tracimomoftwo-blog - Tumblr blog

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

Brownie day!

I tried my hand at making some brownies from scratch. I am still learning what ingredients yield certain consistencies. I didn't use any oil or butter, and instead of being thick and fudgy, the brownies turned into more of a cake. Ah well, there's always tomorrow I guess.

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

Two Year Old Conversation

Me: Abbie, do you want to wear this dress?

Abbie: Yes ma'am.

Me: Ma'am? Hmm... I like that. You can say "ma'am" anytime.

Abbie: Ma'am anytime.

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

Totes Magotes. - Paul Rudd as Peter Klaven in I Love You, Man

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

Traci's Own "I Knew I Was a Mother When..."

I knew I was a mother when...

  I became a connoisseur of Sesame Street. I even criticize when something seems out of place: "Elmo's voice seems pretty off today. Must be using a stand-in."

  I started using baby wipes for everything - wiping tushes, wiping hands, cleaning food trays, cleaning noses, among other things. You never realize the versatility Of something until you become forced to use it daily.

  I started saying "bye-bye"-- to my friends. Fellow parents completely understand how easy it is to forget yourself and baby talk in real life. Childless friends look at you like a total weirdo. Especially when I also wave within a two-foot proximity.

  I began to get emotional during kids' shows and movies. Barney's "I Love You" song continually brings me to tears. Maybe that one isn't normal? I'm not sure, but it's true.

  I stopped hanging out with people my own age to hang out with a toddler who wants me to read "Elmo at the Zoo" 15 times back-to-back. I very rarely get adult conversation or interaction, even from my husband. He's like "Abbie's got a poo-poo and pee-pee, gotta change that diapy." And I'm all like, "Let me get the wipeys. Eww, that's a stinky poo-poo."

  I learned that everything's "No-no!" until it's "yes". Abbie gets into EVERY SINGLE THING she should never even touch, and I'm always having to tell her "no-no". Well, now apparently I am not allowed to do anything because she's telling ME "No-no!" I wonder when she's going to let me touch the stove or pull stuff out of the refrigerator again! She always runs away with the steak sauce. I just want something to drink.

  I have not had a single bathroom break without my child since after delivery. Abbie even brought her own chair into the bathroom, and she sits and watches me go. Sometimes she looks at magazines, but mostly it's staring and "Bye-bye, pee-pee!"

  The entire house turned into a disorganized toy store. There are ride-on cars in the bed room, stuffed animals hidden in my sheets, blocks everywhere you could possibly walk, and there's even a small tent in the living room with books, dolls and one of every shoe she owns inside.

  I started forgetting to eat to feed her, and forgetting to buy myself essential things in order to ensure that her needs were met. How long does one normally go before she realizes all of her socks have holes in them? Or before one looks in the mirror and realizes her hair can be likened to Tarzan's?

  I had to learn to deal with my daughter screaming in public. She sees one toy and she can't have it, so she goes into voluntary convulsions, kicks and screams. However, there's ALWAYS another parent and child, no matter what store or restaurant you go to, that will make you feel better about yourself and your parenting skills. There's always a louder screamer, a harder kicker, and a frazzled parent running after him when he runs amok. So don't feel bad! I don't anymore!

  There's so many crazy, funny, unfortunate or pleasant changes that come with being a parent. But I'd never change them, nor would I ever give up being a mother. It's too entertaining!

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

I am NOT a Professional...

I was boiling water the other day on my gas stove. I had the crock pot sitting behind the boiling pan on the back burner. Obviously the crockpot and the hot pan were touching the entire time, because when I went to move my pan, the knob to my crock pot had MELTED OFF. Seriously? How ridiculous. I stupidly assumed that everything on a crock pot was heat-resistant. However, I don't think the manufacturer expected that one day a stay-at-home klutz would play campfire with the knobs of their appliances. Oh well... Pliers will sure come in handy.

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

My First Pulled Pork Endeavour

I've not been to sleep yet, so technically it was yesterday, but I cooked a 3.25 pound Boston Butt pork roast and pulled it, making pulled pork for the first time. I cooked it for about 15 hours. It was just a hair longer than I wanted to, but it still turned out great. I put barbecue sauce all up in that mother, and it was awesome. Note: I put half of the sauce in before it was done, and the rest later, and some of it over-caramelized. So my note is to put half in about an hour before it's done, and then put the rest. Don't want little hard pieces of barbecue sauce in the pork.  After I got those out, I threw it on a bun with a pickle and MAN, it was good eats. My husband loved it.

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

Kids and Sugar!

I just cannot keep sweet tea around my two year-old, Abbie. You set the cup down for a nanosecond and the drink just magically disappears. A lot of times, I don't even see her pick up the cup. But I know who did it... Ooooh yes. The tea thief. I do half a pot of boiling water, add 3 family tea bags (not the itty-bitty ones) to the water after removing it from the heat. I let the tea steep for 12 minutes, and meanwhile I add about 1 and 1/4 cup of sugar to a gallon jug. When the tea is done I add it to the jug, shake it up, fill the rest of the jug with cold water, shake it again, and then stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Mmmm, slushy sweet tea. Southern summer delight!!!

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

Quote of the day: Free yo mind, and the rest will follow. - En Vogue

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

Well some of the fries got crispy, some got too crispy, and some are still soft. I think I should have rotated them more. Oh well! Still good with parmesan an green onion! You live, you learn.

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

I'm attempting to bake hand-cut French fries that are actually crispy. They always always ALWAYS turn out soft, but this time I am using foil and putting the pan closer to the element. So we'll see how it goes! I'll keep ya updated.

[tracimomoftwo-blog]

Today

Today, I realized that every time my two year-old gets in trouble, my five month-old laughs. I look back at her and she has a huge smile. This is probably an indication of the future.