I had full intentions to make this a Five On Friday post but the babes aren't cooperating and my mind is drawing a blank...so I bring you something new today, three on Friday. It's all I've got...

- One - Talk about a dreary few days. This sort of weather always make me feel like a slug and in perfect timing Gannon decided to be up every two hours the past two nights increasing my activity level to that of an over weight slug. Seriously. The struggle is real. I literally napped yesterday which is something I do super rarely. But gosh, did it feel great. The other tough part of dreary, rainy weather is finding stuff to keep my toddler busy. He LOVES being outside and most days we spend a good portion of the day out there but not the past few days.

- Two - We recently did a little soap restock and I just have to share with y'all. /these soaps smell INCREDIBLE & leave your skin so, so soft! I highly recommend them to any & everyone! If you wanted to check them out head here.

- Three - I think I've finally decided on a theme for Garrett's third (say wwhhat??!) birthday party and I'm pretty pumped about it! I was thinking I had so much time on my hands but realized this morning that his birthday is under a month away now. We're planning his party for the first weekend in September though so I'm sure we'll pull it together. I'm aiming for a super fun, laid back sort of day for him and his little friends (and ours too!).

I originally thought Superheros. Then he mentioned he wanted airplanes. Then he changed his mind like every day and I got to thinking...my kid really loves being outside, and really loves water...so how about a Splash Bash??

Like my Pin-spiration above shows, pools, water balloons, squirt guns...the whole nine yards. Now I just have to hope the weather is good or the day would turn out to be a real drag!

Adios Blogging World?

Yo, yo friends! I have to confess something before we get too deep into this. I was totally dragging this morning. I couldn't wait for naptime so I could nap myself. Got both boys to sleep and started playing and sniffing all my new oils from this month...dug out my new USB diffuser and thought to myself "I'm going to give this a try". I went with my all time favorite combo, Lemon & Peppermint. Plugged it into my computer as I had a few things to take care of before my nap and within minutes I'm feeling all sorts of ambitious. I hadn't planned on blogging today because hello, #tired but my fingers are literally flying on the keyboard now. I can't be stopped.

God, I love these oils.

Seriously.

Anywho, I've been a little scarce around these parts...for a few reasons. First off, I'm been tired (as I mentioned above) and got to a point where I just needed to start cutting a few things out of life for awhile. Blogging ended up being one of those. There where times I thought to myself, maybe I just need to hang up my blogging hat. Call it a day. I totally realize that I have FAR more friends/followers on other social media and that my audience here is slowly shrinking.

But truth be told? I don't care about any of that. I love blogging. I love putting my feelings, thoughts & memories into print and being able to come back and read through them. When I read back through the sorrow of loosing my grandfather, or the fun of wedding planning I am so grateful for this space. The photos and monthly updates of two pregnancies, holidays and more...I love being able to see it all.

So, even though I'm scarce know that I'm around. I'm not quite ready to hang up this hat, not yet anyway.

Oatmeal Energy Bites

Two recipes in a week? I know right? I shared this recipe on Instagram awhile back and had numerous people message me about it so I thought I'd share it here for y'all. Plus, that gives me a good trace back to it!

These have quickly become a favorite for everyone in our house, my mother and all of my co-workers! I've yet to meet someone who hasn't liked them! I originally went looking for something like this as I'd heard they are great for increasing lactation if the right ingredients are used (oatmeal, brewer's yeast & flaxseed) While they didn't seem to help too much in that department, they are tasty and a great healthy alternative for a snack!

Ingredients:

1 cup dry oatmeal

2/3 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 T chia seeds

1 tsp vanilla

These are so super easy to make! Simply mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Let set in the fridge for 1/2 hour. Roll into small balls about 1 inch in size. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

I also added one scoop of brewer's yeast for lactation purposes. We also make a double batch which lasts us about 1 week. I'm telling you, these go quickly in our house so we always make sure to have the ingredients in the house!

Gannon: Four Months

Holy cow! Another month flew right by us! I thought last month was fun with Gannon but this month was even better! He is so, so alert and becoming so much more interactive! His little personality just gets me and while he's certainly a fussy little thing he's so loving & smiley too!

Four Months As Of 07.18.16
Stats: We had his four month check this morning and I pretty much estimated his growth to the T! He weighed in at 15lbs 5oz (41%) and is 24.5in in length (20%). His head circumference is 41cm (38%). Such a little peanut per his measurements!
Features: My blue eyed, light brown haired little love! Gahh. I swear, if I knew all my kids would be this cute I'd have 80 more...

Sleep: We wake for the morning around 6am (some days earlier depending on when Garrett wakes). I feed Gannon right away then and he'll sometimes take a small nap then, usually for about a half an hour. He's awake then for awhile and generally dozes again around the 9am mark. That nap varies in length and is sometimes another short one but sometimes longer. I lay Garrett down between 12:30 & 1pm and try to get Gannon to sleep again then as it gives me a few kid few moments in the day. This nap is longer, sometimes up to two hours but generally more like one hour. He likes to attempt to doze then around dinner time and is usually ready to hit the hay around 6:30pm. Which works out somewhat as that gives us a little 1-on-1 time with Garrett. Gannon wakes then again around 9/10pm and eats. He's usually back out then within the hour and is awake again around 1/2am. We do another bottle then and despite our greatest efforts...it's a total pain getting him to sleep again. He's sometimes still awake when my alarm goes off at 4am, though he usually falls back asleep then and sleeps until 5:30(ish). I'm sure now the world knows why I'm zombie like...sleeping three hours and then hardly (if at all) getting to sleep before my alarm goes off. Oyy...

Eating: Still eating about every three hours though sometimes he'll go four hours. We're mainly formula these days as my milk supply is crap. Despite the use of Fenugreek, Brewer's Yeast, Oatmeal, Fennel oil...

I still try to breastfeed through the night and then at least one or two times during the day but Gannon hasn't been a fan of that lately as there is essentially nothing there for him to drink. Going back to work really put a damper on that but the past few weeks have been CRAZY at work leaving me about 20 minutes in a 14 hour day to pump...which just doesn't work. I'm feeling conflicted about it as part of me is relieved as bottles are just so much easier but on the other hand I really, really wanted things to go better this time around.

In other news, we attempted oatmeal cereal a few days ago which ended up being puked back out...opps. It was just the first attempt though so we'll try again with it. Four months is early by some standards but he was seeming SO interested in food so we went for it. I double checked with his pedi today and she said to go for it because he's rather advanced in the way he holds himself up.

Diapering: Size two, Target brand

Clothing: There have been things I've put on him lately that I'm wondering why in the heck it doesn't fit...turns out they're 0-3 month clothes. There are still some in his drawer but the pile of "not fits" sure is getting larger. We're sticking with the small amount of 3-6 month stuff I had but are using mostly 6 month shirts. It's been so hot lately that shorts just don't happen. I figure when you're a baby it's perfectly fine to air out those thigh rolls...

Social: Talk about alert! We get so, so many compliments on how alert and advanced he seems...and how cute he is, of course! He likes to be vertical in the world and tolerates the horizontal way for super short periods. He is much more vocal these days and while big brother naps Gannon makes certain to get his thoughts and feelings out! If he gets frustrated/upset he's definitely going to let you know about it and when he's happy, he's SO happy!

Nicknames: Gannon McFannon, Fus McGus, Little Bean (daddy's favorite), Chunk, Little Fellow (from big brother), Donald Trump-a-Grump (from Hammie)


Likes: Big brother, the bathroom fan (our #1 way to lull him to sleep), his Cloud B giraffe, teethers, chewing, standing (with help), anything that lights up and makes noise.

Dislikes: Being stationary in his car seat, having his hair dried, the wind & sun, when mom/dad fake cry (he busts out in big tears!) having his nails clipped, being left alone for more than 28 seconds and laying down.

Stuffed Green Peppers

It's funny to me to think that up until about age 20 I hated green peppers. Like, would totally pick them out of/off stuff because I hated them that much. And now days I love a good green pepper fresh, cut up and dunked in a little dill dip. So good!

Stuffed green peppers are something I would have never, ever thought I'd make (and love!) but turns out that they are a new favorite of mine! Many people I know stuff their peppers with white rice (and this recipe calls for just brown rice) but I totally love a brown rice, wild rice, red rice & quinoa mixture! Plus, it's all around healthier too.

Ingredients: 1 cup rice: brown, red, white, wild or quinoa

4 large green bell peppers: cap end cut off and diced, seeds removed
1 large onion, diced
2 tsp + 1 tsp olive oil
1/2 lb ground beef (or Italian sausage if you so choose)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried  oregano
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
 salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
 

I start by preparing my rice & quinoa mixture. Simply prepare per package instructions and set aside. I've found that a quick way to make this combo is by using Minute's Multi-Grain Medley. It's ready in just 10 minutes and is so much faster than prepping all of those rice options individually!

Next, cut off stem end of the pepper, then remove seeds and stand the peppers up in a baking dish you've sprayed with non-stick spray or olive oil. Remove the stems, then chop up the pepper tops along with one large onion. 

Heat olive oil, then saute the peppers and onions for 3-4 minutes. Remove peppers and onions, add more olive oil, then place hamburger (or sausage...whichever you please) into the pan. Add the onions and peppers to the meat, add dried spices and saute 2-3 minutes to blend the flavors. Then mix in the cooked rice mixture and Parmesan cheese and cook 1-2 minutes to warm the mixture.

Stuff the filling mixture into the peppers, pushing down with a spoon so the peppers are tightly stuffed. I like to heap them up nice as we're hungry people around here but you can also level them with the pepper, for smaller servings. Cook the stuffed peppers at 375* for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from oven and put a generous pinch of grated mozzarella on top of each pepper. I also like to sprinkle a bit more Italian seasoning on at this point, for good measure. Put peppers back in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Serve hot.

 

Five On Friday

Whoa! These past few weeks have been a chaotic, sleep deprived adventure. Truthfully, I have never been so tired in my life. I'm not sure if I want to cry or laugh 98% of the time so it comes out as an in-between mix. Sleeping 11pm-2am every night and working 12+ hour days has been not nice, add in that I picked up a few shifts for a friend and I worked 80 hours in just 8 days...on 3 hours of sleep a night. Not smart Stormy, not smart. I'm still recovering from that even though it's been a week now.

And, even though my kitchen counters are not visible.

My laundry is piled up the yah-hoo...

here I am.

Alive

& doing (somewhat) well.

I thought a little Five on Friday would be fun today. Sort of play a little catch up on what's been going on around here at the M household & such.

- One - One of my very best friends got married last weekend. We've known each other since high school and well we certainly don't see enough of each other these days it was so, so good to see her again and celebrate with her! Her wedding was so lovely, packed full of rustic charm and she looked INCREDIBLE!

I also had the most adorable dates...

 Pretty handsome right?

 

- Two - In other news, I found this incredible looking drink that I can't wait to recreate! It's called a Citrus Berry Crush Mocktail and it looks DEVINE!

- Three - Why must these popsicles be so darn amazing. I literally could eat a box of them in a matter of a few days and I can't tell you the number of times I've gotten brain freeze over trying to shove one in my face quick, before Garrett sees me eating it #idontliketoshare

- Four - One of our friends sold me their mamaRoo for uber cheap. I'd wanted one when we first found out we where pregnant but we ended up skipping it as they are expensive and we already had so much baby gear! But when she messaged me asking if we where interested I knew I had to talk the hubby into it! And he couldn't hardly say no when she offered it to us for $55! It literally looks brand new and she said they really only used it for a short while and their little one was colicky. It's been a life saver and had bought me hands free time already! Plus, Gannon naps pretty well in it most days!

- Five - This past week was a rough one at work. I cared for numerous hospice patients all nearing the end of their life. One was particularly difficult as the patient was able the age of my parents, riddled with cancer and insisting on taking care of his elderly mother as best he could from his hospital bed. I had tears in my eyes so many time hearing her talk about him as they are the only remaining two. She's been a widow for years and he's a single, never married man. He's her only child as (to quote) "I guess the good Lord just decided to give me the best of the best, and then that was enough. He's my pride and joy". I watched them eat together, talking as if it where an ordinary day. She struggling to open her ice cream cup as a stroke about a year ago has left her weak in her hands. His voice struggling to make the words said "Here mom, give it to me" and I watched (tears in my eyes) as it took every ounce of his energy to open that small cardboard lid. He shook as he handed it back to her, exhausted from the small activity.

It's moments like that. Small moments shared between families that make the long hours, the stressful days worth it. Getting to share in some of the most intimate moments. It's also moments like that when you forget about all the hate and crime in the world. Those moments where all that shines through is respect, kindness and compassion. Those tiny little moments where love is the center.

Sometimes I think if we focused a bit more on those small moments we all might be better off. If we focused a bit more on respect, kindness and compassion. If we focused just a bit more on love maybe, just maybe we'd be witness to even more of those small moments.

Alright. I should probably get my tush in gear now. I'm thinking a pan of Tomato Basil Chicken Fettuccine is on the docket for tonight. After all, I have fresh picked basil in the fridge and it smells like HEAVEN!