Pollo!

I recently made a really good chicken thigh recipe and I want to remember it! So here goes: Package of Chicken thighs I bought the hormone free kind from Walmart. I basically cut them in half length wise. I started the seasoning out by adding a layer of Goya Adobo to coat the top of the chicken thighs. Then a thin layer of garlic powder to coat them as well. Italian seasoning, black pepper, and I used my recipe for sofrito found in this vlog http://youtu.be/yfY0ptifepE . I used a few servings spoon full of the sofrito. Worked all the seasoning through with my hands and then covered them with aluminum foil and let marinate in the fridge. Once I was ready to cook.. I put them in a pan that had a small amount of EVOO at the bottom of it. The amount of EVOO was only enough to barely covered the bottom of the pan. I love my Rachel Ray Hard Anodized pot and pan set.Side note: I started to cook them when my rice was just starting to boil.--- I set the heat to a low-medium heat. I allowed the chicken to cook for 40-45 mins. Make sure to flip the thighs in the pan. The result was very tender and flavorful chicken thighs.. mmm I loved them and don't want to forget this recipe. Of course I paired it with Arroz con Gandules (that after years of trial and error, I have finally perfected). My only regret was not having added little cubes of potatoes in with my chicken.. it would've been perfect. I also prepared a little green salad with tomatoes. Just writing this blog makes me want to make it again. A very simple and succulent dish. I've come a long way and am proud of myself.

HELP ME!

I have no idea what to get/do for my husbands birthday! I was thinking about surprising him. Maybe with balloons and gifts at home when he returns from work. I don't know shoot me some ideas, PLEASE! What do you do for you significant others' birthday?

This was for his 25th birthday (2 yrs ago)
We had brownies with m&ms and a fire :)

It's MAY!

I'm so excited that it is May! My husband's birthday, mother's day and my mom's birthday are this month! ooo and my baby will turn 10 months on the 10th. I think one of the best things about May is that it usually warms up this month where I live! It starts looking like Spring this month.. hopefully! This year my hubby's birthday is the day after mother's day so we are trying to plan something for us. I'm excited that my husband and I have been married 6 1/2 years and have 3 very beautiful and healthy children. I'm such a sap who gets emotional just thinking about how incredibly blessed I am. Some of us are sick with the cold right now. I am hoping we all get better by next weekend. Anyways April was good to us even though it was so cold. Is there anything special to you about May? Here's some pics of April :D

Breastfeeding Success

In addition to the recent video I posted on Youtube.. I wanted to take some time and go over in a blog for those of you who prefer reading over watching videos. Of course I go into more details on my video so if you want to check that out I will link it at the end. Yesterday's "Hot Topic Tuesday" was Breastfeeding! In this post I will be talking about breastfeeding must-haves and also so tips to surviving the newborn stage in breastfeeding AKA the Cluster Feeds.

Let me begin with a little overview about my breastfeeding experiences with my three children.
1st was Russell: he only breastfed for 3 weeks. I was frustrated and confused and didn't anticipate the difficulty of breastfeeding in the first month. I supplemented way more than I needed to and just wanted to not be frustrated and enjoy my baby so I switched to all formula.. I regretted it but we still have a very close bond but he did suffer from many ear infections when he got older and ended up getting tubes in his ears.

2nd was Vivianna: She was nursed until she was 5 months. I didn't understand that babies at that age start looking around and will pull off.. I thought she wasn't getting enough. On top of that I was embarrassed to breastfeed in public even with a cover and would give her formula (didn't pump because I only had a manual and hated using it) when we went out to friends houses. That led to very full breasts!  If only I wouldn't have been embarrassed we would've lasted a lot longer.

3rd is Sarah: I am currently nursing her! She is going to be 9 months in a week. She is exclusively breastfed and I introduced baby food at 6 months. I pump with an electric pump when I have any babysitters (that very rare because she is normally with me wherever I go).

I believe my success is due to feeding on demand (not just every 2-3 hours) especially in the first months. Anytime she rooted I gave her. Another reason is not being embarrassed to nurse publicly or in front of friends and family. I use my cover but if you don't need that then by all means do what you feel comfortable with. Next, I'm going to show you what products I used and what is so great about them!

1: Nursing pillows: Boppy Pillow or MyBrestFriend

This nursing pillow provides back support, gentle contouring for baby, nice arm rest, an adjustable strap to make it tighter or looser, and a nifty pocket!

The Boppy pillow is a great pillow the has multiple uses for baby. It is very cushioned and wraps around mommy. The only downside is that it is very big so women with short torsos beware! Leaves a gap for women with smaller bellies. However, it provides great support for baby when they begin sitting and if they are going to drink out of a bottle or sippy cup you can lay them on it.

 2. Storage bags:  a must have for pumping and storing in the freezer! These give you allow you to go on a date night for a little while and are great for the working mother going back to work to make a supply.

Lansinoh has double ziplock and a convenient pour spout.









Medela has made a NEW feature.. allow you to pump directly into the bag and not the bottle and then the bag!






3: Lanolin- This helps sooth cracked or sore nipples. (I recommend to use before there is any soreness after every feeding)

This stuff was amazing! A friend of mine (Sandra) brought up a great point! You can express breast milk and rub it on your nipple. Allow it to air dry. It really does help!






4. A bottle: Obviously you want to breastfeed as much as possible but for whenever baby is with a sitter you need a bottle!

Any bottle will due. My baby took this one (Nuk) and a medela bottle.








5. Nursing cover: For those of you who prefer to be covered up.

 I personally loved this one because of the neck.. it had a nice view of the baby so you don't have to struggle trying to look and cover at the same time..These are called UDDER COVERS - plus they have really cute newer prints!



6.  I don't have a picture of one but a nursing pad is a must to catch the leaking milk and prevent leaking through to your clothing.  I LOVE Johnson's brand they are IN MY OPINION the softest and work so well!

7. Last but not least WATER.

You've got to stay hydrated while nursing so always have some nearby!






If you are interested in watching my video with more details  I posted the link below
Hot Topic Tuesday: Breastfeeding VIDEO

I'm dreaming of a warm spring!

Spring is here! I could make a bunch of sarcastic remarks about how it's not warm and still snowing but if there's anything I've learned it's to accept the cold. So, to pass the snow days, I've decided to make a list of things I want to do when the weather warms up.

1: Go to the zoo

2: Walk around the Isle in the evening a lot!

3: Take a weekend trip

4: Wear a sundress! 

5: Get some nice pics of the family... OUTSIDE! 

6: Make a garden

7: Clean the yard

8: Get out of the house!!!!

9: Ride bikes with the kids

10: Have a day long date with my love (lots of walking/possibly hiking and picnic involved) 

I'm sure there's lots more but I had to keep it simple. What are some things you want to do once the warm weather rolls around?

   

Jumped back in...

       With a little motivation I'm back into cloth diapers. I got a great cloth diaper detergent geared for hard water and a diaper pail and liner. I was so excited to "pre-pack" all of my pocket diapers today and put them on both of my girls! I feel 10x better doing what I love to do! Anybody that knows me, knows that I am a cloth diaper advocate! It saves $$ and it's much better for the environment. Plus the diapers are so darn cute! There are so many other benefits but those are the reasons I like them. I'm very happy to get back into the groove.

       On another note, I just recently started a Youtube channel. SuperSusiehomemaker. I'm planning to do mini vlogs and tutorials. SO check that out and subscribe for new videos I post. I'm nervous to put myself out there but also something that I really like doing. It's funny that Matt and I were the "recorders" in our families. Always walking around with a camcorder so it's fitting that we would choose to do this.
       Still breastfeeding and happy I made the choice to do it.  When I first got pregnant I planned on formula feeding. I said that I had 2 other kids to take care of and couldn't be strapped down to one place while the baby nursed. However, with lots of family support and help I got through the "rough" part of nursing. I think it's the first month. A big part of successful breastfeeding requires not caring what other people think. Even though I breastfeed covered up people still tend to get uncomfortable but I feel by continuing to do it, people will get used to it and then in turn it will be normalized. At least I hope it will. Anyways my baby thanks me and I love the bond we have.
      Anyways, I'm am very content with all of these things going on in my life. I'm a pretty busy mom but I like it that way.

It's Thursday... Throwback Thursdays

Hey girls, I see your Throwback Thursday photos up on Facebook. 

Yes, you were so very pretty.. alone or with your friends!

Don't get me wrong, they are fun.

I think its a cool idea but I hope that it doesn't stem from insecurities now.. in the present. 

You Are Still That Same Girl! Fun and Full of Worth. 

Full of life and love. 

I hope that looking back, you wouldn't change one thing about yourself 

because the woman I see in the current pictures now is 

BEAUTIFUL! 

Love ya! 

Getting ready for your husband: Not just when you are going out.

Men are very visual. Don't believe me? It's true, come on.. you know it's true!
Please don't think I'm saying to look like something you're not.
I'm not saying I don't struggle with this. I have found myself "letting myself go".
But it's time to lasso ourselves back in and make an effort!
Come on girls who's with me?!

Let's expand:
When we were all newly dating (before we lived together), we would always makes sure we were clean and lovely looking before he saw us, right?
I know we have changed over the years. Our bodies and our schedules. But why should we not feel good about ourselves? Why not let your husband know YOU STILL GOT IT GIRL! Stop beating yourselves up. We don't need to look like magazine covers to be beautiful, just care about yourselves and have some confidence. My theory is that guys care more about the way a women keeps herself and her confidence than her size/any flaws you think you have! Go ahead get dolled up and wear his favorite outfit. Throw in a little jewelry and a bit of properly applied makeup goes a long way. You don't need to look fake, just show him that you care about the way you look.. and smell. They like smells too!

I know some of us have kids.. but hey they are settled down sometimes (right?... um yeah I think that's right!) It may not be as easy as it sound but it's not as hard as we make it out to be either. You have time to look and feel good. And when you look and feel good... HE NOTICES!

Broncos Superbowl bound!

 We're talking SUPERBOWL this post!

Anybody else excited? 

I know someone who is super excited.

My Husband, Matthew! 

He has been a Denver fan for a very long time now!

Some of our many good memories involve watching the games. 

I have become a huge fan.. just because of his excitement for watching them play. 

I attempted to "pick my own team". 

Yeah... that failed because I found myself still cheering for the Broncos. 

They have made it to the play-offs a few times since we've been together but never got past that. 

So, imagine just how happy he was when they beat the Patriots and got their ticket to the Superbowl.

My happiness was seeing them win and seeing Matt so happy! 

Can't wait to see what happens Superbowl! 

Here's hoping they win! So if you don't have a team in the 

Superbowl this year.. you already know who to root for!  

Supermom? uh not quite...

Struggling with feeling like a failure at night as you lay in bed?
I do!

I pour out to my husband constantly, "I need more patience"
Some days I am happy of the progress I made.
Other days I'm very sad that I regressed into a monster that yells way too much.

I struggle with thoughts of discipline.
I want to discipline but wonder what is worth the fight and what I can let fly.
I don't want to constantly be disciplining but I also know that consistency is key.

I think everyone will fail at being a parent at some point.
But this I know. I will always let my children know they are loved!
I will always hug, always kiss. and cuddle.
Always feed and bathe them.. and read them bedtime stories.
I will apologize when I act like a cranky pants but try my best not to get cranky with them.
I will always pour out to my husband because it keeps me accountable.
I will always try not to yell and I will always be sad when I do yell. Oh goodness I hate yelling.
I will never stop trying to be a better mom...

But Do they feel safe with me? Yes
Do they know I love them and do I show it with my actions? No doubt about it, YES!
Then, I've done the most important jobs.
I know there's more to it then that, but personally I've had two of my children in the hospital, those things are the jobs that matter most.