DATE ARCHIVES : March 2013

Nothing Funny About the Easter Bunny

As a mom there are “those” pictures that are a must for your photo album. You know what I’m talking about. You have the shot of your kid blowing out his candles every year. You have those family vacation pics with the perfect scenic background because every three year old wants to have his picture taken with the sun setting at just the right time. Then there are the holiday shots. You gotta have the Santa pics and if you have the jolly old guy, you need to have the fluffy bug-eyed one. Oh yeah, it’s the Easter Bunny.

I admit, I love to have the perfect pictures of my kids. Of course all the pictures my kids are in are perfect. I know as their mother I’m supposed to believe that, but that’s not the truth. There are some pictures where one looks like a criminal while the other is sticking her neck out like a giraffe. This year’s Easter Bunny photo was definitely not picture perfect and really cracked my eggs.

Why you may ask? Well, because my one and half year old would not go near the fluffy guy. My three and a half year old was ready to invite him over for dinner, while the little one had no use for him…not even for a stinkin’ picture. She clung onto my jacket for dear life as her sister sat there and talked to this big headed creature that just sat there. Baby girl would not have any part of it. As much as I wanted a picture with my two girls, I wasn’t going to be “that” mom who forced her kid to sit there in panic just for a snapshot. So, instead, I have a picture with one smiley toddler and an empty leg of the bunny dude where my other child should have been. The funny thing is that while she didn’t want to take a picture with him, she did say goodbye to him and she did blow him a kiss. I just don’t get it!

So, since that one didn’t work out, I thought I would try again with a different bunny. Well, different bunny, still not so funny. Once again she was ready to throw a freak out while her sister didn’t want to leave. Now, I have two lovely pictures of my older daughter with the Easter bunny and none with my little one. I considered photo shopping her in, but decided that would be borderline creepy. I will just have to settle and accept the fact that bunnies aren’t for everyone, especially if they have abnormally large heads and hang out in the mall 24/7.

It’s My Blogaversary!

We all know the cliché, “time flies when you’re having fun”, or in this case, raising kids. This week marks my two year blogaversary. Instead of sending me flowers, I’ll take some Dunkin’ K-cups, but I digress. I really can’t get over the fact that I’ve been rambling on about my life in mommy land for two years now. When I started, I only had one little momma running around. Now, there are two. When I started, I was working out of the house. Now, I am home, working on raising my family and getting some writing done. When I started, I was infatuated with my offspring. Now, I still am.

So, why did I start blogging? In case you’re wondering, and even if you’re not, I just wanted a place to vent about motherhood. I never knew where to do it, uncensored, besides in my head. Then some of my former co-workers started these blog things, and I thought, hell, I can do that too. So, I did, and here we are two years later.

So, why am I still doing this two years later? It must be for all the truckloads of cash that arrive at my doorstep every week, right? Excuse me while I laugh a bit, no excuse me…a lot!! Any blogger can tell you, the bucks ain’t big. But, the experience can open more doors and opportunities. That is the truth in my case. My little ramblings secured me a regular blogging gig as Debate Mom on Mom365.com. I’ve also taken advantage of some product reviews and other freelance writing opportunities. I can’t forget the other bloggers I’ve also met online. So, all in all, not too shabby.

Perhaps the main reason I still do this, besides maintaining my own sanity, is because other moms tell me they actually enjoy reading my ramblings, and can actually relate. Some mothers have told me my little stories have actually made them feel better, like they weren’t the only ones with certain mommy issues. That is big in my book because it also helps me out. I also feel like I’m not in this alone.

It looks like I’ll still be at this for awhile because each day my kids do more things that make me laugh, cry, scream, or a little combo of all three. Besides my kids, there are also still plenty of things out there to write about as long as people in the world constantly irk me, like the Facebook COO, but I digress. So, I’ll be here writing. Hopefully, you’ll still be here reading. Oh, and tell a friend too! Thanks 🙂

p.s. I went back to read my very first post, check it out if you haven’t!

Goya MyPlate Cookbook Review

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t particularly enjoy cooking. I’m not a person who gets excited about creating recipes of my own. In fact, I often joke around with my husband and tell him we’re having “the house special” for dinner. That means chicken cutlets…again.

With that said, you may be thinking why on earth would someone like me want to review a cookbook? Two reasons…nutritious meals and easy recipes. That’s the claim on the cover of the “Goya My Plate Cookbook”, so I figured why not give it a try? The cookbook is part of Michelle Obama’s LetsMove initiative, launched in 2010. Since I have been trying to eat healthier, I thought this may be a good starting point.

After flipping through the book, I decided to try my novice skills with the Black Bean Quesadillas. I’ve read black beans are good for you and I really like quesadillas, so I figured this was a win-win. There were also only a few ingredients needed and the recipe said the total time was only fifteen minutes from start to finish. With two extremely energetic kids, I can’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen (not that I would want to), so I figured this was another reason why this recipe was perfect for me.

The prep was so easy. All I had to do was mix everything in a bowl, fill a tortilla, and put it on a griddle. I think even my three and a half year old could handle that, if she were allowed to use the stove!

The quesadilla cooked pretty quickly and was really, really good. I was actually surprised that it was something that I actually made! My 17 month old even tried a few bites too and liked it. I think my only critique would be that I would have liked more cheese than the recipe called for, but it probably didn’t call for more because it is a pretty healthy recipe.

Besides the Black Bean Quesadillas, there are some other recipes I wouldn’t mind checking out. The light fruit smoothie and the avocado and grapefruit salad sound pretty tasty too. They also fall into the category of things I can handle! I think this cookbook is good for moms who don’t have a lot of time to cook, but also want to eat healthy.

For your chance to win a copy of this cookbook, just “like” this post on the Mommy Rundown’s Facebook page or if you’re not on Facebook, leave a comment below. The contest ends March 21, 2013 at 5 p.m. Good Luck!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I did receive one free cookbook to complete this review.