Healthy Eats

I'm working hard to make good food choices and to eat as many healthy foods as possible.  I wanted to share some of my favorites from the last few weeks.

1. Chicken Veggie Stir Fry with Quinoa

carrots, edamame, peppers, onions, snow peas, grilled chicken and quinoa

 2. Paninis with healthy sides

I've been using our George Foreman grill as a panini press and it works great!!

I lightly buttered sourdough bread, used spicy mustard inside and low fat cheese.

 3. Chicken Sausage Brats

We bought the fajita chicken sausage brats in a huge pack from Sams and they are really tasty.  There are peppers and a little cheese inside of them.  We grill them and eat them on a wheat bun.  Perfect summer dinner.

 4. Homemade Apple Sauce

I had a large bag of apples so I decided it was time to make my own applesauce.  It was a pretty easy process and the applesauce was delicious!  I'd definitely make this again.

Here's a link to Martha's Classic Applesauce Recipe

 5. Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

I used the homemade applesauce in a healthy muffin recipe.

They were pretty good.

I used this recipe from Southern In-Law

6. Mexican Lettuce Wraps
I used this recipe for the filling from DamnDelicious

I've pinned lots of new recipes for salads, grilled goods and lots of options for using summer produce so stay tuned to some more colorful meals!!

Olive @ 12 months

Olive is busier than ever.  She's into e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. and knows what she does and does not want.  She has developed quite an opinion and isn't afraid to make it known.  It's funny to see her push things away (unless it's me) and definitely developing preferences for certain things.

She keeps us on our toes and we have to watch her like a hawk.  We've learned that silence isn't golden when you are talking about a baby that is quietly occupying herself.  It likely means a cupboard is being emptied, a mess is being made and some mischief is ensuing.

We love our little "baby tornado".

Some favorite pictures from this moment in time:

 You find all utensils fascinating and always swipe them from us.

Then you stash them in the strangest places.

 You love shoes and we have to keep them put up because you just want to chew on the bottoms.  We try to tell you that this is disgusting, but you think it's hilarious.  You also like to eat your snacks standing up on the edge of the coffee table.

 Bath time is still one of your favorites.

 You want everyone to share with you

but you don't feel the same way when we want you to share.

You've started paying attention to cartoons.

 You have enviable posture and we find you resting your head on the couch when you start to get sleepy.  We start talking about a nap or going to bed and you immediately perk up.

 You have a black big toe nail because you pulled a dinner plate off the table and dropped it on your toe.  I'm sure it was really painful due to the crocodile tears that came pouring out of your eyes.

 You are starting to pick up on social cues.

For example, you clap when you see others clapping.

I lovingly call you MY SHADOW because you follow me everywhere.  You want to have eyes on me at all times and don't want to be left alone.  I hear I was the same way as a baby.

 We never put child locks on the cabinets since we are renting and you are very pleased about this. You love to open all the cabinets and pull things out.  You fling the doors open and start digging through.  Enjoy this for a few more weeks because our house will have child locks.

 You enjoy reading and all forms of paper.

You are quite the paper shredder.

If you find a tissue or a magazine, it'll be shredded in no time.

I should probably put this skill to good use and have you shred documents for me.

 You are a very social baby.

You love to be around people and interact when we are out.

You say hi and bye and wave at almost everyone.

It's fun to see you make new friends.

You attract lots of attention and people try hard to talk to you.

 You make this kissy face a lot

and these are pretty typical poses.

You moved up to a convertible car seat and you love having more room!!

Sometimes I need a PUSH...

I've loved being home with Olive this year.

It has been wonderful to spend her first year together.

I enjoy hanging out at home and don't feel the need to get out and about every day.  I always look forward to errands and outings, but sometimes I need a PUSH to go outside of my comfort zone.  I'm a creature of habit, like routines and don't always seek out new opportunities.  It has been tricky to make new friends in Arkansas because I'm not working outside the home and so I'm not surrounded by possible friends.  I see people coming and going in my neighborhood, but haven't really befriended any of them.

Our best friends here are a couple that lives in our building.  Kevin works with David.  Anna and I get along really well and they both adore Olive.  We enjoy hanging out together and going out to eat.  It's a good set up for the evenings and weekends, but they all go to work during the day.

Kevin has another co-worker whose wife stays home with their little girl.  They suggested we get together during the day and shortly after I got an invitation to go to the local library for a baby music class.  It sounded like something Olive would love but I had to fight these thoughts...

Where is the library at?

What if everyone knows the routine and are friends and I'm left out?

What if Olive hates it?

What if she doesn't cooperate or is grumpy?

What if they want ME to participate 

and Olive is completely embarrassed because her mom has ZERO musical abilities??

What if I show up unprepared?

What if I don't have anything to talk about?

After battling this tornado of doubting questions, I decided I needed to give it a try ONCE and then reevaluate.  I didn't have to commit to doing it forever and we could easily back out if it didn't work out in the future.  So I texted her back and said YES, we'd join them.  We planned a meet up, discussed directions and were set.  My husband was really encouraging and thought we'd really enjoy it.

I woke up nervous.  I looked up directions the night before and planned my route.  I set my alarm, got up and got ready.  Then it started storming.  My plans could have easily been derailed, but I forced myself to GO.  No backing out now.  We loaded up, made it to the library 15 minutes early and went in.

We explored the whole place and it was wonderful!  The library was brand new, books everywhere and tons of room for Olive to explore.  She was shrieking with delight and greeting other families as we walked around.  We were both really happy to be there.

We walked into class and saw our friends.  They saved us a seat so we hurried up to them.  (Isn't it amazing how good it feels to be included and have people go out of their way to be nice to you??  Note to self: Do this more often!!)  We sat down and had lots to talk about right away.  Our girls (Olive + Olivia) enjoyed just looking at each other and it was time for class to start.  She filled me in on what to expect and I felt pretty prepared for class.

They had props, musical instruments, motions and tons of silly songs.  Olive LOVED everything.  She was clapping, wiggling to the moves and loved all of the baby instruments.  It was so fun to see her wave at other kids, move to the music and the teacher was great.  I knew many of the silly songs and I felt pretty comfortable in my role as a newish mom in a new class.  The class flew by and we were sad it was over.  They collected the instruments. and said see you next time.

I was genuinely excited to come back.

We talked after class and let the girls play.  Baby playing included trading toys and taking the toys that the other baby thought was interesting.  They loved the interaction and so did I.  It was really nice to talk to another mom.  We shared stories, talked about baby foods and made a plan to do this again.  It was a no brainer.  Olive and I both benefited from it and we were excited to add this to our weekly routine.

We've been to several music classes and story times since our first class.  It's amazing to see Olive be more and more social each time we go.  She LOVES the kids and the classes and I love watching her.  It's a win-win for both of us.

Thanks for the push, friend.

I needed it.

Is there anything you need a push to start doing??

My July Goals

July is going to be packed full of fun and change at our house.

4th of July

birthdays

packing

moving

unpacking

settling in

traveling

graduation party

anniversary

My goals are going to revolve around these events

to help keep me sane during this wacky month.

1. Coordinate the details of our move with Kevin's family who are coming down to AR to help us.  I did a little pre-move trip a few weeks ago and it was TOUGH to get much done with a ONE year old.  Know what I mean??  I'm hoping we can make this whole move as painLESS as possible for everyone involved.

2. Start packing boxes.  Do a few a day so as to make a dent in the big job ahead.  I'm going to have to play a real life game of Tetris in our small apartment to make room for boxes while leaving living space for us to exist in for the next 12 days.  Wish me luck.

3. Plan fun birthday activities for my husband's birthday palooza week.  Things like dinner with friends, Buttermilk cake, sparklers, lunch date picnic, gifts, favorite meals and packing :)

4. Unpack and settle into our new house.  Figure out grown up things like - trash collection, recycling day, house payments, forward our mail, get new insurance and other business items.  I'd love to have our main living spaces unpacked and then I'll work on decorating in August.

5. Pack as much fun as possible into our visit to Indiana - graduation party, see as many family and friends as possible, cousin time and hopefully meet a brand new baby girl!

6.  I'd like to spend as much time with our Arkansas friends as possible before we all move.

7. Get one last haircut from my favorite hair dresser before we move.

8. Make an effort to make wise food choices all month long.  No mindless eating while watching TV or snacking when I'm bored.  Drink lots of water and try to keep up with my busy one year old instead of watching her.

Looking forward to this month and going to try hard to find the balance between planning and being flexible enough to have some unexpected fun, to be loving and pleasant in stressful situations

and to really enjoy this time in our lives. 

Happy Kitty Birthday!

Happy Birthday Boys!!

Oliver turns 6

Topher turns 5

today :)

 They are very best friends.

 I'm pretty sure that I'm their favorite human.

 See what I mean???

They'll be getting their favorite treats, toys

and

some extra loving.

Happy Bloggy Birthday!

Polka-Dotty Place

turns

TODAY!!

Happy Birthday to you dear PDP!!

In honor of this bloggy birthday, 

here are 3 things I love about this blog:

ONE:

I have loved documenting our lives - trips, highlights, food, DIYs, jobs, moving, baby and more.  It's so fun to look back at all the memories from the last three years of our lives.  It has also been fun for friends & family to keep up with our day to day even when we're living far away.

 

TWO:

 I still love blogging as much as I did three years ago and it's been a great hobby for me.  I have learned a lot over the years and really enjoy setting bloggy goals for myself, writing, working on projects and taking pictures for the blog.  There's plenty more I'd like to do with this little space so stay tuned!

THREE:
I've been thankful to have made so many sweet bloggy friends.  I love reading other blogs and am always inspired by you guys.  You make blogging fun for me!!  

Thanks for reading and following along :)

Here's to many more years together.