Attempting to be a Super Mom

Good afternoon! I'm getting a late start here, as it's been a crazy day. Scottie had a dentist appointment, Sydney had a doctor's appointment, Dakota had a grooming appointment and Shawn and I have spent the rest of the morning getting jobs done around the house, him working at his desk, and calling doctors. The weather::: It's that time of year where the weather gets severe and stormy and the threat of tornados goes up. Monday  - Evening Storms, 78º Tuesday  - Thunderstorms, 70º Wednesday  - Thunderstorms, 71º Thursday  - Cloudy, 55º Friday  - Partly Cloudy, 63º Saturday  - Showers, 68º Sunday  - Showers, 70º On my reading pile::: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, The January Children by Safia Elhillo, The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith and Idiocy by Rainn Wilson, and Quintessence: The Poetry of True Nature Movies or Shows I watched this weekend::: I'm pretty sure another weekend went by where all I watched was the new episode of Game Of Thr...

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Our weekend was busy but fantastic! We had dance class, an art show, 2 ballets, 2 soccer games, a baseball practice, 2 birthday parties, a trip to the farmers market, a trip to Costco, a big clean of the house, a much needed mowing the lawn, and had a great big family dinner that we hosted and I cooked for. The weather::: Weather this week doesn't seem awesome. I see us spending a lot of time inside. Monday  - Cloudy, 69º Tuesday  - Thunderstorms, 64º Wednesday  - Thunderstorms, 68º Thursday  - Rainy, 67º Friday  - Cloudy, 69º Saturday  - Sunny, 75º Sunday  - Thunderstorms, 77º On my reading pile::: Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps, Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney, The January Children by Safia Elhillo Movies or Shows I watched this weekend::: I think the only thing I watched all weekend was Game of Thrones. On my TV this week::: Good Girls Vlogs ...

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Our Easter included family, yummy food, beautiful weather, and a kickball game. The weather::: Monday  - Cloudy, 74º Tuesday  - PM Showers, 67º Wednesday  - Cloudy, 73º Thursday  - AM Clouds/PM Sun, 80º Friday  - Sunny, 76º Saturday  - PM Thunderstorms, 80º Sunday  - Partly Cloudy, 76º On my reading pile::: Yes Please by Amy Poehler Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney Miracle Creek by Angie Kim A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields The January Children by Safia Elhillo Movies or Shows I watched this weekend::: Last week's Grey's Anatomy, a couple episodes of The Office, and the new Game of Thrones. On my TV this week::: Vlogs Grey's Anatomy Game of Thrones Super Store Good Girls On the menu for this week::: Monday  Easter Leftovers Tuesday  Hamburgers with potatoes, asparagus and corn on the cob Wednesday Ham and cheese sandwiches Thursday Pork Tenderloin with swee...

My kids are mac and cheese addicts. I found this instant pot recipe for macaroni and cheese here and it has taken over as a common food in our house. When I make it for lunch while the kids are at school, Ben comes home so upset we cooked it without him. Instant Pot Mac n Cheese 1 box (16 ounce) elbow macaroni 1 cup of heavy whipping cream 3 tbsp butter 2 tsp salt 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 4 cups of water Put macaroni, water, salt, and butter. Set the instant pot on manual high for 4 minutes. Quick release. Set pot on sauté and add whipping cream and stir. Slowly add the cheese at is melts.

I love soup, especially when it's cold outside. Because we do soup so much, I'm constantly looking for new yummy soup recipes. I found this recipe here . The kids and I had it while Shawn was out of town and we loved it!!! Instant Pot Soup with Smoked Sausage, White Bean & Vegetables 1 lb bag dry navy beans, soaked for several hours 1-2 tbsp olive oil 14 oz smoked turkey sausage, sliced into medallions 1/2 onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped 7 cups vegetable broth 3 cups fresh baby spinach 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste) 1/4 tsp black pepper Using the sauté function, add olive oil and cook sausage until browned. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Turn sauté off. Rinse the beans and add them to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients. Set pressure cook (manual) on...

For my sister in law's baby shower, I made a delicious punch that I found here . It was so good I ended up having to make two rounds of it. The kids kept coming up for seconds and thirds. Raspberry Sherbet Party Punch 2 Liter Bottle Sierra Mist, chilled 2 Liter Bottle Club Soda, chilled 1 Fruit punch can (12 oz), or pink lemonade, thawed in the fridge 1 Pineapple juice can (12 oz), thawed in the fridge 6-8 scoops Raspberry Sherbet ice cream, or any flavor you have available (If you can't find fruit punch or pineapple juice, then 2 cans of pink lemonade will work as well) For Garnish Fresh or Frozen raspberries Pineapple slices (canned or fresh) Combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl and serve. As the sherbet melts the punch keeps getting sweeter.

We did a baby shower for my sister in law in January and I was asked to bring meatballs. I've never made cocktail meatballs before. I found a pretty typical recipe here . You can find my meatball recipe here . Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs 2 lbs meatballs 1 1/2 cups ketchup 3/4 cup grape jelly Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for 2-3 hours. Super simple but sooo good. I probably doubled the recipe and didn't have any to bring home. Everyone loved them.