In the name of 00s Pop Rock Princesses

I let this blog go so dead and quiet. Well it is back, but just a little bit rethemed. I will still be doing meal plans, product reviews, and everything that used to be on here, but just differently.

I believe the 00s pop-rock scene needs to be remembered so this blog is now based on that ideal. I will be doing style articles on how to keep your punk rock appearance and still dress maturely. I will also show you how to design child-suitable outfits with punk rock princess themes. Whether it is the color, meal plans based on a certain singers favorite food, or just plain fun we will be covering it here. I kind of can’t wait for this. It will be legendary!

A Fast and Frugal Meal Plan

Me and my boyfriend are both working crazy hours this week. I have my first full week of being a manager at Dominos and he always works over fifty hours a week. We also need to keep this week frugal because he needs new tires and rotors on his car. With two delivery jobs the wear and tear on his vehicles is crazy. It seems like when gets out of the shop the other is going in lately. It is normally a $600 repair.

Sunday- Pork medallions with mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits, and fruit salad. These pork medallions do not take long to cook but are full of flavor and you can get 12 of them out of one pork tenderloin.

Monday- Eat out. This is my day off with my boyfriend and no kids. We normally go to the casino and play blackjack on this day.

Tuesday- Crock pot steaks and cheesy rice. Cheesy rice is my boyfriend’s specialty and he even taught me and his son to make it. This is a quick and easy meal for when we are both working.

Wednesday– Blueberry muffin Blondies for breakfast. These are a quick make ahead breakfast for when he is done with his paper route. We will most likely do leftover steaks for dinner because he is off of work and I have a split shift that day.

Thursday- Pulled pork sandwiches with the last of the tenderloin from the medallions earlier in with week with homemade Mac and cheese.

Friday- We will all probably be grabbing something at Dominos because it will just be me, my boyfriend, and his son. We all work there it is kind of a family act at the store. I watch and help train his son at one and he works at several different stores ( sometimes ours) as an sos driver. He is the top driver in our division so he gets sent all over.

Saturday- Yay! I get my girls. This will be our pizza night. I will make pizza dough, and the kids can top it with bacon, sausage, or pepperoni. I will also make brownies that night as a fun family meal.

Thank you for looking at this post I hope it gave you some quick, easy, and Frugal Meal ideas.

Blog Relaunch

I am so sorry for not writing in this blog for so long. The truth is I have been going through the torment of an unhappy marriage for years. Now I am able to start blogging again after filing for divorce. I am so excited to be back with a few changes to this blog. I am in a new relationship with a guy I have wanted for 13 years. He is completely amazing and fully supports my life decisions. He also has a 16 year old son so I may have some teen boy related content on this blog.

Now for an update on the girls. Daisy is now 7 and she has severe learning problems. She is going into second grade and still can’t read. This is due to severe vision problems. She has already had her glasses renewed and strengthed five times by the age of 7. She loves playing baby alives and Roblox. She is a very sensitive and caring little girl. She is also a major risk taker and does not let anything scare her or hold her back.

Bobbiesue is 9 years old and is the youngest in her class and is in the top 94 percent of the nation when it comes to reading. She is a thinker and acts very mature for her age. She loves Roblox and reading books. Dork diaries is her favorite series. She will be in middle school next year.

5 Lessons I learned Going Back to Work

I thought I would be a stay at home mom forever but that wasn’t to be. My two girls are now 4 and 7 and I am now a full time working mom. I work as a closer at Mcdonalds now. I have learned a few lessons since I have returned to the work force.

1.) Halfway Messy

My house will never be perfectly clean. Even though I have all day at home by myself while my girls are at school my house will never be perfectly clean. I wake up, get my girls ready for school, and then go back to sleep after they go to school.

2.) Better Co-Parenting

My husband always wanted to take care of his girls his way, but I never let him. I always wanted what I wanted, but now I am finding out that some of his methods are actually better. He is a minimalist and I am starting to be too. I want the limited time I have with the girls being spent on them, not picking up their stuff.

3.) Time is precious

I get to see my girls before school, during weekends and that is it. I am actually paying more attention to them though. I have pushed them on the swings, did their nails and made them laugh more than ever.

4.) Mothering Others

There are a lot of young girls that work with me. I am taking them under my wing and giving them life advice. It seems to be working. The girl with a lousy boyfriend dumped him, and another one is staying in school after a long discussion about her future. I get to be a role model to more girls than just my daughters now and it is really fun.

5.) Things Change

I used to want things my way only. I was living in a my way or the highway type life before I started working. Now that I get out of the house and go to work I see that other people’s methods are kind of fun to adapt to. I am learning lessons from my husband more, and I am even learning things from my daughters and co-workers.

I love my new life. I miss a lot of cuddle time with my daughters but to see the difference I can make in others girls’ lives is totally inspiring. I also make money so my girls can get things and do things that they couldn’t before. I hope my girls look back and this moment and decided that I made the right choice when they grow up.

I love Burton Nutrition

Burton Nutrition is my favorite company right now. Steve has been on our TV screens on the steamy soap General Hospital since 1991. He wanted a better life for his family though. He wanted to be able to spend time with his family. His children were growing up too fast and he was missing important moments in their lives due to a hectic work schedule. In 2012 he quit the show and relocated his family to Tennessee.  It was the right thing to do at the right time.

He is now known for his Burton Nutrition Company. It is a great company in which he puts the customer first. His contributions include his heartful and quirky Q and A style videos. He also puts together contest and exercise plans. His contests often have the prize of his fans being able to meet him and his family at their dinner table. This gives a lot of inspiration for customers to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle.

If you would like to learn more about Steve you can check out his website, twitter and facebook pages and all are updated regularly.

Three thing aspergers taught me

I have been gone from this blog for a long time. Too long.

I always thought I had bipolar disorder. I had been bullied a lot as a child in school. I didn’t want to play with other children I just wanted to sit and write stories. I went to the doctor when I was 11 and started my bipolar diagnosis and antidepressants. They didn’t work right. They worked a little so I kept taking them for the next 19 years.

Then one day six months ago I listened to a podcast about aspergers because I thought my six year old had it. She did not. However I realized that I didn’t have bipolar but had misdiagnosed aspergers. The reasons the doctors missed it was because I did not have a family history of it. It turns out my dad had been recently diagnosed with autism. All the clues were there and now I know the truth and am dealing with it. My life is so much better now. I learned some things so far in my journey.

1.) I need alone time sometimes. Along with being a mom comes a lot of noise. I tried to listen to podcasts all day long learning new infomation along with my girls’ cartoons. All of this noise was not good for me and caused sensory overload. Now I try to keep the house quiet when I get stressed out during the day and it works out pretty well.

2.) I need my hobbies. My writing keeps me in control of my life. It gives me something to occupy my mind with and keeps me going. I love learning new information and learning about it. Most of it is business classes, and writing podcasts. I love having my special interests.

Even my girls have their own special interests. My three year old loves learning to read using Reading Eggs. My six year old is the creative one by journaling and drawing all day. She also loves Reading Eggs. 

I also need to learn when to stop doing my special interests and start doing more important things like cleaning and cooking. Some times it is a challenge but finding out I have Aspergers really helped me understand why. Now I can take these special interests and form them to what I need to do. I love meal planning and researching and cooking new meals. I also love creating new projects for my girls.

3.) I can not be in control of everything. I used to never let anyone help me with anything. My husband helping in the kitchen would make me upset. I thought that he thought I wasn’t good enough cooking or something. Now I let him and my girls both help me and it makes for some great family time.

I know that Aspergers will always affect me but I can be in control of my Aspergers and my life I just need to learn when I am being overloaded and take some quiet time. Not all autism is created equal but knowing that I have it has really helped me improve my life and my girls’ lives. I now know why I was getting stressed out all the time and I can take that into the future with me.

Bobbiesue’s 6th Birthday

My little Bobbiesue had a super awesome 6th Birthday.

In the morning we made blueberry muffins. Bobbie put in the ingredient bag, milk, and mixed it all. I put in the eggs, poured out the batter, and cooked them for her. Helping make her breakfast gave her a great feeling of accomplishment. I try to give her a new privilege on every birthday that she has. This year she earned a little bit more independence in working in the kitchen.

After that we went to check the mail. It was overfilling with birthday surprises! She recieved a birthday card from her great grandpa Bill, bathbombs, and cookies.

She opened the bath bomb right away when she got home. Daisy got one too and we were super excited about that. They came from HeartNSoul on Etsy. They were in the forms of a super adorable pink and purple cupcake for Bobbie, and a pink and purple bath bomb for Daisy. They used them as soon as they were opened, and stayed in the bath for a full two hours while I cleaned the house for her party. As they fizzed and released their amazing vanilla cupcake scent a small surprise emerged, Shopkins! My girls loved these bath bombs so much and play with the shopkins daily. They found her interests and matched them perfectly.

Later that night she had her birthday party. Her cousin Maisy and grandma came to celebrate her special day with her. She started her party by opening her presents. She was given some pretty amazing gifts this year. Her cousin and grandma gave her 2 pairs of jeans, 2 sweatshirts, her name in big pink glittery foam letters for her bedroom door, and an art kit with spin art and 4 different activities in it. From Daisy, her dad and I she got a 1,000 piece frozen art kit, a pink jeep t-shirt, and a super cool mermaid card.

The card was from Rosa Lopez on Etsy. It is super bright, colorful, and genuinely beautiful. It is a very high quality artist made card. It also included handmade stickers. She loved it, because of the mermaid on it and her favorite Disney princess is Ariel. Rosa did a fantastic job on it.

For dinner we did pulled pork, potatoes, and garlic cheddar rolls. Then came dessert. Her cake was a very nice Little Mermaid cake from the grocery store. There were also pink strawberry cookies from Sweet Southern Oven on Etsy. They tasted absolutely amazing and Bobbie loved the bright pink color. he sent a bag home with her cousin and grandma. ( I later found out that they loved them as well.) I was on the border about eating them because I had already skipped eating cake due to my no sugar diet but I broke down and tried one after my husband devoured two without a break in between them. They were so worth it. They were soft, crumbly, and tasted like freshly picked strawberries mixed with whipped cream. We all loved them and Laura did a great job baking them.

After the party she went to bed very quickly. Her skin was super soft and smelled like cupcakes from the bath bomb while I was putting her pajamas on her. She was so tired from having such a fun, and happy birthday. A lot of people came together to give her a great day and I am a so incredibly grateful.

The lowdown on water bottles plastic vs stainless steel

Plastic and stainless steel water bottles are hard for parents to choose between. Both have their benefits and are commonly used. Let’s look at the benefits of each.

Plastic

• Lightweight and easy to carry
• Less expensive so they can easily be replaced if lost.
• More common in stores, with fun designs
• Recyclable

Steel

• Durable and can last many years
• Has less chemical additives than plastic
• Can be cooked in, for emergency situations
• Comes with more creative designs

They also each have drawbacks. Let’s consider the following.

Plastic

• Contains chemicals, could cause health problems due to chemicals.
• Break more easily than stainless steel.
• Can’t be cooked in.

Steel

• Heavier than plastic
• More expensive and not easily replaceable

My choice

My family picks stainless steel for many reasons. The first reason is the fact that they will last years if treated right.

The first reason is the fact that they will last years if treated right. My first grader’s purple stainless steel water bottle survived being dragged on the ground every day during her 4k year.

The second and most important reason is that you can cook in it. If an emergency comes it could be very useful. Heavy snowfalls affect Wisconsin. If a vehicle breaks down, we could be stranded for hours and we need to provide food for our girls. This will allow us to do just that, along with freeze dried food placed in our emergency bag.

I hope you can now make a wise water bottle choice for you and your family. It is just another choice in the long list of decisions that need to be made at the beginning of the school year. It is a very important one though.

 

 

Real Food Lunch Box (Pre planning)

My Bobbiesue (1st grader) is doing great on her no sugar diet. Her behavior problems have went away for the most part. However school is starting in a week and a half and she will need to bring a lunch box every day.

Luckily I have came up with some awesome ideas for her. They consist of real food, and a low sugar. The best part is that they are frugal.  Real food can be affordable if you put your mind to it.

So this is her meal plan for the first week of school.

Monday

• Peanut butter and jelly roll ups
• Strawberries
• Celery
• Apples
• Flavored Water

Tuesday

• Turkey and cheese roll ups
• Grapes
• Carrots
• Pretzels
• Apple Juice

Wednesday

• Cheese and crackers
• Turkey
• Carrots
• Pretzels
• Homemade peanut butter granola bar
• Applejuice

Thursday

• Peanut butter and jelly roll ups
• Grapes
• Trail Mix
• Celery

Friday

• Pasta Salad (noodles with parmesan cheese)
• Rolled up Ham
• Strawberries
• Carrots
• Garlic Bread Chips

I hope this helps you think of some real food ideas for your child’s lunch box. It can be super frugal too you just need to think creatively.

 

Too clean for their own good?

This picture was taken when my girls were 1 and a half and 4 while they were being over washed with store bought soap (notice the splotchy skin)

Many parents wash their children with soap too often. This can cause painfully dry and itchy skin. It can also prevent them from gaining access to immune system boosting bacteria.

Exposure to good bacteria can make small children healthy for the rest of their lives. Chronic diseases including allergies and asthma can be avoided due to these bacteria. However, if you use soap too often they will never be exposed to them and not be protected from these diseases. 

My girls used to take a shower with store bought soap four times a week. I thought I was keeping them clean and healthy. Instead, it caused itchy painful skin. As bad as that was it got worse. My youngest was diagnosed with pneumonia twice in that year once while she was just one and a half years old. She luckily recovered quickly and is doing great today. 

This is was taken about 4 months ago. Their skin is much healthier after using handmade soap two to three times a week.

If your children are a little bit dirty then they can bathe only using water. Let them play with their bath toys and splash and they are good to go. This will help them maintain their natural oils and beneficial bacteria.

If you must use soap, then use a handmade one. It contains glycerin that helps skin maintain moisture all day. This is better than store-bought varieties that dry skin out.

Huckleberry and Hobbs sell amazingly scented handmade soap. I love the sweet pea one. It keeps my girls’ skin stay super soft and smell so good all day. Perfect for both playtime and cuddle time! It also lasts for a long time due to the glycerin in the soap making extra bubbles. 

Handmade soap will make bath time much better. Your kids’ skin will be super moisturized. It could actually save you money. So next time you need to buy soap buy a handmade one and simplify your life.