POTD 071008

POTD 071008, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Self Portrait time!

He was playing in the sprinkler this afternoon since our house was HOT! He would run in it, run to me and try to dry himself off on my shirt. He finally figured out if he snuck up from behind and hugged me it had the best effect of getting him dry and me wet!

I'm not a fan of being IN photos but I liked this...although the longer I look at this the more it is beginning to look like I photoshopped my head in...wonky angle! (and wow is my head big compared to his or what??!!) Thanks to Jessica Sprague for the great ShaZam technique for jazzing this up some.

Great visit with my mom and neice and nephew...photos tomorrow!

Ohhhh and here's the muffin man story. Credits here It's also on the Designer Digitals blog!

(this was a very link happy post!!)

POTD 070908-2

POTD 070908-2, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Thanks Mom and Shea! They stripped and painted our front door today! I can't wait to hang it! Great visit with my mom...they always go too fast!

POTD 070908

POTD 070908, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Do you see anything from yesterday's photo???

POTD 070808

POTD 070808, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Ian and I planted bellpeppers before we moved. When we finished putting them in pots I asked him what time it was. (since it was naptime!) He looked at me with his big grin and said, "grow time!"

And yes, it grew! This is our first one off the vine! Can't wait to try it out!! (and harvest a lot more!)

tomorrow (errr later today, I'll post the muffin man story!)

POTD 070708

POTD 070708, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Ian's first AAA game today! He loved it even in 101 degress at 7pm. Heat meant not a lot of people which meant lots of lawn space to play!

POTD 070608

POTD 070608, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Ian's favorites at almost three

Food - waffles and strawberries, rice and beans, gold fish, broccoli
Book - Curious George
Phrase - "I don't like those choices"
Person - Dad unless it involves pain or upset then it's all about mom
Movie - Eloise, Madagascar, Mighty Machines

Saturday? Sunday?

Today felt like Sunday all day. I love days like that! It makes you enjoy the extra day just that much more!



To celebrate the completion of our living room painting project we rode our bikes to the "big taqueria." Always a good bet for me since they will cook my veggies exactly like I need them without giving me that "geez lady you are annoying look."

After finishing rice and beans Ian was a little anxious to leave. "You all done guys?" Since we weren't he decided to wear the guacamole bowl on his head. And being the bad mom that I am I took a picture of it instead of telling him to take it off! I'm not sure why they put them on the table anyway. I think it is their little marketing maneuver...if they see the empty vessel on the table they will want to fill it with the green stuff...

He's such a little ham!

POTD 070408 - Kids...

POTD 070408, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

don't try this at home!

4th of July

Like none we've had before! 4 parties to attend, much to be lit, and all within 4 blocks of home! Ian loved it and we (hesitantly) let him hold a sparkler. We climbed onto the levee and where able to see the Cal Expo fireworks before we started our own show!

After Ian went to bed Shea and I had the "adult" lighting with our next door neighbors. Joe truly got into the action :) And...well...there were some fireworks that I'm not exactly sure you can buy in California! But we won't talk about those!

Pirate Cupcakes

Ian and sat on the front steps today and discussed his birthday. It went something like this.

Me: What kind of cake do you want for your birthday?
Ian: A pirate cake!
Me: Do you want cupcakes or a cake?
Ian: Cupcakes and a cake.
Me: Do you want party hats?
Ian: Pirate hats!
Me: Who do you want to invite to your party?
Ian: Justin.
Me: Ok
Ian: You
Me: Okay, I'll come to your party
Ian: Margarita
Me: Where is Margarita (since I didn't think who is would be helpful)
Ian: In her house (okay where is wasn't helpful either)
Me: Is she at school?
Ian: Yes
Me to Shea: Do you have any idea who Margarita is?
Shea: Nope

So who is Margarita?!

POTD 070208

POTD 070208, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

My first power tool! I'll show the project later...I can't give it away before it's done!

PIcture A Day Shutterfly Book

I made this last week! The printed copy is really fun to look at and feels so professional! And today it is in the featured gallery at Shutterfly :)

Click here to view this photo book.

POTD 070108

POTD 070108, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

I love summer vacation! Shea and I play a different game everyday! We've been through dominos, cribbage and today Scrabble! And well...let's just say that that long word you see is mine. And yes it was 71 points! Every tile! Wooohooo!

I can't wait to teach Ian to play! He'll be the 4th generation of Scrabble player in my family! :-)

****ETA
Well...I hope I can teach Ian to spell since my friend Mollie just pointed out that I spelled painting wrong!! Shea and I never even noticed that an N was missing!! Oh MY goodness!! I played it, scored it, and we never even noticed it was missing an N!! LOL Thanks MOllie :) SO much for that score!! But to my credit that blank could have been an N instead of the S!!

POTD 063008

POTD 063008, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

The boy who will only sleep in his bed or sometimes the car seat fell asleep 10 minutes into our bike ride tonight! We were riding around looking for front yard landscaping ideas in our neighborhood and he suddenly got really quite!

When I got him out to carry him upstairs to bed he woke up unfortunately. He was so sad...and kept asking to go on a bike ride! Poor little guy remembered nothing about the ride! I think he may have been asleep much sooner than we expected!

Glad we found a cheaper way of falling asleep than driving the car around :) Now I just need to perfect lifting him out without waking him!

Carless Sunday...Yes We Can!

POTD 062908, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

We decided today would be "carless Sunday"! We biked to the farmer's market, played at the park, drank SB's, biked to the Natural Foods Co-Op, took naps midday, and just had a great day! It's funny how quickly I've become possessive of my neighborhood and bitter towards all of the people who drive through it for something else. Especially those who don't know the code of letting bikes have the right of way at stop signs even if the car got there first! I love midtown!

Stay tuned for the post calculating the money we are saving by biking instead of using the car :)

And yes...Ian has made his first political statement! A woman has been at the Farmer's Market with Obama buttons and signs for MONTHS! She is there every Sunday with the same huge smile and kind words...true dedication! She gave Ian a button today (after asking if it was okay...which made me love her even more!)

He was so proud to wear it although he did say it was his police badge!

Young At Art

POTD 062808-02, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

What fun! We went across the street today for the Young At Art celebration that Friends of Grant Park hosted. Ian was so excited to get to paint. It was amazing to see just how much he has changed since the last time we painted. He now draws almost everything in circles and lots of paint and bright colors. He's started to tell us what he is painting too!
We also got to meet several people who live just a couple blocks away who also have kids! They are doing such a great job of bringing the neighborhood together and they really understand/share the reasoning behind living in midtown! I love that!

1 Forward 3 Back

One month from today Ian turns 3. I know it is cliched, but I just can't believe that he is already going to be three. When he picked me up from work yesterday he looked at me and said, "mom, I have a surprise for you." Someday I'll explain to him that he's had a surprise for me from the very day I found out he was going to join us!

3 years ago this week Shea and I were taking our very last childbirth class in preparation for the life changing arrival of Mr. Ian. Funny how important things like room decor, accessories, clothing and all of that other "stuff" was! Who knew it was really none of that "stuff" that we were going to need!

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POTD 062508, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

I came home this afternoon, opened the door and found this waiting for me :) It is so orange and just that right amount of girly without being too girly! Can't wait to take it for a little ride to the farmer's market! I need to get a basket for it because I can just imagine riding home with fresh flowers, a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine!

POTD 062108

POTD 062108, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

We celebrated Leo's 3rd birthday party today! Ian had a great time, but was really most excited about eating the cake! He'd been happy to play alone most of the party...but as soon as the cake came out he ran for the table, climbed up in a chair and was eager to take part in the festivities! 6 little bites of frosting and he was done. Back to the toys!

Happy Birthday Leo!

POTD 062008

POTD 062008, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Ian got to go for his first ride behind Shea's new bike! He loved it!! Shea even willingly pulled him around midtown when it was 100 degrees! They came home with huge smiles on their faces! (and a nice icey beverage for me!)

Looks like I'm going shopping since we need to cruise together :)

POTD 061908

POTD 061908, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Shea got his new bike!

Unfortunately we both have food poisoning...no riding it and kind of shakey photos of it!

Two Years Ago Today

I loved how he always walked with his tongue out!

POTD 061806

POTD 061806, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Yummmm...prep time 5 minutes, cooking time 10 minutes...easy breazey yummy!

My version of this recipe. I used squash and black beans since that's what the fridge had for me :)

POTD 061608

POTD 061608, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

I love that these two kiddos have known each other their entire lives! They love to play together and Ian has started talking about her ALL OF THE TIME!

This picture kills me though! Can't you just see exactly what they are going to look like as teenagers? Can't you see the trouble they both are thinking about causing? I'm worried already! They continued to pose like this every time I got the camera out! They even agreed to doing a cheek to cheek shot!

They crack me up!

***ETA click on the photo to see Ian's entire face! For some reason blogspot cut him off!

POTD 061508

POTD 061508, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

It was a happy father's day for Shea! Of course, you can't really go wrong if you give him a little Guinness for breakfast and buy him a chain saw at home depot!

OH my god!! I hadn't realized until I typed this that he did indeed mix a chainsaw and beer today!

POTD 061308

POTD 061308, originally uploaded by katrina.kennedy.

Ian loves our new house and our next door neighbors! He's on a first name basis with him and yesterday was even willing to boldly ask if he could play with his pink flamingo!

Of course, Ian asked for the goose. He's just a bit confused!

I now have lawn art in my living room!

Yes...He's My Child!

I think there is no mistaking that we are related! He wants to wear our glasses all the time! I think I need to explain to him that given his genes...he'll get his own soon enough!

And a little page I made today. Credits here

Happy Birthday To Shea

We celebrated Shea's birthday today!

And in less than 10 days his new birthday/father's day gift should arrive!

I clearly need a break!

Yesterday started out so well! Shea and I got out of the house on time, dropped Ian off at preschool on time, me off at work on time, and Shea got to school on time. Since I don't work everyday and my work is always at a different location that is no small accomplishment! Difficult to create a routine when my job is not routine!

I walked into the building, found my typical training room not set up for my class. I asked the student assistant (who is truly brilliant) which room I was in and she gave me a confused look and said, "I don't remember." That was my first clue that something was seriously wrong. I followed her to her desk to confirm exactly what was wrong!! I had arrived at my client CalPERS when I was supposed to be at my client CalSTRS!!!

ahhhh no car, no keys, no materials for CalSTRS...AND...somehow no number for the manager at CalSTRS!!

I left frantic messages with everyone I could think of at CalSTRS since at 745am no one was at work yet! Then I began to decipher what I was going to do with myself 5 miles away from where I was supposed to be, no way to get into my house, no transportation, just my bag and my phone!!

With the help of my brother Justin I decided it made the most sense to take the bus to his store, get a ride from him to Shea's school, get keys and at least I could get into the house and have a somewhat productive day even though it wouldn't be the day I'd planned. (oh and probably figure out a way to keep CalSTRS from kicking me to curb forever!)

I began the walk...in heals...which I never wear, but on this particular Tuesday was sporting an extremely cute outfit that just required heals! About three blocks away my phone rang. CALSTRS! I'm not sure what I expected from them, but the response I got was the BEST! Having not listened to any of my messages, they were worried I was stuck in traffic or something worse had happened. Most embarrassing explanation ever from me followed!

Did they cancel class? Tell me I'm a loser? Post to their intranet to never hire me again? Nope! They picked me up! Yep, the training manager Katie drove across town, put me in her car, took me back to their office all while trainer Cindy ran an icebreaker with the group, student Youmaly copied materials for the class, and the class just rolled with it! Could you ask for a better client??!

I walked in 40 minutes late. Greeted the class, told my story, apologized and we went on like nothing had happened!!

Wow...what a day! I love CalSTRS!

Hearts

As I near the big milestone of four decades on this planet, I've been a bit focused on my heart. Making it happy, keeping it healthy, ensuring it has a home. Many of you know how much of of my life has been defined by my heart...



Today I came across this little girls story and it touched my heart...especially the post about her scar. It makes my experience seem like nothing. What are you doing for your heart?!

Jubillee Cake Recipe

Here's the recipe! Keep in mind it is a bit denser than typical cake, but is super healthy! You can eat it without guilt :) The recipe is from the book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure.

2 cups whole wheat flout
1 cup (or less) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vanilla oat or nonfat soy milk (I used nonfat soy milk)
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal mixed with 6 tablespoons water (egg replacer, I grind my own flaxseeds for the meal)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix the first four ingredients in a medium bowl
3. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl
4. Pour dry ingredients into liquid and stir by hand or beat until no lumps remain (easy by hand)
5. Spread evenly between two 9-inch round cake pans or one 8x13 inch baking pan
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and cake doesn't feel sticky to the touch
7. Cool before removing from pan.

I topped mine with Chocolate Sauce (and snuck a little between the layers)

Chocolate Sauce

3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Mix well and cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly.

This sauce is decidant!! It would be great to dip strawberries...or well...a spoon!

You can find similar recipes at Fat Free Vegan.

POTD 060608

POTD 060608, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Yummmmm and fat free! We celebrated the beginning of Shea's Jubillee tonight with a little cake! Ian helped make it which was a bit of a riot! He had his own little bowl and helped mix my ingredients and his own. He'd jump off his stool, run in the other room, do something (certainly something important) climb back up his stool and repeat the entire process again!

When Shea got home he met him at the front door and said "I want to eat it!" So we did! Before dinner even!!

Stinker!

Today Ian was in rare form! If he could get into something, move something, or mess with something he did. He found the rug in front of the back door and brought it to the front door. As he carefully put it into place I called him a stinker.

He looked right at my and said, "No momma, I a pooper!"

What a stinker he is!

Did I Do This?

Ian is a sweet little guy. He has a great disposition and just a soft little spirit. Yes, I'm his mom and I'm severely biased. Okay, he does sometimes cry for no reason, he sometimes whines to get his way and okay, I probably shouldn't overlook this incident.

Today was Ian's Preschool Summer Kick off. Kind of the post graduation party for all those 5 year old kiddos who are moving on to kindergarden. We went thinking it would be like many preschool events that we've attended -- go for a few minutes, eat the potluck food (I hate potluck...I need far more control and information about the food that I indulge in than a potluck offers), and then head out of there.

Today was different though.

I ended up spending most of the time talking to Ian's teacher and other staff who spend the day with Ian, hearing how much they like him. How sweet he is. How easy he is. How quiet he is. One of the staff told me about how willing he is to let her change his diaper and then pointed out all of the kids who weren't so willing or nice!

I'm sure the smile on my face was HUGE as I thanked them when inside what I was really thinking was, "oh my do you know how lucky I am? do you know how neurotic he probably should be and how neurotic I was for the first 8 months of his life?" Yep...I'm pretty certain his little sweet adorable loved personality is all him!! I got lucky!

To Post Or Not To Post

Nothing really happened today.

I refused to unpack anything.

I'm tired and should be sleeping.

I have to work tomorrow.

That's it...

MOVED!

We are done!

Well...at least with the moving out and the cleaning part! Now we just need to get unpacked and situated in our new house! We are loving it! It has just the right amount of quirkiness to match me!! I'm sitting in the living room right now listening to a gentle breeze through the trees ignoring all of the boxes piled around me!!

The move was long, but went well. My family is AMAZING! We couldn't have done this one without them...from watching Ian to cleaning stinky dirty places that you could only ask family to clean! My mom set up my entire kitchen while we were moving everything and even cooked us dinner our first night at home! What a great treat! I hated to see her go home!

We dropped my brother's truck off tonight and drove 5 blocks home and Ian was out in those 5 blocks at 430PM! I was able to carry him upstairs, take his pants off, change his diaper and he still was out! I think he may be down for the night! He was a trooper and actually seems so much happier here!

Glad to be done...and looking forward to taking a long time to settle in! We aren't going anywhere so really, what's the hurry??!!

POTD 052708 -- Moving!

POTD 052708, originally uploaded by sheakey.

We are moving! Yes, we got the keys today! At 430 we were told it wouldn't be until tomorrow and at 500 we got a call that said, guess what it's yours now!

Shea gave me this nail (and a hammer) to symbolize all of the nails I can now pound into our own walls!

I think it won't really feel like my own house until we get everything moved and I get to hang that very first picture! Now to decide which one!!

POTD 052508

POTD 052508, originally uploaded by sheakey.

So what will it be like to grow up and wonder, hmmm, when did I eat my first lollipop only to have a mom who says, "May 25, 2008, see here is the photo" Oh and I shared it with the world too!

I'm sure he'll have years of thinking I'm weird and really need to put the camera away. But for now, he's completely willing to take pictures and even enjoys it when something new and exciting is going on (like a lollipop).

Family Portrait

POTD 052308, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Click for the real version...Shea really is in the photo!

Growing Up!

We dropped Ian off at "school" this morning. He doesn't usually go on Fridays, but I need to get some work done before I have to pull the plug on my computer and go into internetless land for about a week...(ahhhh I don't know how I'll function) But back to Ian.

He didn't cry. He didn't protest. In fact he heard a train as we got out of the car and said, "going to the train station." He announced it again as we walked through the door. Ms. Tasha (who we love) asked him for his ticket and he was good to go! We walked out at the typical moment as he was engrossed in something. No tears. Good.

As we drove out of the parking lot there he was in the doorway. Big smile. Waving. Happy! Only the big kids stand in the doorway when their parents leave. Wow! Now I am crying!

The Wackiness That Is My Life!

Justin came over yesterday just as I had discovered some old Animal Planet tattoos. He helped Ian put one on and then had Ian help with his! It cracks me up! They were goofing in the bathroom with them for a long time. Then Ian insisted that they both go look in the big mirror, complete with a little flexing!

And then...the faces! Ian has fully embraced "funny faces"! He asks us to make them, he makes them, and they just seem to get better and better!

Here for credits and journaling!

Floating Around The Internet

So...how many of you agree this is just wrong???

What Katrina Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life.
You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip.
People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.
You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.
You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Yeah...I know...it is perfectly accurate...well at least most of it!

Awake At 3AM

What happens when you fall asleep at 8PM? 3AM my eyes pop open...wide awake! So here I am trying to find noiseless things to do in a dark house filled with moving boxes. Sometimes I wish I was one of those people who could sleep for about 12 hours without a problem! Most of the time I'm just begging to sleep uninterupted 6 hours, so I won't complain!

Lately I seem to think in blogposts so I have about a million things I could write like--

• frustrations with having our move postponed to next week
• Ian's clumsiness this week -- the kiddo is running into everything!
• the merits of cleaning out my refrigerator (again)
• how I've packed everything but a few essentials in the kitchen and am wondering now why I need any of those nonessential things
• the fact that I have 5 glass pie plates in my possession and don't remember ever making pie (or having it made for me by Shea...well maybe once)
• my stolen pie plates (mom? are these yours?)
• the merits of not wasting things and how that makes it difficult to throw anything away
• 5 pie plates
• is it a pie plate or a pie dish? hmmmm
• global warming...and the fact that Ian now answers "global warming" if you ask him what scares him
• what scares global warming? trash (long post and a yet to be written children's book behind that!)
• I'm really bad about staying touch with friends...if only they were awake at 4AM...we could chat uninterupted for at least an hour!

Funny thing? I thought I'd just post photos this morning...but now I've rambled!

Ian 2 years ago and Ian last week!

He only wore that little baseball overall thingy once...it was a gift I think. I'm kind of anti the whole sports motif clothing thing, but of course having now written that somewhere the entire world can see, it will become his preferred attire! (aka...I'll headbut you if you don't put that Raiders shirt on me!)

POTD 051808

POTD 051808, originally uploaded by sheakey.

He's ready to go! Ian is a little confused about why we can't go to his new house, and why we keep driving by it! Some days he wants to stay in "his house' but as soon as we mention the tiny park across the street he gets very excited!

The boxes are stacked in our living room and he's discovered one little corner that he likes to sit. He looks like he is ready to go! It is a rare moment that he isn't in the boxes! I'd been trying to get this photo for three days (leaving the shorter spot for him and just stacking around him). Of course today, with no pants on, he pops up there and says, "momma take a picture." And when the boy asks...I comply! That pout? He's discovered making funny faces for the camera. He thinks it is hysterical to make funny faces and then look at them right after!

What a clown!

Just One Year Ago

I was looking through old scrapbook pages tonight and found this one.

So if I ignore the fact that my designs have REALLY improved what I do see is really amazing! Look at that sweet little face, but if you read the journaling you'll be blown away. It is hard to believe that it was just a year ago that he could only say one or two words together and most people couldn't understand them! Now he is a sentence making, talking machine! He now asks questions and waits for responses and can carry on a conversation! How did this happen so quickly?!

***ETA***
Okay I couldn't stand it! That layout is just sad...so for comparison here is a page I finished today instead of finishing packing :) Credits are here

POTD 051608

POTD 051608, originally uploaded by sheakey.

We ventured out to Folsom today to meet Rhonda and her son Logan at the park. Rhonda and I met online at Designer Digitals and realized our boys were really close in age and that we lived about 30 minutes apart! It was fun to meet them both although I wish it had been a little less than 90 degrees at 1030AM!

Was such a great experience to meet someone for the first time who I felt like I've known for so long!

POTD 051508

POTD 051508, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Spent the morning at Sarah's parent's house. Ian wasn't too excited about swimming but he loved dancing! I love the nostalgia that surrounds everything about Sarah! It was great to see Roy, Leo and Ian really beginning to play with each other rather than just near each other!

Been In A Bar Fight?

What happens when you try to force an unhappy 2 year old to put his pants on before he's ready? Well...

The best part? I got to stand in front of a room of 20 people about 40 minutes after it happened just as it was starting to swell and turn pretty colors!

Poor little guy...when he saw me that afternoon he said, "I hurt Momma."

So from this day forward Ian will be going without pants...at least until he can put them on himself!

POTD 051108

POTD 051108 *Emotion*, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Happy Mother's Day!

Fortunately this face only lasted a couple of minutes and, thankfully, I can't remember what caused it in the first place! I'm sure it was something big like telling him he couldn't eat ice cream or run in the street or hit the wall with a bat or vote in the Democratic Primary.

POTD 051008

POTD 051008, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Happy 1st Birthday Jenna!

POTD 050808 -- Comfort Food

POTD 050808, originally uploaded by sheakey.

This post has virtually nothing to do with Ian!

Things (as I've whined about already) have been a bit hectic. May and June are always my busiest months of the year as state agencies schedule a lot of training to spend the money they have left. I've just picked up a bunch of new projects for a client who has lost a lot of staff and need some help! It is a perfect project! Busy time for Shea too, he just finished STAR testing with his kids and now has about a month of end of the year stuff left with his 8th graders.

So what does all of this have to do with macaroni and cheese?

Well...it made me happy! And I needed happy!

I've been eating a vegan oil free diet for about 7 weeks. I am absolutely loving it and enjoying really tasting foods for their natrual goodness. I've been vegetarian for A LONG time so moving up a notch to vegan has been easy. And there are some definite body mass and energy benefits!

I found this recipe and discovered my new comfort food! It tastes absolutely decadent and I don't have to feel guilty about it! No oil, no cheese, no wheat, nothing but pure yummy goodness! Added a little broccolli and mmmmmm my favorite childhood food was served! Shea loved it too which is always a plus.

Who knew it would make me so stinking happy??!!!

Ian didn't eat it...but he's on a hunger strike at home this week! (he did nibble on broccolli...the kid is weird!)

POTD 050708

POTD 050708, originally uploaded by sheakey.

Ian and spent a little time together at Fairy Tale Town today. We both needed to get out of the house and just be goofy for a bit! We did the regular circuit of pirate boat followed by the train but changed it up some with a picnic lunch with a little push up treat after! He saw someone else with one and he had to have one!

I took him to a nice shady spot to take a photo of him with it and this is what I got! A full pose showing off his treat!

True to form he ate about 3 bites and the rest melted all over him :-) It was so worth it!

POTD 050508

POTD 050508, originally uploaded by sheakey.

was going to take a different photo for POTD tonight but then I thought...this photo just sums up how I feel right now. Holding on while I hope I don't lose my pants ;-) (it's been a rough monday) (see post below!)

Small Rewards

Today was the day I felt the full pressure of everything going on in our lives. Our home is a sea of boxes interspersed with toys, laundry, dirty dishes and work. I spent the day emailing the requests from my insurance agent to my realtor and then back to the insurance agent. Fielded calls from the mortgage broker who is waiting for the realtor who is waiting for the seller's agent who is waiting for the seller all between repeatedly looking at our accounts, adding things up, wondering how much things are going to really cost, wondering if we really are going to need to have two gigantic trees trimmed before we move in and kicking myself for not requesting that in our list of fixes. In two weeks this should all be behind us. We will be in our new home with the intent of being there for a very long time (I'm hesitant with that one only because 10 years ago we also bought the home we would be in forever).

Then my printer runs out of ink before I can print the handouts for tomorrow's class...and I have no ink...and Ian won't go to bed...and Shea has been running around like crazy with school...

After cries of "I hungry," I attempted to get Ian to eat the yogurt he request...which, of course, was just a ploy to get me in ther room! He ate nothing.

After a little more protest, I held him, rocked him, and sang the song I've sung to him since he was just days old. The one I made up. The one I need to write down so I don't forget it.

After 3 minutes he was still. After 5 minutes I could tell he was asleep. It was just what I needed today.