why I miss diapers...

First of all I hate saying potty training! I am a firm believer that you can't really "train" a toddler. When they are ready, they are ready. I didn't do any method, we didn't have any accidents and we certainly were not cleaning up feces from any floors. One day, my nearly 3 year old just decided it was his time. Sure, he was a bit late to the game, but whatever, I was not going to rush him. He maybe wanted to be like his big cousin or maybe he just felt that Mickey Mouse undies were cooler than Luvs diapers. Life changed, and all of a sudden I was missing diapers! Crazy, I know and here's some reasons why.

1. Germs

I am not a crazy germ person, but public bathrooms are nasty. I immediately taught Luke the difference between public and home, and trust me he now understands that in public you touch NOTHING!

2. Poop Obsession

Every time we are out and about, I get asked if I am going pee or poop. And he wants the answer to be well articulated and loud enough for the entire bathroom to hear. 

3. Immediate Resolution

Quick grocery store trips? Nope, not anymore. I swear every time we go in he needs to go to the bathroom. Which means lugging my purse and a 3 year old into the germ oasis that is the grocery store bathroom. No more, wait till we get home and I will change you, days. 

4. Night Sessions

Luke is a good sleeper, he always has been. But now he promptly wakes up and lets us know its time to use the bathroom, by standing quietly by our bed. Someone mentioned trying the dream pee, well we tried and Luke was not happy to be woken up. He was downright mad (funny how that works, eh kid). So, for now we are waking up to a toddler staring at us in bed. 

5. No more wrestle matches

Towards the end, getting Luke to lay down for a diaper change was a struggle. I miss the giggles, the chases and the kicks. I know, weird right? 


My baby is now this huge 3 year old that goes to the bathroom on his own, picks out his own outfit and has full blown conversations with people. When did this happen? I miss the days of him needing me 100% of the time, something I never thought I would say. So enjoy it while it lasts. Because one day soon your little one will be walking into the germ infested public restroom and announcing, loudly, that they have poop. 

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#freezerlovefriday does grilling season - pineapple bbq chicken

Can you believe it is MARCH? This year has flown by. With warmer temperature comes my favorite time of the year, grilling season! We use a charcoal grill, mainly because we prefer the earthy taste it delivers. In Arizona you can pretty much grill any time of year, but there is something about the evening hours in the spring time. It makes you want to sit outside, watch your husband grill, your kid play and sip on a nice glass of Chardonnay! 

I am here to tell you that you can freeze marinated chicken. Now you may be wondering what the benefit of freezing the marinated chicken is, since it doesn't take too long to throw together a few ingredients. The longer the chicken has to marinate, the more the flavor will soak in. Also, it is super easy to know that you have 3-4 bags of marinated chicken in your freezer, ready to go for the next time you feel like grilling! I will typically buy two large chicken breast packets at Costco and make 2 of each of my favorite marinades. This month I will give you 4 marinades, which means you could potentially have 8 meals in your freezer!! 

Pineapple BBQ Marinade
Yields 4-6 Chicken Breasts/Thighs

Ingredients:

½ cup pineapple juice

1 cup sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce

¼cup brown sugar

3 slices of pineapple cut up

½ tsp of garlic powder

½ tap of onion powder

4 chicken breast or 4 chicken thighs

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together. 

Trim excess fat off of the chicken breasts and place in a large baggie. 

Let sit in refrigerator for one day and freeze laying flat for up to 3 months!

Laying it flat to freeze will save on room
and ensure the marinade fully covers the chicken! 

Happy grilling, 

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Blogging Ben the Bachelor - Week 9

 My watch party consisted of myself and Luke, we had a wild time and ate all the Animal Crackers that our bellies could handle. His pick for the night is Caila, let's see if he is right...

The night is here, overnights on the Bachelor. As awkward as spending the night with someone on national television would be, imagine sleeping in your hotel room the next two nights, knowing that he is spending the night with two other women. Insert the weirdness. Ben heads to Jamaica and starts the show with speaking about each of the women and what he likes and dislikes about his relationship with each one. Shut the front door, Jojo was the unicorn girl? Why did I not remember this? 

Caila is first up on the overnight dates. Would you want to go first or last? I think I would rather go last, make sure he remembers the night! They are going on a rafting trip down the river, which has potential of going all sorts of wrong. The boat ride is crazy awkward, and Caila says she is feeling anxious due to the other women being there. I can't help but feel like this may be a game changer, his main concern with her is that she may not be able to deal with the bad stuff and this is proving that. 

Caila saves the day by telling Ben that she loves him and that she has been waiting to tell him that. I love Caila's confidence in Ben and the fact that she has given him no grief this season. One day the Bachelor's will figure out that the girls who are the least high maintenance are the best ones to pick. Caila wakes up and totally has the, "I got out of bed a hour ago to get ready look," going on, but she seems happy and ready to get married. She is OK with Ben not saying, I love you back, because she can tell by his face that he loves her. 

Next up is Lauren and as the season favorite, we have to think that this will go well. They start the date by releasing baby turtles and speaking from experience this is such a fun idea. Good for Ben, his date planner producer is really going for it this season. Cute date, horrible shorts, but cute date! 

What's Jamaica without a little Reggae music? Blah, blah more about how scared she is about telling Ben how she feels. This is bizarre to me, honestly, just tell him. She says pretty much everything else, but I love you. She has every excuse including that it's terrifying, it makes her vulnerable and a whole slew of other things. The key arrives and off they go to the fantasy suite. After much lead up, she tells him she loves him. And not so surprisingly, Ben tells her that he has known he has loved her for a long time. 

Next up is Jojo. He starts the date by saying that if he doesn't know he loves her by the end of the day, he will say goodbye to her. They head to a waterfall, where Jojo says that she loves him and Ben tells her that he loves her too. Her immediate reaction was, "are you allowed to say that?" Which hey I would be worried to, it makes sense. 

The date goes on and it seems like Jojo has had to explain her brother's behavior before, because she does really well explaining away their crazy. She doesn't address her mom's love for wine, but hey we have all been there before. They escape to the fantasy suite for no doubt a night filled with romance. 

Ben tells the world no less than 25 times that is in love with two woman, and he is not sure what to do. Caila is not one of them, which is funny because right at that moment she is headed to surprise Ben at his house. She is literally jumping around the house with joy, looking for Ben, this can not end well. 

 Ben turns out to be the good guy and he decides to let her go, right there on the beach. Caila decides she does not have a future in facial expression reading and leaves immediately. Tomorrow, when Luke wakes up I will tell him that he does not have a future in picking who the Bachelor chooses. It's a dramatic exit, with a Caila jumping out of the care, demanding answers. She also leaves crying and saying that she can't understand why she hasn't found love. Well, good thing she is young and she has her whole 20's to find a partner (I might have stalked her on Instagram last night and found out she graduated college 93 weeks ago)! 

An extremely awkward Rose Ceremony follows this dramatic exit. And while the scenery is breathtaking, the looks during the toast could call. Both girls are in love, move out of the way...

Ok, truth, this season has been somewhat boring. I have heard it from a few people. I am not sure if it is Ben or the girls. I am leaning towards the girls, they are a fairly boring bunch. I had high hopes for this season, thanks to the wonderful ways of editing and showing just enough for us to watch the next week. 

I am so excited to tell you all that my friend, Shelby, will be guest blogging next week! She is hilarious, so make sure you read and laugh along after the Girls Tell All! 

Happy watching, 

Did you see my last post, featuring Lily and Thomas? Don't forget that I have a giveaway going on Head over to my Instagram, for all the details on how you could win an amazing cardigan from Lily and Thomas!

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