Weekend Update: Argo, Baby Stuff & Belly

FRIDAY

Date night! We finally watched Argo. It was well done and deserves all the hype.

A must see. History class in high school would have been way more interesting if they made movies like this.

 



 

SATURDAY

Shopping! We went to Babies "R" Us and picked up this Baby Einstein Activity Saucer. It was on sale for only $65 from $130 so we had to buy it! We also picked up this cute monkey cool mist humidifier. So cute.

 

 

 SUNDAY

#1

A week ago, someone shared this "Pregnant and Fabulous Family Fair" page on Facebook. Having never heard of it, I decided to do some research and found some information on it.

 

 

"The Pregnant & Fabulous Family Fair is produced by Okanagan4Kids, a mom-run business based in Kelowna, BC. Okanagan4Kids is the Okanagan Valley’s #1 resource for families! We provide Okanagan parents with information and resources to make parenthood fun and little less stressful."

Source

 

Well look at that! I didn't even know such a business existed in our city! Perfect timing too since I'm ready to pop any minute. The one thing that I find slightly annoying or disappointing with our city is the lack of marketing/advertising for events. Maybe I just live under a rock but I've heard it from others too. Either way, I was super happy to have stumbled upon this.

 

Some of the highlights about this family fair:

1. The admission was only $5 and we received a swag bag! Amazing.
2. Prizes. Need I say more? From spa treatments to gift cards, the vendors did not disappoint.
3. For a $5 minimum donation to the Have a Heart Radiothon, a photographer was on site to take a couple of pictures of pregnant ladies, yummy mummies, and their adorable kids. Each person will receive a free digital copy and is entered to win a photoshoot from their prospective category.
4. There were so many great vendors! It was nice to interact with various companies and get more information on products and services.
5. The entertainment was fantastic. We don't even have kids yet so that must be saying something! They had music, an eco-friendly elf, a magician, (we left before this but I've heard great things about him), face painting, balloon animals, and a play area! Any kid would be in heaven. 

Unfortuantely for me, I didn't take any pictures! It was pretty packed in there anyways. All in all, we spent about 2 hours there and it was absolutely amazing. A big thank you to Okanagan4Kids for hosting this event!

 

******************

 

#2

We attempted to make sushi. This is Mike's plate. It was more photogenic than mine.

The rice turned out way too mushy because of the rice vinegar... That or maybe it's because I forgot about the rice and overcooked it... but I'm sticking with the rice vinegar story.

 

 

 

 

#3

Almost time! 39 weeks!

 

 

 

How was your weekend?

 





DITY Challenge 1

A few days ago, I mentioned a new challenge I created for myself; The DITY Challenge.

Why the sudden challenge? Maybe I'm "nesting" or people are starting to rub off on me but I just feel like DOING stuff. Last night, I decided to start off the challenge by making my hubby a spaghetti dinner with homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs. This is a big deal to me. I'm a soup and grilled cheese sandwhich, kraft dinner, cereal loving, non-cooking wife.

I dislike the kitchen for 2 reasons:

1. My tastebuds hate me.
2. I have no idea how to cook.
   Do you know how hard it is to cook when you can't try what you're cooking? Things end up mushy, not seasoned right, or well done. I remember the first time I cooked asparagus. You could tie them in knots. Apparently that's bad.

My husband would add "...And you make a huge mess" to that list. Thanks.

My "spaghetti dinner" was more like rotini noodles with pasta sauce and meatballs.
Close enough.

I followed this recipe from All Recipes. My changes are in pink.

Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs

Rated: Submitted By: Jeremy Photo By: F18NavyWife Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours Ready In: 2 Hours 20 Minutes Servings: 6

"Easy but tasty tomato sauce with big meatballs cooks in just about two hours."

Ingredients:

MEATBALLS 1 pound lean ground beef 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1 egg, beaten

SAUCE 3/4 cup chopped onion - added a bit more 5 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup olive oil 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes - 1 can diced no salt/1 can crushed 2 teaspoons salt - maybe 0.5 - 1 tsp 1 teaspoon white sugar - a whole lot more 1 bay leaf 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 3/4 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon pepper - none, we're out.

Directions:

1.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder and beaten egg. Mix well and form into 12 balls. Store, covered, in refrigerator until needed. I rolled them in flour and gave them a quick fry to seal in the juices. I read it in the review. There was something weird about putting raw meatballs in a sauce for 30 minutes.

2.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and meatballs and simmer 30 minutes more. Serve. ________________________________________________________________________________ Now. I can see where I went wrong here. 1. Not enough salt. Apparently, minimizing sodium content doesn't work for all recipes. 2. No pepper. Enough said. 3. I should have used either 2 cans whole tomatoes, 2 cans diced, or 2 cans crushed. In the end, the sauce was way too acidic so I threw in a bunch of sugar to cut it down. It felt like something was missing but it turned out OK. We've definitely had better but it wasn't bad. In the end, I'm just happy I made something I hadn't made before and that my husband didn't get sick. If anyone knows of a good spaghetti sauce recipe, let me know!

Cosmo VS iPad

A little while back I bought this app on my iPad called Game for Cats.
I figured "Hey, it's cheap, it's cute, and maybe my cat will like it"
Oh.. he doesn't like it. He LOVES it. He's obsessed with it. Seriously.
Whenever we go upstairs, he jumps on the bed and waits for it.
Ok, whenever I go on it he sits there and waits for it.
I swear, he's a dog in a cats body.

Sometimes he likes to play and most of the time he stares at it. 
I usually turn it off after 5 or 10 minutes but that makes him grumpy.
He'll try to open it up or push it off the bed.... crazy cat.
I thought it would be fun to record him last week because he was in a playful mood.
This is what happens when you're cat becomes addicted to a game on your iPAD.

Introducing: "The DITY Challenge"

For me, picking a niche for Marce Lips is like picking a favorite pair of shoes. There are way too many options!! I'm the type of person who knows a little about a lot so to focus on one or two topics is completely overwhelming.

 

For the record, these shoes are super cute.

Source

For now, my blog will be about everything. It will be a compilation of things I like; life, health, fitness, hot topics, crafts, motherhood... etc. How can I be great at something if I don't explore new things? With that said, I've created a new challenge for myself.

Introducing "The DITY Challenge!"
(DIT*EEH)

DITY standing for Do It This Year.

Enough procrastinating! Think about how many times you say "I want to do that!" or "I want to make that!" but LIFE decides to be all bossy and interfere. Well, enough is enough. Sometimes we need to be a little selfish. Life isn't only about work, bills, and taking care of your family. It's also about having fun, enjoying life's blessings, and trying new things.

The plan is 2-4 new things every month. It might seem like a lot to some people (especially if you work full-time or have a family) but they don't have to be big projects.

Here are some examples on my DITY list. I'm totally pulling a blogger faux pas by not adding sources. Some of them didn't have sources but you can find all images on my Pinterest here.

Top left - Clockwise

FOOD

1. Bake/make awesome desserts like this.... and often.

2. Prep freezer bags for crockpot meals.

3. Try making homemade soups.

4. Oganize my fridge

5. Do 30 day Paleo challenges. I like candy and cereal too much to give it up.

6. Learn about canning.

 

BODY

1. Improve posture. I carry tension in my neck.

2. Drink more water!

3. Run 5k.

4. Start yoga.

It's about being healthy. Not about the size of my clothes.

 

FASHION

1. Buy a new pair of fabulous shoes. I'm pushing out a baby. I deserve a pair.

2 & 3. Wear dresses.

4. Get a new hair style/color.

5. New body = New outfits.

 

DYI 

1. Build a custom cat post for our spoiled cats.

2. Learn how to knit and make some winter stuff. I love mittens!

3. Make my own spa products; lipgloss, soaps, bath salts etc.

4. Make some Christmas ornaments.

 

BABY

1. Make fabric alphabet set.

2. Make headbands as gifts and for myself.

3. Make a "Quiet Book" for Baby H.

 

HOME

1. Do a family wall.

2. Make this "Meet. Married. Honeymoon." art piece.

3. Work on art; painting/drawing/journals.

4. Build entrance organizer.

 

So there you have it! I'll make sure to write about whatever projects tackle. Maybe I'll come across a hidden talent or something. Now that you've read about "The DITY Challenge", what's on your list for 2013?

Am I missing something about Blogger?

One thing I've noticed, or maybe I just haven't figured it out yet, is that I can't pin/tag/remind posts that I find interesting from bloggers I follow. I mean, there have been so many posts that I absolutely love and by the time I go back, I can't remember who wrote it or where to find it!

Am I missing something here?

Granted, these were written a while ago but here are some examples of posts I was trying to find.

• Someone talked about how important good pictures were and what they use to create collages. It wasn't PicMonkey. I'm actually not a fan of it anymore. I find the pictures never fit properly and the majority of the styles I like aren't free.
• Another one talked about how bloggers should include a "You might also like" at the bottom of posts and how to include this. I would really love to learn how to do this.

I'm hoping someone out there can help a sista out! :)

Thaaaaanks! Happy Friday!!

Some daily lovin

 

It's been pretty hectic here.. the last month of pregnancy is taking a toll on my motivation to write. We've been busy prepping the house before our munchkin arrives. Thanks for being so patient.

 

Since everyone keeps writing about Valentine's Day. I thought I would take a minute to come on here and post some of my favorite love quotes I found on Pinterest.  

 

 

Happy Early Valentine's Day

Sunday Social {Week 6}

1. What was your first car?

My mother ended up giving me the car she got for free because she couldn't drive a standard.

Hey, a free car is a free car! It kind of looked like this beauty: 

1990 Pontiac Firefly

Source

2. Who was your favorite childhood teacher?

Oh goodness.. I have no idea. I liked the majority of my childhood teachers. They were pretty amazing.

3. Were you involved in any sports/extracurricular activities? Share pictures if you can!

I played softball when I was a kid. I don't have any pictures though! My dad has them all!

4. What was your favorite birthday party?

I have fun every birthday! I love my birthday! I don't care what anyone says.. birthdays are important and special. Not everyone gets to reach their next birthday so I cherish it and celebrate as everyone else should.i

5. Who was your teen celebrity crush?

Brian Litrell from the Backstreet Boys. I even met him the night my husband proposed :)

6. What show/movie did your parents not allow you to watch?

Simpsons... and I found my ways to watch it!

Twittering Thursday Hop!

Welcome to Twittering Thursdays Twitter Hop!

<center> <a href="http://chaos-commotion-emotion.blogspot.com/search/label/Twittering%20Thursday"><img src=http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k44/DeandraBosqui/twitteringthursdays250x250_zps16a1d22f.jpg" /></a></center>

This week's Co-Hosts are Courtney from Optimistic Mommy and Marci from Marce Lips. Please stop by say hi and follow them back!

Are you interesting in Co-Hosting next Thursdays Twitter Hop?  Email Deandra at phillipsdeandra@gmail.com
There is no charge to participate!

Please help spread the news about this TWITTER HOP!
Its only appropriate to TWEET about it!

Tweet

RULES:

Please follow each hostess.

Follow @ChaosCommoEmo
Follow @marcibrianne
Follow @optimistic_mama

2. Leave a comment if you are new and want us to return the follow.

3. Grab the button and display it on your sidebar or link it to the post.

4. Have fun and meet new friends!

This post is sponsored by:

Confessions of a pregnant lady

36 weeks!

I'm not one of those people who pretends to be happy 24/7. I have hormones and emotions.
A lot of them. Give me a break, I am pregnant after all.
Some people may know exactly what I'm talking about and have advice.
Other's may be going through it right now.

Last week was a rollercoaster of emotions. The worst part of the entire pregnancy. So far.

I'm still betting that labour will be the worst. I have no pain tolerance, you see.

Back to last week. Nine months of hormones squished into 7 long days.

Not cool.
I was a hormonal and emotional bitch to say the least.

Crying.
Yelling.
Panicking.
Anxious.

 

 

It was a combination of things.

Hormones + emotions + husband being away + being alone too much + reality sinking in.

- I'm going to have a baby.

- I'm going to be a mommy.

- We're going to be a family.

I have no idea what I'm doing!!

I've never been around babies!!

 

I did a lot of reflecting of my childhood.

In my eyes, it was perfect...until I was 9 when my parents screwed it up by divorcing.
 

- I had 2 amazing parents.

- I had loving grandparents whom I adored.

- I had an older brother who I idolized.

- I had pets.

- I had a home.

- I had clothes on my back, food on the table, and heat keeping me warm.

- We had family dinners and spent every weekend/holiday with my grandparents/family.

- I went sledding, skating, bike riding, made forts, and all kinds of kid things.

What if I screw this up?

 I had innocence. See?

 

Of course my husband came to the rescue... after my last and most brutal meltdown.

Sorry babe. It's technically half your fault.

How many kids do you want?

 

After a long conversation, he made me realize a few things:

 

- These emotions are completely normal.

- Being scared and anxious means I'm going to be a good mother because I care.

- I cannot have my childhood back but we will do our best for our child(ren).

- No matter what, my husband is here to stay. Brave man, just kidding.

- WE are going to be great parents because we're a team.

- I love my husband more today than I did a couple of days ago. He's my rock.

- I need to communicate more... in a non screaming crying kind of way.

- I need to ask for help when I feel overwhelmed.

- We have some family nearby which is better than no family 2 years ago.

- I have some pretty amazing friends.

- Spring/summer is coming which means sunshine and warmth! Woohoo!

 

I feel much better now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Social {Week 5}

This weeks Questions:

1. If you were stuck on an island what are the two material items you would want to have?
- My phone (if there was service/data along with my charger) 
 - A blanket.

2. What are two TV shows you’d watch over and over?
- 24
- House Hunters. Completely obssessed with this show.

3. If your house was on fire what two things aside from family, pets, etc would you grab?
- My cell phone
- My purse/wallet

4. What are your two most favorite articles of clothing?
- Socks
- Nice undies. Nothing wrong with feeling good! Plus those two things haven't changed sizes throughout the pregnancy ha!

5. What two movies that you saw in the past year would you recommend to us?
- I just watched Abduction with Taylor Lautner and it was seriously good.
- What to expect when you're expecting. Seriously hilarious!

6. What are your two biggest guilty pleasures?
- Men's PJ pants. So comfortable.
- Spaghetti with pickles.