Please pray for me....

Update on the cleanse. I just started this morning. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 

Yes, I am used to unsweetened tea. I thought that I could handle anything. 

If I had to imagine what pee tasted like.....well. Yeah. 

God Bless me,

LS

Take THAT College!

Howdy! 

Life is mostly calm with the Steppe family. Lila has been pretty good lately-basically started crawling tonight. She was moving both legs back and forth and less of the penguin belly flop. 

Yesterday I was in Lila's room, sat her in the crib for literally a minute (tops!), went back in and she was on her knees and hands holding up on the top part of the crib. "Uhhhhhh.... No nooooo". 

This picture was from last night while Dave and I had "family time" in her room.

When did this happen and how can I make it stop??!

Since Monday Lila and I have been home all day everyday. I have kinda been in the "staying home" mood and I like when Lila is consistent with her schedule. So tonight I asked david after work if we could go to target to pick up a few things that I need for the week.. Well I have some new finds!

The other day my friend heather came over for our weekly gossip.. I mean visit. She told me about targets app called cartwheel. Basically you go on the app and find coupons for anything you want at target. Most of the stuff I needed was not on there this week but I still saved some money! It was so easy. By the end of shopping, the cashier scanned my phone and everything on sale popped up! 

David and I also had signed up for a target red card. This is NOT a credit card. Basically you save 5% off of your whole bill, get an extra 30 day return and free shipping online when you use the card. It's linked to your debit card so it comes right out of your account. Why not save money?!? 

So even though tonight we did not save that much on our small purchases, we still saved a couple bucks! 

Tonight I am starting to make my first cleanse.. Now before I tell you about it, don't make fun of me! I usually think cleanses are dumb. I do not understand them and why starve for days when you can eat and exercise?! Anyway. This cleanse you drink 60 oz of my concoction AND you can eat (thank god). I found this on Jillian Michael's pinterest and I thought it was interesting. So this cleanse is basically for a quick trim. You need to fit into that dress by the end of the week? Do it ( well we will see ). So really I do not have anything special to do for me to lose weight quickly, but I was thinking if I just drink this drink and lose a couple pounds, maybe it will motivate me to do more. I am really struggling with losing my baby weight! I now look at pictures (from when I thought I was fat back in high school) and wonder how I was so much skinnier?!?? This cleanse basically just takes away the extra water weight. With that said, you will gain the weight back if you don't do anything about it. 

This is the concoction:

Everyday for a week:

60oz of water

1 dandelion root tea bag (taget)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp sugar free cranberry juice

I will start this tomorrow and tell you all how it is. I have heard it is bitter but I  used to drinking unsweetened iced tea everyday (thanks mom!) 

Dinner this week has been pretty great!

Monday I made a paleo diet recipe.

I also made some bow tie pasta to throw under it, especially for david because I was not sure if he would like it. He told me that it was good, but it was a little risky having the veggies cut so big. He would rather not know every veggie he was eating. I guess I will start to hide his fruits in veggies in dishes like a child -haha. 

Tuesday night we had spaghetti and meatballs- classic. Yum. 

1 lb groundbeef

1/2 cup Panko

1 egg

Parsley

Salt

Pepper

Wam bam!

I used left over angel hair from two nights before. 

Now tonight.... It was risky.

I had never made steak in my life! I was scared. I had gotten a good deal at shoprite for 3 sirloin steaks.. They were pretty big.

I sautéed onions, garlic and mushrooms in butttterrrrr. Then laid the steak on top to cook ( with salt and pepper and eventually threw some parsley in at end). I roasted some potatoes in the oven for about 10 min and then added them into the pan with steak. The soaked up all of the juices (so flipping good)!!!! I also made asparagus. Butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and asparagus in a pan for a couple min. Delish! David said it was definitely a "man's dinner" ha! Not gonna tute my own horn... But yeah I did good this week-so far. I went from not knowing how to cook, to sucking it up and dealing with it. And now I love it! It is very exciting for me to find a recipe and experiment. I always watched my mom in the kitchen wondering how she just threw things into a pan and knowing that it would be good (never followed a recipe) and now I am starting to get confortable enough to throw my own twist to recipes. So cool!

Didn't have to study to figure out how to be a good mommy and wife! Take that college! 

Oh and here is my little sous chef!

Alright well I have to go switch out all of my summer clothes to fall now-YESSSSS! I love fall. Woo! 

Tootles!

-LS

All I want for Lila is her 2 front teeth...

Ok..Don't kill me. 

I just have not been kinda busy and blogging has not been on my mind recently. Teething has...

Lila has two bottom teeth! Teething is not as horrible as everyone makes it seem...but it is still killing my sleep. Some nights she is fine and will sleep through the night. Others, like last night, she will wake up throughout the night. Thankfully she has taken two naps (one right now) and I was able to take a 45 min nap during the first one. Of course David is away a climbing trip in WV so it is all me :/ 

Goofy picture, but you can see at least the left tooth!

Lila turned 8 months on the 14th! 8 months is definitely my favorite. She is trying to mimic, making funny faces, starting to get teeth, trying to crawl/stand and she is just so stinkin' cute. I love that it is starting to get a little bit chilly because I can dress her in some long sleeves and shoes! 

Last week we visited David's grandparents/aunt and uncle while they were in town. They have not seen Lila for awhile so they could definitely see a difference! 

So Cute!

So on friday when David left, I had asked my friend Heather to come stay the night. We had plans to go to Havre de Grace on Saturday, so why not have a slumber party too? 

We took Lila on a walk through the town, took some pictures by the water, and had breakfast and stopped by a wine bar. Lila had her first taste of cinnamon cake/frosting, tried drinking Heather's frappuccino, and saw a lighthouse! 

Yes..Lila and a lighthouse

Tippi Toes!

The funniest part of the day was when we wanted to grab a quick lunch to hold us until dinner. Well we went to the first little restaurant we saw and it was a wine bar. We decided to go inside and get a light lunch. Little did we know how fancy it was....and we had a baby. Thankfully no one was dining and we got in before others came in. Lila was sooo good! I just stuffed her with puffs the entire time. 

When we finished our day in Havre de Grace my mom wanted us to meet her in Bel Air. Thankfully she offered to buy Lila some clothes for me. She is growing so fast and we can't keep up with her wardrobe! We just recently ran out of clothes that people had bought her from the baby shower and hand-me-downs. After finding some clothes, she took us to eat crabs. Shockingly, Lila was pretty good! 

 Yesterday was a LONG day. Especially for Lila who got only an hour nap all day :/

Now for food! This week I have been trying to eat a little healthier. Keeping the carbs out of everything..Well the big carbs. Of course I am not going to exclude everyone else from carbs, so if I made potato or rice, I just made mine without it. 

I made a chinese type of dinner one night. I sauteed some broccoli and carrots, cooked the chicken in sweet and sour sauce and eventually added some soy sauce on the rice. It was pretty good! Easy.

Every morning I have been making an omlet and I load it with veggies so that it fills me. I literally take any veggie in the fridge that I think sounds good with eggs, chop them, and saute. I add 2 scrambled eggs at the end..YUMMO

Almost every lunch last week I made one can of tuna and put it on a cabbage leaf. Not as good as bread....but its healthier! 

Now this meal, ladies and gentlmen.....I have to say was the best dinner I have ever made. I bought a pork tenderloin (garlic and onion flavored.) I wanted to try different meats, so this is what I found! I looked up a recipe that looked really good. You slice up 2 apples, get out any kind of bacon, and grab the crock pot. This is literally so simple. Cut 1 inch slices in the meat (not all the way through), put an apple slice in eat slot, surround the meat with the rest of apples, covers the meat in bacon and let cook for 6-8 hours. SOO GOOD! It melted in my mouth. I also sided the meat with homemade mashed potatoes and corn. 

To end this blog session, I would like to congratulate my little baby for trying to hold her bottle all week. BY HERSELF. YAY!

WOW. Bye for now! I smell a stinky diaper! (yes, she is now awake)

-LS

Carrie Bradshaw

So I was just talking to Heather and she was telling me how she liked my blog. She said that "it's just like Carrie Bradshaw, but you don't write about sex.. You write about what happens after sex". HAHAHA.

Yes, I love Sex and the City. No, I did not start the blog because she writes a blog. And yes, that comment gave me a good laugh. Maybe if Carrie Bradshaw read my blog, she would stop complaining about her life and just be content :)  (but where is the fun in that?)

That is all.. 

Goodnight for real.

Zombie Mommy

OMG. I almost finished my entire blog for tonight and it was deleted. Ahhh. 

Anyway.. I feel like zombie mommy. Even though last night Lila slept through the night, I woke up several times. I wake up in a panic thinking Lila is suffocating in her blanket. Why?! Almost every night. I go check and she is fine! I'm crazy. I also think that I have never actually caught up on sleep since I have been pregnant. I would not be able to sleep because of heartburn and would wake up because I was uncomfortable. Of course now I do not get enough sleep because I do not go to bed until late at night and I wake up early with Lila. When will I be able to sleep?! My eyes are burning! Thankfully there is makeup to make me look somewhat presentable.

Today Lila and I ran errands all day. I needed to get my eyebrows done and a haircut. I feel 100 times better. I get my eyebrows threaded because wax peels my skin. Even though it hurts for 5 minutes getting it done, it's worth it! We also picked up Lila's photos today. They turned out amazing. I cannot wait until I can put them in frames! 

                  Sweet smile.

Last night, Lila was helping me make dinner... Or I was distracting her from helping me haha. Let's just say that she likes pots and pans. (Random pic- I just thought it was funny.)

                 "Mom, here's my spoon!"

Today my close friend, Heather, came over for a little to visit. We see her once a week-ish. We love auntie Hella. We have so much fun together.. And she is hilarious. Oh, and she is obsessed with my child. We hung out, laid on my bed, watched pooh bear and she helped me pick out what to wear tonight (and makeup.)

Tonight we went to Bahama Breeze to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. I had gotten Lila fed, bathed and ready for bed before we left. I could not have her awake like last night until 9:30. Well it worked! She was extremely calm and did not make a peep in the car. Then at the restaurant she fell asleep! Woohoo! I had heather snap a picture of Lila and I before leaving because I am usually the one taking the pictures. :( 

Mama enjoyed her magheritta and dessert (Dave's dessert) in peace and quiet! Everything was amazing. I had salmon creole, asparagus, and a sweet potato. For dessert I had a margheritta ( that was so sour I could not drink it without making a face-haha!) and chocolate island, which was David's dessert lol. So yummy. 

                Dessert for 2! 

I have got to run! My eyes cannot stay open any longer. 

                    Xoxo

                       -LS

Go Ravens!

Wow. Am I behind or what!? Life has been a little hectic lately! Running around all over the place and not having enough time to sit and type. 

Last week we went to my in-laws house to have dinner and play games, Lila had another playdate with her BFF, Brielle, and we watched David's pick-up soccer league play a game! 

Hello, Poppy!

Holding Hands

Go Ravens! Purple Friday!

Mommy and Lila watching Daddy!

Lila also experienced her first Ravens game...asleep. However, she looked cute in her purple tutu and headband. That's all that matters, right? I had ordered Lila a jersey a while back from Ebay. I was so excited..Then I heard that Ray Rice was no longer on the Ravens team anymore. Well, Lila.. I am sorry, mommy is selling it back on Ebay. It does not have much to do with him as a person, because I liked him a lot when he played. It has more to do with him not being on the team anymore. That is why I do not wear my Heap jersey anymore :(

Game Day!

Anyway, we will have to find something for her to wear on Sundays because a tutu and headband will get a little chilly in the fall. 

Last night I planned on making chicken for dinner..I really did not just want to eat a chicken breast. I googled recipes and came up with a chicken panini. It was GOOD! I put some Italian seasoning on the cooked chicken, combined spinach, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, mozz cheese, and avocado, placed it all in between two pieces of Italian bread and put it on the panini press. yummy yummy. I had leftover pasta salad and potato salad, so we used those as our sides. Talk about a good, quick meal. 

Oh! How could I forget!? We have a new addition to the family. DOLLY! The other day we were in a store and Lila was a moody Judy! I quickly looked around for a toy in the store. Well, there was Dolly! Right when I showed her to Lila, she was a giggly mess! Of course Lila cheered up and by the end of the visit, Dolly was drenched in saliva. When I went to the register, Dolly was tagless. Thankfully she only came to $2.00, but really she is priceless to our family. :) 

Lila and Dolly do everything together. Of course my camera is not working on my computer right now, so I can only use my phone pictures. 

Welcome, Dolly! 

Before I finish up, I want to wish my bestest friend, Chandler, a Happy Happy Birthday! She is turning 21, so it is kinda a big deal ! David and I are heading to VA on Friday to visit and celebrate. I am so so so excited! She is my partner in crime. LOVE YOU CHAN! 

The first day we met!

Off I go, Lila is squealing like a piggy, I guess she is hungry :)

Bye Bye

-LS

Mama loves you, Sleeping Beauty

I am not really in the typing mood today, so there will not be a long post. Lila is napping so I figured I would get on really quick...So here is a post dedicated to my little baby girl! 

MAMA LOVES YOU

Bye Bye!

-LS

All Things New

I am one happy mama! Crawling and teething are actually in my favor these days. Guess how long Lila slept last night..? 8pm-8am!! Guess how many naps Lila took today..!? 2!! 2 hours each!! It's funny because 0-4 months babies barely do anything "new". They eat, sleep, poop, and maybe roll. Then all of a sudden there is five months! Hello, change! It just doesnt stop! Before you even get used to her doing one new thing, they do something else! Two days ago she started to really get up on her knees and today she is taking her first little "steps" to crawl. I really need to baby proof tomorrow. Another new thing is her "flying" around in her walker. She runs. God help us when she actually starts walking..I mean running. Maybe I will finally get into shape. 

We haven't really been up to too much this week. We went to my mom's house, took Lila to get professional photos, and just been hanging around. I did a big clean today (swept, vacuumed, and mopped). It takes a while since almost the whole downstairs is hardwood. About an hour later, Lila is throwing puffs everywhere.. I give up. 

Last night I made a Chinese type of dish. Sweet and sour chicken drumsticks, fried rice, and green beans. Turned out really good. I then made mocha chocolate brownies for dessert (out of a box..shame on me.) They kinda gave me a headache. Too rich. 

For tonight's dinner I made the pork chops again. I love them. However, in this weeks produce box we were given brussel sprouts. Now all I ever hear is that they are terrible...NO! I really liked them. However, I eat just about anything. My mom fed me shrimp scampi at 6 months, and ever since I have had a love for food. David, on the other hand was not too keen on my sprouts :( I think they taste like kale/cabbage. All I did was drizzle enough olive oil for salt and pepper to stick. Added the salt, pepper, and paprika. Baked them at 400 degrees for 25-50 min. Whenever they look cooked through. I think mine could have taken a bit longer. Oh and I added some bacon..everything tastes better with bacon.  

I made some truffles for tomorrow's dessert..I will share if they turn out! Off I go! I have been trying to read a book for the past two weeks, and I have not even finished the first chapter. #notimemommy

Laters.

-LS