A Shout Out to All Full Time Moms

This weekend was the infamous Fool's Cup Weekend. It was the annual gathering of my U of A friends and their families. This year, the Fool's Cup was in San Diego. This was also our first road trip. The ride down was surprisingly uneventful but the rest of the weekend was EXHAUSTING. 24/7 with Luke Luke can really suck the life out of you. We spent one day at Sea World and another entire day at Animal Kingdom. On any given day we had on average 7 kids under the age of 5 with us. In between tantrums, feedings, runaway kids, we managed to actually catch up and see what everyone was up to but I still feel like I never fully caught up with everyone.

I really don't know how Full Time Moms do it. Running after kids...trying to stick to a feeding schedule...trying to stick to a sleeping schedule...it really makes my head hurt. So to all the stay at home moms, props to you.

They are sucking the life out of me!

I'm so tired. My day started at 1:30 AM, when son #1 decided to throw up at the foot of our bed. I was so tired that I just wiped the cover and made sure that my feet were no where near the foot of the bed. At 3:30 AM, son #2 decided to wake up. Got up, and as usual, brought him to our bed. Didn't really go back to sleep because all I could think about was that I had to get up in 2 hours and what was the point of really going back to sleep. I eventually got up at 5:10 to get ready and headed to the office at 6. Got in a 6:40 AM and did a video conference call with London on a topic that I'm not sure they found applicable. Not to mention, I had to wear a suit to work. I never wear suits anymore!!!

Oh the Characters on BART

As I was making my usual way down to the BART station, I noticed that there was a flood of people on the platform and smell of burnt rubber in the air. Today was going to be one of those days. Rather than waiting with the masses, I decided to hop on a train that was going the opposite direction and got off at the Balboa station so that I could get a seat. So a ton of other people had the same idea. As I stood in the train waiting for the doors to close, I realized that besides the usual student, downtown employee, there 10 types of people that ride BART. Here are my observations:

1. Cutters - Those that think it is okay to cut their nails on BART. Who really thinks that this is okay to do?
2. The Artista - Those that feel comfortable to walk onto the train looking like a zombie and coming out a glamour girl. Why would you feel comfortable putting your make up on a train in front of everyone?
3. Guilty - Those that sit in the handicap seats and pretend to be sleeping so that they don't have to give up their seats.
4. Hunchback of Notre Dame - Those that wear a backpack even when the train is completely packed and doesn't think to take off their backpack so that more people can come into the train.
5. Cellphone Talkers - Those that don't know how to use their inner voice when talking on the phone - I don't care what your plans are for the weekend.
6. Party for 2 - Those that think that there bag deserves a seat when the train is full. Excuse me but did your bag pay the $1.50 too?
7. Cutters v 2.0 - Those that don't follow the rules and cut in front of everyone that is lined up to get into the train.
8. Absent minded - Those that don't pull out their BART ticket until they are in front of the turn style
9. Starers - Those that just stare at people on BART. One day someone is going to poke their eyes out.
10. Me too- When you're stuck sitting in the window seat and you make the motion that you want to get up because your stop is coming and they look at you and tell you that they are getting off too but don't make any attempt to get out. That's nice you are getting off but I still want to get up!

And yes, I came up with my top 10 while I was making my way to work...in total a 20 mins ride.

Ewww...Spinach and Brussel Sprouts

If you are like me, spinach & brussel sprouts are not the first veggies that I'd choose to eat. Here are some recipes to help disguise the taste and is really yummy.

Spinach Tangier Style

I had this dish when Vince and I went to Tangier. It's a super simple dish and goes well with a Salmon Couscous dish that I make...stay tuned for that recipe.

Serving 2 to 3

1 bag of baby spinach
3/4 cup golden raisins (can use more or less if you'd like)
1/4 cup of pine nuts (can use more if you'd like)
Olive Oil
Pinch of salt

- In a small pan, toast pine nuts until they are golden brown. When done, set aside
- In a large frying pan, coat bottom with olive oil
- Once warm, put baby spinach in pan and toss using tongs
- Once the spinach is wilted, add raisins, pine nuts and pinch of salt and mix together

Ready to serve in no time at all!

Brussel Sprouts

There are a couple of ways that I like my brussel sprouts...with butter or with cream corn. Here are a couple of recipes for brussel sprouts

I like to buy the brussel sprouts that are in a bag from Trader Joe's ($1.99)

Brussel Sprouts with Butter

Cut the corner of the TJ bag or if you bought them separately, you can place in a bowl and cover with a wet paper towel

- Place in the microwave and cook for 2 1/2 minutes

- When down, cut the stems off of the sprouts and then cut sprouts in half

- Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan under medium heat

- Toss brussel sprouts in butter and cook for 4 mins

- Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and serve

Brussel Sprouts and Cream Corn

Cut the corner of the TJ bag or if you bought them separately, you can place in a bowl and cover with a wet paper towel

- Open a can of cream corn and pour over sprouts and enjoy.

This is great with a steak!

Receipe of the Week - Turkey Enchilada Casserole

I made this recipe last week and it was so good! According to the site that I got it from, it is 300 calories per serving. It taste so good that you wouldn't even know that it is low in calories.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole
source: Sunset

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salad oil
1 can (29 oz.) red enchilada sauce
Salt
12 corn tortillas (6 in. wide)
2 cups shredded reduced-fat jack cheese (8 oz.)
Chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat, stir turkey, onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin in oil until turkey is crumbly and no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup enchilada sauce. Add salt to taste.

2. Meanwhile, cut tortillas in half. Arrange a fourth of the halves evenly over the bottom of a shallow 3-quart casserole, overlapping to fit. Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese evenly over the tortillas, then top with a third of the turkey mixture and a fourth of the remaining enchilada sauce, spreading each level. Repeat to make two more layers of tortillas, cheese, turkey mixture, and sauce; top with another layer of tortillas and sauce, then cheese.

3. Bake in a 425° regular or convection oven until cheese is melted and casserole is hot in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

If desired, serve with reduced fat sour cream

Love to hear what you think!

You really do forget about your first born

If you are like many married couples living in a big city, before you actually have a "real" kid, you practice being a parent with a pet. It can be a rabbit, cat or most of the time a dog. So Milesy the Dog is our first child. After being married for 2 years and some change, I thought it would be a good idea to get a dog so that we could practice and see if we had what it took to be actual parents. The first 6 months were touch and go. Milsey, I failed to mention is a beagle. Boy, did I SO not do my research before we got him. It was a total impulse purchase. Milsey in first 6 months managed to accrue probably $500+ in medical expenses and every time we tried to crate train him or leave the house, he would howl so loud that we were afraid that our neighbors would call Animal Control on us.

I love Miley even though we have a love/hate relationship. He loves to destroy my stuff and I hate it when he eats everything he can find off the ground. We would take him everywhere with us. He was our baby and he got all out undivided attention.

Once Luke Luke came into the picture, Milsey, became the second child and got no attention from us. The only time we would give him any attention was when we would say, "No Milesy", "Get out of there Milsey", "Stop Barking Milsey", "Off Milsey" and "I'm going to kill you Milesy!"

The walks that we would take were replaced with us opening the sliding door. Rewarding him with treats each time he did a trick was replaced by us giving him a treat just to shut up. I know. It's bad. He looks at me with those sad eyes and I know that I have to be better but I'm just too tired! I need to be a better mom to my first born!

I'm going to make a better effort to walk him more. Since we've sprung forward, there is no reason why we shouldn't take walks. I'm going to love him more and not be a neglectful mom (and that means being better at cleaning his ears). But the one good thing that I can say about him is that he isn't jealous of Luke Luke (at least I don't think so). He's so good to him. He'll play with him and be close to him. I know as Luke Luke gets bigger, they will definitely be friends.

But Why?

So you're wondering...a blogger? Really? Well, I think that I have a lot of stories to tell. After hearing my coworker rave about her blogging experience, I thought that it would be fun to give it a try.

So what's my angle? Well, it's the inner Domestic Goddess teaming up with the 9-5 Goddess in me. Stories about my never boring home life and my always interesting life in the workforce. And my blog wouldn't be complete if I didn't share some domestic tips and recipes with you.

Hope you enjoy my blog!!!