The Adventures of Miss Mommy

Burger King Buddies

Miss Mommy — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:29 +0000

Usually once a week or so, the littles and I hit BK at least for a coke and ice cream, sometimes for a shared lunch. It gets me out of the house with a large, fountain Diet Coke in hand, and gives us something to do and look forward to. If you’re not my personality, this will not make sense. Plus, it’s Burger King- never ate there in the US, but now that I’m here, I love it because it reminds me of “home.” :) Here are my little buddies today:

Lizzie is eating all the time now! She nurses really fast these days and I think, in all honesty, loves it but really, really loves real food! She eats 3 meals a day and some crackers when I have them and she manages to hang onto them. ;)

Bits & Bobs

Miss Mommy — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:14:03 +0000

A few weekends ago, I took the big kids to the “Daffodil Tea” at their school- it was essentially a fund-raiser, and we enjoyed treats, crafts, and games there. {Bless Luke, he really does try to smile!}

I wanted to go home and was tired of spending money, so I nixed face painting…I felt kind of bad about it…however…last weekend, we went to Huntly Castle- at the cafe at the Shortbread Factory, there was free face painting! Yea!

I’m just going to share Peanut in all her glory when eating. She packs it in…I’m not sure where it goes? {this is actually cottage cheese, which is NOT her favorite…you can imagine what she looks like when she’s fired up about the spoonful! She usually tries to grab the spoon, which makes me spill it. Sigh. Regardless, we LOVE how much she loves to chow down.}

Finally, we finally got to enjoy an exersaucer/walker that goes low enough for Tiny’s legs to reach the ground! Thanks, Joy!

Lizzie is 6 Months & Her First Castle Trip

Miss Mommy — Sat, 05 May 2012 19:16:29 +0000

Lizzie turned 6 months yesterday- this is worth talking about. I have always thought {and rarely said aloud} that if I could skip the first 6 months of a baby, I would. I know- it’s horrible. I know that. Yet it remains the truth. I will be the first to say that Lizzie girl is one of the best babies in the world, but it has still been a lot of guess work to discover what works best for her. Now that we’re past experimenting all the time, I feel so much more relaxed and revel in being my girl’s resident expert. ;) Now that we’re 6 months in, I know:

She is pretty content most of the time, she sleeps best on her tummy, but only if she has a soft blanket to lay on.
She doesn’t need to nurse to go to sleep, nor does she want a paci or thumb- she just rubs her face against said soft blanket, fusses a couple minutes and is out, with her arms straight behind her.
She stays awake 2- 2 1/2 hours during the day before she needs a nap, and she usually takes good 1.5hr+ naps, tho she throws in some 45 minute naps a few times a week. She typically takes 2 naps, though if she is up from her afternoon nap much before 2:30, she will probably take a 3rd.
She goes to bed around 6-6:30 and sleep until 5am, when I nurse her and she does her best to go back to sleep until 7am. We do not start our days around here until 7. I have made that clear to all 3 of my children. I have also told Lizzie she is lucky I feed her at 5 and not wait it out as I would have {and did} with the other 2. I’m pretty sure she rolled her eyes.
Anyway, Lizzie’s newest thing is loving her solids! That girl truly must have a hollow leg because she packs away more food than I have ever seen a baby her size. She weighs not quite 14 pounds and is 25 inches- tiny, tiny, tiny!! She nurses 4 or 5 times a day, usually upon waking up {5am, 7am, 11am, 3pm} and right before bed. However, she seems more excited about spoon-feeding. She eats 3 meals a day- I vary between fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and whatever else I have on hand. She has eaten organic rice cereal with breastmilk and bananas, sweet potatoes, peas, zucchini, carrots, plain yogurt, mangoes, apples, pears, avocadoes, and a few bites of a chocolate chip banana muffin {yes, I’m serious. I couldn’t resist.}.

We LOVE this girl, and she is the perfect fit for us. Rebekah and Luke adore her, and she thinks they’re hysterical. They get some of her best laughs, tho Josh earns his as well. Lizzie is very aware of us and what we bring to the table- she immediately reaches for Josh’s chin stubble, Luke’s glasses, and Rebekah’s hair. Today, she was fussing and as soon as she saw her spoon and food, she stopped and opened her mouth. So funny!

I’m not sure why the pics are so ginormous- I’m moving Lizzie’s lower so you can see her entire precious face…

…

So, we decided it was time for Lizzie to see her first castle…last time I went, she was just a bean in my tummy- much more fun to have her on the outside this time! The big kids and Josh had a great time using their Walkie Talkies to play hide and seek. Sometimes it’s like having 4 kids. {We hit Huntly Castle- one of our absolute faves!!!}

Yes, it was snowing off and on…on Cinco de Mayo.

Meals that Impress {without the stress} : Vegetarian Cabbage & Green Lentil Curry

Miss Mommy — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:39:49 +0000

Since becoming a mother of 3 who also works at home, I have had to figure out ways to be creative in the kitchen without neglecting my kids, husband, or work! I thought I’d share a few of my meals that have impressed my family but have not added a lot of stress to the hustle and bustle of our day.

This was a surprisingly great recipe, albeit vegetarian. If you know Josh and me, vegetarian is not our thing. Every time I make a meal sans meat for cost purposes, Josh unknowingly suggests ways they could be better {always with additions of meat}. So, if I recommend a veg meal, that’s sayin’ something.

*Tip: To make this easy, cook your lentils early {they take 40 minutes}. The rest will fall together quickly.

** I put US amounts in parenthesis.

Cabbage & Green Lentil Curry

200 g green lentils {7-8 ounces}
1 veg stock cube {I would just cook the lentils in veg stock}
2T oil
1 large onion
1 garlic clove
1 t mustard seed
1 t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
1 t turmeric
1 t cayenne
80o g chopped tom’s w/ chilies and peppers {2 cans- can use 1 can without the extra stuff}
1 savoy cabbage, shredded
2 T chopped fresh cilantro/coriander
squeeze of lemon
natural yogurt to top
naan bread
cooked white rice

Rinse the lentils, then drain and put in a pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil- boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in the stock cube. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Drain, then reserve 150ml liquid.

Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion. Add garlic and mustard seed. Once the seeds start to pop, add the spices add 2T water, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cabbage, lentils, reserved liquid, and cilantro/coriander. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Squeeze lemon and serve with yogurt on top and naan and rice on side.

Meals that Impress {without the stress!}: Greek Salad

Miss Mommy — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:36:43 +0000

Josh and I LOVE salads! I mean, l-o-v-e. BUT it has to be a really good salad for me to get excited. sadly, Scotland does not offer delicious, man-sized salads, so we make our own. The great thing about a salad is that it can be made ahead {make sure you read my tips first, tho!}, be protein-rich and carb-low, and is so fresh on a warmer day.

A FEW POINTERS FIRST:

If you want a really good salad that is absolutely delicious, it’s important to have a game plan. While you can prepare the salad in advance, be aware that chopping the lettuce with a steel blade can brown the lettuce. It will be fine if you do it the day or or the night before {probably], but be sure to refrigerate it again so it’s nice and crispy.

Always make sure everything is nicelychopped for bite-sized enjoyment- nothing kills a salad more than unwieldy pieces of lettuce or tomato wedges.
Always toss your salads with all ingredients except meat or croutons- those should be added on top right before serving. Again, a good toss will make all the difference.
Pair your tastes with the right dressing. Some salads call for creamy dressings, other for oil or vinegar-based dressings. Just using your usual go-to (ahem…Ranch) does not bring out the right flavors.

Greek Salad

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, rinsed and chopped
1 bunch of Romaine, rinsed and chopped
2 big, ripe tomatoes {worth spending a little to get good ones}
10 Kalamata olives (can sub black olives)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced in thin wedges
1/2 cucumber, sliced
3/4 Feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 c capers {Josh hates them so I add them later with my olives}
10 shrimp {I thaw the frozen kind from Costco}
handful of Italian or Mediterranean herbs {again, I used “mixed herbs” from Costco}
{Can add grilled chicken}

Greek dressing (or you can use Italian or make a Good seasonings packet of Herb & Garlic, which is what I do)

Just throw it together, placing the shrimp and/or chicken on top.