Alright, it's time for some real talk. I post a lot about all the things Violet, and I do together, and they are all things I totally love and enjoy. However, there are some things I've discovered and am STILL discovering which I totally DO NOT enjoy trying to do with my 2 1/2 year old. Despite what it may seem like sometimes, it is not always sunshine and rainbows over here. I get frustrated and annoyed and tired of sharing certain things with Violet. I almost feel weird discussing this because I don't want anyone to get it twisted. But, knowing it may happen I decided to post this anyways and you all can judge me if you feel so inclined.
A Mommy Confession:
1. Sharing food with her.. I will share the food off my late with Violet until the day I die if I have to, however, on the rare occasion I can eat an entire meal without having to feed her a bite or two, or fifteen it is truly incredible..ha ha...edible..get it? Anyway....
2. Exercising. Sure, it's totally funny watching her try to mimic my burpees, plank walks, and power jumps but OH MY GOSH. I swear it is her solitary mission in life while I am trying to do a workout video to get in my every way, to need to go potty, to want a piece of cheese, to yell "mom, mom, mom!" over and over again, to fall off the couch and need to be cuddled, to roll her toys out and want to show me each and every one of them, by shoving them in my face, while I'm trying to do a tricep dip. Seriously. Again, on those oh so rare days where I can get through a 40 minute circuit with no interruptions or distractions I think about doing 3 in a row because it is so NICE.
3. Sleeping. On the EXTREMELY rare occasion when Violet WILL NOT go to sleep in her bed and is keeping up our neighbors, we will bring her into our room and have her sleep. I HATE it. Taking a nap with her during the day is a different story, that I really love. But at night, when the sleep is longer then about 40 minutes I really dislike sharing a bed with her and Cristian. It usually ends up with her feet in my face, her hogging the entire bed, me constantly adjusting how I'm sleeping because I fear smothering her accidently, adjusting Cristian for the same reasons, and eventually me moving to her room where there is a twin sized bed. Of course Violet sleeps WONDERFULLY because our new bed is amazing. That twin bed though provides less then decent sleep and the rest of the following day I am sore, tired-obviously-and extra irritable. Thankfully she does a pretty good job of going to sleep.
4. Clothes shopping. After doing this twice I vowed to never try this again. And I won't. It is the worst. She's 2 1/2, she cannot just walk around with me without getting lost in the racks of clothes(on purpose because someone....*cough cough Cristian*, had to teach her how to play hide and seek in department stores). She peeks under changing room dividers, has to "go potty" as soon as I've undressed and am getting ready to make my way through the clothes I picked out to try on, and whines about suddenly needing to be carried-everywhere. I realize these are kid things, it's better for me to do my clothes shopping on my own though-no doubt about it.
5. Spending time with my friends. Vi baby, I love you, but I do not like bringing you along to chill with my friends. I spend the entire time totally distracted and not able to really focus on the person I'm with. And it goes the other way to. I never feel like I have their full attention and I leave our hang outs feeling really unsatisfied and weird. Violet and Cristian are my life, and rightfully so. I wouldn't change them being the focus of my attention, however, there is more to my life then being Violet's mother, and Cristian's best friend and wife. Those are the most important roles I play, but I am also an artist, a singer, a writer, a nature lover, an athlete, a reader, a listener and thinker, an animal enthusiast, and so much more. When I'm with my friends, I like to revisit those things, and with Violet tagging along, I can not put "mother" on pause for even a minute. I need a pause sometimes to remind me I am a mother and a wife, but also more.
And that's it. Right now those are the 5 things I prefer to do without Violet attached to my hip. And I relish in them when I have the chance. Everyone has a list like this right? :/
Sunday, July 20, 2014
A Photo Update
At the fair, she was only this happy because we were getting OFF the carousal.
Teva tan lines, and airplane afternoons.
Raspberry (from the garden) and yogurt homemade popsicles. One classy stud puffin with tye dye shorts!
Plums!
"Violet, it's time to get out of the bath..."
*death stare*
Our spread for the World Cup, Argentina vs. Germany. I was for Germany, he was for Argentina.
My team won, but my whole family won with these roasted veggie tacos.
White potato, red bell pepper, yellow onion, garlic, zuchinni, yellow squash, sweet corn, black beans, queso fresco, cilantro, spices, lime.
Roasted carrot soup with plain yogurt, topped with spicy crispy roasted chick peas.
Here's the recipe:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
pinch of red pepper flakes
4 cups veggie broth
garnishes (optional)
roasted chickpeas
green yogurt mixed with chopped herbs, toum and lemon juice
parsley
za-ahtar
Instructions:
1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper flakes and saute' until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Once veggies have begun to brown, add broth, using it to scrape up any bits stuck to bottom of the pot. Cover pot with lid and simmer until carrots are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
3. Puree soup in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth, Ladle into bowls. Dollop each with greek yogurt, roasted chickpeas and za-ahtar.
Making a cheerio necklace for daddy!
Newest Navas family member, the beta!
Painting.
Frolfing. Cristian happy, Violet......"mom, you've taken enough photos....stop already".
Never Violet, never. :D
The Salty and Sweet/ A Rambling Post
I'm sitting here putting together some "baffles" for my sweet little girls breakfast and I keep thinking about the other day when we spent 15 minutes trying to retrieve a cheerio from out of her nose. And when I told her to keep her toys out of the kitchen, and she grabbed my hand and pulled me into her room showing me she had "kep her toys outta a chicken mom"....I sure hope none of them were ever inside a chicken...but you get it. The other day at lunch with my mom she also said the color of the ketchup bottle was "chicken". I guess she likes chicken.
All berries are strawberries. Blueberries are blue strawberries, raspberries are strawberries, cherries are chair-strawberries. It's really cute. She's gotten in this habit of saying 'Love you mom!" when I go to lift her out of her crib in the mornings, and I totally melt and love all over it because that sure feels AWESOME. It's been so hot I haven't worried about her running around butt naked all day long in our house. We've tried going to the park several times this week but everything was just too hot. The swings, the slide... so she's either naked most of the day, or outside in the blow up pool which recently had to be fixed with a couple strips of duct tape.
We've been dining on homegrown food from my parents garden. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, raspberries, mint. It's been wonderful. I can't wait to have my own garden. There's something about plucking food from the earth and making a homemade meal out of it which really satisfies my soul, and body. And hopefully my families also!
We're trying to pay off a few things by the end of this year, so efforts have been/are being made to cut back on driving, and spending. This has meant more time at home, or walking to the store if we need anything. It's meant being more aware of what I purchase as far as groceries and really using what we have to make things works. Honestly? I've loved it. It's made me more creative in the kitchen and has pushed me to come up with active ideas to keep Violet entertained if we are at home most of the day. We have been savings lots of money on gas and I feel good at the end of the week knowing I utilized all our groceries and didn't waste anything, but also didn't buy anything in excess. It feels good.
When Violet and I are at home we paint (with water on the porch, and with actual paint on paper), we sit outside under our big tree and read books, blow bubbles, throw a basketball back and forth to each other and listen to music. We've been doing mini crafts like making cheerio necklaces, popsicle stick shapes to learn some ..shapes obviously, but also colors. We've been making forts and playing "hide and seek". We have quiet time where we cuddle up on our new bed (we no longer have sore backs!), and have silly conversations together, or sing songs. She helps me cook on "What's Cooking Wednesdays", and whenever else she decides she would like to wear her apron like mommy. She also really likes having her nails painted and "painting" mommy's nails with water and a paint brush. We pretend to put make up on and her chapstick is "lipstick". She puts it on, all over her face, and then says "pretty mom! pretty!" while pointing at her cute little lips. We've been trying more yoga poses and she's started stretching with me in the mornings. She's the best.
Cristian and I restart Insanity this coming Monday. We've written up a contract to make it through the entire 2 months. I've come closest, cutting the program short by about a week and a half because I was SO burnt out. This time however I will reserve my energy appropriately and will end with flying triumphant colors. Cristian will too.
We just bought Violet her first pet, a dark red beta with no name so far except for "fishy". She's really enjoyed just sitting looking at him. However, earlier this morning we DID find a piece of bread floating in the fish bowl and had to have a little chat (which WHO KNOWS how much she understood) about the bowl being the beta's home and the need to keep it clean for him. I'm sure we'll be having more conversations like this with her as she learns about what's okay to do and what's not. She did a GREAT job feeding him this morning though, so we were very proud of her as far as that was concerned.
We've recently gotten into Frisbee golf. It's great because we can walk around the park just talking and laughing, Violet gets some exercise (as we do) and some sun..it's been a great family activity for us and Cristian is improving SO QUICKLY. I'm pretty impressed actually. I'm a little competitive though so I may have to sneak in some time to go practice ha ha!. I'm still making my way through a huge list of Mary Higgin's Clark books and I still can't believe how long it took for me to get an actual library card. It has been such a life saver. Getting away in a book for a half hour feels like a vacation. Cristian has been playing "Outlast" on the Xbox One, and is slowly making his way towards the end of the game. The other day he came into the bedroom and asked me to come sit with him on the couch because it's a scary game apparently. I don't know what he thought I was going to be able to do to help him..but he was comforted just by having me out there so-that was kinda cute.
August is approaching and with it comes Cristian's birthday and a paid week of vacation for him. The plan was to make our way to Colorado but some other things came up which were ultimately more important. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed but we have a few things planned. Dragonball Z will be showing in theaters the day of Cristian's birthday so I'm sure we'll be going to watch it. Hogle Zoo and the aquarium are tentatively being planned for, and maybe some camping. DEFINITLEY some fishing, and perhaps some grilling.
A few things have happened which have been really frustrating. A few weeks ago I was really struggling with feeling like my husband was being taken advantage of with some things regarding his job. It feels like we've been waiting for certain things to happen for...FOREVER. My mom recommended some scriptures in Matthew which really helped reset my perspective. It was a parable which testified of the first being last and the last first, basically. I've been really thankful for those few verses the last couple of weeks and I know if we keep trying our best and go through this waiting period with grace and positive vibes things will work out.
At the Navas nook things are wonderful. We'll keep trying to take advantage of sunshiny weather, all the moments we get to spend together as a family, and all the other blessings we've received and are receiving.
Up next, a photo update!
All berries are strawberries. Blueberries are blue strawberries, raspberries are strawberries, cherries are chair-strawberries. It's really cute. She's gotten in this habit of saying 'Love you mom!" when I go to lift her out of her crib in the mornings, and I totally melt and love all over it because that sure feels AWESOME. It's been so hot I haven't worried about her running around butt naked all day long in our house. We've tried going to the park several times this week but everything was just too hot. The swings, the slide... so she's either naked most of the day, or outside in the blow up pool which recently had to be fixed with a couple strips of duct tape.
We've been dining on homegrown food from my parents garden. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, raspberries, mint. It's been wonderful. I can't wait to have my own garden. There's something about plucking food from the earth and making a homemade meal out of it which really satisfies my soul, and body. And hopefully my families also!
We're trying to pay off a few things by the end of this year, so efforts have been/are being made to cut back on driving, and spending. This has meant more time at home, or walking to the store if we need anything. It's meant being more aware of what I purchase as far as groceries and really using what we have to make things works. Honestly? I've loved it. It's made me more creative in the kitchen and has pushed me to come up with active ideas to keep Violet entertained if we are at home most of the day. We have been savings lots of money on gas and I feel good at the end of the week knowing I utilized all our groceries and didn't waste anything, but also didn't buy anything in excess. It feels good.
When Violet and I are at home we paint (with water on the porch, and with actual paint on paper), we sit outside under our big tree and read books, blow bubbles, throw a basketball back and forth to each other and listen to music. We've been doing mini crafts like making cheerio necklaces, popsicle stick shapes to learn some ..shapes obviously, but also colors. We've been making forts and playing "hide and seek". We have quiet time where we cuddle up on our new bed (we no longer have sore backs!), and have silly conversations together, or sing songs. She helps me cook on "What's Cooking Wednesdays", and whenever else she decides she would like to wear her apron like mommy. She also really likes having her nails painted and "painting" mommy's nails with water and a paint brush. We pretend to put make up on and her chapstick is "lipstick". She puts it on, all over her face, and then says "pretty mom! pretty!" while pointing at her cute little lips. We've been trying more yoga poses and she's started stretching with me in the mornings. She's the best.
Cristian and I restart Insanity this coming Monday. We've written up a contract to make it through the entire 2 months. I've come closest, cutting the program short by about a week and a half because I was SO burnt out. This time however I will reserve my energy appropriately and will end with flying triumphant colors. Cristian will too.
We just bought Violet her first pet, a dark red beta with no name so far except for "fishy". She's really enjoyed just sitting looking at him. However, earlier this morning we DID find a piece of bread floating in the fish bowl and had to have a little chat (which WHO KNOWS how much she understood) about the bowl being the beta's home and the need to keep it clean for him. I'm sure we'll be having more conversations like this with her as she learns about what's okay to do and what's not. She did a GREAT job feeding him this morning though, so we were very proud of her as far as that was concerned.
We've recently gotten into Frisbee golf. It's great because we can walk around the park just talking and laughing, Violet gets some exercise (as we do) and some sun..it's been a great family activity for us and Cristian is improving SO QUICKLY. I'm pretty impressed actually. I'm a little competitive though so I may have to sneak in some time to go practice ha ha!. I'm still making my way through a huge list of Mary Higgin's Clark books and I still can't believe how long it took for me to get an actual library card. It has been such a life saver. Getting away in a book for a half hour feels like a vacation. Cristian has been playing "Outlast" on the Xbox One, and is slowly making his way towards the end of the game. The other day he came into the bedroom and asked me to come sit with him on the couch because it's a scary game apparently. I don't know what he thought I was going to be able to do to help him..but he was comforted just by having me out there so-that was kinda cute.
August is approaching and with it comes Cristian's birthday and a paid week of vacation for him. The plan was to make our way to Colorado but some other things came up which were ultimately more important. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed but we have a few things planned. Dragonball Z will be showing in theaters the day of Cristian's birthday so I'm sure we'll be going to watch it. Hogle Zoo and the aquarium are tentatively being planned for, and maybe some camping. DEFINITLEY some fishing, and perhaps some grilling.
A few things have happened which have been really frustrating. A few weeks ago I was really struggling with feeling like my husband was being taken advantage of with some things regarding his job. It feels like we've been waiting for certain things to happen for...FOREVER. My mom recommended some scriptures in Matthew which really helped reset my perspective. It was a parable which testified of the first being last and the last first, basically. I've been really thankful for those few verses the last couple of weeks and I know if we keep trying our best and go through this waiting period with grace and positive vibes things will work out.
At the Navas nook things are wonderful. We'll keep trying to take advantage of sunshiny weather, all the moments we get to spend together as a family, and all the other blessings we've received and are receiving.
Up next, a photo update!
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Kevin
Life man....life over here is the cat's pajamas.
Let's talk about "Kevin". "Kevin" is a shifty individual who is repeatedly playing hide and seek and is very, VERY difficult to find. I still have yet to capture him.
"Kevin", seems to be Violet's imaginary friend.
We have no idea where she picked up on the name. None of the 12-15 min TV programs I allow her to watch in the mornings while I shower have characters who are named Kevin. No one, from either mine or Cristian's family, are named Kevin. There is no one named Kevin in nursery at church. We've never been around a pet named Kevin.
Somehow, somewhere she has picked up on this name and every morning the first thing she says, after expressing she needs to go potty is "Mom, wheh di Kevin go?" "Mom, fine Kevin!" "Kevin! Wheh ah you?!"
After getting her off the potty and putting her clothes back on, Violet clutches my hand in hers and tows me around the house investigating every high and low nook for this guy. We duck under the kitchen table and open up cupboard and drawers, she peeks under the covers of our bed, and has me open up the fridge, all in the pursuit to find KEVIN. Apparently, my darling little girl has yet to have the pleasure of actually meeting him also.
This has been going on for about 4 days.
I don't ever remember having an imaginary friend, but I guess my older brother Toby had one when he was little which was a rabbit..named "Rabbit". He would always get "stuck" in the heater vent . From what my mom tells me life could just NOT continue until "Rabbit" was no longer stuck. Her words: "I couldn't understand how he could imagine him getting stuck, but not be able to imagine him getting OUT of the heater vent".
Who knows right?
One day we will find him, "Him" meaning Kevin. I'm not sure when, or what will happen if we do, but for now we're enjoying this funny little stage she's in.
Let's talk about "Kevin". "Kevin" is a shifty individual who is repeatedly playing hide and seek and is very, VERY difficult to find. I still have yet to capture him.
"Kevin", seems to be Violet's imaginary friend.
We have no idea where she picked up on the name. None of the 12-15 min TV programs I allow her to watch in the mornings while I shower have characters who are named Kevin. No one, from either mine or Cristian's family, are named Kevin. There is no one named Kevin in nursery at church. We've never been around a pet named Kevin.
Somehow, somewhere she has picked up on this name and every morning the first thing she says, after expressing she needs to go potty is "Mom, wheh di Kevin go?" "Mom, fine Kevin!" "Kevin! Wheh ah you?!"
After getting her off the potty and putting her clothes back on, Violet clutches my hand in hers and tows me around the house investigating every high and low nook for this guy. We duck under the kitchen table and open up cupboard and drawers, she peeks under the covers of our bed, and has me open up the fridge, all in the pursuit to find KEVIN. Apparently, my darling little girl has yet to have the pleasure of actually meeting him also.
This has been going on for about 4 days.
I don't ever remember having an imaginary friend, but I guess my older brother Toby had one when he was little which was a rabbit..named "Rabbit". He would always get "stuck" in the heater vent . From what my mom tells me life could just NOT continue until "Rabbit" was no longer stuck. Her words: "I couldn't understand how he could imagine him getting stuck, but not be able to imagine him getting OUT of the heater vent".
Who knows right?
One day we will find him, "Him" meaning Kevin. I'm not sure when, or what will happen if we do, but for now we're enjoying this funny little stage she's in.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Snippets/ A Bit Of Our Summer+July 4th
Strangers to friends over something as simple as a twig in the park.
She loves being outdoors and really likes feeding the ducks. She's also decided she likes to go swimming in the "swimming pool" which is First Dam. This is totally fine with me and I find myself dipping my toes in the water with her because it is SO HOT right now.
Some holiday decorating! So thankful for my freedom and send prayers and blessings to those serving to keep this country that way.
I mean, tacos are the norm over here these days. Carne asada, sweet onion, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime. We eat tacos for lunch about 3 times a week. I recently purchases a Better Homes Magazine that focuses totally on all things Mexican food related. Salsas, enchiladas, guac, you name it. We'll be working our way through it the rest of this summer.
I haven't been able to bring myself to pay to go to the local pool. I'm not sure why. I did however purchase a $10 inflatable pool and Violet has been taking a dip on the daily. We bring her bath toys out and I bring a camp chair with a good book and we spent a good 2 hours enjoying the outdoors together. When it gets to hot I get in with her and splash around. It's been a great purchase!
We're back to tacos. I'd never been to this food truck in town so we ventured out there for one of Cristian's lunch breaks. It was delicious. Definitely in the top 2 for the valley.
I made my first pie, homemade crust and all. This was NOT your grandma's apple pie though. This pie would have kicked your grandma in the pants. Angry Apple Pie. Jalepenos and apple. Here's the recipe:
2 homemade pie crusts
2 Tbsp red or green hot pepper jelly
6 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (roll in cornstarch)
2 tsp red or green jalapeno pepper, seeded, and finely diced
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
2. Sprinkle both sides of one of the pie crusts with flour and rub all over. Press the pie crust into a 9 inch pie plate (glass or ceramic). Spread the hot pepper jelly on the bottom of the pie crust. Set aside
3. In a large mixing bowl add the apples, dices jalepeno pepper, white and brown sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice. Stir until thoroughly combined. Pour the apple mixture into the pie plate.
4. Roll out the second pie crust so that it extends about 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the pie plate. Place the crust on top of the pie and tuck the edge with your fingers or a fork. Using a sharp knife, cut five 2 inch slits into the top pie crust from the center of the pie out towards the edge of the plate to allow the steam to escape.
5. Place some aluminum foil along the edge of the pie crust to prevent burning.
6. Bake the pie on the middle shelf for 25 minutes. Remove the foil from the edges and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let the pie sit for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the juices to absorb.
My parents garden is up and going for the summer and berries are in full progress. We've been picking strawberries and raspberries and enjoying tarts, smoothies, lemonades, and berries in our cereal, granola, and salads.
Violet is afraid of fireworks, so our sparkler session took place in the wee hours of the night on our front porch while Violet slept soundly. Hope your 4th was as relaxing as ours was!
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