Mom Dating

 So my friend Aly over at Infertility Overachievers posted today about making new friends.  She wants to know how you do it!  For a while now I've been thinking about this very same thing.  Being an Army wife makes it pretty easy to make new friends.  We all have a little something in common. You know,  our hubby's defending America's freedom.   There are all kinds of events that get us together and make socializing easy.  But how do you meet people outside of the Army? 

It's almost like trying to find someone to date.  Only instead of hanging out at the bars, yes, I met my husband in a bar, I hang at the playground and at mom and baby exercise classes.  It all started at baby yoga.  Jack was 4 months old and I was so ready to get out of the house and do something!  I thought I might find a mom that was my "type." And all the moms I met were really nice.  We chatted casually before class started, you know how it went I'm sure.  Oh how old is he/she?  What's his/her name?  I'm Alexis, what's your name? Even though you never remember the mom's name...  But nothing really ever got too serious.  I mean it's been quite a few years since I've been out in the dating world and dating moms is way different.  How do you ask a mom for her number?

After yoga, we signed up for a waterbabies class.  The instructor for the class seemed my "type."  And her baby's name is also Jack!  I think it's fate...  Bobby was able to take this class with us since it was on Saturdays so I didn't really chat too much with other moms, but the instructor let me know she teaches a Squats N' Tots class for mom and baby and that I should sign up.  So Jack and I signed ourselves up.  Well you know I signed us up...  On the first day of class, four of the moms from yoga were there!  You would think this would be a sign to get their info and become friends!  Well classes went on and I got nervous.  And now two of those moms don't take Squats N' Tots anymore.  I know we would have been great friends too...

But the good news is, since the rest of us all have so much in common, we all have a healthy dating relationship.  We broke the ice, exchanged emails and numbers, and have been planning things to do together!  It's nice to have friends with babies around the same age as Jack.  And to hold conversations about things like where to buy the cutest baby shoes and organic cheese.

So I decided to order myself some "mommy cards."  Like a business card for moms.  I found a cute design with birds on it at zazzle.    I just love birds...

I guess I can't make this any bigger, but you get the idea.

We were supposed to have a mom's date tonight, but Jack decided to be a cranky pants.  The Jazz festival has come to Savannah and we were going to meet in Forsyth Park to listen to music.  Jack's afternoon nap was all of 30 minutes while driving home from having lunch with Bobby on post and then he boycotted laying down again in the late afternoon, so I knew if we tried to go hang out he would just fall apart.  He isn't the type of baby who will just fall asleep in his stroller when he's tired either.  He's an "I gotta sleep in my own crib" kinda baby. So no date for us tonight.  Maybe next time...

 

Cheese Please!

 I love cheese.  Cheddar, swiss, muenster, american, goat, feta, blue, brie, mozzarella, ricotta, (to name a few) any kind I just love it all.  I love to make cheesey things.  Macaroni and cheese, fettucine alfredo, quesadillas, lasagna, mmm I'm getting hungry...  And wouldn't it just so happen that the man I marry is lactose intolerant!  That's right, sometimes the food I make literally makes Bobby sick.  But I still make them, I'm such a bad wife...

So I was craving some homeade baked macaroni and cheese.  The kind I make is my mom's recipe.  It calls for 3 different kinds of cheese: cheddar, swiss, and fontina.  But you know, not too much only like 2 pounds or so.  Bobby gets sick just thinking about it.  Now don't get me wrong, he loooves to eat it, but hates how it rocks his stomach.  Even when he takes triple the dose of his lactaid it doesn't help.  Poor guy.  But back to my craving, I couldn't just ignore it.  I was dreaming of the ooey gooey cheesey noodles.  I needed some baked macaroni and cheese.  My favorite part is the edge where it gets a little crunchy!  So off I ventured to the internet.  There had to be a less-cheesey-but-just-as-good version out there somewhere.  And you know who came to my and Bobby's stomach's rescue?  Why Martha Stewart of course!

She has the answer to pretty much everything!

I found her recipe for Healthy Macaroni and Cheese.  With only 4 oz. of cheddar cheese, 1/2 c. ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 c. milk, this recipe sounded like a much better alternative to my version.  It also has butternut squash in it!  Love ways to sneak in veggies, even though we love eating them on their own...  But with this added little bonus, I didn't feel too bad about letting Jack in on the macaroni fun!  And to make it even healthier, I used the Barilla Plus elbows! 

We love this line...

And the verdict?  Pretty darn good!  You really couldn't tell that the squash was even in the dish!  So it would be great for picky kids!  Jack loved it and ate two servings.  I'm not too sure what his serving size is, but he ate a ton!  I will definitely make this again.  It didn't upset Bobby's stomach, so this might be our new go-to macaroni and cheese recipe.

I've got to get back into my at least one new recipe a week routine.  I'm not sure when it disappeared, but I miss it.  I think now that Jack is extremely mobile, searching for a new yummy recipe has been sent to the back burner.  But I will get back to it.  And I'll let you know what that new and exciting recipe is, maybe that will keep me on track!  Man, all this talk about food leaves me hungry...

Is It Fall Yet?

 I love to decorate for fall.  I love fall colors.  I love changing leaves.  I love crisp cool nights.  I love pumpkin scented candles.  And really anything pumpkin flavored.  I probably make the best pumpkin cheesecake out there.  Just go with it...  Too bad I live in the south and it's still in the 90s.  How are ya ever supposed to get excited for fall when I still sweat walking to my mailbox at 3pm? 

This will (probably) be the last fall I decorate our house.  The last time I break out my fall decoration box to do up the mantle.  The last time I get to make a Thanksgiving dinner where I try to rival Martha Stewart.  I'm close you know, if she didn't do the whole dinner in her horse barn thing, I might have beat her out...  I didn't get to make Thanksgiving last year since Jack was due to arrive around then.  I was quite mad about that too.  Thanksgiving is my FAV meal.  I begged Bobby to let me make it, but he was so sure I would be in the middle of cooking and Jack would knock on the door ready to make his entrance.  Oh well, I've made sure he knows I WILL be cooking this year.  And even if it's just us, I won't be down sizing the menu.  Hope you're hungry hunny!

I'm very excited to take Jack to pick out pumpkins too!  Last year we went on a hayride to get ours.  We were the only adults without kids, well outside kids, but we had a blast anyway.  The farm also has a petting zoo, Jack loves his animals!  I'm not sure what Jack will be for Halloween.  A lot of baby costumes are quite warm and considering the weather might still be a tad on the warm hot side, I don't know what to do!  And it's not really like he'll be out trick or treating for more than say two houses.  It's gonna be more about the pictures.  Which I'm sure he'll just love...

And you know what happens after fall?  December! And that's when my little baby boy will be ONE!  How in the world has this happened already?  I am so not ready for this...

Nook-a-holic

 I have a new obsession.  The Nook.

I love this thing ♥

We got it a few weeks ago and I have barely put it down.  I love to read and love having any book I want at my fingertips.  Although having my credit card linked to this thing might not be so great for my bank account.  Especially since I have been engrossed in the Pretty Little Liars series.  I recently finished book 6 of 8.  They are very addicting!  I need to know what happens!  I just found out there is a tv series bases on the book too, but I can't find them online anywhere.  I'm trying to take a break right now and pay some attention to my family.  Sorry boys...

We had a great trip up to Atlanta.  Jack is such a good traveler.  He loved the aquarium! 

Can you believe how big this fish is??

It was harder for him to see the animals at the zoo, but he did notice the orangutans and laughed at them! Who can resist laughing at those silly guys???  Our hotel was so nice!  I would still be asleep in that bed if I could!  Very comfy!  It was so great to be on our own schedule and just go when we wanted.  Bobby and Jack even got to watch some Saturday morning cartoons together.

Although I love escaping on little getaways, I hate catching back up at home.  There is a never ending pile of laundry and two suitcases that still need to be unpacked.  Yes, my suitcase from NY is not unpacked yet, don't judge... 

Look Out ATL!

 Here we come!  Since I found a really good deal on a 4 star hotel in Buckhead, I was able to convince Bobby that we should jet up to Atlanta this weekend.  I've always wanted to use Hotwire, this seemed like the perfect time!  We didn't need to stay at a specific hotel, just wanted to stay in Buckhead.  And the hotel we ended up getting.....  drumroll please....

The InterContinental Buckhead!!

The Desperate Housewives of Atlanta have stayed here.  I'll probably be breaking out the biggest pair of celebrity sunglasses I can find for my entrance to the hotel. 

Our plans are to head to the aquarium and the zoo and find a few good places to eat.  With Jack running the show these days, we won't be able to eat at the fancy places we've been longing to eat at, like any of these, but we are excited to try Big Chow Grill.  Any restaurant where I can hand pick the ingredients then get something totally different if I don't like it is perfect in my book and unlimited stir fry is always a plus! 

I got a couple suggestions on some Thai restaurants around the aquarium and zoo.  Not sure where we will go yet, but more suggestions are always helpful!

The weather while we are up in ATL is supposed to be just perfect.  Not too hot, in the low to mid 80s and partly sunny to sunny.  Couldn't ask for much better!  So let's just hope for our little monster to behave and we should have a great little getaway!