Gift Review: Hot Dots Jr.

Another great gift my daughter received for Christmas was the Hot Dots Jr. Card and Pen set.  I ordered them from Toys to Grown On Website.  I got her the complete set, with 4 sets of cards, and she absolutely loves them.  The number and alphabet cards are still a bit hard for her, (recommended for ages 3-7), but she has mastered the shapes and colors.

You simply read the directions on the card, find the answer and press the corresponding black circle with the dog pen.  The dog responds by telling you if you are correct or incorrect in various ways (barking, "that's great", vibrating). They now also make other pens! It's really amazing how the cards work.

They are fun, a great "calm down" activity, and educational! I hope to get her some of the other sets of cards as she gets older.  These would also be great for the classroom (if I decide to go back there one day :) )

Hot Dots cards are made by Educational Insights.  They make some really great educational games and toys great for home and the classroom! Check out their website for other great products!

Recipe of the week: Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-garlic green beans

I actually didn't find this one on Pinterest...but it showed up there a few days after I did a google search for it! I had some green beans to use up and didn't want to make my usual olive oil and garlic green beans so I decided to look for something else.  I used this recipe from Real Simple, with a few modifications based on the reviews.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced (I only used one lemon)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound trimmed green beans
• 8 small red potatoes, quartered
• 4 chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin, about 3 1/4 pounds) (I used 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cause that was what I had)
• 
  
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Check out the link above for what to do with these things! I also added a little Rosemary to mine cause I like that with my potatoes! But after very little work, this is how it turned out! 

 I thought it was a bit to lemony, but my husband liked it.  I would probably just use a little lemon juice in the mix to toss the green beans and chicken and not put the lemons on the bottom of the pan.  The green beans also got a little soggy from all the juice.  But overall, easy to make, and pretty good.  

Another Christmas Gift Review: Leapster 2!

This is a little belated, but I figured people were probably not looking for new toys/gifts right after Christmas.  With Valentine's Day and Easter approaching, I thought I would share some more of the great products that Santa blessed us with this Christmas! You can read about Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel here.

The "Pocono Santa" brought Alissa a Leapster 2!

She absolutely loves it! When she first opened it, I was afraid she was going to become addicted to it because she would not put it down. Although, she still loves it, she is thankfully not "addicted"! We have only tried out 2 games so far Pet Pals and one of the shape game downloads. I have been meaning to download a different game onto it for her, but just haven't done it yet.  Plus my husband set it up for her the first time around and I am not exactly sure how he did that! It came with one FREE game download and Santa brought Pet Pals too. She is still learning how to use it (as am I) and some of the activities are a bit difficult for her still.  The Leapster is meant for ages 4-8 so that makes sense. But I love that she enjoys the games, challenges herself with it, and spends time figuring out how to play it on her own.  She actually amazes me with how she can use technology all by herself. I usually take it with us when we go shopping and it keeps her entertained (at least until she sees a toy on the shelf that she wants to look at instead).  The cartridge games are a little expensive, but I have heard you can use them on the Leap Pad also when they get a little older.  

  

Recipe of the week: Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Of course my new favorite place to find recipes is Pinterest, since I HAVE to have every food that I see on there.  Decided to try this Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili.  And I am so glad I did.  (For the sake of my time I'm not going to rewrite all the ingredients and directions on here, follow the link to find all that info, believe me it's worth it!)

Pretty much throw everything in the Crock Pot and let it cook! Just need to shred the chicken 30 minutes before it's done cooking.  I topped it with lots of cheese and some fresh cilantro, which I thought made the dish!

That's how ours turned out! I, of course, added a TON of extra cheese.  We ate this with tortilla chips instead of rice.  And I got to spend the day at the library and running errands with my little girl while this amazing dinner was cooking in my new Crock Pot! And I still have 1/2 of this frozen for when my next craving comes along!

Sunday Fun day!

Today started with a pancake breakfast with my little family! I then got to meet great friends for lunch at a Thai restaurant to celebrate belated birthdays! It was so great to catch up with friends and get a little break from "toddler world".  The birthday girls even got this awesome "flaming" dessert and "Thai birthday" song! 

After a few hours away, and of course a little shopping stop on the way home, I was ready to come back to "toddler world" just in time for my baby girl to wake up from her nap.  As I went to get her from her room she says, "Mommy, you're home! I missed you so much!"  Sweetest thing ever! I missed her too!

We had a fun night playing games, doing puzzles, and doing crafts! It's amazing how much more fun those activities are when you get a little break from them! This was our favorite...

Working hard

Tada!!!

Not ready for the weekend to end! :(

Shopping Deals!!!

Well, I have been doing WAY to much shopping lately! Mostly for kids rooms and my babies, but just a little for myself too! I am not one to turn down a great deal, even if it's something I don't "really" need, which can be bad sometimes! Here are some of the awesome deals I scored this past week!

Spent the afternoon at the Pottery Barn Kids Outlet...big mistake...I wanted to buy Everything! But I did pick up this bookshelf for baby boy's new room...You can probably guess what the theme is going to be!  And they thankfully had one that was still in the box so I didn't have to buy the display! $169  (I can't find it online anymore, but I think it's original price was $299)

Another Pottery Barn Kids Outlet deal... Originally $19.99 Each, I paid $5.99 Each

Also ventured over to the Children's Place Outlet... Got 16 items for $64.  Used a 25% off coupon from their email list, also had a $30 giftcard, so ended up only really spending $34 for everything pictured! Even some cute new baby boy outfits :) 

Brown Storage Basket from Home Depot.... $5.00 each! Bought 4 of them! 

The real reason we went to Home Depot was to purchase a closet organizer system for Alissa's new room.  I found this Closetmaid Suite Symphony Laminate organizer from Target.com that I really liked, looked easy to install and was close to what we wanted to spend ($119).  However, last week I went to purchase it (not available in stores, only online) and they were charging $54 to ship it!!! I was not paying $54 for shipping, so I kept looking. Found it on Closetmaid.com for $115 and $18 shipping, but when I went to purchase it the next day it was no longer available! Their website tells you where you can purchase their closet products which is Home Depot! So we went to Home Depot and wouldn't you know the same exact closet organizer was $89!!!! And we didn't have to wait for it to get here! Woo hoo! We used the $ we saved to buy some extra shelves to go with it! 

Also stopped at Sherwin Williams to pick out paint for both kids bedrooms so we can finally start painting! Lucky for our us, in our Sunday paper (that I only get for the coupons) they had 25% off paint, 15% off paint supplies coupons! We used both, and paint was cheaper than we had budgeted for too (And the nice guy working there gave us an extra gallon that he tried to color match for us, but wasn't quite what we wanted) 

And of course something for ME! Became a Fan of Coupon Divas on facebook a few weeks ago and last week they posted a great deal on New Balance Running Shoes! I just got a cute new pair of WHITE sneakers for Christmas, and within one day of being around my dogs they are muddy! So when I saw dark colored sneakers, I thought it would be a great idea! I got them through Coupon Divas from Joes New Balance Outlet for $29.99.  Only tried them on, haven't worn them yet, they are comfy so far, fit perfectly, are really light weight, but the mesh material is really thin and they probably wouldn't last real long if you are an avid runner.  Thankfully, I am not! 

I definitely spent more time than I should have on the computer looking for deals and running to a million different stores, but it definitely ended up saving us money! 

Decisions, Decisions

So as we rearrange and redo all the upstairs bedrooms, I am having such a hard time making decisions about any decorating...not to mention I am horrible at decorating!

So looking for any and all opinions! We have quite a few different opinions on toddler girl bedding for her new big girl bed which is making it even harder! Here are my 2 favorites right now, and I can't pick which one! Help!

Pottery Barn Kids- Hayley Bedding

OR 

Kohls-PEM America Flowers for Hanna bedding

Recipe of the week: Zucchini Boats

As I mentioned earlier this week, I decided to join Pinterest.  Love, love, love the website and all the amazing ideas you can find on there.

But being 24 weeks pregnant, every time I see a picture of food, I HAVE to have it! So I have already tried several recipes that friends posted! And I can't wait to try some more (like the cookie dough, oreo, brownie dessert, looks so yummy).

But I went with a healthier option for my first recipe and made what I call "Zucchini Boats".  I kind of "winged" it based on what I saw in the picture.  But they turned out really well.

Ingredients

Cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, tomato, basil, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper

 Directions:
1. Cut zucchini in 1/2 lengthwise and scoop out seeds, place in baking dish, and brush with olive oil and garlic
2. Add sliced tomato to top of zucchini and sprinkle with bread crumbs
3. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
4. Remove and sprinkle cheese over top, bake for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is melted.
5. Drizzle with olive oil, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese

They definitely don't look exactly like the picture, but they were yummy!

"Nesting"...or something like that

Since we didn't want to venture out on this snowy day, I decided it would be a great day to ORGANIZE!

Let me first start by saying, we are "messy" organized people.  I can usually tell you where anything is in this house at any given time, but if someone else tried to find it they would be lost...so our organizing might not be very organized for other people, but it works for us!

Started with the bathroom drawers...

I used these "gift boxes" I got after Christmas! 50 cents each at Target.

I'm sure there are some better options for draw organizers out there, but for $1.00 I have a somewhat organized drawer! 

After weeks of procrastinating, I decided I really needed to clean out our craft closet.  Alissa asked me a few times for certain crafts and it would take me 10 minutes just to find everything! 

The beginning of the project

Of course when my husband came home he said "Is this some kind of nesting thing, or just organizing stuff that doesn't have to be organized?"  Haha! One day he'll appreciate the organization! 

After sorting and labeling, this is what our new craft/motorcycle jacket closet looks like.

                                                

I'm sure there are better craft storage options out there also, but we like the cheap plastic drawers and bulk pack of Ikea magazine holders! 

Mommy's little helper

Tonight, as I was "reminding" my husband that I cleaned the bathrooms today, My 2 year old says "I want to clean 2 bathrooms!!" So we decided to let her clean her "bathroom" :)



Hopefully she will say the same thing when she's actually old enough to clean the bathroom!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pinterest

Well, I jumped on the Pinterest Train..had to see what it was all about!  I've only spent a little bit of time looking at "pins".  So far I have learned there is so much cool stuff out there and I am so not creative at all! The site has definitely made me wish I had a creative bone in my body!

In my few minutes on searching through my friends' pins, this is one of the favorites I have found!

Sneaky, Snacky, Squirrel

Since the House Transformation is a bit overwhelming, I think I'll blog instead of organize files from 1995!

Santa was very very good to us this year, and Alissa has enough new toys, games, clothes, gifts, to fill an entire room! And all of them are awesome! Christmas was so different this year! I really felt like every gift we got was awesome, meaningful, and very useful! (yes, greedy little me will admit there are some holidays you get so much stuff you just don't need) So I thought I would slowly share some of the new items she got for Christmas and how much she loves all of it!

Sneaky Snacky, Squirrel...what?  Well that's what I thought too, but Santa knows what he is doing and found this awesome game!

Of course it says for ages 3 and up because of small pieces, but I think everything says that now a days! My daughter loves this game! She knows how to play it and can follow the directions (although she has a hard time understanding when Mommy is "sneaky" and steals her acorns, part of the game of course).  But we have a lot of fun playing it together!

What are some great things Santa brought to your house this Holiday? Always looking for great, new products!  I'll be sharing some more posts of all the other great things Santa, Grammy's, Pappy's, Aunts and Uncles brought to our house!

The house transformation!

We have begun the house preparation for baby boy! Although, it feels like we have spent hours working on everything, we have yet to get anything done that is actually for the baby! We decided to completely rearrange the upstairs and move pretty much every room, but the master bedroom!

The fun began with an office cleanout and moving our office to the "nook" in our bedroom. Seems like a fairly easy project....or so we thought.  We aren't the most organized people in the world, yes my house tends to look clean and organized, but open a drawer or closet and you will find the total opposite! (and you might get hurt in the process) We had about 1 year and 1/2 worth of filing, that was never filed, 2 years of scrapbook items, that were never scrapbooked, I even still had my teaching/lesson plan bag completely packed in the office closet (I haven't been teaching for 3 years!!!) We had a lot of stuff to go through and organize in order to fit an entire bedroom and closet into one little nook.  And...we are still working on it! Anyone know a professional organizer cause I could really use one???? 

The new office "nook" (and yes it currently still looks like this)

And this is what my child was doing while all the organizing was taking place! 

We only had a few days to work on this project, we decided to order new furniture for Alissa and use her furniture for the baby.  When I ordered it (didn't want to miss the sale price), I really thought it would take a couple weeks to get here, but about 5 days later, they were delivering it and setting it up in her new room! (which was our office).  We had about 5 days to empty everything out of the room! But we did it (sort of) and my "baby" now has her big girl furniture! :( 

And well as you can see we have a blank slate!  We still have to paint her room, as well as the baby's room, and then touch up the paint in Alissa's old room to transform that into our guest room!!! Ahhh! 

Oh yes, the baby's room.... He will be in our old guest room and here is what that looks like right now....

What you can't see in the picture is the entire twin bed along the wall, 3 tv's, and a floor filled with stuff!

Any decorators, organizers, moms, dads with any advice for this craziness??? We pay with beer, wine, and food! :)

"Mmm, that sure is good!"

Today started out as one of those days where every little thing would annoy me! (I know, surprising coming from the pregnant lady) I think it was a combination of being out to late last night and the wacky dreams I had all night! So, by lunch time I was in one of my moods, tired, and ready for nap. As we get 1/2 way through eating our soup, Alissa sets her spoon down and says " Mmm, it sure is good!" I of course had to smile at that! She just brightens my day and reminds me how blessed I am to spend everyday with her! :) - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Moon Dough...

My wonderful hubby decided to buy a surprise gift for Alissa for Christmas. (I usually handle the Christmas shopping) He picked A Moon Dough pizza kit! Thought he did a pretty good job...until we started playing with it!!!


Although she loves it, I am totally not a fan of Moon Dough! The stuff gets everywhere! She loves to cut it up into a million little pieces, which means I find a million little pieces all over!!! I would definitely pick Play-doh over Moon Dough any day! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy New Year!

Well after hearing about and seeing Pork and Sauerkraut all day on facebook, the prego that I am, I decided I had to have some! :) Thought about going out to eat, but my baby girl was sleeping, and well I was still in my PJ's at 3 PM.  So my loving, wonderful husband said he would run out to get some pork and we could make our own.... so that is what we did!

And OMG it was amazing! It wasn't ready til almost 7:30 since we made such last minute plans.  But it was the perfect craving stopper!

Made some mashed potatoes to go with it! MMM MMM GOOD!

I used what seemed to be a "nontraditional" recipe that of course I found using my AllRecipes app for my iphone, Sauerkraut Pork Supper.  I wasn't sure how I'd like it, using tomatoes, but it turned out fabulous, and the tomatoes and other ingredients took a little bit of the "sour" out of the sauerkraut.  Definitely would make this again! Made me miss my Grammy and all the New Year's dinners we had at her house! Hopefully she'd be proud of this meal! :)

Great way to start off 2012! Happy New Year Everyone! Can't wait to enjoy all the blessings 2012 brings to our family!

Stride Rite Outlet Closing!

Well, I haven't been there, but according to my Mom the Stride Rite Outlet at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets is closing!!! Don't have to many details about the closing, when or why. But my Mom picked us up 4 new pairs of shoes for about $7 or $11 each.  No returns, but we stocked up on some bigger sizes for her to grow into. Also haven't seen the shoes yet, so I am not sure what they have left! But if your in the area check them out!

Recipe of the week: Singapore Five-Spice Stir Fry

Needed a quick and easy dinner (as usual). I had purchased Chinese Five Spice for another recipe that I never made, so decided to search for a stir fry recipe using it. I found Singapore Five-Spice Stir Fry on the web.  Here is my version of their stir-fry.



Sauce:
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 teaspoon Chinese Five spice powder
1/4 teaspoon  crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons honey

Stir Fry:
2 cloves garlic
2 chicken breasts (bite size pieces)
1 bag frozen stir fry veggies (I used thai style for this recipe)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup uncooked rice

Directions:
1. Cook the rice as directed and keep warm.
2. In small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and mix until blended. Set aside.
3. In large skillet or wok, heat olive oil, add chicken and garlic, and cook over medium high heat until no longer pink.
4. Add Veggies and cook until tender (4-5 minutes)
5. Add sauce, cook and stir 2-3 minutes until bubbly and thickened.
6. Serve over rice.  (or pasta if desired)

I have tried several recipes for stir fry sauce, and this one was my husbands favorite.  Although, it didn't taste much like orange juice, for some reason little 'ol pregnant me could not get over the orange juice smell, and it was a bit spicy. But overall pretty good and really easy to make! Check out the actual recipe for an alternative to the frozen veggies! 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Merry Christmas!

Had an exciting week of Christmas celebrations! So thankful for all the time we got to spend with everyone!

Due to all the excitement/traveling all week long, we have made the tradition of staying at home in our PJ's on Christmas! And what a great day it was!

Baby girl slept til 11!!! Opened her presents, ate, and watched a little TV snuggled in her "bed".




And then it was back to bed for her! And she napped til 6:30!!! (and well so did Mommy). We then had amazing steak salad dinner!


And my child actually ate all her steak, cucumbers, egg, and applesauce! I offered her a Christmas cookie for dessert and she turned it down?!?!? (pretty much the only thing we don't have in common, cause I ate 1/2 the cookie jar for dessert, but definitely justifies the parenting choices that I made when we started solids forever ago).

We had a great Christmas week! We are so blessed and so thankful for the relaxing day with my little family!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

"God Gave Us Christmas"

Bought the book God Gave Us Christmas by: Lisa Tawn Bergren on Amazon.com a few months ago and it somehow got buried in the sea of Christmas stuff in our office.

As I was wrapping the final Christmas presents this morning, with the help of a cute little 2 year old, I found the book and we stopped and read it. WHAT AN AWESOME BOOK! We have been very wrapped up in Santa, and Santa's bringing gifts,  and lets name his reindeer, etc.  It was so cute to read this book and have her ask me, "Mommy, where is God?"  (the bears go looking for God in the story).  Also a great reminder for Mommy of what Christmas is really about.  Favorite quote from the book that is perfect for Christmas Eve:
"'Santa Claus reminds us about many good things like generosity and care.  But it is God and Jesus that we celebrate most come Christmas.  We always want to thank God for giving us Christmas.'"

Also discovered as I ordered this book that Lisa Tawn Bergren has written many similar books, the next one I plan on ordering is "God Gave Us Two" :) :)