It's been a busy week! Busy and crazy.
* I was just informed that I have to go to a client site next week. Thank goodness this client site is in the same city as mine so I don't have to go far. But still! That means I have to wake up early and get ready and look presentable for the day. Plus the fact that I won't see my babies at all during the day. Oh, and clothes? I need business clothes to wear. Ugh.
* I am in the process of labeling all my blog posts. This is taking a long time. But it's nice to have everything so organized. I also have realized that I have a lot of posts about sleep. Gee I wonder if that's because we battled it for so long?
* I took the boys to the playground on Sunday. The weather was so nice and I wanted to take advantage. I am ashamed to admit this but it was the first time I took them both out at the same time. I have taken them both to a super quick trip to the store but this was the first trip for any length of time. I did fine. I put Cal in the Moby and than chased Jack around as needed. Since the weather is supposed to be nice this upcoming weekend I am hoping to take them out again. My active toddler needs some time outside running.
* Can someone come clean my house? It's in serious need. I wish I had a day to just clean. My floors need to be steam cleaned, the bathroom needs a deep cleaning and I just want to get the house spring/summer ready.
* Cal hasn't been sleeping great these past few days. I am not sure if he's going through a growth spurt or what but I am tired. I am considering buying him this blanket. I just can't pull the trigger on $30 though. Plus, what if it isn't a "miracle"? I actually just assume that products labeled this way don't work but I am willing to try.
* I may or may not have taught Jack that "Daddy's stinky". We were at the grocery store and needed to pick up deodarant for Jason. I told Jack "This is so Daddy isn't stinky anymore". So now Jack points to the deodarant in the bathroom and says "Daddy ginky". It's pretty funny.
* I forgot that I had a baby shower to attend on Saturday. That means I also haven't purchased a gift. Ugh. I am lazy and don't want to go to the store so cue Amazon Prime free shipping! I ended up ordering a super cute cloth diaper and an outfit. I know this mom cloth diapers and she only has boys so I wanted her to have a girly cloth diaper. I hope she appreciates it and doesn't think I am a weirdo.
That's about it for now. I will have an upcoming A Week's Worth of Dinner post this Friday so stay tuned for that.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
A Week's Worth of Dinners
I had a lot of fun the last time I did this post so I thought I would continue it.
Sunday was Easter and we ate Easter dinner over at my in-laws' house. Alas, I didn't cook anything other than a cake (see previous post) so I don't have anything to add for Sunday.
Monday night was burrito night. I am on-call this week for work which generally means I can be called away from family time at any moment. This means that I need super simple meals. Either they need to take a couple of minutes to prepare or they need to be a crockpot meal. Burritos is one of my "cheater" meals which means it takes nothing more than heating up some beans and cooking some ground beef.
I don't have any pictures because we all know what a burrito looks like. Burrito night entails cooking a pound of ground beef, stirring in some taco seasoning, heating up beans, shredding some cheese, and taking out the sour cream and salsa from the fridge. From there, we all just put together our burritos and eat.
Tuesday night was Pizza Crescent night. These are very simple to assemble and take about 5 minutes to do so. I don't use a formal recipe other than the one linked above to tell me what temperature to set the oven and how long to bake. We ate these with a salad and green beans. I like this type of meal because if it's anything pizza related, Jack will usually eat it. And he did.
Wednesday night was Taco Bake night. This is a meal made in the crockpot and it's very easy. It does take a little bit of prep time beforehand but nothing more complicated than browning some ground beef and cooking the onion and then simmering some ingredients.
This recipe makes a ton so it's good for lunch time leftovers. You could serve this with a salad and make a complete meal.
Thursday night was Brown Sugar Chicken in the crockpot. No, this is not a typo. I used a combination of chicken thighs and breasts since I had a couple of thighs to use up. Once again, this was an easy recipe and required nothing more than measuring some sugar and dumping a bunch of stuff in the crockpot. The rice was done in the rice cooker so it was super easy as well.
This recipe was very good. I didn't find the chicken overly sweet. It tasted more like an Asian teriyaki more than anything. I do not have a picture of this dish but I assure you it looks exactly like the picture posted on the recipe blog.
Friday (today) night is dinner over at the in-laws so no recipe today. Tomorrow is Jason's game night with the guys so again, no cooking. Jack will of course get something yummy for dinner, either English muffin pizzas or a quesadilla (both favorites of his).
Bonus Dessert Recipe!
I wanted to bake on Saturday night, which in itself is crazy because I was home alone with the boys. I figure I could handle it though since Jack was in his highchair eating dinner. I plopped Cal in his bouncer and we baked together. I wanted to make brownies but something out of the ordinary and not just the usual chocolate. I scanned Cooks.com and came across this recipe and whipped it up in no time!
My only issue was that I slightly overbaked the brownies. They were SUPER rich and mighty tasty. Next time, I won't be overbaking.
Lovely aren't they?
On the menu for next week:
* Baked Chicken Nuggets and Fries
* Ham, Cheese and Broccoli Quiche
* Baked Ham, Potatoes and Rolls
* Baked Ziti with Spinach
* Spaghetti and Meatballs
Sunday was Easter and we ate Easter dinner over at my in-laws' house. Alas, I didn't cook anything other than a cake (see previous post) so I don't have anything to add for Sunday.
Monday night was burrito night. I am on-call this week for work which generally means I can be called away from family time at any moment. This means that I need super simple meals. Either they need to take a couple of minutes to prepare or they need to be a crockpot meal. Burritos is one of my "cheater" meals which means it takes nothing more than heating up some beans and cooking some ground beef.
I don't have any pictures because we all know what a burrito looks like. Burrito night entails cooking a pound of ground beef, stirring in some taco seasoning, heating up beans, shredding some cheese, and taking out the sour cream and salsa from the fridge. From there, we all just put together our burritos and eat.
Tuesday night was Pizza Crescent night. These are very simple to assemble and take about 5 minutes to do so. I don't use a formal recipe other than the one linked above to tell me what temperature to set the oven and how long to bake. We ate these with a salad and green beans. I like this type of meal because if it's anything pizza related, Jack will usually eat it. And he did.
Wednesday night was Taco Bake night. This is a meal made in the crockpot and it's very easy. It does take a little bit of prep time beforehand but nothing more complicated than browning some ground beef and cooking the onion and then simmering some ingredients.
This recipe makes a ton so it's good for lunch time leftovers. You could serve this with a salad and make a complete meal.
Thursday night was Brown Sugar Chicken in the crockpot. No, this is not a typo. I used a combination of chicken thighs and breasts since I had a couple of thighs to use up. Once again, this was an easy recipe and required nothing more than measuring some sugar and dumping a bunch of stuff in the crockpot. The rice was done in the rice cooker so it was super easy as well.
This recipe was very good. I didn't find the chicken overly sweet. It tasted more like an Asian teriyaki more than anything. I do not have a picture of this dish but I assure you it looks exactly like the picture posted on the recipe blog.
Friday (today) night is dinner over at the in-laws so no recipe today. Tomorrow is Jason's game night with the guys so again, no cooking. Jack will of course get something yummy for dinner, either English muffin pizzas or a quesadilla (both favorites of his).
Bonus Dessert Recipe!
I wanted to bake on Saturday night, which in itself is crazy because I was home alone with the boys. I figure I could handle it though since Jack was in his highchair eating dinner. I plopped Cal in his bouncer and we baked together. I wanted to make brownies but something out of the ordinary and not just the usual chocolate. I scanned Cooks.com and came across this recipe and whipped it up in no time!
My only issue was that I slightly overbaked the brownies. They were SUPER rich and mighty tasty. Next time, I won't be overbaking.
Lovely aren't they?
* Baked Chicken Nuggets and Fries
* Ham, Cheese and Broccoli Quiche
* Baked Ham, Potatoes and Rolls
* Baked Ziti with Spinach
* Spaghetti and Meatballs
Milk Donation
This is what 450 ounces of breastmilk looks like:
This is not my entire stash either. Due to a lack of freezer space (this freezer is on top of Jason's kegerator in the shop), I also have over 150 ounces at my in-laws house and then another 200 in the freezer inside our house. Add that up? That's 800 ounces of breastmilk.
I am slowly running out of space to store it and I don't want to drop a pumping session yet. Based on that, I started looking into the option of donating some milk.
After some research, I found that in order to donate to the national organization, you can't be on any medication. I am on Celexa but still didn't want milk to go to waste. I called around in the city and talked to a couple of lactation clinics and they were going to spread the word to their Mom groups to see if anyone would be interested. I stressed the fact that I was on anti-depressants and please make sure they were aware.
I also posted on HM4HB's (Human Milk for Human Babies) Facebook page for any people in the Portland area who may be interested.
Not a day later I received a call from someone who has two babies in need. Today, I will be delivering 200 ounces of frozen breastmilk to the parents of the babies. I can't tell you how happy this makes me to be able to help other babies in need.
I really want to keep up the donation process if my supply continues to behave. But for now, I am thrilled to be able to share what I have.
I am slowly running out of space to store it and I don't want to drop a pumping session yet. Based on that, I started looking into the option of donating some milk.
After some research, I found that in order to donate to the national organization, you can't be on any medication. I am on Celexa but still didn't want milk to go to waste. I called around in the city and talked to a couple of lactation clinics and they were going to spread the word to their Mom groups to see if anyone would be interested. I stressed the fact that I was on anti-depressants and please make sure they were aware.
I also posted on HM4HB's (Human Milk for Human Babies) Facebook page for any people in the Portland area who may be interested.
Not a day later I received a call from someone who has two babies in need. Today, I will be delivering 200 ounces of frozen breastmilk to the parents of the babies. I can't tell you how happy this makes me to be able to help other babies in need.
I really want to keep up the donation process if my supply continues to behave. But for now, I am thrilled to be able to share what I have.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Newest Diaper Purchases
Cloth diapers are addicting. For real. I can't stop looking online for new diapers, different brands, fun patterns and learning more about what kinds work for others.
Let's face it, Cal has plenty of diapers. He truly doesn't need any more. However, MOM wants more. I tell myself it's because it means more time being laundry loads. Or, because we could keep a couple of spare diapers in the diaper bag without depleted the stash. Or maybe it's because I just can't help how cute they are.
I love trying out new diapers and my latest purchase is going to allow me to do just that. I bought four different diapers all in brands I have never tried before.
Rumparooz G2 One Size diaper with Aplix in Ladder print
I know the picture shows snaps but I got the aplix closure. We have decided that we like aplix/hook and loop closure more than the snaps.
GroVia AIO One Size with Aplix in Plane print
bumGenius One-Size Hook & Loop Closure Cloth Diaper 4.0
The color above is called Clementine and since Cal has so many blue diapers I wanted to mix it up with a fun color.
Bummis Super Whisper Wrap with aplix in Rocket print
This is a sized diaper which I normally steer clear of but I thought I would give one a try.
I can't wait for my new fluff to arrive! I am pretty sure that I will be doing reviews of these puppies too once I try them out a couple of times.
Let's face it, Cal has plenty of diapers. He truly doesn't need any more. However, MOM wants more. I tell myself it's because it means more time being laundry loads. Or, because we could keep a couple of spare diapers in the diaper bag without depleted the stash. Or maybe it's because I just can't help how cute they are.
I love trying out new diapers and my latest purchase is going to allow me to do just that. I bought four different diapers all in brands I have never tried before.
Rumparooz G2 One Size diaper with Aplix in Ladder print
I know the picture shows snaps but I got the aplix closure. We have decided that we like aplix/hook and loop closure more than the snaps.
GroVia AIO One Size with Aplix in Plane print
bumGenius One-Size Hook & Loop Closure Cloth Diaper 4.0
The color above is called Clementine and since Cal has so many blue diapers I wanted to mix it up with a fun color.
Bummis Super Whisper Wrap with aplix in Rocket print
I can't wait for my new fluff to arrive! I am pretty sure that I will be doing reviews of these puppies too once I try them out a couple of times.
Little Helpers
This post will be dedicated to my favorite baby products this "go around". I had some favorites with Jack but as a second time mom, these have changed.
Here are my top five favorite products:
1. Fisher-Price Rock 'N Play
We don't have a crib or a place for Cal to sleep in the boy's room yet. And since I knew as a newborn he would be waking up several times a night it was important for us to have him room in. Bassinets and cradles are pretty spendy unless you have a chance to buy used or thrift store shop. I looked into this product and everyone raves about how awesome it is. Knowing there was a chance we would have a reflux baby again as well as a frequent waker, this was a no-brainer.
Cal sleeps in this at night and for some naps. He seems cozy and comfy. It's nice having him right beside me in bed where I can reach over and rock the sleeper or reinsert a binky.
I held out hope that my baby would sleep awesome in this thing. While he doesn't sleep through the night yet (and I don't expect him to for a looooooong time), it is nice that he seems to sleep better in the Rock 'N Play.
2. Boppy
With two kids, it becomes a juggling match. I can't always haul the baby around while I am chasing Jack, fixing his meals, etc. The Boppy is great for setting Cal in for a short (and supervised) amount of time. He can lay and see the world. We also put him in the Boppy (again, supervised) for naps. Jack slept in his Boppy a lot as well. Not only can you use it for sitting, breastfeeding and tummy time, but you can use it for your own pillow! In the middle of the night when Cal is being particularly noisy and grunty, I will head out to the couch and sit with him. I use the Boppy behind me for support on the couch. Just this morning I actually used it as a pillow. It's that versatile!
3. Stretchy blankets
When Jack was a baby, I prefered to swaddle him in SwaddleMe blankets. With Cal, I prefer stretchy blankets. This could change of course, but in the middle of the night when I am un-swaddling him for a bottle, I would prefer not to hear the zzzzzzzp! of undoing the velcro closures. The best blankets I have found for swaddling are usually from Carter's. They are soft, thin enough not to sweat out my kid and just big enough to make a good tight swaddle.
4. Burp cloths
I keep a stack of burp cloths in the living room so there are always some on hand for Cal. My favorites are the pre-fold diapers you can buy at Babies R Us. They are cheap and good quality. My child is a spitter (darn reflux baby!) and I like something that is absorbent and easy to wash. I have some flannel burp cloths but they do not absorb like they should even if they are cute and have fun patterns.
5. Skip Hop Duo Diaper bag
OMG. This is a recent purchase. Before, I used a black tote bag from Costco. This diaper bag? Best EVER! I love how many pockets it has. I love that it comes with a changing pad. I love that it's stylish. I love that it has a strap that goes over your stroller.
Isn't she lovely?
This is the print that I have. I honestly never thought I would be one of those women that wanted a trendy diaper bag but I was out shopping a couple of weekends ago and came across this beauty at Nordstrom on sale. I snatched it up and am soooo glad I did. I can't say enough good things about this bag. I honestly plan on using it far after Cal outgrows it.
6. Baskets
This seems like a strange item to put on the list but I can't live without baskets for organizing. I have baskets all over the house to keep baby gear sorted. I have two baskets in our kitchen. One for bibs and one for pacifiers. I have numerous baskets in the boys' room for things like pants, socks, toys, burp cloths, etc. I even have a decorative basket in our living room for extra wipes, burp cloths, spare diapers, and random toys. These are my lifesavers and with a small house you use any organizing tool that you can.
That is my list for now. I am sure as Cal grows, I will add to it.
Here are my top five favorite products:
1. Fisher-Price Rock 'N Play
We don't have a crib or a place for Cal to sleep in the boy's room yet. And since I knew as a newborn he would be waking up several times a night it was important for us to have him room in. Bassinets and cradles are pretty spendy unless you have a chance to buy used or thrift store shop. I looked into this product and everyone raves about how awesome it is. Knowing there was a chance we would have a reflux baby again as well as a frequent waker, this was a no-brainer.
Cal sleeps in this at night and for some naps. He seems cozy and comfy. It's nice having him right beside me in bed where I can reach over and rock the sleeper or reinsert a binky.
I held out hope that my baby would sleep awesome in this thing. While he doesn't sleep through the night yet (and I don't expect him to for a looooooong time), it is nice that he seems to sleep better in the Rock 'N Play.
2. Boppy
With two kids, it becomes a juggling match. I can't always haul the baby around while I am chasing Jack, fixing his meals, etc. The Boppy is great for setting Cal in for a short (and supervised) amount of time. He can lay and see the world. We also put him in the Boppy (again, supervised) for naps. Jack slept in his Boppy a lot as well. Not only can you use it for sitting, breastfeeding and tummy time, but you can use it for your own pillow! In the middle of the night when Cal is being particularly noisy and grunty, I will head out to the couch and sit with him. I use the Boppy behind me for support on the couch. Just this morning I actually used it as a pillow. It's that versatile!
3. Stretchy blankets
When Jack was a baby, I prefered to swaddle him in SwaddleMe blankets. With Cal, I prefer stretchy blankets. This could change of course, but in the middle of the night when I am un-swaddling him for a bottle, I would prefer not to hear the zzzzzzzp! of undoing the velcro closures. The best blankets I have found for swaddling are usually from Carter's. They are soft, thin enough not to sweat out my kid and just big enough to make a good tight swaddle.
4. Burp cloths
I keep a stack of burp cloths in the living room so there are always some on hand for Cal. My favorites are the pre-fold diapers you can buy at Babies R Us. They are cheap and good quality. My child is a spitter (darn reflux baby!) and I like something that is absorbent and easy to wash. I have some flannel burp cloths but they do not absorb like they should even if they are cute and have fun patterns.
5. Skip Hop Duo Diaper bag
OMG. This is a recent purchase. Before, I used a black tote bag from Costco. This diaper bag? Best EVER! I love how many pockets it has. I love that it comes with a changing pad. I love that it's stylish. I love that it has a strap that goes over your stroller.
Isn't she lovely?
6. Baskets
This seems like a strange item to put on the list but I can't live without baskets for organizing. I have baskets all over the house to keep baby gear sorted. I have two baskets in our kitchen. One for bibs and one for pacifiers. I have numerous baskets in the boys' room for things like pants, socks, toys, burp cloths, etc. I even have a decorative basket in our living room for extra wipes, burp cloths, spare diapers, and random toys. These are my lifesavers and with a small house you use any organizing tool that you can.
That is my list for now. I am sure as Cal grows, I will add to it.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
A Quarter Year
Happy 3 months Cal! You now have been "outside" for a quarter of a year. How time flies!
Not a whole lot has changed since your 2 month post. You have gotten bigger, although I don't know how much bigger since you haven't visited the doctor recently, and you are just an all around happy baby.
Here are some things you have been up to:
* You can officially grasp and hold onto a toy. You especially love a particular rattle at Nana's and your taggie blanket. It's fun to watch you shake something (involuntary) and then see your reaction to the noise.
* You sleep for about a 4 hour stretch at night when you first go to sleep. This is by far the best part of the night sleep-wise. If you go to sleep at 8, you wake up around midnight for a bottle. Sometimes, if I am lucky, I can put your binky in and you will sleep for another hour or two but this doesn't always happen. After your initial wakeup, you will sleep in two hour increments. If Mommy is diligent, I can usually put you back in your RNP sleeper. However, if I am super tired, I cave and bring you to bed with us. I am okay with this. It's extra snuggle time.
* You are definitely growing! You have thigh dimples so I know you aren't lacking in the food department. You typically will drink about 3 ounces at a time every 2 hours. This ranges so much though that I don't even like to say this is "typical". Some days you will graze and some days you drink right on schedule. During a 24 hour period, you consume the normal average of 25-30 ounces.
* You are wearing 3 month clothing still but are busting out of much of it. This is partially because of your fluffy cloth diaper but and partially because you are a chunky monkey!
* You are the happiest baby ever! You truly only cry if you need one of these things: Food, a burp, a nap, or a clean diaper. If all those needs are met, you are perfectly content to sit and just watch the world go by. You do love having conversation time with Mommy though. We will often sit on the couch while I hold you and just chat. You talk up a storm and smile like crazy when we spend time together.
* I would be willing to bet you will officially laugh in the next couple of weeks. You have come so close a couple of times. You smile so big and then make a "ha!" sound. I can't wait to hear you laugh. I have a feeling you will be a much more active laugher than Jack was.
* You HATE tummy time. I will often put you on the floor on your belly for a few minutes to strengthen your neck muscles and see if you will roll over. You last all of about 2 minutes before you start fussing and then full blown crying. You have very good strength holding your head up and looking around but I want you to start rocking to try and roll over. I suppose I wouldn't like being on my belly either, especially after a meal.
Here you are loving on your monkey toy. The picture covers your face but this is a pretty normal shot of you. Always shoving toys in your mouth!
I can't wait to hear your stats at your appointment next month. Your grandpa will be visiting from New Hampshire so we will have lots of fun outings I'm sure.
We love you Cal!
Not a whole lot has changed since your 2 month post. You have gotten bigger, although I don't know how much bigger since you haven't visited the doctor recently, and you are just an all around happy baby.
Here are some things you have been up to:
* You can officially grasp and hold onto a toy. You especially love a particular rattle at Nana's and your taggie blanket. It's fun to watch you shake something (involuntary) and then see your reaction to the noise.
* You sleep for about a 4 hour stretch at night when you first go to sleep. This is by far the best part of the night sleep-wise. If you go to sleep at 8, you wake up around midnight for a bottle. Sometimes, if I am lucky, I can put your binky in and you will sleep for another hour or two but this doesn't always happen. After your initial wakeup, you will sleep in two hour increments. If Mommy is diligent, I can usually put you back in your RNP sleeper. However, if I am super tired, I cave and bring you to bed with us. I am okay with this. It's extra snuggle time.
* You are definitely growing! You have thigh dimples so I know you aren't lacking in the food department. You typically will drink about 3 ounces at a time every 2 hours. This ranges so much though that I don't even like to say this is "typical". Some days you will graze and some days you drink right on schedule. During a 24 hour period, you consume the normal average of 25-30 ounces.
* You are wearing 3 month clothing still but are busting out of much of it. This is partially because of your fluffy cloth diaper but and partially because you are a chunky monkey!
* You are the happiest baby ever! You truly only cry if you need one of these things: Food, a burp, a nap, or a clean diaper. If all those needs are met, you are perfectly content to sit and just watch the world go by. You do love having conversation time with Mommy though. We will often sit on the couch while I hold you and just chat. You talk up a storm and smile like crazy when we spend time together.
* I would be willing to bet you will officially laugh in the next couple of weeks. You have come so close a couple of times. You smile so big and then make a "ha!" sound. I can't wait to hear you laugh. I have a feeling you will be a much more active laugher than Jack was.
* You HATE tummy time. I will often put you on the floor on your belly for a few minutes to strengthen your neck muscles and see if you will roll over. You last all of about 2 minutes before you start fussing and then full blown crying. You have very good strength holding your head up and looking around but I want you to start rocking to try and roll over. I suppose I wouldn't like being on my belly either, especially after a meal.
Here you are loving on your monkey toy. The picture covers your face but this is a pretty normal shot of you. Always shoving toys in your mouth!
We love you Cal!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Easter
This year, Easter was much more special and enjoyable. Last year, Jack was still pretty little and didn't really understand what was going on. He got a basket but didn't "get" the concept of the Easter Bunny, Jesus, egg hunts and Easter baskets. This year was a different story.
I started by getting Jack excited a few days before Easter. I told him that the Easter Bunny would be coming and bringing him a basket of treats. He also knew that we would be going to church and celebrating Jesus. He loves going to church and enjoying the worship music. He especially loves the church nursery so he can play with his friend David in the playhouse.
I had a budget for all three boys' Easter baskets which was $75. I am happy to say that I was able to stick with my budget and give all three boys a special basket with treats. Funny story: I was super excited to put together the baskets and lay them out in the living room for Jack to find. Well, being the awesome mom that I am, I forgot. I forgot to put together the baskets. Even after being super excited. So at 3:00 in the morning, I remembered, got out of bed and put together the baskets. I kind of suck.
Here is Jack's basket:
He got the following treats:
* Big boy underwear
* A Buzz and Woody t-shirt
* Elmo eggs with some M&M's
* Two Sesame Street books
* Play-Doh eggs
* Three pieces of candy (of which Mommy will probably eat)
His favorite was the Elmo eggs. He picked those right up and yelled "ELMO!"
Here is Cal's basket:
He got the following treats:
* A bear sleeper
* New socks
* A fun twisting rattle
* Taggie blanket
His favorite is the taggie blanket. He loves holding it, chewing on it and rubbing it against his face.
We had a very nice time at church and it was nice to be back at church after a long time away. I am not sure if it's going to be a weekly occurrence but it was nice.
I made a delicious and beautiful Apricot Nectar cake for our Easter dinner over at my in-laws' house. It was very easy and the flavor reminded me of spring.
Favorite Apricot Nectar Cake
from: The Cake Mix Doctor
1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3 oz) lemon gelatin
3/4 cup canned apricot nectar
3/4 cup canola oil
grated zest of 1 lemon (1 teaspoon)
4 large eggs
Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons canned apricot nectar
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
2. Place all the cake ingredients in a mixer and blend on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes more. The batter should look thick and smooth. Pour the batter in the prepared pan.
3. Bake the cake until it is light brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 40 to 42 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
4. Prepare the glaze. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto a serving platter. While the cake is still warm, poke holes in the top with a toothpick or wooden skewer. Spoon the glaze onto the cake so that it seeps into the holes. Let the cake cool before slicing.
Here he is going through his loot. The eggs were filled with pennies which is perfect because he loves feeding money into his dinosaur bank ("bink").
I started by getting Jack excited a few days before Easter. I told him that the Easter Bunny would be coming and bringing him a basket of treats. He also knew that we would be going to church and celebrating Jesus. He loves going to church and enjoying the worship music. He especially loves the church nursery so he can play with his friend David in the playhouse.
I had a budget for all three boys' Easter baskets which was $75. I am happy to say that I was able to stick with my budget and give all three boys a special basket with treats. Funny story: I was super excited to put together the baskets and lay them out in the living room for Jack to find. Well, being the awesome mom that I am, I forgot. I forgot to put together the baskets. Even after being super excited. So at 3:00 in the morning, I remembered, got out of bed and put together the baskets. I kind of suck.
Here is Jack's basket:
He got the following treats:
* Big boy underwear
* A Buzz and Woody t-shirt
* Elmo eggs with some M&M's
* Two Sesame Street books
* Play-Doh eggs
* Three pieces of candy (of which Mommy will probably eat)
His favorite was the Elmo eggs. He picked those right up and yelled "ELMO!"
Here is Cal's basket:
He got the following treats:
* A bear sleeper
* New socks
* A fun twisting rattle
* Taggie blanket
His favorite is the taggie blanket. He loves holding it, chewing on it and rubbing it against his face.
We had a very nice time at church and it was nice to be back at church after a long time away. I am not sure if it's going to be a weekly occurrence but it was nice.
I made a delicious and beautiful Apricot Nectar cake for our Easter dinner over at my in-laws' house. It was very easy and the flavor reminded me of spring.
Favorite Apricot Nectar Cake
from: The Cake Mix Doctor
1 package (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3 oz) lemon gelatin
3/4 cup canned apricot nectar
3/4 cup canola oil
grated zest of 1 lemon (1 teaspoon)
4 large eggs
Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons canned apricot nectar
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray and then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
2. Place all the cake ingredients in a mixer and blend on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2-3 minutes more. The batter should look thick and smooth. Pour the batter in the prepared pan.
3. Bake the cake until it is light brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 40 to 42 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
4. Prepare the glaze. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert onto a serving platter. While the cake is still warm, poke holes in the top with a toothpick or wooden skewer. Spoon the glaze onto the cake so that it seeps into the holes. Let the cake cool before slicing.
I love the pretty yellow color of this cake. This piece was consumed while I was sitting at my desk this afternoon.
Jack got the chance to do an egg hunt over at my in-laws' house. I wasn't sure if he would really understand the concept of what an egg hunt was but we pumped him up by giving him a basket and telling him to find the eggs. He went right outside and ran around the yard looking for eggs. It was so cute watching him put them in his basket. At one point the basket got super full and we weren't sure if he would be able to hold onto it. He did!
Here he is going through his loot. The eggs were filled with pennies which is perfect because he loves feeding money into his dinosaur bank ("bink").
It really was a fun Easter. I love that as the boys get older, they really start understanding the concept of holidays and enjoying them.
I hope everyone's Easter was blessed and memorable!
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