Recent new things

Projects

I finally tackled my pile of bills and documents!

Along the way, I fixed my Verizon bill, adjudicated my parking tickets, registered the car, and got started on my next project:  budgeting for the next few months and into the rest of the year.  My other project that I’m working on finishing tomorrow is fixing my printer.  The print nozzle isn’t working, so I called up Kodak, and they sent me a new nozzle yesterday.  Wish me luck, I hope this works so that I can use my printer again!

Another project I have been working on, well it’s not really a project, but rather a reason to not do laundry:  I want Ellie to every single 18 month outfit at least once.  When was the last time I washed her clothes?  Almost a month ago!  Ridiculous, yes.  How many of those outfits did Trav and I buy?  One, MAYBE two.  Yes, Ellie has over-excited family members who have filled her closet to the hilt.  I have 4 more outfits, so alas I shall be doing a ton of laundry this week.  It’s not to say Trav and I don’t create a lot of laundry…heck, Ellie has created plenty of laundry herself.  Just this last week we had to wash the high chair cover, AND the stroller fabric (that was interesting to figure out how to take apart the stroller). 

Ellie News

What are these pictures, you say?  Why, Ellie got her first haircut this weekend!  Trav found an old-school barbershop that specialized in kid haircuts.  Ellie was enjoying the place until the hairdresser put the white cape on, and oh boy, did the frown come on!  OMG, Ellie was not about this experience at all.  In the end, we said good riddance to her mullet look, and we got her some bangs.  It really makes her look like a little girl, and not a baby.  In other Ellie news, Trav noticed today that two bottom molars came through, and so now we’re up to 12 teeth. 

 

 

New things

New things ellie says: 

• oh, boy!
• anna (babysitter), nini (aunt nicole)
• amen
• mine
• oh, wow!
• yummy, mmmm
• cookie
• puppy, woof woof
• mama, dada
• please
• up
• thank you
• hi
• hey
• bye
• bubbles
• no
• pee pee
• shoe

I have to say, a verbal baby is a nice thing to have.  I now don’t have to go through the rounds to guess E’s needs (diaper, food, drink, cuddle, entertainment, repeat)

Well, things have changed…

I am officially quitting my job tomorrow.  Am I going to be a stay-at-home mom, you ask?  No.  I am the modern woman and I am the clear breadwinner in my family.  I like owning my home, so that means I will be going back to work in August.  So, why am I quitting my job?  Because I got an offer I can’t refuse.  I, for the last five years, have been teaching social studies in schools that specialize in emotional disturbance and multiple disabilities.  This means that for the last four years, I have been teaching public school students in a private school setting because the public school setting couldn’t meet the needs defined by the students’ IEPs.  Yes, this is a really hard job.  Yes, a lot of my current/former students are in jail or mental facilities.  Yes, I know that I’ve lost one former student to violence, and I know that I have developed a bit of an obsession with the news to fulfill a need to know that none of my students are involved in violence.

I’m sure that you’re saying, “Jenn, you are crazy for staying five years!”  Maybe, but then, I found my job to be fulfilling.  I have also come to the realization that my job was negatively affecting my mental health, my relationship with my husband, and my overall quality of life.  Since having E, I have found myself to be more unwittingly open to emotion and more compassionate.  This isn’t a bad thing, but when I was having signs of depression this last winter and spring (I know the signs—it is a part of my job, you know!), I knew I was in need of a re-evaluation of my life choices. 

As some may know, I don’t apply to jobs willy-nilly.  Since being at High Road, I have applied for 3 jobs; I could afford to be picky because I liked the school I was at, and they liked me.  This summer, a job posting came across that caught my intrigue.  This school was also a school for special education students, but for students that had learning disabilities AND who were talented and gifted.  I had read good things about this program in the newspaper.  I applied.  I went through an interview, model teaching, and meeting with the executive director of the entire school.  They offered me the job, and today I called my (former) boss.

My favorite cleaning items

	Baking soda!  This stuff is awesome.  I recommend buying this stuff in bulk or at least in the big 4 pound boxes.  I use this stuff for: the diaper pail cleaning surfaces with grime cleaning stains cleaning the drains This stuff works great with . . .
	Vinegar!!!!! This stuff is even better.  Vinegar is stinky, I know.  It is awesome though.  I use this stuff for shining windows and mirrors cleaning surfaces with grime combine with dawn soap to make a concoction to spray on soap scum (and not dry out) for easy bathroom cleaning dissolving baking soda residue cooking (my hubby is making fresh pickles as we speak) cleaning sinks with baking soda
	Yes, this is my stick vac. Cordless-CHECK Lithium Battery to run well until BAM it’s dead-CHECK Carpet cleaning function-CHECK Easy to use-CHECK Bagless-CHECK Here is the link to find one: Click! Is it pricy?  Yes.  Did I pay that much?  HELL NO.  I managed to snag one 1/2 off at target because they were on clearance…why?  Because they changed the packaging.  KACHING!  It’s so nice, my in-laws bought one, too.
	Dr. Bronner’s Magic SoapWe have two types—the citrus one pictured and peppermint.  We use this for: Bathing ourselves (peppermint soap in the summer is great) Mopping.  I recently mopped my house with about two tablespoons of this stuff and 2-3 gallons of water, and it made everything look wonderful.  I also didn’t worry so much about my wandering daughter managing to play in the water and exposing herself to chemicals.  Nice.
	Magic EraserI buy the off brand, but this stuff is great.  I use this for: removing paint off tiles cleaning marks off walls removing soap scum off the glass shower door cleaning surfaces at work (teenagers are FILTHY)

There you go!  These items are baby/toddler safe, and not only will save you money in cleaning products, some are cheaper to begin with!

Jenn’s Fresh Salsa Verde

Hey all!  So, the other day, I decided to walk down to the neighborhood bodega and get the ingredients to make steak fajitas.  I don’t frequently make fajitas because when I do, I make homemade salsa verde. 
What is salsa verde?  Well, it’s green salsa.  It’s also fresh, so there is very little salt, and it tastes better in my opinion.  Here are the things you can do with salsa verde:

• Condiment for chips, quesadillas, tacos, fajitas
• Marinade for meat (the acid will make meat tender and will help infuse the meat with flavor)

Here are the ingredients: (for a large batch—you can easily cut this in half and have plenty for one meal)

4-5 Tomatillos                   What are tomatillos?                        They look like green tomatoes wrapped in a  husk                        Peel the husk off and you get this: 3 jalapeños 1 bunch of cilantro 2 tomatoes 5-6 nice sized garlic cloves (If you like garlic, I recommend buying the fresh peeled whole cloves) 1.5 red onions 1 tbsp of kosher salt (or 1/2 tbsp table salt) 1/2 lime-juice squeezed out                                             PREP Wash your veggies!  The tomatillos will be sticky under the husk, and always wash your leafy items, such as cilantro. Prep the following:  Cut the tomatillos into 8 chunks De-rib/seed the jalapenos and cut into chunks—leave the seeds and ribs in if you want heat—I took them out for family members Cut each garlic clove in half Cut your onions into 1” chunks De-seed your tomatoes—You want to do this to reduce the amount of water you’re going to have to strain out later! Put it all in your blender Squeeze 1/2 a lime over the veggies Using the pulse button, blend your veggies.  I know, I know, it doesn’t look green, and it doesn’t look pretty!  It will though! Cut your bunch of cilantro into eigths—discard below the tie.  Do this to prevent “strings” of cilantro stems Add to your blender with the salt and blend it together. Much better! Now is time for the blah part of the recipe—straining out the excess liquid.  I used a small cup, but you could probably use a fine mesh strainer.  As you can see from the picture to the right, I was able to pull a full cup of liquid, easily! Last thing before eating (unless you’re marinating):  Put it in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Now eat it up! (As seen on my fajita )

Cheers…

To my last day in the cast, to typing one-handed, and being unable to write for two weeks!

Some Ellie Pics

Since the previous post didn’t really show off the little one, here you go!'

Oh, to be a 16 month old . . . VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL