piper, paci's, and potty training

Ah, yes. The three P's that are currently dominating our life. Piper, she's a given obviously. I created this post weeks ago without adding content. At the time we had just decided that we were going to start taking things away from her and getting her on track for potty training since she'll be three next month. Three. Next. Month. Honestly, where does the time go? But now it's more of an "update" of what the heck we've been doing.

Piper, she's good. She has her moments where doesn't want to be bothered, her extra thankful moments where she tells me thanks for making dinner 14 times, times when she wants to do nothing more than watch the same episode of Paw Patrol on repeat and for sleep? She's doing better than she has probably in her entire life (aside from the previous months where we caved and gave her her paci back at night time).

Paci's! I truly thought this was going to be a more difficult transition because of how she handled it back in February after she lost her tooth. She went months of acting like a newborn. Waking multiple times at night and being inconsolable at times. Hence our breakdown of giving it back to her. It started off sort of by happenstance. We knew we were going to try to do away with it but one night we couldn't find one anywhere. She was upset, but she understood that it was lost and that we could look for it when she woke up. Eh, the night was a litle rough. The next day folding her laundry I found it! Did I let in her on this vital information? Nope! We then had a couple nights of whining for her paci and a few wake ups throughout, but now that it's been a few weeks she has been doing so good! She rarely asks for it unless she is going to bed after being upset and seems to only be waking up from dreams; once a night she typically wakes up upset and talking, most usually asking for sissy. But we've also had a handful of nights where she has slept all the way through. *knock on wood*

Potty training. Meh. It's time and I know it. I waited longer than I did with Kennedy because she never really showed initiative and what a headache to bring upon yourself, right? Well okay, time we bit the bullet. Most days she does well, but some days she does not and don't even get me started on pooping. This kid refuses to poop on the toilet. She's done it twice, and I thought the cycle was broken but no. I'm to the point where I think I need to start rewarding her with a small treat each time she goes at all. I've never really liked the idea of incentives because how do you just stop? Clapping and praising really gets her going and she seems to look forward to it, "say cake!" Which is how she asks for clapping. I think it originates from paddy-cake. And the thing that gets me with the poop.. she KNOWS when she fucked up. "Don't come over here! Don't spank me!" And I know this is a typical problem that young children go through but still.. I cannot.

So hey, she may have pooped on the stairs and I definitely let her know that it's not okay to do that.

Working.
On.
It.



EVERYBODY POOPS, PIPER.
Leia

"the great american eclipse"

What did the eclipse look like for us in Michigan? Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. But here's a great picture from Jasman Mander.

Initially I had planned to take Kennedy on an overnight trip to Carbondale, Illinois so we could be in the path of totality. Well, as 5 year olds go she wasn't too keen on this trip. "So, we're gonna drive there, see the sun, and then come home? I'll think about." Verbatim. But COME ON, this was going to be a once in a century/lifetime event, right?! Well, after I realized we weren't even going to have any eclipse glasses I did more research. Yes, this is a once in a lifetime event in that for the first time in 99 years the path of totality was coast-to-coast across the US. There is another in 7 years that is 1 hour away (for totality) from us versus 16 hours round trip! 

If we had had the glasses it would've been a better experience because they would've allowed us to see through the clouds. And thanks to social media I got to see a million pictures of everyone's cereal box and pinhole viewers so I didn't feel like I missed out. 7 years is a long way to wait, but the kids will be older and I won't have to deal with the stress of a days long road trip to experience it.

"The divided United States of America will unite today, sharing a cosmic event predicted by the methods and tools of science." Neil deGrasse Tyson

Leia

netflix originals

Netflix definitely isn't new territory for me, but I have been absolutely blown away by their original series'. The last few shows that I have started and completed have been Netflix Originals and I am in love. And I'm trying to be patient for renewal updates or new season premiers but it is so hard. On the off chance that you've followed along with my sedentary lifestyle, you'll have heard me rant about some of these before.

Search 'originals' on Netflix and so many of my picks will come up:

Orange is the New Black (5 Seasons, renewed for seasons 6 and 7)
The entire season takes place in just three days time and started immediately where they left off in season four. The death of a beloved character was still very fresh in everyone's mind and Litchfield was an absolute scene of chaos. I was left in tears during the finale, but nothing compared to Lolly's fate.


House of Cards (5 seasons, pending renewal)
CLAIRE, CLAIRE, CLAIRE! As per usual, the Underwoods are out to fuck shit up and get to the top any way that they see fit. Scandals and ongoing investigations galore this season! This series is one that never disappoints and season 5 was no exception. Probably time to rewatch from the beginning to tie any loose details together.


Narcos (2 seasons, season 3 premiering on September 1, 2017)
Action, violence, and cocaine! What's not to love in a tv show?! And it's not a completely scripted drama since it's based on real inviduals! Pablo Escobar ain't no match for Murphy and Pena!


The OA (1 season, supposedly renewed. No new info from February's season 2 teaser)
If this show does not get at least one more season I will be upset. Supernatural, fantasy, life-after-death. If these three ideas do not intrigue you I wouldn't bother. Prairie Johnson, 'The OA' is back after being missing for 7 years. She was recruited by a good/evil man along with others who have endured similar circumstances to complete his scientific work.


Stranger Things (1 season, season 2 premiering October 27, 2017!!!!!)
If you don't understand rating things on a scale of 1-11, you're going to need dive into this show right away. Winona Ryder was AMAZING; this show deserved every award it was nominated for and won. Terrifying and mystical this show had me hooked from the first episode. Barb, Eggo waffles, and the Upside Down.


Santa Clarita Diet (1 season, renewed for season 2)
Drew Barrymore has already shown preparations for season 2 on her Instagram and I am so incredibly excited. I couldn't wait for this show to come out after seeing all the strange promotions for it and I was so impressed when I finally got to watch it. The cast was spot on and it was so unexpectedly hilarious. The 'monster' was different than what I was expecting and I'm glad. Maybe I didn't pay well enough attention to the trailers. Definitely add this to your list if you are into multiple forms of humor (dry, awkward, quick and witty; this show offers them all).


Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (miniseries)
If you enjoyed the movie you will enjoy the show. The cast is the same. The humor is the same. The camp is the same. Origins of key characters are revealed.


13 Reasons Why (1 season, renewed)
Sad. Upsetting. Eye opening. A great view into mental illness and how to be aware of others and how you may be affecting them. I watched the show after reading the book. They switched a lot of things up, but for the show I think it really worked and was still impressed. I see both sides of a lot of the reviews that I read and can totally understand how it brings both awareness while simultaneously glamorizing suicide. Not sure what season 2 is going to bring.. it doesn't look good for Tyler.


GLOW (1 season, renewed)
Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. I felt like this show was all over the place with so many plot ideas firing off at once. Amateur actors trying to find their way to stardom in Los Angeles mixed in with some personal drama and side stories. Overall it was worth a watch and I'd be excited to see what a follow-up season would consist of.


Ozark (1 season, pending renewal)
Jason Bateman with a straight face? He should have done work like this sooner! I mean, maybe he has.. he did get his start on Little House on the Prairie after all. This show was amazing and I've been recommending it left and right. I would say if you combined Breaking Bad with The Wolf of Wall Street it might come out looking something like Ozark. Drug lords and money launderers just trying to get by and live their lives but BAM, shit gets fucked up real quick and I guess you'll just have to tune in to get the rest.


Friends from College (1 season, pending renewal)
Netflix categorizes this as a comedy and I was fully expecting it to be one with the cast at hand. Would I classify it as a comedy? Nope. But, in no way was I disappointed. It was a solid, solid show. It was dramatic and also a little depressing. The laughs were not constant and they were used more as comic relief.


Girlboss (1 season hitter quitter)
Oh Sophia, you selfish bitch. No, this is not me tearing other women down, just an observation. Did she set out and reach her goals? You bet she did! Did she let anyone stand in her way? Nope! And she almost ruined every relationship she had in the process which I don't think is healthy. Did it make for a kickass docuseries? YEPP. I've promptly added her biography to my list of books but after learning more about how she lost her company I'm like ehhhhhhh. The series is definitely worth a watch though. It has a bit of everything.


Originals that I've started:
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later
Atypical

Originals that I want to start:
The Ranch
The Crown
Bloodline
Sense8

Reading, going to the movies, and indulging in a couple hours of tv before bed are definitely things I enjoy for ME TIME and I don't feel guilty for even a second of it. Sure, maybe I could spend this time exercising or meal prepping or something other cool, hip and happenin' blogging mothers do but this is my jam. In a few weeks you can plan on a Hulu Originals post too because I've just started diving into those and it's a gold mine, people. A GOLD MINE.

I'm not that great at reviews; too nervous about spoiling!

Leia

girls trip: tawas + oscoda

Now that all traces of my vacation have worn off I figured it was time to bring that weekend to the blog. As a kid we would go to Tawas each summer with my mom and her friend and two sons. Those trips are some of my favorites memories growing up. Before the internet, before Airbnb and HomeAway; we would drive up and find a cabin that had vacancies.. something that stresses me out just thinking about it!

Needless to say it has been fun taking the girls on these same trips. This time around we stayed in Oscoda at a family friends house. It wasn't right on the beach like when we were kids, but the beaches in Tawas were just a short drive away.

Our first full day we started the day off with a canoe trip down the Au Sable River and ended the day on Lake Huron at Oscoda Beach Park. The lake was so rough! Even sitting on the shoreline we were getting knocked over and thought of swimming out any further scared the shit out of me and I only lasted awhile holding one of the girls at at a time.

^^ because I wouldn't catch a seagull for her.

 Friday night we were joined by 'Izzybell (aunt Isabelle/Izzy)' and we headed out to 3 Mile Beach and visited one of our favorite novelty gift shops. Piper went with traditional bag of polished rocks and Kennedy picked out a unicorn. An authentic symbol for the area. We ended the day hanging out at the house catching toads and 'relaxing' in the hammock.

Then on our last day we spent the morning packing and cleaning up the house before heading out to the beach one last time. We ended up at Tawas City Park and Beach and it was perfect. There was the coolest wooden jungle gym (albeit it was almost too hot to play on) and a beach just beyond. The water was too weedy for my liking but Kennedy had a blast in the water with Granny as the water stayed shallow and wasn't very rough. I attempted to read a bit but that was a fail and Piper had fun getting buried and playing in the sand with Izzybell.

It was a nice little getaway but with the kids vacations can definitely seem like a chore and you come home less rested than when you left. Between the sand and the water I only took my camera out one time and snapped only a few photos. All of these were taken with an iPhone and I am SO HAPPY with how they all turned out.

Contemplating opening a beachy lakeside motel in the future.

Leia

mid-week meal share: garlic parmesan kale pasta

Hootie hoo it's hump day and I'm in tip top blogging shape and getting you a recipe mid-week! I'm almost as shocked as you are. Been in a bit of a funk trying to figure out marketing for Average Mom, how to get word out without annoying people and then trying not to get self conscious once I shove it out there. My key as I wanted from the beginning though, was to just be myself and I've stayed true to that. Also have been trying to take the time to learn my camera better and food is the perfect subject since it doesn't talk back or put it's hands in front of it's face when you ask it to smile.

This week it's garlic parmesan kale pasta. What you see is what you get with this one. Pulled it off Budget Bytes; a source I recently found that I'm slowly making my way through.

Easy to concoct: user friendly.

Cost effective: budget friendly.

I'm going to assume that most everyone who wants to make this will likely have everything on hand already (maybe minus kale and noodles like myself):

per my adjustments

2 bunches kale

1 lb thin spaghetti

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

2 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)

¾ cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1. First thing I did was boil some water for the noodles.

2. Wash and cut up your kale. Annoyingly enough, I had leaves already going bad after being in the fridge only 2 days.

3. In a skillet over medium heat add your olive oil, butter, and garlic and wait for butter to melt. Recipes always say to wait for the garlic to become fragrant, maybe it's because I always use pre-minced garlic but I feel like it's fragrant even before you start cooking it?

4. Once your butter has melted add in your mountain of kale and mix. Saute for about 6 minutes; until kale is wilted and dark green.

5. Since you've only used kale one other time in your life you will be surprised at how much your mountain instantly cooks down and wish you had bought a second batch to double the recipe entirely.

6. Drain and rinse your noodles when they are done and add into your kale skillet.

7. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Top with parmesan cheese when slightly cooled and toss.

9. Enjoy! 

One thing I always have a problem doing with recipes like these (pasta with separate things to mix in) is that I can never seem to get a good ratio! The mixin's are usually clumped together, refusing to mix into the pasta. 

This recipe didn't disappoint but it is definitely glorified butter noodles. In no way am I complaining! Everyone loved it and even the little ones enjoyed the crispy bits of kale so I consider it a win. And it was super easy going on the wallet to have as a filler meal during the week.

I fail to see how kale became so popular tbh, though.

Leia

number9dream

Number9Dream is number 11 for the year. This is one of the last few books that I got for my birthday.. in January.

 If there was ever a time for the universe to tell me to read a book it was now. "Number 9" was in the two books I read prior to this. Sure, one of them was David Mitchell which is kind of how he does things, but the other was Truly Madly Guilty.

In this book you're with Eiji the whole time. Is he dreaming, or not? In the beginning it seems clear but then as you go further into the story the lines get blurred. There are symbols throughout that attempt to keep you in sync with reality and keep the dreams differentiated.

"Dreams are shores where the ocean of spirit meets the land of matter. Dreams are beaches were the yet-to-be, the once-were, and the will-never-be may walk awhile with the still-are."

It read more like Black Swan Green than any of his other books. Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks are still holding it down as my favorites from him. Worth a read, but not something I would find myself actually recommending to someone?

Inception vibes.
Leia

four more weeks of summer

Have books to share and vacations to spam, behind on blogging and barely dare to keep myself in the category sometimes.

But right now, this is important.

The flowers are dying and the leaves are already attempting to turn their colors and to top off this end of summer sadness.. first grade registration papers in the mail the other day. While Kennedy is exited and loves school she is no where near ready for this summer to end. I mean, who really wants summer to end?



Need to think about relocation.
Leia