Ramblings of a Pregnant Woman

     I feel like my brain is pulled in 50 different directions these days.  I can feel my mommy ADD kicking into overdrive as my mind tries to focus on any one of the following: baby, work, Disney, running, labor, J, Monkey, and the list goes on from there.  I think I get where the whole "baby brain" theory comes from; it's just a lot to think about at once.  Sometimes I wonder why baby #2 isn't a little less overwhelming to plan for, after all this isn't my first rodeo.  But then I remember that it has been about seven years since I've gone through all of this with Monkey.  And I wasn't working.  That's a bit of a game-changer.  It's not a bad thing though;  thankfully I have a career I love which makes being away from home easier.  It also makes me more aware of how I spend my time when I am home.  Soaking up as much time with J and Monkey has become priority one these days.  Just yesterday we spent the day in NOLA using the membership to the Audubon institutes Monkey got for Christmas to visit the Insectarium and then the Aquarium.  We had a great time, and Monkey's grandmother even came out to meet us for the Insectarium.
     Of course, between work and my agenda to make as many memories with my little family as I can before it grows means that I've had less time for other things, like this blog.  Sometimes I think of something to write, but then I get home and can't remember a thing I wanted to say.  Oh, well.  There's that "baby brain" again.
     That being said I've finally decided to take advantage of this opportunity to hop on here as I "supervise" J and Monkey as they put together Wolverine's crib.  So, let's talk Disney.
     In July....well it actually starts long before that.  For a few years now, my sister and I have passively made comments like, "We should do a Disney run one day."  Well in July we finally bit the bullet and signed up for the Princess Glass Slipper Challenge, which is the 10K Saturday followed by a Half Marathon on Sunday.  I was pumped, thinking of how great it was to have a goal that would motivate me to pick my running back into high gear after Nursing school ended in August.  Well, of course, I found out I was expecting Little Man the week of graduation.  I'm stubborn, however, and decided I'd be one of those super badass mommas who runs up until she gives birth.  These days, however, I find myself questioning my own sanity every time I pull on my running clothes and lace up my running shoes.  My pace, which was a decent 9'30" pace back in July, has plummeted to barely-qualifying to not get swept.  Monkey is faster than me these days.  I feel like I am working so hard to move so slow.  I get winded.  I get heart burn.  I get cramps.  I get thirsty, and boy do I get hungry!  But you know what else I get?  I get a rush of pride from knowing that I'm still getting out there.  Yes, I look like this guy:



But when I finish even a one-miler, I feel like this:

     That being said, the upcoming race still has me nervous, but what would a race be if it didn't get my heart going?   I've even decided to embrace the extra girth around my middle by forgoing the typical princess route and dressing up as this voluptuous baddie for the half:

     Meanwhile, my sister will be going as the little mermaid herself.  I'll be sure to get plenty of pictures for sharing later.  It's less than a month away.  Eeeeek!!!

     Well, I think I've rambled enough, and J's almost finished with the crib, so let me wrap this up with  a recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
 2/3 cup milk
2-9" unbaked pie crusts (I use Pillsbury)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery.  Add enough water to cover and boil for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, drain, set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed.  Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk.  Simmer over medium-low heat until thick.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Spread bottom pie crust in pie plate (or if you're like me and don't have a pie plate, an 8x8 baking dish should work). Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust.

Pour hot liquid mixture over top.

Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough.  Make several slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

Cool for 10 minutes, then serve.  

     Enjoy!  It may not look the prettiest, but it's become a house favorite, as it's so yummy and filling.

I'm Trying to Be Productive Here

     It's September.  My last blog post was in July.  You may be asking, "What happened to August?".  Well, although my last post should have ushered in a new age of consistent, uninterrupted blog posts (the likes of which this blog hasn't seen since my days as a stay-at-home mommy), sadly that has not been the case.  Why?  Simply put: I've had a case of the "I don't wanna's" since graduating.  I obtained a BSN, followed by an RN, and then I even secured a job, so if I want to sit around my house and color adult coloring pages until I start working, I'm entitled to do that, right?  .....Right?

     *sigh*  I was supposed to run 8 miles today, but instead I crawled back into bed once I saw my daughter off to school from the bus stop.  I did not wake up again until 0900.  It was glorious.  However, in order to not feel like today was a total waste, I've decided to revisit this poor, neglected blog.  How about some fun lunches for your little one?

Charlotte's Web Bento

 After reading this classic tale to Monkey as a bedtime story, I surprised her with this Charlotte's Web-inspired lunch.  There's Wilbur made with these easy-to-use sandwich cutters.  Charlotte was cut from the wax of a Babybel.  Wilbur's "trough" is filled with yummy pretzels.  And you can see the goose with her seven eggs that will later hatch into goslings, while one egg was doomed to rot in Templeton's collection.  I threw in some snow peas and grapes for sides, and sent Monkey off to school, excited to eat her fun lunch.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

For this lunch I prepared wheat rotini and turkey meatballs the night before.  I added some spaghetti sauce, black grapes, celery sticks, and a pepper jack cheese stick to complete this meal.

Under the Sea Bento

This one was fun to make, because it was the first time I got to use the egg molds an awesome friend bought for me.  I made the fish-shaped egg using the mold, and then I made a starfish sandwich.  Then I cut a fish out of the wax of a Babybel.  Next I made this cute sea-snail from a Halo orange by cutting away most of the peel. I added the Goldfish and grape tomatoes as sides and called it good.

DIY Pizza Bagels

I've made DIY Pizza lunches before, but I usually used my homemade English muffins as the pizza crust.  To save time, I decided to use store-bought bagels for this lunch.  I like bagels because they are super easy to write on, and Monkey loves them.  I put some pizza sauce in the little Cinderella box pictured, and I added some sliced ham and Mozzarella cheese for toppings.  For sides, I added grapes,   an orange, and a bit of broccoli.

Cars That Go Vroom Bento
(If you have that song in your head now, you're welcome.)

For this one, I used the other egg mold in the pack my friend bought for me, which makes the little car-shaped egg you see there.  I used cookie cutters to cut out the car-shaped sandwiches, and I decorated them using my food markers.  Next I designed a stop light on a Babybel using food markers.  Then I added a Go-Gurt and an orange for sides.

School Days Bento

This bento was Monkey's first-day-of-school lunch.  It features a pencil-shaped sandwich, complete with cheese to form the standard #2 pencil look, as well as a bit of lunch meat to form the pink eraser.  I then cut an A+ in a Babybel and added some carrot sticks.  I also packed a handful of Alphabet Cheezits and a few strawberries.

Snow White Bento

For this lunch I used a simple circle cookie cutter to form a circle sandwich to form Snow's face, which I then decorated with food markers.  I surrounded the sandwich with snow peas.  Then I cut a "bite" from an apple using a small cookie cutter.  Next using another small cookie cutter, I cut an apple in the wax of a Babybel.  This I put on a bed of pretzels.

Dino Bento

For this bento I cut two different dino sandwiches from two different dino cookie cutters.  I then used my handy food markers once again to draw cracks on the shell of a boiled egg.  This I laid on a "nest" of pretzels.  I added a pair of Halo oranges and a pepper jack cheese stick for sides.

Breakfast Bento

On Sundays, J and Monkey can usually convince me to make pancakes for breakfast, and every now and then I have enough foresight to make a few mini ones for Monday's lunch.  These pancakes are a slightly healthier version, made with Greek yogurt (for the recipe click here).  I packed a bit of syrup in the Cinderella box for dipping, and then I filled the remaining containers with strawberries, a cheese stick, and a boiled egg.

Breakfast for Lunch (Again)

For a different take on breakfast for lunch, I simply packed a bagel with cream cheese (in the Cinderella box), an egg, a bit of broccoli, and some grapes.

Puppy Bento 

This was another easy lunch to prepare.  I used a circle cookie cutter to cut the bread and meat for the sandwich, which I then decorated with food markers and candy eyes.  For the floppy ears, I simply used a bit of the crust and secured them in place with a dab of mustard.  Then I cut a bone shape from the wax of a Babybel.  I added grapes, and snow peas as sides, and called it a day.

     Hopefully these fun lunches will inspire you to jazz up your kiddos plain ol' PB&J with some fun new twists!

And Just Like That, It's Over

     Yesterday was my final day of preceptorship.  Preceptorship was the last leg of this long, arduous journey to obtain a BSN.  All that's left to graduate is turning in my paperwork to my instructor, and then I will be set to graduate in two weeks.  I think I'm in a state of disbelief.  It didn't feel real on the way home last night.  It took hearing my mom on the phone saying again and again, "You did it. You're done" before it began to sink in a bit. 

     Although Nursing school seemed to drag on and on indefinitely with new hoops to jump at every corner, now that it's moving to the rear view  mirror it seems like it was too short.  I'm going to be responsible for lives soon.  I will be an advocate, an educator, and a safeguard for my patients.  That's a lot of responsibility, and I'm going to be honest and say that I wonder if I'm ready.  My preceptor, who is an amazing woman, and an equally wonderful nurse told me that she felt that way too when she started.  Maybe that's a good thing.  I don't ever want to take my job lightly.  I don't want to ever become flippant about a patient's wellbeing.  I want to be a good nurse.  No.  I want to be an amazing nurse who makes a difference in people's lives.  I want to be the kind of nurse that people remember.  Not necessarily my name or even my face, but I want them to remember that I cared, that I helped them, and that I was their rock to lean on.  That may sound cheesy, but every word is true. 

     I'm hesitant to put too much here, but I am looking forward to the future with great enthusiasm at my prospects.  Once I pass NCLEX (and I will pass!) I'll be looking for doors to open where I never expected them to be.  I hope that as I close this chapter and begin the next one God will guide me to where He needs me, since He knows where my heart lies.  I will definitely be keeping y'all updated as I move through this next stage of life with joy and enthusiasm. 

   

 A rare selfie before my last day.

         

     It seems a bit out of place to tack on a recipe at the end of this blog entry, but then again, it would feel wrong not to. So here you are, an easy recipe for any weeknight that's also not terrible for you. 

Balsamic Chicken and Veggies

1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

3 TBS balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 TBS honey

1 1/4 lbs chicken breast tenderloins

2 TBS olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and chopped into 2 inch pieces

1 1/2 cup matchstick carrots

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

In a mixing bowl, mix together salad dressing, balsamic vinegar, and honey. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet over mediun heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Place in the skillet, and cook 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through. Add half of the dressing mixture to skillet, and turn the chicken to coat. Transfer chicken to a serving platter, leaving the sauce in the skillet. Add the aspargus and carrots to the skillet, and season as desired with salt and pepper.  Stir frequently, cooking until tender, or about 4 minutes. Transfer veggies to serving plattet. Add remaining dressing mixture and tomatoes to the skillet, and cook for about a minute. Return chicken and veggies to the skillet and toss to coat. Serve warm. 

May the Fourth be With You

     This may come as a shock to some of you, but growing up I was a complete nerd.  (I know, right?!) I loved reading and learning so much; school was my favorite.  I made A's all my life.  (Until Nursing school, of course.)  In primary and middle school I was teased mercilessly for not being cool or popular.  I remember being called names, bullied, and even tripped in the hallways between classes.  At recess I would hide in the library, where I'd research anything from ancient civilizations to American history.  But that didn't always work, and some nights I'd come home very upset, and I'd cry to my stuffed animals.  On nights like those I remember being cheered up by the adventures of Bilbo Baggins as he went off in search of dragons and treasure.  On other occasions when I was made to feel bad, I'd perk up while watching Luke Skywalker use the Force to conquer the Dark Side with my daddy and big sister.  Sometimes, just daydreaming about what it would feel like to have superpowers, like the X-men, would make all the worries go away.  I didn't always like being a nerd, though.  I tried not to be one for a while, and I was miserable.  I wanted to be popular in middle school, but that would have meant giving up all the things that made me happy.  For a while I tried, but it didn't work.  It just made the misery worse.  Finally in high school I found people who liked me just as I was, no pretending, and no sacrificing the things I was passionate about, but I was still hesitant to let my inner nerd truly fly, having been made to suffer for it all my life.
     It's odd how paradoxical life can be.  As bad as I wanted to fit in while in grade school, that's how badly I want my daughter to stand out.  Even after all the torment I went through as a nerd, I'd love to see my daughter be one too.  And here's why: nerds, geeks, dorks, whatever you call them have one thing in common: passion.  They are incredibly passionate about the things that make them happy, whether that's science, technology, comic books, novels, Halo, Magic the Gathering, Dr. Who, Harry Potter, LOTR, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.   It doesn't matter what ignites their excitement, once a geek likes something, they let everyone know about it, and they pursue it for life.  I want my daughter to be passionate about life, and I want her to find joy in even something as trivial as a card game.  That's why I encourage her when she shows an interest in something to go all out with it.  You like superheros?  Superhero books!  Superhero coloring pages! Super hero costumes!  Oh, you're into Pokemon now?  Cool.  I'll buy two decks, and then we can play together.  What's that?  You were playing Star Wars at school with a friend?  Sweet!  Let's watch the movies, so you can accurately imitate a strong female character like Princess Leia.
     Being a nerd is something that I thought brought me great strife as a child, but now I realize that's only because I didn't embrace it at the time.  I hope my child enjoys her nerdiness, and embraces the fact that you can get really excited about a movie, or a scientific fact, or even a new trading card, and that's OKAY!  That's more than okay in my book; that's pretty cool :-)
    Coincidentally, this monologue is being brought to you on none other than May the Fourth (if you don't get the reference, you're excused).  You know...Star Wars Day?  And since the theme of the evening is revel in your nerdiness, allow me to share with you the epic lunch I sent Monkey to school with.  This is the lunch my sister deemed, "The most epic and nerdy thing you've ever concocted" (and that's saying something).

     This marvelous Star Wars masterpiece was so much fun to make.  I created Princess Leia by drawing a cartoonish version of her onto a sandwich bun using a food marker.  The Storm Trooper was made by simply drawing on a boiled egg with the same food maker.  Yoda was created by cutting a green apple in half; I then cut one of the halves in half again, and I soaked those three parts (the half and two quarters) in a bowl of water with a few tablespoons of lemon juice for about 5 minutes to keep it from browning before lunch.  I arranged Yoda's ears and face by using green grapes to keep everything in place.  Next I used the tip of a grape as a nose by securing it with a toothpick, and I added a pair of candy eyes using a couple of dabs of Nutella.  I threw in a handful of Wheat Thin Chips for good measure, and I sent Monkey off to school.  But, wait, there's more....

     I had to add this fun little note to the lid of Monkey's lunch box.

     Today was also Monkey's day to bring snacks to school, and I had a LOT of fun putting these together.

     I found Star Wars themed Teddy Grahams, although you could also use the chocolate Teddy Grahams as Ewoks, and I placed those in one snack bag per child.  Then I dipped pretzel sticks in white chocolate that I had dyed blue and red, although, the red turned out pink :-/  Monkey didn't mind though.  She knew which ones were for the Dark Side lol.  I printed out little labels from card stock that said, "Happy Star Wars Day", and I used those to staple the two bags together.

     Next I printed out little labels that said "Jedi Juice".  I let Monkey color the lightsabers before I enlisted J's help to tape the labels onto juice boxes.

     I had a lot fun putting all these together for Monkey, and she informed me that her classmates enjoyed playing with the mini lightsabers before devouring them.  Yay for organized nerdiness!

Happy Star Wars Day!  May the Fourth be With You! :-)

Every Child is an Artist

     My sweet baby girl is 6 years old now.  She turned 6 on Thursday, and we celebrated with family and friends yesterday.  She had a Rainbow/Art Party this year, although for a while there I thought we'd end up doing a Frozen shindig.  She changed her mind at the last second when she realized an Art Party would involve actual paint.  We had fun stocking up on goodies at Michael's for the event.  They had canvases on sale, so I grabbed a few packages.  I also bought a pair of easels, and the kids took turns using them to paint their masterpieces.

While a couple of kids were working on their paintings, I'd take another aside to paint his or her face.  I found this awesome face paint kit on Amazon (you can also find it at Michael's).  It comes with a book of instructions, but they're pretty ornate, so I just found some simple designs on Pinterest.  I did balloons for the boys and rainbows for the girls.  It was fun for me to have something to do other than play hostess.

     As far as decorating went this year, I really phoned it in a bit.  My sister made the adorable banner that hung over the gift table.

I printed a couple of pretty images and framed them to decorate the same table.

I threw up a few streamers in basic colors by the food table, and called it a day.

     The food was much more fun.  First I made sugar cookies using this recipe, and I cut them out to look like little painter's palettes (I used an Easter egg shape to cut out the main shape, and then a small circle to cut out the hole).

Next I used cookie icing to dab little blots of "paint" onto each palette.  After that, I made "paintbrushes" out of pretzels rods dipped into white chocolate that I had tinted different colors.  Then I popped popcorn and had Monkey help me assemble little cones out of construction paper and labeled them "Pop Art".

Then I put together a fruit tray, making sure to include every color of the rainbow.  I used red apples, oranges, pineapple, green apples, blueberries, and red/purple grapes.  I loved this because you could interchange so many fruit for the colors.  You could do green grapes or kiwi for green.  You could substitute strawberries or raspberries for red, and so on.

I kept it simple with "Van Gogh's Veggies" by simply purchasing a vegetable tray.

I meant to have "Paint Chips and Dip", but I forgot to put them out :-/  Oh well.  Finally, for the punch, I froze Koolaid into ice cubes in every color of the Rainbow.  I placed the ice cubes in my big drink dispenser, and I poured Sprite over the top of it.  It looked pretty cool, but I was worried as it melted it would make an ugly brown or blackish color, but I actually got more of a purple, which wasn't too bad.

I found these cute rainbow swirl lollipops at Walmart and used them as party favors.

Lastly, I went the easy route and bought a cake at Walmart.  Although there are some really cute ideas  on my Pinterest board.

    All in all this birthday felt a tad simpler, but it was very pleasant.  Monkey seemed to enjoy herself immensely!  She has been playing with all of her new toys and crafts.  In fact, as I'm typing she's making clay figures with a clay craft pack she received from one of our guests.  I can't believe she's six.  I know I go through this every year, but 6 is just older.  She's a little girl; she's in school.  She wants to play at the park with her friends more than hang out with me and her daddy.  She's got her own personality and opinions, and they're not always in line with mine.  She's so confident and vivacious.  She's her own person, and she's not ashamed to be herself.  I admire and love that about her.  I hope as the years pass she doesn't lose that ability to be herself, 100%!

Miss Frizzle Goes to Kindergarten

     Yesterday was Dr. Seuss' birthday, and in celebration of that day, my daughter's school encouraged kids to dress up as their favorite book character.  Initially Monkey wanted to be Elsa or Ana (of course), but I tried to emphasize book characters.  Yes, I realize there are book versions of the movie now, but I really wanted to encourage something that was at least a book before it was a movie.  After many suggestions and vetoes we both decided on Miss Frizzle from The Magic School Bus series.  We both agreed on this idea because 1) Monkey LOVES the Magic School Bus 2) the costume would be pretty simple to execute 3) the outfit wouldn't be so outlandish as to be a distraction in class and 4) we actually have a few of these books and have read them before she saw the shows  (it's the principle, after all).

     Most of Miss Frizzle's outfits are collared dresses with outlandish patterns, so I decided to start simple and add on.  I began with a simple navy blue, collared dress I found at Gymboree for $10.  (You can buy them online from Old Navy Kids for less, but I didn't have time to wait for shipping.)  I  found some fun solar system fabric at Hobby Lobby and a couple packs of yellow star buttons at Hancock Fabric.  

My haul

     I cut out individual planets from the fabric, pinned them in place, and sewed them to the dress. 

I swear I'm studying

Pinning it all in place 

I literally had to dust my poor sewing machine off before I could use it.

  Next I added the buttons by hand stitching them in place.  Here's the finished product:

Front

Back

      Something seemed to be missing, so I gave Monkey her own "Liz" to keep her company, by attaching her Beanie Baby "Rainbow" to her shoulder using safety pins.  I made sure to warn Monkey not to rip Rainbow/Liz off her shoulder or it would make big holes in the dress and/or the stuffed animal.  I also made sure to let her teacher know how I attached it so she could remove him if the stuffed animal became a problem in class.  It's a good thing I did, because when I got home from clinical, I found this note from Monkey's teacher.  It's a good thing Monkey was in the other room, because I got the giggles after reading it.

     Finally to round out the look, I twisted Monkey's hair the night before while it was still wet so that it would be good and frizzy curly the next morning.  J pulled it all up into a loose clip yesterday morning while I was at school with strict instructions to snap multiple pictures for me.  He, unfortunately, did not get the memo, so I don't have any pictures of the full ensemble. (You had one job, J!) Oh, well.  I may just snap a couple myself next time she decides to play dress up.

     Monkey and I had a lot of fun hunting for the perfect dress, finding the add-ons together, and even giggling while I did her hair.  It's really fun having a little girl, especially when she lets you in on the dress up game.  She got many compliments at school about her outfit, and she really enjoyed the extra attention.  Now she's telling me she wants to be Miss Frizzle for Halloween and Daddy can be Liz.  We shall see if he's up for that, but lucky for him she has plenty of time to change her mind!

     Also to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday, I made this special lunch for Monkey:

   I made the Cat in the Hat's hat by coloring red stripes on a white cheese stick.  Then I made green eggs and ham by dying an egg like you would an Easter egg, and threading a bit of rolled up ham on a toothpick.  I added in half of a banana, a GoGurt, and a bit of trail mix made up of Cheerios, cranberries, and yogurt-covered raisins.

     I had a lot of fun putting together all of this stuff so Monkey's usual Monday would be a tad more fun.  Now I'll leave you with these wonderful words of wisdom from Miss Frizzle herself :-)