Christmas Time Is Near...Oy!! Need Presents Soon!!

Not to complain, but it suddenly hit me that it is almost Christmas time. And I have a two year old. Oy.

Sadly, the place that has been my second home for fifteen years has...well, not grown with me. Unfortunately, my former full time turned part time job isn't as mommy/pregnancy friendly as I had hoped. Which translates to no extra (though incredibly tiny!!!) spending mula.

What's a stay at home mama to do? (Besides teaching bellydance twice a week, of course.) Sell her extra clutter on eBay.

Truthfully, I've thought about a yard sale, but 1.) It's way past the season, and 2.) Most of what I have may just be above yard sale price. I know this, because I occasionally hit a few myself, and know that most people are intense bargain shoppers. Plus, who doesn't like shopping in their nice warm home with a steamy mug of goodness either on their phone or computer?

I'm a creature of comfort.

So, officially today, I am attempting to sort through the office that has become more storage than office/practice space, and seeing how much holly jolly I can find.

Wish me luck.

Things I Love...Cake Mix & Pudding Cookies

I admit it. Maybe, just maybe my awesome red velvet cookies are made from...cake mix.
Usually, I stick to funfetti or red velvet. Today, in honor of the crisp falling leaves decorating my front walk way and hot apple cider, caramel apple cookies it is.



I may not be the first person to try this...because I was definitely was the last person to know how yummy cake mixes are when you add a box of pudding (even when it's already in the mix)! So, why not try this trick with cookies, too?

Tips and tricks: Mix one box cake mix, one box pudding mix, two eggs, one third cup oil together and chill in refrigerator for half an hour (or in the freezer if you're impatient like me!). Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. I used the dulce de leche sweetened condensed milk recipe to top them off.



Yummy, soft cookies, perfect with a mug of hot apple cider!

Mommy Time, Take Two!

According to my pregnancy app, I've reached that milestone of glowing somewhat happiness.

The second trimester. The blissful place of no more fatigue, bye bye morning sickness, and joyfully sharing the news (no, I've not been consuming copious amounts of Twinkies, I'm expecting!). Truly, I'm hoping this will all come to pass. The sharing, check. Morning sickness so bad I actually had to ask my doctor for help (and I'm not big on meds) as well as trying to keep up with a two year old while constantly wanting to nap? Gladly, I will let you go!

Honestly, the nausea has slowed up its relentless onslaught of the last few months, although it still likes to remind me once in a while how much time we've spent together! Energy? Let's just say today, I washed AND put away the laundry.

And while celebrating, I've noticed that maybe my me time has, once again, fled with the sultry summer weather. Therefore, I'm starting the mommy ritual once again. Once a day (or even...gasp...twice!!!) this expectant mama of a two year old will be doing something for herself.

Today, I've decide to combine my Pinterest Addiction (yep, in caps) with mommy time to make a hearty fall soup. This may not be most mommy's ideal moment of snuck in bliss, but I love soup...especially during the first few days of fall!!

Zuppa Tuscana a la Olive Garden it is...from here...

Zuppa Toscana (in the crock pot). - http://pinterest.com/pin/373165519095145657/

I love how this fellow Blogger actually put in her blog that it is perfectly okay to adjust the recipe to what you would want. I think we get so caught up on making everything perfect, we forget that we can truly make anything ours. Personally, I like a more rustic feel to my soups, so I chose to leave the skin on (and I admit, it was easier with lil man to just clean and cube!) and use white as well as red potatoes. Plus, I used a lighter fat free base and am going to use whole milk vs. cream. Because you know I'll make up for it with bread with rosemary garlic butter ;-).



Of course, this is early stage crock cooking...but it still already smells delish.

And I really need to fit in some yoga sometime....

The Joys Of Lil Man And Mommy's Phone

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The above has been brought to you by my adorable and apparently tech savvy almost two year old lil man. After he rearranged the icons on my phone, of course.

All of this obsession with mommy's phone began, as most bad habits, with trying to make life easier. In July, mommy (that's me) took a trip.across the country to take part in a bellydance/yoga intensive for five days, leaving daddy to fend for himself. This would be the first time I would be leaving my boys for linger than eight or nine hours, and I wasn't quite sure what I was mire worried about, me or them!

Really, my husband is incredibly capable (besides asking what to give lil man for dinner every night and timidly changing the dreaded number two diaper!) so, really I wasn't to worried. The only thing I asked was that he try nor to get him into any bad habits, since I spend eleven hours a day with lil man.

And then, I came home. Of course, I received updates every day, a bit sad because at first he seemed to not notice mommy was gone (but then he started walking around the house saying "mamamama") and everything seemed good.

Until I went to change a diaper. Turns out, daddy decided to use his phone to distract our lil man and make his job easier. Not to mention, let him fiddle around with it after for a few minutes, too. And anyone who has tried to take a "toy" away from a not quite two year old knows the meltdown that usually follows.

Oy.

So now, it is almost impossible to do the dirty diaper change without the phone (it seems videos of himself and the commodities app are ever amusing) is impossible and the after effects are even worse.

Thanks, daddy. And, next time our son freezes up mommy's phone, or records mommy changing his diapers, I will forever think of you. (As long as he doesn't buy anything I wouldn't want, we are all good!) And the endless giggles as he watches himself are kinda worth it.

Lil Man's First Race...With Someone Special

When I was three years old, my mom took me to my first auto race. The open wheel series that took over our lake front airport for four days of roaring by the shore full of loud purring engines, the smell of burning rubber and fuel, bright colors and people from all over the world. You would think I'd have been terrified, but I loved it. And so began a love affair that still has a spark. The memories I shared with my mom are some of my favorites, the two of us walking pitlane or even just enjoying the sights and sounds.

Happily, the man I married loves it almost as much as I do. Note that I said almost.

When we found out we were going to have a little one, I secretly hoped that he would share in that love. Since the day we brought lil man home, he's watched all types of racing. Then there's the plethora of matchbox and toy cars that are floating around and underfoot.

This past Friday, we took lil man to his first race at the track where my parents and I camped at the actual track so many times. Trees, camping (in an RV, of course!), good times, and morning to evening racing. Of course, he is still a bit young to camp and stay all weekend, but for a few hours, we watched cars, walked around looking at the track, and smiled and giggled the whole time.

And I just knew there was someone special with us the whole tilme.

Things I Love...Already Famous Nail Colour Sephora by OPI

I've pretty much resigned myself to the changes in my life since little man made his entrance into the world. Long, hot relaxing showers...actually doing my hair every day...even actually getting dressed out if jammies. Although, that last one doesn't happen as much as I'd like. Jammies all day is fun sometimes.

And doing my nails. Nap time is jam packed with as much as I can fit in, which usually consists of a quick lunch, shower, and either dishes/yoga/laundry/bellydance. That is, if I'm lucky.



To keep myself feeling pretty (silly, but as a mommy, I need those fitly things!), I've found the easiest way to jazz up my nails quickly is metallic nail polish! Not only do you get a splash of sparkle, it dries really fast!!

So, here's to my new favorite color: Already Famous Nail Colour by Sephora By OPI. A great neutral metallic that makes mommy time fit in with everything else!

No 'Poo...For Real

When I became pregnant, I instantly became aware of certain things. First, whatever I used had to be healthy for my lil jellybean. Second, diapers and baby clothes are expensive.

Confession time. I love my Coach purses, my Victoria's Secret, and Yankee Candle. (We won't mention my Teavana problem because that developed later.) And now, I had someone else to buy things for! With less money.

Back to the issue at hand. I gave up alcohol (I can't believe this is an issue), caffeine (withdrawl sucked), and started looking at the chemicals in my everyday life. A consumate product junkie, I owned a plethora of hair and beauty products. They owned my credit cards.

The sad part was most of these miracles were liars. Pretty little yummy smelling liars. And so they sat in my bathroom closet, a fancy island of not so misfit products. My hair is thick, long, and has a natural curl that easily straightens but doesn't stay the way I like. Drizzle, extreme volume that only seemed to get better the longer I didn't wash it. Ew...kinda. My favorite stylistic actually told me years ago to not wash my hair more than twice a week. I could rinse, even do a little conditioning but no shampoo save for those two times.

But, then the bun in the oven happened. And no more diet soda. (I miss Dr. Pepper still.) Then, I noticed other things. Margarine is like plastic? Chemicals?

I'm not perfect. I still use some things now. But, a friend of mine sent me a no 'poo link after I complained about my straw-like ends and endless drying time that made my hair time even more difficult. A one year old makes life soooooo different.

The good news, I learned, was that I kinda was already doing this with my infrequent washes. Plus, since mommy-dom had cut down on hair styling time, I was already almost product free (still love my Fructis 3-in-1, though).

What could it hurt?

I'm trying it, not only for my hair quality, but more poor credit cards still haven't recovered.

Here's the deal. It isn't as Ew as it sounds. Your hair has natural oils it produces that are stripped out by chemicals and then we try to put them back in...which either dries it out or makes you have your very own oil spill. By shampooing less, or instead using natural ingredients, your hair eventually (faster for some) balances out. You still clean your hair with, for example, baking soda mixed with water (I'm trying 1 tbsp per cup of h2o) and conditioning/rinsing with apple cider vinegar (which my hair stylist recommended once, too!). Yes, I admit, there's a stinky smell when it is wet, but once dry, it disappears. (I'm going to try a few suggested things for this, too, like honey and essential oils.)

So far, my hair is soft and actually smells clean. We will see if I have the horrible transition stage (fingers crossed) and how things go. I'm hoping to try out a honey/aloe treatment and a coconut oil mask, too.

And, if I save money, how can that be bad with fabulous hair?