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Baked Catfish Over Asparagus Packet

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I cooked this for the second time last night & had to share this! So delish & no mess!  You can substitute chicken if you are not a fan of fish.  *Pre-heat oven to 450 *Make a packet out of foil *In only one layer, spread out a serving of asparagus. I prefer fresh asparagus & our "one serving" is half a "bunch".  Half a bunch is a good bit to eat but I don't cook other sides with it.  *Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil over asparagus & then season. I prefer a  little salt, a dash of pepper & a sprinkle of garlic powder . *Place frozen fish (or chicken) over asparagus then sprinkle 1 Tbsp of olive oil over fish. Use your regular seasoning for fish. I prefer  a little salt, a dash of pepper, a sprinkle of garlic powder, some paprika, lemon juice & dried parsley flakes.  *Close packet & fold up sides   *Bake for approximately an hour- testing your meat with a themometer to ensure it's cooked thoroughly. The asparagus is so ...

Sleep Training: Lessons Learned

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If you know me or have read these blogs... then you know that my daughter has never been a big sleeper. I have been seriously envious of the moms whose babies slept all the time! I wish I had done this sooner! It would've probably been easier if she was younger. Better late than never! We had made it to the point where Em slept 7 or 8 hours a few nights a week & the other nights she would wake up 1-4 times. She napped a couple hours about half of week days.  And quite frankly... I was satisfied with that after a year of living with hardly any sleep (insomnia during pregnancy straight to a baby that hated sleep).  But around her 6 month mark when she started getting VERY spoiled... that changed. She wanted ME all the time & of course I gave her what she wanted. Sleeping became a struggle for her. She started to wake up every time I laid her down. Night & day. She would only sleep with me. I was growing weary. She would nap 10-30 mins at a time, a few times a day....

Dyeing with tea bags: It works & It's Easy!

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For this to be successful you must dye something lighter than the tea. I've heard it works with other color/flavor tea but I used regular ole Lipton!  I wanted to revamp the best booties ever! Love these things, the baby couldn't pull them off like socks & they weren't cheap. Plus they were super cute & soft! They were a light cream but had become dingy around the heel. I tried cloroxing them several times but couldn't get them back looking new.  I was looking on Pinterest on the best way to dye fabric & discovered "tea dyeing". I saw where people have dyed their table cloths, curtains, clothes etc. to get that perfect burlap/country chic color. So, I gave it a try & I love the results! A perfect tan color. I can use these with the next baby & they will go with everything! I l ove the results! A perfect tan color. I can use these with the next baby & they will go with everything! *Follow these steps with a swatch first*   1) Boil a few ...

Traveling with Baby: Volume One

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We all know how much is involved when packing for a day out. It's absurd! It takes forever and the amount of stuff you have to take is just ridiculous! If we have to leave early the next morning we must pack the bag the night before. Yes, washing all the bottles before bed is so much fun! We recently went on our first overnight trip. Just one night. I stuffed tons of bibs, formula, diapers, burp rags and outfits in our luggage. For just one night... because you never know how much they will need and you DO NOT wanna run out.  When Brad is working nights & asks what I'm doing... I usually say "Poppin' bottles!" I mentally went through the list over and over on the way to our destination 2 hours away (6 hours in baby time). Amazingly the only thing we forgot was the bottle brush and soap. I was proud. Brad just had to run to the gas station to get dish soap... and I'm glad he did! He came back with Palmolive. We had only used Dawn up until this point....

The Baby Ate My Brain Cells: Example One

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Pregnancy brain. It's a real thing & lasts WAY past pregnancy. Here is an example from yesterday. I was letting my husband sleep as long as possible before waking him up to get ready for church. He was only off 2 days, so, I wanted to make the most of it plus let him sleep in some to catch up on rest.  When I tried to wake him,  he said that he felt bad. His throat hurt & he had chills during the night. I checked his temperature & it was 100.1. I gave him a dose of DayQuil & let him rest.  I'm sympathetic but this is also accurate! LOL! I had a little "good angel, bad angel" going on. Good angel saying... He's the provider, he needs the rest... Let him sleep. Bad angel saying... If it was you with a cold then you wouldn't have the option to lay in the bed ALL day & ALL night.  Well, it's true for most.  At 5pm I decided to wake him up because he needed a shower & something to eat. He needed his strength...

Sleep: The Great White Buffalo

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Would I ever see it again? A couple weeks ago, I didn't think I would. I missed it like a long lost love. I thought about it all the time. My 3 month old didn't seem to need it... So, why did I? It toyed with my delirious mind. When my baby would finally go down for a few hours I would get in bed so tired but I couldn't find my way to Neverland. Why, oh why? As soon as I would finally drift off, the baby would wake. I would daydream at night about the few 7 hour nights she had slept. I didn't know why she had sleep regression. I searched the Internet high and low about what to do. Reading about the "4 month leap" and how they can go through that early. Must've been it!  Trying the crib out. Watching her like a hawk! Something has happened the past week though. Prayers have been answered. She has slept 6-7 hours every night! Last night she slept 9. NINE!!! A big leap from 2-4 hours at a time! It seems we finally have a routine established. M...

5 Gross Habits of a Stay at Home Mom

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#1. You smell bad & you don't care. Sometimes maybe you wipe your arm pits with a wipe while changing the baby. You'll get around to showering or you have already & you've broken quite a sweat taking care of the baby! Work hard, smell bad. Isn't that how the saying goes?  #2. You're gonna floss next time you brush your teeth... every time.   At times you secretly wonder if your baby was fussy because she had to smell your bad breath in the middle of the night ... Or day.  #3. If you do get to shower you don't hardly wash your hair or shave.  Only if you're getting out of the house does your hair & face get attention. Your children need to know what natural beauty is anyway, right? Husband too... just trying this European thing honey! #4. You're no longer afraid of substances the come out of your child's orifices.   That major booger/snot phobia of your younger days is no longer. Maybe you've even ...