Roller Coasters

I am a fan of roller coasters, I love the thrill of going fast, laughing and feeling a little freaked out all at the same time. I don't like ones that just drop you, they are a bit too extreme for me. My absolute favorite roller roaster, well maybe it can be classified as a ride, is Space Mountain at Disneyland. I love that the whole ride is dark so you have no clue where your going and it's super fast! Now I am not a fan of boarding my own roller coaster...

This has been an interesting week for me.....I have felt like I have been on an emotional roller coaster! I'm sure it's just the pregnancy hormones but OMG, I was not aware that one could be happy, sad then just plain mad in a matter of minutes! I did not like feeling in control of my emotions, I can put on a happy face to hide it to those who don't know me so well but for those who do can tell right away that I am not myself. I consider myself an emotional person, I cannot hide how I am feeling. I always have a smile on my face and have something positive to say. Why you may ask? The answer is quite simple, Jesus :) I have absolutely no reason to be down in life living with the creator of LIFE in me. AND I am head-over-heels in love with my amazing husband, I have a lot to smile about! So when I am not smiling people who know me are asking what's wrong....Now I want to clarify that I was not a crazy lady and crying uncontrollably or yelling and screaming at people.  It was more of an internal emotional roller coaster, one that I tried my best to only let my husband be aware of.

So last night I went to bed at around 11 and slept for 11.5 hours, it was a broken 11.5 hours due to my frequent bathroom visits and moving baby boy, I feel AMAZING right now! I have so much energy my body feels so well rested and I don't even care that I woke up just an hour before noon. I'm guessing I was also a little sleep deprived, which makes total sense to me now because I had a really rough sleeping week as well.

Today I have realized that I have not taken enough time for myself over the past few weeks. I have spread myself way to thin doing far too many things and left myself out! I have a heart to help others and I will always be this way, but it is really hard to help others if you have neglected yourself. So today, well really for the next 4 maybe 4.5 hours (it's my mother in laws birthday tonight and I am excited to celebrate with her) I am taking time for me. I'm not sure what I am going to do...I have not read in a while which I love to do, my nails need to be painted (I have not neglected my nails, I have blogged about how chipped nails are my pet peeve) and I have a bunch of shows to watch on DVR. Writing this post was a great start to my me time :) I do not want a ticket on my own roller coaster again this week!

When is the last time you took time for yourself?

Today I am linking up with Morgan for Saturday Morning Coffee

Before Baby (in 8 weeks) Bucket List

Today is one of those milestone days in my pregnancy.  I am 8 months pregnant which means that our little man will be here in just 8 weeks! Now don't get me wrong I am SO excited to meet my son, but there was a little part of me that sort of freaked out because 8 weeks is not that much time!! I was talking with my husband tonight and realized that those 8 weeks are going to fly by. We came up with the idea to create a before baby bucket list. Every week we want to do something that we know will not be the same with our baby.

Here is what we have so far:

1. Take a day trip
2. Dinner and a movie
3. Attend a play or show
4. ...
5. ...
6. ...
7. ...
8. ...

We can easily fill in the other 5, but seeing that we are not parents yet we can't think of what we wished we could have done...Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated, we can adapt them based on where we live :)

Have any ideas for us????

Linking up with a few today:

Rebecca @ Let Them Eat Cake

Morgan @ Quite the Blog

Rekita @ Lovely Army Wife
Jean @What Jean Likes

So What Wednesday

I came across this link up today called "So What Wednesday" that is kinda the mood I am in today!

So what if....

• I'm home sick again today just a week after returning back to work
• I am literally counting down the days till maternity leave. As it stands I have 19 work days left :)
• I'm slightly obsessed with my baby registry...My baby shower is 2 weeks away and I want to make sure I took off all the "what if" items. I have found some awesome blogs that have helped me add some must have's though :)
• I LOVE taking pictures of my dog. Seriously between food and Ocean I don't have many other pictures on my phone. I need to work on that...

I love him!

• I discovered that I was a "No-Reply" blogger until last night. Thanks to Mariel @ Living for His Glory I fixed it! 
• I'm watching Four Weddings and kinda want to get married again or just renew my vows to get all dressed up again and have a reception
• I just deleted 3 of my "so what if's"! 

Lemon Bars

Last night I was on Pinterest as usual, and came across a lemon bar recipe....now this mama to be can't see certain foods without wanting them! After getting all inspired to bake setting up my mixer and gathering ingredients, I realized I was missing a few key ones for the Pinterest recipe. BUT I was determined so I turned to my BFF Google and found this super easy recipe from The Barefoot Contessa, it got 5 stars so I figured it has to be good....and let me tell you, they are DELICIOUS, I am using this as my new lemon bar go to recipe.

Lemon Bars

Total Time:1 hr 35 min
Prep: 10 min
Inactive: 30 min
Cook: 55 min
Yields: 20 squares or 40 triangles
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

For the filling:

• 6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup flour
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Today I am linking up with:

Easy Chow Mein

I was looking for an easy recipe to make chow mein for lunch, I happened to be on the phone with my Mom and she sent me a recipe for chow mein using spaghetti noodles. So after some edits of the original recipe here is my version. Now when I cook I like to have leftovers so this does make a lot!

Easy Chow Mein 

1 pkg spaghetti noodles

1 lb chicken

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb sliced mushrooms

6 green onions (sliced)

3 cloves of garlic (minced)

1/2 large carrot (shredded)

2 celery ribs

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

Cook spaghetti noodles according to the package. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, add the chicken and sauté until cooked. Add the mushrooms, celery and carrots and cook until tender. Add the spaghetti  and toss with soy sauce and sugar. 

The Thank You Note

There are many reasons why I love what I do, but it's the unexpected thank you's from families that make me take a step back a realize the impact that I am making on their child's life be it good or bad. Kids are like sponges and what may seem so small to me or a routine task at work impacts a child's life in more ways than I truly know. It is only now that I am creeping up on motherhood that I can appreciate the role of a teacher from a parents point of view. I didn't realize the amount of trust that each parent has in their child's teacher to take care of them, to make sure that all their needs are met, to give them a hug when they are feeling sad, or to just listen to a story or how they are feeling. I cannot fathom leaving my son in the hands of another person for a few hours let alone the entire day. He is not even born yet and automatically I feel so protective and think absolutely not! Am I the only one?? Clearly he will be under mine or my husbands care 24/7 for the rest of his life, so I am going to have to get over myself :)

I won't question the mother that stands in the window for those extra few minutes to watch their child hang up their coat, the mother who calls every couple of hours to just check up on their child, or the mother who cries at their child's first assembly. I won't judge the mother who gets snippy with me because they feel that their child was mistreated by another child. I won't ruin the moment of the mother  who is trying to sneak up on their child playing to just watch them. I have heard people say "you will understand when you are a mother", I think of myself as nurturing, caring and loving to my students but there is something about having your own child that makes you see the world in a whole new light. I believed people when they said this but didn't realize that it would truly make this much sense to me until now!

This little note was so sweet and honestly made my day, in fact it made an impact on me. Sometimes I take for granted having the privilege of teaching another persons son or daughter. I may not make a ton of money being a preschool teacher, I certainly don't teach for the money I do it because I love it. It is a simple thank you that make my salary seem like so much more....

This one thank you note made such an impact on my life!




Todays link-up:

It's Over!

It's over! That's right you read it, today is the last day of my Christmas vacation and that means back to work tomorrow. I am not going to lie I am so not looking forward to waking up in the morning!! Once I'm at work I know that those adorable smiling faces will remind me that it was so worth waking up to see them.

I was reflecting back on these last two weeks and feel so thankful becuase it was as if God stretched that time out to feel so much longer :) I did a lot! I spent very little time at home since most of that time I spent out with my husband. We went to the movies twice, shopped for our son multiple times, bought new phones, took maternity photos (which I can't wait to see), saw our son twice in 3D...amazing experience, and visited with family and friends. While at home we slept in and actually had breakfast together which honestly never happens due to our work schedules, watched the Batman trilogy, shopped online for more stuff, and got the furniture assembled in the nursery.

After coming home from Chutch today I decided that it was going to be a lazy day! It is gloomy and super cold outside so the perfect way to end this fantastic vacation was on the couch with my dog watching TV and pinning things on Pinterest. He was way more comfortable than me but he is really warm! 

King of the Couch

So I after lots of pinning I am craving fish so for dinner. On the menu for this evening is panko breaded tilapia with rosemary potatoes and broccoli. As I decided this I just so happened to look outside and saw this beauty....the first lemon from our tree!!!! I have been patiently waiting for a lemon since we bought the tree last year. I am so excited to use it tonight with dinner :)

FIRST LEMON!!!

Panko Breaded Tilapia 

(this is my made up go to recipe, I will double check the measurements tonight)

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp italian seasoning

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup flour + salt/pepper

3 pieces of tilapia

1. In a ziplock combine the first 3 ingredients and set aside
2. Dredge the fish into the flour 
3. Dip into egg 
4. Toss in bag
5. Fry on medium using olive oil (I am not a fan of frying so I use very little oil and almost just brown them until my husband steps in and finishing the frying for me)

Bella's Rosemary Potatoes 

(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bellas-rosemary-red-potatoes/)

credit

6 red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Mix together melted butter and oil, then pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place the potatoes into the dish, and stir until coated. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir the potatoes occasionally to ensure even cooking.

Speaking of dinner I should get started, I will update this post after I eat with pictures of the fish and the correct measurements :)

Just Can't Wait!!

I am one excited mama-to-be, when I started this blog about a month ago I was not sure what direction it would head in. I can totally see that a huge part of this blog is going to be about my baby boy and that includes the pre-baby stuff too. Well duh Ileana, this baby in me is a huge part of me literally! Be prepared to read lots more about baby because lately he is all that is on my mind, I can't wait to meet him in 10 weeks. 10 weeks WOW that is coming up fast :)

Today my husband and I ventured to Ikea once again with determination to grab the rest of the stuff for the nursery. I am so excited that we got the perfect rug for his room for HALF the price, true story! We spend like 20 minutes looking at all the rugs on the floor and couldn't find the right one. We wanted a round rug that was blue, not baby blue, not navy blue but this certain shade that would compliment his room perfectly. What that shade is exactly I can't say because I'm not even sure. Before we paid we decided to check the "as is" section, and there it was. I felt as though I heard the celebratory "aaaahhhhh" sound when I saw it, you know that sound right? So after inspecting the rug we found that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the rug, it was just the display...um hello new rug, you are so perfect for our sons room!

Just a little preview for you, keep in mind the rocker will not be there

Decorating is going to be so much fun, well it has been already. I already know how I want to decorate it is just a matter of going out and getting the stuff. I have been having a lot of fun using Photoshop and created a few pieces of art for the walls. My Mom has been sewing the bedding and it will all be done by my baby shower in just a few weeks.

The two diapers are in place...going to need a much bigger stash!

I was a little eager beaver and decided to just put something in the drawers so I could stop using his stroller as a dresser. I opened up the drawer organizers and put his two cloth diapers in :) That is a whole other journey I am embarking on and I am so excited. You can read about why I chose to cloth diaper here. I just cannot wait to be a mommy!!!




Today I am linking up with:

The Cloth Diaper Revival