Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Bandit.


Just a quick post to get down on record some of the funny things Ben's been up to lately:

  1. He's a diaper bandit. Ha ha! Just now, for example, I went in to tell him that it's nap time and he needed to go to sleep (he's been in there playing for about 45 minutes). I found him without pants and without diaper. He's been doing this a lot recently - we'll go in to get him in the morning (and some times when he wakes up in the middle of the night) and find him in various stages of undress.
  2. He refers to his nipples as buttons. We think this is because of his belly button. The other day he lifted up his shirt, poked himself in the nipples and said (very pleased) "buttons!" I almost peed my pants laughing.
  3. He's getting bossy. Gone are the days where he'd play quietly by himself for stretches of time. Now he tells me "mama. come. play." Or he'll tell me (or Sadie or Nick) to move if he wants where you are. At the park, he'll insist I come up the jungle gym with him "come" he says - very firmly.
  4. He's figuring out his name. We'll ask him where Ben is and he'll point to himself. I'm trying to get him to respond to "what's your name?" and he will with prompting but not on his own yet. Some times he'll try out his name when talking - "hungry, Ben". I love it.
  5. He things stoplights are sirens. When we're out driving and the lights turn red he'll say "oh no! siren!"
  6. He's very cuddly recently. He'll cuddle on the couch for a good 20 minutes. My very favorite thing he does is when he runs up to me spontaneously and hugs my legs. He gives very good hugs, big squeezes.
  7. He's very kissy. He kisses me, his reflection in the stove, Sadie (but he really didn't like it when Sadie kissed him back), his toys, his bed, his trucks, the wall....
  8. He waves bye to random cars. "Bye! see ya! day!" (the last one is "have a good day") and will blow kisses.
  9. "oh no! crash!" is something I hear a lot when he's playing with his cars. Crash sounds more like "srash" and I love it
  10. he's very climby. I keep taking things away from him but I'm not sure that's the right answer. First it was his step stool for the bathroom. He'd bring it out to the kitchen or really anywhere in the house and use it to reach things I'd rather he didn't have. So I put that away in my room. Then he was standing on this big truck. I took that away because I was afraid the wheels would move and he'd fall off. Today he was pushing around one of the totes of Christmas decorations and used it to stand up and get to stuff on the counter. I keep taking it away and he keeps finding new things. I guess I should just let him explore and maybe this is incentive to keep the island more cleaned off?
  11. He's also very "mama" right now. He broke my heart into a million little pieces last night. I was going out to my book club and went to get my shoes. He ran to his room and got his shoes and when I told him he couldn't come, he sobbed "go!" and clutched his little shoe. I felt so awful.

So there are just some random things about Ben right now. The buttons one is my favorite. Ha ha.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Life.

Life, this year, has been a trial. Things keep winging out of left field that I don't even know how to prepare for - things would never even expect to happen, just sort of... happen and I'm left reeling and trying to figure out how to muddle through this one and on to the next.

If I sat down and outlined my entire year, I think I might cry. It's overwhelming and frustrating and hard. So much of it I can't really talk about, so I haven't really had a lot of support getting through. My husband has been amazing. Not the best advise giver, necessarily, but a tremendous rock and an excellent shoulder to cry on. Susan has been another wonderful outlet. There's not a lot she can do, way out in Ohio, but I know I could count on her any time of the day to rage with me over the stupidities of my life this year. I know I have so many friends and family I could call on for the same things, but having these two this year has been amazing.

We are rapidly approaching the end of the year and I'm filled with so many conflicting emotions: Thrill that it's nearly over and such enormous hope that next year is a million gazillion times better than this year.
Dread because we're coming up on the year mark of my mom's passing and I know that'll be hard. Thanksgiving was brutal. I'm hoping Christmas isn't as dramatic and is more peaceful.
Awe that my little boy is going to be turning 2 in just a matter of weeks. Where has the time gone?

Well, that's just a few of them anyway. ;)

I've been doing a little technology related experiment this month and kind of laying off Facebook, Pinterest and all my other online distractions. I'm not posting as much on FB, I'm not pinning as much on Pinterest and I'm not spending as much time on my reader. I have missed it a little bit, but I'm not sure I've been missed. I'm not sure what to think about that. Ha!

Nick's doing well in his new job. It was slow going at first but now that he's actually been assigned a project, I think he's enjoying his work. He spent nearly 2 weeks in Arizona earlier this month and has spent several nights after work with his face glued to his work computer.

I've been in a slump. I haven't been participating in my mommy group much and I'm having a hard time staying motivated to attend the things I said I'd go to. I'm making myself stop that today. I'm going to bookclub tonight (even though I don't really want to). I've read the book, but it was years ago and I don't remember much about what happened. I'm going anyway. No excuses. If anything, it'll be good to get out of the house for a mommy night away.

We haven't put up our tree yet, which isn't like me. Usually the day after Thanksgiving, I've got Christmas all over the house. We've done a little - I decorated the mantle with our stockings and the outside of the house is pretty much done. I just need to slap myself silly and get on with life. These last few weeks have been hard at my house - harder than they've needed to be, but when you have several people with really strong opinions, it's not always roses & sunshine.

So that's life recently. :) I haven't been sharing all my bloggy posts on Facebook lately either. Some are boring (like my menu plan). It's all part of my little experiment, and I think I'll keep sticking with it. A lot of how I've been feeling about myself is due to what I see (or don't see) on Facebook and that's just silly. I'm 30 years old, it's time to start acting that way instead of 13.

So that's what's new in at the Beesley house recently. Not a whole lot (and it doesn't feel like a whole lot of positives to remark on, either), but we'll keep on keeping on. :)

Menu Plan Monday.



{Dinners}:
Monday: Hotdogs with grilled veggies (onions &, peppers), macaroni & cheese and beans
Tuesday: Lasagna with green beans and garlic toast
Wednesday: Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with fries & a steamed veggie
Thursday: Tuna Casserole
Friday: Hubby's work party
Saturday: Pulled Pork Sammies, Baked Beans, Corn
Sunday: No meal planned yet

Wahoo! I finally made the 15 Minute Vegetarian Chili! We had an odd week, things didn't go as planned but many of our meals did. I forgot to defrost the pork for Sunday's dinner, so we scrounged and came up with some spaghetti fixings instead and the pork got moved to Saturday.

I threw today's menu together in a hurry. I forgot to plan it last week and I just wasn't feeling it today. So it's an odd mix (that's what you get when you menu plan while you have zero desire for food) but it should work out!

Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankful.

I am thankful for...

  1. ... my husband. he makes me laugh, he's my shoulder to cry on, he gets me like no one else
  2. ... my son. he has made the value of my own life increase by a thousand plus fold. he's my reason to better myself to be better for him.
  3. ... my family. our family both near and far are special and wonderful and while they may some times cause headache and drama, we love them all so very much.
  4. ... my house. we are rapidly outgrowing it, but it's a lovely roof over our heads and it's all ours (well, and the banks).
  5. ... my community. It's no secret that I'm not a fan overall of our experience in Idaho, but the location to raise a family is perfect. So much to do outdoors and so much of it is free or very inexpensive.
  6. ... my memories. reflecting on the past is often what gets me through today.
  7. ... my friends. some times you do get to choose your family and it's a wonderful thing when a friend is more than just a friend.
  8. ... Pinterest. :) I have gotten so many creative ideas from that site! I keep meaning to do a blog post of all the things I've created since Pinterest. Maybe I'll get around to that one day.
  9. ... my sense of humor. stepping away from the usual friends, family and material things - I really am grateful for my sense of humor. It keeps me sane.
  10. ... being able to lose myself in a book. I read and get so absorbed in the story, it feels like I really am there.
  11. ... I live in the US. We have our share of problems but there's no place else I'd rather live (well. Maybe New Zealand. ha ha one day)
  12. ... coffee. I adore coffee. there's no much better any morning than a fresh brewed cup of Starbuck's Sumatra blend with a lovely dose of hazelnut creamer swirled in.
  13. ... my health. I know I have some issues (namely my weight) but overall, I'm pretty healthy. Not a lot that troubles me and that's a good thing.
  14. ... naps. I heart naps.
  15. ... Google Reader. Gossip, news, random blogs and humor, all in one shot
  16. ... my cell phone.
  17. ... my car. I wish we had two working ones, but I love the one we have.
  18. ... friendly moms at the park who help catch my kid at the end of the slide because I'm trapped at the top
  19. ... Susan. I know I said a generic "friends" before but she helps me talk stuff through. Flabbergasted. :)
  20. ... being better about letting it go.
  21. ... Hobby Lobby. ha ha!
  22. ... people who take the time to ask "are you okay?" and are genuinely interested in the answer
  23. ... cute glasses since contacts & Sarah no longer seem to get along (I blame Ben for this. I didn't seem to have a problem with contacts til I had a baby)
  24. ... being able to find at least one thing in every day to be grateful for.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Menu Plan Monday.



{Breakfasts}:
Monday: Oatmeal with fruit
Tuesday: Toast with butter & jam & yogurt
Wednesday: Waffles/Pancakes
Thursday: Cereal with sliced banana
Friday: French Toast & yogurt
Saturday: Scrambled eggs, bacon & toast
Sunday: Waffles

{Lunches}:
Monday: PB&J with a fruit cup
Tuesday: Ham & Pineapple skewers with cottage cheese
Wednesday: toast, cottage cheese, apple sauce & carrots w/ dip
Thursday: sliced strawberries, steamed carrots & cauliflower, kidney beans & cheese
Friday: peanut butter banana dogs with fruit cup
Saturday: Subway
Sunday: Chicken nuggets, steamed carrots & applesauce

{Dinners}:

Monday: Eggrolls, White Rice, Steamed Carrots
Tuesday: Waffles, Eggs, Hashbrowns
Wednesday: Burritos, Chips & Salsa
Thursday: Thanksgiving
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Rummage
Sunday: Pulled Pork Sammies, Baked Beans, Corn

I recycled last weeks breakfast & lunch menus. Those ideas worked out fairly well (I didn't actually make what was on the menu that given day necessarily, but I did refer back to my blog several times over that week to see what we should have for lunch).

In anticipation of Thanksgiving this week, I tried to plan light meals with little to no left overs. I'm assuming we'll have left overs to rummage through, which is why I left Friday & Saturday as unplanned meals. At the very least we can forage for sandwiches & soup. :) Happy Thanksgiving!!

{Ben: First Thanksgiving last year}