It's Ok....

It's been awhile since I have done one of these posts, but I like them. They are great for days where you just have a ton on your mind, but not one thing worth dedicating an entire post to.

So here we go...

It's ok that I had "Mom Brain" this morning in the shower and wet and rinsed my hair but forgot the ever important "shampoo" process. And failed to realize this slip up until the drive to work. It's a pony tail kinda day. :/

It's ok that I am super excited and want to pack for our mini-vaca (which isn't until the end of next week) already. I am going to try my best to not start packing until at least this weekend.

It's ok that my daughter wants to watch "Monsters Vs. Aliens" tonight as a family and have ice cream and we are totally gonna do it. After dinner of course.

Speaking of, It's ok that my daughter doesn't have a bed time and we never made her cry it out. As a working Mom who also owns a small business from home, I soak up every moment I can get with her. If her falling asleep in my arms cuddling each night is wrong, I don't wanna be right! I don't criticize anyone's parenting choices regarding this kind of thing. Every family dynamic and child is different. I embrace that!

It's ok that I have totally been missing all the fun pregnancy and little baby experiences lately. How could I not. EVERYONE (ok, not quite everyone, but it sure seems like it..) is pregnant or has a newborn. It's ok that I am a little jealous of that. It's also totally ok that I talk myself out of those feelings each time, reminding myself, unless we win Publisher's Clearning House, no more kiddos are in our future. And you know, that's ok.

I'ts ok that I think it's wrong for blogger to capitalize off of tragedies. I have feelings about the events in Boston, but no, I wasn't going to post about them in hopes my blog would come up in a search, or keep my relevancy up. Sometimes, I think it's best to keep silent in wake of tragedy. (Except for in the case that you are or know someone personally involved.) I like to think of blogging as not the same kind of media like the news that secretly loves the tragedies because they mean good ratings... No offense is intended to anyone who did pour their heart out in a post -- I don't know everyone's intentions in their posts, nor did I read them all. I did however read a few that prompted me to feel this way.

It's ok that I honestly haven't read a book cover to cover in over 3 years (i.e. since my daughter was born.) I fully intend to again. Someday.


Ya know what, it's all ok! Happy Thursday! T minus 7 days until Mini-Vaca... but who's counting, right?

Cooking with The Rogue Baby: Thai Chicken Coleslaw

So, it's been awhile since I posted a recipe. Probably because I suck at taking pictures of the ingredients, prep, and finished yumminess. I really do. But this one is so good, I wanted to share it with you anyhow. This is a new favorite in our house and super delicious!

What you will need:

2 or 3 large chicken breasts
1 package coleslaw mix (cabbage, sometimes shredded carrots, etc.)
2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 apple
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Peanut Butter
1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
1 cup peas ( I use frozen and defrost)
1 red bell pepper
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup dry roasted peanuts (crushed)

Start with cooking your chicken. I've tried it a couple ways. First, being boiling frozen chicken then shredding it. Super easy, no prep time. Second would be pan grilling your chicken then cutting it into cubes after it's cooked. Either way, you need to end up with 2 or 3 cups of shredded or cubed cooked chicken.

Next you will work on your sauce. This is the substitute for mayo in traditional cole slaw. You will need to peel and cube the apple first, then in a blender or food processor (I use a Magic Bullet) blend the apple, honey, peanut butter, sesame oil, rice vinegar, cayenne, soy sauce, and 1 tbsn water until it is about apple sauce consistency. In a large bowl, mix your cole slaw mix and the sauce mixture. Set it aside.

Dice your red bell pepper and add it to your coleslaw mix. Then add your peas, chicken, and lastly the cup of peanuts.

It usually tastes best after it's been in the fridge a couple of hours. This is super low calorie. Only about 150 calories per cup, which makes it a great alternative to traditional cole slaw.



And there is the one picture I took along the way... mid-prep. In this variation, I used a second apple and cubed it up and left it in the mix. Told ya I suck at this. Want to know what doesn't suck though???

This recipe.

Shooting Zombies

My baby girl turns three at the end of this month. I've learned so much from her already. But what I've learned the most is this child has one awesome imagination. Oh the stories she will tell me. Awhile back she saw a robot, in a tree, sleeping.... Yeah, I really need to start writing some of this stuff down.

This morning was not particularly unusual. As we're leaving to head to preschool, I uttered the words, "No you cannot bring your gun to school." Totally random right? Well, not in our house, she was "shoot shooting" zombies. Her words, not mine.

Now before you get all "What kind of parent are you?" up in my face.... let me say... we've never allowed her to watch any "zombie" shows or movies. Walking Dead is a show we indulge in only after our little one has gone to bed. But, awhile back, maybe 6 months or so, she got the idea from somewhere... And this kid talks about zombies. Often.



And here we are in the car this morning. Notice the sweet puppy sticker on the barrel of the gun? She's my little goofball. I did not let her bring the "gun" (it's a cap gun for which we've never purchased caps) into school. It had to stay in the car. I'm sure they appreciate that.

Of course, this brings up all new parenting issues to think of. Teaching your little ones to respect guns. Teaching your little ones it's not nice to play shooting games if you "shoot" at people, etc. Teaching your little ones that zombies do not exist.

Unless of course you believe in the zombie apocolypse. In which case... I think we're on the right track!

Goodbyes & Going Back Home

Saying goodbye is the worst. I hate it.

This past week, my Grandmother passed away. I called her Grams. It was tough. I am so happy she wasn't in pain, wasn't suffering, and had a wonderful day with family before she went to sleep. You couldn't ask for a more peaceful way to go. I am selfishly sad that she is not here with us any longer.

When I was a little girl, I was at my Grams and Gramps house, spending the night. And I don't remember why exactly, but I was crying. My Grams looked at me and said, "Please don't cry. It hurts me so badly to see you cry." So that is exactly what I am trying to do right now. Not cry. Grams wouldn't want me to be sad and crying. She'd want me to remember all the good memories. I love and miss her dearly and cannot wait to see her in Paradise!



So we drove the 650+ miles Thursday after work to be with family this past weekend. It's a long drive, but we've done it many times. I wouldn't have missed going up there for anything. The longer I am gone, the less that it feels like "home" there. We were able to spend time with my Mom, my Uncle, my Sister, and Neice and Nephew and other family and call things considered, we had a nice visit. We got up at 4am yesterday to drive back home. Needless to say, I am exhausted.. physically, emotionally, and otherwise. But today, I'm going to do my best not to cry. I love my Grams and will forever be her "Ricki Raccoon."