For most of my life, I have hated cooking. I admit that at the beginning of our marriage, I wasn't that great of a "typical" wife. I let A cook more often than not. It was never because I couldn't cook, I just hated doing it! Once I had a child, my domestic goddess finally kicked in. I guess if you give me a person I HAVE to cook for, I'll do it. I even sort of enjoy it. I do go through lazy periods where I don't want to cook a single thing. But overall, I cook pretty regularly. Do you love cooking or do you store your winter clothes in your stove?
Lately, I've made some really fabulous dinners....if I do say so myself ;) I'm a big fan of simple meals. I have raved about McCormick Gourmet seasonings for a while. Here's the website: http://www.mccormickgourmet.com/Products/Seasoning%20Mixes.aspx. Anyway, I made some amazing zucchini fries using the sweet basil and oregano bruschetta chicken pack. I cut up my zucchini, threw them in a baggie with some flour to coat them, dipped them in eggs, and then covered them with this mixture: breadcrumbs, some of the McCormick's mix, parmesan cheese, and a little salt and pepper. I didn't measure anything, I just kind of threw it all together. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 14 or minutes. They turned out SOOOO delicious and they were nice and crispy! We dipped ours in marinara sauce. I was surprised to find out the next day that A had come home from work and eaten every last bite of the leftovers!
Another of my go to ingredients is Tyson's Grilled and Ready chicken. I love it because it's already cooked and so easy to use. I made chicken enchiladas the other day. I put two small cans of enchilada sauce (or one big can) in my crock pot with about half a packet of taco seasoning, a can of green chillies, a handful of Tyson's Grilled and Ready regular chicken and a handful of Tyson's Southwestern chicken, and a can of rinsed black beans in my crock pot on high for 4 hours. I shred the chicken, put the chicken and beans in a flour tortilla shell and roll them up. I cover the rolls with the enchilada sauce and a bunch of cheese and throw it in the oven for a little bit to warm everything up together. They really are AMAZING!
Finally, on Saturday I tried a really yummy Pinterest recipe. It was pretzel covered chicken with a honey mustard sauce. Here's the recipe: http://friedgreenpickles.blogspot.com/2013/03/tasty-tuesday-honey-mustard-pretzel.html?m=1. I served it with asparagus. Yum!!!!
Now that I've told you all the yummy dinners I've been making I am hungry!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Question #22 Cartoons
Before L, I hadn't watched cartoons since I was a kid. Now that's all I watch!! :) Overall, I'd like to say they have mostly gotten better. When I was a kid, they weren't as educational as they are now. Shoot, you can learn to count, add, sing the ABC's, practice colors and shapes, even speak Spanish!!! It's pretty awesome. Regardless, I don't know a day that goes by that I am left confused by a cartoon. Hahaha. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it usually ends up in hysterical conversations between A and I. Here are some of my observations as well as some questions.
Why is it that everyone in Curious George has a name, including a monkey, besides the man with the yellow hat? I asked A this exact question this morning and he said it was because the show was about George, not the man with the yellow hat. Duh!
Do Nick and Sally's parents ever care where their kids actually are on The Cat and the Hat? They sure never mind the kids running off with the Cat and the Hat. I'd like a Cat in the Hat to take my kid on adventures and give me a little break. That would be amazing....anyone else game....as long as they are back before dinner!
What cartoon do you find yourself completely glued to even if your kid isn't really paying attention? For me, it's Dinosaur Train. That show captivates me and L is completely uninterested. Seriously, what kid doesn't like dinosaurs and trains? TOGETHER? I do worry a little about the Pteranodon family when Buddy finally grows full size. Not only will it be a lot harder to carry him while they fly around, but he's a T-Rex....he might just snack on the whole family down the road. Another thing....and maybe it's because I was never into dinosaurs before...but does it seem like there are a bunch more types of dinosaurs since I was younger? I haven't heard of half of of the species they talk about on Dinosaur Train.
What cartoon/ kid's show makes your skin crawl? I really can't get into The Wiggles. I just have a really hard time with four adult men hanging with kids all the time. It's really annoying and weird. I always find myself wondering what kind of an adult decides they want to do a kid's television program. Seems to me, you'd almost have to be a little backwards to sign up for kid's TV.
Cartoon voices....which make you cringe and are there any you don't mind? Obviously, SpongeBob is the first that comes to mind when for a voice that makes you cringe. Ugh that dang laugh...it is enough to make your ears bleed. I often think of what it would be like to be that guy in real life? Could you imagine being married to the voice of SpongeBob? Good God. I just envision settling in with some husband/ wife cuddle time and he breaks out in the voice of SpongeBob. Seriously, there isn't enough money to make me marry that. I have a a really embarrassing thing to admit. I think Handy Manny has a totally sexy voice! I realize it's Wilmer Valderrama...I mean, I went and googled it the first time I watched the show. But I couldn't recall what his actual voice sounds like, all I could come up with is Fez from That 70's Show, so I was surprised to find out he is Handy Manny.
Let's discuss Mickey Mouse Club House....particularly the "mouseketools..." I swear Mickey and gang are the modern day Macgyvers of the cartoon world. Every time I watch Mickey Mouse Club House, I am fascinated and surprised at how they use their mouseketools...for example, using a baby elephant to blow up balloons. Really? That's what baby elephants are handy for? And I swear they have bouncy shoes/ roller skates in almost every episode. Crazy stuff. Don't even get me started on the "Hot Dog" song (yeah, you know that dang song is in your head now! Bawahahahah)
L loves Thomas the Train. He has Thomas EVERYTHING! I generally don't mind Thomas too much. I'm not a huge fan of the older ones, I prefer the animated ones. My only beef with Thomas is this: Thomas never listens to what he is supposed to be doing and somehow someone comes and bails him out of trouble and it all works out in the end. So basically, you are telling my kid that he can do dumb stuff and someone will come along and help him clean up his mess and it will ALWAYS be all good? Hmm. A perfect example of this is in one of L's Thomas books. Thomas decides that, against the conductors orders, he doesn't want to wear his snow plow. He ends up getting stuck and Terrance the caterpillar tractor comes and digs him out. He gets scolded, but does he really learn his lesson? I doubt it because he keeps doing dumb stuff.
Finally, I want to talk about Calliou. First off, who the freak names their kid Caillou? Umm...hands down WORST name EVER!!! It's just so bizarre. I'd love to know who came up with that. Second, Caillou is quite possibly the whiniest child on television. I get more than my fair share of whining from L....I really don't need to see it on TV and L DEFINITELY doesn't need to see it on TV and validate all his whining!
This turned into a really long post. Obviously, I've given lots of thought to this topic. It's actually really hilarious. I never get tired of tearing apart cartoons. Maybe it's because that's just about ALL I get to watch these days! So tell me, are there any funny/ weird/ annoying things that you observe when watching hours of cartoons??
PS- Before I post this...I wanted to mention Yo Gabba Gabba. That show is one of the trippest shows I've seen. But really, they have the BEST musical guests....The Killers (introduced by their first names...I was curious how they'd get around the name Killers), MGMT, The Ting Tings, Jimmy Eat World, The Shins, and Shiny Toy Guns. Bravo Gabba Gabba for introducing our youth to some rockin' music!!!
Why is it that everyone in Curious George has a name, including a monkey, besides the man with the yellow hat? I asked A this exact question this morning and he said it was because the show was about George, not the man with the yellow hat. Duh!
Do Nick and Sally's parents ever care where their kids actually are on The Cat and the Hat? They sure never mind the kids running off with the Cat and the Hat. I'd like a Cat in the Hat to take my kid on adventures and give me a little break. That would be amazing....anyone else game....as long as they are back before dinner!
What cartoon do you find yourself completely glued to even if your kid isn't really paying attention? For me, it's Dinosaur Train. That show captivates me and L is completely uninterested. Seriously, what kid doesn't like dinosaurs and trains? TOGETHER? I do worry a little about the Pteranodon family when Buddy finally grows full size. Not only will it be a lot harder to carry him while they fly around, but he's a T-Rex....he might just snack on the whole family down the road. Another thing....and maybe it's because I was never into dinosaurs before...but does it seem like there are a bunch more types of dinosaurs since I was younger? I haven't heard of half of of the species they talk about on Dinosaur Train.
What cartoon/ kid's show makes your skin crawl? I really can't get into The Wiggles. I just have a really hard time with four adult men hanging with kids all the time. It's really annoying and weird. I always find myself wondering what kind of an adult decides they want to do a kid's television program. Seems to me, you'd almost have to be a little backwards to sign up for kid's TV.
Cartoon voices....which make you cringe and are there any you don't mind? Obviously, SpongeBob is the first that comes to mind when for a voice that makes you cringe. Ugh that dang laugh...it is enough to make your ears bleed. I often think of what it would be like to be that guy in real life? Could you imagine being married to the voice of SpongeBob? Good God. I just envision settling in with some husband/ wife cuddle time and he breaks out in the voice of SpongeBob. Seriously, there isn't enough money to make me marry that. I have a a really embarrassing thing to admit. I think Handy Manny has a totally sexy voice! I realize it's Wilmer Valderrama...I mean, I went and googled it the first time I watched the show. But I couldn't recall what his actual voice sounds like, all I could come up with is Fez from That 70's Show, so I was surprised to find out he is Handy Manny.
Let's discuss Mickey Mouse Club House....particularly the "mouseketools..." I swear Mickey and gang are the modern day Macgyvers of the cartoon world. Every time I watch Mickey Mouse Club House, I am fascinated and surprised at how they use their mouseketools...for example, using a baby elephant to blow up balloons. Really? That's what baby elephants are handy for? And I swear they have bouncy shoes/ roller skates in almost every episode. Crazy stuff. Don't even get me started on the "Hot Dog" song (yeah, you know that dang song is in your head now! Bawahahahah)
L loves Thomas the Train. He has Thomas EVERYTHING! I generally don't mind Thomas too much. I'm not a huge fan of the older ones, I prefer the animated ones. My only beef with Thomas is this: Thomas never listens to what he is supposed to be doing and somehow someone comes and bails him out of trouble and it all works out in the end. So basically, you are telling my kid that he can do dumb stuff and someone will come along and help him clean up his mess and it will ALWAYS be all good? Hmm. A perfect example of this is in one of L's Thomas books. Thomas decides that, against the conductors orders, he doesn't want to wear his snow plow. He ends up getting stuck and Terrance the caterpillar tractor comes and digs him out. He gets scolded, but does he really learn his lesson? I doubt it because he keeps doing dumb stuff.
Finally, I want to talk about Calliou. First off, who the freak names their kid Caillou? Umm...hands down WORST name EVER!!! It's just so bizarre. I'd love to know who came up with that. Second, Caillou is quite possibly the whiniest child on television. I get more than my fair share of whining from L....I really don't need to see it on TV and L DEFINITELY doesn't need to see it on TV and validate all his whining!
This turned into a really long post. Obviously, I've given lots of thought to this topic. It's actually really hilarious. I never get tired of tearing apart cartoons. Maybe it's because that's just about ALL I get to watch these days! So tell me, are there any funny/ weird/ annoying things that you observe when watching hours of cartoons??
PS- Before I post this...I wanted to mention Yo Gabba Gabba. That show is one of the trippest shows I've seen. But really, they have the BEST musical guests....The Killers (introduced by their first names...I was curious how they'd get around the name Killers), MGMT, The Ting Tings, Jimmy Eat World, The Shins, and Shiny Toy Guns. Bravo Gabba Gabba for introducing our youth to some rockin' music!!!
The Killers on Yo Gabba Gabba
Monday, March 4, 2013
Let the Fun Begin!!!!
Sometimes, I just love that life keeps me on my toes. I decided to sign L up for swim lessons. He is mostly comfortable in the water, but he has a yellow life vest that he uses as a crutch and doesn't like to swim without it. He *can* swim underwater for a very short distance without it, but lately he's been really clinging to that life vest. I figured now is a perfect time to get him started with swim lessons...maybe by the time we leave for vacation, he will be comfortable without the vest! At least, he loves putting his face underwater (he even does it in the bathtub....practising his swimming!) I am really excited about the lessons. I know it's going to make our life a little more hectic, but I am excited to get him started with this AND I am kind of thinking this is a nice opportunity for me to step up my swimming. I'll have a half hour to swim a few laps while he is doing his lesson. So potentially, I will have the opportunity to swim 5 days a week. I say potentially because it really is going to depend on my shoulder. Regardless, I can at the very least get in the pool with L after his lesson and play with him a bit, which will be loads of fun!
I am really getting jazzed for Spring...we are expecting a huge snowstorm tomorrow...hahahah! As much as I am looking forward to warm weather, I am also eager to go to my cousin's wedding, a new nephew, planning a baby shower for my friend, and another cousin coming to visit! There are just so many things to be joyful about!
I have been feeling completely amazed at how fast days pass lately! Being busy and having things to be excited for is wonderful, however, it sure makes your life go by quickly! Anyone else completely shocked it's already March? I am still having a hard time writing 2013!
Completely random....I have finally started to finish the Hunger Games books. I read the first one a while back and thought it was good, it was a really fast read. When I was finished, though, I didn't feel really thrilled to read the second and third installment. I had been reading the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton and need to obtain the last two books available, so I had nothing to read this weekend...I figured I hate leaving the Hunger Games series unfinished, so I started "Catching Fire". I started and finished it this weekend. It was really good, but again, I am left feeling like I wouldn't feel too terrible if I didn't read the last one. I am going to read the last book, but I am kind of meh about it. I can't explain why I feel this way either, because when I am actually reading the books, I think they are really good. I think maybe the whole "young adult" genre just isn't all that interesting to me. I like my books a little more mature. They don't have to be complete smut, but I do like a little more adult. By the way, the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton is pretty decent. I still have the last two to read (which I procured this weekend....SCORE!) They are a little far fetched, but whatever....I'm willing to stretch my imagination a bit ;) Ahhh...I just love reading!
I am really getting jazzed for Spring...we are expecting a huge snowstorm tomorrow...hahahah! As much as I am looking forward to warm weather, I am also eager to go to my cousin's wedding, a new nephew, planning a baby shower for my friend, and another cousin coming to visit! There are just so many things to be joyful about!
I have been feeling completely amazed at how fast days pass lately! Being busy and having things to be excited for is wonderful, however, it sure makes your life go by quickly! Anyone else completely shocked it's already March? I am still having a hard time writing 2013!
Completely random....I have finally started to finish the Hunger Games books. I read the first one a while back and thought it was good, it was a really fast read. When I was finished, though, I didn't feel really thrilled to read the second and third installment. I had been reading the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton and need to obtain the last two books available, so I had nothing to read this weekend...I figured I hate leaving the Hunger Games series unfinished, so I started "Catching Fire". I started and finished it this weekend. It was really good, but again, I am left feeling like I wouldn't feel too terrible if I didn't read the last one. I am going to read the last book, but I am kind of meh about it. I can't explain why I feel this way either, because when I am actually reading the books, I think they are really good. I think maybe the whole "young adult" genre just isn't all that interesting to me. I like my books a little more mature. They don't have to be complete smut, but I do like a little more adult. By the way, the Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton is pretty decent. I still have the last two to read (which I procured this weekend....SCORE!) They are a little far fetched, but whatever....I'm willing to stretch my imagination a bit ;) Ahhh...I just love reading!
Crafts and Activities for L
I don't know about anyone else, but I am a pinterest addict. I have done all kinds of different things off pinterest and really love having a place to trade ideas. Matter of fact, I seriously wonder what we would do without Pinterest anymore. I have a whole "board" for activities and things I think would be really cool for L. I've decided instead of spending SO much time on Pinterest, I am going to take some of the new ideas and try some activities and crafts with L. Last night, while I was making dinner, I set up a car wash for all of his matchbox cars. He seemed to enjoy it, but it was actually shorter lived than I imagined it would be. Either way, it kept him busy for a few minutes and wasn't THAT much of a mess to clean up. It was kind of fun because he could play in the kitchen with me and talk my ear off while I was cooking.
I am going to try and do a few more activities with L rather than throw him in front of the TV and let him tear my house apart! I think he is finally starting to enjoy doing little crafts a little more. His attention span is pretty much nil, but little activities to keep him busy while I'm making dinner or whatever don't need to be super in depth and time consuming. I am really excited to try some of the ideas I've found on Pinterest....like making a masking tape road all over a room so he can play cars on it or an Easter craft using paper plates. I've got a few ideas that should be very cheap, if not free, and not too complicated.
Here are a few things I think we are going to try....perfect timing too since my mom just texted me that she needs to take a trip to Pat Catans....time to stock up on some more craft supplies! Woot woot!
I am going to try and do a few more activities with L rather than throw him in front of the TV and let him tear my house apart! I think he is finally starting to enjoy doing little crafts a little more. His attention span is pretty much nil, but little activities to keep him busy while I'm making dinner or whatever don't need to be super in depth and time consuming. I am really excited to try some of the ideas I've found on Pinterest....like making a masking tape road all over a room so he can play cars on it or an Easter craft using paper plates. I've got a few ideas that should be very cheap, if not free, and not too complicated.
Here are a few things I think we are going to try....perfect timing too since my mom just texted me that she needs to take a trip to Pat Catans....time to stock up on some more craft supplies! Woot woot!
By the way...once we do some of these things, I'll post pictures! I know...you're on the edge of your seat waiting!!! :)
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