Attempting to be a Super Mom

This week is dragging on, ever so slowly! I can't believe it's only Wednesday night. I kid you not, yesterday, when I picked up Scottie from preschool, I thought it was Thursday and about told one of her teachers to have a nice weekend. Not only is the week dragging, but I've been so completely exhausted since Monday morning.  I just cannot get enough sleep. I've been going to bed earlier than normal, and Scottie has slept in her bed, all night, for the past two nights.  Usually she comes into our bed, waking me up, any time between 2 and 4. Why am I so tired?!?! So far this week, I haven't touched my crochet or my iMovie and I've barely touched my book or my camera.  I have, however, gotten all of Rylie's birthday present shopping done, started shopping for decorations, got invites filled out and mailed out, and kept the house relatively clean. I think Shawn and I are planning on going to brunch tomorrow morning after we drop Scottie off at ...

Oh you guys! It has been a week!!! It's Friday and I can't even begin to tell you where the week went. Shawn was out of town Sunday through Wednesday. I was so excited for him to get back. You know, single parenting is hard! I do enjoy that I get to be home with the kiddos though. Even when they are being complete monsters. Any who, this week I picked back up a crochet project I haven't worked on, in over a year. The kids got bikes for Christmas from Santa. We've been bad parents and my oldest child, at 10 years old, didn't know how to ride a bike. Thankfully, we've had a few nice days here and there over the last month and have been able to take the kids out for bike rides. They are getting around really well now. Ben seems to have mastered his bike, even though it doesn't have training wheels. He's had a few major wipeouts with it, but is doing really well now. Sydney is really careful on her bike, as she is with everything, and Rylie, true to R...

I seem to have caught another cold... I swear I spend the entire winter with a cough, sore throat, and clogged nose. I'm so tired of it. The worst part is, yesterday I was saying how this cold wasn't so bad (I'm the 5th in the house to catch it) and that the cough was annoying but I was glad I didn't feel completely down. As the day has gone on today, I've felt worse and worse, and now I just want to lay down. If only a nap was possible.  Tonight, the big 3 have swimming lessons. As they are only 30 minutes long, I need to stick around. Usually I don't mind, but when my chest and throat are sore, nothing sounds quite as awful as sitting in a chlorine filled room. I'll be there again for Scottie's lessons, tomorrow morning also. Tonight, I'm making Sloppy Joes and roasted veggies for dinner tonight. I've seen Sloppy Joes on several meal plans lately and it sounds delicious. I had a grocery delivery this morning. (The worst part...

Good Morning!! I was definitely not ready for Monday morning, but it seemed to have come on anyway. As I look outside my window::: It's a chilly and gloomy day. It's supposed to rain and snow flurry all day at about 36 degrees.  Right now I am:::  Sitting at the kitchen counter, making my mental to do list of everything I have to do today, while Scottie is still asleep upstairs in my bed.  The other kids are all at school.  Thinking and pondering::: How to do everything I need and want to do in a day or a week. I'm seriously out of time and don't get to do the things I enjoy very often because I'm so busy with housework all day every day. On my bedside table::: My water bottle, iPad, TV remote and my book. On my tv::: I need to watch last week's Grey's Anatomy, and get caught up on Top Chef and Fixer Upper. On the menu for this week::: I need to work on my menu. It's one of my things on my to do list. Monday  - Buttermilk pancakes and bacon ...

Good Morning and Happy Friday! I sure hope the new year finds everyone well. Every year I look back on the year before. This year, I don't really want to do all that.  While it wasn't a completely awful year, it wasn't a great one either. We've lost loved ones. I went to two funerals this year for my only surviving Grandparents. Rylie went to kindergarten and Scottie started preschool. That's about the only things that really happened at all.... Here is my top 9 from this year on my instagram. It's pretty good at catching some highlights of the year. And the kids Christmas picture I also always say that I hope to get back to my blog. I'm not going to say that, even though I intend to. I just feel that actions speak louder than words. I'm back to videos, back to my blogs, trying to catch up my book and recipe updates. I'm also still reading. We blew past both of our goals last year. 60 recipes completed in our 52 in 2017 and 33 or so ...

Recipe 24 of 52, Quick And Easy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole, also came from It was absolutely delicious. While I was making it, Rylie was licking the left over sauce from the sides of the bowl. Quick And Easy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole 10 oz chicken breast, cooked and shredded 16 oz green chili enchilada sauce 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles 12 oz Monterey Jack cheese 1 cup sour cream 10 medium tortillas 3 cilantro sprigs, chopped 3 green onions, chopped 1 medium tomato, chopped Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the chicken with 8 ounces of the green chile enchilada sauce, the green chiles, and half of the Monterey Jack cheese. In another bowl, stir together the remaining enchilada sauce and the sour cream. Pour half of the sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Take a tortilla, top with a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture, then roll it up and place over the sauce in the baking dish. Continu...

Recipe 23 of 52 was Creamy Herb and Mustard Pork Chops.  I don't have a picture because we dug right in. It was absolutely delicious. I got this recipe  from the book 30-Minute One-Pot Meals by Joanna Cismaru. Creamy Herb And Mustard Pork Chops 1 tbsp olive oil 4 pork chops (about 1 inch thick), fat trimmed Salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 tbsp unsalted butter 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp dried thyme 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 1 tsp grainy mustard 1/2 cup chicken stock 1/2 cup heavy cream Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. While the oil heating, season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes per side; they should be golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the skillet and add the butter to the same skillet. When the butter has melted add the onion, garlic, basil and thyme and cook for...

Ok, I don't know about anyone else, but I watch a ton of cooking show, including my fave competition shows like Top Chef. One thing everyone messes up is risotto. Having never made risotto before, Ive been terrified. I found this awesome cookbook though and it seemed easy enough. (I also pumped myself up, watching videos of professional chefs showing how to do it, to prepare.) The recipe came from the book 30-Minute One-Pot Meals by Joanna Cismaru and was recipe 22/52. Quick And Easy White Wine and Mushroom Risotto 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 small onion, chopped 1/2 celery stalk, chopped into small pieces 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice 2 cups mushrooms, chopped 3/4 cup white wine 2 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup milk Salt and freshly ground black pepper Fresh parsley, for garnish 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and celery and cook for 2 mi...

Recipe 21 of 52 was Better than Olive Garden's Fettuccini Alfredo that I found at Sandra's food blog, here . Better Than Olive Garden's Fettuccini Alfredo 3 tablespoons sweet butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups heavy cream 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese Melt butter in a medium saucepan with olive oil over medium/low heat. Add the garlic, cream, and white pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir often. Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer the sauce for 8-10 minutes of until the sauce has thickened and is smooth. When the sauce has thickened, add the Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth, stirring frequently. While the sauce cooks, boil the noodles. Place the pasta on serving plates and spoon sauce over the pasta. I also added a little cooked broccoli to the fettuccini alfredo. I didn't happen to have fettuccini so I used bowtie instead.