At the car wash

Today I tried to keep the kiddos busy with projects we needed to get done around the house.  We washed out the kiddy pool and refilled it so we could do some swimming this week.  I had Mark help me wash the car...which he always loves.  He loves being in charge of the hose and for some reason when I put him inside of the car with a sponge he LOVES wiping everything down! LOL.  They did lots of playing...and fighting but all in all it wasn't a completely tough day.  I did clean through the toys and brought a lot of things down to the basement.  I'm hoping by clearing some of the stuff out and getting it a bit more organized will help in the constant fighting over the same exact toys.

Bathtime adventures

Tonight we decided to spice things up at bathtime.  After lots of searching on pinterest I found lots of fun ideas and blogs of things to do in the bath tub!  Tonight we used shaving cream and colored it with food coloring...put them in cupcake pans and gave the kids paintbrushes!  They had so much fun exploring with the "paint."   Audrey and Aiden liked to spread it around and get used to the texture.  Mark was loving painting the walls and the tub and himself!  It was great to watch them all explore in their own ways.  I love seeing their smiles and watch their excitement when they try something new.  Tomorrow we will find something fun to do to get this summer fun up and running!

Mama's guilt

So this week has been a tough one with the kids.  Everyone has been whining and fighting and just plain ol' tired of being cooped up in the house.  The 100 degree temps have finally gotten to everyone.  I can honestly say that I spent the week being cranky and fidgety myself...not helping the situation at all....which is my job.  This summer has been so confined because of the heat that I feel like they are missing the magic of summer.  I promised myself today that from this point forward I will make sure we get the most out of what's left of this summer...and pray for temps up 90 degrees.  I'm pulling out the summer fun jar (which we haven't touched) and getting busy!! 

Tonight we are giving fish tacos a try.  Again because of me they haven't really had much exposure to seafood.  My dislike of it hasn't given them much opportunity to try it.  SO tonight Im going to bake salmon tossed in taco seasonings and then pull it apart for fish tacos!  I'm hoping everyone along with myself will enjoy! 

Too Many Toys

The amount of toys in this house is overwhelming. The kids have so many things to play with and all they want to play with is what someone else has. I know this is not a new problem in the history of motherhood but in this house it is new. I'm at my wits end with the fighting and crying over a toy that nobody cared about seconds before. Not sure how to remedy this problem but looking for ideas and/or suggestions on how to make things a bit easier. The days of fighting are just beginning I know....I'm looking for some tried and true "tools" to help me along the way

Dinner, dinner, dinner

I've been trying to change our eating habits to follow a non processed diet.  It's honestly been really hard for me!  The kids are SUCH great eaters....they eat pretty much everything and never complain!  Me on the other hand have always had a hard time being adventurous with food.  Im DYING to become a better cook and take more chances in the kitchen.  I want to put my best foot forward and really try to cook new and different things while sticking to the non processed rule.  I am spending my kid nap time (yay!) scouring the internet for healthy recipes for us to try out!  Tonight I found this recipe...I'm adapting it a bit but here is the link  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/baked-ziti-casserole-10000001662827/. 

Baked Ziti:

6 ounces of uncooked ziti
2 cups of marinara sauce (I always add sugar to mine :)
1 cup of part skim mozz cheese (I mixed in a little cheddar as well for taste)
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of franks red hot
1 can of slices of chicken
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
3. Combine pasta, marinara, 1/2 cup mozzarella, salt, pepper sauce, and chicken in a large bowl. Spoon into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I LOVE that cooking light will often tell you what wine goes well with the meal.  I LOVE wine and never know exactly what will taste best with what.  Yes I know red with meats and white with fish but as for specifics I have NO idea and love learning!  Hoping that everyone enjoys dinner tonight and it turns out well!

Yogurt painting!

Well being sick yesterday I felt like doing nothing. BUT that mama guilt kicked in and I felt awful that the kids were stuck inside on a beautiful day because I was sick. SO I scoured pinterest and found yogurt painting! I wanted to do something that all three kids could do safely and Mark loves anything his brother and sister can participate in! It was fairly simple. I opened up a carton of yogurt...divided into six muffin tins and added some
Coloring to it. I gave mark paint brushes and let the twins use their fingers. They had Cheerios and jumbo marshmallows to paint and eat!! :)