mommyzone

How I Cleaned My Microfiber Couch

2014-02-11T11:41:00.003-05:00

I had no idea how to clean my old microfiber couch. When I bought this furniture 7 years ago I was 21 years old with a very young child. The salesman told me this would be the easiest furniture to clean for his dirty little fingers.

"Just take a rag and dish detergent and wipe it right up!"

SOLD! That was all I needed to hear. So I bought a loveseat and chaise lounge in a beige color.
These things have had spills, markers, dirty feet, Cheeto hands (all you mom's out there know about those) and the list goes on.
I did exactly as I was instructed by the so called knowledgeable salesman and simply wiped it up.

WRONG! All I managed to accomplish was stain the couches even more with these large water rings. Over the years I have tried carpet cleaner and homemade solutions, but nothing worked. I only made it look worse.

Until now. Let's all celebrate. For anyone who already knew this trick, good on you, and for anyone one who didn't, your life is going to change.

It's so simple and you only need one common household ingredient. Rubbing alcohol. Yes, that's right. If you prefer, you could use a clear alcohol such as vodka too.

I found this on Pinterest of course and it led me to a site called One Good Thing. If you click the link it will take you to the post and it actually has a lot of useful info on microfiber furniture. I didn't realize that there were different types that you clean differently.

I want to start by saying that you should test a small area first to make sure it does not leave any marks or stains behind. I wouldn't want anyone to ruin their furniture.

I simply vacuumed any loose dirt and debris from the couch to start clean.

Then I added my alcohol to a spray bottle and spritzed the stained area really well. I personally used a washrag to clean, but you could also use a cleaning pad. Just make sure that if you are using a rag that it is white. The alcohol could make some color from a rag rub off onto your furniture and make a bigger mess.
You have to really get in there and scrub. My hands and wrist were sore after I was done. Of course, I had an entire couch to clean and not just one stain. I only did little sections at a time so that I didn't miss any spots.
Once the area is dry, check your furniture. Run your hands over the areas you have cleaned. If it feels stiff you could use a soft scrub brush and gently rub it over the area to fluff it up. I personally used an extra brush out of my manicure set that I don't use.

That's it your done! It's that simple. I hope you get as much use out of this post as I did doing it.

Before

After

Before

After

Cajun Oven Fried Chicken

2014-01-22T14:20:00.000-05:00

Anyone that reads my posts will know just how long I have been on this diet kick. I recently posted a weight watchers cobbler recipe that is easy and delicious. I have been testing out some new healthy recipes in the past week. I am sick of the same drab, plain chicken breast and veggies.

Today I made a healthy version of fried chicken. Now being from NC, we love some fried food. Hence the weight gain problem :)

It's a super simple recipe and quick to throw together. I got this recipe from MyRecipes.

Cajun Oven Fried Chicken

Here is what you will need

1 tablespoon salt-free Cajun seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 chicken breast halves (about 1 pound), skinned

2 chicken drumsticks (about1/2 pound), skinned

2 chicken thighs (about 1/2 pound), skinned

Cooking Spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dip chicken, one piece at a time, into buttermilk mixture; dredge in panko.

Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until done, turning after 20 minutes.

I actually cooked mine slightly longer. My oven cooks a little slower than average and my family likes the chicken to be very crispy. I also didn't make chicken breast. I doubled the chicken thighs.

This dish was so crispy with the panko breadcrumbs. I didn't miss the fact that they weren't fried at all. My picky kids loved them and my husband never guessed that this was a healthier dish than regular fried chicken. He assumed it was just a different recipe that I was trying for fried chicken.

This recipe is definitely going on my "make regularly" recipe box. (The recipe box that has now become a OneNote file on my phone)

Garcinia Cambogia

2014-01-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

I first heard of Garcinia Cambogia on Dr. Oz. I decided to look into it and try to find some reviews.
The problem I found was that almost every website I found about Garcinia Cambogia was written by the company trying to sell the supplements.
I couldn't find many reviews of the product from a non partial person.

I took a risk and decided to spend $39.99 for a 2 month supply. It was called Miracle Garcinia Cambogia. If you are interested it can be found here.

The biggest thing I read that appealed to me was the boost in energy, which is a benefit for me in general. It also has an extract called HCA which acts as an appetite suppressant and increases serotonin, another benefit for emotional eaters like me.

Here is a quote from their website

"The greatest part of Miracle Garcinia Cambogia is it's a dual action fat buster! It prevents fat from being made and suppresses your appetite. Now you can lose weight without diet and exercise!"

According to the website you can attain great results without having to change your routine.
So for reference my routine consists of walking/jogging 3-4 days a week for at least an hour. I eat a sensible meal 3 times a day with no carbs after lunch. I also have a morning and afternoon snack of fruit, yogurt, hard boiled egg or something healthy. I allow a cheat day and occasional sweets. I try not to swear them off entirely or I find myself craving them more.

I continued that routine for the entire 2 months. I didn't try to diet or go on a rigorous exercise routine.
I started at 158 pounds and ended at 151.
That was all. Just 7 pounds in 2 months. I was expecting a lot more from this miracle diet supplement. I was hearing these crazy numbers like 20 pounds in a month. I really thought I would drop more than 10 based on all of the information I had gathered.

To be honest I felt a little like I wasted 2 whole months on this. I was doing a better job when I just watched what I ate and worked out a little harder. I have been off of the supplement for a few weeks now and decided to go back to a diet of fewer calories and extra exercise. I went from 151 to 147 in 2 weeks. That is 4 pounds in just 2 weeks.

My advice, just work a little harder. There is no easy fix and you just have to keep trying no matter how many promising advertisements are thrown in our faces. They may seem good, but they rarely ever work.

Good luck and I wish you well to anyone else who is trying to lose weight. It is hard, but I am right there with you. Trying to be a healthier me!!!

Weight Watchers Peach Cobbler

2013-12-30T09:38:00.001-05:00

This is an amazing recipe. I can't believe that I came across it and how delicious it turned out to be. This is so incredibly low calorie that I could hardly believe it.
The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to put together.

Here is all you need (this recipe is from Pinterest)

2 lbs frozen peaches
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can diet Sprite or 7up

1. Spray Pam in 13x9 pan and spread all of frozen peaches.
2. Sprinkle dry cake mix over peaches.
3. Pour can of Sprite over cake mix.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 20 min. at 350 degrees.
5. Uncover and bake for 40 min.

Ta-Da it's done!!!

Some tips from my experience. I used diet Sierra Mist. You could use any lemon lime diet soda you prefer. I also did not use frozen peaches. I happened to have some peaches that I had canned over the summer and decided to use them instead. Also, my grocery store sells a sugar free cake mix that would reduce the calories even more.
Make sure the soda covers all of the cake mix. That is how the cobbler browns.
This has been a life saver for my diet.With all the calories I have saved on dessert, I can treat myself some nights with a little vanilla frozen yogurt to go along with it.

This is right before the cobbler went into the oven. The problem is that it was eaten so quickly that the after photos are in the stomach of my entire family. They like to eat it as soon as it comes out of the oven.

ENJOY!!!!

Natural Toothache Remedy

2013-11-26T13:14:00.000-05:00

I have had a horrible toothache for a couple of days now. There is nothing that I hate worse than a toothache. It just radiates through your entire head. Unfortunately I have a cavity that needs some work, but I cannot get into my dentist for a few weeks.
To be frank, this sucks. I could not believe it when they told me they could not get me in for an appointment for that long.
So when the pain flared back up today, I took to the internet.
I searched out some remedies for a toothache that I can do at home.
My first priority is managing the pain. I found an interesting pin on Pinterest. It said to use Vanilla Extract. I had never thought of that before, but it makes sense.

Simply take a cotton ball or swab and dip it into your vanilla extract. Then you rub it on the area with the toothache. I rubbed it around the tooth and gums. You could also leave your cotton ball soaked in the vanilla in your mouth for a few minutes.
This, of course, is only for temporary relief. The rubbing can ease some pain, but it mostly comes from the extract itself. The vanilla has a small concentration of alcohol and numbs the area. It also doesn't hurt that the smell and taste are great.

I tried this and it relieved the pain for an hour or so. I had to repeat it a few times over the day but it was better than the pain.
I do want to say that you should make sure it is PURE VANILLA EXTRACT and not Imitation Vanilla Extract. Those are 2 different things.

I hope no one out there has a toothache, but if you do, give this a try! It worked better than I thought it would.

Florida Georgia Line Concert!!

2013-11-14T17:35:00.003-05:00

I have been in much need of a night out. It's been a while since my husband and I have had a weekend alone.

My birthday is right around the corner. November 23rd to be exact and one of my favorite country acts right now was really close by. My husband decided to take me as part of my birthday weekend. We also invited some friends, another couple.

It was only about an hour and a half drive from our house, but we decided to make a night of it and get a hotel room. We went down Saturday morning and grabbed some lunch and went to some great stores. (They have a much better mall than we do!)
My husband was so gracious, he didn't even complain once at me dragging him from store to store. We grabbed a few things before heading over and checking in at our hotel.
I just want to give a shout out to the hotel that we stayed at for a sec. This place was VERY cheap and I did not have high expectations. I just thought it would suffice for our purposes. I mean we only needed a place to change and sleep.
It was the Baymont Inn and Suites in Greenville SC. The room was clean, the bathroom set up really well and the bed was so comfy. Everyone at the front desk was friendly and helpful. It made the stay that much nicer. They even offer free continental breakfast which included biscuits, gravy, sausage, Danish, fruits, cereal, waffle makers etc.

After a light dinner we headed over to the concert.

It was a very long wait to get in because Ticketmaster went down, but after we were in, it was amazing. I didn't sit down once while we were there. It was such great energy from everyone on stage and in the audience. The opening acts were Tyler Farr and Colt Ford, both did a really great job, but it was Florida Georgia Line that brought the house down.
They were amped from just winning 2 CMA's and totally owned that stage. You wouldn't even believe that they are just starting out. They are truly a great country duo and work well together. No one wanted this concert to end. Way to put on a show guys!

We ended our night at Denny's at 1:30 in the morning with a very understanding waitress. We were all laughing and talking loudly. We couldn't help ourselves. We left the concert excited and not ready for the night to end.

We had SO much fun over the weekend that my ribs literally hurt from laughing so much.
It was a great early birthday present! Thanks to my hubby and friends for making it a great weekend and Florida Georgia Line for making it one to remember!!!

Nabi Jr Review

2013-11-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

So as promised I am going to give you all a review of the Nabi Jr tablet.

Nabi Jr- $99.00

Nabi Jr Nick Jr Edition- $139.00

We have been on the market for a tablet for a while. Our 3 year old has been wanting one and I thought it would be a good investment for educational purposes. I understand that nothing can replace that one on one time with me, learning and reading, but this does come in at a good second.

We went back and forth and had originally planned on getting the VTech Innotab 3s. We found it for $99.00. When I started reading reviews of kids tablets I found that she would not grow as well with a tablet like the Innotab. Basically it's just a really great tech toy. I was looking for something that would grow with her as she ages.

Kaitlyn continued to see the Nabi commercial on Nick Jr and asked for it every time. So I looked into it. When I saw the price was comparable to the Innotab 3s and that it was an actual android tablet, I was hooked.

This is the perfect size for her hands and durable so far. She has pitched a fit with it in her hand and it took a dive across her bedroom. So it did survive a 3 year olds temper tantrum. It has the rubber bumper around the edges for protection. There are two versions out right now. The Nabi Jr and Nabi Jr Nick Jr edition. We decided to buy her the Nick Jr edition, which is slightly more expensive at $139.99, but has more features.

Here are some tech specs for you

Nabi Jr.
5 inch screen
7 inches wide
4.5 inches tall
Rubberized grip (Red-Nabi Jr) (Orange- Nick Jr edition)
Android (4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) or (4.1 Jelly Bean)
4GB Memory-Nabi Jr or 16 GB Memory- Nick Jr edition
MicroSD card slot for additional memory
720p swivel camera
800x480 screen resolution

Both come with over 30 preloaded apps. It includes a camera app, chores app, photo gallery, learning apps, wings challenge and many more. My daughter loves the matching app and the puzzle app. She could play for hours if I would let her. So of the apps are a little too challenging for her right now, but there is plenty she can play with. Another feature is being able to pick your skill level. I have taught her to choose the 1 star level. On the Nick Jr edition, it comes preloaded with her FAVORITE cartoon characters like Team Umizoomi and Dora. She can play preloaded games, read books or watch videos of her favorite characters.

Once she is burned out on all of the preloaded apps (if that ever happens) we can download apps from the app zone. I have found many of them for free, but most run about $.99. You can shop by age or by category.

I really recommend this product for anyone in the market for a tablet for younger children. Even my 10 year old wants to play it sometimes, but my daughter is very picky about her Nabi. She refuses to let anyone else mess with it. She even keeps it in a shoe box beside her bed at night! (She thinks no one can find it there.)
She has already learned so much from this tablet and I am very excited about it. I feel like we still have yet to explore all of the features of this product.

If you are interested in reading information from Nabi, click here to visit their website.

Disclosure: I was not paid or given any products for this post. I simply loved the product and wanted to give a review from one parent to another!

How To Add Quotes or Song Lyrics to Your Pictures

2013-11-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

I love Pinterest. Everyone around me knows this about me. I could probably sit all day and still not be bored by it. One of my favorites is finding DIY projects for the home. I want to decorate and have a beautiful home, but I definitely do not want to pay a lot of money for it.

I saw a pin once on Pinterest that I loved. It was a photo of a couple surrounded by lyrics of a song. So, I pinned it and moved on and said I would come back to it later. Today I clicked on it and it took me to a website that no longer existed. WHAT!?

I was so excited about ordering one of these photos with my kids. So, it got me to thinking. Why couldn't I just do it myself?

It didn't turn out exactly the same, but it is still super cute and quick.

This is the photo I started with...

I decided to add a quote from The Little Mermaid, one of my favorite Disney movies!

I visited a site called picmonkey.com, which is a free photo editing site. It turned out really cute for a quick little project. I love it and I am adding it to my wall of photos of the kids. Tomorrow I will find a good quote or lyrics for Devon and try one for him.

This is how it turned out...

Sugar Rush

2013-11-04T10:33:00.003-05:00

It has been a crazy couple of weeks since I posted last. I do have a post coming up on a review of the Nabi Jr so anyone with kids stayed tuned for that. Today though I wanted to catch up on the last couple of weeks in life.
Like I said, it's been a little crazy. I feel like I am running around like a crazy person

Kaitlyn has started a dance class and going strong for about 6 weeks now. It is a trip to watch her. She is having SO much fun in this class full of girls and they all have big personalities and sometimes clash. It's hilarious. Kaitlyn is very much a mother hen and wants to make sure she gets her sticker at the end of class so she "bosses" and tries to keep everyone on track. I have explained that she is not the teacher, but she gets in there and can't seem to help herself. But by the end of class she is the very one running around to the music trying to "tag" the other girls rather than "creating shapes and movements" like the teacher says. What can you do? It's a room full of 3-4 year olds. It's hard to tame them at that age.

Devon turned on the 26th! Oh my, how time goes. He definitely should not be that old. He is creeping up on teen years that I am NOT ready to handle yet. I guess though it's like everything else in parenting, you just take it as it comes and deal with one thing at a time. He didn't ask for much, surprisingly, just some things for his Xbox.

I decided to chop my hair off in an asymmetrical cut AND get Kaitlyn's first haircut in a salon. Granted, I have done her trims at home so it's not technically her first cut, but it is the first time she had it done in a salon. She did really well and it turned out super cute. Side note: to anyone considering going short on their own hair, I highly suggest the cut I got. It is versatile and so easy to style.

Lots of fun this week. The whole point of this post was to fill in the last week and post some Halloween pics and stories, but as I am writing this post, life calls again and I have to go. It will only get more busy with the holidays around the corner. I will post some of the Halloween pics for Wordless Wednesday. Have fun everyone and enjoy your lives! We only live once so make it count.

The Cutest Kid Contest

2013-10-31T15:58:00.000-04:00

I love having a little girl. I love dolling her up as much as she will let me. I entered her into the Cutest Kid contest at www.thecutekid.com. I love this contest and I entered her last year as well. You can enter your cute little pumpkins too. Just visit their website and upload your photo.
While your there visit Kaitlyn's photo and enter a vote for her!!!!

Click here to visit the website and place your votes for the cutest kid.

Here is the photo I entered...

I may be a little biased, but I think she is just adorable!!!!

Wordless Wednsday-My hike with the kids last weekend

2013-10-16T10:29:00.000-04:00

Beauty of the Mountains

2013-10-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

We live in an incredibly beautiful area. It stuns me sometimes when I realize how beautiful it can be. I just drive by it everyday without taking the time to notice.

It's fall in Western North Carolina and the leaves are changing color and the air is cooling.
Now I am a summer fan. I love everything hot and sunny, surrounded by water. But this weekend was just so perfect that I couldn't help but to appreciate my surroundings.

We were kid free for the weekend and decided we needed to get outside in the beautiful weather.
We took a hike in Dupont Forest and found ourselves around the best of nature.

This is Triple Falls

My husband climbed to the top of Triple Falls (not recommended) and took this photo with his phone.

Here I am in front of Hooker Falls

All of this is located only a 10 minute drive and then a few minutes hike away from our home.

Looking Glass Waterfall

2013-09-25T12:17:00.000-04:00

My kids love the water. Anything that has to do with water, they are game for.
On Sunday after supper the whole crew was bored. My husband had worked overtime all weekend and my son had been gone until Sunday afternoon.
We ate the burgers my husband had grilled and sat around in the living room for a bit. You could tell everyone was a little anxious. Like we all wanted to spend time together, but watching TV wasn't going to cut it.
My husband, who worked 72 hours this week, jumps up from the recliner and says "Everyone get some shoes on and lets go."
So we did just that.
15 minutes later we found ourselves outside of Pisgah National Forest eating a banana split at a little ice cream shop. The kids loved it of course, but they were not ready to go home.
They wanted to swim. My motherly instinct kicked in right away

"Uh, it's only 68 degrees out here and that river is freezing. There will be no swimming this evening."

"Ah, mom, come on." whined my little kiddos.

My husband, of course, to the rescue again suggests a trip to the waterfall. It will appease both myself and the kids. They get to be close to the water, but not in it.

I forgot my phone in the car and did not feel like climbing the steps to go get it, so the only photo I have of our little excursion was from my hubby's phone. (Forgive the weird eyes)

Stuffed Mushrooms

2013-09-24T14:14:00.000-04:00

This weekend I made some appetizers for "Sunday Relax Day" at our house. The hubby wanted me to run out and grab a cracker and cheese platter from the local supermarket.
My first thought, "Good grief, $15 for a stupid cheese platter."

I decided for $15 I would just make my own appetizers. My husband LOVES the stuffed mushrooms from Red Lobster and has been talking about them recently so I decided to give it a try. I also made a healthy version of mozzarella sticks for the kids, but those were not as great.

The mushrooms were much easier than I had expected.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil or 1/4 cup melted butter

24 large white mushrooms

12 ounces flaked crabmeat

4 tablespoons finely chopped onions

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup soft breadcrumbs or 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons parsley, chopped

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Spray a 9x12-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Use an additional baking dish if needed.

2. Drizzle olive oil or butter in the bottom of the baking dish.

3. Wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel to clean.

4. Remove stems, set aside caps and chop stems to add to filling.

5. In a medium bowl, mix crabmeat, chopped mushroom stems, onion, dry mustard, 1 cup parmesan cheese, SOFT bread crumbs (fresh bread frozen and then shredded), parsley, red and black pepper, and garlic salt.

6. Mix well and then stir in egg and mayonnaise.

7. Use a small cookie scoop to mound filling onto each mushroom cap.

8. Melt butter and mix in garlic salt and drizzle over the filled mushrooms.

9. Mound a generous portion of the shredded parmesan cheese on top of each filled mushroom. Note: For softer, melted cheese, you may want to use mozzarella cheese or brick cheese for the topping.

10. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 425°F.

11. Best served hot. Can be prepared ahead, refrigerated and then baked just before serving (add 7-10 minutes additional baking time).

My husband loved them. He said they were not exactly like Red Lobster, but they came in close. I do not like a lot of mushroom flavor, but I did try a bite and they weren't bad. I would recommend these to anyone who enjoys this type of appetizer.

Trust me, if I can then anyone can.

SYTYCD 2013

2013-09-05T17:49:00.000-04:00

I have not posted at all this year about So You Think You Can Dance. I LOVE this show and cannot emphasize it enough.
I have a passion for dance in general, but this show is so amazing at discovering great talent.
This week had my favorite routine with this heartbreaking music.
I fell in love with the song so much I immediately downloaded it from iTunes.
It was danced by Amy Yakima and All Star Robert Roldan, choreographed by Stacey Tookey.
It was intoxicating and mesmerizing. How many adjectives can I use to describe this dance for me.
There are some routines that just still your heart, and this was one of them for me.

Here is a taste of what you missed if you didn't see it...

Labor Day BBQ Cook Off!

2013-09-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

We had so much fun this weekend. My husband and his brother-in-law had a cook off. Pitmaster style!
I don't know how many of you out there watch BBQ Pitmaster, but my husband and his brother-in-law got smokers this summer.
Each are different, the hubby has charcoal and wood heat and the in-law has an electric smoker.
They were discussing smoking and curious to see which gives a better taste and tenderness.

Hubby's smoker Brother-in-law smoker

They both had been watching BBQ shows to get ideas. They started talking about the BBQ competition show and an idea began to emerge. "Hey, we should have a competition Labor Day weekend."
So they did.

They both made boston butt to be judged by 3 judges. Boxes were labeled A and B to remain anonymous to the judges.
My husband also made a small pig for fun.

This was a great family get together and awesome fun for everyone.

This is sure to become a family tradition. After 8 hours of cooking the hubby won!

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

2013-09-03T17:13:00.001-04:00

I read these blogs and am so inspired by these women that do it all. I love reading about meal planning and freezer meals. I have always wanted to try this and make my meals for a month, but have never been gutsy enough. It's a little intimidating to me. That's a large shopping list and a lot of prepping and pre cooking.
I decided to muster up some courage and try it. So I have started small and only planned for the week. Most of these recipes came from Pinterest or other blogs.

Day 1
Crock Pot Lasagna- (Doubled recipe to freeze for a meal later in the month)

1 lb. lean ground beef (could be substituted for Italian sausage)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 c. water
1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
1 pkg. Mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp. parsley
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Brown meat in large skillet and drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water.
Mix ricotta, 1- 1/2 c. mozzarella, 2 tbsp. parmesan, egg and parsley.

Brown meat in large skillet then drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1- 1/2 cup mozzarella, 2 tbsp. parmesan, egg, and parsley.

Spoon 1 cup meat sauce in slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles (3 noodles broken up per layer), broken to fit; and cheese mixture.
Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit; cheese mixture and meat sauce.
Cover with lid. Cook on low 4-6 hours or until liquid is absorbed.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand, covered for 10 minutes or until melted

Day 2
Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo-(Doubled recipe to freeze for a meal later in the month)

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
2 jars low fat Alfredo sauce
1 large green pepper- chopped
1 16 oz. bag of broccoli florets

So simple! Throw all of the ingredients in a bag, squish around and freeze.
When ready to cook, thaw for 24 hours in fridge and put in crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.

Day 3- Sunday Dinner
Forgotten Chicken

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups Minute Rice
1 pkg. Onion Soup Mix
1 Can of cream of chicken soup
1 Can of cream of celery soup
1 can of water

Mix together “cream of” soups, 1 can of water, and 2 cups of minute rice (uncooked.) Pour into a buttered casserole dish.

Lay chicken breasts on top of rice mixture and sprinkle onion soup mix on top. Cover with tin foil.

Bake at 275 for 3 hours or 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Rice on outside will be slightly browned and crispy while rice on inside will be moist.

Day 4
Taco Meat- (Tripled recipe to freeze for meals later in the month)

Did not have a lot of time left, so I just browned meat and added a taco packet. Made it exactly like directions stated.
Now I have meat for taco night or taco salad!

Day 5
BBQ Pineapple Pulled Pork (I wasn't sure if the family would like this so I only made one)

1 4-6 pound pork shoulder or boston butt
all purpose seasoning
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 15 oz can of diced pineapples, undrained

This meal I made on my first day of cooking. I simply threw all of my ingredients into a gallon sized Ziploc. I let it thaw for 24 hours in the fridge.
When ready to cook simply cut bag open and dump into crock pot. Cook on low for 10 hours.
Shred in the crock pot and mix with juice.
Strain and serve.

Day 6
Beef Taco Soup- make the day of then freeze leftovers

2 cans of kidney beans

2 cans of pinto beans

2 cans of corn

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can tomatoes and chiles

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger

shredded cheese and sour cream for embellishment

1 package of tortilla chips

brown meat if you are going to use it

drain fat and add meat to crockpot stoneware insert

sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat

drain and rinse the beans and add

add the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans

stir.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5. I think the longer you cook soup, the better, so if you have the time, opt for cooking on low. About 20 minutes before serving, add desired amount of crushed chips into the crockpot. Then, stir well, and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

I felt really great about myself after finishing these meals. I also enjoyed looking in my freezer to find freezer bags with meals in them. I know it's a small amount, but it's less I have to worry about this month. Now if I can do this again next week with different recipes then I could have the rest of my month done. Then simply swap out chicken, pork and beef dinners for variety.

Mary Kay Translucent Powder Review

2013-08-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

I recently got a sample of the Mary Kay Translucent Powder from my sister-in-law. I have absolutely fell in love with this product.

It is $16.00 and to be honest I would have never just paid $16 to try a sheer, translucent powder. I wouldn't have thought it would make such a difference. IT DOES! I am so amazed at the difference in my face and how well polished my make up looks now. I have used it for the last 3 days and received compliments about how great my makeup looks.

Here is what the Mary Kay website has to say:

"Translucent. Sheer. It’s every woman’s perfect shade.

One universal powder eliminates the need for shade matching.
Feels weightless, natural and velvety soft on skin.
Controls unwanted shine all day.
Provides a sheer, invisible finish on every skin tone to set foundation.
All-new formula contains light-scattering properties designed to help soften the appearance of imperfections for a skin-perfecting finish."

For anyone that has used Bare Minerals, it is similar to that in application. You simply sprinkle some of the translucent powder in the lid and buff it on with your brush. After seeing how little you have to use I can see that the $16.00 is well spent. This product could potentially last quite some time. Just the sample looks like it could last more than a month. It just gives your makeup a smooth finish and looks sleek. My skin is incredibly soft after it's applied and the most important point, it does not feel caked on! It is very light on my skin.

I plan on purchasing a full size product and keeping the sample size in my purse for touch ups. My skin is very oily and a few buffs of this product and it absorbs the oil from my face, leaving a more matte finish. I highly recommend anyone that has a Mary Kay consultant, contact them and ask about samples of this product to try.
Even my husband could see a difference!
If you want to try this you can find a Mary Kay consultant at Mary Kay website

Disclaimer: This is not a paid post. Just simply I product I enjoyed and wanted to share with my readers. All of the opinions are my own.

Without translucent powder (sorry, hair isn't done!)

With powder (daughter had to jump in the photo)

It's hard to see the difference because I used the camera on my computer, but it's much better.

Detox Water

2013-08-15T13:58:00.001-04:00

This is another of my Pinterest finds. This is a great detox water. I made it Monday and have been drinking it everyday this week. I took my photo after it was almost gone, but I wanted to show you what it would look like. It is simple to make and doesn't taste too bad. With just a few ingredients, you can be on your way to a healthier body.

You will need

2 liters of water

1 medium cucumber-I used on from my garden

1 lemon

10-15 mint leaves- Also used some from my garden

Let this steep overnight in the fridge.

You could not imagine the energy I feel since I have been drinking this. I do not drink it exclusively of course. Just in the morning before breakfast and again in the middle of the day. I feel much better and refreshed this week.
It is a great detox drink to clear all of the nastiness out of your body. Great for clearing your skin and even claims to boost weight loss. The biggest change for me has been the energy level has skyrocketed. I will make this a daily routine for healthier living.

Recipes from Pinterest-Healthy Chicken Tenders and Honey Mustard Sauce

2013-08-12T16:44:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has Pinterest knows that they have a boards about recipes and DIY projects that they want to do, but end up forgetting that they pinned. Come on, you know you're guilty!

My Pinterest page is filled with all kinds of yummy looking recipes that look delicious and I just keep pinning them and then forget to try them. I mean what is the point in having all of this inspiration and making the same old boring meatloaf again?

Well, I am back on the healthy train after making a stop for about 6 months and gaining 10 pounds. Yeah, I know it's crazy . (It was a very stressful time and I have a hard time saying no to sweets.)

So I found a recipe that I pinned a while back that was healthy, yet something my kids could eat too. That was my number one goal, finding recipes that are healthy and low-calorie, but appeal to the whole family.

Chicken Tenders and Honey Mustard Dip---Yay one of my late night restaurant faves!!!

Ingredients for Chicken

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

2 cups cornflakes, finely crushed

Dash of black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut chicken into 3-by-3/4-inch strips. In a shallow dish, combine egg, honey, and mustard. In another dish, stir together cornflake crumbs and pepper.

Dip chicken strips into the egg mixture; roll in crumb mixture to coat. Arrange chicken strips on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake about 12 minutes, or until outsides are golden and chicken is no longer pink.

Ingredient for Low Cal Honey Mustard

1 cup Light/reduced calorie mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon style mustard

1/4 cup Honey

Pour all ingredients into bowl and stir well. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

This was delicious! The chicken tenders were so crispy and I did not miss the fact that they were not fried like I have with other baked chicken tenders. They were a huge hit with the rest of the family as well. A win, win, Something healthy for me that the family will eat too! SO glad I found this and tried it. Will become one of my staples for light dinner or game nights.

Saving Money and Loving It!!!

2013-07-29T13:23:00.000-04:00

We are trying to seriously save some money. I mean REALLY save money. We have a few very big goals to accomplish by the end of the year and we are determined to do it. One of those being, taking are kids on a very memorable vacation. We are not telling the kids and have been planning it for a while, but we just set some dates this weekend and are super excited about it.

So to keep the kids occupied while stuck at the house on the weekends, we are getting creative. We had a blast this past weekend. Starting off the weekend with a Friday night dance party!!!!

We actually do this frequently, but this was planned and well thought out. I got out my laptop and played DJ while the rest of the family dressed up and BROKE IT DOWN!

We stared at the sky, trying to find images in the clouds...

And finally Sunday we let them chase one another. They had a blast doing this (with a few limits of course)

We finished off the evening with a ride after supper. We used this trailer this weekend for some work around the house. The kids pulled some weeds and loaded the trailer down, which is why it is so filthy. They had just dumped the trailer and drove out to the house to pick me up. We let Devon take us on a "guided tour" of our property. It's 4 acres worth with stops at the pond, creek, and horses.

It just goes to show that you don't need a lot of money to make memories with your children!
Until next time...

Cheesburger in Paradise

2013-07-17T10:06:00.000-04:00

My husband and I are on a money saving track. We are working toward some goals in the next 6 months so we are trying to save every dollar we can.
We have become creative trying to curb the itch of getting out of the house. This past weekend we had an incredible time. My daughter was gone to her grandmother's for a couple days so my husband and I took our son up to the freezing cold river to swim. This little adventure was spur of the moment and unfortunately I did not have my camera with me to capture their expressions as they jumped in!
It was priceless. To watch my husband pop up out of the water, freeze for a second then start beating on his chest and say "come on baby, start pumping" was HILARIOUS!
This made my 9 year old son second guess the jumping in strategy, but in the end he gave in. He launched himself into the icy cold water. He came up yelling about how cold it was and was treading just as fast as he could to get back to the river bank. We had some good quality time with just him and it was FREE! How many times can you please a 9 year old doing something for free.
Our son left for a few days and our daughter came home, so we tried to spend some quality time with her as well. She is not as hard to satisfy yet because she is 3.
We set up an easy and relaxed feel Sunday. Like we were on a beach vacation in our home. We set up the sprinkler and grilled some burgers. It was a really good week and we spent great time with each of our kids separately which is important. They get a chance to get your undivided attention for a while.
By the way our burgers turned out great. My husband grilled them on his new smoker and they were so juicy and delicious. We added some bacon and an egg over easy. I know it may sound gross to some, but I saw it on the Food Network so we tried it and WOW it was SO GOOD!!!!! If you like eggs then I highly recommend at least trying it. Be open to new things and adventures!
The photo is not pretty-my husband took it with his phone but don't let it fool you. The burger was delicious.

Homemade Fun Dough

2013-07-05T09:20:00.000-04:00

This homemade fun dough is so much fun for the kids. We have been in a bit of a rainy spell this last week. The kids are becoming bored very quickly. We have built indoor forts, balloon fights on the covered porch, played school for my youngest, put them to work by teaching them to do their own laundry (yes even my 3 year old!), etc. I have been running out of things for them to do.

I wrote down a recipe a couple of months ago for some homemade fun dough. I dug out the recipe and had all of the ingredients needed without having to go to the store in the POURING rain. YAY!

So I got the kids in the kitchen and started.

You will need
3/4 cup salt
1 & 1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1 pkg Kool Aid

Instructions
1. Combine salt, flour, and Kool Aid in the bowl and mix
2. Add the oil and stir
3. Slowly add the water a bit at a time and knead until the mixture is smooth.

If it is too dry, add water
It too wet, add flour

That's it. It's that simple. It feels a little different that Play-Do, but it serves the same purpose for cheaper and the kids will have fun making it themselves. As an added bonus the Kool Aid colors and scents the fun dough.

Ours turned out slightly dry so I did add a little bit of water. Now a little bit goes a very long way, just FYI.
My daughter is the only one that stuck around for some pictures. My son took off to throw his at anything he could find.

They turned out a light green color

Here she is just itching to go with her brother

Here, she says she is flying a pizza!

This turned out to be hours of fun and only took a couple of minutes to make. Make sure to store it in a ziplock bag. Unfortunately my son forgot his for a couple days and by the time he found it, it was a goner.

Fitsugar 10 Minute Workout

2013-06-26T13:18:00.000-04:00

I just did this Victoria Secret Model Workout video.

Literally out of breath as I type this.

I am getting back into a fitness routine and diet plan. I have been staled for so long that I gave up on the strict diet and have opted for just eating healthier and getting some type of exercise everyday.
I actually found this video thanks to Pinterest. I clicked on it to see what it was about and viola!
This 10 minute workout is actually really great. My legs and bottom are burning right now and I am out of breath.

The best part is that I can fit 10 minutes in everyday, along with some other workouts throughout the week and maybe I can get this rusty body back into shape.

I just wanted to share this video for anyone looking to get into shape. Especially in the leg area.

Found this video at www.fitsugar.com

Kids Bowl Free

2013-06-17T21:16:00.000-04:00

Looking for something fun to do with those kids for summer break? I found just what you are looking for. I was scouting the Internet for fun things to do with the kids. There are only so many trips to the park I can make in one week. I came across a great opportunity. It's called Kids Bowl Free. It's so simple. You simply find a bowling center near you and fill out a form for each kid. You will receive vouchers by email every Sunday with a weeks worth of coupons. Every registered child will receive 2 FREE GAMES EVERY DAY throughout the summer. After signing up they even offered a family pass for a one time fee of $24.95 which allowed the adults to have 2 free games a day.
This is so great to switch things up in our house. Especially on rainy days and the kids get restless, I can simply load them up and head down the road to the bowling alley. I love this deal and really wanted to share it with all of you other parents out there in desperate need of activities for the summer!

Check it out here!