Chocolate Almond Frozen Mousse

This recipe is easy... 3 ingredients. Here they are:

Plus I had a good little helper...

Soften the Cool Whip (I had kept it in the fridge, so it was a good consistency already.)

Grab your Hershey Bar with Almonds and soften it in the microwave, 30-45 seconds

Mash it with a spoon

Add a couple tablespoons of cold coffee into the Cool Whip and stir

Finally add in the melted Hershey's bar and mix it up. The chocolate should harden into little bits throughout. You can eat it like this (which I did enjoy) or stick it in the freezer (which I, like PW, liked better).

Another cool summer treat... no heating up the kitchen required. Enjoy!

To life... full of quick summertime treats!

Five Months!

Zeke, you are 5 months old!

- You are 24 1/2 inches long and weigh 11.6 lbs. (according to our faulty at-home measurements)

- You are still wearing a lot of 0-3 month clothes, but I have started putting you in some of your 3-6 month clothes as well. You wear size 1 and 2 diapers. You're right in between at the moment, so we use what we have on hand and/or what has been given to us!

- You have started eating solid food. So far you've tried bananas (ranking #1 as your favorite), carrots, peas, oatmeal, malt-o-meal, scrambled eggs, and sometimes random licks from Mommy's fingers. You've started to get real loud if I try to eat while I'm feeding you and I'm not feeding you fast enough!

I like my high chair!

- You have started rolling over from your tummy to your back. I think you will roll from back to front soon.

- You have started making new noises, screaming being one of them. Not Mommy's favorite! But you are also spitting and blowing bubbles. You make some sounds like you're trying to talk as well. You've started with some consonant sounds too!

- You are chewing on so many things and drooling a lot. Will you get a tooth soon?

- You have started noticing Dora as she moves past you. I'll be interested to see what happens when you actually start going after her!

- You are attending your first VBS this week!

- You are moving your hands all. the. time. You like to reach up and grab my nose and mouth when I'm trying to rock you to sleep. You sometimes hit me while I'm feeding you. You are grabbing your toys on your car seat with great accuracy. Your hand-eye coordination is improving greatly!

- You have lost some of the longer hair you were born with, but it looks like new growth is coming in well underneath.

My first mohawk! 

- You typically sleep about 5-6 hours at a time, eat, then sleep another 3-4 hours. Most typically you sleep from around 10 pm - 8 am. ***Very generally :o)***

- You still love to read! We read at least one book every night before bed. 

We love you so much, Zeke! As everyone says, the time is just flying by, so I am trying to enjoy every minute. I honestly cannot believe it's been 5 months since you were born. I love you more and more every day. The next few months will probably take us on several adventures. We are glad you're here to join us in them.

To life... full of growing up fast!

MMM: Early Morning "Parties"

Babies don't always sleep when you want them to; my baby included. Last night/early this morning -- 4:45 AM -- Zeke woke up. I was excited because he's been waking up sometime in the 3 o'clock hour to be fed, so this was over an hour later. I got extra sleep! I smiled as I saw the clock. But when I made it to the crib I could tell that even though he was crying, he was more awake than usual. I started feeding him which usually knocks him back out... an hour later he was finally done, and still wide awake. I rocked him, but I could tell it wasn't going to work. I started to get frustrated because I was tired and wanted him to go back to sleep. Then I remembered something my friend told me. She said when her baby wouldn't sleep, instead of getting frustrated, make it into a "party." Just have a good time together, enjoy the cuddles, and wait for them to be ready to sleep again. I can't say that I was happy about it, but I did take Zeke to lay down in bed with me, that way I could at least relax instead of be sitting in the chair waiting for him to fall asleep. He looked around and talked and played for awhile and once he started fussing again I went back to his room and finally got him back to sleep around 6:40 AM. It was rough and I don't understand what kept him from sleeping, but I do know that being frustrated or upset doesn't make him go back to sleep any quicker. This phase will come to an end and he won't want so many early morning parties with Mommy. Perspective.

To life... full of early morning parties!

A Worthy Purchase

Shortly after we moved to Texas I went to someone's house and saw them washing their dishes... while wearing gloves. I thought to myself, "How prissy! Who needs to wear gloves just to wash dishes? Are they afraid to mess up their nails? How silly!"

About a week ago, I purchased my first pair of gloves to use for cleaning house and ... you guessed it: washing dishes :o)

I have quite sensitive skin, especially my hands. When I was working full-time my wonderful husband washed almost all the dishes for me and I just had to put them away. Now that I'm the one who stays home, I do the washing, and do not mind, except for the fact that it wreaks havoc on my hands. Not only the washing of the dishes, but when I use house cleaning products as well. So I had been reluctantly doing house work and then taking several days in between to calm my hands back down. Finally I decided enough was enough. When I went to Target I was in the cleaning aisle and decided to go for it. I had to find a pair of latex-free gloves (because that seems to bother me as well), so they were more expensive, but so far they have been well worth it! Not only are my hands protected from the soap (which I was even using soap for sensitive skin), but I find I can use even hotter water for rinsing as well. I can do all the dishes, rinse my gloves, take them off and it's as if my hands didn't have to do anything. No more passing judgement on those who wear gloves for housework, I now totally understand.

A worthy purchase indeed.

To life... full of lovely blue gloves!

It's a Turtle, It's a Snail, It's Me, making a change!

Sometimes the truth hurts... but truth can also bring about change, motivation, improvement.

Several weeks ago Jeremiah and I went out to eat at Chili's. He ordered a salad because that was one of the few things on the menu that he could actually have. It included chicken, pineapple, lettuce, and many other good things and he chose some type of vinegrette as the dressing. I chuckled as we received our food because the waiters tend to think the salad is for the woman and the other food is for the man. I told Jeremiah I was proud of him for making such healthy choices in his eating so that he could be around for a long time... as I bit into my mini philly cheesesteak... then my buffalo wings... and finally my cheese fries!

It wasn't until later that I realized how stupid I was being! All this time I have been thanking Jeremiah for making healthy choices so that he can be around for a long time, while I continually make terrible ones for myself; thanking my good genes for my surprisingly healthy cholesterol levels and ability to somehow not balloon into the obese category. What am I doing?!? How selfish! And ignorant!

The past couple of months I have been struggling with my motivation to eat healthy and exercise. I just couldn't seem to get back in the saddle after being pregnant. I feel hungry nearly all the time and I am also having a hard time developing a schedule, particularly finding time to exercise regularly. But recently a couple of things have taken place to inspire/remind/encourage me to do something, anything, to get back on track and at least take baby steps toward living a healthier lifestyle. The first being our trip to Chili's. Even more recently was Zeke's 4 month appointment when the doctor had said Zeke could just start eating off our plates and I realized that I wouldn't want him eating the food that was on my plate. I've started eating more foods that are convenient and I have been cooking much less often. If I don't want my baby to be eating the same foods as me, then I need to change as well!

I've also become more and more discouraged with my clothes selection. I was happy to be able to fit into regular (read: non-maternity) clothes so quickly after having my baby, but those were all my "fat clothes." Now though, I am missing some of my clothes that I had just purchased before getting pregnant and I am wanting to wear them again.

I read this article from Livestrong last week: The Ultimate Guide to Fat Loss. I was encouraged by much of the article, but especially their suggestion to only change one habit at a time. I, like many others, am drawn to an "all or nothing" mentality when it comes to weight loss and choosing a healthy lifestyle. I think that either I must be exercising 5 days a week, eating only fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, and drinking 80 oz. of water OR eat anything I want and not make time to exercise (the latter being my current method of choice). It seems that I want immediate results or else it seems a waste of my time. But finally through these series of revelations I decided that I would make a change. I had decided on that change just before reading this article, but it has both reinforced my decision and encouraged me that even this one small change can and will make a difference!

Desserts, my greatest weakness, have taken over my eating. As I was considering how I might change my habits, I thought of failed attempts in the past -- completely cutting out desserts, giving up chocolate, only allowing myself one dessert item each day. Based on those attempts I realized that telling myself I'm giving something up only leads me to want it more, especially if the timeframe for getting them back is 'indefinitely." So I decided that I would try eliminating desserts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. To many, that may seem like a small sacrifice, but for me and my current lifestyle, it has already proved to provide a challenge. A small change, but a change nonetheless.

To life... full of steps toward a beautiful heart!

MMM: New Skills

Zeke has discovered his bottom lip. Combined with his tongue he is honing a new skill. Check it out!

On Saturday we were painting at a friend's house. He was lying on a blanket and entertaining himself for about 30 min. When I came over to check on him his lips were all white from the spit bubbles. It was too funny! We love our little boy and all the things he's learning.

To life... full of blowing bubbles!

MMM: It's Time to Eat!

Zeke went to his 4 month doctor appointment last Monday and got the ok to start eating solid food!

This past week we have experimented with bananas, carrots, oatmeal, malt-o-meal, potatoes, and even a tiny bite of pancake (not a fan). Right now he is basically just learning the process of opening his mouth, chewing, and swallowing more than actually needing the food as sustenance. I think his favorite so far has actually been the carrots.... or maybe he's just getting better at eating. Anyway, it's been fun and I can't wait to keep trying more foods! Here's a video of his first try with solids. He was eating bananas :o)

To life... full of learning to chew!