Just some updates...and good news!

Well it has been an interesting week. There have been some new friends made, some new foods tried, and some good news! 

Mckenzee and her new friend watching a movie and enjoying some popcorn!

Let's start with the new friends. Where we live now our closest neighbor is on the other side of the wall, and a mere 10 feet across the hall from us! We have gotten to know these neighbors, a family with one teenage daughter and one 9 year old daughter. I seem to have quite a bit in common with the mother and I get along with the teenage daughter as well. The younger girl has made fast friends with Mckenzee to the point of spending a good part of the day with her yesterday, having a sleepover with her last night here at our house, and spending half the day with her today as well.  It was Mckenzee's first sleepover ever and according to her friend's mother she never gets to go to sleepovers so it was a treat for her as well. I even made them pancakes and sausage for breakfast! 

I think it was a great success for her! 

Whole Grain Apple Muffins

Now on to the new foods. This week I made some whole grain apple muffins that were a great success! The kids LOVED them and so did I.  I haven't really made much more this week just because of time and supplies but I have found many ways to do make-ahead meals that we are going to be trying soon to make dinner time a little easier for both me and DJ when he works late. I have found such recipes as "Lasagna Cupcakes" and "Mini Calzones" that can be prepared ahead of time, frozen and then pulled out to be made on the nights we need them. Which I think is especially perfect on Girl Scout nights and the days I work until 5 pm, so I don't have to come home and try to put together a whole yummy meal, I'll already have a meal ready to go so DJ can throw it in if he is home, or the baby sitter or even myself if need be. 

Some of her homework, mostly spelling!

Her 1st spelling test! 

Here is the good news of the week! First Mckenzee got her first spelling test back and she received a 100% on it getting EVERY word right! We are very proud she is an excellent student and just like her older brother, an excellent speller! She loves school and learning and even loves doing her homework! I think it is AWESOME! 

Our Welcome to Hunter! 

The next bit of good news came from 3000 miles away. turns out my mom is up to a DOZEN grandchildren as Baby Hunter, my brother's newest addition with his fiance Kelly entered the world on 9-23-14 around 11 am. I am not sure of the exact time but I know he came a little early and was a very little baby weighing in at only 4lbs. 6oz! Smaller than my princess was at birth! (She weighed in at 6lbs 3oz) He is the cutest little bundle ever and makes me miss my little ones being that small. We made a sign and took a picture to send them to say hi to little Hunter him and welcome him to the world! 

I would love to tell you about some more but I just looked at the time and realized that I have to be up early to get my little girl off to school and to make some calls to the doctors about some things so I will have to write some more tomorrow! 

Thank you for following along with us! #MakingItWork

#MamaLife 

Trying New Foods and Recipes

Since I am trying to eat a little better and I am trying to get out of the food rut we seem to be in, (I do not want to keep making the same things all the time) I have incorporated some new foods into our meals and new recipes! The first thing I tried in the last week (which I have found I love) is "The Golden Spurtle" which is a steel cut (also known as pinhead) oatmeal. It reminds me of Maypo (another favorite). I added some dried cranberries and almonds to it and it was spectacular! It was so good I wanted to have it as a snack after dinner so I saved it in the fridge and reheated it with some milk and it was so good! 

I have also been eating more fruit and vegetables every chance I get! I love eating grapes, oranges, apples, peaches and more with the kids because they love it all too! I have been drinking more water especially since I have done more walking lately. My inspiration was a little forced due to feeling like a big failure but I am determined to become more healthy one way or another. 

Just felt like taking a picture! :) 

We also tried a new recipe this week. A few nights ago I had taken out some sauce that I had made and was just going to boil some pasta and bake some biscuits and that was going to be that...then I had an idea! I had remembered seeing a recipe for Chicken Parmesan using frozen chicken nuggets (which I have an abundance of with kids in the house). So I found the recipe and I modified it a little using some jarred Mozzarella Sauce (Ragu) and my sauce layering first the frozen nuggets in a 13x9, then slowly layering the mozzarella sauce, my sauce and some grated Parmesan cheese. I popped it in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes, then I pulled it out and topped it with some grated Mozzarella cheese and put it back in for another 15 mins. While that was baking up all yummy I boiled the water for the pasta and used a muffin tin to put my refrigerated biscuits in (since I still don't have a cookie sheet). 15 minutes later I was pulling out everything from the oven and my family was drooling over the smells of greatness wafting through the house! Dinner was a HUGE hit that night! I am so glad I decided to make it and even more glad that a new recipe did so well with the whole family (that is just rare). 

I can't wait to try some other new recipes! 

#SuperChef #MamaChef #Shocking

Inspection Day and the Fantastic Birthday

Wednesday was "Inspection Day" in our complex so we had to make sure we had the house in order for when they came in to check things out. I have never lived in a place that required inspections so I went on a cleaning spree staying up until 12:30 am to make sure as much of the house was clean as could possibly be. That left just some vacuuming and touch up work for the day of the inspection and I was able to have the place completely awesome for when they came in to check it out! I was even able to keep "Hurricane Spencer" under order so that I didn't have to worry about him pulling out every toy he owns! The plus of the whole day was that when they came it was still early and I was able to get Spencer down for his nap after they left! As they were on their way out the door at the end of inspection we were complimented on how well we kept the place and they thanked us for being so clean! Yay, honestly even today it not too bad in our house, the floor could use a vacuum and the dishes weren't done because we took the day off and had a lazy Sunday for once, but tomorrow is Monday and I will have it all "spic and span" by the time lunch rolls around. 


Friday was little McKenzee's 7th Birthday party which of course meant I had to make sure the house was clean, the cake was made and all the presents were ready BEFORE she got home from school!  

I was able to get the "Pin the Carrot on Olaf" game drawn up and cut out, the cake baked and kitchen picked up, the floors vacuumed and presents all set before I had to get McKenzee from school.

Once we were home I had her pick up her room and then her friends were knocking on the door asking if she could go out and play and since it was her birthday I wasn't going to say no so she went out with an adamant "You BETTER be home by 5:30 for dinner!" While she was gone I was able to finish decorating her cake, (which had a huge break in it from sticking to the pan) and I made Olaf cupcakes too! 

 



Needless to say she was actually a few minutes early for fear of getting in trouble for being late. After quickly scarfing down some hot dogs and macaroni and cheese (since I was looking for a fast dinner), we were able to pick up real quick and I was able to finish up the Olaf noses JUST before her friends were knocking on the door for the party!

 Before I knew it my house was overrun with little girls wanting to put on McKenzee's princess dresses and singing along to Frozen on the TV. Luckily is wasn't too long before DJ was coming through the door to help me wrangle in the giggles and the hopping around of them as they had some fun playing and singing! 

Some family showed up and McKenzee's friends from before we moved here, and we sat down to open some presents before a few of the kids had to leave. Then some cake and ice cream to hop them all up before playing the "Pin the Carrot on Olaf" game. By the time that was done the kids wanted a little more ice cream and then we were left with about 3 little girls since the others had to get home. DJ took the ones that were left outside on the deck with Spencer and played a round of "Frozen Trivia" before it was time to call it a night. As we said goodbye to the last little girl, whose Mama stayed and chatted with us a bit before heading across the hall to her apartment. I am really starting to like our neighbor across the hall, she is funny, polite, and has a hand mixer! (That is funny because every time I go to make a cake I forget that I do NOT have a hand mixer or any kind of mixer for that matter) 

 All in all it was a great night for McKenzee and her friends and a long and exhaustive day for me in which I had to see my little girl get bigger again...oh sad Mama sigh. I love her so much but I wish that my kids would just stay little longer! 

I hope you all are following along and enjoying my funny days! More to come later this week! Including some new recipes that were tried and LOVED by my family! 

#Inspection #Birthday #SuperMama 

So much to do!

It is just 2 days until our complex's inspection. Mckenzee and I started yesterday with a bang! Just after DJ set off for work we got started on the housework that needed to be done. 


Within an hour she had finished her room, we had finished one load of laundry switched over one and started a new one, and she had emptied the dishwasher! With all that done and marked off her chore list on https://www.choremonster.com she had acquired the 300 points she needed for her one hour of video game time.

She was very excited she rarely plays video games so this was a treat for her to have a whole hour all to herself to play whichever game she wanted. While she did that I went to the bedroom and started the organizing and cleaning of the closet, nightstand and floor areas. I would have gotten it completely done last night but the kids wanted to play and of course I had a yummy dinner to make. (We had garlic parmesan chicken wings and white cheddar macaroni) I was able to finish my nightstand and the floor and most of the closet but I still have some work to do refolding some clothes and putting away the new clean laundry. 

Tomorrow is the day I make sure everything is in order and I clean the carpets while Spencer is sleeping and Mckenzee is at school. I am hoping by the time I go to bed tomorrow that the house is in tip top shape and ready to be checked out as needed!
Hopefully "Tornado Spencer" will keep the mess to a minimum until after they check the place out! I will have to try to keep him super busy so he doesn't have time to dump out the toy boxes or go "Tasmanian Devil" on the house! 

I really love my kiddos! Messes and all! 

 #MamaMaid #LovingThemAlways #GettingItDone

Fall is in the Air!

The colors of the season are upon us. The crisp air, the breezes that lift the leaves from the trees and drop them so perfectly on the slowly fading grasses of summer, the scent of apples and pumpkin everything! 

I am a huge fan of this time of year! I love pretty much everything about it! I love dressing up a little warmer, I love taking pictures of the changing leaves, I love going apple and pumpkin picking. I cannot wait to take the kids out to pick their pumpkins and take their pictures with the fall backgrounds. 

This will be Spencer's first walking Halloween, where he can actually say "Trick or Treat" and get his own treats! I am very excited about it. My mom is sending us a costume too so I don't have to worry about finding him one (which is good with finances being tight and all). This year he is going to be Sully from Monsters, Inc. Mckenzee will be one of three characters, depending on whether my mother gets them done or not. We picked up a Belle from Beauty and the Beast costume but shhhh we are giving it to her for her birthday on Friday since she LOVES to play dress up! However if my mother gets them done, Mckenzee will also have her choice of either Elsa or Anna to be this year as well. 

This year also marks our first Thanksgiving AND Christmas on our own without any others living in the house with us. The holidays will be small and a little tight but we are SO going to make it work! #MakingItWork 

Anyways, I just really wanted to share this with you all, here are some pictures I took over the years at pumpkin picking and one I took of a tree in our yard/parking area! 

I love the colors in this one! 

Fun at the farm! 

More Fun! 

These we fun to take! 

My favorite shot! 

My kiddos over the years! 

#FallFun #MamaLovesAutumn

Not feeling well...

Not really sure what it is....I feel achy, sick to my stomach, and super emotional. I just want to sleep for a week and a half. I am beginning to think it is no longer stress and maybe just maybe one of my chronic illnesses is coming back and making me feel like total crud. It was only a couple of years ago that I had to have surgery done because of excess bleeding that would last weeks at a time and cause cramping and extreme fatigue. Just a few years before that I had to have breast surgery because of a chronic inflammation that would cause extreme pain, swelling, redness, and needed it needed to be cut open and drained and I was told that I may need to have it done again. I am currently having some spotting issues (though I was "visited just a week and a half ago) and I am swelling and red on my breast again. I honestly can say I do not have time to get sick and need anything important done. I have just been offered that new job and could start anytime once I have completed all the pre-work tasks for the position. 

I am so tired.....I am going to leave you with something to think about so that this whole post isn't a total complaint :) 

#MamaIsWorried #Bedtime 

Overtired Mama

I think I am suffering from severe overtired mom syndrome. I am not sleeping well lately because my mind gets away from me like the moment I try to shut it off. I will start thinking about what I got done during the day, and what I didn't get done during the day. I will think about future appointments, jobs, money, birthdays, holidays, the kids, you name it and my mind decides that bedtime is the perfect time to think about it all! 

I am sure many of you know what I mean, and the more you tell yourself to stop thinking, the more you tend to think about. It is a never ending circle. 

One of the worst parts of being overtired besides the fatigue is that fact that I am uber sensitive. I feel very emotional on occasion even a little day-dreamy. I made the mistake of catching a sappy movie on TV and my daughter wanted to know why I was crying. Honestly I wasn't sure what to tell her, so I tried to explain to her what I was feeling, she didn't understand and eventually she went to her room to play dress-up because "Mommy is being silly" as she told her little brother when he followed her. 

I am hoping all I am feeling is just stress and fatigue and not anything serious. I suppose the only way I would be able to figure that out is with sleep but who knows when I will get enough of that. 

Being a Mama is a 24 hour a day job and Spencer has had some strange nights lately, plus I am still adjusting to the school schedule...it is all about the changes that I am getting used to. The worries for the future that will probably NEVER go away, the weird dreams, the wishing for things to start feeling better and not so crazy stressed. 

I am an overwhelmed, over-tired Mama....as I am sure many are! 

Tomorrow is a new day!  I am determined to get some GOOD sleep tonight *insert sarcastic "yeah right" laugh here* 

Goodnight faithful readers and please feel free to leave me some extra energy you may have in the comments *wink wink* 

#MamaNeedsSleep #TheSunWillComeUp #Tomorrow 

Some good news with a little worry....

On Saturday I received a phone call interview from one of the places I applied to. The interview went pretty well and I was told I would hear back from the company by the end of the day. The day went on and I was starting to think that perhaps the interview didn't go as well as I had thought....until about 4:29 pm! I was working on making dinner when the phone rang and I quickly picked it up.

 "I'm looking for Suzanne..." and for the next 20 minutes I chatted with the head of the company about the job and how I felt about it and whether I still felt like I would be a good fit for the position. We chatted about my availability, my family, the pay and various other things for a bit before she told me that she thought I was great and that she would send her opinion and notes back to the woman I had my first interview with, I thanked her for her time and she for mine and we hung up.  I was buzzing with hope and figured it would be another day before I heard whether or not I had gotten the position.  

As I sat down to dinner with my kids the phone rang again. I got a little nervous as I looked down at the caller ID and saw the number lit by the orange glow on the screen. It was the company again! I was told that I was being offered the position and that I would receive an email with all the details and the pay rate for the job. I would have 24 hours to decide if I wanted it! Well DUH. Sure the hours are not always a guarantee, I could work any time from 10 hours to 32 hours depending on the need but I figure ANYTHING is better than nothing at all! and even 10 hours at $12/hr is $120 a week before taxes, and that is way better than $0!!! 

So now that part that I have to worry about...Turns out the dress code of the position is a WHITE, long sleeve, button up, collared shirt. The part about that that sucks is that not only do I NOT have a shirt that fits that criteria, but I don't own a white shirt period! At least not one that hasn't been stained by my wonderful little kiddos. Oh and shoes, it requires BLACK closed toe sneakers/shoes.  My sneakers are green, and holey, and just not going to work.  Now why is this something to worry about? Well because I don't really have the money to buy these things, not even if they are inexpensive....

So I have to try to find the money to get these items, look into childcare since DJ and I will have overlapping shifts if he is working, and check out the bus schedules so that I can get home from work when my shift ends. I have to say right now I am freaking out just a LITTLE bit. I AM however hopeful.....very very very hopeful! 

I am going to try to do this.....key word is TRY! :) 

Fit for a Prince and Princess

Today I wanted to be able to see some kind of progress in this house as far as getting it ready for our up-coming inspection, so I starting getting things as organized as possible. I started in the kid's room. It was a total mess, toys on the floor, beds unmade, dirty clothes everywhere and nothing hanging in the closet like it should have been.  

It took Mckenzee and me about an hour and a half and some AWESOME Disney tunes to get it all done and looking really good! 

Sleepy is taking a nap in her reading chair! 

No more overflowing top bunk! 

Even Spencer's bed got made perfect for the Prince!

All filled with her dresses! 

We gave Spencer a snack so we could finish cleaning the clothes up and make the beds. Once it was all done we did a quick vacuum and then Mckenzee decided she wanted to go outside and play with her friends! Since she had done such a great job helping me make her room look good I think she deserved  to have some fun (besides Spencer needed a nap!)

I was also able to get the front hall closet, the living room and some of the kitchen done as well. I still have a lot of work left to do in the house since I have to finish the kitchen, the deck, the bathroom and our room. I have until the 17th to get it all done and I am hoping to be done way before that so I can just do touch-ups on the 16th and have it all ready for inspection. I think I am off to a good start! 

I also made an awesome roast chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob dinner as well! Spencer especially loved eating the corn on the cob, he ate a whole ear himself! 

Oh and the biggest achievement of the mealtime....Spencer ate his mashed potatoes this time, which is funny because for the first time I made them with a little sour cream in them. (I am thinking I am going to try to do that every time I make them so he will eat them.)

Now the kids are all tucked in, I have my to do lists all queued up on www.cozi.com (my favorite family organizer site/app), and I am enjoying a movie and some ice water before bed. Tomorrow starts another school week, a trip to the store for some milk, and some more cleaning up to get things awesome! I am looking forward to bed and some rest before the morning! 

Goodnight you awesome readers! 

#AccomplishedMama #CleaningMachine :) 

New Recipes, New School, New Outlook!

New School: Yes Miss Mckenzee started her first day on September 3rd 2014. (above picture is last year's and this year's first day pictures). She was very nervous about starting in a new school but she seems to adapted really well. She has run into the kids she plays with here in our neighborhood there and of course she LOVES school so she is able to just be her smart little self and fit right in perfectly! Oh and here is the best part of the new school. Since it is within a mile of her home she has to be a walker. So every (good weather) day we will be walking to and from the school. That mean the 0.73 miles to will be walked a total of 4 times by me in one day, most of the time I will also be pushing a 28.5 lb boy in a stroller as well! I did the math and that means in one week of walking her there and home (weather permitting) I will have walked 14.6 miles! Healthier me here I come! ....OOOH and I meant to mention I got the Mom of the day award because I had warm BLUEBERRY MUFFINS waiting for her for when she got home from her first day! 

On another not today has NOT been my day! Though I woke with every intention of having my get up and go, shortly after I arose.....IT WAS GONE! I started my day with a change of the baby boy, breakfast for the little ones, then dishes, where I dropped several, soaked my shirt significantly enough to warrant a wardrobe change and slipped twice on the floor. Then on to make my breakfast where I promptly burned my toast, followed by my wonderful son standing in front of me saying "bite, bite bite" over and over.....and over again. Ahhh then on to making the grocery list for our trip to the store. Fairly uneventful there and went rather smoothly. So at the store, daughter has several small whiny break downs which tend to grate on my easily aggravated nerves, son has a breakdown because he is over tired and hungry by the end of the trip therefore I am giving him grapes out of our shopping bags to keep him happy! Honestly as the day went on it was one little thing after another, dropping this here, tripping over that there, spilling this, forgetting that.....and so on and so on. Pretty soon time for bed and hopefully tomorrow will go a little better...I am optimistic that my new healthy outlook will show some results eventually. I am also going to start taking the time to do a little beginner's yoga to help with my stress so that maybe just maybe I can be a little more calm. We shall see...

Recently I cooked something new, not too different but new to us either way. I made Sweet & Sour Chicken stir fry. It was pretty yummy! Mckenzee LOVED the chicken but was not very fond of the veggies (she is picky about her vegetables) but she likes rice so she ate a lot of the chicken and rice and some of the vegetables that she did like. All in all I think it was pretty good and I would try it again maybe with the vegetable mix I know Mckenzee will eat! 

Here are some pictures of what I used to make it, it was very easy and very quick! Now I just have to try that recipe for the cream cheese rangoons that we have been wanting to have and we will be having our own little Chinese dinner without spending an arm and leg! 

 Total price for this meal ended up being about $10 and I had enough to feed, Spencer, Mckenzee and myself as well as have enough for me to freeze for two more mini meals that I figured I could use for lunches since Mckenzee will be in school or on a night when I am making leftovers to use them up! 

NO matter what it was nice to try something new and it looked really nice when it was finally done! This month when we went shopping I decided to get the things for some new recipes I found on www.BettyCrocker.com  including Mini Chicken Pot Pies, Muffin Tin Meatloaf, and Apple Dumplings! We also got a lot of different produce I am hoping to find some uses for. Sometimes I wish we had just a little bit more money so I could buy lots of fruits and vegetable to eat. Spence LOVES grapes, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, green beans and peas! Mckenzee loves melons, bananas, cauliflower, carrots, celery and oranges! I love almost any fruits or vegetables as long as they are not canned. (I have nothing against canned but some vegetables should just NOT be canned.) 

So that is a bit of an update for now, tomorrow I am thinking I will give you all a growth update of my little beans and letting you know how they are sprouting! (Spencer had his appointment this week and he is growing fast and excellently) 

Ta ta for now faithful readers! 

#MamaMoments