Etsy Shop!

Well, it's official I have opened my very own Etsy Shop! I am super excited. I don't have much in it yet. So far I have added doggy bandanas and adorable St. Patrick's Day loop hair clips.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/InstantReality

Feel free to head on over and check it out! I will be expanding my inventory soon : )

Easy Chicken Teriyaki with Noodles

     This is a great easy and quick weeknight dinner. It might not be the healthiest but it's not the most unhealthy either. This meal is very versatile too. 

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs boneless chicken breast
1-2 bags this stuff.

Directions:

Simply cook your chicken and chop it up or you could chop it up and then cook it.

Add the bag ingredients( to you chicken) according to the directions.

Follow the bag directions (boil, add noodles, simmer 7 minutes)

Tada!

Tonight I served ours with cranberry sauce and corn on the cob.

A Little Cloth!

     One day I realized that when my baby uses a disposable diaper they are figuratively pooping on our money and we are throwing our pooped on money in the garbage then. Yuck! How wasteful. I then started really thinking about cloth diapering. I had danced with the idea when my second baby was in diapers. I bought two pocket diapers, it didn't go well. By the time my third baby was coming along I really wanted to give it another shot. However, the start up cost of cloth diapers can be pretty pricey, a couple hundred dollars even. Not to mention there are so many options and it is over whelming!

     I dove into research and decided to get pocket diapers (which I will show you in a minute) and prefolds and wraps (cheapest option). How to pay for it though? I started looking through all of the things we had around our house that we didn't use any more like baby boy clothes ( I was expecting a girl), hardly used toys, a plethora of dishes we have never touched.  I sold a ton of stuff on facebook mom to mom sale groups, enough to fully fund our cloth diaper experiment.
     What type to get? The options are nearly endless it would appear. There are All in Ones, pocket diapers, pre folds, fitteds, wraps, covers, and soooo many brands too. I bought some used from a facebook group (cloth diapers have a great resale rate too). They were all pre folds and covers/wraps. I went to cottonbabies.com and bought a starter set of pre folds and covers too. I then purchased a few cheap pocket diapers as well. Then there were the other things that are nice too have like a diaper pail (garbage can with a lid, I got mine at family dollar for $8), pail liner (washable water proof liner, I picked this up from cottonbabies too), and a drying rack (you do not put the shells in the dryer, I got mine on clearance from Meijer for $11).
     Now I am on baby number 4 and he is in the same cloth diapers that I bought for baby number 3. I do still use disposables. I use them at night and if we are going out and about (the zoo, church, the mall...).

  This is a pocket diaper

This a wrap and prefold

Here is a little about how to use a pocket diaper.

 Here is the insert and the shell.

We put the insert into the shell.

 Then onto baby like a regular diaper.

With a pocket diaper when you take it off of baby you remove the insert from the shell and throw it all in the diaper pail.

With pre folds and wraps you remove the diaper from baby and then only dump the prefold into the diaper pail. The shell can be saved and used again. I alternate between two shells for a day then toss them both in.

I wash diapers every 2-3 days depending on my other laundry and how many diapers I have left.

Where Has the Kindness Gone?

     When I was little I would spend a lot of time with my grandma. Any time we ran into Kmart she would not lock the car doors. Nothing ever happened. Sometimes we would run down the road to the grocery store, and she would leave the back door to her house unlocked. Nothing ever happened. Once someone followed my grandma on her way home from church. This man entered her drive way. He parked, blocking her way out of the drive way. He exited his car. He then let her know that she had a flat tired and wanted to make sure she knew and made it home ok. People don't do that any more do they?
     If I go to the store all of my older kids know to check the doors. If I leave my house, even while my husband is home, I lock the back door. I lock the doors during the day too actually. And if a man was following me home I would have pulled into the police station, not my drive way. The world is far different now than it was twenty years ago.
     Today my eldest two, the baby, and I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from a birthday party. When it was our turn to check out we moved up to the you-scan. I noticed the couple before us left $20. After noticing they left the store I had my daughter give the local cashier the $20 and an explanation. A few minutes later the couple came back to claim their cash. They thanked us for turning in the money.
     It was nice for them to thank us but my first thought was "Why should I be thanked for doing the right thing?" I'm not complaining that they thanked us. This was the right thing to do. I taught my kids something in doing this as well. It made me think that many might have just pocketed that money and moved on quickly and quietly. Where are the good people?
     I'd like to think most of us are the good people though. I'd like to think that if it was me, someone would have turned it in. In the past I forgot to pay for my milk because it was on the bottom of my cart. I circled back and paid. The cashier was shocked. She said most would have just kept it and left. How sad is it that this is the world we live in?
     Be the change you want to see in the world, right? I will.

Family Night

     We have a little tradition at our house. Every Friday night we have family night. We have pizza. We watch a movie, the kids get to take turns choosing which ever movie they want each week. Sometimes family joins us (my sister-in-law usually, she's 11). We must have popcorn and or dessert too.

    This week my sister-in-law is sleeping over. We make a huge blanket bed in the living room. The kids pile nearly all of the extra fleece blankets, comforters, throws, and plush blankets in the middle of the living room. Seriously the comfiest spot ever! Then they bring out a bunch of pillows and stuffed animals and sleep there.
     Some times we bake cookies or brownies too. Often we play games. Splendor is a well loved favorite. Sometimes we play Clue, Monopoly, Uno, Pylos, Goblet, and so many others. Our newest crazy is Exploding Kittens when it comes to playing games.

     During the movie one of the best parts is having some warm, freshly popped popcorn with a surprise. The kiddies absolutely love popcorn with a surprise. I actually got the idea from John and Kate Plus 8 years ago. I make the popcorn and then I add a little treat. Maybe gummy bears, m&m's, or some other type of candy.
     I always love ending our weeks with this routine.

Easy Slow Cooker Puller BBQ Chicken!

     I am always looking for great easy meals for my growing family. My slow cooker is my best friend for dinner. I need low prep meals. Seriously, like I look at it and is cooks itself basically. We might be homeschoolers but we are busy. Not only do I have a new born but we have Awana,  Co-op, and every day life (play dates, library trips, lessons/classes, and lots of fun).
     I also have 3 children and a husband eating and sometimes they can be picky. I do not cater to picky eaters but I will if it is something they consistently dislike. This is one of our favorites and just about all of us like it every time and we usually get leftovers out of it too!

Pulled BBQ Chicken in the slow cooker.

Recipe...

• BBQ sauce (your favorite, my favorite is whatever is on sale :)  )
• 2-3 good sized chicken breasts.

Directions...

 

I like to pour a little sauce on the bottom just to coat it

I add the chicken breasts (some times frozen)

pour BBQ sauce on top (about a cup or 1/2 a bottle)

Set on low for 4-5 hours

It's done when it is practically falling apart when you try to lift one out with a  fork or tongs

Shred with forks or a hand mixer.

Tada! Delish!

All About Me!

     Welcome to my blog! Let me go ahead at tell you a little about myself. I am a follower of Christ first and foremost. I have a loving, amazing, super hero of a husband. I am also called Mommy by the 4 best (usually) kids in the world. My children are 11, 6, 3, and 12 weeks.
     I have many hobbies. I enjoy attempting projects off of Pinterest (and usually failing miserably). You will get to see many of my attempts at finding something I am great at right here in the near future, as well as, my epic fails (if I'm not to embarrassed to laugh at myself). I also like to read in my spare time (while I'm breastfeeding... if the other kids are not too crazy... or too loud...). I have been known to davul in cooking and baking, many recipes and how-to's will come your way!
     We happen to homeschool as well. This is our third year homeschooling. I have a 6th grader and a 1st grader. My youngest daughter is 3 going on 4. At our co-op she is in preschool and in the fall will be in the kindergarten class. At home I'm not big on formal preschooling. It's not a walk in the park but it's worth it.
     My goal is to give you a look into my daily life. My ambition to find a hobby and make a side business out of it. My  love of Jesus. My pretty great marriage and usually amazing kids. My struggles and successes with homeschooling. My sweet baby's milestones. With this blog I hope to capture my family's jubilee : ).