The Handy SAHM

  This month, people all across the world engaged in a 21-day fast; giving up something to devote more of our day to connecting with God. I don't know if you participated; and if you did, I don't know how successful you were. I had a few challenges sticking to my original plan, which is fine. The problem came when I realized that although I gave something up, I didn't really give up all that I should have in order to truly focus on seeking God and making myself available to Him. It wasn't until the very last week of the 21 days that I decided it wasn't too late to go harder. My husband hadn't really been watching much television. So I was shocked one afternoon when the tv was on and a movie was set to play. It was  The Passion of the Christ . Now, this was a movie that I'd seen twice in the theater when it came out. This is also a movie that I thought sure I would never intentionally watch ever again. I saw it, I felt it. I was changed, I didn't need to ...

I CAN!!!!  I will never forget this poem I read years ago in a college poetry class...actually, I did kind of forget. I don't remember the name of the poem at all. But I do remember an extremely long run on sentence -  no spaces or punctuation. It went something like cookingcleaningmoppingwashingclothessweepingshopping...something like that! As I reminisce on this, I can't help but think, THAT IS MOTHERHOOD! Non-stop seemingly without a moment to breath.   I am the proud mother of two young boys: a two year old and an almost six month old. Life is full of adventure and love, but things are sometimes challenging. If you know, you know! Yesterday was pretty rough, like many days. In my house, things are often go go go ! Diaper changes and pumping in the middle of the night; feeding, bathing, diaper changing, playing, reading, learning activities, cooking,  sooooo much more right from the moment I wake up in the morning. Scheduling is hard because tots are so unpredicta...

I think sweet potato fries are becoming my specialty. They get better each time. Broccoli is a staple in our household and my two year old loves them. Ground turkey was the only meat we had. I didn't feel like frying burgers and we didn't have any sauce for spaghetti so I made plain meatballs.  Turkey Meatballs In a bowl, combine ground turkey, 1 egg, 1 broken up piece of bread, black pepper, onion powder, Everything Bagel seasoning. Form into round balls and place on baking sheet lined with foil. Spray with coconut oil spray. Cook in oven on 400 for 30 minutes.  Sweet Potato Fries  Peel potato and cut into fry shapes. Toss in a bowl with vegetable oil, cinnamon, and Everything Bagel. Cook in air fryer on 380 for 12 minutes.  Broccoli was steamed in a pot on the stove. I added butter and black pepper.  YUM YUM YUM 

As a new stay-at-home mom, it can be challenging trying to balance taking care of an infant while meeting the needs of a toddler. Since my 2 year old is no longer in daycare, I'm working diligently to provide him with adequate opportunities for academic growth.  He has tons of books and he loves reading them all with his dad and me. Some of his favorite toys are the educational ones such as puzzles for matching animals or letter, and a tablet. He watches television sometimes in the mornings. Although his ultimate favorite shows to watch are any version of the Baby Shark videos, he thoroughly enjoys Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. But something that has really helped with structural learning is this binder that I created. Here are a few of the pages that are in it: This binder will soon be updated because he can already count to 40 on his own and he also knows more shapes than what's shown, including an octagon. I didn't make a page for animals, food, or clothing b...

When I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed. Although I was a similac baby, I wanted to try something different with my kids. After all, the experts say that breastfeeding is the way to go, right? Well I was successful at first, but then things started to get a little rocky. I wasn't pumping much at one sitting. I'm talking about taking a half hour just to kick out 2-3 ounces altogether. I was concerned and thought that I would be forced to switch to formula. Then I made these 2 changes; my supply turned around tremendously. With my second pregnancy, I already knew the tricks and my flow was abundant.  1. Drink a full cup of water each time before pumping. This allows for an easy flow of breastmilk. Try it. It really does make a difference.  2. Try to pump right after breastfeeding.  The milk is flowing now. It should be easy to collect more right after a feeding.  Ultimately, the best way to feed your baby is to FEED YOUR...

Salmon Cakes 2 cans of salmon (I mixed two different brands)  2 eggs  1 slice of bread broken into pieces Black pepper Garlic powder Creole seasoning Green pepper, chopped Onion, chopped Sauce Topping Mix mayonnaise, ranch dressing, mustard, and hot sauce Drain salmon and mix everything together. Form into patties and drop into hot oil on a frying pan.  Cook until brown. Top it off with the sauce.  Sweet Potato Fries Slice sweet potatoes and mix in a bowl with vegetable oil and cinnamon. Cook in air fryer on "fries" setting for 11 minutes. Top off with honey.  Broccoli Cook broccoli like normal. I use black pepper and crushed red pepper for seasonings. 

On the go?  Need something quick before heading out for daycare drop-off on your way to work?  Are you a stay-at-home parent (generally or working from home due to the pandemic)? I'm always looking for relatively easy ways to provide my 2 year old with a variety of healthy meals. Who has the time or energy to cook every single morning? Saturdays have become my day for cooking breakfast in bulk. Many of these items can be frozen and taken out each day to be microwaved; way healthier than buying processed frozen foods from the grocery store, and they're cost efficient : 1. Blueberry Muffins I use Bisquick, eggs, milk, sugar, and frozen blueberries.   2. Smoothie These are super easy to make with your choice of fresh or frozen fruit, and water.  3. Fried Potatoes / Home Fries Peel and cut up potatoes into cubes, season, and put them right into a freezer bag. Take a scoop out as needed and pop it into the air fryer and it's ready in minutes.  4. Oatmeal Easier to co...

  One thing that I hate is spending money on something that I can do/make myself. Another thing that bothers me is how unhealthy ice cream can be, which sucks because it's my absolutely FAVORITE! But my husband and I have started our healthy-living journey and we've been doing pretty well. So I knew that if I had any chance of staying committed, I would have to find a worthy alternative to ice cream. One day, the idea popped up to use ingredients around the house to make our own ice pops using a muffin tin. STRAWBERRY-BANANA ICE POPS yields 6 pops Ingredients 3 chopped fresh strawberries 1/2 dole banana 1 cups Nonfat Greek Yogurt 1/3 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. I used a spoon (no need for a blender). I wanted to keep chunks of the strawberries, however I did mash most of the banana for the mixture. Pour mixture into the muffin pan cups. CHOCOLATE CHIP - WALNUT ICE POPS yields 6 pops Ingredients handful of chocolate chips handful of c...

Ice cream is definitely my Achilles Heel. I know, I know. Everything can be done in moderation, right? No, not ice cream! I always go overboard, doing crazy things like finishing a whole carton in 2 days.  I find that smoothies are a healthy alternative so my husband actually made this one and I loved it! It gives a variety from your regular fruity smoothie flavors such as strawberry banana. Give it a try, and let me know how you like it!