Every week my daughter brings home these newsletters from preK about what they're covering in class and ways we can support their learning at home. It's awesome and important... but to be honest? I have a stack of them here to read "later". I have good intentions, I swear, but yeah...
Any ways, I took this week's out of her folder and went to add it to the pile to look at later (promise!) and the word "muffin" caught my eye. I ❤️ food, what can I say?! "Homework" that consists of making muffins? Sold! We decided on pumpkin apple muffins and she determined that the "taste" sense was her favorite one to use when muffins are involved! I don't blame her... We used a recipe from Minimalist Baker and the kids all give them two thumbs up!
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I'm not sure Bambi plays a huge roll at Disney World, but my 4 year old REALLY wanted to borrow the movie from the library, so I went with it.
At first I was stumped on a menu. Deer. Rabbits. Skunks. Yeah, not coming up with much! Then I thought "DUH, they all eat plants. Like me. Focus on that!" So I came up with the following for our Bambi movie night:
To get the kids excited for our trip, we thought that we'd watch some classic Disney flicks. And me being, well... me, decided that I'd come up with fun dinners to match the theme of the movies!
My 4 year old daughter went with me to the library and picked out the first batch. Shockingly- NO PRINCESS MOVIES. Yet. Her #1 choice- Lady and the Tramp. Now I know there really isn't a whole lot dedicated to this movie in Disney World, but it's a fun classic and easy to plan a dinner around, so I went with it. THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!
It's no secret.
I am pretty much an overgrown child. I love to have fun. Cut food into silly shapes. Create themes for everything. Think outside of the box. So when my husband and I decided that this fall would be the perfect time to take the kids back to Disney, I knew that I wanted to have fun with it! Our last trip was 3 years ago. The kids were quite a bit younger (1 1/2, 3, and 5). We managed to keep it a secret until we were boarding the bus to the resort. It was awesome, but pretty stressful! I had to pack and prepare at night after they went to bed and I feel like we missed out on a lot of excitement because they were kind of blindsided. Now that they are a little bit older (4, 6, and will just have turned 9) we want to involve them in the planning more. They have their own personal favorites. We want to educate them on the Disney classics. And honestly, I am so excited about this trip I may have exploded if I kept it in much longer! We set up a simple scavenger hunt with 8 Disney themed clues. At each location was an envelope with a word. Once they collected all 8 envelopes, they put the message together to reveal our secret.
Nutella used to be a staple in this household. On toast, with crackers, on a spoon... And it's healthy, right?! The commercials said it was part of a complete breakfast! (check out the ingredients or have a quick chat with me if you believe that)
As some of you may know, I kinda like hummus a little. Ok, I'm obsessed with it. And I love chocolate. So combine the two and... Amazing. ? Chocolate hummus- Process 1/4c almonds into almond butter in a food processor, then add: 1 can drained & rinsed chickpeas 1/4c cocoa powder 5 pitted dates 2tsp maple syrup Pinch of salt 1/3c unsweetened vanilla almond milk Process until smooth. Add more milk if necessary. So good! And you look like supermom when you say "Sure you can have chocolate for breakfast!" It is amazing on toast, with animal crackers, banana slices or strawberries. Or just with a spoon, I won't tell. *I have made a batch using Wowbutter in place of the almond butter and it was pretty darn good! So there are allergy friendly options for you nut-free folks!
My 4 year old daughter has recently discovered the world of fairy gardens.
She begged to start one, and I have to admit, I didn't argue. How cute are they with all of the miniature houses and accessories?! And knowing that an actual fairy may come to visit and play right in our own yard? Sold! ;) On a trip to Jo Ann's we passed a display of fairy garden supplies. Oh my goodness, so many options. And oh my goodness, the prices! Yikes. I let her pick out a house and 2 small accessories, used coupons, and then vowed that we would DIY as much as possible for the rest. I'll share what we come up with here on my blog, so that you too can have some thrifty fairy fun! First thing we made was a hammock. With all that flying, those fairies must get tired. They need a place to relax! I was able to construct this using items already around the house, so total cost $0. Materials:
First I used a drill (power tools!! I'm usually not allowed near them because I'm a danger to society with them in my hands) and made a small hole toward the top of 2 wooden craft sticks.
Then I used some left over spray paint on the sticks. You want to seal them somehow if your garden is outdoors so the wood doesn't rot. I also painted the wooden skewer but forgot to take a picture! While the paint is drying, assemble the hammock.
I used a scrap of outdoor fabric I had on hand from when I made new covers for our patio chair cushions. You can use whatever fabric you have on hand, I'm sure even an old t-shirt would work in a pinch. Another option would be to buy a mesh laundry bag from the dollar store and use that for a more beachy/rope hammock feel.
I cut out a 3.5" x 5" rectangle. If you do not want to hem the side edges you can reduce it to 3" x 5". You may need to increase the length if your wooden skewers are thicker. For the string I used some crochet thread I had on hand. Embroidery thread or very thin twine would work just fine. First I hemmed the long edges, just 1/4" on each side, to prevent fraying. Then I made a pocket on each short end, 1/2" on each, large enough for my skewer to slide through. If you don't have a sewing machine you can either hand sew the pocket or use a waterproof fabric glue. Hot glue would probably work, too, just use extra caution especially if using a mesh or thin material. On to assembling the stand... Take the 2 sticks that you drilled a hole into and cut off the rounded end on the bottom. Using a hot glue gun, form an "H" with the 3 hole-less sticks. Then attach the flat end of the stick as shown with a big glob of glue. I stuck a small bead behind it to brace it and hold it in place. Repeat for the other side.
Now grab your string and cut 4 equal pieces. You may have to play around with the length to get a good fit. I forgot to measure mine, sorry!
Tie each string onto an end of the wooden skewer. I secured each with a dot of hot glue to make sure it didn't slip off. Then feed the strings through the hole on the craft stick. Tie the ends together in the back, and I added more hot glue there, too :)
And there you go! A hammock for your fairies to rest in. Now all you need to add is a glass of wine and a good book... Oh wait, that's what I want next to my hammock!
You can also skip making the stand & just tie the strings onto twigs and stick them in the ground, but I knew my daughter would want to rearrange her garden a million times so I wanted something sturdier and more portable. If you decide to give it a try, leave a comment below! I'd love to see!
If you have ever followed the 21 Day Fix meal plan, you will understand.
The BLUE container is sacred. Seriously. It is the container you fill with avocado/guacamole, nuts, cheese, store-bought hummus. AKA all the good stuff! The catch? You only get ONE blue container per day. And it is not huge, not even close. Definitely not large enough to house my hummus obsession. But I know this program works. I have helped countless women change their lives with it. I have had amazing results. It works! Healthy life. Hummus. Tough call! So I did what any sane hummus addict would do... find a way around it! Wouldn't life be great if we could have our hummus and eat a lot of it, too? Here's how you can save your BLUE (ya know, for the other necessity in life- avocado!) and eat more hummus, all while staying true to your 21 Day Fix meal plan...
I'm vegan, therefore chickpeas and other beans count as a RED for me on the 21 Day Fix meal plan. If you are not a plant-based eater, you will have to use a YELLOW container for this.
Ta-da! By skipping the oil that is used in traditional hummus, you have successfully saved your blue container for avocado, nuts, or cheese. And you can still happily dip your veggies. Or just eat it with a spoon, I won't judge. And here are some fun flavor ideas to jazz it up:
First a huge THANK YOU for all the love, comments, likes, and shares on my family Summer Bucket List! I can't wait to hear all about your own family's summer fun. To follow along with my fam, make sure you pop over to my Facebook account to check out what we're up to!
Now, having fun with my family is great and all. I love it, it brings me SO much joy and fulfillment. But in years past there has always felt like something was missing. I am beyond guilty of losing myself to motherhood. Letting go of myself. Becoming consumed by what my family is interested in. Forgetting who I am. NOT OK. Call me selfish, call me self-centered. I don't really care. One thing I've realized is that I need to take care of myself. I need to remember who I am. Although being a mom is a huge part of who I am today, it is not the only thing that defines me. So last year I decided to make my own personal summer bucket list, filled with activities and goals for myself. Things to help me grow mentally and physically, things that bring me joy, things that make me take a moment to relax, things that just make me feel good. And now I present to you this year's list...
Some people seem to think exercising and eating right come easily to me.
Let me set the record straight right now... It's not. It is HARD sometimes. It's HARD to choose salad over chocolate some days. It's HARD to get a workout in at 10:00pm (extra HARD at 5:30am for me!) It's HARD to do push ups, or attempt pull ups and chin ups. It's HARD to push my body to it's limits over and over again. It's HARD to drink a gallon of water some days. It's HARD to run on a treadmill. It's HARD to tell those excuses in my head to shut the hell up. It's HARD for me to tell my kids (over & over) that no they cannot eat certain junk foods. It's HARD to break a sugar and caffeine addiction. It's HARD to find time to fit everything in. It's HARD to meal plan some weeks. It's HARD to keep moving forward. But you know what else is HARD? It's HARD to be unhappy in your body. It's HARD to feel like crap all the time. It's HARD to rely on a pot of coffee every day just to function. It's HARD to hide from the camera and be missing from all of your children's "firsts". It's HARD to deal with horrible migraines. It's HARD to break down in tears every time you need to wear something other than yoga pants. It's HARD avoiding the beach or pool with your kids. It's HARD to feel ill after eating certain foods. It's HARD to struggle to keep up with your kids. It's HARD to put everyone else's needs before your own so that you are left feeling empty. It's HARD to not love yourself. So I decided to choose my HARD. And over time most of the things on my first list have become easier, it really is a lifestyle now. But there are some days when it is still HARD. And I am thankful for my support team for helping me through those hard times. For reminding me why I chose this path. And knowing that I am helping and inspiring others pushes me to get through those hard times and to keep on going. Are you ready to choose your hard? To make your health a priority, to feel confident, energized, and in control? I'd love to have you join me on this journey. Comment below, message me on Facebook, send me an email. I'll be there to support you and we'll get through the HARD times together! It's the most wonderful time of the year!
No, not Christmas.
SUMMER! Ever since my oldest son has been able to mutter the dreaded "I'm bored", I have had a summer bucket list. So this is our 6th annual summer of fun! When we first started this tradition I was teaching full time during the school year. I longed for summers "off" (all my teacher friends know that it's not really a "vacation" so much as a lay-off, and you're probably prepping for next year anyway...). I wanted to cram as much fun stuff in with my kid(s) as I could, because there wasn't much time for that during the school year. In the beginning it was a rather short list. Toddlers are easily amused :) Plus I wasn't dealing with the constant bickering that occurs when siblings are left to their own devices. Now that my kids are 4, 6, and 8.... I like to keep them busy! And without further ado.... the list! |
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