I love seafood, especially shrimp and crabmeat. I just went to a site about a seafood cook off and voted for a seafood recipe. There are five in the running in the Great American Seafood Cookoff for the best seafood recipe and I chose the Shrimp and Andouille Cassoulet. It’s made by Chef Brian Landry from Louisiana. The Great American Seafood Cook-Off, happened earlier this month in Lousiana and featured top chefs from around the nation cooking with domestic, sustainable seafood from their home state. The other four recipes looked great too but I chose the one from Louisiana because it actually looked like a recipe I could make. The ingredients aren’t complicated and are ingredients I usually have on hand. It’s a recipe designed for those of us who don’t have tons of time in the kitchen but also want to make something that tastes great and isn’t like our normal boring dinner recipes. The last few shrimp recipes I’ve made have not worked out so well so I’ve been looking for a new one to try. The best part is that it also has sausage in it which I know my husband will like:) I like cooking with sustainable domestic seafood like shrimp because it’s fresh and tastes great. I also like knowing where it comes from. In voting for the recipe I also entered a chance to win a trip to New Orleans that includes two Southwest Airline roundtrip tickets, hotel accommodations, and dining experiences. For my fellow moms who love cooking with seafood, check out www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookoff.com and vote for your favorite. And if you win the trip to New Orleans instead of me, can I tag along?

I hate snoring. To me it’s like the sound of someone scratching on a chalkboard. It doesn’t matter how quiet it may be, I can’t sleep when someone is snoring. The past few weeks my husband has been snoring terribly. It turns out he had a really bad sinus infection. I had tried sleeping on the couch but then my back started hurting really bad so I switched to the bed in Ian’s room. That wasn’t a good idea because Ian cried in his sleep all night. So last night I slept on an air mattress in the living room. Ahh sleep, how I love thee!

I can’t believe I’m already thinking about holiday shopping, but I am. Now that I have two kids, I’m a little panicked about how to go about getting it all done. There is no way I can wait in long lines with two young kids in tow. The best day to go holiday shopping is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. With all that I have going on these days I need a lot of help. That’s why this site I learned about will be so helpful this year: blackfriday This site will tell you weeks in advance about the sales that will be going on the day after Thanksgiving so you can plan your shopping trip. They can also tell you what sites you can do online shopping on that day and the deals that will be available online. They will send you email alerts letting you know when new Black Friday ads have been posted. Lately, online shopping has been my favorite type of shopping and I was excited to see that one of my favorite stores, Target, is listed on their site. When you click on the name of your favorite store, you’ll see the list of the items that will be on sale the day after Thanksgiving so you can plan ahead. I’ve already checked out Target’s list and I’m ready to shop!

Ethan had his surgery today. I cried as they pulled out of the driveway this morning at 8am. George woke him up and took him straight to the car. I was nervous for him and scared for my baby. They had to be at the hospital at 9:30am but he didn’t end up going into surgery until 11am. George said that Ethan was very upset when he first came out of the anesthesia. He then took a nap and woke up better. The doctor said that everything went fine and that nothing showed up on the bronchoscopy (he gave us the pictures from the procedure). They gave him lots of meds for pain and antibiotics. He’s been a little tired but playing like his normal self all afternoon. Thanks for the prayers!

Yesterday my friend Kristine and I got together to do some party planning for the joint birthday party we are planning for Ethan and her daughter, Maddie. They were born weeks apart and have played together since they were born. Since Ian’s birthday is around the same time, we are going to have one big party at our house, because of the big yard. We are doing a Harvest Party theme with pumpkin themed games and activities. Should be a lot of fun!

Yesterday was Ethan’s presurgery appt. at the pediatrician’s to make sure he is healthy for the surgery on Thursday. The hospital called to talk about the surgery. The nurse said that the parents worry about it way more than the kids and that it’s no big deal. She said the bronchoscopy is normal to have done when taking adnoids out and that they use a tiny camera to look around his airways. She said that Ethan would be a completely different child after having his adnoids out. Since it’s early in the morning and the hospital is about 45 min. away, George will take him and I’ll stay home with Ian. I’m looking forward to Ethan not being sick all the time.

Ian is 10 months old now. Current accomplishments: clapping, saying “MaMa,” climbing out of the bathtub, trying to open doors, opening computer armoir and pulling down mouse and keyboard, cruising, and pushing cars. Ian is such a sweet baby and everyone calls him “smiley.”

Last night the mom’s in our play group got together for a spa night. We had the spa to ourselves and enjoyed food and wine while catching up on our lives. I had a massage and facial. It was a great time and definitely needed after a long week. So, when can I go again?

I asked George to take some time off work to take Ian for blood work because the pediatrician wants to test his immune system and do some additional allergy testing. The thought of taking my baby for blood work makes me lightheaded, there’s no way I could go. Ethan wanted to tag along and be there to support his brother. George called me a short time later and said that Ian didn’t even make a peep and that he watched them draw the blood. Yikes! He definitely didn’t get that from me!