A day all about me!



Mother's Day 2011



Yesterday was Mother's Day.. And even though mothers should be celebrated everyday for all if their "work".. it was so nice to have a day I could use as an excuse to be lazy! It came in handy as a "weapon" against my husband when I didn't feel like doing something...it was perfect because for today he had nothing in his arsenal that could defeat ...."but..it's mothers day!!" and for that I am very appreciative!

I slept in till 12! I didn't know I even still had that in me. Then headed to my mom's to make brunch.

Bacon, eggs, cream cheese stuffed french toast, fruit salad, and cinnamon rolls. The fruit salad was so good..I tried a new recipe.

I got my gifts a day early too...Shane heard me mention that I would kill for a dr.pepper the day before so it was totally him to include a 12 pack as part of my "gift". He knows I don't like to spend $ on flowers bc they die..so the flower cupcakes were his version of getting me flowers. Cards from him and Emerson...which he let her doodle in(my favorite gift) ...a box of Hershey's chocolates...silicone baking dishes(3 different kinds) and a smooch! He did such a good job, I love that man.

Emerson had a fever all day, I think it has to do with her molars coming in. She still made the best of her day and put on her poodle dress and pranced around. I am so lucky she is MY little lady and extremely thankful to be her mom.

  Riding in the Radio Flyer I grew up in.



2011

2010

 

Dear Shane......

It's been barely over a month since I wrote you last. A letter just like this one.. you won't get to read. A letter meant more for me than you.
Just as I predicted...time has flown by. Generally in life, I always push to be right.. but under the circumstances I would much rather let time prove me wrong. What I wouldn't give for the next 2 months we have to feel like 2 years.
Our daughter has formed such love for you... A sweet father, daughter connection to be envied by dad's everywhere. Each night when you are due home from work she waits in the doorway accompanied by a toy to keep her preoccupied. Shrieks of excitement pour from her tiny body when she sees your car pull in the driveway. For the next 10 minutes "da da" is the only word spoken from her pouty little mouth. The mouth she undeniably inherited from me.
Once inside, your nightly routine begins.. she helps remove your name tag and stick it to the side of the microwave...you take off your tie and place it over her shoulders (easily her favorite part of it all) always running around the living room in her new wares. Grinning. Guaranteed to be followed by tossing, spinning, hiding, seeking, screams and giggles. Music to any mom's ears.

I wonder how long after you leave she will still wait in front of that glass door....How am I supposed to tell her daddy won't be coming home?

I wonder how I will be mom and dad while you are gone.....I can't replace what you two have. It's going to hurt my heart seeing the disappointment and confusion all over her face that first day I have to pull her away from the door. I don't want to be the first person to break her heart. That's supposed to be some teenage boys job, not her mommy's....(some teenage boy whose ass I will kick, might I add).

I no longer have doubts about running a successful household without your help. I took on all the chores and toddler duties, and with the help of Folgers in my cup.. it has been quite a success. What I am worried about is something I don't think I can fix...something that has already been made obvious..how our daughter will cope with this change. She grows smarter everyday...so when you leave..she will absolutely know. I want to make sure she doesn't think you deserted her. How can I do that? What ever I do...I have to come up with something soon...and I hope my execution is perfect- for our little lady is at stake.

My love, I continue to grow prouder of you everyday. We made the most important decision of our lives on 10/25/08...we took a risk as two kids in love..shared our vows...and sealed it with a kiss.
You are without a doubt the best decision I have ever made.

2 more months....that are sadly sure to be rushed by.
Here's to making those count, and hoping the day's without you carry on just as expeditiously.


-Your #1 fan

Mommy's little helper

Emerson is the cutest!
This is such a rewarding age... She is so smart and will mimic everything you do. We picked up some plants from Lowes and planted them in an island in the backyard. She was surprisingly totally into it! I thought she would be over it after 5 minutes, but she grabbed a shovel and "helped" dig holes and wanted to touch all the plants- more like rip them apart- but still!
I love spending some good ol' QT with my loves.

Tasty Tuesday

Totally not raw!

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream icing

Recipe from my Grandmother:

Which I will copy and edit to add later!!


Annnd always pay your helper in chocolate left overs!


Tip: use a ziploc bag to fill your cupcake liners to prevent spillage you get with a spoon. Do the same with your icing!

These are boxed up bc it's bad news bears for me to keep 24 cupcakes in my kitchen- my in laws love baking days.

Going RAW!

We needed to do something that would significantly change our lives...we want to be healthy, live longer and of course pass along healthy habits to our children.
What we decided to do was to eat 50% raw. Sounds kind of drastic..but honestly we needed a lifestyle change and this is step one. I was a vegetarian for about 4 years so this kind of change isn't too strange. I knew we didn't want to be vegetarian's this go around..my husband could never give up his steak! So I did a lot of research and to us going raw makes perfect sense. Our bodies treat cooked food when more than 50%(daily) is consumed like an infection. Steadily increasing white blood cells and treating the food you eat like it's a poison that needs to be fought off. They also believe this can be the cause of cancer's and many other health issues we have today...and on that note I will say eating raw foods has even been proven to reverse a lot of health issues. I suggest watching "Food Matters" and "Food Inc"..if you are interested in knowing more about my reasons for changing :)
We now buy our meat from a local butcher and will buy as many organic products that we can. It was something my husband and I easily agreed on. About 4 major corporations handle all the meat in the world..not to mention the inhumane aspect accompanied by such large demand for meat...the growth hormone...is real! So scary that you aren't allowed to see where your food comes from...and the only way to make a change is to show these companies we want organic-free range-no growth hormone-pesticide free-natural foods for our bodies. That way they have no option but to provide it. The extra expense is worth it! There is no way a big-mac should cost less than a bushel of broccoli. Americans should be able to eat healthy no matter what their budget...so if those who are able make some changes actually follow through then we can pave the way for those who currently cannot and eventually make organic the new norm!
We need a healthier America, but that's a battle I can't fight. What I can do is make sure my daughter has the right tools for making healthy choices. By eating foods that will fuel her mind and body and not hurt them. I don't want to be misunderstood so I will clarify that she still eats cooked foods and even has "treats"..so I am not making her sacrifice what other kids are exposed to. We are not super strict, this is why we are doing 50%..a lot of people are 100% raw.
I was scared when I first saw the "truth" about the foods of today and that prompted our change. I am excited about this and will be sharing more about it occasionally :)

Below you will see an example of what I feed Emerson. This is what she ate today.

Breakfast is usually a smoothie made with
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 sliced banana
3/4 cups mix of blueberries/strawberries/blackberries
1 teaspoon organic honey

A mini blueberry bagel
Which is just a regular brand at any grocery store

And the other half of the banana from her smoothie

SNACKS: which I offer quite often and randomly through the day

She will eat any of the below:
Banana chips
Raisins(yogurt covered and regular)
Carrot sticks
Dried fruit
Fig newtons
Graham crackers
Organic fruit snacks
Organic cheese crackers

And I know she eats others I just can't remember of the top of my head.

LUNCH:

Cut up organic pear/apple/mango/watermelon/oranges/plum/kiwi
I usually have at least 3 of the above in the fridge and rotate daily.

A few grapes
And a couple blueberries

The side options will change too depending on what I have :)

And she gets 2 pieces of cheese "Mickey mouse shapes"

She also drink's juice with her lunch.

DINNER: I had no pictures of dinner :( it was hectic tonight. My one year old is suffering from terrible two's :/

But she had:

Raw Organic butternut squash cubed
Raw Organic broccoli heads
Marinated and cooked organic chicken breast (cut up of course)