Wordful Wednesday: Spaghetti Monster

She likes spaghetti the way Cookie Monster likes cookies

Mexican Avocados: The Perfect Halloween Treat + Recipe Contest

I L-O-V-E avocados!

Avocados are great tasting and a good source of nutrients, including 20 essential vitamins and minerals. Plus they are available year-round so they are a staple of my family's diet. In fact, mashed avocado was Marlie's first solid food.

Avocado is really a unique food. It can be mashed, sliced, and baked into so many delicious recipes. The Avocados from Mexico team is hosting a Spookamole recipe contest to find the most creative dishes for Halloween parties! The green color is perfect. Avocado ice cream with a waffle cone hat can be a witch and guacamole can be goblin snot. Get the idea? Now go put on your chef hat and join the fun. Here is my recipe entry:

Mummy's Chocolate Avocado Pudding
2 small ripe Haas avocados
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 TBSP melted coconut oil
1 TSP vanilla extract

Directions: Mash the avocados then puree in the blender with milk. Add remaining ingredients and blend until creamy with a glossy sheen. Chill in refrigerator before serving. Makes 4 servings of a healthy and yummy treat!

 

I got the idea for this recipe from a health food blog and made some modifications. It looks and tastes just like regular chocolate pudding, but even better! This is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and everyone will be shocked when you tell them the secret ingredient is avocados.

I wrote this post while participating in a Spookamole blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Avocados from Mexico.

You REALLY Didn't Know You Were Pregnant?!

Have you every watched that TV show I Didn't Know I was Pregnant on TLC? It tells the story of women who deliver babies they didn't know they were pregnant with. I watch it sometimes, totally skeptical that all these women carried babies to term and were unaware the entire time that a life was growing inside of them. Me? I knew I was pregnant the minute I conceived (not really, but I had an idea 2 weeks later)...

Clue #1: Aunt Flo didn't make her monthly visit. My period runs like clockwork. You could set the time by it. I realize that some women have irregular menstrual cycles, but not having a period for nine months would raise red flags for me.

Clue #2: Swollen Boobs. I am a solid B cup so when my cleavage is suddenly spilling out of my bra I take that as a sign that something biological is going on.

Clue #3: Intense Fatigue. I. just. want. to. sleep. all. the. time. By midday I am cross-eyed and drooling and in desperate need of a nap. Some of the women on the show go dancing every night or run a marathon. They must be aliens from the planet Krypton because I am too tired to even watch someone dance or run.

Clue # 4: Naseau. If the sight of raw chicken or the smell of burnt rubber triggers waves of queasiness, you could have the flu or you're pregnant.

Clue #5: Increased Appetite and Weird Cravings. I wake up in the middle of the night hungry and go scavenging in the kitchen like some deranged vulture. I gorge myself on spaghetti sauce and lime Popsicles. Who else does that except a pregnant woman?

Clue #6: Unexplained Weight Gain. I gained eight pounds in two months. I have been eating like a prize county fair pig, but 8 POUNDS?! Am I carrying a linebacker?!

Clue #7: Mood Swings. One minute I am crying at baby commercials, the next I am shouting obscenities at the stupid character on my favorite soap opera. A mild case of bipolar disorder is a sure sign of pregnancy.

Clue #8: Super Sense of Smell. I can sniff Marlie's poop from the next room. I am like a bloody bloodhound. I should get a job at the airport detecting drugs.

Clue #9: Frequent Urination. I have to go to the bathroom constantly. Why hasn't anyone invented a portable potty for pregnant women? If you suddenly develop a baby bladder then you should go get checked out because you might have a medical problem or a growing fetus lodged on your pee-pee maker.  

*disclaimer: this is a tongue-in-cheek article and is intended to be funny.*

Toddler Log: 2 Years and 6 Weeks Old

Marlie has been sick all week with a nasty stomach bug that causes fever and loose stools. She missed two days of school, and I almost lost my sanity. I think I mentioned before that Marlie is a horrible patient. I understand that you are sick, but is that really a reason to be grumpy and whiny and mean? She gets really mean when she's ill. Alas, we survived the week (and each other). By Friday she was semi-normal and asking for paper and pens to draw. After she finished one masterpiece, she jumps up and says, "look, a plane!" I clapped my hands and told her what a magnificent plane it was. She went back to drawing and came back with a butterfly and a banana. I ooed and awwed again and told her they were beautiful. Then I hung it on the wall. She smiled so hard with pride. Isn't she a genius?
What else? Me and the chocolate chip are doing good. I think I am regaining some energy or at least I am not moving like a zombie anymore. I am going to try to start returning emails and exercising this week, but I am not going to overdo it.

I'm Baking a Chocolate Chip

I said that I wouldn't have any babies after age 35. After a blink-and-you-missed it failed pregnancy in February, I thought my baby making days were over. Well, this little body-snatcher sneaked in just under the wire. Meet my little chocolate chip due on April 14, a month before my 36th birthday. He's about 9 weeks in this sonogram. I'm almost 12 weeks along now. I am still wrapping my head around this surprise gift. I am going to be a mommy again. Marlie is going to be a big sister. Everything is going to change. Now we'll need two car seats and two college funds. Although chocolate chip wasn't planned, I am ready for him (or her). I am feeling really relaxed with this pregnancy (that's one of the benefits of having done this already). Other than being tired and hungry all the time and the occasional bout of the queasiness, I feel great.

Toddler Log: 2 Years and 5 Weeks Old

I know. I know. You want to know where I've been (thanks Krissy and Nicole for bringing it to my attention that I have blog friends who notice my absence). Well, what excuse do I have for being absent from blogville? For starters, the weather is finally cooling down, so me and Marlie have been enjoying post-nap walks (sometimes to the corner donut shop) and going to the park. Besides enjoying the outdoors again, I am working on a big project that is taking up a lot of time and energy.

This week I have really noticed parts of myself and her dad in Marlie. For instance, she is quick to rush to the aid of a crying child at her school and ask if he or she is okay. She gets that compassion and empathy from me. She is also disarmingly charming and has a way of batting her eyelashes at you in an attempt to get her own way. She gets that from her daddy. Case in point: She looks up me from underneath her unbelievably long lashes, smiles big and says, "I need cake." It's such a spot on impression of her dad.

• Marlie has been saying I need and I want a lot lately. Her dad says she needs to learn the difference between the two words. I'm just happy when she says follows up with "please."
• She surprised me this week with her knowledge of a specific body part. She walks up to me and goes, "ouch. thumb." Sure enough there was a splinter the size of a canoe in her thumb. She sat quietly while I removed it and didn't flinch. Of course I had to put a bandage on it.
• Another surprise, I overheard her singing "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10." She learned it from her V-Tech phone. Now I know better than to think that Marlie can count. She's just repeating numbers she memorized from a song. It's still cute though.
• I got an "I love you" this week at bedtime. Can you say heart-melting?

Toddler Log: 2 Years and 4 Weeks Old

I can't believe we are already a third of the way through September. My heart has been heavy this week leading up today. I'll never forget were I was when I heard about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center Towers in NYC. I felt a combination of horror, grief, and fear. Ten years later I can still relive those feelings. I wasn't a mother on September 11, 2001, but now I am. I wonder what I will tell my daughter about that day. How can explain 9/11 to her in a way that does the victims, survivors and heroes justice?

That's what I have been thinking about all week. Also...

• Why does Marlie have no problem saying words like strawberry, supermarket, peacock, monkey, and butterfly but she can't say open?
• Why does she think it's cute to run into the street the second I am distracted? We have multiple conversations about the road being dangerous because cars hit people and it hurts. She repeats what I say, but then takes off toward the street if I blink. I used to give crazy looks to parents who tethered their kids with leashes, but now I am seriously thinking of getting one. I'd rather get side-eye than have my child hit by a car.
• What is with waking up cranky from naptime? She has been like this all week, just sulky and very unpleasant. Don't touch her, speak to her, or make any sudden moves. She'll have a fit. It must be nice to get a nap in the middle of the day. I wouldn't be so pissy if I was you little miss.
• How much light and love you have brought into our lives. Even when you are being difficult (which is more than half the time these days), I am having the time of my life with you.

Things I'm Loving This Thursday

It's been a long time since I've made a weekly list of the things I'm loving. This week I am loving...

• The Big C on Showtime. I am a big fan of Laura Linney's movies, but she is bigger than life the on the small screen in this serial dramedy about Cathy, a woman battling stag 4 skin cancer while trying to keep her dysfunctional family together which includes her man-child husband, her son, her biploar brother and a favorite student who comes to live with them. Cathy is assertive, sassy, and funny and she doesn't take any crap. She kicks butt every day.

• Celebrity baby boom. It used to be that getting pregnant was the kiss of death for a female entertainer's career. But oh how times have changed! Baby bumps are the hottest look on the red carpet, just ask Beyonce'. There are entire websites and front pages of magazines dedicated to tracking the every move of celebrity moms from pregnancy to preschool.I personally think it's great to see famous women start families. It makes them more real.

What are you loving this Thursday?! Leave it in your comment :-)

What I'm Watching on #Netflix

This week's picks from Netflix Instant Watch:

TV Show:
1,000 ways to Die recounts the strange and silly ways human beings meet their untimely demise, usually doing something stupid like playing with poisonous spiders. The series adds a layer of humor to these tragic deaths with titles like Semi-cide (man torn in two my a semi truck). It's for viewers with morbid tastes.

Movie:
Skin recounts the true story of a Sandra Laing, a colored girl born to white parents in South Africa's apartheid era. Her parents fight for her to be classified as white in the nation's registry so she can enjoy the same privileges as a white citizen. But as Sandra grows older she discovers that her appearance makes it impossible to be accepted by white society. She is forced to choose between her parent's protective care and her black lover. After 20 years of not fitting in, she finally finds emotional freedom.

(W)Heeling with Heelys: Review + Labor Day Sale & Free Shipping Code

I used to be a very active, outdoorsy girl. I used to inline skate and mountain bike. It's been ages since I've participated in a sport that involved wheels so I jumped at the chance to try Heelys.

If you've never heard of Heelys, you've probably seen kids skating on them around your neighborhood. They look like sneakers with wheels. But the fun of skating with Heelys is not just for kids. I speak from experience. I had an absolute blast learning how to skate with my Heelys.

These are my Heelys. I chose the Wave style in White and Black...don't they ooze swagger? I was very excited to try get them out of the box, and because Heelys assemble in 3 easy steps, I was able to put them on in no time. They fit my feet like a glove and are so comfortable. I especially like Heelys because they are so fashionable and can be worn as regular sneakers when the wheels are removed.

It took awhile to get the hang of balancing on my heel, which is primary position the for skating on Heelys. Like anything else, practice makes perfect. The Heelys website provides some really helpful training videos and tips. Next, I am going to learn to do some tricks like a 180 turn!

Heelys is an activity the whole family can enjoy!

Heelys is having a Labor Day sale this week. Buy a pair for yourself, your spouse and your children! From 12:00 AM (CDT) Friday, September 2, 2011, through 11:59 PM (CDT) Monday, September 5, 2011, buy one pair of Heelys from the Heelys shop, and get a second pair for $30. The least expensive pair of Heelys in the shopping cart will be discounted. This offer is good for U.S. customers only. One top of that awesome deal, get FREE SHIPPING with this code: HeelysLovesBloggers.

Follow Heelys on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and updates!

I received this review opportunity as part of the Business2Blogger campaign.

Toddler Log: 2 Years and 3 Weeks Old

It seems like toddlers have their own language sometimes. Marlie knows tons of English words and learns new ones everyday, but every now and then she busts out something that sounds like Klingon. Her new nonsensical phrase is "bee bee top." I have no clue what it means.

Something has been eating us alive in our house. My feet and ankles are covered in itchy bites and so are Marlie's legs and arms (she calls them, "bee bites"). At first I thought they were mosquitoes, but they were only on my feet and ankles. Then I got worried that bed bugs hitched a ride home with us from NYC. Well, we finally uncovered the culprits...fleas! Those things are vicious and so hard to kill because they are constantly laying eggs. We are trying every natural flea remedy we can find because I don't want my carpets and rugs sprayed with toxic pesticides. After a week of spraying herbal insect killer and grinding diatomaceous earth into the carpets, I think we finally have the blood-suckers beat.

Marlie came down with a cold mid-week and I have been running snot interference since plus she gave it to me and I feel crappy, so this is the end of this update. I'll catch up with you fine folk when I am less stuffy.

#Spa4Ma Giveaway Hop Is Here! (US)

*This is a sticky post. Scroll down for latest articles at Marlie and Me!*

The Spa for Ma giveaway hop is finally here! This event organized by Measuring Flower and Graphoniac was created to offer great giveaways that will help moms relax. From August 18th to 31st blog readers can enter to win some awesome prizes by hopping from one blog to the next through the linky list. So after you enter my giveaway, scroll to the bottom of this post for a list of all the participating blogs that are offering giveaways during this hop. Enter as many as you can!

It's time to unveil the Spa for Ma prize package at Marlie and Me...One Winner Takes All!

Jaxx Candles Wax Warmer With Melts Read Sponsor Spotlight	$30 to spend at evaelena recycled jewelry Read Sponsor Spotlight
Tropical Traditions Skin Exfoliator Read Review Post	Sample Box of GreenTeaDAILY Read Sponsor Spotlight

Plus, I am sponsoring a $25 Bath & Body Works Gift Card!

Please Read How to Enter to the Win Bath and Beauty Prize Packages: you must use the Rafflecopter form below to record your entries. Comments left on the blog post for required or extra entries don't count unless you record it on the Rafflecopter form. Please wait for the form to load, it may take longer to pop up than the rest of the web page. Make sure you have java script enabled and your browser updated. If you encounter an error, refreshing the page usually resolves the problem. If problem persists, please report the issue to Rafflecopter.

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