I arrived home late last night since I finally got my hair cut! I usually get the urge to chop my hair when the weather gets warmer, but I have been working so hard to grow it out since I chopped it after my wedding that I just added some layers and side bangs. Want to see?

Since I didn't get home until around 8:00 but both Jeff and I wanted an actual dinner, I threw together one of my favorite soups-chicken tortilla! My mom and sister also make this soup often (and we usually each make it differently), but it always turns out great. I love these kind of soups. You know-the kind where you simply pour everything into a pot and heat it up!

Although some days I don't want to get out of bed and head to work, I really do love my job. If you didn't know already, I am a nanny. And while I never in a million years thought this would be my first job out of college, I wouldn't have it any other way. I have learned so much about myself, children, motherhood and most of all...patience. This job molds me into the person I was created to be daily.

Because Jeff is in school and not working, I needed a job as soon as possible after we married and moved to Long Island. I didn't have time to really "job search" since that often takes several months. I quickly began looking into nannying positions. I quickly found the perfect family. So while at first I wasn't exactly thrilled with my job choice...I now couldn't be happier.

Today I had a Panera date with two of my favorite boys (no, not Ollie this time).

We ordered a coffee (for me), hot chocolate (for Jeff) and a much too big m & m cookie (for Seanie). It was the perfect way to spend our morning!

Sean loves trucks. He knows every single truck out there. From an excavator to a bucket truck, he loves them all. He is one of the most compassionate and empathetic human beings I know. Constantly asking me, "Caityin, are you ok?" Or reminding me after I spill an entire vase of water, "It's going to be ok, don't worry." He makes me laugh daily. He also tests my patience at times. He lives off of bananas, chicken nuggets, yogurt, pancakes and of course cookies. He knows the entire song of "Life is a Highway." He hates changing out of his pajamas, but who can blame him? He often tells me I'm beautiful, or that my earrings and necklaces are. And when I'm sometimes upset at the snow outside, he reminds me:"But Caityn, it is a beautiful snowy day outside." I can only hope to have a child as special as this one and be as good of a mother as his...

Sean has taught me more about myself than most people in my life (including highly educated people such as professors, pastors, friends, etc.) He has taught me the simplicity of life, and that is ok to "roar" like a monster truck in the middle of Panera.

Most of all though, he continues to teach me how to love.

But when it is time to go, he teaches me that it is really time to go.

This post made me cry (not really a big deal considering I cry during American Idol almost every episode as well). The crazy thing is, the kid doesn't even belong to me. So I can't even imagine how much I will love one of my own one day...

Why I never tried steel cut oats before this month I am not sure! My friend Lauren eats them often, and while I was over her house one day she gave me a bag full of steel cut oats to try for myself. Once you try these, you won't go back (ok, maybe sometimes because I still do love rolled oats)! These oats are so much chewier than quick or rolled oats. They are much creamier, and a little bit "nuttier." And who doesn't love nuts?

According to my good friend (who sadly got me through much of college), Wikipedia, steel cut oats are whole grain groats which have been cut into two of three pieces by steel rather than being rolled. I find that these oats keep me even more full than a bowl of rolled oats, which is great! If they didn't take 30 minutes to cook (although you can soak them overnight for less cook time), I would probably have them every morning!

This is me encouraging you to pick up a bag of ground flaxseed next time you find yourself in the grocery store! You can add tablespoons of these to almost anything you bake, increasing your fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids.


Look at that creaminess...


Yum! I ate these for lunch today (I think I eat oats more often for lunch than breakfast). We unfortunately woke up with about 2 inches of snow on the ground. While Ollie was loving the white stuff, I was not :/ Thankfully the sun is melting it as I type! As the 2 year old little man I nanny for said to me this morning while waiting at the bus stop, "Cait(y)n, it is a beautiful snowy day!" He couldn't be more right.