Baked Thai Chicken Kabobs

2 boneless chicken breasts
12 fresh mushrooms
6 green onions, cut into two inch pieces
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 T. olive oil
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 t. hot pepper sauce

1. Heat over to 450.
2. Thread chicken through 12 inch metal skewer. Then alternate with the mushrooms and onion.
3. In a small bowl, mix 2 T. of teriyaki and oil and brush on kabobs.
4. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
5. Turn half way through and reapply teriyaki/oil mixture.
6. Make a fresh bowl of remaining teriyaki, peanut butter and hot pepper sauce. Using a clean brush, cover kabobs and serve.

Serve over rice!

Chipolte Chicken Chili

2 yellow onions, diced
1 14.5 can diced tomatoes
1 T. tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups of chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
1 chipolte in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped plus 1 T. adobo sauce
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. salt
1.2 t. pepper
2 lb. of bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 15.5 ounce of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1. Combine onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, broth, chipolte and adobo, coriander, salt and pepper in base of slow cooker. Wedge chicken thighs into the mixture, submerging at least half of meat into the liquid.
2. Cover and cook for 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
3. Remove chicken bones and shred meat back into slow cooker. Stir in beans and corn and heat through.

Enjoy!

Winter has finally arrived and I have to say...I really enjoyed the past few weeks. Being able to go outside everyday has been a life saver for this SAHM to four! However, my husband has spent weeks preparing our ice rink and I am hoping for his sake, the weather holds out for a good skate so he/we can enjoy the fruits of his labor.

BatDADDY!

The things you do for your kids! :)

Join us!!!

Please join me (and a few others :)) in taking charge of my health in 2012!!! Grab a girlfriend and join the 2012 challenge!

I am so excited about improving my overall health in 2012. My first goal is to conquer my own inner food demons, one of which being a sugar addiction, and nourishing my body. It is time to make MY health a priority. I am hoping that my own mission to be healthier will also inspire my family and friends. I desperately want to be a role model for my children, demonstrating good physical and mental health. It is soooo much easier said than done!

I have solicited a few partners in this mission and hoping a collaborative effort will inspire me to push forward with my goals. I am setting monthly health goals which I believe will be helpful in being successful.

The January health goal is as follows:

1. Switch from fake processed foods to real/raw foods, primarily focusing on eliminating gluten products. A year ago I cut out gluten to combat an autoimmune disease coupled with other diet and supplement changes. After being told I need to radiate my thyroid because NOTHING would change my condition, I have now had normal thyroid activity for 7 months, WITHOUT medication. In addition to getting my thyroid condition under control, I felt amazing! Light, energetic, less bloated, etc.

The past holiday season took over my control and put me back in a place where I felt like my health was placed on the back burner. I am ready to take charge again and with support and goal setting, I am hoping to regain control and feel good again.

Currently, our group of 13 participants, are busy sharing recipes, tips, moments of weakness, etc. It is a full time job to be in charge of your health and it feels so good to be in control. Don't get me wrong, it is incredibly challenging. I always feel there is room for improvement. Good health is a continuous journey of education and improvement.

Every Monday we update our HSR (Health Status Report) which is a simple document keeping track of our over all health, digestion, weight, mood, energy, etc. Some of our participants are keeping food journals, too. This is a lot of work and will feel like a part time job, but in the end we will improve our quality of life and hopefully inspire our loved ones to do the same.

Stay tuned for February's health challenge! :)

Wishing everyone a HEALTHY & HAPPY 2012!

New Years Eve Fun!

Check out my friend Maria's blog: http://www.mariadismondy.com/cgblog/23/21/Party-like-it-s-2012/ for super cute New Year's Eve ideas. She did her homework! :)

Thanks to some super creative/thoughtful friends (recipe club, Laura and Jod) I think I have an idea of how we are going to celebrate 2012.

Here are some ideas:
(along with the person responsible for the idea!)

*Party hat desserts (Maria's blog)
*Matching PJs for the kids and possible iron-ons saying Happy 2012! (Laura)
*Sparkling wine in fancy glasses (Jod and my parents)
*Homemade pasta necklaces and crowns/hats (Laura)
*Sparklers in the snow (me)
*Homemade confetti out of news papers and construction paper scraps (Kelly)
*A New Year's Eve time capsule. Either a video or letter describing your hopes, goals, etc. for 2012. You aren't allowed to read/watch it until the next NYE. (me)


Do I have creative friends or what???? :)

Holiday Frustrations!

This blog serves as my documentation/journal of my personal trials and tribulations of motherhood. The good, the bad and the ugly! I like sharing the messy kitchen picture or the story of my kids picking their nose in the middle of the Christmas concert at school. I don't mind talking about the long days at home and mid-afternoon slumps. Its nice to talk about things that have worked for me and things that have NOT worked. Often I have others, through the blog or emails, share their own struggles and it makes me feel like I am not alone on this crazy journey.

Well today I'd like to share some of my personal frustrations about the holidays. I'd like to first start by saying that Christmas morning was magical. Four and five year olds are the perfect age for a magical Christmas. The kids woke up at 2am and 4am hoping Santa arrived. Finally at 6am we ran downstairs and jumped around in excitement when the kids realized Santa did indeed come to our house!

The magic came to an abrupt end with a 3am puker Christmas night! Yup...a stomach virus hit the house and it wasn't pretty....one man down! At 7am on December 26th another man was down...sore throat and a fever. The current status is two healthy kids and two kids not feeling so hot. Hoping the fun ends there! :)

Our long time healthy spell ended quickly. I guess I am a little compulsive and keep detailed mental notes of the kids health... I am continuously intrigued with why people get sick. I feel like I am very in tune with my own body and take action as soon as I feel something coming on. If I catch something early, I feel like 90% of the time I can stop it dead in it's tracks. But with the kids....its much harder to do that. So my obsession with being healthy is what drives me to learn about food, supplements, etc.

I always think I have it figured out.... We had not had a cold/flu since last May! But right when you think you have it figured out, you get hit hard with a reality check. You may remember my post about Lana's seizure and how that made me question everything I am doing. Anyway, I could see this illness wave coming from a mile away, even though I was hoping we would fight through it. Kids can not function on consecutive late nights, tons of junk food, etc. without getting run down/ill. We had about three parties, three nights in a row and I could slowly see my kids start to loose their luster. Their color changed, their eyes looked dull and BAM! I don't know about your kids, but mine never eat well at these parties. Usually its a roll with butter for dinner and then dessert. They are to excited to sit down and focus on their veggies. I don't blame them...

I will never forget a nutritionist I met with one time telling me every time you eat sugar, you can count on a suppressed immune system for 4-6 hours immediately following your sweet treat. So what is a mother to do? Be the weird/mean parent who doesn't let their child indulge at the holiday party? We are certainly paying the price for all of our partying! Was it worth it...thats hard to say! All in all, I feel extremely grateful for healthy kids and count my blessings daily. This bout of illness is manageable and short-lived....but challenging at times.

I am hoping your post holiday let down was a little less eventful! :)

Pajama Party
2011!

No School + Husbands Working + Cold Weather= A mom that must get creative!!!

It's been a long week of good quality time with the kiddies....so Maria and I came up with a fun idea. We surprised our kids with new pjs and told them they could wear them all day! We also planned on doing breakfast for all three meals. Oatmeal for breakfast, pancakes for lunch and an egg casserole for dinner.

The kids really enjoyed making holiday themed pancakes. We made snowmen, with bacon for the scarf, and chocolate chips and blueberries for the face/buttons. You could also use powdered sugar for some snow!

The kids and parents enjoyed having a low key pajama day on this rainy December day. :)

Halo Drama!

Even though Ben's angel halo caused major drama for him during the Christmas concert, he still pulled through with a killer performance. :)

Christmas at Great Grandmas!!!

Santa (uncle Andy) stopped by and brought smiles and toys to all the good boys and girls!!!!

One of my favorite things in the world.....when my oldest friend and I have girly playdates with our little darlings!!!

Pictured: Ruby and Lana (Mini Marthas) making homemade gingerbread playdoh.

Cell Phone Saga

Does anyone else stress about cell phones? I do! I recently purchased one of these rock crystal lamps and love it! I can't say it has done anything for us...physically...but I do enjoy the look of it! It is very therapeutic to look at and it serves as our downstairs night light. I put it in our family room where we watch TV and use our laptops. I'd like my husband to put one in his office at work, but he questions the effects of the little lamp. Infact, he often jokes with me at night and says, "I just feel so amazing when the lamp is on!" Ha ha ha! He is sooo funny! :) As I mentioned before, I like the look of it and hope it has some positive effect on our home environment. Read below about my new little lamp:

"These salt crystal lamps are considered natural air ionizers. These crystal salt lamps create negative ions in the air which help in getting rid of impurities present in the air. It all naturally cleanses the air in environment that is located. Rock salt lamp also eliminates computer radiations. Salt lamps can be used in offices as well as in homes as they restore and endorse energy.

Salt candle holders are striking as well as beneficial. These salt candle holders produce negative ions when get warm and purify the air. They also put an end to the humidity in the room. In addition remove computer radiations from the place where these salt candle holders are placed. These decorative salt candle holders are the best alternative for giving to friends and family.

With the help of bath salt crystals, various ailments can be treated such as arthritis, aches, respiratory problems and muscles spasms as well as insomnia. It is an old remedy and has been used by people for a very long time."

The other picture of the cute retro phone came to me as a gift idea from my friend Maria. I actually would like to get one for me! I usually chat to on the phone during that crazy dinner hour when I so desperately crave adult conversation. I often have trouble balancing my cell phone on my shoulder while I prep dinner and get in a quick phone conversation. I read the reviews and it looks like people really like this product. Read below:

Retro Handset found on Amazon.com: "Eliminates up to 99 percentage of the radiation absorbed compared to a direct use of mobile phones"

Kids these days are being initiated with electronics...it just can't be good for their physical and mental well being. I wish I could say my kids aren't going to have cell phones, video games and Ipads, etc....but I know that is not realistic. I have such an uneasy feeling about the effects of these devices. Only time will tell.....

Check it out!

I know most of you read Kelly Hampton's blog, but if by chance you don't, you MUST check out her blog post documenting her North Pole Christmas party for her little girl. It might be the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Prayer time at the Thanksgiving play! I thought this picture was cute and much better than last year's pictures of my boys picking their nose for most of the play. :)

A Yummy Pancake Idea!

First Time is a HARM!

After carrying the kids around (and breaking our backs) our homemade ice rink last year, we thought it was in the best interest of our physical well-being to invest in "learn to skate" lessons. Although the first class ended in tears after some pretty good spills, I do think it will be a fun winter activity.

Garlic lovers are in luck..... Anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial all in one! If you have a hard time eating garlic raw, try to add it to your soups, stews, sauces, etc. at the very end of the cooking process to obtain the most nutritional benefits. Also, let the crushed or chopped garlic sit for a little bit before changing the temperature to maximize the health benefits.

Fortunately, for me I love garlic. Infact a few years ago, Jake and Ben came down with a nasty virus and I read about the health benefits of garlic and an interesting home remedy. Their virus settled in their chest so the recommendation was to make homemade chicken stock/soup and load up with garlic and onion. Sounds normal..right? The next recommendation was a bit odd but worth trying. Crush fresh garlic and smear it on your child's chest and then cover with a warm was cloth. The garlic is suppose to penetrate the mucus and help break it up. Your kid will probably need a bath before going to school but hopefully they will feel better.

http://www.saltwater-kids.com/2010/12/thrifty-gifts-bird-seed-ornaments-for.html

Christmas Countdown!

I can't believe it is already December 5th! Time flies around the holidays. We are doing yet another holiday countdown. Everyday the kids get a message from Santa indicating an activity, craft, charitable project, or fun surprise for the day. So far we have found little surprises under our pillow, went ice skating, made hot cocoa and read a christmas book, and made the ornaments seen above. The ornaments were extremely messy! My recommendation is to do it in your garage, if at all possible. I think these will be a good gift for grandparents and friends.

Tonight's countdown activity was super fun! Check out www.portablenorthpole.tv/home for a personalized video to your kids, from Santa. You can download pictures and Santa reviews your child's activities, talks about goals for the year, and their wish list. It is ADORABLE! My kids loved it...well all except one. Luke had a melt down because he was pretty sure he was on the naughty list. :) He had a near panic attack waiting for the final result...NAUGHTY or NICE! Fortunately, to his surprise, he was on the nice list.

Other fun December countdown activities (mostly stolen from pinterest and friends) are watch a christmas movie, decorate cookies, visit santa, write a letter to santa, decorate the snow with red and green food coloring mixed with water in a spray bottle, drive around and look at christmas lights, support a food drive, celebrate Jesus's birthday, do a ginger bread house, draw names and go shopping for one of your siblings, donate toys (each kid has to pick the number of toys that correlates with their age), etc. etc. Fun and crazy times ahead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gift Idea

This would be a cute gift for grandparents for a holiday gift! This came from Pinterest! :)