Hello Again

I know I've been MIA for a while, so I thought it might be good to just post an update before jumping back in. So, Hello Monday....

Hello Spring

The weather has finally decided to turn nice and I think stay nice.  I love the warmer weather, but it also means we spend more time outside and we seem to be so much busier this time of year.  This past weekend we went to Patrick's parent's to visit and spent a day at the Indianapolis Zoo.  We had a blast, as Littlecjc is really into animals right now.

Hello Golf Season

Patrick has been watching a lot of golf lately, which I love, because that means more time for me to read.  Last weekend was the Masters so instead of our Disney night, we served egg salad sandwiches and pimento, since that is apparently the popular food choices at Augusta.  I'm obviously not as big of a golfer as Patrick, but hopefully I can get on a course sometime soon.

Hello Disney

This week we are taking Littlecjc to her first Disney on Ice show.  We're seeing the Let's Celebrate show, and I'm really excited.  I'm also a little nervous that little one won't stay in her seat.  Hopefully the show holds her attention, or at least the popcorn.

Hello Fastpasses

We recently were able to make our fastpass selections.  This seemed more stressful this year with all the renovation chaos going on right now at Disney World.  Plus we have some first timers traveling with us this time, and they are unsure of what they might want to ride.  Look for another entry coming up all about what we chose.

Hello Read-a-thon

I think I've mentioned before that I'm in a few reading challenge groups on Facebook.  One of those groups is having a read-a-thon this week.  I'm not off to a great start, but I love any excuse to read.  I'm currently reading The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) and listening to All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.

Hello Hiking

I'm really excited this week as my Hike it Baby branch has it's first destination hike of the season.  These hikes are always so much fun as it's a new adventure for everyone.  I love spending the time with my little one and our friends while enjoying the amazing outdoors.

Well, that's what's been going on here and what's going on this week.  Feel free to share what you've been up to.

Wordless Wednesday: April Calendar

At first, I was at a loss for this topic, but then I found this gem from 2009.  Happy April!

Join the fun!

Alice in Wonderland

Disney Dinner Night - Week #7 Alice in Wonderland

This past week, we quickly decided on our Disney movie after Littlecjc received a tea set from Grandma for Easter.  I was sick for most of the week and our weekend was pretty busy so even though I thought I had planned for this week, I felt rushed to get it all going and we ended up eating pretty late.  Because of this, I ended up not decorating like I originally thought about, and the only activity that took place, was the tea party that Littlecjc had with her balloon dogs (from the clowns at our Easter picnic lunch.)  Thank goodness for this fun, since I needed the time to get dinner done.

I knew I needed cookies for this week, so I brightly decided Friday night to attempt these fancy cookies that my mom makes all the time but that I had never made.  These were actually fun to make, but also very time consuming.  I'm sure it would get easier with practice, but what took the longest amount of time was the drying time needed between steps, which unfortunately can't be changed, regardless of practice.  At any rate, I was happy with how they ended up!

Another advantage of these dinner nights is that I usually end up trying new recipes.  Sometimes they're amazing and sometimes they're just okay.  This week probably feel in the second category, but it was still nice to have something different.  There are so many food options available for this movie, that it was kind of difficult to decide what to make.  We ended up with chicken covered in a mushroom sauce, which was good, but not amazing.  Probably not a repeat recipe for us.  I intended to have those smiley pre-packed potatoes, but I couldn't find them at the stores.  I guess they no longer sell those in my area at least.  Luckily, I found this homemade recipe here on pinterest that I used as inspiration to make my own.  These were probably my favorite part of the actual meal.  We also painted the roses red with my attempt of the puff pastry, apple rose that has been floating around Facebook lately.  It was fun and pretty, but not amazing, so again I don't think we will repeat it unless we're specifically looking for a rose dessert again.  It wasn't until we were watching the movie that I realized I forgot the buttered bread butterflies I was going to make.  Oops.

For our snack with the movie, I of course had to make these edible tea cups that I saw awhile back, again on pinterest.  These were easy and Littlecjc loved it, even if she didn't eat the tea cup.  Her face was pretty priceless though when she saw me take a bite of mine.

She did love the chocolate that I put inside the tea cup though!  She also gave me a heart attack when she first picked her cup up by the handle.  Royal icing for the win.  It held the handle on all evening, I was really surprised.

I also couldn't resist using my favorite coffee mug tonight.  I can't believe I took this picture without turning my mug around since it's the other side I love.  It states "We're all mad here."

I was so happy, and actually surprised that Littlecjc loved this movie.  She was so glued to it, that for the first 20 minutes, she just held onto her cookie without eating it while watching the movie.  As I stated, this turned into a late evening after a very busy day, so both Patrick and I ended up falling asleep during the movie, but not Littlecjc.  I woke up to the credits and "again."  She did not get it again, but instead got put to bed.  

Stay tuned to see what movie we tackle next week.

I Must Confess: The Day I Forgot to be a Mom

It's Monday, so that means it's time for another confession.  This week Kristy @ My Home Truths prompted me to write about the day I forgot to... After spending some time thinking about the prompt, I decided to unload a big confession here.  Some days I forget to be a mom.  Ok, yes, I don't actually forget that I'm a mom, but some days I am a very lazy mom.  This past week I've been sick, and some days it's all about the bare minimum of being a mom.  I of course feed my daughter, get her drinks, take her to the bathroom (every few minutes) and take care of her needs, but there's not always a lot of active mommy moments.  I am currently blessed with this new stage that my girl's in where she will entertain herself.  Unfortunately, some days it's a lot more TV instead of toys.  Although she's also reached this fun stage where she has started responding to the questions posed by the TV shows, I still don't like for her to watch so much television.  But yes, some days I still "forget" that this bothers me and as long as she's happy, I accept it as a successful day.  We were a little more active this weekend and I'm feeling even better today, so hopefully this week I'll remember to be a better mom.  Of course, that means I need to get off this computer now.

Do you have a confession? Feel free to join up.