no matter what the situation/choice may be. So today, I’m giving you- women, men, young, old, married, single, parents, not parents, tired, wired… I’m giving you a free pass. Be you and I will not judge. I have been judged and know the sting that carries, and I will be actively attempting to abstain from furthering the cycle. I cannot promise that I will always be so conscious of my judgments, all I can promise you is today… and hope for tomorrow.

I don’t want to ramble too much, as sleep deprivation can leave me likely to do, I just want to end on this note… I also hope some of you will be trying not to judge me as well, because I’m running on little sleep, 3 small children who are just getting over colds, with a house full of company…and tomorrow I may need some grace, and multiple cups of coffee.

Life According To Me

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Sun, Sun, Sunshiney Day

by motherofwonder

So yesterday was one of those days where I didn’t really feel like doing very much, so it was like a breathe of fresh air to come upstairs to sunshine after such a grey day. I am so thrilled that FINALLY things are starting to look a little more like spring around here. Of course, it was less than 48 hours ago the last time it snowed, so I’m still a little gun shy. And this may sound crazy to you, but to me, salads feel like sunshine. So a salad is what I made! It was both delicious and convenient (because I already had everything on hand!)

Super Sunshine Salad

Romain lettuce

Spinach

1 lb steak

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tomato (thin slices)

1/4 cup red onion (diced or thin slices)

1/3 cup roasted almonds

1/3 cup raisins

1 cup mandarin oranges

herbs: thyme, pepper, sea salt, garlic, and some from my lovely jar of herbs de provence

*This made enough for three adult salads, plus a little meat for hubbyman to take a salad with him today for lunch.

I had all that steak leftover from the yakiniku, so I cut 1lb (mine was a black Angus round steak) of the steak into strips. Cook over med-high heat with the cider vinegar, add the spices as well. I love thyme and peppered steaks. You can of course add in whatever your favorite seasonings are. Because the rest of the salad’s ingredients are sweet, I wanted the steak’s flavor to contrast.

When steak was done, I threw in the lettuce and spinach, followed by the onions, tomatoes, raisins, and almonds. I topped it off with the oranges. You can of course do it in whatever order you want, with whatever toppings you want. Add in some, take something out… whatever! There is so much flavor in this salad that I did not use a dressing, just a little olive oil drizzled over. Perfect! So yummy! Even the big hungry men said that it was terrific!

Don’t they look delicious? And all that color! To me it just says delicious, sunshine, and happiness. Or those words in any order! I could truly eat a salad every day! Especially when they’re as flavor full as these! Hubbyman says he never knew “rabbit food” could taste good until my salads!

And today it is finally nice enough that the kids can be out on the deck playing (which they love!), and I’m thinking it is looking like a great night for grilling!! I had some things I was going to ~~blab~~ blog about, but I think that instead I will join my children out on the deck! With the sunshine salad I’m having for lunch, of course! What meal “screams” sunshine to you?

Beef Gluten Free Recipes

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Sake it to me!

by motherofwonder

So today I actually got my house ~~totally cleaned!~~ ~~organized~~ ok, ok, so it’s picked up, at least to the naked eye, or more accurately, or at least hopefully, to the visiting eye! Things are where they’re supposed to be, beds are made, and toys were put away… and although I didn’t have time to mop the kitchen floor, I did get vacuuming done (upstairs). That counts for something, right?

Although with all the commotion I’m hearing going on downstairs, I’m guessing that it’s being undone ~~as we speak~~ as I type. Ugh. If only it were sunny. I love cleaning on sunny days. Don’t ask me why, but give me a sunny Saturday, a glass of wine (as long as it’s after noon, of course), some music, and someone to keep the kids away…and I am a happy camper! Weird, right? But days like today, where it’s just blah, grey, and cold… I just want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie. I would really do just that too, if today weren’t Thursday (*my TV night* where my husband is usually sweet enough to keep the kids away while I relax and pretend that my only concern is if Callie and her baby really do make it after all, and will Lexi and Sloan ever make it work?) After all, I was so productive yesterday! But I’ll (hopefully!) stick to my guns, and get some laundry done. So that while I’m relaxing tonight I can feel like it’s not a total waste of time, since I’ll also be folding clothes! Need a good excuse or a way to make yourself feel better about taking time for yourself? Let me know, I’ll totally help you out! My favorite is eating salsa while watching “my shows.” Since Miss E can’t have anything with tomatoes, I’m really doing her a favor by making sure there isn’t any in the house…right? I ♥ my reasoning. (ha! It doesn’t usually actually work, the warding off the mommy-guilt, but I do what I can.)

Well, since I was so productive yesterday, and we had more visitors coming for dinner… we (and by we I mean mainly hubby-man) fed the kids (ours and our nephew) the chicken from the day before! (Yay for leftovers! Plus yay for tricky mamas! My nephew has the sweetest brown eyes, but can be a bit of a picky eater. I made dinner into a race -see who could eat the most, not the fastest- and even did a refill on the chicken when he wasn’t looking! That’s right Auntie got him to eat 2nds even! Yay for me!) Anyhow, then we (same we as before…) made the “adult food” (which basically just means there’s tomatoes in it, or in this case- they needed to be fed immediately),

Back when hubby-man was also a military-man he did a deployment to Japan, where he fell in love with Korean bbq. When he came home he insisted on learning how to replicate it. And it was time well spent! This is another one of those meals that can look -and taste- like you spent a lot of time and money on it, but neither is true. And ooooh is it yummy! Hubby-man loves this recipe for crowd-feeding! I think he secretly loves that he makes it and therefore everyone oohs and aahhs over his culinary abilities.(I love that I’m not doing the cooking!) Plus, then we get to use all the fun things purchased in Japan! And I’m down for any reason to get out (and use) the Sake set! Something about the miniture scale of it all just makes me feel like a little girl at a tea party! I love it!

Just talking about it has made me realize that it’s lunch time, I’m hungry, and there’s a dish of it set aside specifically for my lunch! I highly suggest you try it! Sooo good!

Meat and Veggies:

4 lb Round Steak (we used black angus)

3 bell peppers (we used 2 red and 1 orange)

2 med. yellow onions

Slice the beef, peppers, and onions in thin strips.

We realized upon cutting it up that it was a ton of food! And our guests ended up dropping off our nephew while they ran some errands. Which worked out perfectly because YAY LEFTOVERS!! So what we did was cook half and froze (the already sliced everything) the other half. So next time we’re thinking that it sounds good, or get unexpected company, no trips to the store will be necessary, we’ll just whip it out of the freezer and voila! You should also know that I LOOOVE peppers and so there’s nothing sparing about the amount of vegetables put in here. You could also add lots of other things, peas, mushrooms, broccoli… (those are things I’d like to try adding in). Plus, if you wanted to make it without meat, it would still be delicious! This is a good recipe to cook with more than one person, or do the slicing in advance. So that either one person slices while the other makes the sauce, or you’ve got it all prepared in advance and can make the sauce and you’re good to go. Either way.

Yakiniku Sauce

1 sm. onion

1 clove garlic

3 tbsp white wine

1 tbsp sea salt

2 tsp honey

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp roast sesame seed (lightly ground)

3 spring onion very finely chopped

I throw the onion, garlic, and spring onions in the food processor, but you can simply just finely chop them. Place in a saucepan with wine (or white wine vinegar) and cook for about 3 minutes while stirring fairly frequently. Add in the sea salt, honey, sesame oil, and lemon juice and cook for another minute. Let it cool and then add the sesame seeds.

Then throw this delicious concoction on top of the meat and veggies (we cook ours on our big griddle because it’s the perfect size, but you can always do it on the stovetop.) Making sure to stir so that everything is evenly coated. Serve over rice (or quinoa)! Oh, and the sauce can be saved too. I like the extra for pouring over rice- yum! (plus tomato-less and gluten free!)

Beef Family Gluten Free Life According To Me Recipes

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The Muddy Mommy

by motherofwonder

I have learned something in my life as a woman, and it was reinforced with my last 4 years of also being a mother: Women are tough. We’re tough on ourselves mainly, but unfortunately it breeds this unflattering fact: we are tough on other women. It starts very young as I have overheard my 2 year old daughter tell one of her playmates about how a certain doll could only be held by other girls who also had “pink” hair. (The doll, as well as my MissE, has a very pretty auburn/strawberry blonde hair color, that Miss E has labeled as “pink.”) And the look on her face as she tells this other two year old to back off, makes it all perfectly clear: You are not good enough. Yikes. Unfortunately, it’s not just 2 year olds, while they’re antics may make you question that statement. These days the playgrounds seem to be filled with moms who’ve become professional mud slingers. (Remember the Mommy Brigades?) Seriously, if you’re tired of life in the trenches of the minor league, and want to join the ranks of the pros- spend some time at any given playground and you’ll be able to learn all you need to know. Or the baking aisle of your local grocery store- you’ll likely find several ol’ Grannies willing to send a few your way. And they’ve been in retirement so they’ve just been aching to get out there and show you what they’ve got.

The best of the mud slingers know how to sugar coat it, so that it’s sticky, gooey, and very hard to wash off. My top ten “favorite” mudballs? I got ’em here:

(Within a week of a miscarriage, while my “big Es” were about 2 1/2 and just under 1 yr) You still have 2 sweet babies, what business did you have trying for another?“ ….yep, that still stings.
Good thing he looks just like his Daddy! This little gem was due to the fact that my then active duty military man had been deployed and biggest E was born almost exactly 9 months after his return. This never fails to infuriate me.
Good thing you look so young, it helps even out that exhausted, I-have-too-many-kids look. Yes, someone actually said this to me.
You look so young, are you even married? Yes, we were married for over 2 years before our first… but that is none of your business!
My aren’t you the overachiever? I know 3 kids in less than 4 years is not the norm, and yes, some days it’s difficult, but I wouldn’t have them any other way. And again, this is also none of your business!
Oh, don’t you feel so sad that you won’t be having any more children? Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Thank you for rubbing it in.
You’re so lucky you have enough/make enough that you can stay home. I am blessed to stay at home, but it has nothing to do with luck. We made that decision and have made specific choices to keep it that way. The best part was that this was said by someone who’s income is roughly the same.
What do you think you’ll want to do when you’re able to have a real job? This is offensive on so many levels. And leaves me digging my teeth into my tongue so that words are impossible.
Didn’t you ever want to have a real job? See above statement. x12.
Well, I hope that works for you. I would never parent that way. Let’s meet up again in 20 years and compare notes on how our parenting styles worked out.

I am not one for confrontation of any sort, and I believe in supporting other women, and other moms, no matter what… but these leave me wanting to attend mud-slinging try out, hoping for making it to the big leagues. And those are just the ones that are on the tip of my tongue, off the top of my head, and maybe seared into my heart. I try not to hold onto it, but sometimes that mud is just so sticky that it leaves me one muddy mama.

But as I listen to Miss E tell Biggest E, “My honey bunny, thanks for having a playdate with me, your little girl sister.” And when I ask where they’re off to now as they head down the stairs, Biggest E shrugs his shoulder and says, “Just having a playdate with my best friend, you know, the girl that is my sister,” I know that for our family, this is exactly where I need to be, and my children are better off for it. Which helps the mud start sliding off, except for a little clinging to my shoes. So I take a deep breath, and wash what’s left off… after all, these shoes are way too cute to have mud on them anyways.

Family Life According To Me Love Dare Marriage

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Impressively simple

by motherofwonder

So this is quickly becoming a favorite, at least for me… or I see it becoming a favorite is probably a better term because I have only actually made this twice, but it is so yummy!

It’s pretty much the same chicken recipe that I used here With a few new twists. I found that this chicken is both delicious and easy. And since we also have guests this week it’s a good meal to make if you want to impress with your culinary skills and stick to a time limit and a budget! I think this would also be good served over rice (or quinoa), but I wasn’t sure when I made it, so I skipped that part. Next time, I think I’ll add rice. This time I used a ton of chicken (I figured it would be a crazy week so I cooked up between 6-8 (I can’t remember which now!) chicken breasts that I’d cut into strips. After cooking through I took out about 1/3 of the chicken to save for future meals. If I were only cooking the amount for this dish I would have cooked the “mix ins” along with it. The “mix ins” were one yellow onion, about 2+ cups of fresh spinach, about 2/3 cup of fresh chopped mango, about 1 cup of Trader Joe’s tomato-less salsa (a corn and chili salsa- so, so yummy!) with a few drizzles of olive oil. I did this in a pan along side the chicken.

Once I removed the chicken to save for the rest of the week, I added in the “mix ins,” cooking over a low heat while stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. I also realized at this point that I’d forgotten to cook the chicken in lime, so I squeezed some extra lime juice in the mix. Voila! 20 minutes and dinner was done! And delicious!

See, wouldn’t this look terrific on top of rice?

So good, so easy, sooo… go make it!

Chicken Gluten Free Life According To Me

Stranger Happenings

by motherofwonder

So we have lots of things going on right now… hubby’s brother (and his family) are moving to China and are here to visit before they leave. Which also overlaps with my brother getting married, and so we’re gearing up for that (as all but littlest E is a part of the festivities) and anticipating the arrival of a host of other out of town family members that we don’t normally get to see. So when I say we’re busy, I mean, things are insane and I’m going a little crazy!! But we are enjoying the family time and hopefully we are able to really make the most of it! So if you’re wondering why I’ve suddenly become so boring or why my posts are no longer adding spice to your life… now you know.

So with all of the busyness of these weeks… I have some kids that seem to be a little wound, as well as myself. And Hubby/Daddy, he’s just plain tired. My normally, I-don’t-know-how-to-be-unhappy baby is crying, whining, and basically clinging to my legs all day long. Which does leave me a little big on the frayed side. Thankfully, Hubs came home early yesterday and so I was able to jump in the truck and go to the grocery store. I know it’s lame that most of my “down time” (read: kid free time) is spent at the grocery store, but they’re only little for a very short time. I’m never going to look back and say, “Man, I wish I would have spent more time away from the kids when they were little.” (I don’t see myself saying that about missing any point of their lives, but especially now.) Anyhow, I tend to dawdle at the store, because it’s my de-stress time, lame as it may be.

Usually my hour long grocery trip is uneventful, and the cashier is the only person to talk to me, and I’m just fine with that. And it’s enough time that I get home and the kids are like, “Yay! Mom’s home!” and I’m glad to see them. Yesterday was pretty much the same except for one minor detail. I say minor, because it really was no big deal. To look in, you’d never think of it as anything substantial. But for me, after the day I’d had with the kids, it was. Let me preface this by saying that we spent the weekend out of town and that I didn’t know until a day or two before that we were even going out of town. Then we got home past bedtime on Sunday and had company coming the next day. Starting to get the picture? And if I haven’t mentioned this before, I do not like disorder, and I like it even less when visible to people who don’t live with me. So I’m scrambling and trying to get things done as quickly as I can, while the children run behind me undoing just about every thing I do… and then add the fussing baby (do to teething and the busy weekend). So I was about to merge onto the meltdown lane. And then I went to the store.

I’m at the checkout, and the lady behind me starts making small talk as we wait. Why do they stick those order separator things so far out of your reach anyways? I smile and agree it’s ridiculous. And then this stranger showed me kindness. She looked at me and said, “You must have small children.” I quickly look myself over trying to find the stamp (or hand print) that screamed, “I’m a mom.” I didn’t see any. Unless the state of my hair, my sweatpants, and the exhaustion in my eyes count. I smiled and said 3 and asked how she could tell.. She just smiled and said she’d recognized the look of exhaustion the can only be caused by 2 types of parenting: the under 3 crowd or the teenage crowd. And since I didn’t look old enough to have teenagers, it must be the former. I smiled and nodded, then asked her, “Teenagers?” She smiled, and I saw the exhaustion in her eyes as well as she nodded. And that was the the long and the short of our “conversation.” But somehow, afterwards I felt a little bit more refreshed. I think that it offered some sense of community. A moment of “I’ve been there before.” combined with “we’ve all got our own struggles,” that made me feel a sense of the bigger picture as well. They’re not little for long, we all have different struggles, each as unique, and as hard, and as scary, and as sad as anyone else’s, because they are our own. But for a brief moment in time, I felt like I wasn’t alone in my struggle after all. So the next time you’re at the grocery store, the gas station, walking down the road… offer a little support to those you meet. Even if it’s only in the form of a smile. You never know how life changing (even if momentarily) it can be.

Family Life According To Me

Feelin’ the love ♥

by motherofwonder

I don’t know about anyone else, but I look forward to Easter, every year. The fun, the family, the food. But also the renewal. Not that you should ever wait till a specific time of year to take it to God, or to be renewed in any form, but for me, the refreshing and the knowledge of what this date signifies resounds fully. And I feel a wide range of emotions. The greatest being thankfulness.

So on that note, I just want to say that I have been overwhelmed by all the love and support all my friends and family have given me every day of this blog. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! It’s been wonderful hearing from friends old and new and making new ones some along the way!

Ant on that note one more time, I have received a Versatile Blogger Award from the cutest of the cute, my friend from college days gone by, Jamie. Otherwise known as the author of Make It Healthy. She is fantastic!

The rules of accepting and passing on the Versatile Blogger:
1) Thank the person who nominated you (Thank You Jamie!!) and provide a link back to their site
2) Tell 7 random facts about yourself
3) Pass the award on to 15 new found bloggers
4) Let the giver of the award know if you’ve accepted the award or not
7 Random facts about me:

1) I have a dog that is the same age as my youngest (and we got him when littlest E was only 2 months old). Let’s just say we had some busy months in there!

2) I LOOVE vegetables. Make me pretty much any vegetable and I will eat it- and like it. Except beets. At least in the pickled form. Eww, and sweet pickles. Wait, does this mean I can’t say I’d eat any vegetable anymore?

3) I am passionate about all things baby. I’m pretty sure no one that has ever known me is surprised by this, but somehow, I was.

4) I ask for recipes from people, but I’m fairly certain I’m incapable of following them. I pretty much decide what I think would taste good together and just do that instead. Thankfully, most of the time it works out.

5) I miss “military life” (as a military wife) way more than I thought I would. Maybe I should just say, I miss the sense of community and family you have. That’s pretty much the only thing I miss. Oh and the NEX/Commissary (hello, cheap groceries!!)

6) I LOVE cooking and would LOVE to take a cooking class.

7) My family is amazing and I thank God every single day for each one of them. Especially on the days they’re drive me insane.

15 Newly Found Bloggers:

1. Uniquely Normal Mom

2. Living Is a Process

3. Lindsey Sews

4. Doodlemum

5. RaggamuffinPc

6. Peaceful Housewife

7. The Grass Skirt

8. The Cottage Home

9. Life, Gluten Free

10. Gluten Free Goddess

11. Nomadic Foodie

12. Gluten Free Mommy

13. Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom

14. Gluten Free Girl and the Chef

15.I Thought I knew Mama

Life According To Me

5 Comments »

Shameless

by motherofwonder

So when I see contests, I usually just skip over them. But lately, I have found myself inundated with requests to “vote for me for this,” “vote for my kid for that,” “like my facebook page so I can hit 555,” etc. And I do it! If it’s for someone I know (whether in real life or in the internet world), I always do it! I am a big fan and supporter of community. Of being a pillar of support for those we are in contact with, no matter how trivial it may seem. Which is why, I’m a little ashamed of how shamless this plea is…or maybe to say I’m a little ashamed of how unashamed I am, would be more accurate. Either way.

We recently went to get out family pictures taken (I have a blog post planned out to tell you all about this event!) and when we went back to view the pictures, we were asked to sign a waiver so they could use our children’s photos in their in-studio (along with their world-wide combined studios) photo contest. I’d looked at their site a few days ago and didn’t see any pictures of my kids, but didn’t think anything of it. Well, last night I looked and saw their beautiful faces!! Unfortunately, before I had a chance to really look into the contest, littlest E woke up and made it apparent that he was only going to sleep if I was also going to sleep.

The unfortunate part of this contest is that you can only vote once, period. So now I’m stuck feeling like I’ve chosen one kid over the other, even unknowingly. Boo! Although, it turns out that if you have more than one browser then you can vote more times (three cheers for loopholes!!) So here it is, my shameless (of shameful, depending on your point of view) …please go and vote!!

You can vote by clicking on the photo of choice or by going here. (Please vote for one of my kids) Thank you!!

Family Life According To Me

8 Comments »

I like a little food with my wine

by motherofwonder

We’re trying to add more fish in to our diet, and we’re really not very big fish eaters… other than shore lunches during fishing season. So I picked up some salmon, looked at tons of recipes, and found one that sounded good and got great reviews. When I asked an avid fish-eater for a good salmon recipe, she recommended the recipe I’d already found! So it seemed like a fairly good bet! And it was. Maybe not the healthiest way to eat it, with all the sugar, but for beginners, I am willing to try anything till we learn how we like it.

The recipe called for bourbon, and sadly, I had none. So I substituted soy sauce instead.

4 tbs butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lb salmon steaks (4 steaks)
1/3 cup soy sauce (next time I’ll try it with bourbon!)

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat and stir in brown sugar. Place fillets on top of sugar mixture. Make sure it’s not too hot, or they’ll burn before they’re ready. Cook for about 5 minutes. Turn it over and pour the soy sauce (or bourbon!) over them, and let cook another 5 minutes. I found this to really be the exact time, but check at about 3 1/2 minutes. When it flakes easily with a fork- it’s done! Pour glaze left in the pan over the salmon and enjoy! I made rice with broccoli (Biggest E loves broccoli!!) to go along with it and even used some of the leftover glaze on it- delicious! And don’t forget the wine! Hopefully this is the start to a long, healthy relationship, with salmon, I mean. I’ve already got a healthy relationship with wine.