Life after kid #2

Ever since I was approx. 7 years old I have wanted to be a mother. Not just a mother of 1 or 2 kids, more like 6-8 kids. I don't exactly know if I have my husband sold on 8 kids . . .it's a work in progress. Put in a good word for me, will ya?

Everyone told me that after baby #2 I would not want anymore. Here is what I have learned. The good, the bad, the ugly.

1) Baby #2 does a NUMBER on your body. It's not pretty ladies. I believe my hips grew 2 inches in size, I achieved 15 more stretch marks, and my pooch is never going away. It also may help not to gain 35-55 lbs per pregnancy.

2) My nuggets are 3.5 years apart, I originally wanted them close together but I am VERY glad I waited. It's nice to have only 1 pooping their pants and puking down my shirt. It is also nice to have my son step up to his role as "big brother" and help out. "Xavier, can you get me a diaper? "Xavier, can you get me a bib?" "Xavier, can you get your sisters shoes?" "Xavier, can you put your sister to bed and grab mommy a beer?" . .I kid I kid.

3) The first 3 months with a infant and bigger kid is tough, grueling work. I reccomend having a live in nanny during this time. However, if you can not afford a live in nanny like myself, make sure you have an amazing husband. These 3 months you will just be trying to adjust to life with 2 kids on different nap/eating/sleeping/playing schedules. You will not sit down, you will not sleep, you will not shower . . .somehow I always found time to eat. Shocking.

4) Sending your 2nd child to daycare while you head back to work. Is just as hard as it was with the first. This part I am guessing never gets easy. Unless you start your day with a major meltdown or diaper blow out, a this point sending kids off to daycare is easy peasy.

5) Baby number 2 will most likely be nothing like baby #1.  They will probably be polar opposites. Xavier would always listen on the one stern "No". Charlotte is the most stubborn, mischevious, impatient child in the greater Broomfield area You tell her  "no" she does what she was doing 10X as bad.

6) One child will have a melt down over not having a spiderman bike while the other is crying because you won't let her suck on keys. Each child melting down at once will happen. There will be a lot of screaming, a lot of crying, a lot of kids throwing themselves to the floors. Walk away, ignore and go have a glass of wine. They will stop eventually.

7) You will have little to no privacy or "you" time. Have to go pee? Guess what, your kid is following you in the bathroom. Have to cook dinner? Guess what, your baby will be pulling on your leg to hold her. Want a bath? Guess what, so do your 2 kids. Get use to it, you got another 18 or so years until it's "you" time.

8) Kid bedtime will be one of your best friends. Enough said

9) It's OK to ask for help. You are not a bad mom. You are not a bad wife. You are busy, you are going nuts. Ask your husband for a hand will ya?

10) Continue to find time to spend with your older child alone with no baby distraction. Make him/her feel important, like they are still your little baby. When Charlotte goes to bed there is nothing I'd rather do than cuddle Xavier and talk to him about his day.

11) Continue doing all the things you did with just 1 kid when you have that second. Like going out to dinner? GO! Get out and do things with your kids, they will love it to. It will be crazy and you may want to rip your hair out- but it does get easier, I promise!

Given all these things I have learned. I have also learned that I love the craziness of my household, I love how loud my house is, I love being busy with my kids, I love spending my time with them,  I love watching them grow, I love to love them, and I love that they have each other in this crazy life.

A second child has only made me want to fill my house with more. I was made for this. I got this.

What lessons have you learned after your 2nd child?

3 day cold sore

Ever since I can remember I have been getting cold sores, fever blisters, nasty painful sores call it what you want. I get em. I normally get them once -twice a year, when I'm stressed, get too much sun, or when my skin is extra dry in the winter.

See that cold sore below my lip- Cute dress, cute hair, cute lil smile. Ugly as heck cold sore.

I feel the tingle and I get scared. It's time for my semi annual cold sore. I've tried everything to get rid of these suckers, but they normally last 7-10 dreadful days. I've tried the following:

• Abreva: Blah. This takes away the pain but that's about it., and for $20/microscopic tube. No thanks.
• Carmex: Blah. Takes away the pain. Does absolutely for my cold sore
• Popping the blisters. You need to do this carefully. One time I did this and received the worlds biggest cold sore covering my entire chin in return. A cold sore is a virus and if the popping is not done carefully the virus will spread. I repeat, the virus will spread!!!
• L-Lysine: I heard that taking L-lysine worked, so I would take 3/day . .this did absolutely nothing- you must take MUCH more.

I haven't had a cold sore in about 2.5 years. I thought the birth of mu daughter must have magically cured me from my cold sores forever. Man, I live in a fantasy world sometime- they came back alright. This cold sore time around I believe I found the quickest cure! I am on my third day and it's just about gone. Follow the steps below.

• When you feel the tingle immediately pop 3-4 L-lysine pills. L-Lysine can be found in the vitamin isle. This will be a gift from above for you during these 3 days. 

• Go out and buy some Quantum L-Lysine +. This is about $10, I found it at my local Walgreens. Day one of cold sore, apply this like CRAZY. It will relive the pain fast and start working right away to diminish your sore. The box says apply every 2 hours, I applied it every 30 mins or so- just go ahead and glob it on, don't be shy. The first day your cold sore will be noticeable and people will stare at it. This is the day my husband looks at me and cringes inside. I hate this day.
• During day one take 5000mg of L-lysine spread throughout the day. Most L-Lysine tablets come in 500mg, so take about 3-4 before each meal. If you feel like your taking too much then you are probably taking just enough.
• Repeat these steps on day two and day three. Your cold sore will pretty much skip the crusted over scabbed over, nasty phase and just start to get smaller and smaller on its on. Take the L-lysine pills until your cold sore is completely gone. 

That's it! There is no popping, picking, creating sketchy concoctions, or spending too much money on products that don't work. This has worked for me and I hope it does for you too!

What are tips or tricks you have found to work? Please share, I'd love to hear!

Christmas Tree perfection

I am obsessed with many things in this lil life of mine. Let's name a few; my kids, Christmas trees, and pictures. Each year I have this GRAND vision of a magical picture in front of the tree. And low and behold . .continuous epic fail- every single year! This year I was determined to change this.

I am NO photographer (and I mean NO), but here are a few tips on how to take a picture in front of your Christmas tree to look like this.

• I got my kids in the bath, into their warmest jammies and made them plain ole' happy and relaxed. I then bribed my son with candy to take a nice picture with his sister. 
• You must have every light in the house off. Turn off the TV and close the blinds- the only light should be from the tree
• Put your ISO as high as it will go, set the aperture at f 2.8, and shutter speed at 1/30.- BAM you're almost ready!
• Put those little wild nuggets in front of the tree and somehow make them sit there and NOT touch the ornaments- this will be the hardest part.
• Snap away (as quick as you can, those kids will move quick)!!!

My picture isn't perfect- but I think it captured the moment, the tree, and love between my son and his sister pretty well.

Now it's your turn to give it a try!!

Family Winter fun

One of the many reasons I moved to Colorado was to experience all 4 seasons. Growing up in Maine, winters were brutal. You barely want to leave your house. I am so lucky being in Colorado you really get to enjoy winter- There is a frigid blizzard one day and the next people are outside walking their dog in flip flops. This is no joke. My husband just put on his flip flops on to go to Panera Bread. It's December 5th. My point exactly.

I love finding new things to do with my family on weekends. As much as my husband just wants to sit down and relax on a cold (or warm) winters day, there will be none of that in my house. You don't have to stay inside all winter and watch TV- get out there and enjoy this beautiful season with your family, or even find indoor activity to keep those young minds busy!

1) Go sledding. I have done my fair share of sledding in my day and trust me, the best sledding occurs right after it snows.  Find a local big or small hill, put on your warm bib snow pants from 1999, strap on those LL Bean boots, find a sled and hit the hills!! This is a favorite childhood memory of mine, your kids won't forget it. I don't really know who has more fun sledding, my kids or I? According to the this picture, I definitely have more fun. I swear your kids will like sledding- we just had a slight melt down here.




2) Go ice skating. Now, I'm not talking about going to your local rink- that's lame. Feel the real ambiance- Go somewhere outside. Here in Colorado the lakes don't freeze too great, so we go to a man made outside rink (I know of one in Boulder and one outside the Flatirons Mall) In Maine, we would go to the local ponds- this is ideal.



3. When you pass one of the 15 Starbucks down that 1 mile road. Stop. Go inside. Sit down, relax, and pay for a very over priced hot chocolate. This is such a special (and expensive) treat for the wee ones. Plus, I love every time I can justify stopping for a latte when I have 18 K-cups sitting at home- this is one of those times.

4. Pack up the car and go cruise around the suburbs to look at Christmas lights. I like to do my research and find the best places in Westminster to go (you can google this) I make a little map and proceed to ordering my husband around Westminster Colorado to the coolest homes. I also like to blast Christmas music way too loud to really get in the spirit of things.




5.  Go to a local museum or aquarium. Winter is the perfect time of year to take advantage of those inside activities. Go on a nice cold day when it may be too cold to have the kids outside for too long.

6. Spend an entire day baking. I like to get Xavier involved when I cook. He gets a real sense of pride when he gets to help make something that he then gets to eat later. This also give me the opportunity to use my kitchen aid mixer that I seem to only use for my chicken shredding. Seriously? How did I justify buying one? I don't even bake.

7. Go outside and play in that snow! Guess what? If there is snow, you bet I am making the best of it.  I really enjoy keeping my husband company while he shovels the driveway by, building a fort, making a snowman, having a snowball fight, or making a snow angel. I kid, I kid, I help shovel. . .for about 34 seconds.

8. Build an indoor fort. What better time to make a complete mess of your house? I mean, you will have all the time in the world to clean it up when your stuck inside during those snow storms. Building a quality is really an art. I personally don't have that art. I get impatient and just throw blankets on top of the couch. Xavier thinks this is lame and now turns to daddy for help.

9. Have a movie night. Put on your favorite Pj's, make some popcorn, let your kids pick the movie, cuddle up and watch the entire movie. Yes, I mean start to finish . .with kids. I know, call me crazy- but having a movie night really is fun and can be done!

10. Make arts and crafts.  The last thing I am is crafty. But I sure like trying. Find a cool winter craft and spend an afternoon helping your kids create it. Make a mess, have fun, attempt to be creative and stay warm. Does it get better?










What do you like to do with your family during those cold winter months? Having fun doesn't have to cost much money! Get out there and enjoy your surroundings!

Preparing for family pictures

My brother in law is a professional photographer who happens to be AMAZING. This now means I am addicted to professional family pics- literally it consumes my brain. I think about places to go, outfits to wear and poses I want. I am sure my husband DREADS when I say "Don't make plans this weekend, we have family pics." This means he has to shave, wear something uncomfortable, and go crazy thinking about pictures with 2 wild nuggets.

Listen folks, if you have a couple hundred bucks ready to be spent, spend it on pictures! What better thing to spend it on than capturing these moments with your family?

This past weekend was our semi annual family picture day. My brother in law suggested we go to Red Rocks which was PERFECT! Our pictures came out amazing thanks to Hugo's eye for perfection. But below are a few tips that might help you find that perfect look you are looking for.

1) Dress in similar colors/theme. Don't wait until the day of your photo shoot to pick out some cute clothes. I have found that the best pictures are when there is a consistent theme going on. I have noticed that keeping colors neautral/earth tones really focuses the attention on the family expressions.

2) Avoid patterns/pictures/words on shirts. Go simple. If you want a timeless family portrait, avoid clothes that are overly trendy at that time. You don't want people viewing your pictures to be distracted by what your shirt says- too many patterns just gets to be too much.

3) Bring a few different outfits along with you. If not for you, for the kids. Kids really enjoy throwing up, pooping through their pants, drooling chocolate out of their mouths etc and messing up only the cutest outfits you put on them. It is also nice to get a few different looks.

4) Bring tons of snacks/distractions with you. The only time Charlotte would smile in our pics was when we waved a puppet or keys in front of her. . .she was also pretty thrilled when we were stuffing her with goldfish to contain the happiness, or when we jumped around and made the dumbest noises on earth.

5) Bribe your kids with whatever means nessesary. By the end of the photo shoot, I'm pretty sure Xavier was on the road to getting a bunch of new superheros if he "smiled sweet". He has since forgotten about it. Now, I'm  sure if this is the best tip, but it works and in the end isn't that all that matters? Yes? No?

6) Think about the look you want to go for. Urban, rustic, country etc. I love a beautiful background, and living in Colorado we have many options. Do your research, go somewhere with a memorable back drop. Hugo has done some amazing family photos just walking around downtown Denver- who knew?

7) Do some research ahead of time and think about some poses you may want- share this vision with your photographer. A great place to admire different poses is searching for "family pictures" on Pinterest.

8) Schedule your photo shoot when your kids are their happiest. In my family, you don't mess with morning nap, or waking anyone up too early. This could be bad. Real bad. Our shoot was scheduled at noon, right after morning nap but before afternoon nap. Charlotte did start melting down right at the end, this was OK, we still managed a cute crying pic of her.

I hope this helps your family take un cheesy, timeless, classic family pictures. While your thinking about pictures, check out my brother's work @ hugovphotography.com . . .you won't regret it. He's the bomb.com (when was the last time yoy heard that? 1999? I thought so, I just brought it back)

Traditional Posole

When I married my spanish speaking, mexican, dark skinned, gorgeous husband; I was just a lil white girl from Maine with absolutely NO cooking skills. When I say no cooking skills, I mean Kraft mac and cheese was pretty fancy with a hot dog added to it. Javy has since introduced me to all kinds of amazing mexican dishes . . .and set his expectations very high with my current cooking skills.

He wants his wife to cook the meals he remembers as a child. Ah crap. I had to somehow learn how to cook traditional mexican dishes. Great. Dish numero uno (like my spanish?) Posole. Javy loves posole maybe more than he loves me. Ok, maybe not- but definitely more than he loves hot cheetos. Definetly.

Here we go.

Ingredients:
5 California Chili Pods (Loma Vista)
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 bag menudo mix
4-6 pigs feet halves
2 T tomato bouilon
3 T chili powder
56 oz of white hominy
2-3 lbs Pork shoulder/butt
1 bunch of cilantro
1 onion


Pull the stems off of the chili pods. Place chili pods in a blender with hot water. Let the chilis soak in this water while you prepare meat.

Dice up your pork. Don't be afraid of the fatty pieces, it gives it flavor. Once pork is nice and diced, place in your crock pot and pour entire package of menudo mix on it. Rub it into the meat really good.

Wash your hominy in a strainer.

Its now time to blend your chili pods. Blen well (its ok to have afew larger pieces of chili left). Pour this chili puree, tomoato sauce, hominy, tomato boulion, chili powder in the crock pot. Mix together well. Pour enough water in the crock pot to cover ingrediants & pigs feet.

*****IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE*****
You do not have to eat the pigs feet. I don't get near them with a 10 foot pole. HOWEVER, they give this soup a GREAT flavor. I wouldn't skimp on these. My husband loves them, and eats every piece of meat off the bone. . . .

Once stirred well and full of water. Cook on low for 8 hours. The pigs feet meat should be falling off the bone.

Serve with chopped up cilantro, chopped onion, a Dos Equis, and lime juice. LISTO! You are done. Enjoy this traditional mexican dish, I know Javy does.

Libby's Pumpkinhead Ribs

One night I was drinking my first Shipyard Pumpkinhead of the season- of course I had to announce it to the world on Facebook. An old high school friend of mine, Libby (she's not old, but high school seems so long ago) commented on my status update about how she likes to make Pumpkinhead ribs. Excuse me? Did I just hear pumpkin head ribs? My heart was singing and full of joy.

Libby e-mailed me the recipe. I had never been more excited to go out and buy some ribs and beer in my life. I decided to be a good wife and make these suckers for my husband. They were a DELIGHT! And best of all . .they were EASY PEASY LEMON BREEZY (how cheesy was that?)

Ingredients:

• 1 rack of pork ribs
• 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice
• 3 Pumpkinhead beers

Directions

1. Tenderize ribs (use a fork and jab a bunch of holes in them, this is also a good way to get out any aggression you've kept inside that day). 
2. Rub the ribs with pumpkin pie spice. Don't be shy, rub em real good. 
3. Place ribs in your fearless crockpot. 
4. Crack open all 3 beers and dump them all over those glorious ribs. (This part is a little depressing, to pour beer onto raw ribs and not into a tall glass- no worries, you'll get over it when your chowing down on those ribs)

Cook on low for 8 hours. PRESTO! Your ribs are donezo! Was that not the easiest thing ever?

I served mine with mashed potatoes, and asparagus. My husband dipped his ribs in BBQ sauce. I ate them as is because I wanted to taste every bit of pumpkin on them. YUM!!

If you want an easy, flavorful, heavenly, seasonal, wonderful, amazing, incredible dinner, make this now.

What's your favorite fall recipe? Please share! I'm a sucker for anything that taste like Thanksgiving or Christmas.