Submitted By You Saturdays: What Are You Grateful For?

Happy Saturday everyone! When I started this blog I intended on doing a weekly "I am grateful" list but that stopped posting just as quickly as I had started. Today I thought it would be nice to share what we are grateful/ thankful for. 

Here's what I am grateful for:

-Feeling creative and inspired a lot lately and having this blog as an outlet.

-Having a new dream and some great ideas to turn them into a reality.

-Feeling healthy and happy and now knowing how to STAY that way

-Having a healthy and happy child who smoothers me in hugs and kisses every day and makes me proud

Now its your turn! Leave a comment telling us

what you are grateful/ thankful for.

 If have a question that you'd like to be featured on Submitted By You Saturdays please submit it HERE. Have a great weekend!

Submitted By You Saturdays: Oh No HE Didn't!

Happy Saturday everyone! I'm stoked its the weekend because my man has been working crazy long hours and it will be nice to have him home to spend some time with our son and hopefully give me a chance to catch up on housework and the like. Let me clarify that I'm excited because ,it is in fact, only early Saturday. By Sunday afternoon I'll be muttering under my breath at him to go back to work because it definitely feels like I have two little people to clean up after on most days BUT when he is home all weekend we take it to a whole new level!

Now I'm not complaining about my man. I do love him. And I do appreciate how hard he works for our family. But there are times when I just want to bitch smack some sense in him!

For example:

-When he puts dirty laundry NEXT to the hamper or nowhere near it at all.

-When he takes his shoes off at the bottom of the stairs and leaves them there so when I walk downstairs carrying child I trip over them EVERY SINGLE TIME.

-When he pretends he isn't listening when I'm talking to him. Maybe he isn't even even pretending. I do think he has a special "turn off woman" button in his head that has been passed down to our son

-Every meal I cook he douses it with condiments like soy sauce and tobasco without even trying it first.

-Pretending to sleep through our son who wakes a hundred times a night and being a jerk to me when I ask for help because HE works full time and is tired...Ummm...yup. You read that right.

These things drive me crazy but I'm learning to live with them because nagging, hoping and praying probably aren't going to change him. But recently my man did something so awful that it had me yelling "OH NO HE DIDN'T!" and flying off the handle. What could possible be worse than the above mentioned?

Well I had just whipped up a batch of sweet potato chilli. Not the best dish but not the worst dish either. I'd been really struggling trying to cook gluten free and finding things that my family likes and was pleasantly surpised that my toddler loved it. I was heading out that night to get groceries and wasn't particularly hungry when my toddler was eating. So I left to go out thinking I'd grab dinner when I got home. I came home to find he had went into the kitchen and completely destroyed my dish. He had turned an entire pot of sweet potato chilli into minestrone soup (his definition-it wasn't!) because he thought he could make it better. The worst part was that he put a soup mix into it that was contamintaed with gluten so I couldn't even eat it. OH NO HE DIDN'T!

I flew off the handle and ended up eating toast with peanut butter for dinner while sobbing. He felt so bad he apologized, ended up eating his disgusting "soup" every night for a week straight and hasn't touched anything I've made since. Lesson learned perhaps? Here's hoping.

Today's questions:

*What habits does your man have that drive you crazy?

*What has your man done lately that had you saying "Oh No HE didn't?"

*Share any tips or advice you have on "training" your man or learning to deal with the things that drive you crazy when cohabitating.

Looking forward to hearing your two cents worth. If have a question that you'd like to be featured on Submitted By You Saturdays please submit it HERE. Have a great weekend!

Submitted By You Saturdays: Separation Anxiety & Binky Weaning

The weekend is here which means it is your turn to share your two cents worth here on Delicious Ambiguity. 

I recently received an email from a reader who was looking for advice for dealing with her twenty-five month old who is suffering separation issues. After recently weaning off the binky he has become stressed and very anxious in situations that involve other children or whenever his mom leaves the room (even if dad is there).

I have much of the same problem with my twenty-one month old son who follows me around the house all day long and gets hysterical whenever I leave the room or the house. He won't go to sleep anymore unless I hold his hand and refuses to let his dad put him to bed. Although we want to wean the binky as soon as possible I worry that taking his security net away while he is so clingy will just aggravate the issue and make him more stressed and anxious.

Today's Questions:

* How do you know when your child is ready to be weaned off the binky?

*Do you have any tips or advice on how to wean your child off the binky?

*Do you have any tips or advice on how to deal with separation anxiety in young children?

Thanks for sharing! If have a question that you'd like to be featured on Submitted By You Saturdays please submit it HERE. Have a great weekend!

The Idea Box: Favorite Family Recipes

Ever have one of those weeks where everything you try and cook turns into a disaster? That's the kind of week we have had here.

This week I attempted to make muffins but they came out hard as rocks. Seriously, I could bang them on the counter and the "thunk" they made echoed throughout my house. Then I tried to make slowcooker chicken. Which I am sure would have turned out fantastic if I had remembered to turn the slowcooker ON. And let's not forget the baked nuts and chickpeas that I accidentally burnt until they were no longer edible.

 Usually on weeks like this we would order take out. BUT, eating gluten free now means that take out is not an easy or cheap option anymore. And so, I now begin the task of finding new recipes, a lot more patience and heaps more talent to get snacks and meals for my family to eat.

Today's question:

What is your favorite (s) fast and easy recipes? 

You can include recipes for snacks or meals by adding your links to the Linky Tools Party below. 

*Please note, they do not have to be gluten free although any gluten free recipes you have tried and enjoy would be appreciated. I will also keep this linky party open for months to come so it can be a great resource for all of you to add and take from at any time.**

Thanks for participating! If have a question that you'd like to be featured on Submitted By You Saturdays Please submit it HERE. Have a great weekend!

Submitted By You Saturdays: Things You Never Thought You'd Say

Happy Saturday everyone! I've been catching myself saying the craziest things to my son lately and have been getting quite a good laugh. Today I thought we'd start the weekend off right with a good giggle.

Today's question:

* What's the funniest thing(s) you've ever caught yourself saying to your kids?

Here's my top 3:

3.  "Sweetheart, please for the love of God STOP chewing on mommies tampons!"

(After finding K on the bathroom floor with yet another box of tampons chewed through.)

2. (K is putting all of his bath toys in the toilet and splashing around in the toilet bowl) 

"We don't play in the toilet water. Bath toys are only for the bath." 

(K grabs a handful of toilet water and begins to drink it.)

"No!!! PUHLEASE don't drink water from the toilet either. It's dirty." 

(K smiles and in a proud voice proclaims loudly, "Mmmm....")

1. (K bites my butt quickly followed by my ankle and then leg)

"We don't bite mommies butt....Or ankle...Or leg." 

(K bites his own hand then starts crying)

"It hurts when you bite doesn't it?"

(K bites MY butt AGAIN and giggles)

 "Please STOP biting mommies butt. GRRRR..."

(K copies me and growls back, "GRRRR...")

Some people's kids, eh? I can't wait to hear your funny quotes! 

Do you have a question that you'd like to be featured on Submitted By You Saturdays? Submit it HERE.

Have a great weekend and thanks for the comment love!

Submitted By You Saturdays: Finding Time For You

Well Saturday is here again and that means its your turn to share your thoughts, ideas, tips and stories on My Delicious Ambiguity!

It's no surprise that being a parent is hard work and that most of us are completely and utterly exhausted. We spend so much time making sure our children and our significant others are taken care of but a lot of us forget to take care of ourselves as well.

I'm a classic case of the above. I may have tried my very best but sometimes the workload and stress level of being a stay at home mom is just too much. I often wish I would better mom/ partner/ housekeeper/ cook etc. I feel guilty that I'm not supermom and stressed that life isn't going or hasn't worked out the way I thought it was going to. And then the thoughts creep into my head about being single and childless and laying on a beach with a margarita in my hand and not a worry in the world. Suddenly more guilt piles up because what kind of mother wishes she were single and childless? What a horrible thing to say! Am I really a horrible mother?! F@#*!  Most days I feel like a robot running on empty until I eventually SNAP-Totally and utterly physically, mentally and emotionally drained. It is only then that I realize the last time I took a moment for myself was....well I think it may have been last month when I was suppose to take some time for myself but instead ran errands and shopped for cute things for my son. Does that count?! Hmmm... I honestly doubt it. Where was the "ME" in that?

With a burdened mind and a heavy heart I realize that in order for me to be happy and to be the best mom and partner possible,  I MUST put myself first without guilt or excuses. But is it really that simple?

Today's questions:

*How do you ensure that you take time for yourself?

*How often do you take time for yourself?

*What do you do to unwind and de-stress?

*What are your tips and/or coping strategies for making sure your stress level doesn't get out of hand?

Do you have a question that you would like to have featured on Submitted By You Saturdays? Submit it HERE.

Submitted By You Saturday: Disciplining Your Toddler

As mentioned last week I will be using Saturdays to ask YOU questions to get to know each other better, share our experiences and offer opinions and advice. Being a mom is the hardest job in the world and I hope that my new Saturday feature will not only help to develop a sense of community on my blog, but also inspire and support other moms and women out there.

It's no surprise that raising a toddler can be demanding. Toddlers are constantly learning and doing, reaching new developmental milestones quickly and wanting to be more independent. But often time a lack of verbal skills and understanding of consequences can lead to temper tantrums that are frustrating and emotionally draining for both the caregiver and the child. 

My son has recently started throwing major temper tantrums and pushing boundaries for just about everything. Although I've read the parenting books and have been trained as an early childhood provider, dealing with temper tantrums and toddlers in general is different when they are YOUR children and it is twenty-four hours a day seven days a week.

My question to you today is about disciplining your toddler:

What strategies work best for you when disciplining your toddler and when trying to "tame" temper tantrums? 

I'm always curious to know how other people deal with this "stage" and am on the look out for some new and creative ideas that work. I can't wait to hear what you guys think! To participate today please leave a comment under this post with your two cents worth-advice, your own experiences or tips.

If you have a question about parenting, educating, mothering (or just about anything else) and would like me to feature it in an upcoming Submitted By You Saturday post please contact me HERE.

Have a great weekend everyone!