Target & Cupcakes

I will confess..... I have been to Target every single day except for Monday. I admit I have a problem. I just get in my car, drive and poof, I'm there in the parking lot of Target. I can't even remember the car ride. There are times when I get there and I completely black out and can't remember what I bought. Which usually means I forgot something I actually needed and have to go right back in after I load my car. I tell you this in case you hear that I have gone to rehab. Just know it's not for drugs or booze. It's for shopping! Damn those little red Target balls in the front! It's like they hypnotize me right before I go in and tell me I need that random heart shaped plate or that cute little wristlet wallet. Damn them, damn them, damn them!!!

Ok. Yesterday I made this recipe for salted chocolate cupcakes. First off, they were delicious!!! BUUUUUUT, I did make a mistake on the buttercream frosting. I am one of those people that cannot read recipes or books, for that matter, on an iPad or laptop. I actually need the print out. Call me old fashioned but I like my paper! The recipe calls for powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Well, I inverted the measurements and ended up with something that wasn't buttercream. Even with the mistake it was still delicious! I am determined to try these again (without the mistake) for a Superbowl party this weekend. At least the babe and hubby liked them ;)

(Notice that heart shaped plate!)

Have a good weekend!

I'm in a Gang

The title of this post is a little funny to me because it was kind of an inside joke between Chris and I this weekend.

But, as I was in Target today, I realized, I am in a gang and it's called "Motherhood!" I joined this gang September, 3rd 2012. I was initiated into this gang by a little thug named, Madeleine. She tried her best to break my spirit by her constant crying and constant feedings. There have been times where I thought for sure I wanted no part of this gang. Have you seen the way those thugs/kids act?!?! But, I am a proud member (most days :) )

There are millions of us in this gang and we have to stick together! So, when I was in Target I saw one of my fellow gang members on the verge of tears, all I wanted to do was give her a hug and a cocktail! Her little darling thug was throwing a fit in the middle of Target. Come on little thug, at Target?!?! They were in the middle of the toy aisle and the thug just threw a fit because she wanted a toy. The mom quickly put her in the basket and said, "No!" They then proceeded through out the store still shopping and the thug was letting it all out. Homegirl was going off!! People were staring and shaking their heads.

I will admit, before I was part of this gang I would have been the first one to roll my eyes and say to myself, "She needs to control that kid!!" I was that single person that thought, "If  I was a mother I would know how to handle my child." Ohhhhhhh how naive I was before this gang!

These little thugs have a mind of their own and sometimes they are passed the point of control. Poor lady, I bet all she wanted to do today was go to Target, get a Starbucks coffee, browse around, and maybe buy a little something for herself. Damn those thugs!!!

When they made it to the register I let her cut in front of me and I could just see the pure gratefulness in her eyes. I know it made her feel better and I know that it made me feel like I could help a fellow gang member. I also thanked my little thug for being on her best behavior while I browsed! Small victory for mommy! So, please be kind to my fellow members, we take beating everyday from those little thugs!

Enough about my gang....


Well, our whole purpose of going to Target was to get stuff so make these cupcakes. Morgan is doing some intense training today and I thought I'd make him some "Good Job," treats! They're in the oven right now so I will let you know how they turned out tomorrow :) I'm sure mine won't look as nice but hopefully they taste good!

Here's a cute little video that happened earlier today and I couldn't stop laughing!!! Enjoy

Yes, that's me laughing!

Time-out

Do you guys remember when we were young, and used to go to the bars every weekend and then we'd wake up the next morning with some random bruises, scratches, etc. You know, because we were too tipsy to walk in our 6 inch heels. Well, after my little "mommy escape," I noticed I have a random bruise on my hand and I somehow scraped my third toe on my left foot. How? Did I get in a bar fight and I didn't realize it? This is further proof that I am too old for that mess!!!

Yesterday was so much better! I could actually get some things done around here without a killer headache. Before our usual errands we went to the park so I could burn some energy out of Madeleine. Ever since she picked up a little boyfriend in the sandbox the other week, she has been hanging out there a little more frequently. Is she trolling for boys?!?!? UGH! There were a lot of kids in the sandbox and a lot of sand toys, which sometimes can be disastrous. Which brings us to a lesson we have been trying to teach her... SHARING! I get that she's young and she may not fully understand that concept but I figure the earlier we start the better we'll be off. Most kids are usually good about sharing with her but there are a few that won't, which usually means she throws a fit too. I've been trying to teach her to ask if she can play instead of just taking without asking.(I'm just waiting for the day that she throws a huge fit and I actually have to put her in a time-out in public.) But, it wasn't bad and everyone got a long.

Oh, did I mention I have been doing time-outs. Yeah, that's one of the funniest, most stressful things I have done. I have a time out chair, that may be a little too high for her. I put her in time-out the other day for throwing a toy at me, and she cried and squirmed on the chair so much that she fell off!!! Of course my first reaction was to laugh, grab my camera and then give up. That time-out sure didn't do anything. I have to work on my discipline face!!! A lot of times she'll laugh at me when I "get on to her." I'm pretty sure this is what my mom was talking about when she said "kids will test you!" Oh Granny........ She loves a good "I told you so!" <eye roll>

Last week when I went to Costco I grabbed a box of these to try and they're actually pretty good. They are great for a snack at the park. I would much rather give her fruit at the park but that means her hands get all sticky and she usually takes the fruit all over the playground which creeps me the f*** out! Germs!!!! So, I usually just pop them into her mouth and she's good to go.

Now, I must do a little bragging on this one bib that we have and IT'S THE BEST!!!! I got it as a gift from my Austin baby shower so I'm not exactly sure where she got it, but I'm sure they're easy to find. It's a bib that's made out of that rubber-silicon material and it catches the food that falls. And you can wash it like a dish and don't have to wash it in the washing machine. It's genius!!! It's fantastic for those kids that eat like hillbillies, like Madeleine. And it's even got a fake strand of pearls around it, haha. She's such a lady when she eats....NO, NOT AT ALL!! Here it is in action...

Morgan asked me the other day, "When will she start to eat a little more neatly?" HAHAHA
I have no idea, this kid has no table manners! She knows how to use a spoon and fork but still prefers her hands. She's kind of embarrassing..... Get it together sister!!!!

Well, that's all folks. See you tomorrow!

It's All a Blur.....

I will get to the "blur" part of my weekend but let me catch you up.

Friday was a pretty boring because Morgan had to stand duty all night. That meant that I could watch re-runs of old shows on Netflix and not be judged! My choice was The West Wing. I'm pretty sure I could watch that show 24/7. I might be the only one....

I did get this in the mail on Friday.....

It's from May Designs. Heather, over at Heatherbakes, showed us her's and I just had to copy! I had never heard of them and so grateful she shared with us! I will definitely be ordering more things. You can customize your own design and book. Go check them out. I can't wait to start meal planning next week in this.


Saturday, during the day, we had a birthday party. I hadn't seen Isla, the birthday girl, since she was 3 and boy has she grown up!! It was her 5th birthday party but I swear she looks more grown up :( Bernadette, her mom, took this picture of them and even Madeleine is looking like a big girl. It's like I blinked for just a second and she's almost 17 months going on 16 years old. (Have I mentioned she's a sassy little thing)

The most fantastic thing about kid parties are the incredible naps that come with them! She played hard at the party and slept hard!! It's a win, win.

So, Saturday I got a text from my friend Chris saying that he was in San Diego and I was all too eager to see him! Let me just say, Chris is one of the most fantastic, fabulous guys you will ever have the privilege of knowing! He is my sister-in-law, Janet's, best friend. And if you know her, you will know why they are best friends.

Well, Sunday I headed to San Diego to have brunch and catch up. Madeleine stayed at home with daddy. We went to The Tractor Room, in the Hillcrest area of San Diego, for Sunday funday. The food was Y-U-M and they serve the dishes out of cast iron skillets. I kind of felt like a pig eating out of a trough. OINK, OINK. And the whole group could have split 4 servings and all been satisfied. Now we know.

I thought I was being a pretty good, little girl and  only had one mimosa at brunch. Gooooo Me!
But, then I decided to tag along to one bar called Moe's. Oh, and they were serving bottom-less mimosas until 2pm. Well...... that's what got me in trouble.

I'll be honest, the only thing I was thinking in my head was, "Mommy is kid-free!!! Yipee!!!" Don't get me wrong I absolutely love my daughter but it has been a while since I've had "mommy time." It's also been a hot minute since I've been this drunk!! At least 2.5 -3 years!!!

When Chris and I get together, and are drinking, we tend to buy questionable footwear. One time we bought him leopard print, platform shoes, with goldfish in the heels. LOL!!!! This time we bought me, some rainbow bright Addidas shoes and leopard see through pants! Both items are too big for me but we just had to have them.

And, I rocked those shoes like nobody's business!! That's about the time that it got all blurry! I remember bits and pieces of things but I'm not going to get into all those details ;) Thankfully, Chris drove me back home. Have I mentioned he's THE BEST!!!!

Monday was pretty rough but thankfully Madeleine was on her best behavior and Morgan only worked a half day. Now that I have that all out of my system, I can go back to being mommy. That's always better than a mimosa-induced hangover.

Play Date

This morning Madeleine and I went over to our neighbor, Crystal's house for a little play date. Her daughter is 3.5 months old so it was more of a social thing for the mommies. This was the first time that Madeleine had ever been around a baby that little. She is used to the kids her age or bigger from the parks and playgrounds. She was pretty good. She tried to give the baby some toys which was really cute. However, she did happen to toss a little ball at the baby's head. Luckily, it was a soft ball and the baby didn't even flinch. Thank goodness Crystal understood. Seriously, someone should teach this chick some manners. ;)

The night before I made some "lemon brownies." They are not really brownies but the recipe called them brownies so I went with it. I've made them before and they are delicious! They're sweet with a little bit of tartness. I can't remember where I got the recipe, I just had it printed out with my other recipes.  Maybe Pinterest. (The picture is missing quite a bit of them because I took some over to Crystal's.) I cut them into bite size pieces so I feel better when I devour 4 in a row! LOL Mine came out thin because I used a 9x9 pan instead of an 8x8. Who cares they're delicious!!

Batter:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon glaze:
1 rounded cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice
8 teaspoons lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 and grease/spray an 8x8 baking dish with butter/cooking spray and set aside.
Zest and juice 2 lemons; set aside

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the flour, sugar, salt, and butter until combined

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins.(don't over cook, they can dry out) allow to cool before glazing.
When its cooled make the glaze by whisking the ingredients. Let it set and then cut into bars. 


Well, I'm off to clean this house and start our weekend. Have a great one!

Daddy's girl

Today was a typical day for us. I took Madeleine to the park and Target. While we were at the park, I'm pretty sure Madeleine picked up her first boyfriend! She was playing with two little girls in the sandbox. Then, this cute little boy comes over and Madeleine stands up and goes to him and starts grabbing his shirt buttons and trying to fix them (they were unbuttoned). She then, grabs his hand and tries to shake it (she's really into shaking hands right now but most of the kids are like "WTF!Step off me!"). After that he kept following her until we left. It was the cutest thing ever!!! Everyone at the sandbox was cracking up. My mom said, "She gets it from her mama." UGH, she's going to be a handful during high school!

Daddy on the other hand, did not find this story cute! Hahaha

Lately, Madeleine has been quite the little daddy's girl. She will definitely cry out more "dadas" rather than "mamas." Also, whenever she sees pictures of us, she will say in the sweetest, most loving voice, "dada, dada, dada!" She'll look at me in the picture and say nothing! I'll even ask her, "Madeleine, where is mama?" Her response, touches Morgan in the picture and says, "Dada." Uhhhhhh..... Am I just chop liver?!?!?!? Can you throw me a bone every now and then?!?! Geez, my feelings are taking a beating!

Don't get me wrong, she will 99.9% run to me when push comes to shove. But, I am glad that they are building a stronger bond since he missed out on the first year of her life. I'm just dreading the day when she's a full blown daddy's girl :(

Morgan ran to the store for me tonight and she kept running around saying this for at least 3 minutes!

Well, that's a wrap. I'm going to finish up some baking for a play date and then hit the sack!

Costco & Stuff

Today was sooooo much better than yesterday!!!!! Hallelujah! I was so exhausted yesterday that I was in bed by 9:00 and I fell asleep like a champ.Morgan told me I was snoring but I'm not buying it! ;)

The princess woke up in a much better mood. I had some concerns when she first woke up but she managed to get through breakfast without any meltdowns. So we were off to Costco, Ralph's, Target and Trader Joe's. These days I pretty much live at these stores. When I was 24, I never thought that I would get so excited to meal plan for the week, make a grocery list and then spend half a day buying supplies. But, at the still, young age of, 32, I LOVE IT!

My mom still doesn't know how I can go to Costco so much, but I do. And I go down every aisle (unless the gremlin is acting up)!! Our Costco is doing more organic things and they actually made a huge aisle of new organic products! I love it!!! I'll let you guys know what I like in the next few days.

Morgan and I have been talking about buying power toothbrushes. So, when I saw this deal at Costco, I couldn't resist. I used to get excited about purses..... LOL

About a week ago we went to this restaurant, Cafe Rae, and Morgan loved the highchair that they had. It was the IKEA Antilop highchair($25). I had seen it when Madeleine was 3 months old but we had already received a highchair off our registry. Well, daddy bear liked it so we had to order it. I wanted to go to IKEA, which is only 30 mins away, but Morgan would have rather chewed his arm off. He hates IKEA. So, we ordered it online and it came today. I felt like such a badass putting it together! (I only had to push the legs into the seat!)

The only thing I don't like is it's a little lower than our table. We have a pub-style table, which sits higher. But we have been wanting to build a farm table, so this may kick that into gear soon :)

Am I the only one that goes grocery shopping all day and then when I get home don't want to cook and just want to get take-out?!?! Well, I decided to cook :( Nothing exciting, just a recipe I found off Pinterest for Chicken and asparagus stir-fry. I've made it a few times and it's very tasty. I usually double the recipe because Morgan takes leftovers for lunch.Tonight, I made it with basmati rice.

Well that's all folks. I've got a hot date with Netflix!

P.S. Here is this little gem of Madeleine stuck on top of something she can't get down from. I did contemplate leaving her there for a few minutes :)

It was a day......

Yesterday.... what can I say... It was a day.......

So the night before we put Madeleine down around 8:00 and everything was normal. She fell right asleep. Then, 30 minutes later we hear her talking. Soon after that we hear banging on her wall. I quickly run to the monitor and what do I see... Madeleine running from one end of the crib to the other and banging her hands against the railing. We went in there and she thought we were there to play with her. "Oh you guys came to play?!?! Mommy get my toys out of the box and lets do some damage!" No chick, go the the F*** to sleep. She finally went to bed at 11:30. The good thing is she wasn't really crying she just talked herself to sleep.

So yesterday morning I thought for sure she'd sleep in a little. But, she woke up at 7:15 and in a MOOD. One of those moods that nothing is going right for her. If I looked at her it set her off. If Chili nudged her it set her off. Not only was she in a mood but she was apparently not into eating breakfast because she squeezed up every bit of fruit I gave her and dumped it on the ground. The yogurt bowl was also thrown.

And here I go thinking again that she would probably go down for a nap because of all this fussiness.... NOPE! She gave me all her signs for a nap so I put her down and of course we start running around in the crib and talking. An hour later I realize the nap isn't happening. So, I got her out and gave her lunch. She did manage to eat all the hummus and strawberries but no chicken.

Her attitude did improve a little. So we played outside with the sidewalk chalk. I did attempt a second nap and of course as soon as I put her down she pooped. Look chick, I gave you ample time to poop while we were playing! Why must you wait til I put you down?!?!?

She finally napped and I could finally start the mountain of laundry that has been piling up and try to prepare something for dinner.

Right before Morgan came home I was giving Madeleine dinner. She did well and ate a little spaghetti and then this happened......

Notice my defense system: towels everywhere!And yes, there's pasta sauce on the dog. And she just happened to shake and get that sauce everywhere!

When Morgan came home I think he saw me and her and realized I needed a break. He quickly took over the Madeleine duties! When he came in I quickly realized what I was wearing, a decent shirt and pajama pants. I freaking forgot to finish getting dressed!

Well, that was my day. I hear the gremlin, I mean Madeleine, getting up. Wish us luck today!!!

Beach bums

Since it was MLK Day today, Morgan had the day off. Madeleine and I spent the morning at Target getting a few essentials. (Essentials meaning, sunglasses, bathing suits for Madeleine, and other things from the $1 section). I actually had a list of 5 things to get and had to go back because I forgot one of the items. This happens more than I'd like to admit. Morgan never asks for much but, of course when he does, I forget. I blame Madeleine!

While we were out shopping Morgan took Chili Pepper on a hike. When they came home she looked like she had run a marathon! I love when she gets all tired out and actually chills for a few hours. (You see what I did there... Chill: Chili, hahaha)

When Morgan got back we headed down to the beach. It has actually been warm enough to go down and hang. It still amazes me that it's January and we are going to the beach. But in case you guys didn't know the Pacific ocean in COLD! I dip my toes and that's it! Madeleine actually goes out to the edge of the water and gets about waist deep. Today the tides were pretty strong and they knocked her over. She took it like a champ. Nothing a little mommy hugs and apple couldn't fix. The best part about the beach..... It makes her nap like a bear in hibernation!!!

Here are a few pics before the beach. She's such a little diva. She'll only leave the glasses on while inside. Maybe she doesn't want tan lines.....

The little diva did wake up from her "hibernation nap" and was a complete fussy pants. We headed to eat at a Mexican restaurant, El Mariachi. And can I just say how much I miss tex-mex!!!! It was decent but way over priced and nothing to wow our pants off. I'm pretty sure that was are first and only visit. Coming from Austin, I'm kind of a food snob! 

On a side note: we learned a hard lesson about what cooked broccoli, left in my husband's lunch sack for over a week smells like. A DEAD ANIMAL!!! It took us 3 days to "sniff it out." I was convinced an animal had died in between the walls and I was ready to pack it up and move. Or burn the house down. Lesson for everybody...check your lunch containers!!!

That's all folks!

Catch Up

It's been a week since I last updated this thing! I actually got a text message from my best friend, Lindsay, asking why I hadn't updated. I should mention that I talk to that chick at least once a day, if not more. But, at least she's being supportive and keeping me on my toes.

This week has kind of been busy for us. Morgan's uncle, Hugh, came to visit us from Colorado. It's always nice to have visitors but boy does it throw off our schedules. But, it's worth it. Morgan took off the week so he could spend time with him.

On Wednesday they went down to San Diego to go on a fishing excursion. Before they left the docks Morgan sent me the picture below with the following text, "If anything ever happens to you, I will honor your memory appropriately. I love you." My typical response... "Why do I have to be dead to get a boat named after me?!?!" LOL

But, they had fun and caught a few fish and brought them home to cook. Now... I am one of those freaks that is not a fan of any seafood!!! I know, I know, FREAK! I am aware that I live at the coast and get some of the best seafood around but I just can't do it. So needless to say I was gagging when they were cleaning it and cooking it in my kitchen. I opened up almost every window and door I could, to get the smell out! It's just not my thing, people!!

Thursday we all went to Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Park for a hike. I thought for sure we were going the wrong way because we were going through a neighborhood through Laguna. And then all of a sudden we come to the top of the ridge. And it was awesome! These people are lucky! (Side note: as we were driving, the Laguna Beach theme song was going through my  head-- "Let the rain fall down...hahaha. I hope I'm not the only one that remembers that show.)

 I didn't get many pics because I was busy enjoying the gorgeous views. The trail itself is relatively easy and pretty wide, which is great for the trusty B.O.B stroller. This is the only picture I snapped and it really doesn't do it justice.

Other parts of Hugh's visit was spent here in San Clemente and exploring the base with Morgan. I'm pretty sure he will be back soon because he couldn't stop calling this place paradise. And, I couldn't agree more.

As for Miss Madeleine she enjoyed having a visitor. We tried to keep her on her schedule as much as we could. So the times that they were out doing thing we were going to the beach, park, Target and napping. (And yes, Target is a part of her routine!)

She can't get enough of this park...Courtney's SandCastle

Well, the good thing about Hugh's trip is it really didn't make us eat a poor diet. We did eat cheeseburgers from The Rider's Club. I will say these burgers are AWESOME! And they make them right in front of you. They also serve you pickled beets as a side dish. YUMMY. Yeah, I'm the freak that likes beets!

For those of you that don't know, I kind of made a resolution to not drink alcohol for the month of January. Well, that lasted 17 days! I had to have beer with my burger. I'm pretty sure some of my Facebook friends were taking bets!  BUUUUUTTTTT, that doesn't mean it's open season to go booze it up. So, I'm back on track, for now. :)

Well, that's all I got for now. Hope everyone has a great week!

A Weekend in Nature

I'm just going to update really quickly on the SLEEEEEP! Madeleine is back to sleeping through the night! HALLELUJAH!!! And as sure as I'm typing this she'll be awake tonight (you know, that whole liar/opposite thing).

Morgan was off on Friday because his unit went 100 days without an alcohol-related incident. I find it funny but I forget that there are 600 men in his unit and most of them are still in their early 20's. So, good job Marines! It also meant mommy got to go to Target alone!! It's always nice to get those special occasions. I got a few organizers for our office. Our office in this new house, is in our "mud room." Meaning that it's open for all to see. Which also means when people come over I can't just shut the door if it's a little messy :) So, I needed to get organized! let's hope Morgan can keep it that way!

So, in my quest for staying fit I thought it would be a great idea for us to go hiking. Morgan thought there was a really cool spot but it kind of ended up being a bust. It was one little hill and then looped back to a main road. But, we did stumble upon this really cool kid park called, Courtney's SandCastle. It's kind of amazing! We did not have this when I was growing up. I like it because it's for children of all ages and there are a lot of interactive tools for play. Did I mention there's a pirate ship!! And we noticed that they are still in phase I and starting on phase II soon. What could they possibly add. Needless to say, Madeleine had a fantastic time!!! She knocked out in the car on our way to lunch.

This might be a weekly outing!! I'm all about wearing that child out!

Sunday we found a trail that Morgan had actually hiked several times before. And can I tell you.... if you want to realize how you are in "not the best shape" go hiking!!!!! We hiked the Cristianitos trail, here in San Clemente. I will state that it has been a good 3 years since I've done a good hike so it kicked my butt! And can I just say that I was pushing the jogging stroller!! Yes, I'm bragging! (Morgan hiked with a 40 lb pack. <eye roll> Whatever he's a marine!) There was a point that I was sure he took me on this trail so that I would die and the coyotes would eat me. Yes, I told him this and he laughed. Not very comforting! Have I mentioned that I'm not very "outdoorsy." I was convinced that a mountain lion was going to pop out and eat us. But, I survived and we are going back next weekend. I'm a glutton for punishment!

After what felt like 12 days of hiking (really only 1.5 hours), we went to grab brunch at Cafe Rae. It reminded me a little of Kerbey Lane, in Austin. Great staff , service and food!

This chick was hungry after that long hike she did <eye roll>

She really made herself at home! Who are her parents and why does she have no manners!?!?!?!?

Well, that's all I got and I'm going to go watch the Golden Globe Awards...it's 5:00pm! I'll never get used to this West Coast time!!!!!

Working on my fitness

^^^^ Yeah, that's corny! But, that's what I've been doing. I'm actually feeling energized again. Still doing two-a-days. I usually run in the morning and then do some weights and stuff in the afternoon while the gremlin, I mean Madeleine, is napping. When I run I don't start out running for distance, I run for time. So today I ran for 48 minutes without stopping. I find this helps me better than running for mileage. After a month then I will run for distance and work on my pace. Right now it's just about getting my heart racing for over 30 minutes.

Here is my view while I'm running. A little cloudy but how can you not think this is paradise! I'm very lucky!

Before I was pregnant, I was in perfect shape. At least for me! I was totally toned and looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. I taught fitness classes 5-6 days a week for Shape Up Fitness. I also worked out on my own and with my husband. I also did some of those Tracy Anderson videos. Anybody can do them! This was one of my faves!! I usually did it 5-6 times. Talk about burning your arms!!! I started it back this week :)

Tracy Anderson Arms for Gwyneth

We've also been eating better. THANK GOD!!! I felt like a sloth during the holidays. I'm pretty sure I ate 2 lbs of a 3 lbs bag of Milagro tortilla chips! OMG, they are soooooo good!!!! If I had a last meal wish they would make the cut. STOP. NICOLE. Last night I made Asian chicken pasta salad. This recipe makes A LOT! We ate it for dinner, lunch and dinner, again. In my opinion you can't skip the over night marinating of chicken and pasta. This is the kind of salad that gets better the longer in sits. I also used fresh mandarin oranges and squeezed a little of their juice in the dressing. I highly recommend this recipe!!! Y-U-M-M-Y

While I was cutting up some carrots into carrot sticks this happened..........

She took a bite out of almost every carrot. She's lucky she's cute!!!

Liar, Liar.......

So this week, we have been battling SLEEP!!! We are trying to get back to a normal sleep routine with Morgan going  back to work. Meaning no more staying up past midnight for mommy and daddy. (Well at least for daddy. Mommy is kind of an insomniac.) But apparently, Madeleine has decided that isn't going to work for her. We bathe her and put her down in her crib and we think she is asleep and then 45 mins later we hear from the video monitor........"HIIIIIIIIIIII <clap, clap, clap>, BYEEEEEEEEE." Who is she talking to?!?!?! Did she invite people over for a party and forget to tell us. Why weren't we invited?!?! I try to let her talk it out and maybe she'll put herself back to sleep but, nope! I have to go in there try to rock her but she thinks it's play time. I usually cave and giver her some milk. I'm hoping this is just a growth spurt, that won't last long!

It seems that every time I "brag" about Madeleine's sleeping behavior,s he tries to make a liar out of me! It's like she says, "Oh you told them I'm a great sleeper. You're gonna be sorry you said that!" And she usually does that with anything. Me: She loves blueberries! Madeleine: Refuses to eat them!
Me: She hates naps! Madeleine: Naps for 4 hours! I should just start telling people the opposite. But, I'm sure she'd somehow fix that!

But, as much as the sleep thing is annoying, I just could eat her up! She is starting to say more words and jibber jabber more! Yesterday we received a package from my uncle and aunt. They sent her a DVD of Yo Gabba Gabba Live. It kept her occupied for 45 mins!!! I love that show because it's like her crack. And yes, I am her drug dealer! I do have to monitor how much she watches because she could easily watch it all day! It's nice to throw on when I need to do something in the kitchen :) Here she is all "cracked out".....

God bless the creators of that show!!

So, here's to a better nights sleep tonight!!! 

Two-a-days

Like I mentioned before I have two of my best friends getting married. My friend, Kate, is getting married in September and Lindsay April 2015. So, there is no better reason to kick my butt into better shape.

I will be the first to admit I have completely slacked on working out ever since the summer. Don't get me wrong, I worked out, but not with the same passion and intensity as before giving birth to Madeleine. I truly thought that it would be easy because I was staying home with Madeleine. But, I quickly learned that babies are little "time suckers." They will monopolize every second of your life and not apologize. Don't get me wrong I love every minute of being part of her daily life I just have to learn to manage our time better.

So with that being said... I am going back to two-a-days. I started this morning with a 4 mile run on the beach. Then after lunch I hit the garage for some weights and calisthenics for 30 mins. I'm also doing 250 push ups a day. I usually don't do them all at once, just through out the day, here and there. I've already done 175....75 more!

Of course with working out more I need to eat cleaner and healthier. I absolutely love to make green smoothies for lunch. When we lived in Austin, I used to love to go JuiceLand daily! But, I can't find anything as good as it here so I make my own. I just blend up spinach, kale, pineapple or peach, flax seed and coconut water. But today I didn't have any pineapple so I used blueberries and strawberries. Of course this made my green smoothie brown but it still tasted great!

Even this picky eater loves green smoothies! Lately, she has been super picky about eating. She will only eat hummus, yogurt, oranges and blueberries. So this is mommy's sneaky way of getting her some healthy vegetables <insert evil laugh>.

Not gonna lie but I'm already feeling a little sore so I am going to go drink some water and strecth it out! Here's to hoping I can sit on the toilet without having to grip the walls!!! (I know, TMI!)

A Whole Lot of Nothing

Since Christmas Eve, we have been battling some nasty coughs. It started with me and then trickled to Madeleine. I'm hoping it skips Morgan but he woke up with a sore throat today. Womp, womp. This is the first time Madeleine has ever been sick. It's pretty much the most awful thing ever, as a parent, to see your child so sick and you can't do anything to help her. We are lucky that it wasn't the flu. But, if we both had to get sick, I'm glad it was while Morgan was on vacation. He was a HUGE life saver. I sometimes underestimate how much of a help he really is. I am very thankful for an awesome hubby!

Needless to say, we have been spraying, wiping and soaking everything in lysol, germ-x and BabyGanics cleaners. Go away germs!!!!! I don't have time for you.

So, with us being sick we have pretty much been trapped inside the house. I did manage to cook a few things which is nice considering with the holidays we ate out quite often. It was nice to eat some healthier meals right from my kitchen. I managed to make chicken soup, roasted a whole chicken and chicken tortilla soup (my favorite). I kind of use the Hungry Girl's recipe as a base but I usually add in some corn, black beans and a lot more jalapenos and spices. I also boil and shred my chicken. Here is a link for the recipe http://quick-and-easy.food.com/recipe/hgs-kickin-chicken-tortilla-soup-ww-points-2-324336
I think I made enough of this soup for 22 people.We'll be eating this again for dinner tonight.

With it being the new year and trying to eat healthier, I did manage to go for a run today on the beach. This cough killed me! I hacked up a lung when I finally stopped. I'm pretty sure the other runners were looking at me like I was out of shape. It was nice to get that in since being sick has knocked me on my @$$!! But, 2014 you will be my bitch!! Two of my best friends are getting married and mommy needs to get toned and tight.

Being sick gave me the perfect excuse to catch up on my trash TV... The Real Housewives of Atlanta!!! These ladies are everything to me, LMAO. I don't care if I'm the only one but I love them!! I'm sure my husband judges me and might possibly question my sanity when he hears me watching these shows. But, he knows better than to say anything to me :)

Well, that's all I got... A whole lot of nothing. But, at least I have these gems to share with you...

New things....

To be honest, I have no idea why I decided to start a blog. At first I thought that I would try it so family and friends could see how life was going for good ole Team Jordan. Also, I thought for sure I'd post less on Facebook because I'd need material for a blog. (Side note: I'll still post random things on Facebook!!! #Facebookjunkie)

I did make myself a few promises for 2014. One of them being to do something I thought I'd never do. So here I am blogging. I am not blogging to make a career out of it or to make money. Just for fun

If this blog sometimes seems to be all over the place it's because my life is all over the place. Anyone with kids knows that's usually how your life is now. Damn those kids!!! Just kidding..kind of

So maybe I can share a few stories, projects, laughs, and pictures. If anything, I can share adorable pictures of Madeleine. Here's one now:

We are dealing with a sick baby right now. So off I go to make homemade chicken soup!

Recap of 2013

I know we are on the 3rd day of 2014, but I am new to blogging and wanted to recap on this past crazy year. 

First, for the first 8 months of 2013 I was a "single" mother. I hate to use that term because I know actual mothers who are single-mothers and it is NOT an easy task. But, Morgan was still deployed to Afghanistan and I was at it alone. But I had amazing support in family, friends and Morgan. Once Morgan came back from deployment it was a fast paced moving 2 months.

We celebrated Madeleine's first birthday, which was really Mommy's party. She was lucky I invited her to such a big event. (I gave her fair warning that if she was to act up, I would have no choice but to kick her out!) It still amazes me that I have a now 16 month old daughter... who let that happen?!?!

After that fantastic celebration we went straight into... Pack up the house in Austin, find a house in California, do repairs to Austin house, find renters for Austin house, travel with baby and settle in California. I'll spare the details of wanting to pull my hair out, wanting to punch my husband a few dozen times, and aging five years. 

Needless to say, the last few months of the year, had been stressful and a time for adjustments (and lots of cocktails!!!). But, we survived without physical harm, just a few more grey hairs. 

Now we are living in  gorgeous San Clemente, CA . Just 2 blocks from the beach. I truly feel like a higher power said, "Look, this has been a tough year for this chick. Let's give her a break and put her near a beach!" At least that's my opinion...

To sum up 2013: There were highs and there were lows. But the highs outweigh the lows. (So cliche')
My little family is happy to be reunited!

Here are a few pics from 2013 (pretty sure all of them are of Madeleine-this will be a trend):