Month: June 2018

What’s for Dinner?

I haven’t forgotten.

Well it’s past 8 and we haven’t eaten yet, but for the sake of preserving WFDW we are having some Beast Burgers.  We just put the baby to bed and the hubby is downstairs in his “office” (aka table in the basement) logging his hours for the day.  Dylan spent about a half hour upstairs with Soy Bean putting him to bed, and I got SO much done.  It’s really amazing what you can do without a one year old attached to you!  I paid two bills, unloaded the dishwasher, RSVP-ed to a baby shower, bought a shower gift, and made a vet appointment for Daisy.  Go me!

Okay back to food…What I love about this meal is Dylan is totally in charge now that he has a grill.  Woohoo!

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Beast Burgers are a little bit pricy, but they are totally worth it and make a nice special treat.  I’m just hoping we have some outdoor weather soon so we can enjoy a meal on our deck.

Where is summer?

 

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Meet Daisy

Okay guys, I think my husband and I are officially crazy.

Either that or we need to go into the puggle retirement home business…

Please welcome the newest member of our family, Daisy.  Daisy is an 11 year old puggle we rescued last week.

So here’s the story.  Last week I was a little bored so I decided to check out petfinder.com.  I plugged in pugs in the Boston area and this adorable girl popped up.

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I read her bio and immediately fell in love.  Who couldn’t love that face?  She reminded me so much of our Sophie and I couldn’t imagine her spending the rest of her days in a shelter. I texted my husband and I must have caught him at a good time because he said we could get her!

Long story short, my stepson drove into Boston the very next day to meet Daisy.  When we arrived they brought Daisy out from her cage.  She was more interested in the treats we had for her at first, but we took her out and you could just tell she was a sweet dog.  The adoption process was super quick and easy.

Daisy was surrendered by her family earlier this month.  She had been with them since she was a puppy, but they were moving and could not have her at their new home.  I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been.  When we rented our last apartment it was challenging to find a place that was pet friendly and affordable.  I have zero judgement and I can tell by her temperament she was a very loved dog.

She came from a family with three children, and you can tell because she is very comfortable with our kids.  She loves to snuggle and snooze and is just the sweetest.  She makes Sophie look young for sure since she’s a little overweight and has some arthritis.  I know adopting a senior dog has some challenges, but if you’re looking for a gentle friend who loves nothing but head scratches and snuggles it’s the way to go.  She’s a healthy dog, but I understand she is older.

No matter how long we’ll have with her we will love her every single day for the rest of her life.

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A Late WFDW…

I okay, so I’ll confess that I thought most of today was Wednesday.

That will happen this time of year!  Tomorrow is my last day of the 2017-2018 school year and I’m so anxious for summer!  I love my job and my seeing friends at work everyday, but I can’t wait to walk out tomorrow and be free.  I’ve been waiting all year to have unlimited Soy Bean time.  Last summer I was so nervous taking him out and plus I was recovering from having him, so this summer I want to soak up.  It’s also going to be the first full summer in our house, and we are excited to do some yard work and enjoy our home.

Well I didn’t document it, but we had burritos from Moe’s last night.  I have a good excuse though.  We had a pretty eventful evening.  One of our cars unexpectedly crapped out on us last week, so we had to buy a new one.  I wasn’t thrilled at first, I mean having just one car payment is pretty sweet, but I love the new car.  I guess I’ll deal with it.

Soy Bean had his 12 month appointment today and he is officially a giant!  Well maybe that’s a bit of a hyperbole, but he’s a big boy.  I’m so grateful that he’s healthy and thriving.  I’m sure Soy Bean was happy too, but maybe not so much after his three shots and blood test.  He’s a tough cookie though.

Alright back to food, so I didn’t take a picture of our dinner last night, but I thought I’d dig through the archives of my phone and find a few foodie ideas (that I could have easily eaten on a Wednesday).

Also, yes, I take pictures of food randomly…my phone is loaded with Soy Bean, Sophie, and food pics.

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First, as you can see is vegan tikka masala from Trader Joe’s.  I can’t tell you how bummed I am that I don’t live 10 minutes away from a TJ’s anymore.  This meal is great when you don’t have time to cook, but you want something satisfying.  When I make this I usually mix in some broccoli as well.  I’ve brought this for lunch at work since it’s microwaveable and I’ve made it for dinner for the hubs and me when we want take out food but don’t want to go out.

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Next is the Beast Burger.  I’ll probably be plugging Beast Burgers a lot since I bought Dylan a grill for Father’s Day.  Beast Burgers are the most amazing veggie burger out there.  What I love about them is they are a pea based protein (I try to limit soy) and they honestly taste and look like a real burger.  Who doesn’t love a burger (and fries)???

So next week is my fist official week of summer.  I’m hoping to fit some blogging in (when SB is sleeping of course).  So far I have SB signed up for swim lessons, but that’s really it for solid plans.  We’re hoping to spend as much time outdoors as we can and have some playdates with friends.

Alright, I’m going to retire for the evening.  One more wake up!

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What’s for Dinner Wednesday

Okay, so I thought I’d start something new now that we are approaching summer…What’s for Dinner Wednesdays.  Clever right?  Don’t be disappointed if this is the only WFDW post, but I will make my best effort.

Tonight for dinner, the hubs and I rebelled against Taco Tuesday and dove head first into Taco Salad Wednesday, which is Taco Tuesday’s healthier cousin.

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I replaced the taco meat with Beyond Meat’s beef crumbles.  I was able to find the “feisty” version at Whole Foods.  I sauteed this with (no oil) frozen corn, peppers, and onions and topped it on a simple salad with some homemade guac.  Easy enough.  Oh and don’t forget the chips on top as well for some crunch.  I used hot sauce as a dressing, because I’m weird like that.

Having one meatless meal a week has a positive impact on animals.  I encourage my carnivorous friends to check out Beyond Meat’s products.  I really think if you tried this salad you would not know the difference!

Well this is our first edition of WFDW…tune in next week if now before.

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Year One: Working Mom Edition

Well first I want to talk about Soy Bean’s first birthday.  Success!  For his party we kept it simple.  I order a few jungle themed decorations, matching shirts, and we had pizzas delivered and made salads.  We kept the party small with just family and my husband made this amazing cake.  I think he should consider a career change!

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I can hardly believe this school year is almost over.  When I think about my life in the fall it’s hard to grasp how quickly things change in such a short period of time.  When I first went back to work I felt completely overwhelmed.  Even with all the help I have, every day I faced seemed impossible.

Over time things became easier for me.  I established routines and figured out what worked best for me.  I think the biggest change was creating a consistent bedtime routine for the baby.  I have to admit, it’s nice to know my husband and I will have some alone time every night.  I was saying to him last evening as we sat on the couch, that months ago it felt like we would never be able to relax at night without worrying about the baby.  Now he goes to bed so easily (most of the time!) and sleeps at least a solid 10 hours.

I also cannot be more thankful for the fact that Soy Bean goes to my parents’ house everyday.  When I drop him off  I know that he is loved all day.  I know they enjoy him as well, but I’m sure my mom is looking forward to some baby-free time this summer!

My other savior this year has been my friends at work.  I have to admit, while I’m looking forward to summer, I’m a little bummed I won’t see these wonderful ladies everyday.  After leaving college, I had to adjust to not being around my friends all the time.  When you’re in college you get to eat dinner with your friends every night. Now, I can say I eat lunch every day with friends.  How lucky am I?

I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to get together with the kids this summer, along with some ladies sangria evenings, but it’s not the same.  I guess that gives me something to look forward to in the fall.

For now, I’m excited to have the entire summer with my baby.  I want to inducement to the beach and splash pads and hopefully fit some long walks in there as well.  I’ll keep you posted.

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A word about this week…

Okay, I haven’t bought at new purse since 2013, but I know who Kate Spade is and I was saddened to hear about her passing.  This morning the buzz in the teachers’ room was Anthony Bourdain’s suicide.

Now I knew him.  Although we didn’t really share the same diet at all I enjoyed his show on CNN.  Who could have had a better life?  He was rich, handsome, had a beautiful girlfriend, traveled the world, ate the best food, and so on….what more could you ask for?

You never know.  You never ever know.  I really think if you could take something away from this week it’s that depression does not have a poster child.  Depression comes in all shapes and sizes.  It can hit you at any income or relationship status and so on.

It’s really too late in the evening to be profound but I hope that if anyone can take anything away from this week it’s that there is no fault/weakness/guilt in reaching out for help.  If I can do it you can too!  Tonight I wonder how my new mom friends are doing.  We talk, we text, we visit, but how are they REALLY doing?

If you are thinking of hurting yourself go to the nearest hospital, Uber, call 911, call your neighbor, call a friend.

Your possibilities are endless.

 

 

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