Dusting off the old blog (for today anyway)

Oh, hi. I do exist. And I am so glad I have at least kept up  on the blog enough to document what Emmy is up to each month. Especially since I cracked open her baby book this week only to realize that I haven’t written in it since she was three months old. Le sigh.

 

We have been busy around these parts…not with anything in particular, but hanging out with an extremely active baby, going on summer vacation and trying to fit some very important tv watching into the mix. Because the blog may go by the wayside, but I still need to Keep up with the Kardashians.

 

I have no idea what the point of this post is, but I guess it will be just a bunch of random things and maybe at the end I can find the common denominator.

 

First thought – how in the world are there mommy bloggers? When do they find time to write? Or the brain power? 

 

Things I am loving:

I will say one of the baby gifts I use most often is this one line a day journal and I have actually been able to take two minutes a day to write out Emmy’s milestones or what we did that day. I think this is going to be one of my go-to gifts for new moms. My sister gave it to me in the hospital and I love being able to look back and see what we were doing six months ago. And it is nice to reference when she got her 2^nd tooth….(because I will always remember her first one, but who knows when the second one came in :)).

 

 

 

 

Things Emmy loves:

My mom and Tommy’s parents got Emmy this Little Tikes Discovery Garden and baby girl LOVES it.  She spends a lot of her time crawling in and out and it is awesome because it can keep her contained without restraining her in anyway (which she hates…but more on that later in tomorrow’s 9 month post)!

 

For the pool we are loving our sunshade float:

 

 

And the Avon Skin-so-Soft bug spray/sunscreen combo. Love how easily it goes on. I originally bought the Babyganics sunscreen, but it goes on kind of rough and I am not crazy about the odor. This one does not have a smell to me and goes on so easily.

 

 

I have already gotten a head-start on planning Emmy’s first birthday party. Because that is totally normal.  I will give you a sneak peek at the theme. (Shocker, right?)

 

We have been cooking more regularly since I am not brave enough to go out to eat as often.  We have had a few hits in the kitchen. Recipes can all be viewed on my “Dinner Sometime” Pinterest board, but here are some recent favorites (ah the days when I had time to post my weekly menu!):

Greek Quesadillas – My substitution was to use naan instead of regular tortillas. Points to me for being extremely clever.

Iowa Girl Eats Pan-Asian Glazed Shrimp – I love the Bonefish and I always get their shrimp and scallops pan-asian style with a side of scalloped potatoes (much better than the garlic mashed. Trust me on this one.)

Iowa Girl Eats Lazy Girl’s Lasagna – This is really a great one for the crowds and so super easy. 

Creamy Chicken Pockets – Tommy has asked for this one again. He is easy to please, but it required very little effort (read – rotisserie chicken and crescent roll dough and some other ingredients that are already “done.”)

 

I also used to post my favorite things from around the web and do still collect great ideas, but here is my favorite idea for kids for the 4^th:

 

 

Flour lawn stars from iVillage.

 

Okay, so I hope to be back tomorrow (or soon, whichever comes first) with an update on Emmy at 9 whole months.  My baby is growing so fast! I hate it and love it at the same time. It is so fun to see the world through her eyes, but I want to cuddle her for so much longer!

 

Also, now that Google Reader is officially over, how are you getting your blog feeds? I have been using Feedly on my phone, which I like, but I hate that if you click out you lose your place and have to scroll back through to get back to the blogs you wanted to read from a few days prior. Make sense? Can't wait to hear what you are using! XO!