Livin' It Up... What I'm Loving This Week

ONE: Last Wednesday I came down with a nasty cold that took me out through the weekend. On Monday I ended up with terrible chest congestion, a cough, and was still extremely fatigued. Because of the cough it gave me a sore throat and I did not want to eat anything except something cold. I ended up eating a Lil' Drums Nestle Drumstick in Vanilla with Chocolatey Swirls. It was the perfect treat and made me feel better, psychologically. Ha!

TWO: Went with a simple manicure this week since I was sick and lacked energy to sit through my usual routine. Instead I clipped, filed, and stuck to just a couple coats of Nailtiques Formula Plus 2. The protein formula helps build a strong nail foundation resistant to peeling, chipping, and splitting. Can be found at Ulta. 

THREE: Looking forward to Memorial Day weekend, especially since it will include a hair appointment and Little Man's 7th birthday celebration. We're having to celebrate early this year since his dad will have him for the special day. 

FOUR: Sick days mean lounging around watching my favorite movies and one of them I absolutely love is, Because I Said So. I'm sure this is a complete coincidence but on the rare occasion I get sick it seems as though one of the movie networks ends up playing Father of the Bride I and II. Love it!

FOUR: Sore throat has been treated with lots of hot tea and honey. If you are a chai tea fan like me then I absolutely recommend Cinnamon Chai from Paromi Tea which I picked up at Whole Foods. It's hard to explain but it tastes so smooth. 

FIVE: A coworker was out this week on a trip to Seattle, Washington and it made me miss the couple of summers I got to spend there when my dad lived there. It's been 8 years and I would love to go back and take Little Man to check out the Pike Street Market. 

SIX: Even though I was sick on Mother's Day it was such an amazing day. Woke up and had eggs Benedict with a side of pancakes (even loaded on the butter and syrup!) and a Starbucks Venti Soy Chai Latte. Little Man picked me out a beautiful bouquet of yellow tulips and made me a card at school. The best part was getting to lounge around watching movies all day. To celebrate the day the movie, Guilt Trip, seemed appropriate. It was so much better than what I remembered it being in theaters. 

SEVEN: KozyShack rice pudding. The perfect treat to pack in Little Man's lunchbox. Yummy!!!

EIGHT: Had to take Little Man to a dental consultation to discuss what needs to be done about his "shark teeth" coming in since he hasn't lost any baby teeth yet. Little Man entertained a last baby teeth photo with his mama and it's been my favorite photo of us since. 

NINE: Convenience foods when I'm not feeling well and the pre-made Italian Meatballs from Whole Foods are amazing because they are perfectly seasoned. 

TEN: I've been going to bed early every night so Little Man has been reading me bedtime stories and tucking me in before getting himself ready for bed. I've loved having him "take care" of me. 

Doin' Some Cookin'... Breakfast Burrito

To put it simply, most mornings I don't have time to prepare breakfast since it feels like I'm always running negative 15 minutes behind. Breakfast burritos are the perfect breakfast for busy mornings and can be adapted to suit your tastes and what you have on hand. There is nothing fancy about a breakfast burrito but they sure make for a tasty and filling breakfast option.

Breakfast Burrito

Adapted From: Mom On Timeout

Makes 1 Serving

Stars of the Show:

• 2 slices bacon, cooked
• 1 cup shredded hash browns, cooked with 1 tbsp canola oil and seasoned with seasoning salt and ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1 flour tortilla
• 1 egg
• pico de gallo

And Action:

Combine bacon, hash browns, and tomato together in a nonstick skillet over medium heat through. Whisk the egg and add to the skillet. Top with the shredded cheese until melted. Warm the tortilla and fill with the egg mixture. Top with pico de gallo then roll up the tortilla into a burrito. Enjoy!

Livin' It Up... Houston Astros vs Seattle Mariners Baseball Game

For those of you who don't know, I'm a credit analyst and I've been studying for about 3 1/2 hours a night since the middle of April in preparation for the CLFP exam coming up in June to help advance my career in the equipment leasing industry. Every night I lay Little Man down for bed around 8 and stay up most nights past midnight studying and preparing for the next day. It makes for exhausting days, day after day after day.

It's been a long week and I so needed sleep, except I fell asleep around midnight and got woke up around 6 a.m. to the sound of birds chirping extremely loud and could not fall back asleep. They won and I rolled my ass out of bed to make coffee to enjoy while I got caught up on about 3 weeks worth of missed TV shows.

Watching all of that TV (about 5 hours worth) worked up quite an appetite so I decided to throw on a bra and race up to the grocery store to pick up some items to make a taco salad for lunch.

After lunch I did some more studying before getting ready to head out for the baseball game.

I've been in Houston now for 7 years and have never been to an Astros game. I know nothing about the Astros since I don't follow the sport like I once did. As a kid I could rattle off random sports statistics being the tomboy that I was. I miss Summers as a kid and playing pick up games every single day. I was always a team captain or picked first. Naturally great at sports. Toot toot!

The last baseball game I went to was 6 years ago when we took Little Man to the Padres game in Pittsburgh for his 1st birthday. Growing up when I'd visit my dad in Seattle he would take me to the Mariners games whenever we could or at least catch as many games on TV as possible. It's been too long since I've been to a baseball game.

Having lived in 5 different States I don't really know what I consider home or have any home sports teams so I'm an admitted fair weather fan when it comes to baseball. Now that I've made Texas home when asked I'll represent the home team, Go Astros!!!

It was about a half hour drive to Minute Maid Park, paid $20 to park in a lot across the street, and wondered around the venue for about a half hour before locating our seats. We were in the Mazda Club Level and it felt so exclusive since the crowd had almost disappeared and we had concession stands within reach. Part of our seats included a staff member who was there to wait on us at the wave of our concession card. It felt so snoody.

We picked up chili cheese dogs and beer. I've had better. During one of the innings my date returned with a plastic baseball hat filled with cookies and cream ice cream topped with an iced brownie and drizzled in chocolate with a bottle of ice cold water. Such a novel idea but way too sweet. Ended up dumping the "milkshake" and rinsing the hat out in the bathroom to save in order to take home to Little Man.

(His jersey made me laugh... Go AstrHOES!!!)

(Space Race!)

The weather was incredible with temps in the mid 70s and a slight breeze. Our seats were under cover and provided a fantastic view. We were on the visitors side in-between 3rd and Home. The park is beautiful and it was a great game. The Astros woke up after the Mariners started with a 2 home run lead and they began nailing home run after home run. They won against the Mariners, 11-4, making this their 9th win in a row this season.

Leaving the parking lot was a nightmare. Rude ass drivers decided to make their own lane on the inside of us as we were trying to make a left on a one-way street causing us to have to pull into two lanes of traffic with low visibility of oncoming traffic. I can see why people had left after the 7th inning. Stressful!

Once home I changed into cozy clothes, cracked open my book to do some more studying, and then turned on Netflix to watch The Bad News Bears (the 1976 version).

It's hard to escape America's favorite past time during Spring and it's such a fun way to get into the swing of the season. I definitely recommend getting out and supporting your local team. I'm already dreaming of the next game I'll attend.

Speaking of dreaming... I made some peppermint tea, cracked open my CLFP book, and studied until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, falling asleep around 2 a.m.

Baseball playlist, "Three Strikes Away":

* X Ambassadors & Jamie N Commons: Jungle
* Kanye West: Power
* Kanye West: Mercy
* Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: Can't Hold Us
* The Naked and Famous: Young Blood
* DJ Khaled: All I Do Is Win
* Wiz Khalifa: We Dem Boyz
* Montell Jordan: This Is How We Do It
* Fort Minor: Remember The Name
* Wale: Ambition
* Diplo: Revolution
* YG: My Hitta
* American Authors: Best Day of My Life
* The Outfield: Your Love
* DMX: X Gon Give It To Ya
* Dr. Dre: F**k Wit Dre Day
* Travi$ Scott: Don't Play
* House of Pain: Jump Around
* Aloe Blacc: I'm The Man
* Whiskey Falls: Load Up The Bases
* Fall Out Boy: Light Em Up
* Andy Mineo: You Can't Stop Me
* Mann: Buzzin'
* Nonono: Pumpin' Blood
* Capital Cities: Safe and Sound
* John Fogerty: Centerfield
* Sublime: Doin' Time
* Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run
* Sublime: 54-46 That's My Number
* Mike Stud: Batter Up
* Chief Keef: Love Sosa
* Drake: Started From The Bottom
* Flo Rida: Good Feeling
* The Rolling Stones: Start Me Up
* Black Eyed Peas: Boom Boom Pow
* C+C Music Factory: Gonna Make You Sweat
* Imagine Dragons: It's Time
* Imagine Dragons: On Top of the World
* The Heavy: How Do You Like Me Now
* Five Finger Death Punch: Bad Company
* Eminem: I'm Not Afraid
* Moufy: Destiny
* The Tallest Man on Earth: The Dreamer
* Queen: We Are The Champions

Doin' Some Cookin'... Taco Salad

I love taco salad. I remember the first time I had it was from Taco Bell when I was a little girl since it was what my mom always ordered. My tastes have since matured and I no longer eat at Taco Bell.

Knowing that I was going to be eating crap later in the day at the baseball game I decided to try and make a healthier option by making a taco salad for lunch. It takes less than 15 minutes to make, especially if you stick to a few convenience items such as sliced olives, bagged lettuce, and premade pico de gallo.

This salad tastes so good with all of the flavors of a taco. Perfect for these warmer Spring days we've been having here in Houston. This recipe is easily adaptable to suit your family's tastes and what you already have on hand, or if you're like me, run to the store and purchase all of the ingredients so you can make it for lunch on the weekend.

Make sure to hold off on topping your salad with the tortilla chips until just before serving so they don't get soggy.

Taco Salad

Adapted From: The Larson Lingo

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• romaine lettuce
• black bean pico de gallo
• 2 avocados
• shredded Mexican cheese blend
• tortilla strips
• sliced black olives
• cilantro, to taste
• ranch dressing - Use salsa ranch if your store keeps it stocked. 

And Action:

Brown ground beef with the taco seasoning. Once cooked, turn heat to low.

Make a bed of lettuce and pile on the toppings as you desire. Enjoy!

Livin' It Up... What I'm Loving This Week

ONE: I am obsessed with Nike workout apparel. You wouldn't know it from looking at me being overweight and having lazy months for months at a time. This happens when my priorities shift. Right now my priority outside of being a mom and my day job is studying for the CLFP exam coming up in June. Every night after I lay Little Man down for bed I crack open the book and study until I can't keep my eyes open any longer. So my latest excuse is that I'm too tired to workout. Shitty excuse, I know, however, once my priorities shift back to focusing on my health I want to add this Nike 'Element' Half Zip Top from Nordstrom to my workout clothing collection. Obviously I will have to save it for when the weather cools down again but I love it!

TWO: I've been thinking a lot lately about how quickly Little Man is growing up. He's got less than one month left of 1st grade and he had his school music program last night. He was a presenter and conquered his fear of public speaking. He did a fantastic job! As a reward for all of his hard work preparing he got to pick out where we were going to have dinner and he chose his favorite place, Sharky's Waterfront Grill, which is on the lake and just a chill place to sit back on the patio, take it slow, and enjoy dinner. He was very grateful and loving the undivided attention. Wish time could stand still in moments like this. Stop growing!

THREE: Excited about getting to go to a Houston Astros game tomorrow!!! 

FOUR: I have the song "I Wanna Be Yours" by the Arctic Monkeys on repeat. It makes me happy because I'm thinking of him. 

FIVE: I realize Friday was a week ago but it seems like it's been forever since I've had a Friday and when I got home I could not wait to throw on cozy clothes and veg out. Today just feels more relaxed than past Fridays. Not sure why but I'm loving it. 

SIX: While out at dinner with my Little Man last night this girl was sitting at the table next to us and I couldn't stop starring at her Kendra Scott (or inspired by) earrings. I would love a pair of these.

SEVEN: Found the perfect card for Mother's Day from Emily McDowell. My mom didn't appreciate my sarcasm/humor growing up but as the years have gone on she gets it and would love to get this.

EIGHT: Saturday night I had a girl's night with my bestie, Kelly, and saw the movie, The Longest Ride. The movie was really good, emotional, but good. I had to fight back tears. We were both emotional after watching the movie so we spent 3 hours talking in the car in the parking lot discussing our life decisions and why boys suck. 

NINE: Dreaming of a walk along the sea wall down in Galveston. Need some Vitamin D and the beach!!

TEN: Those who know me well enough know how much I love bows. For being someone who loves them it's funny that I don't own anything with bows on it. I want to change that with this Kate Spade Belle Place Straw VIV Clutch. Adorbs!!!