Finding Myself, My Family, My Passion

Hey guys!

I am super sorry I have been M.I.A. the last few months. I have been dealing with a lot of personal issues and decisions and I just could not find the time to update. So, here is a little update for you all now.

I started working for a housecleaning company that really took advantage of its workers. You were paid $10/hr for regular clients, minimum wage for new clients, and you weren't paid for driving time. I got paid for about 15 hours a week, but I was gone for about 40 with driving time. I had to sit back and reevaluate my life and where it was headed. I have a Bachelor's degree in Family and Human Development and I am currently attending Grad School for Professional Counseling. Arizona was not working out for my family and I, so we make the big leap (one state over) to Northern California. We had a lot of setbacks getting here, but we finally made it.

We could not be happier. I have had to figure out the new coupon policies and go out of my comfort zone, once again, to make friends. However, I was just hired as a Behavioral Skills Therapist making really good money and the husband was just hired at Dish. We still have a ways to go to really get where we want to be, but at least we are moving forward. I feel lighter than I have in years and my family seems to be a lot less stressed out.

Now I just have to find a good daycare, find another hobby, make new friends, and so on. Life just doesn't seem to be as daunting as it was just a couple of months ago.

The Hubby's Birthday Breakfast

Every year, I ask the husband what he wants for his birthday and he always replies with, "I don't know, I don't really need anything." So, every year I make him a special, new breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.

Last year, I made Denny's Moons Over My Hammy, his favorite fruit salad for lunch, and chicken cordon bleu for dinner. This year, I was at a loss. We just moved, I hadn't stocked up on many groceries and I was freaking out. I couldn't even make him a cake because I lost my baking pans and mixing bowls in the move.

I decided to try something new with potatoes and eggs because that's really all I had that I hadn't done before and he loved it!

Wash the potatoes really well and cut them into very small chunks. I only used one potato. Leave the skin on. Spray your skillet with cooking oil and toss in the potatoes. Generously season the potatoes with creole seasoning and season salt. Once the potatoes are fully cooked (after about 15-20 minutes on low-med heat), crack about 6 eggs on top, add some cheese, and scramble. That's all there is to it! I added extra cheese when it was finished, but you don't have to.

What do you do for your significant other on their birthday? I'm always looking for suggestions!

Mess-free Painting!!!

So, I'm proud to say, I thought of this all on my own and then found it on Interest about a week later. (I knew someone else had to have had this idea since its so simple and genius.) All you need is a ziploc bag, some paint, cotton swabs, and a lovely little person to enjoy it! Pour some paint into the ziploc, close it and smoosh the paint around, then give it to your monster! Obviously, your child needs to be supervised, especially since mine figured out how to open the bag within five minutes. However, he enjoyed this paint in a bag for about 30-45 minutes.

What are some quick and easy arts and crafts you and your monster do?

Homemade Mozzarella Bites!

If your kids are anything like mine, they go through food stages. My monster will love one thing one day and refuse to eat it the next. However, bite sized foods that he can dip, are always a win. Not to mention, Mom and Dad love them, too!

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but it originally came from the blog Never Trust a Skinny Cook. Apparently, some people were having problems with theirs melting into 'cheese puddles', however, mine came out just fine. This is something the kids can help you make, too, which is always a plus for me! So here it is:

Ingredients that I used:
Small bowl of 1% milk
1 (12count) package of 2% string cheese
Panko bread crumbs
I added parsley and garlic powder to the bread crumbs for flavor, but you can add whatever you'd like.

Preheat the oven to 425. Unwrap your cheese and start cutting into little balls.

They should end up looking kind of like mini marshmallows

Then, you dip the cheese bites into the milk. Transfer it to the bread crumbs and toss them around until they are as coated as possible. *Note- if you use panko bread crumbs, they will not look very coated, but it still works out really well. Toss them on a greased cookie sheet and put the in the oven for 6-10 minutes, depending on your oven.

This is what ours looked like.

Not only are they healthier than the fried or frozen mozzarella sticks, you also can turn this into a family learning/fun moment! Enjoy!! Let me know of any variations you might try, I would love to try them, myself!

Lovely little update

Hey guys! Sorry I am so bad at posting. I'm still very new to this whole blogging thing and some personal thins have been coming up, preventing me from staying up to date. I just started my Master's program in Professional Counseling at GCU, so I decided to pick one day a week to have a new post. I figure, if I put it in my calendar, along with my assignments, its more likely to get done. This is my form of a "mental health break" during a busy academic week. Any suggestions for posts are always welcome, especially since I want to research things that you guys actually want to read about. Bear with me as I figure this beautiful art of blogging out:)