If I Was President...

You can view the actual photo larger if you'd like here.

Little Miss has been writing in a journal all summer.  The teacher gave her some suggested topics.  One topic was If I were the President, I would...  This is what she wrote:

Make sure everyone can go to a good and safe school.  Make sure everyone can go everywhere.  Give moms and dads more time off to be with their kid.  Make sure everybody does the right stuff.  Make sure everyone has food.  Give kids Monday off.

I've really enjoyed the writing assignments because it's really given us insight to what she thinks about.  I'm feeling much better about taking a day off to do some sightseeing with just my Little Miss next week now.  

The Birds and the Bees

Last night, Little Miss said she wished she and Captain were the same age because she wanted to know what it was like to be a baby.  I explained that you forget what it's like to be a baby because memory and language isn't developed enough.  I could tell her what it was like for me when she was a baby, but no one can really know what it was like for her as a baby.  She then rambles and said she wanted to adopt a baby.  I gently told her that that's a great idea, but we are a two-child household and all done.  She corrected me and said, "No.  I want to adopt when I'm older because I don't want stitches."

Ah.  I told her that was still a good idea, and she can do what she chooses.  I then told her that you don't have to get stitches if you have a baby.  That was only one way babies are born.  So, of course, she asked what the other way was.  So, I told her.  Her eyes got very big.  Then, she pretended to throw up.  A second passed.  Another.  She then says, "But how does a baby fit?"  I told her that the passage stretches to accommodate a baby when it's time.  

Then, the eye rolling and (fake) gagging really went into high gear.

I'm glad that I didn't have to explain how they got there in the first place.  And also glad that I don't have to worry about grandkids for awhile.

My Least Favorite Part of Parenting

Seriously, feeding children is the bane of my existence.  I hate it.  I'm thrilled that Captain is not a picky eater.  I'm thankful that he doesn't throw his food like his sister.  However, I forgot how messy self-feeding is.  Last week, I gave him shrimp salsa for dinner (recipe posted last week).  I picked out the onions and gave him the tomato, shrimp and avocado.  I also microwaved some frozen corn up for him.  I fussed around while he sat in his chair eating.

I turned back, and he had smooshed avocado all in his hair and all over his face.  I just ran the bath immediately.  He had avocado in his onesie.  It was just everywhere.  He thought it was hilarious. Plus, I got the distinct feeling he knew how messy he was and how grossed out by it all I was.  Boys.

Sort of walking!

To be honest, Captain is still a bit lazy.  He will walk a little everyday though.  He is very proud of himself.  He's great at standing.  Until he can walk as fast and strong and confident as when he crawls, he won't.  Still, progress!

Siblings

Little Miss has been gone for a little over a week.  She went to Florida with my family.  Captain missed her greatly.  He had trouble sleeping and just wasn't quite himself.  His face lit up when she walked in the room.  However, he has enjoyed getting Daddy time.  Normally, Little Miss is a Daddy's Girl so Captain is stuck with me.  He's been enjoying uninterrupted Daddy time and space.  He was not happy to share the lap.  However, he loved having Little Miss read to him before bed again and have her walk him around and play with him.  They play so well together and so quietly.  They'll just sit on the floor and talk, and she'll "teach" him things.  I wonder how close they'll be when they're older with the age and gender difference, but they have a strong foundation at least.

Books Read in June 2015

1. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
2. Suddenly One Summer by Julie James (NOTE: Julie James has many recurring characters, but she writes so you can pick up her books at any point. There is a cameo by a character from a previous book, but this one stands alone more than others.)
3. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
4. Looking for Alaska by John Green

I really liked Landline. It was a little woowoo with the magic landline, but I liked the story about marriage. It would be a good discussion book on readers' views on the main character or if readers agreed with the ending. I really like Rainbow Rowell's books a lot. I just wish there were more of them. It was a pretty great month for reading - the quantity may have been small, but the books were good. I think I liked the other Liane Moriarty book better, but this was good.

Disney Magic

Little Miss is in Disney this week with my family (Parents, Sister, Nephew, Aunt, Uncle, and one cousin and his girlfriend). It seems like she's having a blast. We certainly miss her - and no one more than her brother. We get her back this weekend.

Movies Watched in June 2015

1. Spy
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
3. Togetherness
4. Inside Out
5. Captain America: Winter Soldier
6. A Million Ways to Die in the West
7. Whiplash
8. Edge of Tomorrow

I saw Spy and Inside Out in the theater. Both were hits! I had Whiplash and Captain America on DVR so I finally cleared those out. The rest were on some streaming service. Togetherness is a show on HBO. I binge-watched Season 1. I'm going to try to watch Season 2 when it's released, but we'll see. I like everyone on it. It's kind of a sticky little dramedy.

Ned a fresh appetizer?

This shrimp salsa was super tasty! I did add avocado and you could probably add black beans. I'd add a little more salt than I did, but the cilantro made the whole dish. Unless you hate cilantro, then obviously don't add it.

Skinny Shrimp Salsa
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: a little over 1/2 cup • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 2 pts Calories: 74.9 • Fat: 0.9 g • Protein: 12.5 g • Carb: 4.4 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Sugar: 0.2 g Sodium: 278.2 mg

Ingredients:

• 16 oz cooked peeled shrimp
• diced fine 4 vine ripe tomatoes
• diced fine 6 tbsp red onion
• finely diced 3 tbsp jalapenos, diced fine (more or less to taste) 
• 2 tbsp minced cilantro 
• 2 limes, juice of (or more to taste) 
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt 

Directions: 

Combine diced onions, tomatoes, salt and lime juice in a non-reactive bowl and let it sit about 5 minutes. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, taste for salt and adjust as needed. Refrigerate and let the flavors combine at least an hour before serving.

I let it sit overnight, and it made a big difference. I didn't add jalapenos because I'm a baby. I kind of really eyeballed it. It did make a lot. We fed 4 adults and a baby/toddler and had a LOT leftover.

June 2015 Weekend Update

June was really busy! I didn't take many pictures though. I spent early June in Louisville/Nashville for a work trip. It was quite a bit of fun. I met clients I hadn't met before. We got to go to Churchill Downs. I saw a part of Nashville I've never visited before. All in all, it was a successful trip. So, that first weekend was spent traveling home and catching my breath.

The second week in June was fun! A friend and I saw Mumford & Sons and had a blast. On Friday, the In-Laws, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, the nephews and the four of us went for Asian food. The food was plentiful. We did not give the baby sushi, but he liked edamame and tempura. The next night, we went out with our friends. Husband went golfing with the boys. A friend, Sister and I went to a brunch that was fantastic. Then, we met Sister-in-Law at the movies. After, we met up with the boys for happy hour and kept hopping from there. It was a lot of fun. On Sunday, we went to my parents' pool.

The third weekend, Little Miss and I met Sister and Nephew to see Inside Out. My mom watched Captain while we went out. We did some light shopping, too. That Sunday was another quiet Sunday. We've made an effort to keep the place relatively tidy. I think the lighter Sundays have helped.
In the last weekend, we went to Sister's house on Saturday to celebrate my dad's birthday. The kids baked brownies. I went to the mall to pick up Little Miss's flower girl dress for Sister's wedding next year. Then, we all just had an enjoyable evening. On Sunday, I met friends for lunch and some girl time.

Other items of note is that Little Miss had her last day of first grade (the picture above is misleading because it's really the last day on the left and the first day on the right). I really liked first grade (and she did as well). She grew so much - both physically and academically. She's so very bright and so eager to please. I hope she is as lucky with her second grade teacher.

Meanwhile, Captain has no desire to walk. He will very occasionally walk assisted and can walk alongside the couch, a cabinet or in the crib. He'll just fold up his legs until you let him go so he can crawl. I know his legs can support him and he knows what to do so, until he wants to, not much else to worry about. He is a fantastic eater. He'll eat anything. He's had jambalaya, many meats, fruits. He's ate shrimp last weekend for dinner. He loves fruit and pretty much anything I'm trying to feed myself. He even tried some of Husband's buffalo chicken. We've been having some constipation issues. It turns out that he needs a healthy diet of fruit and daily prunes. At least once a week, it's a big struggle so hopefully we'll have it straightened out soon. Poor little guy.