transition is hard

We are going through yet another transition in our house. Last week, Brandon started a full-time job, which means Maggie is now in full-time daycare. As with most things, there are both benefits and drawbacks to this new chapter of our life.

It was sad to say goodbye to our friend who has watched Maggie three days per week since she was six months old. Grace was a trusted friend even before I left my only child with her. Having her care for Maggie was truly a blessing. Drop off and pick up was a time to chat for 5-10 minutes and catch up on small things in life.

In contrast, when I dropped off the paperwork for Maggie's new daycare last week I met the woman who oversees the infant room for the first time. As I walked to my car, I realized I had just met the woman I'd be sending my daughter to be with five days per week. My stomach knotted and tears flowed.

There would be no drop off chat about common friends or what was planned for the weekend. I cried that afternoon and tried not to dwell on the upcoming transition. But I had to be honest and reminded myself transition is hard.

Then I made a little list of the good this opportunity brings our whole family.

1. My husband gets to work not only closer, but within walking distance of our house!
2. Being around other children Maggie's age on a more regular basis will benefit her socially.
3. Her immune system is stronger than it was eight months ago when Grace started caring for her. 
4. Maggie has an easy-going and adaptive personality.
5. The daycare facility is only about a mile from our home.

Those five things don't guarantee I won't cry in the car after I drop Maggie off some mornings. Nor do they erase the mommy guilt that creeps in. But they are reminders of a God who provides.

Car time is on the decline(...hey, gas ain't cheap!)
Prior to this change, my husband's commute was previously 1-2 hours ONE way and I spent about 50 minutes in the car on my way to and from work.

We'll get more time together as a family. 
For more than 75% of our marriage, Brandon's worked hourly jobs with hours outside of 9am-5pm and finally we're  back to "regular" hours.

Opportunities to get better connected to our community.
By not spending time commuting longer distances, we'll be able to know more people in the who live nearby, along with meeting people through Maggie's daycare.

We've been hoping to get more connected with our community, spend more time together as a family and less time commuting for about two years!

potato "nachos"

It's probably been a year since I blogged a recipe. I love food and love finding and sharing good recipes almost as much. I am hoping to get back into the rhythm of blogging recipes a bit more frequently in the coming months!

For now, here's a recipe we've had a few times in the past month. I first got the idea from Andrea's Gwyneth Made Me Do It Instagram feed (BTW if you're looking for a great IG account to follow, I highly recommend it), but my method of cutting and cooking the potatoes is a bit different.

ingredients:
3-4 red potatoes OR 1 large sweet potato
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 fresh ear of corn on the cob
shredded cheese
salsa
plain yogurt or sour cream

directions:
Preheat oven to 400.
Slice potatoes into rounds (about 1/4-1/2" thick)
Drizzle less than a 1 tablespoon olive oil in cookie sheet and arrange potatoes on sheet
Bake for 15 min and flip potatoes, return to oven for another 15-20 min or until tender
While potatoes are cooking, place corn (husk and all) into microwave for 2 min (more details on this cooking method)
Once potatoes are done, divide among two plates (or however many portions you're cooking)
Top with black bean and cheese and heat in microwave for 1 min (or return to oven)
Continue to add toppings you like.

I've also made it with sweet potato and loved it! What keeps making its way on to your menu lately?

Maggie: 13 months

Our girl is past the one year mark and I feel like the learning process (for her) is really beginning. She's picking up on so many new things each day. It's both terrifying (what kind of dumb thing will I say that she tries to repeat) and hilarious (she doesn't need me for this part).

She's always loved exploring, but as she gets more and more mobile, her independence has introduced her to many new things. Maggie may not be walking, but she's getting around just fine. She loves to stand and hold on to the couch/her walker while "cruising."

Thirteen months of life means, I'm looking back on baby pictures of Maggie a year ago and saying things like "she was so small" or "look at those cheeks." Of course, I can still say such phrases with accuracy, but now I realize firsthand how much the human body can grow and develop in one year.

From her one year well visit we learned she gained 13lbs and 6oz and grew 9.75 inches on one year! I'm sure that's totally normal, but wow. Baby's growth amazes me (in case you couldn't tell).

A few things you might not be able to tell from her photos:

• Maggie loves music and has started to "sing" which basically means she says a string of ba-ba-ba to a little tune.
• She is downright silly. Maggie loves to do things to make us laugh/smile.

Lest you think she's an angel, turning one has meant she has a mind of her own...or so it seems. She's learned to say no, throw things on the floor and even had a mini tantrum. I know she's testing us, but it's been somewhat of a surprise that it's come so soon.

Likes

• Holding on to an object when she's tired (anything from a cucumber to a DVD box)
• Books...carrying them while crawling, holding them, bringing them to her parents, flipping the pages or pretty much anything besides quietly sitting while they are read to her!
• Blankets being thrown over her head. She giggles and then finds her way out. 
• Petting Milton (our dog) while standing
• Realizing she can make choices whether it's what food she does/doesn't want to eat or what book she likes best
• Hand gestures with songs...Itsy Bitsy Spider is her current favorite

Dislikes

• Any given food...some days it's meat and other days it's veggies. I think she may be rotating, but I haven't caught on to her rotation yet
• Laying down for her diaper changes...it's become a battle to keep her on the changing table

Seriously, being this girl's mama is so great!

Maggie's monthly updates:

1 month // 2 months // 3 months // 4 months // 5 months // 6 months // 7 months // 8 months // 9 months // 10 months // 11 months // 12 months

Now that's what I call a summer weekend

Happy start of the week! I'm just popping by to say a quick hello. Our together time this weekend was limited, but we made the most of  it. It was our first weekend this summer that we didn't have much planned or no one was sick, so it felt so relaxed and summer-like.

A few highlights included:

• our first cherry tomato from our garden
• a family dinner outing where Maggie ate nearly the entire children's plate we ordered for her
• a few new discoveries at Trader Joe's (the entire month of July went by without visiting that store)
• Brandon's last Sunday working at the Rescue Mission (he starts a new job next week)
• FaceTime dates for Maggie with her grandparents

And a few items of note:

August goals

It's time to share my monthly goals (raise your hand if you noticed there were no goals around the blog last month?). That means a recap of June's goals is in order.

1. Giveaway at least three bouquets of peonies from our yard. I did give away three peony bouquets to friends. We need to grow more flowers so we can give friends flowers all summer long!
2. Go on a date with my husband. 
3. Cutback on my bread consumption. We haven't bought bread in months, which has certainly helped me cutback, but I'm not down to eating it only once per week. 

My goals for the month of August are:

1. Spend a day at the beach as a family.
2. Get out my sewing machine and make something for someone else.
3. Have coffee/lunch with one of my girlfriends.

I'm linking up with Hayley and her monthly goals with grace. Do you have any monthly goals?