Why Instagram?

I am growing more and more addicted to Instagram.  For those who are not in the cool phone world, Instagram is an application for phones that applies filters to pictures you take on your phone to give them different looks and publishes them in a live feed format.  I like Instagram, not for the filters, but for the live feed.  Maybe I am tired of sharing with the masses on facebook and enjoy the smaller audience on Instagram.  I am not really sure why I enjoy it so much right now.

I also like Instagram for the ability to search by tags.  For example, you can view everyone's submissions for the Fat Mum Slim May photo a day challenge by searching for tag #photoadayMay.   

Think of Instagram as facebook status updates but with pictures and tags for searching.  I love to see other people's "day in the life of" photos.  You can follow businesses.  You can follow friends.  You can follow bloggers that don't know you exist. 

My Instagram name is funfiveminutesago if you would like to follow me.

Don't have a cool phone?  There is a website viewer called WebStagram that allows you to see Instagram feeds.  Check out the feed for my pictures here. You can also play with the hash tag searching.

A Few Updates

Hunter and I have been running again! He is .2 miles ahead of me in the weekly challenge and we are on track for 30 miles in 4 weeks.  Wyatt has been such a good sport on the runs.

I have a smoothie obsession right now and plan to try all of these recipes this week.

Pear, mango, spinach, and banana

I am cooking one crock pot meal a week, and tonight I am trying a london broil, lipton soup mix, and cream of mushroom soup.

Wyatt and I are joined at the hip.  He has a severe case of mama's boy.  No church nursery, no being out of sight, lots of hanging on legs. I guess this is our separation anxiety developmental phase. Perhaps this explains the poor sleeping at night?  Tis flattering that I am his only, but tis tiring too. His college roommate may not be cool with me staying with them.

I am 99% sure that I am going to start working as a contractor to my ol' company starting on June 11th for 20 hours a week.  I am excited, but stressed about how this will work.  Loyal blog readers...do not worry.  I plan to neglect areas like sleep, cleaning, and cooking before I neglect blogging.

For those of you that are concerned by all of the tuna fish we may have to eat if there are no hurricanes in FL this season, I found Martha's 23 Recipes for Canned Tuna.  Woot woot.

National Hurricane Preparedness Week

Did you know that May 27th through June 2nd is National Hurricane Preparedness Week?  Well it is, so best get prepared.  Tropical Storm Beryl's arrival got me motivated to finish putting together our hurricane survival kit.  I believe we spent around $70 on supplies.  I lived through Hurricane Alicia when I was a baby (obviously didn't learn anything from that one).  I lived through Hurricane Rita recently, and I learned from that one.  Fill up the gas tank on your vehicle wayyyyy early and don't try to evacuate.  That was such a mess for all the Houstonians!  Lots of tragedies just trying to evacuate the city.  My family hung around the city and we ended up having about a 6 hour power outage for that hurricane.  I don't really know what to expect in Florida living so close to the coast. 

Our Water Stash:

70 16.9 oz water bottles from Costco - $7.50

You need 1 gallon per day per person.  At a minimum you should prepare for 3 days, but it is safer to have a 7 day supply.   This is approximately 9 gallons, a 3 day supply for us if Wyatt drank like an adult. 

Reliance 7 Gallon Aqua - Tainer from Wal Mart - ~$15.00

You can put 3/4 teaspoon of regular old Clorox in this container along with 7 gallons of water and be set for quite a while.  The Clorox is really only needed for serious long term storage. This gives us another 2 day supply.

Our Food Stash:

Beef Jerky, Raisins, Ritz Crackers, Tuna Fish, Baby Food Pouches - ~$50

 We do a lot of cooking so if we had to hunker down in our house we would be set because we have plenty of pantry items.  Wyatt is on his way to table food but not there yet so we feel like we need a large amount of baby food. 

Some Necessities:

~$0

We already had this laying around the house for the most part so I can't really give a cost estimate.  This box contains a first aid kit, matches, band aids, clorox wipes, face wipes, anti-bacterial hand wipes, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, can opener, foil, a poncho, a compass, flashlights, sewing kit, swiss army knife, mouthwash, soap, toothpaste, and shampoo & conditioner.

Not pictured we have a power inverter for charging things in the car, a battery operated radio, and several other flashlights and headlamps.  I have a plethora of candles and lighters around the house. I need to buy more batteries for our flashlight.  I also need to get some disposable diapers and wipes for Wyatt because I would not want to be dealing with cloth diapers without water / electricity.  Oh and plenty of guns and ammo. You never know if you will have to defend yourself!

How We Would Cook:

We have a little camping grill that my Dad gave us and some mini propane bottles since we are doing the condo living.  We plan to buy a few more propane bottles.  

What else do we need?
What am I missing? Can you think of something else we would need? Is it safe to live on the first floor of a 4 story building in a hurricane? I don't know de answer.

Do you need to get your hurricane stash going?  If you don't live in hurricane world, how about your "bad stuff is happening in your area stash"?

Some hurricane resources:
Preparing for a Hurricane by Your Own Home Store
Hurricane Shtuff from the Government / FEMA

Post Workout Refresher

Now that I am running regularly again (at least for a month), I have to pull out all of my old tricks that I used at the gym to feel and look fresh without actually being fresh. Back when I worked at corporate 'merica, I would go to the gym during lunch frequently. If I didn't get too sweaty (yoga, weights, etc) I would skip on the shower so I could get back to working or lunch.  Whatever. 

Running outside in Florida is nothing at all like doing yoga or strength training in a nice air conditioned gym, but I don't always have the luxury of showering when I get back.  I feel like I should wait for nap time.  My other option is to let Wyatt play in the bathroom but judging by how many times I have to save his life just while I am brushing my teeth and washing my face this would not be enjoyable.  Wyatt, don't chew on the toilet scrubber.  Wyatt, we don't play with the cords. Wyatt, don't pull up on the toilet.  Fine, you can pull up on the toilet.  Just let me close the lid. 

So, to the point..here are some tips for how to feel fresher after a workout if you can't get to a shower right away.

1. Wait about 15 minutes before you do any of the steps below because you need to stop sweating, otherwise everything is a waste of time.
2. Spray your hair at the roots and base of the neck where you get all schweaty with dry shampoo.  I prefer TRESemme Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo.  Let it sit for a few minutes and then brush your hair out.  You will have fabulous volume now.  Repair it as needed.  If you don't have a blowdryer and curling iron to blast and reposition, then a new, fresh ponytail is your friend.  
3. Wipe your face with one of those fabulous face wipes that smells good. I like Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes in Evening Soothe with Chamomile and White Tea or Yes to Blueberries.
4. Wipe your whole body with one of those fabulous face wipes.  If you live in Florida, go ahead and use 2 or 3 wipes.
5. Change your clothes if you can.
6. Apply makeup if you aren't a stay at home mom.
7. Apply fresh deodorant. 
8. Mist new clothes and body with your favorite body splash

Eau de Run is gone de gone!  Happy working out or skipping showers. 

PWs Spaghetti and Meatballs

I needed to make a meal for a new mom yesterday and decided on Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti and Meatballs.  This recipe makes a boatload and is purty tasty. 

Here is how the day went down.  You ready?  Wake up. Have breakfast.  I had a peanut butter banana sandwich and yogurt.  Wyatt had applesauce and oatmeal.  Go to the grocery store and buy ingredients.  Ditzy lady asks if Wyatt is having lasagna for dinner.  Funny, I didn't buy lasagna noodles, I bought spaghetti and Wyatt is obviously too young to chow down on lasagna!  Go home, put Wyatt down for first nap.  Prepare meatballs.  Easy enough...I have made this recipe several times before.  These were definitely my best looking meatballs.  PW recommends putting the meatballs in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before frying.  This time I left the ones I had not cooked yet in the freezer since you have to cook in batches and they all stayed nice and round!  I hate when my meatballs turn into ground beef clumps.  I will freeze all meatballs from this point forward in life.  Lesson learned!  Wyatt wakes up early from nap (boo!).   At this point the meatballs have been browned and are draining on the plate. 

Are you still with me?  It's lunch time now.  Wyatt is having pureed broccoli and I am having leftover chicken and sun dried tomato pasta.  After lunch, I start making the sauce.  Onions and garlic browned, now time to pour in the tomatoes.  Where are the tomatoes?  Not in the truck. Not in the house. Not in the diaper bag.  The ditzy lady didn't give them to me.  Wyatt and I go back to the grocery store and head to customer service where they hand me the bag of tomatoes that ditzy lady did not give to me at checkout.  Grrrr.  Go home.  Finish sauce.  Allow meatballs to simmer in sauce.  Throw in fridge to finish up later. 

Still reading? It is time for second nap.  We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Panda Bear Panda Bear, and a few of Wyatt's other fave books.  Zzzzzz.  I churn through John Grisham's The Litigators because my eBook checkout ends soon.  Finished it...good book.  I liked it more than the reviews other people gave.  Wyatt wakes up from the nap and we head to a mom meetup at one of the local parks.  We swing, we look at the ocean, we hover in the shade, we talk to other adults, and then we head home.

Last part of day.  Stay with me.  I put the meatballs and sauce back on the stove to warm up.  I boil water for the noodles.  Wyatt organizes the tupperware cabinet.  I strap Wyatt into a stroller to pour boiling noodle water out.  He screams bloody murder and is in a foul mood for the next hour because of the stroller tie down.  Throw the meal in a no-need-to-return container, save 2 portions off for our dinner (makes a boat load) and deliver to new mom.  Success.  Hunter is home.  Hunter feeds Wyatt.  I make a salad.  We have dinner. Hunter does bath time.  I do bed time. I have some wine.  I type this post.  I go to bed. Can you feel the excitement?  Are you jealous of my day?  All in all, pretty good day. 

If you made it this far, here is a cute picture of Wyatt and his friend Collin in the double cart at Sam's club.  They are good buddies.

Birth Order Over Analyzing

Thinking about mom personality types got me thinking about one of my other favorite personality topics, birth order.  I have oldest child syndrome fooo shooo.  I am not sure if the descriptions fit my two younger sisters exactly, but interesting to think about. 

From the Working Resources Site (http://www.workingresources.com/articles/article.nhtml?uid=10008):

The First Born
While parents of the first newborn are usually responsible and diligent, they are also tentative, anxious and inconsistent—and to make up for this they may be demanding, strict, and overprotective . It has been shown that first borns talk and walk before children who are born later. As first borns grow up, these precocious abilities remain: they are the ones who go on to succeed in the world. They get higher grades in school and have higher leadership and achievement traits. They are conscientious, organized, dependable, accommodating, and persistent. While some first borns have a strong need for approval, so that they grow up pleasing people and taking care of others (often being taken advantage of in the process), other first borns are high achievers, hard driven and ruthless. One common characteristic of many first borns is that they tend to be perfectionists. They strive for unrealistic goals, don't deal well with criticism, are devastated by failure, are frequently pessimistic, and take on so many responsibilities that things can go out of control.

The Middle Child (or Second Born)
As each child is born, the disciplinary rules of the family are relaxed—as well as the expectations and pressure put on those born later . Middle children can have many contradictory characteristics, but one common thread seems to hold true: their personalities are usually the opposite of those of the first borns. If the first born is a loner, the next born will have numerous friends. If the first born is ambitious, the second born may be more laid back. The second born, after all, has to carve out his or her own distinct identity, and the first born has already made a claim on the adult-oriented and ambitious traits. It is common for the middle child to feel squeezed out, with the older and younger children getting more attention—so they turn to the world outside of the family, to their friends. Second borns or middle children are often very sociable and they become good mediators. They learn the art of negotiation and compromise. They are generally free-spirited, independent and sometimes rebellious. Because they don't get as much attention, they learn not to reveal as much about their thoughts and emotions as others do. And since they didn't stand out in the family as much while growing up, they place great value on loyalty—they are the likeliest to remain monogamous in their relationships.

The Last Born
By the time the last child is born, the parents often let the child's development proceed with more of a hands-off approach . Frequently the older brothers and sisters involve themselves in the child-rearing process—which means that the last born gets an abundance of attention and is often the target of jokes. There is some inclination as well to let the last child remain a child—after all, once the last born grows up, the parents have to come to terms with new roles and definitions within their own relationship, a situation they may prefer to avoid. Last children grow up with ambivalence, lauded with attention one minute and joked about the next. They are accused of being spoiled, the ones who get everything the other siblings never had. This results in some impetuous behaviors, a tendency to want things immediately. They can become “clowns,” seeking attention with no real worries about the consequences. The last born child is often described as sociable, charming, loving, and open, but also as temperamental, irresponsible, and self-centered.

What about Only Children?
Only children can carry the characteristics of both first borns and last borns . They are referred to as “lonely onlies” because, while they receive substantial attention from their parents, they frequently find themselves with fewer social skills for dealing with their peers. Because they identify so closely with the values of their parents, they relate better as they grow up with people far older or younger. Think of the characteristics of the first born and then magnify them. Their lives are often highly structured during childhood so they may harbor private resentment about having to grow up as little adults with no real childhood. Only children grow up with a great deal of recognition from their parents and they tend to be responsible, ambitious and perfectionistic, but they also set high standards for themselves and others so that they may be perceived as critical or even controlling.

I took two birth order predictor tests and they both classified me as oldest child.  Do they get your birth order right?

The One Show - Birth Order and Personality Test
Blog Things - Birth Order Predictor

New Fitness Goals

Well, I am embarrassed to admit I never made it to Phase 3 of the Jamie Eason LiveFit program.  I really enjoyed her workouts, but I got discouraged trying to follow her plan that required about 90 minutes of time 6 days a week.  That is definitely the longest I have stuck to a plan that required strength training 6 days a week. 

Once Lisa finishes teaching this year, we are going to attempt to do P90X together but apart.  Until then, I need something to motivate me.  I set a goal in the Nike Plus site / application to run 30 miles in the next 4 weeks.  Hunter and I are both going to try to stick to this goal.  I also made a week long challenge to see who can run more miles.  Nothing like competition to make me step up! I will use my phone and the Nike Plus application to track mileage.  Would you like to join in on the challenge or set your own goal?  Let me know and I can send you an invite.  Place your bet...who can run more?  A stay at home mom pushing a baby in a stroller that doesn't always enjoy stroller time? Or a dad that works 45 hours a week?

I'm Back

We got to spend last week in Texas since Hunter was in training.  It was soooo great to see everyone and get back to our roots.  I wish it was a longer trip.  We flew Southwest Airlines and Wyatt did great on the trip there and the trip back.  He didn't sleep very much like I thought he would, but he didn't fuss either. 

Some of the highlights of the trip (mostly food centered):

• Quality time with nephews
• Catching up with family
• Babyholders
• Crab Boil
• BBQ
• Real Mexican food
• Crawfish Boil
• Seeing our house in San Antonio that is not our house :)
• A quick visit with our San Antonio friends
• No flight delays

Gawsh, I am sad just typing all that.  I already miss everybody.  Wyatt had a rough start due to a sleep strike, but then he decided he could learn to sleep in a different crib and all was right in the world.  He did have some Mama issues.  If he could see Mama while being held by someone else he let them know they weren't Mama. 

The house feels really quiet today.  I might have to turn on some Pandora.  Today I am working on a brine for some Caveman Pops for dinner.  We have a play date at 3:00 to make the time pass faster.  I better spend some time getting the house in order and uploading pics from the trip during nap time.  I think we are going to Miami next weekend so no use getting Wyatt back into a routine!  Gypsy life is a busy life.

To my five loyal readers, sorry I didn't post more while I was on vacation! 

Dance Baby Dance

I am in Texas right now so I queued up a few things for you to check out while I am gone.  Wyatt has recently started to appreciate music.  He likes to dance a little bit when he hears the beginning of any song with a beat.  It is so funny to me that dancing is something that is natural and almost every baby does.  Somewhere along the line most of us forget that and end up hating dancing.  I didn't get much on video, but here is what I did get if you need another time waster.

A Plethora of Sun Dried Tomatoes

I bought the Costco sized bag of dehydrated sun dried tomatoes when I only needed a very tiny amount for one recipe.  Here is some information about how to prepare and some recipes to try with them in case you bought the same size bag. 

Sun dried tomatoes are great to substitute when tomatoes are out of season or you need a more intense flavor.   They store very well and have a pretty long shelf life.  You can make your own sun dried or oven dried tomatoes if you have an excess from tomato season and don't want to deal with canning them. 

You will need to soften the tomatoes before you can use them.  You can soak them in water, broth, oil, or wine to rehydrate for about 30 minutes.  Once they are rehydrated you will need to use them within a few days. 

Here are some of the recipes I can't wait to try from my favorite food bloggers:

Pesto Tuna Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes by the Curvy Carrot
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad by Pioneer Woman
Meyer Lemon Spaghetti with Asparagus by Eat, Live, Run
Arugula Salad with Penne, Garbanzo Beans, and Sun Dried Tomatoes by SkinnyTaste

Meyers Briggs and My Role as a Mom

I love personality tests and reading about the standard traits my personality type has.  I feel that every single test I have ever done describes me perfectly.  I very easily fit into a box.  Today I was wondering how my personality type defines the way I act as a mom and what do ya know, there is tons of stuff on the internet about it.

According to Meyers Briggs, I am an ISTJ (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging - Introverted Sensing with Extraverted Thinking).  I am the Duty Fulfiller. 

Possible Career Paths for ISTJ:
Business Executives, Administrators and Managers
Accountants and Financial Officers
Police and Detectives
Judges
Lawyers
Medical Doctors / Dentists
Computer Programmers or Systems Analysts - Ding, ding, ding!
Military Leaders

Hmm...stay at home mom not listed.  :)

ISTJs as Parents:
ISTJs are faithful and devoted parents who can be counted on to put forth their very best efforts towards raising their children in positive, comfortable, secure homes, and to promote their growth in such a way that they will become secure adults who know their place in life within our society. Such is the greatest goal of an ISTJ parent toward their child.
Along the path towards this goal, the ISTJ expects that their children honor their traditional familial roles. As parents, they demand respect and authority from their children. They willingly accept their parental role of provider and guardian. Once the ISTJ becomes a parent, it becomes a "given" that they will perform all of the duties associated with parenthood, and they will do so without grudge or burden. However, they expect that their children give them their due respect in return, and will have little patience with disrespectful behavior.
When it comes to giving punishment or discipline, the ISTJ will be able to do so when necessary without too much internal trauma. They see it as their duty to teach their children when they've done wrong, and so will administer the punishment in the name of the greater cause of doing their duty towards their children. Not to imply that the ISTJ will enjoy disciplining their children, they simply will put their duties before their personal feelings.
The ISTJ is likely to have a problem giving a lot of positive affirmation and support to their children. Having very high expectations for their own behavior and the behavior of others, the ISTJ often forgets to give praise when praise is due. All children need positive support as they find their place in the world, and this is especially true for children with the Feeling preference, who benefit tremendously from positive affirmation, and suffer (sometimes tremendously) in its void. The ISTJ who recognizes sensitivity in their child should take special care to give them positive support and affirmation.
The ISTJ will create a consistent, secure environment for their children, with definite roles and boundaries. Although this may at times create division between the parent and child (especially during rebellious adolescence), it will generally promote the child's growth into a secure adult. ISTJ parents will be remembered and honored by their children for being good people who always tried their best, and for putting the needs of their children above their own.

Summary - I like schedules, and order, and you better follow what I set out or you will drive me crazy over analyzing you and trying to fit you into "your box" :)  I guess I won't have a problem being the disciplinarian which explains why I don't have as much of a problem with "cry it out".   Mental note to be a good positive affirmer when Wyatt is older. 

Famous ISTJs (pretend and real):
Bruce Wayne
Darth Vader
Jason Bourne
Obi Wan Kenobi 
Warren Buffett
Henry Ford
John D. Rockefeller
Andrew Johnson
Condoleeza Rice
George H. W. Bush
George Washington
Hilary Clinton
Helen Hunt
Julia Roberts
Evander Holyfield
Jackie Joyner-Kersee


Would you like to take a free Meyers Briggs test?  Yes?  Go here.  You can read the results for your type and enjoy over analyzing yourself.  Oh, that's not what you like to do?  You must not be an ISTJ!  If you take the test, let me know what you are...so I can analyze how to relate to you...me so funny.


My sources: 
http://www.personalitypage.com/html/ISTJ_car.html
http://www.personalitypage.com/ISTJ_rel.html
http://www.toptypes.com/16types/istj-careers/

What To Do This Week

Enjoy Starbucks Frappuccino Happy Hour 3:00-5:00 until the 13th.  I am not really a fan of Starbucks or coffee, but I am a fan of half price and I like the fru fru fraps.

Stop by your local thrift store. I am now on my second trip to the one here.  I have purchased several items that still have the tag on.  Thanks to some of the blogs I follow, I can attempt to update my mom-iform.  I bought some tangerine shorts that I am sure came out when tangerine wasn't cool.  This week..going to learn how to wear them.  Polyvore says...

 Finish Cinco de Mayo leftovers.  Didn't make enough to have leftovers?  Start over.  Try this or this or this. 


We had a lovely weekend.  Last softball game tonight, blueberry pickin Thursday, heading to Texas Saturday.  Yeeee hawwww!

Updated Time Lapse Video

I tried to do a new time lapse video since Wyatt is crawling and pulling up on things.  I must say, even I got a little bit bored watching it.  In case you miss your nephew/grandson or just have too much free time, you may spend three minutes and thirty five seconds watching this.  I put it to some musica hoping that you will stay awake til the end, if only for the song.

If you want to see the original time lapse video to compare, you can find it here.

Photo a Day Challenge - April Week 4

Here tis! The final week of FatMumSlim's Photo a Day April challenge. 

Day 22 - The last thing you bought

Day 23 - Vegetable

Day 24 - Something you are grateful for - Toys!

Day 25 - Looking down

Day 26 - Black and White

Day 27 - Somewhere you went

Day 28 - 1 PM

Day 29 - Circle

Day 30 - Something that makes you sad

I plan to do her May Photo a Day Challenge too, but no worries...I will not bore you with the pictures.  I really enjoyed the activity.  I have something to look forward to every day and it makes me more alert of my surroundings.  I also have to use the very tiny creative part of my brain. 

Total Baby App

One might say that I am a little bit crazy since I still track every single nap and feeding for Wyatt.  I prefer to say overly analytical and mentally organized.  I bought the Total Baby application before Wyatt was born.  I love it!  You can track diaper changes and baths .  You can track height and weight.  You can track Dr. appointments and shots.  This application is a must for crazy moms like myself.  I will force myself to stop using it soon.  At least by a year old.  Maybe I could strike a deal with myself to stop earlier?  Not sure.  I enjoy it too much.

I have currently been using it to track Wyatt's temperature and last dosage of Ibuprofen.  This is very helpful when answering questions for Drs and remembering the last time you gave him medicine.

Wyatt is still super congested, sneezing, and coughing.  He is not eating very well and refusing naps unless in a car seat or I am rocking him.  He has even had to resort to puking to get up some of the mucous.  Poor baby.  I feel so sorry for him.  He manages to smile and play a lot during the day even though he is miserable.  I took him to the Dr today and the congestion has led to an ear infection so we are starting treatment for that.  I am really hoping he can wake up a happy dude tomorrow.  Happy dude = happy mama.