1: WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK:
We are eating lots of chicken & ceaser salads, olives & my famous artichoke spinach dip (that I never get sick of)
Thank you Susan for my new addiction
See the recipe I follow below:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt salt and pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 fresh spinach
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Prep 15 m
Cook 25 m
Ready In 40 m
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.
2. WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT:
I went to my nieces cheer competition this week and it really brought me back to the good ol days. I used to love to learning to tumble at Power Cheer and practicing there. My dad's baseball facility was directly next door to PC so I used to spend many hours at open gym practicing. I love that Madelyn is so dedicated and determined to learn and do her best. She is such a little go getter!
#BTMS #cheerlife
3: WHAT I’M LOVING:
Essential Oils!! I finally joined the bandwagon and went out and bought a diffuser. So far we have only been using the peppermint and lavendar. We need to breath and wosaaahhhhhh at the Bryant household! lol. I bought my diffuser from TJMaxx for $10 cheaper than at Target so be sure to check out TJ's, homegoods or Marshalls because they all have a lot of them!
4: WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO:
I have been painting some old bookshelves from my parents house. I am hoping and praying they turn out good just so that Alan will start supporting all my wild ideas!
Here is the before pic....stay tuned....
5: WHAT I’M DREADING:
THE TERRIBLE TWOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG YOU ALL!
This weekend was INSANE- Ben acted so ridiculous on Sunday evening that we had no idea what was going on! He wasn't himself and he was crying non stop and throwing himself down on the ground and having a full on melt down over EVERYTHING. We couldn't do anything right and honestly we were kind of scared. He had been on antibiotics for an ear infection and the doctor told us he had some canines coming in so I wasn't sure if he was acting like that because he was hurting or what but all I know was that he wasn't acting like his normal happy go lucky self. So we took him to the doctor on Monday--pleading for advice--in a way I was hoping he wasn't getting the right meds or something (only to explain/excuse this behavior) but nope---the doc said he was reacting to the antibiotics perfectly and that everything looked great....( THANK GOD )....butttttttt that this was just our new kid---that we needed to show him some "tough love"!! So we went home put a lock on the pantry door to prevent him from climbing the shelves and helping himself to whatever he wants---& to just throw it on the floor basically. We are transforming his crib into a toddler bed, he is getting his own "big kid" table for his birthday so he can eat like a big boy now (hoping that helps with the eating situation) and when the tantrums occur we have been ignoring him. (it seems to be helping) All I know is I don't want a terrible two toddler. I just want my sweet, happy little guy back. I feel so ridiculous and naive for not seeing this phase coming! Guess we will continue to not eat out as a family, or go to the grocery.... & the list goes on. Cheers to parenting!
ya'll this is real life---sleeping on the floor in our bedroom!! The doctor said he was proud of us! lol
6: WHAT I’M WORKING ON:
Learning to not try and DO IT ALL. I always overwhelm myself by trying to do too much and then nothing gets done or accomplished and its a never ending vicious cycle. So I am trying to learn to focus on small lists and crossing them off and knowing that it is ENOUGH. I get so frustrated and down on myself when I don't get shit done that I want to. Sometimes its on me and I actually have the time but just DON'T do it for whatever reason and then other times I either get interrupted by Ben or not to mention my memory is shot---sometimes I just straight up FORGET! like WTH--it was on my mind all day--how did I forget to call and make an appointment?! beats me!
7: WHAT I’M EXCITED ABOUT:
I'm excited about this warmer weather coming!!! Being able to get outside and get some fresh air these past few days has been aaaamaazzing. I feel like it puts everyone in a better mood. As a matter of fact January and February are pretty pointless and depressing and I could do without! LOL (Alan, I am ready to move to a warmer climate whenever you are babe)
8: WHAT I’M WATCHING/READING:
We just switched from Hulu TV to Youtube TV over the weekend and so now we are trying to catch up on all of our showtime shows so we are watching: the Olympics, Big Brother Celebrity, Homeland , and Shameless!
BTW--I had so many people reach out to me about streaming after my last blog post and Alan's fb post that I plan on doing another one--kind of breaking everything down for everyone about the route we took! :)
9: WHAT I’M LISTENING TO:
Damien Rice & Ray Lamontagne <3 <3
10: WHAT I’M WEARING:
Ugh--can I just skip this one? I feel like I have no clothes for some reason---I plan on doing a serious purge in my closet this weekend and then we will see what all I really need but I feel like a Nordstrom Rack trip is going to be happening very soon. Actually, I am looking for some High-waisted yoga pants that I can lounge around in & (occasionally workout in..HAHA) My friend told me that Fabletics have a lot of high waisted ones so I am going to look into ordering some today!
11: WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND:
We are going to a birthday party and tackling some things around the house. I also have a newborn shoot that I am looking forward to. I just LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE wittle new babies!!
12: WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH:
Ben's 2nd Birthday & Party!!!
Like how was this 2 years ago? I swear I know I am not alone when I say I cannot believe how fast time flies. Especially when you are this little cuties momma <3 biggest accomplishment yet!
13: WHAT ELSE IS NEW:
I am looking to do a race in memory of my Dad and Matt at Churchill Downs this Spring. I still haven't emailed my contact at Churchill to get all the details but I am hoping we can do this and have a great turnout. I will keep everyone posted. They both loved horse racing and betting on the ponies so I thought it would be a nice way to honor them and bring everyone together.
That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by! <3 and good vibes, MB