Blah Blah Blah

I've been feeling sorry for myself lately. Don't you hate that? Sometimes I wish I were a super happy, bubbly, energetic person all the time, but for most of us that's not the case. Although, there are a few people out there that I wonder if they are human or not. HOW DO THEY DO IT? Do they have the most spectacular life ever? Or are they just that kind of person. Sometimes its hard to tell these days, considering everyone has a spectacular life on social media. Just in a bit of a funk and hoping to come out of it soon. I have been actually quite excited about a book I've been reading about keeping a tidy home. I've been slowly chopping away at the house ridding it of all unnecessary STUFF. I am kind of in the thick of things right now so I don't feel like I can fully enjoy the benefits until this process is done. I will write about it soon. Other than that I am looking forward to going to the Pinners Conference in Utah for my birthday with my cousin Sharee and getting out of the house for a weekend by myself. A little United States air/food does the soul good sometimes. A couple bubble baths and some Chicago Fire are on the agenda for this week. Maybe a little me-time will help me find a little perspective!

Busy mom freezer meals (mexican edition)

We're all busy. Whether you stay at home, or you work. It's all madness and sometimes dinner is the last thing I want to do at the end of the day. I did some serious prep this weekend getting ready for work and Rory starting daycare and some portion control for Nick and I. I try and do meals with similar groceries so I can save some money that way. We will be eating mexican for a couple weeks haha, good thing everything mexican is delicious!! I bought a huge grocery haul on Friday and then prepped these 4 meals over the weekend when I had a little time. Let me know if you try any of these and enjoy them as much as we do!

For the enchiladas I assemble and freeze them before cooking. I do a couple family sized ones and then some individual ones for Nick and I to take for lunch. I freeze them in tupperware or tinfoil freezer dishes

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Beef Enchiladas

These ones I cook completely then let cool and pack into individual tupperware or tinfoil freezer dishes

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Snowbird 2016

Our annual Orr family Utah trip! Last year we missed out due to the fact Rory's due date was smack dab in the middle of the trip and surprise!! He decided to come while my whole family was away. We were extra excited to go this year, its been a while since we've done a family vacation. Just a little highlight video of the trip

I'm back at work - the cliff notes edition

Back to work. The days crept closer and closer and I completely ignored the reality of it. We were in Utah for a week, then it was my sister Darby's wedding, then all of a sudden the day was here. To sum it up simply there was a lot of crying, like A LOT. For the rest of the summer Nick is working Mon/Tues and I work Wed/Thurs/Fri until he goes back to school in the fall. So far Nick has proven himself to be a great "fommy" as he likes to be called. Here's a little recap:

My first morning back to work

All the stay-at-home moms words of comfort

Getting home and realizing I still get to spend 2.5-3 hours with Rory before bed

at work after being up half the night with Rory

Being reunited with my friends from work

Still got it even after being away for a year

Realizing it's already Friday and I get to be home for 4 days!

If I didn't love my job, and love what I do I'm sure this would be a lot harder. Some days are better than others, but I'm learning to settle into this new routine and trying to stay positive about it. I had a patient say to me yesterday "you're going to cure my cancer" with this sure look in their eyes and I was proud of the work we do and helping (hopefully) to make that possible. 

Are You My Mother?

Hello blog world, it has been a while. I've felt kind of blah the last little bit with nothing really to write about. In honour of eating like a triple king size kit kat cookies and cream chocolate bar (wow thats a mouthful) today lets sit down and get real.

My plan in life has always been to be a stay-at-home mom. My mom was a stay-at-home mom to 7 kids and I loved having her home anytime I needed her. I walked home every lunch hour from school and ate lunch with my brothers and sisters. At the end of the day my mom was always at home to greet us. That's what I've wanted for my kids too,  At this point in time (financially) I will not be able to stay home with Rory. I will be returning to work for 3 days of the week which will be enough income for us to get by with Nick still finishing school. It has actually been an amazing blessing to cut my hours down at work. I work in a very small clinic and part-time positions are extremely hard to come by. I'm so grateful that everything has worked out the way it has, I really feel like God is watching over me and listens to my prayers.

The mom world is a small world, especially now with social media. Sometimes it's a little too competitive or judgemental for my liking but maybe it's all in my head. Being a mom is hard enough without having to defend your choices to work outside the home, how you parent, your kid's bedtime, nutrition and the list goes on for dayssss.

I don't know if I'm sensitive about going back to work, or worried people are going to think I'm a bad mom for sending my kid to daycare... or that they're a better mom than me because they stay home 7 days a week. Truth is, I don't feel guilty one bit. I don't have an option to stay home full-time so I have decided to accept and enjoy what our situation is. I will get to see my friends ahem, coworkers, a couple times a week, see patients that I love and get some adult time in. I think Rory will enjoy it too! He loves playing with other kids and he will get to do fun crafts, play outside, and get some special attention.

All of these things going around and around in my mind day after day has had me trying really hard to focus on my family and stop judging whats going on around me. I know we don't mean to make silent judgments about other peoples' lives or families but lets get real, we do. I know I do. I've been really trying these last couple weeks to be sensitive to what I'm thinking or saying to people (and might I add SOOOO not perfect at this). If a mom decides to work outside the home good for her, if a mom decides to stay home good for her. If you put your kid to bed early good for you, if your kid stays up later good for you. If you let your kid eat sugar good for you, if your kid doesn't good for you.

Nick and I know what works for our family, for our kids and for our marriage. And you know what? other parents know what works for their family. So anytime I catch myself making silent judgments or silent suggestions I try and remember I'm not their mother. Shocking to think that their mother (and father) would actually know them better than me (insert hysterical laughter here). We are all different and we are all doing the best we can. So cheers to all you hard working parents out there! Just do you! I hope I'm one of your cheerleaders and not a spectator barking you orders or whispering criticism to others on the sidelines.

Bedtime Routines... and how I know that they work.

I have had Rory on a bedtime routine from the time he was probably a month old. It's helped him establish what "bedtime" is apart from just another nap. It helps wind him down from playing and calm down for bedtime. We start with a bath, put on jammies and lotion, read a couple of books, hugs and kisses, then fuzzy blankie and put him in the crib.

I suffered from some post-partum anxiety when Rory was very colicky, I would get extremely worked up to go anywhere in case he started crying, every time he woke up from a short nap I felt like I wanted to cry and give up, I felt like I had no control over my life. I would lay awake at night panicking about how I would get through another day. Would he cry all day tomorrow? Would I get to shower? Would I get to eat lunch? Would I find time to get dressed? Once I got Rory on a schedule and I was able to anticipate how my day was going to go I started coping a lot better. My anxiety level during the day was much better, but my insomnia was getting worse.

One month I took Nyquil almost every night to go to sleep. It took me on average 2 hours to fall asleep no matter what time I went to bed. My mind would race and jump to all kinds of places, not necessarily worrying, but just THINKING about stupid stuff. The longer I tossed and turned the worse my anxiety got. Eventually I would be in such a full blown panic I would crack open the Nyquil. Once I finally fell asleep Rory would wake up to eat and I would have to fall asleep all over again, another hour or two. After a month of that I decided I couldn't do that anymore. No more Nyquil for me. Plus I had run out haha. After another couple of months with nothing changing and feeling like a total crazy person I decided I needed to do something to help me fall asleep. I didn't want to take anxiety medication, or sleeping pills, so I researched ways to help insomnia via the good old internet. I needed to shut my mind down and wind myself down and prepare my body for bed.

1. I put my phone away at least an hour before bed. No more cruising instagram before bed, no more texting conversations late at night. I found that stupid things I'd read or seen on social media would pop into my mind while I was tossing and turning at night.

2. I take a bath every night. Legit. I use Bath & Body Works essential oils aromatherapy blend SLEEP or STRESS RELIEF to help me wind down and calm my mind.

3. Last but not least I watch Full House on netflix during my bath, and before bed. Started in Season 1 you guys. This is no joke. For whatever reason Full House completely shuts my mind down and helps me feel totally calm. It is such a nice "feel-good" show!! Once I'm done my 2 episodes I close down the lap top, roll over and go to sleep

It's not an exact science. Some nights I still have insomia, but having a bedtime routine has definitely helped!!!! I was soaking in the tub one night when it dawned on me that essentially Rory and I have the same bedtime routine hahaha. I am like a little baby who needs structure and routine. But I'm telling you you guys... bedtime routines work. Rory and I will vouch for them anyday! Now I gotta get off of here, it's time for my bath! Night all!

Spring Rolls for Spring!

What you'll need:

Rice Paper

Vermicelli Rice Noodles

Seasonal vegetables

Cilantro

Shrimp

I was introduced to these delicious morsels at work by Gillian alias: "Gilly" (shout out to you Gilly if you ever read my blog hehe) In fact, everyone at work became obsessed with them and we would take turns making them and bringing them in to work to share. They never made it past 10am. Poor suckers never had a chance...  They are actually quite easy to make and I usually make about a dozen or so and then stick them in the fridge and eat them for lunch for a few days.  You'll have to excuse my awesome phone pictures, I need to step up my photo game.

**I might add that you can find the rice paper and vermicelli noodles in your international foods section of the grocery store. I buy mine at Save On Foods or Superstore

Step 1
Cook your vermicelli noodles, I put them in a pot of boiling water they cook FAST so keep an eye on them, 2-3 minutes and they are soft and ready to go. Strain and cool.

Step 2
Chop your vegetables. Options are endless, sweet peppers, avocado, cucumbers, shredded carrot, cilantro is a MUST, however, for people who don't like cilantro.. (are you crazy?!).. parsley or mint is another option.

Step 3
Soften your rice paper. I keep a plate of hot water on the table and put one in to soften while I wrap the one I'm working on. Softens in about a minute make sure its nice and pliable. Every 2 or 3 papers I replace the water so it stays hot.

Step 4
Wrap! I start with the rice noodles on the bottom then layer my vegetables, cilantro and shrimp. I fold down the top, right side, left side, then bottom. I don't like to make the wraps too long and skinny or else sometimes they are hard to dip!

  

Step 5

Dip! This is my favorite peanut sauce, it will bite you back its got some kick to it! You can buy peanut sauce at the store, or make your own at home. Without the peanut sauce these rice wraps are BLEH. Everyone knows their only purpose is to serve as a vehicle to the peanut sauce. It's like salad without dressing... you gotta dip em people!