Mommy Groups

Today we had the opportunity to go to the park with a mommy group that a girl I went to high school with started.  It was a beautiful day to be outside spending time with friends old and new.  A week ago my friend decided that she wanted to start a group of mommies with kids around the same age so that we adults could have adult conversation and the kids could start having other babies to grow up with.  I have to say that it was so nice to talk with other mommies my age with babies.  I love my children but there is only so much four year old conversation that you can take.
We met up at a local park so that those of us with older kids could make sure that they were occupied as we walked.  Our park has a track around the park so that you can always see your kids play as you walk.  It was nice to spend time talking with other mommies, whether newbie moms or us with a little more experience.  We can all learn from each other since our kids are within weeks of each other.  We talked and talked for what seemed just a few minutes although after all was said and done an hour and a half had passed.
As a stay at home, you are spending the time at home with your kid or kids because you see the importance of spending that time at home and can afford to do it.  After our first, staying home was not an option financially like it is now.  But it is also important to have some adult time for your own sanity.  If you are a stay at home mom, I highly recommend trying to find a mommy group or start one yourself.  We had the best time today and we just talked and walked.  What a better way to help your sanity and waistline at the same time?

Homemade Cherry Cobbler

I was looking through our sauce packet drawer yesterday and came across a recipe for cherry cobbler that had gotten misplaced.  It looked good so I decided to try to make it.  It is a recipe that my mother in law gave us among many others.  She is a great baker so we figured this would be no different.  It is so good!

Here is the recipe.

Cherry Cobbler
1 stick of butter - melt in  9 x 13 pan (I put it in the oven as it heated up to 325 degrees)

Batter recipe
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups sugar

Pour the batter over the melted butter in the pan.  Top with one can of cherry pie filling.  She says that you can sprinkle sugar or cinnamon sugar.  I did not do this step.  I completely forgot.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or till done.

I followed her directions and the cobbler was fine other than it was not nearly done after 30 minutes.  I completely forgot to take into account that she is cooking in high altitude where as I am not.

Next time I think that I will try cooking it at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.  I think that will work much better.  At 325 degrees, it took almost an hour for it to cook through in the middle.

It turned out so tasty and will be great served with a side of Turkey Hill Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

Saving Money and Stocking Up

Today was spent running errands.  Tuesday is always library day so that is where we started our day.  Alex and Amelia loved storytime and Alex loved getting new books to bring home to read.  We then moved onto CVS.  Now this is a place to get great deals.  Today was stock up on laundry detergent day.  They have a great deal right now with Purex detergent.  It is B1G2 free.  This can also be paired with three $1.50 off 2 coupons to make it an even better deal.  I was able to pair it with 2 coupons and got six bottles of Purex detergent for $10 including tax.  As a mom, this is a great deal.  We are always washing clothes and are always in need of detergent.  My favorite one right now is the Purex with Zout.  It is awesome and takes out a lot of stains.  This was just one deal that I could not pass up.  I saved just under $30 with this deal.

We then moved onto Target to price out diapers as Amelia moves into size 4.  We usually buy Up and Up brand and just wanted to make sure that they are the best deal.  While there I was able to pick up a pack of Bic disposable razors for free. They are regularly $2.99 and there was a coupon in the SmartSource coupons from 3/6/14 for $3 off a pack of any disposable Bic razors.  This made them free.  It is very exciting when you get anything for free even razors.

Finally, I had to get some fabric for a project that I found on Pinterest.  My cousin's daughter is turning four this weekend and I need to make her gift.  I searched Pinterest for some inspiration and found a cool guitar pillow that I am going to make tomorrow.  I will take pictures as I work and post the results in tomorrow's blog.  I am using pink fabric because that is her favorite color and I know the guitar will be a big hit since her dad plays in a local rock band.  Here's to a successful project. And a tasty cherry cobbler that is begging to be made tomorrow.

St. Patrick's Day Activities for Preschoolers

Today was a very fun day filled with St. Patrick's Day activities with Alexander.  We started our activities by making a rainbow and talking about the pot of gold that can be found under the rainbow.  Alex loves making crafts and cannot wait for activities like this.  I used card stock, cotton balls, strips of construction paper, and glue.  I cut out a cloud shape from the card stock for Alex to glue the cotton balls to make a fluffy cloud.  We then turned it over and glued the strips of paper in order of the colors of the rainbow - ROYGBIV - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo (we skipped this one), and violet.  Once this is completed you have a really cool rainbow craft.  It was very simple and took very little time to prep and complete.

We then moved onto baking.  I had planned on making green cupcakes for today but Alex decided that he wanted to make cookies instead.  So I went through my pantry and found a bag of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix.  We followed the instructions on the back of the package to create the cookies.  We then added the
green food coloring to make them an awesome shade of green.  I did not measure how much we added.  I just added the food coloring until we got to the shade of green that we liked.  We then baked the cookies at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  They turned out very tasty and very green!


Lastly, that mischievous leprechaun helped with dinner.  I decided to make spaghetti for dinner. That naughty leprechaun added some green food coloring to the pasta water and dyed the noodles green. Alex really got a kick out of this.  He ate his enter bowl of green pasta!

It was a great day do all of the activities that I was not always able to do with my kids when I was working as a teacher.  I love being able to make all of the memories with them and hope they will do some of these things with their future kids!

Volunteering at the Consignment Sale

Today I spent most of my day volunteering at our local Just Between Friends consignment sale.  I really enjoy being able to spend the time helping others find what they need for their children as I get rid of a lot of things that my kids cannot use anymore.  I was able to help other moms find strollers and bicycles for their kids while I found clothes for mine.  Consignment sales are a great way to make money of the things that your kids cannot use anymore and make a little extra money for yourself.  By volunteering my time I am able to get more of my money back and not have to pay the consignment fee.  Just by consigning your clothes, you will get 65% of what you make back plus you have to pay a $10 fee.  Because I am able to give of my time, 24 hours in my case, I am able to make 75% of my money back and I do not have to pay the fee.  I was able to shop early and find some great deals for my kids.  My best score was an Easter dress for Amelia for $1.  It is a cute little dress with some tulle underneath and pink and orange flowers on the outside.  I was so excited to find this and not have to go to a store and spend at least $20 on a dress that she will maybe wear once.  I was also able to get Alex 6 pairs of very nice shorts (Gymboree) with the adjustable waist (a must with a tall skinny boy) for $2 a pair.  I got lots of t-shirts for both kids, shorts, dresses, rompers, and onesies and spent under $40 for everything that I bought.  I will shop again on the 50% off day which I will be able to shop early because I am volunteering so many hours.  If you are looking for a great way to make a little extra money, get rid of some of your kid's things, and have some time with other moms, I highly recommend looking into your local consignment sale.  I love Just Between Friends which is national franchise but look for one that you love and volunteer to make the most of your time and money!

My Running Shoes Died!

I am in the process of training for a 5k.  I run three nights a week for at least 30 minutes, usually more.  I went Wednesday to run so I grabbed my running shoes and slipped them on as usual.  I got the first one tied and started on the second.  That is when I felt it.  My shoes felt wobbly, kinda funny.  I take it off to examine it and there it is...the bottom of my running shoe is half off.  The bottom of my shoes was almost completely off!  I thought that I was going to cry.  I have had those since I was in college and I love them so much.  I had them broken in.  They were cushy in just the right spot.

Unfortunately, I do not have a huge amount of time to get a new pair and break  them in before my 5k.  I had to go out and find a pair that will work for now.  I did not want to spend a lot on them because there is a good chance that they will never come clean because I am running in the Color Me Rad race where they color bomb you as you run 3.1 miles.  I ended up finding a great pair at Target for under $20 on clearance.  They are pretty comfy and will not be a big deal if they never come clean again.  I have already decided to wear white clothing for the day so that I can come across the finish line as colorful as possible and not to worry about coming clean as it will be a thing of pride for completing my first 5k.  I am very excited to run this race and maybe another one soon. I am really enjoying running and it is helping get some of the baby weight off of me.  I only have 2 more weeks until my race and cannot wait for it to get here.  When I first started this endeavor I was not sure that I would ever be able to run 3 miles but now I am wondering if I will be able to do a 10k by the end of the year or early next year!  I love setting goals for myself and seeing them come to fruition.

A Warm and Sunny Day

Today was a perfect day in the south to get outside and enjoy the weather.  It was unseasonably warm today at 78 degrees.  Not a day that you want to be inside if possible.  We started off our day with our usual Tuesday activity of going to the library where today's theme was green.  A perfect topic for a day that already feels so spring like.  After Amelia's nap we spent a good afternoon at the park running out some energy.  Alex loves to run and run fast.  His favorite thing to do it to find a spot and have me say, "Ready, Set, Go!" so that he can run fast.  He would much rather run around the playground than actually play on the equipment.  I cannot wait for the weather to start getting more consistent in temperature so that we are able to enjoy the outdoors more.  Tomorrow comes the rain along with high winds and colder temperatures for a day or two before rebounding back into the 60's.  I cannot wait for it to be just warm enough for us to take our family hikes and picnics.  I love spending time outdoors!  I think that I am just over this winter and am so ready for it to be spring and summer to enjoy all of the wonderful things that this time of year brings.  I am ready for all of the farmer's markets to open with all of the season's wonderful bounty.  I am ready to play in the yard with the kids.  I am ready to explore all the wonderful festivals such as the annual art festival.  Oh well, it will eventually get here and then I will be ready to get inside from all of the 100 degree plus weather!  It is such a vicious cycle!