Ai, ai, ai....this was one of "those days." Our a/c went out yesterday so the whole family slept in the basement last night. I was planning to go into work this morning but couldn't because I had to wait around on the a/c guy to show up and tell us what was wrong/how much it would cost. The a/c guy came, got the unit to work, and then-45 minutes after he left-the unit was back to not working again. So we are in the basement again tonight and Papa Hob got the last window air conditioner we could find at any of the big box stores in the area to tide us over until someone can replace our a/c system. But, guess what...tomorrow will be better!
Monday-planned to have leftover chicken legs, mashed potatoes, and Athena melon-ended up with Lion's Choice while we were out and about looking for a window a/c unit :(
Tuesday-leftover chicken legs, mashed potatoes, and Athena melon
Wednesday-pasta salad, grapes, crackers (picnic!)
Thursday-pork chops, corn-on-the-cob
Friday-pool party picnic-sub sandwiches, plums, macaroni salad
Saturday-Baked Rigatoni with Eggplant, Sausage, and Basil
Sunday-pizza and fruit
7/25/11
Meal Plan Monday 7-25-11
Not a lot exciting going on over here as far as meals this week! I am volunteering with VBS at my church and getting a much earlier start than I've gotten to get out of the house than I've gotten in the last 19 weeks. The key words for us this week are....keep it simple!
*Bold items are items we received from our co-op order
Monday-spaghetti with ground turkey, corn-on-the-cob, cantaloupe
Tuesday-pork steaks, sweet potatoes, plums (we have planned this meal for several weeks now and it just keeps getting pushed aside for something else...we will do it this time!)
Wednesday-bacon, eggs, fruit salad
Thursday-Leftover Feast!
Friday-BBQ for VBS
Saturday-Date Night with Papa Hob
Sunday-BBQ chicken legs, Au Gratin potatoes, brownies
*Bold items are items we received from our co-op order
Monday-spaghetti with ground turkey, corn-on-the-cob, cantaloupe
Tuesday-pork steaks, sweet potatoes, plums (we have planned this meal for several weeks now and it just keeps getting pushed aside for something else...we will do it this time!)
Wednesday-bacon, eggs, fruit salad
Thursday-Leftover Feast!
Friday-BBQ for VBS
Saturday-Date Night with Papa Hob
Sunday-BBQ chicken legs, Au Gratin potatoes, brownies
7/19/11
Napping Update
I need some thoughts from some fellow mamas and papas.
Here is where we are at with napping. Little Hob, in the last few days, has decided that naps are okay but mostly only as long as he's being held. Papa Hob and I were set to begin sleep training with him this week using the Sleepy Planet "Sleepeasy Solution" but now I am questioning whether or not to begin it since he is beginning to sleep. Is sleeping while being held okay for now and we can transition out of it later or am I creating a bad habit that will have to be broken later on down the road? I see my options as
a) Discontinue holding him while he naps and dive into the Sleepyeasy Solution method.
b) Keep doing what I'm doing and transition slowly to less time being held while sleeping and more time laying in his crib while sleeping.
Right now I'm leaning toward "b". Based on your own experiences-what do you think?
Here is where we are at with napping. Little Hob, in the last few days, has decided that naps are okay but mostly only as long as he's being held. Papa Hob and I were set to begin sleep training with him this week using the Sleepy Planet "Sleepeasy Solution" but now I am questioning whether or not to begin it since he is beginning to sleep. Is sleeping while being held okay for now and we can transition out of it later or am I creating a bad habit that will have to be broken later on down the road? I see my options as
a) Discontinue holding him while he naps and dive into the Sleepyeasy Solution method.
b) Keep doing what I'm doing and transition slowly to less time being held while sleeping and more time laying in his crib while sleeping.
Right now I'm leaning toward "b". Based on your own experiences-what do you think?
7/18/11
Meal Plan Monday 7-18-11
I promise...that this blog is not just going to be what we are eating during the week LOL. We do more than eat around here but those other things have kept us busy this week! We were so fortunate to have both sides of our extended families in from out of town for the weekend and we had a wonderful BBQ lunch on Sunday here at the house.
Little Hob's personality is really beginning to come out and we just love seeing all the new things he's doing each day. He had his four month appointment and weighed in at a whopping 13 pounds 2.5 ounces. He is rolling over from back to tummy and doing a lot of talking. His favorite conversation? "Oooo, oooo, oooo, oooo." That's all he says all day long :). We are getting him prepped for beginning rice cereal in the next few weeks. Little Hob sat up at the table in a booster seat tonight while we ate. Where did my little newborn go? :)
Our meal plan this week includes a food from the co-op that is new to us....leeks. I googled a recipe to use the leeks in and we will be using it for a delicious dinner on Sunday! I will make the recipe a "clicky" if you are interested in trying it! Also, I will show the foods we got from the co-op by putting them in bold print. Have a great week!
Monday-leftover chicken and burgers, corn-on-the-cob, green beans
Tuesday-yellow squash and baby portabella mushroom stir fry, couscous, strawberries
Wednesday-turkey tacos and cheesy Spanish rice
Thursday-BBQ chicken legs, corn-on-the-cob, cucumber and tomato salad
Friday-pork steaks and sweet potatoes
Saturday-Wedding Reception dinner
Sunday-salmon steaks with carmelized leeks and carrots
Little Hob's personality is really beginning to come out and we just love seeing all the new things he's doing each day. He had his four month appointment and weighed in at a whopping 13 pounds 2.5 ounces. He is rolling over from back to tummy and doing a lot of talking. His favorite conversation? "Oooo, oooo, oooo, oooo." That's all he says all day long :). We are getting him prepped for beginning rice cereal in the next few weeks. Little Hob sat up at the table in a booster seat tonight while we ate. Where did my little newborn go? :)
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| Not a newborn but you'll always be my baby :) |
Our meal plan this week includes a food from the co-op that is new to us....leeks. I googled a recipe to use the leeks in and we will be using it for a delicious dinner on Sunday! I will make the recipe a "clicky" if you are interested in trying it! Also, I will show the foods we got from the co-op by putting them in bold print. Have a great week!
Monday-leftover chicken and burgers, corn-on-the-cob, green beans
Tuesday-yellow squash and baby portabella mushroom stir fry, couscous, strawberries
Wednesday-turkey tacos and cheesy Spanish rice
Thursday-BBQ chicken legs, corn-on-the-cob, cucumber and tomato salad
Friday-pork steaks and sweet potatoes
Saturday-Wedding Reception dinner
Sunday-salmon steaks with carmelized leeks and carrots
7/11/11
Meal Plan Monday 7-11-11
Wow, we have had a busy few days at the Hob house! It seems that July is just going to be one action-packed weekend after another for us. We missed a few of the meals I had planned for last week for one reason or another so we'll be making those meals up (since I've already got everything on hand) and cleaning out the freezer this week so that there's more room to buy/cook/freeze meats to use for later. So, with no further ado, the meal plan for this week.
Sunday-honey mustard chicken with whole grain rice
Monday-hot dogs and fruit salad (last minute meal :) )
Tuesday-Thai eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and red peppers sauteed and served with Mediterranean curry couscous inspired by Elise's recipe here
Wednesday-breaded fish fillets and pasta salad with chopped tomatoes
Thursday-omelets with red peppers and mushrooms and fruit from our Thursday co-op order
Friday-grilled cheese and salami sandwiches and BBQ chips
Saturday-Dinner Out!
Sunday-honey mustard chicken with whole grain rice
Monday-hot dogs and fruit salad (last minute meal :) )
Tuesday-Thai eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and red peppers sauteed and served with Mediterranean curry couscous inspired by Elise's recipe here
Wednesday-breaded fish fillets and pasta salad with chopped tomatoes
Thursday-omelets with red peppers and mushrooms and fruit from our Thursday co-op order
Friday-grilled cheese and salami sandwiches and BBQ chips
Saturday-Dinner Out!
7/8/11
Adventures in Napping
Let me start off by bragging a little before I hit the hot topic. Little Hob sleeps GREAT at night. From about weeks 1-10, he got up twice a night to eat and then went back to sleep. From weeks 11-14, he'd get up once a night to eat and then go back to sleep. Since around week 14, he sleeps 8:00 pm to 6:30 am and wakes up as happy as a clam and ready to go eat and play for a few hours. I have not had a single night where I've been up all night with him. But he doesn't nap longer than 15-20 minutes a couple of times a day.
-Um.-
-What?-
I was under the assumption that all newborns napped and were sleepy. That's what the books say, right? I remember reading online when Little Hob was around 8-9 weeks old and the text said "Now your baby should be much more awake and alert" and I just laughed to myself thinking "My kid has been awake and alert THIS WHOLE TIME that he was supposed to be sleepy and napping the day away!" The first six weeks of life or so, I just thought he was getting in a routine. And he was! And then we went to Little Hob's six week appointment and the doctor said that he needed about 1.5-2 hours of awake time and then he needed to be put down for a nap. So I went home ready to do that so we could finally get Little Hob into a healthy sleep routine. Little Hob, however, did not hear what the doctor said about going to sleep every 1.5-2 hours apparently because he continued to take 20 minute catnaps and be ready to go on his merry way! And it continues that way now at 16 weeks. A couple of times a week, we may get a 1-2 hour afternoon nap out of him but that is pretty much it.
I have tried ev-er-y-th-in-gggg. Little Hob has been shushed and swung. I have tried putting him down for a nap earlier and spreading the time out between when we are trying to get him to sleep during the day. I have tried rocking him and holding him through a nap. He has been put down for naps completely asleep and slightly drowsy. Little Hob has gone down for naps where I've completely recreated our nighttime routine and he is in his pajamas and sleep sack, turned on the noise machine, blocked out the light, and ran the cold air humidifier. A few times, I've provided a lot of stimulation and activity right before naptime in the hopes of wearing him out and, most of the time, have provided no stimulation to help him wind down and relax. I have swaddled and cuddled and even left him alone to fall asleep to result in...20 minute catnaps. My latest plan, after reading a chapter in a book about helping set a nap routine, is putting him to bed 30 minutes later and waking him at the usual time in the hopes that he'll pick up that 30 minutes of sleep with a nap sometime during the day.
A family member suggested that maybe Little Hob is just not tired. I thought about that but disagree for a couple of reasons. First of all, Little Hob gets super crabby and acts tired around 4-6 pm. Second, babies need sleep as part of a healthy routine. Third, I think Little Hob is tired but just has trouble staying asleep during the day. He gets fussy, rubs his eyes, yawns, etc. and give all the baby sleepy cues and eventually falls asleep but does not nap soundly enough to be asleep for more than 15-20 minutes. Fourth, whether he is tired or just fighting a routine---I want my child to develop healthy sleep habits. I want him to (eventually) be able to put himself to sleep, sleep enough hours during the night, and get the rest he needs to be able to make good decisions and concentrate. Just like any other parent, I want Little Hob to be happy and healthy and I strongly feel that adequate sleep is going to be part of that equation!
So, now what? Right now I'm looking at all the options. I'm reading books (Babywise, Ferber, the Sleepeasy Solution, and Baby Whisperer) at the suggestions of others and I'm reading and listening to other people's experiences with their child's naps. After looking at all of these options, I plan to figure out what is best for our family and talk to our pediatrician about it at our next visit. I think Little Hob may be a little young yet for 'sleep training' and I definitely don't want to mess up this sleeping through the night that he's been doing. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
-Um.-
-What?-
I was under the assumption that all newborns napped and were sleepy. That's what the books say, right? I remember reading online when Little Hob was around 8-9 weeks old and the text said "Now your baby should be much more awake and alert" and I just laughed to myself thinking "My kid has been awake and alert THIS WHOLE TIME that he was supposed to be sleepy and napping the day away!" The first six weeks of life or so, I just thought he was getting in a routine. And he was! And then we went to Little Hob's six week appointment and the doctor said that he needed about 1.5-2 hours of awake time and then he needed to be put down for a nap. So I went home ready to do that so we could finally get Little Hob into a healthy sleep routine. Little Hob, however, did not hear what the doctor said about going to sleep every 1.5-2 hours apparently because he continued to take 20 minute catnaps and be ready to go on his merry way! And it continues that way now at 16 weeks. A couple of times a week, we may get a 1-2 hour afternoon nap out of him but that is pretty much it.
I have tried ev-er-y-th-in-gggg. Little Hob has been shushed and swung. I have tried putting him down for a nap earlier and spreading the time out between when we are trying to get him to sleep during the day. I have tried rocking him and holding him through a nap. He has been put down for naps completely asleep and slightly drowsy. Little Hob has gone down for naps where I've completely recreated our nighttime routine and he is in his pajamas and sleep sack, turned on the noise machine, blocked out the light, and ran the cold air humidifier. A few times, I've provided a lot of stimulation and activity right before naptime in the hopes of wearing him out and, most of the time, have provided no stimulation to help him wind down and relax. I have swaddled and cuddled and even left him alone to fall asleep to result in...20 minute catnaps. My latest plan, after reading a chapter in a book about helping set a nap routine, is putting him to bed 30 minutes later and waking him at the usual time in the hopes that he'll pick up that 30 minutes of sleep with a nap sometime during the day.
A family member suggested that maybe Little Hob is just not tired. I thought about that but disagree for a couple of reasons. First of all, Little Hob gets super crabby and acts tired around 4-6 pm. Second, babies need sleep as part of a healthy routine. Third, I think Little Hob is tired but just has trouble staying asleep during the day. He gets fussy, rubs his eyes, yawns, etc. and give all the baby sleepy cues and eventually falls asleep but does not nap soundly enough to be asleep for more than 15-20 minutes. Fourth, whether he is tired or just fighting a routine---I want my child to develop healthy sleep habits. I want him to (eventually) be able to put himself to sleep, sleep enough hours during the night, and get the rest he needs to be able to make good decisions and concentrate. Just like any other parent, I want Little Hob to be happy and healthy and I strongly feel that adequate sleep is going to be part of that equation!
So, now what? Right now I'm looking at all the options. I'm reading books (Babywise, Ferber, the Sleepeasy Solution, and Baby Whisperer) at the suggestions of others and I'm reading and listening to other people's experiences with their child's naps. After looking at all of these options, I plan to figure out what is best for our family and talk to our pediatrician about it at our next visit. I think Little Hob may be a little young yet for 'sleep training' and I definitely don't want to mess up this sleeping through the night that he's been doing. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
7/4/11
Meal Plan Monday 7-4-11
Happy Fourth of July! We are celebrating the week with some very "American" meals. Well, with the exception of Friday. We ordered a second order from the co-op last week and ended up with a Thai eggplant in our order. I'd never heard of it, but in true "iron chef" fashion, am starting to research recipes to see what we can do with it!
Monday-Fourth of July BBQ
Tuesday-sloppy joes and corn-on-the-cob
Wednesday-baked chicken and smashed cauliflower
Thursday-omelets with red peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes
Friday-something with Thai eggplant and rice...any suggestions?
Saturday-sandwiches for a busy weekend!
Sunday-pork steaks and corn-on-the cob
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Monday-Fourth of July BBQ
Tuesday-sloppy joes and corn-on-the-cob
Wednesday-baked chicken and smashed cauliflower
Thursday-omelets with red peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes
Friday-something with Thai eggplant and rice...any suggestions?
Saturday-sandwiches for a busy weekend!
Sunday-pork steaks and corn-on-the cob
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
6/29/11
Meal Plan Monday 6-27-11...on Wednesday!
Well, the Hob family has been out of town for a few days but hopefully I'll be able to blog a little more this week. We will be getting our second order from the co-op tomorrow so I may be modifying a few things on our menu after we get our order...but it works out best for us if we at least start out with a meal plan!
Monday-out of town
Tuesday-out of town
Wednesday-ordering pizza
Thursday-blueberry pancakes and bacon
Friday-spaghetti with ground turkey and sauteed green beans
Saturday-pork steaks and corn-on-the-cob
Sunday-shrimp etouffee and fresh tomato slices
Monday-out of town
Tuesday-out of town
Wednesday-ordering pizza
Thursday-blueberry pancakes and bacon
Friday-spaghetti with ground turkey and sauteed green beans
Saturday-pork steaks and corn-on-the-cob
Sunday-shrimp etouffee and fresh tomato slices
6/26/11
Family Fun
Our family will be having a lot of firsts coming up with Little Hob and I can't wait to experience them all! Yesterday was our first trip to the pool with Little Hob. We had the whole pool to ourselves and the whole experience could not have gone better. Papa Hob and I are hoping to take Little Hob back today to do a little more splashing around!
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| Feeling the water on his feet for the first time. |
 |
| Not quite sure what to think yet. |
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| "This is GREAT!" |
 |
| In the pool with Papa Hob. |
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| Baby toes :) |
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| Little Hob was "talking" here and telling Papa Hob all about the pool! |
6/24/11
Everyday Easy: Featured on Friday: Mama Hob from Our Sweet Hob Li...
I am being featured on Everyday Easy today! Check it out!
Everyday Easy: Featured on Friday: Mama Hob from Our Sweet Hob Li...: "I am so excited about today's Featured on Friday! Our sister, 'Mama Hob' is sharing an awesome idea that she came up with for our sweet baby..."
One Hundred Days Ago...
Dear Little Hob,
One hundred days ago, you came into our lives and things will never, ever be the same! You have grown and changed so much in 100 days and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.
You have also taught us, your parents, so much in the last 100 days. Here are a few of the highlights....
One hundred days ago, you came into our lives and things will never, ever be the same! You have grown and changed so much in 100 days and we can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.
You have also taught us, your parents, so much in the last 100 days. Here are a few of the highlights....
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| Riding home from the hospital |
- Not all babies take naps....we were not aware of this until you came along. If we're lucky, you take a few 20-30 minute naps a day but you fight it every step of the way!
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| Some days, the only way you will take a nap is in your Baby K'Tan! |
- Everything is new and beautiful through baby eyes. Watching you see something for the first time makes our hearts happy. :)
- Don't put babies on their tummies right after they eat. Really. This never turns out good for anyone.
- You love sunshine! Some of the times when you are the happiest is when we are out walking around the neighborhood. You rarely fall asleep on these walks because you are so busy just taking it all in.
- Parenting is like tag-teaming your way through life. It seems like every time one of us is taking care of you, the other is prepping whatever needs to be done next! (Or chasing after the dogs!)
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| You and Papa Hob getting ready for a party! |
- It is not possible to have too many pacifiers on hand. We'll be excited if you figure out how to keep it in your mouth sooner rather than later! :)
- The first time we heard your little laugh I'm pretty sure our hearts melted. If we could bottle that feeling, we'd be millionaires!
- There's no such thing as being discreet when it comes to you and diapers. You don't care where we are; if it needs done, it gets done.
- We have loved watching you go from hating baths to LOVING bath-time. This week you figured out how to get the little bath loofah/washcloth into your mouth. Bath toys are in your future as soon as you can sit up a little better!
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| Little Hob at 2 weeks old. He was REALLY mad about something but adorable somehow anyway. :) |
- You HATE to have your picture taken. We have been taking you to BRU monthly to get photos done and you have cried and screamed through all three photo sessions so far. Hopefully this gets better as you get a little older because you really have a nice smile you could be showing off!
- We love to sit and snuggle with you. You love listening to stories before you go to bed and are starting to "read" along with us.
- You've taught us that every baby sleeps through the night eventually...it was almost magical the first day we woke up and realized you had made it all night!
It has been an absolute joy to have you in our lives and we can't wait to see what else you have in store for us in the upcoming months.
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| Our sweet little family. :) |
Love,
Mama Hob & Papa Hob
6/22/11
Fruits and Veggies from the Co-Op
As I mentioned in my first post, Papa Hob and I decided to try a co-op last week in an effort to get more fruits and vegetables into our diet and maybe spend a little less at the grocery store. I did a decent amount of budgeting research...okay maybe a little too much :)...before we did this to make sure we would be saving money by doing this and actually be able to incorporate what we bought into our menu.
So, for the entire month of May I saved every food receipt. At the end of the month, I took all the receipts and categorized what we bought (luckily the grocery store receipts already do this for you) to see how much we spent on meat, dairy, veggies, fruit, etc. Like I said, I may have gone a bit overboard on the research but I wanted to make sure we made the most out of the co-op if we were going to try it and saving those receipts and adding the items up took 15 minutes for the entire month! As it turned out, we were really lacking in the fruits and veggies department and spending way more than we should on two people eating meat should in the span of one month.
I then ordered the food from a co-op online. All I had to do from that point was go to pick it up at a pre-designated day/time! For about $23.00, we got enough fruits and vegetables to last a family two weeks. Here's what we got....
So, for the entire month of May I saved every food receipt. At the end of the month, I took all the receipts and categorized what we bought (luckily the grocery store receipts already do this for you) to see how much we spent on meat, dairy, veggies, fruit, etc. Like I said, I may have gone a bit overboard on the research but I wanted to make sure we made the most out of the co-op if we were going to try it and saving those receipts and adding the items up took 15 minutes for the entire month! As it turned out, we were really lacking in the fruits and veggies department and spending way more than we should on two people eating meat should in the span of one month.
I then ordered the food from a co-op online. All I had to do from that point was go to pick it up at a pre-designated day/time! For about $23.00, we got enough fruits and vegetables to last a family two weeks. Here's what we got....
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| Look at all those plums! Tastes like summer! |
| Bananas |
Pint Blueberries |
Braeburn Apples |
Black Plums |
Sunkist Navel Oranges |
South Carolina Large Peaches |
Chiquita Golds Pineapple |
Arkansas Tomatoes |
Cucumbers |
Romaine Hearts 3 to a bag |
Red Potatoes |
Large Bulk Portabella Mushrooms |
Fancy Green Okra |
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| Lots of red potatoes! Can't wait to use them to make rosemary potatoes tonight! |
6/20/11
Meal Plan Monday 6-20-11
After having Little Hob three months ago, I've really made an effort to get organized and have a plan for managing things around the house. The progress has been slow but I am getting there as far as organizing my time with cleaning and planning! One area I wanted to improve was our meal planning. Papa Hob and I were eating out way too often and finding ourselves wondering almost every night-what's for dinner? I've begun to make a meal plan for each week to keep us from spontaneously eating out quite as often and to hopefully manage to make some healthier meals with fewer processed foods.
Papa Hob and I kept all of our food receipts from the month of May and found out where we were spending the most money and what we were buying. By far, we spent more on meats than anything else...which is understandable because meat is expensive! We decided that we were going to try a co-op to get more fruits and vegetables into our diet. We were shocked at how much were able to get for about $20 every two weeks from the co-op! The meal plan this week incorporates the fruits and vegetables so that we make sure we use everything we bought. I'll put the co-op items in bold so you can see some of the great things we got!
Monday-French toast, baked bacon, South Carolina peaches
Tuesday-grilled pork steaks, grilled portabella mushrooms, grilled pineapple spears
Wednesday-rosemary chicken breasts, red potatoes, black plums
Thursday-chicken fried rice, salad (romaine lettuce, Arkansas tomatoes, cucumber)
Friday-Zesty Slow Cooker BBQ chicken, fried okra, Braeburn apples
Saturday-steak, baked sweet potatoes, ice cream
Sunday-BBQ with the neighbors....bringing dessert!
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