Desperate times calls for creative recipes!

Flashbacks of living in a hotel with 3 kids for 4 months, while eating ramen and peanut better sandwiches every day have begun to hit me. Its been about 4 weeks since I lost my job. I only just received my final check from my last employer. Received one weeks payment from Unemployment. And Food Stamps won't reload with money until the 11th of this month. So I've had to get very creative with what we get from WIC and a few dollars well spent. From these hard times, I've created quite the magnificent dinner. My fiancé has dubbed it, Emily's Frankenstein. My kids ate it up. I'll share it with you, and I want to know what your family thinks about it. Enjoy!

Emily's Frankenstein

Double batch of 6 serving boxed mashed potatoes or the equivalent of what your family would eat
Pepperoni (however many your family would deem enough)
Canned corn (just half was enough)
onion, bell pepper, green onion to your taste
Half a package of cream cheese
Salt, pepper, garlic (or whatever seasonings your family likes)
2 cups of shredded cheese

Make your pot of mashed potatoes. Sauté the pepperoni (and/or sausage works), onion, bell pepper, garlic. Mix that, the cream cheese, and canned corn (I only used half a can as some of my kids don't like too much of it) with the mashed potatoes. Add your seasonings. Spread into your greased baking dish, sprinkle the top with cheese, and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. You really just want the cheese melted and everything warmed up.

Serve with green beans on the side if you like. Especially if you have several cans in .the pantry... Its simple, its quick, its fairly cheap. And our whole family loved it!

I would love to hear from you all. What crazy mash up have you used when money or ingredients were limited? How well did it go with the family?

Gardening is good for the soul

Gardening is good for the body too. You grow healthier foods, maybe beautiful flowers, or trees for some summer time shade. Whatever it is, it has purpose in the long run.
For my family, we are growing vegetables. One - to save money. Two - to eat healthier. I'm also having my daughter help in growing flowers. She loves to pick wildflowers everywhere we go. Do you have one of those kids in your life? The one you hear, "This is for you, Mommy!", as she hands you a wilted flower that has tiny black insects in the middle? You reach down and say, "Aw, thank you, sweetie." Then when she isn't looking, the flower finds a new home in the grass...

But the excitement we have while working together as a family, is what is truly important to me. We spend so much time as moms, or dads, that we miss moments with our kids. How often do you find yourself saying, "Oh? That sounds cool." Or, "Really? Well, just be careful." Were you really listening to them? Can you repeat their story back to them? Or did you get the gist and mumble your reply while focusing on your current task. Watching TV, washing dishes, folding laundry... Yes, these are important and must be completed. Yes, time is limited. But they won't be little forever. Before you know it, your baby is 8 years old. He has an attitude and doesn't want to stand next to you when his friends are there. Your little girl is 4 years old and wants to pick out her own clothing for school. And your 6 year old can do his homework without your help, but let's you "help" by reading the instructions just to spend that time with you. 
So, this is what we are doing. What about you? What will you do to have meaningful time with your loved ones.

Avery review via Shoplet.com

Shoplet is hosting another review through me for Avery products. I'm a huge fan of Avery. They are innovative in design and usefulness. Today I have their UltraTabs. These are quite nifty for the color-coded and organized mind. They are durable and 2-sided. But best of all, you can write on them and they are smudge-free. Index or flag notes so you know exactly where to look later. Each pack comes with 80 re-positional tabs. The only downside I can see would possibly be price. They are $11.19 a pack. A little more than I might like to pay, but you are are getting better quality.

They also sent a 5 tab moveable tab divider set. These are great for a 3 ring binder. They have the features of the other tabs included and ready to go. It is also made of a durable, heavyweight card stock with reinforced holes to make them last longer. They have printable divider sheets to make it easier for you to add designs to them. Sorta doll up or create a more appealing outward look. These are only $2.98 a pack. Avery is also wonderful about having free templates online. You just enter the product number, find the one you want, create the design, and it prints perfectly in line with your page.

What better way to keep things organized at home or at the office? So check them out and let me know what you think in the comments below! Also, keep in mind, that Shoplet.com offers more than just office supplies. They also have cleaning supplies, medical supplies, and office furniture.

***I was not paid to write this review. My opinions are my own. I am compensated only by being sent the products to test and write about.***

Label Daddy discount via US Family Guide

It has come to that time of year again. Summer camps and trips are fast approaching! Time to label your child's (or your own) gear so that there is no doubt what belongs to who. Label Daddy is teaming up with US Family Guide again to share information and discounts to help you prepare for those upcoming events. 

I absolutely love their labels! Easy to use, machine washable, and they make putting my kids' names on things look wonderful! I can't tell you how much I dislike writing their names and it comes out lopsided or funky looking. My handwriting doesn't reflect my skills with writing... Anyhow... 
I have been using Label Daddy for all my labeling needs. I especially recommend them to other moms out there. My son recently came home with another kids jacket, all because they had the same jacket. Which would have been avoided had they been labeled! 

Even if your kids won't be going to summer camps, there are other things to consider using them for. Camping trips, next school year preparation (can't start too early!), days at the pool, vacations or even labeling your own things if you live with someone else. They are also great for marking your personal lunch items that you take to work. Should make someone think twice about dipping into your things!