5 Pinterest Recipes We Are Loving Right Now

To get our budget truly in line with where we need it to be, I've been doubling my efforts to plan out our meals. I use as much as we need only and sometimes combine leftovers if possible to create another dish. Pinterest has been my go-to for help in this. We get tired of the normal recipes, that while they may be favorites, you can only have them so many times within a couple weeks. So here are our favorites from this past week that we have decided are worth sharing and keeping in our planning list. 

1. Korean Beef Bowl

This is my absolute favorite. So simple, yet so delicious. My husband agreed that the both of us would definitely be okay with eating this once a week. Sadly, the kids were not as thrilled. Instead of using plain white rice, we found these Veetee Thai Lime and Herb rice dishes at our local HEB.

They are just under $2 each. It has about 2 servings each. We love the way the cilantro and lime flavors enhances the taste of the beef. We also make chicken potstickers with this meal (mostly because we love those so much too!).

2. Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches.

The kids were not a huge fan of this one either. Yes, I have super picky eaters. However, they at least ate one and my husband said they were a keeper. Super simple, they don't take long to make. I like to get pre-made meatballs from HEB. I will NEVER AGAIN buy the brand that Walmart had. There is something seriously wrong with these meatballs. 

My kids love meatballs, but they wouldn't touch these after one bite. Weird taste to them. I tried marinating them and everything... Anyhow! Back to the recipe. Heat up your meatballs and sauce, then top your hoagies and add mozzarella. Once the cheese is melted -voila! Dinner is served. 

3. Creamy Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Another really simple dish that doesn't take too much effort. This one worked for the whole family. I had maybe 3 servings left which I decided to freeze for later use. I made garlic breadsticks to go with it and Mmmm we all ate good! 

4. Buffalo Chicken Tortilla Roll Ups

I have used these in the form suggested, but you can use the filling as a dip too with tortilla chips. The kids say its too spicy for them, so my husband and I use these for a light lunch, snack or as the dip side for a party or lunch. 

5.Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

We had this one most recently. My kids were having seconds and thirds. They asked if we can make it every day for 14 days. Why 14 days? I have no idea. Guess it was just the number that popped into their heads. So creamy and delicious! I had absolutely no leftovers from my 9x9 baking dish! And the craziest part? I didn't even have the bacon for it! They asked that we include that next time though. 

So that was this past weeks meals. I have a few others lined up to try and will share if they turn out to be just as delightful! Do you have any Pinterest favorites? Share them in the comments below and if it looks like something we can try, I'll re-pin!

Are my kids trying to have me arrested??

In these days, more so than before, parents can easily be accused of child abuse. Broken bones, bruises, neglected head lice, even! Society has laid out what kids should be like. Being in the digital age, we except kids to docile and zoned out. Not mine...

My son got off the bus with two marks he didn't have when he left for school.

He had a roundish mark on his forehead that looked like a bruise. And then he had a red mark on his arm that looked to be a mix of a bruise and a bite. Yes, I was quite concerned. And then I got this answer to my query, "I did it to myself." WHAT?! WHY?? "I wanted to."

*Mental face palm*

Fast forward to later that afternoon. Homework was done. Showers had just been wrapped up. They were playing a little Minecraft while I completed dinner preparations. I hear thudding down the stairs from that same son and then CRASH! He had tripped at the last steps and planted his side into the stained concrete floor. He hit the side of his head at the ear, so that his ear was smashed on his glasses. Now he has a huge, swollen, ugly, purple bruise.

His knee had connected to the floor, giving him an ugly red swelling point there too.

*Mentally banging my head against the wall now*

Out comes an ice pack and admonishment to not run down the stairs. Again. I also informed him that if people saw him right now, they might have 1 of 2 thoughts go through their minds.

1. This kid was in quite the fight.

2. This kid gets beaten by his parents. 

My older daughter is also one I worry about for this reason. She is naturally clumsy. Falling, tripping and hitting herself happen regularly.If I had a dollar for every band-aid we have needed for her... And that brings me to child number 4. 10 1/2 months old, this girl can't stay still. I can be holding her and she's trying to do back flips from my arms. Or turning the furniture into her own personal jungle gym.

I had a picture I sent to her father one day when she got mad that I put her down when she was sleepy, and she had headbutted my computer desk. Looked like she had a black eye. 

As parents, we try to protect them from danger. However, we also want them to be strong and be able to handle some pain. Scratches, light bruises, scraped knees. You can't protect them from everything. Not unless they develop some kind of special bubble wrap we can encase them in. One day, right? Until then, we have to do everything we can to keep them alive and avoid Child Protective Services when they take being a kid to another level. 
Bubble wrap... Reminds me of the Chuckee Cheese ad.... 

Social Media is a Killer

As a blogger, I rely on social media to get my posts in front of more eyes. I use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and YouTube. The more I blog, the less I like the social media aspect of it. If I didn't have the blog, I'd get rid of Facebook and Twitter immediately. They are evil, if you really think about it. Dangerous even. You put your life out there for the world to see. And for what? Or maybe you spend hours browsing through the lives of others. Again, why? Because humans are social creatures? Ha! I don't think that's the case for the vast majority. 

There have been numerous times that I've heard of studies conducted to determine the impact that social media, especially Facebook, have on an individuals life. You know what they find? Facebook can be so depressing. How so? Let's break it down. First of all, what do you see when you check your news feed? What do you look for on there? You check out your connections and what is going on in their lives. And how many times might you be tempted to see their lives and compare it to your own? "She met the man of her dreams!" "He has an amazing job!" "They get to travel all over the world." "I wish my house looked as grand as that." I could go on. Parents compare kids. Adults compare houses, jobs, spouses, vehicles. Smiles are abundant. But do we ever consider what hides behind those smiling faces? Not at all. We are too busy comparing our own lives to the fake one before us on a computer screen. Twitter is as much of a waste to me now as I knew it would be when I started using it. The only posts I put on there are for the blog. And that's the only reason I started one. What is the point to Twitter?? And why do people share so many stupid details of their life? I don't care what food you cooked. I don't care what movie you are watching. I don't need to follow the details of your day as they happen. Give me a summary in a blog post, if you feel so inclined. 

So as we compare, we start to falter. We begin seeking to mimic the lives of others. "If I just do this..." "Maybe if I buy that too..." "Why can't my kid be as talented?" Depression hits a lot of people when they spend too much time surfing social sites. Its why there are so many campaigns encouraging "unplugging" from technology. Open your eyes to life away from a screen. Or maybe you should look at this way... Are you stalking? Creeping? Are you checking an individuals page to have something to gossip about later?

YouTube is great. I love being able to look up music from various authors and just let it play one after another of my favorite songs. I subscribe to my best artists. But in the midst of so much amazing, you have so many idiots posting crap too. I don't surf YouTube. I'd lose brain cells if I did. I started a channel way back when to post Lego building videos and blog review clips. But there are so many crazy things your eyes can stumble over on there.

Pinterest is my electronic best friend. I can search for new recipes. I can get hints, tips, and pictorial advice on just about anything I can think of. I can create boards and save pins for later reference. I have to be careful or I get too carried away and think I can do anything.

I think we all need to evaluate our usage of social media. Question what it is we are getting from it. Is it worth our time? Are we on too much? Are we simply following the crowd and using it because its the "thing" to do? More importantly, you should ask yourself, "Am I satisfied with my life, no matter what I see of others' lives?" Remember to be happy with what you have. To appreciate what is going on in your personal life. And also to know that there is more than meets the eye on those sites. So much more.Don't let social media steal your joy. Not talking about happiness. Happiness comes from something happening in your life. It is a fleeting feeling. Joy is something deeper. Something that you can hold on to in the darkness that you face. But it can be silenced when we look out and feel as though we are less in life. Are you falling down with a bad case of the social media blues?

Turning the Walk in the Park into an Adventure!

I truly believe that children need to have an active imagination. Our generation and the generation we are raising are a part of the digital age. Where everything is considered accessible to your fingertips. Games, movies and internet uses have replaced things like reading actual books or going on nature hikes. Most families these days consider going outside a chore. Too hot, too cold, too nature-y (no, that's not a word, its a description). Now, yes, you do need to teach your child the difference between a story and a lie. My oldest son tells stories, but says they are true events and I have to tell him, "No, that's just lying." 

This is why I encourage them to imagine out of the box scenarios. When we went to the park this past Saturday, they imagined we were in Jumanji. We had to escape creatures within and every path we took led us either further into the game or closer to the end. It was a blast! And had it been just a little cooler, I think they would have been willing to go on so much longer. 

We went to Comanche Park. There is a Lookout tower on one path, a path that leads to a library, and plenty of deer to be seen if you go early enough in the morning. There is not a playground, but my kids had fun climbing around the amphitheater. As parents, we should always try to make the ordinary, extraordinary! Don't let your kids lose interest in the reality around them. 

I made this video to show the things we pieced together in our little "adventure". 


My kids also create adventures through our family Minecraft moments. So, if you really can't bring yourself to be outside, find a game you can all play and be venturous!