I’ve always wanted to do a Day in the Life post like this.  I enjoy reading them on other blogs (perhaps it’s my inherently nosy nature about what people do all day).  The Littlest Apple didn’t have preschool today, so I thought it would be a perfect day to blog about the details of our day….

5:00 Wake up, make coffee.  Read my mom’s group notes and bible for a few minutes, pray for patience and a productive day.

5:10 The Littlest Apple (“TLA”)’s feeding pump alarm is beeping.  I sprint upstairs to his room to see if I can turn it off before it wakes him up.  He’s awake.  He was REALLY tangled up in the tubing (it was around his waist and around his leg about 3 times), and the pump had fallen over.  Take him to the potty and attempt to get him to go back to sleep.

5:45  He didn’t go back to sleep.  We head downstairs.  I ask him to play quietly while I finish my mom group reflections.  Amazingly, he cooperates!

6:00  Cuddle with TLA on the couch.

6:10 TLA drinks Boost and watches Curious George while I drink my coffee (finally!) and check email and blogs.

6:35  TLA plays with Halloween playdough (time for a new batch!) while I write out my grocery list based on the menu I planned last night.

7:00 Finish my list, then clean up the HUGE playdough mess.  I was standing 1 foot away, but somehow I failed to notice TLA sticking playdough all down the legs of the table and underneath it.

7:15 We head upstairs to wake up my husband (“PA”).  I change into workout clothes.

7:30  I leave TLA upstairs with PA (and shut the baby gate at the top of the stairs) and go back downstairs to do a workout video.  My current favorite is The Firm Cardio Sculpt, and that’s what I do today.

7:45  TLA realizes that he’s stuck upstairs, and starts screaming from the top of the stairs.

8:10 Cool off.  Take TLA to the potty where we argue about whether he will stand up or sit down and whether or not I will help him.

8:15  Prep breakfast.  Grapefruit and plain Greek yogurt w/ honey and cinnamon for me, blueberry Greek yogurt for TLA (per his request).

8:20 Sit down to eat.  TLA cries for Cheerios with milk.  I pray for patience, then give him what he asks for, thankful that he is interested in eating at all.

8:22 Sit down again.  TLA wants to drink the Cheerio milk.  I get up to give him a glass of milk instead.  He immediately spills milk all down his front and screams for me to clean him up.  Then he plays with both cup and bowl, and we have a chat about good manners.

8:27 Finally start my own breakfast, read blogs. (currently 307 in my Google Reader).  Remind TLA not to put Cheerios in his cup.

8:36  PA joins us in the kitchen to make his breakfast of PB toast.  We tag team parent.  TLA asks for milk refills 2 times so he can drink the milk from his bowl.  Cries when we ask him to eat the cereal first.

8:41 TLA wants what PA has.  Oh wait he wants PLAIN toast.  We tell him the kitchen is closed, fit ensues.  PA heads up to our home office (breakfast in hand) to start his work for the day.  I clean the kitchen

8:44 I get TLA dressed for the day, and convince him to brush his teeth by pretending he is a dog.

9:00 TLA and I leave for a walk to the nearby park.  We barely make it off of our driveway when TLA has some weird sneeze/cough thing that causes him to choke.  We go back to the house for a drink of water.

9:03  Walk to the park.  He walks most of the way, but rides on my back for a little bit.  He spends most of the time swinging.  We also walk over the pond and throw sticks in the water.

9:50 Despite warnings, he is not ready to go and has a  tantrum on ground.  I lose my patience.  I carry him part of the way home.

9:55 We stop to chat with friend/neighbor

10:00 W get home from park, and TLA drinks Boost while watching Curious George.  I change clothes w/o showering though I do wipe down with one of those Ponds i’m-too-lazy-to-wash-my-face cloths, realize i need to shave my legs and touch up my toenail polish, but throw on a skirt (and sandals anyway).  Too hot for jeans now!

10:15  Eat some string cheese and pretzels while emailing back and forth with PA (who is working upstairs) about weekend plans, and send email reminders for the meals I organized for a mom in TLA’s class that just had twins.

10:25  TLA pitches a fit over turning TV off

10:30 We fight over potty time.  I lose my patience for the 2nd time today.

10:35 We leave for HEB

111:50 Get home, unload cold stuff, then decide to eat lunch.

12:00 Eat lunch with TLA and PA

12:27 Finish unloading groceries, and I’m fading fast.  Thank goodness it is almost nap time.

12:45 Time to  head upstairs for naps.  TLA is screaming “I’m NOT TIRED and I’m NOT CRANKY!”  when he is clearly tired.  Naptime battle begins.  I usually lay down with him, so we both head to my bed.

1:20 TLA is totally not listening and I’ve been kicked, hit, poked with his squirming.  I move TLA to his room by himself.  Of course he doesn’t want to stay there.  I grab a book, and go sit by him on the bed, urging him to lay still.  He continues to ignore me.  I’m tired and have reached my breaking point.  I burst into tears and go interrupt PA from work to rescue me (something I have never done).  PA rescues me, and I go lay down alone in my bed.

1:45  I was so amped up that I never fell asleep for that 30 minute nap I so badly needed.   (TLA is finally asleep.)  Now I need to get busy again.  Head downstairs and make coffee for me and PA, who is sitting outside TLA’s door working on his laptop.

1:50 Recap naptime issues with PA, discuss what to do differently in the future, and have a coffee and computer break.

2:20 Yikes!  Art playgroup is at 4, and I haven’t even started prepping our project or tidying the house.  Start prepping art project (fingerprint indian corn)

3:20 Wake up TLA

3:30 Prep snacks for art playgroup, and put on jeans.

4:00 Art playgroup chaos begins!  We have 4 mommies, 6 kids and 2 babies today.  As usual, TLA is wild.  He participates in the project for less than 2 minutes before going to play.  Spits his snack, and throws toys.  He spends some time in timeout in his room, but I’m staying calm.  I really enjoy visiting with my 3 mommy friends today, even though my participation in the conversation is stop-and-go while I’m disciplining TLA.

5:30 PA is done working and comes downstairs just after our art group friends leave.  He takes TLA outside to play.

5:35  I start dinner (tonight is Easy Taco Soup) and realize the recipe says to simmer for 1 hr, so we’ll be eating a little later than I thought.  Cleaning up from art group while I prep the soup.

6:05  Soup is simmering.  I sit down with my laptop to work on room mom duties.  TLA’s class Thanksgiving party is next week, and I’ve got to get a sign up sheet ready to go for tomorrow morning!  I email back and forth with my co-room mom.  PA and TLA dance to Move It Move It, shoot Nerf guns and read books.

7:00 We sit down to eat dinner as a family.

7:28 I clean kitchen while PA gives TLA a bath.  Thankfully, there’s not much cleaning to take care of tonight.  Love those one pot meals!

7:39 I sit down to blog for a few minutes

7:50 Head upstairs to set up TLA’s feeding pump while TLA goes potty and brushes teeth w/ PA’s supervision/coercion.

8:00 Read stories to TLA, fetch a glass of water for him, sing Twinkle Twinkle two times, then give five kisses and five hugs.  I”m thankful that there isn’t much bedtime stalling tonight.

8:20 Back downstairs (a little earlier than usual).  PA and I both sit down with our laptops and watch Glee, then 30 Rock.  I work on this blog post.

(The rest of this is projected….)

10:00 Take a bubble bath and get ready for bed.

10:45 Get into bed and read until I fall asleep (less than 5 minutes later).

This is the fourth post in the Life With a Spirited Child series.  Missed a previous post?

Life With a Spirited Child: New Series Intro

The Characteristics

Labels

Intensity is probably the most challenging spirited child trait to learn to manage (it certainly is at our house!), and it is the driving force behind the strong reactions of your spirited child.  I wanted to tackle this trait first because intensity plays a huge role in the other traits.  If you can deal with THIS trait, then the other spirited child characteristics should be easier to manage as well.

image by UggBoyUggGirl via Flickr Creative Commons

Catching Cues and Talking About Intensity

Whether you are aware of it or not, your spirited child generally gives off some sort of non-verbal (or even verbal) signal that his intensity is building.  The goal is to learn pick up on these cues and take preventative action before your child reaches his breaking point.  Maybe your child’s cue is that they become active and impatient.  Maybe they start to become less coordinated.  Maybe they start to test the limits or get louder.  It is so much easier to step in and take action now rather than wait until your child is in a full fledged screaming fury or weeping and wailing inconsolably.

Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out what The Littlest Apple’s cues are.  There have been plenty of times when I feel like he just snapped, with little-to-no warning.  But sometimes he starts stalling (bedtime, naptime, getting dressed, brushing teeth, time for dinner…all of the “trouble spots” we’ll discuss later).  Sometimes he gets really fidgety (this one is hard to detect since he is ALWAYS fidgety, but it’s a slightly different kind of fidgety).  Sometimes he starts talking MORE or saying lots of gibberish or begins to say something but trails off and moves on to another thought.  That’s usually a good clue that his little wheels are close to spinning out of control.

Right now I’m trying to recognize The Littlest Apple’s cues, but my hope is that he’ll be able to recognize them too.  Ultimately, we want our spirited kids to recognize their OWN cues.  We want them to say “Mom, I’m bouncing off the walls!” or “My blood is really boiling!” or “I’m getting upset!” I’ve been working with The Littlest Apple and occasionally, he will say “I’ve got a lot of energy now!”

Once you’ve observed the signals that your child’s intensity is building, it’s time to take action!

Soothing and Calming Activities That Help Diffuse Intensity:

1.  Sleep and Nap Time

It is crucial to make sleep a priority for your spirited child.

Typically, spirited children are the ones who seem to need less sleep than others and have a hard time winding down.  That is certainly true with The Littlest Apple.  He sleeps 8 or 9 hours at night and an hour and half nap during the day (if he takes one).  Preschoolers are supposed to get 12 hours of sleep.  It takes our guy a LONG time to wind down for night time and naps.  He takes at least an hour to fall asleep at night, and on school day, it can take him up to 45 minutes to stop fidgeting and fall asleep for his nap after we get home.

My guy still naps, but if you’re looking for ideas on HOW to make quiet time work, check out the following posts:

Giving Up Naptime @Muffin Tin Mom

and the follow up post Quiet Time 1, 2, 3! @ No Time For Flashcards

Rest Hour-A Primer @ Fleeting Moments

2.  Water

Water can be very soothing to spirited kids.  The Littlest Apple LOVES playing with water and taking baths (and so do I).  In fact, yesterday afternoon he was grouchy, but after 20 minutes in a warm bath, he was much more agreeable.

Here are some water play ideas:

• Take a warm bath (maybe a bubble bath?), even in the middle of the day
• Take a shower
• Pour water from one container to another
• Play with a water table
• Fill a container with water and soap and let them pretend to wash dishes, toys, etc
• Swimming pool
• Play in the sprinkler
• Spray bottles of water for “cleaning”
• Let them help wash the car or water the yard

3.  Imagination

The options here are limitless!  Getting kids to engage their imagination can usually side step any meltdowns.

Dress up!  Either with costumes and accessories you already own or by merely pretending to dress up.  Pretend to wash your hair, shave your face, button up a shirt, put on a belt, and tie your shoes.

Pretend to be trucks or firemen or leaves blowing in the wind.

Another activity we do at least once a week is the pizza making activity from Pete’s A Pizza.  Have you read this story?  Stuck inside on a rainy day, Pete’s dad cheers him up by pretending to make Pete into a pizza.  Pete’s dad rolls and kneads the “dough”, tosses it up in the air, sprinkles the cheese on, puts it in the oven, and slices it.  We act out the story, and The Littlest Apple LOVES the sensory experience of this activity.

4.  Sensory Activities

Spirited kids are calmed down by activities that allow them to touch, smell, taste, hear or see things.  There are SO many great sensory activities!  Here are just a few…

• Play Dough and silly putty are great for kids of all ages.  The littlest kids can pull, roll, and stretch out the dough, while older kids may create flowers or other sculptures.  Play Dough is so easy to make yourself, and I usually make a new variety each month with different colors and scents.  Check out my recent Halloween and Apple Pie Play Dough for ideas.
• Sensory bins are also excellent activities for spirited children.  Check out our Halloween Sensory Bin and my Sensory Bin Extravaganza post for inspiration.
• Finger painting on a cookie sheet or in the shower with shaving cream is also soothing activity.  For the youngest kids who are still trying to eat everything, use yogurt instead!
• The Littlest Apple enjoys getting his back scratched, and I’ve found that this is a great way to calm him down.  He also enjoys when I draw pictures or write words on his back.

image by woodlywonderworks via Flickr Creative Commons

5.  Physical Exercise and Repetitive Motion

Exercise and movement are SO important to spirited children, and I’ve mentioned before how crucial this has become for our family.  There have been quite a few days lately where I felt like we were just too busy to stop by the park, and I regretted it later when The Littlest Apple had a complete meltdown.

• If possible, get up early and head outside.
• Walk, run, climb, swing.
• Give your kids some “heavy work” like pulling or pushing or carrying a heavy load.  We have a small wheelbarrow that The Littlest Apple loves to push around the backyard.
• There’s a big hill to climb at the park, and we bring a shovel to dig in the sand.
• The Littlest Apple also enjoys washing his truck (which includes that much loved-water element I discussed earlier!)

image by chefranden via Flickr Creative Commons

• If you can’t go outside, you could jump on a mini trampoline (I think we’re getting The Littlest Apple one for Christmas)
• Bounce around on a hopper ball
• Go up and down the stairs
• Bear-crawl around the house
• Jump on the bed (if you allow this at your house….we DO!)
• Kick a soccer ball in the kitchen
• Use a timer to do 20 jumps, jumping jacks, running in place, etc.
• Dancing is also a great way to burn some steam for kids and parents alike!  The Littlest Apple recently saw Madagascar, and LOVES to dance to “I Like To Move it Move it“….sometimes at 5:30 in the morning.  Usually I can’t help myself and wind up dancing along too.  And we’re always in a better mood afterward!

6.  Reading

Sometimes just pulling out a book and getting your child to sit down next to you on the couch or in your lap in the rocking chair is all you need to keep their intensity in check.  At my house, this has mixed results.  The Littlest Apple DOES love to read, but sometimes this is best after a sensory activity or some physical exercise.

Also, keep in mind that these kids might not actually sit STILL while you read, and for the most part, that’s okay.  While reading a story may help them wind down, they may need to do something else at the same time to keep their hands and/or bodies busy too.

image by John-Morgan via Flickr Creative Commons

7.  Humor

As long as you’re not using sarcasm or ridicule, humor can be very effective at diffusing an intense situation.  Occasionally this backfires and only makes The Littlest Apple more angry, but here are some things we’ve done that usually turn the screams and crying to laughter and grins:

• Pretend to be animals.  Dogs, cats, ducks, chickens and monkeys are usually very popular here.
• When The Littlest Apple is being clingy or wants to be picked up while I am trying to do something else, I will often say “oh, you mean like THIS?” and swing him around or hold him upside down.  (Yet another instance where his small size comes in handy!)
• Pretend like you are having trouble doing something, or intentionally do something wrong and ask them to help.  Putting your shoes or clothes on wrong-shorts on your head, coat on backwards (or attempting to put on THEIR shoes or shirt) usually gets their attention.  This is particularly useful when it’s time get dressed anyway-a prime time for intense reactions at our house!
• We are having LOTS of trouble with brushing teeth at our house.  It’s become a wrestling match with insane screaming and crying almost every time.  The loudness and intensity of The Littlest Apple’s teeth brushing protests is overwhelming.  To combat this, we’ve pretended to be birds, we sing funny songs while we brush, I “accidentally” brush his nose or his lips instead, or anything else funny I can think of to make it more bearable.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Laugh thumbtacks from Etsy seller repurposedantiques

8.  Taking a Break

This is very similar to a coach calling “time out!” during a game.  You, the parent, may read your child’s cues and see that their intensity is rising and about to enter the “danger zone”.  You can call for a break.  I hesitate to use the phrase “time out” because I know many of you may use “time out” for punishment, and this is something completely different.  This is a preventative break.

This break means finding a comfortable, quiet spot to where the child can get away from the action, bring their heart rate down, and feel their anger and frustration leave the body. (Also great for adults!)  This may mean the child’s bedroom, the corner of the kitchen, or a comfy chair.

We ask The Littlest Apple to lay down on the couch (where he usually puts a quilt over his head) or sit under the dining room table when he needs a breather.  He’s occasionally doing this on his own now, too!  Sometimes I join him on the couch and hold him tight for Cuddle Time until we’re all calm and happy again.

image by oksidor via Flickr Creative Commons

I’ve shared quite a few tips and tactics in this post, but the key is to pick up on your child’s signals.  Detect when he is about to spin out of control and enter the “danger zone.”  Then use one of the soothing and calming activities mentioned above to diffuse your child’s intensity before it escalates into the meltdown level!

In my next post in this series, I’ll discuss parenting tactics for some of the other traits of spirited children, so stay tuned!

What are your child’s cues that his/her intensity is entering the “danger zone”?

We tried printing with apples last year as part of our fruit and vegetable printing project for Art Playgroup, but this fall (last month actually…I’ve been slow posting this), I wanted to focus solely on apples.  In particular, I wanted to try to get that elusive little star shape in the middle of apples that we didn’t see last year.  The star shows up when you cut the apple horizontally, and we had the best luck with Red Delicious apples for this project.

I’d love to create t-shirts or a tote bag with some apple prints like this next year.  Time to move on to some Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts!

Oh what a difference a year makes!  Last year, The Littlest Apple only wore his costume, selected by me, for about 5 minutes.

This year, The Littlest Apple had strong opinions about what he wanted to be for Halloween.  Buzz Lightyear, of course!  (Along with every other young boy, it seems!)  I had trouble finding a Buzz costume small enough for my guy, so I borrowed an idea from my friend Courtney, and bought Buzz Lightyear pajamas instead.  They fit perfectly, and we’ll get a lot more use out of them in the next few months as jammies!

Paired with the super-cool wings he got for his birthday and the laser he got from his hospital stay last month, The Littlest Apple was an adorable Buzz Lightyear.

This was his first year trick or treating and he just went to some of the houses on our very long street.  He had a great time and got lots of candy!

I hope everyone had a great Halloween!  Can you believe it’s November already?!

Thanks to everyone who entered the Thirty One Giveaway, and a big thank you to Cheryl, my Thirty One consultant for sponsoring the giveaway.

The randomly selected winner of the Large Organizing Tote is…..Ricki!!!

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I get sick frequently and suffer from chronic sinus infections.  My ENT recommended I get allergy testing, so today was my big day!  I was dreading it (because of all the needles), but it wasn’t too bad.

I was tested for 40 of the most common allergens in our area of Texas.  I tested positive (in the medium to high range) for 29 out of the 40 things I was tested for, and my reactions were spread across all 4 of their categories.

So here’s what I’m allergic to:

• Ash Trees
• Bayberry/ Wax Myrtles
• Birch Red River
• Boxelder
• Red Cedar
• Eastern Cottonwood
• Bald Cypress
• American Elm
• Hackberry
• Pecan
• Bahia Grass
• Bermuda Grass
• Johnson Grass
• K-O-R-T Grass Mix
• Baccharis
• Yellow Curly Dock
• Lambs Quarter
• Spiny Pigweed
• English Plantain
• Ragweed Mix
• Prairie Sagebrush
• Mold Mix #1
• Mold Mix #2
• Cat Hair
• Mouse Epithelia
• Mite (D. Farinae)
• Mite (D. Ptero)
• Loblolly Pine

I don’t know what some of those things are (though I do have detailed explanations somewhere in this big packet they gave me), but to sum it up I’m allergic to: trees, weeds, grass, mold, dust mites, cats.

I reacted so severely to the pre-test for dust mites that they didn’t need to stick it under my skin.

(I wanted to jazz up this post with a photo of some dust mites, but I can’t look at them without getting completely grossed out.  You know all about dust mites right?  If not, here’s a link to learn more…)

So, now I need to deep clean the house for dust mites (and start a regular allergy cleaning routine), get an air purifier, a new vacuum (Dyson?).  Maybe I’ll add hardwood floors to my Master Bedroom To-Do List from yesterday!  And apparently I need to wear a mask when I’m outside.  That’s so very chic, don’t you think?

I’m a little overwhelmed by all of the cleaning and filtering and precautions and outside-allergy avoidance that needs to be done (I’m allergic to my house, I’m allergic to outside…where do I GO?!).

The obvious result of the test was that I’m an excellent candidate for weekly allergy shots.  In fact, I NEED them.  It can take 3-6 months before you get any relief from the shots, and treatment is recommended for 3-5 years.  And even though I HATE shots (and really, is there anyone who thinks “ooh!  fun!” about getting shots?), I’ll gladly get my weekly shot from now until eternity if it helps me feel a little better on a daily basis!

Have you gone through allergy testing?  Do you get weekly allergy shots?  What are you allergic to?

Reminder: Please don’t forget to enter the Thirty One giveaway and/or place your party orders by noon on October 30th!

I haven’t shared any room makeovers or home projects lately because I feel like I’m being pulled in about 100 different directions!  We’re working on The Littlest Apple’s room.  I also decided to change the Guest Bedroom to the Playroom, and the old playroom/loft area will now be a TV room and sitting area, so we’re in the middle of moving all of the toys around.  My husband just started working from home 3-5 days a week (yay!!), but that moved our home office up on the priority list too.  So here is the big to-do list (for the upstairs at least…I’ve got a whole ‘nother list for downstairs!).  I plan to cross off, add to this list, and link up my posts as we make progress.

The Littlest Apple’s Room:

• apply poly coat to bed and headboard (goal is to complete this by Sunday evening!  This bed is taking up our whole garage, and I’m ready to have this DONE!)

image from Knock Off Wood

• purchase baskets for under bed
• art for over bed (I’m thinking about free-handing a painting of a firetruck and/or Curious George to go with his Curious George sheets)

image from Pottery Barn Kids

• build rain gutter bookshelves or similar wooden shelves(and convince The Picky Apple that this is a good idea)

image from Raising Olives

• Quiet Time basket
• decorative accessories

Playroom:

• finish cleaning out closet
• decide on color scheme and layout for room
• paint
• move Expedit shelf
• curtains?
• fabric pennant for over window
• purchase/build additional toy shelving/cabinets for toys

image from Pottery Barn Kids

• remove closet doors and replace with fabric curtains
• decorative accessories (maps?  globe collection?)

Loft/Sitting Area: (no real vision for this room yet…)

• hang flatscreen TV
• build/purchase cabinet and shelving for TV niche
• new chair/chaise
• replace coffee table
• decorative accessories
• add fake beams to ceiling
• change light fixture

Home Office:

• declutter and organize closet
• declutter and organize desk (ours is black)

• decide on color scheme/room layout
• paint walls (subtle horizontal stripes or painted wallpaper?)

image from Young House Love

image from Jones Design Company

• refinish extra desk or purchase a new one
• new desk chair(s)
• build/purchase shelving and cabinets for crafting supplies
• curtains
• bulletin/inspiration board
• wall art/decorative accessories

Master Bedroom:

• paint touch ups
• build headboard

• art for over bed
• lamps for nightstands
• sunburst or other style mirror for over nightstands
• build/purchase shelving/cabinets for a built-in look
• make book page wreath for reading corner

Image from Living With Lindsay

Master Bathroom:

• paint walls (using same color as Master Bedroom, maybe use painted wallpaper idea (shown above) here?)
• paint cabinets
• change light fixture
• frame out mirror or replace with 2 mirrors
• window treatment
• decorative accessories

Bedroom Closet:

• declutter
• steam clean carpet
• add shelving and drawers
• make jewelry organizer

• essentially, make my closet look as lovely as this one (except that it’s my husband’s closet too):

What home projects are you working on right now?

After this recipe, y’all are going to think that I only cook Mexican food (actually Tex-Mex) and sweets!  Tex-Mex IS my favorite type of food and since there is so much variety within that category, we usually have Tex-Mex once a week.  This recipe is a recreation of the famous chimichangas from the Tex-Mex chain Chi-Chi’s, which closed the last of its 65 restaurants in 2004.   Did you ever visit Chi-Chi’s?  Did you ever try their chimichangas?  I didn’t (and I’m not even sure if there was one in Houston), but I wanted to try this recipe all the same.

There are several things about this recipe that make it a star.  The cooking technique for the chimichangas (baked, brushed with oil and butter) keep them from being too greasy like a typically fried chimichanga, and get the flour tortilla nice and crispy.  The filling has amazing flavor with hints of fire-roasted tomatoes (okay, that was my own substitution), fresh cilantro, and a hint of cinnamon.  And last but not least is that delicious Mexi-sauce on top which is creamy and zesty and just perfect with the chimichangas.  I used a store-bought rotisserie this week because I was feeling lazy, but Crockpot Mexican Chicken would be just perfect for this!

One other note about the tortillas and filling instructions.  I used made-fresh-at-the-store tortillas instead of making my own, and since my tortillas were smaller than 10″, I had to cut back my filling drastically (which I learned the hard way).  So keep that in mind.

Chi-Chi’s Chimichangas

adapted from from Food Network Magazine, October 2010

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 15-oz can refried beans
• 4 10-inch flour tortillas
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, plus more for topping
• Mexi-sauce, for topping (see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Melt the butter with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet; transfer to a bowl.  Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet.  Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt; toast 30 seconds.  Add the tomato and cilantro and cook until slightly dry, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken and sour cream and warm through.  Remove from the heat.

Brush a rimmed baking sheet with some of the butter-oil mixture.  Spread 2 tablespoons refried beans down the center of each tortilla, leaving a 2-inch border on both ends.  Top with 1 cup chicken mixture and 1/4 cup cheese.  Fold in the ends and roll up.

Put the chimichangas seam-side down on the baking sheet; brush with the butter-oil mixture.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes per side, brushing again after you flip.  Top with the sauce and more cheese.  Serve with remaining beans and Mexican Rice.

Chi-Chi’s Mexi-sauce

Saute 1/2 cup chopped onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves in a skillet with vegetable oil.  Add a pinch each of chili powder, cumin, sugar and salt; cook 30 seconds.  Stir in two 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles, cook 2 minutes.  Add 1 cup chicken broth and simmer until thickened, then puree.  Stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.

Some of my favorite links from the week…

Rest Hour-A Primer @ Fleeting Moments

How NOT to Greet Your Husband at the End of the Day @ Steady Mom

Caramel Pumpkin Pie @ Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

Ice Fishing and Color Mixing @ No Time for Flashcards

Your Playrooms @ 6th Street Design School

Tutorial: Homemade Sidewalk Chalk @ Oh My! Handmade Goodness

Inspiration Files: The Braverman House from Parenthood @ 2 Meadow Lake Cottage

DIY Stamps @ Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing @ Tasty Kitchen

Don’t forget to check out the Thirty-One giveaway and blog party.  You’ve got until October 30 to enter the giveaway and place your party orders!

A few weeks ago, I attended a Thirty-One party with consultant Cheryl Graves.  After spending quite a bit of time looking through (and drooling over) the catalog, I knew I wanted to share these products with my blog readers.  You know I don’t normally review products unless it’s something I really love, and I was truly impressed by the Thirty-One product line (and the company itself).

Since I can’t invite you all over to my house, I thought I’d have a BLOG PARTY instead.  Let’s check out the catalog together, discuss our favorite totes and fabrics, enjoy some virtual coffee, and win some prizes (more on that in a minute)!  Now’s the time to get an early start on your holiday shopping!

Here’s a quick overview of Thirty-One:

Thirty-One is a collection of fashionable, functional products like bags, totes, and organizers.  There are fresh new fabrics each season and most items can be monogrammed.  The company was founded by Cindy Monroe on the belief that we are all put here on this earth for a reason, and that each of us has a unique purpose.  Her concept is that each of these products will help to make your life easier and more positive, and that each of them has several purposes.

And here’s what our consultant Cheryl has to say about her experience with Thirty-One:

” I’ve been a stay at home mom for a little over a year now, and like most SAHMs, was looking for a way to make some extra money and avoid daycare costs, etc. I stumbled across the Thirty-One Gifts website and adored the products, and instead of just hosting a party, I decided to jump in with both feet and just Sell It! I’ve been with the company for a little over two months now, and have had a great time getting together with friends and family for parties and sharing these fabulous products. What appealed to me so much about Thirty-One was not only is it a faith-based company, but the products are affordable, functional, and CUTE! Who doesn’t need a cute lunch tote?! The products are so versatile - I love hearing from customers what they plan on using their products for, such as car organizing, toys, etc. And they make great gifts – so fun to give a gift that is not only functional but personalized with a name or monogram! Enjoy looking at the catalog, happy shopping!”

Now, time to talk about all the great stuff that Thirty-One has to offer.

Here are some of my personal favorites:

The City Skirt Purse is a handbag with a changeable cover!

If you’re like me, I always forget something when I try to switch bags.  But with a bag like this, you can keep the bag the same, and change the fabrics.  There are 7 different fabrics to choose from, and you can order the basic purse in black or brown.  I’m particularly loving this cute Tiered Ruffle Purse Skirt, a special fall/winter item.

I think the Cindy Tote would make an excellent diaper bag or laptop bag! This stylish and roomy tote comes in 4 different fabrics, has 2 outside pockets and 3 additional compartments.  (and note the cute and coordinating accessory options!)

I ordered the Retro Metro Bag in the Mod Dot fabric (the gray dots below).  My everyday handbag is a gigantic designer tote, and I’m looking forward to having something more casual for my SAHM lifestyle (but still big enough to hold all the water bottles, extra clothes, snacks, etc).  I’ll be honest, I’m a complete snob when it comes to bags, but I adore the casual style of this bag, and with all of the great fabrics, I had trouble deciding!  Love those dots!

In addition to great handbags, there are Organizers and Totes galore, and I could drool over the organizational possibilities of these for hours!

There’s the Organizing Utility Tote, available in 8 fabrics, with lots of room and 7 pockets.  Perfect for cleaning supplies, toys, bathroom items.  And guess what?  The Organizing Tote is the October Monthly special, which means that when you spend $31, you can get an Organizing Tote for just $5!

The Large Utility Tote (available in 9 fabrics, pictured above full of soccer balls and below, in Boho Patchwork Paisley) is great to keep in the back of your car for grocery trips or sports practice.  Also excellent for garage, toy, or towel organization.  And what college kid wouldn’t love some totes like this to keep their stuff together at school?

Right now you can get the Large Organizing Tote in a limited time only Holiday Toss fabric…this would be perfect for toting around Christmas presents!

There are also baskets, lunchbags, coolers, kid products, and stationery.

And check out this snapshot of all the great fabric options!

There is SO MUCH to choose from, so I encourage you to look through the Thirty-One Fall 2010 Catalog:

and the Winter 2010 Gift Guide:

When you’re ready to order, go to my Thirty-One Party.

Some things to remember when you order:

• Please be sure to place your order with my party
• The party will be open until noon on October 30.
• Monogramming costs just $6, and there are many thread colors and fonts to choose from.  The catalog has some great ideas for monogramming.
• Don’t forget about the Monthly Special for October!  When you spend $31, you get the Organizing Tote for just $5.
• Don’t forget to check Direct Ship so your products will be sent directly to YOU!

And now, THE GIVEAWAY!!

Cheryl is generously offering a Large Utility Totes (pictured above) in Sandy Swirl or Papparazi Dot fabric to one of my readers for free!

To enter the giveaway:

Check out the Thirty-One Fall 2010 Catalog and then leave a comment here letting us know what tote, bag or other Thirty-One product you’d like most.  I’ll announce the winner the evening of October 30th.

Happy shopping!

Disclosure statement: As the party hostess, I will earn Thirty-One product discounts and other hostess benefits when you order with my party.