- I'm thankful -

Today I'm thankful for...

- a three year old that had an extremely rough week but is finally starting to "sort of" act like herself...after a horrible bout of the stomach flu...i.e, vomiting for 12 hours straight :-(

- my amazing mother who was right there by my side while I sat with my daughter on my lap for over 14 hours...because she only wanted me. My mom helped me out so much...bringing me food, bringing more towels....washing the "soiled" towels...I couldn't have survived those 2 days without her!

- a completely selfless friend who texted me every hour to check in with me, and who offered to help me out in any way she could, including running to the store to get us much needed pedialyte and broth....even though BOTH of her kids were sick with ear infections and she'd have to drag crabby kids through the store and then over to our house.

- the fact that we get a day of wine tasting tomorrow...because heck... I need a day of wine after this week

- a job that is very flexible when my kid comes down with the stomach flu...I may work for a smallish company, and I may not get paid as much as I could earn if I worked more corporate...but I have the most amazing flexibility at this company that I just can't give up. If I HAVE to work, it has to be at a place that understands that I WILL stay home for 2+ days straight because my kiddo is sick.

- for my awesome hubby, who let me kick him out of our room, and slept on the blow up guest bed, so that my sick baby and I could get some rest (because let's face it...he's a pretty restless sleeper, and we needed a quiet room! I still love you babe...restless sleeping and all!!!)

- I'm gonna be honest here...I am so thankful right now that we don't have two kids so we didn't have to deal with both kids being sick. I don't know how some of you amazing momma's with multiple kids out there do it, when they just pass the sickness back and forth!

- that Matt and I somehow didn't catch the bug!!



This was the first night of the stomach flu...her, finally sleeping on the mattress in our room, after all of the pretty white blankets were stripped, and it was transformed into the "sick bed". Please note the towels everywhere...but most importantly...she slept! Because after 12 hours of what she went through, what else could she do? I, on the other hand, did not sleep...I had one eye on her all night. And that was after being up at 5:00 in the morning that day with the first bout of "the bug"...(and please excuse the crappy iPhoto pics!)

**disclaimer...I know that we've been very lucky this season, and have avoided most of the bad viruses. I know that we should be counting a million lucky stars that this is the first time Ellie's been sick this entire season...because I know what some of you mom's have been dealing with month after month! But no mom likes to see her baby sick...so this week was a rough one for me. But I am thankful it is over...and it could have been a lot worse!!

- where did all this sass come from -

Something happened to my child right around the time she turned three...slowly but surely, this little three year old has turned into quite a sassy thing. Sometimes it's funny, and cute...sometimes it is absolutely shocking (like this past weekend, when she tried to put ME on timeout, because I raised my voice at her. Yes, my three year old told me to go on timeout, and not to get up until she said I could...really?!?) and sometimes it is just plain exasperating, like when she sasses us if she gets mad or frustrated. 

I remember people warned me of this...how girls could be quite a handful...I just thought we had two, or four, or thirteen more years before we had to deal with the sass! I can tell you this...it's a lesson in patience. I always thought I was a pretty patient person...I have now learned that I have a lot to work on in that department. I love her fiery spirit. She reminds me so much of her daddy...that passion and fire was one of the things I fell in love with him for. But just like her daddy, her fiery spirit takes a bit of patience to handle. And I know, once she grows up, I'm going to look back on this time, and realize that this little girl's sass was another life lesson...my lesson in patience.

- step outside of that comfort zone -

Comfort zone?? What's that? I don't think I even have a comfort zone! Okay, okay, I do...we all do. But I also push myself constantly to get out of that comfort zone. And it's given myself and my family a much more enriching life! Matt and I have always been willing, and excited to try new things. Whether that's trying a new food, going to a new restaurant, meeting new friends, traveling to new places, or just doing something on the weekend that we've never tried before. I remember when Matt and I first started dating, and my sister warned him "Be careful, she gets bored very easily...with everything in her life!" Matt, of course, translated that as I would be bored with him very soon, and would move on, but, of course, that was not the case. My sister did nail a personality trait of mine on the head though...because, in general, I do get bored easily....bored of the same old things...bored of that same old comfort zone that so many people get way too comfortable in.

There's nothing wrong with having a comfort zone...it's there to provide....well, comfort. It's there to be able to rely on when you need things a little bit easier. It is, however, tragic when you never get out of that comfort zone. You miss out on so many new and exciting opportunities. And you may say, "I don't need new and exciting opportunities...I'm quite happy with the opportunities that are currently in my comfort zone"...but being close minded is such a self defeating trait...there is so much life to be lived out there! And you don't even know what you are missing out on unless you put yourself out there and try new things! And think of how much more fun and interesting you will be to the other people around you, too...whether that's to your spouse, your kids, or your friends!

Now, I'm not going to pretend that we are constantly on a crazy, new adventure all the time...or that we are trying new food every single day...that we don't ever go to the same restaurants, or bring Ellie to the same places that we know and love. And when things are stressful in our lives...yes, we rely on our comfort zone...because it's what we know best. But we are also constantly thinking of new things to try, and planning new places to go and experience. And I'm so excited that we are exposing Ellie to life outside of her comfort zone as well. I'm hoping as she grows up, this is a trait we can continue to instill in her and foster. It will keep her well rounded, open minded, adventurous, and an exciting and interesting person to be around!

Stuck in your comfort zone? Here are some easy ideas to get yourself out of it!

1.  Pick one place in your city/town that you've never been to...and then plan a day trip there! Experience it and have fun with it! And once  you're done with that, pick another place, and do it all over again! Sometimes getting out of your comfort zone also means getting out of your comfortable neighborhood and exploring what else your city/town has to offer you.

2.  Find a new hobby that you have always wanted to try! If you can't think of something you've been wanting to do, then just pick anything you are remotely interested in, and give it a try. You might surprise yourself! Plant a small garden, take a class, join a club, make something crafty...it doesn't matter what it is, just do something different! Something you've never tried before!

3.  Load up into the car and just take a drive...anywhere. It can be for the day, or for the whole weekend. You don't have to have a route or a destination in mind. Just drive, and experience things as they come.

4.  You can be a "homebody" and still step out of your comfort zone at home...cook a new dish weekly, plan a new activity for your kids every week. I promise you, that no matter how happy and content they seem playing that same old game over and over in the backyard, or riding their bikes up and down the same old street everyday, they will be excited and grateful if you plan something new and different for them. And your spouse? Try planning a new and different date night for your spouse at home, once a week, after the kids go to bed. The point is to just provide new, fun experiences for your family...and many of those experiences can be done in the comfort of your own home! 

5.  Planning a trip? Pick a place you've never been to! Traveling to new destinations is one of the most enriching and rewarding things you can do. 

6.  Try out a new restaurant. Double points if it's a brand new cuisine that you've never tried before!

7.  Stepping outside of your comfort zone doesn't have to be expensive. Find out if your city/town has any free festivals coming up. Research your local college's continuing education department to see if they offer any free classes or seminars. You don't always have to spend money to try something new!

8.  Is your spouse not too keen on leaving his/her comfort zone? Don't use that as an excuse! Plan to do some thing without him/her. You don't always have to stay within your comfort zone because of your spouse.

9.  Don't be so quick to say no when you are offered an opportunity to do something that is out of your comfort zone. Try not to be so close minded and try not to over think every little detail of it. It'll be way too easy to talk yourself out of it if your over think it. Just go for it...worse comes to worse, you don't quite enjoy it...but at least you tried! But conversely, you might be pleasantly surprised!

  Summer is quickly approaching, and that is the perfect time to experience new things!

So get out there...and start trying all the things life has to offer!

- follow me -

So alas, Google Reader is going away (old news, I know...but with my blogging schedule these days, I'm just now getting around to posting about it).

So now it's time to find a new reader...a way to keep up with all my beloved bloggers out there. I am trying out both The Old Reader and Feedly. I haven't decided which one I prefer yet...they both have different pros and cons...but it's nice to know my blog roll and daily reads are now safely imported somewhere else in preparation for Google Reader being dumped.

And of course, there's always the good 'ol Bloglovin...if you're going that route, be sure to follow me here! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

And don't worry...with the lack of posting I seem to be doing lately, I promise I won't be clogging up your new feeds! :-)

And, if you aren't following me on Instagram, my user name is kynad. Come by and say hi! It's definitely a much more daily look into our lives, without the long, long blog posts to read! Ha ha! Seems as if everyone I know has less and less time for blogs these days, but can still keep up with each other via Instagram. And I'd love to keep up with any of my blog followers over there!

- eh -

Eh...that's how I've been doing lately...just, eh. Nothing in particular wrong...but just bogged down from work, stress, parenthood...you know, the same things everyone else is bogged down with. Luckily spring is here, and the weather is getting warmer! Everyone knows by now, that summer is hands down my favorite time of the year. And these warmer temperatures and sunny days we've been having is getting me anxious for the summer fun to begin!

Eh...that's how Ellie's sleep has been...yup, it's starting to slide right back down to plain 'ol crappy. We still get a few awesome nights, but we mostly get the rough nights again. At least I didn't hold my breath...and I'm definitely not surprised...nor am I devastated. I think I'm really beginning to accept that Ellie might not ever be a stellar sleeper.

Eh...I really have to start working on something...I'm known for worrying, obsessing, and trying to plan out every little detail about the future, instead of enjoying the present. I've done it for as long as I can remember, but now, with Ellie and all the other amazing things I have in my life right now, I really want to try to just enjoy the "now" and stop obsessing and worrying about the future. I constantly find myself looking so far into the future, that today just slips by. And I have too many "todays" to miss out on if I keep doing this. So I am challenging myself...for the next 30 days...I will not obsess about or try to "micro plan" what the future holds for myself , or my family. Instead, I will live for today, and enjoy every single moment with Matt and Ellie. I will be more conscious of today, rather than filling my mind with thoughts of a year from now. Life is too short to live so much in the future. I need to enjoy the "here and now". Because I am so blessed with what I have now, and I need to enjoy every minute of it!

So there you have it...I'm good...in an "eh" sort of way! But I'm not complaining! I have a beautiful family, a job, and a roof over my head! Here's to making this weekend better than just "eh"...and here's to getting some sleep...hopefully...and if not..eh, it's not like I've never survived off of 4 hours of sleep before! Been there, done that...and I can certainly do it again!

- the letter A -

this kid melts my heart...

- quick recipe of the week -

Hello and Happy Monday to you! Can you believe it's March already?!? This year is already flying by!

Today I'd like to introduce you to Kristin from, About a Girl. I just recently started following Kristin's blog, and I already love it! She has some really awesome recipes on her blog, so you should definitely go check them out! And how cool is this...Kristin is a real life rock star! No, for reals, her and her boyfriend, Aaron, are in a band together, called Larrikin. You have to go check them out and listen to some of their tunes! Besides playing in their band, Kristin loves spending her time taking pictures, cooking or baking, drawing and watching movies, especially ones from the '80s! She lives in Winnipeg, Canada with Aaron. They met on the internet years ago and in 2005 he came to Canada from Australia to meet her, where they fell in love and have been together ever since.

Image credit Kristin

Kristin is sharing a delicious dessert recipe with us today! I can't wait to try it out! And speaking of being March, these would be super fun for a St. Patrick's Day treat...just add some green food coloring!

White and Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
Baker's white chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a dash of salt
4 tablespoons of peanut butter
small or medium cupcake papers

Take 2 squares of each chocolate (white + semi sweet) and melt them in separate bowls in the microwave for about 30 seconds - 1 minute (microwaves vary, so check on your chocolate to make sure it is not burning. You're going to start by making the bottom part of the cups, so take some melted semi sweet chocolate in a teaspoon and lightly line the bottom of the cupcake papers with it. Don't fill them, you are just making a shell but make sure the sides are high enough to hold the filling, so I'd say take them about 1/2-3/4 of the way up the side of the paper. Just use your spoon to drop some chocolate to the bottom of the paper, make sure it's all covered, and then smear it around the sides to make the shell. Repeat with the white chocolate in separate cups as well to have a variety. Once done all the cups, place them on a plate or baking sheet and then into the freezer for at least 10 minutes (can be longer). While the cups are chilling, make the peanut butter mixture. Take the peanut butter and melt it in the microwave for about 15 seconds (you just want it to be soft enough to work with). Then mix in the salt and vanilla. Once the chocolate shells are ready, take them out of the freezer and fill them with the peanut butter mixture. Be sure not to fill them higher than you've made the chocolate shells. I then put them back in the freezer for 10 mins, however you may be able to skip this step and just move onto the next one (it's not the way I did it, but looking back it might not have really mattered to freeze the filling). After another 10 mins. in the freezer, take the cups out. Melt 1 square of each chocolate again (semi sweet & white, separately) and then spoon a small amount on each cup and cover to create a top. I mixed it up and made some entirely white chocolate, semi sweet chocolate, or I put a little bit of each and swirled it around. Once done, place back in the freezer for the final chilling. Keep them in there for at least 10 minutes, however the longer, the better. I left mine for about an hour and a half. Be sure to keep any leftovers in the fridge/freezer because they might melt if left on the counter.

Image credit Kristin

Printable Recipe 

Thank you so much Kristin! These look delicious! I know a certain husband that would love me forever if I whipped up a batch of these for him!