Yay!  Its BBQ season again!  I love it!  Time to start getting your grill on!

We love potato salad at our house!  My mother-in-law has really perfected her potato salad by taste, all the way to the tiniest dab of salt.  It is so so so fabulous.  Sadly, I am unable to replicate it.  I just dont seem to have the magic taste… you know where you can take a small nibble and declare it needs just one more touch of mustard or pepper.  I just can’t seem to get it right.

So when I can’t duplicate it, I have to go out and find a new recipe to introduce.  I have had this Loaded Baked Potato recipe pinned for a long time from Dishing With Leslie for a long time now.  I finally got to try it out for a family BBQ last week.  Thank you Leslie!  So yummy!

The only thing I would change from her recipe is to add more cheese… because really, you can never have enough cheese!  I used the Yukon Gold potatoes… it was perfect!  I agree with Leslie, serve it warm or cold!  It is fabulous either way!

 

 

Remember how I had my kitchen redone?  Well, I planned to have my 2 year old’s party the day that it finished and not because it was supposed to finish that day.  Because of this, I only had family at the party.  Believe it or not, the plumber was there until 10:30 and that party started at 11.  If you know me, I bit a hole through my lip due to nervousness.

Since I didn’t have a lot of time to plan, this is dress that I bought the girls for Disney World inspired me for the theme of Anna’s party.  It made it more perfect that she was able to wear the dress at least twice too!

Remember I’m still planning this last minute.  I have a friend that has an adorable Etsy Shop, Hope48, that makes birthday banners and cupcake toppers (and tons of other stuff, check it out!).  She made this banner and cupcake toppers for me in less than a week!

These cupcakes are the Valentine’s cupcakes I made before with mini oreos used as Mickey ears.

I had no choice but to make simple food because I didn’t have countertops until the evening before.  Here was our menu:

Subway Subs – It was actually customer appreciation day so all the subs were half off.  Heck to the yeah.
Broccoli Salad
Orzo Pasta Salad
Chips
Minnie and Mickey Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Fruit Platter
Lumpia – made by my Filipino mom in-law

We also did a pinata!  I randomly got Easter candy 70% off (heck yeah number 2 for the party).  The kids love it!  Pinatas are $15-$20 at party stores.

The party was simple, but she still had a great time!  I do love parties for my girls!  Remember, the little details are EVERYTHING.

Happy party planning!

So I just moved into the new house (FINALLY!!!!) last week… literally.  I am not settled enough to cook or craft up anything just yet, but I can never go without a good book!  I love reading, especially when life gets crazy!

I just finished this Philippa Gregory book.  I love all her books!  I find her writing interesting, well researched, and addicting.  Once I start her books I hardly put them down until I finish.  I particularly loved The Boylen Inheritance because it really gives you a feel for King Henry VIII’s lesser known 4th and 5th wives.

It seems like King Henry’s first two wives are the ones we hear most about.  Queen Catherine of Aragon, the first Queen to be divorced by the King so he could marry Anne Boleyn ,whom he later publicly beheaded.  It was so interesting to read this next book about King Henry VIII’s wives following the famously beheaded Queen Anne.

This book tells the story of Queen Mary of Cleves and the very young Queen Katherine Howard.  It continues with the character of Jane Rochford (sister-in-law and Lady in Waiting to Queen Anne Boleyn) as started in The Other Boleyn Girl.  It tells of their lives at court while  married to the notorious “wife killer” King Henry VIII, who married six times and survived the death of four wives.

Loved the story and the research that went into this book!

I would recommend reading The Other Boleyn Girl first if you haven’t already.  It really gives you a lot of background on the characters.

For all those Philippa Gregory fans out there, her next book is available for pre-order on Amazon.  It is comes out July 23rd!  I can’t wait!  This next book is called The White Princess and is the next in the Cousins War series.  It is all about Princess Elizabeth and her fate after her father, King Edward, dies and her mother is cast out of the Royal Court.

Here are few other Philippa Gregory books I recommend:

I’m going to compare/review the two most popular wholesale clubs for you!

Right now I have memberships to both places (after switching to Costco and then also wanting my Sam’s back) and I think I can give you some advice on where to join (cause let’s face it, the memberships aren’t that cheap) depending on your preferences as well!  I’m going to go through several things that are probably the most important to most moms.  We recently joined Costco because we saw a special on CNBC and how people were ranting and raving over their brand of stuff, customer service, prices and quality.

So, here we go!

1. Crowd.  Sam’s Club is always very calm and WAY less crowded than Costco (maybe that tells you something, maybe it doesn’t).  I feel like it’s somewhat of a fun place to take my kids because they can get out of the cart and run around a little.  Even though Costco is more crowded, they seem to carry the crowd pretty well (not well enough for me to let my kids run though).  Sam’s Club normally has two or three cash registers open whereas Costco has most open and usually two people manning each register.  Checkout time is usually about the same at both stores.  Getting out the door is not the same.  Sometimes I have to wait five plus minutes for someone to check my receipt at the door at Costco because of the long line.

2.  Food.  Most families join because of the savings on food.  I can say hands down Sam’s Club wins it for me here.  The first time I went to Costco, I immediately missed my whole wheat sandwich rounds for the girls, the 2 pound package of Jimmy Dean sausage, and the good selection of Laughing Cow cheese spread.  All three of these food items are something I bought every time I went there and Costco sells none of them ( well, they sell one kind of Light Laughing Cow).  Sam’s Club prices are also better on food items.  Oh, and their cakes…. Sam’s wins again with their better selection of birthday/grad/all occasion cakes.  They have so many different choices and designs AND COOKIE CAKES.  Did I mention they have a double layer COOKIE CAKE with icing in the middle?  Sorry people, it’s the little things in life.

3.  Stuff besides food. I’m mostly talking about furniture.  You really can’t beat the quality of Costco’s furniture.  However, when saying this, Sam’s also has furniture and they are both priced according to quality.  Costco’s furniture prices are expensive, but they have a right to be because it is good stuff.  Sam’s Club furniture is cheaper, but the quality just isn’t there.

Besides furniture, they both have clothes.  I’ve found much better deals on clothes for my girls at Sam’s Club.  I can’t beat paying $5 and some change for a Carter’s outfit.  There isn’t any brand differentiation here, Sam’s Club just has a better price.

4.  Eating at the store. At our Costco, you have to pay cash unless you go to a different area, pay with cc and then get in the food line.  At Sam’s you can pay with cc at the counter.  Food quality is about the same and priced the same.  Sam’s Club did win my heart with the food bar though because they know my love for Coke Zero.  They have about three times as many soda choices.

5.  Cleanliness/appearance of the store.  I would say that they are both equally clean (I think it might depend on the area that you live).  Both sets of bathrooms where I live (Dulles, VA) have been clean.  I do like that Sam’s has a family bathroom that has a little toilet for my girls.  I’m not sure if all have this, but ours does.

6.  Diapers/Wipes.  This may not be important to some, but with me overlapping with kids in diapers twice, it is important to me!  My big issue is that Costco does not sell Pampers diapers and those (at least for the first couple of stages) have been the best for my girls.  They both sell their own store brand, Luvs and Huggies.  I have tried Sam’s Club diapers and they worked fine for me in the later stages.  I’ve actually never tried Kirkland diapers, but I heard they are amazing and just as good as Huggies.  Well, they better be cause they are the exact same price for the same amount of diapers.  It’s hard for me to ever justify paying the same price for any store brand item.  Sure, call me weird.  Same goes for the wipes.  I’m kind of funny about my wipes.  I did not like store brand Sam’s Club wipes and am very partial to Huggies.  Huggies wipes are much cheaper at Sam’s.  Kirkland wipes are good, however they are priced the same at Costco (for the same amount) as Huggies again.  Call me weird again, but I’m going for the Huggies.

7.  Gas.  Seriously, it seems like people at Costco think the world is going to run out of gas.  Usually you are 4-5 cars back waiting for a pump.  Sam’s Club is drive right up (I think I’ve had to wait once car back like once).  I think the gas is pretty important because you do save a lot, especially me and my HUGE tank.

8.  Credit cards. Costco: check, cash, debit or American Express. Sam’s: check, cash Discover,  or Mastercard

I hope these eight items help you decide which to join.  Of course location is going to play a huge roll in which one you decide.  Mine are less than a mile apart, so it’s basically a choice.  For me, I won’t cheat on Sam’s Club again and get a Costco membership UNLESS I’m looking for furniture and I really fall in love with something at Costco.  In that case, I will keep both.

Am I missing anything?  I know there are a ton of obsessive people over Costco.  Feel free to leave a comment and explain why you like one store better than the other!

Maybe I’m writing this as a “hint” to my husband.  Well, maybe just the ones that I don’t have on this list.  I’m a stay at home mom and I believe that all of these will be of great use to any mom.

1.  My most favorite gift ever is my keurig.  I seriously don’t know what I would do without it anymore.  My coffee is ready in less than a minute.  If you go with this, my husband recently got me for Valentine’s Day these clear glass coffee mugs.  LOVE THEM!  And, of course you could go for k-cups or a refillable filter also.

2.  A nice thoughtful gift would be a big pot with lots of plants in it.  I guess you would know your mom or wife and think if she would like a lot of annuals put together or even a pot of herbs.  These are both so pretty and will for sure make your mom or wife smile!  I recently saw that Costco had big pots already filled for you!

3.  I’m keeping it real by saying this, but I would LOVE a nice sweatsuit.  Of course, once again, you would know you wife or mom’s style and brand of choice, but you can feel cute in a stylish sweatsuit too right?!  The real reason I want one is for the hospital after delivery.  Comfy.

4.  My husband got me these body butters and bath gel also for Valentines Day and I cannot express how much I LOVVVVE them!

5.   Tom’s!  Right now, Tom’s are a big fad and the best part about them is that they are comfortable and serve a good cause.  I just linked to the one’s that I’m in love with, but those might not be everyone’s style of choice.

6. Birchbox.  Husband got me this subscription for Christmas and it feels like Christmas every month when I receive my sample of beauty products.  Basically, that’s what it is.  You get a small package of 5 or so samples of beauty items and you get to try them out and of course you can buy them if you fall so in love.  Such a fun surprise each month!

7.  You can never go wrong with jewelry.  If you’re feeling especially generous, go for a simple piece of Tiffany’s jewelry and if that isn’t in the budget, any cute and trendy jewelry item will work.  Etsy has some adorable handmade Mother’s Day gifts!

8.  Picture canvas or other picture ideas.  Mamas just love pics of their babies, young or old (usually they love their pets too)!

9.  Another thoughtful gift is a stepping stone.  Mom’s and Grandma’s will cherish this forever!  Click on the link and it will give you step by step instructions!

10.  Gift cards.  What woman doesn’t love a good gift card?  Just try getting it somewhere that they like to spend their money.  OR, another option would be to get your wifey a house cleaner for a week.  I remember my friend’s husband gave her a new purse with a wallet in it that had 3 or 4 random gift cards.  One was a restaurant gift card that he told her to take a friend with her to spend.  Talk about awesome!  I recently got this wristlet from Thirty-One that I love.  Perfect little stuffer for gift cards and it can hold your cell phone and lots of credit cards and ID!  Some ideas of gift cards include massages, nails, hair, or her favorite clothing stores.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12th!  Let’s not forget our Mom’s and Wifey’s on this day.  It’s always extra special to add a nice and thoughtful card too!

Feel free to leave other ideas in the comment section for people to read and help them out!

We got a phone call two weeks ago from our builder telling us the house will not be ready by our agreed upon closing date after all.  Closing on the house was pushed back until the end of the month.  Boo!

We currently live with my sister and her family of 5 in a two bedroom, one bathroom house while our house is being built.  That is 10 people in said 2 bedroom house.  Yep.

So you can imagine how I was feeling after having the closing date delayed. Ha!  I decided to take a little mommycation for a couple days.  Needed to get out of the house and have a little luxury alone time if you know what I mean!

At first I felt bad about going… who takes a vacation by themselves for no reason?!?!  My husband was really sweet about it though and encouraged me to go and have some fun.    He took over everything with the boys and even babysat my 18 month old nephew for me since I watch him on weekdays for my sister.

I had such a good time!  I got a hotel in Orlando (couple hours from us) and just chilled!  I slept in everyday, got some fresh highlights, got a pedicure, went shopping at the outlets, and sat by the pool to read.  It was AMAZING!

Technically it was was only 2 nights, but I am so glad I did it.  I came home refreshed and motivated.  I think I can make it now…  8 more days until we close!  We have been waiting since August, so what is 8 more days now that I am refreshed and de-stressed!

 

Wow… so the past couple nights have been something else!

My three year old is really giving me crap at bed time.  The other night it took him two hours to go to sleep!  Jumping on the bed, throwing his stuff, trying to go tackle big brother, and just being a total maniac!

First of all let me remind you that we are talking about the kid who just last month, stuck his hand into a wet cement bucket he passed by.  Stuck it right in there and then smeared it all over his pants and legs.  I tossed him in the bath at home and it still didn’t come off him!  We had to wait a few days for it to completely dry out and crumble off his little fingers! No joke!

I feel like I have tried everything! Re-direction, snuggles, taking things away, time outs, positive reinforcement.  I could have written the book on positive discipline after my years of working in childcare, but even this has me stumped!

The same approach never works twice with this kid.  For example, he will hand over his special lovey and tell me its because he is going to do a trick on his bed (he got it taken away for doing this last time).  Or he tells me he can’t wait until he gets to sleep on the floor again (had to do this after continuing to jump on the bed)! Note:  we have also tried letting him earn tv time, treats, and special things as well.

So last night I again exhausted all my efforts…

I began scouring the internet for good ideas!

I found this, “caught ya doing something good” jar on pinterest from wolfelicious.blogspot.com and will be putting this into action very soon.  I used this in the classroom years ago to build class unity and team work, but hadn’t thought of using it for my own three year old.

Basically, you get marbles, cotton balls, or pompoms.  Every time you catch them being good, you reinforce their behavior by putting one of the marbles in the jar.  The idea is to fill it up with marbles to earn something special!    Great way to use positive reinforcement!!!

I haven’t decided what the prize will be after filling up the jar.  Possibly a camping trip, ice cream party, or pizza party.  I want to let them help pick the reward so its something they are really excited about.

I also came come across a daddy blogger  (Jasongood.net) who obviously was trying to interpret the many reasons why his three year old freaks out as well.  It was hilarious.  If nothing else, it did make me feel better!  Turns out, a lot of these three year olds are very similar!

His sock is on wrong.

His lip tastes salty.

His shirt has a tag on it.

The car seat is weird.

He’s hungry, but can’t remember the word “hungry.”

Someone touched his knee.

He’s not allowed in the oven.

I picked out the wrong pants.

His brother looked at him.

His brother didn’t look at him.

His hair is heavy.

We don’t understand what he said.

He doesn’t want to get out of the car.

He wants to get out of the car by himself.

The iPad has a password.

His sleeve is touching his thumb.

He doesn’t understand how popsicles are made.

The inside of his nose stinks.

Chicken is gross.

A balloon he got six months ago is missing.

A puzzle piece won’t fit in upside down.

I gave him the wrong blue crayon.

The gummi vitamin is too firm.

Netflix is slow.

He jumped off the sofa and we weren’t watching.

He’s not allowed to touch fire.

Everything is wrong with his coat.

There’s a dog within a 70 mile radius.

A shoe should fit either foot.

I asked him a question.

His brother is talking.

He can’t lift a pumpkin.

He can’t have my keys.

The cat is in his way.

The cat won’t let him touch its eyeball.

The inside of his cheek feels rough.

Things take too long to cook.

He has too much food in his mouth.

He sneezed.

He doesn’t know how to type.

The DustBuster is going to eat him.

His mom is taking a shower.

Someone knocked over his tower.

He got powdered sugar on his pants.

The yogurt won’t stay on his spoon.

EVERYTHING IS TOO HOT.

 

We bought a short sale.  Should be enough said, right?!  I think some people get magically lucky with short sales and don’t have to put a lot of time, effort and money into them.  Well, we weren’t that lucky.  We did get an amazing deal on the house considering the comps, but we’ve had to do so much to it.  Now, we are remodeling the kitchen.  There is something about the 80s and their love for soffits, big lights, short cabinets and the most narrow and shallow drawers.  SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE!  For a year, we put a band-aid on it and removed the wall paper, painted, and changed the knobs.  Here’s the original before we moved in:

I must have seen a crazy amount of potential.  Stay tuned for an update of our final hoorah which should be completed this Friday after 3 long, awful, miserable weeks of a completely nonfunctional kitchen.  So, I’m writing this post on some survival tips.

1.  Skip town for a bit if you can.  The girls and I skipped town for the 1st week and went to visit my parents.  Luckily it was Ella’s spring break at school so she didn’t miss any.  Husband stayed home to be with the workers cause he’s so awesome.

2.  Prepare a lot of meals before it happens.  The only appliance we have been able to use is the microwave.  We made like 4 meals to last us almost a full week beforehand.

3.  Buy lots of paper products.  We have small sinks and bath tubs to wash dishes in right now.  Paper products are my best friend.

4.  Find eating out deals.  We are trying our hardest to eat in as much as possible, but every other to every three days we’ve been eating a meal out.  I think it’s partially for my sanity to get out of the house.  Tonight we went to 50 cent wing night at our wing factory.

5.  Sandwiches have to become a favorite.  I have to admit that I’ve have a crazy amount of PB and J sandwiches these past couple of weeks.  They are easy and filling.

6.  Plan your remodel around your type of cooking.  Whether you like to grill or cook in the crock pot, that can help determine when you should remodel your kitchen.

7.  Get out of the house!  I’ve been begging people to hang out with me… Ha.  Please, help me get away from the 2 inches of dust all over my house.

8.  Be realistic with yourself.  Know that this is short term and that you will have a new, beautiful kitchen!

Lastly, maybe you shouldn’t do it when you’re 32 weeks pregnant like me, ha.  Happy remodel!

No, it’s not my baby reveal party.  It is my sisters.  Just had to clarify that before going any further! Ha!  My sister likes to do things old school… she doesn’t like to find out what she is having, she does not like to get induced, and she does not like to have an epidural.  She would love to just stay home and have her baby at home or in the bath tub with her immediate family (she is so much cooler than I am!).

Her family started pressuring her to find out the sex of the baby very early… especially her 9-yr old daughter.  After listening to her kids and husband beg and beg, she finally agreed to having a cake reveal party!

We took the envelope from the doctor in to the bakery and requested blue icing in the center of the cake if it says boy on the card and pink frosting if it says girl.  Of course, my sister being a naturalist didn’t want to trust them alone with the information.  She insisted that my husband take a look at the card as well… just in case the bakery wanted to be funny and make the icing purple! ha!

Anyway, off to the party! We  had a lot of people there and had the party at a park along the inter-coastal.  Beautiful place!  Those guessing it would be a girl got on one side and those guessing boy got on the other.

Here they go… cutting

My cute little nieces face when she first saw the color on the inside of the cake… priceless!!!!!

And it is…

Just in case there was any doubt, the doctor included this picture in the sealed envelope… definitely a boy!

Here’s my sister… she is happy to have a boy, but not especially happy to find out early.  Lucky for us, she is humoring us well!

 

 

 

 

 

I bet you’re all thinking you wish I would make up my dang mind.  I go from sweets to South Beach friendly meals to Paleo/Primal style posts. The overall truth is that I feel like I gained a crap ton of weight with my last child and I did not (quote DID NOT) want to do it again this time.  So (not tooting my horn), this time I’ve got it under control.  Of course I don’t eat perfect, but I’m also not eating McDonalds every time I pass by it like my last pregnancy nor have my feet swelled up this time around.  I also have another friend who had some issues (preclampsia for one) with her last pregnancy and this time she’s golden because she’s also eating more Paleoish.  So because of my diet plan this time, I haven’t gained that crap ton of weight and I feel like I have more energy for my other two kids.

For this post, I’m linking up to some meals and a snack that I’ve tried and that are delicious alternatives to the fatty ways of life.

1.  Mustard Lime Chicken

Click on the link above to get the delicious recipe.  Seriously to.die.for.  We served it with cauliflower mash and parmesan roasted broccoli.  Seriously how can you miss french fries when you have this.

 

2.  Taco Stuffed Poblano Peppers

These were also amazing.  My friend posted a pic of hers on instagram and I immediately started drooling.  She told me that when she made them she boiled the peppers while she was prepping everything else.  I think that was a good idea so they wouldn’t snap when you tried to cut them.  We also added some texas pete.  Yummmmmmmm.

3.  Dark Chocolate Chunk

Okay, need I say more?!  Well, we do add as many nuts as possible and load up on the natural coconut flakes.  So good.  Oh yeah, did you know that Costco has coconut oil??  You can get a huge container for 15 something.  Good deal.

4. Bison Spaghetti

This was seriously yum.  We have the Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Cook Book (totally worth EVERY penny).  We made this from there.  We actually used regular ground beef since we have half a cow (literally).  Very yum!

5.  Fish Tacos With Citrus Dressing

I thought I would hate these.  But, no.  They were so tasty and delish.  The sauce made it to die for.  We actually used salmon because we already had it on hand.  Oh my goodness.  You won’t regret.

 

These are just some of my favs.  They really are so delicious and you won’t even think about the crap you used to eat.  I promise.  Do you have any favs?  Please share!!!