Bruno Mars

Sunday. 

Night. 

Concerts. 

Get me every time. 

I always say, it's Sunday ... we'll take it easy and just go and enjoy the show. False. A late night Taco Bell drive thru and a headache the next day lead me to believe I made poor decisions and did not take it easy. When will I ever learn? I blame it on Peter's ...ssssssssss dayummm... performance. If you've been to the show, you know what I'm talking about. I don't think there was girl .. or a guy for that matter, that didn't have a smile on their face during that skit.

Peter is indeed Bruno Mar's real name, and therefore I feel it's okay to call him that even though it totally isn't.  Molly and I discovered this while researching his background mid-show. He is Puerto Rican and Filipino and was born in Hawaii. I mean, that boy was destined to be a star.

Me, Hubs, Molly and Trent

I've always heard his music, but never considered myself a "fan" per say, but now that I have seen him live I'll call myself a fan.  He was phenomenal. I'd actually go as far to say, he may be one of the greatest live performances I've seen.  Or well, at least put on an incredible show.  An awesome mix of great dance moves, incredible voice, and catchy tunes that kept the crowd rockin' all night. 

If Bruno Mars comes to your town and you're even considering maybe going .... GO. You won't regret it. 

Recipe Monday: Oreo Layer Dessert

Even though Bennett is still a baby and won't be eating "real" food for quite sometime; I already daydream about all of the fun foods I'll be making for him in the future.  Okay, and maybe I imagine myself eating them as well ;) such a great excuse. 

A couple of weeks hubs and I hosted a family get together and I went back and forth on which dessert I wanted to serve. I started racking my brain on summer faves/kiddo favorites and had a FOR SERIOUS craving for some dirt pudding. Such a kiddy summer staple. But I wanted a more grown up version that would look pretty and not be so cutesy.  I stumbled upon a great "adult version" of a childhood favorite.  I doubled the recipe and put it in a pretty round serving dish opposed to a 9x13 pan ... but I'll share the original because I had SOO many leftovers, I think the regular recipe would be JUST fine.

Oreo Layer Dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg of regular Oreos
• 1/2 c. of butter
• 1 lg box of instant chocolate pudding
• 2-8 oz cool whips
• 8 oz. of cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. powdered sugar

Crush the whole package of cookies either with a food processor, or in a bag and a rolling pin.  Save a 1/2 c. to sprinkle on top of dessert when it's done.  Pour remaining crumbs in a 13x9 pan.  Melt butter and pour into crumb mix.  Stir it up good and press crumbs in bottom of pan to make a crust.  

Make chocolate pudding according to package directions and let it setup in the fridge.

In a mixing bowl blend cream cheese until nice and smooth and then add powdered sugar, mix.  Then fold in 1-8 oz thing of cool whip.  

Top Oreo layer with cream cheese mix, then pudding, then your last 8 oz thing of cool whip, and then sprinkle remaining Oreos on top.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Devour. Noms.

Confession: Patience Needed

According to Wikipedia virtue is a positive trait or quality deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being.  And patience (some say IS a virtue) is the level of endurance one can take before negativity.

Mmmmmmhhhhmmm ... level of endurance BEFORE negativity.  

My mom told me my "patience tolerance" would increase when I had a child.  I will say this ... she's right about one thing. My tolerance has increased when it comes to my child, and my patience level with him is insanely high. HOWEVER - she is VERY wrong about another. Big confession: My patience level when it comes to anything else, I'm afraid has decreased. YIKES.

I'm trying to be as active and resume to normalcy as quickly as possible.  But, if I'm committed to a day out with little man, we only have so much time before he needs to eat, be changed, chill, etc. So, I'm out with a purpose and I must keep my eyes on the prize.  Alas, now more than ever I realize not everyone is out with this same intent, and dealing with this is not a strong suit of mine.

When I get home and settle down I relive the scenarios in my mind and I confess they probably go a little something like this:

Cashier Confession:

To the cashier who wants to tell me their entire life story while my child is starting to stir. I frantically look back and forth at them and Bennett while nodding my head in order to not be rude and listen to their story. Finally stirring turns into open baby eyes and a quivering lip ... Okay, enough ma'am ...

Aloof Teenager Confession:

To the teenager on her cell phone who cuts me off and/or bumps my stroller and causes my peacefully sleeping baby to stir ...

Loud Noise Confession:

When Bennett has been fighting sleep for the last hour before hubs gets home (gahhh that hour lasts 3 days I swear) .... and then Hubs finally gets home RIGHT as he's finally calmed down and Maggie gets all pumped and we start all over again ;)

Stranger Confession:

When a stranger comes up in the store and reaches out to touch my baby with their grimy hands ... UHM no.

Slow People Confession:

When I have 5-10 minutes to run through a drive thru or grab something at the store and I get behind the slowest turtle on the planet and it takes wayyy to long and Bennett notices the car is no longer moving ...

All is Right in the World Confession:

And OCCASIONALLY, when everything finally comes together, I look and the baby is sleeping, dog has been fed and is chilling in the sun, I've folded the last load of laundry, the dishwasher is unloaded and bottles are clean, I was actually able to shower and finish getting ready, and I'm able to sit down and have a small bite to eat. YEAAAA bring it on!

Okay, time to take a deep breath. Patience, Katie. Patience.

Simple Summer

Mommyhood has introduced me to an entirely new meaning of finding the appreciation for the "Au naturale" look.  Between finding ways to make spit up look as though they are a part of your shirt pattern and styling your unwashed ponytail to make it appear you're "put together"; I've had to get crafty with my purchases so strangers don't see me in public and put change in Bennett's bottle.

Luckily, I've found some great items that help ... or well, they make me feel a little better :)  Here are my current favorite staples that I'm frequently sporting.

Nike Golf Dri-Fit Hat

This is a must on certain days. It fits my head perfectly without being too bulky and comes in plenty of additional colors. I sport team Grey.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lip Balm - #218 Rose Elixir

The perfect amount of shine and color to make you look extra natural and still feel pretties :)

Athleta Support Tops - Peek Tank

I'm loving this style and also purchased a few more. I look like I just frequented the gym, so I'm forgiven on the rest of my appearance and it's got a built in bra so that's one less thing I have to worry about ... SCORE

Women's Smocked Maxi Tube Dresses

No big news here. Just a simple and cheap maxi that works SUPER easy for daytime and makes me look like I have it together. And I can add a necklace at night time and again, LOOK like I have it together. Plus, the way it fits ain't too shabby because it helps to flatter my still a bit doughy post-baby belly.

So there ya have it. My simple summer must haves.