PIn-tested recipes: Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa and Oatmeal Cups

Remember a few months ago when we did some toddler freezer cooking? I'm overdue for a little update.

Last time, three moms made a total of six recipes to freeze. Em went through all three breakfast items quickly. She did pretty well with the rice and bean cups, though we still have a few of those left. She didn't care for the two recipes I picked (of course), the corn dog muffins and the chicken patties. Oh well, live and learn, right?

Our freezer stock is running low so it was time to get cookin' again. Both of these recipes came from Pinterest and I have actually made both before, so I know Em loves them. I highly recommend these if you're looking for some grab and go toddler eats to keep in the freezer.

Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites
From Alida's Kitchen

Ingredients
1.5 cups cooked quinoa
2 eggs
2 cups broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, pressed
1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a regular-size muffin tin with cooking spray or insert paper liners.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Fill each muffin cup to the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Allow to cool before wrapping individually in cling wrap, bagging, and throwing in the freezer.

Oatmeal Raisin Cups
From The Wholesome Dish

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil (or vegetable or canola)
1 scant cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. cinnamon
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup raisins

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners (*note: I found that foil ones resulted in soggy bottoms).

In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, oil, and sugar. Add applesauce, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon until well combined. Add oats, baking powder, and mix-ins and stir well to coat.

Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through. Allow to cool before wrapping individually in cling wrap, bagging, and throwing in the freezer.

She "marked" about three of these as "hers." I guess she likes 'em.

So far I have found that freezer breakfasts work great, but what I really need help with is lunch/dinner grab and go things. Sometimes I just don't have time to make a whole meal! That's when the cheddar quinoa  bites are great, but that's the only good recipe I have in my arsenal. Hit me up, what recipes do you have that make great freezer lunches/dinners??

Love list: Birthday Spoils

Oh man, our girl is so spoiled. In the best possible way - she is so lucky to have so many people who love her and were generous for her birthday. She has had so many new things to play with she doesn't even know where to start. But here are some of her new favorites (if you need a gift idea for a two-year-old):

1. Thinkery membership
We have loved our membership to the Children's Museum and use it frequently. A regular visit is $9 per ticket and a membership is $100 for a family of four, so you only have to go 3-4 times before it pays for itself. Ours expired last month so we were so happy Bapa renewed it as her gift. Memberships make great gifts, especially for kiddos who already have so many "things."

Something with magnets... didn't understand how it works but it made cool patterns when you turn the knob. We hadn't seen this exhibit before - I really like that they keep adding things so there's always something new to try.

Can't go wrong with a parachute.

2. Green Toys Tea set
There's just nothing like a little girl with a tea set. This one is AWESOME because it's one of the only ones I've seen that's not breakable! She picked it up and immediately knew what to do with it. How do kids know?? She just started pouring tea into the cups and then pretending to sip and say "nummy!" Kills me.

She totally set up her animals for a tea party. Made my heart soar. 

This is as I'm trying to get her out the door for a dr's appt. Can't tear her away from it.

Afternoon tea with her Aunt Jenna.

3. Melissa and Doug sandwiches
My brother had the funniest story about buying this. He was at Toys R Us picking up some playdoh and kinetic sand (both also awesome gifts!) and as he headed to the check out, he saw this Melissa and Doug sandwich kit on an endcap. Without stopping or even slowing down, he just nodded, said "Yup!" (out loud) and grabbed one as he walked by. And she totally loves it! She has several wooden food sets for her kitchen, but for some reason this one is her favorite. It's got great mix and match options, so I think she likes that she can experiment with it a lot.

4. B Toys cars
We have been eyeing these Wheeee-is for a while and I don't know why we didn't get them sooner! Grammy Carol was on point with these. They are a great size (she can't put them in her mouth!) and she is fascinated by how to pull them back and let them go. We take these everywhere now.

5. Bubbles
Two of her little friends had the same idea - what kid doesn't love bubbles?? But these bubble gun and Fubbles machines are great because she always wants to do the bubbles herself and hasn't quite mastered the whole blowing through a wand thing. My only complaint with these is that they make our wood floors a little slick so they are definitely outside toys.

Happy Holi

One of the things we love most about living in Austin is that there is always something fun and family-friendly going on. This past Saturday we several choices, but decided to try Holi celebrations at a nearby Hindu temple.

It was advertised as a cultural event with food, dancing, and tons of games and fun for the kiddos - face painting, inflatables, and a petting zoo. But we got there... and it totally wasn't what we were expecting. There was food that smelled amazing and the dance performances were really neat. But we were disappointed with the kid selection left something to be desired. Sure, there was face painting, but most of the activities seemed aimed at older kids - ring toss, bean bag throw, archery, and other carnival-type games. There was one little bouncy house that was packed to the brim, mostly with older kids. I can only assume that the petting zoo we saw advertised was misinformation.

There was a little train, which Em (and her buddy, O, who went with us) got really excited about. "Dada... train! Dada, TRAIN!"

So we rode that and then felt like there wasn't much else to do. We were pretty bummed and started to head for the car.

But then we heard an announcement they would be handing out "powder" in ten minutes. So we decided to hang around a few more minutes to check it out.

Oh. my. gosh. Best decision ever. We had so much fun! Em was in heaven. Such bright colors! Such fun music! So many nice people! Allowed to get messy!

I was so amazed by the people there. I expected craziness where my child would get trampled or she would get powder thrown too hard or in her eyes. But everyone was so great to her. So many people kneeled down to her level and gently rubbed powder on her face or shoulders and then patiently waited for her to pick some up to smear on their faces. Everyone was so considerate and gentle.

She only looks angry because we made her stop dancing to take the photo

Guys, this was a winner. It was the most we've smiled in days. Mark your calendars to go next year, it's a blast!

In The Trenches

Mama Brain is real, folks. It started when I was pregnant and I (foolishly) thought I'd regain a functioning brain when Punkito popped out. Nope. That placenta? Made of 100% mama brain cells. So I often find myself trying to say something and stopping mid-sentence to look at Hans, scrunch my face, and ask "Word?" until we figure out which one I'm grasping for.

Why am I telling you this. Right. Get to the point, Erika. I've had a blog post itching in my brain for a while now. But I don't know how to do it. Or what it really is, for that matter. Just some thoughts I need to get out. For myself, if nothing else.

I love being a mom. It's the best thing I've ever done and I didn't know I could love anything so much. But I get a little ruffled when I hear people saying "Enjoy every minute of it, it goes so fast!"

Enjoy every minute? Seriously? Who enjoys sharing the bathroom with a toddler poking you while you try to do your business before they start playing with the plunger? Who enjoys being unable to identify the blob on your shirt as dried food, snot (not your own), or goodness knows what else? 

I'll just say it. Some days being a mom is really, really, hard. Heck, sometimes it downright sucks. Unfortunately, I feel like we have had a lot of those days lately.

What do you see in this photo? How sweet. My baby is sleeping in my arms. What you don't see is that it took her almost four hours to fall asleep. Or that there was screaming, crying, hitting, and frustration to get to this state. Or that she only slept for 30 minutes. Or that we do this twice a day. Every day. Almost without fail. And have for several months now. My child refuses to go to sleep. She is never tired. She never falls asleep anywhere, nor can she fall asleep on her own. We have tried pretty much every trick in the book (many books!), talked to our doctor, our friends, searched the internet. It's bad, guys. I think we were getting more sleep when she was a newborn. And it seems to get worse every day.

Another rare glimpse. Also, not long. But I had to document that it actually happened.

I'm not looking for pity. Or advice. Or to complain. I don't know why, really, I am putting this out there for people to pick apart or judge or whatever you may take from it. But I know that a friend recently saw a photo I posted on Instagram and remarked, "Wow, you guys do everything! And you're always having so much fun." And that raised a flag for me.

We have a lot of fun. We do. Our lives are full and wonderful. But that doesn't mean we don't have our challenges. And I wouldn't want anyone to look at what I post on Instagram or write on my blog and think that our lives are perfect and that it's nothing but smiles over here.

Still in pajamas, with my glasses, and our hair
makes us look homeless, but I live for these cuddles.

We are trying. We are in the trenches, trying to get through each day. We fight the fights and while we may not enjoy every moment, we try to enjoy as many as we can. For every tear at bedtime, there are a hundred sweet little baby kisses on my cheeks and lips and eyes throughout the day. For every pea and carrot thrown on the floor, there are sweet cuddles while we read book after book together. For every time she swats at me because she's angry, there are many times where she hears me stub my toe or snag my nail and say "ouch!" and she pokes her head around the corner to ask "Mama, o-tay?"

I'm working on perspective. A lot. That's another battle in my trench. Trying to focus on the hundreds of sweet, wonderful moments each day instead of the bigger, hard moments. It's hard and I'm not particularly good at it. But I'm trying.

I'm working on pushing through, even when I feel like I'm in a fog. I put on the smile, I go to the play dates, heck, I even put on real clothes (once in a while, I swear it happens) and go out in public. I'm trying.

So please be kind. Not just to me, but to all moms who are fighting these daily battles in the trenches. To all the mamas who sometimes feel like they are not people anymore, just moms. To all the mamas who didn't accomplish anything today except keeping themselves and their kids alive, and hopefully, fed. We may not be enjoying every moment, but we are trying. We keep trying because some day, we won't be in this place anymore. We will sleep through the night and shower every day and won't find random spots of peanut butter on our necks. I'm sure I'll miss it. But it's hard to think of that now, when it's so hard. But I keep trying. Because it's also, strangely, wonderful. And absolutely worth it.

But seriously... the kissy face helps a lot.

Book-themed birthday party

The birthday celebrations continued on Saturday with a big party for all Em's friends. Last year we went all out for her first birthday and this year I swore I'd scale back. And while I totally did... whew. Still too much. Next year: Cupcakes at the Park.

Anyway. Since Punkito is so obsessed with books, we knew that a book theme was a must.

The invite! I had a lot of fun designing this one.

Decorations were really simple. We used Emma's books next to corresponding plush characters. I was surprised how many matching pairs she had. Any books or characters we didn't have (and there were just a few) we bought and gave them to her as her birthday presents. We took the leftovers books and just set them up randomly, using some on the food table to stack on. After that, it was just a little crepe paper and we were done!

Zoo animals and her beloved Pooh

I meant to make a cap for that monkey but ran out of time. Oops! And that Little Blue Truck was dang hard to find.

Some of her favorites - Olivia, George, and Gee-aff

Ours was a brunch party and we wanted to keep it as easy as possible, but still keep with the book theme.

Where the Wild Things Are - The cake! I found the directions here and they were really easy to follow. I used a WASC cake and Swiss Meringue Buttercream (easier to decorate with).
If You Give a Dog A Donut - The BEST donut holes from our favorite local shop (KC Donut on Brodie... try it!)
Three Little Pigs - Cocktails weenies wrapped in crescent rolls. Bam! Easy peasy. I should have doubled this amount since her Uncle ate 1/3 of them by himself.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Rainbow fruit skewers. Ours had strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, green grapes, blackberries, and red grapes. These went quickly and we ended up just putting out a bowl with all the leftover fruit.
Dragons Love Tacos - Taco bar with Chuy's tortillas, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, sour cream, cheese, salsa, tomatoes, green bell peppers, and avocado
I didn't have a book to go with the cupcakes (Chocolate Malt - my favorite recipe) but I did print out little pictures of book covers and stick them to toothpicks with double sided tape. Took too much time. Don't do it.

And I thought that a book exchange would be fun! Each kid gets to bring a book, each gets to unwrap one, and take one home! Besides, I didn't think two year olds would want to sit around watching one kid open a bunch of gifts.

We set all the gifts on the table and put stickers with numbers on each gift. Then the kids each drew a number and opened that gift.

After all the gifts were opened, they could trade if they already had that book or wanted something different. I'm not sure anyone actually traded and there were some really fun books.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing all these sweet littles playing together!

Because if you can't make silly faces with Bapa, when can you?

It's my party and I'll hide under the table and eat ice cubes if I want to

Thanks to everyone who came and helped make it a special day for our sweet girl!

Emma is TWO!

Our sweet, funny, smart, wonderful girl is TWO! I am still kind of in denial about that. How did this happen??? I did not agree to that.

We had the most wonderful time celebrating her birthday last week. Her actual birthday was Friday and we had a little family celebration - complete with her very favorite person in the world, Bapa.

We started the morning by dumping balloons in her crib and singing happy birthday. She was in heaven and didn't want to get out.

(The static was so hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing).

But we finally got her out by promising her special birthday pancakes (i.e.... regular pancakes loaded with sprinkles).

She's been working so hard on showing that she's 2 (even with a mouthful of pancakes!)

Then we hit up Loco-Motion for a little (exhausting!) fun. We've never been there before and really enjoyed it! There's an area just for littles, but of course our fearless wonder wanted to tackle all the big kid stuff. Man, she scares me.

I know this is the derp-iest face imaginable, but I just love it.

After two hours of that, it was time for a family nap.

Then we opened presents, ate homemade pizza, and all cuddled on a blow up mattress by the fire to watch Frozen for the first time. Oh, and ate birthday cake, of course!

Super excited about this tea set from Oma. I can hardly get her to stop playing with it.

I think she liked the cake. That's my girl.

She hasn't stopped singing "Let it Go" since then. Pretty sure it's going to be stuck in my head until she's 30.