Starting over...

It has been a while... I've not posted in months; I've been busy, distracted, and I figured there wasn't a following anyway... However, I am changing my outlook, this blog is a way for me to keep my sanity, to document my life for future reference, and ultimately a release.

The past nine months have brought lots of change to our house. Clark is 18 months old now, I'm expecting another baby (due one day after Clark's second birthday), and I am slowly ticking away at my college degree. The next few months are going to include some of our "lasts" in Germany, we are scheduled to move back to the States in March of next year and so this is our last summer here, our last wine fest season, and our last chance to get in those trips we've been meaning to take for the past five years.

So I will surely be attempting to post on a more regular basis.

Getting Political

I don’t usually get into politics, on facebook, with my friends,  or in any other public forum, because politics and friends don’t usually mix. I learned to keep my views to myself when I was going to cosmetology school, the number one rule, other than not turning someone’s hair purple or making it fall out, is don’t discuss politics or religion. I am also a firm believer in the freedom of speech and the freedom to have your own ideas and values. Where I draw the line is when someone tries to take away my freedoms, the freedoms that my husband, father, grandfathers, grandmother, and all of the soldiers that have given up their lives have fought for. You see, I have this “friend” that regularly posts about his wanting to become an expatriate and live in Europe for the rest of his life, he hates our social system, our education system, our healthcare, and our freedom to have weapons. He constantly posts about our not being the number one super power that “we boast about” and he goes on to brag about his great adventures in Europe and how anyone that does not live that lifestyle is not taking advantage of life. 

I think that he is a pompous ass.

His most recent post was about gun control and how our society is 2^nd class because we are 18xs more likely to be shot than a German citizen is. He thinks that we all tote guns because we are afraid ALL OF THE TIME, that if we took away the right to own a gun the crime rate would decrease in America, etc. I do not agree. I think that the “bad guys” would still have their weapons and we would be defenseless.

I think that my “friend” has this utopian idealism that is a pipe dream, but then again he also thinks that you should take from the rich and give to the lazy. That’s right, I said it… I don’t think that all poor people are lazy but I do think that our welfare system is broken and taking from a hard working person to give to someone that refuses to look for a job because they are getting a government check each month is a bunch of hogwash! I think that people on welfare, unemployment, and those on food stamps should be given drug screenings. I think that people that have committed robbery of any kind should not be allowed to own a weapon because they clearly don’t know how to make good decisions. I think that any person that is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be required to take a nutrition class, and I think that there should be a tax on junk food (ALL OF IT, fast food and store bought junk food), I think that those taxes should go to pay for the socialized medicine that is being pushed on our country, those taxes should pay for the healthcare of people with coronary heart disease that is not genetic and stems from a bad diet and lack of exercise. I think that preventative medicine should be number one on the doctors list instead of reactionary medicine.

Children should be forced to pass health and physical education classes with a C or better and I do not give a CRAP if they don’t want to get dirty or sweaty, they are in school to learn about life and get an education, not to be pretty. I think that parents need to take a more active approach in ensuring that their kids are learning the life skills they need to make this world a better place but sadly too many parents are more concerned with being their kid’s friend or trying to be the next cougar on some reality housewife show.

I could go on and on about what needs to happen and how things should be but they aren’t and the only yard that I can keep clean is my own, so I will take care of my family and teach them the tools to succeed, I will ensure that my children know how hard their family has fought to keep this country free and what it means to have the freedoms that we have, I will show my children gun safety and when it should be used, and I will make sure that they understand that life doesn’t just happen to them, they are the captains of their destiny. The choices that you make are the choices that shape your future!

Getting Back In The Groove...

So I have fallen off of the running train, the yoga train, and basically any train that does not include dessert... Luckily I've been doing some serious walking around with my awesome sister and haven't put on any weight, but I feel jiggly all over. NOT COOL!

So to battle the bulge I am going to train for an upcoming 10 miler (in October) put on by the ARMY, I am also going to look for another 1/2 marathon to run in November or December. I will do my best to stay on track and am looking for this blog to keep me honest.

My baby's dimples look like mine...

So here's to getting rid of the jiggles and losing that loving feeling for desserts.

Water Baby

We took Clark to the local pool the other day; he loved it! I was so excited to take him and to see how he was going to react, he did not disappoint. He is such the little cutie!

We had a really good time with him in the water. The other kids did not pay any attention to the fact that we were hanging out with an infant in the water, they just splashed and splashed. I thought that it would bother Clark to get the water in his face when they did but he didn’t seem to be bothered at all. He just sat and watched them play. I think he is ready to be a big boy so that he can do it too. Seriously, every time he is around big kids he watches them with these huge eyes and tries to crawl over to them. I am very concerned for our future… HA

Teeth!!!

We’ve got teeth!!! How about those apples???

My little boy is growing up too fast! I cannot believe that in less than 8 months the little baby that took his merry sweet time about making his debut, a week late and after 46 hours of labor, has decided that he is going to run past every new milestone… I am just waiting for him to walk and then I think I will have seen it all. He is not only moving around this house faster than I can keep up but he is already pulling himself up onto the couch, climbing stairs, climbing over obstacles, and generally keeping me on my toes!

Anyway, tonight we are having chicken tetrazzini for dinner and I thought that I would share the recipe with you:

2-3 chicken breasts (pan cooked with garlic salt, Lawry’s season salt, and pepper)

2 sm or 1 lg package(s) of mushrooms (sliced and sautéed)

1C Caesar dressing (sometimes I use regular and other times I use lite or vinaigrette)
¾ C parmesan cheese (reserve ¼ C to the side for topping)

½ C bread crumbs

½ C chicken broth (I use Knorr granules and make it with a little hot water)

1 package spaghetti

Preheat oven to 350 F. Pan cook your chicken, sauté your mushrooms, and boil your spaghetti according to package directions. (Perfect spaghetti is boiled for 8 minutes BTW) Then you are going to combine all of the ingredients and mix. Top with reserved parmesan and a sprinkle of bread crumbs. Bake 45 minutes or until the top starts to brown.

I like my top noodles to get crunchy so I let it cook a little longer.

Enjoy!

We're Back!

Travis and Me on moving day...

Okay so the move is done, family visits are over, and life is starting to get back to normal. We've had some exciting firsts happen over the past six weeks and I am going to post all about them... So here you go:

(Written on 6 July)

We’ve finally gotten into the new house! All of our things have been delivered and I am steadily unpacking them. I’ve actually gotten two out of three floors completed, save for the office. The issue with unpacking this house is that it is a traditional German home and has zero closets. That’s right, not a single damn space to shove things out of sight when the neighbors drop by… So I have invested in a shit ton of baskets. I will have to give the “tour” once the house is completely put together but for now here is a peak at what we are dealing with:

The kitchen before unpacking

Dining room

Foyer

Living room

Because we don’t have closets and the ARMY has a back log on the furniture that they are allowing people to borrow I have had to turn our guest bedroom into a closet for Travis and me to use. I can’t say that I am too upset about this because I really like to be able to walk into a room and see all of my clothes. I just wish that I had drawers to use. I'll show you photos soon...

Lack of Posts

So we are getting our belongings delivered on Saturday instead of Monday. This means that we are leaving this house sooner than planned and will not likely have internet connection until the end of July... BOO... Meaning, I won't be posting until that time unless I find a WIFI spot close to the house.

I will leave you with this:

MOVING DAY!!!

It is moving day around these parts... The laundry is done, the carpets clean, the dishes are ready for their paper wrapping and the furniture is eagerly awaiting cardboard and packing tape. I imagine what the items in our house would be like if they were off of "Beauty and The Beast" you know, french maid dusters and talking candlesticks... My dishes would not be British though, they would have a Polish accent, my furniture would all be Spanish, the bed linens would be Egyptian, the baby's furniture would be Scandinavian (thanks IKEA), there would definitely be some Chinese accents flying around because we all know half of our stuff comes from China. That's right, bought in Amsterdam, made in China... I wonder if my dining table would make me swoon with his accent the way Antonio Banderas does... hmmm.

Anyway, that is my little tangent for the day. I hope things go smoothly. I'll write later.

Enjoy your day!

Two days left...

We go were the Army takes us...

The movers will be here on Monday! I cannot believe that the time has flown by so fast, it seems like we just got into this house. We went to our new town the other day because Travis had to do some work up there and I wanted him to drive me past our new house, because I didn't remember what it looked like anymore, and lucky for us the landlord was there painting so we got to go inside too. It was a bit smaller than I remember in some aspects but some of the rooms were larger than I remember. Totally going to have to do some furniture rearranging in my head.

So with the move coming, this past week has been all about "deep cleaning." I'm telling you if it is made out of fabric and not sewn down to something then it went in the laundry. I have washed over 18 panels of curtains, all of the couch cushions, the duvet covers (to include the ones that we only use in the winter), the mattress covers, the decorative towels, the cleaning rags, etc. We cleaned the rugs, we made a table for the kitchen, we made garment hangers for the new "closet" (Germans don't have closets in their homes, they use shrunks and armoires), we've thrown out things that we no longer use, and with all of that being done I still don't feel like we are ready.

I have to admit, I have not been looking forward to this move. I have been a bit of a "Negative Nancy" about it but seeing the house again and cleaning this house has started to make me feel a bit better about the whole thing. I also came across some literature about the new city and even though I haven't had time to read it, just knowing that there is so much to do there is starting to make me excited. I'm a little sad that we are leaving the place that we made Clark and the home that we brought him home to, but in reality home is where my husband and my son are and that is all that matters.

I also happened to meet a lady on post that has a son that is two months older than Clark, our husbands actually flew together down range a few years back and so they know each other too. Hopefully we can hang out with them, because we don't know too many people with children Clarks age.

Anyway, I'm off to wash something...

Do you have any suggestions for making a move easier?

Granola Bars

So with the upcoming move we have decided that we need to get rid of some of the excess food that we have in the house. This means finding something to do with all of the junk that we have acquired over the past two years. In my venture to do so I have made "pudding pops" out of milk and Nutella (at 138 calories per popsicle, they aren't bad), fudge (it was a crumbly mess and I will not post about it...), oatmeal/raisin cookies, and now I am working on Granola bars.

I have done some researching on the internet, commonly referred to as my brain (running joke with one of my girlfriends), and I have come up with a recipe similar to that of the one on the King Arthur Flour website. It goes as follows:

1 1/2 C oats
1/3 C oat flour (I just blended my oats in my handy dandy Vitamix)
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
dash of nutmeg (I add this to just about any recipe that calls for cinnamon, I think that it complements the flavor, I LOVE IT)
3 C of fruit/nut mix (with this batch I used: raisins, dates, figs, and almonds)
6 T. butter
1/3 C peanut butter, or any nut butter
1/3 C honey, or maple syrup
1 T vanilla extract
1 T water

Preheat the oven to 350 F, and cover a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with wax paper or parchment paper.

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and add the rest of the "wet" ingredients. Once heated through and melted together pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour all of it into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool on the counter for 20-30 minutes and then place in the refrigerator.

excuse the knife...

Cut into bars to serve. The granola bars can be kept for up to a week, but I doubt they will last that long.

Forced Family time and Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Our TV just took a dump... I cannot say that I am sad. I prefer to have some music playing in the background and a nice conversation going with my husband. Lucky for me he wants to see if he can fix it rather than purchase a new one. This means that it will be at least ten days before the BOOB TUBE is back up and running! I am excited to see what we can find to do to entertain ourselves, board games, conversation, make another baby?!?!?!

So while the handy hubs looks up the info he needs to fix the brain sucker I am on to making dinner.

We really need to work on portion control in this family...

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia:

4 fillets of Tilapia
1/4-1/2 C grated parmesan (we grate our own because I think the pre-grated stuff is GROSS)
1T italian seasoning
1T garlic salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a bowl with a diameter large enough to accommodate the tilapia on the bottom, grate your parmesan and mix with the garlic and italian seasoning.

Rinse your fish and pat dry. Drizzle olive oil on one side of the fish, place the oiled side down in your cheese mixture, oil the top side of the fish and flip in the cheese. Place on greased cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of your fish. Bake for 20 minutes or until fish is flaky.

Cakes

I totally forgot to post about the past two cakes that I made...

The first one was for a baby shower and the second for a birthday party.

The baby shower theme was mustaches so this is what I made:

The birthday party theme was Pokemon and they asked for a Pokemon Ball. I have to admit, I had to google that one. I had no idea what they were looking for. I also went slack ass on that cake. I didn't go all out like I usually do. I mean really, it was a last minute request for a 12 year olds birthday and I had ZERO desire to stress out about it. Seriously!!! I mean I put so little effort into this cake that I didn't even take a photo of the damn thing once I finished it. This photo came from the birthday boy's mom. HA! I will have to see if Travis still has the photo he took on his cell phone.

SLACKER

Clearly, not me... But there is some rain.

That would be me...

You see, I haven't run in over two weeks now and am going on two weeks of no yoga too. I have been idle for far too long. I'm not quite sure what has taken over me, I've lost my mojo.

Today I got up to go out and do some speed work but I stepped outside and it was raining. I'm not that hardcore yet. I used to be but lately not so much. So the plan has changed to running before yoga tonight. I was going to start a new 5 week program this week to get my 5K time under 30 minutes but since I've put off running for the past two days I am going to just run a few three milers this week and then start the training plan next week.

I'm not sure if the move has me in a funk or what...

Reqardless, I am posting about my plan so that I will feel obligated to go through with it.

Do you have any suggestions on how to get my mojo back?

Moving Sucks!!!

We are in the countdown to our move and I am cranky about it. The movers come in two weeks to pack our things up and move us to a new house that is about an hour from here. I am not excited... You see, we will be moving into this new house for just over 18 months and I just can't get excited about packing and unpacking for that short amount of time. I can't get excited about learning a new city, what stores to shop in, where the good restaurants are, or how to get to and from home during peak traffic hours. UGGGG...

I know that I should be excited about a new place, new faces, a "fresh start", exploring, etc. but instead I am dreading having packers come in and handle all of my belongings, my things getting broken, being without my bed for seven days, then having to unpack and organize all of my stuff all over again. It is exhausting. Pre baby it was not a problem for us to move, in fact, I loved it. But now, I've got an infant that just learned how to crawl, he wants to be into stuff, I have two dogs that are an annoyance to packers (one that is small and gets under foot and one that is huge and could easily eat them).

So in preperation of this move we are cleaning house. Throwing out things that we don't need or want any more, scrubbing baseboards, and cleaning out food cabinets. We have stopped purchasing anything from the grocery store except produce and dairy until our food stores are depleted. I am organizing the bedrooms as best as I can to ensure that our things get there in an orderly fashion but I know my efforts will be in vain...

Do you have any suggestions for making a move easier with a small child? Two dogs? Tons of crap?

Sleep Deprivation...

I've been absent. The thing is, we've been a little sleep deprived around these parts. Clark's schedule has been non existent for quite sometime over the past few months and this has led to sleep deprivation around here.

This weekend was finally enough to make me cancel all outside events for our house for the rest of the week. We are getting back onto a schedule if it is the last thing we do! Oh, and Clark has bought himself a one way ticket out of our bed too! The child would not sleep unless he was in my arms last night and that meant that I did not get any good sleep! THIS WILL NOT DO!

So as of yesterday I started the "Baby Wise" method of getting him on schedule. Unfortunately this means that if he needs to cry himself to sleep for his naps then that is what has to happen. I HATE IT! It truly breaks my heart to hear my boy cry. I just want to scoop him up and let him know that Mommy is there for him when he is in pain or sad, but I can't do it anymore, we have created a "monster" (no, I do not think that Clark is a monster, I think that he is just accustomed to falling asleep with me all of the time and that isn't condusive to having a secure, confident, self soothing baby).

So as I write this post, my sweet little boy is crying himself to sleep in his bed. My heart is breaking! I wouldn't do it if it hadn't worked for us before. So with fingers crossed, I will keep you updated on if Clark is back on a better sleep schedule soon.

Do you have any suggestions for getting him to sleep better? Does your baby sleep through the night?

a little late...

Is it Wednesday already?

I cannot believe that the past few days have flown by so quickly. Sunday we went to Kreuzberg Monastery with two of our friends. They are moving back to the states this coming Friday and it was our last hoorah with them. I'm so sad...

We drank more beer than was necessary, Travis was the DD, and then we went out to dinner. It was truly the first time in 18 months that I drank more than two beers. I am sure that another 18 months could pass before I feel like doing it again.

Monday we lazed around the house, mostly. We did manage to make a couple of trips to our friends house to pick up some furniture that they weren't taking with them back to the good ole US of A. Oh and we certainly did not forget to say a pray and show some gratitude for the lives that have been given in the name of our freedom.

Yesterday was back to work as usual for Travis, Clark and I helped our friends clean their home for inpection and then we went to an afternoon social with some lovely ladies and their kids.

Last night Travis and I got to witness what I swear is has been one of the best 'parenting' moments yet. Clark fell asleep while eating his dinner. It was awesome! I'll try to post video soon.

I hope that you all had a great weekend!

It has been one heck of a busy week! Travis has been gone since last Sunday so it has just been me and the boys. The dogs have been behaving particularly well this week, I don't foresee that lasting... Clark and I have been getting along wonderfully, though I am really worn out. He is such a great baby but he really takes a lot of work 24 hours a day. I do not know how single mothers do it. My prayers are with them!

Clark had his first bout of vomit yesterday. You see my boy likes to keep everything down; he has only spit up a handful of times in the past 6 months. Literally, I can count the times on my fingers and toes. However, yesterday is another story all together. I think that the combination of it being so hot and him gagging on some milk is what caused it, regardless he tossed up every ounce that he had taken in. I mean it came out of his nose and all. He was such a trooper though, he didn't even cry or act as though it surprised him at all. I was more freaked out about it than he was. Afterwards I gave him a bath and we went on with our day as normal. Okay, not completely normal, we didn't go for a run because he was not feeling the stroller at all in the morning while it was still cool enough to get out there.

Thursday we went to our first ever meeting of Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPs), and had a lovely time. Our neighbor invited us to go with her so that I could meet other mothers that are moving to the same town that we are. The meeting was not the usual get together, it was really more like a hail and farewell to the old and new board members but I still got to meet some lovely ladies and I am hopeful for the next few years. This in and of itself is a change since I've really been dreading the upcoming move. I have really been slacking in my fellowship, and in my studies of the bible. I am glad to head back in the right direction.

I think that GOD is really calling out to me because not only did I get the invite to MOPs from my neighbor but I also received a package, from one of my favorite aunts, of children's books from the christian book store. Isn't it funny how we can get lost in our daily lives and yet the lord will seek us out and remind us that he still loves us and is waiting for us to call on him?

So anyway, Travis is home today and we can resume our regularly scheduled programs. YAY!!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend and remember to take a moment to remember the lives given for our freedom!!

Good Run Day

I had a good run yesterday. The weather wasn’t optimal, it was hot as all get out and the humidity was enough to make a girl need gills… Somehow I managed to push out three 10:30 miles for a 31:30 finish, all while pushing the nugget in his jogging stroller. I do not know how I managed it. I mean really, I struggled to get through the last half mile but I didn’t walk and am super excited about it. I know that this might not be a big deal for some of you but it is a huge deal for me. I have not been able to push through three miles with the baby stroller yet (without a walk break)  and certainly not knock out a 10:30 pace doing it. OH YEAH!!!

The rest of the day consisted of hanging out with the little boy, taking a couple of walks, making him some apples, and cutting my friend’s son’s hair. I  headed off for an early to bed night and got some much needed rest.

 Hope you had a good day too. 

Busy weeks ahead...

Yesterday I had an eye appointment and it was quite possibly the most frustrating appointment ever. You see, I have been having issues with things being blurry while I drive; Travis will point out something and I am unable to read it and at night I am just plain blind, a hazard to others and myself. So I went to the doctor because I am concerned for Clark’s safety. I want to make sure that I keep him around for a long time, plus he needs his mommy. The doctor ran the tests and then looked me straight in the eye and said, “you have better than 20/20 vision.”  WHAT??? No, it can’t be. So he had me look at a line on the chart and asked if I could tell him the letters. Well I am in my thirties, I am educated, and I know my alphabet… Uh yes, I believe that is either an O or a C, next is an E or an F, the next one is an H and the last one is a T. The reason that I could tell him this is not because I can CLEARLY see the damn letters; it is because I can make an educated guess at what capital letter is on the chart. HELLO!!! So the doctor then put a prescription to my eyeballs and asked if I could see the chart better and low and behold it was CLEAR! Um yes, give me that prescription and let me be on my way!

After the eye doctor I had a luncheon to go to across the street, it consisted of a lovely group of ladies getting together to say good bye to the neighborhood. We ate good food, had a few laughs, and watched the children play with each other for what might be one of the last times. During this luncheon the conversation turned to recent events at the middle school, events that make me think homeschooling is going to be the best option for our kids. You see apparently the principal announced over the loud speaker the other day that TEA-BAGGING would not be allowed at recess. THAT’S RIGHT, TEA-BAGGING!!! Are you shitting me? I cannot believe that 1) some kid is tea-bagging another kid at recess and 2) the principal is announcing it to the entire school! Can you imagine your kid coming home and saying, “Mommy, what is tea-bagging?” HOLY SHIT!!!

Those are my two funnies from yesterday, I’m sure today will bring more…

On another note, I am trying not to get overwhelmed with thoughts about our upcoming move but every day I walk out my front door there is a moving van at one of my neighbor’s house packing up their things. This gives me the itch to start throwing things out, to get rid of the clutter and dust collectors. Today is the area wide yard sale and I gathered things to get rid of. I’ve got necklaces and earrings that I never wear, purses that go unused, scarves that have never touched my neck, air conditioners that we won’t need in our new place, candle holders that just take up space, etc… Hopefully it will all sell.

Have you had any “holy shit” moments provided by something another adult has said to your kid?

Homemade Yogurt

Finished product, it is so creamy.

Last night I made homemade yogurt. I was really worried about how it was going to turn out or if it would turn out at all but low and behold I woke up this morning and it was done.  Not only was it too easy to do but it was cheap! I made 64 ounces of organic yogurt for the price of buying five yogurts that have who knows what added to them. Oh yeah, I’m doing the happy dance!

To make your own you will need:

½ gallon of milk (I used organic that was on sale for ½ price)

2.5 TBSP of starter yogurt (use plain yogurt with active cultures. Once you make your own yogurt you can use that as your starter)

1 double boiler or pot
1 casserole dish (with lid)
1 candy thermometer
Cheese cloth (optional)



Heat to 180

Cool to 110

Save 2 TBSP of milk in a bowl. Heat the remaining milk in the double boiler / pot until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit (continually stir the milk to keep from burning). Remove from the burner and pour into the casserole dish, let cool to 110 degrees. While the milk is cooling, mix the 2 reserved TBSPs of milk with the starter yogurt. Turn your oven on to warm or 100 to heat it up. Once the milk has cooled, add the starter yogurt mixture and mix well, place the lid on the casserole dish, cover with a dish towel and place inside the oven. Turn the oven light on (for heat), turn the oven off, and let the milk sit overnight or 8 hours. In the morning you will have yogurt!

Cover and let sit 8 hours

TOO EASY!!! There are some substitutions that you can make if you don’t have an oven light that produces heat; you can place the casserole dish in a cooler and seal it to keep the yogurt warm. If you want to have greek yogurt then you can strain your finished yogurt through a cheese cloth (layered into 4ths) removing the whey and creating a thicker product.

 I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

 Do you have any recipes for homemade treats that are healthier to make than they are to buy?