By 6:30, this Mom is ready for bedtime.  I love my ladies, but they wear me out some days.  Okay, most days.  When 8:00 hits and they are in bed, I like to just veg out and relax.  Of course, by the time I clean up the dishes and catch up on my email, it's after 10:00!

One night, I was kind of spacing out, playing on my laptop after I turned on the TV (I have to do 3 things at once....drives Ricky crazy!).  It took me a few minutes to realize that the show I was enjoying was on NickMom!  Pretty clever to put awesome shows on a channel that is most likely on the TV when you turn it off!

NickMom starts at 10:00 every night, with new episodes on Sundays.  I started adding the shows to my DVR, so I could catch them whenever I wanted.  Although these shows are all #MotherFunny, I catch Ricky watching them with me too. 

My favorite new addition to NickMom is Instant Mom with Tia Mowry-Hardrict.  Stephanie (Tia) plays a new stepmother learning the ropes.  Something happens and she now has the kids full time.  Her husband works long hours as a doctor, so she is primarily home with the kids, solving the crazy problems.  (I love that she is a food blogger)  Stephanie wants to be liked by the kids, but she also learns she needs to set some rules as well.  I loved Sister, Sister growing up and now Tia & Tamera, so of course I am a fan.  This is a new kind of role for Tia and it's great to see her as a mom since she is also one in real life now.

Other great shows to catch on NickMom:

• MFF: Mom Friends Forever is so funny.  Judi & Kate are normal, everyday moms.  Their reality show actually seems real and they crack me up.
• Parental Discretion hosted by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, with comedy and interviews.  They always cover great topics!
• NickMom Night Out hosted by Sherri Shepherd features comedians.  I'm a sucker for a great stand up special...Ricky will usually watch this with me. 

NickMom is the perfect channel to veg out and watch with a glass of wine after a long day.  The shows are funny and nothing is too sugar coated....they're keeping it real! 

The other night, I had some of my friends over and I created a perfect cocktail...and it's even a skinny one!  I named it the "Mama's Had a Long Day" Punch.  Whip up a batch of these with your ladies (or hubby) and the day will seem much better!  Since my friends hadn't seen Instant Mom yet, we caught up on some episodes and gossip.  Perfect Moms-night-in: no jeans required! 

"Mama's Had a Long Day" Punch

• 1 shot Parrot Bay passion fruit rum (or 2...)
• 1/2 cup water.  Add Crystal Light Peach Bellini, to taste.
• Splash of OJ
• Splash of Sprite Zero

Pour in a cup with ice.  Put your feet up and relax!

I was thinking back at some of the crazy moments I've had with my kids and they have always kept it interesting for us!  I found a few photo gems to share.

We've had quite a few marker mishaps...no matter where you put them, kids will find them!  The photo on top is when Maddie decided to squeeze an entire bottle of bronzer in the sink and put it on her face "like Mama".  OY!

What #MotherFunny moments have happened in your house?

Be sure to check out NickMom every night at 10 and check out their uber fun website! I love the comedy sketches.

Chicken & Dumpling Soup {All items from Aldi!}

Now that fall is in full swing, it's time to break out the soup recipes.  I LOVE a good bowl of soup!  This recipe tastes like it has been cooking all day, but can be whipped up in less than 20 minutes.   I like to make a whole roasted chicken on a weeknight and use the leftovers for soup. 

All of the ingredients bought for this soup were from Aldi (you know I love that place!).  You can buy them elsewhere, of course, but you will pay much more!  Their gnocchi is $1.49 and the cheapest other stores have it for is $3.50!  It freezes well, so we stock up during our monthly shopping trip.  Even with a sale at Meijer, it's hard to find a whole chicken for $0.89 per pound!

TIP: After the chicken is roasted, I boil the whole thing in water.  I remove the meat and then save the broth for soup.  It adds a great flavor, although sometimes I still need to add bouillon cubes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of shredded leftover chicken
• 1 package gnocchi
• 1 can of Fit n Active Cream of Chicken soup
• Milk (fill the soup can after empty)
• 2 cups chicken stock 
• If using leftover stock from roasted chicken, add 2 bouillon cubes for extra flavor
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped (save the leaves for garnish)
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Dash of nutmeg

Let's Cook!

1. Heat oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, onion and celery.  Cook 3-4 minutes until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.
2. Create a little circle in the middle of the pan, add butter to melt.  Sprinkle flour and mix everything together.  Cook for 1 minute.
3. Slowly pour chicken stock into pan, letting thicken.  Add cream of chicken soup, then fill the can with skim milk.  Allow to thicken.
4. Add a dash of nutmeg (shhh, it's my secret ingredient).  Allow to bubble for 4-5 minutes.
5. Finally add gnocchi and chicken.  If too thick, add a splash more chicken stock.
6. Garnish with celery leaves, or parsley. 

 Are you an Aldi shopper?  What's your favorite item?

Healthy lunches with Weelicious {Giveaway!}

 I am a huge fan of Catherine McCord.  Her Instagram feed makes me drool daily.  She creates amazing, healthy recipes for kids (and adults!) using simple ingredients.  A few weeks ago, she was on The Chew and explained that her kids have never had the same lunch twice! 

This cookbook focuses on lunch and snack ideas, which the twins have loved.  They like to flip through and look at the photos to figure out what to make next.  How cool is it that they are excited to try new recipes?!

 

This easy PB&J recipe was a big hit.  Olivia likes her peanut butter sammies "Elvis style" and the other two ladies like theirs normal.  By toasting it up in the waffle maker, everyone can have their favorite sandwiches in a snap.  

We've tried over ten recipes in the last few weeks and we have so many favorites.  At the top of my list are the homemade granola bars.  They were so simple and I love knowing that there aren't any crazy extra ingredients in them.  We made them with strawberries the first time around and they reminded me of old school strawberry Pop tarts.

Catherine was nice enough to let the Stonyfield YoGetters share a recipe from the book!  For more great lunch ideas, you're going to have to enter the contest!

Whole Grain Granola Fruit Bars

• 1.5 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1.5 cups quick cooking oats (or rolled oats)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 sticks of unsalted butter, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons of cold water
• 3/4 cup fruit preserves (we went through a small jar)

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a food processor, combine flour, oats, brown sugar and salt.  Pulse for 30-45 seconds.
3. Add butter and water.  Pulse until dough holds together when pressed.
4. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Line with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil.
5. Divide dough in half and press half onto the pan, using a spatula.
6. Spread the preserves on top of dough.  
7. Press the remaining dough on top.
8. Bake 45 minutes, or until brown.  Ours took about an hour.
9. Cut into bars.  Makes around 12-16 bars, depending cut.

*These can be stored at room temperature.  We put them in baggies, but they barely lasted 3 days.

Other great recipes inside:

• Fruit Leather
• Whole-wheat crackers
• Honey Cinnamon roasted chickpeas (So addicting!)
• Eggplant burgers
• Veg-wee dip (made with yogurt!)

This cookbook is a must for any family who cooks!

Enter the rafflecopter below to win: a copy of Weelicious Lunches and a packet of coupons for free Stonyfield products!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: I will be verifying all entries.  Any invalid ones will be removed.  If you have any questions about how to use the Rafflecopter, please ask!

What creative lunch ideas do you have? 

Calorease: All-natural Weight Loss Aid! {Review}

Disclosure: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program.  As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion.  My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC, or the manufacturer of the product.

For more information, check out Calorease.com!

I have been trying to lose weight for over a year now.  I eat relatively healthy and try to work out 3-4 times a week.  I tried Weight Watchers for 6 months, until I realized I wanted to save money and use the app My Fitness Pal instead.  With all of my effort, it is SO hard for me to drop the pounds.

When I heard about reviewing Calorease, I was both excited and hesitant.  As a child of the 80's, I remember every precautionary episode of my favorite shows: think Kelly on 90210.  

Obviously I have a dated misconception of what a diet pill is.  I do know how dangerous they can be, though!

Since this one was sent from Mom's Meet, I thought I would give it a try.

What is Calorease?

A stimulant free diet aid. (IE: no Jessie Spano "I'm so excited" moments)  You take 2 capsules before eating meals and it binds with fat.  Daily, they can burn up to 500 calories to help aid weight loss. 

My favorite part: Calorease does not contain gluten, lactose, yeast, wheat, sugar, salt, egg, soy, dairy, artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives. It is naturally sourced from grain and is suitable for vegans.

There is no specific diet plan for Calorease, you just use it with your normal eating and exercising program.  Just because it binds with fat, though, doesn't mean that you should go crazy eating unhealthy food.  It is meant to aid your weight loss mission.

My thoughts
I've lost 3 pounds this month.  I really can't say if it is from Calorease itself or a combination of my workouts and healthy eating.  Whatever it was, I really think that Calorease helped jump start my weight loss again.

I didn't have any side effects, which I was really scared about.  Overall, I was very happy!  I am trying it for another month, I'll make sure to keep you updated! 


Looking for more information?

• If you would like to try Calorease yourself, my readers can have 50% off with the code 4MOMS on the website (That makes a one month supply only $14.99!)
•  Check out their Facebook Page!

Do you use any weight loss helpers?

Getting Jiggly With It: Halloween JELL-O Fun!

Totally patting myself on the back for that post title...gotta love a little Will Smith reference.

Can you get the song out of your head yet?  Me either.


Now that the twins are old enough to safely be in the kitchen with me, I let them help me as much as possible.  We use kid friendly knives (I found this great plastic pizza roller which works perfectly for helping slice peppers and lettuce) and let them measure with cups and spoons.  Great learning experience too!

(I guess I should say Olivia helps me, Maddie gets bored about 2 minutes into the project and magically returns when there is a spoon to lick or a hot ooey gooey cookie to taste.)

A perfect kid friendly snack is JELL-O!  Our go-to dessert is banana pudding with Cool Whip on top. 

Since our house is fully decorated with spooky Halloween decorations, I decided it's time to make some tasty snacks.  The girls' preschool is peanut free, so JELL-O treats are perfect to bring for a treat.

We started with a simple JELL-O Halloween molds, which even I was excited about.  Something about JELL-O brings out the kid in everyone.  Obviously, the kids can't pour the boiling water, but they helped stir!  The only hard part is waiting 3 hours for them to set!

CONFESSION #1: We ended up making these after dinner, so we had JIGGLERS for breakfast the next day.  Totally got "Cool Mom" points for the day.  Whew!

Can you tell Gabby was "brushing" Maddie's hair in her salon?

Once we mastered the JIGGLERS, we were on to our next project.  We saw an awesome MMMMonster recipe on the JELL-O website that we HAD to try. 

Aren't those MMMMonsters adorable?

Since we had Orange and Lime flavors, we decided to make pumpkins.  Note for parents: this project is more for older kiddos.  The girls helped me pour the layers of JELL-O, but the pumpkins didn't quite turn out for us (toddlers don't have much patience to wait for each layer to set).  Next time, I'll make them alone.  Our plan was to make faces on them, like shown above.

CONFESSION #2: While making these in the little shot glasses, I was totally trying to figure out how to make these into adult JELL-O shots.  Hehe. 

The JELL-O website has so many cute ideas! 

I really want to try these spooky spiders!

We love Monsters Inc!

The girls' preschool party isn't for a few weeks and we have so many spooky ideas now!

What do you like to make with JELL-O?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Diaper Review: New Luvs #ClueisIntheBlue!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Luvs.  All opinions are my own.

Have you seen the new Luvs commercials?  They crack me up!  The main premise of them is that by the time you get to your second or third child, you stop paying extra money for fancy diapers.  That is so true in our case!


Gabby has been a strange one for diapers.  Ever since she was around 6 months, she decided to sleep with her tush high in the air.  NO clue how this is comfortable!  This makes diaper leaking a huge problem for us!  Most nights, she wets through EVERYTHING!  So frustrating! We change her before we go to bed and it's still a mess when she wakes up.

Hopefully she will show more interest in potty training soon.  Until then, we are sticking with cheaper diapers.  We have found that Luvs or Meijer brand work best for us.

Luvs has a new "extra absorbent" diaper available only at Walmart.  These have 15% more absorbancy, compared to regular Luvs diapers.  Look for the blue sticker on the pack!

We received a pack of these to try out for Gabby.  Since we normally love Luvs (ha ha), I was excited for the extra protection!  Final verdict?  We did NOT like these at all.  I found them to be rougher than most Luvs and super saggy.  We even had leaks on a quick trip to the library! I change Gabby quite frequently, so this was unexpected.

Since these were made for overnight protection, I thought they would be able to hold for at least an hour!  The first night we tried these for Gabby, she went potty before we put her to bed AND we changed her before we went to sleep.  The next morning (about 7 hours later), she leaked through her diaper, clothes, sheets and even onto the mattress pad!  It was like she didn't even have a diaper on!  Next night, thinking that might have been a fluke, the SAME thing happened!  Either Gabby has a super large bladder, or these diapers were just not for us.

The funny thing is, we had a few regular Luvs left and we didn't have this issue at all.  My fingers are crossed that all Luvs haven't changed.

I'm sure there are many people who didn't have any problems with these diapers and I will 100% say that we will buy regular Luvs again.  I just like to give my honest opinion about a product.  I know there are many Moms out there who are searching for cheaper diapers since the deals/coupons have been lacking lately!

What brand of diapers are your go-to?  Have you found a budget brand that you love?

New post on Recipe4Living: Apple Pumpkin Bread!

Slow cooker "Caramel" (really it's dulce de leche)

Have you seen than Pin going around Pinterest with the slow cooker "caramel"? It's legit.  I made some apple cider caramel to drizzle on this bread recipe and it is drool worthy!  Good thing this bread is healthified! Best part: the caramel lasts for a while in the fridge, so once you make it, you'll have it for the whole season!  I would put it on apple pie, ice cream...a spoon.

Head on over to Recipe4Living to see my new recipe.  This is one you won't want to miss!  The bread flavors are inspired by doughnuts that I used to get growing up at a local cider mill here in Michigan: The Country Mill. 

Apple Pumpkin Bread: after baking, you roll it in a pumpkin spice/sugar mixure.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!  We're headed to Chicago for the night!

Raising Twins: The beginning {Tips for Moms pregnant with twins}

"What's it like to have twins?" is the #1 parenting question people ask me, especially after having kids of their own.  I thought I would start a series of posts about twin life.  Since my girls are only 4, I still have a lot to learn!  I would love tips from people with older twins.

To be honest, since we had twins first, we didn't really know any different.  It really wasn't until Gabby started moving around more that we asked ourselves "How the hell did we do this with two?".

The first part of this series is just about the beginning and some tips that helped us get through the pregnancy and early days.

I found out I was pregnant with the twins at about 20 weeks.  I was finally getting over the actual shock of being pregnant (I was 24) and then BOOM, we were in for a total ride.  For some reason they kept putting off the ultrasound, so our first was the "hey, let's figure out the sex of your baby"one.  You can imagine how shocked we were when they said "there's a girl...and we think the other one is a girl too!".  Ummm!

First thing we did (after the initial few days of shock!) was try to figure out what we would need.  I did research on which carseats were the best and what other parents of twins thought was necessary.  (The book Baby Bargains is ah-mazing!) Many companies offer freebies for parents of twins.  I had a list compiled, but it has since changed.  Companies such as Huggies, Enfamil, Dr. Browns and many more send great packages (think: free diapers, bottles).

Next thing: I made sure to buy diapers and wipes whenever possible.  Back then, you could print as many Target coupons as you wanted, so I really stocked up there.  Remember, babies go through 8-10 diapers a day.  Times two! If I was having twins now, I would probably research cloth diapers more.  Stock up on sizes 1 and 2, not too many newborn.

First tip:

Start keeping your eye out for clearance baby items.  Fall is a great time of year to find items such as diapers, baby bath/shampoo and onesies on markdown.  If the twins are your first, just start noticing different prices for brands and when they go on sale.  From that research, you will then know when you see something at a stock-up price.  Generally, I aim for $5 per pack of diapers, but hope for less.  Signing up for coupons from all baby brands is a good idea.  Make a "junk" email, though, so your inbox isn't bogged down.

Next we found hand-me-downs for anything possible.  If it's clean and safe, take it! Since twins are pretty tiny after birth, they can share a crib for up to 3 months.  Don't stress too much about buying everything right away!  The most important thing is a healthy pregnancy.  Everything will fall into place....all babies need at first is love!

Second tip:

Get support! Find a lactation group (I loved the La Leche League!) and a twin mom's group.  I just recently joined a Multiples group and I'm kicking myself for not doing so earlier!  Also, line up friends that can help when needed.  Start filling up your freezer with easy, healthy meals that you can quickly make in your zombie days.

Hands down, my favorite breastfeeding book is The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.  Also check with your doctor, I'm sure there are prenatal classes offered in your area.  I think that breastfeeding is amazing and obviously great for your baby, but with twins I feel you need to do what you can.  If it comes super easy for you, then more power to you.  I'm not going to lie: it's hard!  Even with a schedule or pumping, you are up all day and night feeding.  Maddie had acid reflux, so she was extra fussy and ended up needing to go on soy formula.  I made it to 3 months and I was proud of that accomplishment. Don't let someone make you feel bad if you can't breastfeed your twins (or singleton!)...that one of my pet peeves.

Third tip:

Create a schedule ASAP!  It is hard to even think about a schedule at first, but a routine benefits both you and the babies.  I highly recommend the techniques in Happiest Baby on the Block. The book is great, but the video (although super cheesy) demonstrates the techniques for you.  You will feel silly doing the "shushing", but it works!  Swaddling also is a lifesaver!

I could talk forever, but I'll stop rambling now.  I will cover more tips in the next section, including space saving items we loved and how to handle potty training (seriously, I can't find a decent twin book on that subject!).  Also, since you go through TONS of clothes, which budget brands are worth it.

It's hard to imagine the twins this small now that they are almost 5! 

Remember: the first few months will be crazy, but they pass.  And every moment is worth it!

If you have any questions or topics you want me to cover about twins, leave a comment or send an email!

Disclaimer: Some links are affiliate links.  Those help keep this blog up and running!