New Weigh of Life

Thankful Thursday

2012-02-02T09:02:00.002-05:00

Happy Thursday!

I'm in the comfort of my own home today. The babysitter's mom had to go in for knee replacement surgery so I took the day off to spend with the little guy. I love days off with the little guy, especially when they are in the middle of the week.

So today, that's what I'm thankful for - a day off. It's something so simple yet so amazing.

Source

I'm not quite sure why the above picture applies, but I Googled "no work" and it came up. I thought it was too funny not to share.

Hope you enjoy your day today!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Bringing Your Own Food

2012-01-31T08:44:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all of the wonderful comments on Friday's post. The graduation went really well! It's still hard to believe that my brother is a college graduate.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Me, Mom, Kevin and Eric

Mom and Kevin right after the graduation ceremony

There were about 300 graduates, and the ceremony was over in less than two hours. It was pretty impressive!

After the graduation, my mom had a party for my brother at her house. I had convinced myself that I needed to bring my own food to the party for two reasons:

I knew what my mom was having and I knew it would be very difficult to have a decent portion size of the stuff. (Roast beef sandwiches, potato salad, fudge and yummy snacks anyone?)
I wanted to weigh in on Saturday and not be disappointed that I overate the night before. For some weird reason, if I overdo it on a Friday night, I'm prone to do the same thing on Saturday and Sunday. I'm strange, I know!

I ended up bringing some couscous with veggies and I ate some of the broccoli salad that my mom made (it's one of my favorite foods ever!)

I left the party feeling good about myself and my choices. That feeling of knowing that I didn't "pig out" around some of my favorite foods was pretty incredible.

So, what's cooking in my kitchen this week? I'm still on my vegetable kick, so I made some roasted tomatoes with cheese. To make these, you'll need:

Three tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese (I used a little more than an ounce)
Parmesan cheese (just a sprinkle)
Italian seasoning

Cut the tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Next, top the tomato halves with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top and bake in a 450 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese melts. I like crispy melted cheese, so I let the tops brown a little bit.

If you are following Weight Watchers, 1 tomato is 1 PointsPlus. I've been using these to add to my salads for lunch. Delicious!

Question of the Day:
Have you ever brought your own food to a party?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

The College Grad

2012-01-27T09:29:00.072-05:00

Happy Friday! I'm off of work today because I'm headed off to somewhere special.......my youngest brother's college graduation.

For the first time in a long time, I'm at a loss for words. My baby brother is graduating college. Where did the time go? Wasn't it yesterday that he called me "Bee Bee" because he couldn't say my name the right way? (Some people still call me that nickname to this day). Didn't we just open a "restaurant" for my mom complete with a banana and peanut butter appetizer on the menu? Gosh, time flies.

Despite the 6 year age difference between us, my younger brother and I almost always got along. We weren't ever into the same things (although there were a few rare instances where I could convince him to play Barbies with me) but for one reason or another we always seemed to work together. He'd look out for me when I was about to get in trouble (meaning he may have told a lie or two to get me out of trouble - sorry Mom!) and I would do arts and crafts with him while my Mom worked her part-time job for a few hours.

Go Temple Owls!

Even though he's 22, whenever I look at him, I still see that 6 year old boy who was into Thomas the Tank Engine, Fred Penner and the Frog and Toad books.

At Kevin's 21st Birthday

And yet, here we are....getting ready to watch him him graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. Even better? He's graduating as President of his Honor Society.

Down the shore

I'm incredibly proud of Kevin. He's been through a lot in life but yet he always comes through it with a smile and a "no worries" attitude.

Somehow, Kevin juggles being a wonderful brother, boyfriend, employee, Eucharistic Minister, and helper to my Mom without batting an eye. He's not known to complain and takes everything with a grain of salt (compared to me and my older brother who are more of the spazz-tastic people in our family).

At Kevin's High School Graduation

Being installed as a Eucharistic Minister at Church

And, as if that wasn't enough, Kevin is a fantastic Godfather to the little guy. For goodness sakes - he slept outside in the car overnight with my Mom waiting for the little guy to be born.

At the hospital, the day the little guy was born

Excited much? (At the little guy's Baptism)

So today, Kevin, it's all about you. Congratulations, Buddy. May you continue to dream big, reach for the stars, and keep a good head on your shoulders.

P.S. When you hear all of the loud cheering today, that would be me and your brother. We'll try to make sure we out-scream everyone else. :)

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-26T09:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!
It figures that as soon as I decided to cut the caff, the little guy decides it's time to wake up earlier and earlier each night. Today he was up every five minutes from 4:15-4:45. I'm fighting the urge to make myself another cup of caffeinated coffee but I keep telling myself that I'll only feel worse if I do.Happy Thursday!

It's Thankful Thursday, though, and it's time to be grateful. Today I'm grateful for taking the time to paint my nails.

I wouldn't consider myself a girly girl - heck my nails are hard to paint because they are so short - but taking the time to paint them was something I decided I needed this week.

I did it when the husband was working his second job and the little guy was asleep for the night. It only took 10 minutes but it made me feel special. Weird, right?

Who knew that a little coat of nail polish could change someone's outlook on things?

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

P.S. Please stop by tomorrow - I have a really special post planned!

Cutting the Caff

2012-01-25T09:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Hope your week is treating you well.

Lately I've been tired beyond belief. I chalked it up to working during the day and chasing a toddler at night but over the weekend, despite extra hours of sleep and naps during the day, I couldn't shake it. I was exhausted and I didn't like it one bit. I know I have a busy life, but that excuse wasn't going to cut it.

After much thinking, I thought I figured it out - I have been slowing adding more and more caffeine to my day. Little guy up early? Add another cup of coffee to my day. The last time I cut out caffeine was two years ago when I found out I was pregnant. I never felt better. I remember being tired from the general ups and downs of pregnancy, but it was natural and expected.

I decided to test out my theory this week and see how I felt. I started my day off with one cup of caffeinated coffee and drank decaf the rest of the time. One word describes how I've been feeling - amazing. I had my first "caffeine withdrawal" headache yesterday but other than that, my energy has resurfaced and *gasp* I can actually stay up until 9:30 before getting tired. It doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open at 8:00. I'm getting old, I know!

So yeah, I'm going to continue this trend for a little while. It's unbelievable how caffeine affects your system.

For dinner last night, I made some of Gina's Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken. The little guy wasn't a fan, but the hubby and I both enjoyed it.

My only gripe about this was that it was more soupy than I expected. I think the reason that happened was because I didn't drain the black beans. When a recipe doesn't say to whether or not to drain a can of something I usually don't. Lesson learned!

Question of the Day:
Are you a caffeine drinker?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

The 20 Minute Nap Maximizer

2012-01-24T09:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday!

Look at this - me blogging on back to back days....that hasn't happened in a long time! I guess work has finally calmed down enough for me to stop by today. Thank goodness!!

Many of you know that I'm a cook once, eat all work week cooker, so I thought I'd show you some of the "madness" behind my cooking schedule. Lately I'll throw something in the crock pot on Saturday and make some sort of casserole dish for the rest of the week. However, with the little guy eating "regular" food, I've been forced to make some alterations to my cooking schedule. (i.e. one casserole dish of "insert meal here" will no longer feed me and my hubby and the little guy for three days). I know eventually I'll have to make an entirely separate meal, but until that time comes, I've been getting by with being a nap maximizer.

What is a nap maximizer you ask? Simple - a nap maximizer is someone who makes the most out of nap time. I'm very lucky that the little guy still takes two naps a day. His morning nap is the short nap - ranging from 20 minutes to an hour. Most of them fall in the 40 minute range, but he has his moments of longer sleep.

If I have the opportunity, I like to take the shorter nap to do some quick cooking - the longer naps are reserved for relaxing or doing something that I enjoy. Take last weekend, for example. As soon as we got home from Church, I put the little guy down for a nap. Not knowing how much time I had before he woke up, I got right to work.

I boiled water for elbow macaroni, hard boiled some eggs for my lunch and made scrambled eggs for the little guy's lunch for the following day.

I don't really have three burners in the front - I was letting the hard boiled eggs cool off.

While the pasta was boiling away, I had time to make the hubby's lunches for the week. This particular week he wanted tuna and some sandwiches. Typically the hubby helps with making his own lunches but this weekend he was off doing house stuff.

The little guy decided to take only a 20 minute nap, and right after I snapped this picture, he woke up.

Lunches, little guy's eggs and elbow noodles for him for the week

I consider that nap maximization a success! In twenty minutes I had enough food to stretch us for the week without taking a whole lot of time. Of course, the sink was a mess by the time I was finished, but I'll take it!

Getting the most out of my time makes me feel incredibly productive. Too bad I can't be the same way when it comes to cleaning the house!

Question of the Day:
Do you consider yourself a time maximizer?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

I'm a Stressor

2012-01-23T09:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!!

So yeah, I'm a complete stress bucket. I take the train to and from work. Through my job, I receive a discount on my monthly pass. It gets mailed to me each month. Today I walked in and two of my co-workers received their passes and I haven't gotten mine yet. I don't think I'd normally worry....except that we always get our passes at the same time. I don't want to put out the extra money and then go through the refund process but I guess if it comes to it, I'll have to do it. I know in the end it's nothing to stress over, but it's what I do.....and I hate it!

Most of my weekend was an even balance between cooking and relaxing. The hubby took the little guy out on his first solo shopping trip. At first I was hesitant but I was at the point where I needed some time to relax. If you're a momma, you know exactly what I'm talking about. When I get to this point, it's either "give me some time away" or "I'm going to get angry over stupid little things". All I need is a half hour to an hour and I feel rejuvenated. I took advantage of the boys being out of the house by taking a bubble bath and catching up on a good book.

By the time they came home I was refreshed and ready to take on anything that was thrown my way.

Over the weekend I made some awesome shredded chicken with peppers and onions. The secret to the "awesome" was Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce. Why am I so late to this game? I think I may have been the last person to try this stuff but now, I'm a convert.

It's got a sweetness with a hint of spice that's outta this world!

Question of the Day:
Are you a stressor? Please tell me to stop stressing over the little things! haha

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Roasting the Veggies

2012-01-20T09:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! If I could do a dance right now for you, I would. I love Fridays. I mean really, is there a reason not to love them?

Something else I'm currently loving? Roasted vegetables. I've been doing a lot of thinking about the whole trying to lose the rest of the baby weight thing. What did I do the first time I joined Weight Watchers that made me so successful? What foods did I eat? After some searching, I found my answer - I ate a lot of fruits and veggies. I have no problem getting in my fruits. They're sweet and easy for me to pick up on the go. Veggies, on the other hand, are an "issue" for me. I'm more of a "make a salad and be done with it" kind of girl. I know it's time to get back into eating more vegetables, and so last week I headed out to the local Giant grocery store and picked up peppers, onions and cauliflower.

I chopped the veggies, coated them with some salt, pepper and chili powder, stuck them in the oven and anxiously awaited them to be done. When I say anxiously, I mean I waited by the oven door with bated breath. I could smell them cooking and I couldn't wait to eat them. Obsessive much? Yeah, that's kinda who I am sometimes.

OH.MY.WORD. Delicious!!! I'm officially hooked. Hooked as in I literally ate an entire head of cauliflower in 3 days. I ended up using the last of the roasted vegetables on a....you guessed it.....salad. I mostly ate the rest of the vegetables directly out of the container when the little guy was eating his snack.

So yeah, I'm basically having a love affair with vegetables right now and I'm not complaining.

Question of the Day:
Anything fun planned for the weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-19T11:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!

How has your week been treating you? The little guy developed a cold over the last few days, so it's been rather cranky in my household.

Yeah, remember the Elmo hat I made for the little guy? Well my aunt has been pushing me to start a little "side business" of making/selling the hats. I mean yeah, it would be cool to make something someone else would enjoy, but I'm not so sure I could actually do it. That's when all the negative thoughts hit and my brain shuts the idea out of my head for a while. I mean really, is there a viable market out there for these things?

Too much to think about for me right now, so I'm choosing instead to focus on what I'm thankful for.

Today, I'm thankful for a short work week - one that allowed me a little bit of relaxation.

Source

My day of relaxation was spent with the little guy. Even though he constantly keeps me on my toes and my days with him would hardly be classified as relaxing, I wouldn't want to spend the time any other way.

Besides, how else would I have gotten to see him do this?

I kept telling him all morning that he was too small to fit in that basket. Mid-morning he decides to prove me wrong and you know what? I'm so glad he did.

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

A Fake Monday

2012-01-17T10:59:00.000-05:00

Happy ~~Monday~~ Tuesday! I feel like I've been operating on a fake Monday schedule since being off yesterday. Today has all the look and feel of a Monday (i.e. crazy busy at work, having a hard time getting out of bed, etc.) but thank goodness it's actually Tuesday!

On Friday I mentioned I was trying to finish up an Elmo hat I was working on for the little guy. I'm happy to say I was able to complete it during my lunch break - here it is!

This hat is the first thing I've made that I'm truly proud of. That's probably because it was made with the little guy in mind. Of course, I had to get a picture of him wearing it.

I think he likes it, no?

I had a stellar weekend. The hubby was off from work all weekend which meant that we got lots and lots of time to spend together as a family. When he works his second job over the weekend, it's not only hard on me but also on the little guy. He is constantly asking where his "dada" is.

Saturday night was "taco night" at our house. I've been craving tacos like crazy ever since the hubby asked for them a few weeks ago. I browned up some ground turkey, fried some peppers and onions, grated some cheddar cheese and emptied a can of diced tomatoes.

I thought the little guy wouldn't like the turkey with taco seasoning on it but I was wrong - he could hardly keep his fingers out of it!

The wraps I bought were very large, so I suppose we made more of a "burrito" type of meal rather than taco.....

It was a good meal regardless of what you call them!

And with that, I'm back to work. Enjoy your day!

Question of the Day:
Burritos or tacos? What's your preference?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Happy Friday!

2012-01-13T11:44:00.000-05:00

Is it wrong that I'm excited to shop for veggies later tonight? I've been waiting for this day since last week! (I'm a huge nerd, I know!)

Fridays are my favorite day at work. Not only do I have the weekend to look forward too, but it's also one of the quietest days here. I've been using the time to catch up on the rest of my work. Once that's done, maybe I'll get some time to finish up crocheting an Elmo hat for my son. Yeah, I'm trying to do it before the weekend is here. Nothing like pressure, right? haha

This week in the house we've been eating spinach pie. I thought it would be perfect for the little guy....except he hated it. Bummer!

In other news, I've been trying to add new songs to my IPod. The hubby got me a gift card for my birthday. Whenever I'm in the car I keep thinking "I need to download that song" but of course now that I actually have a gift card to spend, I can't think of anything worthy of downloading. Any suggestions?

Question of the Day:
Give me some song suggestions, please!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday (+ Blogging, How I've Missed Thee!)

2012-01-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday! I can't believe we're already at Thursday. Work has been just as I predicted - BUSY! The first few weeks of class is always busy. It sure makes my days fly by, though!

I have to say that I've missed blogging so much!

So, what have I been up to the past few days other than working? Not too much, really. Hanging out with the little guy and the hubby, doing a little batch cooking for the week and having the urge to experiment in the kitchen. Last week I was craving roasted veggies in the worst way. I took a trip to two supermarkets and both of them had overripe/almost rotten veggies. How annoying!! Tomorrow night I'm stopping by another grocery store to check out my options. It's a little out of the way but it will totally be worth it just to get some fresh veggies.

On to Thankful Thursday....

Today, I'm thankful for two things: kindness and (surprise, surprise) the little guy. Yesterday someone was hit by one of the trains I take into work (not the one I was riding on). This meant that the trains on my line were stopped completely and I had no idea how to get to work without venturing into some not-so-great neighborhoods. Some lovely woman took pity and me and drove me to another train station to catch a different train. I am so thankful to her for her kindness. There are still wonderful people in the world! This little lesson was a reminder to pay it forward.

Secondly, I'm thankful for the little guy's love of learning. Check out this video of him finding the letters "A" and "O". Please disregard my high pitched voice (I'm learning I have said high pitched voice whenever I'm talking to him!)

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Just One of Those Days.....

2012-01-09T10:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!

It was one of those mornings where I couldn't remember what day it was. Wednesday? Friday? Sunday? Then it hit me that it was, in fact, a Monday and I had to get up and go to work. I heard the little guy say "mama" over the monitor rather than the alarm on my cell phone. It was music to my ears.

Did anyone else enjoy beautiful weather over the weekend? It was in the 60s on Saturday. The hubby and I were commenting on how this time last year we were walking through the snow. I could live with winters like this.

On Saturday night I decided it was time for the hubby to take charge of dinner. On the weekends I feel lazy and I don't like to plan my meals in advance. It almost always comes back to bite me because I can't decide what I want for dinner and inevitably we end up having either eggs, pasta or tuna with soup. I am so sick and tired of having the same things over and over again! The hubby is an amazing cook but he doesn't like to cook very much. He told me he would take charge of dinner so I plopped back down on the living room floor and hung out with the little guy.

So....what did he make? He found a frozen General Tso's meal for two kit in the freezer. Within 15 minutes, he had it ready to go except that the bag stated there were two servings.....such a lie! Really, the meal was enough for one. There were literally 6-7 pieces of chicken in the entire bag. How that feeds two people, I'll never know.

Yum!

It was insanely delicious, but next time I'll be throwing two bags of this stuff in my cart instead of one.

Well....I'm off to help the professors get ready for class. I hope you have a fantastic day!

Question of the Day:
What was the highlight of your weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

It's Stew Time!

2012-01-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

The little guy made out very well at his 15 month check-up yesterday. The doctor said that he's functioning at an 18 month old level. I couldn't be a prouder parent. He received two shots in the arm and while that wasn't the highlight of the visit, he took them with some tears that were quickly followed by smiles. Only one more round of shots and then he's in the clear until he's 4 years old. Phew!

Yesterday I mentioned that I FINALLY got the little guy to eat veggies by making a stew. Today I'm here to give you that recipe.

In the crock pot went:

1 package of baby carrots
2 chopped green peppers
1 bag of frozen peas (I added these at the beginning but I later learned you shouldn't add these until the very end because adding them at the beginning makes the peas lose their nutritional value)
5 pieces of chicken breast, chopped small
2 onions, chopped
2 jars of pasta sauce

I cooked it on low for almost 9 hours. By the time it was done, the chicken was ready to fall apart and the veggies were incredibly tender....just how the little guy likes it.

Looks like I'll be making another type of stew this week as well. I consider it a "must" when it gets the little guy to eat his veggies!

Question of the Day:
Any fun weekend plans?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-05T09:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!!

I'm leaving work early today because the little guy has his 15 month check-up. Seriously, where is the time going? Along with his check-up, he's getting his shots as well.....yeah, no fun!!

Today, I'm thankful for two things:

1. Work has been swamped - classes start up again next week so the professors have been giving me loads of things to get done. Today, I'm thankful I have a chance to catch up a little bit while most of them are at a conference. This week it feels like the second I get my head above water, someone else would need something.

2. The little guy has started eating veggies again! He was very opposed to eating most vegetables after we stopped giving him baby food. You know how I got him to eat his veggies? I made a stew. The veggies were soft and delicious. In fact, he kept asking for more peppers!

Stew face

Veggies everywhere....even in his hair!

The recipe for the stew is coming soon - be on the lookout!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

It's Good to be Back!

2012-01-03T14:14:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

Long time no blogging!

The last week off has been incredibly nice. I got some quality one-on-one time with the little guy, which is always a treat. It seems that as soon as I got into a pattern of being home with him, BAM back to work I go. I am incredibly thankful, though, that my work was closed the week between Christmas and New Years.

So....what have I been up too? Good thing you asked because I have some pictures (mostly of the little guy) to share with you! Be ready.....this could take awhile!

For those of you who were wondering, I finished the stocking!

The little guy was MUCH more interested in the wrapping paper and boxes than the presents. I wish he would always stay that innocent :)

Showing him his Santa stocking

Christmas day, at my aunt's house. It was so hard to get a picture of him standing still!

Little guy with his New Year's hat on. He wasn't too happy about it, but he was a trooper.

The day after Christmas, the hubby, little guy and I went out to a park by our house to see the Christmas lights. It was freezing, but it was worth it!

Charlie Brown was the star of the show!
Yesterday I gave the little guy some toaster cakes - basically, it's a corn muffin top. I transitioned him from the bottle to the sippy cup this week and I thought this would make him drink some milk. He loved these things!

Of course there was tons and tons of good food that was consumed over the past week. (So much good food that I actually gained 4.8 pounds.....yikes!) New Year's Eve, I made some pizza. I figured I would start the year off with a bang!

It's so good to be back!! I'm looking forward to getting into the blogging swing of things!

Question of the Day:
How were your holidays?

Until next time!

~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-22T08:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!

It's been very quiet at work, so I've been MIA for awhile - my apologies! With the extra downtime, I've been working on a needlepoint stocking for the little guy. It's taken forever, but the end is in sight!

Today, I'm thankful for my family.....plain and simple. I'm thankful that I get to wake up to these wonderful people each and every day. I'm incredibly blessed.

I'll be off next week from work, so I've decided to take the week off from blogging as well. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Doin' a Little Baking

2011-12-19T09:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Mine was great! I typically spend the week before Christmas baking Christmas cookies, but this year, I decided to try my hand at something different.....chocolate covered pretzels!!

I put some chocolate chips in the microwave and melted them down. Next, I tossed in some pretzels and used a fork to coat them. After they were done swimming in the chocolate, I moved them to a cookie sheet lined with tinfoil. I added some Christmas-themed sprinkles and let them dry.

The hardest part was not eating them!

Even though my hubby isn't a huge fan of chocolate, he loved the batch of pretzels that were chocolate + peanut butter.

I'm bringing these to my Aunt's house for Christmas if I don't eat them all before Sunday....haha!

Yesterday, the little guy and I heard the sound of firetrucks. I was telling him to listen to the noise and it got closer and closer and closer. I started to feel a little bit uneasy until I heard the hubby yell "Santa's on a firetruck!" We bundled the little guy up and ran outside and sure enough, there was Santa waving and people with Santa hats giving out candy canes. The little guy kept saying "Santa! Santa!" It was adorable. Then it happened. The tears started coming down my face and I realized that I am just like my mom. She would often cry at things like school plays, graduations....just about anything that my brothers and I were involved in. At the time, I thought it was ridiculous, but now I get it. I called my mom to tell her about my little outburst of tears and she laughed and said "that's what happens when you become a mom!"

We let the little guy enjoy his candy cane from Santa, and enjoy it he did!

Question of the Day:
Do you do any baking around this time of year?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!

Well that was interesting - a co-worker just brought in a bacon-topped brownie for me to try. I was really hesitant, but you know what? It wasn't half bad!!

Almost everyone I talk to thinks the little guy looks like the hubby, and I tend to agree with them - especially when I saw this picture.

It cracks me up every time!

There are times, though, when I see myself in the little guy. Today, I'm thankful I was able to catch this on video. He may not resemble me to the fullest, but at least he has his mom's taste when it comes to cake. haha

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

The Easy Way Out

2011-12-14T09:21:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

If you follow me on facebook, you would've noticed that yesterday was my birthday. I turned the big 29 and I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I don't mind getting older, but on the other hand, I can't believe I'm actually 29. I remember being a teenager and thinking that 29 seemed so far off. Where the heck did the time go? It was rather nuts at work yesterday, and in the middle of the craziness, these came for me from the hubby and little guy.....

I love little surprises like this. It makes me feel super special.

The hubby was working last night (bummer, but it all works out in the end) so I wanted something no fuss. I had some chicken in the fridge but I wanted something else.....so I took the easy way out and made a pizza with a tortilla, sauce, cheese and spices.

Afterwards, the little guy and I enjoyed some cake. I think he enjoyed it....how about you?

All in all, I would say it was a pretty spectacular birthday!

Question of the Day:
When is your birthday?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

A Case of the Croup

2011-12-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!

Wondering where I was for the last few days (or not?) Thursday morning, the little guy woke up and started coughing. It literally sounded like a seal was in his room. This was it - one of the "mommy moments" I had been dreading every time he had a cough/cold. It was croup. Croup is characterized by a "barking" cough followed by difficulty breathing. Many times babies with croup go to the hospital and have breathing treatments. Thank God the little guy wasn't having a huge problem breathing, but I could tell that he was beginning to wheeze.

I called the doctor's office immediately (at 5:00 a.m., mind you) and received a phone call back within a few minutes. The on-call doctor said it sounded like the little guy had a mild case of croup and that if it got worse throughout the day to call back and make an appointment. This ~~psycho~~ ~~crazy~~ momma wasn't taking chances, so when the office opened at 9:00 a.m., I called and scheduled an appointment for him. Sure enough, he had croup and the doctor gave him medicine. Typically kids aren't given medicine, but because I trusted my ~~psycho-ness~~ mother's instinct, he was able to get medicine.

Last night was the first night he slept in his crib without coughing. His cough now sounds congested, but he's doing much better than he was on Thursday!

Being off for two days was a real treat. I got to spend some quality time with the little guy as well as make some tasty treats.

I received a coupon through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program and Duncan Hines to try a can of Comstock Filling for free. Am I the only one who could eat this stuff straight out of the can?

I had a box of Jello No-Bake Cheesecake and thought it would be the perfect complement. After the cheesecake set, I added the Comstock filling on top.

It tasted pretty flipping amazing, if I do say so myself. Using this filling instead of the prepackaged stuff that you get with the Jello No-Bake mix upped the ante of the cheesecake.

Well, I'm off to catch up on some work since I was off for the last few days. I hope you all enjoy your day!

Question of the Day:
What's your favorite type of pie?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Rainy Wednesday

2011-12-07T09:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

It's raining today, which makes commuting to work a big mess.

On days like today, I'm thankful that I have a meal waiting for me when I get home. I can't imagine coming home without the slightest idea of what I'm having for dinner. Yes, I'm that ridiculous.

So, what's waiting for me tonight? Meatballs. I have been craving meatballs for some time now, and I just so happened to have some lean turkey in the fridge.

Top it off with some hot sauce and I'll be good to go.

Yestertday I received an e-mail from my older brother about setting up a visit from Santa. Every year my younger brother dresses up as Santa for the kids. It's a nice tradition that's been started, but with an almost three year old, a 14 month old and a 7 month old things are going to get interesting!! I'm pretty sure the little guy and my nephew are going to freak out. Sometimes the freak out pictures make the best ones though, right?

Here's last year's picture....it cracks me up!

He looks so tiny, doesn't he?

Question of the Day:
What did you have for dinner last night?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

The Lovely Cousin Picture

2011-12-05T10:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Mine was great!

I got some Christmas decorating done, spent time with the family and hung out with my cousins. I can't believe how fast the weekends fly by!

On Saturday night, my uncle had everyone over to his house because one of his sons was home from Maine (where he works as a pharmacist with his girlfriend). Almost everyone was there (minus a few people who had other things going on). It was great to see my cousin and his girlfriend, especially since they won't be home for Christmas.

Per tradition, we took a "cousins" picture. On Christmas Day we used to line up in age order up a flight of steps. It was cute when we were younger but now that we're older, it's hard to fit everyone in! We've been taking pictures like this since we were knee high to a grasshopper. It's fun to see how we've all changed over the years, especially with the addition of three kiddos.

Please tell me we're not the only family who does these weird family traditions.

The infamous "step" picture. Can you find me?

Now that the family has expanded to in-laws, girlfriends and kiddos, we don't really do the step picture anymore and instead crowd around a sofa.

The pictures come out like the one above but typically we've got a lot of outtakes before the really good shot turns out.....

See what I mean?

So, on Saturday, we added a new photo to the "cousins picture" collection. We were missing my hubby, my cousin's girlfriend and my cousins Chris and Brian but we still managed to plaster on some smiles.

It may be a strange tradition, but you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way!

Question of the Day:
Do you have any weird family traditions? Share!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-01T09:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!

I think it's official - I am in the holiday spirit. I've started listening to Christmas music on the radio and I'm hoping to have up the decorations by the weekend.

Last Christmas (for some reason that post is showing up a little crazy at the moment) was the first Christmas with the little guy, and while it was incredibly special, it's nothing like this year. The little guy is a little older and while he doesn't quite "get it" yet, seeing his expression whenever we pass by a house with lights or a store with a Christmas tree is amazing.

Today, I'm thankful for the child-like innocence I get to enjoy each and every day. For a while Christmas had lost its "spark", but having a baby brings it right back and makes it feel like I'm a child myself.

Who in the Sam Hill is this guy, mom?

There was a tradition in my family of watching Christmas Eve on Sesame Street each and every year. When my mom would break out the Christmas decorations, we would listen to the record on the record player and sing and dance along with our favorite cast of characters. Please tell me I'm not the only person who remembers this movie?

Source

A couple of days ago, I saw the movie on Amazon and I just HAD to get it. It came last night and I was super excited to watch part of it with the little guy. He LOVES Sesame Street, but when I put it on, he wanted nothing to do with it. He was more into his walking/running around the house. Watching part of the movie reminded me of being a kid again, and I hope that the hubby and I can start the same tradition of watching Christmas Eve on Sesame Street year after year.

I mean, you're never to old for Sesame Street, especially if it's old school episodes, right? haha

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Big Batch Cooking

2011-11-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday!

As of last night, I can officially say I am almost done my Christmas shopping. I only have two more people to buy for and that's it! I think this is a first for me. I used to wait until after my birthday (mid-December) to start my shopping. Most of the shopping was done online - I'm not sure why I waited until now to jump on the online shopping bandwagon.

Last week I made a reference to making meals in advance. If you've been reading the blog for a long time, you know how I constantly make references to how I cook once for the entire week. Well folks....I've decided to up the ante. Now, I'm making a few meals weeks in advance and freezing them. I buy my ground turkey and chicken in bulk, so there's always some semblance of a meal in my freezer. After my last trip to BJ's, I decided to split the package of ground turkey and make a meatloaf and sloppy joes.

During the same cooking extravaganza, I also made some chicken cutlet and baked ziti. So, for the last two weeks, I've been grabbing something from the freezer and enjoying it immensely. How easy is that? Since I'm cooking for the week anyway I just make some extra meals to stretch us for the rest of the month. Done and done!

During the craziness that is the holiday season, this is a time saver for sure!

Question of the Day:
Share a time saving tip with me - I need all I can get!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Food Review: Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers

2011-11-28T11:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine turned out really well. On Thursday the family headed to my mother-in-law's and on Friday, my mom had a second Thanksgiving dinner. Needless to say, this past weekend was filled with food, food and more food.

Today, I'm back in the saddle with my healthy eating. It feels good to eat veggies, salads and fruits after a few food coma-induced days, doesn't it?

Speaking of healthy eating, I had the opportunity through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program to sample Green Giant Vally Fresh Steamers.

I decided on the Valley Fresh Blend of carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in a light garlic and butter sauce.

I served mine alongside some pasta for some added flavor.

The result? The veggies were cooked to perfection, and seriously, how cute are the carrots? I've never seen them in a "ball" shape before.

The only downside to the veggies was the sauce. It was extremely garlicky and overpowered the veggies big time.

I would definitely try the Steamers again, but next time I would try another flavor. You can't beat the convenience of steamed veggies in a bag!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Question of the Day:
What was the highlight of your weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T09:22:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I'm stopping by for a quick post today to say Happy Thanksgiving (well, tomorrow) to all of my US readers!

See you on Monday!!

Source

Giving

2011-11-21T11:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Mine was a lot of fun. On Saturday, the hubby, little guy and I headed down to my former elementary school's Christmas Bazaar. When I was younger, I used to think the Bazaar was the greatest event ever. There were tons of tables filled with all things Christmas. Add in a few game tables and everything seemed perfect. When I walked through the door this year, I was greeted with complete chaos! It's funny how your perspective changes as you get older, isn't it?

Our family was there to support my mom, the librarian of the school, who was hosting a book fair. The little guy loves to read books, so it was a win/win situation. After making our purchases, we wandered around the halls checking out all of the craft tables. I stopped at one stared for a moment. There was a teenage girl (probably no more than 15-16 years old) with a scarf wrapped around her head. I immediately sensed she had cancer, and when I looked at the woman with her (I assume her mom), she was wearing a shirt that said "All I want for Christmas this year is a cure for cancer."

The girl was selling hair ties with ribbons, sparkly barrettes and t-shirts that she had made with all of the proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I purchased two hair ribbons and immediately placed one in my hair and the other I placed on the little guy's arm. He loved watching the ribbons move every time he moved his arm.

Seeing this girl reminded me to put things into perspective. During the holidays, please remember to give. Give a little or a lot, give your time or money, give a smile......just give.

Awkward Transition.....

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program, I was selected to receive 2 coupons for one dozen free Land O Lakes eggs. Our family eats eggs A LOT and we were excited to put these eggs to the "taste test."

According to their website, Land O Lakes All-Natural eggs are produced by hens who are fed a "premium all vegetable, whole-grain diet, rich in corn and soy protein - with no animal fat or animal by-products." It makes me feel good to know that I am able to feed a quality product to my son.

Yummy eggs!

Am I the only one who is impressed that the eggs have a protective covering on top of them?

The hubby whipped up some scrambled eggs.

The verdict? I thought they were yummy, and I'm pretty sure the little guy agreed!

"Mom, can you please stop taking a picture and just feed me the eggs?"

Mmmmm!

The eggs get a "thumbs up" from the New Weigh of Life family.

Question of the Day:
What was the highlight of your weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!

Things have been hectic over at the New Weigh of Life househould. (But seriously, when are they NOT hectic?) The little guy is getting into everything now, from the trashcan to the fridge, the steps and even the laundry.

So today, I'm thankful that I have my little laundry helper.

What are the chances that he'll remain that excited about helping mom fold the laundry? Slim to none? Yeah, I think so too!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?
Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Let's Talk: The Holidays

2011-11-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday!

Has anyone else been inundated with holiday* ads, music and decorations wherever they go? On Saturday, when I was running some errands, I noticed one radio station playing Christmas music non-stop. Today, while driving the little guy to the babysitter's house, I noticed another station who is cranking out the Christmas tunes one right after the other from now until Christmas.

It's downright annoying, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love the Christmas season but isn't this way too early?

Source

What's the rush? Why can't we slow down and appreciate one holiday at a time? By the time Christmas comes around, I feel like I can't stomach one more Christmas carol or look at one more string of lights. This year, instead of standing in one long line after another, fighting crowds and being a Grinch, I'm choosing to do all of my shopping online. It's easy, it's convenient, and I don't have to worry about over-crowded malls. Plus, think of all the time I'll save!

What will I do with all the extra time I'm dreaming of? Simple - spend time with the family, bake a little more and spend more time relaxing.

Despite the stress of hearing Christmas music on the radio already, my meal last night was anything but stressful.

Penne with Parmesan cheese

This holiday season, do yourself a favor and try not to get sucked into the craziness of it all. Slow down, take a rest and enjoy and extra cup of hot chocolate.

*For purposes of this post only, when I say "holidays" I'm referring to Christmas - only because that's what I celebrate!

Question of the Day:
Does the holiday season stress you out?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Weekend Recap

2011-11-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Mine flew by, as usual, but it was really fun. On Saturday, the hubby had to work at night, so the little guy and I headed to my mom's house for some yummy Stromboli's.

Afterwards, I mentioned to my mom that the little guy loves The Lawrence Welk Show. Turns out it was on TV - lucky us!

Sidebar - am I the only person who knows about this show?

It's one of the cheesiest shows I've ever seen, but it holds a special place in my heart. My grandmom used to watch it with her mother, and I have fond memories of watching it with my grandmom and mom. Needless to say, the little guy enjoys it whenever it's on TV. I'd like to think it's the music he clings to and not the fashion choices of the cast members.

Yesterday, the family headed over to my mother-in-law's house to celebrate her birthday. I swear we've had a birthday almost every weekend for the past month. I'm all birthday-ed out!! When we came home, I finished up some cooking for the next week or so (more on that in another post) and then took a nap. I'm not sure what's gotten into me but lately I've been craving naps. Having a 13 month old really tires you out, I guess!

Question of the Day:
What was the highlight of your weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-10T10:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday!
A few months ago, my sister-in-law gave me a ton of clothes for the little guy ranging from 12 months - 4 years old. While I am extremely thankful for the clothes, the boxes have literally taken up our entire basement. The hubby and I keep telling ourselves that we are going to clean out the room and sort through the clothes. It feels like we never have the time, but really, we never make the time.

To put it bluntly, I am one of the most disorganized people I know, and for my own sanity, that has to change!

Source

Last night the hubby suggested we take 15 minutes each night after the little guy goes to bed and go through the totes. Even after 15 minutes, we managed to get through one and half totes. A little bit goes a long way, right? Hopefully we can get this taken care of soon!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

New Recipe on a Crowd?

2011-11-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday!! Thank you for all the sweet birthday wishes for my mom yesterday - I know she appreciated them!

Do you have food rules that you live by? One food rule I recently broke was this: never try out a new recipe on a crowd. If it goes wrong, you're pretty much screwed.

I semi-broke this rule over the weekend and boy did it feel good!! As I mentioned yesterday, I was in charge of making the lasagna for my mom's birthday dinner. What I hadn't told you was that I made the lasagna on Friday when the hubby was working and I was alone with the little guy. Along with the lasagna, I also made most of my meals for the week. With all of that cooking going on, I wanted to simplify my lasagna recipe. Cooking is extremely challenging with only one parent at home!

After chatting with my friend Ron, he told me I didn't have to boil the lasagna noodles before I baked it - even without using the no boil noodles. I know he makes his lasagna this way but I was skeptical. I wasn't sure if I wanted to attempt it because if the dish didn't turn out, we wouldn't have anything else to fall back on.

I carefully weighed each alternative in my head, but in the end I decided to go for it. All I did was add in some extra ~~tomato sauce~~ gravy and increase the baking time from 35 minutes to one hour. (Side bar - it was also recommended to me to add two eggs to my ricotta cheese for extra fluffiness and oh boy was that awesome!)

After about an hour, I uncovered the lasagna and was left with this:

I tested the noodles with the fork and lo and behold they were soft. I continued to bake it uncovered for an additional ten minutes.

The verdict?

Everyone enjoyed it and kept saying how yummy it was. When I told my mom I didn't boil the noodles she was stunned!

I don't think I'll ever boil lasagna noodles again! Thanks so much for the tip, Ron!

Question of the Day:
Do you have any "food rules?"

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2011-11-07T11:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!!

Today is my Mom's birthday.

I'm lucky enough to say that my Mom is my very best friend. She's the one I can turn to when times get tough. She's the one who listens when I need to vent or talk incessantly about something. She's the person who understands me better than I understand myself. She's the kindest, sweetest person I know.

She's the one who shows my son a love that only a grandmom can....

We celebrated my Mom's birthday with a dinner on Saturday night. I was in charge of the lasagna and cake and my brothers were in charge of side dishes.

It was great to get together with my brothers and my niece and nephew. I'm pretty sure my Mom enjoyed it too!

The picture below is perhaps one of my favorites of the evening. My brothers and I filled a picture frame with lots of pictures of her grandchildren and children.

My Mom has always been sentimental at heart, but no gift compares to the gift she gives her children and grandchildren each and every day.

Happy birthday, Mom! I love you!

Question of the Day:
What was the highlight of your weeekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-03T09:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

Woo hoo - only one more day until the weekend! I can't wait!

In keeping up with the Thankful Thursday theme, today, I am thankful for a reality check my mom gave me on Monday night. Her reality check is what prompted my Let's Talk: Learning to Say No post. My mom made me realize what's going on around me, the steps I need to take to learn how to say no, and how to make sure I don't miss quality time with the little guy.

Something I've learned about my mom is that she is ALWAYS right. I sure hope I inherit her wisdom one day.

My mom and the little guy

So thanks, mom, for calling me out on things and opening my eyes. I love you!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Let's Talk: Learning to Say No

2011-11-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday!

I'm thinking of starting a "Let's Talk" series here on the blog. This series will be about things that I need to talk about. I mean really, we all need to vent at one point or another, right?

Today, I want to talk about learning how to say no. Am I the only one who struggles with this?

Source

I say yes when I should say no. There, I said it. Between working my full-time job, working at Weight Watchers Saturday mornings, being a mom, a wife and fulfilling other countless roles, my life has become overloaded. Sometimes it feels as if everyone depends on me to get things done. The reality of it is that I can be a huge control freak. At work, when professors need things done at the last minute, I rush around like a maniac to get things completed. I refuse help because I think it's easier to stress out than to explain to someone else how to do something. Dishes need to be done? I'll do it because I think I can get it done faster than the hubby. Lunches need to be made? I can do it. Someone has to get dinners made for the week? I have a blog, so let me cook. Ridiculous, right?

The sad part is that all of this "saying yes" has made me exhausted, worn out, and above all, cranky.....and I mean really cranky. I'm realizing that I'm walking a very thin tightrope and I'm ready to fall off. I'm taking things out on the people I love because I feel like I can't keep up with all of life's demands.

So starting today, starting now, I'm going to learn to say no. I'm going to give up the control and allow people to help me. Saying no to things that won't leave me satisfied. Saying no to things that cause stress. Saying no to things that will keep me away from this guy....

Question of the Day:

Do you have a hard time saying no? How do you keep things balanced?

Until next time!

~Anne Marie

Fuel Before Trick-or-Treating

2011-11-01T10:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday!

My grandmom's 84th birthday was a lot of fun. I think she enjoyed herself!

I was able to leave work a little bit early yesterday so I could get home in enough time to eat dinner and change the little guy into his Halloween costume. This year the little guy was a clown. My grandmom made the costume 32 years ago, for my oldest brother. Pretty much everyone in my family has worn the costume at one time or another (myself included) so it was neat to see the little guy wearing something so special.

We didn't actually take him around trick-or-treating because he can't eat the candy. We put him outside in his coach while we handed out candy and he seemed to be content.

Before we could sit outside, though, we had to fuel up. It was really cold and we needed something to give us enough energy to weather the cold. Wanna know what we chose?

Seriously, did you think it would be something else other than pasta? Haha.

The hubby and I have lived in our house for three years and this was the first year that we didn't get a lot of kids. We still have some candy left over, which is not good for me!

Question of the Day:
How was your Halloween? Did you give out a lot of candy?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween from this crazy bunch of clowns!

Happy Birthday, Grandmom!

2011-10-28T09:54:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Is anyone else supposed to see snow this weekend? It's only October! What's up with that?

I have an exciting weekend coming up. Tomorrow's my grandmom's 84th birthday! We're all headed to her house on Sunday to celebrate her special day.

In honor of her birthday, today I'm taking this opportunity to tell you all about my fabulous grandom and how wonderul she is.

The first thing I should tell you is that my grandmom is a sewing genius. Her father was a tailor, her mother was a seamstress and so my grandmom was always making things for me - she even made my junior prom dress in high school. One of my favorite things she made for me was a Cabbage Patch doll. When they first came out, Cabbage Patch dolls were super expensive, and my parents really couldn't afford to spend that much money on a doll. My grandmom made me one - and I was the only kid on the block to have a doll that looked very similar to me.

When I was little, my grandmom used to let me play "hairdresser" and style her hair however I felt fit. I had endless access to hairbrushes, hair curlers and everything in between. When I was all finished, my grandmom would be quick to admire her new 'do in the mirror and tell me how beautiful she looked.

I fondly remember grandmom teaching me such songs as "Round ball, round ball" and "See-saw, knock at the door." I'm not sure if those are the actual titles to the songs, but that's how I remember them.

When my older brother and I would go over for a visit, grandmom always had things to play with....whether it was her jump ropes made from old clothes lines or tennis balls that we could throw against the wall. In fact, grandmom taught us a game she used to play as a child using tennis balls and a wall. Essentially, you would throw the ball against the wall and before it came back to you, you had to do something like clap three times, turn around, etc.

Grandmom is an amazing cook. She makes the best green spaghetti ever. Every holiday we would eat green spaghetti and meatballs. I actually have a hand-written recipe for green spaghetti that she wrote for me when I got married, and it remains one of my most treasured items.

My Grandmom has a beautiful faith in God. Whenever I'm struggling with something, I know I can ask her to say a few prayers for me. I personally think she has an "in" with the Big Guy - He always seems to answer her prayers.

If there's one thing I've learned about my Grandmom it's that she loves spending time with her grandchildren (and now great grandchildren!) And you know what? We love spending time with her too.

Perhaps the neatest thing, however, is seeing my grandom interact with my son. It's amazing to see the smile that crosses her face when she sees him. I love watching the two of them in action.

Oh yeah - and one more thing? My grandmom has a silly side. I believe this picture remains my favorite one ever. It's pretty classic!

Happy 84th birthday, grandmom!! May you enjoy another beautiful, blessed year!

Question of the Day:
Anything fun going on for you this weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-10-27T08:49:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

Yesterday I still wasn't feeling so hot and was definitely not in the mood to talk, write or think about food. That's so unlike me, I know! While I was Googling cartoons about feeling better, I came across this and find it mildly amusing.

Source

Today, obviously, I'm thankful for feeling much more like myself. It's amazing how one can take health for granted.

I've really missed catching up on reading blogs - I'm off to go do some of that right now!

Hope you have a fabulous Thursday!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Super Simple Sloppy Joes

2011-10-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday!

I'm feeling a little under the weather today - yuck! I'm ready to get this day over with!

Last night when I got home from work, the little guy was fast asleep. He's started saying "night night?" when he gets really, really tired. It's super cute but I'm completely biased.

The hubby had dinner heating on the stove when I came in, and it was just what I was craving - super simple sloppy joes. While this recipe doesn't use your traditional sloppy joe sauce, it uses something equally delicious - salsa!

I took one pound of ground turkey and cooked it until it was no longer pink. Next, I added a container of salsa and mixed it with the turkey until it was warm.

I served mine with a piece of bread underneath the sloppy joes.

Not the prettiest of meals, but yummy nonetheless!

Question of the Day:
Are you a fan of sloppy joes?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Weekend Recap and Tervis Tumbler

2011-10-24T10:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Mine flew by even though I had a three day weekend.

On Friday, the little guy and I headed over to visit my Grandmom and Uncle Joe. It was great to catch up with them! The little guy loved seeing his GiGi and Great Uncle Joe!

On Saturday night, the hubby had to work, so I took it as an opportunity to follow the little guy around with my camera all night. I needed some updated pictures and he was more than willing to appease me some of the time.

Yesterday was our family day and we spent it seeing the little guy take his first steps. The hubby and I were extremely thankful that the little guy waited until we were with him to take his first steps.

I'm not so good at transitions, so consider this your warning!

As part of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program, I was given the opportunity to sample a Tervis Tumbler cup. I think I am in love with this cup. It's pretty much indestructible and won't chip, melt, shatter or crack. That's a blessing in my house - especially with a 12 month old running around.

Best part of this picture? The party hat and Advil in the background.
Can you tell that this was right after the little guy's birthday party and just as he was getting sick?

Tastemakers who received the Tervis Tumbler were asked to concoct a drink recipe. I'm not much of an alcoholic drinker (in fact, I couldn't even tell you the last time I had an alcoholic drink) so my drink involves apple juice and sparkling water. Classy, right? haha. Combine the two in whatever combination works for you and you have a refreshing, tasty drink.

Enjoy!

Question of the Day:
Do you have a favorite cup or mug to drink from?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-10-20T10:21:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

The sun is semi-shining, the breeze is blowing - my oh my is it a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Mr. Rogers reference, anyone?

I digress. Today is once again Thankful Thursday - the day where I sit back and reflect what I'm thankful for. I've been thankful for large things, small things, everyday things - this tradition has kept me truly tuned in to the little blessings God offers me.

I've noticed that since having a baby, my Thankful Thursdays revolve around him. It's amazing how much joy one tiny person can bring into your life. So, in true form, today I'm thankful for having the day off tomorrow to spend with this bundle of joy.

This morning, I asked him if he wanted to watch Sesame Street. He looked at me and said "Sheet! Sheet!" Pretty flippin' cool in my world.

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Let's Talk: Body Image

2011-10-18T10:46:00.001-04:00

I've been saving this topic in the back of my mind until I was ready to discuss it. Today is that day.

As many of you know, growing up, I was always a heavy-set kid. My problems with weight followed me into my teenage years and my early 20s. If I was hungry, I ate. If I was sad, I ate. Angry, depressed, excited? Yeah, I ate during those times too.

High school photo - I'm in the middle

Almost at my heaviest weight - Tulsa, 2005

On the left - Fall Ball, 2003. See the girl on the right? She lost a lot of weight too....wait till you see her picture!

Six years ago, I decided enough was enough and I joined Weight Watchers. One year and 70 pounds later, I reached my goal weight and felt on top of the world. It was one of the most amazing times in my life.

My best friend and I

Here's my friend from a few pictures above - both of us lost a lot of weight!

In 2008, I was married and was happy that I didn't have to lose weight for my wedding. It was one less stress I had to endure. Sounds funny saying that losing weight would be a stress, but every girl wants to look her best at her wedding, right?

Wedding Day, 2008

Two years later, I announced that I was having a baby and my body began to change. I promised myself I would enjoy every second of the pregnancy and wouldn't freak out about my weight gain. I didn't give much thought about my weight and ate my way through the pregnancy. Imagine my "surprise" when I realized that I wasn't, in fact, giving birth to a 70 pound baby. Oh, and when people say that the baby weight comes right off? Well, they didn't have my body.

Around 8 months preggo

With my nephew 2 months post baby, Christmas 2010

This long story leads me to a point, I promise!! You see, I still have 18 pounds to lose before I get to the weight I was when I made my lifetime goal at Weight Watchers. To me, 18 pounds sounds huge, and looking at my body post baby, I don't think I'll ever look the same as I did all those years ago.

I still feel as if I have a ton of weight to lose, even though I changed my goal weight at Weight Watchers based on my height and age (10 more pounds until I'm officially back at the new goal!). My pre-pregnancy clothes are more than snug and I have my moments where I want to throw my hands up in the air and give up.

Hubby, Little guy and Me at little guy's birthday party, October, 2011

And then, something happened. I was at a family party two weeks ago and my grandmom made a comment to me. She said "Anne Marie, you look great - you're really losing weight." Funny thing is, my grandmom reads my blog, and I'll bet money on it that she doesn't realize how much that comment meant to me. It made me step back and realize how far I've come, and how when I look in the mirror, all I see are those pounds I have to lose. My body image is distorted, and very much so. My grandmom made me realize that even if I never fit into those really skinny jeans or heck, if I stay at the weight I am now, it doesn't matter. I look great. My body did an incredible thing - it gave birth to a baby. At the end of the day, the number on the scale is just a number. Self worth? That's worth everything. Truly seeing things for how they are - that's success.

So today, I ask you to do something - check yourself out in the mirror and remember that you are beautiful. You are amazing, and you are worth it.

Question of the Day:
What do you like about yourself?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Healthy Caprese Style Pizza

2011-10-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend? Mine was eventful. I had to take the little guy back to the doctor's on Saturday and was able to get him on an antibiotic. Phew! Hopefully he'll be back to himself in no time.

I was given a really neat opportunity through Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program and Newman's Own to create a recipe using a Newman's Own Product. After much thought, I decided to make a healthy caprese style pizza. Comfort food in a healthier way? Yes, please!

While making this video, I learned a few things:

1. I am completely and utterly awkward.
2. Talking to a camera is a lot harder than it looks.
3. I have entirely too much baby paraphernalia on my kitchen counter.
4. Count how many times I repeat things in the video!

Without further ado, enjoy the video!

Both the hubby and I enjoyed this pizza. The dressing gave the pizza an entirely new flavor!

Question of the Day:
Tell me a fun fact about you!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Home Remedies

2011-10-14T10:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

I've been doing a lot of reading about cough and cold remedies since the little guy got sick on Monday. While a few seemed kooky, one in particular caught my eye. Apparently, if you put Vicks Baby Rub (it HAS to be baby rub, not regular Vicks, which can be dangerous to babies) on the baby's feet and put socks on them, the baby will not cough the entire night. No coughing = a baby who sleeps through the night peacefully.

I wanted to give it a try because I've been hearing the little guy coughing throughout the night and he's exhausted when he wakes up. I'm proud to report that it actually worked!! The little guy slept straight through the night - his first cough was at 5:15 this morning, right when he woke up.

Crazy, right?

Last night, I sat down to a delicious dinner of shortcut chicken parm and asparagus. It made me feel all warm and toasty inside.

I wish every meal were as tasty as this.

I made the little guy his own version, and I had to share it with all of you.

The little guy LOVED it. He couldn't shove it in his mouth fast enough! There's something incredibly satisfying about making something for my son and having him enjoy it.

I couldn't be more excited for the weekend. The hubby and I have a lunch date tomorrow followed by my cousin's birthday party.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Question of the Day:

Any home remedies you'd like to share?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-10-13T10:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

I apologize for being MIA for the past two days - the little guy got sick and I needed to take a day off from work. The doctor diagnosed him with a throat infection and chest congestion. Yuck. This morning was the first time he was actually grumpy. I could tell his throat was hurting him and he was generally uncomfortable. Poor little guy.

Source

When the little guy gets sick, I'm always reminded how thankful I am when he's healthy and how easy it is to take it for granted. Thankfully, he's healthy most of the time with little spurts of being sick here and there.

Oh, and one more thing - today is my cousin's 16th birthday - happy birthday, Allison! Hope you enjoy your special day!

I promise I'll be back tomorrow with a full post. Enjoy your day!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

One Pot Pasta (And Giveaway Winner!)

2011-10-10T10:34:00.000-04:00

Happy Columbus Day! Did anyone else have to come into work today besides me? It's funny because the entire University has off today except for my section of the office. We do get a comp day though, which is an added treat.

At the little guy's doctor's appointment last week, she told us that we should start transitioning him off of baby food and formula. She said that he should be off of formula in two weeks and baby food shortly after that. Is it just me or does it seem like a quick transition time? The whole milk transition isn't going so well - the little guy isn't the biggest fan.

Food, on the other hand? Well, that's pretty much touch-and-go. One minute he's scarfing down sweet potatoes like it's his second job, and the next he's looking at me like I'm crazy when I try to give him something new. It's a learning experience, right?

Like a good Italian, the little guy LOVES pasta. I'm hoping this meal is also a score - I'll report back tomorrow!

This one pot pasta dish has broccoli, parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic. The smell of this cooking on the stove was amazing. I got this recipe from Gina's blog. It comes in at 8 Weight Watchers Points Plus.

And now for the giveaway winner........

Congrats to Erica from Itzy's Kitchen! Erica, please e-mail me your full name and mailing address to abinns3142@aol.com.

Question of the Day:
What was the highlight of your weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Taco Soup

2011-10-07T10:22:00.000-04:00

Is it 5:00 yet? No? Darn.

It's already been one heck of a morning and it's only 9:45. The little guy did really well yesterday with the shots. The doctor advised me to give him Infant Tylenol once after the shot, once before he went to bed and once this morning. Sounds like no big deal, right? Well, there's one teeny little problem - the little guy gags on medicine and sometimes makes himself sick.

The first two doses went down just fine. No gagging - more of an "eww" face. This morning? Yeah, not so much. He got sick EVERYWHERE. Lesson learned - no giving medicine on a fully belly.

Consequently, I was really late to work (thankfully my boss doesn't care about things like that) and my whole day just seems "off." Things like this shouldn't happen on Fridays!

Now that that's off my chest, I'm here today with a great recipe for Taco Soup. I'm so excited for the kind of weather that's soup worthy. There's something about a big bowl of hearty soup and crusty bread that makes this girl happy.

I got the recipe via Pinterest, originally posted here.

Taco Soup
Recipe from Our Best Bites

1 lb. extra lean ground beef (93% lean or or leaner)
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1.25-oz. packet taco seasoning (about 1/4 c.)
3 c. water, divided
2 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
2 15-oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained

Toppings: Pico de Gallo, light sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, tortilla strips, guacamole, etc.

Heat a large soup pot over medium. When ready, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. When almost brown, add the taco seasoning and 1 c. water. Add the remaining ingredients, including the remaining 2 c. water, bring to a medium boil, then, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Serve with desired toppings. Makes 10 12-oz. servings.

Slow Cooker Instructions: After browning the meat, place all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.

I made it using the slow cooker instructions and it turned out fabulous.

It was incredibly filling and left my belly satisfied.

Well, that's all from me today. I hope you all enjoy your weekend, and if you haven't entered my giveaway yet, you have until Sunday night!

Question of the Day:
Anything fun planned for the weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday (and a Giveaway!)

2011-10-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

Today, the little guy is going to the doctors for his 12 month check-up. This visit includes multiple shots - I hate shot time! I know it's a good thing to give him vaccines, but watching his little face tear up breaks my heart.

Since that's kind of crummy news, I thought that I'd liven things up by having a giveaway. So today, I'm thankful for the opportunity to give you some fun stuff.

I received three boxes of cereal and a $25.00 gift card to Walmart for free from General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

I felt like a little kid when I opened up the package and saw these three cereals starting at me.

Hello 10 year old self - nice to see you again!

I can't tell you how much Cinnamon Toast Crunch/Honey Nut Cheerios I ate as a kid. What I can tell you is that it was a ridiculous amount. Lucky Charms didn't make an appearance into my house until my younger brother was born. He loved a bowl of the stuff every once in awhile.

It's pretty cute when you turn the boxes around, they form a Star Wars poster. Growing up with two brothers who are obsessed with those movies, this made me smile.

In addition to all the deliciousness, there's also a $25.00 gift card to Walmart included in this giveaway.

Crummy picture but great gift card!

So to recap, the prize pack contains:

One box of each of the following cereals to form your own Star Wars panoramic poster:
-Honey Nut Cheerios
-Cinnamon Toast Crunch
-Lucky Charms
$25 Walmart gift card

By now you may be asking yourself "how can I win this giveaway?" Simple, my friends. All you have to do is answer one of the Questions of the Day (yup - there are 2 today!) One winner will be chosen on Monday morning. U.S. residents only (so sorry, but it's not my rule!)

I hope you have a great day!

Questions of the Day:
What was your favorite childhood cereal?
or
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Birthday Party Recap

2011-10-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday!

After having the day off on Monday, I came back to work with lots to do and no time to blog. I'm back today with a recap of the little guy's first birthday party!

Everything worked out really well from the decorations to the food to the crazy amount of people who attended the party. It was a whirlwind of a day and thankfully I put my brother and cousin on video camera/photo camera duty so I would have one less thing to worry about.
The theme for the little guy's party was Sesame Street. He can't get enough of the characters (especially Elmo) and when he saw all of the decorations, he seemed happy!

One of the biggest hits were the Elmo cupcakes I made. My mom frosted them with red icing while I made his face out of white icing with chocolate chips (for the eyes) an orange dot candy for his nose and half of a mint patty for his mouth.

They turned out much better than I expected!

Of course, you can't have a birthday party without birthday cake - Sesame Street related, of course!

The cake was half vanilla/half chocolate with buttercream icing. I ordered it at BJ's and both the hubby and I LOVED it. The little guy loved the Elmo and Big Bird cars that came off of the cake.

When everyone came in the door, they were greeted with this Elmo poster.

I asked the guests to sign it so that the little guy will have something to treasure. Fun fact - this was supposed to be a "pin the hat on Elmo's head" game.

Before we knew it, it was time for cake!! We gave the little guy one of the Elmo cupcakes to try, and well....you be the judge - did he like it or not?

His arms were stained red from the food coloring for two days - no lie.

And, because we're ~~super cool parents~~ dorks, I made sure someone took a picture of us in our birthday hats.

All in all, it was a great day!

Question of the Day:
Would you rather throw a party or attend one?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Happy Birthday, John!

2011-10-03T08:36:00.049-04:00

Today, my baby turns one years old. I have a hard time typing that because it seems like just yesterday, I was seeing him for the first time.

Everyone told me that time goes by quickly.....and you know what? They were right. I look back on this past year and remember what it was like was he was a newborn. I could sit and stare at him for hours, watching the rise and fall of his tummy - just waiting for him to open his eyes, smile or yawn. When he did any of those things, I was there with my camera ready to capture it.

This is one of my favorites!

As he began to get older, I started to see bits and pieces of his personality. I've been so blessed - John is such a happy, even-tempered baby. He smiles A LOT (unless he's hungry - that's another story!) and he loves to cuddle.

I smother him with kisses and he gives me this look like "really, mom? are you done yet?" I can't help it. I'm experiencing a love I never thought was possible.

Now that John's mobile, his world is even more fun. He's able to crawl from one end of the room to another, climb to a standing position and make his way across the coffee table. His legs wobble a bit, but he's getting stronger and more confident. The littlest things he does are the biggest accomplishments to me. When he claps his hands, says a new word or brushes his hair when I tell him he's holding a brush, I'm incredibly proud of him. Each stage he enters is my "favorite" and just when I think I couldn't possibly love him any more, my heart opens even greater.

This past year has been nothing short of amazing. As I'm watching him transition from infant to more grown up infant (I can't bring myself to use the word toddler just yet!), I realize how precious this time is.

Doesn't he look so old?

Happy birthday, my dear, sweet John. I love you more than you'll ever know!

Love,
Mom

It's Friday!

2011-09-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! This weekend is going to be super busy - the little guy's birthday party is on Sunday!

In order to prepare for the craziness, the hubby, little guy and I set down to a comforting meal last night.....

Pasta!!

The little guy loves pasta almost as much as I do. He refused to eat bites of his food until I gave him some pasta. Smart kid, right?

So sorry this post is short - I've got a bunch of stuff to do before this day is over?

Question of the Day:
What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-29T10:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!!

One of the benefits of my job is that it's pretty laid back. If I need to run an errand, and I'm not busy, I am able to get away from my desk for a few minutes. One of my co-workers and I just ran to the bank and wouldn't you know that about three minutes into our walk, the skies opened up and it down poured. As soon as we came back, the skies were blue and there wasn't a rain drop to be found. Seriously, best luck ever.

Despite a little rain, there are still moments to be thankful for. Today, I'm thankful for the woman that watches my son. The husband and I struggled while the little guy was in a day care center. He seemed unhappy and was sick a lot. When we found our current babysitter, we were more than ecstatic. She has 4 children of her own (a set of 10 year old triplets and a 7 year old), so she has some experience under her belt.

When me or my husband go to pick him up at the end of the day, he's smiling (when he's not sleeping) and happy as a clam. He's in a caring environment where I know he is loved. As a working mom, having the peace and security of knowing the little guy is okay is priceless.

I've always said that it isn't being a mom that's the hardest job in the world....it's being a working mom that's the hardest job in the world.

Source

Peace of mind.....it pretty much rocks.

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Just What Did You Do With That Huge Can of Tomatoes?

2011-09-28T11:07:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday! I know the burning question on your mind is "just what the heck did she end up doing with that huge can of tomatoes?" You know....because clearly the only thing that you can thing about is my blog. I kid, I kid.

Seriously, though, I made a huge pot of ~~sauce~~ gravy with the ginormous can. I don't have a true recipe, but I can tell you that in addition to the crushed tomatoes, I added diced garlic, basil, bay leaves, oregano and some sugar to cut the acidity. Add seasonings to taste and you'll be good to go.

There's nothing like a pot of gravy simmering on the stove. I ended up freezing it in two large containers. I can't wait to use it!

In other news - a dear friend, Father Jack Donohie would have turned 72 today. He lost his life to cancer almost 10 years ago and there's not a day when I don't think about him. Happy birthday, Father Jack!

Question of the Day:
Do you ever cook enough food to freeze or do you cook just enough for one meal?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Hearty Italian Sandwiches aka Crockpot Cheesesteaks

2011-09-27T10:50:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday!
One of my co-workers is just as ~~obsessed~~ passionate about healthy eating as I am. We constantly e-mail each other recipes, cooking tips and other things we find interesting. The funny thing about the e-mail exchange is that we literally sit right across the cubicle from one another. I could reach out and give her a high-five - we're that close together.

I've had this recipe saved for a long time and I finally decided to give it a try. It makes a huge batch of goodness and it's incredibly easy to throw together.

Hearty Italian Sandwiches (7 Weight Watchers Points Plus (not including the roll))

2 lbs ground turkey
1 lb. ground beef
2 large onions, cubed
2 large green peppers, cubed
2 large sweet red peppers, cubed
3/8 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
Shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Sandwich rolls

Directions

1. In skillet, cook turkey and beef until no longer pink
2. Place 1/3 of onions, green and red peppers into slow cooker
3. Top with half of cooked meat mixture
4. Sprinkle top of layer with 1/8 tsp. garlic powder & 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
5. Repeat layers (total of two meat layers, three veggie layers) leave some vegetables to top
6. In addition sprinkle the very last layer with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.
7. Cover and cook on low of 6-8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Use a slotted spoon to scoop and serve about 1 cup of the slow cooked meat mix on to the rolls. Top each with cheese, if desired.

From what I was told, this tastes like a cheesesteak. I opted to use 3 lbs of extra lean ground turkey instead of the ground beef.

It.Was.Awesome! If you're in the mood for a healthier version of cheesesteaks, make this ASAP!

Question of the Day:
Are you a fan of cheesesteaks?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Weekend Recap + Fun Eggs

2011-09-26T11:25:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday!

Over the weekend, I stopped at Target to get the little guy his first pair of sneakers. We had plans of stopping at Linvilla Orchards on Sunday and I wanted him to be able to walk around. He doesn't walk on his own yet, but he loves holding my hands and walking around that way.

The little guy doesn't like anything on his feet. Even keeping socks on him in the winter is a challenge. I thought I had him outsmarted and bought a pair of velcro shoes. While we were driving, I heard a ripping sound and when I turned around, I saw the little guy happily un-velcroing his sneakers. This kid has outsmarted me already and he's not even a year old yet!

The apple festival at Linvilla was so much fun. We were greeted with a huge scarecrow when we first walked in.

As luck would have it, we saw Thomas the Tank Engine and were able to get our picture taken with him. I think the little guy was overwhelmed with all of the people, but he was such a good sport!

By the time we came home, it was close to dinner, and the husband was craving eggs. I recently saw a great idea for eggs on Pinterest and decided to try it out.

Start by spraying a muffin pan with non stick cooking spray. Next take a dozen eggs and crack each egg into a muffin slot.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the yokes are set. After they are done, you are left with 12 cooked fun eggs!

These eggs probably work best in egg sandwiches. The husband took what he wanted and I froze the rest for later use. It'll be convenient to pull out the cooked eggs for sandwiches whenever the mood strikes.

Question of the Day:
What was the highlight of your weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Warehouse Clubs....Are They Worth The Money?

2011-09-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

Good morning and happy Friday!

Last night the little guy and I ran some errands while the hubby was at work. I had to pick up some things at BJ's. Every year, the husband and I contemplate whether or not to renew our membership and we always come up with the same answer.....yes.

Warehouse clubs can be tricky. Getting huge containers of items for a great price is a great incentive. You can easily get sucked into the mentality of "I'll definitely use that" or "I need three extra large boxes of cereal." Yes, often the price of the items are cheaper than a typical grocery store, but you have to weigh your options.

I decided to purchase a membership shortly before I was pregnant. The sole reason of the membership was to buy a few items in bulk that I purchased every week at the grocery store. For example, the husband eats muffins like they are going out of style. Every week, I'd spend $4.00 for 6 muffins. Over a month, that's $16.00. BJ's has 12 gigantic muffins (the hubby eats one half of a muffin each day)for $6.49. The muffins will last an entire month.

Another money saver for us is chicken. I can buy a huge bag of frozen, individually wrapped chicken for around $16.00, which will also last a month in our house.

The biggest savings, though, has been on diapers and wipes for the little guy. It's no secret that having a baby can be super expensive, and purchasing 270 diapers for $30.00 is a huge savings compared to other store prices. This alone pays for our membership fee a few times over.

It's safe to say that deciding to purchase a membership to a warehouse club depends on how much you will actually save. You don't want a huge container of something going bad because it's impossible to eat it by the time it expires.

The husband and I make monthly trips to BJ's, and that's worked really well for us. Sometimes I think he should be with me at all shopping trips because once in awhile, I'll justify buying things like this.....

6 lbs of crushed tomatoes for $2.99? Don't mind if I do!

I realize it's a ton of crushed tomatoes but here's my justification - one jar (one pound) of spaghetti sauce costs about $1.19. I can easily make my own ~~spaghetti sauce~~ gravy and have enough left over that I can freeze. It's a win in my book but I'm not sure the hubby agrees!

Question of the Day:
What are your thoughts about warehouse clubs? Do you belong to one?

Hope you have a great weekend!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-22T11:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

Last night I had a doctor's appointment. You know.....that kind of doctor's appointment. The one that almost every women dreads (or maybe it's just me).

I was supposed to go back in January, but the weekly snowstorms kept me from driving around. I promised I'd call back in the Spring, thinking that the nice weather would make it easier to get to the doctor's office. Spring came and went, and then came summer. Over the summer, my best friend called to tell me that someone she knew was diagnosed with cervical cancer and wasn't sure how long she had to live. This someone is 29 years old.....the very age I'll be in a few short months. Hello wake up call, nice to meet you.

I knew the excuses needed to stop and I had to get checked out. I owe it to myself, my family, but most importantly, I owe it to my son. So I put my big girl pants on and made the appointment for last night. The last time I saw the doctor was almost a year ago when the little guy was born.

As soon as I stepped into his office, I remembered how much I enjoy this doctor. I love his personality, his bedside manner and his compassion. Today, I'm thankful for good doctors, and I mean really, truly good doctors.

Source

In the end, it wasn't so bad and I don't know what I was nervous about anyway.

Make that appointment - go to that doctor - get checked out. Don't waste another minute.

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Simple Supper

2011-09-21T10:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday!! I'm glad to finally be at the middle of the week. It's nice to know that there are only two more days until the weekend!

Last night when I came home from work, the hubby already had the little guy bathed and ready to be fed. Sometimes I wonder how single parents do it, and it makes my respect for them even greater. By the time I come home from work, get dinner ready and clean up, it's almost time for the little guy to go to bed. It's insane! Thankfully I have a husband that helps around the house and with the little guy.

Dinner was simple. I made a huge batch of sloppy joes and the husband and I shared a plate. I used lean ground beef and added peppers and onions to bulk up the meal a little bit.

While the hubby was putting the little guy to bed, I tried to catch the season premiere of Glee. I'm going to have to watch it again though - it was hard to pay attention while I was making lunches/getting my bags together for work. Did anyone else catch it?

I'm super excited for the premiere of Modern Family tonight. That show has me in stitches every episode!

Question of the Day:
What's your favorite TV show?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Finding the Comfort Foods

2011-09-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

As summer draws to a close, I find myself grabbing for my jacket as I'm headed out the door. The cooler weather is a much welcomed change. For me and my family, it means trips to Linvilla Orchards, breezy walks outside and the return of the comforter to our bed. (Sidebar - sleeping with the comforter makes me happier than it probably should).
The chillier weather got me thinking of my favorite Fall/Winter Comfort foods. Here's some of my favorite comforting meals.....

Spaghetti with short cut "fresh" whole wheat rolls

Something about hot rolls makes this meal comforting to me. Warm bread and pasta = ~~carb city~~ comfort.

Pizza

I don't think pizza needs any explanation. Anything hot and cheesy gets a vote of comfort in my book!

Eggs and potatoes

I was never really a breakfast person until I met the husband. When I was prego, I craved eggs and potatoes a lot, and since the hubby loves breakfast, he was always up for this meal. Fluffy eggs and cooked potatoes are where it's at!

After looking at the meals, it cracks me up that each meal is full of carbohydrates. What is it about carbs that makes a meal so satisfying?!

Question of the Day:
What's your favorite comfort food meal?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Slow Cooker Buffalo BBQ Chicken

2011-09-19T11:27:00.000-04:00

Dear Weekend,

I would love for you to come back.

Sincerely,
I enjoyed you too much.

How was your weekend? Mine was spectacular! It was one of those weekends that were both busy and relaxing. On Saturday, the hubby and I did some shopping at BJ's for the little guy's party. We went to check out the cakes and we had our cart (filled with stuff) behind us. After talking to the bakery lady, we turned around and our cart was gone! Seriously, who takes a cart full of groceries? We felt like stalkers for the rest of the trip because we tried to locate the mysterious cart-stealer.

While we were away, I had some chicken cooking in my crockpot. I found the recipe for slow cooker buffalo bbq chicken off of Pinterest (still obsessed with that website, by the way) and I couldn't wait to try it out.

Verdict? Both the hubby and I loved it. It was the right mixture of spicy and sweet. I imagine this would go really well at a football watching party/tailgate.

In other news.....the pictures from the little guy's photo shoot are in! We loved every single picture - it was so hard to pick the ones we wanted printed. Here's our favorite though, mostly because of the little guy's cheesy grin.

I'm off to take a body pump class. I'm looking forward to it but at the same time I know I'm going to be sore afterwards!

Question of the Day:
Has anyone ever stolen your grocery cart?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

If I Had Only Known.....

2011-09-16T10:22:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Last night, while I was food shopping, I got some not so great news about two people in my life. While I'm thankful that things could be a whole lot worse, the news also made me stop and think about life....about the person I used to be, the person I want to be, and the person I am right now. I said a little prayer for those two people and when I came outside, I was greeted with the most beautiful rainbow I've ever seen in my life. It's a shame I didn't have my camera on me but after searching ~~for hours~~ a few minutes on Google, I found something really close.

It looked very similar to this, minus the green landscape. To me, the rainbow represented God saying that things will be okay and that He is in control, no matter how hard I try to take the control back from Him.

Source

When I got home, I kept thinking about the rainbow and having the thought "what would I tell my teenaged self if I could go back and revisit her?" I decided to make some notes to my teenage self, and this is what I came up with:

1. Learn to love yourself. That extra weight you're carrying around? You'll eventually lose it, and it won't define you anymore. In fact, it should've never defined you in the first place.

2. Life is short. You'll see people your age pass away and you'll wonder why. Instead of wondering, take the time to gossip less, hug tighter and laugh harder.

3. That guy you used to spend all your time idolizing? Knock it off. Turns out he's gay and that won't work out anyway.

4. Stop trying to please people. It won't work and you'll frustrate yourself in the process.

5. Be yourself. Don't worry about what's trendy or what the popular crowd does. Staying true to yourself is the best thing you can do.

6. Enjoy life. Stop stressing. Take the time to make snow angels, roll down hills and enjoy the feeling of relaxation. Your life is about to get super busy in the next few years.

7. Sleep in. You're gonna miss sleep by the time you're 28.

8. Speak up. Don't cower in the corner. Stand firm in your convictions and do the right thing.

9. Be present in each moment. You'll want to remember most of the stuff that happened when you're older.

10. Spread love everywhere you go.

If I had only known then what I know now, those are the things I'd tell myself. I don't think I'd ever want to revisit those teenage years though - some of them were rough!

Question of the Day:
What's one thing you would tell your teenaged self?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-15T10:22:00.000-04:00

Since having the little guy, I've realized what's truly important in my life. I've learned to laugh harder, hug tighter and smile more often. I've learned that you can never give him too many kisses, too many high-fives or do too much to let him know he's loved.

He has taught me to laugh at the silly things and appreciate the little things. To put it bluntly, I think my little guy is a comedian. He has started making noises and gestures randomly, and if he sees that my husband and I laugh, he does it again and again to get another laugh. It's pretty awesome.

I took this video below while he was tasting the cookies I made for him.

See what I mean? The first time I saw him make that little noise was when I was feeding him his nighttime bottle. He did it by accident in a half asleep/half awake haze, and once I started laughing, he immediately woke up and started making the noise over and over until he couldn't keep his eyes open.

I love moments like these, where I'm thankful for the silliest things he does.

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

The Soreness of It All (+ Giveaway Winner Announced!)

2011-09-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday!

When I got home last night, I was completely exhausted. I didn't get a lot of sleep the night before, and I was really sore from taking Body Pump on Monday. I love the feeling of soreness but at the same time, it really stinks! Today it's even worse. I've tried some stretching but nothing seems to be working. I guess no pain means no gain, right?

I literally plopped on the couch last night at 7:30 and took a two hour nap. Is it just me or do long naps not work anymore? Waking up from a two hour nap often leaves me exhausted and feeling worse that I did before I fell asleep. I'm a fan of power naps, which for me means 20 minutes or less.

Before all of the napping took place, I ate some dinner. I'm not sure whether I wanted something different or I was just being lazy (most likely it's the lazy part), but I took two chicken breasts, two servings of quick cooking brown rice and a can of tomato soup to make a tasty, delicious meal.

Put the chicken in a pan and cover with brown rice. Next, add one can of tomato soup and a half a can of water. Make sure that the rice is covered with the soup. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

I served it up with a side of asparagus. I've been on such an asparagus kick lately!!

There's actually chicken under that mound of rice

See it?

The winner of the Betty Crocker giveaway is Biz! Biz, please send me an e-mail with your full name and address to abinns3142@aol.com. Congratulations!!

I'm hoping to stop at Bath and Body Works tonight to pick up some much needed lotion and some new candles. Fall is in the air!

Question of the Day:
What's your favorite season?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Taco Bake

2011-09-13T10:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday!

The little guy's first birthday party is coming up in the next few weeks and I really haven't done much in terms of party planning. The invitations are out and I have a general idea of what I'm serving, but that's pretty much it. Last night I thought it would be a good idea to get some decorations, so I packed the coach and the little guy up in the car and headed out. Turns out that the nearest party store closed, and the next closest one was about a half hour away. I ended up driving there and picked up some really cute decorations. Even though everyone keeps telling me that he'll never remember his birthday party, I still want to make it special. I mean really, you only turn 1 once, right?

Before I headed out of the house, I fueled up with a taco bake. I had seen this recipe so many years ago but for one reason or another I never made it. I was craving something different this week, so taco bake it was!

I made a few substitutions like swapping out kidney beans for pinto beans and used reduced fat cheese instead of fat free cheese.

Simmering in the pan

Ready to eat!

This dish left me feeling like I wanted to have a taco night. I think it's going to be in the works sometime soon!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't done so already!

Question of the Day:
Are you a taco fan?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Cookie Time (and a Giveaway!)

2011-09-12T10:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday!

This weekend was fantastic. On Saturday, the husband and I took the little guy to my grandmom's to have his first year portraits taken. It only took about an hour, and the photographer (my grandmom's neighbor) was great with the little guy.

Yesterday was our family day, and we took advantage of the beautiful weather by taking a long walk, making memories and smiling throughout the day. These family days are something the husband and I love, and it's the one day out of the week where we dedicate the entire day to being a family.

About a week ago, I received this in the mail.

The product, information and prize pack has been provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark.

I thought I'd provide you with the picture above because this is the one I took.

Can I tell you how excited I was about the spatula and the apron? Wearing an apron while cooking is probably one of the best ideas ever. I don't know why I didn't wear one before.

I've never tried molasses cookies and I was excited to "doctor" these up a little bit to make them healthier and baby friendly (baby friendly = no eggs). I swapped out applesauce for the butter and half of a mashed banana. Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for these cookies with the substitutions but I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

I liked that in 20 minutes I had warm cookies straight from the oven. As soon as the little guy saw these he practically jumped out my husband's arms.

I tasted a cookie and sure enough, they had a strong molasses flavor. At first I wasn't a fan (I'm used to chocolate chip and sugar cookies) but after I let them cool off, they really grew on me. They tasted like the Fall.....does that even make any sense?

The husband and the little guy? They couldn't keep their hands out of the bag!

I love how he's looking at me, complete with cookie on his face, as if to say "why are you taking my picture and not giving me more cookies?"

So, readers, here's your chance to win your own prize pack! *Cue game show music*

The prize pack includes: a Betty Crocker apron, non-stick baking pan, and mixing spoon. All you have to do is answer the question of the day. Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.
The winner will be chosen on Wednesday.

Question of the Day:
What's your favorite kind of cookie?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

It's Not a Bird, It's Not a Plane, It's.....It's.....

2011-09-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

Lasagna! (more on that in a bit)

Happy Friday! I'm super excited for this weekend. The little guy is supposed to have his one year photos taken tomorrow. Where did the year go?! Yeah, I'm not so sure myself. Even though he doesn't turn one until October, this weekend is the best one to get the pictures taken. We're heading over to my grandmom's house. Her neighbor takes pretty awesome photos, and we're more than exited for him to take pictures of the little guy. This neighbor doesn't do this professionally, but I think he should!

I have to mention that this week, I did not feature any chicken or spaghetti on the blog. Doesn't that deserve some kind of award?

Instead of spaghetti, I made something that I've eaten so many times I've lost count but have never made myself......lasagna!

I never wanted to make it because I thought it was complicated. Boy was I wrong!! After boiling the noodles and running cold water over them (to make them easier to handle), all I had to do was layer noodles, low fat ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and ~~spaghetti sauce~~ gravy.

I probably could've used more gravy, but other than that, it was awesome!

My favorite part about this was that it made enough for my hubby, myself and even the little guy to eat with pieces left over. The downside? It's not as good as my friend Ron's lasagna (it's extra cheesy and extra yummy), but it'll do for me...haha.

Question of the Day:
Is there anything you shied away from making because you thought it was too difficult?

Hope you have a great weekend!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-08T10:35:00.000-04:00

Holy monsoon!! It has been raining all week! I don't mind a good rain here and there but this is borderline ridiculous. I'm supposed to go with the little guy tomorrow to a park in support of a friend who is performing. If the ground hasn't dried up by tomorrow, there's no way I can go - I can't see me pushing the coach all over muddy ground. Yuck!

Today, I'm thankful for the little guy actually understanding what I'm saying. (I mentioned this earlier in the week.) Here's a video of him making his mom proud. Please ignore my annoying voice. I never realize how high pitched and annoying I can sound when I talk to him!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

What Can I Do? (A Book Review)

2011-09-07T09:48:00.001-04:00

Happy Wednesday!! Have I mentioned how much I love short work weeks? They rock!

I know I don't usually talk about "heavy" subjects on the blog but this is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I had the opportunity through Business2Blogger to review the book "Mental Illness and Your Town: 37 Ways for Communities to Help and Heal" by Larry Hayes for free.

I wanted to review this book because someone very close to me has bipolar disorder. For privacy purposes, I won't mention who the person is, but I will say that this person is someone I'm very close to. I'll call this person "Roland." Thankfully, the illness is under control. In fact, I've never seen Roland have a manic or depressed episode. His medicines are in check, and if you met him on the street, you'd never know he had an illness.

I started this book eager to learn more about mental illness in general and what I could do to help. Larry Hayes speaks from first-hand experience - his son suffers from a mental illness and he has also experienced depression in his lifetime. This book encourages everyone to take mental illness out of the emergency rooms and psychiatric wards and put it right into your home....your family, your friends, your community....mental illness is around you more than you may think. Larry rallies throughout the book about how you can take action, provide support and help those who struggle with an illness not to fall through the cracks.

One of my favorite parts of the book was expelling the myths of mental illness, for example - poor life decisions cause mental illness, people with mental illness aren't good workers and mental illness is just another name for mental retardation, just to name a few. Lifting the stigma on mental illness is crucial. We need to realize that mental illness does not define someone. It's not something to fear, whether you know someone with an illness or are dealing with an illness yourself. Speaking firsthand, I know Roland doesn't tell many people about his illness because he doesn't want to be looked at or treated differently.

Despite it's slow start, I believe this book would be great for anyone wanting to answer the question "what can I do in my community to make a difference?" To learn more about Larry, please visit his website at http://www.larryhayes.com/.

Question of the Day:
Read any good books lately?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Back in the Swing of Things

2011-09-06T12:11:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday, and thanks so much for all of the anniversary wishes! The hubby and I celebrated on Saturday night with dinner at a local restaurant followed by ice cream. I think this was the first ice cream of the summer season - tragic, I know!

We spent yesterday nestled in our home hanging out with the little guy (who isn't very little anymore!) We hung lots of pictures, filled photo albums and realized that the little guy understands what we're saying. He has a book filled with first words and when I ask him where certain things are, he points right to them and gets super excited. Quite frankly, I'm not sure who is more exited - me, the husband or the little guy.

All of this excitedness led to hunger (naturally!) so I made quick spinach pie. This time I added in some chopped onion, but it tastes just fine without it.

For the first time in a long time I actually included a vegetable and a carb to round out the meal.

Brown rice and asparagus

It was truly a wonderful weekend. I wish we had more three day weekends!

Question of the Day:
What's something fun you did over the weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Our 3rd Anniversary

2011-09-05T09:49:00.001-04:00

Happy 3rd anniversary to my husband, Dan.

It doesn't seem like it's been three years since we said our vows and made our commitment to each other. The last three years have been full of fun times, sad times and everywhere in-between times.

So much has happened over the last three years, but I'm so happy that I've spent them with you.

Thank you for acting like a fool with me and for treating me with love when I've been the fool.

There is so much more I could write, so many more way to tell you that I love you but I think I can sum it all up with this - Thank you for giving me the best gift I could ever wish for.....

..... a son.

Here's to many more years together!

Love,
Anne Marie

Stewi!

2011-09-02T09:43:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday and happy long weekend! This weekend is going to be pretty busy (1st birthday party for John's friend, anniversary dinner and BBQ) but I can't wait!

You know what else I can't wait to do? Share this recipe idea with you. I made this as part of my hurricane food. The best part of this recipe is that I didn't follow a recipe at all. I threw together ~~every vegetable that was going bad in my fridge~~ what I thought would work. Wouldn't you know it......it turned out to be one of the best things I've thrown together in a long time. I'm calling this a Stewi because it was a hybrid of stew and chili.

In this dish I used:

2 zucchini
4 carrots
4 small sweet potatoes
1 onion
1 lb of chicken breast
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
2 15oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 packed of chili seasoning
garlic powder, basil and other spices to taste

Chop the veggies and chicken and throw it all in the crock pot on high for 5-6 hours.

It was a hearty Stewi and it would be awesome served over egg noodles or brown rice. I'll be making this in the winter for sure!

Some housekeeping matters - I recently switched comment services because IntenseDebate was giving me issues. If this new one isn't working for you (or you are unable to comment), please e-mail me at abinns3142@aol.com. I'm trying to get this all sorted out!

Question of the Day:
Any fun weekend plans?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-01T10:49:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

Last night was much more relaxed than yesterday, which was a nice change of pace. Now that it's offically September, I feel like things will start winding down. Even though summer is a time of relaxing, there were multiple times over the last three months where things were more than a little hectic. Throw in an old fashioned hurricane for good measure and that's my summer in a nutshell.

One thing that bothers me is when I realize my fruit drawer is running low. For me, running low means there isn't enough fruit for the hubby and I to eat over the course of a week. I was annoyed when I realized I forgot to stop at the store and pick up some fruit, but I tried to make the most of the situation. Either I could walk to the store with the little guy or I could drive. Driving would've been more convenient, but I opted for the walk. I'm so thankful I did.

Walking with the little guy gave me time to spend with him instead of having him fall asleep on a drive. We laughed, he fussed a few times and then went back to smiling. It was a moment I'll treasure for sure.

On our way home from the store, I was able to see a beautiful sunset. It was the calm after the storm and I believe it was God's way of telling me that things will always be okay if I trust in Him and His plan.

So today, take the time to walk instead of drive. Enjoy each step, breathe in the air and cherish every little moment.

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Well That Was Eventful......

2011-08-31T12:00:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

This morning I had what I would call a "Monday" day. Everything that could go wrong this morning pretty much did. When I left the house to drive to my mom's, I put down all four car windows because I couldn't see out of them. As soon as I got onto the highway, I heard a wooshing sound. I briefly glanced behind me and noticed the back window on the driver's side wasn't closed. I tried to put it up and I realized it wasn't working. After ~~freaking out~~ remaining calm, I decided to try to put the window up when I got to my mom's.

I felt terrible for the little guy who had to deal with cold air coming into the car for forty minutes. I turned up the heat and hoped he wouldn't freak out. Thankfully, I was able to get the window up with no problem and took it to Meinike, right around the corner. I was able to make it to work on time (thanks for driving me to the train station, Kev!) and even though it's only 12:00, I feel like I've had a full day already. Can someone tell me why these things happen on a Wednesday? If if were Monday, I'd almost expect it.

I know I need to be grateful for the way things happened though. Thankfully I can get my car back after work, thankfully it won't cost an arm and a leg (just an arm...haha), thankfully the little guy didn't complain about being cold and thankfully I was able to make it work on time.

Sheesh, all of this ranting has caused me to crave something simple. Thankfully I made another version of Simple Chicken. This time I used cracked red pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder and a drizzle of olive oil.

Yup, you can bet I'm ready to get this day over with!

Question of the Day:
Do you tend to freak out in situations or do you remain calm?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

500 Posts In!

2011-08-30T10:44:00.000-04:00

I looked at my dashboard today and saw that today was my 500th post! How awesome! I never dreamed I'd write 100 posts let alone 500! Thanks so much to everyone that takes a second to come over to my corner of the blog world and read about little ole' me and my obsession with chicken.

Since many of you were interested in my Personal Questions post, I thought I'd answer some more thought provoking questions. Besides, you don't really want to see another chicken recipe right now, do you? (Don't worry, one is coming later in the week for any of you that actually said yes). Haha!

Personal Questions - Round II

1. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

I'd like to change how much hate there is in the world. I know that sounds cliche, but it's true.

2. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

Volunteering. Helping other people is the way to go.

3. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

I'm a settler and I realize it. I'm working on doing what I believe in and hopefully it will pay off one day.

4. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

I'm a scardey-cat of almost everything. I'd definitely take more risks.

5. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Love yourself - you are beautiful.

6. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

Yes, and it stinks that it's anger I'm holding on to.

7. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

I LOVE this question! I used to do that until the day when I saw someone else push the button multiple times. I thought he looked ridiculous.

8.What are you most grateful for?

I'm most grateful for my son, my husband and my family.

9. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
Gosh, this is a hard question. I would probably say Christmas mornings were the best because we were all together. My dad worked a lot when I was a kid, so being able to have everyone under one roof at the same time was awesome. Looking back on it, I think I appreciate that my brothers and I were all under the same roof. Now that we're older and living apart, I look back at these times and they make me smile.

10. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

Probably when my son was born almost a year ago. It was an amazing experience.

11. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

Absolutely, and it's not because of the job I have - I honestly love it. I would quit because I could be a stay at home mom.

So there you have it - another post written. Here's to another 500 posts!

Question of the Day:
Pick a question and tell me your answer!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Hurricane Food

2011-08-29T11:41:00.000-04:00

Here we are back at another Monday!

How did everyone do with Hurricane Irene? Although there were some major winds and scary rain, thankfully we ended up with no damage to speak of. The worst we got was a few downed branches. Thank God!

The hubby and I spent most of Saturday afternoon preparing for the hurricane. He went outside to take put the patio furniture away and I stayed inside making sure we had enough food to eat.

While I was making the meals for the week, I decided I wanted to have pizza for dinner. Seriously, is there a better hurricane food? (Probably, but I'm not addressing it on the blog!)

The pizza tasted pretty amazing, especially since the husband helped me with it when he was done ~~playing around~~ working outside. Doesn't food taste much better when someone else makes it?

Question of the Day:
Were you affected by Hurricane Irene?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Zucchini Pizza Boats

2011-08-26T10:23:00.035-04:00

Happy Friday!

Is Hurricane Irene threatening anyone else this weekend? I went to Target last night to make sure I had enough food for the little guy and the crowds of people were ridiculous. People were having panic attacks because they didn't have anymore "D" batteries left. Come ON people - relax! I'm dreading going food shopping tonight because I have a feeling it's only going to get worse. It stinks that Friday is my actual food shopping day and not my "I'm going crazy because of Hurricane Irene" day.

I started my shopping trip at Target around 6:45 and didn't get home until 8:30. It might have had something to do with getting distracted by all things shiny...haha.

When I came home, I realized I didn't have any more salad left for my lunch. I decided to make some stuffed zucchini which I have renamed Zucchini Pizza Boats. I based it off of Roni's recipe (sidebar - I love her blogs!) Sure, it was 8:30 at night but I whipped these together in literally 8 minutes (yes, I'm THAT person and I timed myself).

I tweaked her recipe based on what I had on hand. I added in a half serving of turkey pepperoni, omitted the feta and used mozzarella cheese instead.

Don't they look pretty?

After I put them in the oven, I ran around like ~~a chicken without a head~~ a mad woman putting the goodies from Target away, assembling bottles and doing some last minute straightening up. It's really hard to get everything done on days when the husband works his second job.

The smell coming from the oven was incredible. It smelled just like it does when I make my homemade pizza. After about a half hour, this is what I was left with.

A little burnt, but they still look yummy!

I can't comment on the taste, but I can tell you that I'm so excited for it to be lunchtime already!

Question of the Day:
Are you ready for Hurricane Irene or do you think it will amount to a whole lot of nothing?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-25T10:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

We're up for another installment of the Thankful Thursday series. Today, I'm thankful that I got some snuggle time in with this guy in this morning.

Sure, it was 4:40 in the morning and we didn't have to be up until 5:30 and yes, I'm completely exhausted. But you know what? I wouldn't have traded the snuggle time for anything in the world.

Please excuse me while I have a mini freak-out at the above picture. When/how did he become a little boy?

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

I Feel the Earth Move.....

2011-08-24T11:02:00.000-04:00

...under my feet. Seriously, I've had this song in my head for the past 24 hours.

I was one of the "lucky" ones who felt the earthquake yesterday. I was sitting at my desk when all of a sudden I saw my computer monitor shake. When I looked across the street, I saw the windows moving back and forth. Before I knew it, some professors came running out of their offices excited that they were feeling an earthquake in Philadelphia. Me? I wasn't too excited - I was more nervous than anything else!

The shake up led me to wanting something comforting for dinner, so pasta seemed like the perfect choice. There's something heartwarming and healing about a bowl of pasta. I cooked up some whole grain spaghetti and added in some frozen spinach.

I love how you can see the spinach throughout the pasta.

Of course, pasta wouldn't be pasta without the cheese!

Delicious, hearty and oh so comforting. It was just what I was craving.

Question of the Day:
What are you craving right now?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

A Ha Moments

2011-08-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday!

I can FINALLY take a breather - today is proving to be much less stressful compared to yesterday's craziness.

Can I get completely geeky on you for a second? Damian and Samuel won The Glee Project! I'm beyond excited - I was rooting for Damian the entire show. He seemed the most humble of the four finalists, and I'm happy that he'll be on Glee for a few episodes. Gosh, I am such a complete dork!

Last night when I got home I had one of those "a ha" moments - you know the ones I'm talking about. You see, when I get into a routine, I rarely veer from it. I come home, I have an agenda and I stick to it because I know it works. Take the little guy, for example. He typically falls asleep anywhere between 7:00-8:30. Usually, he falls asleep on me and usually I snuggle with him until he gets his last bottle at 9:30. After he eats at 9:30, I begin the task of getting the family ready for the next day - i.e. pack lunches, clean up the mess of toys, etc. Last night I decided to try feeding the little guy at 8:30 and see if he woke up any earlier this morning. You know what? He didn't. A ha! Feeding him his bottle a little earlier means extra time with the husband, getting chores done sooner and sleeping more. Hallelujah!

Another a ha moment I've had recently? This......

Microwavable brown rice that cooks in 90 seconds. I understand it's much more cost effective to buy bigger bags and take the time to cook the rice, but my life doesn't have room for that right now. I bought this at Aldi's, but I know that other supermarkets carry this product.

Well, I'm off to get some more work done - hope you all enjoy your day!

Question of the Day:
Have you had an "a ha" moment lately? Tell me about it!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Using What's On Hand

2011-08-22T14:02:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday! Holy moly has it been crazy today! I have literally a five second breather, so instead of checking my e-mail or going on facebook (such a guilty pleasure of mine!) I decided to blog.

I have another chicken dish for you today.....suprised? Coming up with a toping for chicken proves to be challenging because I make chicken a lot. I took a look through my cabinet and decided to use what I had on hand. I found some Lay's dip creations that I received for free from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, sprinkled it on top of the chicken and baked until it was done.

It almost looks like pesto, doesn't it? The flavor is called Garden Onion and oh, boy does it have a huge onion flavor! I think I should serve this chicken with a side of mints! haha

Sorry for the shorter blog post - it's been a crazy day!

Question of the Day:
Onions - yay or nay?

Yay for me, but I have to have gum afterwards!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

When You Crave the Unhealthy Stuff

2011-08-19T11:21:00.000-04:00

Let's be real. I try to eat healthy most days of the week but there are times when I have the urge to stuff my face full of anything and everything that moves. I think the women of the blog world know what I'm referring to....haha.

I've found that when I eat healthier and more frequently, I'm less likely to feel the need to eat the not-so-healthy stuff. And then there are those occasions when I'm in the mood for something unhealthy and recreate a healthier version.

I was craving Chinese food when I stumbled across Beth's recipe for veggie fried brown rice. It couldn't have happened at a better time. At 8:00 at night, I made a huge batch to eat for lunch the following day.

I started by sauteing some onions in a skillet.

After they softened I added in my frozen veggies. Once they were heated through, I put a half a cup of precooked brown rice and cracked an egg on top.

I stirred for a few minutes until the egg was cooked and added in some rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. When all was said and done, I was left with an entire pot of healthy veggie fried brown rice.

Don't let the picture fool you - it tasted much better than it looks

For my Weight Watchers readers - all that food for 6 points+! It was insanely good and filling. I'll definitely be making this again soon!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Question of the Day:
Have you ever created a healthy version of something unhealthy? What was it?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-18T10:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!!

I can't believe it's Thursday already. I guess that's because I had off on Monday. Anywho, today, I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a Godmother to this beautiful little girl.

Mom and baby

Sophia's Baptism was beautiful, and she only flinched a little bit when the holy water was poured over her head. She's such a little angel!

I love my nephew in this picture....he's trying to look and see what's going on!

Being able to be a Godmother is an honor I'm very grateful for.

I can't get enough of this little sweetheart!!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Crockpot Shredded Chicken Parm

2011-08-17T11:03:00.000-04:00

Despite being off on Monday, I had to get all of my cooking done over the weekend. It's hard to rationalize cooking food on a day I could spend completely with the little guy. I wanted to make something the baby could enjoy with us that was also easy to throw together. This turned out to be a really simple dish that could be customized however you want.

I took five chicken breasts and put them in a crockpot sprayed with cooking spray. Next I added three cans of diced tomatoes, some basil, oregano and garlic powder and let it cook for around six hours or so.

I shredded the chicken, topped it with mozzarella cheese and served it with brown rice. It reminded me so much of shredded chicken parmesan.

I'll definitely be making this again, especially as the weather gets cooler. I mean really, is there anything easier than making something in the crockpot?

Question of the Day:
What's your favorite crockpot meal?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Food Review: Birds Eye Steamfresh Chef's Favorites

2011-08-16T10:42:00.000-04:00

Happy ~~Monday~~ Tuesday!! I've been off of the blogging wagon - I'm sorry! Friday was the beginning of the craziness at work and I was off on Monday. It was so much fun getting to hang out with the little guy for an extra day.

My weekend was a lot of fun! My beautiful niece was Baptized on Sunday, and I was so proud to be her Godmother. Over the weekend I was able to test out an awesome new product for free courtesy of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program with Bird's Eye Chef's Favorites. I'm a huge fan of Bird's Eye Steamfresh in general, so I jumped at the chance to try this out.

In case you can't see the title, I tried the Roasted Red Potatoes & Green Beans with Parmesan Olive Oil Sauce.
I started making dinner while I popped the bag in the microwave for about seven minutes. I was at the stove when I literally stopped and looked over at the microwave. The smell that was coming from it was incredible. It smelled like a restaurant in my house for the seven minutes this thing was steaming. Even the husband came downstairs to find out what I was making.

When dinner was ready, I opened up the bag and put the vegetables on the plate.

I took a close-up picture because these guys deserved it!

Yum!

Part of me wishes that the husband wasn't around so I could've eaten the entire bag. It was THAT good. I honestly expected the vegetables to be mushy but I have to admit that the potatoes and green beans were cooked perfectly and the sauce complimented the vegetables well. My only "complaint" is I wish the bag was bigger!
These don't hit shelves until September, so make sure to check them out in a few weeks! I know I'll be loading up on them for sure!

Question of the Day:
Are you a fan of steam in the bag vegetables?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-11T11:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

Whew! It's been one heck of a morning! We have Pre-Orientation going on at my job right now for some new students. To say it's hectic is a complete understatement. Don't get me wrong, the busyness makes the day go much, much faster and that's always a good thing. The only downside is that I have to get used to lots and lots of students hanging around the office again. This marks my official end of summer. haha.

Today, I'm thankful for having the hubby at home tonight. He's worked his second job every day this week, and not seeing him until 10:45 p.m. when I'm only half awake isn't cutting it.

Even though I've got to go food shopping, he has to mow the lawn and the little guy needs a bath, at least I'll be able to see him when I get home. Plus, bath time for the little guy equals snuggles for him and his daddy.

I LOVE this picture of them!

Of course, I have to add a picture of the little guy while he was in the bathtub. He was having so much fun and wouldn't stop smiling for the camera. I LOVE this kid!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Making the Most Out of Your Time

2011-08-10T10:04:00.000-04:00

Since the little guy was born, one thing I'm short on is time. When I'm not diaper-changing, feeding (him, hubby or me), doing laundry or washing dishes, I'm most likely in the kitchen trying to create some semblance of a dinner. I would be remiss not to say the husband doesn't help out because he does....a lot. I certainly don't have the opportunity to be too adventurous in the kitchen, which is why you see A LOT of chicken and pasta on the blog. Maybe when the little guy is older, I'll get back to some of the things that take longer to make.

Even though time is in short supply, I try my best to make the most out of the time I do have. Take Saturday night, for example. While feeding the little guy in his high chair, I was able to make a chicken dish for the week.

I saw this guy at the supermarket and decided to give it a try.

Chicken and poultry grinder? Don't mind if I do!

I love the hint of seasoning this brought to the chicken. Not too overpowering or bland. Just right!

Thankfully, there were only minimal grunts of "feed me NOW woman!" from the little guy while I was using the grinder on the chicken.

Making the most out of the time I do have has a downside.....I'm EXHAUSTED by 7:00 in the evening. Perhaps I need to make more time to rest!

Question of the Day:
Life is hectic, no doubt about it. What's something in your life you want to make more time for?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Things that Make Me Happy

2011-08-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

If you've been reading the blog for a little while, you'll know that I'm thankful for the little things like sunshine when it's supposed to rain, an unexpected smile from the little guy, a hot cup of coffee in the morning or being able to call my co-workers friends. You know what else makes me happy? Being able to borrow this......

Pasta machine!

Seriously, it was the highlight of my weekend. You know how much this girl loves ~~chicken~~ pasta, especially when it's homemade. Fun fact: I registered for a traditional pasta maker (the one my grandmom uses) when I got married. I've used it a handful of times, but it's a ton of work!

This pasta machine was a piece of cake to use. I had fresh pasta in literally five minutes! I put in two cups of flour, two eggs, a little bit of oil and water and turned the machine on.

After mixing for a few minutes, I turned the machine on "extract" and saw this.....

Cool, right?

I let it dry for a little bit and then threw it in a pot of boiling water for about 3-4 minutes.

Tasty is completely an understatement!

I have to say though, I think I enjoy the fresh pasta made with the traditional machine better....but I also think it's all in my head. haha.

Question of the Day:
Tell me something that makes you happy!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Food Review: Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries

2011-08-08T10:49:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday!
This weekend was one of those weekends where I got a lot accomplished but I don't feel like I wasted the weekend doing chores. It's really a win-win situation. Over two days, meals were cooked for the week, we got new tires on the car and got lots of cleaning and laundry accomplished.

As a reward for our efforts, I pulled out some sweet potato fries that I received for free from Foodbuzz's Tastemaker Program. I was excited to try these because:

I love sweet potatoes
I love fries

I was impressed as soon as I put them on the baking sheet. I knew that these weren't going to be your "typical" sweet potato fries.

Seriously, look at the size of these things! (Anyone else thinking "that's what she said?" No?)

I paired them with some pizza bread because what goes better with knock-off pizza?

To say that these were delicious is the understatement of the year. They were crispy, sweet and honestly, each fry left me wanting more and more. Added bonus? The above picture shows the serving size of the fries. Completely and utterly satisfying.

Question of the Day:
Sweet potato fries or regular fries? Which do you prefer?

I love both, but at the moment, sweet potato fries are stealing my heart.

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

My Newest Obsession

2011-08-05T12:14:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

I enjoyed my time off with the little guy so much. We laughed, we gave multiple high-fives to one another (it's his new thing) we napped on the sofa (for a glorious 2.5 hours) and we even hung out with "Aunt" Chele. It.Was. Awesome.

I don't know why it's taken me so long, but I'm having a love affair with Pinterest. I've been looking at it literally ALL morning! People are incredibly creative. I just looked at the clock and saw that it's time for lunch - I can't believe how quickly the time passed by!

Before I break for lunch, I want to share with you a recipe for spicy chicken. I took a plain chicken breast and seasoned it with chili powder and chipolte powder. I didn't use exact measurements, so season according to taste.

I topped this with hot sauce before I ate it. The spicier the better for me!

Question of the Day:
Spicy food - yes or no?

Hands down yes for me!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today, I'm thankful to be home with the little guy who loves to eat peaches? Don't believe me (or want to see a super cute video?)

Take a look and judge for yourself.

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Extra Lean Burgers-Yuck!

2011-08-03T11:48:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday!! I'm super excited because I have the day off tomorrow. Our babysitter is on vacation this week, so the husband and I rotated days off. I wish tomorrow was Friday, though - that would make it an even better day off!

When I go grocery shopping, I typically have an idea of what's on the menu for the week. This week I wanted something different, so when I came across a package of 93/7 lean hamburgers on sale, I put them in my cart.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the burgers and after I saw what they looked like when they were cooked, I knew not to expect too much. I'd rather buy the ground meat and make my own, but the pre-made burgers seemed like a good choice because it saved me time.

Blah. Nothing special.

Yeah.....not really good at all. Thankfully the bread hid the flavor of the burgers fairly well. At least I was reminded that making my own burgers is a much better idea.
Please don't forget to enter the formula giveaway. You have until Sunday night to enter!

Question of the Day:
Which do you prefer - regular, turkey or veggie burgers?

I'm a huge fan of turkey burgers. As long as they are seasoned correctly, they taste great!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Giveaway Time (for baby stuff!)

2011-08-02T10:51:00.002-04:00

Happy Tuesday!

Last night, after it stopped torrentially downpouring, the hubby and I decided to take the little guy out for a walk. Yes, it was pitch dark outside but the rain made the temperature so much cooler, plus the little guy fell asleep halfway through the walk. Win and win.

I'm going to use the rest of this post to tell you about an awesome opportunity I received through MyBlogSpark. I received two cans of Parent's Choice formula, coupons for $3.00 off of Parent's Choice Advantage Infant Formula and a Parent's Choice Starter Set that included bottles, liners, rings and a host of other things. Now seems like the appropriate time for the disclaimer - the product, prize pack, information, and giveaway have all been provided by Parent's Choice through MyBlogSpark for free. I am not being compensated for this post.

When the little guy was first born, I nursed as much as I could, but after a while, my milk supply dropped and I had to supplement with formula. From what I hear, my nursing story isn't as uncommon as I once thought. Choosing the right formula was difficult mainly because I wanted to make sure that I chose the best one for my son. I thought brand names (like Enfamil, Similac, etc.) were the way to go, but when I talked to my doctor, she told me that it didn't matter what the brand was - all formulas have to meet the nutritional guidelines determined by the FDA. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that if I purchased a store brand, I'd still be giving my son quality formula.

I'm more than happy with the Parent's Choice products. The bottles and liners work well (although I'm generally not a fan of bottles with liners) and the little guy voices no complaints with the formula. Want more info on Parent's Choice formula? Check out the website here.

You know what's super cool? I can give all of this away to you!

The winner's prize pack will contain:

(1) 12.9 oz can of Parent’s Choice Premium
(1) 12.4 oz can of Parent’s Choice Advantage
(2) $3.00 off coupons for Parent’s Choice Infant Formula (redeemable at all Walmart stores)
(1) Parent’s Choice Starter Set – a complete nurser system that includes a variety of bottles, nipples, liners, leak proof caps and retainer rings.

I know many of you don't have the need for formula, but if you know someone who could benefit from this, please send them to the blog.

What do you have to do to enter? Leave me a comment telling me the best baby advice you've ever gotten. Please note that the giveaway is for U.S. residents only....sorry!

Question of the Day:
What's the weather like where you are?

It started off cool this morning, but it's supposed to get into the 90s by the afternoon here in Philadelphia.

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Simple Chicken

2011-08-01T13:20:00.000-04:00

I'm glad that many of you enjoyed the personal questions post. The questions were a lot of fun to answer!

You know, sometimes I find myself looking for new recipes to make because I need to switch up my routine a bit. Such was the case this weekend, but instead of spending too much time online looking for one, I decided to create my own. It's probably the simplest recipe I could come up with, and it tastes delicious.

I coated the chicken breasts in olive oil and sprinkled oregano, basil, garlic powder and some salt and pepper on top.

Lots of spices, but it hit the spot.

I'll have to do a recap of the weekend of getting the kiddo's together. Here's a sneak preview.

Little guy checking out his cousin

It was so much fun!

I've got a mail merge project to get back to (lucky me!) I just love printing and stapling hundreds upon hundreds of letters.......(there's total sarcasm in that last sentence, in case you were wondering!)

Question of the Day:
What was the highlight of your weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Personal Questions

2011-07-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

I saw these 10 personal questions on Caitlin's blog and I thought it would be a lot of fun to join in. I enjoying getting to know other bloggers, so maybe you'll learn something new about me!

What do you have on your bedside table?

I think the real question is what don't I have on my bedside table? It's a mess! There's a lamp, my NFP chart, magazines, my cell phone and the baby monitor.

Do you have a tattoo?

I don't, but I wanted one when I was a teenager. I am terrified of needles, so that doesn't help too much. A few years ago I was going to go and get one and chickened out at the last second. Looking back on it, I'm glad that I didn't go through with it - I don't think I'd want it now!

Do you believe in abstinence prior to marriage?

Yes, yes, a million times yes. I know it isn't the 'thing' to do anymore, but for my husband and I, it was the greatest gift we could've ever given to each other on our wedding night. We both grew up in Catholic households (although his mom told him more than once to "get out there and experience things"). Thankfully, the hubby didn't listen to that advice. Looking back on it, I can't imagine sharing something so special with anyone else other than my husband. With that said, everyone is different and you have to do what works for you.

What is your worst habit?

The husband could probably answer this much better than I could, but I'd probably say procrastination and biting my nails.

How do you handle finances in your relationship? Or, how would you like to handle money in your future relationship?

We have a joint bank account where we put our checks. It makes things much easier that way. Most of our bills come directly out of our account (we both hate writing checks) and we try to sit down and do a budget once a month.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

I love the name Gianna. If the little guy was a girl, that's what we would've named him.

Where do you want to go on your next vacation?

Italy. That would be awesome.

What is one political cause you feel strongly about?

Abortion.....a topic I probably shouldn't get into on the blog.

Have you ever stolen anything?

Never anything from a store. I did steal my friend's Barbie's outfits when I was 6. In my defense, it was an adorable outfit.

Tell us something embarrassing about yourself.

Where do you want me to start? I have been known to trip over absolutely nothing while walking. It makes me looks like a moron when it happens!

Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed answering!

Can I just tell you how much I love asparagus? Like love it so much that I could eat an entire batch by myself. I haven't had it in a long time, but when I cooked some up this weekend to eat with our weekly meals, I was reminded of how amazing it is. Word of wisdom - make sure you cook it with some olive oil. I tried cooking some with plain cooking spray but it only made the asparagus taste flavorless. Adding the olive oil made it amazing.

Question of the Day:
Pick a question above and answer it OR tell me something random about yourself.

Have a great weekend!

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Thankful Thursday

2011-07-28T09:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday!

I know it's only Thursday but I'm super, super excited for the upcoming weekend.

Today, I'm thankful that I was able to coordinate a get-together with my brothers, their significant others and the kiddos. I'm so happy that we'll all be under the same roof for a few hours to laugh, share a meal and let the kiddos run around.

This is the only picture I have of my younger brother holding the little guy. This needs to change asap!

When we went on vacation last month my brothers and I had so much fun, and I've been looking forward to hanging out with everyone since we left.

Hubby, my brother and the boys

I love watching them interact!

And, as a completely awesome added bonus, I get to shower my niece with tons of hugs and kisses. Because really, who can resist this face?

Woo hoo! I can't wait!

Question of the Day:
What are you thankful for today?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Food Review: Breakstone's 100 Calorie Cottage Doubles

2011-07-27T11:10:00.000-04:00

Hi friends!

I've been really bad at letting a few free coupons from Kraft's First Taste Program pile up. I had a coupon to try Breakstone's 100 Calorie Cottage Doubles and when I saw it at the store this weekend, I knew it was time to give it a try.

I snagged the blueberry flavor thinking that it would be decent. I have to say that I loved the convenience of being able to throw this in my lunch bag without worrying about it leaking all over the place.

I decided to eat it as my afternoon snack. I typically eat a snack in the afternoon when I come home from work because the little guy has to eat before the hubby and I do. My afternoon snack holds me over until I'm able to eat dinner. When I opened the container, I saw this......

....and I knew it wasn't going to be a good eating experience. I certainly didn't expect fresh blueberries but I wasn't expecting the off taste of the blueberry "sauce". I have to admit that I was hesitant to add the "sauce" to the cottage cheese because I love cottage cheese straight up.

Needless to say, it wasn't pleasant. The taste of the sauce was off and in the end, it kept me satisfied for all of five minutes. I would've loved to have more cottage cheese where the sauce was.

While eating, my friend (and co-worker) asked me what the heck I was doing snapping pictures. I reminded her that I have a food blog and she smiled and said "I have some reading to catch up on!" I told her I was taking a picture of her reading my blog and posting it today. She'll probably kill me when she sees it....but she loves me so it's all good!

Question of the Day:
What's something you had high expectations for but were disappointed in?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Incredible

2011-07-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

I cannot express how amazing I'm feeling right now. I just went over to Janetha's blog to see how the auction for Susan went. Are you ready? Between the auction and direct donations, the event raised $26,432. You can see the breakdown here. Thank you to everyone who donated money, bid on an item or donated something to the auction. I'm sure Susan is overwhelmed at the turnout. It's hard to believe, isn't it? You guys are incredible!

I've been trying to round out my meals because, according to the pediatrician, what the little guy sees us eat, he'll eat. The husband and I have been trying to make sure that we include veggies and fruit with each meal. Since we've been doing this, the little guy has taken an active interest to see what we are eating. It's amazing to see how much he wants to mimic the hubby and I. For the time being, the little guy is loving the fruit (even though he doesn't swallow much of it) and snubbing his head at most of the vegetables. Right now, I'm okay with that. Fruit is good for him and he gets his vegetable servings in the pureed food anyway.

I made a big batch of baked ziti this weekend to serve the husband and I for three days. I have to confess.....I broke a cardinal Italian rule, and Grandmom, please forgive me for what I'm about to say. Instead of keeping the spaghetti long, I broke the noodles in half. Growing up, the only time cutting or breaking of spaghetti noodles was allowed was if you were a young child. Once you were about six years old or so, the cutting spaghetti stopped and the twirling began.

I decided to break the noodles because, for this dish, it works out much, much better.

On the side, I served some steam in a bag vegetables that were coated with a light olive oil sauce.

I bought the vegetables on a whim from Target and I will definitely be purchasing them again. It was AWESOME!

Question of the Day:
Tell me something incredible in your life right now.

Until next time!
~Anne Marie

Monday, Monday

2011-07-25T13:31:00.001-04:00

Before I start this post, I want to let you know that The Great Fundraising Act is underway!! Janetha was so awesome in putting this all together. You find all of the items for auction here, and the direct link to my crocheted scarf is here. Happy bidding!

Happy Monday!

This weekend went by so quickly, but then again when does a weekend ever drag on?

I found out late on Friday that my priest friend passed away. Thanks for all of your prayers and good wishes. I know he's in Heaven watching over us.

Yesterday was the usual cook once eat all work week day, except I didn't have my two helpers with me. Instead, the husband hung out with the little guy so that I could get all the cooking done as quickly as possible. I was able to make meals to last us the work week in about an hour and a half. Not too bad!

While the food was in the oven, I cleaned the kitchen floor and the husband vacuumed. It felt great to be so productive, especially on a Sunday!

One of the meals I decided to make was shortcut chicken parmesan. I had every intention of making chicken cutlet but I realized that I was out of breadcrumbs and eggs. Fail!

I think I may have used too much cheese......thoughts?

I just came back from body pump and I have some work to get done. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

Question of the Day:
How was your weekend?

Until next time!
~Anne Marie