I've got an App for that!

Tonight I realized that my daughter is pretty much addicted to my Iphone App, Tozzle.  I have had games and apps on my phone for her for about a year now and we only use them once in awhile in dire situations like really long lines at the grocery store! But ever since I purchased the full version of Tozzle she BEGS to "play games on Mommy's phone!"  And out of the whole page full of games I have for her she now only picks Tozzle!!!!

For those of you not familiar with the App since it is fairly new to me, here is the description from the apple website:
Looking for something entertaining but also educational for your kid? Then Tozzle is the perfect App for you! This puzzle app is built for children from age 2 - 99.
It keeps your toddler entertained and he/she learns to improve shape recognition and motor activity.
Choose from 39 different puzzle pictures, all including funny sound effects.
It's really easy to use. Just let your toddler pick one out of 39 colorful, child orientated puzzles and let him / her solve it by drag&drop. Once a puzzle is solved your kid can play around with the sound effects by tapping on the figures. 
An exit button on the bottom left brings you back to the selection menu. 

This program was tested by several toddlers and we took their suggestions seriously to create a funny but educational app for them.
If a child can't find the right place for a piece, a helping arrow appears after the third try so every child can solve every puzzle.

Look forward to relaxed car rides, you´ll never again have to drive AND entertain your kid, you can concentrate on driving while your child is having fun with Tozzle! 

If you want to see Tozzle in action, just search for "Tozzle" on Youtube.
I guess if you want to see how it works check Youtube! But your child is given a picture with pieces missing and they have to drag and drop the pieces in the correct spot. 
Here is a screen shot from apple.com also: 

 I am AMAZED at how fast my daughter was able to pick up on where the pieces go! Some of the puzzles are pretty tricky and every time you add a piece, another empty one appears! But she LOVES it! And I highly recommend it for $1.99! My husband searched his phone (he is not fortunate enough to have an Apple product) and unfortunately couldn't find it in his list of Apps.  But check it out for your Toddler if you haven't already! Older kids might even like it too! 


Here is our "Top 10 Favorite Iphone Apps for Toddlers" if you are interested in some other Apps.  


1. Tozzle 
2. Monkey Preschool LunchBox
3. Zoodles (we only have the free version, but she loves the movies on it) 
4. Barney Game Pack 
5. Sprout: Dress Chica
6. Wheels on the Bus
7. Alphabet Animals-Talking ABC Cards 
8. Toddler Teasers: Shapes 
9. Sprout Player
10. 123 Animals Counting Lite (The full version is probably better, but we haven't splurged yet) 


What are your favorite Iphone Apps for Toddlers or Mommy's of Toddlers?? Would love to hear from you! 

Beef with the Toyota dealer!

Spent my morning sitting at New Holland Toyota for inspection and oil change. We have also been having trouble with our tire pressure light since our last service we had done there. The tires were overinflated the last time and since then the light goes off randomly throughout the week. So we have had it back to them 4 times since and they have replaced the whole computer system to try to fix it. So today they tell us they found a nail in one of the tires and they patched it. (only took them 4 checks to find the nail) So I assumed that would fix the problem, but of course before I pulled in the driveway the light was back on again! Thankfully they are coming to pick the car up next time! So frustrating that it has taken them sooo many tries to fix something they broke in the first place!! And everytime we have been back I have waited 1-2 hours with a 2 year old! So thankful that my baby girl is such an angel and was so good the whole time we waited there! As soon as our free service vouchers are gone you can bet our business at New Holland Toyota will be too!


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My two cents....

Of course I was up last night at 4 AM, again! Couldn't fall back to sleep so I started watching NBC and their Meet the Press: Government's Role in Education that was part of their Education Nation programming.  Although I was only 1/2 awake, I did catch bits and pieces of the special.  There was also more information on the Today Show this morning in which they had teachers voicing their opinions in a town hall type meeting.  

Being a teacher, I of course, got sucked into both of these.  And they both got so many thoughts flowing through my head I decided to blog and share my "two cents" on Education today.  

The Round Table debate focused on should the Federal Government be as involved in Education, and I was very surprised when several people talked about Federal Education mattering less than the ADULTS in a child's life at home, in school, and on the playing field.  There were several times throughout the debate that they referenced all adults and not just teachers.  I was so happy when I heard this! For a long time, as a teacher, I felt very responsible for EVERYTHING my students were learning.  I was very hard on myself when some students were not succeeding in my class.  However, when I became a parent, my views on this changed, slightly.  I know as a teacher it was important for me to provide an environment for all my students to learn and be successful.  But in order to do that I needed my students to come to my classroom with background knowledge and skills to learn new things.  When I was teaching I never really thought of any of it as parents responsibility, but now after 2 years of being a "teacher" to my child I now realize how incredibly important the parent's role is in our education system and in the future of our country.  The round table also talked about character education and teaching social and emotional skills to kids so that they can become better learners in a classroom environment and how "teaching to the test" didn't allow time for these skills to be taught to students.  And I found that in my classroom that was often true.  So many students had so many other things "on their plate", emotionally, physically, mentally, that they could care less what the 5 steps of the scientific method are or how to multiply two digit numbers because they were worried if Mommy or Daddy was going to be home that night, if Daddy was going to yell and hurt mommy, or will there be anything to eat for dinner that night.  And that I believe is where family plays an all important role in the education of our nation.  If these students come to our classrooms with the burdens of their home life, it isn't that they can't learn, but our role as a teacher now becomes the role of the parent for them emotionally and less about providing them with knowledge and skills to be successful but more about providing them with skills to simply survive!  

I know I spend ALOT of time with my daughter.  I am fortunate to be able to do that.  I have found throughout my time at home with her, how everyday moments and activities can ALWAYS become learning experiences.  I am NOT writing this to toot my own horn, but many people often ask me how much I work with her on things like alphabet or number recognition (she just turned 2), and I can honestly tell you I don't sit down and say ok today we are going to learn to count to 20.  If a parent takes the time to play and spend time with their children they will find how easy it is to incorporate so many skills like those into everyday life.  My opinion is that parents don't spend enough QUALITY time with their children, and I believe it is because of what our society has become. "Family night" for some families has now become turn on the TV and sit on the couch together! I know that the economy is terrible and many parents need to work one, two, three jobs to support their family.  But I also know that some of those same parents will then use their free time on a Saturday night to be out to dinner, bar, on vacation with their friends.  I know this is not true for all families, and I know that parents need nights to themselves too. But I feel that, that time will come, right now your responsibilty as a parent is raising your children, not pawning them off on someone else to do it for you.  

I know that there are problems with Federal and State Education, and schools now do "teach to the test" which I absolutely hated as a teacher, but I also feel that MANY of the education problems our country has stem from the lack of parent responsibility for their children.  There are many stay at home and working parents out there, that have dedicated their lives RIGHT NOW to raising their children, and they do a phenomanal job at it. Every moment they have with their children is spent with their children and not doing whatever it is they feel like doing that day. Over the past 2 years I have heard so many comments about how I need to leave my daughter more often and have time for myself.  I am sorry, but I didn't choose to have children to have time for myself! My time is now set aside for raising my kids, and maybe occasionally having a night out with my husband (which I feel also helps in raising kids).  My child is not perfect and I am not the perfect parent, but my child is my FIRST priority in my life.  

I could write a book about this, and again this is just my OPINION.  And I know there are exceptions to all the situations I talked about.  There are so many great parents out there, who work really hard to do everything for their children.  It is not always about spending EVERY minute with your child, but spend QUALITY minutes with your child! 

Sunday Funday

Or in our case, Sunday pajama and fun day! Since the start of football, we have kind of had very lazy Sunday's! We managed to make it outside to enjoy some of the beautiful sunshine this morning! But as soon as naptime rolled around, I decided to park myself and my bag of popcorn in bed watching a football game! It was kind of nice to stop worrying about dishes in the sink, laundry on the floor, dog hair everywhere and do some mindless TV watching!

I did also spend a lot of time "observing" playtime tonight, which reminded me just how incredible the mind of a child is! I am so amazed with my baby girl's imagination and how well she does "pretend play" all on her own. So funny to watch some of the things she comes up with or turns her toys into!
For example:



Her favorite pretend play activity: The tea party. ( note her bears "drinking" their tea) and of course her baby had to have some tea also!

She amazes me more and more everyday! I am one proud Momma and so thankful I get to watch her learn and grow everyday!!

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Recipe of the Week: Mac and Cheese

I had a large container of Fage greek yogurt that was about to expire, so I did an online search for a recipe I could make using the leftover! Although I found a bunch of desserts I was really surprised when I found a recipe for Mac and cheese and the reviews were actually good! So I decided to try it! Tasted much better than it looks! :)

Fage Mac and Cheese Link

• Ingredients
• • 8 ounces Elbow Macaroni
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 cup Onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup Red Pepper, finely diced
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup Butter
  • 1 ½ cup Whole Milk, warm
  • 1/2 cup FAGE Total Classic
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 10 ounces Cheddar Cheese, grated
  • 1/2 cup FAGE Total Classic
  • 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
  • 2 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  
  
  Directions:
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add elbow macaroni and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
  2. Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add red pepper and salt and continue cooking until vegetables soften. Remove from heat and reserve.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 quart casserole.
  4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour, stir and continue to cook for 2 minutes or so. Gradually whisk in warm milk and yogurt, whisking constantly to keep smooth. Add nutmeg. Bring to a low simmer and remove from heat. Stir in 10 ounces of cheddar cheese. Whisk until smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup yogurt and Tabasco. Combine macaroni, onion mix and cheese sauce and transfer to prepared casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
  5. Combine remaining cheddar cheese, feta and bread crumbs. Remove casserole from oven and top with crumb/cheese mix. Return to oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

  
  

  I actually really enjoyed this recipe! It was easy to make and was really good! Has a "different" taste then normal mac and cheese because of the onions and peppers, and has a little bit of a kick to it (note the hot sauce). But I would definitely make it again!

Time to make the donuts!

Decided to spend some time in Emmaus today visiting with my Mom. It was such a gorgeous day so we went for a long walk through downtown Emmaus. Stopped and had a slice of pizza for lunch, and as we walked past the Emmaus bakery, I just had to stop!

This is quite possibly the largest donut I have ever seen!!! And so good. I would describe it as a cinnamon bun with really sweet chocolate icing. Soooo gooood! A little pricey, but so worth it once in awhile! :)

My baby girl turns 2!

After quite a busy birthday week, I finally had a chance to sit down to write/read blogs!

My "little baby" turned 2 this week! I still can't believe she is 2! We had such a great week of celebrating! My husband was able to take off work for her birthday so we planned some fun activities for her! We started the day at My Gym (see our favorite places for more info). My Gym is one of her favorite places and we had a scheduled class. She of course had a blast and it was great that her Daddy got to see all the new things she has learned to do!

Birthday hat!

We came home ate a quick lunch and decided to head to Lancaster County to the Hands on House. Took us a little longer to get there than we had expected and we got a late start, and we didn't quite realize we were in the middle of one of the worst floods in history! But we made it there and we had a great time! It was a bit smaller than I expected it to be, and it definitely required alot of parent supervision/explanation for a 2 year old. But the few exhibits/activities they had were pretty cool! We played for awhile, until we were told that their parking lot was flooded and we might want to think about getting our cars out soon. (Glad they warned us about this, cause they weren't kidding). An hour was about a perfect time for us to spend there anyway.

MY favorite part of the Hands on House, the giant Lite Brite

The machine shop

We then went to the Park City Mall to kill time for a little bit before meeting my brother and sister in law for birthday dinner at Bird in Hand Buffet. The food was so yummy, baby girl was a little to tired to even eat anything, but she of course made room for her cupcake. They sang Happy birthday to her too! She loved it!

Cupcake!

I think she had a great day and had a ton of fun (at least I hope she did). It was definitely exhausting, but so worth it to see her smile all day! Happy Happy birthday baby girl! Mommy and Daddy love you! :)

Storage Sale at Target!

We have several different storage items for toys throughout the house, toy boxes, shelves, bins, baskets, plastic drawers, wire shelves...I feel like we have tried it all! And our favorite item of all of them is the closetmaid cube shelves from Target.




Here is the one we have set up in her room!

So of course when I saw them on sale in the Target Ad I decided we needed some for our basement! They are on sale for $39.99 each and the bins are $5.99 each or packs of 2 for $11. Haven't put them together yet, but I'm sure we will love them! Check them out!

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Texas Roadhouse Rant

Texas Roadhouse for many years was my absolute favorite restaurant! We spent alot of time there in college and when they finally opened one near our old house in the Poconos we were SO excited! I always order the same thing everytime we go, Dallas filet! Oh it just melts in your mouth!

Now that we have our little sidekick we really don't get out as often as we used to, ok I won't lie we used to go out for dinner almost everynight!! Now we usually have a once a week eat out night!

We have visited Texas Roadhouse in Wyomissing many times since we've moved here, and I continue ordering the same thing everytime we go. And everytime we go it gets worse and worse, and more expensive! My steak is never cooked right, either over cooked or under cooked and the past few times has been filled with fat chunks! And of course is now $2 more expensive than it was when we first started going! Although we do still love their rolls, and baby girl loves her steak!



It is just disappointing to spend so much on dinner and have it be so crappy! I'm sure we'll probably go back again, mostly for their rolls and hope that maybe they will bring back the same quality meat that they used to serve! Anybody have any recommendations for kid friendly steakhouses in the area????


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Potty Time!

Well, we are still working on the potty training, still not as diligently as we should be, *sigh*

Had to make potty time a little more exciting, so I told her she can earn stickers to put on her puppy dogs! Putting stickers on a piece of paper lost it's appeal quickly! So of course she wanted to "show Clifford how go poop and pee pee". And who doesn't want to draw pictures while they're doing that! Oh my child!




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Clean-up

Today baby girl and I spent some time cleaning up our mess of a yard from hurricane Irene! Thankfully all the giant trees surrounding our house are still standing, but their branches, limbs, and leaves were thrown all over the yard like lawn darts! So we decided to help Daddy out by cleaning up what we could. She is such a great helper and gathered as many sticks as she could!




We also thought there was a stick attached to "mommy's car", but quickly found out it was a stick bug! So cool, don't think I've really seen one like this before!




Saying prayers for everyone affected by the hurricane! We were very lucky to have only lost power for about 24 hours. Our neighbors right down the street (must be different power grid) still don't have any electricity! They have heard they probably won't until Friday morning! That is about $50 a day in generator costs only to keep the freezer running!

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Recipe of the Week: Chicken Chili

Bracing for the impending hurricane, I decided to make a huge batch of chili so I wouldn't have to worry about cooking much over the weekend. Did a quick online search and found this recipe for Main Line Chicken Chili. I picked this one pretty much because it seemed really easy!

Although you can find all this and directions for cooking by following the link, here is a list of ingredients and a few suggestions!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken meat, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained (retain half the liquid)
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained (retain half the liquid)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup mango salsa
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ground black pepper to taste

*I used 1 1/2 lbs of chicken, but felt it could have used a little bit more!

*I accidentally bought the "Italian recipe" tomato paste and tomatoes, still tasted great though!

* I couldn't find mango salsa, so I used pineapple peach chipolte salsa, I would suggest using maybe 1/3 cup salsa instead of 1/2 cup.

Just needed to throw everything in the crock pot, cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 3-4. It was so easy and so yummy! Well at least I thought so! The hubby thought it needed "more fat", so I might try to make it with steak or ground beef next time. Had a little bit of a strong salsa flavor, but that definitely made it good too! I froze 1/2 of it for dinner in the future!

Ready for Irene!

Yes, we got suckered into all the hype about this hurricane! We did our grocery shopping on Thursday night, and Friday we prepped the backyard and deck for high winds!




We probably did way more than we needed to, but it was easier to just put everything away and not have to worry about it later.

Friday afternoon I made some chicken chili (so yummy, I'll be sharing the recipe in a later post) so that I wouldn't have to worry about cooking to much this weekend! And cause I wanted to try a new recipe!

Saturday morning we took the dogs for a long walk since they will probably be penned up in the house for awhile. Shortly after we got home it started raining! So we started some of our rainy day activities! A new favorite, Hello Kitty Bingo! Says ages 4 and up on the box, but it is perfect for a 2 year old!




It's one of the first games she actually played correctly instead of just playing with all the pieces!

As you can see in the picture we played with many other toys all morning as most of them are thrown all over her room! Sure is going to be a long weekend in the house!

But the very very best part of my day was that my "little baby" fell asleep in my arms WHILE I was reading her a story! She never ever does that anymore! Made my day! :)

I then got to clean the house and do laundry while both my little loves took naps! You can be certain I will be napping tomorrow while someone else is cleaning :)

Stay safe everyone! Looks like it won't be as bad as they thought! Just ALOT of rain! Thank goodness for a bouncy house that fits in our basement!


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Potty Train Your Toddler: Update

Many of you may have read about our first few days of potty training! (If not you can check out Day 1 and Day 2 Here ) It has been about 3 weeks since we "officially" started, so I thought I would give everyone an update on the past 3 weeks!

After week one, we continued with the same plan we had been using. We used pull-ups at home, and rewarded her with stickers. The stickers worked well, we ran out and I had her pick out more, hoping that would make her excited about it!





We followed that routine for about 2 weeks, but unfortunately we were not as attentive to the potty training as we were the first week. We would stop a few times throughout the day, usually the same times everyday (after she wakes up, after nap, before bath) , but we didn't really stop her during playtime like I think we should have. I also didn't have her use the potty when we were out and about either.

So now that we are in week 3, she will almost always go when we put her on the potty, but it does not bother her one bit to pee or poop in her diaper. She will not stop and tell us she has to poop or pee. I have also not been stopping her playtime to try and go potty. I feel that if I become more attentive with it, she would be able to do it, but I have felt like we are always on the go, so I haven't been the very best potty trainer!

I have created a new "boring" sticker chart, which she is not all that excited about anymore. I may need to figure out a new reward plan to get her excited about it again! Hopefully we can get back into the swing of things soon!


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A "Peary" Perfect Day

Another gorgeous day in PA! So we decided to head over to Weaver's Orchard for read and pick storytime. We hadn't been there for awhile cause it had been so hot, but today was the perfect day! We had such a great time!

Ready to go! 

Yum! 

I am now looking for some pear recipes! Not sure what we are going to do with all the pears! Next week is Apples for anyone interested! Check out their website for more info!


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Recipe of the Week: Frittata

Made this for breakfast last week! It was sooo yummy...or at least I thought so! I thought Alissa would love it, but she wasn't a huge fan.  I think mostly because the veggies were still a little crispy and she has huge texture issues when it comes to food. But the hubby and I loved it and ate the whole thing!

Frittata (from Cooking for Baby by: Lisa Barnes)

6 large eggs
fresh herb of choice, 1 tsp. minced
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup onion finely diced
3/4 cup diced/grated veggies/meat of choice (precooked or quickcooking)
1/3 cup cheese of choice, crumbled or grated

Preheat oven to 350, In medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs, herb, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp. water.

In large OVENPROOF frying pan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add veggies/meat, if using, and saute for about 3 minutes until soft and to warm through.  Shake pan to spread veggies evenly in pan.  Remove pan from heat and pour in egg mixture.  Sprinkle cheese over top.

Veggies!

Bake frittata in frying pan until center is set and cooked and edges are browned and pulling away from sides of pan, 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven, let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges, squares, or triangles.

Fresh out of the oven! 

Suggestions:
1. I used zucchini, red pepper, onion, broccoli, and mozzarella and cheddar cheese, and basil when I made this this week.  But you can really add whatever you like to eat with your eggs! I have used goat cheese in the past which was yummy too!

2. I added extra veggies, and EXTRA cheese, and of course a side of ketchup!!!! :)

3. Reheat for a yummy lunch!

This recipe is from the book Cooking for Baby: Wholesome, homemade, delicious foods for 6-18months by Lisa Barnes.  I love this cookbook! It has great recipes for feeding your little one.  And obviously has great recipes for the whole family to eat! The book offers great tips for introducing solids, and information about key nutrients for young babies! Although most of the recipes are pretty simple, it gave me so many ideas for purees and other baby food that I never would have thought of! 

Gorgeous!

It is such a beautiful day! We decided to have our snack on the go today!


Had a great walk with my sweetheart! Love the "fall" breeze! Felt great about getting some exercise! Then of course came home and helped myself to tastycakes to completely defeat the purpose of getting exercise! But they were oh so yummy! :)


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Sweet Old Lady

My husband had to work ALL day today, so I made plans to run some errands with my baby girl. We ran some errands in the morning, had a nice lunch at Panera Bread, and came home for naptime. Ran a few more errands after nap, with our last stop being the grocery store. By the time we got there we were both exhausted from the long day and very ready for dinner. As we get in 4 person deep checkout line, I felt the exhaustion and hunger set in even more and so did Alissa. Then the sweet old lady in front of us turns around to talk to Alissa. She then asks me if Alissa is allowed to have a balloon. I wasn't sure what she meant exactly, I thought maybe she was going to get one down for her to play with for a few minutes and then I would have to pry it away from her. But I said "yes". She picked out a cat balloon and shared with us that she had just rescued a cat that day. She then said "let me pay for this and then you can have it sweetie.". It was so sweet of her! She handed it to Alissa, and the first thing Alissa said was " I Looove it mommy!" It was adorable, but I then reminded her to say thank you to the nice lady who gave it to her. She then says "that little man give it to me!" referring to the cashier since he had handed it to the lady. It was so cute and the nice gesture made us forget how tired and hungry we were. Amazing how something so simple can really make your day so much better! I talked with Alissa about buying something for someone else at the grocery store the next time we are there, to kind of "pay it forward" and help her understand that SHE is not going to get a balloon everytime we go to the store!


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"Some more please!"

Love hearing my daughter say this about something she's eating! (she's not a very big eater) however, normally she says it about cookies or chicken nuggets. Snack time yesterday afternoon was cucumbers and avocado, and she asked for more of both of them!!!



After feeling like we had been eating really unhealthy lately, I was so happy! She never eats her whole plate of anything, let alone asks for more of anything green!

But does anyone have any ideas for other healthy snacks or lunches?? Find we end up eating the same foods all the time and tend to get tired of them!


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Guilty?

Got to meet up with some great friends on Tuesday for dinner! I was so happy to see them and was really excited to get out and be "Cadi" instead of "Mommy" for a few hours.  In order to be on time for dinner, I had to pretty much rush out the door the second the hubby walked in.  Since I was going out for dinner I didn't really make much for the two of them.  Had a few leftovers in the fridge, but not a whole lot to eat.

So of course 20 minutes before I was leaving, the "guilt" set in.  I quickly got some ground beef out and browned it for them and decided the hubby could do what he wanted with it, he mentioned making "Cheeseburger omelets" or something like that, or he could through some seasoning on it and make tacos.  I figured it was better than nothing.  I quickly steamed some peas for my baby girl, and figured the hubby could handle the rest.

I left thinking, do I really have to feel bad that there was a night I didn't have dinner ready for both of them? Then of course 1/2 way through dinner, I get the text telling me that "she is miserable".  He hadn't intended to make me feel guilty, he was just letting me know they were having a rough night, but of course the guilt set in, again.  I thought, he worked all day and then I left him with miss cranky pants and he had to make his own dinner.  I really truly felt bad that I was out enjoying myself with friends while he was probably working his butt off to keep her happy, make dinner, and do bath and bedtime.  He was so willing to let me go out, and he was more than happy to spend the night with his baby girl, but I still thought how could I do such a thing???

It wasn't until the drive home that I talked myself out of the guilty feelings. I tried to remind myself that I had a great time catching up with my girlfriends and I really need the time for myself sometimes too.  And seeing that baby girl was asleep when I got home and everything went fine, I felt a little better.

It is amazing how when she was an infant I would feel guilty about leaving her, this time when I left I felt guilty about making my tired, hardworking husband take care of her while I had fun.  Although, I was able to talk myself out of the guilt that night, I still feel it quite often. I know I need some "me" time once in awhile, and she needs some "daddy, daughter time" too.  But just can't seem to stop thinking because he works long hours everyday that I shouldn't leave him with miss cranky all night long! How do I break this??

Mmm mmm good!

One of my absolute favorite foods, besides ice-cream, bruschetta!!! Love it! Although I usually don't add the mozzarella to it like I think "real" bruschetta is supposed to have, it is still so yummy just like this...



The best part about it is buying it ready- made at Giant!! Slice a baguette and toast it in the oven for 5 minutes (or buy those ready made too). Perfect snack, lunch, appetizer, or sometimes even my dinner. I also love spreading it over some grilled chicken! I also often use this as an app for parties! Yum!


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Strasburg Railroad

Took a spur of the moment trip to Strasburg Railroad this weekend! I had never been there, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had heard a lot about it (mostly about the "Day out with Thomas" events they have).  We finally had a weekend without any plans, so the hubby actually suggested we take the trip.

We hit tons of traffic getting there, so we ended up taking the longer scenic route, hoping baby girl would maybe take a quick nap while we drove.  Took us about an hour to get there, and of course she didn't sleep a wink.  And as we pulled into the parking lot it started pouring! Thankfully we had missed the 1:00 train we had hoped to make, so we had some time to kill before the next train left at 2:00 and we waited in the car until the rain stopped, which thankfully it did! Had a great afternoon riding taking the train ride, walking through the shops, and having an icecream cone.

Here are a few bits of information for spending the day there! The train ride was $14/ person (I bit expensive for a few mile ride up the tracks and back).  You can purchase tickets for various prices depending on if you want to sit in the President's Car or eat dinner on the train (which looked really fun, but need to purchase tickets in advance to make sure you get them).  There are shops, small rides, and a little restaurant right at the station.  The train also takes you past Cherry Crest Farm and on the ride back you can get off at the stop to walk over to the farm (which looks amazing).  The weather wasn't fabulous and Alissa was tired so we didn't stop while we were there, but plan on going back to visit the Farm.  They also have a choo choo museum right across the street, which also has an admission fee.  We didn't visit the museum either so I am not sure what that is like.  But we had a great time there and my daughter is now obsessed with trains (also thanks to My Gym for having the electric train ride all week).

Sleepover

Having a sleepover with Alissa's puppy cousin, Spencer! Excited to have another puppy with us for the weekend! And he is great with Alissa! Not sure how thrilled he is about playing dress up with her! But he was a good sport! :)

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Recipe of the Week: Catching up!

Since I haven't posted recipes for like 3 weeks, here is another one for you to enjoy this week! Dinner tonight was Asian Sesame Salmon, garlic and olive oil green beans, and rice, so yummy. Well at least I think so. The rest of the family isn't a huge fish fan. Alissa ate some, but pretty sure she got a huge onion on the first bite so then wasn't thrilled about eating anymore. And the hubby, well fish isn't really his thing! haha

Asian Sesame Salmon
(made with McCormick Recipe Inspirations)

1 recipe inspirations asian sesame salmon package (or the same spices used in it)
1/3 c honey
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 lbs. salmon fillets (we just use 2 fillets cause that is all we eat)

1. Mix honey, green onions, soy sauce, and all of the spices except red pepper in small bowl. Stir in red pepper to taste (we don't use the red pepper). Place salmon in baking dish. Spoon mixture evenly over salmon.

2. Roast salmon in preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily, basting occasionally with honey mixture.

Chopped!

Got a new chopper a month ago and have only used it a few times since then, mostly this past week! I had been using a hand chopper, similar to the slap chop or whatever they are called, but the blades were getting really dull and it was not chopping anything anymore!  I hate chopping veggies! I think because I never really learned how to chop them properly so it takes me forever!  So I thought for only a few dollars more I will try an electric chopper.  Here is what I got:

I bought it from Kohls, and with Kohls cash and coupon I spent $18! Bought it online and with a few other items I also got free shipping! 

So far I like it.  It is very very similar to my BabyCook  (other than it doesn't steam the food too).  But it chops really well, is small and easy to store, and is easy to clean.  I have found it is a little difficult to get nice chunks of veggies like shown in the picture because it chops so well. Definitely ended up with mushed onions instead of chopped onions the first time I used it!  But it has a pulse button, and once you master that it makes things a little easier.  I am sure they have some that work a little bit better if you want to spend a little bit more. But for $18 it gets the job done! 

Recipe of the Week!

Well, I guess I should probably title this recipe of the month, since I think it has been that long since I have posted a recipe for you all! I hope to bring you a new recipe each week from now on, but I won't make any promises! Birthday party planning has officially taken the spotlight away from blogging! But here is a great meatloaf recipe that I made last week, and usually make quite often as it is something my husband will actually eat.  He calls it "my signature dish".  It is from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and is very yummy! I do modify it slightly though, so here is my recipe! 

"MA, THE MEATLOAF!!!" 

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or 2 c soft bread crumbs (2 1/2 slices)

1/4 c finely chopped onion

2 tbls fresh parsley (usually don't use fresh and it still tastes great)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef 

1/4 c ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. In medium bowl, combine eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, basil, and pepper.  Add ground meat (I often only use about 1 lb. cause I usually freeze the beef in 1 lb. bags, I add a few extra onions and bread crumbs to make up for it).  Mix well.  Lightly pat mixture into an bread pan.  

2. Bake 350 for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until 160 degrees inside.  Spoon off fat.  In a small bowl combine ketchup and brown sugar; spread over the meat.  Bake for 10 minutes more.  Let stand for a few minutes before cutting.  Makes about 8 servings.  

We love this recipe and usually will have leftovers for the next day.  I usually make some kind of potato and veggie with it.  But we had some corn on the cob and sweet potatoes leftover from when my sister was visiting, so that is what we used this week!   

Potty Train Your Toddler in 3 Days: DAY 4

As I ended Day 3 completely discouraged, I contemplated what to do on Day 4. Should I keep following the "3 Day Plan", try something different, or try nothing at all? I decided to follow the same plan at home, but wear diapers when we went out. Here is how it went.

She woke up with a really full diaper, so when I took her to the potty first thing in the morning, I didn't expect much to happen.  But after sitting for a few minutes she ended up pooping! To most people a poop would not excite you first thing in the morning, but to me it was probably the most exciting thing that could have happened! haha.  We followed the plan with stickers, hurrahs, and flushing the poopy.  I decided to follow the "naked" plan for the rest of the morning.  Although, there were no accidents, there wasn't anything happening on the potty either.  After a few hours, I knew she would have to go soon.  So we went upstairs, sat for awhile, read some stories, played some iphone games, and finally some pee pee came out! woo hoo!

I thought she would be good to go for a little while after that, so I started gathering our belongings for a day at the pool.  As I walked into her room to put her shoes on, I heard the dreaded noise of the drips falling VERY hard on the carpet.  I cleaned up the mess explained that pee pee needs to go in the potty and then decided to put a diaper on her until we left.

Spent the afternoon at the pool where I decided to keep a swim diaper on her, wasn't sure I was ready to try and master the pool potty training, or did I think she was ready to use the potty's at the pool.  I put a regular diaper on her to go home because she usually falls asleep on the way home, and she did.

After nap time, I decided to try a Pull-up diaper that I had bought awhile ago and forgot I had.  Although it wasn't following Fellom's plan, I just felt it might work better for OUR plan.  I continued to take her to the potty every once in awhile and sit with her for a few minutes until she went or wanted to get up.  She kept the pull-up diaper dry for the whole evening and did all her business on the potty. She was also really excited about the pull-up diapers because they had a princess on them.  So every time we pulled it down, I would tell her to show the princess how she goes pee pee on the potty.  She thought it was funny.  For us finding new ways to keep her interested in the potty has kind of helped us through the process. I had even reminded her tonight that we were going to My Gym tomorrow, and the first thing she said was "I take my potty with?"  I was so surprised that she was thinking about her potty that much!

It was then bath time, and she usually is really good about going on the potty before bath. But tonight nothing came out.  So she had her bath, I put her diaper and Pj's on and told her to pick out her stories. As I walked back in her room she said "Mommy, I go on potty."  At first I assumed she wanted to take her stories there to read them, since we have been doing that ALOT lately.  But just in case she really had to go I rushed her into the bathroom pulled jammies and diaper off and put her on the potty.  She peed almost immediately.  Although, there was a little in her diaper also, I was so so so so proud of her! As I went back in to start our story time, the phone rang and I quickly answered it. After about 5 minutes on the phone, I heard her say "Mommy, I go pee pee."  I thought she might just be playing a game now, to get out of going to sleep, but just in case I was wrong, I hung up the phone, rushed her back to the bathroom and she sat on the potty. After about a minute she peed again! I couldn't believe it!

I was so proud of her and so glad I somewhat stuck to the program today! As I thought back, I realized this was probably really our "DAY 3" anyway because Day 1 was only a few hours of potty training.  The day went really well, and the one accident was not nearly as discouraging as the 7 or more we had the day before.  I wasn't sure how I would feel about using the pull up diapers, but I think they almost helped her a little bit.  Before the pee would just start pouring on the floor, and she wouldn't know what to do.  With the diaper on she feels the pee pee and realizes what is happening and that she has to get to the potty.  I will still probably continue to use a combo of pull-ups and bare butt while we are home, and use diapers or pull-ups when we are out, depending where we have to go! We aren't quite there yet, but I am so glad to not being feeling so discouraged about potty training!

Potty Train Your Toddler in 3 days: DAY 3

Day 3 had arrived! Was actually pretty excited about it at the end of Day 2. But didn't sleep much, and woke up feeling awful and not really in the "Let's get excited about the potty mood." But I knew we had to keep going. So here is how the day went as we started our Day 3 potty adventure!

When Alissa woke up we as usual, took the PJ's and diaper off , and as I did that I noticed that the diaper was warm and wet, so I assumed she had just gone in her diaper. So we didn't go right into the bathroom. I felt that I had been to pushy about going on the potty on Day 2, so I hoped to let her explore everything on her own. As I got myself ready for the day she was playing back and forth between her room and our room (naked of course). I heard her little feet walk into her bathroom, and then heard her yell "Mommy my stuff!!!" Wasn't sure what that meant so I went running to see what was wrong. She was indeed in her bathroom and Mommy hadn't put her potty back together after cleaning it the previous night and she apparently wanted to sit on it! I was really proud and happy that she headed into the bathroom on her own and was ready for the potty (unfortunately the potty wasn't ready for her). After I put it back together she sat there for a little while reading books. And went pee pee! Followed with the routine of hurrahs, excitement, stickers, and flushing her pee pee in the big potty!

After that I was feeling really optimistic about the day! We headed downstairs, potty in hand, and got some books and toys out to play with near the potty. She played while I made some breakfast, and I didn't prompt or say to much about going on the potty and she really didn't seem to interested in it. (This was completely different than Day 2, where all she wanted to do was sit on her potty). We ate some breakfast and I thought it might be good to have her try and sit on the potty again. She kept responding "No just play toys", so instead of making her sit down I let her play on her own. She stayed dry for most of the morning and maybe sat down on the potty once or twice, but didn't seem to have to go.

We even had time to play dress up while we waited for pee pee

As it was getting close to lunch time, I knew she would have to go again soon, but she really was wanting nothing to do with the potty. So instead of forcing it, I decided to just let her go there on her own. I gave her a few reminders, and then, although I should have known better, asked her if she wanted to sit on the potty. She of course said "No" and continued playing with her toys. About a minute later I hear the little drops falling on the hardwood floor, followed by "Uh oh, what I do?" I tried to follow through with the staying calm and not yelling about the pee pee, but as I looked over and saw the pee pee seeping through her toy basket and falling on all the toys she had out of the basket, I almost unconsciously let out a scream! Not really yelling at her, but just yelling cause the pee pee was falling all over the only things in the room that could not really be cleaned very well! I should have just gotten over it at that point, because the fun was just beginning.

To make a long day seem short, she pretty much had accidents all day long, she did go on the potty about 3 times. We had her sitting on the potty several times throughout the day and she just really didn't want to stay there like the day before. She seemed like she had lost her patience for "waiting for the pee pee" like we had on Day 2 which in turn also led to me losing patience. I only spent about 1/2 the time I did on Day 2 really pushing her toward the potty and trying to get her excited about being on it. I thought I was doing that too much on Day 2, but now that I'm reflecting on today's events, maybe I should have been as pushy today, although I am not sure it would have helped, as she seemed to have a different agenda anyway...

Our potty chart at the end of Day 3, happy that we at least have some stickers on Day 3!

Overall, today was a little discouraging. It was what I had pictured potty training would be. She was not excited about the potty at all, and I felt like I really had to pull teeth to get her to sit for a few minutes. Spent much of the day cleaning up messes. Now as the weekend ends and we don't plan on sitting in the house all week, I am a little worried about venturing out and whether to diaper or not to diaper and just pack a ton of extra clothes! I plan on continuing with the potty training at least when we are at home. I am not sure what my plan is for when we are out and about yet. She definitely doesn't seem like she is ready to tell me when she has to go pee pee at all. So we are taking a few steps back, but not going all the way back to the beginning. I also plan to try the more vigorous "Potty Train your Toddler in 3 Days" again, but think we might need to give it a little more time. We'll see how Day 4 goes, as I hope to continue with somewhat of the same plan for the next few days. I'll keep you posted!