Weekend Recap

Last week was one of those random weeks. We didn't have much scheduled which was nice, after being so busy during the prior few. 

Lucky me, I got to the gym 5 days last week!!! I mixed up my days between BodyPump (my favorite) and some good old fashion cardio. It feels good to have some consistency in my work outs. The kids are loving their child care workers and my goodness, we are blessed by them. It is a very nice feeling to know my kids are taken care of well and enjoy their time away from mommy. Because mommy needs the workout time! 

Austin had a great time with friends this week. We were able to have some fun play dates that allowed him time to play and me time to have adult conversations [most of which was interrupted by McKenna, bless her heart].

My poor husband threw his back out. It wasn't a good situation and has me very concerned considering we have a long drive ahead of us in a few days. We are praying he feels better very quickly.

Friends...my mornings start early. Very early. I realized I haven't set an alarm in approximately 3 years [since Austin was born] because my boy child wakes before the birds are up.
I've started using this time and being very deliberate about quiet times and reading. It has become very evident to me that modeling these practices for my kids is going to speak much greater to them, then me telling them to do things. 

Currently reading The Difference Maker by John C. Maxwell. It is about how our attitudes make such a huge impact on our daily lives. It is a good one.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Most mornings I fuel my body with some scramble eggs and peanut butter toast. I find this is a good mix of protein and carbs that will get me through my morning workout without being starving. 

We enjoyed a semi-quiet weekend around home. Lunch with friends, yard work, cleaning, church and the beginning stages of packing.

Sporadically, we decided to take the kids out for a yummy dessert Saturday evening. Austin is not an ice cream lover…but the boy LOVES cake. So we decided on Crossroads because YUM. Local friends…treat yourself! You may enjoy it enough to eat like McKenna! 

Meal Planning Monday!

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend. When we get back from vacation, I will get myself back in order and not have my weekly planning beginning and ending on random days. 

Friday- Honey Sesame Crockpot Chicken
Side dish- peas and corn
I think I already linked to this before but we really love this one at our house. I needed something easy & throwing some chicken into the crockpot seemed perfect. 


Price breakdown:
Chicken (bought in family pack, but only used half): 
$9.66/2= $4.83
Onion: $0.59
Rice: $0.59
Assorted condiments: approx $1.04
Total: $7.05 
*Fed family for dinner plus lunch leftovers*

Saturday- Veggie Packed Turkey Burgers
Side dish- Honey Dijon Roasted Green Beans
This is another from a pale cookbook that we found a number of months ago. Its delicious!

Sunday- 15 minute Chicken Fajitas

(It is a 15 minute [or so] cook time…the prep takes a bit longer)

Need an easy and fairly fast recipe? This is a quick and tasty one! Makes quite a bit of food so leftovers should be expected (unless you're feeding many mouths). I enjoy following this Facebook page for clean eating recipes we have really enjoyed all the different ones that we have tried. 

Monday-  Honey Chicken Kabobs
New recipe for us but excited to try! I love that both the veggies and meat are marinated. Will definitely let you know what we think!

Tuesday- Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

Wednesday- Grilled Chicken and Roasted Veggies

Thursday- Leftovers! Not much more to say about this. We have to eat whats in the fridge before we head out for vacation this weekend!

Wednesday Confessions #3

I confess…

-ONE-

So, much of my background is in athletics and fitness. In college, I spent my first 3 years in athletic training before deciding to go another route. I then got my certification to be a personal trainer and used it to help advance my lacrosse coaching career. I coached lacrosse at both the collegiate level and high school level, as well as, summer camps and private lessons. Finally, I got my teaching certification in K-12 Health and Physical Education. ALL this to say…it is very, very difficult for me to go to the gym and watch people work out incorrectly. As in, so badly and such poor form that they could injure themselves. Knowing that proper gym etiquette is to keep my mouth shut, I never say anything. BUT I really want to!!!

-TWO-
I have always been someone who has struggled with falling asleep. (I am convinced I passed along this terrible trait to my son.) When I lay down, my mind runs away from me. Has always been an issue. So recently, actually after speaking at length with Austins' sleep doctors and then my own, I tried melatonin. It's a small amount that, I'm assured, is completely safe. It has been a complete game changer for me. I actually fall asleep [without tossing and turning for 45 minutes] and can get a decent nights rest. *Talk to your own doctor if you're considering this*

-THREE-
I can't wait to get away and unplug. I am constantly reading these stories about how much technology affects our kids and it really [as I sit at my computer typing] makes me self reflect on technology in my own life. IT'S EVERYWHERE (and I only have Facebook -no twitter, snap chat, instagram etc). I can't imagine keeping track of it all. Looking forward to a nice long vacation and time away from all the technologies. 

-FOUR-
Discipline is hard! Holy moly, year three has hit us full force. I see him testing limits and boundaries and also searching for a sense of control and ownership over his decisions, as opposed to mom and dad telling him when and what to do. I've been trying to allow him to make choices [within limits of the activities we are doing] to help him gain the confidence in his choices and also to see there are consequences to them. It has helped and it is a constant work in progress as I try to be consistent. 

-FIVE-
McKenna took her first, by herself steps at my parents house on 7/17/2017. Putting this bit of info here- so I don't forget it! She can take about 6 steps before falling right now. We are slowly getting there!! 

Meal Planning Monday!

This post is being written early Monday morning because we had an eventful weekend. Spent the day in Pennsylvania Saturday celebrating my sister-in-law Bethany's birthday. Happy Birthday Beth!!

Here's the boys digging into some ice cream cake and popsicles. 

And here's Austin on the ride home. Complete exhausted from playing with cousins all day. 

(PS. I fixed his carseat buckle- huge pet peeve of mine! Armpit level! Drive safe!)

Here is what we've got going on this week. I am adding the meals from this past weekend because they were new-to-us.

Saturday- Chicken Sausage Sweet Potato Bake- I have been a long time reader of this blog. Decided to try this recipe because I generally have all the ingredients on hand. It was good but I found out that I am not a big fan of rosemary or thyme (or perhaps, them in the same recipe). Others in the family loved it but if I make it again, I will have to adjust spices. 

Sunday- Greek Chicken Kabobs- YUM YUM YUM! I found this one from our Paleo cookbook and it did not disappoint. I will write out the recipe and post later. It is a long one…but definitely delicious and worth the effort.

Price Breakdown:
Chicken: $4.71
Green Bell Peppers: $.99
Red Onion: $.59
Fresh Mint/Parsley: approx.$.50
Rice: $.59
Total: $7.38 
(This meal fed three adults and still had leftovers for lunch)

Monday- Burrito Bowls- This is an easy one for me to do when I am home in the evenings alone with kids. The kids will eat components of the bowl and I love it! 

Tuesday- Burgers and Green Beans

Wednesday- Meatballs, Pasta and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Here is the meatball recipe I use and love. From Betty Crocker herself…

1lb Lean meat (We use turkey)
1/2 Cup unseasoned bread crumbs (sometimes I use Panko)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small onion, finely diced
1 egg

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all ingredients in large bowl until combined very well. Shape into 20 (1 1/2") balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet (if using turkey- spray your baking sheet). Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until no longer pink.

Thursday- Breakfast for dinner!
This is a favorite for me. I use this homemade pancake recipe and freeze the leftovers or I'll make some homemade waffles. This week I'm planning on making a Broccoli & Cheese Quiche. I may omit the bacon or use turkey bacon…we will see. 

Thats all I've got for now. I've been grocery shopping later in the week so my meal planning is all off. 

A visit with Papa and Kiki

I took the kids down to my parents house for a few days. This is something that I did last year as well and something I am hoping to make a tradition. Maybe one day…the kids will go without me…when they are older. 

We left Monday morning with hopes that McKenna would sleep a short sweet morning nap on the drive down. Miss McKenna had other plans and screamed for almost the entire trip. It wasn't enjoyable at all and Austin was on repeat saying "McKenna STOP crying". However, we all made it in one piece.

We soaked up some time with papa and kiki before grabbing lunch and putting both kids down for naps. 

When they were up, we attempted to go to the pool but the storm clouds rolled in just about the time we arrived and we were told they had closed water due to thunder. No problem…Wegmans was right around the corner. So we took kiddos for some yummy freshly baked cookies! 

We decided to hang out around home and weather the storms. The kids found it fun to play in the dog crate. This proved the perfect place for them to be while I was able to sit and eat dinner. 

Sleep went well away from home- I was very thankful for that. The next morning was bright and sunny so we went to the pool. The kids LOVED the splash pad. 

Austin did not want to go home and hid behind the building when I told him we had to leave. I do wish we had something like this near us. It was nice to allow McKenna to crawl around and not be worried about her falling in something. She could have spent all day in the small fountains. What's her favorite thing to do, you ask? Put her face in the water. 

The other amazing progress was with McKenna and her love/hate relationship with dogs. She LOVES to point and squeal when she sees a dog from a distance, but when up close she has freaked out. So spending a few days around Giosi helped tremendously. They were best buddies (because McKenna fed Giosi all her food). Best of all, we no longer are afraid of dogs!

The last evening we had dinner and then headed out for soft serve. Yum! We have come to realize that Austin is not an ice cream guy- he did eat only all the sprinkles. McKenna on the other hand…she will eat what is put in front of her. Girlfriend doesn't discriminate. 

It was a quick few days but such a great time with family. I love watching my kids and how much they adore my parents and vice versa. It is such a blessing to me! Thanks Mom and Dad for a great few days away! 

Sleep Study Experience

We got a last minute call yesterday that they had a cancellation for the sleep study and had an opening for Austin, if we wanted it. Considering our initial appointment wasn't scheduled until end of August and it takes 3-4 weeks for results, we took it. 

It's hard to say yes to a night of no sleep BUT for my boy, I'd do anything. Since it was so last minute, I immediately started telling him that mommy and him were going to sleep at the hospital and they were going to put things on his head while he slept. He handled it so well and of course, I bribed him by telling him if he was good and slept well we would get a donut on the way home. No shame in the bribe game! 

We arrived at hospital around 7:30pm and had to wait for our long escorted walk to the sleep study wing. 

We were taken to our room and given instructions of getting into pajamas and relaxing for a bit. They seriously have it made for kids…movies on demand and many options. Austin chose his favorite, Toy Story.

Just for laughs…this was my bed for the night. It did fold out & wasn't the most horrible place to sleep but I never hope to sleep there again.

Once all the wires and the wrap (to hold wires) were in place, I snapped this picture.

He followed by turning to his stuffed Mickey and saying, "Mickey, I look really silly." He did amazing while they were putting 13 wires all over him. Not one tear and really held it together well. The nurse told me, "he is my dream patient". 

Austin went to bed like a champ- he was tired. Sleep went well other then his nose wires falling out twice. The staff was amazing, fixed the wires quickly and back to sleep we went. They were caring and quick with what they had to do. All of our experiences at AI Children's Hospital have been top notch and I highly recommend them. 

Morning came quickly and slowly. He was up at 5:15 am telling me was "done with being silly and wanted to see his hair again". We got wires removed (only time tears were shed) and headed off for his donut! 

It's over! We survived to tell about it. We anxiously await the results to see if we will have to remove the tonsils and adenoids. Praying that either way we will be peaceful and have answers. 

Happy Anniversary!

4 YEARS! I can not even believe how much our worlds have changed in such a short amount of time. Every day I am in awe of the life we have been able to create and share together. I am thankful for the good times and the hard times. I am blessed by the two little kids that call us mom and dad. Thankful for the amazing extended families and friends we have supporting us along the way. I am happy and love to be doing this life with you. 

Here's to us, Happy Anniversary Love! 

Wednesday Confessions #2

I confess…

Legos have taken over my home! 

This little man absolutely LOVES Duplo Legos right now. He was sure to ask for all.the.legos for his recent birthday and now we have many to be creative with. He is into making all kinds of trucks and vehicles and we love to see his imagination at work. From dawn to dusk, this kid is building and taking apart! 

BodyPump kicked my butt!

So, I finally feel better and have no broken toes or swollen knees! Off to bodypump we went Friday morning (hubby joined me for the first time ever and he actually enjoyed it and got a good workout). It was new release and Lord, have mercy the lunge track annihilated my quads. It is a sore that I know is good and building muscle…actually can't wait to go back! 

Verizon Fios 

We have been fairly faithful customers with Verizon and I have never had much issue calling to getting help with our services…until Saturday. The first call and hold wait time was 20 minutes and then they disconnected me. This is also about the time my frustration heightened. The second call and wait time was OVER AN HOUR! Luckily, I was on hold for so long, I wasn't even mad anymore when someone finally answered us. All in all, we got our HBO so we can watch Game of Thrones and we got a sweet deal on our cable. 

Window Bird Feeder

So we bought this window bird feeder a few months ago and we have had so much fun watching the birds up close out our window. McKenna especially loves it and always is squealing and pointing to the birds. The cardinals are my favorite- so pretty. If you do buy one…it takes a good week or more for the birds to find the feeder. Be patient. 

Fruit.Fruit.Fruit.

This time of year is my favorite due to the fresh fruit. I could easily eat my body weight in watermelon, peaches, cherries, strawberries, blueberries etc. I'm loving making some greek yogurt parfaits with tons of fresh fruit and yummy protein shakes as well. I really wish this season would last longer!

Meal Planning Monday

Happy Monday! If you're reading this Monday morning, I'll be on my way to Maryland with the kiddos to spend a few days at my parents. Hubby is going to get some time alone, which I love being able to provide him with. Again, my week is all messed up and tossed around, as I won't be cooking dinner (yay!) at my moms.

Since staying home with my kids, I've found it a fun challenge to meal plan healthy, yummy lunches, snacks, and dinners, all while sticking to a budget. I definitely use Pinterest and cookbooks to find recipes. (I am not at all to the point of creating my own…yet.)

So since, I am gone again, here is what we had the last few days. 

Thursday- Sweet Potato Turkey Skillet…we discovered this gem a few months ago and it is a go-to for us. Really feel like it is a muscle building, healthy recipe. (I don't usually add the cheese.) 

Friday- Burgers and Roasted Brussels- First, yes, using Jennie-O frozen turkey burgers…because sometimes you just don't have time to make from scratch. I'm adding a price break down for this meal because its so easy to see how much money is saved by eating at home (plus so much healthier). We limit our carbs at dinner (the burger buns) but that wouldn't add much to your cost. 

Price breakdown:

Burgers- $6.99 box/$1.16 each

Brussel sprouts- $1.99 bag

2 adults/2 kids…$8.98 total/$2.24 each

*Kids usually have some fruit as well*

Saturday- Zesty Sausage and Rice Skillet Dinner- Hubby cooked a new-to-us dinner Saturday and he made a good one. This is simple and delicious! Plus, we usually have all these ingredients on hand so we could whip up in a rush. (Note: we did not use 4 peppers in ours and it didn't take away)

Sunday- Honey, Lime, Sriracha Grilled Chicken. I use the marinade from recipes in last weeks plan and marinate chicken breasts then grill. Side dish of roasted broccoli and cauliflower (I could eat roasted cauliflower like candy- don't judge, it is delicious!)

Snack-

One of our favorite snack recipes around here are these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. I LOVE these and I love them for my kids. Sweetened with honey…you wouldn't know and don't miss the sugar (only in chocolate chips). Changes I make…I use mini chocolate chips and I make mini-muffins- much more kid friendly. 

Hope some of these look yummy to you! We found a new paleo cookbook and a new whole foods cooking cookbook and I am super excited to try some of these new recipes! Will be sharing soon!  

Beach Trip Recap

Well, we spent the last 3.5 days at the beach…and we survived but learned so much in the process. Only a few meltdowns by the parents kids. 

We headed down to the Rehoboth area on Sunday morning and met with our friends who were kind enough to offer us the use of their beach home for a few days/nights. We definitely would not have gone, if not for their generosity. We visited for a bit and then attempted to put kids down for naps. McKenna fell asleep and Austin decided not to nap at all. When I quickly figured out he was not going to sleep, I suggested I pack him and I up real quickly and head to beach for a bit.

HE LOVED IT. 
(He hadn't gone much last year with McKenna being a newborn so I was a little apprehensive on wether he would like it or not.)

We stayed for a little over an hour and then headed home. Upon arrival, we found out that McKenna only slept for an hour. So we knew we had a tired little girl on our hands. We chose to head to the boardwalk, grab some pizza and ride a few rides. The kids did well enough but were VERY tired. They rode two rides and loved them (but where done after that). In hindsight, I would have waited on boardwalk but we learned. 

Tired out from the beach, on the way to the boardwalk. 

Monday was a lazy, family morning. With coffee on the sun porch and donuts for the kids. Then we headed to the beach for a few hours. This was McKenna's first trip and she did not disappoint. She loved the water, the seagulls, the sand etc. It is so, so much fun to watch them see new things. 

Digging holes and building castles. 

Best rolls ever! She tans so easily too! 

Searching for sea creatures with Daddy. 

My boy and I. 

We went out for dinner Monday which was surprisingly nice as the kids were so well behaved and ate well. Everyone slept well after a long day on the beach!

Tuesday morning we took Austin out to the docks to feed the gulls. He loves doing this (we do this in Maine as well) and he loved throwing the bread into the water and watching the gulls soar down and grab it. Once McKenna woke up, we decided to head back to some shops along boardwalk and downtown. Kids seemed to do much better earlier in the day and enjoyed playing some games and watching daddy win some prizes. 

Feeding the gulls. 

We rounded out Tuesday with a late afternoon beach trip. McKenna can handle about 2 hours before she is done. I think this is the point she realizes she has half the beach in her diaper and is ready to get going! I've never seen so much sand in a bathing suit and diaper. If anyone has any advice…both my kids had some serious sand/diaper/wet bathing suit rashes…I'm not 100% certain how to avoid this as they sit and play in the sand. We do change them immediately as well. 

Eating sand. 

 

 

Last year and this year, same place. He is growing up WAY to quickly!

We couldn't have asked for a better few days away as a family. The kids were pushed and stretched and adjusted so well to all the changes. We had picture perfect weather and some great quality time. 

Wednesday Confessions #1

I confess....

Being sick as a mom is super challenging!

We had a VERY ROUGH month of June. I have been sick (still coughing). Real sick. Started with strep throat, super high fever,followed by a day where I thought I was getting better- then, bronchitis. I've been to my doctor multiple times (she thinks I'm crazy) and my sweet husband has taken off work multiple times to help. My mom and MIL both have come (bless their hearts), yet, here I am still coughing. The sweetest thing is my little guy coming up to me and gently saying, "Mommy, how you feeling?" or "Mommy, thats a big cough." (My sickness was joined with both Austin and McKenna getting it in one way shape or form.) I know I'm not the first and won't be the last but it's not for the faint of heart. 

I really enjoy Bravo Reality TV.

It is such a guilty pleasure for me. Real Housewives and Below Deck are the two I follow the most. Don't get me wrong, I understand fully that these shows are garbage. My excuse is that it just allows me to sit and not have to think about anything (although, I use this time to fold the laundry). 

We miss our pool.

The immense heat has hit us and for the first time since the pool was demoed...we looked at each other and admitted we missed it. For those of you who don't know, last summer we had a tree fall, from our neighbors yard, and do 20K of damage to our in ground pool. After months of back and forth with insurance and pool companies, we sadly decided to demolish the pool and fill it in. It is/was bittersweet. However with the 90+ degree weather, I wish I could go out back and jump in. 

We LOVE our WubbaNub!

What would I have done without these?! From now on they will be my go-to baby shower gift. Not only are the stuffed animals ridiculously cute BUT your baby can find them [in the dark] and put them in his/her own mouth. Cue the hallelujah chorus! McKenna loves hers and so do I! 

ALDI brand, Friendly Farms Cinnamon Roll coffee creamer. 

YUM! YUM! First off, Aldi seems to becoming more and more popular, but I have been a loyal ALDI shopper for years. A few months ago, I tried the Cinnamon Roll creamer and I love it. Seeing as though I have cut most added sugars from my diet (coffee creamer is my only allowance) it makes it even better. If you haven't tried this...go, run...you won't be sorry. 

Losing Baby Weight is Hard...for me!
First baby wasn't so difficult...second baby has been rough. I didn't even gain much more the second time around however, I think I lost time and sleep which has affected me greatly. I have been plagued with injuries (broken toe, swollen knee etc) and illness over the last few months which has prevented me from keeping a strict gym schedule. I know I'll get there eventually...just wish it would fall off faster so I could wear the cute clothes that hang in my closet.