Too Cute Not To Toot . .. . and a Commenting Challenge

Jenna's Journey is sponsoring her third annual blog commenting challenge.  This is my second year and I so enjoyed it last year - I found some new blogs to follow and, honestly, loved getting lots of comments :-)  The challenge actually started yesterday - I did link up my post but I did not make reference to it because . . well I kinda forgot about it until the last minute :-) 

Each day Jenna is posting a topic to blog about if we chose or we can link up our normal post :-)  Yesterday the topic was to share about ourselves so for those of you stopping by that are new I thought I would give a quick paragraph before doing my normal "Too Cute Not to Toot" post.

My name is Jackie and I am a stay-at-home mom to two little boys ages 2 1/2 and 3 1/2.  I also babysit for a friend so we have an almost 2 year old with us all day long too . . yes a boy :-)  Before staying home with my kids I was a business analyst for a bank among other things :-)  I also was a school teacher for 8 years too.  I am super happily married to my husband of almost 11 years and we live in West Michigan where we get to enjoy so many wonderful things including Lake Michigan - there is nothing like it!  We also are home to one dog and two cats who add to the chaos most days :-) 

Now, for some cute ideas - I like to search some of my favorites and find cute ideas I wish I had time to make and share them with you.  Every year I set a goal of making some of the things I find and . . well, I'm still trying :-)

I love holiday T-shirts for my kids and I wish I could make more of them . . .I love this idea for the 4th of July from Love and Laundry and, if it wasn't a week away, I might actually make them :-)

This idea from While Wearing Heels  is so cute - a great puzzle for the kids on a camping trip (Ok maybe not or they might play with fire HA!)

I absolutely want this for my homeschool room - I just need to find  make the time to do it!  This idea comes from Almost Never Clever.

This is a great printable for this time of year - when I can get back into decorating for each holiday, I will frame this as part of that display :-)  Check it out from More Style than Cash.

I'm not sure about any of you, but we love to camp so I have been watching for various camping ideas.  Second Chance to Dream offers several ideas.  The first being some organization ideas which you can see by clicking on the link above.  The second idea is for Activities, and the third is for Desserts

This rug made by Life on Maple is so cute - she warns that it takes a long time so maybe this could be a winter project . . ..maybe :-)

That's all for this week.  Enjoy!

Summer Fun - Week 3

Welcome back to week 3 of our summer fun activities.  To check out the previous weeks activities just click HERE.

This week was a little more difficult because the heat changed some of our plans but I can honestly say we did something special every single day :-)

Monday:  I found this idea from AlphaMom on Pinterest and knew I wanted to try this idea.  So on Monday, I showed the boys how to color hard on Sandpaper and they created their colorful pictures.  Then I followed the super easy instructions for ironing onto the shirt.  This was so simple and it transferred without a problem.  I am THRILLED with their shirts (I wrote their names, and yes, the "N" in Nate is backwards - you have to write the names on the sandpaper backwards so they transfer correctly and I was sure I had them both right!).  This idea is going in my repeat file - I want to make these every summer and then save them to see how their drawings change :-)

Tuesday:  This was haircut day.  Now, my kids do just get a little snip and they are done - they become "rock stars".  Our stylist is fantastic - she treats them like little men just chattin' away and then lets them pick out the color of gel they want for their hair before styling it up in an awesome due.  The boys LOVE to go get haircuts all because of Kylie!

Wednesday:  So, this was supposed to be the first Library Activity but I made a decision to skip it.  I didn't really feel like loading three boys up in a hot truck on a 95+ degree day to go to some place that did not have a/c (our local armory).  Instead, we had a ton of fun in the pool (Oh, and the mud first thing in the morning!)  :-)

Thursday:  I thought I was going to have to say I skipped today but, the weather actually helped me out.  It started raining Thursday afternoon - the great soft, warm rain that kids love to play in so out they went and they had so much fun running in the rain :-) 

Friday:  The fun today?  Nana!  My mom came over to watch the kids while I went scrapbooking all day and, in the end, she took my boys home with her :-) 

Next week will be a short week since the kids won't be back until Wednesday but I will have activities planned for both Thursday and Friday :-)

Decluttering - Phase 3 . . a redo :-)

I have no photos and really, not much to post about but I didn't want to not post this week either.

I had grand plans when I wrote the post last week but, I took Monday-Wednesday off and spent Thursday trying to catch up on a few things.  Why did I take Monday-Wednesday off?  It was hot and humid.  Instead I played and had fun with the kids in the water and sat in front of the fan reading :-)

Now, though, my kids are at the grandparents house so I have a few days to get a lot done.  Here are my short goals:

1) The basement - this is top priority and I want it 100% done.  Without my kids here I can spend extra time down there and am pretty confident it will be done by Monday evening.

2) Cleaning - I've made a list, in order, of the rooms and what I want done.  There are some rooms that are harder to clean while the kids are here, like the dining room, because it is in use constantly.  I plan on having a very clean house by Tuesday Evening :-)

3) I also have some other paper projects/goals I want to get done this week too so I'm hoping to get some of those done while the kids are gone too! 

Sorry for the boring post :-)

Weekly Menu Plus

I don't really have a lot to add to this post this week other than it was one warm week!  We spent a lot of time playing in the water and just trying to have fun.  I figure the day is a success when my three year old says "Mom, today was a fun day, wasn't it?"

My kids left yesterday to spend a few days at my parents house - a treat for both the kids and for me ;-)  So our menu has some things in it my husband love to eat . .. hot.  Hot food is a rarity when you spend the first 20 minutes of dinner blowing on plates and getting kids settled :-)

Saturday: My husband and I are taking this day to just hang out and plan to hit the road and do what we love to do - just drive.  Most likely we will be along the lakeshore and wondering through little towns just enjoying the day.

Sunday: Steaks, Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus and yeast rolls - YUM!

Monday: Chicken Parmesan on a bed of greens.  (This is a carry over from last week but it is something we really love)

Tuesday: Hamburgers and Daddy Fries.  (I have made it my goal to have burgers once a week - yes, I love them that much!!)

Wednesday: Cheese Tortillini and Garlic Bread

Thursday: Pork Chops on the grill, baked beans, and corn on the cob

Friday: Crispy Orange Beef, Rice, and Broccoli

Should be a great week :-)

Food Friday - Super Easy Chicken Tacos

Chicken Tacos
adapted from Confessions of a HomeSchooler

We really love tacos in this house but, honestly, were getting tired of the regular beef tacos so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.  Throw in that it is a crock pot recipe and is EASY, well I jumped on board.  I followed the recipe almost to a tee - I only used 3 large chicken breasts and it gave us two full means AND THEN some.  My kids love this meal and so do we!!!

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 16 oz. jar of your favorite salsa
• Crockpot/Slow Cooker
• Tortillas & toppings of your choice  - we used cheese, lettuce, sour cream, chopped onion and, the second time I also made some lime-cilantro rice and that REALLY made these perfect. 

Directions:
Place thawed chicken into your slow cooker, and cover with 1 whole jar of salsa. Cook on high for 4-6 hours, or low for 7-8. About 6 hours in, use a fork to shred chicken and stir it around to coat in the salsa. Keep on warm until you are ready to serve!

Of Hot Days and Dirty Pools

I saw the picture above on a friends facebook page and almost died laughing.  How true is that?  WHEW it has been hot here in Michigan the past two days - hitting the mid-to-upper 90's is just crazy.  I'm really truly not complaining - in all reality, we've had beautiful weather, and the humidity hasn't kicked in too badly but heat it heat, right? 

So, this year we bought a "Wal-mart" kiddie pool with a slide.  It's a decent size for a kiddie pool.  My kids love it.  The other day, I was walking through the store and thought to myself, "Maybe I should get some chlorine stuff for the pool so I don't have to emptied it all the time . . .it would be crystal clear all of the time."  Then I thought, "Well, I had better get a pool vacuum too so I can clean it".  Which reminded me that I didn't have a filter and I, yes, I actually wondered if they made pool filters for kiddie pools.  When I told this to my husband, he said "Are you serious?  It's a kiddie pool!" LOL  What?  I love my pool.  Yes, I sit in it and so does my husband.  On Tuesday night, all four of us were out there, crammed sitting in this 24 inch deep pool (if it is filled to the rim . .which it never is so more like 12 inch deep pool) - the boys thought it was the best thing ever.  Josh kept saying "Oh, this feels so good" LOL.  I will say it doesn't take long for the pool to get icky.  The boys were outside this morning and peeked out at them.  The top of the pool looked funny so I went out and noticed that we had captured a herd of flying ants in the pool.  Gross.  When I went back out, both the boys and the pool were black.  They played in the mud.  Gross.  I've learned to empty the pool :-) 

We are already talking about moving up in the world of pools next year.  If I had a pool I could actually lay in, the only summer clothes I would buy would be bathing suits and cover-ups.  (And 1 shirt and pair of shorts for going out in public).  Seriously - I'd live in that pool.  In all honesty, I have a healthy fear of water and kids - they don't mix well.  There is a reason I only put 12 inches of water in that pool.  There is also a reason we won't be upgrading to anything that is taller than the boys - the pool situation will grow with them.  We plan on buying true swimming life jackets for the boys this summer for when we go to hotel pools or the lake.  Nate has zero fear of water so he needs one without a doubt.  Josh loves water if he can stand up in it or if he can hang on for dear life to one of his parents - so he needs one to protect him from something he is afraid of.  There are too many sad stories of kids and water, that is for sure. 

Anyway, I really didn't have anything else to post about today - I kinda cleared my "schedule" the past few days and just hung out with the kids - not doing much of anything except reading and "swimming".  It is supposed to cool off, for which I am thankful :-)

Decluttering - Phase 2

So, I actually have some photos to show you!  I'll start with some  before photos of what will be the Toy Room. 

 Isn't that a great view?  That is what you saw when you looked down the stairs.  It's known as "the pile" and I hate it!!

 This is the view at the back end of the room.  That love seat hidden back there is going to actually replace my couch in my living room (My couch is on its last leg and needs to go!).

These last two photos show the other end of the room and the base of the stairs.  That desk is staying for now.  We plan on using to to hold a TV/DVD player and the games.  Eventually, some day, I'd like to get a flat screen to hang on the wall and get rid of the desk but for now, it is a useful piece of furniture. 

Are you ready for some after photos???  Here's my disclaimer.  This is real life - I went right from clean to unpacking and sorting bins from the other side of the basement AND to kids discovering the love seat - it's a great place to play.  So no, this isn't "done" but it is an improvement!

 Notice how you can see the floor?  The cedar chest is now sitting at the base of the steps (with kids clothes sorted out on it)

And, other than the cushions and blankets on the floor - this area is all clean!  Now, this area is becoming my sorting area as I work through the other side but once it is done, I will post real photos :-)

Now, on to the next phase - the laundry room and the pantry.  Now, I have a disclaimer - I only had three days to work in the basement this week.  (Monday it was so hot and humid I did "desk"work and we had a family day on Tuesday) With that in mind, I didn't get quite as far as I wanted to but the laundry room is clean! 

 Eventually, I have a photo idea I want to do on the walls - a way to display some favorite photos in a room I spend quite a bit of time in.

Excuse the shop vac - it travels with me as I clean downstairs :-)

There are few things left to do but it is one of those projects that includes three steps that need to happen at once.  1)Hang some more shelves in the pantry so I have room to store my jars/canning stuff 2)Move the bakers rack out of the water softener "room" 3)Move the chest freezer into the water softener "room".  WHEW!  It really isn't that bad; I just need my husband to put up those 2-3 shelves for me and I can do the rest.   Also, did you notice the big hole in the wall?  We had to do that in order to get the water softener in quite a few years ago.  Some day, I'll have my electrician move a big wire and we'll put a door in . . .but that is really on the bottom of the list :-)  On a different note - I also decuttered the bathroom this week.  That opened up some shelving which was nice.  Yes, I made another trip to Good Will!!

So what is on target for this upcoming week?

1)  The Bedrooms - I want to declutter what I can from the rooms.  I don't think there will be a lot but if I can clean out some older things/outgrown things that would be good.

2) The basement - Clothes Bins - I have several totes in the basement that house the kids clothes they have outgrown.  I have a friend who is adopting a boy from Ethiopia - she has three girls :-)  I offered her the clothes my kids have outgrown (and she said she wanted them!) so I need to get the bins sorted, pull out my favorites to keep, and pass them on to someone who can use them.  I will admit, it has taken me awhile to get to that point - baby clothes seem to bring back so many memories but then I realized that I have those same memories in photos so it's ok to let go of clothes that are just packed away anyway.  By cleaning out the bins, I will then have empty bins to use to start sorting the other things.  I also want to do something else I didn't get to last week and that is to get rid of the junk (large items) and also to take out big items that need to go to Good Will that are just sitting around.  That will open up lots more space.