Mexican Chicken and Melon Head Boy

Bear and I always joke that Lachlan's head is as big and round as a melon. We proved it true at the grocery store today.

Boy thinking that he's helping me make dinner.

Although I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, I'm finding the adjustment harder than I thought. I'm so used to rushing around with college and baseball. Our stake here does have a men's softball league once a week, but of course it's not the same. Also, I'm a very restless person. But I need a schedule at the same time. I'm very conflicted on the inside. I'll figure it out though.

I made Mexican Chicken (from genaw.com) for dinner last night. It was so easy! Bear said it was one of the best things that I've ever made. You can make it in the crock pot too, but I didn't start it in time and so I followed the original directions. From prep to finish, it was less than an hour. And super cheap too. We rolled the chicken in tortillas and made burritos.&nbsp:

MEXICAN CHICKEN
1 pound boneless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Seasoning for Tacos
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 green onions, chopped 

Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with taco seasoning; grill or saute. Cut the chicken into cubes and place in a greased 8x8" baking dish; season with salt to taste. Add the enchilada sauce and toss to coat the chicken. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken and bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Scatter the green onions over the top.
Makes 4 servings
Can be frozen

Summer 2013

While I have more free time this summer, I decided to start blogging again. A few blogs that I've been reading recently have motivated me to start blogging again, but I don't quite know what to write about.

I'm not a witty, talented writer who can captivate readers without any pictures to look at. I don't sell anything or run a business. I don't want my blog to be full of complaining, snarky sarcastic negativity, or extreme consumerism. I don't have a cool car, a mansion (or even a small one to call my own), or costly vacations to show off. I don't want to only recycle and re-post others' ideas, but I don't feel creative/talented enough to come up with my own projects or recipes. Yes, I think that I have the cutest baby in the world, but what if I bore or annoy my readers by only posting about his cuteness? I love my husband, but I don't want to bug my readers by being to mushy or personal. Also, I almost want to start a new blog because this one has embarrassing posts dating back to my high school days. But I might be grateful to look back on them later in life.

So for now, we'll stick to a basic update.

We're in Fresno for the summer. This is Bear's third year selling door-to-door for Dewey Pest Control. It's not the funnest thing to do all summer, but you can't beat the money, especially while still in college. We're happy with the company and Bear believes in the product which helps him not burn-out. This is our first summer in Fresno, as the past two summers we went to Lancaster, CA. So yet again, we're in a new ward, trying to make friends and trying to find all the good places to shop and eat. I know there are some scary parts of Fresno, but I feel safe where we are and it hasn't been too hot - but that might change this weekend. There's a lot of agriculture around and it's a lot greener than Lancaster. There's even a Cheesecake Factory here! I just miss all of our family and friends when we strike out on our own each summer.

I'm working from home, taking calls from the sales guys each time they make a sale. I confirm the appointment and go over the contract with the customer on the phone and put all of the information into the computer. I'm grateful for the job - because I want to be a stay at home mom and it was so hectic being a full-time college student with a little baby the past few months.

I always tell myself that I won't move across the country like this again. But every summer, once we settle a little and we start making money again, and we get to live in sunny CA, I decide it's not so bad after all. And I've moved so much in my life, I think I need to keep moving and having adventures or I will get bored out of my mind.

I guess my only complaint is that we still only have one car, which Bear takes with him every day to work. And he doesn't get home til 9 pm usually. Of course, he doesn't start work til 1 pm, but Bear usually ends up eating something unhealthy that he can pick up really quick while he's knocking, or I end up waiting to eat dinner with him super late at night. And it's usually too late to go out and do anything at that hour, even if we didn't have a baby keeping us home. Plus, there's no one I know well enough to babysit. Oh well. It's never like this for long.

Our plans are to both graduate in December. I'll only have 7 credits and be mostly focusing on my senior paper. Bear will have 15 credits and plans to find a part-time job because we still don't know what we're doing after December (we don't even know if we're coming back to walk in the Spring), and we have to start paying off student loans soon.

And that is where we are at right now.

The BEST Pound Cake Recipe

The BEST Pound Cake Recipe

3 c. sifted, all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. butter
3 c. sugar
5 large eggs
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl whisk salt and baking powder into the sifted flour. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time.
Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat then add in half of the cream. Alternate the flour and cream ending with flour and beat well. Bear in the vanilla.

Spray 2 loaf pans with Pam spray and pour in the batter about 2/3 of the way full.

Put pans into a COLD oven and bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. It is done when toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

**I would check them around an hour--mine finishes then.

Mothers Day 2013

Dear Lachlan,

I got an idea to write a letter to you on the first Mother's Day that we spent together.
I'm not an eloquent writer.
But here it goes.
We got to spend the day with Grandma, Grandpa, Tashi, Mia, Noah, and Gracie.
And so it made me think a lot about Grandma as my mom.
I made Grandma a mother, and you did the same for me.
Thank you for being such an easy baby.
Thank you for being such a smiley baby.
Your smiles make everything worth it.
Thank you for being a healthy baby.
Sometimes I feel guilty for jerking you around so much as a newborn so that I could be a full-time college student.
Sometimes I wish that I didn't have that extra stress in my life, so that I could be a more relaxed mom for you.
Even though we had a rough start to it, thank you for learning to nurse, so that I could take that time to slow down and hold you during my busy semester.
Sometimes I wish that I was able to have a set schedule for you like other stay-at-home or working moms.
But you have a mom and dad that love you, as well as all four grand-parents.
We want you to do well.
I want to give you the best start possible.
Even though you are such an easy baby, quite often I feel guilty and second guess myself as a mother.
I don't know if I'll ever even come close to being a perfect mom, but I want to try my best.
Just for you.
Because I love you.
Your personality shows a little more each day and I can't wait until the day when we can talk to each other.
I hope you still want to cuddle me even as you grow older.
I hope that we can become friends.
And continue to bond.
You have taught me more about myself than anything else. 
I care about people too much for my own good sometimes.
So I hope I don't smother you, but I want you to know that I do care...a lot.
No matter what happens, I will love you forever.
Thank you for making this my first Mothers Day. 
It was a wonderful one. 
I love you.

Choices: Molding our Homes and Lives

From Dawn Antigua

1. Why and How to Offer Choices
• Why? develop inernal motivation, build indpendence
• How:
• Limited choices - Don't allow your limit or buttons to be pushed with an exorbitant amount of options.
• Follow through!!! - Only offer options you will carry out and be sure your "team" (spouse, babysitters, teachers, etc.) are informed and support you in following through.
• Logical consequences - Make options related (Ex. If you eat broccoli, you can have frozen yogurt too, or you can choose no broccoli, nor dessert).
• Make the BEST choice ENTICING - teach them life is truly win-win or lose-lose. That is Heavnly Father's plan.
• Set your child up to succeed
2. Patterns for Offering Choices (models from our Eternal Father)
• Genesis 2:16-17
• Invitation to make good choices (multiple options provied) - "any tree,except..."
• Forbid bad choice and name the negative consequence - "just not that, or you'll die"
• Proverbs Chapter 1
• Good choice and consequence provided
• Warning: bad choice and outcome named
• Re-mntion of good choice and positive outcome
• Malachi 3:10-11
• Invitation to make good choice ad consequence provided
• Encouragement/dare to try the good choice
• More positive outcomes listed
3. Making the Best Most Appealing
• Genesis 2:16-17 "Andthe Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
• What are the choices? What are the consequences, stated or implied?
• Alma 37:35 Learn wisdom in thy youth...so you must teach wisdom to the very young.
• Notice and support your children's interests and talents. Supplement and promote healthy interests. Also, identify your children's weaknesses and lovingly help them strengthen those as well.
• Validation: As you engage your children in activities athome, remember responsibilities (chores) and service arecritical pars of helping them feel like contribting membrs of the family and society as a whole.Elder Ballad reminded us in the last General Conference, that like the bee who makes just 1/12 tsp. of honey in its lifetime, each member of yur family and God's family is important and has a meaningful role.
• Self-reflection: What do I do and offer to keep my children engaged in worthwhile activites at home?
• How do I model, for example, what do I do in my free time?
• Am I living (demonstrating) a journey of persona development ad learning?
4. Thinking Things Through
• By offering choices and naming the outcome, we help children, ho developmenally are not prone to consider anything more than the immediae outcome, to do so.
• By listing choices and outcomes, we as parents have to think the scenario through an discipline ourselves to carry out consequence.
• Self-reflection: We teach through modeling (whether it is intentional or not). Consier, wat is the main take away lesson my children are gaining from our hoe and lifestyle?
• 3 Nephi 30:1-2 takeaway: Follow Christ and turn from sin, "that ye may be numbered with my people"