Real Moms

My friend Jenn posted on Facebook last night that she would like to see the blog posts from moms who put their kids in front of the TV so the mom could make Hamburger Helper for dinner.  In other words, real stories from real moms, not just the perfect image many bloggers hide behind.

I laughed that I could resurrect this blog and share tons of stories since I have two non typical kids and another child on the way. I'm told all the time I'm super mom for keeping up with those kids but in reality, I'm barely making it.  The thought of sharing some of those honest stories hasn't left my mind so I'm going to be open and share a few stories over the next few days.  Not sure if this will become a long term thing or not but I'm willing to be open and share what it is really like to be a mom.

I will start with my mom moment from this morning.  E, my three year old, is in preschool.  Today was picture day.  I completely forgot this when I picked out his clothes.  Just as I was about to put his old, worn out shirt on I remembered.  I quickly ran to the closet and picked out another outfit.

Then, we are in car line and I realized I never combed his hair.  My boys like to keep their hair short so 95% of the time there is no need to comb it but today he woke up with a few random spikes in his hair. I looked down and saw that I had my cup of water with me in the car (I almost always have a drink with me when running errands).  I opened it up, dipped my fingers in and fixed my child's hair in car line. Just keeping it real folks, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Feel free to submit your "mom moment" and I will post some of them as guest posts to this blog. 

Homemade Bathroom Cleaner

Most of you know that I'm on a journey to eliminate the toxins in our house.  I'm constantly searching for new ideas for homemade cleaners due to this.

Our basement bathtub is jetted and our hard water always leaves stains in and around the jets.  I've tried all kinds of things to remove this and just leave frustrated.  While searching around Pinterest one day (don't you just love Pinterest?!) I discovered the solution to my problems.

The original recipe calls for 1 part warm vinegar to 1 part Dawn.  I found this to be too sudsy so I suggest maybe 2 parts warm vinegar to 1 part Dawn.  

My plan is to eventually try it with an all natural soap but I was able to obtain an insane amount of Dawn for free a few years ago and I'm too cheap to get rid of it (I did donate a ton though) so I will continue to use my stash until it is gone.

I also suggest being careful how hot your vinegar is.  I got mine a bit too warm and parts of my water bottle melted.  The heat really helps with breaking up the hard water stains and soap scum though so it is needed.

What Makes You Happy?

Life Well Lived has another great question up this week asking how you put yourself first and how that makes you happier.


Some of you already know this, but I pay to put my youngest in childcare one day a week.  It gives me time to get my errands run, work on my business, etc.  It also gives him time to socialize with others his age.


When I first started doing this, I ran myself ragged trying to get everything done during that one day.  I quickly realized that wasn't going to work because I'm more stressed by the end of the day.  Now, I take at least an hour during that day and do whatever I want.  It might be going to Einstein Bros for a delicious cup of coffee, vegging in front of the TV, working in my garden (this isn't work to me, it is relaxing), etc.  About once every other month, I take the full day just for me.  


I always find myself way more relaxed and I can tackle the chores of life much quicker because I'm not near as stressed out.


How do you take time for yourself?  Feel free to reply on this post or head over to Life Well Lived and comment there.  While you are there, don't forget to enter their sweepstakes to win a Kindle Fire.

Yoplait Trix Yogurt Giveaway

My kids love yogurt but they are picky and only want certain kinds.  I'm not too keen on all of their choices because I'm trying to eliminate the extra additives and junk in our diet. 

There is good news though.  Yoplait has reformulated their Trix yogurt so that it now contains no artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, or high fructose corn syrup. Those changes make this momma very happy.

Yoplait and MyBlogSpark have generously given me a prize pack to give away to one lucky reader.  This prize pack includes a coupon for a free 4-pack of Trix yogurt, insulated lunch tote, folder, ice pack, backpack, zippered pencil pouch, pencils, eraser, and pencil sharpener.

Giveaway will be open until Friday, March 9 at 9 pm CST.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond.

To enter, tell me when your children like to eat yogurt - Breakfast? Snack? School lunch? etc 

For an extra entry subscribe to this blog via RSS or email.


Disclaimer: Yoplait, through MyBlogSpark, provided me a similar prize pack.  No other compensation occurred.

Local Readers: Five Guys Burgers and Fries

I rarely post press releases that I receive but I thought many of my local readers would love this one:

The Mall is excited to announce that Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a popular burger eatery, will open at the mall this summer.  The 2,400 square foot space will be the newest addition to the lifestyle section of the mall on the east side of the property, next to Ann Taylor.

Stress Free Party Planning

This week on Life Well Lived, they are discussing tips for how to host a gathering, get together, or party that is enjoyable and stress free for both the guests and host.


Pre-kids, I used to host a lot of gatherings at my house.  Since having kids, I don't do this near as much simply because it takes too much work to clean my house and my kids tend to show their true colors when we have guests over.


However, in the past few weeks I've hosted two gatherings and we have a birthday party coming up next week so this topic has been on my mind a lot lately.


My first rule of hosting is to keep it simple.  While I would love to lavish my guests with tons of great food, over the top favors, and a spic and span house, that just isn't going to happen in this phase of my life.  I've learned to make one or two things from scratch and either buy the rest or make it a potluck gathering.


I also keep a great stock of disposable plates, cups, napkins, and utensils on hand.  These can be found on clearance after every holiday or at the dollar store.  By having these things on hand I have one less thing on my to do list and no dishes to wash after the party.


Finally, I've learned a great party can still happen even if your house isn't spotless.  I try to clear the most noticeable places, wipe down the guest bathroom counter and restock with toilet paper, and light a candle so that the whole house smells great.


If I'm stressed from trying to do it all my guests will catch on and it won't be as fun of a gathering but if I keep it simple then we all can relax and have a good time.

Head on over to Life Well Lived and enter their sweepstakes or leave a comment sharing your favorite stress free tips for party planning.

Weight Watchers Muffin Review

Weight Watchers recently added a few new muffins to their Weight Watchers Sweet Baked Goods line.  I had the opportunity to try the Blueberry and Double Chocolate muffins.

While we are trying to get rid of processed food in our diet, I do keep a few items around for quick snacks.  I found these to be a pretty tasty breakfast or snack and would probably buy them every now and then.

My five year old, who in no way whatsoever needs to be on a diet (we need him to gain weight actually), got excited when he found out we had blueberry muffins in the house.  I usually have to beg him to eat breakfast but instead he was begging me to have one of these muffins for breakfast.  He loved them and keeps asking for more.

I found the Double Chocolate to be my favorite.  Last week I had a craving for chocolate cake with chocolate icing.  I was telling my friends on Facebook about my craving and how it had been going on for days.  While talking to them, I remembered I had these muffins.  The chocolate one satisfied my craving and had a lot fewer calories than if I had indulged in the cake.

The only downside to these muffins is that they are pretty sticky.  I  wouldn't advise eating these on the go unless you have a wet wipe available but otherwise they are pretty tasty for a boxed muffin.

For those following the Weight Watchers plan, these muffins have a PointsPlus value of 4.

Disclaimer: I received muffins as part of a promotional program with Weight Watchers Sweet Baked Goods and MomSelect.  Opinions are all my own.