Ugh! I'm ready to pull all my hair out! I hate resorting to keeping Fuss on medications like Tylenol all day long, but at this point, that's all that's helping! Granted, I think we were a little worse than normal recently because I took her amber necklace off for a bath and forgot to put it back on her for a couple days. That definitely makes the teething worse (at least in my opinion). Poor thing has been waking up at night 3-4 times, sometimes crying, sometimes screaming, and often NOT going back to sleep on her own with or without her pacifier. She then wakes up between 8 and 10 a.m. and is up until 9 p.m. WITHOUT a nap. After 2 days of little sleep during the night and a non-napping toddler, I'm exhausted!
I have used every trick I know of to help her pain. She's eaten Popsicles, soft foods, and cold foods. She's chewed on everything from her hands to a vibrating teether. We have used Hyland's Teething Tablets and Gel - These seem to give a little relief because she'll go play after getting one or the other. And we've used Orajel. My last resort (aside from the amber necklace) is the medication. I hate feeling like I'm one of those moms who continues to wish away their kid's childhood, but I really do wish teething was over! I only want the next 4-5 months to be done so we get more than a week's break from the agony I know Fuss is experiencing. It is very heart-wrenching when your not-quite-2-year-old comes to you and says, "Hurt, Mommy." You ask, "Where?" She points to her mouth and says, "Teeth." The worst part is there's nothing more you can do to help her. :-(
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
#BlockPartyHopWednesday
I'm hoping to lower my Alexa rating, so I'm participating in this awesome blog hop hosted by Frugal Plus Stop by and tell her hi!
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
I'm FINALLY seeing it! It's been 2 years of hard work (as well as those times I get to frustrated to continue for a week) but I'm almost finished with my medical transcription course! Well, I say "almost finished." I still have a ways to go. I'm currently sitting at 61.1% completion. That leaves 38.9% still to do, but I'm confident I can get this done by May 24th. Maybe sooner!
The hardest thing about working on transcription while Fuss is awake is that I have a foot pedal to control the speed/stop/start of my audio files. Right now, my main computer is dismantled due to remodeling. I'm on my laptop. This leaves my foot pedal exposed. Fuss LOVES to come and step on it, on my foot, or just stand on the pedal in general. Quite irritating whilst trying to listen to an audio file. Seriously, had I known online schooling was going to be this difficult, I would have gone for the brick-and-mortar school. I'm not unhappy with my decision overall, though. My only disappointment is that I don't feel like many people have taken me seriously with it.
Now, we have 2 goals: 1. Finish most of our remodel and put the office area and desk back together so I can have my desktop back and be able to place the foot pedal out of harm's way.
2. Finish this schooling once and for all! As soon as I get done, I'm going to get a job. I really hope it's one that will allow me to work from home. Hubby and I just don't want to put Fuss in daycare if we don't have to.
It's nice to finally be able to say I'm on the downward part of this journey though! And I sincerely hope you all will stay with me through the rest of this crazy journey.
The hardest thing about working on transcription while Fuss is awake is that I have a foot pedal to control the speed/stop/start of my audio files. Right now, my main computer is dismantled due to remodeling. I'm on my laptop. This leaves my foot pedal exposed. Fuss LOVES to come and step on it, on my foot, or just stand on the pedal in general. Quite irritating whilst trying to listen to an audio file. Seriously, had I known online schooling was going to be this difficult, I would have gone for the brick-and-mortar school. I'm not unhappy with my decision overall, though. My only disappointment is that I don't feel like many people have taken me seriously with it.
Now, we have 2 goals: 1. Finish most of our remodel and put the office area and desk back together so I can have my desktop back and be able to place the foot pedal out of harm's way.
2. Finish this schooling once and for all! As soon as I get done, I'm going to get a job. I really hope it's one that will allow me to work from home. Hubby and I just don't want to put Fuss in daycare if we don't have to.
It's nice to finally be able to say I'm on the downward part of this journey though! And I sincerely hope you all will stay with me through the rest of this crazy journey.
Monday, January 2, 2012
A Little Prep Goes a Long Way
So, I have been trying to cook at home more over the last year and that meant trying to have everything on hand that I would need and easily accessible. (I'm the first to admit that I tend to be lazy...I like it all to be convenient and quick.) This led us to freezing items. The most common things we use that can be frozen for later use are chicken and ground beef. In order to make this as cost effective as possible, we buy in bulk. Each packet of chicken we buy has around 10 boneless, skinless breasts and the ground beef is bought in a 10-pound tube. Unfortunately, a 10-pound tube of beef just doesn't fit anywhere conveniently. It also isn't very convenient to measure out 1 or 2 pounds of meat each time you want to make something.
My solution is to vacuum seal it! Of course, thanks to my dear hubby, I do it a little differently than some might. I first make a few "Food Saver" bags that are the correct size. This took some figuring out when we first started sealing things. Then, I take the tube of beef and portion out 1-pound portions using my food scale. I then take a permanent marker and put the date of freezing and the weight on each package (post-vacuuming, of course).
Hubby's idea was to mash them flat and make little "meat wafers" to place in the freezer. Here I am making the ground beef flat using a rolling pin. Hubby likes to just use his hands.
I make sure to get the corners and edges nice and even. Then, I toss them in the freezer.
In this final photo, I have the stack of ground beef packets in my refrigerator freezer. After they are frozen, you can stand them on edge side-by-side! When I need a pound of ground beef for Manwiches or burgers, I just pull out a packet and defrost it! Easy as 1-2-3!
I do usually have a little left over at the end because it's not usually exactly 10 pounds in each tube, so I just save the last packet and put whatever amount is left in that one. So, I'll have 9 packets of 1 pound each and 1 of 1 pound and "x" ounces. Sometimes it ends up being only 14 ounces in the last one. It just depends on each tube of ground beef.
My solution is to vacuum seal it! Of course, thanks to my dear hubby, I do it a little differently than some might. I first make a few "Food Saver" bags that are the correct size. This took some figuring out when we first started sealing things. Then, I take the tube of beef and portion out 1-pound portions using my food scale. I then take a permanent marker and put the date of freezing and the weight on each package (post-vacuuming, of course).
Here is what the meat looks like immediately after vacuum sealing. This doesn't freeze quickly. It also doesn't thaw quickly or evenly. Not good.
I do usually have a little left over at the end because it's not usually exactly 10 pounds in each tube, so I just save the last packet and put whatever amount is left in that one. So, I'll have 9 packets of 1 pound each and 1 of 1 pound and "x" ounces. Sometimes it ends up being only 14 ounces in the last one. It just depends on each tube of ground beef.
Military Monday
Welcome to the Military Monday Blog Hop!
We invite all of you,
military or not, to join in this great blog hop. Would you like to be
connected to other blogs? Would you like to increase your number of
blog followers via Google Friend Connect? Then this hop is for you. No,
you don't have to be affiliated with the Military, you just have to have
a blog! Please don't leave links to your Facebook, Twitter, or other
blog hops. Those links will be deleted.
The guidelines are quite simple here!
Grab the Military Monday Blog Hop button and post it as a new blog post or on your blog's sidebar!
Follow the hosts below publicly (I hope you also follow me!) And don't forget to leave a comment telling me your blog so we can give you a follow back!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Whatever You Do on New Year's Day
You continue to do the rest of the year. At least that's what I've always heard. Today, I have succeeded in cleaning up messes from Fuss, cooking, cleaning the house, and doing school work. Aside from the school work, that sounds pretty accurate! Fuss is continuing to work on potty training and even pooped on the potty without me reminding her yesterday after her bath and today while playing! I am honestly more impressed with her stopping her game to go potty than with being naked post-bath and going, but that doesn't make it any less exciting for her!
My "resolutions" for the year are pretty simple. I intend on finishing my transcription course by June and getting a job that I can work from home. Second, I want to blog more frequently and gain more fans. Third, I hope to eat healthier and be more adventurous in my cooking...this last one is easier said than done for sure!
Do you have any resolutions? What are they? And according to the old wives' tale, what will you be doing the rest of the year based on today's activities?
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