A Man of Few Words

I wish I had a silly little quote, or funny one-liner to put up here ... but the truth is, there isn't one.

You see, L?! Well ... he's apparently a man of few words. Or is choosing to hold it all in until the right moment, when he'll just let loose with all the things he's been wanting to say, stunning us all into silence.

Either that, or his older sister just does all the talking for him, way too much.

No matter how much we read to him, talk to him using regular voices and not the sugary sweet baby talk ... he just doesn't want to say a whole lot these days.

And that's okay.

Although M may worry at times, as his mom?! I don't.

L is incredibly active. Started crawling at 6 months before he was even sitting up on his own, and was walking at 9 months. Running by his birthday this past January. He eats great. Is sleeping great lately. Climbs on everything -- and won't let you tell him that he is only one, and cannot do the things his older sister can.

So do I worry about his tiny vocabulary?!

Not really. He's great at communicating his wants and needs ... and smart as a little devil. He completely understands the things I ask him. Including little "chores" I may have him do. Yes, at only 16 months!

He helps with the laundry. And unloading the dishwasher. He takes care of garbage when he sees it, and knows to close the lid on the garbage can when he is done. He gets into the fridge, finds his cup to get a drink, puts it right back where he found it, and closes the door when he is done. It only takes one firm "L, put that back where you found it!" and he is doing just that.

He just isn't ready yet for Mom to spread around the silly things he is spouting off.

And for now, that's okay by me. As long as I continue to get those sweet hugs and kisses he's been giving out so willingly these days!

Clean Eating CAN be Affordable

For the longest time, I have grocery shopped with a monthly budget.

via google images search

Some weeks, I go over our "weekly allotment" and have to pull from the next week. Other weeks, we come in just under budget and have a few dollars left over.

In the past, I also used to do a lot of couponing. It was handy, and allowed us to buy more on the same budget.

So when I decided that we needed to eat cleaner, with the exception of a few things here or there, I was worried.

Worried about how we were going to afford it. How it was going to affect our already "high" grocery budget, in my opinion. And if we would have to drastically cut back in other areas just to afford our weekly groceries.

I signed up for the Clean Eating breakfast and dinner plans on eMeals, and even just reading the names of the recipes, still worried.

Short ribs? Lots of shrimp? Quinoa?

These things, at least in our area, are either hard to come by, or quite pricey.

I got groceries this morning with the kids. [Which also means I was asked a million and one times "Can we please have this? But Mom ... I promise I will be so good if we can have this snack this week!"] There were a few things I put in the cart that were not on our grocery list.

Healthier options -- like Back to Nature cookies instead of Chips Ahoy. Non-Fat Vanilla greek yogurt instead of ice cream [I nixed the ice cream when they asked ... luckily, they both LOVE yogurt].

And can I just tell you this?

We stayed within our budget!! Easily. And that's with less than $2 in coupons ... coupons I only found in the store by the products we were already going to be buying. Products that are healthy. 100% whole grain. Breakfast staples. Nitrate free bacon.

So if you are out there, wanting to change your eating habits, looking for healthier options, but worried that you can't afford them?

STOP thinking that way. And know it can be done!! I can attest to that!

[And for the record, our weekly allowance for groceries isn't extreme -- for a family of 4, I shop with $100. I went over this week ... and spent $105.]

Menu Planning Monday

It's another Monday morning, everybody! Hope you all had great weekends! Ours was warm, and full of water activities with the kids in the backyard! Summer is officially on its way in North Carolina -- and these warmer temps now feel just like they should! 

With the rain and warm weather that we've been getting lately, the local crops have been growing great. We are surrounded by farm land. Since we bought into a CSA earlier this year from one of the local farms, we've been eating a lot of fresh fruits and veggies these past few weeks, too. And this week is no exception. ALL of the side dishes I am making this week are using fresh stuff from the farm. And we also have a ton of strawberries and some red potatoes for breakfasts, and maybe some home fries or hash on a weekend morning! Yum! There is nothing like eating fresh, local food. 

Here's what's on our menu for the week:

Monday:  Hamburgers on the grill w/ whole wheat pasta salad [we didn't eat this last week]
Tuesday: Flank Steak with Tomatoes + Red Onion and a side of garlic roasted cauliflower
Wednesday: Smoked Paprika Chicken and garlic sauteed green beans
Thursday: Penne Pasta with Tomatoes and Garbanzo Beans and whole wheat bread
Friday: Pork Chili Verde and a side of squash casserole
Saturday: Oven Roasted Turkey Wings and a side of bacon wrapped green beans
Sunday: Crispy Panko Crab Cakes with a side of roasted broccoli


So tell me -- what are you eating this week? Have a menu posted up? A fun, new, delicious recipe? Make sure you go over and link up with Elizabeth and Jane and see who's table you want to crash, whose recipes you'd like to borrow, and maybe make a few new friends. At the dinner table, the more, the merrier, in my book!

5 for Five

It's the start of another work week! And I am really hoping this week goes by a little faster than last week did. Am I the only one who thought the whole week seemed to drag on? Maybe it was because of the extra hours that M was working. He pulled in close to 8 hours of overtime this past week! 

I'm looking forward to this coming Memorial Day Weekend. We don't have a lot planned [yet] but just knowing its three days off in a row is going to be wonderful! 

Last week's goals were:

1. Head to the post office - it may have been Friday before I got there. But both envelopes got mailed out.

2. Get a copy of our dental insurance cards mailed or emailed to us from MetLife - I'm leaving this black. We called and made sure that the issues we were having with the insurance were ironed out. But also found out we don't need a card present. And the dentist's office has all of the information now, so we're good to go for my appointment later today. Not looking forward to that. I'm sure the chipped tooth is going to cause me to get a filling ... if not something more in depth.

3. Take S. out on her bike every day - I don't have a ton of excuse here. It just didn't happen. We went out one day. The other few days, we either didn't have the barn key to get it unlocked and the bike out, or it was just so darn hot that I filled the kids pool up and we hung out there all afternoon.

4. Order my mom's birthday present - stuck with the Etsy course and bought her something small-business-y. I love the necklace I got her, hopefully she agrees!

5. Make some covered magnets for a birthday gift - these got mailed out Friday!

Technically, I guess you could call that 3/5 ... or 4/5 ... Yea, I'll go with that. I did call the place ... so that was the actual task, right?!

Onto this week's goals:

1. Get Caught Up on Laundry 
2. Make Healthy Oatmeal Choc. Chip Cookies Recipe 
3. Start Decluttering the house [one room at a time]
4. Read at least 20 minutes a day [its a start ... lately I just feel like I have no time, but miss reading]
5. No more than 1 small glass of soda a day [Been doing a lot better -- starting to wean off any and all soda in a step to better/cleaning eating. But still have a ways to go!]

What are your goals this week? And remember to head over and link up with Jessica and Jenn!

The Day I Was Insulted By The Man Outside Dollar Tree

To the Old Man Outside of Dollar Tree:

Clearly, you had no idea what you were talking about the other day, when you asked my THREE YEAR OLD, with clear, serious intention, if her mother was hurting her in the parking lot. As we walked to the store, she was refusing to hold my hand. A clear safety issue -- as she has yet to fully comprehend how dangerous it can be to just dart out into the middle of traffic. 

As I told her to Come On! and grabbed her hand, she had a moment. A very brief, albeit loud, moment, in which she threw a three year old's tantrum. She cried. And she tried to pull her hand away and run to the sidewalk without me. I did what I needed to do to keep my daughter safe, and held her hand tighter, until she quit fighting me. 

I didn't abuse her. 

Nor did I even hurt her. 

She was crying because she was mad at me, not because she was hurt. She was mad that she is three, and wants to be completely independent. Like most young children these days, she is wrapped up in thinking she can do any and every thing for herself. As her Mother, I love to witness these moments -- especially the ones where she succeeds. However, a busy shopping mall parking lot is NOT the place to test those boundaries. 

But to your eyes, all you saw was another of today's children. The ones who live in a scary world where nothing is safe anymore. 

I wonder if you have children. And if you ever took them out to busy places by yourself, without an extra set of hands. Carrying one younger child on your hip. With the other sometimes-defiant older child left to walk beside you. Did they try to run off ahead ... dart out in a busy lane ... get mad about something that was out of their control? If they did, they were simply being children. And you were left to deal with the mess. 

But in your day, no one thought a crying child was being abused. They thought they were being kids. Kids who needed a little time out and maybe some discipline, depending on the situation. And both were given, I am sure. 

Let me just say this: I do not, nor would I ever, hurt my children. So maybe the next time you see a mother struggling to walk into the store with two kids alone, instead of jumping to the conclusion that she is abusing her little ones, offer to help her cross the lane of traffic. Ask how she is doing today. Smile politely and wish her a good day. 

But do not ... I repeat Do Not ask that three year old if they are being hurt, simply because you see the child crying. The only thing you will accomplish is pissing off that mother. 

Always, 

A Rather Insulted, and Tired, Mom!