Yee Haww its a Barnyard Birthday!

Well I made it through Colton's first year all in one piece! And sure we had some occasional oops, like a fall off the couch, a fall (ok, 2 falls off the bed), issues with formula and issues with sleeping. Saturday we celebrated among close friends and family, Coltons Barnyard Birthday! (Photo's courtesy of Christy Roushey)....

We had everyone dressed in their farmers best....

and some got crazy with it.... (Auntie Lor Lor "keepin' it rural" as her shirt says)


We took some family pics before everyone arrived...

Abuelita ('Ita for short) and Colty

Titi Christy, Uncle Ben and Maddicus

Uncle Fer and Titi Susan

I slavvvved away for weeks creating the banners, the menu cards and all the little "1" banners for the cupcakes...

The centerpieces for each table (I made these using pairs of Coltons baby jeans)

Pictures of Colty to decorate the gift table

YUM first taste of the cupcake...

YIKES crazy sugar rush baby!!! he liked it but did a serious gag after a few bites. Dessert over!

Momma's favorite 1 year old!

We had a great time and Colton was showered with gifts from the many friends and family who love him! Happy Birthday Colty! (thats your last party for a long while!)

How Goes it?!

Soooo anyone else hungry?! Cause I sure am! I do great all day, and then under the cover of darkness, my inner food monster comes out and eats everything in sight! Like yesterday, a nice healthy Mexican salad for lunch at Hot Rositas and then a healthy dinner of Rosemary chicken and salad. Side note: have you had the rosemary marinade from Wegmans?! O.M.G. it may be the best chicken marinade I have had in a long time. Shameless plug: Go buy it, RUN to buy it; it was sooo delish on my salad. Drizzle a bit of EVOO and a few squirts of lemon juice as dressing and no joke, that’s all you need. But after eating that I was still kind of hungry, cause an hour later I had cheese and crackers. grrrr. But I shared some with Alfie...kind of. You see, I KNOW Alfie likes cheese and crackers, and we only had 2 sandwich slices of colby jack left, so the fatty/selfish in me decided to wait until I had happily devoured 1 slice by myself, to offer up a piece to him. Shortly after he says,"20 in 10, hand them over". Luckily I had scarfed down half already, so his attempt to score a better portion help my diet failed.

But to be fair, he kind of did it to me too....Last Saturday we had a day of errands that started bright and early, and just as we were packing up to head out Alfie commented on how he when we stopped at Wegmans, he was going to get a Cheese Bialli, because "I ALWAYS get one when I go" BUSTED. You see, he doesn’t come home with any. Which means he buys one and EATS IT IN THE CAR!!? So of course I jumped on it and said "wait, you get one every time?" at this point HE knows that I have connected the dots and he is about to get checked. So of course in disbelief I say" YOU EAT IT IN THE CAR". Now, we literally live like 3 mins from Wegmans, so he would have to devour it in order to finish before he got home. Who does that?? Ok, well I would technically do that to, but that’s beside the point. At least he had the decency to look shameful :) And I GUESS it’s better than bringing that temptation into the house. Right??

But now that I have you hungry, I will share my MOST FAVORITE recipe these days. It is way flavorful and way easy and healthy too!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup :( makes about 6 servings) about 240 calories per serving
1 can of Black beans (with its juice)
1 can of corn (drained) (or 1/2 a frozen bag)
2 chicken breasts
2 cans of rotel diced tomatoes
2 cans of chicken broth (ready to serve)
1 can of water
2 heaping spoonfuls of sofrito (Spanish gold) (since most don't have this dice 1/2 an onion and mince/press 2 or 3 garlic cloves)
1 salsa flavoring packet (I like mild, but you can pick medium if you want a kick)

Ok now for the hard part.... put it in the crock pot...all of it, together. **tip, wait until last to put the chicken in, that way you can taste the broth to see how it flavors for you and give it a good mix.
Cook on low for 8 hours (or I’m sure high for 4) and when it’s done shred the chicken (it will fallllll apart...mmm) It tastes great alone, or even better with a dollop of sour cream (light or fat free.... 20 in 10!!) and some cheese (fat free cheddar) and of course some broken up tortilla chips. If you think about it is wayyy healthy since its chicken, broth, tomatoes, beans and corn.

Alfie gave it a thumbs up, so we know it must be tasty :)

The best part, besides it being so easy is that you can tailor it to what you want. More soupy? Add in more broth. Thick and chunky? Add less water. You can add kidney beans or cilantro, a squirt of lime, more chicken, less chicken, canned salsa... It can really be whatever Tex Mex soup or stew you like! Enjoy!

**FYI Update: my wonderfully longtime (we go back to highschool..yo) friend Emily tried this using frozen chicken and said it worked perfectly!! Just be sure to add an extra half hour or so. Oh yeah and she said it was delish, sooooo easy and made a ton (which it does!!)!**

Phase II: 20 in 10

Confession: I am at it again! In it to win it!

Well I’m back on the boat after falling off for a few weeks. (yes, that’s boat not wagon, apparently the saying is "falling off the wagon", not sure where I got "falling off the boat" from, but I’m chalking it up to being Hispanic...we do boats, not wagons) But anyway, I’m back on the healthy-kick boat. Starting NOW. Perfect timing, since my breakfast was a brownie, a snack sized Snickers and snack sized Twix...perfection...PLUS i have a first birthday, a bachelorette and wedding all within the next 3 weeks. BUT that doesn't mean I can't try, right? Let’s call it practicing for the 2 weeks challenge a bunch of coworkers are doing starting Nov 1st in which we can't eat anything specific things: no bread,pasta,rice,sweets,pop or booze. But I figure, its only 2 weeks, I can be good live on coffee only /not eat for 2 weeks! Right? And there isn’t any real prize other than bragging rights, but it would be nice to say i beat everyone, like a stealth, weight loss machine... a dark horse in the competition, since everyone thinks this one chick will win. I have 10 more pounds I would like to lose. 20 if I want to look like a skeleton, whiiiiich I haven't quite ruled out yet.... I wonder if Skeletor would be a good look for me? I think I could rock the flesh and bones, hollowed out cheeks thing really well! Totally kidding people! I can hear the whispers of "she's got issues" from here!! (I’m sane, I promise).

But anyways, where was I? Oh yes, 10 pound goal. Let’s see, I technically have 2 weeks left to try to accomplish my 40 in 40, but I’m about hmm 20 pounds shy, so that’s prettyyyy doubtful (and way unsafe). So let’s deem this PHASE II: 20 in 10! There are 10 weeks left in the year and by 2012, I’d like to be 20lbs lighter (remeber, so i can look like a Skeleton! CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Who's with me?! Alrighty now that the goal is out there for all to keep me accountable, I need a plan. Like a "how to achieve the goal" kind of plan. I will use the past 20 pound method, of tracking my food, using my handy dandy notebook phone app: "My fitness tracker", I WILL pick back up with Zumba twice a week starting in November, and I will attempt to start some sort of weight/toning regime. Oh yeah and it would probably help if i stopped stuffing my face with pizza, wings, Chinese food and cookies. Lofty goals?? Not really, I was doing most of them prior to my "summer of slack" but now that the "Fall of Fitness" is upon me (clever, right?!) it’s time to buckle down and DO IT AGAIN…DO IT BETTER! Hopefully there are a few others out there who want in on my "20 in 10" or who want keep me on track and slap my hand when I reach for bad food. Alright, it’s time to do this!! Comment if you want in and we can do it together!:)

I wanna be....

I wanna be....

- a personal shopper
- a zumba instructor
- a hair stylist
- a business owner
- a stay at home mom
- great at my job
- a great wife
- an awesome momma
- a good friend
- a hard worker
- an empathetic listener
- a hilarious blogger
- a good secret keeper
- a fashionista
- a vegetarian
- a makeup artist
- a dreamer
- a fully devoted christian
- a person who forgives
- someone who doesnt hold grudges
- a confidant
- a domestic genius
- a skinny mini
- a runner
- a martha stewart crafter

Ever feel like you have so many things you wanna be but not enough time to pursue them?? What do you want to be??

To Whom it may Concern....

I have a few people I would like to speak to so here we go....

Dear People-who-sit-in-the-left-lane,
MOVE OVER. There are 2 other lanes that you can sit in and go 55, preferably the one farthest to the right. You are not the police, so there for don't think you are "doing me a favor" by forcing me to stick to the 55 speed limit. How about you do yourself a favor and move on over.

Dear Bicycle riders,
*sigh* Stay off the road. FOR REAL. Unless you are legit and semi pro, stay off the main roads with your tight spandexy tops and thigh hugging spandexy shorts. Oh and to the lady out for her afternoon bike ride with her dang little basket on the front handles swerving all into the road, one day someone is going to hit you and it will be all your fault...just saying.

Dear New Boyz Band,
I don't appreciate your song saying "I look better with the lights off", even if you do precede that statement by making sure "I don't take it the wrong way", it still bugs me. Because I for sure, don't want someone to tell me that I look better when they can't see me, or when I am in low lighting, or when I am out of focus, or when they have one eye shut and squinting with the other.

Dear Old people and Stay-at-home-ers or It’s-my-vacation-day people,
Stay out of my work commute! The roads between the hours of 7:30 - 9 and 4 -6 are mine!! You can have the rest of the day on the roads. I already have to deal with those dang busses and slow moving truckers. Your "I’m not rushing to get to work" speed is noticeable and your I’m not used to the traffic frequent braking is doing a number on my gas tank and pissing everybody else who is driving off! So enjoy an extra cup of coffee and give us a few hours before leaving the house.

Dear Old people at work,
I get I am YEARS younger than you but referring to me as "young lady" comes off sounding age-ist. If you want I can refer to you as gramps, or Old Man River, or Sir to keep things even. And while you’re at it, quit talking about retirement. I get it, you have one foot out the door, but keep in mind that the other foot is pretty close to the grave...so there. Plus, I am tired of listening to how FARRR away from retirement I am. Yeah, I know I’m gonna be working for the next 30 years!

Dear Kimi,
Freakin’ finish planning Colton's birthday, would ya!? Its only 2 weeks away. Time. Is. Ticking. Oh yeah and get them pictures printed and up, the fireplace painted and the floral room straightened up too while you’re at it! Don't forget to hang the mirror and the calendar, and go ahead and paint the fireplace room too when you get a second!

Dear Ladies,
Sometimes looking good means suffering a bit. To look nice is not always comfortable. So deal with it.

To the old man who flicked me off the other day,
I was in MY lane pulling up to the stop light. YOU were cutting into my lane. I so did not deserve that knobby arthritic attempt at a flick off. You were in the wrong, not me. PLUS you car wasnt anything special...just sayin'

And finally…
To Sonos, of the Sing-off,
You deserved to go home after that horrendous Jackson 5 slaughtering of "I want you back". Nobody messes with that song and gets to make it to the next level... so Adios!! You deserved to go home.

Baby-versary: and cousin makes two...

So last night I had the pleasure of watching my niece Madelyn. For the first time, EVER. That’s right. In almost a year’s time at 10 months, this is the first time I watched her. Crazy, right?? Or as Christy said its CAH-RAZZZY. On Thursdays it is Alfie’s pool league night, so I pulled a solito (little solo en espanol) and watched 2 babies for the evening. It’s interesting to see the personality differences between Madelyn and Colton, at such a young age. Colton is more the "risk taker" and Maddie the more cautious thinker. I can easily imagine Colton to say "Come on Madds try pulling Nelly's tail" and Madelyn responding with "Are you suuuuure that’s a good idea?? Seems kind of risky." Colton doesn't mind bigger crowds, while Maddie is not a fan. And my favorite thing about Maddie, is she is a lovie!! That girl gives hugs and likes to cuddle and be on your lap, while Colton is "huh? Cuddle what?? Mommm I’m playing!!" lol It’s too funny.

So yesterday, I picked up the babies and as we headed home, we stopped by WCS to see Uncle Fer and watch a WCS soccer game. As the team scored the final goal before halftime and the crowd went wild, little Miss Maddicus also went wild, like meltdown type wild, with some serious tears. The well meaning cheering fans had scared Madds. Poor girl. Luckily a well timed snack of Cheerios quickly ended the cry session and with Uncle Fer's help we packed up and headed home. I had briefly figured out how I would bring two babies into the house. But was hoping I was home early enough to have alfie there and he could help. And YES, bullet dodged! He was home and grabbed Colton while I snagged Madelyn. She wasn't too sure of Uncle Alfie at first but she warmed up soon enough. Enter Nelly. Nelly is our mildly crazed cat. We often say we should have named her Kevin, since she is the cat version of Kevin from the office... crazy weird, not all there and hilarious (so we made it her honorary middle name). But anyways, she enjoyed Nelly from a distance but when Nelly would come near, she would grab onto me and climb up me. And then there was Colty...pointing and touching Nelly, looking at Maddie as if to say "Look at my cat! Look! Look how fun he is." But Maddie had a "run in" with Nells when I had stepped away, as Maddie was looking at a book, next thing she knew Nelly was standing beside her. Madelyn FROZE. I'd never seen her so still. Almost as if to say, maybe if I don't move, she won’t know I am here. And it seemed to work, because Nelly moved on by and Maddie BOOKED it towards Colty. It was a funny baby moment. After that Nelly pretty much stayed away, and Maddie enjoyed the new books and new toys that Colton showed off shared. Getting dinner for 2 babies and only 1 highchair was kind of tricky, but Colton was nice about going through my purse showing Maddie the ropes when I put him down in the kitchen. And after a quick heat up of grilled cheese sans crust, all cut into bite size pieces, Madds went into the highchair and Colton on my lap. Dinner = Success. Maddie devoured my meal, I’m chalking it up to my excellent culinary skills (and not the fact that she is like me and will eat and enjoy anything!). Colton on the other hand is a slooooow eater. So we shared some of Colton’s sandwich with Maddie, who had finished hers. I placed them with their bottles in the family room watching Veggie Tales together while I got my grub on. Holla. Hot dogs and beans! Ya ya Franks and beans, whatever. I love them long time... so good lol. I’m pretty sure I ate half the can and 2 hot dogs. WHAT. Me so hungry! Momma be awful when it comes to self control. (I’m obese at heart....or maybe at stomach?). After that it was smooth sailing. I tried leaving the TV on but Madds is a television LOVER, so she got a bit distracted from playing, so we fixed that and left it off. And before long, Ms. Sickly Christy showed up (lookin like she dropped 10lbs! Shoulda had her cough on me, I could use a case of acute bronchitis to help these last 10lbs come off.) Colton did his best showing off of his new walking skills and teetered around the foyer, then busted out a "here's lookin at you kid" gun finger point that had Titi and Maddie chuckling as they headed out the door. and with a quick nighttime bottle, Colton was asleep in minutes and I got my Barnyard birthday craft on, followed by another viewing of the Yellow Jackets on the Singoff, ok 2 viewings, and one MAY or may not have been dancing around the living room to the second run through....just saying. I may have had to burn off that sandwich and chips one May or may not have downed during the first viewing (told ya, completely obese at heart). For those keeping track, yes you saw that right, thats 2 FULL meals in under 2 hours for 1 person. So sad....Then it was off to bed for me! Thank the Lord it is Friday!!

Baby-versary: A day in the life...

6am: alarm goes off. I hit it and go back to sleep. Snuggle farther into the sheets until...

7am: Oh boy! I now have a few minutes to get myself ready before Colton wakes up and Alfie and I have to rush around to finish getting dressed while doing damage control on a little wanderer who likes to get into EVERYTHING! By now its...

7:30am: and I am tossing a jacket on Colty, grabbing my lunch and making sure I have my glasses and phone before heading to the car to drop Colton off at Abuelita’s.

7:40am: Arrive at 'itas and finally take a few seconds to breathe while mom says good morning to her favorite little man. Miss Lizzy is there too and we all chat and wait for Maddicus to arrive, if she isn’t already there.

7:50am Say my goodbyes to my mister mister and give kisses to him and Madelyn as they hungrily eat their breakfast.

7:51- 8:30am MORNING COMMUTE. Depending on the day and the traffic i take multiple routes to get me out to Rochester Tech Park. Some mornings I jam to secular radio, others I worship to KLOVE or mix cds.

8:30 -4:30pm WORK WORK pinterest WORK WORK facebook WORK WORK; I have the most adorable pictures of Colton at my desk...8 to be exact. It helps the day pass when I can glance to my right and see his little face.

4:40pm: Out the door and headed to the car. I skip lunch and eat at my desk while working, so I can leave those 30 mins earlier. And while i love knowing that when I leave I am heading home, it’s the afternoon commute often feels the longest.

5:15pm: Arrive at Abuelita's and get big smiles from my bubba dukes... and a few growls and smiles from Maddicus! We usually hang around there chatting and playing with the kiddos until about

6pm: which is when we head home to see Daddy! Its pretty sad that someone who carried Colton for 9 months and lived with her face in the toilet for the first 5 doesn’t get even close to the smile that Alfie gets from Colton. I usually make dinner while Colton and Alfie watch tv play. And then sit down to eat by

6:30pm: NOM NOM NOM

7pm: A bit more playing, some book reading, lots of hugs and kisses, and again more playing. Until we start the bed time routine at

7:30 if it is a bath night or

7:45 if no bath. We grab Colty’s pacifier and lovie snuggle blanket and a bottle and cuddle on the couch as he finishes his snack, gets tired and get lots of kisses! Then its off to bed by

8pm: and onto cleaning up for momma! Dishes get done, toys get picked up, and laundry gets folded. Crafts get worked on, shows DVR'd from a prior day get watched and pending parties get planned and organized. And any home projects get worked on too. A little bit of facebooking and a little bit of pinning happens also. And then finally by

10 (or 11pm these days) I head off to bed, to do it all again in a few hours! :)

Nothing special, just a day in the life of us :)

Baby-versary: It's a boys life

Everytime i read that i think "This is a mannnnns world" like that song by whomever jazzy sings it. But anyways. I grew up as the middle child of 3. All of which are girls so way to get thrown a curve ball when I end up having a little boy. WHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT LITTLE BOYS?!? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I don't know about what they like to play with, i don't know what they like to do for fun or what is "cool" to them. I don't even know much about their uhh anatomy issues. So you can imagine my panic when I found out i was going to have a boy and not a girl (although luckily i don't have to deal with the hoochie-clothing issue...have fun with that one Christy...muahahaha). But it is so neat to watch the differences is a little boy and a little girl. Maddie and Colton are 3 weeks apart and spend 5 out of 7 days together. So to see Maddicus have a natural LOVE for books and Colton wanting to rip pages out of those books is crazyyyy! Maddie likes to sit and play with the barnyard animals, colton wants to throw them. Colty LOVES trucks and cars and Maddie can't be bothered. I am mentally preparing myself for the bumps and bruises that will come from a boy who likes to get into things and the random animals he may bring me (although we will teach that snakes are naughty, very very naughty to bring ANYWHERE near the house or near mommy). And being the BIG reader that i am, I will always continue to encourage book reading and discourage tv watching (although with Alfie being a huge tv fan, that may be problematic). I am not sure what potty training will be like, although you can BET i will insist on hand washing (far too many guys don't and thats gross to me). On a different note, I secretly hope Colty is a chatterbox. I will probably not enjoy it at some point, but there is nothing cuter than a little kid with a lot to say, and not afraid to say it, especially to mommy (plus that is such a sweet little relationship). Susan was VERY much a chatterbox growing up (she still is... she gets that from mom...it takes them a LONG time to tell a story).

Sidenote: Colty and I were dancing in the family room the other day to our usual Venga Boys song that I hum and then we slowed it down and i told him we could practice our mother/son dance. At that point i had to stop because we KNOW i am a sappy mess and overthinking that dance would have led to tears and i have how many years before i need to tackle that?! quite a lot!

But anways, raising a boy has been such a difference for me and so far from what I personally know having had all sisters. Its been interesting with lots of "OHHH, I see" moments (especially around diaper changes) that I can only imagine how many more similar moments I will have in the future!

Baby-versary: What I wish I had known....

So in honor of having an almost 1 year old, I am deeming this week Baby-versary, and will post baby themed posts all week! Sounds fun, doesn't it?! Ok, on to today’s post....

What I wish I had known....
There is a LOT to becoming a parent that people don't always tell you. So here are my "WOW, wish I had known that" thoughts:

-No matter how hard you try, you will resort to talking like a baby. Diapy, and boogies, nigh night and punkin, naughty and num nums. None of which are real words, but are infant mutated baby speak, that you use and if you aren't careful will use it often around adults and even *gasp* at work.

- You will live (and function) on a few hours of sleep. Those first few weeks/months alfie and I maintained an OUTRAGEOUS sleep schedule of me sleeping 10-3am and then him sleeping 3-8am and going to work. I'm not sure how we both functioned on that schedule but thanks to our good friends Coffee and Mt. Dew we managed. And not much changes as they sleep through the night. They still occasionally wake and act crazy, or diverge from any sleep schedule and because the precious naps are now "catch up time" for adults, you can pretty much say Adios to any naptime for momma or daddy.

-You realize that a 20 min hot shower is worth its weight in GOLD. Not so much now, but back when he was little and he ran the schedule, and was practically attached at the nip hip. A long shower was un heard of, and when it occurred it was like a 20 minute vacation. Oo throw in a shave of the legs, and a chance to blow dry your hair and WOW it’s like a vacation AND spa day all rolled into one! Ahh the simple things.

-You find out that Baby makes the schedule. Yeah it’s nice to go out and about and do stuff and take your baby but the consequence of skipping a good quality nap, makes not only Colton grumpy and miserable but makes Momma miserable for having to deal with a grumpy baby. And OH don't even think about shifting bedtime (we tried and what resulted was a CRAZY child, who thought midnight was a cool time to play)

-You get used to being pooped/peed/spit up on/ having baby food dripped on you, picking out boogies. No outfit is exempt or no outing too special. An occasional spit up on a nice shirt or a blowout explosion in the diaper that spills onto a great skirt. Yeah they have no bias, everything is fair game. There have been many times I get to work only to find spit up residue or stuck on food, somewhere on my clothing.

-Leaving the house without a bazillion bags is unheard of. Before it was me and a purse. Now it is me and a purse and a diaper bag and a snack bag or a bottle bag filled with meals and formula. Oh and toys, car seat toys, rattley toys, teething toys and 1 maybe 4 2 spare outfits. Because God forbid YOU have that screaming child that people stare at wondering why the parents can't shut them up and why the parents are SOO unprepared! (and no, I can NOT carry a purse, I tried, but it’s my one item that makes me feel like a woman, so I drag it everywhere)

-Babies aren't as frail as I thought. Yeah they are tiny but they were just yanked and pulled and squarshed to get into this world. They aren't gonna break. It took me a while to realize this, and while I still and not a fan of ppl jostling Colton too much, the fact that he is ALL smiles and giggles when they do, makes me a lot less nervous.

-Stay in the moment. I honestly don't recall much of those first few weeks. They are just a hodge-podge of short memories. I wish I had written more down and taken more pictures, so I would remember it all. (I did journal through it so it’s not ALL a complete loss). I also have to catch myself from saying "i can't wait until Colty can do ___" . I don't want to rush his growing up process, but rather enjoy the age he is now.

-New stuff for babies are WAYYY overrated. New toys, new clothes, new gadgets. Baby stuff’s turnover rate is so high that the price of getting something new or asking for something new isn’t worth it. Give me gently used toys, or clothes and I am set. $1 for a onesie? Yes please. $.50 toys? Heck yeah! My child plays with a COASTER a freakin COASTER and loves it! He will shake a bottle with pennies in it for hours and get the biggest kick out of it. SO momma will NOT be paying for some new sparkly gadget when he really doesn't need it.

-Loud people become your enemy. Never wake a sleeping baby (and if you do I will kill you) is how most parents feel. So there is nothing worse than loud people who remain loud regardless of if your child is asleep or awake. Because the feeling that comes across your body when that loud person shouts and your entire being freezes in terror and then you hear that dreaded cry from upstairs and all you REALLY want to do is say to that loud person "ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME, YOU KNEW HE WAS ASLEEP!! GO.FIX.THIS." is nothing short of primal.

-Dining out with babies is a thing of the past. We tried taking Colty out to Aja Noodle one time....FAILURE. Screaming child + glaring looks from other diners = "uhh can you make that order to-go?" Yeah we got our meal and got the heck out of there. (I wouldn't have been surprised one bit, if they had applauded us as we walked out the door). It was awful. And since then, it will take an act of God to get me to take him to a restaurant. No. Thank you.