Bread Crumbs

Need an easy taco recipe, well I have one for you! Get ready to never buy taco seasoning packets again! I used to use the taco seasoning package until I found this  5 Ingredient Salsa Verde Recipe  from Picky Palate. Her recipe is super easy and it taste delicious. My husband doesn't really care for anything even remotely spicy and thought something was missing from the original recipe.  The next time I made tacos I was trying to find something else I could add or take out that might make it something J would like more. When I used to use the taco seasoning packet I would add picada sauce right before I was done cooking for more flavor. J loved tacos that way so I thought why not I would give it a try with this recipe. I am so glad I did because it just added even richer flavor to the beef mixture and best of all my husband loves it!! What is even better is that L loves tacos and she can eat this no problems. Enjoy friends and let me know what you think!! ...

Hello world! Things have been just complete chaos the last few months in my life so I haven't had much time to write. I have a few things coming up for you all in the next few months! I was recently invited by Sky Zone of Dayton to come check out their awesome facility with my family. So your probably wondering what is this Sky Zone you talk of?? Well just imagine a place with a lot of trampolines that you can bounce, jump, and play on.  They bill themselves as the first indoor trampoline park. So what does Sky Zone offer? During open jump times they have the main court, the foam zone, three ultimate dodgeball areas, and SkySlam. The main court is just a big trampoline divided into squares for you to jump and bounce on. The foam zone is a big pit of foam that you can jump into. I think the three ultimate dodgeball areas are pretty self explanatory, but I was told they have pick-up games frequently. SkySlam allows you to dunk like a pro! The launch pads will bounce you ten feet ...

We recently went back to the Cincinnati Zoo for a family program called Summer Safari: Up in a Tree or Under the Sea. It was geared toward children between the ages of 18 - 36 months. The class gave L and her friends the opportunity to see some animals up close and personal. We got to meet a snake and a turtle. The instruction told us some basic information and taught the kids how to touch the animals the right way. L loved it. She was so excited and kept trying to run toward the snake especially. It really surprised me that she really liked the snake. I thought for sure she would be afraid of it.  After the classroom part we were able to go into the zoo and see some other animals that live in trees and water. We went to the Wetland Trails & Swan Lake to see ducks and swans. We also went to Gibbon Island and saw the very active Buff-Cheeked Gibbons . They were swinging around and making noises. It was pretty cool to see how the kids reacted to them. The last animals we saw w...

I've been asked a lot lately about how I've lost so much weight. I figured I would write about it to give a little more detailed information. I first started trying to lose weight before I got pregnant and I was successful as well. I didn't really change much except working out more frequently and watching my calorie intake. I lost 30 lbs by the end of January 2012. I was extremely happy and continued to work out then I went away to Vegas for a Bachelorette party one weekend in March and stated to slip with the exercising and watching what I ate. I was getting discourage with not being able to get pregnant and used food to cope. Guess what happened next?? That's right in April 2012 I found out I was pregnant! I guess that trip to Vegas for a long girl’s weekend helped me miss J. During my pregnancy I only gained 25 lbs so I didn't gain everything back, but enough that I hated how I looked after we welcome our little girl L in December 2012 (12/12/12 to be exact...

I love Chinese food especially Fried Rice, but it's so expensive to order. Since we've been eating out less, I haven't had Chinese food in almost a year. I've been looking for easy recipes to try out at home, but my husband doesn't like Chinese food so it makes it hard to find a time to do. Back in May, John went to Houston for a week for a Microsoft conference. That left L and I on our own for a few days. I decided this would be the perfect time to try out one of the Chinese recipes I pinned. A friend told me about this specific recipe and how easy it was to make on top of being really good. I have no idea whose recipe this is to give credit. I did adapted this because I didn't need a lot of rice since L and I were the only ones eating it. Fried Rice 1 pouch of Uncle Ben's Instant White Rice 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1 bag frozen peas and carrots (thawed) 1/2 small onion 1 tsp. minced garlic 2 eggs, slightly beaten 3-4 Tbsp soy sauce 1. On medium ...

Hello everyone! The last few days have been really stressful. We had visitors in town this past weekend and L has been in a very odd mood plus we started swim lessons. I received an e-mail a few weeks ago about the topic of shifting perspectives and how as mothers we do it often. With everything that has been going on I thought it would be a good topic for me to write and reflect on. **When meltdown moments strike, how can you rebound quickly, shift your perspective, and put a positive light back into your day? So when meltdown moments happen what I do just depends on the situation. So if L has a meltdown I typically just ignore her until she is done. If she has a meltdown because of doing something bad then I take a different course of action depending on what happened. If it's just a typical toddler meltdown ignoring her is my rebound and lets me shift my perspective. I usually take a deep breath and count to five. By then she is usually down and I can ask her what is wrong...

I'm back. It's been awhile since I've had the time to sit down and blog, which is terrible. I've missed this terribly, but my March, April, and most of May were just crazy busy. I started a new job and left it quicker then I thought I would, but it wasn't a good fit of my family, which is my main concern. I also traveled a little bit here and there to visit my family and friends. Since I've been back home we've been doing a lot of home maintenance and getting the house ready for the summer. Hopefully I'll be able to start blogging more frequently. Now the reason I'm back! BzzAgent kindly sent me a coupon for a free 32 oz. Chobani Greek Yogurt to try out. I was able to finally get to the grocery store this week and buy it as well as make something quick and easy with it. Chobani was founded in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya who was unhappy with how yogurt tasted in America. He set out to create better options for everyone. He wanted to use natural ingredie...

So if you all are like me then you pin all kinds of things to   Pinterest   but rarely do them. I love to clean and went crazy pinning a whole bunch of tips but never got around to trying them until the other day. I don't know if I just never noticed how gross my microwave got or that it just happened recently, but man was I embarrassed at how dirty it had gotten. That got me thing that I remember pinning something awhile back that one of my friends said worked wonders for her. Here are some before pictures. Yes, that is how bad my microwave got before I noticed. I am completely embarrassed by that fact as I love a clean house. Apparently my microwave was neglected in the last year or so. I used this wonderful cleaning and shine tip from One Good Thing by Jillee .  It takes three easy steps and products you already have in your home. You need a microwave safe bowl or if you have 2-cup measuring cup that would work too. I used a bowl as I didn't hav...

Winter this year has been terrible. It's snowed a ton and just been plain freezing for the last two months so we haven't been able to get out much. The play dates we go on have been great as had the library, but I've been trying to come up with other ways to keep her entertained and learning at the same time on those days we are stuck inside the house. After browsing around Pinterest one morning I found this  Fun Toddler Activity  pin that I pinned awhile back. I happened to have tons of extra cardboard boxes from the holidays o I thought I would give it a try. Supplies: Cardboard Box Markers (though you can probably use crayons or colored pencils as well) Balls or Toys that are solid color X-ACTO Knife or Scissors Packing Tape The first thing I did was try to find a cup or mug that was big enough for the balls we have to fit through them. Once I found that the canister from my food processor was the perfect size I went through my markers to see if I had...

After out night at   Castaway Bay   we headed over to Kalahari Waterpark to meet my in-laws and brother-in-law.   Kalahari Waterpark   is the best indoor waterpark I have ever been too. We've been to Kalahari numerous times over the years since they opened and they just keep getting better. The indoor waterpark is huge and has some many different activities for guest of ever age to participate in. They have 19 attractions and rides that everyone in the family can enjoy.  This was the first time we've went with a toddler so it was a little different than all the other times we have been. I spent most of my time in the new area for toddlers called Coral Cove. They have a kids play area, two slides, mini basketball hoops, and bouncers. Lexi had such a fun time in this area especially because she could stand up and walk around in the water. She loved the musical fish they have near the back as well as the bubbles that were shooting up around that same area. She...

We recently drove up to Sandusky for a weekend away with our family. Our initial plans changed so we decided to stay at Castaway Bay for the night before joining our extended family on Saturday. Castaway Bay   is Cedar Point's indoor waterpark resort. It features hotel rooms and suites, an attached waterpark, arcade, fitness center, a craft and child activity center, three restaurants, and shops. They also offer an adjacent marina for rent. We drove up on a Friday and arrived around 2pm. Pulling into the resort we figured we would have no problems getting into our room early as the place was pretty empty. Once we got inside our hunch was correct and we were able to check-in early. I booked the standard Starfish room which features two double beds and sleeps four. The room also included a microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, and TV with cable. The room itself was nice and decorated in a very beachy way lot of light blues and pictures of beaches. The one complaint I ha...

We wish for more patience – what does that mean?  An ability to feel content waiting?  Less stress when things don’t go your way?  What does being patient mean to you? I think that wishing for patience means just having more peaceful moments in your day-to-day life. We all have to wait at certain times so I think the ability to feel content and stress less is what wishing for patience truly means. I think that just being able to realize that you can't control everything and taking the time to enjoy every moment of life is what patience's is all about. Are you ever impatient because you are trying to control too many people, events or situations in your life?  What can you let go of in order to be more patient? I am definitely impatient because I am trying to control people, events, or situations in my life. I am your typically Type-A personality that needs to control everything in my life. I like things done a certa...

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and safe new year. I've been so busy the last few days and haven't had a moment to sit down to blog. With the New Year there is always a lot of talk about resolutions. I don't make them and I don't plan to now. I think it's a waste since most of the resolutions don't last for longer than a month. I know that's how it used to be for me. I use to make vows to work out more, eat better, do better at school, etc. and I found that it only lasted for a month maybe two at most. Now I just resolve to do better year round. The whole eating better and working out resolutions is pointless unless you are ready and willingly to make a lifestyle change. I think the idea of wanting to do these things is great, but you shouldn't wait until the New Year to do them. I also think that if you stop you should just start again and not wait until next year to try again. I fall off the horse frequently through the year and have found that I...