Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

The Great Turkey Battle of ‘Aught9

July17

dsc09998This is not the face of a happy child. Obviously.  I’ve talked about our struggle to keep Tessa’s weight up.  When we started baby food, she only wanted to eat fruits.  Because we wanted her to eat, we didn’t fight her on it very hard.  We fed her veggies but kept them sweet and easy – carrots, sweet potatoes, peas.  We tried other things but when she resisted we opted to focus more on getting her to eat instead of getting her to eat what we wanted her to eat.  Now, she is looking like a normal, pudgy baby so we are starting to push the issue.  She isn’t amused.

dsc00005She hates all vegetables and proteins.  We have to dip the vegetables into fruits to get her to eat them.  Last night I decided to take a stand.  She was going to eat half of the jar of squash turkey dinner if it killed both of us.  It was a messy, unhappy dinner time.  She spit and screamed and shook her fists and gagged.  But she ate half the jar.  I gave her a jar of fruits as a reward after.  Yes, I’ve tried making baby food in case she just doesn’t like the jarred stuff.  I did a sweet potato-zucchini puree, an avocado puree, a cantaloupe-blueberry puree, a squash-corn-broccoli puree.  She has rejected them all.  She much prefers the jarred stuff.

dsc00011She still has a lot of yucky cradle cap on her head (yellowed icky skin).  I consulted my BFF, Google, and found out that a little olive oil and a soft toothbrush might do the trick.  (Actually, my new BFF is SwagBucks.  I use it for 90% of my searches now. You randomly earn swagbucks when you do searches.  I’ve been using it for 3 weeks and have 35 swagbucks.  I haven’t done anything out of the ordinary – just my regular searches that I would normally use google for.  You use the swagbucks to buy things from the swagstore.  For example, a $5 Amazon gift card costs 45 swagbucks.  If I can earn $5 a month to spend at Amazon by doing my regular internet searches, why not?  Just as a disclaimer, this link I’m embedding gives me some sort of referral credit if you sign up and use it.  But that isn’t why I’m telling you about it – I just happen to think it is kind of cool.)  The toothbrush/olive oil suggestion worked amazingly well.  I think after 1 more try I should have it all off.  But as you can see in the last photo, even washing it twice last night she has crazy olive oil hair this morning.

dsc00012And Sabrina was feeling left out and wanted to say hi.

posted under parenting | 11 Comments »

Call Me a Dork

July15

harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-princeBut I can’t wait to see the new Harry Potter movie!  Steve and I are hoping to sneak out to see it while his parents are visiting in a couple of weeks.

AND I’ve got 4 social engagements in the coming 2 weeks that don’t involve my children!  That is four times I will leave the house all by my little old self.  That is pretty darn exciting my friends.  Maybe that will give me something to blog about.  Heh.

posted under Misc. | 13 Comments »

Memo #293

July14

Dear Management:

I understand that you instruct your employees to round up the carts often to keep them from clogging the parking lot and from being damaged by jerks who leave them floating around to be hit by cars.  Completely reasonable.  But as a mom of 2 very young children, I have a request.  Please, please, please, please leave a couple of your double carts in the cart corrals.  When I have 2 hot, cranky, hungry kids and I am 1 hot, cranky, hungry momma, I need instant access to a cart.  I don’t want to carry my baby while trying to hold tightly to my toddler’s hand and juggle my reusable grocery bags and my purse and my keys all the way up to the store and then go searching for a double cart.  My dream parking space would be under a tree next to a cart corral containing a double cart.  I don’t care if it is in the last row of the parking lot if it is shaded and has a double cart waiting for me.

While you are at it, could you plant a few shade trees?  Thanks.

Signed,

A momma with only 2 hands

dsc09972Home Depot, probably not by desigh, had a double cart waiting for us (but sadly no shade tree) today.  Target did not.  I actually played a game of chicken with a mini van to park next to the 1 cart return that had a double cart in it…I lost.  Then once inside the store, I couldn’t find a double cart with functioning straps.  I never thought about these things before children but now they really effect how I view my shopping experience.

dsc09983One of the things we dislike about renting is that we can’t paint or plant anything.  We finally cleaned out and gave up our storage unit (we should own the 10×10 piece of land after the rent we’ve paid over the past 2 years) and I got my big pots back.  So I bought a hanging basket of petunias (folks love their pentunias down here) and one of impatients on sale for $3.33 each and made our front walk a little prettier.  Assuming I don’t kill them…but hey those herbs are all still alive!

posted under family | 3 Comments »

How to get Michelle to eat anything?

July13

Answer: Bread it and cover it in sauce.

We’ve been going to the Farmer’s Market every week to pick up fresh goodies.  Zucchini, squash, and eggplant are always abundant.  I buy them and cook them for Steve and Sabrina but I’m not a fan.  I decided make them palatable.

Eggplant, Zucchini and Squash Parm

dsc099361 small eggplant

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

2 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Favorite spaghetti sauce

Olive Oil

Slice the veggies rather thick.  Mix together the egg and milk in a bowl.  Mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on a plate.

dsc09930Dip the veggie in the egg wash and then the bread crumb mixture.  Lather. Rinse. Repeat.  Allow them to dry for 20 minutes before cooking.

Make your sauce (or pour it out of a jar – what ever is your preference).  I used italian sausage in my sauce this night because I didn’t want to take any chances on actually tasting the eggplant or zucchini.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a saute pan on med-med high.  Cook the slices until golden and they have a little give so you know the veggies are done inside.  Put them on a plate and cover in sauce and sprinkle a little fresh Parmesan on top (the grated Kraft stuff is best for the breading though).  I have to say it was damn good.

**Side note: The plates apparently aren’t microwave safe for leftovers.

dsc09944

mouthwateringbutton-1-2-11

Margarit-Her

July10

margarit-her_smallFor those of you who are local (or semi-local), Jamie from BlondeMomBlog and Amy from Milk Breath and Margaritas are hosting a gathering for the non-BlogHer going crowd.  Those of you who read blogs know that you won’t be able to open the internet during the last weekend of July without getting slapped in the face with neener-neener-neener posts about the FUN! BEING! HAD! in Chicago.  So rather than being bitter, come sip margaritas with us.  (Or guzzle if you have a designated driver.)  (Karla made the pretty button.)

posted under nashville | 5 Comments »

Funnies because I got nothing

July9

violence-exception-fail

car-park-fail

duck-medical-fail

*Snort*

I’ll try and get my camera out so I can dazzle you with cute photos if nothing else.

posted under humor | 3 Comments »

Snark Deflecting Bracelets

July8

wwbraceletThanks for all of yesterdays comments.  While I’m not glad others have to endure it, I am always glad to know I’m not alone in my frustrations.

When ever I start hearing the little comments, I paste the fake smile on my face and imagine I am wearing the Wonder Woman bullet deflecting bracelets.  I think about half of my readers are old enough to remember Linda Carter as Wonder Woman and to perhaps have played Wonder Woman while your BFF was Bionic Woman (either working together or in a grudge match depending on your imagination and the dynamic in your neighborhood).

Maybe next time I’ll make some tin foil bracelets to wear and pretend I am deflecting the verbal barbs…then they will think I am crazy and shut up for fear of agitating me.

posted under humor | 4 Comments »

Momma’s girl vs Daddy’s girl

July7

When a child is close to/firmly attached to her (let’s stick with one gender because if I have to do his/her all through this I will get cranky) father, people see it as healthy, cute, sweet, and appropriate.  It is met with enthusiasm.  People comment about how little girls love their daddies.  When a child is close to/firmly attached to her mother, people often see it as the child being spoiled, clingy, needy, indulged.  Sideways glances are exchanged while people calculate future therapy bills in their heads.  Why the different set of standards?

dsc09931Sabrina, at almost 3, is a daddy’s girl.  She was all about mommy for about 6 weeks after we returned from Guatemala and then Daddy became IT.  Often when I get her up in the morning, the first thing out of her mouth is “Where’s Daddy?”  When Steve is home, she will often reject my assistance with something and say “Not Mommy, just Daddy.”  I’m not bothered by this nor do I blame her.  She sees me all damn day long.  Daddy comes home and is FUN! SHINY! NEW!  He tickles and chases! (Not to imply he isn’t the whole package.  He is. He also disciplines and puts to bed and etc.)

dsc09802Tessa, at just weeks shy of a year old (shut up? when did that happen?!?), is a total momma’s girl.  When she is upset or tired, often I am the only one who can soothe her.  She prefers me over Steve much of the time.  She likes to be held and comforted by momma.  She is full of attitude and knows who and what she wants.  I am enjoying this time with my baby because 1) she won’t be a baby much longer and 2) I have little doubt she will become a daddy’s girl because most little girls do.  Steve isn’t bothered by her preference of me (she doesn’t reject him…she just prefers me) and teases me to enjoy it while it lasts because she will soon be a daddy’s girl too.

Basically, we have no problem with this what-so-ever.  Other people do.  Everyone ooooh’s and ahhh’s over Sabrina’s love of Daddy and what a great father Steve is.  They think it is great/funny/sweet that she is all about Daddy.  But when witnessing Tessa’s preference of me?  I am warned that I should “nip it in the bud” and that I will “be sorry when she is 3 and still wants” all me, all the time and that I shouldn’t “spoil and indulge her”.

First, I don’t think that by responding to my child’s needs I am spoiling her.  She has rules and boundaries just like Sabrina always has and they are age appropriate.  Yes I might be a little softer with her because she is my last baby and is growing up so fast – but so what?  She doesn’t like strangers in her face – that is a perfectly normal developmental thing at this point.  (Personally, I’m not crazy about strangers in my face either – especially when they judge my parenting because my child wants them to back off.)  She prefers one parent over the other right now – but so does Sabrina.

Tell me, o wise internets, do you see similar attitudes or is this unique to my experience?  Does anything like this happen with boys too?  And this assumes a traditional family, I’m sure non-traditional families come with their own set of stuff.

posted under parenting | 29 Comments »

Mom Central Summer Giveaway Bonanza

July6

If you like entering giveaways, Mom Central is doing a Summer Giveaway Bonanza.  Each week there will be loads of giveaways you can enter.

This week you can enter to win a box of Crystal Light, a game from GameHouse.com, a 20th Anniversary Super Soaker, a Hoover vacuum, and a pair of kids Crocs sneakers.

posted under Misc. | 1 Comment »

Less of a recipe…

July5

…more of a suggestion.

dsc09659Buy a hunk of ham.  Then get some nice fresh green beans and some red potatoes.  Cut them all up and throw them into the crockpot.  Cover with water and cook on low for about 8 hours.  Some kind of magic happens in the dark of the crockpot and it tastes amazing – fresh, yummy – kind of like how summer should taste.  And as a bonus you can eat the leftovers for days.  (That is a good thing, I promise.)

mouthwateringbutton-1-2-1

posted under food | 10 Comments »
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