kitchen love

Today is a lovely day. Too lovely to just sit and watch movies or read.

I've already done 5 loads of laundry- 1 more to go, which gave me plenty of time to think about what I want to do today.

It's 3:00.... mid-afternoon. Too late to plan an all-day trip anywhere, to early to go out for dinner.

Finally decided what I want to do. Cook. Bake. And cook some more!

So I looked up some recipes that I want to make for a special someone's birthday this summer-

Creamy lemon crumb squares

Artichoke and Spinach dip

Mushroom phyllo bundles

Cheddar puffs

yes please!

Baby is fed, sleeping, and stuffed in lovely carseat. We're off to Kroger!

recipes thanks to http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

homemade carmel popcorn

The girls from my Bible study are getting together for movie night tonight, and I volunteered to bring one of my fav. snacks. The house smells like popcorn and caramel. MMMmmmmm. Too bad I just started P90X today, which includes following a nutrition guide that somehow does NOT call for caramel popcorn. Ripped trainer dude (don't remember his name atm) says if someone offers you a forbidden food, just say, "No thanks. I'm not eating that for 90 days." Yup, that simple.

Back to P90X- I barely got through the first workout (only 48 minutes) without keeling over and dying right there on my tiny living room floor. The thought of doing this for 89 more days, and especially as the workouts increase to 1.5 hours, there is a huge cloud of doubt in my mind that I will actually make it. However, the thought of never being able to fit in my old pants again is enough to get me up at 7 am and push through the tortuous agony that is working out. I mean, gimme a break! I took naps, ate chinese food, and waddled around for 9 months...this is definitely a life-style change.

Baby update:

Asher is 12 weeks old today!

• He rolled over today! I heard him crying from the other room and it sounded muffled, so I ran in to see him on his belly! Oh boy....here we go. Next it'll be crawling! Being a mom is starting to feel pretty real right about now!
• He smiles now. His mouth is huge!
• He is laughing, moaning, screeching, grunting, and cooing.
• He blows spit bubbles and rivals any "Drool Monster" that has ever existed. He goes through at least 3 bibs a day.
• He interacts with people now and will hold a cooing conversation.
• He can grab things, but can't let go yet.
• He just found his feet! Next week he'll probably be sucking his toes.
• Favorite thing: He sleeps through the night the majority of the time. His bedtime routine is around 9-10 until 5 or 6.

I've been wanting to do this for a while. I could add a lot more to both lists, but here my top few-

Baby things I've found extremely helpful:

Boppy: My ultimate favorite baby thing. Its nickname should be Backsaver.

Rocker glider: I can work on my computer and nurse at the same time. Lots of people told me they never used them. I can't imagine not having it. It also helps me just sit and enjoy the peace and quiet of nursing.

Travel system: Even though it's heavy, it is so handy to be able to carry him in his carseat.

Wipies: I know this is silly, but I used to work in a day care, and they freaked out if you used more than 2 wipes per diaper change. I will gladly spend a few more dollars a week to wipe my baby's butt clean to my heart's content.

Husband who gives me daily back massages: Couldn't do it without him. Well I could, but Massage Envy prices keep him more than willing to shell out freebies. :)

Baby things I still haven't used:

Baby timer app on our iPhone/Itzbeen timer. Seriously...we gave up trying to time feedings, poops, and pees the day we got back from the hospital. Asher made it pretty clear when he was hungry, and he sure didn't have a problem filling his diaper. It's pretty much impossible to get a tiny baby on any kind of schedule anyways.

Half my parenting/pregnancy/baby sleep books. I wish I had time to read all of them, but I don't. The one I will say is the most helpful: Your Baby's First Year: week by week. I like reading one chapter each week. It's easy to get through, concise, and not pretentious. My least favorite book- Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Even though I agree with the basic foundation of helping a child get his days/nights straightened out and giving a baby what he needs when he needs it, I hated how I had to read 8 million pages before I got to the POINT. Seriously....WHEN is he going to tell me how to have a happy child?

Bottle warmer. (we just run the bottle under hot water)

My top 5 favorite things about being a mom:

1. Getting to experience a kind of love I never could have imagined.
2. The sense of pride I get to feel when people ooh and ahh over him.
3. Watching a human being grow and develop from day 1.
4. Having Chris as my baby daddy :) I always knew he'd make a great dad!
5. The smiles Asher gives me when I talk to him.

Nursery idea for next baby......i love this!

My "splurge" of the week (splurge in quotations because I used gift cards!):

I can't wait to bake a giant cupcake for someone! Have a great day!