Parenting ~ Embracing the Growth & Development

As most of you know my daughter, Autumn has started Kindergarten this year and she is loving it! Before going to Kindergarten she had mastered writing her name most of her ABC's, and a few numbers. She has been in school for 5 months now and academically she is above average in every category except respecting others. During parent teacher conferences her teacher had stated that she does not worry about Autumn academically at all, but she does have quiet the attitude. Imagine that, I can only dream of where that came from!

Autumn had developed a love for Math (girl after my own heart) and reading (she gets this from her daddy). As I am working on getting my accounting degree I have had quite a bit of math homework that Autumn has developed an interest in. When she sees me doing my math homework she immediately gets involved. She wants me to write down math problems for her to do. 7+2=__, 2+2=__, etc. she is really good at it too. She has also learned many "sight words" for reading, she can immediately recognize: the, has, him, and, etc. Her favorite word to spell is love. As she is learning to read she has become more interested in reading books. Well I am not a reader; Aaron is the reader in our family so she has to of picked the love for books up from him. So my patience for reading stories to her is less than reliable, but I know how important it is to keep encouraging her to read.
So naturally, me knowing the importance of embracing her reading, and knowing my lack of interest in it, I have added it to my list. "Teach Autumn to read" & "Read Autumn a bedtime story twice a week" Ugh, read twice a week....... Well I have created a solution!!! Audio books (Thank you Android~Free App), I have downloaded audio books to my phone and we listen to the stories before bed. This is perfect, she can enjoy the stories and I don't have to read them! PERFECT! :)
We are currently listing to "The Secret Garden" and she LOVES it! We put the story on in the car, before bed, or whenever she is interested. The more we listen to it the more interested she is! We also told her how important it was to listen to these stories because she will most likely have to read them in school later on.

I love my daughter’s passion for learning, she surprises me everyday. Just yesterday she used evidently in the right context. She is definitely too smart for her own good! ~God give me the strength and knowledge to teach her to use it to her advantage~

New Recipes~Made Up & Learned

1. Veggie Rice {2 cups Brown Rice, 1 green zucchini, 1/2 can corn, 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce, 2 eggs, garlic salt to taste, swirl of evoo} Pre cook rice, heat oil and add garlic salt and zucchini, add rice and eggs, when egg is cooked add corn and sauce. {Made Up~Inspiration: shriveling zucchini in fridge}
2. Vegetarian Lasagna {9 (depending on dish size) Lasagna noodles, 2 eggs, 8oz cottage cheese, 8oz ricotta cheese, 1 cup spinach, 2 large carrots (shredded), 2 yellow/green zucchini (thinly sliced), 20oz spaghetti sauce, 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese, 1lb mozzarella cheese} Pre cook noodles, mix cottage/ricotta/spinach/eggs, then layer. Sauce to cover bottom of pan, noodles, 1/2 spinach/cheese mix, 1/2 parmasian cheese, 1/2 carrots/zucchini, 1/2 mozzarella cheese, noodles, repeat 1st layer, top with noodles, sauce, mozzarella cheese. ~or stack however you want~ Bake 375 degrees for 30 mins. {Recipe from http://www.cooks.com/ & I substituted a few ingredients~Inspiration: List item "Learn to make vegetarian lasagna" & Cambry & Sara} 
3. Veggie Stroganoff {portabella mushroom, asparagus, tomato, green onion, egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream} Pre cook noodles, Heat all veggies with soup and sour cream. Poor stroganoff mix over noodles and serve. {Inspired by our stay at home date night. Aaron wanted Beef Stroganoff and Autumn & I made a veggie mix of our own.}
4. Cheddar Cheese Potato Broccoli Soup {5 large potatoes, 2 cans veggie broth, 1/2 white onion, broccoli floret, 2 cups shredded cheese, 1 tblspn sour cream, butter} Peel and dice potatoes/onion and boil with broccoli in veggie broth. When potatoes are tender blend 3/4 mixture with sour creem/butter. add puree back to broth and potato chunks, add shredded cheese and salt/pepper to taste. {Recipe made up~Inspiration-Soup craving (Aaron prefers if the Broccoli is replaced with Chives~also very good)}
5. Veggie Chow Mein
6. Spinach Artichoke Dip
7. Potato Corn Chowder
8. Raspberry Cream Pie
9. BocChoy Stir Fry

Work in Progress ~ Be Grateful, But Be Yourself

My life has taken a few turns recently that has given me the opportunity to reflect on the things that I am grateful for. I would not say that any of these turns or paths were unexpected because can you really expect to always know exactly were you are going in life? Fortunately for me, I am a young, free spirited, ambitious, and adventure seeking person. I love waking up in the morning embracing the fact that I can not predict the outcome of my day. I love to live in the moment and bring on whatever dares to face me. With that being said I have had some time and will be taking time to remember what makes me happy. As I continue to find my true happiness within myself, I will create a list of things {Small & Large} that reflect my makeup.

Things that I have Missed

1. Alfredo Sauce (I forgot how easy it is to cook with and how yummy it is! I can not stop thinking of all the recipes I have created with it)
2. Green Beans (So good with Alfredo Sauce)
3. Silent Nights (I do admit that I have missed the fan on stuffy nights, but the silence is so peaceful)
4. Girl Time (Spending time with your family is the most important thing in the world, but....girls just need girl time once in a while! We need time to drink wine, bitch about our men, and just carry on like girls do.)
5. Places (I was recently told that there is a name for people like me, OCD!?! I know. Things have places for a reason, and I love it when they stay in those places.)
6. Urine FREE Shower (What is it about peeing in the shower that is so amazing? I have never understood that, even as a young child I can remember getting out of the shower dripping wet to pee. Is it too much to ask to just pee before you get in the shower?!?)

Things that I Miss

1. Unlocked doors/windows (Before it had never been an issue, I now find myself checking every door and every window at least 3 times before bed to make sure they are all locked. There is something to be said for the sense of security that I felt.)
2. Coffee on the Nightstand (the best part about this was that it was sporadic, opening my eyes to see that coffee mug just waiting for me was such an amazing feeling, and I never knew when to expect it.)
3. Mimosa Bath's (No offence Erica but I wouldn't sit in that tub if I were dead, I feel like I need to wear flip flops to take a shower! I hate apartments.)
4.  That One Smell (Every man has a unique but defining smell that can be detected by their woman from a mile away. When detected it will make your eyes roll back, and you have an uncontrollable urge to mutter ummmmmmmmmm!)
5. TIVO (This is for Autumn, she can't quite get the concept that we can not pause TV anymore.)
6.  One Room Away (Having the person you love only in the next room when you want to share those "I guess you would of had to have been there" moments)
7. Never saying Goodbye (The quickest way to ruin the feeling of an amazing time is to say goodbye.)

The last thing that I would ever want to do is take someone or something for granted, life is short and the people in it are precious. I will cherish every moment but also make a point to not loose sight in the things that I love. How is it that some individuals are so intent on pleasing other people that they give up their own needs and sacrifice themselves over, and over, and over again? A people pleasing personality is great... to an extent. I live to see the happiness in others eyes that I have created, but how can I do that without loosing sight of what I want?