ouch!

Well my nightmare finally came true. I fell down today holding Cash and bashed his head into the floor. it was terrible. i cried more than he did. i cried because it hurt and also because i was scared and couldn't believe i just did that. i don't know what happened. i think i just tripped over my own feet but i couldn't manage to catch myself because if i did i would have dropped the baby. anyway Cash has a bump on his head but nothing else and he seemed to recover quickly and went onto daycare with no problem. the only thing worse would be if i fell coming down the stairs - but Cash has already fallen down the stairs twice (and they're carpeted) so that probably wouldn't have been all that much worse.

finally cooking again

Salmon w/lentils: Salt & pepper the salmon, preheat oven, heat oil in skillet you can put in the oven. Place salmon seasoned side down and don't move it. cook for about 3 minutes, flip and put skillet in oven to finish for about 5-8 minutes depending on how done you like your fish. rinse lentils, boil lentils in chicken stock, meanwhile saute carrots, celery, onion, thyme, salt, pepper in a little butter. once veggies are soft drain lentils and add to pan to finish cooking. serve salmon on top of lentils.

Grilled Chicken & Avocado: Marinate chicken in soy sauce, grill on bbq, serve with avocado sliced on top. the heat will melt the avocado a little and make really yummy. serve with simple salad and crusty bread. or tater tots - which is what i'll probably do.

Orzo Salad: cut in big chunks your favorite veggies (i use zucchini, asparagus, bell peppers, snow peas) oil, salt and pepper and roast in oven at about 400. Boil orzo until soft. drain and rinse. dress with italian salad dressing, salt, pepper and add veggies. You can add a protein that you have left over, salmon or chicken would work really well. you can add some chopped basil and feta cheese at the end but some in my household don't like that so i leave it off.

BBQ Shrimp: i use frozen but whatever you can get is good. defrost frozen shrimp in colander by running room temp water over them. pat dry. toss in olive oil, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes (just use S&P for the kiddies). put on bbq for a few minutes until pink. serve with wild rice and green beans or corn and bean salad.

Bratwurst: boil in water for a few minutes and then put on grill or in skillet to brown skin. serve on a bun with condiments and with fries or tater tots.

Cash is so funny right now. He's at a really great age where he can copy and play with you. We taught him to jump - of course his idea of jumping is just rocking up on his tiptoes. But he thinks it is hillarious and laughs so hard when mommy and daddy are jumping all over the place. He also copied me dancing and "raising the roof" and "waiving his hands in the air like he just don't care". It is so funny. He can also do knuckles and muscles. The best is that he is actually learning in all this. We ask him to touch his nose and he does (although his finger goes up his nose). We ask him where are his eyes and he sqeezes his eyes together. Cash also knows how to back himself off the couch and chairs - although he still runs gangbusters toward the stairs.
He's feeling better after a rough week. His nose seems to be less runny and his cough is just about gone. His rash has cleared up and made way for a new rash - but this one is just probably a grass rash. He really loves to be outside and now that our weather is warmer and the backyard is somewhat baby proof he can just play around all he wants. He is slowly learning to throw the rocks instead of put them in his mouth.

everyone should try this

Its a great addition to spaghetti night. Garlic Monkey Bread! For you sweets lovers i know this doesn't sound ideal but its really easy and good. Just like you would make regular monkey bread but dunk biscuit pieces into a stick of melted butter and then roll in a mixture of garlic powder, garlic salt, italian seasoning and parmesean cheese. place into bundt pan and when all the biscuit pieces are in there pour remaining butter and cheese mixture over the top. bake at 350 until golden. enjoy!

darn measles

on Tuesday afternoon Sylvia called me and said that Cash has the measles. After my inital panic and freak out i thought about it and realized that Cash can't have the measles he had his vaccine just a few weeks ago. then i remembered the doctor saying something about a delayed reaction and if he was to react to the vaccine it would be 10-14 days later. sylvia told me to come get Cash right away - which we did - and he did look pretty bad. He was bright red and had red bumps all over him (which looked a lot like measles). Anyway, the doctor assured me that he didn't have measles and not to worry, the reaction would go away in a couple days and Cash will be fine. Cash was pretty miserable that night and did't go fall asleep until 4am. I took him to the doctor this morning to just make sure everything was ok and he's fine. his rash is fading and drying up quickly.

also

stupid stay at home moms get all the good stuff. they just opened this place close to our house called "Child's Play". Its an open gym for little guys except its not open on the weekends! grrrrrr

dinner this week

Fried Rice: i have some left over steamed rice from chinese take out last week. put in frying pan with soy sauce, add chopped up chicken (rotisserie), frozen peas, can of corn, green onion, scrambled egg.

Chicken Cordon Bleu: pound chicken breast flat (or use the thin sliced breasts), coat with dijon mustard, wrap around ham and swiss. place in hot pan to get a nice coat on one side, turn and add chicken broth and reduce to make sauce to pour over. Serve with wild rice and veggie.

Mac-n-cheese & sausage: best mac-n-cheese ever http://www.marthastewart.com/article/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese
(after you make it a couple times it seems really easy) add summer sausage. serve with steamed broc.

that's all i have planned for right now. i'm still thinking of a chicken and ground beef meal...stay tuned.

update

I haven't written in a while. i guess we've been busy. Cash is everywhere and into everything and doesn't take the 2 long, leisurely naps everyday like he used to so there is a lot less "down time" for mommy to write on her blog. Ok, enough excuses.
We had a great time at Grammy's house for Easter and i think we're all still catching up on our sleep from that crazy weekend! Cash was a perfect angel on the flight home. Although he didn't sleep for one second (and he was tired) he stayed cool and calm reading books, looking out the window, playing peek-a-boo with the women next to him, standing on my lap and looking all over the plane and of course, eating all sorts of snacks - good thing mommy knows what to pack! We got home and went straight to bed.
Last week was uneventful except that ever since we went to NC Cash has become a total chatterbox. Still in his own language but there are so many new sounds and "words" coming from his little mouth. He also points to things and tells you all about it. He has also started watching TV with more interest. Before he was not at all interested and now he can sit on the couch and watch about 10 minutes before getting restless.
Before we went to NC Cash went in for his 15 month check up with Dr. Glasser. He is perfect of course! Dr. Glasser said that he may have allergies which is why he seems to always have a little cough - but his lungs are clear and quiet so it isn't an infection. The other option is that he just produces so much drool when he is teething that it could just be him clearing it out of his throat. Either way, nothing to worry about. He got a couple more shots. The doctor warned us that he may see a reaction in 10-14 days. Sure enough Friday night he was about 102 degrees with a rash all over his legs. We kept him on Tylenol and Motrin and by Sunday night it was gone. Although he hasn't wanted to sleep much or been waking up more so hopefully that will pass quickly.

what's for dinner

Sorry, i slacked this weekend because it is a short week and also spring break so C is home.

Spaghetti & Meatballs: i like to use half ground beef and half ground pork (but you don't have to). Mix with egg and breadcrumbs (you can add a little heavy cream to make them really moist). I bake mine at 375 for a few minutes and then submerge in sauce to finish cooking. I use canned tomato sauce and season with garlic salt, red pepper flakes and italian seasoning/oregano - no more jar of marinara. serve with salad or brocolli

Enchilladas: never made these before but i'll use the other half of the meat mixture and cook up with taco seasoning. fill soft taco shells, roll up, cover with sauce (from a can) and top with cheese bake. Serve with refried beans.

Chicken Caesar Salad: grilled/seasoned chicken chopped up into a caesar salad.

I'm only home for 3 meals this week but here are some other suggestions:
Breakfast - eggs, sausage, fruit, buscuits & gravy
Chicken Fingers - get the tenderloins from the grocery store and dredge in panko breadcrumbs. Serve with bbq sauce and honey + favorite veggies.
Homemade Pizza - top with pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, basil, oregano, etc. serve with fruit salad.

helpless

I wish i could help my sisters out. Everyone seems to be a little twisted up right now. I don't know the answers to any of their problems - probably because there aren't easy answers. Usually things are pretty black and white with me and when they aren't black and white i just make up my mind and move on but i'm really having a hard time figuring out the right answers to the recent issues in my sisters' lives. I guess the answer is "whatever you do, you'll be ok".

can't. stop. reading.

You should all read Twilight. it is a really fun book to read and FAST! I now understand what all the hub-bub was about.