Christmas Traditions

Growing up we had some definite family traditions. When my brother and I were younger, Santa always came while we were at Christmas Eve mass (via our very kind neighbors). I have to admit that was pretty smart of my parents, we had no reason to suspect that they were behind Santa. As we got older we still went to mass on Christmas Eve and then always stopped at Godfather's to pick up pizza for dinner. After dinner was gifts and then I suppose the rest of the night and Christmas day was spent playing with all our new goodies. I hope we stumble into some good traditions to start with our "new" family. This year was Christmas Eve with my parents. We haven't done Christmas Eve mass since kids came into the picture. It is tough enough getting through regular mass with Bodie (Catholic weddings are impossible) I don't want to tackle Christmas Eve or Easter Vigil mass for some time. We did go to mass Christmas morning - Bodie was not on his best behavior, he must have know there were some great gifts waiting for him at home. We came home, had a little something to eat and then tackled the gifts. Bodie seems to enjoy his new basketball hoop and mega blocks.




Hopefully as time goes on we will stumble into some special traditions, things that become more memorable than any gift you receive.

Slightly Better Morning

This morning Bodie did better than he has been at school. He was very clingy when I was trying to get his coat off and put down his diapers I brought in. I picked him up, gave him a hug, and talked to him about the yummy banana waiting for his breakfast. Finally I tried to sit him in his chair and it worked! Not melt downs or anything. He sat there and then started eating his "nana". Ahhhh....hopefully this will be a new morning trend!

Lesson Learned

Well it seems that Bodie has finally learned one lesson (we are keeping our fingers crossed anyway). For the past week or two he has been giving us some attitude at bedtime. He does really good through our routine until it is actually time for bed. After I put him in his sleep sack, I pick him up to give him a hug and kiss and he just buries his head in my shoulder (much like he does at daycare). Once we put him back down in his crib he usually stands up and cries. Usually lasts no more than 5 minutes, but it has been a definite change from the smooth path we had to bed time previously. Well I think the events of Friday night might have put us back on the smooth path, good baby scenario we used to have. Friday we went through our routine of pj's, snack, brush teeth...all went fine...then it was story time. We sat down in the rocking chair, I picked up a book, and he wiggled down, off my lap. Well, I am the mean parent who doesn't play games so I put him in his crib and put his sleep sack on. I told him he had one more chance for stories and we sat back down in the rocking chair. I picked up one of his favorite books, Moo Baa La La La, and he pushed it right out of my hands. So, back in the crib he went, with no stories. Well for the last two nights he has been very good at bed time. He really hasn't made a peep either night. Maybe this trend will continue tomorrow when we go back to school.

Independent baby

I have got an independent baby on my hands. Yikes! In the mornings we get dressed, he walks into the bathroom, gets up on his stool, grabs his toothbrush and brushes his teeth. I have to prepare the toothbrush before I get him dressed because he will not brush if he sees you put the toothpaste on it. I think this is because I bought some toothpaste he didn't care for and he is afraid that we are still using it. Anyway, after he brushes his teeth he walks over to the stairs, sits down and goes down the stairs on his own. He definitely does not want mama picking him up and carrying him down anymore. My little guy is growing up. This morning we had a fight just to put his coat on. I'm not really sure where this came from since normally he loves to get his coat on, since that means he gets to go somewhere. Pretty much every morning this week has been a meltdown at daycare. He refuses to walk in the door to his classroom on his own. So I have to carry him in. Normally I'd take his coat off and he'd walk right over to the table for breakfast but all week he has sat down and clung to my legs. Then I pick him up and he buries his head in my shoulder. He really knows how to lay a guilt trip on his mama. Each morning his teacher takes him from me and by the time I get to my car I see him inside at the table eating. It does make me feel guilty for leaving him but I hope it is a short phase we will be over soon.

Menu Plan Monday

I hesitate in even posting our plan for the week since it isn't very exciting. I do want to share a great soup recipe I tried this weekend, so I'll post that after the plan.

Monday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches; Alexa oven fries

Tuesday: Hamburger and beans (my husbands old bachelor recipe - simply 1lb hamburger, browned with 1 large can of baked beans and a sprinkling of garlic powder - it is surprisingly tasty).

Wednesday: Spaghetti

Thursday: Chicken Fajitas

Friday: Goulash

Except for the Tuesday and Wednesday, things we are having are pre packaged meals (horrible I know). I wanted to plan a good menu for the week but on a whim we went grocery shopping on Saturday before I'd made a list or anything. Hopefully next week will be better.

This weekend I will hopefully bake Christmas cookies to give out to friends and family. I'll post recipes next week if something turns out to be worth sharing :)

Now for the soup recipe. I made this yesterday it it was really good, but a little spicy. Definitely got us warmed up on a very cold day. Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients, it was really easy to make.

Fiesta Chowder (from Southern Living)

3T all purpose flour
1 (1.4oz) package fajita seasoning, divided
4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cubed
3T vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1t minced garlic
1 (15 ¼-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 ½-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles

3c water

1 cup uncooked instant brown rice

1 (2 ¼-ounce) can sliced ripe olives (optional)

1 (10 ¾-ounce) can condensed nacho cheese soup

3T chopped fresh cilantro

1T lime juice

Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

Breadsticks (optional)

Combine flour and 2T fajita seasoning in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat.

Cook chicken in oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring often, 4 minutes or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-high; add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Stir in remaining fajita seasoning, corn, next 5 ingredients, and, if desired, olives. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove lid, and stir in nacho cheese soup, chopped cilantro, and lime juice. Garnich, if desired, and serve with breadsticks, if desired.

A few notes. I used regular brown rice, instead of instant, and just cooked it before adding it to the soup. The friend I got this recipe from used the instant rice and said she had to cook it longer than 5 minutes to get it done.

Crisis averted...

Ipod found...it was, of course, in the laundry basket.

Where is my iPod?????

I am a bit paniked right now. I cannot find my iPod. Oh boy oh boy. I know I had it Friday night when I got home from work. Well I mean I know I had it when I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from work. I don't remember getting in and noticing it was stolen (I think that would have jumped out at me) so I assume I made it home with it that evening. Then what? Did I leave it in the car? Doubtful. Did I bring it in and pile it in a pile of crap that seems to be within arm level no matter where in my house you are? More likely. Now to decipher which crappy pile it is in. I've been working so much these past few weeks my house looks like a bunch of college guys must inhabit it. I just need to get through this next week, then I will have free time, maybe a vacation day and a couple of "work from home" days will help me get this place back in order.

First order of business...finding that iPod....

Home Sweet Home

We made it back to town in one piece this afternoon. Bodie was great on the car ride home. I think he's pretty fond of Blue's Clues (gets him into a nice trance anyway). He managed to nod off for one hour, until Curt had to stop at a rest area. Bodie is notorious for waking as soon as the car stops moving so that ended his little nap. He was very happy to go pick up Deuce and Tahj from my parents after we got the car unloaded. He kept giving Tahj hugs, which was very sweet since Tahj isn't always the best to Bodie. When we got close to dinner time it became obvious that Bodie was very tired and worn down from all his weekend adventures. After dinner was a very quick (guessing less than 5 minute) bath and he was in bed by 6pm. Putting Bodie to bed this early used to come back and bite us in his younger days (when he'd usually wake up after an hour). It's been over an hour and a half now though and he is still asleep, so hopefully we will be good for the night.

On another note, the Chadron State game yesterday was AMAZING!! Chadron won 76-73 in TRIPLE OVERTIME! We were down by 16 points with 5 minutes left so, thinking it was over, Bodie and I went to the car. I thought I'd change his diaper and get him settled in the car seat (praying for him to maybe take a little snooze before we went to dinner with friends). I kept waiting to see the crowd walking by, signaling the end of the game. When nothing was happening I found the game on the radio and low and behold Chadron had just tied it up at the end of regulation. I got Bodie bundled up again and we headed back to the stadium, making it just in time for the start of overtime. Finally we pulled it out in the 3rd OT, after Abilene Christian settled for a field goal on their possession. Bad move on their part as we'd scored on them for at least our previous 4 possessions. Next week is a rematch of last year's quarterfinals game against NW Missouri State. They beat us by a touchdown last year, so hopefully we will come out ahead this time. Unfortunately I don't think we will be able to go as Curt and I are Godparents to our nephew Will, and his baptism is Sunday morning.

Wild Wild West

Well we are out at my in laws. Bodie did ok on the trip out. The first hour he was ok just hanging out in his car seat. He looked tired and since it was dark we thought he might sleep but no dice. The second hour had Bodie's discovery of the wonderful world of Blues Clues (yes I am a big fan but I will always like Steve better than the new guy, Joe?). Bodie was really starting to get tired around hour 3. We had planned to make a pit stop in North Platte to use restrooms and switch drivers. I joked to Curt that Bodie would probably fall asleep 5 minutes before we were to stop. Sure enough that is what happened. And in true Bodie form once we were ready to hit the road again he was not ready to sleep. It was kind of cute because it seemed he tried to do everything he could to stay awake. He played with his shoes, tried to see what goodies were in the bag next to him. After about 1 more hour on the road (and watching the first chunk of Shrek several times due to mommy and daddy not being proficient in using the DVD player) we remembered we forgot to bring Bodie's travel "high chair". We stopped in Ogallala and thankfully the Pamida was open. We found a nice booster chair for only $10. Bodie loved getting out and running around the store. They were playing Christmas music and Bodie just loves to dance. I wish I had video to post but he really gets his dance moves from his daddy :). Bodie did ok the rest of the trip. He was just very overtired and had some fussy points because of that.

We arrived to see Grandma Cheri and Grandpa Allen and when we walked in the door Bodie just started crying. I really though this trip was going to be the repeat of our last one, when I couldn't so much as leave the room with out him melting down. He adjusted in about 5 minutes though. Grandma Cheri had a nice John Deere toy for him to play with. He's loved showing off all of the words he says, showing his dance moves, smiling and laughing for anyone and everyone. We drove to town tonight to attend an opening of a new coffee roasting business and Bodie just wanted to run around screaming (of course in a cute, non-obnoxious way). But not such a good idea when people are walking around with coffee and wine. So our stay there was not long. Bodie did get fussy on the drives to and from town. I asked him how we could ever move to the country if he couldn't handle the drive. I guess he would just get used to it if that ever happens.

Tomorrow we are driving 2.5 hours to Chadron for the Chadron State v. Abilene Christian football game...Go Eagles!! Hopefully we will meet up with our friends Chad and Carlye as we don't get to see them but maybe once a year if we are lucky. One last funny story. Curt's best friend Cory and his wife Brooke were scheduled to have a c-section today to deliver their baby girl. When Cory realized Chadron State would probably be hosting the game this weekend he tried talking Brooke into rescheduling the delivery. Needless to say that did not go over very well.

Menu Plan Monday

A short and easy week here...

Sunday - Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings (if you make this read the comments for extra ideas. I added a bag of frozen mixed veggies about halfway through cooking, along with a little corn starch to thicken things up).

Monday - Grill out. Not sure what, either pork chops or steaks.

Tuesday - Tater tot taco salad - never made this before, but seems like a fun way to dress up tacos.

Wednesday - Chili. No real recipe to follow but I use hamburger, onion, green pepper, chili beans, rotel, tomato sauce, chili powder in the slow cooker.

Thursday - headed to the in-laws for the rest of the week. I'm charged with bringing a salad to Thanksgiving dinner. Also I'm going to bring Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies.

Have a great week and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Baby talk...

Yesterday Bodie was doing such funny stuff. I hope other kids do equally odd things and I don't have that strange kid. I was getting ready to pack his things because he was staying the night with his grandparents. I had his sleep sack out on the floor and he kept putting it over his head and then walking around. He'd run straight into things because he couldn't see where he was going. I just kept laughing and he kept doing it. He really likes doing things to make us laugh. Another funny thing he does is to climb on Curt's back with the sole intention of falling off. It is the same every time. Curt lays on the floor, Bodie crawls on his back, Curt gets on all fours, Bodie goes over Curt's shoulders right on the floor. Now that we've learned the pattern, Curt catches him most every time. Again, we just laugh at him and he keeps on entertaining. His teachers at school have told me they think he'll be a comedian because he just clowns around so much.

Also yesterday we had our first experience with time out. I finally decided I couldn't keep letting him on the coffee table, and after several no's, it was up to his room and in the crib for 1 minute. He was very upset and when we went back downstairs he didn't try to get up on the coffee table again (until today, when we experienced our 2nd time out). He does know what he is doing is wrong. He looks over to you with a sly smile on his face and then does exactly what he knows he shouldn't. Can't wait for those terrible twos to show up :).

A day off...

Curt had Monday off from work Here is a list of things I thought he might accomplish during his down time:

• laundry
• dishes
• pick up the house a little

That was the minimum I thought he'd do. I also thought maybe he'd change at least 1 of the 7 light bulbs currently burned out inside and outside of our house (a big pet peeve of mine). And I fantasized that he'd vacuum, sweep and/or mop the floors.

What he did accomplish:

• dishes
• laying around

When I got home from my day at the office and started laundry he finally replaced the 3 bulbs burned out in the laundry room (leaving them in the laundry basket for me to throw away at my earliest convenience).

Anything to keep them happy...

I'll admit, sometimes this is the motto with my son. Although I want to set boundaries for him, sometimes I just let him get away with things I know I shouldn't. Tonight Curt was out with a friend, and while I was trying to get dinner ready, Bodie was in the bathroom playing with the trash. I should mention this trash is nothing more than the empty toilet paper rolls (otherwise I would have stopped him). I really shouldn't let him think it is okay to play around in the trash, but it was keeping him occupied while I finished up dinner. I figured it was better than having a crying baby wrapped around my leg. I know we really do give him some mixed signals on our boundaries. Half the time when he climbs on the coffee table we get him down right away, other times we let him sit on there (I will say we never let him stand on it). Part of me figures eventually he'll get bored with these "freedoms" and quit on his own. This has already happened with pulling out videos and books off the bookshelf. The novelty is bound to wear off at some point, right? If not, we'll just have that crazy kid obsessed with toilet paper rolls :)

My First Menu Plan Monday

Woohoo! So excited to do this... I usually grocery shop on Saturday morning so I plan my week Saturday - Friday. Here we go. My side dishes are usually on the fly, so I probably won't share unless I know in advance...

Saturday - Pork chops on the grill
Sunday - Chicken calzones (chicken, green onion, green pepper, cheese)
Monday - Sausage and broccoli skillet
Tuesday - Slow cooker Turkey Breast
Wednesday - Chicken Pesto Paninis (made with leftover turkey) and sweet potato chips
Thursday - Black bean and rice casserole
Friday - Roast in slow cooker with mashed potatoes

Sweet Potato Chips (from Simple and Delicious)
2 med sweet potatoes, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Oil for frying

Cut potatoes into thin slices, soak in cold water for 30 minutes.
Drain; pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine spices, set aside.
In electric skillet or deep fryer heat oil to 375. Fry potatoes in batches, 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon, drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with seasonings and serve warm. Yield: 4 servings.

My baby had a rough day...

Gosh, today was tough on my little guy. I should have known, when he woke up a little early. All week we've been keeping him up a little later to help with the transition to the time change. So last night he went to bed at 8 and, theoretically, should have slept until 8 this morning. Instead he was up at 7, not too bad but should have been my first clue. Or, maybe the problem was when he woke up I thought I'd let him stay in his pjs, but he hates his pjs. Maybe that contributed to his crankiness too. Anyway, the morning seemed off to a fine start until, while I was making lunch, he broke down in hysterics in the kitchen. Figuring he was just hungry, I offered him his peas that were ready. He didn't want any part of those. And when his pizza was ready, he couldn't care less. We figured he must have just been really tired so we took him up to bed and he just screamed. We really haven't had this nap time drama in several months. It made me afraid he is getting another ear infection and it hurts for him to lay down. He did settle down though and napped for maybe 1 hour...yikes! But he was happy enough when he got up and we played outside for a while. The crankies came back though so we put him down for a second nap (before which I gave him some Motrin in case it is his ears keeping him from sleeping). He went down for a good 2 hours, which was great for all of us.

I'm realizing this is already a long story and I'm just getting to the good parts... After dinner Bodie kept climbing up the stairs (my fault for taking down the gate and not putting it back up). Let me back up to say that several weeks ago Curt and Bodie were on the stairs together and, for whatever reason, Curt taught him to go down the stairs by sliding forward on his behind. Every time I see Bodie doing this I cringe because it really looks like an accident waiting to happen. But since Daddy taught him this, he insists on going down stairs like this now, even though he knows the more correct way to climb down them. Well tonight it finally happened, he tumbled down. Now thankfully, it was only about 4 steps as Curt was sitting at the bottom and caught him. Bodie hardly cried, I think he was just startled more than hurt.

Bodie continued playing and just had a great night. At the same time I was working on the laundry and had brought his collapsible hamper down from Bodie's room. I'd emptied the contents into the washer and Bodie played around with the hamper, somehow getting it over his head, but he was also sitting on it at the same time and it started collapsing sort of around him. He screamed like someone was literally trying to eat him alive. When I heard the scream I had no idea what could have been happening but he must have just been a little scared. I pulled the hamper off him and he was good to go again. Now, if he will just make it to at least 7am tomorrow morning...

Blogging trouble...

I haven't been able to log into blogspot for a few days now. For some reason when I sign it, I get a link saying click here to continue. I click...nothing. Click again...nothing. Finally tonight I right-clicked and selected open in a new window and finally got in here. So hopefully this post will be worth the trouble.

I just got done working out and am waiting for Curt to get home from work. He's on-call this week and someone died (an inmate) so he had to go in. Right now I'm listening to the Phedippidations podcast. Steve Runner does this goofy little podcast on running. It took me a few listens before I got used to his style, but now I like tuning in to hear his adventures while running. It also helps get me motivated for my own workouts, as I think I'm going to try to run the Lincoln Half Marathon in May 2008. I ran the race back in 2004, and it was one of my biggest accomplishments. Also it got me in the best shape of my life (and the only time I remember getting my big butt in a size 10!). So hopefully I can accomplish this.

An update on the Dannon natural yogurt...It is actually quite tasty. It doesn't have the same aspartame aftertaste that the fat free yogurts do. I think I'm officially a convert.

Tomorrow is Friday (yay!!). Tomorrow we are going to a Cowboy cookout at our local State Park. Other than that I hope to have a pretty quiet weekend. I definitely need to get the house clean. I've done so good getting up all week at 5 am, with hopes to clean the house, but instead I just grab a cup of coffee and cuddle under a blanket on the couch. I think once I see the mess I am so unmotivated to do anything. If I can get the whole house clean at once, I should be able to just spend a few minutes each morning picking things up and keeping things in order. Also, I'm going to try my hand at the November challenge over at Org Junkie. Our kitchen is so lacking in space, and gets so easily cluttered. Hopefully I can find some cute storage units to help keep things in order and not so out of control.

Eating Healthy

This is something I struggle with. You want to eat healthy but you want to eat things that taste good (to me these are completely different food categories). Last week I noticed my yogurt had High Fructose Corn Syrup in it. This ingredient is something I've tried to avoid eating in my breads, but never paid attention to what other foods contain HFCS. This weekend I bought dannon all natural yogurt, which is HFCS free, although the containers are smaller and the calories higher than my old fat free yogurts. I haven't tried them yet but I suspect I won't be as satisfied with them. I'll keep you posted.

Also this weekend I tried my hand at making homemade English Muffins. Not sure if I will try this again in the future. I bought a set of biscuit cutters which were crap. First the recipe called for a 4" cutter and the biggest in my set was 3". I used the "handle" on the cutter to press into my dough which, more often than not, caused the handle to bend and put my knuckle prints in the dough. When I would try to hold the edge of the cutter, instead of the handle, I was left with 3 nice cuts in my thumbs. Finally I got them all cut and was ready to "bake" them on my electric griddle. The recipe says to cook each side for 10 minutes. Even though my biscuits were an inch smaller, I cooked them for no less than 15 minutes each side and I think they still taste a little doughy. My muffin this morning really wasn't big enough for my measly 1/4 c egg beater and slice of cheese sandwich.


***Eating update...tonight we made popcorn chicken for dinner. Not only did Bodie eat all of it, he also ate Beets!! I couldn't believe he actually ate them. When I asked Curt for some side dish ideas for this week he wanted Beets (I did not have any). The chicken was very tasty...I ate mine on a bed of romaine. I think when Bodie runs out of his Schwans man chicken nuggets I will make these to keep in the freezer for him. I feel much better when I know exactly what we are eating.

I'm a blogger....

Well, maybe. We will see how long I stick with this. Where did I get the name magma...well a few years ago I needed a name for my fantasy football team. Since I was with a bunch of guys, I felt the pressure to come up with a cool name. I literally opened the dictionary, flipped through a few pages and found magma. I thought it was tough, yet cool and unique. Hopefully my blog will also reflect my thoughts on the name magma. I don't mean hot, molten lava...I mean I will have (a few) cool and unique thoughts.