No Grumps Here

It is 10:36 and I have finally allowed myself to hit the purchase button on my cart load of stuff at Amazon.

First I had to check every other site imaginable to make sure I was getting exactly what I want along with the best deals. I do the same thing while shopping in everyday life too. For example if I am looking for shoes I will look at and try on shoes in every store within a 2 or 3 city radius taking weeks to decide on the perfect pair. Actually half the time I just give up and don't end up buying anything even though I spend a tom of time looking.

But not today, today I am not just a browser, I am a buyer. In the process I have gotten nothing else done today and even though I had grand intentions of going about my normal Evolving Mommy business and sharing some Monday Yumday yumminess with you that all went out the window, but at least I have Luke, Maddy and a few other people started or completely taken care of! I know, score right?! All this after getting the Christmas cards sent off to be printed yesterday.

I am totally feeling Christmas this year. Whoa, that never happens. Maybe I should go check my temperature but I don't feel any of the normal holiday stress and anxiety that normally plagues me this time of year. Maddy and I will be baking a boat load of cookies with my grandma this week and I am thinking about breaking out the Christmas decorations too.

What is happening to me? Usually I'm a bit of a stressed out grump this time of year.

I Am Thankful For...

I am sure you have noticed several "I am thankful for..." posts around the blogosphere. It is that time of year and by most standards I am arriving to the "I am thankful for..." party late.

I have been thinking a lot about what I am thankful for. Really I have a lot to be thankful for. Simply stated, my life is good. Even with the ups and downs life tosses our way I live a happy and comfortable life.

I don't have to worry about how I will feed my family tomorrow or next week. I don't have to worry about where we will find the money to pay our mortgage. I don't have sleepless nights sitting next to my child's hospital bed.

Our needs our met, our bodies are well nourished, we have a roof over our heads and we are all healthy. What more could I ask for?

I know that the point of Thanksgiving is to show thanks for all the good in your life, but I feel like the whole holiday season should be for giving thanks. Not just on Thanksgiving.

It is so easy to get caught up on the commercialism of the Christmas season and to spend so much time and energy worrying about gifts that you forget about the important things, like family, spending time together, helping those less fortunate and creating valuable memories that can never be replaced.

Yes, I am thankful for all the things life has afforded me but, I choose to focus my thankfulness on the people I love, the laughter and memories that we share, and lessons that they teach me. Without those things Thanksgiving is just a turkey and some sides and Christmas is a credit card bill and some colored lights.

I know that for some people the pumpkin pie and gifts wrapped in shiny paper are important (sometimes the most important things even), but to me they are just symbols of greater things. The pie is tasty but the person that made the pie is the most important ingredient and no matter how much the gift cost or how many gifts are under the tree a gift is only as good as the love that was put into it.

I am thankful for... love, family, friends, health and happiness.

Portable DVD player... don't leave home without it.(At least on loooong road trips with a 2 year old.)

A happy toddler all the way home on a 12 hour drive is very valuable.

No Men

We have reached a point that we didn't think we would hit until Maddy reached the age about of 13. We are officially way uncool, not any fun and total downers.

The trouble stems from the fact that as her parents we have to decide on boundaries and tell her things like "no," " stop," and "that is absolutely not appropriate." It doesn't help that Maddy's life is filled with yes men. Lots of people that simply live to provide her with her every one of her hearts desires. I love that she is loved by so many people, but all those yes's really make our no's sort of invisible. Us "no men" are slightly outnumbered.

Luke is taking it pretty hard. He definitely liked life as the Daddy that could do no wrong. I am a little more adjusted to it but as I have mentioned before she tests my teaches me lessons in patience everyday.

We can't help but wonder how long this phase will last. We have always known that as parents we would have to play the bad cop role sometimes, however, I don't think either Luke or I thought that the bad cop role would feel so permanent and nonstop. Never ending no's while other people get to swoop in and save the day is a little rough.

Happy Thanksgiving

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving. So far it has been a great trip and although I have a lot of thoughts to share on thankfulness, road trips, sleep deprived 2 year olds and huge amounts of yummy food I am just enjoying my Thursday night with family I wish I could see more often.

So it is 11:04pm Colorado time, and 12:04 Texas time and we have taken up residence in one of out hotels lobbies.

My Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law, Luke are having too much fun hanging out so we decided to put the girls to sleep in the bedroom behind us and watch the Denver vs. Giants game and spend more time together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm Okay With Not Being A Road Trip Beauty Queen

Wow. Texas is flat. So far there are so many beautiful shades of brown and yellow re

It is almost 11:00 am and we have been on the road for 7 hours. I am so thankful for baseball hats, old college shirts, worn fleece hoodies, stretchy yoga pants, and comfy slip on shoes.

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I am also thankful that half day road trips are not beauty contests because today, although I would win the most comfortable mommy on a road trip category, I would surely lose the title of beauty queen.

We Are Under Attack...

Oh, no! It's a dis-formed foam turkey army!

Watch out for the one with crazy eyes, he cannot be trusted.

Wait, they all have crazy eyes, run while you can!

2-year-old handmade abstract turkeys crack me up! It looks like Salvador Dali made a quick stop at my house for craft time.

Hearty Banana Walnut Bread

Everyone should have a yummy banana bread recipe on hand. The apple sauce in this recipe gives the bread a nice sweet fruity flavor while reducing the overall amount of sugar in the bread. The walnuts and flax seeds on top of the loaf give a great crunch and texture to the top of the loaf. I love nuts in my banana bread but if you are not a nut lover than leave them out this loaf will still be yummy.


Hearty Banana Walnut Bread
*Makes one big loaf

1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs
3/4 cup apple sauce
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed meal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts,
2-3 tablespoons chopped walnuts for top of loaf (optional)
1-2 tablespoons flax seeds for top of loaf (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl mix the butter and sugar and eggs together. Once mixed add, apple sauce, bananas and milk to the bowl and mix.

In small bowl mix flour, flax seed meal, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder thoroughly then stir into the banana mixture. After the flour and banana mixtures are well mixed stir in 1 cup of chopped walnuts just until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


Other Evolving Mommy recipes you might enjoy:

• Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Muffins
• Whole Wheat Waffles and Blueberry Compote
  
• Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls

5 Little Random Thoughts

It's the Sunday before I busy holiday week around the Evolving Mommy household and my brain is swimming with randomness.

New babies are so sweet. Why is it so easy to forget how teeny tiny they can be?

I just want to dance. I have noticed how much fun the ladies (and a couple of guys) in the Zumba class at my gym seem to be having and I really really want to get in there and shake my groove thang with them. I just need to figure out a way to work my schedule so I will actually be there on time and for the whole class. Will someone talk to my toddler and husband about this?

The Skin MD Natural giveaway at Evolving Mommy Reviews ends tomorrow night.

Luke's company Christmas party is quickly approaching which means the annual dress hunt has begun. I was thinking maybe this dress or this dress in red. I am thinking some color would be fun this year, I am open to suggestions.

I have a confession. Purple is my least favorite color, but lately I have been really drawn to all the tops, dresses and skirts this year in those nice deep purple and eggplant shades. I still think lilac is still more bleh then beautiful though.

What randomness is bouncing around your brain as you get ready for the week to start?

And My Heart Grew and Grew

Earlier today we heard word just before leaving for Maddy's music class that some good friends of ours had welcomed their baby girl into the world this morning. While we were eating breakfast and getting ready for our day they were bring a baby into the world.

Seeing the little text messaged picture of their tiny newborn daughter brought back a flood of memories for me.

It amazes me how much time can pass and yet the emotions I felt the afternoon that I first got to hold my baby are still so strong, like I am feeling them all over again for the very first time. I remember how she felt against my chest in those first moments after she was born. I remember the look on Luke's face as he worked to process everything that had just happened and all the feelings that were swirling through his heart. I remember all the pride and love, the exhaustion and happy energy that flowed through me.

Everything was right in my world.

There was no way that life could get any better. Life was perfect.

I was wrong though. Things do get better. Every day that love I felt in those first introductory moments to motherhood grows exponentially. The feeling of awe I felt towards my husband who helped me to make such a perfect little girl and the feeling of awe I felt toward my sweet little girl for gracing our family with her perfection is always there and always growing.

It is hard to imagine how much your little heart can love until the loves of your life step in and force your heart to grow and fill with more love every.single.day.

I am so excited to meet the newest addition to our tight knit group. I am so excited for what my friends may be feeling and experiencing and for how their lives are changing, but right now for just this moment I am just so thankful to this little newborn girl for bringing all of my sweet memories of my little newborn girl back to the forefront of my mind.

I'm a Bowl Full of Jello

Seriously, I'm like a big bowl full of jello right now.

Are you familiar with that jello-like feeling you have after getting a massage. You know, the jello-like feeling that the muscles of your whole body have after having a wonderful massage god work your muscles until you are like rubber? Yep, that's some good stuff. Couple that with dinner out and a cold beer on a Friday and I am ready for bed at 7:30pm, which by the way is before my 2 year-old goes to bed.

What a way to finish the work week. Hopefully my weekend can continue on in this relaxing fashion.

How are you unwinding tonight?

Breaking Out of My Bubble

I'm kind of a shy person. Okay people who know me well pick your jaws up off the floor, I'm not lying.

Alright let me start over, I can be pretty shy especially in situations when I don't know everyone. In situations where I know everyone and I am comfortable I have no problem being the center of attention.

I generally keep to myself and honestly I would say I am terrible at making new friends because I tend to not put myself in situations where I don't know people. If for some reason I do end up in a room full of people I don't know it would be easy to spot me because I'll be the person standing off to the side watching everyone else. I am a people watcher and I get so tied up in watching other peoples interactions that I don't end up making connections myself.

Blogging suits me because I never have to try to strike up a conversation. I just write up whatever is in my head and if by chance someone reads it and is moved to make my post the starting point of a conversation I am happy to oblige.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and put myself out there a bit. After going back and forth for a couple of weeks about whether I should attend a blogging/PR event I had been invited to I decided to push myself out of my comfortable internet protected bubble and head out to meet some real life bloggers at the Glade Fresh Night Out event at the Warwick hotel in Downtown Denver.

I was nervous.

I hadn't met another blogger in real life and let alone been to a PR hosted event for blogging either. The night was a blast. We ate delicious food, chatted, learned a bit about Glade Sense and Spray and got to put together a couple of super cute gift baskets. (You can win one of the baskets I made at Evolving Mommy Reviews!)

The following week I headed back to Denver's Downtown to Morton's Steak House to hang out with the ladies of Mile high Mama's and Mom it Forward for Moms Night Out.

A tiny bar filled with 40 fantastic, energetic and talkative ladies meant it was impossible for me be a wallflower. It was so much fun to meet and talk to other moms/bloggers that understand blogging. It was so cool to put faces and voices with some of the bloggers that I have seen all over the blogosphere too.

I am pretty proud of myself for nudging myself out of my comfort zone. With joining a gym, the Glade Fresh Night Out, and Moms Night Out Luke is loving that I am stretching myself a little bit and opening myself up to more possibilities. That doesn't mean he is being any more outgoing then it normally is, but he does like that I have had the chance to connect with people outside of my normal circle.

I have talked with Luke about going to BlogHer in New York next year but I didn't actually think I would have the guts to go to such a big event without knowing anyone. I could just picture myself standing in some corner hoping I wouldn't have to make conversation with anyone. But now I do know some people and I know that it isn't such a difficult thing to make friends with people, especially when those people understand and love blogging too.

By no means am I suddenly comfortable walking into a room filled with people I don't know but I am trying to make myself a little more comfortable with the idea and in the process am enjoying every minute of new possibilities, personalities and places blogging is opening up for me both in real life and online.

Around and Around and Around

I have been sitting at Barnes & Noble for the last 2 hours and 30 minutes...and counting.

Maddy loves the train table. Heck, I love the train table. Anything that can keep a 2 year old entertained for that long is deserving of love. She has circled the table pushing whichever train she ends up with around and around and around the track without getting bored.


I feel lucky that the train table lives in a bookstore and not somewhere totally boring and lame like an auto parts store or a Radio Shack. At least in a book store there is endless reading material and free wifi for me.

Lets be honest though, if Maddy wanted to play with the trains and I had to be bored for hours on end in order for her to have her fill, I'd do it. I'd go sit or stand in the motor oil aisle or next to the speaker wire and let her have her fun because lets face it, I kinda like her and seeing her happy and having fun is pretty darn great. Besides she hangs out in a cart or her stroller so I can try on clothes or grocery shop so I guess I owe her.

Give and take right? Maddy and I give and take and like the trains she pushes along the tracks, our love goes around and around and around in a never ending loop.

Stuff, Stuff, Stuff and More Stuff

A family member posted this video to their Facebook page tonight and after watching it I really wanted to share it with you all. It is about 20 minutes long but it is interesting and even though you may know some of it already it is a very good reminder of how even as one person we effect the planet and the rest of the people on it. It has me rethinking the things that I have on my already short Christmas wish list this year.



I'm guilty of having an abundance of stuff. I am also guilty to over indulging and participating in buying stuff portion of things. I would say that the need for new things is pretty ingrained in my generation. Bigger and better, right? Luke and I frequently talk about how we can try to live our lives content with what we have, the hard part is not buckling to social (and self-imposed) pressures.

So what do you think?

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes - Monday Yumday

Maddy, her best buddy Boo and I had so much fun making breakfast for lunch today. the girls love pour the ingredients into the bowl and stirring everything together and I love how excited they get about each new ingredient always asking to smell or taste everything.

My mom used to make small pancakes for us when we were little and I loved it, actually I still do. We usually eat our pancakes with yogurt instead of syrup in the Evolving household and today was no different. Maddy ate five of these yummy pancakes along with almost a cup of yogurt, so I think I'll take that as a thumbs up. I'm not sure I want to even admit to myself, let alone everyone reading this, how many of these I ate.

This recipe makes 18-20 3 inch pancakes. If 18-20 pancakes is more than you need the extras freeze well and can be popped in the toaster until warm for a quick breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack.


Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

1 cup milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons apple sauce
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup blueberries

Mix milk, egg, and apple sauce until well blended. In separate bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl and then add to the milk mixture stirring until thoroughly mixed. Stir blueberries into batter.

Spray pan with cooking spray and warm to medium heat. Scoop batter into warm pan by using 1/8 cup measuring cup. Cook until pancakes start to puff up and firm around the edges then flip and finishing cooking the other side.

5 Little Things That Made Me Smile This Week

I would say this week has been a good one, I honestly can't think of anything worth complaint. I love it when my week is filled with smiles which means the theme for this weeks five little things was easy to decide on.

5 little things that made me smile...

I love getting to cook and yesterday some of our friends allowed me to cook for them. I had so much fun planning the meal and spending time in the kitchen make pot roast, sauteed green beans with bacon and onion, roasted carrots, garlic mashed potatoes and homemade whole wheat rolls. It makes me feel full just thinking about it.

On Tuesday night I had the opportunity to meet and mingle with some awesome Denver area moms and bloggers at Morton's Steak House for Mile High Mamas Night Out. It was so much fun and I can't wait to hopefully see everyone again soon.

All of the crazy awesome new music I have stumbled upon this week has me wanting to live with my earbuds permanently stuck in my ears.

Along those same lines I couldn't help but smile when I opened our itunes to find half the "new" music I had stumbled over this week already in our possession. Apparently my music loving hubby was one step ahead of me. I love it when Luke and I are on the same page without even knowing it.

While looking through pictures of Madeline for my big name revealing post yesterday I came across quite a few pictures that I forgot we had of her. It always amazes me how naturally posing for the camera like a little model has come for Maddy, and boy does her daddy eat it up!

There are five of the things that made me a happier lady, what made you smile this week?

Changing the Lines I Have Drawn

About 13 months ago when I made the decision to do a little something for myself and make a place all my own and start Evolving Mommy I set a few ground rules for myself to help guide me as I floundered my way into the blogging world. While I am more than willing to share somethings there is information that I decided was better left unshared.

#1 I was not going to share where I live. I felt more comfortable without sharing every single detail with the entire universe.

#2 I was going to try to keep extended family members and friends out of Evolving Mommy's pages, because it isn't my place to share their personal lives, stories and pictures with you. Now I do share a few pictures here and there but I really work to keep a line drawn between a friendly mention or photo and sharing too much information

and lastly

#3 I was going to call my daughter Monkey and not ever refer to her by her real name. As a newish mom it made perfect sense to me to "keep my daughter safe" from all those random strangers on the Internet.

After posting over 285 posts to Evolving Mommy, starting Evolving Mommy Reviews, tweeting on twitter, and sharing videos on New Baby and Mom TV very few people know more than that I live in Colorado. I still try to leave my family and friends out of my blogging equation as much as possible and up until today I have always called my daughter Monkey on this blog.

Yes you read that right, up until today. I have been wrestling with the issues that go along with only calling your daughter by a nickname for some time now and up until recently Luke and I always came to the conclusion that we needed to keep our daughter's name safe.

Here are the issues. We rarely call our daughter Monkey anymore, it is habit to type it here because of the shear number of times I have talked about her in my various posts but I just don't feel that the nickname that fit her so perfectly as a newborn and infant fits her all that well now. I also feel like using a nickname can confuse things for visitors to Evolving Mommy, after all I could be talking about any number of things, my dog Monkey, my imaginary friend Monkey, my pet Monkey or something else entirely.

Let's be completely realistic here, we live in the Internet age and if someone really wanted to know my daughter's name by now I am sure they could have found that information. Am I really protecting her by calling her Monkey? When after taking some inventory recently I realized that her name is already out there, although not by my doing.

I talked with Luke about it, and after sharing my thoughts with him, he sees my side and agrees that there is most likely no harm in using her name in this space. My Space.

So without further adieu I would like to introduce you all to my very beautiful and intelligent (thanks for giving me a moment to let my mommy bias show through) daughter, Madeline.




So what are your thoughts on sharing personal information online? Where do you draw your line? Obviously my lines have changed a bit but I think that as I have evolved as a Mommy, and a blogger my ideas have evolved as well.

Dirt Happens

I have learned many valuable lessons in my short tenure as Mommy.

Lessons such as, sometimes dirt happens and,

it is generally best to laugh about it and enjoy every minute of dirt covered faces, pants and hands that bring about beautiful dirt covered smiles.

Lets Just Call Me Quirky

I am in the midst of some obsessive behavior and the odd thing is that it is touching off more obsessive behavior. First of all let me preface this by saying that I tend er towards the obsessive side and I am a big dork. Well, honestly obsessive might not be the right word.

It is fairly normal for me to go through up and down phases with reading. Once I crack a book and start reading I have a hard time removing myself from the story and before I know it I am staying up much, much later than I should and trying to fit reading the book of the moment into every possible open second throughout the day. So I tend to read 2 or 3 books very quickly and then I take a break from reading for a while, sometimes a month or two, sometimes more.

If I were to let myself have a book going at all times I would probably neglect far too many things. Honestly it is not unheard of for me to forget to feed myself sometimes because I get so into the book of the moment.

The sad thing about my latest obsession is that it isn't actually new. I will say before I make my confession that I frequently reread books I love. I read Pride and Prejudice yearly. I usually get the itch to reread one of the Harry Potter books and To Kill a Mockingbird on a yearly basis as well.

Last year around Thanksgiving I got sucked into Twilight like no other book before it. I literally finished it in less than 2 days and quickly moved on to New Moon. Even though we traveled over the holiday I managed to finish all four books in less than 2 weeks. It did help that I had a round trip flight from Denver to Dallas to fill with reading, but honestly I was so drawn into the story of Edward and Bella that I read whenever I had spare time and ended up missing out on a lot of sleep.

Like I said before I get sucked into books but I am not usually that bad.

Well it happened again. Last week I decided that I was in the mood to reread Twilight. I figured that since I had already read it I wouldn't be so strongly sucked into it. I was wrong. So it is a week later and I have already read through all four books again. It helped that I already was familiar with the story and honestly there was a few sections that I skipped entirely. However, I have no idea how much sleep I owe myself at this point, I have missed so much of it.

So what do I do with myself now? Of course I couldn't leave it where it alone and decided to visit the author, Stephenie Meyer's, website. On the site she has unofficial playlists go along with all four published books from the Twilight saga and Midnight Sun.

So I listened through her playlists as I went about m y business today and I found myself actually really liking some of what she has suggested so now my obsessive reading is morphing into obsessive music gathering. I started a list of new bands, and new albums from bands that I was familiar with. I moved from StephenieMeyer.com to Pandora where my list has continued to grow.

Now all I can think about is finding more new music and maybe a bigger iPod to put it all on. My dark ages shuffle is like the typewriter of iPods.

I am so sure some of you are totally laughing at me right now. I can't help it, I'm such a loon.

My Free Therapist

I took the opportunity on my drive home tonight to call my little sister. There are few people who make me laugh like she does and there are even fewer people that truly "get" me. For those of you who do not know my wonderful sister moved to Las Vegas almost a year ago, so our phone calls are a source of excitement for me.

Do you have someone you call to share happy moments with?

How about the not so happy moments or the days that just don't seem to go right?

We talked for almost an hour as I drove home and I am not sure we really talked about anything of significant importance, but after getting of the phone I felt so level headed and calm. Even though my day had been up and down emotionally just talking with my sister about everything and nothing really helps me balance out the ups and downs. The best part is we don't even have to talk about the sources of my ups and downs for me to feel better when we get off the phone. She must have magic powers.

I feel so lucky to have her.

Especially since therapists cost so much.

Just kidding.

Kinda.

Chicken Fajita Pizza - Monday Yumday

Last week I shared our favorite Whole Wheat Pizza Crust recipe this week one of our favorite ways to top it. This pizza is packed full of toppings and provides a fun mexican flavor to spice up your pizza nights.

Chicken Fajita Pizza



1 pre-maid pizza crust or 1/2 Whole Wheat Pizza Crust recipe
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chicken breast, cubed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup sliced bell pepper (color of your choice)
1/2 cup sliced onion
1 cup salsa
1/2-3/4 cup black beans
1 diced roma tomato
1/2-3/4 cup shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese

If using a pre-maid crust follow cooking directions and preheat oven to temperature stated in the instructions. If using Whole Wheat Pizza Crust recipe roll out half of the dough into about a 13 inch circle and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, bell pepper and onion to pan , stir and cook until chicken is filly cooked.

Spread salsa over crust. Spread cooked chicken mixture, diced tomatoes and black beans evenly over salsa. Top with cheese and bake for 16-18 minutes or until crust is crisp in the center and cheese is fully melted.

Other Evolving Mommy recipes you might enjoy:

• Mexican Burgers
• Chermoula Marinade
• Mexican Chicken Stew

Company is Coming, What Should I Make!?!

I have a handful of friends coming over next Saturday night for dinner and I am so excited to have the opportunity to go all out and have some fun cooking up a storm.

There is a little problem though. Some of my friends are very picky eaters. Some of them do not eat seafood at all, one doesn't like cheese, one doesn't like most vegetables. Luke and I eat just about everything. Actually even though Luke doesn't like zucchini and squash or peas he will eat them if they are a part of a meal I make.

I would love to make an awesome and fun Indian food spread,

or a bunch of tapas and a big pan of paella


or anything fun, new and different from the things I have made for them in the past.

I am pouring over cookbooks trying to find a good balance between some of the more picky pallets I will be serving and my own desires to make fun and yummy food.

I have 5 1/2 days to figure it out and I am begging you for some suggestions.

I would love to hear some of your idea's for a fun dinner with friends, pretty, pretty please.

Sometimes

Sometimes I just wish I could Grab my little family and...


hop on a train to a far away place,


or jump in a fast little car and speed away to a place where I can selfishly have them all to myself.

It doesn't really matter the mode of transportation , sometimes that all important lesson I learned as a child just isn't all that important.

Sometimes I just don't want to share.

A Wardrobe Sacrifice

This morning Monkey and I went to the gym. After giving her a handful of times to make sure she would be fine with me dropping her off in the kids club while I worked out I decided that since she leaves there smiling and happy and always seems to have a good time I would sign her up for a membership instead of paying a fee each time.

She was so excited to go play when we went in that she almost ran straight to the door of the kids club room when we walked in the building. It was adorable. Once we got all signed up for her membership I took her over to play and then headed for the locker room to get changed for my workout.

After digging through my bag I realized that although I had my pants, shoes, socks, water bottle, towel, iPod, and even my sports bra but no matter how much I searched my bag I couldn't seem to find a shirt. What was I supposed to do now? I had just signed Monkey into the kids club and she was happily playing and I was already there in the gym ready to workout.

I am such a dork! How did I manage to remember a pile of snacks, sippy cup and diapers, for Monkey, yet I couldn't even remember that a shirt if usually a good thing to have when going out in public.

I knew if I drove all the way back to the house to pick up an appropriate shirt to work out in I may get distracted by things around the house and not make it back. So I went ahead and decided to just workout in my nice Banana Republic top. It was an odd feeling to be thoroughly working up a sweat in my lovely dark orange top. It also felt odd to realize as I walked to the kids club door that I had completely soaked through my top with sweat. I am not sure I will ever look at this shirt the same way again.

How is it that I can get both Luke and Monkey out the door with all necessary items and then some, but I can't remember to pack the one of the few things I need. Hopefully next time I will think to double check my bag before I make my way there. I probably stood out a bit during my run on the treadmill.

Please tell me I am not alone in being so darn forgetful!

One Way We Are Different

There is an interesting fundamental difference between my husband and me. It is pretty accurately illustrated in the following pictures of the schedule we have been trying to put together to make sure that we both get our time to work out.

Here is the schedule that Luke first wrote up:

and here is the my version of the that same schedule:

Did you notice any differences? I am bit of a planner and somehow I married a man that has trouble planning farther than his next meal.

In his mind even laying out what days we would each be working out was a huge feat. In my mind just knowing the days we would be working out was nowhere near enough information. I need details. Luke's response to my asking how I would know if he was planning on working out in the morning or at night on any given day was "well if it is Monday and I am already at work and I haven't worked out yet then I am working out at night that day. "

Um, seriously? Wrong answer, dear. Wrong answer.

While I am planning meals, errands and the like I need to know what I am planning around. Do I need to plan a few more easy meals each week because he is going to come home and workout at night while I make dinner which requires simultaneously cooking and entertaining our daughter? Do I need to make sure that I workout in the evening to make sure that we don't have any car sharing issues that week? Should I get a kids club membership at the gym for Monkey because I will need to be working out at times when Luke is unavailable to watch her? The list goes on. I need details to function.

Luke likes to handle things as they need to be handled. He likes to think about things as they are happening. He likes to absolutely drive me crazy.

To be fair I drive him crazy with all my planning, questions and sometimes obsessing over things in the distant future. Sometimes though distant to Luke can be as far off as a few days.

I think this is why falling asleep happens so differently for both of us. He literally lays in bed and within a few minutes he is breathing heavy and fast asleep. Meanwhile over on my side of the bed I lay there awake trying to get my brain to stop moving, planning, thinking, obsessing for far too long each night. Sometimes 20-30 minutes. Sometimes hours. He has no need to think about things while trying to fall asleep because he will handle everything that needs to be handled the following day. My planning nature has me thinking about how quickly we can pay off our car, what I am going to feed Monkey for lunch the following day, things I need to get on my next trip to the grocery store, what Christmas gifts I have left to buy. I just can't help it. I need to plan. I need to be ready. I need to know what to expect.

Honestly though we keep each other balanced he doesn't allow me to obsess and plan too much and I don't allow him to forget that just because the mortgage payment isn't due until the 1st we can't wait to mail it until the day it is due.

Without intending to we illustrated a part of our personalities for each other on our little 10" x 5" dry erase board. My schedule with its am and pm slots and accompanying key, and his plain jane no frills schedule are true representations of ourselves. We had a good laugh after we finished debating why the other person was asking too much of the other. I am always thankful for moments like this when I feel like I get a little reminder that we are separate individuals that despite our differences live happily as a unit. A loving, happy, contented unit.

Ain't love grand.

There is Nothing Like a Hug From Daddy

Sometimes the only thing that will make it better is a hug from your daddy. I just love how they love each other. Watching them together makes my little heart want to burst.

Honestly, I am not sure how I got so lucky.

My Pokey Little Puppy

We had a blast on our two snow days. Luke worked from home but we were still able to take some family time and play in the snow followed up with some hot chocolate, cookie baking, and lots of painting and cooking. Even with all that fun we thought getting 18+ inches of snow 2 days before Halloween would really throw a wrench in out holiday.

(Taken day one of the storm we had about 14 inches at this point)

We were wrong. In true Colorado fashion the snow was completely melted off our roads, sidewalks, and driveways by Friday afternoon and by the time Luke took our pumpkins outside for their photo shoot Saturday a majority of the snow in our yard had melted away as well.

We decided to have a laid back Halloween and since Monkey doesn't quite know how much of this holiday revolves around candy we decided to pass on trick-or-treating. By next year she will be 3 and there will be no avoiding it. Now before you call me a Grinch she did have some goodies just not piles of goodies, which ultimately is better for me and Luke than her because we would be the ones eating the majority of what she got.


We took part in a few activities around town on Halloween but decided to lay low and hang around the house that evening. Well, folks last year was not a fluke. We had Zero trick-or-treater's again this year. I am so glad that I didn't buy a big bag of candy bars like I did last year, that ended in a very discouraging test of my will power and ultimately a waste of our money.

We did have a fun photo shoot with our little pet complete with panting, barking and licking. Honestly I am not much of a pet person but I think I will keep this adorable puppy.

And I will even scratch her belly without complaint if that's what she wants.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust - Monday Yumday

Pizza. Mmmmm. Pizza is a favorite in the Evolving household, but really isn't pizza a favorite in every household?


In my opinion a good whole wheat crust is the most important part of a pizza because honestly you can put almost anything on a pizza. We will cover more on the toppings topic another day but for now we will start with a basic whole wheat pizza crust and the foundation of a good pizza. The following recipe is for 2 thinner crust pizza's.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons or one package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (about 130 degrees Fahrenheit)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Corn meal

In a large mixing bowl thoroughly mix whole wheat flour, yeast, warm water, salt and oil using a wooden spoon. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes. Stir in all purpose flour, you may need to kneed in the remaining flour once the dough starts to thicken. Once all of the flour has been added turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for about 5 to 8 minutes total or until the dough is slightly stiff and smooth and elastic.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place dough back in bowl. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm area for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle a small amount of corn meal on work surface and split dough into 2 equal balls. Roll each ball out to about the size of a standard round pizza pan. Top crusts with desired toppings and bake for 16-20 minutes or until crusts are golden brown, cheese is melted and crusts are baked to desired crispness.


Dough can also be frozen and used at a later time. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap and place it in a plastic freezer bag. Allow to thaw completely and come to room temperature before rolling into crusts.

Other Evolving Mommy recipes you might enjoy:

• Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls
• Honey Whole Wheat Bread
• Shepard's Pie

120 Pound Male Actor = Disturbing

I have mentioned our Netflix subscription and how it helps to spark interesting events in our house before. Generally Luke and I add movies we will both enjoy to our cue. I admit I add romantic comedy's to the queue sometimes but always with the intention of timing their delivery for the weeks when Luke is gone on business. Not that I want to complain or anything but my dear husband does not extend me the same courtesy. Okay, so maybe I am actually complaining. I do not like horror films movies. I am not really a fan of horror type films that attempt to masquerade as a "thriller" either.

Drama, yes.
Action, yes.
Documentary, yes.
Comedy, yes.
Film's from any of the above mentioned genre's with a bit of suspense thrown in, yes.
Horror films, no thank you I'll pass.

I hate spending the entire length of a movie tense and jumpy waiting for the next uncomfortable, gross, or scary thing to happen. It isn't that I am truly scared of what I see in a horror film, because generally I am not bothered enough to even think about a lame horror/thriller after I have seen it, but I certainly don't enjoy watching it. Watching a movie is supposed to be a relaxing thing to do so I just cannot enjoy spending 2 hours of my life tensed up and uncomfortable on the couch waiting for something disturbing to happen.

So my dear husband throws movies into our queue without a thought , some of his picks I have loved, some I have not. Actually some of them I have refused to watch. Maybe I should just start letting some of my more "girlish" picks arrive in our mail without thought to Luke's preferences and see how he feels about it.

At least while he is watching movies I could not care less about I have the perfect excuse to read or blog so I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

Oh and by the way, if your husband suggests that you put The Machinist in your queue, just say no. Seriously. Christian Bale literally weighing in at 120 pounds is not something you ever want to see and besides moving painfully slow and not being scary it managed to make me feel totally uncomfortable and uneasy the entire way through. Yuck. I will say that I am not really what you would call a Christian Bale fan but either way be sure to pass on this film.