The best worst case scenario?

So I was taking my two oldest to school today because my husband has a men's group he attends at church every Wednesday morning.  I was excited for the kids to go back to school since the cold weather kept them home Monday and Tuesday.  They were excited to go back too.  The morning went perfectly!  Kids were dressed, fed and in the car on time to get to school.  We have a half hour drive to school and were all set!

We had the heat blasting since it was 0 degrees outside, brrrrrrr!  As I started to go up a hill about 30 seconds from our church, I saw some lights come on the dashboard.  None of which concerned me until it said, "engine power reduced".  As I pushed the gas pedal to the floor I realized I was losing power and speed.  I quickly put on my hazards and found a place to pull off of the busy highway I was on, which wasn't easy from all the snow we have had!

The kids immediately started saying, "Why aren't we moving mom?  Why did we stop?  We have to go to school!"  Aaahhhh!!  I'm sure my pregnancy hormones didn't help but all I wanted to do was break down and cry.  Why isn't my car moving?  It's freezing out?  How am I going to get the kids to school?  How am I going to get this car to a repair shop?  And how much is THIS going to cost?!

So what's the "best" in this worst case scenario of being stranded on the side of the road pregnant with four little kiddos in back?  My husband was 30 seconds away!  And of course, he swoops in and saves us just like a daddy/husband should!  He is often on the road at different business meetings 30+ minutes away so that fact that he was right there was like a miracle.  When he got to where we were, he immediately hopped in the driver's seat and was able to back the car into a nearby driveway.  How he is able to back into tight spots with traffic whizzing by, I'll never know, but I sure am thankful he can.  He was immediately switching car seats in the freezing cold weather and getting everyone buckled in while I was able to stay warm in the car.  He was on the phone calling the car repair shop and getting everything figured out before we were even five minutes on the road.

Luckily we found out that the issue is a moisture issue that often occurs when the weather is soooooooo cold and not something like the transmission, that's the next part of this "best worst case scenario".  When we finally arrived back home with all the kids, I felt such a sense of relief that my hubby was able to take care of everything.  It's really wonderful to be taken care of by someone.  I'm so blessed to have him!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

The cloud is lifting....

It has been such a long time since I have been able to blog.  Well, not just blog, eat, play with my kiddos, carry a conversation, read, or just plain anything that you need to have your eyes open to do!  I feel so blessed to be pregnant AGAIN!  But the nausea with this little one is worse than any I have ever experienced and I have had nausea with all of my children.  I thought I was sick with my last little one but that was nothing compared to this baby!

That being said, I am 13 weeks now and FINALLY feeling better.  I have the best husband.  He would come home and allow me to just go straight to bed until the next morning for the last two months.  I hate to complain because I'm really just happy to be having another baby.

I have no problem complaining about this winter though!  When is it ever going to be over?!  It's enough to allow expletives to come flying out of my mouth in a whirlwind every time I have to step outside and choke on the cold blast that hits my face and freezes my snot before it can even drip out of my nose.  Thank goodness for self control or my children would be learning a whole new vocabulary!  And if it's not F****** freezing out, it's SNOWING!  Not just a little, like blizzard snowing.  Like don't even bother going outside, you'll be buried before you start playing, snowing.

I live in Wisconsin so I get it, we have winter.  Every year.  I like having four distinct seasons, but this is a little over kill don't you think?  Winter came early and has been unrelenting since it's arrival.  ENOUGH ALREADY!  I am ready for spring.  That damn groundhog better not see it's shadow AND be accurate because I am not ok with six more weeks of winter!!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Back to normal!

Wow!  It has been an E-TER-NI-TY(!) since my last blog!  I have tried to get on the computer but the overwhelming sensation to throw up is just too strong and I end up closing the laptop before I even get started.  Well, we have had Christmas, Christmas break, and New Years Eve/Day (with a bad Badger loss) and now the kids are back in school and I find myself at home with just the babies again!

Of course my pregnancy nausea is still lingering like a constant reminder of the little life growing inside of me.  I would say that I hate the nausea that accompanies pregnancy but the truth is that even though it can be difficult to deal with, it is my only reminder of that little baby until I can start to feel him or her moving around so I don't totally hate it.

Christmas was a whirlwind of toys, wrapping paper, driving and SNOW!  We had a ton of snow before during and after the holiday.  Our Christmas Eve mass was wonderfully peaceful except for my two year old who appeared to have taken a five hour energy drink before the mass.  We sat for two and a half hours watching It's a Wonderful Life before church and we were all exhausted but my little man could not be tuckered out.

Christmas was magical as well.  Santa did not disappoint.  He may not bring a lot but he does bring items from the kids' wish lists so they were all very pleased.  We then drove into Madison, reflecting how next year it will be nearly impossible to put any stuff in the car with another kiddo in the car!  The kids opened up gifts from Grandma and Grandpa (Great Grandparents too!) and even though we couldn't stay too long due too extra child energy and of course my nausea, we had a really nice time!

The Packers won!  Yeah!  Now we are in the playoffs and hopeful for a successful post season run.  New Years Eve was uneventful as usual, we were both in bed before the new year.  And New Years Day brought a disappointing end to the Badger season as they lost in the Capital One Bowl.

All in all, our holiday break was a fantastic one and went by way too fast.  Now it is back to the grind.  Christmas decs have been put away and normal life can resume!  Please forgive my lengthy absence, I hope to be back to feeling better in 4 - 6 weeks, if past pregnancies are any indication of how long my nausea will last!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Happy Birthday baby!

My youngest is officially one.  I can't believe that one year ago I was holding this teeny, tiny little baby in my arms.  I was so excited to have another little girl.  She has proved to be the most amazing baby ever.  She is so content and peaceful.  She loves her mommy so much.  I have never had a child so attached to me that whenever I am not within eye sight she cries.  That may sound annoying to other people, but I love it.  I love how she always wants to cuddle with me, play peek a boo with me, and how she always cracks a smile with me.

My baby girl slept through the night at 3 weeks old!  I could not have felt more blessed, I love my sleep and with three other kiddos to take care of, I was so glad I could get a full night's sleep.  Nursing was hard at first but once she got the hang of it, she never looked back and is a beautiful chubby baby!  My baby girl never complains.  When it's time to get in the car, she is happy.  When it's time to eat, she is happy.  When it's time to sleep, she is happy.  I love how "go with the flow" she is.

I feel so blessed to be able to be her mommy.  I am so excited to watch her grow and learn.  I can't wait to see how she will be in a year, two years, five years and more.  But right now, I am excited for her to learn how to walk.  She has been working so hard walking from chair to toy to couch, etc.  I am so blessed to have such a beautiful baby and can't wait to watch her blossom.  There will be some sadness in my heart, as there always is, when she is not the baby anymore, but I am excited to see what kind of a big sis she will be too!  Thank you God for choosing me to be her mommy!  Happy birthday baby!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Where are all the Christmas lights?

We live in small town suburbia and as I was driving with my kids to the store tonight I noticed how few houses were decorated with Christmas lights.  We decorate every year, of course, with small children it is their favorite part of the season, seeing all the lights.  But even if we didn't have kids, I would still decorate, maybe not as much or maybe not as meticulously, but I would at least throw something festive on the house and bushes.

So where has this lost art of Christmas light decorating gone?  Is it just too much of a pain to go out in the cold and put lights up for a few short weeks only to have to either take them down in the cold or leave them on the house until spring?  Is it too much to expect the other houses in the neighborhood to help the festive mood by adding some twinkle to their normally mundane houses? 

I can remember as a kid how fun it was to drive around at night and see all the houses lit up.  Now, if you want to see lights you have to go to a special "Enchanted Park" or a "Candy Cane Lane" where houses are all decorated.  I understand we live in a world where not everybody celebrates the same holidays and I'm certainly not suggesting that everybody need decorate their house, I'm only saying that it feels that we are becoming lazy in our holiday output and could afford to kick it up a notch.  I mean, how can you not smile and feel like a kid again when you see a row of finely lit houses?  Maybe it would put a little more of the "holiday spirit" into us all.

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Why it's been a while.

Wednesday:

kids half day, making two kinds of potatoes and veggies for Thanksgiving

Thursday:

Thanksgiving, hour and a half drive there and back, spent an hour and a half waiting for iPad 2 at Best Buy, dog shit in the laundry when we got home, kids in bed waaaayyyy too late!

Friday:

Black Friday, gone from sun up to sun down (without kids!), exhausted by the end of the day

Saturday:

All fam grocery trip (bad idea), picked up xmas tree, decorated outside with xmas lights, son and husband puking and pooping with flu

Sunday:

My turn with the flu :(

Monday:

Today, totally tired, trying to get back into the swing, kids stayed home (just in case), finally able to relax and get back to normal?!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Quick bit of advice.....

Never kiss a sick baby in the dark!  This might sound silly or absurd but I assure you this is good advice.  My baby was in her crib this morning and woke up fussing just a little.  I very quickly brushed my teeth and then went into her room to get her.

I knew she had a cold, she's been battling it for a few days now but I just love that little kiddo so much I always kiss her good morning!  One thing I should say first is that I am totally paranoid and anal about noise and light waking up sleeping kids so I did not turn her light on out of fear that the light pouring into the hallway would creep under the door of my sleeping toddler.

So I grabbed my beautiful baby, wrapped her up, and planted a big smooch right on her lips!  Unfortunately what I got was a mouthful of runny, slippery, wet, nose snot.  It was like kissing a puddle of slime, I thought I was going to drown!  Blah!!  I couldn't wipe my lips fast enough.  So just to save anyone else from having a similar experience:  Never kiss a sick baby in the dark!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

A midnight run, of a different kind....

I know I posted yesterday how much I hate to see my babies suffering from these terrible cold germs that have wreaked havoc on their tiny immune systems, so because of that I found myself in my pajamas, putting on my shoes and coat to try to get to the store before midnight.  I can remember back in the day, when my friends and I would worry so much about getting to the store before it closed because we needed refreshments to keep the party going.  Funny how priorities change....

Both of the babies woke up just before 11 and while I gave the baby some acetaminophen to reduce her fever and rocked her until she fell asleep, my husband soothed out two year old by giving him some Zarbee's for his cough and tucking him back in bed.  From the babies room I could still hear him coughing.  I had a feeling that we would be in for a long night so when I finally got back into the bedroom I asked my husband if he thought a humidifier would help our toddler.  He said, "Sure, but it's late, your not going to go and get one right now."  I said, well why not?  What good does a humidifier do tomorrow if he needs it tonight?  I want to get a good night sleep and so does my toddler.

So I put on my shoes and coat and ran out the door.  Walmart was like a ghost town but I found what I needed right away.  A warm mist humidifier.  I was home within 35 minutes and set up the humidifier in my room to make sure it worked and that I knew how it worked.  My husband used a flashlight to help me find an outlet in the room and we were able to plug it in, turn it on, and sneak the f* out before our little guy made so much as a peep! 

Now I don't know if it was because of the humidifier or not, but my little man slept without coughing all night long!  He was surprised to see the humidifier in his room in the morning and until he realized it was something he liked, he was adamant about getting it out of his room!  So cute!

Funny how light night runs have different meanings as you get older, have children, and obtain different priorities.  I wonder when it will swing back around again.....

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Busy Mommy Blogger

Sick babies:(

My two littlest babies are sick today:(  It is heart wrenching to see your kiddos with even so much as a cold!  I could tell my youngest was sick the second I got her out of her crib.  She was so hot and her eyes looked droopy and red.  She was miserable all morning.  When she gets sick, all she wants is for me to sit on the floor and to lay on my chest. 

My two year old woke up with a horrible cough and his chest sounds congested and sore.  He was worn out and crabby all morning.  We stopped at the store after dropping the big kids off at school and picked up Zarbee's.  If you have never heard of it, buy it!  I love it.  It is all natural and safe.  There is an infant's version and toddler/big kid version.  It really does help the cough.  We are also big fans of VaporRub in this house and I am so glad they have an infant one too!

I thought about buying a humidifier for my two year old but am not really sure it would help.  What do you do with sick kids?  Any other great homemade remedies or natural soothers?

Hopefully my little ones will be better soon, my heart aches for my sick babies!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Go Pack, Go!

Well, another Packer Sunday is here.  What was supposed to be a primetime game is now a local afternoon game due to the fact that the Packers barely have any first string guys on the field and the Giants, well, their record speaks for itself.  Aaannnyyywwaayyyy......if the game sucks, at least the food will be good.  Today I made my husband's favorite-coconut shrimp with pina colada dipping sauce (non alcoholic of course!).  I also made one of the kids' favorites-caramel corn.  And to round it out, some hot crab dip with crackers.  We have all eaten our yummy food, washed it down with some hot cocoa (one of my favorite things about winter), and now are thoroughly full and in need of a nap!

The coconut shrimp is a recipe from my mother and the dipping sauce is the actual recipe that Red Lobster uses!  Sooooooo gooooooood!

I use the biggest shrimp I can find, tiger prawns work too, the bigger the better.  The shrimp can be raw or cooked.  I just happened to use raw this time, it depends on what is on sale at the time.

 



I dip the shrimp in a flour mixture, egg mixture, and then coat in coconut.  Get plenty of coconut!  Today I ran out!



 



Arrange the shrimp on a pizza stone, they can be plenty close together, and pour melted butter over the top.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, I also like to broil mine on low for about 3-5 minutes just to get the coconut nice and crispy.

 

The best part-the dipping sauce!  I always double the recipe and it's never enough!

 

Easy crab dip, great with crackers, perfect pairing with the shrimp.  It doesn't make a ton but is easy to double.

 

This is a fall favorite for the kids, it takes a long time but is worth it.  I like to use microwavable kettle corn, it compliments the caramel really well.

 

Go Pack, Go!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Busy Mommy Blogger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



First snow of the year!

We had snow all morning today!  My two year old was so excited he went to every room in the house and looked out to see if it was snowing everywhere.  He was so anxious to go outside and play he practically wanted to sleep in his boots and snow pants!

My husband took the kids outside after school and they had a blast!  They had beautiful red cheeks when they came in!  Yeah, winter is here!  Ugh....winter is here:(

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Busy Mommy Blogger

Poor, poor Packers:(

Another lousy Packer game!  I can't believe we lost again!  And how many players can possibly get hurt in one year!  Oh well, at least the Packer food was good!  Here's what we had today:

I made a super easy meatball and weenies recipe.  A jar of chili sauce, a jar of grape jelly, frozen meatballs and a package of weenies in the slow cooker for about 3 hours on low-so good and so easy!

Then I made some apple dip since it gets some fruit into the mix and the kids love apple dip.

 

Since I am now exploring new cookie recipes I decided to try a caramel fudge cookie recipe.  I

substituted the pecans for cashews though since no one in our house likes pecans.  They turned out great!

 

 

So here's what my plate looked like while I watched the poor, poor Packers lose once again this year!

 

Hope everyone else had a great Sunday!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Busy Mommy Blogger

 

Poop and washing machines

There's never a dull moment in our house.  I was sitting in the TV room with my 6, 2 and 10 month old helping my six year old study her spelling words on the computer.  It was about 6 p.m. and the baby just dirtied her diaper so I promptly changed her and then decided to let her air dry for a little while because she has had a stubborn rash on her bottom and baths would be in a little bit.  BAD IDEA.  I should know by now that letting any child that is not potty trained hang out without a diaper on is really just inviting trouble in.

My husband and four year old were busy in the laundry room taking the washer apart because we had an error message about socks in the drainpipe.  He is on the floor, tools out, taking everything out from under the washing machine (we store all our winter clothes in the drawers underneath) while my four year old keeps track of the bolts and screws.  Since the drain was clogged, he also had to have a bucket to drain all the water from the machine into.  Luckily, or maybe unluckily, he has had to do this repair before so he knows what to expect and is prepared for the water that comes gushing out of the machine.

As soon as I hear the water begin to flow I look over at my baby and think, "That's weird, she has some avocado on her chest..."  While I wipe it off WITH MY FINGERS (!), I realize that it's not avocado, it's poop.  Yup, poop.  But that's not all folks!  My two year old is sitting and playing in the exact spot she pooped in and wiping it on his shirt trying to get it off of his fingers.  I immediately call for my husband and he says, "I'm in the middle of something really important right now."  So I respond with, "I have something that is even MORE important, trust me!"  So he comes in and I immediately tell him to help my two year old take off his clothes and throw them in the washing machine.  While he does that I wipe every inch of the baby with a baby wipe and then hand her to him.  Then for the next 10 minutes I am on my hands and knees, scouring every inch of the TV room floor (with it's brown carpet!!) for any poop.  Thank God for our Spot bot!!

I finally found all the little poop spots scattered around the room, mark them off and begin placing the cleaner and let it do all the work.  BTW, anyone who doesn't have a Spot bot but has dogs and/or kids, has to get one.  It is the best investment we have made to keep the house clean.  As I bent down to pick up the baby's blanket, a nice little turd fell out and I discovered the original place the baby first began going potty.

All my husband and I could do was laugh and thankfully he was able to fix the washing machine just fine because after that, we had a lot more laundry to do!  After all that excitement, I couldn't even stay up for the Packer game!  Oh well, Rodgers got hurt, Packers lost, but I was busy dreaming away......

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Why we use carseats...

I love to have a blog filled with the fun and joy of having and raising children but Saturday we had a very serious experience and I have to hop on a soapbox in my post for today.

I have had so many conversations with other moms who complain about their kids' car seats.  "They are so big!"  "They are so expensive!"  "My kids don't like them so I barely tighten the straps."  There are a lot of reasons that car seats can be obnoxious but I have always been a worry wart so I am way overprotective about what car seats our kids use.  Even though my four year old is big enough and old enough to use a booster seat, I still have him in a five point harness because he still fits in it (the shoulder straps can move two notches higher!) and it is way safer for him!  I wait to turn my babies forward facing and when my kids complain that the buckles are too tight I tell them if they are tight then they are safe.

On Saturday we were all driving to the grocery store and when we stopped at a red light, we were rear ended with everybody in the car.  There was no sound of tires screeching so the person who hit us was not slowing down, they were accelerating.  I screamed at the moment of impact because I felt the back of the headrest hit my head and was immediately confused as to what was happening.  I also screamed because your brain wants you to turn around and look at your children but your body is unable to move by your own doing because it is busy being moved by the force of the collision.  My four year old began to cry and continued for about 20 minutes.  He was hysterical and inconsolable.  Everyone else was fine.

The other person's speed was not "that" fast, but even a collision like that is scary, especially with all your little ones in the car.  My body was shaking and I was so scared but being the Mommy, I had to just hold it all inside because I didn't want to scare any of the children.  As soon as we pulled over, I got out and examined each kid.  My beautiful baby never even made a peep!  The damage to the vehicle is still unknown and we are taking it in today.  It's unclear how badly damaged the bumper and tailgate are.  I immediately filed an insurance claim and all four car seats have to be replaced due to being involved in an accident.  I couldn't believe that!  But I am so thankful all of my kids were in five point harnesses.

It's easy to want to move your kids up to the next car seat because it's easier or they are older or they are bigger but you know what?  I don't care!  I want my children safe, as safe as they can possibly be so I will continue to put my children into car seats with a five point harness until they truly outgrow them, not when the law says they are big enough to not use them.  I am convinced that if my four and six year olds were in booster seats (that most don't have anchors on), that they would have had injuries from the force of the impact.  A seat belt has to feel an impact before it can brace against it, a five point harness doesn't.  We have always talked to our kids about being safe in the car and I know most people around us think we are way too strict and anal, but Saturday was more than enough for me to feel justified in keeping my kiddos in the safest car seat possible.

Someone once told me when my oldest was a baby, "Remember that each upgrade in a car seat, backward to forward facing, five point to booster, booster to just a seatbelt, is a DOWNGRADE in safety."  I always remembered that and now I pass that on to you.  Please buckle your kiddos up nice and tight because you love them enough to do so!

That's all for my soap box rant today and thanks be to God for keeping my family safe!!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Playing catch up.

Oh my gosh!  I can't believe how long it has been since my last post.  Halloween weekend was CRAZY!  We had such a blast trick or treating with the kids even though by the end of the night we were all exhausted.  Even though it is Wednesday, I feel like I am still recovering from the events of the weekend.

Here in Wisconsin, you never know what kind of weather you are going to have.  I was so happy that we had beautiful trick or treat weather.  My two year old was soooooooo cute going up to every house and saying "twick o tweeeeet!"  He didn't even care what was going in his pumpkin, he just liked having people give him something.  He also loved seeing all the other kids in their costumes and had a blast handing out candy too.  My four year old is so funny, he had a lot of fun but tired really quickly while my six year old could have trick or treated all day and all night!  The baby, well, she was purty cute in her pumpkin costume and made it almost all the way around the neighborhood before deciding she was done being on display.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend!  I can't wait to do it all over again next year!!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Are you ready?

It's about to be one of the craziest weekends of the year.  HALLOWEEN!!  We are busy getting all of our Trick or Treat stuff ready.  Window clings?  Check.  Pumpkins?  Check.  Costumes?  Check.  Plastic candy holding pumpkins?  Check.  A fear of overly sugared up small children?  Check, check, and check.

Tomorrow we will be carving pumpkins and baking pumpkin seeds, an annual tradition at our house.  Sunday we will be going to my parents house to make caramel apples (a tradition I would like to start) and trick or treat, then back to our house for trick or treating with the neighbors.  Get ready people!  It's going to be a stressful, crazy, exciting, picture filled weekend!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

APPLES!!

Holy cow!  I am up to my elbows in apples!  Since I have so many apples and don't want to them to go bad, I have had to become creative in using them.  My kids love smoothies so for the last few days I have been making apple-y smoothies.  Here's my bare bones recipe for a smoothie that can be added to by any kind of fruit or yogurt, you could probably throw some veggies in too!!

1 - 8 oz container of Yoplait light yogurt, any flavor will do, I usually choose a flavor that meshes well with the fruit I plan on using
1 cup skim milk
1 cup crushed ice
1-2 cups of fresh sliced fruit, some of my favorites are blueberries, strawberries, bananas, raspberries, and of course, apples!

You can add some splenda if you prefer a sweeter smoothie but I leave them plain when I make them for the kids.  Also, if you like a chocolate smoothie you can add a package of chocolate Carnation Instant breakfast.  My kids also love chocolate smoothies.  If you have any favorite smoothie recipes, please send them my way!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Go Packers!

It's another Packer Sunday and another day for Packer food!  Today we had an "orange" theme.  I don't usually stick to a theme of any sort but it just sorta worked out that way.  I made orange cream cookies, orange dip (an oniony chip dip handed down from my grandmother), and some spicy molasses drumsticks.  My mom and dad came over too and brought some cheese spread and crackers and different types of fudge. 


Turning chicken after broiling 12 min.

Putting chicken in slow cooker after broiling.



The kids were crazy for the first half hour of my parents being over.  I'm not sure why they all have to act like they just ate some pixie sticks and washed them down with Mountain Dew but it is inevitable that they will act crazy whenever company comes over because they are just so excited.


Boiling and reducing sauce from slow cooker.



Serving chicken!

 

I was able to make my cookies and dip last night and just had to make the chicken today which is actually really easy since it is a slow cooker dish.  I also like to wait until the drumsticks go on sale.  15 drumsticks for four bucks is a great price.  Everybody loved the food and the Packers won too, so all in all, it was a great afternoon! 

 

 

An update from yesterday's blog:  The kids love the applesauce!  I think I might make a bunch of applesauce and freeze it, we do tend to eat a lot of applesauce in the winter and the baby likes it too!

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Busy Mommy Blogger



Forts and Applesauce

What a great fall day today!  A friend of my husbands has five apple trees in his yard and he gave my husband two HUGE bags filled with apples.  Now I have a dilemma of what to do with all these apples!  I made two apple smoothies this morning that were really yummy.  I made an apple crisp-ish thing for breakfast tomorrow.  And of course I made applesauce!  I have never made applesauce before so of course I went to my trusty Betty Crocker app to find a recipe.  Anyone who likes to cook or try different things should definitely be on the Better Crocker website or have the app on their phone.

The kids helped us much as they could and when their help was no longer needed they made forts in the living room with my hubby.  As my two year old would say, "Busy, busy, busy!"  Here's my pics from the applesauce.  It was too hot to try tonight so I will have to wait until tomorrow to see if the kids actually like it.  I have never peeled so many apples in my life!  If anyone has any good apple recipes, please send my way!  Come back to my blog tomorrow for more recipes from my Packer Sunday blog.









































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Busy Mommy Blogger

Getting ready for winter!

Oh man, the past three days I have been going through all my winter clothes for the kids trying to figure out what I need to buy and what we already have.  First I sorted all the clothes into separate piles of hats/mittens, coats, snow pants, and boots.  Then I lined them up by size to see what I all had.  Then I started to pull what I needed for each kiddo and made a pile for each child.  That way I could see what each child needed and wrote down what and sizes of things to buy.

Then I went to the store and bought all the things on my list and brought them home for the kids to try on.  This literally takes FOR-EV-ER!  After they try things on I figure out what sizes are wrong and what needs to be returned, exchanged or bought.  I am exhausted!  It does get me excited for winter though, I love playing in the snow with the kids and seeing the amazement on their faces when snow starts falling for the first time!

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Busy Mommy Blogger