Wordless Wednesday

I always plan on keeping my ramblings to a minimum on my Wordless Wednesday posts but I usually fail at it. So here we go. Short and sweet WW.





My baby girl <3

Amy over at Resourceful Mommy has a WW linky if you are interested in sharing your WW post.

How do you keep your kids busy during school breaks

I love when my oldest is on breaks from school. He gets a chance to play more with his younger brother and sister and catch up on the time he misses with them while he is in school. And I just love watching the three of them together. I also get more cuddle time with my big boy when we stay up a little bit later and watch How the Earth is made together. He is completely fascinated by that show. For the most part my kids get a long great but just like adults, they have their moments so keeping them entertained is key.

Yesterday and today have been spent making crafts. Luckily my kids love all things craft related and will spend all day doing crafts if allowed. Yesterday my son decided he wanted to make a bible so we ran with the idea and here is what he made.



In case you can't read his writing here is what each page said, going down, up to the middle and from the top right down again.
Cover-Made by Stephen :)
Page 1-Jesus was born in a manger
Page 2-Jesus died for our sins
Page 3-Jesus rose from his grave
Page 4-Jesus loves everyone

Now we are not the most religious family but to see this made my heart completely swell. He is a very curious little man and I love that he is curious in learning about religion and all that it encompasses.

Today was a more of a free for all craft day. My house is almost completely covered with masks.




My daughter requested a little book for herself so this is what we made together.



After lunch the kids and I went back to crafting while the little man had other plans.....



I am totally liking his plan and thinking a nap sounds mighty good right now!

I hope everyone is having a beautiful day <3

Social Media Moms spreading the word to help the children of Japan

You can click the image above to go directly to Save the Children's donation page

Today I am writing about something that for me is truly heart breaking. I know it is a fact in life today that there will be orphaned children. But I am not here today to talk about that particular situation. I am talking about the devastation that hit Japan on March 11th. I know almost everyone out in the world has  seen what happened. We all know there was an earth quake that hit Japan at approximately 2:46 pm (local time) and then shortly after a tsunami went through and completely devastated the area and as a result of both natural occurrences the local nuclear reactor plant has been having problems since. 

The problems with the nuclear reactors, while definitely important has inadvertently caused most of the worlds attention to that matter and a lot of people have forgotten about the actual devastation and thousands of people that are missing, injured, homeless, without their family, without food. 

“We are concerned for as many as 100,000 children who may have been displaced because of last Friday’s earthquake and tsunami. Many of them will have lost their homes and been forced to take refuge in unfamiliar places like evacuation centers that might cause them to be afraid and anxious,” said Stephen McDonald, who is leading Save the Children’s relief efforts in Japan.

“There is also a risk that some of them will have become separated from their parents and family members because of the disaster. It is important we provide support to parents and children who are struggling to cope in the aftermath of the disaster,” said McDonald.

Quote from Stephen McDonald on March 15, 2011. He is leading the Save the Children’s relief efforts in Japan.

Yes, you read that right. As many as one hundred thousand children who may have been separated from their families. I cannot imagine how frightening that must be for a child. I am grown adult and I would be terrified not knowing where my family was. It breaks my heart. The reason for my post today is because I am uniting with other Social Media Moms to spread the word about helping out those in need in Japan. Please feel free to share this link with family, friends and your followers  http://bit.ly/SMMJapan Any amount is truly a blessing. Even if money is tight and you can only afford ten dollars that can give diapers to a young child and food and a blanket. Lets spread the word and help  bring some much needed help to these children.

Today, please join Social Media Moms and Partybluprints, as we raise awareness and money to support the amazing work being done by ‘Save The Children’ in Japan. ( itsjessicaslife.com – treerootandtwig.com – Shanamama.com - Techsavvymama.com – thebeedot.com - Thecentsiblelife.com – Betterinbulk.net – adailypinch.com – mommyality.com – www.socialmediamoms.net – parentella.com – ColoradoMoms.com – musingsfromme.com/ – mommasaid.net – skimbacolifestyle.com – anniewear.com – coolandhipiamnot.blogspot.com – simplegreenorganichappy.com – mommybknowsbest.com – ienjoysoup.com – Momtrends.com - feelslikehomeblog.com – Parentella.com – Themorrisbunchblog.com - brainfoggles.com –
fashionablyorganized.com – healthbeautychildrenandfamily.com – singlemomandteenagedgirl.blogspot.com – fromdatestodiapers.com – BetterWayMoms.com
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Trying new foods doesn't always turn out to be a bad thing

I love trying new foods and recipes. While shopping at Trader Joes last week I came upon a jar of Thai red curry sauce. I absolutely love curry sauce. The one thing I order whenever my mom and I get Thai food is chicken panang which if you aren't familiar with it, it's red curry sauce with chicken, bell peppers and basil served over white rice. Oh my is it good.

I don't get to go out to this Thai place that often so I was very excited to see a ready to go sauce for my favorite Thai dish. I didn't have any basil at home and completely forgot to buy some while i was out so no basil this time but if you have it on hand be sure to put some in.

I was kind of nervous about giving it to the kids because while most of the time they don't fuss about dinner sometimes with new recipes they are very hesitant. Much to my surprise they kids LOVED it. Seriously loved it. My daughter had four helpings and my youngest had three. My oldest just had the one but he did scarf it down. So I am taking that as a new recipe success.

Now since this sauce is already prepared in a nice little bottle for you the recipe is relatively simple. Here is what I did. 

Thai Red Curry Chicken

1 bottle of Trader Joes Thai Red Curry Chicken sauce 

4-5 chicken breasts 

1/2 of a bell pepper cut into bite sized pieces

Basmati Rice or white rice (whichever you prefer) 

Wash the chicken breasts and lay out to but cut on your cutting board 

I am very picky about fat on my food so while many think I am wasteful I cut all fat off the chicken and then sliced each breast in half since they were pretty thick pieces 

Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. This not only cuts time on cooking but it also makes it easier to serve to the kids and less time spent on your part so you aren't cutting up the kids food while everyone else is eating. Now you can cook the chicken over medium heat. 

Cook for about six minutes and then pour in the entire bottle of the red curry sauce.

Mix thoroughly and cover the chicken. Once it starts to boil bring the temperature down to low and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

After it's done simmering add in your bell peppers. I do this at the last minute because I still like a crunch to mine.

And now it is ready to serve

Wordless Wednesday

Spring is almost here! Just a few more days, okay actually five more days but hey less then a week away and we already have flowers and trees blooming. I absolutely love seeing fresh new life. Isn't it beautiful.

iHeart Faces peoples choice

 iHeart Faces photo challenge for this week is "Best Face Photo from February 2011". 
As soon as I took this picture of my daughter I knew I would love it when I saw it in full size. Sure enough it is saved and my desktop background, my wallpaper on my phone and my Facebook profile picture. Obsessive maybe but I just <3 it. 

Here is my favorite picture taken in the month of February

If you would like to participate in this weeks challenge HURRY there is only about two hours left to enter! 
The contest is now closed and voting is open! If you would like to vote for me (I wont argue with you, I would actually love if if you did) I am entry #529

http://www.iheartfaces.com

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It's too quiet in here

Being a mom you know when the kids are young quiet means primarily three things.

1.  They fell asleep.
2.  They are playing nicely
3. They are getting into everything but doing it quietly so you have no idea until you realize, wait a minute it's awfully quiet. What are they doing in there?

So when I go to get the kids ready for bed and I don't see my daughter sitting where she was five minutes ago playing with her dolls I automatically think, oh no, please don't let it be a number three night. Thankfully it wasn't and I am even more thankful that she has pretty much outgrown that phase. But worry sets in next. Where did she go???? Not in her room, not in my room, not in the bathroom. Hmmm not under the kitchen table (yes she has been known to hide under there). WHERE could she be?



I couldn't help but laugh because my first thought was it's like looking for Where's Waldo. Can you see my daughter hidden in this picture in a room full of toys.



How about there? Yes that little blond thing curled up in a ball would be my baby girl. I love it when she falls asleep in random places and in the middle of playing with her barbies. I mean how cute is that.

Disney presents Toy Story 3 Hawaiian Vacation

  Guess what folks? Toy Story isn't quite gone yet. On June 24, 2011 Walt Disney Studios will be releasing Cars 2 in theaters. I for one can't wait to take my kids to see this. Still a toss up in our house who our favorite character is, of course it's between Mater and Lightning McQueen. And guess what, as an added bonus they have brought back the gang from Toy Story 3 for a 3D animated short film called Hawaiian Vacation.




Don't forget to check your local theaters on June 24, 2011 for play times on Cars 2. And bring the whole family because it's sure to be a good time! You can also go like Cars 2 on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PixarCars they have photos of all the original characters and new one's.  They also have short clips called Cars Toons which are really cute.

Wordless Wednesday

I think I have shared one of these pictures before but I wanted to share again because they are a few of my favorites of my husband and kids. There is something that just makes my heart swell every time I watch my husband and the kids play together. These were taken two years ago but they stick out in my mind when I think of the fun times with my family.

Baby boy & the hubs. I just love this picture <3

The hubs playing with all three kids. Can you tell they were all having a blast

Hmmmm, what's this hole for???

Maybe it tastes good too?

As you can see it goes from cuddles, to playing, to what I find absolutely hilarious and that is why it is one of my favorite memories of watching my family together.