Dear John

Dear ipad, television, rocking chair, and couch;
Please do not think I am leaving you; this is only temporary. I will visit you more frequently in the evenings as they allow; on the weekends and again full time when summer comes. I will miss you more then you will know. I swear its not personal; no really--its not you...its me.All good things must come to an end; but alas we will meet again.
I love you......please never forget......



***Tomorrow is the dreaded return to work day. Maternity leave is ending and instead of seriously considering how much I will miss Carter; I'm doing my best to make due***

**Chicken** Pad Thai

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE the smell of freshly chopped cilantro? Because I do! Today I got to smell that when I made some pad thai. I used Sandra Lee's recipe from the Food Network site. However; I added chicken**. Because I love me some protein. Here is the recipe I used :-)

Ingredients

• 1 (16-ounce) package rice noodles
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• **1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon chile sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 carrot, grated
• 4 scallions, sliced thin (reserve 1 scallion for Round 2 Recipe Coconut Chicken Soup)
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped, for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the rice noodles and let them soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. (Reserve 1 cup cooked noodles for Online Round 2 Recipe Summer Rolls.)

In a wok or a large skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. When it is hot, add the eggs and cook until they are firm. Remove them from the pan and let them cool a bit. Roughly chop them and set aside. **Add another tablespoon of oil and cook chicken (cut into bite sized pieces) in same pan and set it aside with the eggs.**

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, chile sauce, lime juice, garlic, and broth. Set side.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan along with the carrots, scallions, and bean sprouts andstir fry 1 minute. Add the reserved eggs and sauce, stirring to coat everything completely. Cook for another minute. Serve garnished with peanuts and cilantro

Izze's mom vs Carters mom

Izze was a formula fed baby. She slept with us for maybe a week or two. By 6 weeks she was in her own crib and sleeping through the night. The first few nights we did a little bit of cry it out with her. She handled it fine. She's resilient. Izze didn't get held often (she would fuss, it was a hot summer and she was a hot baby). She preferred to swing or ride in a stroller.
Carter had some formula during her first week of life; but since then has turned to exclusive breastfeeding. Carter sleeps ONLY with her mom. The idea of a crib disgusts her. The idea of her crying it out; makes her mom's heart break. Carter's mom is not as resilient as Izze. Carter is held or worn pretty much 24/7. She has a sling; a k'tan; a Becco and a wrap. Carter prefers to be with mom.
Some of this is the difference in kids. But a lot is the difference in their moms.
Izze's mom was a first time mom just trying to survive.Carters mom was having her final baby and trying to savor every second with her.Izze's mom was okay with sharing Izze and not being "favored".Carter's mom really likes being her favorite and is a bit selfish about it.Izze's mom wanted easy.Carter's mom wants whatever Carter wants.
I don't know if its third child; I don't know if its final child; or if its just "THE BABY" of the family syndrom. I do know that its not because I think these things are "better" then I used to; because I still see no problem with formula feeding; crying it out; and not wearing my child. I say you have to do what you have to do.
So I figure it must JUST be that they have different moms.

Oriental Chicken Roll Up --Applebees copycat recipe

Alright, in trying to figure out how to pin this recipe the exact way I made it; I had to blog about it first, because well I found a recipe online, read the reviews and then modified it to work for my lazy self. So here goes:


ORIENTAL CHICKEN ROLL UP (Copy Cat Recipe from Applebees)Dressing:

• 6 Tbsp light corn syrup (or honey)
• 3 tbsp white wine vinigar
• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon seasame oil

Other ingredients:

• 4 flour tortillas (burrito size)
• Tyson (or like brand) chicken tenders; 2-4 servings worth
• Bag of asian slaw (also called broccoli slaw, it contains shredded broccoli, cabbage and carrots)
• Chow Mein Noodles (about 1 cup-2 cups)
• Sliced almonds (1/4 cup)

Start by mixing the dressing ingredients until smooth; and then chill them.
Cook up some crispy chicken tenders according to directions.* Cut them up into bite sized pieces when they are finished cooking.
Mix a bag of "asian slaw"; in with the dressing. (it has broccoli, cabbage and carrots)
Add about 1 cup crispy chow mein noodles and 1/4 cup sliced almonds to the salad and dressing.
Use a soft (can warm a few minutes) burrito sized flour tortilla. Fill with salad mix and chicken. Roll up and eat!

You could also make it the salad the long way. By going to this site. Note that it is only enough for one salad and does not include rolling it up. I doubled the recipe and was able to get 4 good sized roll ups.
*We also decided to throw in about 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce on the cut up chicken for a different flavor. And because applebees always had a teriyaki type dipping sauce with this particular wrap, though I have yet to find a recipe or name for THAT. Please let me know if you do!

Timelines

I hear facebook has this new "timeline" feature coming. I'm not sure what it will be like but it got me thinking of my time line from the last week. I hope to never have 6 days like this again.
Thursday: Caden comes home from daycare whiney and crabby. A few hours later, Caden throws up all over his bed. He is up half the night with Kevin sick as a dog. Friday: Its Nea's birthday. But I get to celebrate MY birthday at work. Aunt Gloria even brought treats. Yeah for that. At lunch I find out I get a call from Chloe and Grandma Priscilla has passed away. Make it through the day but feeling very sad. Get home from a long day (Fridays are the long days at work) and find out dad needs help at the shop, so I go put 3 hours in there. Come home and am in bed an hour later. Saturday: ITS MY BIRTHDAY. But Caden is STILL sick. So we have to cancel our plans. No party at the Roughtons for us. Also with Priscilla passing, dad is at his wits end and needs help at work. Kevin spends the morning working while I take care of a whiney boy and his sister. I do get graced with a lovely facial. Mom offered to take us to dinner but Caden is still crying with an upset tummy. I'm sad that I can't celebrate, but mom shows up around 7 with a DQ treat for me. Super nice. However, I'm tired. By 8pm I'm in bed and I HAVE CADENS FLU. Happy Birthday to me :-( Sunday: I wake up and I'm sick ALL day. I'm weak and feel like dying. But its football day. Vikings start off 20pts ahead at half time, then for the 3rd week in a row, they give the game away. At least I won 50$ off the final score. I sleep some more and hope tomorrow I feel better. I get a call from Gregg and Bridgette had surgery today. She is okay but we won't know more till tomorrow. DO NOT LIKE THIS.Monday: Wake up and take Izze to school, and Caden to daycare. I come home and I'm STILL sick when I eat, though I feel better and less achey. The baby is starving but if I eat I get sick. No food for me. Nap and get ready for the wake at 3pm. Spend the evening there; heavy heavy hearts.Tuesday: Wake up to moaning. Kevs not feeling well. Time to get ready for funeral, apparently its just me and the kids. 15 minutes later Izze's not feeling well. Then she gets sick. REALLY sick. She stays home with dad and Caden and I go to the funeral. He yells about being hungry for the first hour and half. When its time for lunch he doesnt eat. We come home and nap. He wakes up and had an accident in his unders. PLEASE don't let his flu be back. Clean up is usually Kevs department but he's dying on the couch so I get it. I cook the sickies some food and go to the store. It took THREE stores to find everything we needed. I come home; put groceries away, give the kids baths and put them to bed. I told Kev god forbid something happens to him; our kids will start bathing on a weekly basis in stead of every other day. LOL
I'm TIRED. My feet are swollen. I don't think I could handle this past few days when I WASN'T pregnant more or less when I am.
Dear Lord, I thank you for the few positives in this crazy weekend as they helped me from falling completely into the poor me pitty song. I thank you for helping a wonderful woman end her suffering and bring her joy of being home, though she will be greatly missed. I thank you for he fact that the end of this is all in sight. But most of all I thank you for helping me keep my hormones in check and not lose my mind. Amen.

WHERE OH WHERE IS THE MONEY TREE?!

Well we bought a week.
Kev thought he fixed the dryer, but really we just threw 50$ into it for two whole loads of laundry. BOO.
SO now I'm looking at the list of things we need and thinking to myself, where oh where will I find that magic money tree:
Mold out of Izze's closet. (fix sheetrock, fix baseboard, new carpet, etc)
New dryer
New roof(hopefully that will wait till next summer)
Winterizing time(new seals for two doors, window plastic for whole house, silicone to seal another area)
Christmas gifts and Birthday gifts (we have 13 bdays between now and December)
Current clinic and hospital bills (kidney stones and sinus infections)
Upcoming hospital bills(c-section, baby care, BIG V!)
AND THE LIST GOES ON....

Quote of the day

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass;Its about learning to dance in the rain.

MONDAY I HATE YOUR STINKIN GUTS

I was having a reasonably decent time on my first Monday off. How lucky am I to have Monday off. Noone likes Monday; and I get to spend it with my boy being productive.
Best of all, I woke up for the first time and I was EXCITED about the baby. I know that sounds bad, but before all I could see was the cost and the stress; but today I was excited. I wanted to meet her!
We went to the store; they of course didn't have the blinds we needed which was our only reason for going. But we managed to spend 40$ anyways. Found out later, according to online I wont be able to buy $5 blinds, I'll have to buy $40 costume blinds cause of the stupid size :-(
We went to Medford to find Izze some "dress down day" clothes. We made it through 5 stores before we finally found some clothes she would like. My wallet doesn't love them, but I figure we can handle a few outfits.
By the end of our excursions I'm about to pass out. This pregnancy is causing me to be narcoleptic. I'm sure of it. I sleep 8-10 hours a night and I could still nap 3 hours a day. So when Caden naps, momma naps. I had to set an alarm so we could pick Izze up from Kindergarten on time, and that of course included waking Caden from a dreary sleep.
Of course there are no parking spots near the school, so instead of just leaving Caden happily watching a movie I have to take him the block and half to go get Izze. He was not happy. I was not happy to have to carry a not happy boy.
We come home and I decide to be productive again. Time to put away the kids laundry which Kevin kindly did yesterday. But I notice he never brought it up from the dryer. So I go get it. Its wet. Its been sitting wet since last night. *annoyed*
I turn the dryer on and come back 20 minutes later. The dryer is noticeably quiet, running but quietly and not "shaking" as a dryer does. I open it and the stuff is SITTING still. *GRR*
So I have wet laundry waiting to mold (don't get me started on mold thats a whole nother post) and I do NOT want to go to the freaken laundromat to remedy this situation. I guess I should just be happy that the freaken house didn't burn down from the dryer.
And now I'm back to seeing dollar signs. I'm back to wondering how we can afford all these things (new roof, mold, dryer, clothes I just bought) ON TOP of a new baby; and I hate myself because once again I resent her.
Moral of my story; why is it that even though my Monday's should be nice and relaxed now that I don't work on them; they are still finding a way to be MONDAYS?!?!!?

Big Boy Room

My big boys room is all finished up (well sans the window treatments but he is perfectly happy to live with towels pinned up there for now)

It looks great and our house is now officially a 4 bedroom (we bought it as a 3 bedroom). I love his room. Its funny to me because I never wanted a boy and here I had more fun with his room then I did with Izze's :-)

He loves it. And he's dying to get his Thomas stickers up and on the wall. I think thats going to be a mommy/Caden day project on one of our Mondays together.

The Floridas on Friday

Caden was eating dinner last night.He looked at his cup and pointed at Ursula.
"She's on The Florida's mom"
"Yes she is buddy, thats Ursula from the Little Mermaid, we saw her in Florida"
"She big and mean, she come out. In another day and another day Gayles gonna take me to see Ursula on the Floridas!!!!"
Well the boy has big dreams. Apparently Gayle is taking him back to Florida on Friday. I hope he's not too disappointed when she doesn't show up!