Adventures in Babysitting

Growing up, I absolutely loved the movie, Adventures in Babysitting, although I never did have a babysitter myself. My parents were very lucky to have my grandparents nearby to watch us everyday during the summer, after school, or for times they needed a date night.

We, on the other hand, don't exactly have that luxury. When Mike's mom comes to stay from Illinois, it's so awesome to have the chance to get out for some fun on the town. Otherwise, with my family living no closer than an hour away & working full-time, we don't often go out unless our neighbors or friends volunteer to watch Cam.

Today at work my friend asked us if we wanted to grab a beer on Saturday & listen to some live music. I said that it sounded great, but I'd have to figure out who could possibly watch Cam. Since they have 3 kids, they'll also be looking for a babysitter. Mike came up with the idea of picking someone off the web from a site called Sittercity, which specializes in child care, but I find myself a bit apprehensive.

I guess the hesitancy comes from the fact that since I've never dealt with babysitters, I really don't know how to go about it. Do I meet the potential sitter before the actual night we're going out to be sure that she's a good fit? A lot of the candidates seem great; they're students, moms themselves, teachers or just have a love for kids. But how can I be sure that when we leave the house, Cam will be well taken care of? Since he can't talk yet, it's impossible that he'd be able to verbalize any issues. How do I know that we won't come home to an empty house & the "sitter" ended up being a crazy person who kidnaps children?!

I'm just wondering if it'd even be worth looking into? Would I be sitting with my friends, beer in hand, but unable to enjoy myself from the anxiety of hoping everything was going well at home?

Have any of you ever hired a complete stranger to watch your child? What do you do when you want to get out from time to time, but have no family or friends available? Help! Any advice would be appreciated!!



I can't trust just anyone with my little man!

Facelift

Last week when Mike mentioned that my blog was kind of resembling a style that would be fashionable in the 80's, I knew it was time to spruce things up a bit. Since I'm not yet wanting to spend money on a custom blog design, I decided to use a standard template that I could live with for the time being.

Hope everyone likes it!



And speaking of faces, this one here you just couldn't help but love!

What's For Dinner?

Is it chilly & gray outside? Feel like having something for dinner that will warm you to the core? Looking for a healthy yet hearty meal that won't interfere with your hopes of shedding a few pounds? Then try this recipe for chicken & dumpling soup. This recipe makes a boatload of soup, so halve it if you don't want a ton of leftovers or pop the rest in the freezer to eat later in the winter.

The soup was made earlier in the day & has been staying hot atop the stove, but we didn't make the dumplings until just before Cam ate. Since I didn't think they would fit in the pot with the soup, we made them in another pot of simmering chicken broth that we happen to have & then transferred them into the soup when they were done (including the extra broth since the soup was very thick). To make things easier, we shredded a rotisserie chicken we picked up at Sam's Club for $5 which saved us from having to do extra cooking.

Eat as a family or do as we plan & feed the child his early dinner & eat as a couple after baby's in bed. We're going to pop in a rental & eat our soup out of mugs while lounging in bed. Ahh, it's what's for dinner this winter!

Why, Why, Why?

It's not that I think that I am anything close to resembling perfect, nor do I think that females are the better gender. But, why does it sometimes feel like women have to be so on top of things because men just aren't? I'm not speaking for anyone here since I have no idea what goes on in other people's lives; this is just me venting. I know many people keep their blogs surface level & don't drag certain personal issues into play, but that's just not how I work. I like to keep it real! Because even when lives appear perfect in blog posts & pictures, we're all still dealing with similar frustrations.

I have definitely accepted the fact that I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the appearance & cleanliness of my house, though I am trying to lighten up & relax a bit more. But, there are some days I feel that laundry would never be washed if I didn't take the initiative to do it & we'd be crawling over the rubble of baby toys & daily clutter if I wasn't here to pick it up. I sometimes tell Mike that I wish I could swap brains with him from time to time; things would be so much more peaceful & calm. Instead my brain is usually going a million miles a second, constantly processing what needs to get done next. It can get quite ugly in there!

I just wish that men would take a look around, see what needs to get done & JUST DO IT instead of asking, "so, what needs to get done next?" Uh, we both live here! In our home, we do end up doing 50/50, but I'm usually the one to initiate what needs to get done & keep things moving along. And this post is not written to bash my husband since in reality, he is an amazing dad & husband & would do anything for our family. This is just me blowing of a little steam!

Do any of you ladies out there deal with similar issues? What does your spouse do that irks you the most?

Oh, The Weather Outside...

As I lounge on my couch in fuzzy socks, over-sized sweats & Mike's sweatshirt, I take in the coziness of it all & feel happy that it's cold outside. Yes, I moved from Illinois to Florida to escape the endless cold of the winter, but at the same time, I desperately miss the change of seasons. I get tired of wearing nothing but t-shirts & flip flops & long for my cozy sweaters & colorful scarves. As I was relaxing, appreciating the weather & browsing the web (I must also add that I'm listening to my Pug let out some major gas), I stumbled over to my sister-in-law, Melanie's blog where I saw that she had recently been thinking about the weather as well.

It is true that you don't expect to move to Florida & get a major string of days with record-breaking cold temperatures. BUT, I am loving it! What I miss most about winter & Illinois is not feeling guilty about spending your entire weekend inside & never getting dressed because you're too cozy in what you went to bed in the night before. Here in Florida it's usually insanely bright, sunny & warm & I feel that I must get outside & enjoy the weather. And no, that is certainly not anything to complain about since I'd usually be stir-crazy by January when I lived up North, but once in a while it's great to have a change of scenery.

I've also noticed that Floridians can be really wimpy about the cold weather even though the majority have moved from the North & have dealt with FAR colder temperatures. It's 40 degrees outside; keep your children & pets inside! If you MUST venture out; make sure their heads are covered! Give me a break. People up North are far tougher! And again I will say, yes, I understand that you don't move to Florida & expect to be forced to handle the cold, but still! Use it as a reason to cuddle up inside, have a glass of hot chocolate with marshmallows, make some chili, watch a movie & huddle under the covers. Because come July, you'll be complaining that it's hotter than hell & wishing for cooler temperatures!

But, maybe it's just me? Maybe if I dislike insanely hot temperatures, I had no business moving to Florida; the Sunshine State! Where it's consistently 93 degrees & 95% humidity for four straight months. And maybe if I enjoy the cold so much, I should just move back to Illinois where I came from. Guess you just can't please this gal!!

Oh, well. Happy Winter!

Lose It!

Since Mike got me an iPod Touch for Christmas, I've been using a free calorie counting application called, "Lose It!" My friend Lauren initially introduced it to me before I had my iPod & I was very jealous that I didn't have a program that user-friendly at my fingertips.

While working as a registered dietitian, I am often suggesting to my patients that they keep a food log to become more aware of exactly what they're ingesting. It's super easy to underestimate how much you're actually consuming in a day since each little bit adds up so quickly. Lose It! calculates your caloric needs based off your gender, height & current weight & asks you to choose your goal weight. You can choose how quickly you want to lose the weight & it will assign you a daily caloric level. Then you use the database to enter what you've eaten & how much.

This is exactly the kind of thing I have to do in order to keep my weight in check. It's very easy for me to just eat random things throughout the day without much notice & before I realize, I've gained five pounds. Lose It! has helped me become more accountable for what I'm eating. I've been allotted 1,300 calories/day in order to lose one pound/week & some days it can be tricky to eat well & feel satisfied. I've noticed that it helps me choose foods more wisely & ask myself if what I was about to eat is really worth it.

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, I seriously recommend you trying this application if you're interested in getting a better handle on your weight & nutrition.

Happy New Year!

Some years I feel bittersweet about beginning a new year, but Thursday I was very excited to ring in 2010. This starts the decade of my thirties & I have a feeling it will be a wonderful time in my life. During my twenties, I experienced many big moments with finishing school, getting married & having my first child, but this decade I look forward to watching Cam grow & change & enjoying being a mom.

I'm definitely not one for New Years resolutions, but I do like to set goals for myself. This is what I'm hoping to accomplish in 2010:

1.) RELAXING & trying to be a little more laid back. My house doesn't always have to be in perfect order & it's not the end of the world if there's a dirty dish in the sink.

2.) Stop worrying about what other people think about me! I'll sum it up with the Dr. Seuss quote I love so dearly: "Be who you are & say what you feel, because those who mind won't matter & those who matter won't mind."

3.) Trying to be a healthier person & raising a healthy child. Being a dietitian, you would think that I eat well all of the time but it just isn't so! I realize that my main downfall is both mine & Cam's lunches during the week. His daycare has a less than stellar menu & I want to make a real effort to make more creative, well-balanced meals to take to work & daycare.

4.) LIVING IN THE MOMENT! I am sick & tired of worrying ahead of time & wasting brain power on the what-ifs in life. Not exactly sure how I'm going to go about this, but we shall see!

5.) Getting to the gym on a consistent basis! 3-4 days per week, no excuses! It's always hard to drag myself there after work, but I'm always glad I did.

6.) Being the best mom, wife, daughter, friend, etc, that I can possibly be. There are times when I know in my heart that I'm not as present as I could or should be because of all the racket that tends to go on in my head. I hope to do this by accomplishing goal #4.

That about sums up what I hope to accomplish in 2010; nothing like setting my expectations very high as usual! I'm trying to take things one day at time & really make this a less stressed, enjoyable year!

Happy New Year!