Spring is in the air!

I love spring time! It makes me so happy. This is the week before Easter, which is also lots of fun!

Happy Kid Goal


This is a tradition we have at our house for Easter. The Easter Bunny hides everyone's Easter baskets which have candy and little trinkets in them. We find those first. Then we go on an egg hunt to find all the plastic eggs filled with candy and the occasional coin or two. Last, the Easter Bunny has left clues all over the house to lead us on a treasure hunt. At the end of the hunt, we find a basket or box filled with family activities! A new movie or video game, bubbles and sidewalk chalk, coloring books and crayons, etc; There's a new theme to this basket each year. It's so fun for the whole family, and we can all do it together!

Happy Husband Goal


This week, try something fun rather than super romantic. My cute hubby took me on a date the other night which was so much more fun than our typical dinner and a movie thing. First, we went to a fancy restaurant where we only ordered drinks and appetizers. We were in and out in about 35 minutes. Then he drove me to a fun miniature golf course. I hadn't done that in sooooo long! Years and years. I totally beat him too ;)
I know that he did that for me, but you can do something fun like that for your guy! He'll love it.


Happy House Goal


Window blinds. Ugh. I hate em. They get so dusty and yucky. But, it's gotta be done. Throughout the week (rather than doing them all at once) remove one blind each day and wipe it down. One way I've found works well it to lay them out on the cement outside and spray them down with the hose. If it's too cold outside for this, another way I've done it is to take them into the bathroom and spray them down with the shower. Let them dry and get them back up. Looks and feels SO much better!

Happy Mom Goal


Time for a Guilty Pleasure night :) Get a few friends together (or even one!) and head out to a movie, a restaurant, or a salon for an evening of fun. You deserve it!


Dinner Tonight!

Black Bean and Corn-Topped Potatoes

• 4 (6-ounce) baking potatoes

• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans (such as Eden Organic), rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 1/2 cups fresh salsa
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) reduced-fat shredded cheddar-Jack cheese (such as Cabot)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. 1. Pierce potatoes with a fork; arrange in a circle on paper towels in microwave oven. Microwave at HIGH 10 minutes, turning and rearranging potatoes after 5 minutes.
2. 2. While potatoes cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add beans, corn, and salsa; cook 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
3. 3. Split potatoes lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Fluff with a fork. Spoon about 1 cup bean mixture over each potato. Top each serving evenly with cheese and cilantro.

The Mission:

To help all moms everywhere realize how amazing they are.

YOU are incredible.
You all do so much; cooking, cleaning, driving, grocery shopping, child rearing, laundry, PTA and school related jobs, part-time or even full-time jobs and careers, church responsibilities.... the list goes on.

Can you imagine what the pay would be like if being a mother was a paid career? I'd gladly take that salary!

But through all that we do, sometimes we tend to feel like that's all we are good for. This is simply not true.

You deserve to feel like you are worth something.

You are worth something.... to your own children, you are everything.

Dinner Tonight

Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken Recipe:

(Recipe from Crockpot.com)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
1 cup Russian dressing (I used Wishbone brand)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
6 chicken breasts

Directions:
Mix together the preserves, dressing and soup mix.
Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker; pour mixture over chicken.
Cover; cook on High for 1 hour.
Reduce heat to Low and continue cooking for 3-4 hours.

*Before serving, I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. We served our chicken and extra sauce over rice.*

New Goals!

Happy Kid Goal

It's getting close to springtime, but we're not quite there yet! We've got the winter blues at our house. The other night I decided to warm things up a bit, and we had an indoor beach party. We all changed into shorts and tanks (my daughter insisted on putting on her swimming suit.) We laid out our beach towels on the floor and had a picnic complete with pizza and lemonade. We watched summer-time movies, played with a beach ball, and had popcicles. It was a blast for the kids, and just what I needed too!


Happy Husband Goal



I recently purchased a little box of cards called "10 nights of Passion" from a little novelty shop. It's nothing to crazy, just fun little ideas to keep the romance alive. We've had a lot of fun going through these little cards one at a time. This week, both of you make 5 cards, each with an idea on it (that way you can monitor what goes in the stack, and you won't be surprised with anything too adventurous for your taste.) Take turns drawing cards on different nights! I promise it's a lot of fun!

Happy House Goal


This is one of my personal secrets to success! It has become routine in my house. Every night, before I head to bed, I spend exactly 10 minutes straightening up the house. All toys off the floor and put away, counters wiped clean, dishes either done or stacked in the sink to be done in the morning, the bathroom counter and sink wiped down, and the table cleared off so it's ready for breakfast the next morning. I do it all very fast and I stay within my 10 minutes. When we all wake up the next morning, the house looks pretty decent, and the rest of the family sub-consciously keeps it cleaner that morning because it's already nice. Mornings are a lot less stressful, and harmonious. I don't go into too much detail (sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, etc;) Just a quick pick up! I usually do this once during the day too. Usually in the afternoon after the kids are all at school.


Happy Mom Goal



Make your favorite dinner! I don't know about you, but so often I find myself asking my kids or husband what sounds good to them and what they'd like for dinner. Rarely will I make something that is a true delight to my own personal taste buds! So tonight, indulge yourself while you are taking care of your family! And if you're like me - if they don't like it, too bad!


Dinner Tonight



Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Garlic Cream Cheese

4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/8 tsp black pepper
12 chicken strips (breasts cut into strips)
1 pkg bacon
1 tbsp butter or margarine

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, garlic, basil, and pepper. Set aside.

On a cooking sheet, place a piece of wax paper, then place six chicken strips on it. Top each piece with an even amount of the cream cheese mixture, then top with another chicken strip. Carefully wrap the strips of bacon piece... you can use either one or two pieces, depending if you are watching your calories!

In a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter or margarine, then add chicken. Cook for three minutes on medium then using tongs flip each piece over. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet and cook for 8 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. Serve.

Remember....

If you are bummed that you don't live near one of our awesome groups of mommies, all you have to do is round up a few mommy friends of your own (two or three does the trick!) You can have your own "Happy Hours" and "Guilty Pleasure Nights." They are a lot of fun, plus you get the benefit of having some friends who are also mothers to help and support you! It's fabulous! So go for it!

Dinner Tonight!

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Feta Cheese

1. 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes (about 3), seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2. 1/2 cup black olives, pitted
3. 1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
4. 3 tablespoons drained capers
5. 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
8. 3/4 pound spaghetti
9. 6 tablespoons olive oil
10. 3 cloves garlic, minced

1. In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, feta, capers, parsley, salt, and pepper.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta and the garlic oil to the tomato mixture and toss.
   

This Week's Goals...

Happy Kid Goal

This week (probably during the weekend,) get your kids together in the family room and have a slumber party! We do this about once a month or so, and it's super fun. We wear our jammies (yep, Mom and Dad too!) rent a movie, order pizza, play games, eat popcorn and snacks, and sleep out in the family room in sleeping bags. Just a good, ol' fashioned time!


Happy Husband Goal


I heard somewhere that one of the secrets to a good marriage is to never, ever bring up your husbands' past failures. It makes sense. While it sounds cliche, (and it probably is) I think this is something to work at all the time that will have a huge impact on our relationships with our husbands. So bite that tongue. Even when it's hard!


Happy House Goal

Ever used one of these?

They really are 'magic.' Seriously. If you haven't already tried these, go to the store buy a box or two, and get to work! This week I'm working on my girls' room. Pick one room in your house and spend 30 minutes or so on the walls with a Magic Eraser. It has taken everything off the walls and baseboards in my house. From crayon and pencil to scuff marks and, yes, boogers (sorry.)

Happy Mom Goal

It's time to treat yourself. Schedule an appointment for a back massage, a brief time at the spa, whatever it is that makes you feel pampered. Ahhhhh....

Pep Talk

Your kids are important. Your home is important. Your family, and your job, your volunteer responsibilities, and anything else you're obligated to do wear on you on a daily basis. I'm right there too. I work part-time, have four young children, have a house to keep, am on the PTA, volunteer in my kids' classrooms, have several responsibilities within my church, several groups I am in charge of, and a husband to keep happy. It's stressful. But don't let these things detract from your own personal health and well-being. This is something I've had to learn recently. Often times when we spend any time or money on ourselves, we feel a twinge of guilt because we think of it as money or time we should be spending elsewhere for the good of our loved ones. Declining health, whether physical, emotional, or even mental, will certainly not help us succeed in our lives. We must maintain ourselves, and make sure we are healthy and happy so we can meet all our other obligations. This includes spending the time and money at the doctor, dentist, chiropractor, massage therapist - wherever it is that you need to go to help keep you well. And this includes doing these things without feeling any form of guilt. After all - if you're not well enough to do what you need to do, ultimately you've failed anyway! Keep yourself well!


Dinner Tonight

Poppy Seed Chicken

5 cups chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cup sour cream

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 1/2 rolls of crackers)

1/2 cup melted butter

1 T poppy seeds

Additional Ingredients to make it fancy:

1 tsp Worchestire sauce

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp minced garlic

1 T lemon juice

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil raw chicken breasts with salt and pepper until done. I like to boil it with half an onion cut into large chunks to give it more flavor. Let chicken cool slightly and cut into one inch cubes. Place cubed chicken in a 9X13 casserole dish.

Stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. If you wish to add the additional flavorings stir in the worchestire, celery salt, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper to the soup and sour cream mixture. Pour over the chicken.

In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers, poppy seeds and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Serve plain or over rice. We like to eat it with steamed broccoli.