Oh, Just Feeling Like a Crappy Mom

Thursday, November 19, 2015


Mason's sleep habits are totally crazy these days. He's been waking up at 2am, and he doesn't go to sleep until after 10pm. He does sleep in until 8am, but I need that 10pm to be more like 7pm.

Tonight, I figure I would lay in bed with him and see if he will go to sleep. He thought about it, but that's all that happened. Giving up, I threw him in his Pack N Play (crib is not yet put together). I could hear his cries from downstairs, straining at my heart. I couldn't stand hearing him so I went in the garage to finish staining my shelves. I could still hear him.

That was so hard, and it's always hard to hear him cry. I really just want to get him, and hug him, and tell him that I love him. And would I be doing a disservice to him? I don't know. But honestly, I can't bear it. I love my little guy so very much.

Kaolee


When in Doubt, Just Do


It's been absolutely wonderful to fill our space with the things that we love. We still have quite a long ways to go as there are things to buy, and projects to do. With Mason, I find that the time for these things are either during nap time or late into the night. There is a lot more online shopping versus in store shopping. Sometimes I hate those delivery surcharge and shipping fees but it does make life easier.

I've taken some risk on some items for the house, and I'm hoping it works out, but I'm not sure completely. On the plus side, I don't want things too matchy anyways so I think it will all turn out okay. I've been following our cousin's advice on just buying whatever it is and putting it into our home. When I think that I have made a bad decision, I just go with it and make it work. Prime example: the rugs for the living room and the kitchen. Every morning they would just glare at me, and I would stare back. The longer I stared, the more I believed that they were too small for the space. I moved them to the bonus room and to Mason's room, and I really like the change. Both areas are now lacking in that cozy comfort though but I do have a rug coming for the living room. Fingers crossed that I will love the color!

House Projects:
1. The shelvings above! Thanks to our cousins for all the tips and tricks and tools. I can't wait to share the after pictures with you.
2. The TV box. I want it to be holiday ready and we have a long way to go.
3. Dining room bench. I want to paint it, and I've yet to figure out what color.

Thanks for reading!
Kaolee



My Little Baby

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Sometimes I forget how young Mason still is. Now that he's walking around, signaling when he wants something, saying little words like mama, a part of me feels like he comprehends what I am saying and what is happening around him. I just keep forgetting that at the end of the day, he is still my little baby, and I love that.

Earlier today, we were on our way back from the grocery store, and he had a poopy diaper, and he hadn't had a nap, and he just started wailing in the backseat. I sung to him and the cries just kept getting louder. I explained to him that we were getting closer and he wouldn't listen to reasoning.

He was still a baby, and though he was learning a lot, he still listened to his needs first and foremost, and those controlled his actions. We got home, and got all that needed to be taken care of, and I plopped him down for a nap that he didn't know he needed. And so, the house is quiet, and I can clean up, and by clean up, I mean online shopping and blogging :) Sorry Brandon!

Kaolee


Why Paleo? Why Now?

Saturday, November 14, 2015

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen that I've gone Paleo! Well, not completely. I've never been strict when it comes to eating, and I still truly believe moderation in all things. I'm trying to make my dinner as Paleo as possible, while working towards that goal for the other meals. I hate to jump into something full swing, especially since I don't have the luxury of time, and meal planning. Dinnertime is easier since Brandon can watch Mason while I make dinner, or I can put on some YouTube videos for him to watch while I make dinner, and we wait for Brandon to come home from work. 

When I first told Brandon that I wanted us to go Paleo, he asked why Paleo? and why now? The question of why Paleo is due to me simply seeing the cookbooks at Costco. Every time Mason and I go to Costco, I always go and peruse the book section, and over the past couple of months, they have been having a lot of Paleo books there and the food looks really tasty and healthy so it's stuck with me. Also, we have two friends that are die-hard Paleo-(tians???) so I have heard the term being thrown around. The recipes themselves seem like what I would prefer to eat anyways. I've also stopped eating a lot of diary for one reason or another so it seems to fit. My nemesis is carbohydrates so I am going to work on that as I make my journey to completely Paleo. 

The question of why now? stems from several things. First and foremost, over the last couple of years, I have grown allergic to many of the melons and sweets that I grew up eating. I have no idea why but I do know that there are a couple of people on my mom's side that has seem to have the same thing. In my (probably uneducated mind), I have reasoned this to be due to environmental issues in the food that I am consuming, or possibly even the breakdown of my body. I've mentioned my allergies to my doctors before, and they have simply told me to avoid those foods without giving me a satisfactory explanation. 

The second reason as to why now is that I've started just being super lethargic. I've always been one that needs the extra sleep, the extra nap, but now more then ever, I just feel tired a lot of the time, and since Mason is super active, I need to keep my body healthy in order to keep up with him. 

Finally, I'm getting older and the older I get, the more I realized that I'm still quite young and I want to feel this way for a long time which means taking care of my body. 


These two books are on sale at Costco. The prices are better then on Amazon, so get yours there!


Thursday's dinner. Stove-top chicken tenderloins, sautéed asparagus, guacamole and white corn chips. The Paleo recipe needed to be marinaded overnight so I had to make a quick meal, and the guacamole was what I was craving. 


Friday's dinner. Thai beef and cucumber salad. This recipe is from The Paleo Foodie Cookbook. This dish was so yummy! Brandon said this is probably his favorite dish so far in our many years of marriage. The basil and cilantro made this dish taste so fresh. The dressing has chili pepper in it, so it has a nice bite to it. Overall, so yummy!

Thanks for reading, and I'll be sure to share what we ate for dinner for the week on my Friday post!

Happy weekend! 

Kaolee


The Best Pad Thai Recipe

Friday, November 6, 2015


Measurements aren't exact. Merely for style only. Refer to the recipe for exactness. Also refer to the recipe for all ingredients. Not everything needed is included in the picture above.


I did some raking this morning, and boy, does yard work build character. I'm not a particularly good raker so it's a bit splotchy, and I'm sure Brandon will come home and point that out to me. However, in my book, it was a great success. It was an impromptu date with myself after my battle with Mason for his morning nap. We went back and forth, until finally I stuck him in his pack and play, and walked away. Cruel and unusual? I think not. But the stories of his naps are for another day.

Because this time, it's about pad thai. One of my friends and I are doing this thing where each week she and I take turns making a dish, and then we split it. I've been having a hankering for some pad thai. It's probably my favorite dish, but I never order it. I usually order panang curry. Why? Because it's safe. 

Pad thai has been one of those dishes that wherever I go, it's different. Every time. And that is very annoying. I like consistency, and if I'm going to spend my hard-earned (or should I say Brandon's?) money, I want to walk away satisfied. And I've never been. So thus the search for the recipe begins, and ended right here.

The google search was the least fascinating, but I went with my gut and took the recipe that spoke truest to me. A few tips and tricks when making this dish:

1. Go to your Asian store. They should have everything you need. Ask an employee for help with the recipe. And if he decides to tell you to use a packet instead, nod, smile and keep on getting your fresh ingredients.

2. When soaking the noodles, let it get pliable. The recipe allows you to add water later on when cooking the noodles, but I don't recommend it. The noodles starts to get a tad mushy rather than being fried.

3. You don't need banana flower. Or preserved turnip. I didn't use either and it turned out good.

4. You can substitute chicken or whatever meat you want for the shrimp in the recipe. Make sure you let the meat cook through, or rather, cook it separately since the meat won't get cooked consistently when mixed in with the noodles.

5. Get the tofu that is dried and refrigerated, not the ones in water. The store employee told me which tofu to get, and for that I am grateful. Otherwise, the tofu I was going to get would have made my pad thai a mush.

6. I have cooked this dish now twice with a child on my hips, but because of everything that goes on with this dish, child on hip is not recommended.

Recipe HERE

Good luck, and if you rather I make it for you, send me some flowers and I'll make it for you the next time I see you.

Happy Friday!


Our Neighborhood

Thursday, November 5, 2015

We finally got around to walking the neighborhood, and it was a perfect day for doing just that. Since we didn't have too much on the agenda, I wanted to learn the roads, and how they connect, and the houses and how they look like. I didn't really have a plan on where to go, but I did a pretty darn good job of hitting a lot of the crevices of our neighborhood. I even ended up walking into my friend's cul de sac, unintentionally.

It's interesting to see what people do to the outside of their houses. Some have pretty shutters, some have big American flags, some are bare. But they all have personalities. Some look sad, some are empty and waiting for new owners, some are immaculate and so neat.

While walking, I noticed how quiet the neighborhood is. I saw two people walking their dogs, but there weren't anyone else. I had assumed that there would be other stay at home moms so I was disappointed to not see any out walking. Not to say that there aren't any as I'm sure there has to be some, I mean, they could be busy inside with their kids. Nonetheless, I hope to meet some around here.

Mason fell asleep, and I was getting hungry so I ended his nap early, and had me some pad thai. Which was bomb. And I will share that this week sometime. Don't pay for it. Make your own. You won't regret it!

Kaolee










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