Happy Monday

I had good intentions of posting every couple of days in March. For those few faithful readers, you know that has not happened. And there are three good reasons why. The first one here, delights in helping Mommy develop consistency in discipline, over and over and over again every day.

The second one is really my saving grace and such a huge help most days, but likes to have my attention and to have me "doing" something with her at every waking moment.

The last one has not made his debut yet, but is still growing, making his presence known by sharp jabs to the ribs in my moments of peace and quiet.


I had my 28 week, blood sugar, Rho-gam shot, forever appointment this morning. Long story short, I had to take both kids with me. I did not get anything in to this big belly of mine for breakfast because I was getting both kids dressed, ready, packed and fed to be out of the door by 7:45. My sweet little boy obviously did not wake up on the right side of the crib, and he was not happy. I drink the wonderful fruit punch cocktail when I get there and we get all the other necessary elements out of the way (blood pressure, urine specimen, listen to baby's heart, see doctor). We are waiting in the lobby for the rest of the hour to pass before I can get my finger pricked. The terrible feeling hits and I leave my children there and sprint for the bathroom to throw up. Grady is screaming as a nurse tries to be with them. Good news was it didn't last long. Bad news is now I have to go back for round two. Can't do the test when you puke. I was able to end with the shot in the hiney before heading out with one screaming child. They are both asleep now and I am going to eat some of these leftovers from the grill last night. They were delicious! And then I'm going to lay down and let baby brother practice his karate.

I Heart Spring

We spent Saturday in Greenville with Steven's parents. It was another glorious day and the kids enjoyed much outside play time. Elle even "caught" her first fish. As always with the Salters, there was enough food to feed an army and we came home with about 3 pounds of hamburger meat, leftover steak and ribs, a ton of sliced cheese, bananas and other assorted fruit, apple juice and a huge box of frozen chicken breasts. Really. That definitely helped our grocery bill on Sunday be a little cheaper. Thanks for the food Gran Gran and Grammy!



Because of our abundance of ground beef, we had the neighbors over for some hamburgers Sunday. It was another wonderful day spent entirely outside. I don't know about you, but when my kids get good outside play time, all the moons in the universe line up and things seem to go so so smoothly. I heart Spring! Our other neighbors came over earlier for some bubble fun and "balls in the baby pool" fun.

A Day at the Park

Only in Alabama could you have 5 inches of snow and in less than a week have a gorgeous 75 degree day like today. It has been absolutely beautiful! The kids and I ventured to a new park today to meet some friends and it was so great. The playground is wonderful, it wasn't too crowded, and there is tons of land and space. Because there weren't many big kids there, Grady was able to manuver around most of the playground without intervention from me. Or maybe it's just because he's getting big enough to do that?! I threw a bunch of stuff in the cooler before we left and we were able to have a nice, but windy, picnic lunch before heading home for naps.

Check out that determined look!

Say cheese!

**I just heard Elle in the kitchen rustling around--she just got up from her nap--and she came back here with her band aids proudly on her thumb! That was also the first thing she did when she got up this morning. Thanks for your ideas. I have promised a new play kitchen or sandbox if she can do it this whole month and I am letting her have the precious thumb for both nap time and at night.

Operation No Thumb

We are in official "stop sucking the thumb" mode. Elle had a dental check-up yesterday. This is the third time she has been, but this was the first time the dentist mentioned there was a possibility for a nice, long relationship with an orthodontist in our future. He asked Elle if she wanted to stop sucking her thumb, to which she replied, "yes" (yeah right!). He went on to tell her the way to stop her "baby brain" from thinking she needed to suck her thumb was by putting two special band aids around her thumb. We've done this for two days and I stocked up on Dora and Hello Kitty band aids today. She has really done well with it. It's such a habit, she doesn't even realize how much she does it. The band aids are great reminders. We are taking them off at night, which may or may not be a bad thing. I wasn't sure if she could really go cold turkey. Any of you have recovered thumb suckers? Feel free to share any pointers. I always said I wasn't going to worry about it and she would stop when she was ready, but I also don't want her to have messed up teeth. We're giving it a shot.

Consignment Sale

For those of you in the Birmingham area, there is a consignment sale this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I managed to get a few things in the sale in hopes of making a little to contribute to the kids' room makeovers. Unfortunately, I didn't get a before picture of my goods (Maybe I can take a picture of all the cash I get!). There were some girl clothes and shoes (*sigh*), a plastic outdoor climber, a play kitchen, baby bedding and big girl bedding and a few other miscellaneous items. For more information, click here. Please check it out if you are in the area... you just might find something you HAVE to have!

Barbecue Baskets

This was on the menu tonight at the Salter household and I promise it is easy, delicious, and a crowd-pleaser. I got the recipe from Publix Apron's Simple Meals probably a year ago and it has been a staple since. There are lots of fun and easy recipes there. They even do your shopping list for you and suggest side items (yea!-somebody has taken the time to "think" and make these decisions for me!). My husband loves these and swears that if we ever open a restaurant, they will be on the menu.

Barbecue Baskets

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) can buttermilk biscuits
1 1/2 cups cooked shredded pork with barbecue sauce
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Steps
1. Preheat oven to 400°F {I do 375}.
2. Place each biscuit in one muffin cup. Press biscuit down into bottom of each cup until about 1/4-inch thick, then press biscuit up side of muffin cups to form crust.
3. Divide pork evenly into biscuits (about 2 1/2 tablespoons each); sprinkle with cheese. {The more cheese, the better!}
4. Bake 20–25 minutes until biscuit edges are golden and barbecue pork is thoroughly heated. Serve.

Snow Pictures

Yes our son has on pink overalls but he was dry and warm (and cute). Earlier in the day, he wore Elle's princess tennis shoes. We are thankful for hand-me-downs, no matter how they come. And down here where we have a blizzard once a year, sometimes in March, we can't afford to own nice snow clothes. All three kids (including Daddy!) had a blast in the snow. We had at least 4-5 inches at our house. Hope everyone enjoyed their snow day!