The Get Out Of A Rut Challenge-June 2012

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Can you believe we are now halfway through 2012?!

I was thinking I wanted to something to inspire and challenge myself and, hopefully, my readers.  It is all to easy to get into a rut, or many ruts, in our everyday lives.  Maybe you've been intending to try a new haircut, lose a few pounds, read a book, etc. Problem is--it's just been shoved into a file in your life.  Something you'll get to at some point.

Opposite sex

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What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and everything nice. That's what little girls are made of.

What are little boys made of.  Snips and snails and puppy dog tails.  That's what little boys are made of.

I remember these childhood rhymes well.  At the time, as a little girl, I didn't get the bias towards the female gender.  I grew up with three sisters (and two girl dogs!) and I remember, at times, wishing that I had a brother.  I just wanted to know what it was like having a boy in the house. 

When I became pregnant with my second child--I automatically assumed that it would be a girl.

Triple chocolate brownies

I was so wanting chocolate today!  It was something I knew a chocolate candy bar would not fix.  Yet, it is entirely too hot here and I was not in the mood for anything that required a huge effort.

Easy shredded chicken tacos

Yummy!

 

I absolutely heart Mexican food and tacos are easily my favorite.  When I get a craving for tacos, I prefer to make them at home.  There is something special about taking a pot of plain water and making a mouth-watering meal.  Plus it's so much cheaper and easier.  I detest the taco seasoning packets and find that using spices on hand make a huge difference in the taste.

Creamy chicken orzo pasta

I recently had one of those days where I needed to figure out what to fix for dinner and had zero desire to cook. 

I had a huge craving for some kind of pasta, and I definitely did not want to eat any fast food or takeout.  So I had to cook.

The difference between breasts and boobs

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My daughter sat on my bed with legs folded.  I knew that posture.  This can only mean one thing--something is on her mind and she's ready to talk about it.

"Mommy?" she asked in her small voice.  

"Yes," I responded sitting down next to her.

 "I don't have boobs," was her reply.   

I wasn't quite prepared for that statement and quickly found myself thinking "Oh is this what we are going to be talking about?" Then I had to think about how to discuss boobs appropriately with a four-year old.

"Why do you say that you don't have boobs?" I asked. 

I needed to get inside her mind, see how much she knew, because it's natural for kids this age to have quite the imagination.

"Well I don't have boobs.  You have boobs.  I have breasts," she said.

I was now intrigued.  I wanted to know the difference.  She continued with her explanation.

"You have boobs because you feed AJ (her baby brother) on the boob.  I don't feed a baby on the boob so I have breasts.  When I grow up and have a baby, I'll have boobs, so I can feed my baby on the boob," she explained in a matter-of-fact way.

"Oh, I see now" I said.  

I'm glad that I now know the difference and I'm officially lobbying to change the term breastfeeding to the more accurate term "boob feeding". ;-)

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Pico de gallo

I decided to try again this year to plant a few vegetables after a disastrous end to my attempt last year (Read about it).  I ended up planting three tomato plants all of different varieties.  One did extremely well yielding several large juicy red tomatoes.

Narcissism Epidemic?

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I've had the misfortune of having a few run-ins with people that I have deemed to be truly dysfunctional at some level.  The real challenge is trying to find ways to deal with or avoid the turbulence caused by their behavior. 

Party platters

When I had my housewarming a few weeks ago, I really wanted to keep things relatively light and easy.  I decided to do easy platters and dips, along with a sloppy joe sliders (which were a huge hit). 

I thought to make things easier I would buy fruit, veggie, and meat/cheese trays from the store.  I would only need one of each more than likely.  Was I shocked to see how much a store platter cost! I figured I could make them myself and not do too shabby.

Is hiding vegetables in other foods a good idea?

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We know our kids need to eat vegetables daily for good health.  We know there is such a wide variety of vegetables that finding ones our kids will eat and, dare we dream, love should not be a problem.

The only issue is: How do you get your kids to eat stuff they won't even touch?

Pineapple-mango salsa

As the weather warms I get giddy with anticipation of all fresh variety of summer fruit that I am only able to enjoy for a short part of each year.  I love fruit and I love the idea that many can be included in my summer menus. 

Nightlight

My daughter's wall lamp/nightlight is so cool.  It's a cute light pink flower that must be turned on for her to fall asleep.  It casts the most beautiful glow at night.  Girls rock.

The no money payday

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I hate to remember that today is a payday.  I hate it because my wallet looks just like the one in the picture--nothing but fumes--the stench of where money use to reside.

Don't you just hate it when you realize you have very little spending money left over? I furiously checked my closet and I can confirm I have NOT been shopping in a while.  Just for good measure I checked the fridge.  No lobster tails or filet mignon there. So where the heck did all the money go?!

Oh that's right--we live in the desert--in fact I think we live directly on a corner of the sun. Maybe the cash went to watering all the stinking grass seeds we put down a few weeks ago.  Or on the cooling bill since it's practically been 100 degrees since April.  Hmmm. Guess I'll gather my few pennies together for some retail therapy.  In the name of being thrifty, I'm off to find a sweet consignment shop. :-)

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When eczema affects your infant or child

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I learned more than I wanted to know about eczema, or atopic dermatitis, after the birth of my son.  According to MayoClinic.com, eczema is a chronic, or long-lasting condition, in which the skin becomes itchy and inflamed. Asthma or hay fever are also common with eczema.

I knew my son's skin was different from the time he was only 3 weeks old.