Mommylogues Guest Post

Hello and happy Monday!  Things may be a little slow around here while my husband recovers from ACL surgery and I finish out the school year, but today you can find me at Whitney's blog, Work It Mommy, sharing my top eight pieces of mommy advice.

Here's a little snipit:

First and foremost, and perhaps more important than anything else, don't lose your pre-mommy identity.  Specifically, don't give up what you enjoy doing!!  I vividly remember when I was pregnant with my first, a certain co-worker would always point out "Well you better enjoy it now because you're not going to have time for that once your baby is born!"  One of those things--my weekly guilty pleasure that is The Bachelor!  (I know, I know...)  She told me that I wouldn't have time for a two-hour show once per week.  Two hours.  Once a week.  And you know what?  She couldn't have been more wrong!.........

Click here for the full post.

And if you're a mom and haven't checked out Whitney's Mommylogues series, do it today!  I promise it will be well worth your time!  

New Mama Meals

Last month, I was lucky enough to guest post for one of my favorite bloggers - Colleen at Meet the Sullivans.  I've followed her for a few years now, so I was elated when she discovered my blog last fall.  Anyway, she took a little blogging break to care for her newest little guy, which meant I got to take over her space for a day!  In keeping with the new mama theme, I shared recipes for two of the meals I often take to friends after they have babies.  In case you missed my post, here it is!

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{I'm skipping the introduction part of the post...}

One of my favorite things about having a baby (besides the obvious) was being flooded with meals from friends and neighbors!  As most of us know, caring for a newborn is enough to keep a mama busy and the last thing you want to think about is what to make for dinner!  Not only that, but it's always fun to eat something that somebody else prepares and it always tastes better!  Since having my own babies and loving every homemade meal sent my way, I've made it a priority to do the same for others.

Here are two of my favorite meals to take to new mamas.  Coincidentally, both of my go-tos are "pies"! 

Chicken Pot Pie

I love this recipe because it includes a meat and a vegetable and it's one of those hearty, comfort-food type meals that's good for the soul.  It's quick and easy to throw together and it can be baked immediately or frozen for later use.  

What You'll Need:

1 family size can (23 ounce) of cream of potato soup

12 to 16 ounce package of frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 pre-made refrigerated pie crusts

What You'll Do:

Combine first six ingredients.  Spoon into prepared pie crust.  Cover with second crust.  Crimp edges with a fork to seal.  Slit top crust.  Cover with foil and label with baking instructions.

What the New Mama Will Do:

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

Spaghetti Pie

 This recipe is one I consider more kid-friendly, so this is what I typically make if there are older siblings involved. Like the chicken pot pie, it can be baked right away or frozen for later use.  I also usually include a package of rolls or breadsticks and a bag of pre-made salad for the family to enjoy alongside this.

What You'll Need:

8 ounces spaghetti

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg

1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

1 24-ounce container of cottage cheese

1 pound hamburger

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

What You'll Do:

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions.  Lay in a 9x13 pan.  Melt butter; mix with Parmesan and egg.  Spread on top of noodles and mix in a bit.  Spread cottage cheese on top of noodles.  Brown and drain hamburger; add sauce and sugar.  Layer that on top of cottage cheese.  Cover with foil and label with baking instructions.  Don't forget to include the mozzarella cheese!

What the New Mama Will Do:

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Add shredded mozzarella and bake 15 minutes more.

Versatile Blogger Award

One thing I love about blogging is the connections made and the friendships formed.  I know that is probably a foreign (read: weird) idea to non-bloggers, but I feel like some of these other girls are my actual friends!  So when my good blogger friend, Elizabeth, "nominated" me for this "award", I was honored and happy to play along!  Besides, this post is all about sharing seven facts about yourself and us bloggers love to write about ourselves, right??

The rules of accepting this award are as follows:
Thank the person who nominated you.
Link back to their blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself.
Nominate up to 15 other bloggers.

So, here we go with my seven facts!

1 | For 11 months of the year, I hate wrapping presents.  It's such a hassle and if it weren't for kids who love tearing into presents, I'd put everything into a gift bag.  But...at Christmastime for some reason, I love it!  I love picking out coordinating paper (a must) and I love the whole wrapping process!  (It helps that it usually involves Christmas music and a glass or two of wine.)

 2 | I've developed a strong fear of car accidents over the past few years.  I worry about being in a bad car accident and I worry about receiving news of my husband and children in a bad accident.  I have no idea why, but I think about it often.  Like every day often.  And I pray every time we get into our car that we arrive safely!  I try to remind myself that although fender benders can be common occurrences, most people live life without ever falling victim to a bad accident.  But still, I worry! Please tell me this is a normal side affect of having children??

3 | I love pretty sunrises and sunsets.  Growing up, my sister and I used to laugh at my dad when he would point them out, but as I've gotten older, I have grown to appreciate this natural beauty in life.  No joke, I probably have 25 or more sunrise/sunset photos on my Instagram account (I should make a hashtag) and significantly more in my iPhone photo library that never made their way to social media!

4 | I can twirl a baton!  I started taking lessons in third grade and twirled through high school.  And baton twirling is like riding a bike--one of those things that once you learn, you never forget!  So neighbor friends, don't laugh if someday you see me in my backyard reliving my glory days. :)

5 | I probably have one of the most organized lists of phone contacts ever.  Everyone has a first name, a last name, a phone number, an email address, a street address, and most have birthdays!  My phone literally contains everything I know about everyone!!  One time, I accidentally deleted all of my contacts (before iCould was a thing) and I truly felt sick to my stomach!!  Needless to say, it took a good 48 hours and lots of investigating/personal Facebook messages, but I got it all back.

6 | Unless it's 80 degrees (and even sometimes then), I'm probably cold.  I'm just a cold person - always!  Which is probably why I'm such a summer girl.

7 | I have Internet ADD.  I will go onto Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest/Bloglovin' for a very specific reason and then get distracted by another post and completely lose track of why I was there.  20 minutes later, I still haven't accomplished what I intended, and by then, I'm usually in the midst of nineteen additional tasks!  Internet ADD...it's a real thing, I swear!

So there are my seven!

And if you're new around here, here are a couple other "All About Me" type posts you might enjoy reading!

I Believe In...

32 on 32 

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers

Two Truths and a Lie

As for my nominations, they were hard because Liz and I follow many of the same blogs and she nominated all of them (thanks, Liz!), but here are a few extras - people I always enjoy hearing from!

Courtney at A+Life
Katie at All Betts Are Off
Ashley at Everything's Hunky Dorey
Brittany at Just Another Day in Paradise
Jana at Just Jana
Colleen at Meet the Sullivans
Staci at Miss Bloody Mary
Sarah @ Our Journey
Vanessa @ Sunflower State of Mind
Karen @ The Bishop Diaries
Traci @ The HALLway
Erin @ The Hydes

And one last thing, speaking of blogging, I'm guest posting today over at Meet the Sullivans!  Go check it out! :)

A Guest Post Featuring My Very Own Hubby

For years now, the hubs has always suggested that I let him write a blog post.  Though I had never been opposed to his idea, his suggestions were usually more sarcastic than serious and he had yet to follow through with his request.  (Though there was that one time he surprised me with the sweetest Mother's Day post.)

And then the Royal's won the World Series and I thought if ever there was a perfect time to capture Craig's feelings in writing, it was then.  I loved the idea that Brantley and Holden could look back on the post and read exactly what their daddy was thinking when one of his top three teams took the ultimate prize.  So I mentioned the idea to Craig and he was wishy-washy for a couple of weeks.  But then on Saturday, after an afternoon run, he walked into the house and calmly said, "I got it. I know what I'm going to say in my blog post."  48 hours later, here it is.

I hope you enjoy my very first guest post from my very favorite person himself!

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Seven or eight years ago a friend and I were discussing what we’d rather experience in our lifetime, a Chiefs Super Bowl or a Royals World Series. For him, it was a no-brainer. The Chiefs were a pretty consistent team and had a rabid fan base. He could only imagine how crazy KC would be if the Chiefs won a championship. I felt very differently. My argument was that the NFL is setup to allow every team an opportunity to produce a winner. A couple good drafts and you can easily go from 5-11 to 12-4. One good quarterback and you’re suddenly in the playoffs. It doesn’t take much. There really isn’t any team in the NFL that should feel completely out of it going into a new season. And it doesn’t require much to produce support for that team. A team can thrive in tiny Green Bay, Wisconsin for God’s sake. Small or big markets, everyone has a chance.

Baseball is very different. During our conversation the Royals were in their twenty-something consecutive losing season. Reaching a World Series, let alone winning a World Series, seemed preposterous. And for this reason I stated that I would much rather see a Royals championship. It would take such an effort and take so long that the fruits of the labor would be slow and so rewarding. We needed ownership to start spending money. We needed a General Manager who could develop talent in the minor leagues, create a system in Latin America, and make free agent acquisitions that could produce right away. We needed a Manager who could hire a coaching staff that would develop players in both the Big Leagues and in the farm system. This would take years if not decades. But if we did all of these things I felt that we would eventually start to win games. We’d produce a winning record, maybe make the playoffs, and who knows….crazier things have happened. And to do all of this in one of baseball’s smallest markets? Forget about it. This town would erupt. It’s easy to be a baseball fan in New York or St. Louis where consistent winners exist year in and year out. It was tough to cheer for the Royals all of those years. And it feels so rewarding for never jumping off the band wagon.

I find myself thinking about the 2015 Royals a lot. Like a lot. In work meetings. Driving down the road. Playing with the kids. This team still blows my mind. All of those crazy 8^th inning comebacks. The lockdown pitching of Wade Davis. The stolen bases – ‘that’s what speed do’. So many different thoughts and plays and games to sort through. But, here are the things that stay present in my mind weeks after Game 5:

Game 4 against Houston in the ALDS. We’re down 6-2 in the 8^th inning. Lose this game and the season is over. This was a day game. I recall sitting at the kitchen table, working while watching the game, and thinking to myself, ‘well, it was a good season. Never thought we’d go to 2 straight World Series so I can’t be mad but I certainly hate the late season trades to get Cuetto and Zobrist. Wasn’t worth it.’ And then, Royals devil magic struck. The singles, the Houston errors, the home run. Crazy. Crazy game.

Game 1 of World Series – Gold glover Eric Hosmer…incredible defensive first basemen. Somehow misses a little hopper to first and the Mets go up a run heading into the ninth. I felt, lose Game 1 at home and it’s going to be tough to win the whole thing. And then Royals devil magic struck again in the form of Alex Gordon. The same Alex Gordon who was hitting 8^th in the lineup and hadn’t produced much the entire post-season. He bombs an incredible game tying homer to center field.. I could just feel the relief on Hosmer’s face. I think to the image of him jumping over the dugout rail and running to Gordon for a hug. Seriously bailed him out. And then, in true Royals form, Hosmer came through with the game winning sacrifice fly. Redemption. Great game.

That Hosmer run in Game 5. Win this game and we’re World Series champions. We were going up against the Mets' ace in Harvey. He was incredible. We couldn’t buy a run and his stuff was untouchable. Mets up 2-0 going into the ninth inning. Harvey comes back out. Leadoff double with Hosmer up to bat. He hits a double to drive in a run. Down 2-1. Hosmer eventually ends up on third with one out. Please, we just need one hit. Salvy’s got this. Come on Salvy. No….Salvy hits a little hopper to third base. I remember feeling so devastated seeing the Met’s third basemen throw the ball to first. And then….what in the heck? I literally stood up out of my chair as Hosmer ran home. What in the heck was he doing? I yelled “NO!”…. And then Royals devil magic struck again. The throw home was errant and the game was tied. We ended up blowing it open in extra innings. I laid in bed that night and could not stop thinking about Hosmer’s run home. What guts. I’ve watched it on you tube no less than 20 times.

And then finally, the parade. I find myself thinking of the parade most of all. To me, this is the lasting image that I will always think of. Players, coaches, managers, come and go. But the 800,000 people that showed up in downtown Kansas City on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon are lifers. 800,000 people. For a parade. These people grew up Royals fans. Or perhaps will grow up Royals fans. Or perhaps just became hooked on baseball the past couple years. Whatever their stories, they aren’t going anywhere. They represent Royals Nation and represented well.  To experience this with my boys is something I’ll always treasure. 

Oh…and one more image….how about that Johnny Gomes speech.  I’ve read this was totally unrehearsed. I love the players reactions in the background. I’ve watched this a dozen times and pick out a new favorite background reaction each time.

Who knows what the future might hold. It might be 30 more years before we win a World Series. No matter, we’ll be cheering along the way.

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Thanks again to my husband for agreeing to my crazy antics and for putting into words your thoughts about the craziness that was the Royals' postseason play.