Vamos a Tejas

No time for blogging! 

Have to pack my cutoffs. Have to find clothes to wear to a workplace. Have to scare leaf blower man away so nap time continues in peace. Have to check in for flights.  Have to find a shiny new toy or two at Target. Have to get excited to see everybody!

For your entertainment, and in honor of college football season staring, here is a picture of me and my sissies in our Maroon Out shirts from way back when.

Navy Seal Life Lesson

Remember how I mentioned reading the book The Lone Survivor?

My quick summary:
The story of a man who wanted to be a navy seal his whole life, made it as a navy seal, and then endured a horrible mission where he was the lone survivor.

Read the book. I thought it was great, but almost hope somebody as positive as this guy portrayed himself to be does not exist. It seems inhuman. I am jealous and feel lazy.

I did not realize how insane the training/qualification is for a navy seal. Beyond what you can imagine. Anyways, while the guy is in training, a Captain Joe Maguire gives some excellent advice to the trainees.

“I do not want you to give in to the pressure of the moment. When you’re hurting bad, just hang in there. Finish the day. Then, if you’re still feeling bad, think about it long and hard before you decide to quit. Second, take it one day at a time. One evolution at a time.

Don’t let your thoughts run away with you, don’t start planning to bail out because you’re worried about the future and how much you can take. Don’t look ahead to pain. Just get through the day, and there’s a wonderful career ahead of you.”

Such a good life lesson! When I am running and having a hard time, I want to quit when I think about how much more I have to run even though I am just fine for the moment.

At 3:00 AM when Wyatt is upset and won't sleep, I panic because I think of how tired I will be tomorrow, how I won't be able to work, how long the day will feel. At 3:00 AM I feel fine ( although frustrated).

The stress of worrying about the future is greater than the stress of the actual problem.

We are flying to Texas this weekend to see the family. I will be sure to remind the lucky people that sit next to Wyatt that they should focus on the now and not the remaining 2.5 hours of the flight.

He is usually a great flier/traveller but I fear this trip now that he is a walker. He does not like to sit still!

Stay At Home Janet

The glamorous fashion life and day to day activities for SAHJ (stat at home Janet). 

I keep cutting all of my jeans that I used to wear to work into cutoff shorts. I live in Florida and don't ever have to look put together, but one day I might live somewhere with a fall or winter.  Or I might have to look casually presentable.   Guess I will go shopping then.

Along the same lines, this is my shoe decision every day....do I wear flip flops, green tennies (chucks), purple tennies (nike frees), or grey tennies (toms).  I am pretty sure this is not a normal set of options unless you are under 15.

Fresh breath is a thing of the past.  I promise I still brush my teeth twice a day, but I never chew gum or have mints because Wyatt doesn't care and neither does the checkout lady at Target.

I recognize almost everybody at my grocery store.  This is almost embarrassing.  Yes, I am back at the store.  Yes, this is fun for me.  Yes, I might be back tomorrow.  No, I don't need help out. 

I take almost 3 walks a day along the exact same route.  My condo is big, so 1 lap = .7 miles = 15 minutes of not having to be responsible for Wyatt aside from pushing the stroller and keeping stray gators, snakes, dogs, and cars away. 

Instead of going to the grocery store today, I made a quick trip to the local beach.  I will apologize to Cynthia at checkout lane 4 tomorrow when I go to the store.  Isaac caused a little roughness, but I didn't see any 7 foot waves like the news advertised.  We did get a good bit of rain and wind.

Miami

We made a quick trip to Miami with Joe and Denell this weekend.  We left Joe and Denell's place at first nap (of course) and arrived in Miami at 11:00.  We dropped $15 to park our truck along Ocean Dr, spent 20 minutes trying to load beach gear and a baby into a stroller, and took off for a walk down Ocean Dr.

A bright, sunshiny day

Next stop, the beach!  We didn't plan to stay long enough to really camp out so we bypassed the umbrella rental.  I dressed Wyatt in clothes from head to knee and sun-screened his face and feet.   I rocked my neon bikini (it's so IN) and appropriate for 30 year olds.  Also, make note of my non-matching hat.  The ocean was shallow out to a very far point and the waves were almost non-existent.  Clear water...very much like a swimming pool. I loved it!

South Beach, FL

Around 1:00 the adults minus Janet headed to the Pelican Hotel Cafe on Ocean Dr.  I walked Wyatt up and down Ocean Dr in his stroller to get in a good nap.  Miracle! He fell asleep.  Rain came through and cooled us off.  Hunter placed my order and we met them after about a 30 minute nap.   Delicious lunch...pricey of course. Hunter picked me out a panini with parma prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, and tomato. The panini came with a side salad for $14.

Lunch entertainment

After lunch, another quick trip to the beach before loading up and heading to other parts of Miami.

Walking on sand..not easy

We drove, we shopped, we had a mojito, and then we headed to dinner.  Hunter picked out Captain Jim's Seafood.  The area looked very not nice and from the front we only saw a fish market so were a bit skeptical.  Inside was a piece of heaven!  Seriously, the best seafood I have ever eaten.  We tried the clam chowder and the conch chowder.  Both were great.  I ordered the whole snapper and Hunter ordered shrimp and grits.  The prices were very reasonable.  I am going back to Miami before we leave Florida just to eat here.

At Bayside Marketplace

Sorry to anyone offended by seeing a whole cooked fish.  It was delish!

Overall, I  recommend a trip to Miami.  There is definitely more of a party atmosphere and an air of we are too expensive for you, but stick to the beach and good food and you will have a great time.   I hope the beach is that calm and beautiful every day.  Better than a swimming pool.

The Blame Game

What I have learned....if your baby is fussy and not sleeping before 6 months, you blame a growth spurt.  If your baby is fussy and not sleeping after 6 months, you blame teething.

We had a "newborn night" last night.  I can't find a reason and I even gave ibuprofen.  Wyatt is in a great mood today and seems to feel rested while I am dragging....zzzzzzzz.

Take a look at this picture from exactly one year ago.  I feel about like this today with a smaller belly.

Note: the chairs are appropriately painted Farmall Red and John Deere Green...not Christmas!

How To Shower With a Toddler On The Prowl

I have been working on editing some photos of our trip to Miami and was hoping that could be my next post but I haven't made time yet.

The show (aka the blog) must go on. I went to my first meet up with some other mom's from Mom's Run This Town today. I have been in the conversations with all the moms but never actually went to a group run. With a two a day napper none of the times really work out with our schedule. They are all balancing school drop offs and other big kid things like that. Anyways, I threw the schedule out the door this morning and committed to a run. I had to drive about 20 mins for this one. It was awesome to talk with adults and be out "running" but I was a little disappointed in the casualness....mostly because I have the self induced pressure of next nap and they were enjoying their day. We did about 5 mins of running, 20 mins of walking, and 20 mins of socializing. Add that to 40 mins of driving and Wyatt was done for. By done for I mean cried all the way home except for the last 2 mins where he slept and then wouldn't nap at home. I got a free BondiBand out of it. And a teeny tiny bit of running. I was hoping for more running! Will try a few other times after I forget how bad days are without naps and how disappointed I am that people want to have fun instead of run.

After nap fail, I decided to shower while he was awake so here is what you have all been waiting for.

How To Shower With A Toddler On the Prowl:

Haul all of the good toys into the bathroom (plastic bottles, tupperware, noise toys).
Haul all of the bad toys out of the bathroom (plunger, toilet scrubber, toilet paper).
Shut the bathroom door with toddler inside.
Start shower and step in. Prepare to relax.
Prepare to un-relax.
Hold sliding shower door closed with one hand while washing face and shampooing.
Release shower door to rinse hair.
Allow toddler to enter shower fully clothed and play in shower.
Block most of water from toddler with body.
Complete shower.
Strip toddler of clothes and diaper.
Towel both you and toddler dry. Success!

Pleaze 4give myy typeos. I wrote this on my phon while Wyatt was not naping and I was not woking.

The Best Tuna Fish Sandwich I Ever Et

I know what you are thinking.  Tuna fish from a can?  Ick, smelly, boo. Sometimes I have those same thoughts but sometimes it's just a "bad tuna fish day".... sort of like a "bad hair day". 

I made the best tuna fish sandwich I have ever had yesterday.  Maybe I was super hungry because I worked out two days in a row (ha!).  Maybe I was not going to settle for a peanut butter banana sandwich again. 

Here is the recipe.  Make it.  I dare ya.

The Best Tuna Fish Sandwich I Ever Et:
1 can of tuna in water.
1 celery stalk diced
1 or 2 dill pickles diced depending on the size
1 heaping teaspoon of Grey Poupon Harvest Coarse Ground mustard - this is the magic ingredient...do not substitute
Enough mayo to make it creamy. I know..I don't like mayo either, but you have to have something to make it creamy and I wasn't feeling the yogurt. I am thinking I put 1.53 Tbs (approximately).
Mix all the ingredients up and add salt and pepper.
Cut open a croissant (this may also be why it was the best ever), put 2 pieces of lettuce on the bottom, top with a big pile of tuna fish mixture, and sprinkle pepperoncini slices on the top.
Deee-licious!

Magic Ingredient - Grey Poupon Harvest Coarse Mustard

 Have no fear.  I have not had to break into my hurricane supply of tuna yet.  When I do, I will be sure to make this sandwich mucho dias. 

And now onto my daily dose of whining.  I have discovered this week that I am tired of cleaning up the Wyatt, the high chair, and the floor after every snack and meal. It is big business.  With 3 meals and 2 snacks, I calculate about 35 minutes of cleaning up a day and this does not include dishes and food prep.  While internally grumbling about this yesterday after dinner (clean up # 5), my mood was lifted when Wyatt picked up a washcloth (one of his favorite toys) and began to scrub his high chair too.  Lol..I will try to remember that he is learning by watching and put on my positive attytude. 

Yogurt Lowdown

Remember, I am no Martha Stewart or even a good ol' hippie, but I have been making my own yogurt following these steps on a regular basis and it is so good. 

Hunter and I have been in a constant battle about whether to make regular or greek style yogurt.  Did you know that greek yogurt is just yogurt that has had the whey drained out of it?  This may be an over simplified definition and there are probably some other minor technical differences, but that is basically it.  Whey is a yellow liquid that is a by product of the yogurt or cheese making process.  It looks like lemonade when you capture it all in a big jar.  Supposedly it tastes very bitter but is full of protein, calcium, and other good for you stuff.  I won't be taking a swig any time soon. 

Well, Hunter wants to keep it all (avoiding wastefulness) but I want my yogurt thicker.  Hunter found a recipe that mixes in Tapioca Starch/Flour to help thicken the yogurt up and it did help, but not enough.

The yogurt battle rages on.  Last time we made two batches.  One regular and one greek. I guess this means we are only half wasteful?  We have found several sites that list uses for excess whey, but no winners in my book..yet.

My next yogurt adventure will be Lime Greek Yogurt.


Lime Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
2c plain Greek yogurt
zest and juice of 1 lime
1-3 Tbsp honey
Mix it up and eat it!

This yogurt flavor is inspired by Emily @ One Lovely Life so be a doll and check out her site.   She has many excellent salad recipes. 

 

11 Months

Stats
11 months old
Around 18 lbs according to my $20 scale
4 top teeth, 3.2 bottom teeth
Size 4 diapers
Clothes size 9 and 12 month.

Eating
Eating three meals a day and two snacks a day.
Nursing 4 times a day. After his 1 year checkup where I hope he gained plenty of lbs I plan to start the weaning. 
Loves spaghetti, beans, rice, yogurt, cheese, applesauce, oatmeal, blueberries, bananas, chick fil a grilled chicken nuggets.
He eats almost everything we try and is eating huge portions right now.  It blows my mind.
I can't wait until he can have eggs.
He had his first fast food meal at ChickFilA.  He ate a 4 piece grilled chicken nugget and the applesauce pouch.  Finished it.  Wanted more.  I had to share and supplement with cheerios.
Not allergic to peanuts...I accidentally let him eat some peanut butter.  Ooopsie. 

Sleep
Two naps a day around an hour and a half. I have no clue how we will ever make it to one nap.  He can't make it past 9:30 AM.
Same routine....we read about 3 books and then hum twinkle twinkle before laying down.
Bedtime is from 8:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Wakes up around 5:00 AM every morning right now and goes back to sleep after nursing.

Skillz
Clapping when I start to sing "If you are happy and you know it"
Waving and saying bye bye about 3 minutes after the person has left.
Pointing
Using a spoon...I can load it with sticky stuff like yogurt, applesauce, etc and the food will make it into his mouth about 80% of the time.
Climbing...me, furniture, strollers.  How quick you learn that things can give you a boost.
Walking...he can go pretty far without falling on his bum and rarely crawls now.
When he sees his monkey, he makes the monkey sounds.  When you make the brrmmm sounds, he gets his truck.
Words he recognizes...books, monkey, truck, painting, daddy, mommy, ball,fish. 

Dislikes
Bibs
Printers...when the paper shoots out after the print he fears for his life.
Weedeaters.
When I barricade him out of the kitchen for his safety.
Church nursery...this can sometimes go in the Likes category.  He cries when I drop him off but they say he is happy for the majority of the time.  When I go to pick him up, he is usually being walked around the church by somebody to keep him happy.  I always wonder if my kid is the pest, but today I saw the lady give him a kiss on his little head while she was pacing him around so I know she doesn't mind.  

Likes
Reading books
Organizing the tupperware cabinet.
Emptying the roll of toilet paper.
Taking lids off and putting them back on
Cuddling for just a few moments before bed time.  This is new.  He used to squirm until he was laying in his bed but now he likes to have a few minutes with me.  He must feel sorry for me since he is turning 1 soon and knows it is a big day. 
Rolling his trucks around.
Making animal sounds.
Dogs...they crack him up.  He pretends they are chasing him and runs around like its a two sided game.
Playing outside.   Digging, walking, exploring. I just wish it wasn't so hot.
Stroller rides.
Music and dancing.
Baby Mum Mum....his favorite crackers.

Busted!

Busted again!

Have a Toddler?

If you have a toddler and need a laugh, follow Honest Toddler on Twitter or through their blog.   The writer is genius and they are definitely inside the heads of kids.

Here are some of my favorite recent tweets:

Stop inviting my parent's places. They can't go because me.

Toddler Tip: Mommy going potty? Don't cry. Just sit on her lap. Heart to heart hug. She likes it. 

If you're at the grocery store, holler at me. Look for the smartly dressed GAP kid. I'm next to him wearing pajamas and bootleg Crocs.

Playgroup hyped me up as an early potty training hopeful. Not so much. Feels like women's gymnastics over here.

Slept through the night. No trophy or cupcake. Won't happen again.

She instagrammed dinner to prove it's happening. No wonder we're using real plates.

RT if you're having breakfast on a paper towel in front of your shows!

No Target money today so we're doing nothing.

Also, a few of my favorite recent blog posts.  

7 Stages of Night Grief - Read this one.  Too funny!

Shopping Cart Covers. For Serious

I think you can follow them on facebook too if you don't like to read blogs or follow twitter.

Gluten Free One Month and Not Cured

Well, in case you don't remember my post, I tried a Gluten Free diet for a month in hopes that it would help to clear up my face.  I didn't see any improvements at the one month point.  I am still on the search for my cure.  Nah, I just give up...at least temporarily.  :)

I did find a list of Gluten Free foods that I really enjoyed.  Check out the list here if you have any interest or know anybody in need of a list.  

Since my one month mark passed over the weekend, I had beer, fried fish, some cake, and some bread all containing flour / wheat.  My body did not protest.  Whew. I didn't know what it would think after being "clean" for a month.

Oh...and the question every body asks..."did you lose weight?".   No, I did not lose weight.

Fitness And Other Non-News

You may have noticed that I have not posted much new in the "Fitness" category.  I am still struggling through a strange combination of P90X when I make time for it and I am trying to substitute running for the cardio DVDs (Kenpo and Cardio).  Nothing is regular.  I skip too often. I lack motivation. I'm fired.

I have been able to get my work done a bit easier the past few weeks.  Sitting on the couch with the Olympics on sure has boosted my time at the computer.  What am I going to do when they are over? 

The owner of the condo we rent is selling the place so I have to keep the place "clean" for random people to come over and see if they want to buy it.  I hope clean means a pile of toys in the corner and the bathroom not smelling of diapers because that is about as good as they are going to get.  OK...I try a leeetle bit harder than that. 

Wyatt is now on an 80/20 walk versus crawl routine.  He also walks around with his gun loaded almost all the time.  By gun I mean pointer finger.  He learned the magic of the point.   Show me that, give me that, what is that?  I open the door when he wakes up from his nap and he is already pointing.  He is still fascinated with everything on the walls and ceiling.  Paintings, metal art, sprinklers, smoke detectors, fans, and lights. His vocab also grows.  He can't say any words really, but he knows books, cheerios, painting, light, mama, dada, fish, and clap. 

I am off to save Wyatt from a Raisin Bran box and some parchment paper.  He likes to put things in the box, but when they don't come out of the box like they are supposed to Wyatt shows some serious rage.  Are you supposed to show that much anger and frustration at this age? Let's go with yes.

Crafy Janet

Cakes my sister Lisa makes:

Monsters

Dinosaurs

 

Bridal Showers

Cakes I make:

Umm...worms on a mound?

Umm..a mountain? Ummm..a mushroom?

Ummm...that MIGHT be a giant cupcake.

It's pretty obvious who got the talent in the family.  Maybe Lisa can strive to beat me next year.

Liebster Award

Courtney, at So Many Miles, So Little Time nominated me for a Liebster Award.  Isn't she sweet?  She is a mom, works full time, writes a blog, and is a runner in VA.  She is currently fighting an injury so lets all hope that she recovers quickly so she can get back to doing what she loves!  I stumbled across her blog as part of the Moms Run This Town organization. 

So what is a Liebster Award say you?  A Liebster Award is a way for bloggers who are "small", less than 200 followers, to let each other know about one another. It’s a way to spread the info, share the wealth, and increase the followers.  I would say my blog falls into the Extra Small category. 

So, there are rule that must be followed to "elegantly receive" this award... here goes.

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Then answer the questions the tagger sent for them, plus create 11 questions for the people they’ve tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Notify the people you have tagged. 
5. No tag backs.

Looks like a chain letter, right?  I find random questions fun so I will continue. 


Part Uno - 11 Things About Me:

1. Files on a computer, calendar organization, To Do lists, and address books MUST be in order, but my house can be in total disarray and I won't be bothered.
2. I read books to fall asleep.  It is my crutch.  That means I travel with either a big stack of books or a Kindle, a Kindle charger, and book lights at all times. 
3. Basketball is my favorite sport to play and I even like it more than running.
4. Ironing is my least favorite chore.
5. I don't like lamb.
6. My favorite hairstyle is the ponytail.
7. My showering sequence is face, shampoo, conditioner (don't rinse), shave (optional), soap, rinse conditioner.  Boring...I know.  When I am stressed, I can't remember if I used shampoo so I double up.
8. I always pick the fruit desserts (cobbler) over chocolate desserts.
9. I can't pick a music identity.  I like too many genres.
10. I wish I was a good photographer.
11. I have 4 screws in my bod (2 knee, 1 wrist, 1 dental implant).


Part Dos - Answer Questions from So Many Miles, So Little Time:
1. Have you ever been on a blind date?  No.  I married my high school sweetums.
2. If you could be any of the Fresh Beat Band members, who would you be and why? (If you don't know who the FBB is then you are WAY to cool for my blog.)  I had to google Fresh Beat Band and I saw it was TV related so of course I live in oblivion.  I would like to remind my readerst that I am not too cool.
3. Are you a righty or a lefty? Righty-o
4. Do you have a pre-race routine and if so what is it?  Over analyze, have my Garmin loaded way to early (I will hover on the start button for 15 mins), count my GUs, stress, try to listen to the race announcer, over analyze, stress, focus on breathing.  Sounds peaceful, right? :)
5. Have you ever stopped to ummm, go number one in the woods on a long run?  Yes, but there are no woods in the hill country in San Antonio.  You hope for a tree. 
6. Can you ice skate?  Yes, but I prefer roller baby. 
7. What is your chosen profession? Software engineer / Stay at Home Mom
8. What is one of your favorite non-running blogs? Camp Patton...I love her sarcasm, wit, and pictures.
9. Have you ever been to Las Vegas, and if so did you do something that should stay in Vegas? I went to Vegas once..I was about 5 months pregnant so it was "Off the Hooooook".  I was in bed by 11:00 every night and had a sip or two of Hunter's beer. 
10. Please share the answer to # 9! (if you haven't been to Vegas would you go?) Ummm...while I was there we rode the Deuce without paying (by accident).  That is about as crazy as it got. 
11. What is your favorite book or book series? I really like the Psychic Eye Series by Victoria Laurie for a quick read. 

11 Questions for my Peeps to Answer (I am not going to spend much time on this because I am not sure how many people I can nominate and I am not sure if they will have time to respond).
1. What is your favorite online recipe? 
2. Would you rather watch golf or NASCAR?
3. What is your favorite gas station food/drink purchase on a road trip?
4. Do you ride the rides at carnivals, theme parks, etc?
5. What movie should I add to my Netflix queue?
6. Are you a Phelps or a Lochte fan?  If you have no idea who I am talking about, make up your own question.
7. Favorite side dish at Thanksgiving?
8. Please share one of your favorite bloggers so I can add them to my ginormous list.
9. Would you rather have a maid or a chef?
10. What is your favorite vacation spot?
11. What did you want to be when you "grew up"?

Part Tres - Pick Some Bloggers to bestow the Liebster Award upon

Ladies, feel free to break the chain.  I just love answering the questions. :)


The Florida Family - Disney expert and busy mom!  Some recipes too.

The Gilliam Family - Cute baby pictures and a very patient and loving momsy! The first person I was able to call a friend when I moved here.  Lucky me!

Umm..that is pretty much all of the people that read my blog that might appreciate this precious award I am bestowing.  My stalking is definitely one way and out of control! :)