Must Try Recipes!

I've been working my way through some recipes on Pintrest/Bloglovin; and although I had a few busts I must say I found a few recipes that are fabulous.  I know you are going to enjoy them as much as my family and I have.

First and foremost, you have to try CKT White Bean, Kale & Sausage Soup!  I have made this soup 3 times already and my parents have made it twice. It is a hearty, tasty and easy to make recipe that my entire family enjoys.  There are no words to describe this soup, just trust me and try it.  I know Caroline personally and she is a great chef with great recipes; you might want to think about following her blog.  

Next,  Fish Bowl Tacos; we love tilapia so I substituted it for the cod.  This dish is great because it includes a starch, veggies and a protein.  Plus, I was able to sure the rice and veggies with Mason.   Next time I make this dish I would play around with the seasoning or maybe add some black bean/corn salsa (my new obsession) to add some different flavors to the dish.   Oh, and black bean/corn salsa works great as a salad dressing or on top of eggs.  

Last but not least the Ultimate Grilled Cheese! This sandwich is AMAZING it is bursting with flavor and is super yummy.  The ingredients are a little surprising but they work so well together.  Just thinking about the sandwich makes me hungry and I will without a doubt be making it again.  

Happy Cooking and Happy Eating!

18 month sleep regression....

The 18 month sleep regression hit our household....the one all my mommy friends have been telling (crying to) me about. I had my fingers crossed it will bypass us all together or not be as bad as I have heard (4-6 weeks without sleep sounds painful). Well, as we all know you don't always get what you wish for!!!  Mason turned 17 months and the regression began (leave it to him to be slightly ahead of the game). At first we were experiencing waking up in the middle of the night to him screaming (brutal but we can handle this) it has now morphed into Mason refusing to go to bed, nap or lay down for that matter. He is doing most of his sleeping sitting up and the other portion laying next to me (gasp, so creating a bad habit with this one but we have to get some sleep). This morning he got up at 4:30am and Mason was ready to rock in roll. He is a mess (it isn't even 8am yet) and we are trying to be as patient as possible on such little sleep. I have to say I'm exhausted but it's like my body knows how to handle the lack of sleep and is allowing me to function a bit. Even with the ability to function (somewhat) I am finding this so frustrating! Mason has always been a good night sleep and easy to put down. He knows the drill and totally understands what we are saying which makes this different from his infant days. We are all doing the best we can! We know our little guy needs his sleep but we also know the 18 month sleep regression is very much real and there is little we can do but muddle through. 

Here are a couple pics of Mason sleeping sitting up. Wish us luck:

{Mommy Love}

Wow, Mason has been sick for FOREVER (or at least that is what it feels like to us).  Thankfully our little man is slowly becoming himself again (giggling, playing, eating & running) what a relief.  His average cold/fever turned into Roseola; a virus that strikes 24 hours after the fever breaks resulting in a rash.  The past week has been spent holding Mason and watching countless hours of Dora and Bubble Guppies.  As a mom it was heartbreaking to watch Mason be so lethargic, all I wanted to do was take away his pain.  We are so thankful the end is near and that you can only get Roseola once (per the doc).

Now for some Mommy Love:
Being a mom is a 24 hour job; personally I think it is the best job I have ever had!  Being a mother comes natural to me and I am so blessed to be able to stay home with Mason everyday.  I'm so lucky and I know that.  As Mason gets older I have started carving out time for myself (something my mom has been encouraging me to do from day one) if it is heading to a workout class, grabbing drinks with friends, making crafty ornaments etc.  This past month I have done a couple of things that have made me so happy, which in turn makes everyone around me happy (happy mommy = happy baby & happy husband).

1) I purchased a monthly unlimited package at The Dailey Method! I absolutely love their classes (try one if you live near one of their studios).  I was able to get the new member package and have been able to take full advantage of it.  I've attended 15 class and still have 4 days left in my unlimited month.  Attending these classes has challenged my body, yet allowed me to clear my mind for 60 minutes.  I already feel stronger and more fit in such a sort period of time!  I'm thankful for Matt for holding down the fort while I sneak out for some "me time."

2) I had a sitter come to watch Mason during the day.  Remember how I said I love being a mom?!?!?! Well, I do and since my "job" is to stay home I didn't/don't feel like paying a babysit to watch Mason during the day is necessary.  However, Matt was out of the country for a full week and will be traveling more for work in the next couple of months.  My mom has been out of pocket (with a broken shoulder) so I  knew I was going to need a "break." Or a couple hours to run some errands.  The few hours the sitter was at home made my week!  I was able to do several different errands (aka get in and out of the car like 5 times without having to deal with the car seat) and get a workout it in.  I had totally forgotten how quickly tasks could get done.  Mase was a rock star with the sitter which only made me more happy.  The sitter was 100% worth it and I will be taking another 3 hour mommy break in the future.

So, my mom was right you need to make time for yourself.  Even with a week long sick Mase these simple time outs have made me a better mom.

All Aboard

There are days as a mom that I find everything just falls into place; those days are always my favorite. This past weekend we experienced one of those days as a family!  With this never ending winter Matt and I decided we wanted to do something fun with Mason (we all just needed to get out of the house). We headed to All Aboard Diner in Downers Grove; Mason was so distracted by all this place had to offer that he didn't even mind eating lunch a little later then usual. All Aboard Diner is a fabulous! There is a train going around the perimeter of the diner and one that delivers food to those eating at the counter. We opted for a booth, (we weren't sure Mase could wait 25 minutes for a counter spot) although we didn't get our food delivered via train Mason had the best time.  Watching the pure joy Mason was experiencing was heartwarming...this is what parenthood is all about.  We will be going back to All Aboard Diner sooner rather then later.  What an amazing day as a family!  These pictures are better then any of my words.

Mason & Mom waiting for our food!

Yay, the train is coming!

My boys, melting my heart.

{First Kiss}

Fact: Mason doesn't like to give kisses. He has kissed me several times and it melts my heart each and every time. He kisses with his mouth wide open and ends each smooch by saying "mmwah." Matt has tried unsuccessfully to get a kiss from Mason. I believe, my mom is the only other person who has received a kiss from Mason...until the other day. Let me tell you A has been trying to give Mase a kiss during our last few play dates. Of course, he pushed her away like he does with everyone else. Something changed when A kissed Mase last Saturday night;  Mason kissed her back. And in a blink of an eye the roles had changed; Mason was going after A trying to get a few more smooches before we had to call it a night. It was precious, adorable and funny all at the same time.

Of course, none of us were prepared and didn't catch the young love in action (why is it the one time I don't have my phone glued to me ends in a missed opportunity)!?!?!

Here is what we do have! Hope it warms your heart on this cold day:

Mase going in for the kill!

{CooKin'}

Mason and I have spent the better part of this week cookin' (he puts the emphases on the co & kin part, really cute if you ask me). It took me a week to get back in the swing of things after coming back home; pretty sure I had to adjust to the -18 temps.  In this weather there is little Mason and I can do; we are spending a lot of time at home. I needed a project, so I started gathering recipes I wanted to try. Surprisingly Mason got really into it. He would stand by my side with his hands reaching up to me saying, "I see." Holding Mase makes chopping a little difficult; I tried pulling up a chair so we could work together but that didn't work either. I love his enthusiasm and interest; it helped pass the time for both of us. I'm thinking of buying a toddler step stool. They are pricey but safe; any mom out there invest in this? If so, was it worth the investment?

Here is what we made this week!

Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Peppers.  This is my second time making these; they are quick, easy and tasty....my favorite kind of recipe.  I skipped out on the cayenne pepper this time so that Mason could eat the inside mixture for dinner.  I sprinkled some cheese on top of the bean/corn mixture and he loved it (an extra bonus in my eyes). 

Sticky & Sweet Brussel Sprouts  & The Ultimate Grill Cheese.  The brussel sprouts turned out great even though I didn't have all the ingredients it called for. Now, for this sandwich; AMAZING.  I can't a wait to have this fabulous mixture of flavors again soon.

Sweet Potato Soup This is soup is quick and tasty.  I used chicken broth even though the recipe called for vegetable broth.  I also made the soup in the morning and served it for dinner; it really let the flavors settle.  I added cilantro because I had some.  This soup does have a kick to it but you can totally skip the hot spices if you need/want to. 

With the left over sweet potato I made these Sweet Potato Bites.  I'm pretty sure Greek yogurt is my new favorite ingredient. If you need an app to serve during the Super Bowl this would be a good option. 

I told you we spent the week cookin!

Brutal

Brutal is the only word to describe the kind of weather we are having. I shouldn't be complaining considering we have only been home since Sunday.  With the dangerously cold temps it seems senseless to bundle up and take Mason out just to run an errand.  I'm hoping we missed the worst of it since Mason and I spent almost an entire month in sunny Florida. I would take their 60 degree temps over these below freezing days any time. In fact, mom and I decided to extend our stay to keep Mason in the warmth as long as possible. So, while we fill our days with visits from Nana, Papa & Aunt Mia as much as possible. Think of Mason and I at home literally making a mess by playing with everything and anything. Spring can't come fast enough.

Florida trip:

Our annual Florida trip was fabulous; I say that now looking back at it. Like I've said in the past; vacations aren't really a vacation anymore. I was just blessed with being able to be a mom in a much warmer climate. The large open floor plan, limited baby proofing stock at Target and some bloody falls made for a stressful beginning. However, once we all got in the swing of things we were able to relax a bit. Our trip was filled with family dinners in, movies, games and lots of fun. It was so nice to be able to share Mason with everybody and watch him interact and learn from others. We even had the pleasure of getting a visit from Grandma Jean and Uncle Mike; they were able to get a taste of our days of chasing after Mason.
While we were away Mason's love for cars and trucks increased.  He found a new love: fountains (this made walks and shopping more fun for him).  He also managed to make friends with all the neighborhood dogs.  He enjoyed petting them and saying "hello dogie" "bye bye dogie." Mason also found a new favorite food, ice cream (I don't have any pictures of him enjoying a scoop because it would be gone in a blink of an eye).

Here are a some pictures of our fun times; as you can see we spent as much time outside as possible.

Mason & Papa at the outlet mall

Mason's first day back in the pool!  Clearly, he is our little fish.

We brought down one of his Christmas gifts.  He would have mowed the lawn all day long if we let him.  Pretty sure the people who live below us weren't too thrilled. 

At the park but playing with a cup.

Heading out for a walk with his Monkey & toothpaste.

Mommy & Mason wearing glasses.

Playing with Nana at the Napes Children's Museum.

Loving all the Florida fruit.

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