Boredom Buster for a One-Year-Old

I'm sitting here playing with my 15-month-old and decided I would share what we are doing because it something he loves! First let me say that this kid rarely to never hold still! He doesn't really sit and play with toys because he's so busy and has places to be! But this is the one thing that he will sit and do for 15 minutes at a time.  He finds it and brings it to me to open for him and then he'll just sit and entertain himself. I just got some of the lids that you put on mason jars and put Mickey Mouse stickers on them (mainly so I can hear Oliver try to 'quack' when he gets to the one with Donald's picture on it) and then he puts them one by one in an empty wipes container.

That's it folks! That's the game! I'm actually going to put pictures of my kids on some more lids because he thinks it's so fun to see pictures of them and say their names.  It blows my mind how much he loves it but kids this age love to put things in and out of containers. And I also love it because I get to see him make this face while he tries to 'pop' the lids!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

I just wrapped up lunch with my little fellas where we scarfed down leftovers from yesterday. And let me tell you it was just as tasty as it was last night so I decided to share! This recipe is super super easy, kid friendly, and full of flavor!

Here's what you do:
Add 3 good sized chicken breasts to your crockpot then sprinkle with one package taco seasoning and one package dry ranch seasoning. Then pour 2/3 cup water over the top.

Cook on high 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked and shreds easily. Shred the chicken and let cook another 30 to 60 minutes to let it really soak in the flavor. That's it!

Serve in flour tortillas with melted cheese and whatever else you like on your soft tacos. For me it's all about the guacamole!!

My Grandma's Hands - Mother's Day Gift

 Well Mother's Day is just about upon us, friends.  I've been thinking a lot lately about all the little "mom" moments that make me laugh/want to pull my hair out. Being a mom is just the best.  No other way to slice it.  It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done (along with being a wife).  And I think the reason for that is because it really forces me to be UN-SELFISH and gives me countless opportunities to revel in the many successes of my little ones.  My friend and I were talking yesterday about how our true "happy place" is watching our kids in their "happy places".  I love watching the people they are becoming.  It's just the closest glimpse, I believe, we can get of how our Savior and Father in Heaven feel about us and I love that.

Now, don't get me wrong.  Along with all these beautiful moments, comes their fair share of "if you don't shut up (please) I'm going to run away to China" moments.  Of course, I would (pretty much) never actually say those words to my kid. (oops)  Like for instance, yesterday when I was dragging two screaming boys away from the park, which we'd been playing at for 2 hours, so we could pick up their sister from school.  Now that was a good time.  All eyes were on me.  They were all wishing they could emulate my awesome parenting skills because clearly THEY ARE WORKING!

But I gotta admit that those two little freakers are pretty easy to forgive.  I mean, no one else jams to Elton John with me like they do.  They know every word to Something About The Way You Look Tonight.  And that's just irreplacable awesomeness.  Hopefully they forgive me too. :)

I'm getting totally off from my reason for even getting on here today... so let me redirect!  I actually wanted to talk about GRANDMAS and to give you an idea for a Grandma Mother's Day gift.

My grandmas rule.  My Grandma Kathleen died 10 years ago.  I can't believe it's been that long.  I think about her all the time because really I just loved every second I had with her.  I never got tired of being around her.  She was happy and positive and funny and sweet and kind and sassy and really just all the good stuff tied into one person.  And don't even get me started on her baking.  I think in my family we owe our love of frosting to her.  She let me sit on her lap until I was kind of old which was super cool and she could do the splits into her late 60s.  Come on now, who doesn't want a former-Cougarette-split-doing grandma?!

My Grandma Ruth is equally as awesome.  We took these pictures a couple Christmases ago.  In the first one, she's confused because I was trying to take a selfie with her and she couldn't figure out "when we took that picture" that I was showing her on my phone.

Then I explained that it was just me trying to take one of us right now and you can totally see it click for her!  I just love her.  When I was a kid, I'd go spend a week with her every summer.  I'd go to work with her at the auction and play on the ten-key machine while she worked.  Then she'd take me to Macey's and buy me orange tic-tacs.  And one of the coolest things she did was when she called me one day and offered her bike to me because she had heard me saying I wanted to get one so I could ride with my kids.  Yes, I am the proud owner of a hot pink, hand me down bike from my grandma.  I LOVE IT!

And now mine and Tristan's moms are grandmas and they are really the best we could dream of for our kids!  Because for kids, grandmas are just like moms with seemingly unlimited patience and wisdom because they've figured out which things really matter and which things don't!

A few years ago I wrote this poem and based gifts for my kids' grandmas on it.  I don't have a picture of the gifts (sorry!).  I just attached the poem/card to a flower pot filled with "hand" stuff.  I did gardening gloves, lotion, hand towels, nail polish, etc.  You could make this as elaborate or as simple as you want.  It would also be really cute to give it with your kids' handprints.  You could do their prints (or trace their hands) on paper or make any cute little craft with them.  You could also put their handprints on an apron and give her that!  Here's the poem and then a printable in a few colors:

Grandma's Hands

My Grandma’s hands are magic hands,

It seems like they do it all.

They clap and cheer,

They wipe away tears,

They know how to bake,

Lots of cookies and cakes,

They wash the floor,

They shop at the store,

They work, they play,

They fold when she prays,

They write in a card,

They work in the yard,

They help the down-hearted.

See, I’m just getting started,

Listing all her hands can do.

One thing they do best,

Better than all the rest,

Is they help me to do things too!

They color with me,

As we laugh with glee,

They turn pages in books,

They help me to cook,

They show me what’s right,

And they hold me tight.

Of all the things her hands can do,

I’m honestly only naming a few.

But one thing’s for sure,

I can’t ask for more,

Than for my Grandma to be YOU!!

Happy Mother’s Day!

You could obviously use this for moms too.  Here's a couple printable versions for that using "mommy" or "mother":

You should be able to click on the image and save it to your computer and then print it out!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Parmesan Ranch Chicken Strips

Happy Shot Day!  You see, when I'm pregnant I get a shot every Thursday to help keep my baby inside as long as possible and one of the many awesome things about it being shot day is that it means tomorrow is the weekend!  Wahoo!  I just love having the hubbs home all day.

So to celebrate a great day.... here's a quick recipe for:

Parmesan Ranch Chicken Strips

The ingredients are few and they are things I usually have in my pantry and fridge.  You just need chicken + .......

Trim and cut 2 lbs chicken into small-ish strips.  It should give you about a dozen strips.  You could definitely use this breading on a full or half breast - I just like the smaller strips because I have little kids!  Set the chicken aside.

Combine and stir:

• 1 cup bread crumbs (anything will work, including crunched up crackers or corn flakes.  I like panko crumbs because they are a little larger and give a little crunch)
• 2/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbs dry ranch mix (this is 2 packets)

To bread chicken:

• Melt a cube of butter in separate bowl
• Dip each strip into butter, then coat well with breading

Lay strips on a foil-lined cookie sheet or in a 9x13 pan.

Bake 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  You just want to cook it long enough that the breading gets golden brown but it doesn't dry out the chicken.

We had them with carrot sticks and savory baked potatoes.  I just sprinkle a little seasoned salt on the potato before I roll it up and it seems to give the potato a little extra flavor.

These strips would also be so yummy dipped in marinara sauce!

Chocolate Brownie Pie

Mmmm chocolate! The moment I realized I LOVE chocolate was the moment I became a woman. Like, I'm talking the moment I became ok with being referred to as "that lady" instead of "that girl". You would have thought birthing children and becoming a mother would have done it for me but nope... it was chocolate.  I just feel like it's such a "woman" food. Women love chocolate! Plain and simple! It's a well known FACT!! 

See?! Maybe I've been so set on this idea because my grandma especially loved chocolate -- although she liked dark chocolate too and I'm definitely going to need many more years of experience and maturity before I can appreciate dark chocolate.  As my 3-year-old would say: "it's bleh to me."

But I used to always opt for vanilla and fruity stuff (sometimes I still do)... So therefore I was still a "girl".  Young.  Carefree.  I may be sounding crazy to you but it's a valid argument, I swear. But alas, now I love chocolate. I think it happened when I turned 29.  Like literally that day.  Weird.

AND the other day chocolate sounded particularly tastey so I quickly whipped this up for a little dessert!  It is fudgy and chocolatey and delish!  Oh - and super easy!

Chocolate Brownie Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 fudge brownie mix (and the stuff to mix it up!)
• 1 large box chocolate pudding
• 2.5 cups milk
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar
• 8 oz cool whip

Directions:

• Prepare brownies in 9x9 pan according to package directions and let cool
• Once brownies have cooled, take a butter knife and slide it along all the edges of the pan and cut in 1 inch(ish) squares but leave it in the pan!  This is the "crust" layer and it stays in the pan but you just want it broken up for easier scooping.  I even took a small metal spatula and ran it under the pieces after I cut them up.
• Beat cream cheese until smooth and add in powdered sugar.  It will probably be kind of dry but will be okay once you add the cool whip.
• Stir in cool whip.  You don't want to beat this too much but you may need to use whatever you're using to beat it (I used my KitchenAid mixer) a little bit to make it a good consistency.
• Spoon this mixture over the brownies, spread it out evenly and place it in the fridge.

• Beat your package of pudding with 2.5 cups milk.  You want this a little thicker than regular pudding.
• Once that's thickened a little pour it over your cream cheese layer.

• Stick it back in the fridge!

You'll want it to set up just a little more before serving but 10 minutes should do the trick!  It doesn't take much!  

Enjoy! 

Choose Beautiful

I'm sure many of you have seen Dove's Choose Beautiful ad. They put signs over the doors of large department stores in a handful of cities across the world. One said "Average" and the other "Beautiful". It was really remarkable watching the women analyze the signs and decide which door they should enter through. One woman even turned around and walked away because she didn't want to make the decision. I think part of the problem is the people worry they will be seen as arrogant if they do admit they see themselves as beautiful. I have to say though, this ad really hit me as I watched it yesterday. 

Right now I'm pregnant for the 5th time. Pregnancies aren't easy for me (are they for anyone?) and I'm getting to the point of ultimate discomfort and awkwardness - which is a little scary seeing as I have 3 months to go!  I can't tell you how many times a day I bump into the counter with my belly thinking that I'm not as big as I actually am! There were definitely times of previous pregnancies where I did feel beautiful and was proud to sport my oversized bump! I felt good and could really appreciate the miracle I was part of in creating life. But can I tell you… I've yet to feel great with this one, let alone BEAUTIFUL!!  I started out 15 lbs heavier than I was with other pregnancies and I just can't let myself off the hook for not ever losing that weight. I've been sick, my hands and feet are swollen already (I usually don't swell or retain water during pregnancy), and my back and hips don't seem to want to stay in alignment where they're supposed to be so I pretty much crookedly waddle everywhere I go! And I don't work out while I'm pregnant to avoid more preterm labor than I'm already going to have which doesn't help with how I feel.  Deep down, I still know it's a beautiful blessing to be pregnant and I am SO SO GRATEFUL. I don't want to minimize that at all... but I'm not really feelin' it on the outside. 

So, like I said, I had a "moment" if you will, when I watched the ad yesterday. Had I been presented with the option of the two doors before seeing the ad, I wouldn't have given the "beautiful" door a chance in my mind. No way. Not for me. But then I saw the mother and daughter. The daughter was going to walk through the "average" door and the mom pulled her over to the other side and made her go through the one labeled "beautiful". It made me think of my Kate. It would break my heart and makes me cry to think she would ever choose to see herself as anything less than beautiful. Let me tell you - this girl is AMAZING! She is smart and kind and thoughtful and has this burning desire to learn! She makes friends so easily and isn't afraid to show how much she loves her family - which is A LOT!!

She can be so hard on herself and critical of little things that don't really matter. Sometimes I wonder why... But then I think of how she hears me talk about MYSELF and I have to ask: am I helping or hurting the matter? 

And then I think about our Father in Heaven who created me and I'm pretty sure he would want me to choose "beautiful". Even when I waddle. Even though I haven't been able to squeeze my wedding ring on for 2 months. Even when I'm wearing my sweatpants and yesterdays makeup. If how much I love my kids is even an slight indication of how much our heavenly parents love us, then I can only imagine the heartache it causes when we fail to recognize our beauty and worth.  How does the saying go?  "God don't make no junk"?

It's a CHOICE! How we view ourselves is a choice.  And I'm going to choose beautiful from now on. For women and girls everywhere, for Kate, for ME!!!  I'm going to forgive myself when I don't look perfect, when I can't get rid of all my split ends, when I don't weigh exactly what I'd like to weigh.  I'm going to focus on how I feel when I'm serving my little ones, my husband, my neighbors.  I'm going to capture the feeling I have in the moments when my kids give me a giant hug or tell me they love me.  Because in those moments I FEEL BEAUTIFUL.

My friend posted this on facebook yesterday: "those times when we feel most miserable, offended, or angry are invariably the occasions when we're also most absorbed in ourselves...." -from Bonds That Makes Us Free

Hello?  YES!!! If you want to feel bad about yourself then focus only on yourself!  The longer I stare in the mirror, the more imperfections I'm going to find.  But the more I get out and serve and love others and LIVE this beautiful life, in this beautiful world I've been blessed with, the better I feel.  I stop caring as much about the little petty things that would have made me balk at the thought of calling myself beautiful and I'm just happy.  And HAPPY = BEAUTIFUL.  Beautiful is so much more than how we look.  But I have to admit, for this little lady... the baby blue eyes and long blonde hair certainly don't hurt!

You can watch the ad here!!

Have a BEAUTIFUL day!!

3 Sure-fire Ways to Entertain Little Boys

If there is one thing I've learned about little boys in my days as a mama it's that they are BUSY!! My two run pretty much everywhere they go (even within the house) and they are constantly wrestling, jumping, exploring! It's really a wonder we are broken-bone-free!

So here are a few things that work like a charm that they LOVE and will keep them entertained when I need a few minutes to, I don't know... Do the dishes, fold some laundry or dare I even say it.... Shower uninterrupted? 

1. Tools

Give a boy a hammer and he's good to go! My boys love tools and sometimes all they need is a piece of wood (a spare piece of a 2x4 or a log both work great) and some nails. I usually grab a handful of nails and get them started into the wood and then let them take over with the hammer. They LOVE IT! They will sit hammering on the deck forever!

2. Play Doh

I know there are lots of play doh haters out there. It does make a mess every single time it comes out... But my kids love it! And I have a vacuum, a broom, a rag to wipe the table, so to me the mess is totally worth it. There are days my barely-3-year-old will spend literally hours (on and off) playing with play doh! I love it too because it's gets his little creative juices flowing! So I think it's totally worth buying a few of the kits, a small rolling pin, cookie cutters, etc for them to use with it and then I supply my own salt dough with this recipe:

Combine and set aside:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 t cream of tarter

Mix in saucepan:
1 cup water
1 T oil
Food coloring

Then add in dry ingredient mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring until it's the consistency you want. (I use a wooden spoon). Remove from pan and knead on wax paper until cool.

My kids love to help make it too! I let them do the food coloring and once it cools enough, they knead it as well.

3. Cleaning Wipes

This one is simple but really a win-win! My boys love to wipe down my chairs and doors with Clorox cleaning wipes. It's so great! They stay busy and I get a cleaner house!! 

It also never ceases to amaze me how long they stay entertained with a bottle of windex and some paper towels. My 5-year-old will windex my windows and mirrors until they are so clear it looks like you could walk right through them! We have had to limit the number or squirts he does per window though or else we just end up with a big windexy, streaky mess!

I love new ideas... So what are your tricks to help your boys (or girls) channel all that energy?