Twice the love...half the sleep!

Our week with Busia and Dzia Dzio

2012-02-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy week! We spent everyday with my parents while they were here and went to every park. The kids had a blast and have been sleeping wonderfully because they are so worn out.

I posted the photo collages the other day, but I'll post them again today, and this time I'll at least tell you about them.

My parent's first day here we just went to Downtown Disney, had some lunch and the kiddos rode on the train and carousel. The next day we went to Epcot and had dinner at Garden Grill inside the Land. It is so yummy there, and the kids got to meet a bunch of the characters. The next day we went to Animal Kingdom and Aaron got to be in the Lion King show. Later that day we went to Magic Kingdom and the kids went on the teacups for the first time. I went on it for my last time I think. I was definitely green after getting off. We also took the kids on Astro Orbiter for the first time, that was an experience. Friday it rained pretty much all day, so we hung out at the house and then Busia and Dzia Dzio came out and we all went to dinner with Paw Paw. I think we all needed a day to chill out. Saturday we went back to Epcot and had lunch at the Biergarten in Germany. Aaron found himself a girlfriend (the hostess), he even blew her a kiss. Something we learned at Epcot was that Aaron is obsessed with the ride Living with the Land. I've never seen a child so into a ride like that in my life. I like to think it's because it's educational, but in reality it's probably because it's a boat ride. Sunday we went back to Magic Kingdom and had lunch at Tony's Town Square. The lines were actually pretty short at Magic Kingdom, even on Sunday. Monday we went to Hollywood Studios and sat one row up at the Beauty and the Beast show. I have a feeling that's where Jill will want to sit from now on. As a matter of fact, this morning when she woke up she had a lengthy discussion with me about how the girl behind us got the red flower and she didn't and that little girl didn't even look happy when she got it, but Jill would be happy to get it. Oh my. Yesterday we just went back to Downtown for lunch and then said good-bye. Jill asked Dzia Dzio if she could go back to Chicago with him.

Here are the photos of the kiddos (mainly Aaron) with all of the characters they met:

We lucked out the one day at Epcot because they were training their character greeters, so all of the characters were out with virtually no line. Aaron loved every second of this.

We had such a great time with my parents this past week. It definitely went by entirely too fast. I know the kiddos cannot wait to see them again! Ok....the kiddos and me ;)

Quick Photo Update

2012-01-30T08:56:00.002-05:00

This is why you haven't seen any posts since Thursday....

We've been too busy with my parents! I'll update more later, hope you're having a great start to your week!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2012-01-26T08:15:00.000-05:00

For those of you that don't know what Thanksgiving Thursday is, it is the one time during the week where you stop and basically count your blessings. Even if you've had one of those weeks, I promise you can find at least one thing to be thankful for, no matter how big or small.

This week I am thankful for:

Scott, and this week I'm so incredibly proud of him! He nailed a presentation at work, and even though his research for said presentation may have the Department of Homeland Security watching us, I'm so proud of him!

Aaron and his humor. The kid has had us all laughing the past few days, whether it's his facial expressions or imitations, it's hilarious and sometimes makes up for the times that he's not so funny.

Jill having quality time with her Dzia Dzio. I don't know what that little girl has planned, but she is definitely setting him up for something. It is cute to see them together though.

My parents being here this week, it's awesome to see them, especially before my MOM has her other knee replaced.

The awesome one liners they have been dropping all week. Trust me, a post is coming.

Mimi getting a release date! Woo hoo!

What are you thankful for this week?

Life Well Lived...Looking Your Best

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm teaming up with the great ladies of BlogHer today in their Life Well Lived segment. This week is about looking your best and here is the questioned that was posed to me:

What are your beauty resolutions this year? How do you plan to shake up and streamline your routine? What are the good habits you are committing to developing?

For the most part my daily look is pretty simple. I've been trying to mix up how I style my hair, this way it's not the typical "mom hair". However, something I've noticed is that my "daily" look never seems to change into my "going out with my hubby" look. I making a conscious effort this year to try and look more...romantic....when we go out. So I guess you could say that my resolution is to shake up my normal routine and experiment with new looks. I have every intention of getting tips, tricks and ideas from my niece who just graduated from beauty school (her makeup is always flawless).

As far as good habits I'm committing to, I'm really trying to stay ahead of the aging process. Ever since I moved to Florida I have made sure that all of my lotions and makeup contain at least an SPF of 15 since the sun is always out. I also try and pamper my skin once a week with a mask, I've definitely noticed a difference in this. I'm also trying to stay on top of cleaning my makeup brushes. Honestly, I am pretty bad about this. Everyday I wipe them down to get the color off of them, but I'm bad about actually washing them. I've taken to setting reminders in my phone so I can stay on top of it. I've also started setting reminders for when it's time to throw out makeup, this way I'm not using expired products. Check out this article on About.com to find out when to throw out your products.

Want to join in on the discussion? Head over to BlogHer and check out the main post and leave comments there. While you're there, please visit the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes starting on January 26^th and enter for a chance to win a Kindle Fire and a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

Step Away From Pinterest

2012-01-23T22:00:00.002-05:00

My name is Amanda, and I am a Pinterest addict. If you do not know what Pinterest is, consider yourself lucky, and do not Google it. Don't do it!

I find myself on there pinning crazy things, like how to remodel your bathroom mirror without cutting it (I actually pinned that, by the way). How to make a wall craft in the shape of your state? Pinned! Save your wine corks and make a centerpiece? Ok! The crazy part in all of this is that I actually want to do this. No, really.

The remodeling of the bathroom pin, I showed it to Scott and said, "We could totally do this!". I have two walls in my house that are a horrible red color (the paint was too thin and crappy so it looks awful) and I have yet to fix it, but remodel my bathroom mirrors with just a few supplies from Lowe's? Sure thing! Let me secure my tool belt and get on my way.

Scott thinks I'm crazy, the phrase "Step away from Pinterest" has come out of his mouth. I start conversations with "Oh my gosh I just pinned this blah blah blah on Pinterest!"

So is there a club for us yet? No seriously....maybe I can pin it?

Blonde no more...

2012-01-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

I finally did it....I completely went brunette, no more blonde. I've been talking about doing it again for a while, but have never had the guts. I was not a fan of the last time my hair was dark, it just wasn't the right color, but this time I think it's perfect. Whatcha think?

The kids seemed to like the new hair color as well. The last time I went this dark they weren't too sure about it. Granted, they were a lot younger then.

This afternoon we popped over to Animal Kingdom to let the kiddos run around in the dino playground. We both have to be there because the area is just so big and both kids go in opposite directions. I am always amazed at how daring the kids are in here. For the longest time Aaron was petrified of our slide but he has zero problems going down the HUGE enclosed slide in this playground. Plus, they both climb the cargo nets like it's their job, it's really impressive.

I'm hoping all of that fresh air and running around has worn their little rear ends out, I know it wore us out!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2012-01-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

The great three day weekend we had! So glad that Scott had that nice break from work!

All of Scott's hard work. He really busts his hump at work and we are all so proud of him!

Aaron's hilarious car wash impression. I'm going to try and get it on video, my parents were cracking up.

Aaron's penguin impression. He saw the picture of a penguin on the bottle of Dawn in the kitchen and immediately began walking around like one, except it was nothing like how a penguin walks, which made it hilarious.

Jill's little sh!t attitude sometimes. After we picked up her flower girl dress we stopped at Starbucks for a treat. I thought she finished it, but she was saving it to show her brother. Then she took a bite and gave the most insincere apology I've ever heard. It was kind of amazing.

Jill's love of Barbies, it reminds me of being her age and it's just so sweet.

My parents coming down next week! Woo hoo!

Mimi making steps (literally) to come home soon. Very exciting!

Being featured in the inaugural issue of Multiplicity Magazine (I'm on pg. 46).

Being in the last weeks of class. I'm so excited and ready for the end to be here. Now let's work on that whole 'job' thing.

What are you thankful for this week?

The end of naps...

2012-01-18T12:40:00.002-05:00

*Sigh* Regular naps have officially ended in this house. I know, I know, the fact that my kids still napped after the age of 3 should make me one grateful Mama, but seriously, this sucks. I have a months worth of General Hospital taking up valuable space on my DVR, it's distressing.

Since naps have gone down the crapper, we now do "quiet time". The kids get to veg on the couch and watch a movie, while I do whatever I need to get done. If I'm lucky one of them will give in and take a quick snooze.

So what did you do when your kiddos gave up naps? Did you do quiet time as well? Will I get any more lines on my face because of this?

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

2012-01-18T09:41:00.004-05:00

I'm a sucker for homemade bread, especially when it's fresh out of the oven. I made this bread around the holidays and when I was flipping through my photos and saw the photo I knew I'd have to make it, like right now.

Ingredients

1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon; set aside.
In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1 cup sugar.
Combine egg, milk, and oil; add to flour mixture.
Stir until just moistened.
Pour half of the batter into pan.
Sprinkle with half the reserved cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Repeat with remaining batter and cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Draw a knife through batter to marble.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Wrap in foil and let sit overnight before slicing. (um whatever, I skipped this step, it just smelled sooooo good)

Seriously, this is so yummy. Another yummy thing to do with it is when it has cooled, heat it up in the microwave for a couple seconds, it's delish.

Our 3 day weekend

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

Scott had a three day weekend and it was amazing. I honestly cannot tell you the last time he had that much time off at one time and we didn't have four million things already planned. It was nice to just have a weekend as the four of us.

We spent Friday at Magic Kingdom because we thought it wouldn't be too crowded. We totally forgot about today being Martin Luther King Day and that the majority of schools had a four day weekend. The park wasn't awful, but it wasn't as calm as we had hoped.

We mainly hung out in Fantasyland, since those were the rides the kids really wanted to ride. We started with the carousel, which is Jill's favorite.

Then we spent at least 5 minutes debating if we wanted to wait 40 minutes for Winnie the Pooh. The lesson learned here is that you should never, ever, promise your kids that you will go on a specific ride because you will find yourself standing in line for 40 minutes. At least the line has fun things for the kids to do.

After lunch, and a few more rides, we watched the parade and called it a day. We all had a blast and were actually surprised at how many rides we got on in such a short amount of time.

Saturday morning we met Paw Paw for breakfast at IHop. The kids have only been out to breakfast one other time, so this was a cool treat for them.

Jill also made liars out of Scott and I at breakfast. She hardly ever eats pancakes and said she wanted pancakes for breakfast. Scott and I both agreed she would have French toast since we didn't think she would eat the pancakes. She ate both of Paw Paw's pancakes like it was her job. I think we will listen to her next time.

Sunday after church the boys went to Paw Paw's to "tinker" with the model trains while Jill and I went to pick up her flower girl dress. I thought Sunday would be a better day to go than Saturday...it wasn't. They have a sale going on right now and it was a mad house which totally spooked Jill, well that and all the tulle. Seriously, there were a lot of bride-to-be's in tulle and it was disturbing. Since it was slightly traumatic (for both of us) we stopped at Starbuck's on the way home for a treat. I was hoping my little angel would finish her cookies before her brother saw, but no, she had to rub it in. She said, "Hey Aaron, see my cookies! (takes a bite) They're so good!". I told her to say 'sorry' since it's not nice to rub it in someone's face and she said the most pathetic insincere 'sorry' I've ever heard. It's only just begun.

Last night Scott and I met our friends Dawn and Dyson for dinner at Cheesecake Factory where we had, hands down, the worst waiter in the history of waiters. At least our food came out without any visible spit, so that counts for something, right?

I wish Scott had more three day weekends because this one was pretty awesome. Hope you had a fabulous weekend too!

Van's Giveaway Winner

2012-01-13T18:46:00.002-05:00

Congrats to Samantha! You've won the Van's giveaway!

Simply email me at twicetheloveblog@hotmail.com to claim your prize.

Mommy Page.com - Adventures in Parenting and Great Savings

2012-01-12T14:45:00.001-05:00

I am delighted to welcome Shreya from MommyPage.com as guest blogger. Be sure to check out Mommy Page's interview with yours truly while you're there!

We’ve just launched a new site, MommyPage, to bring expecting moms, new moms and veteran moms a single source to all of the deals, coupons and savings opportunities offered online!

Our goal at MommyPage is to scour the internet to find and consolidate the latest free samples, coupons and special offers from some of the best name brands that moms like us love! When the brands we love most aren’t offering something special – we have a team of moms that reach out to those companies to encourage them to offer something great to our MommyPage Turners! MommyPage currently has found and posted offers such as VTech Kids, Kellogg’s, ThredUp, Baby Talk and American Baby!

Beyond our offers and deals, MommyPage helps all moms navigate their way through parenting. Our community of moms share stories on buying maternity clothing, healthy eating for two, baby behavior, first day at preschool and more! Being a mom is about managing a home and lifestyle. With our tips on parenting and access to savings – we hope to help moms make parenthood a successful adventure!

We hope that you allow us to join you in your adventure in parenting! Visit our Mommy Page today.

BlogHer Book Club Review: Why Women Need Fat

2012-01-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to love "Why Women Need Fat" by William D. Lassek M.D. and Steven J.C. Gaulin, PH.D., I really did. When the email came out about reviewing this book I jumped at the chance, mainly because I love reading all things related to nutrition. For me though, this book disappointed me.

The book is broken down into three parts; Why and how we got fatter, why women need fat and how to achieve your healthy natural weight. A lot of the information in the first two sections are not surprising and really nothing new, to me at least. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that when the label on the food you are eating has more ingredients you cannot pronounce than you can pronounce, it's not healthy. I did, however, find some of their findings quite surprising and slightly disturbing.

One of the most disturbing claims I read was that high fructose corn syrup is ok, and not a reason why we are getting fatter. Um....I'm not a doctor, I don't even pretend to be one on tv, but I'm not buying that. Maybe by itself and in extremely low doses it's fine, but when it's in almost every product on the market, I think that is the problem. Now, we can start a debate on this, but let's just get back to the book.

The book has such potential to really educate women about eating healthy and making sure that you have smart fats in your diet (high in omega-3's and low in omega-6's), but I feel like it ventures off that path too many times and almost encourages the reader to be overweight. No, really. I was floored when I was reading and it said it's better to be overweight because you will be less likely to break a hip when you're older since your bones will be stronger from carrying the weight. A discussion about natural foods and eating the right amount of fat (and not processed fats) would have made this book amazing. I worry that women are going to read this and not get the right message out of it.

I'm interested to see what the other reviewers have to say over at BlogHer, be sure to join us and join in on the discussion.

Disclosure: This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own

Thanksgiving Thursday

2012-01-12T07:45:00.000-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott having a three day weekend! We are beyond excited and cannot wait to just relax and have fun!

Aaron who is so talkative lately. Sometimes I'm not thankful for this, I'll be honest, but the things he comes up with makes it all worthwhile!

Jill at religious ed this week. She helped Ms. Lois and Ms. Marion set up the room before class. I was so proud of her!

Mimi being one step closer to coming home.

My parents coming down soon. I know the kiddos can't wait to see them, and let's face it, I'm pretty excited too.

Weather that reminds me why I love living in Florida.

Family game time. There is nothing more humbling than having your @ss handed to you by two three and a half year olds in a game of Hi Hi Cherry-O.

What are you thankful for this week?

Van's Natural Foods Giveaway

2012-01-10T08:30:00.000-05:00

I've reviewed Van's products quite a few times on here and I love that they keep letting me check out their new products. I'm not exaggerating when I say they are my favorite breakfast food company, mainly because I can trust what's in their products. I recognize all of the ingredient names and my kids love them (specifically the chocolate chip waffles).

Van’s has just launched Power Grains, the first high protein waffle nationally available. Each serving, made with cracked red wheat and steel cut oats, offers 10 full grams of protein, more than an egg. As the journal Obesity recently found, eating a breakfast high in protein helps keep people feel full longer, with fewer food cravings, than other breakfasts. And a study published in July by the International Journal of Obesity has found that children who eat breakfast tend to gain less weight over time than children who skip breakfast.

Like all of Van’s products, Power Grains are made with high-quality, natural ingredients and frozen for freshness so they don’t contain nasty preservatives. Van’s is proud of its ingredients, and makes its foods with the recipe list you’d use at home. (And Cooking Light just named their 8 Whole Grain waffle the best one on the market!)

The new Power Grains waffles are really yummy. They are not available in all stores yet, but thanks to the handy dandy store locator feature on Van's website, I was able to find some at my local Whole Foods Market. I got them in 'totally natural' and they are beyond delicious. For me this is a great way to get some added protein while I train for the half marathon, without having to eat more eggs (which get old real quick), grilled chicken (again, gets old), or a protein bar.

One lucky Twice the Love...Half the Sleep reader has a chance to win coupons to try Power Grains waffles completely free! For a required entry, simply visit Van's Natural Foods website and tell me what flavor you would love to try.

For additional entries:
Follow Twice the Love...Half the Sleep
Like Twice the Love...Half the Sleep on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter (@amandanethero)
Like Van's Natural Foods on Facebook
Tweet about this giveaway, be sure to include @amandanethero in the tweet

The winner will be announced on Friday, January 13th, 2012. Be sure to leave separate comments for each entry!

Disclosure: I was provided coupons for free Van's products for review. The opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced.

What the kids are saying....

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted some of the funny things the kids have been saying, so here we go...

Me: Busia and Dzia Dzio are coming down at the end of the month to see you guys.
Jill: Busia is going to take me on a helicopter ride.
Me: Say what?
Jill: Busia is going to take me on a helicopter ride.
*as a side note, there is no way my MOM would ever get on a helicopter*

Aaron: Is that Busia and Dzia Dzio's plane?
Me: No, they won't be here until the end of the month.
Aaron: Then their plane will land in the grass?
Me: Um, I hope not. The plane needs to land on a runway.
Aaron: Or the grass....

Aaron: Who's that?
Me: The Pope.
Aaron: No...(goes to get his Cars 2 version of the Pope)...this is the Pope.
Me: This is the real Pope.
Aaron: Ohhhhh, the real Pope.

Jill: (touching her ear) Showtime Synergy!
*We watch a lot of Jem in this house*

Aaron: No Jill, I can't go to Japan.
Me: What? Japan?
Jill: Yeah! We're going to Japan!
Aaron: I can't go to Japan.
Me: Nobody is going to Japan.

Me: Hey Jill, we're going to go to Animal Kingdom today and see our friends.
Jill: Um, how about we play Hi-Ho Cherry-o?
Me: Seriously?
Jill: Wait....Animal Kingdom?! The animals?! Lion KING?! Ok!

Jill: Good morning Mommy, I missed you.
Me: Aw, that's sweet. I missed you too.
Jill: Now how about some French toast?

That's all I can think of right now, I know there are so many more funny things they've said, I just have to get better about writing them down. Hope you all are having a great start to your week!

Homemade Fried Rice

2012-01-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

Scott LOVES Chinese food, no seriously, he could eat it every single day. I don't mind Chinese food, but it tends to give me a massive headache and I usually feel like garbage after we get take out. So to satisfy his love of Chinese food I make homemade chicken fried rice. It's a much healthier version of take out and I don't feel like total garbage after.

The key to this recipe is your rice has to be cold before you make it. I usually make my rice a day ahead of time, or at the latest the morning of. This recipe is also super budget friendly. A bag of brown rice is not even a dollar and you get at least 4 batches of this recipe from a bag. Awesome, right?

Here's what you need:

2 tablespoons of canola, vegetable, or olive oil
3 large eggs
1 small onion, minced or pureed (if your kids don't like visible onions)
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of fresh ginger or 1/8 teaspoon of ground ginger
2 cups (about 12 oz) cooked, cubed chicken, ham, pork, beef, or shrimp. (I usually do chicken)
4 cups cooked brown rice, cold. If you don't like brown rice you can definitely used white rice.
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup peas
Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium heat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk your eggs
Add eggs to the skillet and scramble until almost set, then transfer to a bowl.
Increase heat to medium high and heat the remaining oil.
Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
Spray your skillet with oil if needed.
Add the cubed meat and stir-fry for another 2 minutes
Add the rice and soy sauce and toss until the ingredients are combined well and the rice is heated through.
Allow the rice to brown in skillet before stirring.
Add eggs and peas for the last minute of cooking.

This makes a great meal by itself since you have a protein in it. It also heats up really well the next day for leftovers. Hope you enjoy!

Fun at Animal Kingdom!

2012-01-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

The kiddos and I went to Animal Kingdom today and met up with my friend Andrea and her twins Carter and Cameron. It was a little chilly first thing this morning, but it quickly warmed up and was a perfect day to be out seeing the animals.

We did a lot of the nature trails first and the kiddos got to see two tigers close up, as well as bats, turtles, gorillas and kangaroos.

The kids all got along really well. Aaron had two other boys to be silly with, and Jill...Jill had (cue a high pitched girly voice) Carter:

They held hands most of the day and she has spent most of her afternoon/evening talking about Carter. I think we had a budding romance on our hands, it's so adorable!

After we got off the safari all of the kids decided to hold hands and walk down the path, I am so glad I was able to catch the moment.

Is that not the cutest thing ever?!

So glad we had a chance to meet up with Andrea and the boys! Can't wait to do it again!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2012-01-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott and the amazing opportunities that have been coming his way. I hope it all pans out for him, he totally deserves it.

Aaron's singing this week, it's been cracking me up. He's been singing "Yo ho and up she rises, yo ho and up she rises, yo ho and up she rises early in the morning."

Jill who has been cracking me up all week. She had Ariel tell me that she wanted to go to see Lion King and then agreed with Ariel. And so it begins...

Our families, they are pretty awesome.

Mimi getting better, hopefully it'll only be a few more weeks.

A laugh on Sunday with Jill's picture in the bulletin. (here it is in case you missed it)

A great time at the Champs Bowl, even though Notre Dame lost.

A fun playdate today, can't wait!

What are you thankful for?

That there Clark is an R....V....

2012-01-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Scott and I are usually on the same thing about everything, until recently. Quite frankly, I'm scared about how not on the same page we are about this. What could possibly be so scary and possibly earth-shattering you ask? RV's and camping, naturally (it's like you don't know me at all people)!

When we were on our way to the science center the other day we saw all of the RV's heading back to that trailer park in the sky, or something like that, and Scott says: "Wouldn't it be great after we retire to get an RV and see America?" In my mind I heard: "Hey little lady what 'cho say we gets us an RrrrrrrV and see 'Merica?"

I started to look around the car, maybe he's talking to the kids? An imaginary friend? Certainly he is not talking to me. As I feared, he was looking right at me, which if you think about it is not safe while driving. So he said: "Whatcha think?" Naturally, my response was, "Um no."

I fear that this is what he envisions:

I mean really, would I ever wear pants like that? No. And seriously, I would be holding the bottle of wine, not just a glass.

At this point he is trying to defend his idea, talking about how it's a "sweet ride", and how much more convenient it is to have a bathroom right there so you don't have to stop, and how we could see the world's largest ball of twine. I'm still not seeing the selling point here, I'm just not.

He only brought up the "recreational" vehicle one more time, but then last night while watching Texas Multi-Mamas (which you should really watch) he says, "Let's go camping." I almost fell off the couch. Who in the world is he talking to? It's not the kids, they are in bed. Maybe he's talking to the dog? "Who are you talking to?" "You." He must be joking.

I don't camp. Nothing about sleeping outside in a tent, on the ground, with all the creepy crawly things sounds remotely appealing to me. I can barely handle a Holiday Inn Express, what makes him think that I can handle "nature".

At this point I pretended like I went deaf momentarily. So far it seems to have worked, he has not brought up the "c" word since.

We'll see how long that lasts.

Homemade BBQ Baked Beans

2012-01-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

On New Year's Day I made my BBQ pulled pork and really wanted to try my hand at some homemade BBQ baked beans to go with it. I found this recipe on Whole Foods website, and while it was yummy, I may need to play with it a little.

What you need:

3 slices nitrate-free bacon, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder, more to taste
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as navy, rinsed and drained or 6 cups cooked white beans
1 to 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
Salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cook bacon in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat until it starts to release its fat. Add olive oil and onions and cook until translucent and soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, sugar, molasses, chile powder, mustard and vinegar until well combined and cook for 1 minute. Add beans, broth, salt and pepper and stir gently to combine.

Cover skillet tightly with a lid or foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove lid, add more broth if needed to moisten beans and continue to bake, uncovered, until top is browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes more. Serve hot.

I actually did not put my skillet in the oven, mainly because I couldn't remember if it was oven safe. I put mine in a Pyrex baking dish and covered it.

Hope you like this!

Checking out the Rexies

2012-01-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

We took the kiddos to the Science Center today, it was a little busy because the kids aren't back in school yet. It wasn't too bad though and we all had a blast. Even Scott got in on the action...

The kids also got to watch their first movie in the Cinedome. We saw a movie called Animalopolis, it was pretty cute and the kids enjoyed it. I was impressed that they did so well in the big theater, it can be overwhelming sometimes, and they acted like total pros. After that we headed up to their favorite area, the dinosaurs, or as Aaron calls them, The Rexies.

I'm pretty sure they could spend all day in the dino area. They love "digging" for fossils and checking out all of the dinosaurs.

We can't wait to go back on a night that they have the observatory open, I think the kids will really like checking out the stars.

Hope all of you are having a fantastic day!

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe it's 2012. I'm pretty sure we were all supposed to be living like the Jetson's by now, at least that's what I thought when I was a kid.

We kept New Year's pretty low key over here. Scott had to work on New Year's Eve, but was off early enough that we all got to hang out. We got some milkshakes and snuggled on the couch to watch The Princess and the Frog (seriously, my favorite).

New Year's Day we started out with going to mass, and when we were leaving and I picked up the bulletin I noticed there was a photo from the Christmas pageant that the kids were in. As I was looking to see if Jill was in it, it became painfully obvious that she was...

If this photo is any indication of what 2012 will bring, it should be an awesome year. I hope you welcomed 2012 in a fabulous way as well!

Champs Bowl 2011

2011-12-30T09:30:00.000-05:00

We went to the Champs Bowl last night to see Notre Dame (GOOOOOOOOO Irish!) play Florida State. Scott went to Florida State and normally I'm a FSU fan, however, since my Irish were playing I had to rock "the shirt".

Yes friends, it was a house divided. Unfortunately, as my father says, "they blew the G-damn game" and the Noles won. Regardless, it was an awesome time and we had amazing seats. Thanks again Harley and Michelle for having the hook up and getting us those seats!

By far the coolest part of the game was watching four paratroopers parachute in with the flags.

Another fun fact for this game is that the first FSU game that Scott saw was at the Citrus Bowl, with Harley, when they played Notre Dame.

We won't go into specifics on this game, because as we found out last night, it makes Scott sound like a dirty old man. Ok, we can go into specifics, Scott was a junior in high school and I wasn't even in junior high. Awesome.

I would also like to take this time to thank the old man that dressed up similar to a leprechaun in our section (he even danced), the fall down drunk lesbians in front of us for making me chuckle, and the drunk guy in front of the lesbians who probably has no voice today, but who made very valid points; EJ did play like a poor man's Brantley last night.

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-12-29T09:15:00.000-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott having Christmas off, it was amazing to finally have him home for Christmas! He also has New Year's Day off, I'm not sure what to do with all of these holidays he has off, I'm not used to it!

Aaron's excitement on Christmas morning, it was perfect. Now if he could just grasp this potty training that would be phenomenal.

Jill's excitement on Christmas, it was also perfect. She's also been a big help this week while I've been trying to get Aaron potty trained.

Our parents who have been awesome to us this whole year.

The Champs Bowl today. It's Notre Dame vs Florida State, translation, it's a house divided. I will be the green speck in a sea of red today and I'm totally ok with that.

The cooler weather, it's been a welcomed change.

The end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012. I hope 2012 is even better than 2011!

What are you thankful for?

Kid Friendly Eggnog French Toast

2011-12-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

I really wanted to make eggnog French toast for Christmas morning but all of the recipes I found called for rum and weren't really kid friendly, until I found this recipe. Now, I know when you look at the amount of spices that go in you may be like me and think 'this cannot be right', but I assure you it is and this is sooooo yummy!

What you need:

2 eggs, beaten slightly
1 1/2 cups eggnog1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups eggnog
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice12 slices French bread

What to do:

1. Whisk the eggs. eggnog, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a mixing bowl until well blended. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish.

2. Preheat an electric skillet to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lightly grease the skillet. (or just use a frying pan like I did)

3. Dip one slice of bread at a time into the eggnog mixture, being sure to coat each side of the bread thoroughly.

4. Place the prepared bread slices into the preheated skillet, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on each side. Place cooked slices on a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm until all French toast is cooked. Serve immediately.

Seriously, this was sooooooo good! Since I still have some eggnog left over I'm going to try and make it again. Hope you enjoy!

Hot Cocoa Cookies

2011-12-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

This is another cookie recipe my MOM sent me. She did not make these, but they were on the same page as some cookies that she did make and I really wanted to try them. This recipe came from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

You need:

1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter

7 bars (3.5 oz. each) semisweet chocolate—12 oz. chopped, 7.5 oz. cut into 1-inch squares and the rest for garnish

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

30 marshmallows

Here's what to do:

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently, over medium heat. Let cool for 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla at low speed until smooth, 2 minutes. Mix in the cooled chocolate mixture just until blended. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing on low speed until just combined. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour. (If making the dough a day ahead, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.)
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 325°. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough and roll between your palms to form 1-inch balls. Arrange about 16 balls 2 inches apart on each cookie sheet, flattening slightly. Bake until the tops of the cookies crack, about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, snip 8 marshmallows in half crosswise and stick 1 square of chocolate onto each of the cut sides.
Remove the cookie sheets from the oven; gently press a marshmallow half, chocolate side down, into each cookie. Bake until the marshmallows are just softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 5 minutes; grate the remaining chocolate over the hot cookies. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to the racks; let cool. Repeat the process with the remaining dough, marshmallows and chocolate. Bake each batch on a clean sheet of parchment.

These literally taste like a cup of hot cocoa, they are soooooooooooo yummy! Hope you like these as much as we do!

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

2011-12-27T14:00:00.000-05:00

I had zero intention of making a ton of cookies this year, and now I have at least 5 dozen cookies still sitting in my house. My MOM sent me this recipe, she found it in Woman's Day magazine. The cookies are really yummy, and to save time you can buy the candy cane already broken up.

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
2 cup(s) bittersweet chocolate chips (12 oz)
1/2 cup(s) (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup(s) sugar
2 large eggs
6 tablespoon(s) heavy cream
8 can(s) canes, smashed (about 3/4 cup)

Here's what to do:

Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the microwave according to package directions. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the melted chocolate and then the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in 3/4 cup of the remaining chocolate chips.
Drop rounded tsps of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 in. apart. Bake, rotating the position of the pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and set, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave the heavy cream on high until simmering, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 3/4 cup chips to the cream and let stand for 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Spread the chocolate mixture on top of each cookie (about 1/2 tsp each); top with the candy canes. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.

These were super yummy and deadly because they are one bite cookies. I've got more recipes coming today, so be sure to keep checking back!

Our Christmas!

2011-12-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

We had a fantastic weekend! On Christmas Eve we went to the children's mass and the kids ended up singing Feliz Navidad the entire ride home. When we got home the kids put out some reindeer food and then we came inside to open our Christmas Eve presents.

Every year we open a Christmas Eve present, which is always new jammies to wear on Christmas morning. How cute are we?

Jill was the first one up on Christmas morning at 6:30 (I totally called that by the way). She actually turned on the light in the kitchen because she was "looking for Boyd". Uh huh...whatever you say. We were able to convince her to hang out with us until Paw Paw got to the house and Aaron woke up.

The kids made out like bandits and they were so excited with everything they received. This by far was my favorite moment from the morning:

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

That monorail was the only thing he asked for this year, so when he saw it he was over the moon. Busia and Dzia Dzio definitely made his Christmas.

We even had a chance to surprise Mimi at the rehab center. The kids were so excited to see her and Mimi loved seeing them.

When we got home I basically spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen getting dinner ready. I made Alton Brown's roasted turkey, so good people, so good. I also made some garlic and chive mashed potatoes and a butternut squash and apple casserole. I should also mention this was the first time I've ever made a turkey. I was very proud of myself, see:

Delicious looking, right? I'll try and post the recipes for all of the cookies I made (yeah, I made a lot) and the sides.

I truly think this was the best Christmas of my adulthood. I am so thankful for everything this past year, and I cannot wait to see what 2012 holds for us!

Those aren't our cards!

2011-12-23T21:45:00.001-05:00

I've written this post in my mind at least a dozen times over the past 24 hours, I couldn't figure out how to tell it, but well...here it is....

Our Christmas cards arrived yesterday, or at least a package with my name on it from the company that we received our cards from. I received the cards as a thank you for writing a review for the company, so I was equally excited that all I had to pay for this year was shipping. Scott opened the box and a look of sheer terror and panic ran across his face. I saw a flash of pink and thought, "What the hell? The cards are supposed to be red...why are there two guys kissing on my Christmas card?!" That's right kids, we got someone's coming out card instead of our Christmas card. (As a side note, if you received our cards and are reading this post because our blog address is on them, hit me up in the comment section! I'd love to get my cards)

So I called the company's customer service line to let them know we received cards that belong to someone else. The woman I was talking to...yeah I had no idea what she was saying and she couldn't seem to grasp the fact that I, in fact, did not order these cards. Mind you, during this conversation I'm gasping for air from laughing. Only in my life do things like this happen. I asked to speak to her manager and for real, didn't even get an apology that I didn't receive my cards. She also said there was no way to find out who has our cards. Really? Nobody else is going to call and say, "Hey I have this box of cards with some ridiculously good looking family on them." They would say that, I know they would (if you have my cards, you're agreeing, aren't you?).

Needless to say, there will be no Christmas cards from us. I really did not feel like waiting a week or more to receive the cards and then send them out a week-two weeks after Christmas. So I emailed everyone this morning with our actual card:

True story kids, true story.

I hope all of you have the merriest of Christmases!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-12-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott having Christmas off this year! I honestly cannot tell you the last time (if ever) he has had Christmas Day off.

The funny things coming out of Aaron's mouth. He told me we have penguins in our freezer and that's how we get ice. Makes sense.

My girls day today with Jill. We have to get her sized for her flower girl dress this morning and we are going to make a whole morning/early afternoon of it. I love one on one time with my little miss.

Kids who really get the meaning of the season. We were talking about Christmas dinner and both asked for birthday cake for baby Jesus. No, we will not be blowing out 2011 candles.

Kids who are genuinely excited for Christmas this year. This is the first year I think they really get it and I cannot wait until Christmas morning.

Mimi being on the mend. She will not be home for Christmas, but at least she is getting closer to coming home!

Paw Paw letting me take the reigns with Christmas dinner.

My parents who can always give me a laugh when I call, and who can find battery chargers for the crazy amount of batteries we will need this Christmas.

Only two more nights of having to think of places for Boyd the elf to go. I'm tapped out people.

Mornings outside all week. The weather has been amazing! Granted, I think it's a bit warm for Christmas, but I'll take it over the 20 degrees my parents have.

A short, but great, visit with Aunt Bettye and Cousin Karyn. The kids haven't seen them since they were only a few months old.

Training for a half marathon, this will hopefully keep the extra pounds off from all of the cookies I plan on stuffing my face with this weekend.

What are you thankful for this week?

The Christmas Pageant

2011-12-20T15:00:00.000-05:00

The kids were in their very first Christmas Pageant this weekend. I have been looking forward to this since September. Deep down I think I am a stage mom, minus the pixie sticks and big hair. The kids seemed excited about the pageant as well, but Scott and I knew better. This is their first time being in front of people doing anything, so we knew it would either go remarkable well or it would just go. Well it went, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

It took some convincing to get Aaron in his costume, but he finally put it on. Jill was gone and in the lap of one of the teachers daughters before I could blink, so we were not concerned. When pageant time came though, Aaron bowed out and then back in and then back out. Jill would only go up if the teachers daughter went with her. All of the kids did an amazing job and it was such a sweet show! I cannot wait for them to do it again next year!

I tried to upload some video, but the file apparently is pretty large (20 minutes) and it's taking forever. Any sites that seem to work better with this kind of thing?

Our Family Photos

2011-12-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

I thought I would finally share some of our photos we had taken this year by the lovely Leia of Lucky D Photography!

Aren't they amazing?! If you are local, you definitely need to check her out!

Upside-Down Apple-Spice Cake

2011-12-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

With all of the holiday parties and pot lucks and "hey can you make something real quick?" things I usually resort to my semi-homemade recipes. This year I wanted to try something new and I found this recipe for Upside-Down Apple-Spice Cake on Betty Crocker's site. I've made it in the 13x9 pan and a bundt pan. If you are making this in a bundt make sure you really grease the sides of your pan and you can cut down the amount of apples you use.

Here's what you need:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 lb apples, peeled, chopped (3 large)
1 box spice cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

What to do:

Heat oven to 350°F. In 13x9-inch pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar and walnuts over butter; stir to combine. Sprinkle chopped apples in pan.

Mix cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Pour batter over apples and walnuts in pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cooling rack 2 minutes; run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down on pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Serve cake warm.

Now, I actually haven't tried this cake because I haven't made it for us yet. My MOM made it and said it's really yummy. Hope you like it!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-12-15T14:30:00.001-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott's schedule being changed, it means he can see the kids in the Christmas pageant live rather than hours later on video.

Aaron's version of Jingle Bells, it goes Kingle Bells Kingle Bells Kingle all the way....Kingle Bells Kingle Bells (and repeat).

Jill's excitement over Boyd the elf, she cannot wait to find him every morning, even if I'm cursing at getting up everyday before the sun, it's sweet to see how excited she is.

Family, whether they are down the road or you have to take the blue plane to see them.

Online shopping. Honest to goodness I'd lose my mind if I had to physically go to the stores right now. The 30 minutes I spent in Walmart last weekend was enough to turn me into an alcoholic, no lie.

Bing Crosby's Christmas Album, it's the best, hands down, of all time. You need to own it.

Our amazing weekend that we had. It was so much fun!

Mimi getting better! We hope she's home for Christmas!

What are you thankful for this week?

The Phone Call

2011-12-14T07:45:00.000-05:00

Scott and I got the dreaded phone call while we were out to dinner last night; Jill had a fever and we had to pick her up from Religious Education. She had been fine all day, minus the congestion she has, so we booked it. Thankfully, her fever wasn't that high and we were able to get it down almost immediately. Aaron saw us when we went to pick her up so he wanted to go home with us too.

I am so over this cold and flu season, and the weather so far. I feel like we have been sick more this year than any other year, I don't know if that's because they are in a class now or what. I know Jill's latest thing has to be because it was 60 degrees the other day and was 80 yesterday. The constant weather changes that have been going on are killing us over here. Hopefully this is just a quick little thing and won't require us to actually see someone to tell us it's just "viral".

Last night when we got home though Aaron sang "Jingle Bells" to us, except he sang it as "Kingle Bells". This is one of the songs they are singing in the pageant at church. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this. Don't worry, I will be videoing the whole thing so you can see just how adorable my children are ;)

Where are the batteries? We don't have enough batteries?

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

The weather was pretty crappy yesterday morning. It was really overcast and that fine misty rain. Being the awesome Mommy that I am, I set up Aaron's Disney train thinking this would be so much fun for him to play with today. I had it all set up and then my worst fears were realized...I didn't have enough batteries. I only had 2 of the 6 required batteries. Like any rational mother I changed into more presentable yoga pants and a jacket, no makeup and hair in a pony tail and took the kids to the store. There was no way I would survive my day listening to him say "Where are the batteries? We don't have enough batteries?"

We were at CVS in record time, and you gotta love them because they had their brand of batteries buy one get one. It's like they knew. But here's the problem, as I was checking out my lovely daughter spotted the giant display of Christmas crap and like a moth to a flame was there faster than I could say "No way". She came walking back with one of those mini pillow pets, so I politely took it back and told her she could ask Santa for one. What does my angel do? Grabs it again and begins to run through the store. Aaron didn't move, or breathe for that matter, he had his batteries he was not about to jeopardize this. I caught her as she made her way for the door and the store manager came to rescue taking the stupid dolphin from us.

The whole crazy ordeal was worth it though, especially when you see your little man like this:

The smile on his face made the whole thing worth it. Even when the train kept jumping the track because I forgot a piece.

Our Christmas Weekend!

2011-12-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

We've had a super busy weekend so far. Last night we went to our church's Christmas party. It was so nice and there were a ton of people there. Everyone brought in a dish for dinner and then Father Jean led us in Christmas Carols.

This morning Jill and I were talking about the party and she said she thought it was awesome that Father Jean played the organ and was signing.

We headed out to Brooksville this morning to see the Christmas parade. Our friends Matt, Bonnie and their son were in the parade as Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus. The weather, even though it was overcast, was really nice. We sat right at the step off point so we had a great view of everything.

There were a ton of great floats, but here are some of my favorites:

The inmates above are actual inmates, they were shoveling poop from all the horses. I found this slightly humorous and slightly degrading all at the same time.

The kiddos were excited when they saw Matt and Bonnie on their float. Bonnie, by the way, blogs over at The Not So Modern Housewife, she has a ton of great recipes, you should check her out.

Don't they look great? They were the only live nativity in the parade, all of the others were plastic and such.

After the parade we headed home from a quick refresher and then went back out to our friend Randy's Country Christmas Party. When we went last year Jill decided to jump off of Randy's front porch and landed us in the ER for the night. Thankfully, this year we did not have a repeat.

Randy has two horses and the kids love them. The first thing we did when we got there was run over to say hi. Aaron and Jill both got to feed each horse a carrot and then Randy brought out a saddle and the kids got to each take a ride around.

That's our friend Staci in the photo, the kids love her to pieces and were so glad to see her at the party. The kiddos spent most of the night running around, talking to the horses and playing with baby Henry (you know, baby Jesus from earlier in the day). I got to spend some time with handsome Henry as well. Scott told me that I needed to step away from the baby, but he's just so freakin' adorable, I mean look at him!

And yes, that's my daughter driving Staci's car down the driveway. It's not a country Christmas unless a child is sitting in someone's lap driving a car. Merry Christmas y'all!

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

I finally got my Christmas tree up and decorated the other day. Naturally, the kiddos wanted to help, which meant they took the ornaments off and handed them back to me.

They are really into Christmas this year, even though Jill keeps confusing it with Halloween. Yeah I don't get that either. The excitement that they have right now makes me so excited for Christmas morning and for Christmas mornings to come.

We've got lots of Christmas themed activities this weekend which we are all excited for. This is my favorite time of year and I cannot wait to make the memories with the kids! Hope you have a a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-12-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott FINALLY getting the all clear on his pneumonia.

Scott securing all of his vacation time for our cruise!

Aaron's excitement over the smallest things. It is so sweet and I hope moments like that last a lot longer.

Jill's singing in the car. It is hands down the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

Our families, they have done so much and mean so much to us.

Washable markers that quickly come off, oh I don't know, your daughters face when she decides she needs "makeup" an hour and a half before family photos.

Good friends that you can sit in jammies with and drink wine, or spend a day in the parks with.

Gorilla glue, it has saved many a toy.

Chilly mornings that make you want to stay and bed and snuggle with the kiddos before getting up to face the day.

What are you thankful for this week?

Riiiicolaaa

2011-12-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

Remember how Scott and I were sick a few weeks ago? With the pneumonia came an awful cough and we were sucking on cough drops like it was nobody's business. Towards the end of our "plague" Ricola was kind enough to send me a care package with some Dual Action cough drops in it.
Ricola Dual Action is the first multi-symptom cough drop from Ricola. It combines menthol-a natural oral anesthetic- and a soothing cherry syrup center with Ricola's proprietary blend of Swiss herbs to help provide naturally effective relief for cough and sore throats.

With cold and flu season in full swing, Ricola launched a social media campaign to help consumers “get well soon,” with care packages sent “From Switzerland, with Care.” The program offers a variety of social media resources to deliver real-time relief to people battling coughs and colds this winter. Visit www.facebook.com/ricola or twitter.com/RicolaUSA to check it out. Care packages will include Ricola’s newest product innovation, Ricola Dual Action, a great product to keep in your purse and medicine cabinet this cold season!

Did you know that only five people in the world know the secret recipe for Ricola cough drops? While many know and love the “Riiiiicolaaa” brand, few know the story behind it. Here are some quick facts, and you can learn much more about Ricola on Facebook:

The founder of Ricola, confectioner Emil Richterich, started producing Ricola drops in the 1930s, delivering them by hand around his tiny hometown of Laufen, Switzerland until demand grew strong enough to compel him to purchase a bicycle.

He established Richterich & Company in Laufen, which is where the name Ricola comes from: RIchterich & COmpany, LAufen (RI-CO-LA).

It’s all in the family – the current President of Ricola, Felix Richterich, is Emil’s grandson!

I will definitely be stocking up on Ricola Dual Action cough drops this cold and flu season. What are your go to products when you're sick?

Disclosure: I was provided a Ricola Dual Action cough drops for review. The opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced.

The Adventures of Boyd

2011-12-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

We started doing the whole elf on the shelf thing with the kids for a little over a week. At first they weren't too sure what to think of their newly named elf, Boyd. Now Jill is up at 6 am to find out where Boyd moved to. Here are some of his locations:

Day 1:

Boyd was in the playroom admiring the fantasy football trophy. The kids were a little freaked out that he appeared out of nowhere, but by the end of the morning they were telling him things to tell Santa. Aaron would walk by and say, "Psst....hey Boyd...Red...Train"

Day 2:

Elf literally on a shelf. The kids were freaked out that he moved.

Day 3:

Boyd decided to sit up nice and high and watch over the playroom. The kids thought this was silly.

Day 4:

Elf in a wreath, or tree as Jill called it. Jill thought this was hilarious by the way.

Day 5:

Elf on another shelf, this time in the kiddos room. They thought it was silly that he was in their room. Boyd also took a tumble off the shelf, thankfully nobody saw and mommy was able to put him back in his location.

Day 6:

"Don't forget your keys!"

Day 7:

Making Mommy's coffee. Aaron told Scott that Boyd was a bad boy because he had Mommy's coffee and he had to give it back.

Day 8:

Boyd was caught playing with the blocks. This brought an unexpected freak out from Aaron. He said he was all done with Christmas and Boyd and that he just wanted his blocks back. It should be noted that this morning he was mad that Boyd was not playing with the blocks and they he, like a good elf, put them away. Sigh.

Day 9 (today):

Boyd must have seen that Daddy brought Mommy flowers, so he thought he would bring us one too. Isn't he nice! Both of the kids thought it was really sweet.

I'm still not sure who this whole thing is more fun for, us or the kids.

Review: 750 Best Appetizers

2011-12-05T20:30:00.001-05:00

With the holiday season upon us, many of us will be hosting parties, or attending parties that we need to bring a dish to. One of my favorite things about parties is there are usually a ton of appetizers, and I love appetizers. I had a chance to check out a new cookbook that is full of all of my favorite things, 750 Best Appetizers by Judith Finlayson & Jordan Wagman. Judith Finlayson is a bestselling author whose life-long love of cooking has translated into sales of over 1.5 million copies of her books, and Chef Jordan Wagman has received national recognition from the James Beard Foundation and was nominated as a “Rising Star in North America.”

This book is structured to cover a broad range of options. There are 16 chapters built around specific types of dishes, such as Dips and Spreads, or specific ingredients, such as Fish and Seafood or Cheese. They've also categorized the book by presentation, since it’s an integral component to appetizers, so you’ll find chapters like Wraps and Rolls. They've also considered the need to satisfy a variety of dietary preferences, from strictest vegans to wide-ranging omnivores. And, since they know you’re probably doings lots of things at once, many recipes can be prepared ahead of time or made in your slow cooker while you’re busy with something else.

Here are some of the amazing recipes in the book:

· Vegetarian Vietnamese Fresh Rolls
· Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Crostini
· Mini Falafel Sandwiches
· Mango Spiked Salmon Ceviche
· Pancetta-Wrapped Scallops
· Potato Tortilla with Peppers
· Walnut –Dusted Cheese Balls
· Strawberry-Topped Brie
· Smoked Chicken-Stuffed Yellow Peppers
· Sliced Steak with Horseradish and Roquefort Cheese
· Oh-So-Retro Meatballs

They all sound amazing, right? You can flip through a list of the appetizers and preview two of the recipes on the website for 750 Best Appetizers. You can also order your own copy there. Which appetizer sounds amazing to you?

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of 750 Best Appetizers for review. The opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced.

Maty's Healthy Products Winner and Coupons!

2011-12-05T20:00:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Aimee on winning the Maty's Healthy Products Giveaway! I will be contacting you so you can claim your prize.

Want to try Maty's? Maty’s Healthy Products just recently launched their $1.00 coupon on Coupons.com! The coupon can be used on any of Maty’s Cough Syrup, Kids Cough Syrup, Baby Chest Rub or Vapor Rub Products. Also, the coupon expires Jan. 30th 2012, so hurry and print yours out today!

Osbourne Family Lights

2011-12-05T08:15:00.000-05:00

Saturday we went with 5 of the B6 to Hollywood Studios for the day to see the shows and finally the Osbourne Family Lights. Last year we all went to EPCOT to see the lights and the weather was awful. Thankfully this year the weather was gorgeous!

Since the B5 had never been to the Studios our plan was to do as much as possible, which with all of the shows can be challenging. Not to mention 5 kids under the age of 5. Our first stop was Lights, Motors, Action. My kiddos love this show and we hadn't seen it since they added Lightning McQueen to it. Aaron happened to catch a peek of Lightning before the show and he could barely contain himself.

Everyone (especially the Dads) loved the show! It was a great start to the day and was quickly followed by lunch as we could tell everyone's blood sugar was dropping and meltdowns were about to start, same for the kids. After lunch we went on the Backlot Tour.

I honestly cannot tell you the last time that I went on this ride, but a lot has changed. Aaron was a huge fan of this ride because it is essentially a tram, and after all that is why you go to Disney, to ride a tram. After the ride we found Mike from Monsters Inc and took a moment to meet him.

Aaron backed out at the last minute and Jill suddenly became shy. Can I mention that the whole time in line they were beyond excited to meet him. 'Twas awesome. After this side trip we went and saw The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Dawn's girls LOVE Ariel so I think I was more excited to see how they reacted to the show. Emma hands down had the biggest smile I've ever seen and Ellina had her scrunched up really excited smile too. I had to laugh during the show though because Pearce kept asking if it was a long show and when it would be over. Amen kid, I feel ya.

We had some time to kill before the Beauty and the Beast show so we went on the Great Movie Ride. While standing in line the little girl behind us started to meltdown a little and Dawn was admiring her (she was pretty cute). The Dad laughed and said "Makes you want to have another, huh?" and Dawn said "Yes, actually it does." The look on the man's face was PRICELESS. He even said you normally don't get that reaction. That family stared at all of us like we were crazy people the whole ride. I probably would too, I mean we did have 5 kids under 5 and weren't drinking. As a side note, Ellina was plastered into my side this whole ride and wanted to know why I took her on that creepy thing. I love her.

We made it just in time for the Beauty and the Beast show, which is hands down my kids favorite show. Again, I was more excited about watching the B5 kids and they did not disappoint. They were all so excited as were Dawn and I. Dys and Scott were glued to their phones and saying things like "LSU is a second half team."

The best part of the show was at the end when all the dancers come out because Ellina had this look like, "What the hell, this wasn't in the movie!". Priceless people, priceless.

We went to Fantasmic right after and just made the 6:30 show. Again, my kids loved the show and Ellina was plastered into my side saying things like "Can you cover my eyes?" and "Why is the witch doing that?".

After Fantasmic we went into the Osbourne Lights, you know the whole reason we went to the park. It was pretty crowded, but we also went around when it began.

The kids loved the lights, especially Pearce. We were in there long enough to see the lights dance a few times, which is always fun. We even managed to snag a pretty adorable family photo, minus the woman behind Scott. What's with that face, right?

We had all hit our magical limit after the lights and started making our way towards the exit. It was an awesome day with our friends and the kids were asking if we could do it again before we even left the parking lot. It was shortly followed by this:

I am so glad we got to have the day with the B5, they are such an awesome family and we love having them in our lives!

That time my engagement ring disappeared....

2011-12-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday the kids and I were getting ready to go to Animal Kingdom since they had been asking to see the Lion King show since before we all got sick. The weather was perfect, it was going to be an amazing day.

As I was getting ready Jill started playing with my rings and as I was telling her to stop playing with them my engagement ring fell to the floor and then, no lie, vanished. I felt like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone or something. I shook out the rugs, I opened the cabinets and searched in there, I literally tore apart my bathroom and it was nowhere to be found. How could it just disappear?

Now Jill during this whole ordeal had one of those smug smirks on her face and I was nanoseconds from losing my patience. Then she says the ring was in her pants, as in underwear, and she had just gone to the bathroom...and flushed. I almost died. Then she said she put the ring in her mouth and now her tummy hurts. I contemplated shoving my finger down her throat, but stopped myself when she said it just fell on the floor.

Like any rational person I took to Facebook describing my dilemma. People asked if it was in the garbage can (negative, it's on the opposite side of the room), if it went down the drain (um it's entirely too big to fit down the drain, and yes I checked anyway) or smashed into a hairbrush (negative, I even checked my hairdryer for good measure). It had vanished and now I had to tell Scott. He appeared calm, or as calm as you can appear via text, but I know in reality he was thinking "She better find that effin' ring". I began to feel a tingly sensation in my head and I couldn't tell if it was my first gray hair popping through or the start of a stroke, either way it was not good. The eye twitch that followed did not help.

So after 2 hours of searching, 2 Advils for the tension headache I had acquired, and one gigantic piece of chocolate cake I ate as a distraction (and maybe as a comfort) I went back into the bathroom to look one last time before I called the looney bin to come take me away. As I was laying on the floor I noticed the baseboard of the cabinet was pulling away, which does not shock me since whoever built this house did it the cheapest way possible. Call it curiosity, call it insanity, potato, pah-tah-to, I began pulling back on the board and there it was, my ring behind the baseboard of the cabinet. How it got there I will never know and I have zero desire to find out if it could happen again.

I immediately sent a text to Scott telling him I found the ring. When he asked where I said "Well I pulled apart the baseboard of the cabinet and found it." I waited for the "How bad is the cabinet?" comment but instead I got a "Thank God you found it, I just said to my trainee she better find that effin' ring". I know him so well...

Jill and I had a chat after about how you need to listen to Mommy and I'm sure all she heard is "blah blah blah now we can go see Lion King". I hope she has twin girls just like her, I really do.

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-12-01T08:30:00.001-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott almost being completely over his pneumonia! It's been a long few weeks but it is great to see him on the mend!

Aaron's adventurous side that he showed us yesterday. He was climbing cargo nets and going down 3 story slides like it was his job!

Jill being adorable, because after what she pulled yesterday it was the only thing that saved her. More on that tomorrow.

Our pretty awesome family, whether they are here or in another state.

The cooler weather we have been having, it's nice to have it actually feel like it's supposed to.

Almost being done with my undergraduate degree. I start my last class on the 13th, I cannot believe it!

Finding my engagement ring yesterday after Jill dropped it and it vanished. Trust me, a post is coming tomorrow on this.

What are you thankful for?

Maty's Healthy Products Review and Giveaway

2011-11-29T11:45:00.000-05:00

We've been all battling colds (the kids) and pneumonia (Scott and I) over here for the majority of the month. With the kids they are still too young to really be given anything other than Tylenol and Motrin and when it comes to congestion I think Vicks VapoRub is a little much at times. Plus, with Jill's sensitive skin the last thing we need is a rash on top of everything else. Thankfully there is a rub that is all natural and will not irritate her skin, Maty's Baby Chest Rub.

Maty's Baby Chest Rub is made with all natural products including Eucalyptus, Lavender and Chamomile. The chest rub is menthol and petroleum free. The essential oils boost immune function while it calms and soothes your baby. The chest rub is also menthol and petroleum free, which have the potential to be harmful to baby. The scent is really nice and not overpowering at all, like Vick's. Jill didn't mind having it rubbed on and it seemed to help.

Maty's has several all natural products for the whole family to use during cold and flu season. Be sure to check out their website to see all of the products and find out where you can purchase them.

Maty's is also running a "Be a Guardian Angel" Holiday Initiative. For every 100 new fans, Maty's will donate $100 to Vitamin Angels. Vitamin Angels reduces child mortality worldwide by connecting essential nutrients with infants and children under five. Essential nutrients enable young immune systems to fight infectious diseases, helping children attain good health and the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives. For more information, visit http://www.matyshealthyproducts.com/vitamin-angels. When Maty’s reaches 1,000 “likes” on Facebook, they will donate an additional $500 to the cause. Contest ends Dec. 30th so start now!

Want to win a container of Maty's Baby Chest Rub for this cold and flu season? Simply like Maty's Healthy Products on Facebook (let me know that you did this in the comment section).

For additional entries:

Follow Twice the Love Half the Sleep
Like Twice the Love Half the Sleep on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter (@amandanethero)
Follow Maty's Healthy Products on Twitter (@matyshealth)
Tweet about this giveaway (include @amandanethero and @matyshealth in your tweet)
Visit Maty's website and tell me what other product you would love to try

The winner will be announced on Friday December 2nd, so hurry and enter!

Disclosure: I was compensated by company or PR representative with a container of Maty's Baby Chest Rub for writing my honest review. The views are strictly 100% my own. Receiving the product(s) did not influence me to produce a positive review.

SugieWogie Review

2011-11-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

I've talked about bathing suit woes before. Seriously, next to a root canal I think bathing suit shopping is my least favorite activity. I usually buy 2 piece suits (takini's) because most one piece suits are not made for amazon's like myself, so naturally I was a little skeptical about the SugieWogie.

What's a SugieWogie you ask? SugieWogie, created by Shari Riehl, is the first ever line of luxury SwimDresses for women of all sizes that control imperfections and trouble spots. Cut from lusciously soft nylon/spandex, the collection of SwimDresses have one-piece body shaping bodysuits complete with legs (thigh-controlling shorts). While most swimsuits cut off at the widest part of a woman's body — her hips — these SwimDresses are a bit longer, to cover problem areas. No more super tight elastic band hugging your upper thigh and causing a muffin leg. The legs are double lined and lay flat for a sleek look.

The SugieWogie Signature Collection consists of 4 SwimDresses and 2 cover-up tops. SugieWogie Signature Collection comes in four designer styles: Cheers for Tiers, Splash Safari, Marilyn Sighting and Ruche Hour. Each SwimDress is crafted from a luxuriously soft nylon/spandex blend with a concealing, sheer mesh overlay. The signature cover-ups are mesh tops that compliment your bathing suits in styles named Ruffles Hide Ridges and Oh So Kimono. All are available in black (but of course), are patent-pending and made in the USA.

I received a SugieWogie in Marilyn Sighting. Of the four this was my favorite style, and seemed the most youthful. What surprised me the most about this SwimDress is the weight. It definitely feels heavier than a normal swimsuit, but once you have it on you forget about the weight. The suit also fit me perfectly, especially lengthwise which is normally a concern. We are going on a cruise this summer and this SwimDress while definitely get packed. It will be perfect for the day we spend on the private island since I won't have to bring along a cover up.

The price for a SugieWogie is definitely steep (well, at least for me). The Marilyn Sighting SwimDress retails for $272, however, the material and overall construction of the SwimDress makes it well worth the price. You are getting a high quality shapewear SwimDress that will last you a long time.

Be sure to check out the other 3 designs of SugieWogie SwimDresses and keep up with SugieWogie on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I was compensated by company or PR representative with a SugieWogie SwimDress and write my honest review. The views are strictly 100% my own. Receiving the product(s) did not influence me to produce a positive review.

The Elf on the Shelf

2011-11-28T07:45:00.000-05:00

I finally went out yesterday and got The Elf on the Shelf. I think this year is the perfect year to start this with the kiddos and Scott and I were really excited to start the tradition. Plus, if it encourages good behavior we are sold.

Last night we read the kiddos the story of the elf on the shelf and it came time to name our little pixie friend. Here's how that went...

Jill: Um Ariel.
Me: Um....he's an elf not a mermaid. Aaron, what name do you think?
Aaron: Larry Boy.
Me: He's not a singing cucumber, any other suggestions?
Jill: Boyd.
Aaron: Yeah, Boyd.
Me and Scott: Boyd?!
Jill and Aaron: Boyd.
Me: Ok, Boyd it is.

I have no idea where they got the name Boyd from, but Boyd it is. Jill found him this morning watching them in the playroom....

Jill: Um, what's that?
Me: Boyd the elf, remember we read the story about him last night.
Jill: Oh yeah....Santa....hmmm....

When Aaron got up Jill showed him Boyd and Aaron asked to speak to him.

Aaron: Boyd, hey Boyd. I want a red train. (I'm so glad this is the part of the entire story he remembered...)
Jill: Ooooh I want an elephant Boyd!
Me: I'm sure Boyd will tell Santa, but you have to be good, remember?
Aaron (whispering): Boyd...red....train.

This is going to be awesome.

Our Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T17:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to lie, I did not have high hopes/expectations for our Thanksgiving this year. Scott and I were/are getting over pneumonia, Jill has an awesome barking cough, and Mimi is in the hospital with a raging staph infection that is now seemingly under control. Paw Paw and I chatted and I said I had zero desire to make the full feast and we decided to order it in from Publix. Funny story, I ended up making everything except the turkey anyway.

Scott's only requirement on Thanksgiving is cornbread dressing, and actually his Mom makes squash dressing (which is cornbread dressing but with squash), and Maw Maw's gravy (which really is more of a soup than a gravy, but I digress). So I made a regular bread dressing for us Northerner's (Paw Paw and myself) and the squash dressing for the Southerners (Scott and Mimi since Paw Paw took her a plate). It's dangerous territory being a Yankee making southern food, but apparently I was successful.

Dinner itself was a success and really delicious. The turkey was perfect and so was my apple pie. The tryptophan kicked in right away for Aaron who was already tired. It only took one slice of turkey and the poor kid was out.

At the end of the day it was a great Thanksgiving. I may have eaten my body weight in stuffing and other various carbohydrates, but it was totally worth it. Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving as well!

Thanksgiving Thursday - Thanksgiving Edition

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Every week I list the things that I am thankful for, and since today is Thanksgiving the list may be a little bit longer.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for:

Scott and everything he does for us during the year. He is the sole bread winner and I know how much pressure that is on him. I am thankful for the days he gets up and goes to work when he would rather stay home or do something else.

Scott allowing me to have access to the Netflix account so we can watch movies that have more than one word titles and star people other than Vin Diesel.

Scott having both Thanksgiving and Christmas off this year. I honestly cannot tell you the last time this happened or if it has ever happened before.

Aaron who has the best sense of humor and can always make me laugh, even when I don't need to laugh.

Aaron who can give the best hugs when you need them.

Aaron who genuinely loves, cares and shows concern for everyone around him. Some girl is going to be very lucky to have him one day in the very very distant future.

Jillian who reminds me so much of myself at this age. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes this is the thing that nightmares are made of.

Jillian who comes up with some of the funniest observations I've ever heard.

Jillian who also genuinely loves, cares and shows concern for everyone around her. I would say some boy is going to be very lucky, but he also gets her "stubborn" streak too. It will take a very strong man.

My parents who are always there for me when I need them. I am so lucky to have the family that I have and honestly wouldn't change it for anything.

My in-laws who are an amazing support system for us. They help us in so many ways and I don't know if I can ever say thank you enough to them.

My brothers and sisters who have helped shape into the person I am today. This includes all traumatic experiences that have led to phobias in my life.

My sister Tay-Tay (Cathy) who is someone I can always look to for a laugh, or a bitchy comment when I can't think of one. We may not have started out as the best of sisters but I am so incredibly thankful to have her in my life. Not to be super cheesy, but, if you look up sister her picture should be there.

My amazing friend Dawn. She's like my sister from another mister, I love her!

My friend Jenn who took the kiddos for the day when we were sick. She's an amazing friend in general and I love her dearly!

The success I've had at Multiples and More. It has given me so many opportunities and has just been an overall blessing.

Having a roof over our heads when so many people are losing theirs. We are blessed and lucky to still be where we are.

Missy teaching me how to coupon to the point that I do. It saves us so much money and ensures that we have more than enough food to the point that people can literally shop out of our pantry if need be.

Our church family. We are lucky to have found a great group of people in our parish.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? Link up over at Multiples and More!

Harmony Valley Foods Review

2011-11-22T15:30:00.001-05:00

As many of you know I don't eat beef. It's not really a "don't kill cows" thing, I just hate the way I feel after I eat it. I usually sub ground chicken or ground turkey for ground beef in my recipes, but it gets old after awhile. I've also been looking for vegetarian options because I want to start cutting out the amount of meat we eat in general. Even if it's just starting with something as simple as a Meatless Monday.

I was able to try Harmony Valley Foods Hamburger Mix. Harmony Valley Foods is a privately owned and operated business in Fort Collins, Colorado since 1984. It creates shelf-stable protein mixes from vegetables to encourage health. The company is dedicated to fully sustainable business practices and is powered by the winds of Northern Colorado. Its products are certified vegan and kosher. Harmony Valley Mixes are available in natural food grocers. Harmony Valley is found in the dry foods aisle- near pastas and whole grains.

With 14 grams of protein and four grams of fiber, Harmony Valley’s soy-based vegetarian mix is the NEW item to have in the pantry to replace ground meat on Mondays. It’s versatile, quick and convenient, and only needs one thing to prepare for cooking – water. Harmony Valley is available in two great flavors: Hamburger and Sausage Mix.

Harmony Valley strives to educate consumers that replacing meat just once a week can improve health and reduce carbon footprints. On the average, Americans consume eight ounces of meat per day – 45% more than the USDA recommends. Going meatless once a week can reduce the risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce carbon footprints, saving resources like water and fossil fuel. With a designated Meatless Monday, people have a scheduled and recurring reminder to start the week off on a nutritious note.

So what did I make with my Harmony Valley Hamburger Mix? I made nachos for the whole family. Prepping the hamburger mix was so simple, you just add water and put it in the fridge for 15 minutes. That's it. After that you just need to heat it through. So simple, right?

Add the hamburger mix with some vegetarian refried beans, low-fat shredded cheese, low-fat sour cream, salsa and corn chips and you have nachos for your whole family. All of us loved it and I cannot wait to sub this into more of my recipes!

Disclosure: I was provided a sample of Harmony Valley Hamburger Mix for review. The opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced.

The Gym Incident

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love my parents, they absolutely crack me up. Yesterday was no exception. As many of you know, my MOM had knee replacement surgery this year and is doing amazingly well. She decided to join the gym that my Dad goes to and now they work out together at some ungodly hour in the morning. There is nothing that makes me laugh harder than when my Dad talks about the gym, and when you have a case of pneumonia it hurts so good. I'm not kidding guys, I could not text my sister fast enough to ask if she heard "the gym story". Here's how it went down...

My Dad is talking to me about how they went to the gym, and how on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's that gym is always busy. Please cue the Chicago accent...ahem:

Dad: All the THREADmills are taken but they had one of them air bikes but you know with that other knee she can't really do the bike. So I put her on that machine, you know, so she could work on her TIE muscles and build up strength in her legs. (*My face is already buried in my shirt to stifle my laughter*)

Me: Yeah, so how did she do?

Dad: She did good except when we went to leave she realized she lost her phone. I don't even know why she brought the God D@mn thing into the gym in the first place. And it's not like anybody stole it, we haven't had that problem there. I mean I would question it if she had it in her jacket, but she didn't.

Me: Did it fall between the seats in the car?

Dad: No, I checked. It probably feel out by that one machine because you are at an angle and it was in her pocket. I don't know why she even brought the thing in. She's there looking for it now.

So I razzed my MOM a little about it when she got home but then after texting with my sister we devised our plan (cue evil laugh):

Tay-Tay: I just called and left them a message telling them we want to know if they have locker's there.

Me: "Don't you two have anything better to do? Jesus Christ!" (This is our expected response from either or both parents)

Tay-Tay: Who two? Jesus and Christ? They are one in the same.

Me: I would pee my Pampers if you said that to them. Oh.My.God.

So a few hours go by and I call my parents to give them an update on my mother in law. After talking with my MOM for a while I casually say....

Me: So, do they have lockers at that gym?

MOM: Oh you know, what you two can go to hell!

And the laughter hurt....it hurt so good.

Oh this sucks....

2011-11-20T07:23:00.002-05:00

Scott and I have had coughs and been somewhat sick since Tuesday. We assumed we just had colds and took some over the counter meds and tried to sleep it off. Let me also mention, we have never, ever been sick like this at the same time with the kids. It has not been enjoyable.

Finally, early (like 1 am) on Saturday morning I woke up because I was having problems breathing. Scott took me to the ER. 6 hours later they said I didn't have kidney stones (ok?) and that my chest x-ray came back fine. Probably just a viral thing, which I think in medical terms means, "yup, no idea". So we got home and a few hours later they called and said I had "a little bit" of pneumonia. I didn't realize you could have a little bit of that, but I do. Scott hearing this figured he should go in too. Turns out he has full blown pneumonia.

So here we are....the pneumonia twins, with our medical masks and our twins. Thank you to Jenn for taking the kids yesterday it helped so much!

The One with the Dentist

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

The kiddos had dentist appointments yesterday, and in true mini-Scott and mini-Amanda fashion, they were not excited. Surprisingly, Jill went back right away with the hygienist while Aaron stayed in the waiting room with me. Splitting them up actually ended up being the best idea ever, and I'll tell you why.

Jill screamed, Jill threw herself to the ground and wouldn't move, and Jill played the potty game for 20 minutes. That's when I got called into the office. In case you have never been lucky enough to be called into the office at the dentist, it is similar to being called into the principal's office. The office manager (the dentist wasn't actually there since it was just a cleaning) sat me down and turned the computer screen around. There she was, my stubborn daughter, curled up on the floor next to the chair. Epic. "She's kind of stubborn, isn't she?" I had to bite my tongue and not say "Is the Pope Catholic?". Then I had the flashback to all of my dentist appointments as a child. I was a monster. I used to make myself gag during x-rays, I cried/screamed the whole time, it was awful. Oh Lord....

They were able to get her teeth cleaned and walked her out as Aaron was being walked in, but they were sure to see that neither child saw the other one in passing. I'm glad they did it this way, there is no way Aaron would have gone back if he saw Jill's tear stained face.

Aaron, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of any of us and went back and didn't make a peep. He was done in less than 15 minutes. It was a dream. During that time Jill told me about the not-so-awesome time she had:

Jill: Mommy, I was crying.
Me: I can see that. Why were you crying?
Jill: They brushed my teeth.
Me: You were crying because they brushed your teeth?
Jill: Uh huh.
Me: But it's just like when Mommy brushes your teeth. Actually, it's better, you get to watch a movie.
Jill: I know...I cried. Where's Aaron?
Me: Getting his teeth brushed.
Jill: Oh no Mommy!
Me: Jill, he's fine, he's not even crying.
Jill: I cried....

She even told Scott all about it when he got home from work. It was like it just happened minutes before. I have 6 months to work on this fear of the dentist with her. Any tips?

The Swiss Cheese Debate

2011-11-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned it before, but the kids are seriously cracking me up lately, which is a welcome change from the moments I want to rip my hair out. Aaron has a cheese obsession, seriously it's not a love, it's an obsession. He varies between what kind of cheese he wants though, it can be either string, square (sliced) or chunks. He likes all kinds, even kinds you wouldn't think a 3 1/2 year old would like (Gruyere, Peccorino-Romano to name a few). However, he has a problem with Swiss cheese. This is how it went down....

Aaron: Momma, can I have a square cheese?
Me: Ok...here you go. (handed him a slice of Swiss)
Aaron: No, the yellow cheese (Cheddar).
Me: Aaron I'm out of cheddar, I just have Swiss.
Aaron: Momma, it's broken.
Me: No, it's supposed to have holes in it, see... (show him the whole package)... all of them have holes.
Aaron: Oh no, all the cheese is broken! Fix it!
Me: No, it's supposed to have holes.
Aaron: Daddy fix it?
Me: Nobody can fix it, it's supposed to have holes.
Aaron: (moment of silence and contemplation) I want yellow cheese.
Me: I don't have cheddar Aaron, I just have Swiss.
Aaron: I don't want broken cheese. (walks away)

True story.

Bounce Dryer Bar Review

2011-11-14T12:15:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to sample the new Bounce Dryer Bar. I'm not a fan of dryer sheets, but I love the smell of fabric softener (don't act like you don't like the smell). The Bounce Dryer Bar is so easy to install and puts out an amazing scent. Plus, it lasts anywhere from 2-6 months. Isn't that great?

Here's how you install your Bounce Dryer Bar:

Installing the Bounce Dryer Bar is simple and can be completed in just a few easy steps. Just be sure to wipe down the dryer drum before you install the bar.

Step 1:

Select a location on the drum BETWEEN the dryer fins. DO NOT pick the back wall, the door nor the fins (the pieces that stick up from the dryer drum).

Step 2:

Wipe the area clean and dry and be sure it is free of any residue.

Step 3:

Peel back the paper backing from the adhesive on the back of the white holder of the dryer bar.

Step 4:

Stick the bar to your dryer and press firmly for 15 seconds. Be sure it's exactly where you want it before you attach it - changing locations will result in the holder falling off of your dryer. You can not reuse the adhesive.

Step 5:

Wait 15 minutes before using.

Easy, right? But what about when it needs to be replaced? The bar will reveal the word "Replace" when it's time to switch out your bar. How great is that?!

Thanks to the people from BlogHer and Bounce for supplying me with a bar to sample!

Van's Natural Foods Giveaway

2011-11-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

I'm running another giveaway with the amazing people at Van's Natural Foods! I love their Muffin Crowns and Waffles, they are so yummy and full of great ingredients.

One of the newest products are the Muffin Crowns, basically the part without the stump (go ahead, insert that episode of Seinfeld, I know I did!). There are two flavors, wild blueberry and triple chocolate. I, personally, love the wild blueberry and Scott is a fan of the triple chocolate. The Muffin Crowns are made with at least 7 grams of whole grains and pack 6 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein per serving, in only 120 calories or less. They’re individually packaged and can be eaten oven toasted or simply thawed, so they’re great as a quick, portable breakfast or snack. For Scott this is a perfect, quick breakfast that he can eat on his way into work.

Another new product is the waffle sticks, which come in two flavors, vanilla and chocolate. We tried the vanilla sticks and the kids loved them. Van’s new Waffle Sticks have only 70 calories per serving and they are sized perfectly to fit in kids' hands, so they're a great treat on-the-go. You can either microwave these, put them in a toaster oven or toast them in the oven. We did them in the microwave and I'm happy to say they were not soggy at all! The vanilla flavor is sweet, but not overpowering, which is perfect for the kids.

My local grocery store carries these and I didn't even have to check the frozen aisle to find out thanks to the handy store locator feature on Van's website. I'm a huge fan of the whole line of Van's products (the french toast sticks are without a doubt one of my favorites, followed closely by the apple cinnamon waffles and now the wild blueberry muffin crowns) and the fact that they are nutritious while still being delicious. A huge thank you to the wonderful people from Van's for allowing me to sample these new products!

One lucky reader will have a chance to try out these new products as well! Simply visit Van's Natural Foods website, check out their list of goods and tell me which product you'd like to try the most.

For additional entries:
Follow Twice the Love...Half the Sleep
Like Twice the Love...Half the Sleep on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Like Van's Natural Foods on Facebook
Tweet about this giveaway (be sure to include @amandanethero in your tweet)

The winner will be announced on Friday November 18th.

The winner will be announced Friday August 12th! Good luck everyone!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-11-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott and the patience that he has. Sometimes I think his name should have been Job.

Aaron who makes me laugh when I need it most.

Jill's singing in the car. It is so adorable!

A fantastic week with my parents!

A great day on Sunday with family and friends.

A loving community that we are lucky to be a part of.

This picture, it instantly puts me in a great mood and brings tears to my eyes from laughter:

What are you thankful for this week?

The Blessing

2011-11-08T07:15:00.000-05:00

Sunday Scott and I planned to be remarried in the church. When we were married 5 1/2 years ago we married at Disney, which the Catholic Church does not marry at. At the time it was not an issue for us, Scott wasn't Catholic and I was what you would consider a 'Chreaster' meaning I only went on Christmas and Easter. However, now it is really important for us to have our marriage recognized. Sunday we received a special blessing and plan to set up our marriage for after the first of the year.

It was nice having so many people close to us there. My parents, my in-laws, our friends the B6 and then many of our Knights and Columbiette's friends were there as well. I don't have any photos from mass, but I finally remembered to take photos at lunch after mass. We all went to Maggiano's and it was fantastic (as always). Jill even got to ride there with her friends, which she thought was just beyond awesome.

Yes, I failed to get a photo of Scott and I on this special day. Score one for me :(

Thank you to everyone that was there, it meant so much to us to have you there with us!

Topricin Review

2011-11-07T14:30:00.000-05:00

It's no secret I'm training for my second half marathon and with that comes a few aches and pains. I'm not a fan of taking pain pills and would rather try an all natural approach. Topricin is an all natural pain relief cream with formulations that the whole family can use. The three formulations are the original Topricin, Topricin Foot Therapy Cream and Topricin Junior.

Doctor-recommended Topricin® is called "a miracle treatment" by doctors and patients alike. It works because it doesn't just mask the pain. Topricin® uses no volatile oils such as camphor, menthol, or irritating chemicals and can be used as many times a day as needed with no fear of overuse or interference with other medications.

Effective For:

Arthritis
Back pain
Bruises
Bursitis
Fibromyalgia
Minor burns
Sciatica
Scrapes
Sprains
Strains
Tendinitis
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Podiatrist-recommended Topricin® Foot Therapy Cream is specially formulated to relieve foot and ankle pain. It offers soothing treatment for swelling and soreness and effectively treats dry, cracked skin. Whatever the reason causing you to have aching feet, this fast absorbing, paraben-free formula will get you back on your feet in no time.

Effective For:

Achilles Tendinitis
Bruising
Gouty Arthritis
Heel Pain
Impact Injuries
Leg Cramps
Nerve Pain
Neuromas
Overuse
Planar Fasciitis
Sports Injuries
Sprains
Strains

Pediatrician-recommended Topricin® Junior Children's Pain Relief and Healing Cream is specially formulated for a child's delicate skin. Whatever the mishap, bump, bruise, or boo boo, this paraben- and petroleum-free, patent pending formula treats pain associated with a wide range of children's injuries safely and quickly, delivering fast relief.

Effective For:

Bruising
Bug/Insect Bites
Eczema
Growing pains
Joint pain
Minor burns
Muscle sprains
Scrapes
Scratches
Strains

I have to say that my favorite thing about this product, aside from the fact that it works, is that it doesn't have a medicine smell to it. Other creams I have used have an awful smell that everyone can smell from a mile away. Nobody will know you even have this cream on, and like I said, it really works.

Topricin also makes a "The Boo Boos Happen First Aid Kit" ($19.99), which is a must-have for every family and includes: a 1.5 tube of Topricin Junior and 20 standard size ‘Ouchies’ self adhesive bandages in five colors (pastel purple, blue, yellow, green, pink) that kids can decorate themselves with three markers (dark blue, red and purple) that are included. The Boo Boo Happens First Aid Kit retails for $19.99 and can be purchased at Topricin’s online store at http://www.topricin.com/product/boobooshappen/. Enter in promo code BOO25 to receive 25% off your order.

Topricin is available in pharmacies, natural food stores, and other fine retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, Vitamin World, Fred Meyer, Wegmans, and other retail stores throughout the U.S., as well as direct from the Topical BioMedics’ online store.

If you have any muscle aches and pains definitely check out Topricin, it's a fantastic product!

Thank you Topricin for supplying me with products for this review!

Lunch with the Characters

2011-11-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Wednesday we had lunch with Disney Junior characters at Hollywood and Vine at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The kids had a blast when we went for their second birthday, and this time was even better. They got to meet Oso, Leo, June, and Handy Manny. Aaron even participated in the dance party that they do.

We also discovered during this little luncheon that Jill loves red velvet cake, who knew?

Thank you to Busia and Dzia Dzio for taking us to lunch there, I know they had fun, too.

After lunch we went and watched the parade, saw the Little Mermaid show, the Disney Junior Show, the Beauty and the Beast show, went on the Great Movie Ride and finally we went on Toy Story Mania. It's the first time any of us have been on Toy Story Mania because we've never wanted to wait in the line. The kids loved it and so did the big kids ;)

Hope you're having a great start to your weekend and be sure to visit Multiples and More because I'm the guest blogger today.

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-11-03T18:57:00.004-04:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott being able to take some personal days while my parents are in town :)

Scott and I being able to finally have our marriage recognized in the church. It's something we've wanted to do for a while, but we just never did it.

My parents being in town, not only to spend time with us, but also to be here when we renew our vows.

Aaron's humor this week. He's basically been telling Dzia Dzio how it is at Disney.

Jill's sweet moments, even though they are not as frequent as her diva moments.

My mother in laws infection clearing up. She's had a rough go since she had a procedure done on her back, but it sounds like things are on the mend.

Apple being able to fix the screen on my phone after it took a nose dive on the platform at the safari.

The person that gave full size Butterfingers out on Halloween. I love you more than you will ever know.

What are you thankful for?

But you have to...

2011-11-01T21:30:00.000-04:00

Last night we went trick or treating with our friend Jenn and her son. We had so much fun and I am so thankful Captain America was there to keep us safe on our journey!

Today my parents got into town and the kiddos were beyond excited to see them. We happened to get to their hotel the same time they did, so my parents got the biggest, loudest welcome of everyone on the bus.

After lunch we went to Magic Kingdom to hang out for a little bit. Before we got there Aaron was telling Dzia Dzio that we had to ride the tram and monorail before we could go to the park and Dzia Dzio said "No, we're not going to take them." to which Aaron replied, "No Dzia Dzio, you have to. You have to."

We didn't spend a lot of time there, but we were able to ride the train, meet some characters and watch the parade.
We cannot wait to spend the rest of the week with my parents! Hope you all are having a fabulous week as well!

Trunk or Treat!

2011-10-31T08:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Trunk or Treat at our church. This year is the first year that we've ever done it, and it was really cute. They had activities for the kiddos inside, and of course all of the decorated cars (and candy) outside.

It took the kiddos a little while to warm up to what was going on, but then they made their way around to all of the cars before settling in our friends car. Jill may or may not have helped herself to their candy while she was sitting in their hatch.

The kiddos are really looking forward to tonight and I'm really hoping the rain stops so we can still go trick or treating. Happy Halloween everyone!

Crazy for Cake Pops

2011-10-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

I was able to review Molly Bakes' book, Crazy for Cake Pops. I've been interested in cake pops, but definitely intimidated. This book is great for people like myself who are just getting into cake pops and need a step by step tutorial. Aside from the basics, the book tackles 50 different ways to make these, from the super simple to the really complex (like a teapot).

I made the vanilla cake pops with a simple candy coating. Now let me mention I've had this book for a while but haven't been able to make these because of how hot it has been here in Florida. I couldn't find a store with candy melts because they were melting in transit. Seriously.

Like I said, I made the vanilla cake pops which consist of vanilla cake and vanilla cream cheese frosting. I also had a helper, and he was quick to remind me that he made the cake.

Here's how you make that:

For the cake you need:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup of self-rising flour, sifted (funny I just read the sifted part...whoops)
4 tablespoons milk, at room temperature

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch round cake tin or an 8 inch cake tin. Cream the butter and sugar until it is pale and fluffy. Mix the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add half the flour and then half the milk and mix until fully combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, leave to cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting you need:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter and cream cheese together. Gradually add the sugar, then continue to cream until light and fluffy. Finally, mix in the vanilla. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.

Once your cake is cool you need to crumble it . Molly suggests doing this by hand, or you can use a food processor. You want to remove the crust of the cake so you do not have any lumps.

Once the cake is crumbled you want to take you frosting, a heaping tablespoon at a time, and mix it into the cake crumbles. You may not need all of the frosting, so just do it a little at a time. Keep mixing until you have a fudge-like texture.

Wrap your mixture in plastic wrap and chill for one hour.

After it has chilled you want to roll the cake balls into the size of a ping-pong ball. Place each ball on a tray lined with parchment paper and chill for 15-20 minutes.

Next you want to do your candy melts. Take a 14 oz bag of candy melts and melt in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Take the candy out and stir it, you made need to microwave for another 30 seconds (no lie, I almost typed minutes, wouldn't that be awful?!). If your melted candy isn't silky you can add 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. The candy will stay melted for 20-30 minutes if you continue to stir.

Now you want to dip your lollipop stick into the melted candy (about 3/4 inch deep) and immediately insert the stick into the top center of each cake ball, about halfway through. Do not insert too deep or too shallow. Place on a tray lined with parchment paper to allow the candy to set. This should take 1-2 minutes.

Before you dip your cake pops you want to pierce holes into a polystyrene block (yeah I didn't read this part until I was ready to do it and that's just not something I have lying around). Dip your cake pops into the melted candy and make sure the bowl is deep and filled with candy so you don't have to tilt it. Gently tap the cake pop over the bowl to remove any excess candy. Place securely in the polystyrene block and allow to dry. This should take 1-2 minutes.

For decorating I just used icing, but there are literally a million different ways to decorate these.

I am amazed at some of the ways Molly decorates her cake pops. You would honestly never know they were cake, it is so cool.

I will admit these are a lot more challenging than I thought, and I cannot wait to try again. I think I'm going to do the red velvet pops next time, they sound sooooo good!

Have you made cake pops? What are your tips and tricks?

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-10-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott, he's doing something awesome and I'm truly thankful for it.

Aaron who makes me laugh, maybe at inappropriate times, but at least he makes me laugh.

Jill who has the best imagination. This week she is a mermaid, with a tail, that swims and sings and jumps around in the water. She also tells the octopus to go away and leave her alone.

My parents coming to town next week!

My sister sending me Polish goodies, they're awesome!

My in-laws who are pretty awesome.

A great Saturday with our friends Bob and Vanessa and her family. We had an amazing time and cannot wait for their wedding!

A great upcoming weekend with Dawn and Dys!

The cooler weather, dare I say fall-ish weather?

What are you thankful for this week?

Happy Birthday to my MOM!

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today is my Mom's 70th birthday, for real. Trust me when I age (who am I kidding, I'm already aging) I want to age like her because she looks nowhere near her age, and after 6 kids that's amazing.

I have so many amazing memories with my Mom. Like the time we went with Cathy to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat when Donny Osmond was performing and she suggested we go to the stage door to get the cast autographs because "you know I did that all time". I swear one minute she was standing next to us and the next minute she was getting Donny's autograph. I have no idea how she got to the front of the line so fast.

She was also the Mom that went to every single band competition when I was in high school. She was even brave enough to chaperone one. She also wrote me a note before every competition and put it in my bag for me to read on the bus.

She has had a card for me for every single event in my life. Even when I went back to school recently, I got a card on my first day.

She taught me it's always important to at least have makeup on when you go to the store because you never know who you are going to run into. Can I add that this is hilarious because nine times out of ten she goes to the store in lounge pants and an old Disney t-shirt. She usually runs into someone she knows.

She has the funniest stories from her childhood and I love hearing them. For example, I sent her a card when I was in college that said "Hey Sailor, buy a girl a drink?" and she called me laughing and said "Oh my God I used to do that all the time at Navy Pier!". Scott said this explains so much about me right there.

I truly cannot express how much I love my Mom, she's always there for me and I could never have asked for a better Mom!

Happy Birthday MOM!

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

2011-10-25T06:15:00.000-04:00

Thursday we took the kiddos to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. This is something we have done with them every year, and I love the tradition. This was really the first year we did any trick or treating while we were there, so we already have a nice stash of candy for ourselves...I mean the kids already have some candy.

This year the kids are Snow White and a Pirate. Aaron only wore the hat for this photo, I wish he would have kept it on because seriously he was so adorable. Jill surprisingly kept the headband on the whole night.I know I'm a little biased, but seriously how cute are they?! We actually got to the party fairly early, which was a first. We were able to do a few rides before the party actually started and then we headed over to see our friend Jane. Jill was beside herself because Jane remembered that she was Alice last year. Someday I will have to explain to the kids that no it is not normal for the Disney characters to know your name or what you were for Halloween last year.

We had so much fun this year because the kids are even more into it than before. We let them pick all of the rides that we went on, which translates to every ride in Fantasyland. I'm already looking forward to going with them next year!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

Scott who is doing amazing things that I will appreciate more than he knows.

Aaron and the silly things he says. Also the fact that he still gives me big bear hugs (we call them Aaron hugs), I know this won't last for long.

Jill who, even though we had a really rough day yesterday, can be so sweet and hilarious.

Our parents that sat on the computer for 2 hours with me trying to secure the last 5 Disney Designer Dolls with me. It's definitely 2 hours we will never get back....ever.

My Dad having a fabulous birthday yesterday.

My niece hopefully having a fabulous birthday today.

Apple refunded all the purchases ($152 worth) made by the geek that hacked my iTunes account. Trust me, there is a post coming on this one.

My Keurig, for real. How did I live without this thing?

What are you thankful for this week?

Way back When-esday

2011-10-19T12:30:00.000-04:00

I have not played along with Way Back When-esday in a long....long time, but I thought today would be totally appropriate. Today is my Dad's 74th birthday, so the photo will be of him when he was 4 years old.

Seriously, how adorable is this photo? Left to right it's my Aunt Eunice, Aunt Betty Jean and my Dad. As my sister pointed out, my Dad smiles the same exact way 70 years later. His hairstyle is also fairly similar.

Happy 74th Birthday Dad! I'm so glad I could be a part of 28 of those years (the happiest years I have no doubt). Love ya!

The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book Pt. 2

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

I already reviewed the drop cookies from The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Cook Book and today I'm doing one of the cookie bar recipes. This is the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars. I will say I did see a typo in this recipe and didn't realize it until I was typing it out. In the book it mentions you need vanilla, but it never tells you when to put it in, but based on all of my baking knowledge, I'm guessing you add it with the cream cheese and sugar.

What you need:

1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
3/4 (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
3 large eggs
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350
Grease or line a 13x9 inch baking pan
Place the cake mix, butter, and 1 egg in a large bowl.
Beat with electric mixer on medium speed 1 to 2 minutes until blended.
Stir in the oats with a wooden spoon. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cake mixture.
Press remaining mixture into prepared pan.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and remaining 2 eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 1 to 2 minutes until smooth.
Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over crust.
Mix remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips into reserved crumbs, then sprinkle over cheesecake layer.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until topping is crisp-looking and golden.
Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars.
Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
Chill at least 2 hours, then cut into bars.

These are super yummy! Aaron helped me make them and everything. Be sure to check back next week because I'll be doing one of the specialty cookie recipes.

Still here? Check out What's Cookin' Wednesday at Life as We Know It!

What the kids are saying....

2011-10-18T08:30:00.001-04:00

Minus the epic meltdowns, I'm really enjoying this age because the kiddos are coming up with some hilarious things to say. Here's some examples:

Aaron (to any coffee cup he sees): Mama, that your poffee? (Clearly I drink a lot of coffee)

Aaron: I said SHUT UP!
Jill: *gasp* Aaron!
Aaron: Um...BE QUIET!
Jill: That's better...

Aaron: We go to the pumpkin patch and see the GIANT dinosaur?
Me: There's a dinosaur at the pumpkin patch?
Aaron: Uh huh, a GIANT dinosaur.

Jill (every morning for like 2 weeks): I get dressed, put on my owl pack pack and go on the blue plane to Dzia Dzio's house?
Me: Not today.
Jill: Um, my owl pack pack and go to Dzia Dzio's house.
Me: Not today.
Jill: Not today?
Me: Right, not today.
Jill: I talk to Dzia Dzio?
Me: Ok...
Dzia Dzio: Hello Jill!
Jill: "Dzia Dzio, my owl pack pack and the blue plane and your house.
Dzia Dzio: But I'm coming by you.
Jill: No your house.
Dzia Dzio: But I'm coming by you.
Jill: (dramatic sigh) 'K bye...

I was in the guest bedroom getting something and Aaron caught me...
Aaron: Why you in Busia's bed?
Me: Um, I had to get something.
Aaron: Where's Busia? Is she in there? I want to see her.
Me: No, she's not here, I just had to get something out of the room.
Aaron: Let me see. I want to see Busia.
Me: Aaron, she's not here, trust me you would know if she's hear.
Aaron (looking in room): Mama, where's Dzia Dzio's pillows?
Me: They're on the couch, remember?
Aaron: Those Dzia Dzio's pillows.
Me: I know, but they're on the couch.
Aaron: Ok, but those Dzia Dzio's pillows, they go on Busia's bed.

I've officially be reprimanded by a 3 year old.

I wish I could think of more of the things they are saying. I'm trying to write them on Facebook when they happen so I can remember. Hope you got a laugh!

Is Your Homemade Sauce Worth $1 Million?

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Is Your Homemade Sauce Worth $1 Million? Dave’s Gourmet Looking to Home Chefs and Food Professionals for Next Great Sauce.

This is a pretty amazing opportunity, and I know a lot of us make our own sauces, so I thought I would share!

Have you ever tasted a pasta sauce from the supermarket and thought, “I can do better then that” or do you make a fantastic sauce, salsa, dip, etc.? That is what Dave Hirschkop of Dave’s Gourmet thought, which is part of what motivated him to start his company that manufactures and markets award-winning sauces to millions of Americans every year.

The thing is, he’s pretty sure he’s not the only one in America who has a great sauce. That’s why Dave is putting his money where your kitchen is by creating a national contest to determine where America’s next great sauce, salsa or dip will come from.

“I know that somewhere someone is home making their own sauce because they know it’s better than anything they can get at the supermarket,” said Dave, whose sauces have won best in the industry awards two years running. “Well, I want that sauce. I want to manufacture it and bring it to people around the world. The only problem I’ve had in that equation was how to find it.”

Enter Dave’s brainchild: the Dave’s Gourmet Recipe Challenge, which carries a grand prize of up to $1,000,000 in sales royalties. Here’s how it works:

Send Dave your recipe at www.davesgourmet.com by December 31, 2011.

Entrants have to warrant that they own that recipe and that they did not swipe it from their sister-in-law when she wasn’t looking.

From January 1-4, 2012, Dave’s team will test the recipes and choose a bank of semifinalists.

Sauces will be judged in five categories – taste, appearance, creativity, consumer appeal and the recipe’s ability to be mass-produced. In other words, if Dave has to hand-cut bay leaves from trees found only in the southernmost tip of Italy in order to make your sauce, it might be too difficult for him to mass-produce.

Those semifinalist sauces will be taste-tested by a panel from Dave’s Gourmet and finalist sauces will be chosen and their owners notified between January 12-14.

On January 15 to 17, hundreds of food professionals attending the Fancy Foods Show in San Francisco will taste the finalists’ entries and will vote for their favorite.

On January 18, the winner or winners will be announced and notified.

Within two weeks of being notified, winners must sign some paperwork and collect their advance of $2000.

The sauce will be produced for Dave’s Gourmet’s retailers and might have the winner’s name right on the label.

The winner will receive royalties for 6 years, up to $1 million.

Dave said, “Now, I wasn’t anyone special when I started my restaurant and then moved into manufacturing sauces. I’m just like everyone else and that’s why I know that somewhere out there, someone just like me is standing in their kitchen stirring a sauce that could very well be the best one in America. So, I’m going to find out where it is.”

About Dave Hirschkop: Dave Hirschkop is married with three children, and graduated from Boston University back in the 80s. Shortly thereafter, he opened a mom and pop restaurant called Burrito Madness. It was there he first started experimenting with hot sauces, later moving into pasta sauces. He started Dave’s Gourmet 18 years ago, and now has products in major retailers like Safeway, Williams-Sonoma, Whole Foods and Costco.

Pumpkin Patch Time!

2011-10-16T15:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we took the kiddos to the pumpkin patch to pick out their pumpkins. We've gone to the same patch since their first Halloween. This patch seems to get better every year and there seems to be more decorations, plus the proceeds go to an amazing cause.

The kids loved picking out their own pumpkins, but were not really into the whole 'posing for photos' thing. We all got a pumpkin and then drove around to look at the houses that are decorated for Halloween. The place where this patch is located is full of homes that go all out for Halloween. One house looked like a pirate ship and Aaron was convinced it was were Captain Hook lives.

When we got home we let the kids paint their pumpkins, while Scott and I carved ours. I use the word carve loosely with mine, I pretty much hacked mine up, Scott's is carved.

Aaron did a simple layer on the upper part of his pumpkin and he was all set. Now, Jill on the other hand, well she put at least 5 layers of paint on her pumpkin. Here is what the whole pumpkin family looked like:

The kids have already asked a dozen or so times if we are going back to the patch to get more pumpkins. I think this will definitely be a fun tradition for us for years to come.

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-10-13T08:00:00.002-04:00

Scott, who is amazing and I love very much. I just finished a book about a woman who hits her head and forgets the last 10 years of her life. When I thought about it, if it happened to me at this moment, I would forget Scott. I couldn't even imagine not having him in my life.

Aaron finally being over the stomach flu...again. Apparently he re-caught it. I think we're done now, at least I hope we are.

Jill's excitement when she got a special card with Ariel's autograph last night. You would have thought the guy handed her a million dollars.

Our families, who are awesome and I have no idea what we would do without them. I mean really, who else can you just randomly text "STELLA!" too and get a laugh?

Having family in town! We got to hang out with my brother Chris, his wife Pam and my nephew Alex last night. Aaron and Alex are totally buddies, and Jill just calls him "the other guy".

Finding out my cousin is officially cancer-free! My cousin Debbie found out she had colon cancer last year (around this time, I think?) and after surgery and chemo she was just told she is cancer-free. I cannot even express how excited and thankful I am!

The book club I'm in. Seriously, we have read some awesome books that I'm sure I would have never seen had I not been in the book club.

All of my friends, I cherish all of you!

What are you thankful for this week?

World Food Day

2011-10-12T14:00:00.000-04:00

October 16th is World Food Day, and to help bring awareness to hunger that strikes women and children around the world, Chef Art Smith is speaking about Women Thrive Worldwide.

With global food prices higher than ever, that number will only continue to grow. Women and girls, in particular, are hit hardest. They not only account for 1 in 6 of the world’s hungry, but also spend a staggering amount of their time and energy preparing meals for their families.
Right now, Congress is considering slashing programs that support women living in poverty around the world. They need to hear from you, that you think this is wrong. Here is how you can help in simple 3 steps:

Step 1: Join the Movement
Tell us a little bit about yourself here.

Step 2: Create a $2 Recipe
Worldwide, 2.5 billion people live on less than $2 a day. Women Thrive challenges you to make just one meal for that amount to call attention to the hunger epidemic that's threatening to impact even more women and girls worldwide. See sample recipes here. Provide your input and we’ll feature your recipe and bio on the Women Thrive website.

Step 3: Sign Art's Petition and Tell Your Friends!
We'll deliver a letter to Congress on behalf of all the chefs who joined the movement. Take action here.

It only takes minutes to sign the petition and get the word out! I hope you all join in this amazing effort!

The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book Pt. 1

2011-10-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've been able to review this amazing cookie cookbook called The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book by Camilla Saulsbury. The book features 375 recipes that all start with a box of cake mix. If Camilla's name sounds familiar to you, you may know her from Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown Best Cookie Recipe (she was the winner). Her recipes in this book are so easy to follow and the ingredients are all things that you probably have in your house, or you at least know where they are in the grocery store.

The book is broken down into three different types of cookies, drop cookies, bar cookies and specialty cookies. I've decided to break my review into three sections as well. This one is for her drop cookies. There are a ton of recipes in this section and it was honestly hard to narrow down my selection. I decided to make the chocolate-covered strawberry cookies. These cookies will be perfect for our Valentine's Day bake sale at church!

You need:
1 (18.25 oz) package strawberry cake mix
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/3 cup butter softened
2 large eggs

Icing:
1 1/4 cups semisweet or white chocolate chips
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place cake mix, sour cream, butter and eggs in a large bowl.
Blend with electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute until blended.
Drop by the tablespoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 9-12 minutes until the edges are firm and golden.
Cool for one minute, remove from cookie sheet and then cool completely.
Microwave the chocolate chips and shortening in a medium microwaveable bowl on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds until smooth.
Using a fork, drizzle tops of cooled cookies with the melted cookies.
Chill cookies for 10 minutes to set the chocolate.

It's really important to chill them so the chocolate sets, otherwise you will have a mess when you go to eat them. All of us loved these cookies, even Scott who is not a huge strawberry fan.

Be sure to check back for my next post on cookie bars!

The Weekend of Rain

2011-10-10T09:45:00.000-04:00

It was a fairly busy, and very wet, weekend for us. It started raining on Friday night and didn't stop until yesterday afternoon, only to pick up again last night.

Saturday I had a training session for the Columbiette's, an organization I'm a part of from my church. It was a fun morning/afternoon with the ladies and I was glad to be a part of it. Saturday was the day that it really rained so when I got home the kids and I just cuddled in our jammies and watched movies. Sometimes there is just nothing better than that.

Sunday we had a reception at the church for the Bishop in honor of our patron saints feast day. Originally it was supposed to be outside, but because of the rain it was moved indoors (in the very limited space we have). The whole reception was wonderful and the committee who ran/planned it did an amazing job! It was nice to have a chance to meet the Bishop and I was glad the kids didn't try to take his staff or anything.

I've got a lot of recipes coming this week, so be on the look out! Hope you are having a fantastic start to the week!

Review: Curious Critters

2011-10-07T08:30:00.000-04:00

In his children's picture book Curious Critters (November 2011, Wild Iris Publishing, hardcover, ages 4-8) photographer David FitzSimmons turns his camera on a variety of animals common throughout North America. Curious Critters presents stunning images of everyday animals, including a red flat bark beetle, an Eastern spiny softshell turtle, a spotted salamander, and many other intriguing creatures. Each Curious Critter is photographed against a white backdrop, showcasing the animals' colors, textures, and shapes with precision and clarity. Along with each photo is a vignette, told from the critter's perspective, that educates and entertains. For example, a bush katydid explains her bubblegum-pink color, a poetic opossum opines upon her often-shortened name, and a far-from-modest black swallowtail butterfly lets readers in on her secret for avoiding predators.

My kiddos are in love with this book! They already love animals so I knew this book would be perfect for them. The photographs show so much detail and enough information for us parents to be able to tell our kids about the animal. What I like even more is the website for the book has a lot of interactive features for you to continue learning about the animals in the book, including eCards, word searches and coloring pages.

Check out some of the sample pages of the book here.

A huge thank you to Lorna Garano Book Publicity for introducing me to this book and providing me with a review copy!

Smilegram Paper

2011-10-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

I had a chance to review some really adorable and fun stationary for kids by Smilegram Paper. What I love about this stationary is that it is lined, which really you do not see a lot of for kids. This stationary is perfect for kids who are just learning to write and want to send a note. Plus, the colors and options are so fantastic.

I chose the Fun Jumpin Froggies Stationary because it is perfect for either a boy or a girl. The stationary can be personalized and there are 12 sheets/envelopes in a set.

You can also purchase a writing tablet in the same pattern, which I think it great for practicing writing with your kiddos. The cost of the stationary is $9.99 and the writing tablet is $8.99, which are fairly good prices.

There are so many design options to chose from. Other designs I liked were the Color Me Happy and Movin and Groovin. Like I mentioned before the price is really reasonable and the sets are perfect for kids who are just learning to write.

Now for the awesome part of this review, Twice the Love...Half the Sleep readers will be able to get 20% off their entire purchase until 10-31-11 at Smilegram Paper! Simply use the code SMILE20 at checkout.

Be sure to check out all of the amazing designs at Smilegram Paper's website and be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter!

*I received sample paper in order to write this review. The review is my own opinion and was not influenced in any way.*

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-10-06T08:30:00.001-04:00

Scott taking on the role of male nurse again while I was sick and he was getting over his own version of the plague.

Aaron keeping us laughing during the whole thing.

Jill not getting the plague (knock on wood, fingers/eyes/legs/toes crossed).

A smooth drop off at Religious Education this week. Scott said they basically just looked at him and said "bye!". When did they grow up?!

Finally being able to stomach something other than dry toast or dry Cheerios. That gets old after a while.

Mimi and Paw Paw who took the kiddos for us on Tuesday while Scott got over the last of his illness and I slept off the majority of my illness. No lie, in 48 hours I think I slept 44.

An afternoon at Sea World with the kiddos before I got sick. We had a great time seeing the whales, penguins and a show we had never seen before.

A visionary like Steve Jobs, seriously, the man was a genius and without him who knows where technology would be. You shall be missed.

What are you thankful for this week?

The Plague

2011-10-05T09:46:00.003-04:00

Oh this stomach flu thing...it's ridiculous. Aaron is over it (thank God), Jill has yet to get it (knock on wood), Scott is on the mend and I finally got it the other night and am now on the mend. I didn't even have it that bad and I pretty much wanted to die. I can only imagine how bad Aaron felt.

Everyone seems to be doing better though, and really that's all that matters. My sister keeps telling me I should really try and find an old priest and a new priest and have my house exorcised. I'm really thinking about it...

It's Fall-ish

2011-10-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

I think Aaron has finally kicked the stomach bug he had. The last time he was sick was Thursday night, so I'm thinking we're done. At least, I hope so.

We've laid pretty low because of the whole "bug" thing, but on Sunday we hung out with my friend Jenn and her son. The kids all play so well together and I love the time I get to spend with my friend.

After dinner we went outside with the kids and tried out the new swings. It has been so beautiful outside, we in Florida call it "Fall-ish", it would have been foolish to not take advantage of the weather.

Scott's home sick today, I'm really hoping he doesn't have what Aaron had. I think he may just be exhausted from the past couple of weeks. Needless to say I will be Lysoling the house once again. Yuck...

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-09-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

This week I am thankful for:

Scott staying home since Aaron was up all night getting sick earlier this week. It was such a huge help having him home so we could alternate sleeping since we didn't sleep that night.

Aaron getting over his stomach bug fairly quickly. I hate seeing him sick because I know how poorly I feel when I'm that sick.

Jill being a great little sister while her brother was sick. She didn't pester him too much, and that's huge in my book.

Both sets of parents and all they have done for us this week. We are truly lucky.

This whole dishwasher fiasco almost being over...I hope. Trust me, more on that topic later.

Snuggle time with the kiddos. I realizing more and more everyday that this time is going to be gone soon. They are growing up so fast.

My new car and the awesome Sirius radio inside it. How have I gone all this time without it?

What are you thankful for this week? Let me know in the comment section!

BlogHer Book Club Review: Lunch Wars

2011-09-28T20:45:00.001-04:00

The moment I started reading Amy Kalafa's Lunch Wars I immediately had flash backs to what I ate in the cafeteria in school. I remember the grease soaked pizza pockets, the hot dogs, and the hamburgers. Nothing about any of those meals sounds remotely appetizing to me and I would hate to see them served in my kiddos school.

Lunch Wars dives into some of the nations schools and how parents have worked to change the cafeterias and food programs in their areas. I am not totally familiar with the programs at the schools in my kids areas and was planning on packing them lunches anyway, that way I would have control over what they ate. That little dream of mine was practically shattered when I was reading the book and saw that Kalafa's own daughter was bamboozling her and eating Pop-Tarts and french fries, all stuff that was off limits for her. I began to think my little plan would not work.

Now here's the thing, my kids have Oreo's, french fries and things of that nature. This book kind of made me feel like I am destroying my children to the point of no return. I understand that these types of things are by no means healthy and contribute to the fact that our kids probably will not outlive us because of the health problems they will have, but what's wrong with McDonald's every once in a while? Sometimes the book comes off a little extreme and I find myself up at night worrying if my kids will end up with Type 2 Diabetes because I let them have a Nutter Butter. In reality what it comes down to is you need to find a balance for you and your kids. For my family it comes down to understanding what our genetics are, what diseases we are more likely to have and to adjust our diet to prevent those. It's also about getting out and being active.

That being said, I do think that the school cafeteria situation needs to change. I appreciate that this book is basically a how-to for reforming the food program in your school, it will definitely be a reference if I feel that the food in the school cafeteria in my area needs to be changed. All in all I think this book is a great resource that every parent should read it to better educate themselves about what is going on in the schools and how they can make a change.

Be sure to check out the discussions going on at BlogHer about this book!

This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

Egg & Garlic Crostini with Baby Romaine Salad and Bacon Vinaigrette

2011-09-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

Here's my final recipe for the day, yet another yummy one from A Bullseye View. This one is actually a recipe from Top Chef alum Antonia Lofaso (you know, The Hammer). I loved her on Top Chef and Top Chef All Stars and have really enjoyed her recipes so I was excited when I saw this come across.

What You’ll Need

Bacon Vinaigrette & Romaine Salad:
1 pound bacon, sliced into ¼-inch cubes
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 cups baby romaine lettuce
1 Fuji apple – peeled, cored and thinly sliced

Parmesan Cream
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups shredded parmesan cheese

Garlic Crostini
1 demi-baguette, sliced ¼-inch thick
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, halved
6 eggs
1 tablespoon almonds, crushed or sliced
½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

What You’ll Do

1. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate and reserve the fat.
2. Make the vinaigrette – Whisk the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey together in a mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the bacon fat and olive oil while whisking rapidly until the salad dressing is thick and creamy.
3. Toss the baby romaine, apples, cherry tomatoes and bacon crisps with the vinaigrette.
4. Make the parmesan cream – Heat the milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form at the edges. Reduce the temperature to low and stir constantly until the cream coats the back of a metal spoon.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.
6. Make the crostini – Lay bread slices on a foil-lined baking pan. Brush each baguette slice with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
7. Toast the bread slices and rub each slice with the garlic.
8. Cook the egg – In a large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Crack eggs in pan and cook to desired firmness.
9. Assemble – Layer an egg, parmesan cream, crushed or sliced almonds on a toasted baguette slice. Garnish salad and crostini with tomatoes and serve.

How yummy does that sound? Check out A Bullseye View to see the step by step photos and then head over to Life as We Know It to see all of the other yummy recipes from What's Cookin' Wednesday!

Apple Streusel Pancakes with Peachy Syrup

2011-09-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

This is another fabulous recipe I got from my friends at A Bullseye View. I am a total sucker for pancakes and when you throw in the word streusel, forget about it! This recipe makes 18 pancakes and 2 cups syrup.

What You’ll Need

Syrup
1 Tbsp. butter
1 (16-oz.) bag frozen Archer Farms California Peaches
1½ tsp. Archer Farms Cinnamon
1/2 cup Archer Farms 100% Pure Maple Syrup

Pancakes
1 pkg. Archer Farms Apple Streusel Pancake Mix
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup butter, melted
2 eggs

What You’ll Do

To make syrup, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add peaches; sauté until softened and hot. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir in maple syrup; heat. Serve with pancakes.
Prepare pancakes according to package directions. Serve with peachy syrup.
Place pancakes on plate, pour on the syrup and prepare for paradise!

How easy is that? It's perfect for Saturday and Sunday mornings! Be sure to check out all of the other yummy recipes on A Bullseye View and Life as We Know It!

Poached Pears in a Honey, Ginger and Cinnamon Syrup

2011-09-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

I've received a lot of really yummy recipes from the site A Bullseye View lately I thought today would be a great day to share them since it's What's Cookin' Wednesday! Be sure to check back throughout the day to see the recipes I'm going to share.

This first one is a recipe from one of my favorites, Giada De Laurentiis, it's Poached Pears in a Honey, Ginger and Cinnamon Syrup. Since pears are in season right now (love!) this is a perfect dessert you can make! This recipe makes six sweet servings.

*Photo courtesy of A Bullseye View*

What You’ll Need

2 cups simple syrup, recipe follows
1 (750) ml bottle Moscato wine or other sweet dessert wine
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons honey
1 ( ¾ inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 small, firm, ripe Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled and cored
Vanilla ice cream or gelato

For the syrup
1 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups water

What You’ll Do

STEP 1: In a saucepan large enough to hold all the pears, combine the wine, simple syrup, cinnamon sticks, honey and ginger. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the bean to the saucepan.

STEP 2: Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the honey has melted. Add the pears and simmer over medium-low heat for fifteen to twenty minutes, turning occasionally, until the pears are tender.

STEP 3: Remove the pears from the liquid and allow to cool. Continue to simmer the liquid until it thickens and is reduced by half, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon sticks and vanilla bean and discard, or keep to garnish!

STEP 4: Place each pear on a small serving plate with a hefty scoop of vanilla ice
cream.

STEP 5: Drizzle on the syrup, serve immediately and devour!

For step by step photos, be sure to check out A Bullseye View and then check out Life as We Know It to see all of the other recipes featured for What's Cookin' Wednesday!

Eh stomach flu

2011-09-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

I'm fairly certain Aaron has the stomach flu, hopefully a small, quick, version of it. We had the episode on Sunday and then last night before Scott and I went to bed he started throwing up.

I ended up sleeping on the floor in the living room and Aaron slept on the couch all night. We got up a few times and he seems to be doing better this morning. I'm hoping it was that quick and I'm really hoping Jill doesn't get it. I've pretty much Lysoled the entire house from top to bottom, hopefully that killed everything.

I have a feeling this is going to be a long day.....

This that and the other thing.

2011-09-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

It has been an interesting weekend to say the least. On Saturday we were waiting for the dishwasher to be delivered and installed. Or so we thought. The dishwasher came around 5ish I think and as it was being brought in I noticed the truck was still running. "Ummmm aren't you installing this?" "No, you have to make a separate appointment, we just drop them off." "Say what?"

So when the dishwasher was ordered we were told everything was going to be done on Saturday, delivery, installation, everything. I called to find out when the installer was coming and they said there wasn't an installer coming because an appointment was never set up. Come again? Yup, when we ordered it the guy who told us everything was set, lied. Shocking, I know. So now I have two dishwashers that serve no purpose in my kitchen. Jill and Aaron do like to give the new one a hug whenever they walk past it, maybe that will bring us luck?

That night we went and test drove a Dodge Journey. I fell in love and that is what I like to call foreshadowing for Sunday.

After church, Aaron was upset because he (and he's going to love me for this one day) had to poop and there were too many people around. So on the way home he finally pooped, except it was a total blowout that lasted the majority of the day. I have no idea what caused him to get the schlitz, but he had them, and Jill thankfully only had one episode. I think Jill has a stomach made out of steel or something, very seldom is her tummy off balance. While this is going on Scott and Paw Paw are at the Dodge dealership getting the car. I have no idea the final hour count, but it was around 6 hours. I will never understand why it takes so long to get a car.

But I did get my new car, and it's fabulous. This is the first brand spankin' new car I've ever owned (that wasn't a demo). It only had like 23 miles on it. I didn't know they came with that low of mileage. Oh and how I've lived without Sirius radio all this time I will never understand. It's the thing dreams are made of, no lie.

As always I leave the weekend feeling grateful for everything. It may not have been the perfect weekend where we all got to spend time together, but it was a great weekend none the less.

Missing: No Armed Woody

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Aaron has a thing about taking his Woody and Buzz figurines with him whenever we go out, so I was not surprised when he had them yesterday when we went to the grocery store. Here's the thing though, he also has a habit of dropping one or both of them while we are out.

So here we are at the store going up and down the aisles. I've already picked up Woody twice and put him back in the cart with Aaron, reminding him each time that he's probably going to lose him. What do I know though? I'm just the Mom.

We get checked out, head to the car, and start unloading everything. This is when I notice Woody is gone. Aaron is already starting to freak out and I'm left with this decision: Do I leave my groceries in my hot car while I go up and down every aisle and the check out lane to see if I can find Woody, or do we go home and I call to report it missing. I went with option 2 like any other bitchy Mom trying to prove a point. Aaron cried the whole way home and for about 5 minutes once we were home. I explained to him that this is what happens when you throw your toys out of the cart.

I did call the store to report Woody missing and see if he had been turned in. Here's how that conversation went:

Me: Hi, we were in the store this morning and I think my son lost his toy while we were there. I was just checking to see if anything had been turned in.
Customer Service: Nothing has been turned in, but I can take your information.
Me: Ok, here's my number and the toy is a Woody figurine.....with no arms.
(awkward pause)
Customer Service: I'm sorry, did you say no arms?
Me: Yup, no arms.
Customer Service: Well...um...that will make him easy to identify I guess.

Needless to say we have not heard about Woody yet. I'm thinking we will need to replace him, but you know, with arms.

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-09-22T08:15:00.001-04:00

This week I am thankful for:

Nothing breaking this week (KNOCK ON WOOD!).

Scott and everything has done this past week. Love you babe!

Us not killing each other in the wake of everything breaking and overflowing and coming up where it shouldn't.

Aaron who makes me laugh when I really need to laugh. He even makes me laugh when he's not supposed to.

Jill calming down enough to enjoy religious ed this week. It was a little rough at drop off.

Religious Ed and the wonderful teachers! They've only had their first class, but I love it. Seriously, there is nothing better than listening to your kiddos sing "He's got the whole world in His hands".

My parents, who are awesome, and are always there to listen, or laugh.

Skype, it allows my kiddos to dance with Tay Tay to Run DMC's "Tricky".

My Keurig, it's awesome and I don't think I can ever go back.

What are you thankful for this week? Leave it in the comment section or link up below!

The National Red Ribbon Campaign

2011-09-21T13:45:00.001-04:00

I was approached to write something about The National Red Ribbon Campaign a few weeks ago and it's been sitting at the forefront of my brain since. I've been debating how I wanted to handle this post; do I just copy the press release or do I add something personal to it? My experience with drugs is not something I often talk about (and no I personally didn't do drugs) because it wasn't my battle, it wasn't my addiction. I figured today I'd talk about it and help spread the word about this awesome cause.

First, let's chat about The National Red Ribbon Campaign, shall we?

WHAT IS RED RIBBON WEEK?

It is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against substance abuse. Show your personal commitment to a drug-free lifestyle through the symbol of the Red Ribbon, Oct 23rd - 31st.

WHY?

The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered DEA agent Kiki Camarena in 1985. This began the continuing tradition of displaying Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a DRUG-FREE AMERICA.

WHO?

National Family Partnership is the sponsor of the National Red Ribbon Week Celebration. We are helping citizens across the state come together to keep children, families and communities safe, healthy and drug-free, through parent training, networking and sponsoring the National Red Ribbon Campaign.

WHY SUPPORT THE NATIONAL THEME?

A theme unifies each year's campaign and helps to broadcast one message creating a tipping point to change behavior.

HOW?

Plan a Red Ribbon celebration. Order and display Red Ribbon Materials with the National Red Ribbon Theme. Proceeds from the sale of Red Ribbon theme merchandise helps support prevention programs across America. Order for your family, students, staff, patients, employees and customers and encourage them to wear the red ribbon symbol during Red Ribbon Week, October 23rd - 31st.

Starting September 30th students have an opportunity to participate in the 2011 Red Ribbon Contest, here's all the info:

Now onto my personal experience. I've written this part of the post in my head dozens of times and each time I debate if I want to write it, but in the end I figure if I talk about it, it could help someone, right? Really the only people that know about this is Scott and my friend Dawn. Like I said in the beginning, I've never done any kind of drug that wasn't prescribed to me. Even those I'm not a huge fan of. I don't know if it was the fear of my Dad or the fear of getting caught, but I never had a desire to experiment with anything. I did have friends who did and really watching them was more than enough for me. I was not a fan of seeing what happened to them.

I dated a guy in college that was pretty much high 90% of the time. He, himself, was a great guy....when he wasn't high. He was definitely a hippie, not someone that my normally preppy-self would date, that's for sure. He was mt first honest experience with drugs and what they did to people. Everything revolved around his next high. If we planned on doing anything, it was based around that schedule. About two years after we broke up I saw him when I was walking into my apartment, it was as if nothing changed. He was an 8th year senior or something like that and still the same guy. I have a feeling he's still in the same apartment, doing the same things, and it makes me sad. It's such a waste.

I also had a friend that was pretty heavy into drugs. When I first met him I didn't really quite how heavily he was into drugs. I knew he smoked weed and assumed (foolishly) that was it. I remember sitting one night with him talking about his life and he mentioned he had already been to prison for possession and basically couldn't get a job because of drug testing. He said when he was arrested he was heavy into heroin and basically detoxed in prison. He said he would never go back to it. I couldn't even wrap my head around everything that he was telling me. When he told me the rest of his life story I could see how he came to be on this path in life, it didn't excuse anything, but I could see how that's where he would be. I felt sad for him and wanted to help. It was the Florence Nightingale in me, I had to help.

I slowly started to see him change the longer I was around him, and not for the good, granted it started out that way. I watched him slip back to cocaine, which made him crazy paranoid. I always knew when he was high on it too because he couldn't stop scratching his arms. Then one night I came over and he was completely different and I knew something was extremely off. I had never seen him act the way he was acting. I asked his friends what he was on and naturally nobody wanted to tell me. Finally, I got it out of one of them and they told me he was on heroin again. I basically chewed his friends out because they were with him. Why didn't they stop him? Why would you let your friend do this to himself? Oh yeah, because you were too high to stop him. He almost OD'ed that night and I was there, witness to it all. I helped him when he threw up, took care of him after my morning classes, and believed him when he said he wouldn't do it again. Never believe an addict, they will break your heart every time. He stayed off of everything but weed for a few weeks, maybe a month, I can't remember.

I really thought he was on the right track and then I got the phone call that he had been arrested for beating up a guy in a parking lot. I went to see him after he bailed out and he couldn't even look at me. I knew this was the beginning of the end of our friendship. I slowly watched him dig himself deeper into this hole and I watched everyone else around him enable him. The last time I saw him he looked empty, like he had given up. I found out this past year he died a few years back. I wasn't surprised, and that is sad. He had so much promise for greater things in his life and drugs robbed him of all of it.

This whole topic and story is touchy with Scott and I because he hated that I associated with this guy. Scott, being in security, was always afraid I would get arrested by association or that something worse would happen to me. I was naive and stubborn and still hung around him. Granted, I was on my own path of destruction, but that's a different post entirely. We still do not see eye to eye on the topic but one night I told Scott I would never trade a single night of what I experienced. I never knew how awful drugs truly were until I saw them eat away at this guy. I watched him basically kill himself and it was the saddest and most tragic thing I have ever witnessed. But now I know the signs and I have a story to share to help spread awareness.

For more information on Red Ribbon Week visit the National Family Partnership's Website.

Maple Pumpkin Muffins

2011-09-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

I've posted this recipe before, but it is so yummy and I'm getting ready to make it for my Columbiette's meeting tomorrow night. My friend Heather gave this recipe to me and I love it. It screams Fall and I'm sure if you paired it with a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks it would take it over the top!

Here's what you need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 2 TBSP packed brown sugar,divided
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 TBSP maple syrup,divided
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese,softened (I discovered they actually sell this size, which makes it a lot easier than dividing up a 8 oz package)

Topping:

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 tsp brown sugar

What to do:

In large bowl, combine the flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon,baking soda,pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Whisk eggs,pumpkin, milk,oil, and 1 TBSP syrup
Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fold in pecans/walnuts
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining brown sugar and syrup until smooth.
Gently stir into batter until mixture appears swirled.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups about 3/4 full.
Combine topping ingredients;sprinkle over batter.
Bake @ 400 for 20-25 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 5 mins before removing from pan to a wire rack.
approx 1 doz [I actually got 1 and 1/2 doz.]

Be sure to stop by Life As We Know It to see what other yummy recipes are being added to What's Cookin' Wednesday!

Jumpstart's Read for the Record

2011-09-19T11:36:00.003-04:00

On October 6, millions of people across the globe will read the same book, Llama Llama Red Pajama, as part of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record. For the past five years, Jumpstart, a national education organization, has hosted this global event, bringing together celebrities like Bill Cosby, Justin Bieber, Vince Vaughn, Patti Labelle, Matt Lauer, representatives on Capitol Hill, elected officials, parents, teachers, children and volunteers to help bridge America’s achievement gap. Hundreds of reading events and “pajama parties” will be taking place all across the country, and you and your readers can join in the fun!

This year, they need your help to set a new world record of 2.1 million readers. The simple act of reading with a child on this one day translates into year-long educational support for preschool children from low-income communities, many of whom grow up in homes without a single book.

The reality is that 1 in 3 children in the U.S. begins kindergarten behind, and most will never catch up. In fact, in states like California, for every child who isn't reading on the 4th grade level when tested, budget is planned for a jail cell*. Before they even enter school, children need to be equipped with fundamental literacy skills and taking the time to read with your kids is an easy way to ensure they’re prepared.

By pledging to read at www.readfortherecord.org before September 19, you will be entered to win a $77 gift card to 77Kids by American Eagle.

If you don’t own the book, it is being offered to read FREE online at www.wegivebooks.org.

The kiddos and I will be reading Llama Llama Red Pajama on the 6th, will you?

Whoever said Rule of 3 is a Liar.

2011-09-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

So I've always been taught that things happen in 3's. Chances are if something breaks, two more things will follow. I'm hear to tell you that's a load of crap. From my calculations I'm over 3 by at least 2. Here's the timeline:

Toilet in our bathroom overflows, the entire inside of the tank needs to be replaced.
Toilet in the kids bathroom won't flush and sewage is now coming up the bathtubs. Roots are in the pipes causing this problem.
Explorer won't start, turns out the engine is pretty much shot.
Coffee pot is not brewing full pots and spills water out all over the place. Essentially it has been on life support for a month now and it cannot be resuscitated, pronounced dead at 8 am. I did honor the proper mourning period and waited until that night to get a new coffee pot. And yes, I went for a younger, hotter, model (What up Keurig?!).
Dishwasher stops working mid cycle, lights will not turn on and there is water in the bottom. (this happened last night)

See...rule of 3 my behind. When the coffee pot went Scott and I assumed that maybe the whole plumbing problem was looped into one, but I say bs, it's all separate. I'm debating having our house ~~exorcised~~ blessed and maybe that will help. Thoughts?

The Rule of 3

2011-09-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we took the kiddos to Magic Kingdom with every expectation of finally meeting Rapunzel. That sooooooo did not happen. We need meet a bunch of other princesses though, and I think that made up for it. First we met Cinderella:

Then we met Aaron's girlfriend, Belle. He even let her play with (and hold) his tram. She should feel very lucky because he doesn't even let me play with the tram.

We also met Aurora and Ariel with Prince Eric. Aaron did not want to meet Ariel and Eric, he spent his time hiding behind Scott.

Finally, we met Tiana. Hands down she was the kids favorite and the only one Jill wasn't too "shy" to meet.

That was the awesome part of our day. The not so awesome part was that the day before my Explorer bit the dust and wouldn't start. We had it towed and they were running diagnostics on it. We got the call while in line to meet Tiana that the engine, essentially, was gone. Awesome, right? The silver lining is that it happened while we were all at home and not out somewhere. Obviously it sucks that we are down a car, especially when we were so close to having it paid off. We are trying to figure out what to do at this point. To top it off my coffee pot died that morning too, so I'm hoping that both of those happening completes the rule of 3 and that we are done with things breaking.

Now we're going to try and make the most of this weekend and hope to God that nothing else breaks, or overflows.

Thanksgiving Thursday

2011-09-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

Scott handling the toilet/bathtub/sewage crisis. I am so glad that's over.

Scott surprising me with hydrangeas and Gerbera daisies. Love them and love him!

Aaron being a total ham when he met Belle. He was so smitten, it was adorable!

Jill who is doing amazing with her potty training! No accidents and we've been out all week.

My Dad making me laugh while sewage came up in my bathtub. Also thankful that he taught me how to take care of things around the house.

My MOM who is kicking butt with her physical therapy!

Girls night out! Cannot wait to do dinner and a movie with Kelly and Dawn!

Salted Caramel Mocha Frappucino's at Starbucks. Seriously, have one or two.

The Barista at Starbuck's who made me two Frappucino's because he was afraid the first one would be runny. I got it for free. Hollar!

What are you thankful for?