Bread Crumbs

I finally had the time to sit down and go through the new journal prompts from Creative with Kids . I've got to say as a parent, but especially a stay-at-home mom this nurturing is something that a lot! I nurture my husband and kids, but rarely myself. I find that as mom I need to find new ways to nurture myself because if I'm not taking care of myself how can I take care of everyone else. What are 5 or more SIMPLE activities I can do when I truly need to nurture myself? (Think about what you can do when you’re burnt out and low energy – take a bath? drink a cup of tea? walk outside and take a deep breath?  What nurtures YOU?) This is the question that really stood out to me in this category. What can I do to nurture myself when I need it? Here is what I came up with. 1. Exercise. I find that whenever I exercise in anyway I also feel better. I need to figure out a way especially in the winter to stop making excusing and just exercise. 2. Have a cup of tea. I love tea...

I've been dying to make this soup for along time and finally got the chance tonight to try it out! This is my favorite soup at Olive Garden and I was very excited to see a version on Pinterest! I was really stressed that this would be hard to make, but it is very easy and quick. I'm hoping to play around with it and make a slow cooker version at some point. The recipe I found on Pinterest calls for you to make it in a stock pot, which I don't have so I use my Ninja Slow Cooker and used the stove top settings while making this. I started at medium, used high for a bit, then went back to medium, and finally use low at the end. I also used as much diary free products as I had in my house because I have a diary sensitivity. With my diary sensitivity, I also used 1 pint of organic half & half because I couldn't find diary free anywhere. Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Ingredients 4 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Stick 4 Tbsp Olive Oil 1/2 of a me...

Earlier this month I was asked by BzzAgent to participate in their campaign for Kettle Brand Chips! I've been wanting to try them for some time so this was a perfect campaign for me. After I signed up, I waited a few weeks to get my kit. My kit was coupons for $1.00 off of any Kettle Brand Chips. I had at least 10-15 so I could share with people. For those that have never heard of Kettle Brand Chips they are all-natural chips. There product line has extended to not only potato chips, but popcorn, krinkle cut chips, 40% less fat chips, real sliced potatoes, organic chips, and tortilla chips. I was wanting to try the white cheddar popcorn, but couldn't find it at any of my local Kroger's. I went with the Backyard Barbeque and Sea Salt & Vinegar chips. So what did I think? The first thing I noticed was that they are a lot harder then normal potato chips. I found the Backyard Barbeque really hard to bite into. The flavor was amazing though! It was just the perfect mi...

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...