Tasty Tuesday: Delicious Banana Bread!

Stephanie is very into baking lately, and asks me every day what we're going to make. I love the time that she and I get to spend together in the kitchen, and I have to say that she's a very good helper! She pours things into the bowl and mixes everything together for me. She is always proud of our final product and tells me that she is my star chef. 

One of our favorite baked goods is banana bread, and after trying many different recipes I finally found the perfect one. The original recipe came from SimplyRecipes.com and can be found here: Simply Recipes Banana Bread

I modified it very little because it was almost perfect the way it was. I've made it twice now, and the first time it came out a little overdone, so I shortened the baking time by 5 minutes. I added walnuts the first time, which was delicious as well. (My husband likes chocolate chips in his banana bread so I'll be adding those next time.)

Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed (I used 3 each time and let Stephanie mash them with a potato masher. It was her favorite part of the whole process.)

1/3 C melted butter

1 C sugar 

1 egg, beaten

1 teas vanilla

1 teas baking soda

pinch of salt

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 

2) With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas, in a large mixing bowl

3) Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla

4) Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt. Mix.

5) Pour mixture into a buttered 4/8 inch loaf pan. (I used cooking spray instead of butter)

6) Bake for 1 hour (As I stated above, I took it out 5 minutes sooner.)

7) Cool on a rack, then remove from pan. Slice to serve. (We ate this yesterday while it was still warm from the oven. SO delicious!)

*I'm linking up with my friend Candice over at The New Modern Momma today for Tasty Tuesday! Hop on over to get some other delicious recipe ideas from some amazing bloggers.

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3 Year Letter To Stephanie

Dear Stephanie,

Last week you turned three years old. Three. It is unbelievable to me that the past three years are already behind us. I am amazed every day at what you know and the things you can do.

You are such a smart girl. You've been able to recognize all the letters of the alphabet for over a year now, and you're starting to put them together to recognize and sound out words. You can almost spell your name (it has a lot of letters!) and want so badly to learn how to write. You know colors, shapes and numbers and love to point these things out to your brother.

Your favorite activity is reading. You love having Daddy and I to read to you (we once read 17 story books in a row) but you also love to read on your own. I often find you curled up on the couch with a book, retelling the story almost word for word. You have a fantastic memory. (This also means I need to watch what I say. If I tell you we're going to do something later you won't let me forget.)

You also love coloring, stickers, gluing and stamping. You've recently developed a love for puzzles and will sit at the table putting a small jigsaw puzzle together all by yourself. It makes me so proud to watch you struggle to put the pieces together and then cheer when you've completed it.

One of my favorite things about you is your love for your brother. You are always looking out for him and hugging him, and you hate when he is crying in his bed. Oh you certainly have your moments of not wanting him near you and you've been known to yell at him from time to time. But in general you two are best friends and I am thankful that you have each other to go through life with.

You love to watch TV and aren't always happy when I set limits on how often it's on in our house. But you've learned that you can watch a little first thing in the morning and when you wake up from your rest in the afternoon. Oh yes, I said rest. You gave up your naps before Christmas. This means you are often quite cranky by dinner time and we've gotten into a lot of discussions about whining. If you can't talk to me without whining, you know you need to go into your bed and rest until you can use a nice voice. But back to TV! Your favorite show is Thomas the Tank Engine. I love how much you love it, and the fact that you aren't exclusively obsessed with princesses. (Oh you do love princesses, but your love for Thomas is a good balance.)

You started nursery school in September, and although we had a rough start you've learned to love it. You talk about your teachers and friends with excitement and look forward to going to school so you can tell them things. I always hear you singing the songs you've learned and it makes me smile when I recognize them from my years of teaching at that school. I'm proud of how far you've come from the days of crying for the full 2.5 hours that you were there.

We had a wonderful year last year, and I can't wait to see all the new things you will learn while you are three. I have no doubt that you will continue to amaze me as you grow and change. You are a sweet, loving, smart and beautiful little girl and I feel so blessed to be your Mommy. I hope you always have the strength and perseverance that you exhibit now, and that you will always be as happy and carefree as you are at 3 years old. Thank you for being all that you are.

I love you a million billion sweet girl!
Love,
Mommy

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Thankful Thursday, Christmas Edition: Week 2

Happy 2nd Thursday of the Christmas season! We had a bit of a rough week, but I still have so much to be thankful for.

This week my list includes:

~Our Christmas tree. I finally got my husband to put up the tree after days of nagging asking. I find myself getting frustrated whenever I see it standing there in my living room, waiting for him to put the lights on. I'm trying really really hard to focus on just being thankful that it's up and to remember that i'll be even more thankful for it once the lights and ornaments finally go on.

~Holiday birthdays. Both my niece and Dan celebrated a birthday this past week. Even though those days aren't necessarily related to Christmas, they always occur during the season, which gives them a little extra magic.

~Christmas movies. Stephanie was sick with a stomach bug all weekend and holiday movies were our saving grace. We watched Thomas' Christmas and the Elf on the Shelf movie over and over and over again while she rested on the couch.

~Wrapping gifts. I've been spending a little time each day getting this job done, and I love it! I brew a cup of Mocha Nescafe Memento, put Christmas carols on the radio and wrap. It's a peaceful activity, and i'm excited that I've already make a big dent in the amount I have to do.

~Holiday gatherings. We celebrated an early Christmas on Saturday with two of our best friends. It's a tough year for them (you might remember the story about how their beautiful daughter Maya died in June) and it was a bittersweet celebration. But we were happy to see them and spend quality time together.

Once again i'm linking up with Joanna at Baby Gators Den. I'd love to know what you're thankful for, so feel free to link up or comment! And check out the other great Thankful Thursday posts when you have time. Have a great week!

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Jingle All the Way

The beginning of December was a hectic time for us last year. Joseph was less than two months old, had a lot of stomach issues and didn't sleep well, and Stephanie was starting to develop a horrible tantrum habit. In the midst of planning for Christmas I was also thinking about my niece's birthday (December 4th...today!), Dan's birthday (December 5th) and Joseph's Baptism, which ended up being the 4th as well.

I was tired, cranky, and overwhelmed by all of the events that were going on and with having two young ones under the age of two. But then, on the day of Joseph's Baptism, Dan's Grandma handed us her annual envelope for Elf Shopping (we shop for our kids, but the gifts come from her.) That year however, she also included a big gift bag.

When we got home from the Baptism party we opened the bag and discovered Jingle the Husky Pup. He was an adorable stuffed animal who came with his own book and DVD. I have to admit that my first thought was "Oh...another stuffed animal. Super." But I would soon find out that Jingle was no ordinary stuffed animal!

The very next day, as I struggled to get Joseph to eat (not an easy task) while simultaneously preparing to take both kids out to eat for Dan's birthday, Stephanie was being whiny and clingy. In an act of desperation I remembered that the stuffed animal came with a movie. I popped it in the DVD player, set her down in the living room and went about my tasks. I didn't have high expectations. At 21 months, she wasn't really into TV. But 20 minutes later I realized she hadn't moved the whole time the movie was on. (It's a short little show that was originally broadcast on the Hallmark channel.) I was amazed, and when she asked for it again I put it on and watched with her.

Jingle All The Way is a tale of a boy who wants a dog and a dog who wants a boy. Jingle and Andrew (the protagonist) overcome several obstacles to be together, and on Christmas morning their wishes come true. It's a heartwarming tale with a gentle Christmas music sound-track. The characters are sweet and the length is perfect for toddlers. When I finished watching it that first time I thought "This is going to be a new Christmas classic for us." And I was right.

From that moment on, Jingle became our stand-by. For the entire holiday season we watched the movie every single day. Sometimes more than once. It was my saving grace because I could actually feed the baby and get some holiday prep done. I didn't even mind when we watched it back-to-back. To back.

Stephanie also enjoyed the book (she was just starting to sit for stories.) I think the fact that Jingle responds to several key phrases helped keep her interested.

This year we were eager to pull Jingle out again, and again he has been a major part of our holiday season thus far. Many mornings we start our day by putting the movie on. Stephanie curls up on the couch with her Jingle puppy and watches the movie. Joseph loves it too, and will bark back to Jingle. We've read the book over and over and it is just as charming this year as it was last year.

Today marks 1 year of having Jingle in our lives, and I couldn't be more happy that he's here! I know he will be a part of our Christmas season for many more years to come.

Watching Jingle first thing in the morning

I was not compensated in any way to endorse Jingle. This post was written purely to share our love of Jingle with all of you!

*Are we friends on Facebook? If not, come like A Baby Makes Four! 

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Thankful Thursday

It's that time again...Thankful Thursday!

This week I have so much to be thankful for. I love taking a moment each week to really think about my blessings...it puts things in perspective and reminds me of the many, many wonderful parts of my life!

This week i'm thankful for:

~Sleep. I feel saner, calmer, and more organized now that both kids sleep through the night almost every night!

~My parents, who invited the kids and I over for dinner on Monday. (Dan was out of town.) It meant a lot to have a night where, even though Dan wasn't home, I didn't have to do the night-time routine completely alone.

~Rhody Bloggers. I went to an event last night (hosted by the fabulous ladies of Rhody Mamas) and spent time with some of my Rhody Blogger friends. It was nice to get a rare night out and leave the kids at home!

~The holiday season. It makes me happy to hear the Christmas music in the stores and see all the decorations. I know people mutter and groan that it's too early...but I love it!

~An exciting upcoming blogger opportunity that I really can't wait to share with all of you in a few weeks.

~Stephanie's week at school. She had a great day both times she went this week. She's finally turning a corner and school mornings aren't the miserable nightmare that they were for a while!

I'd love to hear what you're thankful for this week! And link up if you're a blogger and wrote a Thankful Thursday post. As always, thank you to Joanna of Baby Gators Den for hosting. :)

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Wordless-ish Wednesday: 13 Month Edition

Yesterday my baby turned 13 months old. (I know, I know, most people stop keeping track of the months after 1 year, but after 12 months of acknowledging the 13th of every month it's hard to stop.)

I didn't remember to snap a picture of him until right after dinner. Afterwards I was looking at the picture and didn't really see any resemblance to Stephanie at that age. (I used to really think they looked alike, especially in  their six-month pictures.) The more I look at these pictures though, the more I see some similarities. What do you think...do they look alike?

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A Week in My Life: Tuesday

Welcome to day two of "Week in My Life!" If you missed yesterday's post, you can check it out here and see what this whole thing is all about.

MORNING:

Today started a little later then yesterday (6:15 versus 5:45) but both kiddos woke at the same time. We headed out to the living room for coffee and sippy cups of milk.

I did my best to get a little bit of work done on the computer.

In order to accomplish that, this went on:

By 7:00 it was time to get dressed so we could get Stephanie to school on time. The process of getting dressed isn't always easy, and this is why: 

The half-dressed boy would much rather do arts and crafts with his sister then lie still for a diaper change and to get his clothes on...

Once I finally wrangled them both into their clothes, the kids woke up Dan and then played while I made breakfast.

Breakfast today consisted of:

We headed out the door for school at 8:30, and dropped Stephanie off at 9. Joseph and I ran errands while she was at school You know we stopped here for a little pick-me-up:

We picked her up at 11:30, and got home at noon.

AFTERNOON

After walking in the door, taking off shoes and washing our hands, I made a peanut butter & jelly sandwich for Stephanie, a jelly sandwich for Joseph, hard boiled eggs for myself and clementines for all of us.

Stephanie colored and stickered her wooden bat mask while I did all the lunch prep.

We ate, and the kids played while I washed the dishes. The TV came on so that I could get it done quickly. Peep and the Big Wide World annoys me...

I'm ready to tackle these dishes!

Ahhh, all clean

Of course after I was finished cleaning the kids were playing nicely together.

I hated to interrupt them, but it was 1:20, which meant we needed to read books so the kids could get down for their naps. These are the ones Stephanie chose for us to read:

Joseph was in bed by 1:30, Stephanie by 1:45. I made a cup of tea and then did some research on the computer. Joseph was up at 3:15, and Stephanie soon after. Stephanie then got a bloody nose, and Joseph spent 15 minutes screaming and pulling on me while I sat with her to try and get it to stop bleeding. Once it was all set we jumped in the car to go to CVS for:

Now that Joseph drinks milk, Stephanie has started having some whenever he does. (She used to be a one cup in the morning kind of girl.) At this point I think it may be cheaper to just buy a cow...

EVENING:

We got back from CVS at 4:30. Stephanie played dollhouse in her playroom while I started dinner. Joseph kept me company in the kitchen...

Right after I took this picture, he started pulling on my legs and whining. Instead of taking the risk of dropping the knife on him, I did this:

Goldfish in a snack-trap kept him entertained. Since it was Tuesday, Dan had class and wouldn't be home for dinner. Usually the kids and I will have "kid" food like waffles, pizza or macaroni and cheese. I sometimes feel bad about these unhealthy meals, so I make sure to include a veggie every time, use whole-grain waffles and buy Annie's organic macaroni and cheese. However, in honor of this time of year, I bought this:

Stephanie loves finding the bats and pumpkins, and I figure having it as a treat once in a while can't hurt. Plus...I love Kraft!

While the carrots and macaroni & cheese bubbled on the stove, Stephanie came up from her playroom and sat down to do some "Santa List." She takes the fisher price catalog and circles all the things she wants to ask Santa for. (Notice the change of shirt. That was thanks to the bloody nose.)

Once the carrots were cooked, black beans were prepped and the mac & cheese was done we sat down to eat.

And after this I didn't take a single picture. Which kind of bums me out, since I did so well all day. But the rest of our night went like this:

5:45: We finished eating and the kids played while I cleaned up.

6:20: Dan came home and we had some family time.

6:45: Pajamas and teeth brushing time, followed by books and bed.

8:00: Right now. I'm finishing up this blog, Dan is unwinding by watching re-runs of The Mentalist, and as soon as i'm done I will be having a glass of wine!

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Wordless Wednesday: Back to School Edition

My little girl started school yesterday! She's attending a toddler nursery school program two mornings a week. She had a fantastic first day, with minimal tears. I'm so proud of her! Enjoy these pictures of her first day.

*For those of you who are my friend on Facebook, you've seen these. Sorry for the repeat, but she was just so cute I couldn't resist posting them on the blog as well!

Dressed up in her new Back-to-School outfit!

Posing with Joseph

Posing with Daddy

Posing with Mommy!

Walking into School with Daddy

Playing in her classroom before we left

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First Haircut

She's walking, she's talking, she's starting school in two days. (More on that in another post.) She eats with a fork and spoon (most of the time), can drink from a regular cup and is 100% potty-trained (no pull-ups, even at night.) She knows all her colors, shapes, and letters. My girl is growing up, and yesterday she reached another milestone: her first haircut.

We talked up the haircut in the days leading up to it. I wanted her to be excited, even though she really had no idea what getting a haircut meant.

On the morning of the big day we dropped baby brother off at my mom's house and headed out for some girl time.

When we got to the salon, she was thrilled. (It was a pretty cool place.) She bounced up and down on the chairs in the waiting area, and posed with the Snip-Its mascot.

When it was time to hop up in the seat, she did so gamely. When the hairdresser put the smock on, her eyes got a little big, but we talked her through what was happening.

And then she was given bubbles to blow, and it was as if she had been handed a million dollars. It's amazing how powerful bubbles can be.

The hairdresser cut off a few inches, blew it dry, and styled it with a french braid, complete with a bow. (She asked Stephanie her favorite color and she responded "blue and pink." So that's what she got.)

The trip was completed with a handful of animal crackers, a pretty bracelet souvenir, and a certificate for her first haircut. (Which contained a piece of her precious baby hair.) My proud girl held it up and posed for pictures. She then announced that she needed another haircut so she could blow bubbles in the big chair again.

After I convinced her that her hair needs to grow long again before we cut it, we headed out to finish our day with some shopping.

What do you think....quite a difference, right?

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The Call Of (Motherhood) Duty

I've learned that being a Mom is all about expecting the unexpected. If you keep that in the back of your mind, you can learn to merely laugh when parenthood throws a wrench in your carefully laid plans. (And really, the only other option you have is to curl up in a ball and cry. Which doesn't really help the problem.)

The kids and I are off on a camping trip tomorrow. We're meeting my parents at a campsite about half an hour from our house. We'll be there until Wednesday afternoon. I'm leaving at 9am on Thursday to go to NYC for BlogHer12. I had everything carefully planned out. Lists written, schedules for packing, errands I needed to squeeze in. We were even going to my cousin's graduation party today, an hour away. I knew that if I could accomplish everything on my list this morning and tomorrow morning it would all get done and I wouldn't have to worry about it. Both trips would be executed without a hitch.

Then last night Stephanie seemed stuffy. When we put her to bed we noticed she was having a lot of trouble breathing out of her nose. When I went to bed at 11:30, she had already cried out for me a few times. At 1:30 I heard her again. I went in and laid with her. She was very restless, and seemed warm. I took her temp. 100.2. Gave her some motrin, laid with her for a while longer, and left her room around 3. At 4:30 I heard her again, and ended up spending the rest of the night holding her as she tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable.

At 8:30 in the morning, as she was standing in the middle of the living room, she threw up her entire cup of juice. (Sorry if you have a weak stomach. This is parenthood for you...uncensored!)

 For the briefest of minutes, as I stood staring at her standing in the middle of her own puke, sobbing her heart out, thoughts of my to-do list and our plans for the day flitted through my head. Then the thoughts left, as quickly as they came.

I sprang into action, scooping up my sick child and putting her in a warm bath. I called the host of the party we were attending to explain why we wouldn't be there. I spent the rest of the day alternating between giving her lots of TLC and crossing items off my to-do list. (Thanks goodness it was a Saturday that Dan didn't have to work.) Everything got done, but most importantly I was able to give my little one the attention she deserved during her time of need.

Motherhood is a balancing act. It requires the flexibilty to alter your plans at a moments notice in order to tend to the needs of your child. It isn't always easy, and it can be extremely challenging to let go of all the other stuff that you need and want to do.

But in the end, these trips will come and go. All the hard work and planning will soon be forgotten. But years from now, as Stephanie cares for her own sick child, she will (hopefully) remember how her mother reacted when she was sick. How it seemed like nothing else in the world mattered except her needs. How she spent the day in cozy clothes, and rocking in the glider, and eating "sick" foods like saltines and chicken soup. How her mother dropped her endless lists the second she said, in her sad, plaintive voice "Mommy, I need you." I know these things are what I remember from my own childhood.

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Saturday's Top 5 Laughs...on Sunday

I'm a little late with my laughs this week. OK, i'm late by a few weeks. It's been awhile since I've linked up with  Melissa from the Mommyhood Chronicles, but i'm excited to be back there this week! (Better late than never, right??)

1. A few weeks ago I was tweeting my friend Kameron from My Wrinkle In Time. Stephanie asked me who I was talking to, and when I told her it was Kameron, she started laughing hysterically. When I finally asked her what was so funny she said "Mommy, you can't talk to your camera!"

2. At breakfast one morning, I gave Stephanie a breakfast bar, and walked into the kitchen. A minute later, Dan walked into the dining room and asked her where her bar was. She gave him a withering look and said, somewhat condescendingly, "It's in my tummy Daddy." Total "duh" attitude. We both cracked up. Apparently she's 2 going on 15.

3. Now that Joseph is on the move, he crawls everywhere. He also wakes up at the crack of dawn, way before Stephanie. After his bottle and diaper change, I put him down to play. He immediately crawls to Stephanie's room. If her door is open a crack, he'll push it open and crawl in, giggling when he sees her sleeping in her bed. If the door is shut all the way, he sits right outside waiting for her. He loves his big sister so much!

4. Whenever I ask Stephanie how old Joseph is, she says 3 months. I tell her he's 9 months now, and she says "No Mommy. He 3 months." There's no changing her mind. She even told a woman in Kohls yesterday that her brother is 3 months. I wonder what she's going to do when it's his birthday...

5. Tonight I was putting Stephanie's pajamas on and said "Come on, put your pants on." She laughed at me and said "They not pants mommy, they pajama bottoms! Silly Mommy." I'm so lucky to have her around to correct me...it turns out i'm wrong quite a bit. ;)

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Enjoy your upcoming week. And if you have time, check out the other funny posts in the link-up, and link up your own if you have one!

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Saturday's Top 5 Laughs

Happy Saturday! I'm linking up with Melissa from the  Mommyhood Chronicles again this week for Saturday's Top 5 Laughs. Enjoy my weekly dose of amusement. :)

1. Stephanie was eating a sprinkled donut in the car, and she said "uh-oh. Mommy, we need a tain-ticket."
    Me: A train ticket?
    Stephanie: No. A tain ticket
    Me: Plane ticket?
    S: NO! Tain ticket
    M: Train ticket?
    S: NO! WE NEED TO TAIN TICKET!
    M: (Lightbulb goes off) ooooooh, did you make a mess? Do we need to stain stick it?
    S: Yes mommy. Tain ticket.

2. We out to dinner for my mom's birthday on Thursday. Stephanie wanted a cupcake so my mom, Stephanie and my niece ordered a giant one to split. When it arrived, my mom put Stephanie's piece down in front of her. She looked at it for a minute, and then proceeded to eat it like a dog, just leaning over and eating it with no hands.

3. One night at bedtime this week Stephanie and Dan sat in front of our sliding glass door saying goodnight to all the things outside. (Goodnight to the trees, the sky, the moon, the flowers, the grass, etc.) All of a sudden I heard her say "goodnight Daddy's pot." I looked up and realized she was saying goodnight to his grill, which is this little Webster that she assumes is a pot to cook in, since that's what Daddy uses to make hotdogs and hamburgers outside. I couldn't help but laugh. It is so funny to think of the world the way a two year old does.

4. Dan decided it was time to see if Joseph likes lemons as much as his sister does. (She will eat entire lemon slices without making any kind of face. She loves them.) Joseph's reaction was slightly different....my poor baby.

5. I went out with a great group of women last night to see Motherhood the Musical. It was a fantastic show that had me laughing out loud. (And also crying at a few parts.) I can't recommend it highly enough. If you're a mom or a mom-to-be you have to go see this show! (A special shout-out to the ladies from Rhody Mamas who organized a group of us to go together.)

*I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! If you want to laugh some more, come on over to Melissa's site and check out the other bloggers who have linked up this weekend. 

*And don't forget to enter my BabyGanics giveaway for your chance to win a free bottle of sunscreen! It ends Monday morning.

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