Homemade Pasta Beads!

 

Holiday Fun!

Toddler Treats!

Holiday Edition...

These easy to make Halloween characters make a great snack for preschool or at home! 

Here's what you need for some spooky Halloween fun:

Black or brown paper

Scissors

Tape (glue would work too)

Black Sharpie marker

Cups of Oranges/Peaches

Cups of green applesauce

First and fastest... Use your sharpie to draw different shaped faces on top of the Oranges or Peaches! And that's it! Go as simple or as detailed as you want! Here's how mine turned out...

Next... A little more time consuming!

1. Cut your black or brown paper into strips. Make enough so you have one for each applesauce.

2. Cut small cuts, close together along one side the length if each strip... Like this:

 

3. Take each strip and tape around the top of each applesauce. This makes the hair!

4. Then, draw monster faces on each one with the sharpie... Again, be as creative as you want!

And you're done! A treat that will make your little Monsters squeal with excitement!

 
 
 
 
 
 

The Bucket in the Sink

 

"Why is there a bucket in the sink?" My husband asked. More specifically, he meant: why is there a pink, children's 'play' mop bucket in the sink!?

"Because we have a wild 2 1/2 year old daughter" was my reply.

The story is this:

I'm sitting in the garage one warm fall day, carving a pumpkin for Halloween.  It was a Sunday. Our house was full of people. Family and friends watching football, laughing and eating. 

My daughter walks into the garage and hands me her little pink bucket. It's a "mop bucket" that goes with the little play cleaning cart that she had received for Christmas the year before. It was full of liquid. 

Assuming she had climbed onto the sink and filled it with water, I asked, "What's in here honey?"

"It's pee Mom!" She replied excitedly.

Deeeeeep breath. 

"It's what!? Where did it come from!?" I asked.

"It's pee! I peed in it in the back toy room, Mom!" was her reply.

The back toy room that's two steps away from the bathroom. 

Oh. My. Word.

Deep breath. Deep breath. 1.2.3. Remember... She's only 2 1/2. A toddler. This is what toddlers do. Well, most toddlers, not all. Wild flowers. 

My precious little treasure. 

So I gave the boring lecture to her. Explained the right way to do things, this was not appropriate. You know the drill.

Then I walked away to get the bleach. And as I walked away I was smiling. Laughing inside. Because that's really all you can do in a situation like this. Take a deep breath, and laugh. And realize, in the big scheme of things, this is small, it will be one of many. And, sadly and oddly enough, I will miss this one day.

 

Wild Flowers

Before I was a Mommy... Well, to be honest, that's hard to even remember! But here is my Mommy Confession: I was super judgemental!

Hopefully I'm not the only one.

Here's the scenario: I was sitting at a high school basketball game. In walks a young mother with a cute little boy, about 3 years old. She's by herself, 3 bags in hand. He's running around, jumping on the bleachers, yelling. I think "Oh! Well he's a little rambunctious one!" I observe them, thinking of my future children. He isn't listening to his mother. He starts kicking the person in front of him, whom she quickly apologizes to. I'm getting annoyed. She scolds him, he talks back to her, to which she sighs in frustration. I'm thinking "He needs more discipline. She must not make him mind." He runs off, she chases him. I'm left sitting there, pondering. I would never allow my child to act that way. How embarrassing for her, I think. I couldn't imagine. 

I think of all these stories I've heard about kids wreaking havoc. Drawing on walls, eating dirt, cutting their own hair, getting lost... I think, "Where were the parents!? That will never be me!"

Fast forward to the present. 

I am now married. I have two children. A son, almost one. And a daughter, almost 3. I consider myself a good mother. No, I consider myself a GREAT mother. Involved, self-sacrificing, exhausted. I do everything I can on a daily basis to enrich my children's lives. They are at the forefront of every single decision I make, from what I wear each day to what we eat for dinner. My entire outlook on life is unbelievably different. 

You can imagine my surprise when I was blessed with a "rambunctious" little girl. Our "wild-flower", as appropriately dubbed by a dear friend of ours. She is quite the challenge; much like the boy I described. I have literally tried every single method of discipline and tactic you can imagine. She's independent. She's opinionated. It's her way or the highway. We butt heads constantly. In short, she's just like me. From the long blonde hair to the sassy, smart-Alec voice. Head to toe, Me. 

I no longer judge those mothers. I am one, and I know others are judging me. While she's screaming in a restaurant. When she hits her baby brother. When she's pulling things off the shelves at the grocery store. They are judging. And I just smile as we walk down the grocery aisle. Sometimes apologetically, sometimes not. And I think, "If they only knew." 

And some of them might know. They might know that some parents are blessed with these wild flowers. These hard to tame, beautiful and free souls. These wild flowers that we love more than life itself. That, frustrating as they may be, are the most important things in our lives. That we, exhausted, beaten  and even on the verge of tears...daily...wouldn't trade for the world. 

I've learned to let her be wild. Safe and wild, and free. I do my best to remember that, even at her worst, even at my worst, she is the best thing that's ever happened to me. She drives me crazy and keeps me sane all at once. She brings out the inner, the hidden, the buried free spirit in all of us. 

And I still do envy other mothers. Not always, but sometimes. Those mothers with the quiet children. The ones that always listen and wouldn't dream of talking-back or throwing a tantrum in Walmart. The ones that will sit still and watch an entire movie. 

But that only lasts for a second. 

And then I remember how lucky I am. To have such a strong-willed, spirited, absolute force in my life. My little blessing, to keep me forever young and forever on my toes. To remind me to be open, to be free and not to judge. 

My little wild flower. My little Sage. My little girl. 

Baked Pumpkin Seeds

Baked Pumpkin Seeds

 

Want a different way to bake pumpkin seeds? You're in luck!

Here's what you need:

The seeds of one large pumpkin. 

Lay them out flat to dry out overnight.

1 T. Olive oil (or melted butter)

1 t. Honey

1 t. Pumpkin pie spice

1-3 T. cinnamon/sugar mix (depending on your taste).

Place pumpkin seeds and all ingredients in a large ziplock bag. 

Shake and roll to mix well.

Spread out flat on a baking sheet.

Bake for 15-20 mins on 250 degrees F. 

Enjoy!! Mmmmmm.

Hint: Sprinkle left over sugar mixture over top of seeds before baking.

BONUS! Your house will smell like Fall all day long! 

 

 

Tailgate Treats!

Chili Cheese Dip

Ummmmm...... Can you say EASIEST. RECIPE. EVER. ??

And SO super Good!! Sure to be a WIN-WIN at your next tailgate party!

What you need: 

1 pkg Velveeta cheese block

2 cans Chili with beans (mild or hot to your own taste!)

2 T. Chili powder

2 T. Onion powder

What I did: 

1. Tear off pieces of cheese and put into medium sized slow-cooker on High setting.

2. Cover with chili

3. Add other ingredients

 

4. Cover with lid for about 30 minutes, then stir. 

5. Continue to stir often. When cheese is melted, reduce heat to Warm... And it's ready to enjoy!

Serve with tortilla chips! YUM!

 

 

Tailgate Treats!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

My most recent Tailgate treat! It was a HUGE hit... And was SOOOO easy! I couldn't resist sharing! 

What you need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or about 6 boneless, skinless tenderloins).

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 pkg Bacon

2 T. Chili powder

What I did:

1. Cut chicken into 1" pieces

2. Cut each bacon slice into 3 pieces.

3. Mix together brown sugar and chili powder on a flat plate.

4. Wrap each piece of chicken with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Then dredge each piece in sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet.
 
 

 5. (I sprinkled the left-over sugar -if any- over top of pieces)... THEN Bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes, or until bacon is crispy!

And.....

**Helpful Hint... Double your recipe... These are gone in a flash!