Our Home: Part 1

I am having a blogging block lately, so I'll just share some pictures of our new house!  It's not as decorated as I would like, but I'm lacking inspiration in that department as well.  Would anyone like to nominate us for one of those shows on HGTV where they redecorate your house?  If so, make sure to let them know we're renting and it all has to be able to go with us when we move..no feathers glued on the walls and such!  Oh, and while your at it.  I'm totally in need of a new wardrobe, so start nominating me for What Not to Wear too... 
Ok.  Thanks!
 Oh and PS. I haven't even taken pictures upstairs so don't hold your breath for Part 2 anytime in the near near future. 

Potty Training Update

I have been reluctant to write anything for fear of jinxing myself, but potty training has been going fantastic! 
I had said in my previous post that I was going to start the "next day".  Which I didn't.  It was Kevin's last weekend before he went back to work and we wanted a little freedom to go and see what we pleased and not be stuck inside.
We've been talking for months about "throwing diapers away and being a big girl".  We told her she could pick out a new potty...for the 3rd time, (we have 3 bathrooms, so it's justified...HA)  and then from now she would only be wearing big girl underpants and no more diapers.  She was actually quite excited.  She picked out a simple, pink potty that looked like a frog, and home we went.  We asked her if she wanted to sit on her potty while she played with her toys and she agreed.   We tried for about 30 min and finally she went. Of course we made a huge deal out of it and we danced and played. She chose bubbles as her prize.  We were off to a good start. We put her to bed that night in a pull up and she woke up the next morning dry.  She went again.  Awesome. We chose to still go to church, we put her in a pull up (which she does not like) and went to church.  We were gone almost 2 hours but she didn't have accident and went when we got home. 
She did have 2 accidents/day for the first 3 days and they only happened when she was playing outside.  Not bad at all if you ask me.  Day 4 was awesome.  No accidents, a 2 hour trip away from home, and stayed dry the whole day.
I thought we were on a roll, then she threw me for a loop and had 3 major accidents on Thursday.  We were all a little bummed because she had been doing so great, we had planned on taking her to the zoo on Friday.  We had to scratch that and devise a new potty training plan and be a little more attentive to her needs.  It was obvious she wasn't 100% ready to be in control of it that she needed reminders from us still. 
Thursday evening we decided to take a different approach and instead of waiting for her to tell us she had to potty, we would make her sit on the potty atleast every 90 min- 2 hours and before anything important (i.e. going on a walk, taking bath, going outside to play).  It worked like a charm.  Sure, there wasn't as much pee in the potty but she was going and she wasn't holding to the point of "OMG, I'm going to pee my pants" stage.
Friday and today have been great as well. No accidents day or night. 
We still have times that we remind her to go, but she still takes the initiative to let us know if she has to go too. So far, 7 days of no diapers, the last 6 have been only big girl undewear, not even any pull ups for our big girl! 
Overall, we are super proud of our BIG girl who is doing amazing.  It's been a long road to this point, but the wait was worth it and I would wait til almost 3 again in a heartbeat.

Chicken Taco Soup

Another recipe for you.  First I will post the original recipe (and picture) that I found on Allrecipe.com 
I tweaked ours a bit to accommodate what we had on hand and save us a trip to the grocery store.  We loved the way it turned out and plan on making it again and possibly serving with some rice like the gumbo at Qdoba. YUM! 
Notice the recipe calls for 12oz of beer.  Sounds weird and I was skeptical but it totally works for this recipe.  I did read in the reviews that it tasted great with chicken stock as well. 
First...the original recipe. 

Ingredients - Orignal

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Next..my version of the same soup... (my feelings won't be hurt if you choose the original! haha!) 

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• 1 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• crushed tortilla chips (optional)
  
  **See not much different. I basically just omitted the chili beans, and left out one can of diced tomatoes, and instead of an 8oz can of tomato sauce, I added a full 15oz can because that's what I had on hand.  **
• Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
• Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

• 
  

Crockpot Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:

• 8 to 12 large cabbage leaves
• 1 to 1 1/2 pound very lean ground beef/turkey/chicken
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper, to taste

This is not my photo..
I didn't know at the time, I'd be
sharing the recipe. 

Preparation:

Pour boiling water over cabbage leaves and let stand for 5 minutes, until somewhat wilted. Combine ground beef with egg, pepper, salt, rice, and chopped onion. Roll a portion of the filling into each leaf. Secure rolls with toothpicks. Place in slow cooker. Combine tomato soup and tomatoes; pour over cabbage rolls. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.




These were a huge hit with Kevin.  He liked them so much he joked about eating them for breakfast the next day.  It made plenty for us to have multiple leftovers.  So if you like them, great, if not, I suppose feed them to the dog. 
I loved how simple they were.  Next time, I would add more seasoning to the meat/rice mixture. I did seem a little blah, but not enough to keep us from devouring them.  Another important tip is to use VERY lean beef/meat.  This is because the meat is raw and will cook over the course of the day in the cabbage rolls. If the meat is not lean, you will have a lot of excess grease and that's not very appetizing or healthy. 
Next, depending on the size of the head of cabbage you purchase, you will most likely have some left that was not used/cooked for the rolls. Save this, store in refrigerator and I'll give you a round 2 crock pot recipe in a few days. 
Enjoy!

Pike's Market

Yesterday we decided last minute to head into Seattle and check out the market.  We said several times.."It's going to be busy, we should have gone during the week".  We should have listened to our gut.  It was absolutely insane.  The crowds + double stroller + 2 toddlers + stressed out parents = not fun.  We were warned that it was going to be a pain with the stroller but we just didn't feel comfortable having them walk around.  Needless to say, we will not be returning until the kids are atleast 5 feet tall.  I witnessed a girl around 5 years old get elbowed in the face by people trying to push through the crowds.  Just not worth it, in my honest opinion.  We may venture in again and leave the kids at home with someone but it's definitely not a place for little ones on a busy weekend.  I did manage to snap some pictures.  Enjoy. 

Potty Training...HAHAHAHA

So now that we're settled into our new house and Lauren's shown signs that she is most definitely ready this time...we're going to go at potty training again.  I could really care less if you think she should have been by now.  I'm sure she should have but she also moved 4 times in the last 2.5 years and had her father gone for a year, a heck of a lot of traveling and a mom who just wasn't ready either.  I still don't know if I am...but I so am.  Does that make any sense. 
Lauren is just a different breed. She is just so stubborn.  She holds it in and will.not.go.   Tomorrow I'm putting her in big girl undies and we're going to wing it...again.  Wish us luck...and sanity!
P.S.  If she actually does go..we owe her a princess car, a trampoline, several packs of gum, chapstick, and a trip from her grandma.  Lol.  She has a memory like no other and I'm sure we'll remind us too.