Fried Smashed Potatoes with Lemons

First new recipe of the year, this yummy new take on potatoes. It is the perfect side dish when you want to change things up a bit. I'm not a food blogger or a photographer, but I will be sharing all of the 20 recipes I'm trying this year and giving the actual chef the credit. These potatoes come from the Food Network's, Giada De Laurentiis and they looked so easy I had to try them. Bonus: I already had the ingredients in the house.

Recommendation: Don't go crazy on the smashing like I did or you will have potato pieces everywhere. Lightly smash, just until popped open, like the directions say.

Ingredients

Potatoes:

• 2 pounds baby or fingerling potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra as needed
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 lemons, zested
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the potatoes: Put the potatoes in an 8-quart stockpot with enough cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow to dry for 5 minutes. Using the palm of your hand, gently press the potatoes until lightly smashed.

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly brown, about 1 minute. Remove the garlic and discard. In batches, add the potatoes and cook, without stirring, until the bottoms turn golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the potatoes over and cook, drizzling with oil, if needed, until golden brown on the other side for another 5 to 8 minutes.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spoon the dressing over the potatoes and toss gently until coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and serve.

RECIPE TAKEN FROM: www.foodnetwork.com

Welcome 2011...

... and I'm back. Without too many details, 2010 was not the greatest of years, as you can clearly see from my lack of bragging blogging. It could have been worse, but we certainly had our share of low moments.

On January 1st, I looked back into my computer files at my 2010 resolutions only to find 5 very vague, meaningless "things" I wanted to accomplish, that I did not accomplish. Even more reason to be bummed about 2010... now I accomplished nothing. In retaliation, I decided I would not make a list of 5 vague things and hide them away in a computer file for a year only to forget about them by January 3rd. I have changed my New Year's Resolution strategy...

I have made a list of 50 things I would like to accomplish this year and will publicly announce them and hold myself accountable. This can't go any worse than last year... right? As a check and balance, I will reevaluate the list in June and make changes. Hopefully I will be able to look back on 2011 and be able to actually tell myself what I accomplished.

I challenge you to jump on board, make a list of things YOU want to do this year and hold yourself accountable.

Update...

Uh, so... it has been a while. We've gotten really busy with William's recovery, work, Jerry traveling all over Florida for boat shows and more work! Now we're in the process of relocating... phew. As for William's recovery, he has recovered perfectly. We just had the three month check-up and you would never even know he had surgery. There isn't even a scar. It is amazing what modern medicine can do! A huge thank you to Dr. Flack and his team.

As for other news, William is now a professional walker. He also has a big case of, what I call, the "whiny ones". Others call it separation anxiety. I think it is a lot more than separation anxiety, I think it is communication anxiety. He knows what he wants but can't necessarily say or do it... which leads to frustration. I was not warned about this stage. I thought I was going to have a pleasant smiley boy until about 18 months when the word "no" is learned, understood, and uttered at will. It's not that bad, Jerry and I have actually taken some amusement from it. It is our goal to not give in to crying or make a big deal out of it. We hope this will eliminate future tantrums. *fingers crossed*

For all of my friends who think William is the cutest thing ever, he is. But here's a small glimpse of what can happen if I put him down and he doesn't want "down". There are absolutely no tears, so don't feel too bad for him. Also notice how fast the crying stops when he hears his daddy... the little booger!

Is it wrong that I think this is the funniest video I have!? I'll be playing this video at his graduation party in 2017. =)

A Standing Motivation

About a week and a half ago, William had surgery. He was born with a very minor form of a birth defect called hypospadias. In fact, it was so mild we only knew we had this issue when he peed on his doctor at birth. I guess even embarrassing moments have benefits. Anyway, I had been pretty much pushing the issue to the back of my mind as much as I could because I couldn't bear to think of my little guy going under the knife and anesthesia. We had to wait until William was at least six months before the urologist would even consider surgery which was, unfortunately for us, right around the holidays. We scheduled to have the surgery the first week of January, but as luck would have it, we caught a nasty cold between New York and Florida and had to reschedule. So, finally, we're all fixed! Literally. 

Cutest baby in a hospital gown EVER.

I think the surgery was actually worse on Mommy than on William. He did SO wonderful. He was even bouncing around a little bit in the hospital before we left. He did sleep most of the day when we got home, but it was to be expected. He didn't even cry. Not even once. The only issue we had was changing the diaper. We had to be quick and clever and gentle all at the same time. With a squirmy baby, it was not fun, especially since we had to make sure it was changed every two to three hours. So not fun.

Charlie making sure William is okay.

There were a few tears the day after when the pain medication wore off. Not to mention the difficulty crawling. He was a professional crawler before the surgery, then he had to find alternate means of transportation because he was too sore. When he would try to crawl he looked like a drunken spider. It hurt me a bit to see him sore, but on the plus side, he had the motivation he needed to start gaining confidence walking. I think it was much less painful for him to stand and scoot around than to crawl. As a result, I think we'll be walking a bit sooner than expected. I'm not so sure that's a good thing for Charlie and anything we have yet to baby proof!

Bilingual Baby

For those who don't know, English is not Jerry's first language. It's not even his second language... it is his third. Jerry grew up in Venezuela within a German  family and community making Spanish his first language and German a very close second. Jerry's family moved to the United States in the early 80's which led to the privilege and necessity of learning English quickly (but not the privilege of learning it in the public school system, which is the root of many quality discussions about our South Florida, ESL loving, modern public school system that allots two years). With determination and private tutoring, Jerry was fluent in English within six months without the slightest hint of an accent. (I'm so proud!)

We could attempt to raise William trilingual, but unfortunately, there are very few German-speaking people that reside in South Florida (however, I am surprised every time Jerry finds someone) which has lead to Jerry losing some of his fluency and familiarity with the language. On the other hand... there are PLENTY of Spanish speaking people that reside in South Florida, including Jerry's parents who babysit William every so often. This is exciting for me because even though I took Spanish all through high school and was even allowed to skip a year for my "superior knowledge" of the language, I am not very comfortable with my current fluency. This fits masterfully into my plan to raise a bilingual baby because Jerry's parents speak to William in Spanish which allows him to hear conversations and interactions in Spanish correctly and fluently. My work is done for me! If only that were true...

Currently, Jerry and I speak English to each other around William so he can pick up the grammar, vocabulary and language through our interactions and conversations. While I am at work, Jerry speaks to William in Spanish. We also try to say and do things in both languages, for example, when I leave the room I'll say "Bye, bye! Adios!". I do know some simple words  and phrases and I try to label as  much as I can in both languages. I'm sure we are confusing him immensely. 

I consider myself very lucky that my child has the opportunity to be raised bilingual. Being a teacher, I know the many benefits of knowing two languages, especially Spanish and English. Did you know that learning two languages greatly increases the gray matter in your brain? There are also some challenges that we will come across as far as Will's language development in the upcoming years, but I know we have made the right decision. 

Planes, Trams and Automobiles

On Christmas day, we took our first family flight. Awwww... off to the Grandparents for the holidays!

Did I mention it was at 6am? I'm really trying to force a smile for the obligatory pictures of William's first flight, but his face is definitely saying "Mom, I hate you for waking me up at 3:30am to catch this stupid plane."

All I can say in response is... "My dear William, how does it feel to be woken up at 3:30am? You don't like it do you? Aw, I have no sympathy for you. Smile."

Considering when the above photo was taken, it was 5:30 am... I don't think we did too bad. Shortly after this photo was taken the flight attendant took William, hat and all, and introduced him to the entire plane. He didn't even cry until he heard us talking and couldn't see us. A good sign since we were going to be introducing Will to a bunch of new people over the next week.

So, how is flying with a baby? Phew... to sum it up, flying with a baby is an experience. Before we left for our adventure I made a packing list to make sure I had everything necessary for William on the plane and enough warm weather clothes for the cold ready at the top of our luggage to wear as soon as we got off the plane. I even typed up the list so I could just print it out for our next trip without much thought. Jerry thought this was laughable, but we had everything we needed! Kind of...

Getting to the airport and through security was an adventure in itself. We each had two suitcases plus the car seat and stroller. You are allowed to bring on one carryon item plus one personal item per person. In total, we were carrying eight items to be stored on the plane and only paid for two. Not a bad deal, but we had to carry them and a baby. Somehow, we managed. In hindsight, my fancy list is being reduced by about half for next time and the stroller is being carefully debated.

Flying with Jerry is a very unique experience. He is very tall and feels like he has to ride in the 'special seats' or his legs will literally fall off of his body. I absolutely HATE that he makes this special request whenever we fly, but it does have its benefits. Our seats on our first flight were in the bulkhead section and we had a divider and a bathroom basically to ourselves. Unfortunately, we can't sit in the emergency row with a baby so he had to suffer on other flights.

After we got all of our stuff and bodies on the plane, we had very smooth sailing. To help with the air pressure, we fed William on take off and landing and he explored as much of our little section as he could. I think he actually liked it!

Now, when we landed in Philadelphia we had about an hour to catch our next plane. Sounds like a lot of time, but Philadelphia is a gigantic airport and we desperately needed a diaper change. I was not informed that we would need to leave terminals and venture out into the elements to get to our next plane, otherwise I would have physically brought William's winter jacket and hat in the carryon luggage. My fancy packing lists, oh how you fail me. We had to go from terminal A to terminal F. This would require the use of the Philadelphia Airport Terminal Shuttle.

Looking at the map, you would think this was walkable, but everyone we came across kept telling us that it would take us about 30 minutes to walk. They are lucky the waiting room was inside and heated or they would be receiving a very ugly nasty gram. The shuttle came every ten minutes and out into the 30 degree weather without jackets and hats we go. We must have looked like the worst parents ever. On top of it all, William kept kicking his socks off, so he was barefoot for part of the ride as well. I definitely lost my nomination for Mother of the Year.

The flight from Philadelphia to Albany wasn't as smooth. William was not hungry so he wouldn't eat on take off and he was tired and he really likes to nap in his bed. I'm satisfied with him being cranky for just 30 minutes during the whole trip, but I don't think the rest of the people on the plane appreciated the cranky baby for 30 minutes of the 45 minute flight. Perspective can be funny.

We landed in Albany and had to walk on the runway to get to the jetway out in the cold weather with my sockless, hatless, jacketless baby yet again. Lesson learned... bring the warm weather clothes in the carryon. I hated that Jerry got in a little 'told you so' about my fancy packing lists. But how was I supposed to know that even after spending close to $600 that US Airways would have us walking in the snow to our airplanes?

Grammy Lanthier was to the rescue with this super cool bundle-me sleeping bag like contraption for the Albany weather. This thing worked so well that he would sweat even without his winter jacket. I highly recommend this to cold weather mommies. William hated it though, but he hates being wrapped up. It's tough being a baby.

All in all, we had a very successful flight to Albany. We needed both of my parents cars to pick us up at the airport because we had so much stuff. I will be debating wether or not to bring the stroller next time because we never used it when we were home. It was good to have in the airport, but I think we could have made due without it. However, if the weather was nicer, I think we would have used it... hence, my debate...

Anyway... we had an even more successful flight back to Ft. Lauderdale. We could almost be considered professional traveling parents now. Next flight is currently set for June for Kim's wedding. I'm sure circumstances will change with a walking baby!

At least one!

I've become a bit lazy with the blogging in the past two months. Between contemplating quitting my job and all of the potential options that are not available, doctor's appointments, visits to Orlando and trying to get some sleep, I have placed writing on the back burner. I could not, however, let the entire month of November go by without posting at least something!

I say that like there has been nothing interesting happening. In reality, this has been the most exciting part of William's little adventure. On Halloween, William learned how to sit up and he started to crawl. Shortly after we mastered the crawling, we started working on the standing up.

Here are a few videos and pictures to share our progress.

Charlie doesn't really appreciate my new skills. This was early November. I'm so much better at crawling now... look out Charlie!

Sitting and playing with our "Spin, Spin a Letter". We'll know our letters and animal sounds in no time... except, the jellyfish sound has me puzzled...

Sitting and playing with our vtec zoo. Jerry and I get these songs stuck in our head and sing them uncontrollably. I've even caught Grandma singing the songs. This toy can get incredibly annoying. =)

We recognize our child's need to release his energy. As we don't have a large amount of space for a walker, we purchased a jumper. I'm glad we waited to invest in baby toys until we knew what William would want and use. He's a bit picky... SO unlike his mom. =)

Jumping in my Jumparoo!

Ah, just missed it! This was William's first attempt at standing by himself. He was standing but, he didn't stay up there long!

A multitude of milestones going on over here! Everyone says how wonderful he is and that he's "advanced" for his age, but I try not to let it go to my head. We work with him daily on his motor skills, talking, eating and even trying to get him to understand "no"... without much success on the latter. As for the baby proofing... I believe in baby proofing as much as I believe in pacifiers. I will bend on child proofing a bit though, only for safety reasons and the sake of our breakable possessions. My goal is to only purchase three baby proofing items - outlet covers, a baby gate for the top of the stairs and cabinet hooks for the cabinets that have cleaning supplies (only because he's already gotten into the cat food). Jerry and I are big on the whole "he'll learn if he bonks his head" method... hoping to encourage some quality problem solving skills early on. We'll see how we feel in a few months, maybe even weeks!

Advice, with a grain of salt.

The best advice I could ever give to a new mother is the same advice my dad gave me.

"It's your baby. If you want to feed him solid food, you can. If you want to put sunscreen on him, you can. You don't have to do what the books say... do what you think you should do."

Before anyone has a heart attack and takes this too far, please know that he also added... "You have to suffer any consequences that come along with your decisions, too... just keep that in mind."

Baby books and message boards are meant to be a good, but basic parenting guideline. It didn't take us more than a week of parenting to figure out that everyone, and I mean everyone, has a different opinion, method AND advice on raising children. Not opinion, method OR advice. Everyone has all three and they are all different. Very quickly, Jerry and I decided that we needed to do "what works for us" with William or we would have lost our marbles.

Recently, I've dropped out of message boards and parenting forums due to the absolute stupidity and ignorance of others. I am firm, and secure, in the belief that each parent should do what they think is best for their child. What happens on these message boards, however, is mothers get onto soap boxes and judge the methods and practices of other moms and it starts unnecessary tension and arguing. It is really sad to me. Most importantly, some of these people start giving out, what Dr. Lanthier would consider, really, really bad advice. So instead of asking doctors what your baby should be doing and should be eating and how they should be sleeping, moms are seeking help from any random person who has the free time on their hands to answer. BAD idea. But what do I know?

I know I chose to breastfeed my child.

This does not mean I am a breastfeeding Nazi. You know the type of person I am talking about. Would I recommend breastfeeding? Of course I would. Am I sad and disappointed when I see a new mom giving up on breastfeeding? Of course I am. Do I think a lot of moms give in to formula too easily? Oh yes. Do breastfeeding mothers need support? Definitely! Do they need places to breastfeed their children in public without feeling judged? Yes! Breastfeeding is a choice and a very conscience one. It takes a lot of work and a lot of patience and A LOT of time. Surprisingly, breastfeeding also takes a lot of courage. Few people can whip out their boob in public and be comfortable and it is shameful to expect a breastfeeding mother to use a public restroom to feed their child... ew, disgusting. It is not something that works for everyone though. Especially working mothers... and it is okay! It is unrealistic to ask every mother on planet Earth to nurse their child for a full year... just like it is unrealistic to ask everyone to eat six servings of vegetables everyday.

I know I was formula fed and I am healthy.

I will not nurse William until he can verbally ask for it. At some point, probably around 6 - 9 months, I may make the switch over to formula and I will not feel bad or guilty about doing so. I think it is inappropriate for anyone to make me feel bad or guilty about this decision. I was raised on formula and I hardly ever get sick, I'm not deformed and I do not have psychological problems. I'm also not overweight nor do I have any allergies or asthma. My child will be healthy too, mostly because I will make him play in the dirt and be outside instead of on a video game console.

I know I was put to sleep on my stomach and I am still alive to talk about it.

I let my child nap on his stomach. Since all the baby books say he can die from this, I make sure I am awake to keep my eye on him and I do not put him to sleep at night on his stomach. But where are the smarty pants people who can answer this question... what should I do if he flips himself onto his stomach in the middle of the night? If you think I'm waking up to make sure he's still on his back, you are CRAZY! If you think I'm flipping a sleeping baby over to appease the baby books, you are CRAZY! There are 4 million births in the United States each year and 2,500 SIDS deaths each year. That is 0.0625% of the children born in the United States.

I know babies cry and sometimes they cry a lot.

And it's okay. Sometimes they even cry themselves to sleep. The reason moms get so flustered over sleep methods has to be because they are jealous some moms are getting the sleep they so desire. I've seen too many people going bananas over letting children cry themselves to sleep. If the cry it out method or the Ferber method worked for one family... GREAT! If it doesn't work for you, don't use it. There is no need to judge a parents method of getting their baby to sleep or to tell them their child will be "psychologically damaged" because of how they put their child to sleep. You don't know that! And, it's not really your problem. What works for some people, may not work for you. I hope that's not a surprise because ignorance actually does psychologically damage children. I want to know what these crying Nazis do when their child is screaming their heads off in the car seat... do they (gasp!) take them out of the car seat to soothe them while the car is moving? There isn't always a place, or even time, to pull over...

I know I hate pacifiers.

With a passion. I HATE pacifiers. I almost, shamefully, gave into using them. Man, that first month was rough... crying, crying, crying! But William spit out the pacifiers that I (gasp!) attempted to give him... thankfully. We figured out a way to soothe him without the pacifier. I will never tell another parent how to pacify or soothe their child, nor how to wean them from it. I will, however, continue to quietly be disgusted by the toddlers who still walk around with a pacifier in their mouths.

I know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Being a professional who has seen close to 300 families, I can, without a single doubt in my mind, tell you that children are mirror images of their parents. If you want your child to behave a certain way, you need to model it for them. Will they make mistakes? Definitely. But how children learn from these mistakes will also be modeled and learned from their parents. You need to be the best person you can be around your children while showing them that you are also human. If you hit yourself in the head when you are upset, expect your child's teacher to ask "Have you noticed your child hitting himself when he is upset?" during parent conferences... and please don't act surprised.

I know I am not perfect.

This sentence was hard enough to write... please don't expect further explanation. Baby steps. =)

That being said and all joking aside... these are my own opinions. It may not match up to your opinion because that is the nature of opinions. All I ask is for moms everywhere to please stop judging each other. Please stop giving each other medical advice, if you think something is wrong with your baby, go to the doctor. Most importantly, if something doesn't work for you, don't do it. It's your baby, you are allowed to raise him however you please!

... but remember, you have to deal with the consequences!

Having a baby changes... everything.

Having a Baby Changes Everything Campaign

“Having a Baby Changes Everything” reinforces the values that people have come to expect of Johnson & Johnson -- our caring, our support of parents and families and our heritage of trust. The campaign presents a simple message: Before having a baby, you are the center of your universe. Everything you do is related to how things affect you. That changes dramatically when a baby comes into your life. Using real parents in real situations, a clear message is communicated: Johnson & Johnson understands how a parent’s universe changes and the Company is there to enhance the bond between parents and their babies.

This is not just a campaign from Johnson and Johnson. It's actually true. You may have seen the commercials on television, well... you HAVE seen the commercials on television, it's just a matter of whether you were paying attention or not. If having a baby wasn't on your mind or you have a DVR, you probably missed them. There hasn't been a time when I would see this commercial and I wouldn't cry. (I know, I know... lame. I cry over stupid, silly things and let the big important things roll off my back... Jerry makes fun of me daily for this, enough laughing.)

After searching high and low for an actual copy of the video, I found that many people are "offended" by this commercial because they think it makes parenting look "glamorous" and obviously Johnson and Johnson is trying to market the current theme of "have a baby, it's the cool thing to do". To those people, I say... you are an idiot. I bathe my baby every other day and it really is this much fun. And well, it is amazing how much your world changes when you have a baby. Trust me, I'm not going after "tall, dark and handsome types" anymore, I already have one and if I didn't, I'd be too busy to look for one! Ug! Cranky, cynical people!

Anyway... this campaign has been going on for a few years now, and I found another commercial that, I think, realistically depicts parenthood. (Again with the links, sorry, this stuff is apparently super, top secret, high class copyrighted.)

Steven Collins says it perfectly. You can't even begin to compare anything to taking care of your own child. Your life completely changes. And as you know, with change comes the good, the bad and the ugly. I'll start with...

The Good.

1. You have an excuse to talk to yourself anywhere. It is okay to be talking about what you are doing, what you are going to do and what you are thinking out loud in public. No one questions it or looks at you weird so long as your baby is within hearing range.

2. Your baby does not judge you, he thinks your are the best thing on the planet and will smile at you for any and all of your silly, and stupid, moments. This same smile is also disarming during your most manic moments.

3. You and your baby learn something new every day. It is absolutely the most awesome thing in the world to take your baby, who is a complete blank slate, and watch him learn before your eyes.

4. You get to relive your childhood. This allows for you to make his childhood even better than your own. It also helps you understand why your parents were so unbearably "mean".

The Bad.

1. You will not sleep ever again. No one will ever convince me that their baby "slept through the night from birth". They are just liars and will never be my friend. Even if Will does manage to sleep through the night, a la 4:00am, I'm sleeping a whole lot lighter than I used to in anticipation of the baby monitor going off.

2. You will feel guilty about not following the advice of doctors, friends and baby books. My child sleeps hours longer if he sleeps on his stomach. Does this mean William naps on his stomach even though every book says he'll die if he does? He sure does. Never fear, I check on him periodically to make sure he's still breathing.

3. You won't feel guilty about taking a few extra minutes to yourself, but lie about it. For example, when I tell Jerry to watch the baby while I go to the bathroom, I take my time. I also take my time in the grocery store and coming home from work. I need time to myself to ensure I am a calm, happy mommy. Have I lied about getting stuck in traffic because I called home and I heard a crying baby in the background?? You'll never know...

4. There are days when I think "What have I gotten myself into?" and I do not think enough parents are honest enough to admit they feel this way too. Being a parent is not easy and it can be isolating.

The Ugly.

1. Poop. Infant poop really doesn't smell, but it's still gross. Annnd, there are times it becomes an embarrassing inconvenience. See my post a few days ago about our trip to breakfast.

2. Spit-up. Everything I own, even things I don't own, have been splattered with spit-up.

3. The house. Chores go on the back burner for a while. There have been times when the laundry started to creep up the walls and there were science experiments in the refrigerator, but we tackle chores in order of importance... showers, meals, naptime...

4. The constant worrying about your child turning out okay. My goal is to never be asked to be a guest on Dr. Phil, or see my child as a guest on Jerry Springer or any other equally awful reality television show.

These lists are just a start and a small taste of how my life has changed. I could probably continue typing for days. I guess the most important question after all of this is... Is it worth it? And the answer is, absolutely.

Off to the Zoo!

My parents were in town the first week of September and it was time to take the plunge out into public for an extended period of time. We decided to try to head out to the Palm Beach Zoo. Jerry and I had been there back in January and it is actually a pretty nice little zoo. Even though we saw the storm looming in the distance, we decided that we would "be safe" since the sun was shining and the weather (according to Weatherman Jerry) was traveling away from the zoo.

Even though little Will was only three months old, we decided that sunscreen was better for his skin than a sunburn. We found an all natural sunscreen and slapped it on him. Against my begging, Jerry applied it on him everywhere... even his hands that are constantly in his mouth. Gross.

Then we were off into the zoo. This is in the reptile hut with snakes and turtles and frogs. I love the glass enclosures, very safe.

I have this little safari outfit. He looks soooooooo adorable in it. Unfortunately we had to squish him into it and we retired the outfit after this trip. I'm sure William is thankful he doesn't have to wear the hat again.

We didn't take many pictures of the actual animals in the zoo, but these two qualify. =)

At the bald eagle exhibit. Most of the animals they have at the zoo are injured or sick and cannot be rehabilitated to go back into the wild. These bald eagles don't actually fly any more, hence the lack of fence. I was reading to William about how Benjamin Franklin actually wanted the turkey to be the symbol for the United States because he thought the bald eagle was cowardly. (You can never start them too young!)

William paying absolutely no attention to my explanation of why flamingos are pink.
Family photo opportunity!

We, luckily, stopped to take a seat at the little cafe food hut to get a snack and sit for a minute. because...

... it started to thunderstorm. Like, a monsoon of a thunderstorm. Will was just thrilled about it, but he only cried for a few minutes. Gotta love babies. They get over things so quickly. I, on the other hand, will remember to never listen to Weatherman Jerry again.

You can see part of the monsoon behind Jerry. We were lucky. The rain started as we were under a large over hang with the snack bar, tables, chairs and restrooms. You couldn't ask for a better "first time stuck in the rain" experience.

Since the rain lasted for an hour and a half, we didn't get to see the second half of the zoo. We'll have to go back another day!

Been hangin' around...

We've been real busy the past few weekends just hangin' around and getting daddy prepared for his Sunday football routine. Which is, sadly, an all day event that involves him starring between his computer screen to see how his fantasy football team is doing and the seemingly endless football games on television. I have to remind him a few times that the people he is cursing at in the fantasy football league are my family members, besides that our Sundays are BORING.

William and I make the most of this by getting up early and going for our Saturday and Sunday morning "stroll" down to the intracoastal to sit and watch for boats and whatever else may come by our way. I really enjoy this time because (1) I am out of the house (2) you can't beat the temperature and coastal breeze in the morning and (3) William usually sings at some point during our stroll which entertains innocent bystanders along the way. After a few weekends of doing this, I noticed that the same people are always down at the boat ramp. I also noticed that some of these are the same people that are always begging for money on the street corners by the highway. You'd think that would make me nervous, but it strangely does not. We've made friends and William entertains with his wonderful singing from his stroller. The town of Lake Worth has ripped apart the super cool playground to fix the sea wall and our park keeps shrinking every time we go down there. I can't wait for February when they are done with construction and we can enjoy the park again. Until then, we'll continue to entertain the homeless at the boat ramp.

Yesterday I wanted to go one step beyond and go down to the beach for breakfast. There are two restaurants on the beach that are about a mile away and both have an awesome ocean view and an equally awesome breakfast. I invited Jerry to come because I didn't want to be rude and it was a good thing I did... take a look at this face... is this the face of a child who would make a mess of a perfectly good beach breakfast???

It sure is. This little mess maker decided to POOP all over our calm, peaceful, tasty, Saturday breakfast. I can handle a poopy diaper. Jerry can handle a poopy diaper. We can even handle it in public. However, William decided to put our parenting to the test. Mommy, in her infinite wisdom, dressed him up in a cute little surfer dude outfit which did not help to contain the poo problem. When I picked him up to take him to the bathroom, the poo was everywhere. Everywhere. It had somehow come out the top of his shorts, into the car seat, through the car seat, onto the restaurant chair then through the restaurant chair and onto the floor. To top it off, the bathroom was a typical beach bathroom with no changing station and there were people using the beach showers (and I really didn't want to gross anyone out). So I went on a quick search for a logical, unsandy place to clean up. Ug. The funniest part was when the waitress said "Oh, you had a little orange juice spill..." and brought us some napkins. We weren't laughing at the time, but it's pretty funny now. Next time I'll just dunk William into the ocean instead of searching for a patch of grass to change him on.

I have a three-day weekend this weekend due to Yom Kippur, maybe we'll try the beach again tomorrow...

Homework for Parents

Sometimes, I really hate being a teacher. I've considered other jobs, but I hate them even more. My ideal job would be to work for a company that would start at 10am and send me home at 2pm. With a lunch break, benefits and a decent salary. I'm fully aware that this occupation does not exist.

This morning, while watching Good Morning America, I hated being a teacher. Dr. Marie Savard was on the show giving her "Homework for Parents: 5 Things Your Kids Should Know"... let me share with you her list.

1. Have a plan for the flu.

2. Have an emergency health card.

3. Get immunized.

4. Get enough sleep.

5. Remember chronic conditions.

Oh, was I mad. The teaser and tag line was "Homework for Parents: 5 Things Your Kids Should Know", not "5 Ways to Protect Your Family from the Flu". These are not the things your kids should know. These are 5 things PARENTS should know and enforce at home. I could EASILY teach flu prevention in my classroom. I get aggravated because there are so many things parents do not teach that are essential for success in life that I am forced to add to my already jam packed schedule. Let me share with you my list of things your child should know before coming in to public school (parents, I'm begging you)...

1. Manners

2. Personal space

3. The difference between right and wrong

4. Problem solving skills

5. Common sense

I can argue that common sense is something that cannot be taught, the rest of the five can. I try the best I can to teach my students these things, most of the time to no avail. I'll see my students the next year making the same bad choices I tried so hard to break them of while they were with me. After six years of teaching and finally being a parent myself, I proudly state at any conference where a parent tries to play "my child is perfect" that parents are responsible for their child's behavior. I think people forget about that. You have to teach your child how to act and be a good role model... you can't wait until they are in public school to have some lady do it for you in ten months, only to have it ruined over the summer for the next lady who comes along.

Can anyone tell I had a great weekend with my family and baby and that I don't want to go back to school tomorrow? I hope I have a good day tomorrow anyway... pictures and stories about the grandparents visit coming soon.

Our New Trick!

William has a new trick! I noticed on Thursday that he was trying to help himself sit up a little bit. I got sooo excited and we started doing baby sit-ups right away! I would let him hold on to my fingers and he would pull himself up. I would, of course, give him a little boost to make it all the way up. He loooooved doing the baby sit-ups. Every time he got to "sitting" he would smile the biggest smile and squeak. Then! I lifted his hands up a little bit and he stood up! Woo hoo! So now we do our little baby sit-ups to standing every night. I can see him being able to sit on his own in no time! Here's a little video of William doing his exercise. Please excuse my obnoxious "baby voice", I was really proud. =)

Some 'splanin to do...

Back to work I go! And boy am I tired. There are reasons why maternity leave is so important and why most moms try not to go back to work. Taking care of a baby and working is exhausting! Pumping bottles at work is exhausting. And none the less... I'm up blogging and Jerry is sleeping on the couch as we speak. My body is actually used to getting four hours of sleep a night. It's sad.

Here's a picture of what Jerry and William looked like when I left for school on the first day. There were no tears, no "Mommy, please don't go" and overall it was a very uneventful day at Daddy Day Care. It was a very interesting day for me, as I am continuing to nurse baby Will and if you are a teacher, especially of little ones, you know that on those first few days I BARELY had a minute to get the bottle pumping done. I didn't have a break until 1:20 and, well, I'm lucky I didn't have an embarrassing leak. Things are under control now, I have a routine and I am a pro-pumper. But, it is quickly getting old... Hopefully I can hold out for a few more months. Luckily we will be trying to start on some solid food soon and hopefully that will curb some of the bottles needed.

A few people have asked why there is always a towel under my child. If you look at almost any picture taken, there really is a towel there. I only bib my child if there is a really important outfit or if we are going out in public. I should probably bib him more often, but it's almost a moot point. He always manages to spit up beyond the bib and usually doesn't even get a drop on it. Half of the time the bib turns into a baby super hero cape... it's just not worth my time and laundry detergent. Instead, as a solution that we conjured up on our first day home, we just put a towel under Will whenever we're playing, changing and basically letting him move around on his own. It has cut down on needing to steam clean almost every surface in our house. I apologize if anyone thinks it looks tacky, but I think spit up stains on the couch you sit on when you visit are tackier.

Tune in this weekend... I have a video of William's latest trick! I'm too tired to post it tonight!

What do I REALLY need?

Back in March, Jerry and I went to a "Baby Expo" in Ft. Lauderdale with the hopes of finding everything we needed for our little bun. While we were there, we walked into the Fisher-Price booth and found a wonderful lady who showed us all of the newest products. Being a "minimalist" after growing up with my parents who saved EVERYTHING, I asked her... "If you had to choose just ONE, which of these products do I REALLY need?" There were bouncers, jumpers, exersaucers and rockers everywhere in many different shapes, styles and themes. Needless to say, she didn't give me a straight answer.

While registering in Target and Babies 'r Us, they give you this "handy" list of baby supplies that you need in order to keep your baby alive. The list had well over 100 different items on it to register for. Really? Do I need ALL of this? I am here to tell you, you don't need all of these things. Here is my list of the essential 25 items...

1. car seat

2. stroller

3. crib / mattress

4. crib sheets

5. diapers

6. wipes

7. clothes (specific types are a personal preference)

8. feeding supplies… breast pump and bottles for breastfeeding, bottles and formula for formula feeding

9. burp cloths

10. receiving blankets

11. diaper bag

12. something to put baby down in… swing, or bouncer

13. high chair (if you get one that reclines, you can use it as an infant)

14. dresser or hangers for clothes

15. baby monitor

16. toys (rattle)

17. play area for tummy time

18. pack and play

19. wash cloths

20. baby towels

21. baby soap / shampoo

22. baby nail clippers

23. thermometer

24. butt cream (destin or other)

25. the bulb sucker thingie (the give this to you in the hospital, it's important you take it with you)

That's all you need? Really? Yes. There are other items, however, that are NICE to have but are not essential. They are...

a changing table, a humidifier, a baby bath tub, a bassinet, travel swing or bouncer, a bumbo seat, a baby sling or carrier, a mobile, sun shades, a rocking chair, bottle brushes, a toy box and a nursing pillow

Things you DO NOT need include, but are not limited to...

travel wipes, diaper stackers, stroller netting and rain gear, sleep positioners, wipe warmer, pretty expensive baskets to put stuff in, special laundry detergent, diaper genies

Like I said above, other moms may consider different items more or less important than I do. I've found that baby supplies are really about what makes you and your baby comfortable. I, personally, went google eyed when I first walked into the stores to register. And yes, I cried in the stroller aisle because of all of the different choices. If you are really economical, you can combine some items. Travel system strollers include the car seat, some dressers include a changing table, a pack and play can include a bassinet and changing table and a first aid kit will combine some health items.

Yes, I didn't include a pacifier anywhere. I'm strongly against using a pacifier. I may be the only mom in America that feels this way, but I refuse to put a pacifier in my child's mouth and I don't care if people call me crazy. =)

EAT MOR CHIKIN

Normally, I'm a stickler for organizations to have correct spelling and grammar when it comes to logos. For example, I will never eat at the "Aisan" restaurant that misspelled their name on the menus and I'll also never eat at the "Kissimmee Koffee Kup". Aside from the very, what I find to be, offensive and possibly intentional initals, I have an even greater disdain for companies that intentionally replace a "c" with a "k". It's just stupid and unnecessary. I can, however, forgive spelling and grammar for cleverness. Example... I saw a tow truck today and the company was called "Tows-R-Us", clever. One Sweet Whirled ice cream? Clever! And tasty...

Where is this all going? It's going to Chick-fil-a. My friends to the north may not know of Chick-fil-a unless you have traveled out of New York and happened to see one of their billboards or stop at a restaurant. On one of my first trips to Florida when I decided that I was going to move here, I noticed these highly clever and very funny advertisements. Again, I hate spelling mistakes when it comes to professional organizations and businesses, but Chick-fil-a fits into the category of clever. If you have never seen these billboards, let me share. Keep in mind cows are not human, do not attend school and therefore cannot be expected to have proper spelling.

Chick-fil-a has been a life saver for Jerry and I. This company is just awesome. Since William has been born, we have eaten there a handful of times and we have never had a problem. William actually seems to like going there, even though he most likely has no idea where he is. Even if he does get fussy, it is such a family establishment that we aren't the only baby in the place and we don't feel like we have to have that "emergency exit plan" I've so many times made up in my head.

The Chick-fil-a closest to us is just a dream. Not only do you see managers working the counters, sweeping floors and asking everyone in the store how they are doing, they also came to our table to offer to refill our drinks and had a conversation with us and our child! I really can't say enough about this company and especially our store. It seems to me, in a time where companies are looking for inexpensive ways to cut costs while still managing to impress customers and keep them around, Chick-fil-a has come up with the cheapest and most novel idea... excellent service and manners. News flash... it's free and it works every time. Jerry and I go past at least five other fast food places to get to them, with a 2 month old child. That says a lot.

Just one word of warning if you ever head down here and see a Chick-fil-a... they are not open on Sundays for the sake of their employees' families and it actually makes me like them more. I'm never annoyed that they aren't open on Sundays, sad, but not annoyed. One more thing this company does to promote and preserve what is really important in life.

Baby Talk

One of the cutest things Will does lately is "talk back". We will have a conversation even though neither of us knows what the other is saying. It's like he's my own little ESOL student! I managed to catch him "talking" on video today. I happen to think it's the cutest thing on the planet, soooo I'm gonna share. He isn't perfectly balanced yet, but his little fall backwards adds to the cuteness.

Isn't his hat just adorable!? I could watch this all day and I have the live show. Still haven't caught him smiling in a picture yet, but I promise he is a happy child... as hopefully you can see in the video!