Cereal Themed Birthday Party!!!

Cereal Party!!!

Hey mamas! If you are like me and looking for a unique and fun party theme for your lil one’s birthday party, you will love this idea! I was looking for a cute theme for my one year old’s birthday party this year and I ended up going with one thing that one year olds love. . . . CEREAL!!!!! I loved the idea and it was even better that there were so many ideas online! So I decided to share my creations with you J

To narrow it down, I chose Fruit Loops for the color scheme. I started by looking for outfits for myself and my family. I found some very cute colorful stripped leggings for myself and my 3 year old and a really cute fruit loop colored dress for my birthday girl! Their daddy had on a nice and bright plaid button up shirt J

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

So for the food we went with chicken bites with 3 different sauces and macaroni shells and cheese!

 

 

 

Now. . . down to the fun part, the snacks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

First:

Fruit loop bars (rice crispy treats recipe using fruit loops cereal)

 

 

 

Second:

Milk Shaped/decorated Sugar cookies

 

 

 

 

Third:

Cupcakes: Betty Crocker Blue Velvet flavor with Whipped frosting and fruit loops on top

Fourth: Take home gift: Colorful bubbles and a box of cereal!

Hope this gives you an idea! Enjoy!

How to Save Time in the Mornings Before Work

Working Mommie Tip #1

5 Ways to Save Time in the Mornings

If you live in an environment anything like my home, your mornings could potentially be one of the most stressful parts of your day! Luckily I have learned a great routine that works for me and hopefully it can work for someone else who may be struggling in the morning. For starters, there are many people (and pets) who need attention every morning in my home. I am a morning person so its not too hard for me to wake up but it can still be a challenge to get everyone else up and at em! I have listed below 5 simple things you can do to change the mood of your mornings before work.

1.       Take out everyone’s clothes for the week on Sunday.

a.       Since it is 2013, im sure we all have a phone with a weather app, and if not then just watch the news. You could easily check the weather for the next 5-6 days and choose outfits for everyone so that in the morning, all you have to do is grab it and go. 

2.       Make lunches, bottles, and do breakfast prep the night before

a.       Since I have a 6 month old and a 2 year old I am preparing two different types of meals. I prepare the bottles for the day for my 6 month old, including the breakfast bottle, the night before and I pour the sippy cup of milk and put the waffles in the fridge for my two year old. My husband and I will cook omelet muffins or something easy a few days before and when we are sick of that we just grab a bowl of good ol cereal!

3.       Have your tools in place and ready for use!

a.       I know this sounds very obsessive, but it really does help. Each night before bed, I make sure that my lotions, tooth paste, hair junk, etc is all in place and ready to be used, that way im not searching for my stuff in the morning when I need it.

4.       Wake up earlier than everyone else.

a.       I always need a little time to myself to make sure that I am ready to take on the world so getting up an extra 15-20 minutes before everyone else is enough time for me to get it together before the rest of the fam. Well I guess im not totally alone since my dog gets up with me J

5.       Put ALL mobile devises on a time limit!

a.       I don’t know about you, but I could sit and check my email, facebook, and youtube and blogs all day long if I could. So each morning I literally only take about 5 minutes to look over any new emails and stuff before I put it away and continue my mission.

Not saying that these steps will totally fix everyone’s situation, but after getting into the routine of following these steps, I do pretty well. I have been able to get up at 5:21a (I know I am weird I like odd numbers) and take care of myself, a 6 month old, a 2 year old, my dog and slightly help my husband all before we are out the door at 6:35a headed to daycare and work! Anyone else have any time saving ideas? Share!

Good Luck mamas!

Acorn Squash!!!

So, here is a quick lesson how to make Acorn Squash. . . . My baby absolutly loves it and she likes it when i mix in oatmeal too!

1. I first make sure to rinse off the squash because I usually leave the outdise on when I throw it in to boil. 2. After its clean, I will start slicing it up into small squares. 3. Next I place the pieces into a pot of water and let it boil for about 20 minutes! (I know its a long time but I just want to make sure the skin is soft enough to peal off) 4. After I am done boiling, I will take each square out and peel off the skin then throw it in the blender with a little water to puree it. Once its done being mixed, I will pour it into an ice cube tray and throw it in the freezer! All done! Very Simple!!!!! :-)

7 Reasons to Make Your Own Baby Food!

Hey All!!!! I decided to throw another type of natural advice on the blog this morning. . . Baby Food! As I have mentioned before, I have a beautiful growing 5 month old at home. She has recently started eating food and the second time around, I decided that I would like to try and make the food :-) So far, I am loving it! With my first child I chose to purchase food and that worked out fine, however we are looking to save as much money as we can in different areas the second time around, so I am dabbling in the DIY food circuit! Here is the list that I have compiled from my experience and research . . . .Enjoy! 7 reasons to make your own babyfood 1.You know exactly what’s in it! a.You don’t have a crazy ingredients label to read because you are the one who is adding all of the ingredients! You will know that the foods you're serving your child don't contain any additives or preservatives 2.Texture Variety a.Since you are making the purees, you are the one who can control the texture of each different food. Allowing your baby to try different textures will better prepare them for table foods. 3.Healthy Habits a.Many times as adults, we may not like something that we never ate as a child. If the first and main things that your baby eats are healthy, they wont miss the unhealthy stuff. It helps your child develop a taste for fresh fruits and vegetables from the start. Fresh, seasonal food typically tastes better 4.Tasty Mixtures! a.If you make your own foods for your baby, you will be able to choose different types of foods that may not be available in the stores. 5.Saving Mullah! a.One thing I learned right away is that when I started making my own food with my second child, I was saving so much money! I was able to buy fresh and frozen veggies to puree and for the same amount of money I would have twice and sometimes 3 times more food for my lil one! 6.You have the Tools a.If you are like my household, we have tons of cooking gadgets and since we already have them, we figured why not use them to create babyfood?!? 7.It's good for the environment. a.Less bottles and packaging means less waste in landfills, just an FYI. There's also less food waste since you won't have to throw out half-eaten jars of baby food. I know that there are some people who will still think of reasons why you shouldn’t make your own baby food, but after researching it, I could only really come up with 3 consistant reasons. 1.Time. It takes time to make and prepare lots of little servings of homemade baby food. It’s much faster to pick up prepackaged servings. >~However, I usually carve out about 2 hours on a Sunday and make as much food as I can within that time and toss it in the freezer. It will last me about a good 2 weeks, that way I am ahead of the game and I can afford to miss a week if I need to 2.Convenience. Prepackaged baby foods come in measured amounts and ready to serve. >~Yes, the store bought foods are already ready to serve but the only difference with the homemade food is that you have to thaw it out real quick, but that’s not really a big deal at all. And if the food is stored in ice cube trays, each cube is an ounce. 3.Storage. Homemade baby foods may spoil more quickly and require refrigeration, which may take up room in your fridge or freezer if you make a lot of servings ahead of time. Prepackaged baby foods don’t need refrigerator storage until they’re opened. >~This one is very simple, I think about it the same way that I think about breastmilk; when you have a baby and you plan to go an extra mile with feeding, you just make the room in your freezer. It hasn’t been an issue in my home and we have 4 people to feed, so it all works out. Thanks for Reading