My "favorites" of summer...

Favorite summertime.....

coffee:
Venti sugarfree hazlenut iced coffee w/a splash of soy. bomb diggity. and easy on the pocketbook.

"adult" drink:
i usually stick to a good red wine but in the summer i like to cool off with either a tall glass of skinnygirl margarita on the rocks or a spiked Arnold Palmer. {salivating}.

snack:

vegetable:
tomatoes (from my garden, of course), corn and CABBAGE! why cabbage, you ask??

well, the two BEST summer salads in the whole wide world just happen to be cabbage based. these salads are super duper easy AND healthy (cabbage is GOOOOOD for you!)

Sarah's addictingly delicious avocado-cabbage salad/dip/salsa, whatever you want to call it!:
ingredients: cabbage, avocados, tomoatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and/or packet of guacamole mix if desired.

finely chop all ingredients and throw in a pretty bowl. she likes to use more avocados than tomatoes, but play around with it! enjoy with chips, as a topping for fish or chicken tacos or honestly, just plain! SO GOOOOD!

ramen noodle cabbage salad:
this is a pretty well-known and popular picnic staple, but my Mom ROCKS it. here's her ingredients: 1 bag coleslaw mix, 1 cooked and chopped chicken breast, 1/4 c. red wine vinegar, 3/4 c. olive oil, 2-3 T. of sugar, 1/2 t. salt, 1 bunch of green onions chopped. sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, cranberries, 1 bag of crushed ramen noodles on top (crunchy). note: add ramen noodles just before the meal so they are crunchy and not soft!

bbq dish:
the cabbage salads listed above!

meat:
wait, i don't really eat much meat. well, it's not meat! these baby's are delish. on the grill or in the microwave!

ice cream:
you gotta splurge once in a great while, right? well, when i do i want to make it worth it and Fiesta Foods whips up THE MOST DELICIOUS pink "cupcake" ice cream. no lie, i almost fainted upon the first taste.

sunglasses:
anyone who knows me will tell you that i live in these. i have a pair in almost every color: {via}

pastime:

...and swimming/sunbathing (so sue me) and cool evening walks with Kai and Honey.

tops: breezy, light and hip. (most importantly, affordable!)

mode of transportation:

longboard.

flower:
the cheerful sunflower. i have hundreds popping up and can't wait to post photos of those big bright blooms!

ground cover:
i have this pouring out of one of my planters and it's beautiful!! and as an added bonus, it does EXCELLENT in "dry" climates.

moss rose!

means of exercise:
mowing the lawn. with kai on board (quite a workout!) AND anything in the water....(rafting, swimming, aerobics).

Hey Bloggy buddies! Re-post and showcase your summertime faves!!! :)

Yay for Summer!!!

my fave summer use for wine bottles and my LEAST fave mommy duty....

ok. i'll get the bad one out of the way.

this whole mommy business has been all-in-all, life changing-ly wonderful.

however, there are a few not-so-wonderful things that i managaged to skip over in the fine print of mommyhood that have taken me by surprise.

poopy diaper explosions? expected. eating dirt? expected. licking the floor? expected. putting everthing into mouth? expected. peeing all over the place for the .5 seconds that diaper is off? expected.

cleaning up recreational throw-up from gagging fascination? no so much.

i don't know if he does this for attention or what but I'M SICK (literally) of it!!

he's shoved his finger down his throat and kind of enjoyed his bodies response (the gag) for awhile now....but recently (like just this week) he has taken it to a whole new level.

the first time it happened he was playing with his toys after breakfast. i was in the kitchen flinging chunks of his leftovers onto the floor for Honey to eat (ha!) when i heard it. the gag. i peeked my head around the corner just in time to see him empty his stomach projectile-style. all over his toys, clothes and floor. gross.

thankfully, that one was an easy clean up (this is where wood floors come in quite handy!)

#2 SAME DAY. it was bedtime and I. WAS. EXHAUSTED. Kai was clean and in his jammies and we were all snuggled up in his rocker under one of his soft blankies. i went to put the bottle in his mouth an somehow he slipped a finger in ahead of the nipple and yep, you know what happened next. all over him. all over me. all over the rocker. all over the blankie. ALL OVER THE DANG CARPET. this one was the worst. dinner was broccoli and beef (kill me). i was so tired and wanted to just shut his bedroom door and have him sleep with me and pretend like it never happened (it's moments like this that i despise my husband's job and kind of despise him for never being around to deal with self-inflicted chunky puke). poor Kai. i know, he did it to himself...but he looked so pitiful and sad all covered in his own throwup...and still so cute. i awkwardly maneuvered him to the bathtub where i stripped off his soiled pjs. all the while i'm trying to brainstorm how i'm going to undertake the massive clean up effort that awaits in his room...with OUT him crawling all up in it. i decided to only let the bath fill up slightly and went and grabbed a random handful of his "non-bath" toys and chucked them in the water. he thought that was fun and while he was driving his cars under water and playing soccer with his hands i was frantically scrubbing the chair and floor, airing out the room, starting the laundry while, of course popping my head in the bathroom every chance i could get to ensure the safety of my little red rebel. soon everything was clean (but me, of course) and we were fast asleep.

as i type this blog Kai is napping. in puke. yep, that's right. call me the world's worst mommy but i'm not waking him up from his sound sleep just so i can rip the sheets off and then put fresh ones on and go through the whole naptime routine again...only to have him NO longer want a nap. he was in there singing his sleepy song and i'll admit, i heard a gag/cough which does happen without vomit most the time. AND, it's been a few days since the horrible day aforementioned so i assumed i was safe. nope. i went in to check on him and my optimism was defeated by the damp puddle of breakfast at the foot of his crib (sorry). you think i'm cruel to leave it? and him? well, here's my defense: he wasn't sleeping in it, it wasn't on him (just a little on his foot), and like a smart boy he was sleeping at the complete opposite end of the crib. i'll assess the damage and begin the clean-up effort when he wakes up.

this gagging business has got to stop. like every question i have without an answer, i conducted a google search in hopes of an explanation or at least other mommies with similar struggles and thanks to a handful of mommy discussion boards, i now know that i am not alone.

one mom suggested dipping babies fingers in apple cider vinegar in effort to keep his fingers from the back of his throat. bleh! i'm not that desperate yet. one curious trend i did note in my research (google research!) was that it was mainly BOYS that were practicing the "gag for fun" game. weird. many Moms also noted that their Dr.'s said it was a boredom/curiosity/self-stimulation fixation that they would eventually grow out of.

i'm honestly not worried about Kai. he'll kick it eventually.  i just don't want to clean up any more messes like that...but it's inevitable, there will be more puke in my future, self-induced or not. and if there is such a thing as karma, i'm screwed because i was the kind of puker that never made it to the toilet. i just leaned over the bed and yelled for mom (she reminded me of this yesterday. dangit.).

so yes, this is one part of parenthood that stinks. literally.

now on to something to refresh our minds and cleanse our senses...

 i have a ton of rosebushes on the side of my house that quite frankly, often go unnoticed. they yield the most vibrant, beautiful blooms that just burst and fade to the ground without anyone to enjoy them. not this year.
i've vowed to visit my side rosebushes a few times a week to trim them down and extract the rose buds that have bloomed and keep them in my house!

 and there is no better home for a beautiful rose than a colorfully labeled (empty) wine bottle....

good thing my house smells like roses. i have a mess to clean up...

my life in 10 (clearing out the blackberry)

1. goats. oh my gosh, i LOVE goats! i keep telling Gary how much i want goats when we buy our next house "with land" like we always say. they are too cute. kind of like a cross between cows and dogs. these goats live just down the street from us and i have made it a habit to walk by them every time Kai, Honey and i are out for walks. Kai laughs at them and Honey barks at them and i feed them!

seriously, how cute are they???

 look at the little babies!

2. cards & letters addressed to Kai! Kai has gotten several items in the mail over this last year. we usually walk out to get the mail together and i always make a big deal if there is something in there for him. we go inside, i help him open it and read it to him (a few times) and then i let him play with it. and it's SO cute, because he holds onto it and plays with it like he knows it's just for him.

this is a postcard from his cousin Spencer who lives in Gig Harbor.

we are going to write him back!

3. strawberries. but not just ANY strawberries, strawberries from MY GARDEN! i probably only got a handful of berries from my plants last year. this year i'm getting handFULLS every day....and a certain little red-haired boy has learned that the red berries hanging from the green plants outlining mommy's garden taste YUMMMMY!

i love having fresh, home-grown berries for my morning oatmeal...

4. dirt. Kai is a magnet to dirt. this is good and bad. i like that he is easily (and cheaply!) entertained. i do NOT like that it usually ends up in his mouth and/or all over my floor.

 the aftermath...(this plant has been relocated)

5. ants on a log! this has been my healthy alternative go-to snack as of late. celery with a schmear of almond butter and a sprinkle of raisins. YUM. i use the same toppings on bananers as well and it's even better!

6. watching Kai morph into a socialite. i could watch him interact with friends and cousins all day. it cracks me up! he is learning so much and growing into such a little man...sigh. almost one!

7. if there is water around, he's in it. even if he has no change of clothes or swim diaper handy. this is the birdbath/fountain in the garden at Grandma G's house that he HAD to be in.

i {love} that cute little bum!

8. workin' it out from home. because G's been over on the westside for work and will be for most likely the remainder of the summer (sad, but at least he gets weekends off which is more than i can say when he was workin' offshore!!) i have not had convenient childcare to get to the gym. which sucks. but has forced me to adapt and take full advantage of Kai's long morning naptime (which ranges from 1.5-3 hours). i am kind of a workout video snob. if it doesn't really challenge me and make me sweat i feel ripped of. well this dvd kicks my a-double-s...and i'm sick and twisted and LOVE IT. i'm just getting into week 2 and can't wait to see the results at the end of 4!

9. picture mail. i love getting picture texts. it's like getting the gift of a shared moment. this particular picture message was sent to me by my lovely sister Kelley Jayde who has recently graduated from a very vigorous nursing program (woo hoo!) and just took an exam she has spent hundreds of hours studying for. here was the adorable text accompanying the picture:

homemade spring rolls and wine...waiting for my test results to show up online...

you send pics of your child and i sent you pics of food :)

um, yum. the girl sure can cook.

(i unfortunately did not inherit that gene).

10. my job. i've spent the year serving as the GED testing coordinator for BMCC- Hermiston. i love this job. like school counseling, it is busy, sometimes stressfull, fast-paced, unpredictable and allows me to work with and get to know a very diverse group of people. all things i thrive for within an occupation.

here is a young gentleman who has come in for testing several times this spring.

he didn't get all five exams taken in time to walk at his graduation, but he came prepared with cap and gown to "walk home" should he reach that goal, and tonight he did.

this was a proud moment.

we had a little celebration for him in the testing room and he's now en route to the Art Institute of Portland. 

*picture publishised w/permission, of course! :)

and that, my friends, is my life in 10.

two-fer-one's.

we all like to get two things for the price of one, right?

think of time as money. we want to make the MOST out of our moments, hours, afternoons, days, weeks....
and time is precious. we often are forced to sacrifice one thing for another due to lack of time, which is a drag. but let's face it, there just aren't enough hours in the day.

unless, of course, you master the art of the 2-for-1.

yeah, you little multi-taskers, that's doing two things at one time. many of us do this all day, and yes, we often may do three, four, or heaven forbid FIVE things at one time.

but to REALLY achieve the 2-for-1 status you have to think outside of the box. (yeah, so cooking dinner while watching the news or eating breakfast on the road doesn't really count, sorry.)

................................................

here is a morning hygeine time-saver that i began doing when i was late for morning class back in college.
brushing my teeth in the shower. some of you may do this, it's genius if you ask me. you clean your teeth and your bod simultaneously! brilliant:

once crowned with the wonderful title of "mommy," i gleaned a handful of additional two-for-one's that just may be useful for you, dear bloggie. who knows?

like this one! feed Kai snack, AND clean the floor! (a chore that i HATE):

OR working on my core strength doing planks and other various abdominal exercises while waiting for Kai to fall asleep (i usually wait for him to finish his bottle before i leave because if i don't then it leaks all over the place!). i'm sure G would die laughing if he walked in to Kai's room thinking that i was rocking him but instead found Kai in his crib and me diligently holding plank position on his floor! he has asked me a few times why i was breathing so hard when i crawled back into bed after "putting Kai back down." haha! that's a 2-for-1 at it's best, my friends.

...then there are the more practical, everyday kind of 2-for-1's like me (or honey! j/k) taking a bath with Kai. that's a time-saver. even if i don't get all the way into the bathtub with Kai, every night i put my feet in with him AND wash my face...that's a lil' two-for-one.

we also eat breakfast together. out of the same bowl and everything. i've had to alter my daily oatmeal recipes a bit to be more conducive to a 9-month old stomach (1/2 c. old fashioned oats w/1/2 a sliced bananer, blueberries, sometimes strawberries and always raisens) but he LOVES to share breakfast with mom. i'm not sure when this all started, but that little stinker will eat every meal BUT breakfast in his high chair. it's like he knows that once mom cleans up his mess and put the high chair away she's breaks out the "good stuff" and thats just what he wants. mommy's oatmeal. at least it's healthy. then, (here's another 2-for-1) when we are finished with our oatmeal honey licks out the bowl and once it's shiny and clean (er, sort of) Kai pushes it around the floor for usually a solid 30 minutes AND bangs on it with our spoon. seriously. just about every day.

another 2/1...or actually 3/1: walking (exercise) with Kai, and Honey (dog walked!) TO the library (or any other destination of an errand we need to run!). we do this quite often. one of the benefits of our home being wonderfully centrally located  in this grand metropolis.

...and then there is the little game i play with Kai's naptime. i like to see HOW MUCH i can get accomplished in any one period of blessed nap time. more often than not, this is at least 2 hours. but sometimes it barely eclipses an hour and it's those naps that keep me movin' fast! during Kai's morning nap i usually have my daily quiet time outside after feeding Honey, picking up the house and either folding or starting laundry. then i either work in the yard or get a bit of a workout in.

(this is an unfinished project!!)

this is a very random blog topic, but making the most out of your day is great, dontcha think?!

do YOU have any tried and true 2-for-1's you'd like to share (silly or not...)??

two-cent tuesday: 5 tidbits.

1.

I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE house plants! My house would be a mini-rainforest if I didn't have a 9 month old who loves to eat potting soil and leaves. I have a handful of houseplants now, but want MORE. I need shelves...and hooks that hang from the ceiling! Here's HOW houseplants purify the air in your home, and HERE are the "Top 10 Houseplants for Cleaner Air."

source

2.

Even as I'm trying to feed Kai home-made, natural foods, I'm still accumulating several baby food jars. I've been brainstorming creative uses for these little guys and found lots of fun ideas here!

3.

I'm such a teacher in my gift-giving. My go-to gift for children's birthday's is ALWAYS books. And puzzles. Boring compared to all of the flashy electronic gadgets others shower them with? At the moment, probably. But you know what? A book or good puzzle will OUTLAST those loud and annoying toys anyday, AND make your child smarter while they play! One of the BEST things parents can do for their children is something that is so inexpensive and easy it is often overlooked: READING!! Here's why you should start reading to your kiddos when they are BABIES!

4.

 CUTE, Comfy shoes!

5.

 Stuck in a rut? Feeling depressed? Sorry for yourself? Not sure you have a purpose here on earth?

Check it out: How Helping Others Helps YOU!

(inspiring stories of kindness!)

weekend potpourri

 {good}neighbors are rare finds, and i am so lucky to have them. on BOTH sides. my sweet neighbor brought me a handful of lilacs. just because.  i needed a reminder of how something as simple as a few flowers plucked from your yard can brighten someone's day...

on THAT note i spent the afternoon clearing out my garden and flower beds, making mental notes of what to buy, plant, start, etc.

my parents gave me some leftover lettuce/spinach plants, which we planted today...i have strawberry's coming back and am going to plant LOTS of tomatoes, green onions, peppers, cucumbers and RASPBERRIES!

oh, and don't even get me started on the flowers...i need to start putting money away just for landscaping costs! i DO have a cool project in store for this spring: i'm going to turn our old brick built-in bbq pit into a raised flower bed....be on the lookout for before/after pics!

it felt AWESOME to get lost in the weeds and winter-brush and get my hands and feet dirty, even if it was a bit on the chilly side...it was sunny, so i was content--and as for the wind, that's just an Eastern Oregon springtime staple...

i stocked up on squash! (for Kai).

he LOVES squash, and i just feel so much better about giving him fresh food that hasn't been sitting in a can for Lord knows how long. one of his faves is squash (this is acorn squash) mixed with apple and brown rice. yummy yummy!

i've got a freezer full of home-made baby food cubes and jars: peaches, nectarines, apples, pear, pear-apple, squash, beans and peas. This website has some great baby food recipes if you are into that kind of thing...

i'm finding socks AND shoes all over the place.

he is literally walking out of his socks...

i'm constantly finding him with one on and one off!

all smiles!

the last few nights he's been sleeping AWESOME--like up only once from 8pm-8am...i probably shouldn't blog about this, because it will inevitably jinx me. but, it's been fabulous to get a few extra hours of sleep.

and on top of that he's still taking two naps a day for anywhere from 1-3 hours at a time!

my little stinker's growin' like crazy...

i'll leave you with a little somethin' that Kai's been practicing up on

for summer pool/ocean/river time:

(he was mimicking me splashing with my feet!)

Wishing you all a great week!