The Best Making-Up-Songs Mama

Do you ever have those nights where you sit down exhausted after a day of running after the kiddos and you wonder if you are doing enough?  Did you teach them enough?  Did you discipline them enough?  Did you love them enough?  I felt like this Monday Night, and for some reason I stumbled upon this blog.  It was exactly what I needed at the moment.  The writer of this particular post, Sarah Mae, encouraged the readers to share what they felt they did well as a Mama.  So I thought I'd share with you.  I am the Best Making-Up-Songs Mama.

It all started when Big Bro moved from the crib to the toddler bed.  He was a bit nervous to be sleeping without the comfort of the sides of the crib, so I started soothing him to sleep with songs.  We first started with some old favorites: Jesus Loves Me, O Be Careful Little Eyes What You See,  and This Little Light of Mine.  Before too long, Big Bro was ready to start making his own little requests.  He didn't quite understand why I didn't know any tractor or windmill songs, so instead of disappointing him I started making them up.   Two years later, there is not a song that this Mama doesn't know.  Also, we end each nightly singing session with the boys' favorite, The Windmill Song.  It goes a little something like this...

Windmills, Windmills going round and round, 

Windmills, Windmills way up high off the ground. 

Windmills, Windmills with your blinking red lights, 

That's when we know it's time to go night, night. 

Windmills, Windmills, powered by the wind. 

Windmills, Windmills you would make a good friend. 

Windmills, Windmills way up high in the sky, 

Windmills, Windmills wave to the planes going by. 

Windmills, Windmills spinning round and round, 

Windmills, Windmills way up high off the ground. 

Windmills, Windmills with your blinking red lights, 

That's when we know it's time to say Good Night, Sleep Tight...Don't let the bed bugs bite!

Yes, Yes, I know isn't it just the greatest?  Okay, so a bit cheesy, but I know this will be a special memory for my boys.  It makes me feel just a bit better as a mom that they will someday be singing "The Windmill Song" to their kiddos.  What are you good at Mamas?  Please share!!! I would love to hear all about it! 

***If you want to know a little more about the windmill obsession in our family read this post.

Whatcha Eatin'? Monday, April 23rd

Last week was a bust.  I didn't even plan a menu because I had a sick kiddo.  I felt completely unorganized and we ate out...twice. That is BAD!  This week, I am ready with a plan.  We are getting ready to have a garage sale on Friday & Saturday, so we are making this an easy week.  With the exception of Saturday, when we are having my parents over for dinner.   Hope you have a fabulous week! 

Sunday:  Meatloaf, Party Potatoes, Corn, Rolls

Monday: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (using this recipe, but switching the tortellini for Fettuccine since we have that on hand and tortellini is so stinkin' expensive), Salad

Tuesday: Tacos, Mixed Fruit


Wednesday: Brown Sugar Chicken, Baby Red Potatoes, Green Beans, Rolls

Thursday:  BBQ Beef Sandwiches, Veggies & Dip, Chips

Friday:  Frozen Pizza...My Specialty! 


Saturday:  Steak, Garlic Smashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad, Rolls, Key Lime Pie for dessert (My mom's favorite.)

I am linking this up at Organizing Junkie's Blog.  Join Me!  Have a great week!  

What We've Been Up To

You probably are wondering were I went to. I am still here.  It's just been super crazy around here. We have had all kinds of fun and not-so-fun stuff going on.

We celebrated our sweet little baby boy's 3rd birthday.  He was loving all the attention he was getting, but he wasn't liking all the pictures I was taking.

 The little stinker would not smile at me!  

For some reason any time we have a birthday in our household, someone ends up sick.  Not sure if it's too much excitement or too much ice cream, but Big Brother had a stomach bug the next day and spent most of the day on the couch.  Luckily, it didn't seem to spread.  

Sad, but kinda cute.  

We followed up the sickness with a good house cleaning and de-cluttering for the upcoming garage sales. 

 Baby Sis was a big help! 

Hopefully, this week we can get back to some normalcy and I can get a little blogging in.  Not sure, my "To Do" list is looking pretty long.  Have a great week! 

Whatcha Eatin'?: Monday, April 8th

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!  We enjoyed time at my in-laws house.  My father-in-law is a former chef so we get really lucky and never have to do much of the cooking.  This year I did bring a Cookies & Cream Dessert which was delicious.  (Un)Fortunately we have a little leftover, which is not good for my diet.  We were also lucky enough to bring home some leftover chicken which I will be using this week for a couple of my meals.

Here is what I came up with for this week:

Monday:  Taco Casserole, Applesauce

Tuesday:   Chicken & Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Corn


Wednesday:  Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Rolls

Thursday:  Chicken Quesadillas, Mixed Fruit

Friday:  Domino's Pizza (Got a Free Artisan Pizza here today!)

Saturday:  Cheeseburgers, Cheesy Potatoes, Baked Beans, Veggies & Dip 

Join me and link up at Organizing Junkie's Blog.  Have a great week!

Cookies & Cream Dessert

Looking for a yummy dessert recipe?  I made this for my hubby's family yesterday for Easter and it was a hit.   The best thing...it is super easy to make! 

Here is what you need:

Crust: 
2 c. crushed Oreos 
6 Tbsp. butter, melted

Layer 1:
1 (8 oz) package of Cream Cheese
1 c. powdered Sugar
1/2 (8 oz) container of cool whip 

Layer 2: 
2 (3.4 oz) packages of instant vanilla pudding 
3 c. milk 
1 tsp. vanilla
Remaining half (8 oz) container of cool whip

Layer 3:
1 1/4 c. Oreos, crushed 

Directions:
For Crust:  Mix cookie crumbs and butter.  Press on bottom of 9x13in. pan.  Chill.  Beat together cream cheese and sugar; fold in 4 ounce whipped topping.  Spread over crust and chill while mixing next layer.  Mix together pudding mixes, milk and vanilla; fold in remaining 4 ounces of whipped topping.  Spread over cream cheese layer.  Sprinkle cookie crumbs over all.  Chill several hours.  Yields 12 to 15 servings. 

***This recipe was given to me from my sister-n-law. Not sure where she got it from, but she always has the best recipes. 

Thank Goodness It's Friday and a GOOD FRIDAY it is!

It's been quite a week!  You haven't heard much from me because I spent three days out of the week being a mother of five.  I was watching my niece and nephew since their regular sitter was on Spring Break.  We had a lot of fun, but I was exhausted!  I guess having five children under the age of five wears a person out!

Yesterday was supposed to be my catch up day, but I spent much more time looking for things in my cluttered house.  I lost two $25 gift cards to Lowe's and it is driving me crazy!!!  Luckily, I was able to find a bill that I had forgotten about before it was due!  My mission for this weekend:  ORGANIZATION!  But first, I must get the taxes done.  I know...nothing like waiting to the last minute. 

Today we enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt at our church's local retirement home.   My uncle is currently living there getting rehabilitation for a recent fall that he had.  It was nice being able to see him.  My mother came along with a few of my nieces and nephews. Here is a cute picture of her and baby sis from this morning. 

We went to this same place last year and there were only about 15 children.  This year it at least tripled!  Here are a few pictures.

Big Bro in the yellow.

 Little Bro finding eggs. 

Enjoying their stash.

When we got home, I managed to get out a few Easter decorations.  I'll try to do better next year.  

Aren't these place mats adorable? 

We are looking forward to a relaxing weekend with our family.  I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend.

Money Saving Mom Audio Book Review

When my husband and I decided that I was going to be a stay at home mom, we had no idea how we were going to make it financially.  We just knew that it was best for our sweet little baby boy.  After the birth of my second son and the purchase of our first house, I was desperate to find a way to save money.  I remember seeing a "friend" on Facebook "like" a page called Money Saving Mom.  The name caught my attention, so I decided to check it out.  Boy, was I glad that I did!  I was immediately hooked to Crystal Paine's blog, Money Saving Mom.  Her blog is much more than another "deal" blog.  In fact, her blog is one of the few blogs that I check daily to see what I might be missing.  You can imagine my excitement when I found out that I was given the opportunity to review her latest audio book, A Money Saving Mom's Budget.  

This was actually my first audio book, and I must say that I loved the convenience of  it! I can't remember the last time I was able to read a hard copy of a book.  Maybe five years ago before my first child?  No really.  The audio book was great because I was able to download it to my Ipod.  As a busy mother, this was awesome.  I was able to cook, clean, do the laundry, and even take a walk while listening to the book.  I think I may be addicted to audio books from now on.

Aside from the convenience, the book itself was fantastic!   I am not a natural when it comes to saving money.  In fact when I was first married, I had several credit cards that I was paying off because I mismanaged my money as a college student.  This book would have made a great wedding present for us! I love the way that Crystal presents the information.  She does it in a very encouraging, You Can Do It, kind of way.  She gives pratical tips to get your finances in order and gives you steps on how to get started.   Surprisely, it isn't all about money. One of my favorite chapters was actually about decluttering your life and household! One particular thing that hit me especially hard was about being content.  I think this is where I struggle most.  I would encourage you to check out her book or her blog.  I hope you are encouraged like I was and continue to be! 

Check out other reviews at the audio book blog tour!  

Disclosure:  Although I was given a free copy of the audio book, my thoughts and opinions are my own. 

About the Book 

Crystal Paine, who has helped busy women everywhere take control of their finances, presents her most effective strategies designed for families of all sizes and income levels

With hundreds of inspiring “why didn’t I think of that?” TIPS, plus WORKSHEETS, Paine breaks down your goals into easy, manageable steps so you can:

• Achieve a complete financial makeover

• Set up a realistic budget

• Never pay retail

• Slash your grocery bill

• Organize your time & your home

• Use coupons wisely

• Pay with cash only

• Live simply

• Become debt free

• Choose contentment

• Make every dollar count

A little bit about Crystal: 

Crystal Paine is a wife and homeschooling mom to three young children who has been writing on topics related to frugality for the last five years—and living a frugal, simple, and debt-free life since she was born. Her blog, MoneySavingMom.com, is one of the top personal finance blogs on the web averaging over four million pageviews per month. Crystal has contributed to articles in Woman's Day magazine and All You magazine, as well as being mentioned on National Public Radio and CNN.com, in USA Weekend, and Real Simple magazine and numerous other local newspapers and radio and television stations.

Buy the book here!

Celebrate with Crystal by entering her iPad2 Giveaway (a GREAT tool to keep track of your budget!) and RSVPing to the Live Webcast Event on 4/5!

One savvy winner will receive:

• A Brand new iPad2
• The Money Saving Mom's Budget by Cyrstal Paine, audio edition

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 4/4/12. Winner will be announced at The Money Saving Mom's Live Webcast Event on 4/5. Crystal will be hosting an evening of chat, laughter and encouragement - bring your friends! She'll share tips and advicde and her husband will be joining her to share how the prinicples Crystal outlines in her book have dramatically impacted their family life. She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, and much more!

So grab your copy of The Money Saving Mom®'s Budget and join Crystal and friends on the evening of April 5th for an evening of fun of learning, sharing and encouragement.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP TODAY and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 5th!

Want more info about the MSM?

Click here!