1st Day of Kindergarten. What do I do now???

The last 5 & a half years with my little dude have been great.  There were times when I wondered if being a stay at home mom (SAHM) was the right thing. It all comes down to this.  Fingers crossed I did OK!

Here is my little guy's picture from this morning.

(Hope he's doing good!!!)

Being a SAHM has been great.  I feel like I got to know my son & spend a lot of time with him.  I was very lucky because most parents don't have the opportunity to do that these days.  Trust me, we had to give up a lot & not do everything we wanted, but I wouldn't trade my time with him for anything. But now what?

Today is the first day of a whole new chapter for my family.  I am excited to see what is next.  I am looking forward to getting a part-time job & having some ME time.  And some ME money, lol.  Blogging more is another thing I am excited about.  Trying to think with a 5 year old running around is hard enough.  Then try to put your thoughts into words?  HA!  I cannot even finish a sentence half the time without being on to the next thing!

Starting today I will start figuring out our "New" normal is.  Even more importantly, what is next for me?  I have so many projects that went off to the side so I could be there for my kiddo.  Everyday little things that got forgotten about.  It's always something.  But today is a new day!!!

With that being said, I am signing off to attempt at least one of those things on a very long "To Do" list!

Have a great day!

Electronic Restrictions...for both of us

My son was over the moon when Santa brought him the Wii U he was dreaming of.  Luckily "Santa" got it used for an amazing deal.  Little did I know that he would have a total obsession with Super Mario Bros Smash Brothers.  It has opened a whole new world of Donkey Kong & Pokemon that I was not prepared for.  And don't get me started on YouTube.  This kid has been looking up videos for everything.

This being said, I am guilty of being on social media on my phone entirely too much.  I can use the excuse that I am using it for promoting my Party Lite business or sharing pictures of wreaths & bouquets that I made.  Or maybe even looking for a recipe for dinner. But we all know that I am just scrolling down looking at nonsense that people are plastering all over their walls.

An old friend from High School took a hiatus from social media for Lent.  Such a good idea!  Not sure I could go cold turkey, but something she said really stuck with me.  She felt like she was being a bad influence on her niece with her phone always in her hand.  It mad me think about all the times I have been just sitting on my phone when I could be being present with the people around me.  I also thought about the fact that we know far more about people than we need to.  It's great to see pictures of folks & how they and their families have grown.  But fights & personal business need to stay between the people it involves.

In the next few months I am going to make an effort to cut our time on electronics.

For me, less time on Social Media & more blogging.  And for my son, we will be cutting his time on video games & YouTube videos.  This means more crafts & books. Luckily my son loves crafting as much as his momma.  I try to have craft time at least once a week.  For Christmas I stocked him up with paints, wooden sticks, paper, glue.
All the essentials for a good craft.

Summer is just around the corner.  

We are going to make a little bucket list of all the adventures we will go on.  

I am looking forward to it!

Enjoy your day!

Salmon Tacos

Yesterday I posted about my Salmon Tacos we had for dinner the other night.  We had some salmon we hadn't cooked from our Valentine's Day dinner. My husband manages a restaurant, so we opt for eating at home most of the time. And I don't mind one bit!  He's a great cook & he enjoys doing it.

• Salmon (no bones or skin)
• Blacken seasoning
• Tortilla shells
• Toppings
• Pico De Gallo
• Salsa
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Slaw
• Cheese

Really, the possibilities are endless with toppings for tacos!

Grill the salmon over medium heat to medium or to your liking. 

It should just flake apart.  

We had shrimp & rice with our tacos.  

This seasoning is AWESOME on shrimp!

 My hubby decided to do his taco UP!  

There is salmon under all of those fixings.

I went simple.  

I made fresh pico de gallo that day.  

My favorite topping for any kind of fish taco!

I am off to make my Pineapple Salsa now.  

I have some ripe avocados....I'm thinking guac too!

Enjoy the day!

Silence is Golden & Seafood is Delicious

Shhhhhh.....hear that?  

NOPE me neither!

It's been three years since my kiddo has had a nap on the regular.  Let's just say, it's been a long 3 years.  Since starting pre-school 3 days a week for a few hours, they seem to be happening a bit more.  Some weeks its 1 day, some it's 3 days.  I will take what I can get.  Today was an early day so somehow I convinced him to lay down on the air mattress while I enjoy some computer time.  It took about 2 songs in & he was out!

So instead of folding the towels I just brought up from the dryer, I will take a few minutes to myself & write. I am sitting here  listening to Imogen Heap radio on Pandora with the soft, soothing voices, dreaming of the beach.
Ahhhh, I am in my happy place.

Back to the my reality...
The day after my 39th Birthday (that was hard to type, lol) the Lenten Season began.  My hubby & I have been trying to make better eating choices. Personally, I cannot eat chicken & veggies EVERY day.  Seafood & fish seem to be a happy medium  My husband works in the Strip District of Pittsburgh & is a block away from an awesome fish market called Wholey's.  It's something to see, let me tell ya.  Lots of whole fish looking at ya,  live lobsters and fish & lots of other seafood.  Plus a whole meat department.  A foodies heaven!  If you are ever in Pittsburgh, you gotta check it out.

For Ash Wednesday, 

We had Cajun Seafood Alfredo with shrimp & crab meat 

(Don't tell anyone, it was the imitation stuff & still yummy)

This past Friday was the first Friday of Lent & we were pretty boring.  Cheese pizza from Costco.  Delicious, but boring & not the best thing when trying to watch what you eat.  

Now Valentines Day was a different story!  We had some great blackened Salmon I grabbed from Costco.  We had already had steak for dinner that week so more fish it was & I wasn't mad at all. I thought I took a picture but I didn't.   Apparently I was too hungry to Instagram my food for once. 

              My husbands taco                           My taco

That was not the case on Monday!  

We had salmon that we hadn't cooked yet & some thawed out shrimp so tacos seemed perfect. 

I stocked up on veggies that weekend & planned on making some pineapple salsa. (I will share that recipe next time. It's amazing!) Unfortunately the pineapple needed another day so I made some homemade pico de gallo.  I don't know about you, but I would much rather have fresh anything!

And today's lunch was brought to me by left over shrimp. 

This Shrimp Caesar Salad was unexpectedly awesome!

Now that I have bored you long enough with my food intake, 

time to get back to those towels that aren't gonna fold themselves.

Remember to give seafood a try this Lenten Season

and

Enjoy the day!

Here's to 2016

With 2015 behind us (thank goodness) 

I am looking forward to a year of change!

My husband has recently gotten a well deserved promotion & my best friend of 35 years got engaged over the holidays.  And I am looking to start a new business venture that I am very excited about. So needless to say, we have lots to look forward to.

At the beginning of 2015 I vowed to myself that I would blog EVERY week.  

HA! Easier said than done.

This year I am going to just concentrate on taking time for myself.  With my almost 5 year old in pre-school 3 days a week for a few hours, I should be able to find a few minutes to myself.  Whether I am writing a blog or taking a walk, I need some time for me.  

I also am going to attempt to have better eating habits for my family.  My husband schedule has always been all over the place.  Now we will actually be able to sit down & have dinner together by 6 o'clock.  I have started to make a list of things that I would like to make & good ol Pinterest  is there to help.

My best friends wedding is something I am EXTREMELY excited about!  

We have been friends almost as long as we've been alive.  Charity lived 6 doors down from me growing up.  We are closing in on our 40's & still like sisters!  She is marring her childhood crush and it is the cutest thing in the world.  After being married before & having 2 kids that are now almost adults, it's finally HER time. 

 I couldn't be happier for her. 

These are a few pictures of us over the years

on vacation.

(Luckily I my scanner broke & I couldn't find the really embarrassing ones, lol)

And now I will go have some real fun...laundry & dishes.

Happy New Year & here is to 2016 being awesome!