And just like that...August is gone!

Holy shit where did this month go???

Well another month down and thanks to rain forecast for the next 7 days we will not be spending our Labor Day weekend outside in the sun! Gotta love Iowa weather!! 

Things I have loved about August:

 

New Planner - I finally have things back on track after a crazy fun summer. My new Mom Agenda has been a blessing! It has taken the whole month to get it all set up and organized but it is worth it! Plus I just purchased these fun stickers that make organizing fun! Let's be honest adulting sucks but we all have to do it! So why not have fun while doing it!! 

 

School Starting - This has been awesome! Kids back in school, sports starting, crazy busy schedules and I haven't lost my damn mind yet! (says the mom 2 weeks into the school year) It is also nice that our oldest can now drive to school! If there is bad weather this winter (we live in Iowa it will fucking happen) there will be no call to mom to pick up kids! You can drive yourself home!!!!!!!!!!! Yay me!!!!!!!!!

 

Monthly Menu - Finally have my menu back. I know it sounds bat shit crazy to be happy about having a dinner menu, but I have to be honest it is so much easier. In the summer we slack off with the menu because everyone is here and there, and we have no idea what is happening every night. I miss the menu though. As a mom all this shit is on your shoulders. You have to make sure that everything is done, and everyone is happy. I don't know what the hell everyone wants to eat every night and I am not the type to go to the store every night. My full-time job is a receptionist/ secretary. So, I am on the phone with people all day. Usually they are not the happiest people. When I finally get off work the last thing I want to do is go into the fucking grocery store which is chaos just to get dinner. With the menu I NEVER have to ask what everyone wants to eat!

 

Honestly that is all I can think of because this month went so fucking fast!!! 

 

 

Looking ahead:

With August gone that can only mean one thing. We are getting closer and closer to the shitty cold weather! Some people LOVE winter. I don't think any of those people live in fucking Iowa! Don't get me wrong it is now football season, warm comfort food for dinner, baking, decorating for Halloween, Thanksgiving, sweatshirts and bonfires. Yes, the next couple months will be great..... but then we will have this!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

But...... Until then.....Bring on September!

 

Finding the perfect planner

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I am one of those people who ALWAYS has to have things written down...if it is not well then its not going to happen! I have been through what seems like every planner that is out there...trying to get things organized it just a process.

 

Before anyone says anything... I will get this outta the way. I know I can keep all of my stuff on my phone. Here is the problem with that. EVERY TIME I decide to go electronic with my planner....ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE! I am not joking I am the worst at getting things entered into my phone. Unless I have been drinking... that is another story. I will plan ANYTHING with my friends and put it in google calendar... then a week later I will get a notification stating I have an event..... It turns into a What the fuck did I plan now!  

 

I have went through ALLOT of planners and they are either too small, too big, they don't have everything that I need to keep things organized. It is a process finding that one planner to keep all your shit together so everything doesn't fall apart. You can think that I am over exaggerating but my kids and husband call my planner our family bible.

  So honestly what am I looking for in a planner??

 

#1 Writing Space - This is really important because I have to keep schedules of 5 people in this thing! I am not a business mom so I don't have meetings throughout the day and don't need the hourly scheduling. I need it to be daily with different boxes that all 5 family members can go in plus an area for dinners! I am also looking for a planner that has space for me to write notes, recipes, reminders, to-do lists and contacts information. 

 

#2 Monthly & Weekly Calendar - I like to have both monthly and weekly because I can look at the monthly and see...O shit its going to be a busy month, or its not going to be too bad. With the weekly part I can write in more detailed information about what is happening, if we need to bring anything with us, if I have to bake/cook for the event, things like that! 

 

#3 Size - YES size does matter!! It needs to fit into my purse, but not take up the whole purse. It cant be small because like I said before I usually have allot of shit to write down. 

 

#4 Looks - Yes I am a mom, Yes I am "old" but that doesn't mean that we can't have style. Mom's have some of the best style and deserve it more than anyone! So when we pull out our planners to see what is going on in our crazy life we can still look cute and like we have our shit together! 

 

 

Mom Agenda - So this is the planner I currently use. It comes in both Desktop Spiral and Desktop Bound. I usually get the bound because after about a dozen times of it being thrown in and out of my purse...the cover of the spiral is damaged. The Desktop bound has a very thick cover that helps keep your pages nice. You can also get the cover personalized!! I love the mom agenda for so many reasons but the biggest reason is the layout! For the weekly calendar it has mom section on top. On the bottom of the page it has 4 spaces to add kids names (and hubby if you are like me) Then on the very bottom.... It has a spot to put your dinner menu! How great is that! 

 

Update!! Here is the newest planner! It is still made by mom agenda but I have to admit it is the best upgrade! This is the Mom Agenda Personal Portfolio is AMAZING! The best part is you can just buy refills every year! There is so much space in this planner and you can always add to it if needed!

 

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September Menu

It's that time again. What is for dinner in September??

Daily themes this month will be:

Simple Sunday,  I love simple Sundays because it is a relaxing day I like to have that nice comfort food cooking all day...the one that everyone keeps going into the kitchen to smell and can't wait to eat! This month we will be having: Hobo Dinners (for fantasy draft day), no bowl chicken pot pie, egg bake, simple roast w/ potatoes, and hot beef sandwiches!

Manic Monday,  Lets just be honest... Mondays suck! Its back to work, nothing seems to be going right, the kids aren't ready to start the week either! So I try and make this the easiest meal of the week. I don't want to have allot of dishes, or spend allot of time cooking.September we will be having: Tater tot casserole, Chicken w/ veggies, and Mac & Cheese w/ hamburger.

Taco Tuesday, The kids favorite, and another easy night of cooking (for the most part). On Tuesdays we will be having: Chicken quesadillas, tacos (hard and soft shell), burritos, and walking taco's!

Italian Wednesday, This is another new one for us. I think that they watched too many Olive Garden commercials before we sat down but we will see how things go! So, for our first ever Italian Wednesdays we will be having: Fried ravioli, lasagna, meatball sandwiches & classic spaghetti with meatballs!

Chinese Thursdays,  This is a new one for us. This summer I have played around with some of their favorite Chinese recipes and I guess they were good enough to be put on the menu! I am so excited for Thursdays!!! We will be having: Mongolian beef and broccoli, sesame chicken, orange chicken with egg rolls, and chicken lo mien! Yummy!!!

 Fam Fave Friday, All of our favorites to end out the week! This month we will be having: Big Mac Salad, Tuna noodle casserole, and chili dogs!

Snackin Saturday - This is usually just leftovers but this month I also threw in DIY homemade pizza's too!! This will be interesting!

Well that is all for this month's menu!! Look for my Spooooooky October menu coming soon!!

Back to school organization

Well its now the end of August and that means back to school! Here are some ideas to get everyone on track and ready for the school year!

 

Multiple bags - With gym class and sports this means stinky sweaty clothes! To help make sure that the boys bring their gym clothes home we have small drawstring bags that keep their clothes for gym and sports separate from their school bag. It is still small enough that they can put it into their duffel bag but....it helps keep the smell out and you can just empty it straight into the washer! 

 

 

Reminders - Our Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home are life savers for this! You can just set reminders for the kids on what needs to be done, what time they have to leave, don't forget to bring.... Those kinda things! We also have a don't forget board that the kids (and parents) can write things on so everyone is reminded! It is on our command center which is in the kitchen...so you would think everyone would see it...but if they don't that is why the Dot & Google are to the rescue! 

 

Menu - I try and plan next month's menu about the 15th or 20th of each month...this way when things get crazy I am not rushing to finish it! 

 

 

 

 

Clothes for the week - So this worked for all the boys but as they have gotten older the teenage grunge has been setting in. It still works for our 10-year-old. He loves having things ready in the morning so all he has to do is pick the clothes for that day and put them on! This also helps with matching and making sure they are putting on clean underwear!

 

 

 Homework/Supply Station -Now the boys have desks in their rooms, so we don't have a "homework area" but I have an area where all the extra school supplies go. That way when there is a project, they need more pencils, crayons, markers, & things like that they know where to go! I started this after the kids would bring all their left-over stuff home on the last day of school. Why throw this away?? You paid money and they only used 1/2 the damn supplies. So, before school shopping I will look through and see what we already have (that is new) and get what we don't! The leftover things that are used stay in the extra school supplies box, so they have it for projects at home!  

 

School Paper Boxes - So we have 2 school paper boxes. One for the papers that we really need to read, sign & return. One for the papers that are just completed work and is not an emergency to read. I usually go through this box on Sunday nights.  

 

 

 

Set a quiet time - This is a time that the parents love, and kids need but HATE! With all the technology out there, it is really hard to get your kids off the Wi-Fi and ready for the next day. We had major problems with this and it seemed like no matter what we did they still found a way to be on some sort of device. That is until I found this! Linksys Router!! This has been a life saver....you set what time you want their device to shut down...and BOOM no more Wi-Fi! We don't even argue with the kids anymore! If this wasn't cool enough.... it gets better! Let's say that they aren't doing their homework, they are in trouble with school, or did something at home to get into trouble.... you can remotely shut their Wi-Fi off! Example: I am at work... I get a message that there is fighting, or someone is not doing chores, or even a call from the school.... I can get on my phone or computer AT WORK and shut it off! I also have to add this feature in.... I don't know about your kids but mine are ALWAYS watching You-tube. So, when we have to start getting back into using our brains and not on the tablets all the time... You can also block websites... like you-tube!

The empty room....

 

 

Photo by Eunice Stahl on Unsplash

I have been trying to post this for a while, but it has taken me forever to write. This summer my 13-year-old decided that he wanted to live with his dad. This has been the hardest thing I have ever went through as a parent. I thought I had 5 more years until he graduated from school then moved out. I know you are asking yourself why did I even let him go? I didn't want to, believe me! I also didn't want him to hate me for the rest of his life because I made him stay at my house.

 

I live in a very small but wonderful town in Iowa. His father lives in a large town in Iowa. This makes him believe that I am holding him back from the best school. the best athletic career, the best everything. I don't want to be that mom. I want what is best for my kids...and if that means my middle son living with his dad. Then I guess that is what I have to do and hope one day he sees that the grass is not always greener on the other side!

 

He left the last day of school, which was June 1st. With school starting this week it has been really hard. I am getting the other two boys ready for school and tonight is back to school night. I really didn't think that it would go this far. I thought that he would come home before the end of the summer. That didn't happen. In fact, things have gotten worse. He doesn't even want to see or talk to me since he left. That makes things hurt so much more! It also makes me question if I did the right thing! Did I push him further away? What is making things so much worse? 

 

I am not saying that everything was perfect at home when he was living with us. He was the one that got into trouble allot. Most of it was about school but there was also allot of fighting with his younger brother (which they would both get into trouble for). They act like they hate each other. I know this is "normal" for siblings to fight. It is also something that I know nothing about. I was an only child. I don't understand all of this fighting and middle child syndrome stuff!

 

You would think that after 3 months of not seeing each other they would not fight anymore. NOPE! The one weekend that he decides to stay at our house. It took 1 day! That is all! One day for them to all start fighting (over a baseball bag) and that was it. Fists were about to be thrown and allot of words were said. Like how I never helped him or did anything for him! This wasn't even my fight! I was not even involved in this dispute one bit....and now I am again the bad guy! He then stated that he was done with us and wanted his dad to come and get him. So, about an hour later I dropped him off at his dads. Maybe this wasn't the right thing to do. Maybe I should have made them all sit down and hash it out. On the other hand, everyone in that house is so tired of the fighting of siblings. Everyone has said how nice it was no one has been fighting. The only thing that has been bad was mom crying the last 3 months because her baby boy was gone. 

 

I took him back to his dads because I felt like everyone needed time to cool off. I also didn't want him to feel like he was being held somewhere that he didn't want to be, and didn't want to hear how much he thinks I have not been involved in his life. I love him so much and when he said I never did anything for him...my heart was broken all over again! Three months of mom crying starting over! 

 

I can't express how much I miss him. I also can't figure out for the life of me why when he left in June he was happy and sad to go all at the same time. Now he thinks my house is the worst and I have become the worst mother in the world who has never done anything for him! Where did all of this come from and Why is this happening!!! 

 

I keep telling myself that in the end this will be what is best for him. At the same time, it is killing me inside as a mother that has taken care of every cut, bruise, fever, cough and wiped all those tears for the past 13 years will no longer be able to see his beautiful face every day. He is in J.H. and active in sports but there is no way I can leave work for all those events when he is 45 min away plus the other 2 boys have events on the same night! I don't know how I am going to do this!

Cupcakes, Cakes & Party Ideas

YOSHI EGGS FILLED WITH GLITTER

YOSHI PINATA

MONSTER TRUCK CAKE

FISH CUPCAKES

FISH CUPCAKES

EMOJI CUPCAKES

EMOJI CUPCAKES

SCHOOL PRIDE

SCHOOL PRIDE

STAR WARS - STORM TROOPER

Spiced Cupcakes w/ Butter Rum Frosting, Lemon Cupcakes w/ White Chocolate Raspberry Frosting,

MINE CRAFT CAKE

Low Carb Life...

So, starting this year 2018 I have jumped on the low carb/keto train. It has been up and down battle, but I am happy to report that in I have lost 25 lbs. This may not seem like allot in 8 months, but I have tried soooo many different diets and they have never lasted. I decided this year that I wanted to change my lifestyle. I don't want to be sitting at a restaurant with my family trying to figure out how many points I have left or saying well we can’t eat here because this is not on my diet!

I am a carb lover! I mean I know I am beyond addicted to carbs. I want bread, pasta, pancakes, fried food, all the stuff that is yummy. With that being said here are some ways that I have survived and kept my no bread/no pasta going! Both at home and when we go out to eat!

**THIS IS NOT 100% THE KETO DIET - IT IS JUST WHAT HAS BEEN WORKING FOR ME! I WANT TO HAVE LIFE CHANGE - NOT JUST ANOTHER CRASH DIET! **

Hamburgers - no bun That is all…I LOVE hamburgers, cheese burgers and it is so easy when you are out to have this option! Just order without a bun!!!

Pasta & Rice - This one still is a little tricky for me. I have tried the veggie spaghetti and I still can’t believe that I am saying this...it was too sweet! (I will explain the changing of my taste buds in a little bit), So I go without noodles all together. I will eat really meaty spaghetti sauce without noodles, or like last night I made cheesy taco hamburger helper...I cooked the taco meat, set some aside for myself and mixed that in with some steamed cauliflower and broccoli! It was amazing and really filling!

Sweets - This is another HUGE weakness that I have! This weekend was the first time I made Fat Bombs...and I have to admit it was not what I thought it was going to be (thinking the yummy bad for you sugar taste) But it did satisfy that sugar craving I was having. I have also started eating Quest chocolate chip cookies! These have been a life saver also. The chocolate ones are good. But in my opinion, they are dry. They also have peanut butter cookies. These are also good, but I prefer the chocolate chip ones.

Sides - This one is tricky because when I started out I just made sure that I didn't eat any bread or pasta so instead of fries I would order coleslaw or fruit. I later found out that these are just full of sugar (sugar = carbs), So I was sticking to my rule of no bread and no pasta, but the coleslaw and fruit were just as bad for me! Now I just stick to green veggies. I have noticed as time goes by I can't even eat all the meat on my plate, so the sides become less and less important! 

Any dinners that are just tooo high in carbs - When this happens and there is no way possible for me to make the dinner into low carb. I will have a backup of some nice greens and use one of our leftovers as a meat topping lol. 

Now having 4 men in the house it is hard for me to cook nothing but low carb meals. This has been my down fall for EVERY diet that I have ever been on. I can't see how making 2 meals a night is right. Its allot of money...and its allot of time that I usually don't have especially during the school year. Yes, I know I have heard allot of super moms talk about how they plan out meals and prep so that this is possible, but I am telling you I don't have that type of motivation after all the shit in my house is done! On my day off...I want to get the cleaning and shit done (I do prep lunches for my husband and I) but other than that I want to sit my lazy ass down for an afternoon and not worry about prepping 14 meals for the week!

This is the start of my journey.....Part #2 coming soon!

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Baby Shower DIY

A couple months ago I helped throw a baby shower for a great friend of ours and her husband had a Huggies & Chuggies party! That same month another wonderful friend of ours was having a baby shower/diaper party....so I tried to think of a fun unique present & decorations for these 2 couples that were getting ready to have their first child! (they were both having girls also, so this was a plus!) I think that 2018 big year for babies! We know 5 couples this year that have had babies...most of them girls!

Here is what I came up with for the Huggies & Chuggies

Party

Yes, these are sperm cupcakes! I also made a sign that said Thanks for Coming!  Because they were having a baby girl....it was pink strawberry cupcakes with pink buttercream frosting! I ran out of piping bags (happens every time I really need them) so I used a zip lock bag and just cut the end off! Just make sure if you must use a zip lock bag that you seal the top after getting the excess air out of the bag.... otherwise...it becomes a HUGE mess! I am sorry I do not have a picture of the final product.

 I also thought it was not fair that the ladies were the only ones having beautiful diaper cakes...after all this was a daddy diaper party! So, I also made a diaper cake for the guys! They were having their party at our local golf course so that is where the tee's and golf balls came from...it was also hard to keep all the diapers together and not make it look too girlish, so I found these extra-large rubber bands and used that to keep both tiers together! For the topper I just went to Wal-Mart and bought mini tongs and some safety glasses! The topper will also go with the Daddy Tool Box!

Now for the ladies..... Diaper cakes!

These were so much fun to make! I did 3 tiers and in the middle was a wine bottle! That's just an extra perk for mom after the baby is born!
I had to use cake pans to hold the diapers as I was folding them. Once they were all in there...I just took some cute ribbon and wrapped it around. I used my hot glue gun to secure the ends only! Try not to get glue on the diapers that way mom and dad can still use them on their bundle of joy! Now is the fun decorating part!

Hobby Lobby is my go-to for any flowers because they are usually on sale and they have almost every color you could need! After cutting each individual flower away from the main bunch I just carefully inserted them in between the diaper and the wine bottle (remember you don't want to glue these because mom and dad can use the diapers) Last but not least...the topper! For this I just took one of the leftover flowers and hot glue the rubber duck to the top! You're finished!

If you make one of these fun cakes just remember to let the mom & dad to be know about the wine bottle. I did not have anything on the bottom of the cake so if you did not pick up the cake carefully then...the wine bottle would come out! I am sure that if you used a cardboard cake platter then it would have been okay...I was just didn't want to glue it on and was careful!

Monthly Menu

It doesn't matter if you are a stay at home parent or a full-time working parent you have to figure out dinner every night! Before I started using my menu system it was something I dreaded every night when I walked through the door trying to decide what everyone wanted to eat! When there is 5 people...no one is going to agree on anything!

I have multiple months of menu's now because I have found that if I save them then we have something to go off the next year!

Since we live in Iowa and have allot of cold months.... that means allot of comfort food! In the late spring and summer, we have allot of grilling. Like Hobo Dinners and Potatoes, onions and butter on the gill...yummy!

If you follow my Pinterest page I always have allot of templates that I have found. I have also made a few of my own. I like simple ones that I can change myself...here is one of them!

Keeping things fun and having the kids help pick out dinner has been amazing. Here are some daily themes I have used:

Monday - Manic Mondays ( this is something easy I can just throw into the Crock-Pot/Instant Pot, DIY salads the kids like this one because they can put whatever they want on it, Hamburger Helper is also a life saver) Examples: No Bowl Chicken Pot Pie, Chili Dog Bake,

Tuesday - Taco Tuesday of course! This is a fun one for me because I make things like:

Wednesday - Waffle Wednesdays - This is our brinner night! One of the kid’s favorite dishes for this night is my twice dipped french toast! Here are some other menu items that are on the favorite list! Egg Bake, Omelets,

Thursday -Throwback Thursdays - What was your favorite meal as a child? Meatloaf, Chicken Parmesan, tater tot casserole....and other yummy food like this!

Friday - Football Friday - Finger Food Fridays - This was just quick and easy on the Pizzazz

Saturday - This day is usually blank because it seems like we ALWAYS have things to do and we are always on the run...so it’s just easier to keep it empty or put LEFTOVERS

Sunday - Simple Sundays - (this is usually my crock pot day) I know I use the crock pot allot during the school year, but it is so easy, and I know that I am still making a good nutritious dinner for the family!