52 in 52 #10 Homemade Yogurt Melt Snacks

I have seen this pin like 9,000 times on Pinterest.  My kids were never that into the yogurt melts when they were younger, but they love yogurt now so I figured that perhaps this would be a less messy way to indulge their taste for yogurt.  I don't know what it is about yogurt but I can barely eat yogurt as an adult without getting it everywhere so you can imagine two toddlers and the mess that comes after them trying to eat yogurt on their own. 

The basic idea of this pin is very simple.  Dump a container of yogurt into a plastic sandwich bag, cut the tip, squeeze dime-ish sized dots onto a foil lined baking sheet, freeze and then enjoy.  Sounds simple.  I went into this however with apprehension because I have been burned by pins

that appear easy before. 

Homemade Yogurt Melt Snacks
Prep time: 10 minutes
Freeze time: 2 hours

1 container flavored yogurt
1 baking sheet
aluminum foil
plastic sandwich bag

Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Decide which yogurt flavor you want to make your snacks out of. 

 

Empty the yogurt container into the plastic sandwich bag and cut a *small* hole in one of the tips.  I quickly learned that what I first considered a small hole was vastly too big. 

 

Drop dime sized dollops of yogurt onto the baking sheet.  Be careful to not put them too close together unless you want them to run together and become bigger 'dots'. 



 

 

Freeze baking sheet with yogurt dots for at least 2 hours.  They will probably be frozen through sooner than that, but I think that it works better if they are SUPER frozen.  Once they are frozen through, you can gently scrape them off of the foil and store them in a plastic bag or container in the freezer, like this:

 

 

 

Now, since you are flash freezing your melts they will start to melt once you remove them from the freezer so unless you live in Antarctica, this is not a good "on the go" snack.  Mine also are starting to break apart a bit every time they are handled in the freezer.  I don't know how to rectify that problem.  However, they do amuse children and are super easy to make.  I haven't purchased the packaged variety of these snacks in over a year, but I would definitely be willing to say that these are cheaper than the ones that you can purchase at the store. 

 

Give this a try and let me know how it works out!

 

-Sara 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband's birthday

My husband's birthday is today.  We are celebrating his birthday this year by doing two of his favorite things: being off work and camping.  We don't normally do a lot for birthdays for each other, but I do have a few things planned for him this weekend.  I would like to celebrate his birthday this year by talking about three of the things that I love best about him. 

He is a hard worker. 
My husband works 6 days a week at a mostly thankless job to help ensure that our family is always taken care of.  When he comes home, he takes care of the 'man' jobs around the house like mowing, fixing things, or installing things whenever those are necessary.  He rarely complains about how much or when he has to work.  He has always had a strong work ethic and has never been one of those people who was happy with going to work sometimes and doing a half-ass job.  He is amazing and this is one part of him that I love to death. 





He is an amazing father.
Having four children is no easy task.  Having two teenagers and two toddlers under 3 is definitely difficult sometimes, and he handles it like an absolutely pro.  He is always there for his children.  We recently had a situation with our eldest daughter Grace and when she asked to come home he drove 6 hours that next morning to go and pick her up.  As a parent, I think that you always want the best that you can provide for your children, but he really does work hard to provide the most that he can for them.  He is always willing to get down and play with the children and even though he doesn't think that he is sometimes, he is an excellent teacher, especially with his kids.  One of the best things that I love about him related to his children is how much he compliments our daughters and really tries to build up their self confidence.  He calls our daughters "beautiful", "gorgeous", etc every chance that he gets and I really think that is important.  Whether or not you believe it, I am a firm believer that your relationship with your parents has a defining effect on your relationships when others in the future.  It really is important to him that his daughters are self confident.  I think that people say this a lot, but I really do feel like he is an amazing example of a great father. 

He is an excellent husband.
The same way that he is always complimenting the children, he is always complimenting me and that is awesome.  More importantly though, he puts up with me and all my issues with relationships and parenting.  Sure we fight and have our battles, but he is the most understanding and forgiving man that I have ever met.  He says the sweetest things to me when I don't feel good and he is quick to help me when I may not even know that I need help.  He will always and forever be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. 

There are a lot of things that I love about Corry but these are definitely some of the most important things to me about him.  Happy birthday, Corry!  I love you more and more everyday and I will love you forever and always. 

SMALL update: Isabella 22 months

Statistics:

                Weight: 34lbs

                Shoe Size: 6-7

                Clothes: 3t

Milestones:

                We have FINALLY started potty training.  For the longest time, she had absolutely no desire to even sit on the potty.  A few months ago I was reading an article about potty training your children and they said that sometimes they can be coaxed into potty training by you letting them choose a potty.  We were at the mall one day and found this potty that we have now and she seems to like it more than the one that we had before.  The first time that she sat on it, she sat there for an hour with her phone just hanging out.  She finally went and we were ecstatic!  Lately she has been more willing to sit on it for shorter periods of time, which is awesome.  We are still a long ways away but we are making good headway.  She has mastered putting on and taking off her shoes.  She doesn't always get them on the correct feet but we are working on it.  She knows her letters and some of her numbers.  She can sing her ABCs and most nursery rhymes.  She speaks very well and is very intelligent for her age.  She has been speaking in full sentences for months which is awesome and I appreciate now that we are able to communicate with each other instead of just me trying to guess what she wanted by what cry she was making.  She has an excellent memory and is very helpful with the two babies. 

Attitude:

                Isabella is very smart for her age, but I feel like she is very emotionally immature for her age and she always has been.  She has always gone through certain phases later than other children, which hasn't been a problem until recently.  She didn't go into the "terrible twos" when she was two years old.  Unfortunately Silas went into this stage early and they are not in the same phase together and it is proving to be too much sometimes.  She has a very strong willed personality sometimes and gets very emotional when agitated.  On the other hand, she is the sweetest little girl that you can find sometimes.  She is quick to apologize for hurting someone either physically or emotionally and she makes me cry on a regular basis because she apologizes after she gets punished for acting up and it just crushes me. 

Learning:

                She loves to assign time to certain things like how long before you have to go to bed, how much longer she wants to be in her chair eating, etc.  She is very helpful with teaching Silas things that she knows, even though sometimes that comes with a bossy attitude.  She loves to learn new things.  We are trying to teach her currently how to put words to her emotions and about telling time.  She is one of those learners that needs to hear something and then repeat it in order to learn it.  She absorbs a lot of information from educational programs and shows that she watches on 'her phone' and is able to easily regurgitate that information back to you.  She has an amazing memory with things that she has heard or said before, but we are also very lucky that she rarely repeats bad things that we say to each other or that she hears from programs from TV.   

Likes/Dislikes:

                Isabella likes:           

                       Playing with kids

                       Disney Jr shows like Doc McStuffins or Little Einsteins

                       Balloons

                Isabella dislikes:

                             Strangers

                             Heights
                       Bugs

SMALL Update: Silas 19 months

So, I wanted to start doing monthly updates for my children.  Mostly so I would have their milestones and stats documented somewhere since I am AWFUL about writing in a baby book.  Every month I will cover a SMALL (Statistics, Milestones, Attitude, Learning, Likes/Dislikes) update for each of my children.  Recent photos will also be included every month.  Let me know how your little ones compare! 

Statistics:

                Weight: 28lbs

                Shoe Size: 5

                Clothes: 18-24 months

Milestones:

                Silas has always been an ‘early’ baby with the exception of speaking and being born.  He sat up, stood, walked, and cut teeth early.  He is cutting at least one of his 2 year molars right now and has been for at least a month.  He has all of his other teeth.  He is currently completely weaned from a pacifier.  See other blogs here and here about that torture.  He is currently back into climbing, especially climbing into the car.  This is getting him into trouble during the day though climbing on top of the tables, his sister’s chairs, etc.  He is very adventurous and is definitely a boy, as evidenced by how rough he plays and acts, and his constant state of being filthy.  He is eating with silverware at almost every meal and can 100% feed himself with a spoon and a fork.  He builds with blocks, is capable of bringing items to you on command and can’t point to certain body parts when prompted.  He eats really well and is an excellent sleeper.  He goes to sleep at anywhere between 8pm and 9pm, and generally wakes up after 7:30am.  He also usually has 2-3 naps during the day and falls asleep without assistance.  He has just recently started drinking out of a sippy cup with a straw.  He mainly uses a water bottle style drinking cup or a normal sippy cup.  He is beginning to figure out how to take shoes and clothes on and off, he can brush his hair, and he gets his own snack out of the pantry.  Silas hates riding in the car.  He is miserable with any longer than a 15 minute car ride and doesn’t fall asleep in the car unless he is covered with a blanket and all the stars align.  He is now capable of letting you know when he needs a diaper change and he normally will approach you with a diaper and possibly some wipes.  He is now very interested in throwing trash away and putting plates in the sink.   

Attitude:

                As is his normal, Silas was early into the ‘terrible twos’ phase.  He is very headstrong and has an awful attitude when prompted.  He is very angry sometimes and has no problems displaying that angry to anyone.  He is very jealous of attention being paid to another person and will not hesitate to use violence to get what he wants.  On the other hand, he is very sweet when he wants to be.  He is quick to hug and make up.  When one of them hurts the other and does something that isn’t particularly friendly that they get in trouble for, of course they get a punishment of some sort depending upon the level of how awful they were being at the time.  When they are finished with their punishment, we make them go and hug the offended party.  Silas is normally down to hug.  Sometimes he follows that up with a slap to the face, but normally he is a sweet boy.  He is a big momma’s boy, especially when approached by strangers or scary situations.  He has a lot of fears, which is pretty common for this age, so we knew what to expect.  He is very afraid of his baby monitor in his room and has a strong fear of a lot of things right now, like strange animals, loud noises, hand dryers in bathrooms, etc.  Silas has very strong ‘stranger danger’ feelings, especially with men and even with men that he sees on a regular basis.  He is able to generally warm up to strangers that are women but he absolutely is not going to warm up to a lot of men that he doesn’t know or doesn’t see every day.

Learning:

                Silas is a ‘normal’ boy according to my pediatrician in that he is a relatively slow talker, meaning he doesn’t say many words.  He has the ability to say and can say about 20 words when prompted that aren’t names.  However, on a daily basis he uses about 5, not including this ‘nanu’ word that he uses for everything.  He is very intelligent though and so I have no doubts that he will be fine.  He knows almost all of his body parts that you teach at this age like arms, belly, belly button, head, eyes, etc.  He is now capable of operating an iPhone and can turn on his favorite PBS or Disney Jr. shows without assistance.  He gets very proud of himself when he learns a new skill and is very happy to show it off.  He loves to be read to and loves to interact with you while you read to him. 

Likes/Dislikes:

                Silas likes:           

                       Muslin blankets

                       Nutrigrain bars

                       Anything pink

                Silas dislikes:

             Car rides

                             Shoes and socks

                             Hats

Things you shouldn't say to your wife

Every married man has been there.  You are thinking about something completely different while your wife is talking and you utter a comment in response to something that she said.  As soon as you let it leave your lips your brain struggles desperately to pull it back.  At this point, if your tongue could leap out of your mouth and reel that comment back in like a fishing line it would.  As soon as you hear what you said you are instantly dreading ever even opening your mouth, because you know that "the Look" that you are about to get from your wife is going to be a cross between “I want to murder you.” and “You are the most stupid man ever.”   

 

Let’s say that up until this point you have been very lucky and have never seen "the Look", or you are just not paying attention and have never noticed "the Look".  Below are three things that you should never in a million years say to your wife.  Ever.

 

Are you going to wear *that*? 

This is destined for disaster.  As a woman, if our husband asks us this, we are automatically thinking that he means that we look awful, that it shows off that one part of our body that we hate the most, etc.  This one question is guaranteed to set off a barrage of other follow-up questions about the location, the other people there, what they will be wearing, how we look, how our butt looks, if you think that we look that bad then why didn’t you say something earlier, etc.  Unless you are prepared for something in the neighborhood of 30 minutes of questions related to “Are you going to wear that?” then maybe you should pick a different question.  A man might not even be saying anything bad; he might just be asking if we are ready to go and chosen the wrong wording at the wrong time.  Either way you are headed towards a black hole that you would never be able to recover from.  More appropriate questions would be “Are you ready to go?” or comments like “You look nice in that outfit – it really shows off (fill in comment re: one of the parts of her body that she likes).”  Odds are good a woman has already put on anywhere from three to seventeen different outfits before she decided on the one that she is wearing right now.  If she decides that she looks decent enough in the clothes that she has on to go out in public wearing them and you make any comments about how she looks other than to tell her she looks great can do a number on her self-esteem that you will end up paying for all night.        

 

 

 

That woman is gorgeous!

I don’t know what in a man’s mind makes him think that talking about another beautiful woman to your woman is ever a good idea.  Instantly, upon hearing that, your wife starts thinking back to the last time that you complimented her which better be immediately after complimenting a stranger.  It also starts her brain thinking about your liking that part of that woman’s body better than you like hers.  In case you didn’t already know, it is better to not ever say anything complimentary about another woman in front of your wife.  Of course, I know that there are some relationships that can stand behavior like this, but it is still a good practice to ensure that you compliment your wife MUCH more than you compliment strangers.  Paying more attention to a stranger, or even worse, someone that you know can really begin to drive a wedge of insecurity between the two of you in your relationship.  It’s the same as your wife constantly talking about how hot a male movie star is and how much she would prefer to be with someone like that.  If you would like to ever spend any private, quality time with your wife again, you should refrain from commenting other women or you should say something like “That woman is gorgeous, but she has absolutely nothing compared to your beautiful face and amazing figure.” 

 

You remind me of your mom. 

Great.  So your wife reminds you of a woman that usually you say that you have a problem with.  And she reminds you of a woman who is, at least, 20 years older than she is and that I see as not even remotely like me, as far as looks.  I love my mother to death, and I think that she will always be beautiful, but I definitely don’t remind myself on a day to day basis of my mother.  Most younger women, on a good day, think that they are beautiful, youthful looking, sexual creatures and to suddenly have your husband tell you that you remind him of a woman who is older, and who you remember taking care of you when you are sick and making you dinners.  Not appealing.  Also, when you say this, it is normally said with a negative connotation anyway usually when you are fighting.  You might say it but you don’t realize that you are also implying that your wife looks old, motherly and not sexual in any way, shape, or form.  If you are trying to say this to be complimentary, you should definitely rethink and use other words.  If you are trying to use this as a dig, then you get used to sleeping alone. 

 

I could honestly go on and on.  There are at least one thousand different things that my husband has said to me over the four years that we have been married that I could include here.  I usually don’t hear things like this from my mother about my father any longer, so either a man gets smarter over the years or the women just learn how to deal with it.  I am certainly not implying that every woman is a frail flower and that her psyche can’t handle being talked to in a negative manner by her husband, because that is definitely not the case.  I am merely suggesting that for a more harmonious home life, you should heed these warnings and just stop and think about how your comment is going to affect your wife and how much that is going to affect her relationship with you in the future.      

Savannah Banana Designs Review & Isabella's Birthday Dress

This year for Isabella's third birthday I wanted her to have a special outfit.  For her second birthday, I didn't go with anything special and I regretted it when I saw the pictures.  I wanted my baby to be very cute and look put together for her special day!  I began my search MONTHS before now looking for the perfect outfit.  Unfortunately, I was having zero luck because I don't care for a lot of ruffles, animal print, or skanky clothing for girls.  I also am not the biggest fan of tutus on children other than for dress up clothes, so I was very limited, it seemed, on outfit choices that would have been special for her birthday. 

Then one of my friends from high school started a website/business called Savannah Banana Designs.  I 'liked' her page on Facebook, found her on www.etsy.com, and began to browse her inventory of items.  In her pictures were the cutest pillowcase-style dresses that I have ever seen.  Her precious daughter and namesake of the company is the model for a lot of her items on her Facebook page.  Crystal makes handmade dresses, memory blankets, bibs, burp cloths, headbands, complete outfits like the one pictured on the right and much more. 

I am so glad that I decide to buy from her site!  She is an absolute joy to work with!  I had very little inspiration when it came to what I was looking for, so I just emailed her and asked if she had a certain print available as a jumping off point.  She emailed me back straight away with several different fabric choices and ideas about what could be done.  I appreciated the quick response since most other companies or stores on etsy.com will have a 24-48 hour lag time to read your email. 

Before I decided on the style of dress that I was interested in and the fabric that I wanted, she hosted a giveaway on her Facebook page when she got to 100 'likes' and we won a headband!  I decided that would be the perfect accessory for Isabella's party dress and placed an order that day.  She had the dress and headband made and ready for pick up in less than 2 days, which was amazing turn around time!  We decided on a teal and white chevron print and hot pink border.  She made the headband reversible with the chevron pattern on one side and the hot pink pattern on the other. 

Once we got it home, Isabella tried it on and we had a little photo shoot to show off how absolutely cute she looked in her new outfit!  She loved it!  All night long she raved about her new birthday dress and she wore the headband to bed that night.  This pillowcase dress has a halter top and is a perfect length of just below her knees.  I fully intend to order more items from her as this one is awesome and I am very pleased with the results!   

Savannah Banana Designs can be found on Facebook and also on www.etsy.com.  She takes custom orders on a variety of sizes, has excellent choices for fabrics and has excellent prices for the quality that you are getting.  If you are in the market for some of the cutest little girl dresses, handmade items like memory blankets and bibs or headbands for all ages, then you should definitely get in touch with Crystal! 

-Sara  

52 in 52 #9 - Homemade Taco Seasoning

Homemade Taco Seasoning – Pinterest Project #9

 

I have had my eye on this pin to make my own taco seasoning for months.  This is one of those items that I would not have previously brought up to my husband.  My husband is very practical and one of the things that he always wants me to think about is the amount of time, effort and money that it would take to make something personally versus the amount of money that it would cost just to purchase something pre-made at the store.  Since a packet of taco seasoning is like $.80 at the store and I figured that he would be less inclined to indulge my desires to try this recipe at home.  Luckily he was feeling generous that day and he actually seemed like he was into it. 

 

The original pin that I used as inspiration is here.  I was very interested in at least trying this because I figured that it would solve at least a few of my issues with the packets of taco seasoning.  We eat tacos, salsa chicken and other recipes that require taco seasoning a lot, so we were always buying at least a few packets of that seasoning mix when we went to the store.  We buy a lot of spices for chili mix and other cooking adventures so I knew that we would have everything on hand, I was always just hesitant to try a new recipe because I didn’t want it to be horrible.  Also, with the packet of seasoning, I was always getting HORRIBLE heartburn with it no matter what we put it in.  I am not sure what is in that mix that causes that but this homemade version definitely does not do that, which is awesome. 

 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Prep time: 10 minutes

 

2 Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 Tbsp cumin

2 ½ tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Mix well and store in an airtight container.  Use 2-3 Tbsp per 1lb of ground meat depending on how flavorful you like your dishes. 

 

This seasoning blend tastes amazing in any dish that you would use the store bought mix in.  There are several different things that I love about this mix:

 

·         It’s customizable – you can add more or less salt if you like.  We use smoked paprika in place of regular paprika and we also usually add more red pepper flakes since we like ours a bit more spicy than some other people.

·         You don’t get that gross, heartburn-y feeling after eating this mixture.  There are no preservatives that aren’t already in the spices themselves and there is no MSG to leave you with an upset stomach like the package mix. 

·         We buy our spices in bulk most of the time, so this recipe ends up being fairly comparable as far as price is concerned to the package.  It will cost maybe a few cents more per use but to have something that tastes much better and you can customize makes it totally worth it.  Plus, people are impressed when you say that you make your own spice blend. 

 

You can buy cheaper mixes and get a bland result but if you are looking for something to add some kick to your dishes that require a taco seasoning packet, give this one a try.  Let me know what you would add or remove to make this blend different for your family.  I am always in the market for substitutions to try.