Hello? Can anyone hear me?

Jan 27th, 2012 - Posted By: Nicci / 1 Comment

This week has kicked my ASS. Like, knock down, drag out ASS KICKING. Busy at work, busy with school, busy with a toddler who now thinks that whining is an effective mode of communication, busy sewing, BUSY BUSY BUSY.

Yes. I brought this all on myself. I get that. But sometimes I wonder, did I bite off more than I can chew?

Like with school – Was this REALLY the best decision? Was I thinking about my family when I decided to plunge us into student loan debt, something NEITHER of us had? Was it wise to chose a field in which funding is getting slashed faster than funding for my CURRENT government budget dependent job? Will it be worth the late nights and the reading and the projects that seem ridiculously unrelated to the topic at hand?

Like with my plans to open an Etsy shop – I’m not planning on opening up shop until mid-February. I’m certain it won’t be instantaneous success; it probably won’t be successful after a year. Shoot, I’ll be lucky if a make ONE sale! And yet, with still three weeks before my planned open date, I feel like I have to SEW ALL THE THINGS, even though I have quite the collection ready to be sold already. It’s become almost a COMPULSION now! Someone change my PayPal password so I stop buying fabric!!!

Like with my kid – SERIOUSLY WITH THE WHINING!! I have the patience for loud toys. I don’t get irritated with him pushing the same button on his laptop over and over and over and over and over. But the whining? Oh that is a short, SHORT fuse, my friends. Especially when it’s whining over the fact that I gave him only one banana for a snack! OH THE HORROR!! CALL CPS! NEGLECT!!

He whines for dinner. He whines for dessert. He whines when his toy doesn’t play the way he wants it to play. He whines when I don’t read the EXACT RIGHT BOOK. What’s worse is he doesn’t have much of a vocabulary yet, so most of the time I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL HE’S WHINING ABOUT!!!

Can you tell I can’t stand the whining?

And weeks like this just DRAG on me. I find myself counting down the hours until Friday night when Aric is in bed and Tim and I can pop in a movie and veg for the night. It’s weeks like this when I just don’t have the energy or desire to blog or even respond to your awesome comments like I like to do.

I think I need a mental health day. In fact …. ::runs off to request PTO from work::

things that suck

Do you remember?

Jan 24th, 2012 - Posted By: Nicci / 3 Comments

Last month, I was on break from school. That meant that my evenings were ALL MINE! I could put Aric to bed, then zone out in front of the TV, drink some wine, and engage in some lively Twitter chatter.

But one night I was bored. Aric was in bed. There was nothing on TV. No one was entertaining me on teh interwebz. It was at that moment that I looked Tim and said: “Did we seriously used to do this every single night?”

Honestly, I have almost no memory as to what we used to do to entertain ourselves pre-Aric. I know we went out with friends a lot, but not seven days a week. I know we watched a lot of TV, but there couldn’t have been THAT MUCH entertaining television then. We used to go out to eat a lot, but again, not every night.

WHAT THE HECK DID WE DO?!?!?!?!?!

Now-a-days I find myself CRAVING activities. When I wasn’t in class last month I used that time to start sewing again. Even now, with class back in session, I’m attending classes, doing homework, squeezing TV in when I can, and sewing as much as I can before I fall face first onto my pillow. And this is all done after 7:30pm.

I’m just going to take this moment to say a small prayer of thanks for having a child that is so routinized that he PUTS HIMSELF TO BED when we don’t get him there in time. Child #2, I fear you will take all this ease away from me.

ANYWAY. What was I saying? Ah, yes, “free time.” Our weekends are now dominated by trips to the park, the mall, Target, books, puzzles, blocks, movies, and a quick 10 minutes to run a vacuum over the nasty carpet. And I find myself wondering …. WHAT THE HECK DID I USED TO DO ON THE WEEKENDS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

It’s like my definition of “free time” went from meaning “Time to sit on my arse” to “Time to get something done for ME and not something for the child, husband, house, or professor.”

And honestly, I wouldn’t want to go back to those times. I love the activities I find myself involved in. I love that when I have a free minute, I spend it engaging in a hobby that I adore, or, you know, that “husband” man who also lives here.

But seriously, parents. WHAT DID WE USED TO DO?!?! Can ANY of you shed some light on this for me?!

free time, funny things, parenting

Hot Momma Monday: Off on the right foot

Jan 23rd, 2012 - Posted By: Nicci / 3 Comments

Last week I set some pretty lofty goals for myself to push off on my quest to become an All Around Hot Momma. I think that I actually did a pretty decent job of following through on some of my ideas and I think I’ve started off on the right foot.

One of the best things I did this past week was either cook dinner or heat leftovers for dinner every single night. Even Friday night, when Tim was gone and it was just Aric and I, instead of going out for burgers like I’d originally planned, we stayed home, make a pizza, and had a picnic in the living room while watching Tangled. WE MADE MEMORIES!! YAYZERS!!

But seriously, it ended up being a really fun night, and we didn’t even leave the house (never mind that it was also below zero and I lost all desire to do anything but curl up on the couch and watch TV).

I will admit that this past weekend we had fast food twice: Mickey D’s breakfast on Saturday and Chipotle on Sunday. However, I paid for it with a surprise $80 check that came on Friday. So thank you, stupid oral surgeon’s office, for making me pay my ENTIRE bill up front before even charging my insurance. That extra money was super neato!

I also cooked up some tasty new meals! One night (I think it was Tuesday, but I honestly cannot remember) I made breaded chicken cutlets.

So crunchy, so yummy!

These were SUPER easy! I just a couple tablespoons of melted butter and mixed it with some garlic herb bread crumbs I found in the pantry. You know when you make a graham cracker crust with the graham cracker bits and butter? Same concept for this. I then coated some boneless, skinless chicken thighs with it, then baked it at 400* for about 20 minutes or so. I’m sure this would have tasted just as awesome with chicken breasts, but I had thighs available, and thighs I used!

The last night I made chili for the first time ever! I know, I know. It’s completely crazy that I have never in my life made a batch of chili. But I did it. And I mixed it with crushed Fritos, sour cream, and lots of shredded cheddar. It was the greatest bowl of warm happiness I have ever had!

…… until I ate a bean.

I must have a sensory disorder or SOMETHING when it comes to food. I cannot eat food that feels weird, so matter how tasty it might be. Mushrooms? Nope. Oysters? Hellz no. Any kind of bean? Kill me.

So when I took a bit with few Fritos, I felt the bean mushing itself through my mouth. And it was all over. I picked my way through the rest of the bowl, but it was ruined for me. Which really REALLY sucks cause it was SO GOOD for so long. Then that one, tiny bean had to come and ruin the party.

Jerk.

On a completely unrelated note: I made a discovery this week. Actually, saying that is like saying Columbus discovered America even though he didn’t and the vikings were there before him and the native Americans were there even before that. But that “discovery?”

Trader Joe’s.

I’ve long heard tales of this “Trader Joe’s.” The organic food. The ease in which one could find vegetarian, gluten free, and even vegan food. I’d heard all about it. There are several in the Twin Cities area, and lots of people in my office bring lunches from Trader Joe’s that look and smell so darn yummy.

But my brain went like this: Trader Joe’s = Whole Foods. Whole Foods = $$$$$$$$$$. Thus, Trader Joe’s = $$$$$$$$$.

But Friday afternoon, I’d had enough with all the talk. I had to see it for myself. I let Tim know of my quest. His response? “Isn’t that place really expensive?”

But I went. And oh man. Man oh man oh man. I must have looked like a darn FOOL in that store! I think I went up and down every single aisle three or four times, picking things up, looking at ingredients, then picking my jaw up off the ground when I saw the prices. I could not believe my eyes.

After loading up my cart with about a week or so worth of groceries and lots of snacks I went to the check out. The damage??

LESS THAN THE NORMAL COST OF A WEEK OF FOOD FROM OUR LOCAL GROCERY STORE.

Let that sink in for a second.

Less. Than what I normally spend. For a week. Plus lots of snacks (which I don’t usually buy that much of). Including meats. And produce. And several “heat and eat” dinner choices for quick meals. (Though to be fair, I chose the non-organic options, although the organic options of everything weren’t really all that much more expensive)

I’m pretty sure I left brain matter at the check out from my mind blowing into a billion pieces.

Trader Joe’s? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!?!?! I’m so, SO sorry I misjudged you so. I’m sure many people have the same common misconceptions that I once did, so can you find it in your heart to forgive me?

Judging by the taste of this Joe Joe I’m cramming down my face hole, I’m thinking he HAS forgiven me.

With one, simple trip to Trader Joe’s, I’ve worked on both my “STOP SPENDING SO MUCH MONEY” goal and my “COOK MOAR FOODS” goal. I call that a win.

How was your week? Make any cool discoveries or cook any yummy meals?

Hot Momma Monday, recipes, saving money