a hodgepodge of thoughts

Recently, I was told that I should bite the bullet and write a really great controversial post to drum up some discussion and set the internets ablazin'. While I love the thought of stirring the pot (naturally!) my brain seems to be running thisclose to empty these days. Of course, the mini-glass of wine I just drank doesn't help matters.

And so, in no particular order, I share my evening thoughts with you all.

• I've doubled down on my cooking efforts lately and have been rewarded by some awesome dinners lately (if I do say so myself). Tonight was Three Cup Chicken (delicious Chinese stir-fry), last night was the best turkey meatballs I've ever made and the night before that was homemade pizza with pureed butternut squash, Gorgonzola cheese, prosciutto and topped with arugula. Delicious. 
• While my husband has been enjoying these culinary efforts, my daughter's new favorite game is to SLAM AS HARD AS POSSIBLE whatever we're eating into her place mat, then shove the food to the floor as FAST AS POSSIBLE. When we tell her "no" she cries, then does it again and smiles. Did I mention she's a full-fledged toddler now? 
• Speaking of her toddling - this new habit of getting into everything and sticking anything that looks SHINY or DANGEROUS or SHARP or possibly ALIVE or GERM INFESTED into her mouth is growing old, quickly. I'm told this phase lasts years and she might not grow out of it until middle school. Okay - not middle school, but honestly at this rate, even another 3 months of this might as well be 12 years. 
• Speaking of annoying habits of said toddler, I have yet to mention on the blog (but will soon - fear not!) that we've been undergoing a kitchen remodel the last month or so. All of a sudden our kitchen has gone from stuck in the mid-80's to modern and sleek and pretty. Of course, the very last thing that will be done with this remodel is installation of cabinet handles which means that Ellie has been enjoying for weeks now opening all the cabinet doors and reaching for whatever she can and sticking it in her mouth. Dried beans, raisins, nuts, etc. You know - all those great foods which are obviously not at all dangerous for a toddler to mouth. Handles can't come fast enough, followed quickly by the ever so fashionable safety locks which will knock the beauty of the cabinets down a notch but will let me breathe a little easier
• Of course, said toddler is still the absolute sweetest and most lovable girl in the world and despite only being at the beginning of what I fear is going to be a pretty challenging phase, I'm having so much fun with her right now. If only she'd sleep reliably through the night. 
• Knowing her, and knowing my luck, once she sleeps through the night reliably will probably be the same week I give birth (NOT PREGNANT!) to her little sibling, and then the cycle will start over
• Speaking of her little sibling (NOT PREGNANT!), I'm both terrified and exhilarated at the thought that if we wanted to, we could do this all over again with a new and littler person. Honestly, when I think about having a second baby, I simultaneously feel nauseous and overwhelmed at how much love would exist in our home. If one baby brings us this much happiness and love, how cool would/will two be? 
• OMG!! (yep, just said that). A commercial for the summer Olympics was just on TV! If you know me at all, you know I'm obsessed - OBSESSED - with the Olympics. Cannot wait. Go World! 
• Speaking of fitness (you know, Olympics = athletics = me).... I've decided that now that I can no longer use the excuse "I had a baby this year" I need to lose 10 pounds for good and tighten up my stretched out belly. Seriously though - my back hurts so badly every night, I know a little ab work would do me wonders. So I've committed to this and we'll see how well I do...
• Peter's on vacation next week. Either we're in for some good quality family fun, or he's going to high tail it out of the house once he realizes that hanging with Ellie 24/7 is not exactly "relaxing" or an effective way of clearing his mind. 

With that, I'll bid you all goodnight and hopefully I'll be back before too long with better and more substantial things to say. :)