Mother of the Week!

I'm excited to present to you our very first Mother of the Week!

Meet Chelsea K, a busy mother of two boys ages 2 and 4. On top of wrangling these energetic little guys, she runs her own business doing digital scrapbooking and making crafts to sell. She loves to plan and host parties and would like to one day own a party-planning business. She is the branch president of the Happy Moms Club in Cache Valley, Utah and has coordinated and hosted several Happy Hours and Guilty Pleasure Days. Her ideas for Happy Moms Club are fresh, new and awesome!

Happy Mom Goal

A Moment of Silence. The other day I was sitting in the living room, I was on my laptop Face-booking my husband who was downstairs on the computer, my kids were watching TV and my cell phone was ringing. It was loud. We are moving into the holiday Season which means that soon there wont be much chance of slowing down... we get so busy with all that we do and there is so much noise! My challenge for you is this: Plan a day this week to turn everything off. Shut the computer down, send the cell phone to voice-mail, unplug the tv. Do it on a day when you can all be together. Spend time with your family outside (if its still warm enough) or go for a drive (leave the radio off) and sing silly songs with your kids. Sit on the front porch. Enjoy the quiet. It will amaze you how relaxing it is to take a break from technology.

Happy Kid Goal

Cold Weather Fun. As we head into the winter season, I find myself dreading the days when I can't send my kids out of doors without spending hours bundling them up. With the help of your kids, put together and "Indoor Kit" filled with fun things to do inside. This could include construction paper, scissors and craft supplies, fun music you can dance to (they still need to get some exercise) bean bag games, puzzles, etc. Make the items appropriate for your child's age. You can use a box or a plastic tote, spend an afternoon decorating the box, the package is half the excitement later when they are bored and need something to do!

Happy Husband Goal

Ok I am going to take some inspiration from my own Husby, he has been so funny lately. I don't know if he feels like we're losing the spark or what, but the last few weeks he has been working really hard to make his appearance like it was when we first met. Lol! He finally shaved his scruffy beard back to a neat goatee, he got his hair cut, and frosted...etc. So the goal for this week, think back to the time you were dating or were a newlywed and pick out something you used to do that you have forgotten about, and throw it back into your relationship. For instance, i used to wear feathers in my hair...just randomly, but Dave always tells me how i never do crazy things like that anymore. So bust out the marti gras beads, put on an old cd you used to listen too, or go on one of those dates where you had crazy fun without spending any money because you were so poor!

Happy House Goal

Sort and store clothing! Go through clothes for your kids as well as you and your hubby, pack away anything that still fits but is out of season, and pack up the things that have been outgrown and pass them on to a friend or family with smaller children, or take them to good will! I am a huge believer in Pay it Forward, I have been on the receiving end and I love to pass it on. Another awesome way to pass on, especially this time of year is freecycle.com. This is a free website where you can post and recycle any usable items! You can post for things you need and things you have. I know there are a lot of people who are struggling this year with all that has happened with the economy, and im sure we can all use some good karma!

Dinner Tonight

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Not only will your kids love it, but you will too!

Ok, so if you read the last recipes i submitted, you know i don't actually adhere to recipes very well. If this is really hard for you, im sure you can look one up online to find some proportions...sorry!

Ingredients:

Elbow Macaroni

Sharp or Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Milk

Flour

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Boil the Macaroni till its just underdone- it finishes cooking when you bake it. I use a whole bag to make a 9x12 pan of mac n cheese.

Drain the noodles and spray with cold water (this stops the starches from sticking together). Spray a pan with cooking spray and make a layer of noodles on the bottom (about half the noodles)

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the noodles (a light dusting), salt and pepper, then cheese. (If you're me, you use lots of cheese!)

Then repeat the process, noodles, flour, salt pepper, cheese. Then you pour the milk over the whole thing. (You pour enough so you can start to see it through the noodles.)

Bake at 350 for 15 minute, then stir. It should start to thicken. Bake another 10-15 minutes till its crusty on top. yum. Don't eat it all at once. Share with the kids. If you want to get a little crazy you can use a combination of different cheeses....Parmesan, assiago, Gruyere, whatever strikes your fancy.