Peaches and Basil, O'my!

Look at this little treat! I'm blogging twice in one week! This is a big accomplishment for me. Pats on back for Autumn! It must be because dinner has been AMAZING lately. Tonight I made pork with peaches and basil. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhmygod! It might be my new favorite.

2 pounds of pork (I used pork butt. It was on sale)

3 peaches, cut into slices

1/4 cup fresh basil, cut into strips

Salt, pepper & garlic powder

1 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Crushed red pepper, to taste (I used 2 tbs)

1 tbs lemon juice

Olive oil

1 cup of fresh spinach per serving

Season pork generously with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add to pan along with olive oil. Cook 4 minutes on each side. Move to plate and tent with foil.

Add peaches to the pan with pork drippings. Add sugar, salt and crushed red peppers. Cook peaches until tender, about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice, basil and meat juices from plate. Cook another 2 minutes.

Add spinach to plate. Top with pork, peaches and juice from pan. And dig in!

This meal took about 20 minutes. The pork was medium and perfectly tender. The peaches were sweet with a little kick. This may be my new favorite! Enjoy!

Also, I love when people tell me they love my blog. It always means the world to me. Keep reading and tell your friends!

The Best Potatoes of Your Life

This is a quick and AMAZING side I want to share with all of you. Not going to lie, I made this up when I was a tiny bit under the influence, but it turned out fantastic!

5 medium sized potatoes

Crushed red pepper

Onion powder

Seasoned salt

Pepper

Paprika 

Ground cayenne red pepper

Garlic powder

2 tbs olive oil

1 cup fresh spinach

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 strips of bacon

Dice up your bacon and pan fry on medium until crispy. Remove from oil and let drain. Save about 1/2 of the bacon grease in the pan for later.

Dice your potatoes and add to a pan of olive oil. Mix together spices and and sprinkle on top. Do not toss. Also, season to taste. I like my food butthole spicy so I went about 1 tbs on the cayenne and paprika and 1/2 tbs on everything else.

Flip occasionally adding more of the spice mixture as needed. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

When potatoes are almost finished, sauté spinach in remaining bacon grease. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until wilted, about 3 minutes.

Fold spinach in with the potatoes, top with cheese and bacon and cover with heat off. Let cheese melt and BAM! Potato heaven! 

I served it with an spicy Italian sausage. I was thinking it would also be great for breakfast with egg whites and toast. Needless to say, this is a dish I'll be binge eating for sure.

The Do's and Don'ts of Dating

First and foremost, let me start this off with I'm stuck up when it comes to dating. Not as in, "I only go to 5 star restaurants", stuck up, but I'm a firm believer in not concidering everything a date. This also might be why I'm single, so please take this all with a grain of salt.

No, stopping at Bob Evans or Friday's on the way home from shopping is not a date. Sorry I'm not sorry. I've been so annoyed with my generation of men and the lack of knowledge when it comes to dating. Get your shit together before you miss out on amazing women, and end up with a basic ass bitch that would probably set it out for Chipotle. And ladies, we need to hold men to a higher standard. We are responsible for what we let them get away with.

What constitutes as a date?

When a man (or woman, I'm about equal rights) asks you out in advance. Not, "do you want to hang out?" But honestly asks you to go out with them. Hanging out isn't a date. I hang out with my friends, not dudes I'm interested in. Not saying we can't hang out, but don't think it's a date.

Not asking me what I want to do. NO! NO! If you ask me out, you're in charge of the plans. A date is putting thought and effort into something that the both of us would enjoy, so use your brain and think. It's not about money. Remember that. Yes, the romantic table at that restaurant that overlooks the lake does take a lot of thought. Especially because they have amazing seafood and I've been craving crab cakes all week, but packing up a picnic and going to go see a band at the park is just as much thought. Date within your budget.

I mentioned Bob Evans and Friday's are not dates. Any chain restaurant isn't considered a date. Didn't you see the Lego Movie? Going to Olive Garden is not a date. How much thought and effort does it take to go to a restaurant that's in every other suburb? Again, this isn't about money. Now, if you live in the city of Cleveland, shame on you for being a chain restaurant dater. Cleveland has one of the most booming restaurant industries in the country right now, and there is the internet where you can literally search restaurants by price. Pickle Bill's has a 2 for $40 that gives you an appetizer, bottle of wine and 2 AMAZING seafood entrees. If you go to Red Lobster, you're gonna spend just as much or more and it's not going to be as good. Do your research, ask friends. No excuses.

The person who asks pays. Period. Unless it was discussed when they first asked you out, don't touch your wallet. I'm fine with going dutch, but it's not a date. You didn't fully take me out. Going dutch should be grouped with "hanging out". Now ladies, this doesn't mean become some bougie princess. That means ask him out occasionally and pay. If he pays for dinner, pay for drinks after or ice cream or the redbox movie. And offer!!!! It shows him that you care enough to not want him to go broke. If he turns you down, that's fine, but you're obligated to throw the idea out there occasionally. Yes, obligated. If you want an equal partnership. Prove you're equal.

Try new things together. Being awkward and adventurous together is fun! Dinner and a movie can get a little boring sometimes. Go play paintball. Go paddleboarding. Go to a greenhouse and create her a bouquet of all the flowers that she says is pretty. Go to the farmers market and have a cook off. Your options are endless.

Now don't get stressed out at how much work all of this is (even though you should be working for the one you care about). Hanging out IS okay. There should be a fair ratio between dates and hangouts. To me, you should at least be going on a date for every 5 times you hangout, unless you're together all the time, that only ends up being once a month. And if a girl is dropping hints, that means it's time for you to ask her.

So what did we learn today? A date is putting thought and effort into creating an experience for the person you're trying to get your dick wet with (because that's always the end goal anyway, right?)

Neighbors Review (With Spoilers)

Happy belated Mother's Day to all my hot mama's out there. I bought a Sunday paper and the Mother's Day headline was a quote. "I don't care if you forget my birthday or if you don't get me anything for Christmas, just don't forget Mother's Day." How true is that? Well I spoiled myself on Saturday. Brunch, mani/pedi and went out dancing with the girls. Well needed. Sunday was when all the running around. Sweet Baby Zo Zo and I went to see my grandmother in the hospital (keep her in your prayers), then we ate lunch at my parent's church and then we went over JP's parents house and watch basketball. It was a pretty good day minus some personal stuff I'm going through, but we talk about the good things.

JP also took me to the movies to see Neighbors. Let me tell you how fantastically funny it was! I've actually been hearing a lot of people hate the movie, but it's number one after it's first weekend opening, which is a very difficult task for a rated R movie. We loved it though!

As a new parent, I found it very relatable. Having a baby and choosing to be a responsible parent, but that desire to go out, party, get fucked up until 4 am, that doesn't just "poof" and disappear. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne played their roles perfectly. Seth Rogen played his typical character, so if you're not always a fan of his, you won't be interested, but his chemistry with the super gorgeous Zac Effron was classic, slap happy comedy. Even Dave Franco (sexy pants) added to the comic flair.

Rose Byrne really stole the movie for me. If you're not familiar with her off the top of your head, she was the rich friend from Bridesmaids, Moira MacTaggert from X-Men: First Class and Jackie Q from Get Him To The Greek. Anyway, she's fantastically clever. She's the mastermind behind the relationship with the frat, offering them a joint at the beginning of the movie, and ending the fued and getting the frat kicked out of their house at the end. My favorite part is when Seth Rogen tells her she's going to cause their daughter's first word to be cunt. My fear was my daughter saying "my dick" to someone. A horrible phrase I use about a million times a day. Even the engorged breast scene. OMG! I was dying!!!! I'm looking forward to seeing Rose Byrne in a lot more films after Neighbors.

I recommend this movie if 1) you're a new parent that's not a tight butthole & 2) if you like Seth Rogen movies. This movie is full of the people he always works with. That whole inner circle. So you have a lot of people from Superbad, This is the End, the Legue, Eastbound and Down, ect. You even have the cast of Workaholics make a cameo. And Seth Rogen rocks Wolfgang tees and hats the whole time. Sweet.

For a Happy, Healthy Vagina

Helllllllllooooooooooo! My apologizes that it's been so long. I actually gave up social networking for Lent. It was kind of a last minute decision, but let me tell you how refreshing it was. No facebook, no twitter, no instagram. I still went on Pintrest, because, let's face it, how can you live without Pintrest? That sounds completely outrageous. But the whole experience taught me a valuable lesson. Don't overshare. Frankly, no one cares that I woke up at 6 am to workout, or that I've probably watched the Lorax about 300 times since I had Sweet Baby Zo Zo. So my presence on the interweb will probably decline. Don't worry though, I promise to share all the good stuff!

Speaking of overshares, I struggled with if I was going to write about this or not. It's very personal. I mean, it's about my vagina for christ sake, but I decided to anyhow. My reason? I know a lot of other twenty-something moms read this. I'm a firm believer of just because I'm a mom, doesn't mean I have to be boring. Obviously my energy level has decreased, and I'm forced to be a responsible adult (lame), but I'm still that 'mosh-pitting, drinking too much craft beer, dancing machine' girl I've always been. Just like once a month. Ha! We'll I'm rambling. And I have something all my fellow young mama's should try. Ben wa balls :)

If you've read 50 Shades (of don't give a fuck), you're probably familiar with them, but for those who aren't ben wa balls are vagina weights aka kegal balls. I've been extremely self conscious about my post baby body. That includes my britney (vagina). So I did what I always do, google. Read up on different types and made a trip to my local Ambiance and did a little shopping. There are two types: stainless steel and silicone. It's 100% personal preference. I decided to go with the silicone, because I wasn't too crazy about the idea of the balls being chilly and because I thought the silicone would be easier to grab out of there. There is also the option of ones with a string attached. It weirded me out because it reminded me of a tampon, plus I like a challenge. Other things to consider, be sure to make sure your balls are seamless to prevent possible scratches and infections. Also, the smaller the ball, the more of a workout.

I decided to go with the purple Maia silicone kegal balls. I was like a kid, running home to play with my new toy. I ripped off the packaging, opened it up and shoved it right on up there. So seriously. It made me feel fun and flirty and adventurous. A way I hadn't felt in a really long time.

You get your workout by actively working to keep the balls in your vagina. So the smaller ones are going to be more work. It's also gives you a quite enjoyable sensation while in. Ben wa balls aren't just all business though. They are for play too! Solo play or play with a friend. I wasn't too crazy about having them in while doing a little bit of self love. It didn't do anything special for the whole experience. Using them with a friend is simply fantastic. FANTASTIC! He wasn't aware of their presence in the bedroom, but I most certainly was! Next time I'll be sure to mention it. Just to see if there is any difference for him. Downside to using them during sex, you might have to wait a bit for them to find their way out. I would say that might be the only con the ben wa balls is occasionally they get out of reach. They always come out, don't worry.

An all around great purchase. I'm totally happy. My new, strengthened britney is a big hit. I love the discreteness too. I can use them while cleaning, at work, at the grocery store (lets hope they don't fall out. . . again). Next time you see me, I may even be using them. Who knows?

Words I Never Thoughts I Would Say

Happy New Years! I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season, but now it's time to take 2014 and make it your bitch! I have plenty of resolutions, but it's not quite time to share them with the world yet. Just know, big things are in the work for Autumn this year.

For now, I want to discuss one of my favorite things in the world, CHRISTMAS ALE! I could talk about how amazing Christmas ale is, or how I want to bathe in it, but instead, I'm going to tell you how I'm over it! Right? How is that even possible? I'll tell you how. In the past, you were lucky to find a six pack of Christmas ale on Christmas. Now, it's mid January, and the sheves are still full. What makes Christmas ale so special is the exclusivity of it. You know it's for limited time. In January I want to go to the bar and be pleasently surprised that they still have it on tap. I really think Great Lakes Brewery is doing theirselves a disservice by having made so much. So let the record state, I'm finished with Christmas ale for the season. Now I'm patiently awaiting the arrival of Conway's Irish Ale!

Conway's Irish Ale is my 4th favorite beer (I'll post an updated list soon). It's an amazing red ale perfect for this lost time between New Years and summer. I've had plenty of great nights drunk off my ass on Conway's, including the night my daughter was concieved (time to get on birth control. I'm not joking). It's already on draft at the brewpub, but I've yet to see it in stores yet. I've got my eyes peeled, though. It's probably hiding behind all that goddamn Christmas ale left.

Milking It

Sweet Baby Zo Zo lurvvvvvvvvvvvvs food. She dances when she eats and loves everything. You can tell by how she's 11 months wearing a 2T. Yeah, she's a big mama. Not chubby, but she looks like she's a lot older than she actually is.

Because of my breastfeeding woes (my supply dropped because of work), I wanted her to take as much milk as possible. She didn't start baby food until she was 5 months and didn't stop breastfeeding until she was 7 months. Zo Zo started table food shortly after at 9 months. At 11 months, her father and I decided it was time to introduce whole milk.

Milk was something I was really torn about. I grew up on whole milk, papa grew up on whole milk. Our parents, sisters, niece and nephew all grew up on whole milk, but why? The FDA and pretty much everyone else on the earth says whole cows milk, but why? Have you ever thought about the fact that humans are the only species that drinks other animal's milk? When a fawn is finished nursing from its mother, it doesn't trot on over to Giant Eagle (or Giant Deer, lol. Not that funny) and pick up a gallon of cows milk. The now, adult deer, is just finished with milk. The nutrients that they once got from mama are made up with the increase consumption of food. My point? BABIES DON'T NEED COWS MILK. Cows milk is recommended because it's easily available to the masses. No other reason.

This got me thinking of other alternatives. The most likely, of course are soy and almond milk, but there is also goat and hemp milk. Goat's milk is most similar to human breast milk, and was my number one choice. It comes in a powder and liquid, but both are pretty pricey and can only be found at health food store. Then hemp milk. It's packed full of protien and is by far the most nutritious choice, but again, not readily available. I've only been able to find it online. After consideration of budget and access, we decided to go with a whole cow's and almond milk combo. Right? After all that I went with cow's milk anyhow, but the almond milk makes it more appetizing to Sweet Baby Zo Zo and keeps her full longer. If you have any other milk questions, check out this article from The Ecologist. It tells you even more milk alternatives. This is a great resource not only for baby, but for a health conscious adult also. http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/food_and_drink/847876/top_10alternatives_to_cows_milk.html

Like I said earlier, Sweet Baby Zo Zo loves food and I love making it for her. I've always made her own food. Besides the occasional Popeye's biscuit (I know, so bad, but who doesn't love Popeye's biscuits?) and anything her aunts and grandparents might have snuck and gave to her (We have a don't ask, don't tell policy), Zoe has only had homemade food. I got a great deal on a Baby Chef baby food maker from Buy Buy Baby. It's fantastic! It steams, purées and warms all in one. Here are a few food/spice combanations that are Sweet Baby Zo Zo approved:

Green beans/mint

Spinach/garlic

Acorn squash/sage

Sweet potatoes/nutmeg

Apples/cinnamon 

Brown rice/chicken broth

Carrots/thyme

White potato/chives/cheese

All of these can be made with water or milk (breast, formula or whatever kind you use). I would hold out on adding extra liquid to any of the green vegetables. They're full of so much natural water, once they're puréed they don't need it. Mama's baby food specialty and Sweet Baby Zo Zo's favorite, is a cheesy egg bake.

2 egg yolks

1/8 tsp of fresh, minced garlic

1/8 tsp of milk (your choice)

1/2 tsp chives

1/2 tbs sheredded cheddar

Coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375. Rub a oven safe ramekin with coconut oil to prevent sticking (I'm obsessed with coconut oil). Add the garlic to the bottom of the ramekin and evenly distribute. Add the egg yolks and top with chives and cheese. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 min. Voila! That's it. It's have your kid breaking out the high chair dance moves.

Fatten up those little nuggets and kiss those adorable chubby cheeks. Bon appetit, little babies!

Christmas Ale, Non Animated Movie, Kinky Sex Time: Sleep Training Your Baby

I love babies! A lot. I openly talk about doing another 9 months of damage to my body, mind and relationship all the time. A new baby isn't in the plan for me in the immediate future (an accident is out of my control though :D), but I know tons of people who are expecting, thinking about children or have newborns.

THE MOST IMPORTANT, SMARTEST, AND BEST DECISION YOU CAN MAKE AS A NEW PARENT!!! 

Yes, it's that important where it needs all caps. Getting your baby on a sleep schedule. As a new parent, you have to accept the fact that you're not going to be getting nearly as much sleep as you were use to pre pregnancy (I stopped sleeping at around 5 months), but if you want to have energy to do daily tasks, like showering and brushing your teeth and feeding yourself, try to do this as soon as possible.

1) Stock up on coffee, red bull, whatever you need, and force yourself to stay up so you can make sure you're little angel is not sleeping all day and partying all night. It's so easy to want to close you're eyes for "just a second", but don't! The payoff is worth staying awake for 48 hours straight (you'll get some sleep, don't worry).

2) Choose when naptime works best for you. Sweet Baby Zo Zo gets 2 naps a day. Once around 11am and 3. 11 is when I get my workout in and 3 is when I usually take a nap with her.

3) Wear her out when she's awake. Play hard, sleep harder. Dance, tickle, crawl, jump. Don't have your kid sit and watch Disney Junior all day. Movies and television don't burn hardly any energy.

4) Decide what time you would like your child to go to sleep. I'm always nervous with anything before 7:30pm. Fear of a well rested child waking up at 3am is my nightmare. Whether the baby is sleepy at that the time the first few nights isn't important. Set up a routine that the baby knows that after dinner, bath and story come bed. Sometimes Sweet Baby Zo Zo won't go down right away. I usually put a few toys in her crib and she plays until she falls asleep on her own.

5) Never let your baby oversleep. Or if you do, be sure to adjust. If she takes a long morning nap, she just gets one nap that day and will probably go to bed a little earlier. Or if the afternoon nap stretches a little late, I'm ready to have her up until 10. This goes for the morning as well. Pick the wake up time and make sure to stay close to that. Otherwise, your whole day will be pushed back.

6) Learn your baby's sleepy ques. Things they do to show they're tired. Sweet Baby Zo Zo will rub her eyes, get fussy for no other reason and want a big bottle right before bed.

Here's how a typical day goes for her:

8:00-9:30 Wake up

9:30 Breakfast

9:45-11 Playtime/Movie

11-1 Nap

1 Lunch

1:30 Story/Playtime

3-4 Nap

4-6:30 Family Time

6:30 Dinner

7-8:30 Bedtime

8:30-Until GROWN UP TIME

Don't follow our schedule hour for hour. This is more of a guideline. Life is always changing when you have a baby, so sticking to this on the daily basis is damn near impossible. Plus, figure out what works for your family. I promise though, if you follow these tips diligently for a week straight, your baby will go from a nocturnal demon spawn to the precious sleeping angel you prayed for.

The perks of having grown up time are endless. That is your pocket of time to feel as much like your old self as possible. For me, it's Christmas ale, non animated movie and kinky sex time. For you, you may read or knit or play sudoku. Your life has changed so much so quickly. Don't feel bad for missing you. Don't feel bad for longing for a drink or wanting to dress up in leather for your man or playing so much Grand Theft Auto V that you want to walk out your apartment and randomly start shooting people (don't)

Remember, parenting is as hard as you allow it to be. It's all about putting in the time and work.

5 Things Happening in Music this Week that Don't Involve Kanye West

Kanye "crazy pants" West has taken over the internet, and frankly, I'm over it. Don't get me wrong. I am a Kanye fan, or was. I haven't quite decided yet. He is obviously a really intelligent man, but SUCH AN ASSHOLE! To the point where I've kind of washed my hands of it. So if you're looking for a breath of fresh air in this Kanye cloud, here are 5 things happening in music this week not involving Kanye West.

1) The 20th anniversary of Doggy Style. The classic album that came out November 23, 1993 (feel old yet?), shaped the career of iconic rapper. I don't know if he's going by Snoop Dogg or Lion or Dragon or whatever now a days, he's an interview worth checking out. Snoop and my boo, Kendrick Lamar discussing the impact that the album has had on their lives. 

http://theboombox.com/snoop-dogg-kendrick-lamar-doggystyle-20th-anniversary/

2) Britney Spears has her new album, Britney Jean streaming for free on iTunes this week. Instead of releasing the album to greedily collect that thanksgiving weekend money, she's giving us the best gift of her awesome pop music all up in your ears. Don't forget to purchase it December 3rd!

http://tw.itunes.com/Jns

3) Where there is tragedy, there is a benefit album. Songs for the Philippines, now available to purchase and stream on iTunes with proceeds going to the Red Cross. 39 tracks of everyone you could imagine. The Beatles to Enimen to Lily Allen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Earth, Wind and Fire, just to name a few. This album truly has something on it for everyone.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/songs-for-the-philippines/id764022051

4) The UN names Macklemore an "Equality Campion". Now I'm not a big Macklemore fan. I have not listened to his album, but all his singles are so god awful to me I don't really have an interest in checking it out, but to be named anything by the UN is a big deal, and because it's such a good cause, it's definitely worth mentioning. So you go, Glen Coco! Kudos to you, Macklemore!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/11/26/macklemore-ryan-lewis-named-united-nations-free-equal-campaign-equality-champions/3747713/

5) All things Dave Grohl! My dirty man crush is on top of the world this week. Presenting the best alternative rock artist award with Joan Jett at the AMA's, also an AMA performance with the Zac Brown Band as well as their collaborative release of the Grohl Session Vol 1 on iTunes December 10th. Even better, he announced the the Foo Fighters will be back in the studio before theyear's end. Pretty exciting!

http://m.rollingstone.com/music/news/zac-brown-band-and-dave-grohl-to-release-songs-in-december-20131126

And the music this week bonus? All the Christmas music flooding our airwaves! If you're in the Cleveland area, and are looking to get your holiday cheer on, the following stations will be playing Christmas music now until the 24th.

- 107.7

- Mix 94.1

- 102.1

- 95.5

- 105.7

And I promised I would shout out my fiance's favorite Holiday album. A Dipset X-Mas.

Chicken Biscuit Casserole

Happy Autumn! I know it's not technically  not until Sunday, but you sure could have fooled me with this horrible, cold weather we're having in northeast Ohio. 72 is actually not that bad, but the change in weather already has me with a cold. The fact that I'm working 3rd shift 3 days in a row isn't helping either. I'm all the way feeling like crap, but I've got a nice, warm, fall recipe to share.

I first made this a few weeks ago. Fiancé love it so much, he had me make it 2 days in a row. That's how you know a dish is a winner. The simplicity of it also gets a thumbs up. You just need a few ingredients.

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into cubes

1 cup green beans

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cans biscuit

Olive oil

Butter

1 cup cold water

In a skillet, sauté chicken in a drop of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Add minced garlic to pan. Cook until garlic is golden brown.

Place chicken broth in pot on medium heat. Mix flour with a cup of cold water. Whisk with fork and add to broth. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened. Add chicken and garlic mix to sauce.

Place your carrots and potatoes in a pot of boiling water. Cook until tender. Steam green beans until tender. Drain all vegetables and add to sauce.

Pour chicken/vegetable mix in a glass baking dish. You want something about 2 inches deep. Top with biscuits and bake in oven according to biscuit directions (about 20 min).

Take stick of butter and rub the top of the biscuits. Bake another 5 min or until golden brown.

Scoop out on a plate and stuff your face with this delicious, fall, quick and easy comfort food dish. This is something that will warm your bones for sure.

Soul Mates

Last Labor Day, the love of my life made me the happiest woman in the world and asked for my hand in marriage. Oh, shit! The skinny, black guy with glow in the dark sneakers from my High School English class and I are going to get married!

I was engaged once before when I was 21. He was a nice enough fellow. I remember, after we got engaged, I asked my mother how you know someone is "the one". She told me that "you just know it" bullshit and I left it alone. The thought of soulmates was silly to me. That out of all the people on the planet, only one was "the one". I always that there are too many people in the world that I could contently spend the rest of my life with. My ex being one of them. That obviously didn't work out, though.

John and I had been friends since 2005. We always kind of had crushes on each other, but are timing was always off. What's the perfect guy if it's not the perfect time, right? We'll we finally got together and I felt that feeling. "The one".

Our relationship has been far from perfect. We went through an on again, off again phase. I'm pretty sure I tried to smash a glass over his head at one point (we joke about it now), but one day we just clicked. Like we were finally in sync. We realized that at the end of the day, we are creepily perfect for each other and immediately started looking at wedding rings.

Shortly after, I found out I was pregnant. We thought about having a shotgun wedding, but wanted our day to be about us, and not the fact that I was knocked up. Trashy.

We'll be getting married this upcoming June. We're eloping to the Netherlands and having a great, big, Tyler Perry style reception when we get home.

I can't wait to marry my anime loving, comic book geek, bucket hat wearing, dorky dance move having, skinny, chocolate drop best friend. September 3rd, 2012 was one of the happiest days of my life.

Pork Steaks

Since we moved, my family's been on a real farmer's market kick lately. We've been going at least twice a week picking up red and yellow watermelon, pork rinds (we're so coon. We can't help it), grapes, strawberries and fresh veggies to make Sweet Baby Zo Zo's baby food. We've been frequenting Farmer Jones Market mainly, but decided to try the Miles Farmer's Market (http://www.milesfarmersmarket.com) the other day. They happened to have pork steaks bogo so they definitely came home with us (I only buy meat on sale).

I've never had a pork steak. Not that I know of. I honestly am not sure exactly what a pork steak is, but boy was it yummy. I used a recipe I found on foodgawker as inspiration and made it my own. It was a fiancé approved meal and fairly simple so I decided to share it.

Pork Steak with Marinara and Peach Pecan Chutney

2 pounds of pork steaks

4 carrots peeled and cut into chunks

One small onion

4 potatoes

1/4 cup chicken broth

8 oz can of finely diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups maple syrup

One jar of peach pecan chutney (or peach preserves)

One cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons garlic, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

First I mixed the Worcestershire, half the garlic, salt and pepper together in a bowl. I let the pork steaks marinate for 2 days (I was too busy and didn't get around to cooking them. You most certainly don't have to wait 2 days)

Slice up the onion and remaining garlic. Sautéed until carmalized. Remove from pan. Cook pork steaks in pan until about halfway done.

While steaks are cooking, add diced tomatoes, maple syrup, chicken broth, chutney, and garlic/onion mix to a pot. Stir and let simmer.

Cut up carrots and potatoes (I left the skin on my potatoes, but you can peel them). Add to boiling pot of water until tender. Drain and add to sauce. Add pork steaks to sauce and let simmer until pork is thoroughly cooked.

Yum! Yum! Yum! The chutney gave this dish a little kick, which I loved. And so did fiancé. And so did my dog who enjoyed our bones.

The Woes of Weening

I completely stopped breastfeeding about 2 weeks ago. I didn't want to. Sweet Baby Zo Zo just got so bad with her teeth. This is also coming from someone who had their nipples pierced. You don't know pain, until you experience a baby chopping down on your boobs. Ahhhhhh! I just grabbed my tit thinking about it. She thought it was funny too.

Breastfeeding is exhausting. It's so demanding. We never really gave her pacifiers, but who needs that when you have a boob? I was her pacifier and her bottle and her teething toy all in one. I was the only one who could really feed her at night. Yeah, we supplemented her since she was born, but if I was home, I fed her. Breast is best!

You could say I kind of disliked breastfeeding, but I miss it so much I want to cry. I have to fight back tears on the daily basis. As much as I loathed it, it was nice that she needed me. I miss her nuzzling her head in my chest. I miss her freaking out when she would see me without a shirt after a shower. I miss looking into those big, round eyes while I held her close. Breastfeeding is the most intimate thing a mother and child ever get to do. And now it's over.

My next child, I plan to do it longer. I want to be one of those weirdo people that breastfeed their 2 year old. It's honestly not that weird. Humans are the only species that takes another animals milk. And who decided cows milk was best? Our milk is nothing like cows. If anything, a goat is the closest to us. That's not really the point though.

I'm glad I was at least able to breastfeed her for the time I did. We struggled with it at first, but we got our shit together and had 7 wonderful months of mother/daughter bonding time.

P.S. I don't miss my boobs squirting milk during sex. The worst!

Cloth Diapering For Apartments

I always knew I would cloth diaper my child. The thought of diapers never breaking down freak me out. The average child goes through almost 4,000 diapers before being potty trained. That's horrifying! Especially at the number of people I know that have had children in 2013 alone. Fiancé and I took a great cloth diapering class at The Breastfeeding Center in Massilon. (They also have a great breastfeeding class and mom's groups www.thebreastfeedingcenter.com)

Now, I'm not going to lie, I can't say baby has never used disposable diapers. She did the first few weeks after she was born. I didn't want to use the cloth diapers while she was still passing meconium and we got a box of newborn diapers from fiance's grandfather. Also, after we moved. They were packed up and I had no clue where. Other than that, baby's got a carbon footprint as small as her own adorable little foot.

If you're not familiar with the process of washing cloth diapers, you do a cold wash, a hot wash, and then dry. You also have to be aware of the detergent you use on your diapers. Some detergents leave residue that causes leaking. Pinstripes and Polka Dots has a great chart with helping you choose a detergent (www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices). We used Babyganics liquid detergent for the first few months. It worked great! We recently decided to switch to All free and Clear. It's nice because we can use it on the laundry for the whole house. It does a nice job, but once the bottle I have is all finished, I'm going to give Nellie's all natural laundry nuggets a try. We sell it at my job and I prefer to use the natural detergent anyhow. 

Cloth diapering in an apartment building is a little bit challaging, but doable. My building charges $1.75 per wash and $1.50 to dry. That's $5 to do one load of cloth diapers. It can add up. You have 3 options.

1) Hand wash the cold load in your tub. I did this the first few months while I was on maternity leave. It helped save us a little bit of money until I went back to work. Just scrub out the poop (it may sound gross, but if you have kids, you end up covered in poop and other gross things on the reg), pour the detergent in the tub and fill up. Use a plunger to help swish the diapers around. Let them sit about 45 minutes, then ring them out, take them down to your laundry room, run a hot wash and then dry. Of course you could do both hot and cold loads by hand, but its hard to wring out the diapers when they've been soaking in hot water. This option is best for younger, breastfed babies. The texture of the poop is a lot easier to clean up. I wouldn't really want to hand wash them now that she's taking formula 50% of the time and eating baby food. The poops are a bit more real now.

2) Your second option, is to just fork out that $5 a load. It's not that much, especially seeing as you don't have to spend money on diapers regularly. This is the method that will save you the most time, and as new parents, there's never enough time as it is.

3) The last, and most economical method of cloth diapering in an apartment would be to just do them at your parents house. I know it sounds so moochy, but if your child's grandparents are anything like ours, they want to see her every chance they get. So, you get grandparent time out of the way, you're washing for free, and you have some help with the baby so you can actually get things done. THREE birds, one stone.

You can also line dry the diapers if you have the outdoor space. Save more money, good for the environment and the sun helps remove stains.

Every few months you should also strip your diapers. This can be done by hand washing them with some dawn soap. It'll help remove buildup from your diapers.

Yes, cloth diapering is more work, but it's totally worth it. And children who are cloth diapered end up potty trained an average of 9 months earlier than children who use disposable diapers. It's because with the cloth diapers, you can feel the wetness.

I absolutely love cloth diapering my daughter. Once you figure out your laundring system, it's a breeze. Disposable diapers are honestly not more convenient. They don't leak less. Cloth diapers don't get that weird smell when they're full like disposables do. If you're the type of mom that likes to step outside of the box, give cloth diapering a shot. You'll be surprised at how much you love it.

Bitch, I'm From Cleveland (But Akron's Better)

As we say good by to Akron, Ohio and take our talents back to Cleveland, my emotions are all over the place. That's right, we're moving back to Cleveland and I'm sad, nervous and excited. When I first moved out to Akron, me and my ex had just broke up and I didn't have a car or a place to stay. I was bumming it with some guy who didn't want to even be my boyfriend. We were friends, but that experience brought us closer together. Then we got our own place with our best friend. And then we got pregnant, engaged, became a family all out in Akron. We went through our rough patches. At one point I never thought we'd be together, but we made it. We survived the darkest days and now we're happier than ever. 

4 years ago, I would have never believed that Akron would be my absolute favorite place to live. I've bounced all over north east Ohio, and have never felt more home as I do in Akron. It's so laid back AND CLEAN! You would never know it if you're not from here, but they clean the streets regularly and there is so much green space for such a low price. Everything in Cleveland is so developed. When it comes time to settle down and buy a house, I will most definitely be buying in Akron. Sorry, Cleveland. You are temporary.

However, I want to look at it as a new start and I should make the most out of it and this time in our lives. So I'm going to make a summer bucket list. The I want to accomplish over this summer.

1) To grocery shop and meal plan for the week. The whole point of moving to Cleveland is to save money. So I've gotta milk this time for every penny it's worth. I want to start couponing and buying things on sale and meal planning for the week based on my work schedule. I want it so Fiancé will only have to eat fast food when he's craving Popeyes (he craves Popeyes a lot and there's one close to where we are moving). I also want to start buying more organic. I know, you're like, "whaaaaaaa? That's going to be more expensive." Yes, but I'm going to give the tips from this article about eating  organically on a budget

2) I'd like to enjoy the local music scene more. There is something about hearing music live that makes you feel like a brand new person. Anything from rock to rap to jazz, I just want to experience it all. It doesn't even have to be someone I know. New music is always the best. This is something fiancé and I have been talking about getting more into for the longest. We've gone to a few shows together and always have a blast!.

3) Sewing my own clothes. I said this was something I was going to start doing, but haven't really gotten around to it. I wanted to see if I could go the whole summer without spending any money on clothes and that I would just make everything (besides thrift stores). I have not bought anything yet, but I also have not sewn anything either. Step one with this plan is to get my craft area up and running. The actual sewing wont be too hard. Especially seeing as I wear all of my clothes loose and flowing. It's the inner hippie in me.

4) Take Sweet Baby Zo Zo more places. I try to get her out of the house as much as possible, especially now that it's TRYING to get warm outside (80 degrees today, 70 tomorrow. Make up your mind, Ohio. Is it spring or summer?) I just want to make sure I do it more regularly. Whether it's the park, zoo, museum or just over to her great grandmother's house to hang out for a bit, baby girl needs to see the world.

5) Saving up some wedding money. Yes, fiancé and I have officially set a date. June 20th, 2014! There will be a lot more details and how to's to follow up on, but right now it's kind of on the hush, but I will tell you it'll be a combination of Jumpping the Broom, Welcome Home, Rosco Jenkins, and lots of old school/southern charm (we're having shrimp and grits)

There are lots of other things I plan on getting my hand into this summer, but I nice short list is realistic for my life right now. We picked up our keys yesterday. The landlord hugged me and told me "welcome to the family". I think this is a sign of good things to come. Now, to get start packing. . .

Grill-a-holics Anonymous: Grilled Chicken Parmesan

Two Christmases ago, I bought fiancé a grill. I got a great deal at Home Depot on a Stok Tower grill (http://www.stokgrills.com/grills/tower.php). It's actually a really nice grill with a ton of inserts. He loves it! He used it a ton that winter and summer until one of our asshole neighbors stole it! Someone said they saw the guy who took it and we ended up finding him. He said he thought it was trash. Really? You thought someone's grill on their patio was trash? Well the douche broke the handle off while taking it and that was the end of grill season. . . Until now. We finally ordered the replacement handle ($9.70 for the part $12 for shipping). Just in time for the summer!

The kick off recipe? Grilled chicken parm. Simple, delicious and filling. This is definetly one we'll be trying again soon.

Grilled Chicken Parmesan

6 boneless chicken breasts

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbs basil

1 tbs oregano

1 1/2 tbs Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper as desired

Fresh minced garlic as desired*

8 oz of marinara

2 cups shredded Italian cheese

*I am saying garlic as desired because if people actually knew how much garlic I cook with, they'd be a little bit disgusted. I LOVE garlic! If you're not as crazy as I am, I'd suggest only 1 tbs. If you're about that garlic life, I used 3 tbs.

1) get your grill nice and hot. About 400 degrees

2) mix olive oil, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Brush over chicken and let marinate until the grill is ready

3) grill chicken 15-20 min each side

4) spoon warm marinara sauce on top

5) sprinkle with cheese and cover grill

6) cook until cheese is melted

7) serve over pasta, rice, veggies or garlic mashed potatoes

MmmmmmMmmmmMmmmm. Serve it up! Great for summer if you want to step outside of the "hot dog, hamburger, ribs" box. Hope you enjoy making this one as much as I did. Hope you enjoy eating it even more!

19 Hours of Labor Later. . .

The pressures of being a working mom are definitely tough. Working 40 hours a week, staying up all night with the baby, cooking, cleaning and having quality time for the fiancé. Phewwww! Don't even ask about how the wedding planning is going. It's not. That is low on the totem pole at the moment.

Is motherhood everything I thought it would be? It's better. After a 19 hour delivery (watched The Muppets Movie twice and Terminator 2), my sweet baby Zo Zo was born. 7 lbs, 6 oz, 20 3/4 inches long. It was an amazing experience.

I tried to have a natural birth. I made it 2 hours after my water broke. I was only one centimeter. What a pussy! That epidural made the next few hours a lot better. I was able to do my hair and make up before I actually started pushing. My body after birth? I won't lie, it was a fucking wreck. Being pregnant and huge sucked, but even worse was not being pregnant and huge. I was mildly horrified when I didn't automatically slim back down. I still looked 4 months pregnant. And I won't even talk about my poor lady bits. It was horrible. I started to get depressed about it. I wasn't interested in sex. I hated my body and there was no way humanly possibly I could have felt sexy if I tried. Then, everything just snapped back into place. I lost the rest of my weight. I started to look in the mirror and smile again. My butt even went from pancake to perky again! And I've only counted one stretch mark.

Sweet baby Zo Zo is an amazing child. She's definitely a smile whore. Having a bad day? All you have to do is say hi to her, and she'll flash you a huge grin. Her favorite songs are Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Her favorite show is Sophia the First. She loves basketball. Her favorite team is Golden State (she has a crush on Steph Curry. Don't tell her dad). Her favorite story is The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Her favorite toy is by far is her swing. She spends hours in that thing.

The hardest thing about motherhood is figuring out yourself. New mom Autumn is a completely different person. I dress more conservatively, I'm a home body and a super light weight. My brain is having a hard time realizing that I can't drink like I use to. My issue when I've been out is that I end up getting too drunk too quickly and fall asleep by 11. I've only had the opportunity to drink less than a hand full of times since I've had the baby. It's hard with her always around, plus I'm breast feeding.

As much as I went through mentally and physically with pregnancy and birth, I'd love another child. Maybe in like three years. The hard part will be convincing fiancé. He's not about that life.

For all the moms out there, I'm planning on having a Thirty One purse party. Thirty One is the absolute best in cute, giant, mom bags. So let me know if you're interested.

I'm trying to get back into blogging on a semi regular basis so be on the look out. I have lots of grill recipes I want to write about, baby product reviews and I plan on working on more craft projects now that it's trying to get warm. So make sure you come on back soon!

Top 10 Worst Things About My Pregnancy

Today is my due date. There is also no sign of me going into labor anytime soon. I've drank raspberry tea everyday for 2 months, I expressed (milked my boobs), I've eaten pineapple, I've had sex, spicy food is a daily thing with me, I've walked and I will puke if I ever SEE castor oil again. At this point I'm done trying. I've become a pregnant rebel without a cause. Drinking coffee and eating whatever I want. Such a badass I am.

I was hoping she came before the new year, because let's face it, I wanted that tax credit, but it doesn't look like it'll happen, and I'm fine with that too. My doctor won't induce me until 41 weeks, so at most have another week of not being able to put on my socks.

Pregnancy wasn't always bad. After I got over the ruptured cyst I had on my ovary, it went smooth for awhile. No morning sickness, I kept my weight down. My body kept the crazy down for awhile, but once that third trimester hit, everything went to hell. It was so bad, fiancé (oh, I don't know if I've ever written about my engagement. I'll do that soon) and I don't even want another kid. I think once we meet our little princess, it'll change our minds.

I do want to share with you the top 10 worst things about my pregnancy, so here we go!

1) Gaining 20 pounds in 2 weeks.

When I gained weight, I GAINED WEIGHT. It literally felt like it was over night. It was horrible!!!! I was so proud of keeping my weight down the first and second trimester, but that third, it was like a fat plague. At my first doctors appointment I was 117. I am now 165. The heaviest I have been in my whole life. I mentally wasn't ready to gain so much weight so quickly.

2) Dark skin.

This is just a problem for ethnic woman so you white chicks are lucky. It starts with the line going up your belly. The line is cute, but then, next thing you know, your boobs are black! Not exaggerating either. They become a completely different shade from the rest of your body. It's so unattractive! Apparently it goes back after you give birth, but lets face it, nothing is going to be exactly the same as it was before.

3) "Oh, my hips!"

This is a phrase I say way too often as a 24 year old woman. You would think I was 78. Between standing at work and only being able to sleep on my sides, the damn things are always sore. Not only can I only sleep on my sides, but I can only sleep on my sides accompanied by all that extra weight. So I'll lay on one side until it starts hurting, and then switch to the other. . . Which leads me to my next point.

4) Lack of Sleep

A good night's sleep is better than good sex, but during pregnancy both of those kind of stop. I wake up every night between 2:30 and 4 am and stay awake for about 3 hours. Every night without fail. When people tell me to "get as much sleep now because when the baby comes you won't get any" I want to punch them in the face. Trust me, if I could sleep, I would.

5) Not Being Able To See or Do Anything Below Your Belly

The hardest and first thing I noticed was the fact that I couldn't see my vagina. One day I just looked down and realized I couldn't see my lady bits over my round belly. You can try to shave down there without seeing it, and it can be done. It's just very difficult. You also can't see your feet. You probably won't want to seeing as they will be swollen and partnered up with their new pal, cankles, but your ability to put on socks, shoes and pants will become very limited. It's nice to have someone around who can help you out with that.

6) Sex

One of the most enjoyable things has now become the most awkward. It's fine until about 30 weeks, but the last end of your pregnancy, your body becomes so big, you don't feel sexy and basically every position is uncomfortable.

7) Pregnancy Brain

If you ask fiancé what's the worse thing about being pregnant, he'll for sure say pregnancy brain. I forget everything. If I don't write something down, I'll never remember it on my own. From paying bills to why I went to the store. I once forgot how old I was. I had to get a calculator to figure it out.

8) Braxton Fucking Hicks

That asshole, who every he is, and his fake contractions. Why does your body need fake contractions? And why do they hurt sooooooooo bad?

9) "Are you okay?"

If one more person asks me that I'm going to snap! This is really an end of pregnancy thing. Once you're close to your due date you can't even fart without someone thinking something is wrong with you. If I'm not okay, I'll let someone know.

10) Lack of a Social Life

Pre pregnancy I was a social butterfly. Although a lot of it was me going out drinking, I had a life. Since I became pregnant, I only talk to fiancé, family or other pregnant people. I barely talk to my friends. I can count on one hand how many times I've seen them all combined. I've come to the conclusion that I'm only fun when I can drink, which won't be much anymore with a baby, a fiancé and a full time job. I just miss being active. I guess my future consists of mom's groups and family time. . . I'm okay with that.

It's almost over, so it can't get much worse. Is all the heartache and pain worth it? Ask me after Zoe is born.

Apple BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Hello!!!! Hope everyone's been fantastic. Sorry my absence has been so long. 26 weeks of pregnancy plus a full time job really zap you of any extra energy you have, but I've been off the past 3 days and FIANCÉ (yes, I'm now pregnant and engaged) has been getting lots of good eats and I should at least share one with you guys.

This recipe is super easy and one any carnivore and/or fiancé and/or future baby daddy will love.

Things you'll need:

3 chicken breast
6 strips of bacon
3 apples (I did a combo of granny smith and red delicious. It really doesn't matter though)
BBQ sauce (We only use the Neely's BBQ sauce in our house, but again, it doesn't matter)
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

5 ingredients! All fairly common and all things you probably have in your home. This recipe definitely wins points for convenience.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Once preheated, bake your bacon for 7 min. While that's cooking, season your chicken.

After the 7 min, let your bacon cool. At this time, you should start peeling and chopping your apples. You can use a food processor, grater or your own handy work with a knife to achieve the chopped apples. I used my blender to get the desired results.

Wrap the chicken breast in 2 strips of bacon. You can use more bacon if you like, because lets face it, you can never have too much bacon.

Top with the apples and pour on the BBQ sauce. I like my food saucy so I used about 1 1/2 cups.

Bake on 400 degrees for 30 min and BAM! That's it! I served it with mashed yams and green beans. It was delicious dinner and great breakfast for John when I slept in the next day.

A super easy recipe that will give you a foodgasm all over the place (messy!)

22 and a Half Weeks

So I'm past the half way point of pregnancy and so excited to meet my baby girl, Zoe Mackenzie. Before, I just felt a little bloated, but now it's starting to feel real. I'm up to 136 pounds, my belly bump is in full effect. I even wear maternity pants! All that and she's pretty active in there. I can't wait for John to be able to feel her little kicks.

I'm going to be a mother. The thought is pretty scary, but I've never been more excited for anything in my entire life. My routine is even starting to get pretty "mom-ish". After working 40 hours a week and tending to the house, I'm ready for bed by 9. After she's here, I don't see myself having the energy to do anything besides cook, clean, work and spend time with my family.

I haven't gained too much weight, but I am starting to be concerned with this latest jump. 126 to 136 in 2 and a half weeks? Everyone says I'm overreacting, but I know it's due to the massive amount of Chick-fil-a and ramen I've been eating. I was hoping to stay under 140 the whole pregnancy, but I have to accept that that's no longer going to happen. Adding mile and a half power walls (can't jog anymore. Too much moving around), squats and planks along with cutting out fast food will hopefully help maintain the weight for the rest of my pregnancy. I'm not one that believes in using my baby as an excuse to eat whatever I want and become a fat ass. Not only is it not good for me or the baby, all that weight gain is not sexy and will make getting my 21 year old body back more difficult (I'm going for 21. I looked better then than I ever had)

The stress is starting to get to me also. There's so many things I have to get in order before she comes. Four months is plenty of time, but I'm still feeling so overwhelmed. There's just not enough time in my day for my to do list. It all may be my natural coping mechanism of freaking out at big life changes, but the important thing to remember this time is it's not about me, it's about Zoe and once she's here, It'll be worth all the stress in the world.

All and all, I can say pregnancy has been good to me. No morning sickness, I have an awesome new rack, not too much added weight and I've never felt so loved, blessed and happy in my whole life. December 29th can't come soon enough.