Confessions of a Busy Mom



This has been an incredibly hectic past couple of weeks!  I started back to work in the office, which of course meant that my baby boy started daycare.  Aside from the obvious apprehension of leaving my newborn child with complete (state certified) strangers, I knew this too meant early mornings and hectic evenings.  The most challenging part has been settling into a new sleep pattern... for me. 

I love to stay up late, especially when everyone has gone to sleep, including my husband, and I have the house to myself.  It is a time that I cherish.  The only problem is the baby is asleep too, and believe me I know what a blessing it is that he sleeps through the night, however he is an early riser and is usually wanting to eat about 30 minutes before my alarm goes off.  Sometimes an extra 30 minutes goes a long way!  So I go ahead and prepare for the day, longing for the weekend when I can take a much needed nap, or at least that is what the plan is. However with a family of six the focus is usually on... dirty clothes, dirty dishes and dirty bathrooms! 

Now, I know the old adage "be thankful you have loved ones to do laundry for" and I totally understand the sentiment, but any way you slice it laundry STINKS - seriously, with four boys and a husband that has a physically demanding job, laundry literally stinks!  I should really have stock in Glade, because I'm telling you boys have an oder like none other.  I am thankful my older boys are able to do a lot, and are willing to help around the house in order to earn a little extra money.  Another thing about boys is they are "huuuungarrrry" all the time!  And trust me they don't like waiting.  I believe that Easy Mac was the best idea Kraft ever came up with.  It is the perfect snack to tie them over to dinner. 

Ugh dinner.  My nemesis. Because things are usually pretty busy around here I am all for cheap and easy, which eventually turns into hamburger helper and tacos, and while I enjoy both entrees, they usually leave little to be desired. So a while back I set out to find easy, tasty and filling meals and I must say I was successful! These meals have all been a hit with my family:

BAKED PASTA
aka Sloppy Lasagna

1lb of ground beef browned

1 16oz box of penne pasta cooked al dente

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 package of Philadelphia's Italian herb cooking cream

1 small tub of cottage cheese

1 package of sliced mushrooms

Mozzarella Cheese

 Heat oven to 450, combine browned ground beef with spaghetti sauce, add sauce, 1/2 the cooking cream, cottage cheese and mushrooms to pasta, stir and poor into a casserole dish.  Spread the remaining cooking cream on top. Top off with cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. - feel free to add onions and peppers if you like, I don't really care for them, so I don't.

I usally add a salad to make this a complete meal!

SIMPLE PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN

1 package of chicken breasts, sliced in half.

2 eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup Italian herb bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Cut chicken to desired sizes.  Mix together the Parmesan and bread crumbs.  whisk together eggs and milk till frothy. Dredge chicken in egg mixture and the coat in cheese and bread crumb mixture. Place on a pan and bake 20-30 minutes, till done.

*tip: spray with pam to get a nice crust

I usually serve with a salad and bag of frozen corn that can be heated in the microwave.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLING CHEAT

1 rotisserie chicken from grocer's deli

1-2 cans of biscuits (depending on how many dumplings you like, I usually just use 1 can)

4-5 cans of chicken broth (enough to fill the pot that you plan to use)

Place chicken broth in pot. Debone the chicken (remove meat) and place in chicken broth. Heat till boiling. Cut biscuits down to desired size (remember they will get bigger when cooked) and place in pot.
Continue to cook for about 15 minutes.

*tip: add some poultry seasoning for deeper flavor

TATER TOT CASSEROLE

Not exactly on the dieters menu, but the kids LOVE it!

1.5 lb ground beef

1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 bag of frozen tater tots

Sour Cream

Cheddar Cheese

Brown ground beef and drain.  Stir in cream of mushroom soup. Pour into casserole dish, then layer on tater tots, spread sour cream over tater tots, then top with cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350.

How about you, do you have any favorite recipes that get you through a quick fix? Any tips that get you through a hectic day? Please share, I would love to know all the tips and tricks that you have found to work.

I apologize for any grammatical errors, this post has been done with a sleeping infant in the lap. As a busy mom, you understand that to try to move one such child may be disastrous.

Simply Cute Tutu How To:

This tutu is soooo easy and cheap! I made this one is anticipation of our little ones arrival - until we found out he was a boy. I still absolutely love the look of these and it would make any little girl feel like a princess!

All you need is a roll of tulle of a color of your choosing and a crochet headband, both of these supplies can be purchased at hobby lobby for less than $5.00 total!

Next cut off a piece of tulle twice the length that you want it to be, I cut off 12 inches since mine was being made for an infant. Then fold in half down the center.

Then thread through a hole in the crochet head band creating a hole in tulle to pull through the rest of the tulle to create a knot as shown below.

Simply continue until done!

See it is so simple!

My oldest child decided it would be more useful as an Indian headdress! Such a ham!



Fall Frills!

I don't know about you, but I am sooooooooo ready for fall! The rich reds, browns and yellows, carmel apples, carving pumpkins, and of course COOLER temperatures! This summer has been brutal, so here are some future projects I hope to get started on to put you in a cooler state of mind.

Pumpkin Topiary

 

Indian Corn Wreath

Apple Candles

 

Pumpkin Flowers

Pumpkin Poo Bear

(Isn't He Cute!!)

If your like me and love fall decorating, then you should definitley get your hands on a copy of Matthew Meads "Autumn With Matthew Mead"

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Order Your Copy Today!

Weekend Giveaways!

Look at these give aways going on in the blog world!

Miss Mustard Seed

She is giving you an opportunity to win 2 cans of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and a $75 Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma!

 

Living With Lindsay

Does your sofa need a revamp? Visit Linday's blog to win a free slipcover for your sofa from uglysofa.com!




Centsational Girl

Kate is giving away $75 worth of  really cute personalized stationary from Felix Doolittle!

The Hand Made Home



Heres your chance for $25 in WUSLU money! WUSLU is a great finds kind of site with 1 home decor deal daily at 10 am EST. And their prices are out of this world, at up to 85% off retail. Their unique site carries one of a kind finds and great deals, that sell out fast!

 

Southern Hospitality

Formerly with Country Living, Matthew Mead is a popular style expert, lifestyle editor, writer, author, and photographer.  Matthew’s Autumn with Matthew Mead magazine is coming again soon, just in time to inspire you for the Fall season and you can order your own copy, to be sent directly to your mailbox, right here. Or visit Southern Hospitality for a chance to win a copy!

Have A Great Weekend!

Super Cute Vase on the Cheap!

This vase is so easy to make and super cheap. I purchased the vase at the Dollar Tree along with the candle holder.

Then I just glued the vase to the the candle holder (I use e-6000, because I know it will hold) - and behold a beautiful vase with endless possibilities! Use it to hold flowers your sweetie gives you or use it as a candle holder!

Total Cost of Project:

Vase - $1.00

Candle Holder - $1.00

E-6000 Glue (this will last you through MANY projects) - $2.97

Total: 4.97



My Favorite Things

These are just a few of some of my faves - Enjoy!

I LOVE Pottery Barn and I just saw they are having a $10,000 living room giveaway!

Tuesday Morning is another one my favorite stores.  Just check out this headboard.  I saw a similar one in a Potter Barn catalog for almost $800! This one is only $299!

Tuesday Morning

Pottery Barn

I love Sam Moon! They have some great jewelry and fabulous purses at even better prices. Check out what they have!

http://www.sammoon.com/

I love DIY projects that don't take a lot of time, but look Fabulous! This table runner looks absolutely stunning and so simple to make.

Check out how its done at  Living With Lindsay!

I absolutely adore these canisters from Miss Mustard Seed and can not wait to make my own!

So simple!

A Boys Life

Hi there, my name is Amy and I am a wife and mother to 4 wonderful boys, ages 10, 9, 8 and 2 months.  All 4 are incredibly unique, smart and creative!  My 10 year old is the academic and loves science, dinosaurs and is also quite artistic in his drawing abilities. My 9 year old is all boy! He loves to be outside and dirty, I believe the following would describe him to a T.

Our 8 year old is very imaginative and loves to create worlds that only he is privy to unless, of course, you are invited in, which usually means no girls allowed!

And that brings us to our baby boy.

He is in fact the inspiration for this blog. You see when I found out we going to have another baby, I prayed and prayed for a girl.  I wanted to indulge in all things pink, frilly, ruffled and rhinestoned.  Then came the day of the ultrasound and the announcement was... IT'S A GIRL!  Oh all the ideas I had for decorating and clothing. I could not stop googling for ideas.  As time went on we, of course, had to prepare for her arrival which meant registering, picking out a name and planning showers. This pregnancy however, was a little more difficult than my previous ones due to the fact that I had gestational diabetes.  My Doctor decided we needed another ultrasound to see how big the baby was (4 weeks before he was born and 1 week before the shower might I add).  During that ultrasound the sonographer noticed something new, for the first time in her career, she was wrong - ITS A BOY! My first thought was "Oh no! The shower invitations have already gone out - for Alyssa Grace!" After the appointment I proceeded to contact everyone necessary and I was asked the same thing "are you disappointed?" The truth was, no. I believe that the Lord has a way of preparing our hearts ahead of time. I guess it had to do with the way we found out. It makes for a fun story. Also I know that He is much wiser than I and knows what I can handle more than I do.  

I still however craved a girly outlet. Which is the reason for this blog. As much as I love my boys, they do not share my love of frilliness (not sure if that's a word). So I am here to share all my girly likes, crafts and inspirations with all of you.

Thanks for stopping by.