Easter Baskets

We don't go crazy on Easter baskets but I like to get the boys something small.  Hubby already told me that boys in college don't get "Easter baskets with all that grass and crap."  Well sorry Hubby but our college boy is getting just that! I put together a basket for him this week with his favorite candies (did you see the Twix Easter Eggs they have this year????) a plastic egg with some cash in it, pens and pencils for school, packs of gum and his favorite movie right now, Anchorman.  I'm sure he won't mind it one bit!

Hayden's is bigger, but I spent about the same on them, which I always try and do but I always feel bad because Hayden's stuff is cheaper, so he gets more "stuff."  Hayden got three books (The Story of Easter, Spongebob Squarepants Easter and Happy Easter Mouse!)...oh wait, he got four books..wow, that boy likes to read.  We also got him Snuggle Puppy.  I read it today while putting the basket together and started sobbing.  I'm so emotional these days and I'm not sure why.  We also got him a Melissa & Doug puzzle, the fishy one with all the colors to learn, a foam football from Little Tikes (on clearance for $1.48 at Target baby!), some plastic eggs to play with, a small stuffed chick and the best gift of all, a Bubble Guppies DVD! He loves his Bubble Guppies and we don't mind it much either, it's a cute show that teaches him all the important little things in life.

Here are some pictures of Steven's basket.  I have to remember to take a picture of Hayden's basket at some point!

Where did my weekend go...for that matter, where has the week gone?

As per usual the weekend is gone and here we are, it’s already Wednesday and I’m looking forward to the next weekend.  It’s been snowing all week.  Come on mother nature!  You had all winter!

Friday night was a blur.  It usually is, we get home, eat dinner, do some clean up, etc. and crash from the long week.  I tried this recipe on Pinterest for Friday night, a whole chicken, BBQ sauce, lemons, onion and coke.  It was okay.  We let it cook on low from about 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and it was falling off the bones, but it wasn’t this great recipe I’d been led to believe by others on Pinterest.  I’d much rather just cook chicken in the oven with our favorite barbecue sauce, which is my own.  I mix together organic ketchup, real maple syrup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, a couple shots of worcestershire sauce, and the McCormick’s BBQ seasoning.  Every brand of BBQ sauce I look at has high fructose syrup as one of the main ingredients and I just figured I could make something that tasted better, which I have and we all enjoy it.

Saturday I spent a lot of time catching up on laundry and playing with my sweet baby boy.  He had a cold so he was not his normal happy self this weekend, but I did get some smiles out of him.  He’s so ornery, as soon as he has something he knows he’s not allowed to have he takes off running from wherever you are and giggles uncontrollably.  I love that freaking kid so much.  When Hubby got home from work we all cleaned up and went out.  We’re in the market for new Tupperware.  I decided I wanted the Rubbermaid Premier set in red, but I wanted the big set.  We’d found it on Amazon but wanted to see if we could buy it in the stores this weekend and nope, no one had it.   We did get Hayden an Adirondack chair in green that matches the ones we already have on our porch.  It’s just as cute as can be!  We also mosied around Target, but did good. We only bought detergent, lots of baby socks that were on clearance and some bath crayons.  After gift cards we only spent like $17.  We then went to dinner at Applebee’s.  We eat there way too much.  I got a steak with shrimp and Parmesan garlic sauce on it.  Yum.  We also got the pub pretzel sticks with beer cheese and honey mustard sauce.  So good.  After we got home we put the babe down for bed and watched This is 40.  I loved it.  Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd are some of my favorite people and though some parts were over the top (like their older daughter screaming “fuck” at them) a lot of it seemed like real life situations that play out in a marriage and family.

Sunday was family day.  We had a big breakfast of homemade pancakes with fresh blueberries and bacon, then got cleaned up and headed up to Cleveland to go back to the Children’s Museum, Hubby tagged along this time.  Hayden had a blast, again.  Of course I couldn't waste a trip going north without going to Trader Joe’s, even if it was completely out of the way!  I had to stock up on more cookie butter and wine.  Afterwards we tried to go to Golf Galaxy so Hubby could try out a new driver there but the line was ridiculous and Hayden and I were in the car while he snoozed, so we just ended up going home.

I’ve been working out in the mornings and it is working out so well!  By the time I get off work, or after Hayden goes to bed, I’m too exhausted to go do anything that strenuous.  It’s kind of like those pins I keep seeing on healthy boards that say “If you started running when you first thought about it, you’d be done already.”  So I get my workout in before I’d even normally be up and awake for the day.  The only drawback to this plan is I need to go to bed at a decent time, which is so hard!  After Hayden goes to bed I can lose myself in Pinterest or in a book for hours and not realize it, so I have to be so much more aware of what activities I do after he goes to bed.  One of us puts him to bed while the other cleans up toys for the 135,246,146^th time that day, then I come downstairs, make sure the dishes are done, things are set to go to either get lunches ready in the morning or pack them that night (it all depends on what we’re having, leftovers, something new, berries that I don’t like to wash the night before, etc.), wash my face, brush my teeth, then curl up in bed with the iPad for a half an hour or so before I’m so exhausted I just crash.

The rest of this week will be spent prepping for our overnight trip this weekend.  I need to get some junk out of the van (mainly that Adirondack chair in my backseat), get the seats folded down and get Hayden’s big stroller and pack’n’play situated in there.  Then pack a bag of toys for him, finish up the Easter baskets, get us packed, make sure there’s room for golf clubs…sigh and type up my plan for the dogs while we’re gone for the dog sitter.

I can’t wait to get down to Athens and enjoy the almost 60 degree weather!

We didn't take too many pictures this weekend.

At Applebee's, my husband cannot take a decent picture to save my life!

Goofing around in the tub.  He's got this new thing where he looooooves laying back in the water, where before he would freak if he got his hair wet even!

Just loving on his daddy!  He is definitely a daddy's boy.

Hayden's 1 year old pictures - Photo Book

Shutterfly had an awesome deal where they offered a free 8x8 photobook.  I couldn't pass it up, especially since I have had one sitting in my saved projects for Hayden's 1 year pictures.  I put it together and ordered it last night.  Now I just sit and wait!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Build your own high-quality photo books at Shutterfly.com.

Can I just have a break from reality?

I just feel so overwhelmed. So overwhelmed that I did something that some might think of as drastic, I'm taking a week long break from Facebook. I'm seeing things on there that I don't like and reminders of old friends and what they've done to me. It is constantly being thrown in my face, people may say I had it coming but that doesn't make it hurt less.

I want a break from everything. We're going on an overnight trip in February and a week long road trip at the end of March, they can't get here fast enough. The mistakes I've made in the past are just glaring me right in the face everywhere I look, including Facebook, work, etc. etc. etc. I just want move on and feel like I don't get a choice right now, it's not allowed of me.

Everyday all day all I want to do is be home laying on the couch with my hubby, playing games on our iPods together. I think this is a huge reason why I've decided to start making the plans towards quitting my part-time job. I need more free time in the evenings, at home with my husband. For instance, right now I could be sitting in my living room curled up with a book with my puppy while my hubby and his son play a video game in the same room, then I could pack meals for tomorrow, lay out clothes, not feel rushed in the morning.

Oh well, I'm working towards this, I guess it's not something that can happen overnight.

In other news I have all my meals planned out for next week (1/25 - 1/29). I plan meals for weeknights, make enough for lunch the next day for me, plan breakfasts and maybe plan meals for Saturday. Sunday night we always eat dinner at hubby's brother's house, Saturday we bowl or I work, so really I only have to plan 4-5 weeknight meals. With my Monday school schedule I'm having hubby just heat himself up something and eating a Lean Cuisine when I get home from school.

Monday - 1/25
B: Cheesed-up Pepperoni Scrambled Eggs (Hungry Girl recipe)
L: Lean cuisine
D: Lean cuisine

Tuesday - 1/26
B: Fiber One muffin and yogurt
L: Lean cuisine
D: Lemon Pepper Chicken and stuffed pepper (just filled with veggies)

Wednesday - 1/27
B: Cheesed-up Pepperoni Scrambled Eggs
L: Lemon Pepper Chicken and stuffed pepper
D: Ham & Spinach couscous and steamed lemon broccoli

Thursday - 1/28
B: Creamy hot apple with granola (Hungry Girl recipe)
L: Ham & Spinach couscous and steamed lemon broccoli
D: Cajun shrimp, corn and baked cauliflower

Friday - 1/29
B: Creamy hot apple with granola
L: Cajun shrimp, corn and baked cauliflower
D: Chicken, veggies and tortellini & spinach salad

Saturday - 1/30
B: Cinnamon roll, fruit and coffee
L: Chicken, veggies and tortellini
D: Snacks at wine tasting event - Something to look forward to! My sister-in-law and I go with a group of girlfriends to this every year. We have such a blast, for $25 you get 10-12 tickets to taste wines and a load of appetizers are there all evening. It is such a fun time and I'm glad I get to do this with this group of ladies, wish it was more often though!

Wake up!

Here's my snuggle buddy who hates having to get up early in the morning.

Spring is here! Or so we thought.

March is more than halfway over.

Wednesday was the first day of Spring.  Know what the temperature was?  27 freaking degrees.

It’s Friday and it’s snowing like a mother.  I’m so over winter.  My coat has about had it, I’m dying to pull out spring colors and just take Hayden outside to play.

I just can’t stop gushing about Hayden these days.  He’s at a stage where he is into everything, but he’s just so curious and wants to know everything about everything he can get his little hands on.  I can’t imagine or remember life without him.  This morning I was doing something in the kitchen and had a déjà vu moment back to something that happened in the summer of 2011 before he was born and I remember thinking I was home alone and then I thought, “Don’t be silly, Hayden was home too,” then I realized he wasn’t.  It’s like he’s always just been here and a part of our lives.

Life is just passing us by right now.  Things are happy and content.

Next weekend we are going to Athens to see Steven for Easter and stay at a hotel down there.  I can’t wait to go see him and get away for two days.  We are staying at a hotel with an indoor pool so Hayden and I can swim while the boys go golfing, then we’ll do dinner and brunch on Easter.

Last weekend I took Hayden to the Children’s Museum in Cleveland.  We had such a blast and I’m hoping to take him again this weekend.  It’s a great place to go and burn off his energy when it’s so cold outside.  Plus it gives me an excuse to stop by Penzey’s and Trader Joe’s afterwards, where I discovered cookie butter.  Where has this been my whole life????  We eat it on apples and pretzel sticks but I’ve heard it’s divine on waffles.

Here’s some pictures to share from Instagram.

Hamming it up with momma

 The cutest little boy there ever was.

My poor sweet boy after he got his 15 month shots.

All my boys playing video games (Hayden had his own controller but wasn't really playing).

Going out for BBQ

After Hubby's birthday dinner we came home and Hayden decided to read a book. My little bookworm.

Brothers just hanging out.

Cleveland Children's Museum

You're never too young to start reading Harry Potter!