Author Archives: thissideoftherainbow

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About thissideoftherainbow

First and foremost, I'm a mom & I love it more than anything else on this planet. I'm a talker. I'd like to think that keeping this blog will help me to reduce my chatter, but who am I kidding?

Riding in Cars With Phones

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First and foremost, happy Easter! We were blessed to spend a weekend in Nebraska with my family. It makes for a short weekend with lots of driving, but it’s worth it!!

Unfortunately, Charlotte has passed the age of sleeping the full six hours. We were lucky if she slept three. That makes for another three long hours.

I spent most if the to and from in the backseat trying desperately to keep Charlotte from fussing. We were about an hour from home today when I gave up and handed her my phone.

Easy fix!

It may be germy and breakable, but it’s better to deal with that than a screaming eight month old. … We tried.

Before I handed my phone to Charlotte, I turned on the camera. Here is my precious babe, riding in the car with my phone.

Better Girlfriending: Q1 Report

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One of my 2013 resolutions is to be a better girlfriend to HOS. I’ll be honest, my first quarter performance was definitely lacking. We suffered some major arguments, and both had times where we were just not in the mood to deal with one another. BUT, I love this ginger, bearded man, so I worked hard to redeem myself during the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago, Shane gave me a sweet card for no reason other than to remind me that he loves me, and he is so happy we were blessed with Charli. And!! He included a package of my favorite Cadbury milk chocate eggs with the candy coated shells. Yum!

In reciprocation, I surprised him with a bottle of one of his favorite whiskies.

The next week, I bought him a nice shirt at Gap because I was thinking of him while shopping, and thought he’d look good in it. [I was right!]

Finally, last weekend, I took HOS on our first date in around four months. FOUR MONTHS!

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We went to RowHouse Restaurant in Topeka. If you live on the area, you have to eat here. It’s unique, romantic and ridiculously delicious. Trust me; do it.

Anyway, it was snowing, so we didn’t do anything after dinner, but the date was just what we needed.

It’s becoming obvious that we aren’t making enough time for us and our relationship. It felt so good to do nice things for him, and to have him do sweet things for me, too.

It’s too easy for partners to become lazy and for relationships to become boring. … And having kid(s) doesn’t make it any easier.

I like the track HOS and I are on. We aren’t perfect. We fight, and we don’t always like one another, but we love one another. And we want to be happy parents who live in a house filled with happiness. [cheesy, I know]

I told HOS a long time ago that I want to be the kind of parents who gross out their kids because we are so in love, and because we give each other kisses. I want to be the parents that make our kids believe that happily ever after is possible.

I want to be the parents who are willing to work hard to be that kind of parents.

So my first quarter results for being a better girlfriends started out stagnate, and remained that way for far too long. However, I’m happy to report that better girlfriending is trending upward!! I am currently under goal, but I have 3 more quarters to rectify the loss.

What have you done to become a better partner, or what has your partner done?

5 for $20 (or more)

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Do you remember the good ol’ days, when we were kids, and our moms would take us to Walmart the store to buy multi-packs of underwear? Do you remember how many pairs of undies we got for $5? Shoot. We took those days for granted.

Now, I know my dad is probably mortified right about now. Blogging about underwear!!

But seriously, it’s ridiculous how expensive these necessities have become.

If I’m shopping at Target, I can get away with 5 pairs of underwear for $20. At Victoria Secret, the Pink line is usually 5 for $25.

What once could buy me 5 pairs, now buys one.

I realize I’m whining in this situation. I could easily buy the cotton multi-packs for women. While still more expensive than my youth, they are more affordable than what I do buy. But they just look terrible!

I’m a mom now. Affordable underwear may be what’s expected of me. … Are my underwear purchases to be forever limited to cotton briefs in white, black and beige?

I’m 25 years old. I can’t settle for that just yet.

I’ll just fork over what I deem to be ridiculous amounts of money for very few items, 5 for $20 (or more).

As for the cotton briefs … Check back with me in a few years. I may be singing a different tune!

Tiny Clothes Make for Big Reminders

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You know that moment parents have when they look at their child and are astonished to find they are so big, so old, so independent?

I had my first one today.

A friend from work is expecting her first baby in a few weeks, a baby girl. Her baby shower is this Saturday, and she currently only has one onesie.

I offered to bring her some of Charlotte’s clothes.

As I pulled out each of Charli’s tiny outfits, I relived the memories of her first giggles and coos. And realizing how small and fragile that precious baby was.

My heart just ached with happiness for my amazing daughter and the memories and it ached with sadness that she is growing so quickly.

I’m so astonished by her. Every day.

I just wish I could slow it down a little.

From New Mom to New Mom

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One of my good friends has a pregnant friend. She isn’t in a relationship with the father, and he doesn’t seem interested in stepping up. My heart aches for her. As a new mama, I know how hard things can be, especially during the first few months, but I had HOS. We got through everything together. So I wanted to do something to help her out.

Baby showers were developed with the best of intentions. It’s an opportunity to provide mom with some gifts to take care of baby. I was blessed by three amazing showers. But like all moms, I received a lot of some things and not enough of others. To be fair, very few of my friends want – let alone have – kids.

When all was said and done, I had 21 bibs, 18 pacifiers (Charli hates them) and an infinite number of teething rings. I also received tons of great outfits, toys, diapers, wipes, etc. This is NOT a bash on showers. … More of a bringing to light of common issues.

After Charlotte arrived, I found a slew of things that I needed and didn’t know it. SO to help out this friend of a friend, I decided to put together a gift basket of items that I loved during the early months.

From New Mom to New Mom Basket

Shopping List (completely subjective
All of these items can be purchased at Target except the Halo Sleepsack, at least not that I’ve seen.

  • Halo Sleepsack Swaddle New Mom Gift Basket
  • Set of onesies
  • Infant Tylenol or Acetaminophen
  • Gas drops
  • Gripe water
  • Formula packets
  • Biodegradable disposable bags for diapers
  • Baby shampoo
  • Laundry basket
  • String or ribbon
  • Note cards

Basket Building

  1. I wrote a little mBaby Shampooessage on one note card for each item. It was either a reason for that item or some advice regarding that item. For example, on the shampoo I wrote: “Bath time is a fun bonding time. Baby only needs a drop of shampoo. (Use little to no lotion. He doesn’t need.).”
  2. Write a personal message to the new mom on note cards. Include a list of tips. One of my tips was “Make time for yourself each day, even if it’s just to shower.” Another tip was “Don’t Google! Too many scary results. Consult a friend or doctor.”
  3. Punch holes in the upper left-hand corner of each card.
  4. Using the string or ribbon, tie the card to the corresponding item.
  5. Place all of the items into the laundry basket. I realize that the laundry basket sounds like a silly gift, but HOS and I didn’t even think of it! Charli didn’t have her own basket for four months.
  6. Tie all of your advice cards to the outside of the basket.

Voila!

New Mom Gift Basket

The image I had in my head was much cuter than the end product. I’m still happy with the end result, though. And I hope new mom loves the gift!

Ok moms, I assume you’ll agree with me on this post, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. What is the number one item you would give a new mom?

Puppy Love or Something Like That

Aside

Today I had the dreadful experience of watching my precious daughter scream out of fear.

My only reaction was to instantaneously switch to “overly protective mom” mode and swoop up my crying baby.

*sigh*

My heart ached! But then I realized that I need to toughen up my kid.

Here’s what happened. …

Nothing about Charli’s day was routine, so the poor thing was just unsure about things. She went to work with me in Manhattan instead of going to daycare. My friend, Steve, picked her up and they spent the day together. Steve and Hillary have a small dog, Maggie.

Don’t worry, Maggie didn’t bite her! Quite the opposite. Charlotte apparently pulled a chunk of fur off Mags and tried to eat it.

Yum!

Despite that indiscretion, Maggie was loving on Charli by the end of the day.

Steve and Hillary dropped Charlotte off with me at my friend Andrea’s apartment. Andrea also has a small dog – an itty bitty dog, actually. Zoey is a mini dachsund, and the sweetest dog EVER.

Zoey also loves babies.

In typical tiny dog fashion, Zoey got very excited and decided to run when she saw Charlotte. Unfortunately, she ran right at my tired, hungry Charli and got in her face. …

I know it’s part of parenting, but I would wish that sound on no one. Hearing your baby scream and then cry from fear is one of the worst sounds I have ever heard. My heart broke for my little girl in that moment.

However.

Charli was scared of a dog that is smaller than our cat. This will not do. Charlotte and Zoey

I, myself, have only ever been bitten by one dog – a fat weiner dog – so I understand a little apprehension, but Charlotte was quick to cry around Zoey the rest of the night.

I would like to point out that Charli was being far too emotional and dramatic. … Then I have to wonder where she got it from. …

*NOT IT*

Obviously, not her mother!

Good Eats: Lemon Blueberry Muffins and Double Chocolate Muffins

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For the past two glorious hours, I have been elbow deep in flour, sugar and the wonderful world of baking.

My kitchen is a disaster.

My sink is filled with dishes.

My clothes are covered in ingredients.

And I couldn’t be happier.

I decided that this would be the night I would finally test out my mini muffin pans and the silicone liners. Ok, I realize that silicone muffin liners sounds silly, especially when you find out I spent more than $9 per dozen, BUT these are, hands down, the best baking purchase if you like to bake muffins! They are non-stick, reusable, and the muffins pop right out. Perfect!

Back to the really good stuff, the actual muffins.

I perused Pinterest for a while this morning until I found three recipes I wanted to try. Due to a combination of time, exhaustion and sheer laziness, I only made two of the three, Lemon Blueberry and Double Chocolate. Who could go wrong?

[Just a side note: Yes, Santa Claus makes an appearance in the background of my images. While I enjoy baking and sharing, I am lacking in the large Tupperware department. This is all I had.] 

Lemon Blueberry Muffins [mini]

Lemon Blueberry Muffin

Ingredients
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp lemon extract
11/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 lemon juice
1 TB lemon rind (To be honest, I wasn’t 100 percent sure on what this was, so I left it out.)

Recipe

  1. In a large bowl whisk together milk, vegetable oil, egg, lemon extract and lemon rind. In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Mix the dry ingredients into the large bowl and stir until smooth. Fold in sour cream and blueberries. I had to chop my blue berries because they were big enough to fill half of one mini muffin cup.
  2. Preheat oven to 375. Fill cupcake pan with liners (or use a cooking spray) and fill with batter about 2/3 the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove muffins from pan and allow to cool.
  3. If you were doing this correctly, you would combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and drizzle over muffins. If you’re moving too quickly, like me, and don’t read the full instructions, you just squeeze a few drops of lemon juice onto the muffins. *sigh* At least they taste good!

Double Chocolate Muffins [mini]

Image

Ingredients
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c yogurt
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c chopped milk chocolate (one whole Hershey’s milk chocolate bar)

Recipe

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin. Set aside.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Stir.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
  4. Add egg, vanilla and yogurt. Mix well.
  5. Combine the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a little at a time. Mix well.
  6. Add chocolate chips and chopped chocolate and stir it in.
  7. Drop the batter in to the liners using a small cookie scoop.
  8. Bake for 5 minutes in 400 degree oven. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake 14 more minutes, or until browned on top.

I always recommend taste-testing 1-4 mini muffins before sharing with friends or family. I mean, they are mini.

What Goes Up…

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Charli and I had a pretty lazy afternoon. … To be fair, I was lazy. Charlotte played with her toys, cooed and was her adorable, intelligent self.

She loves this bucket toy she received for Christmas from some friends. There are shapes she will eventually be able to fit through the appropriately shaped hole in the lid, and there are stacking cups. As she was playing, I attempted to stack the cups, but she would so sweetly knock it down each time.

While laughing at her little giggle, I had an idea.

We have been testing Vine videos at work. The Vine iPhone app allows you to film a 6 second video. The video can be stop-motion or a flowing video (I don’t know the correct terminology). It’s very simple to use, and you can share the video directly to Twitter and/or Facebook.

So, after several failed attempts on my part, and several successful demolition attempts by Charlotte, I finally finished a simple stop-motion video. Alas, what goes up must come down!

https://twitter.com/apmarquart/status/305826059297906688

We Are Bullshit

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Image

A Facebook friend posted this image today. At first, I just scrolled past the post, but the dress silhouette caught my eye. It reminded me of the dress logo the American Heart Association uses to promote heart health for women so I went back.

I don’t know a single woman who could read this quote from Kate Winslet and not agree. I remember my mom drinking slim fast. My sister is always writing on Facebook about working out and losing weight. I even hear my grandma – at 74 years old – talk about feeling overweight. And my beautiful, athletic 12-year-old niece has opened up to me about how she “isn’t skinny.” Twelve. Years. Old.

I’m no different.

I just have one question for all of us women: What the hell is wrong with us?

Let’s set aside the cliche excuses where we blame pop culture, our parents or some previous relationship that ended badly.

We choose to focus on our “faults.” We choose to look at images of waif models and think the world demands that of us. We repeat the mistakes of our parents instead of learning from them, and we let some jerk damage our view of ourselves.

We are bullshit.

I weigh one tiny pound more than the day I found out I was pregnant, but if you asked me, I’d act like it’s the end of the world. I’m so fat. I don’t fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I have stretch marks on my hips, thighs, stomach and chest. Wah. Wah. Wah.

I’m tired of listening to myself. I’m sure people around me are tired of listening to my, too. And to those people, I am so sorry.

One seemingly insignificant image and quote from Kate Winslet opened my eyes today.

I have never heard the women around me speak proudly about their bodies or say that they are happy with their appearance.

I refuse to do that to my daughter.

Starting now – after I finish this wine and plate of cookies – I’m going to focus on what I like about my physical appearance, as well as my intellect and just plain awesome personality.

I’ll be writing a post soon about how I love my body. In the mean time, what do you love about yours?

Think about it. … And tell the women in your lives.

From Cupid With Love

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HOS and I have never been big Valentine’s Day people. I don’t know if it’s because we are boring, cheap or just fail at being romantic. I’ve always been one of those women who say that Valentine’s Day isn’t important … Continue reading →