Friday, January 29, 2016

Quick Babywearing Coat Review

My long detailed review with better pics is coming but tomorrow is a certain little boy's 1st birthday so this will have to do for now!! I do really love the coat just got a little behind on my post!

Here is the link on Amazon where you can order your own. No need for a coop and long wait time they are available now.


I have to say I am more impressed with this coat than I thought I would be. t's a lightweight coat great for fall, early winter, and spring. It's easy to layer if you want to wear it in even colder temps too. This jacket has a removable panel to allow you to zip up baby (who is inside a proper baby carrier) with you. Once baby is in their carrier, you just place the coat on as normal and zip. Although there isn't a layer between baby's head and your chest the elastic portion at the top of the coat keeps it close in so you don't get lots of wind there. It's a modern style and very fitted too. I am 5'6" and 125# and I ordered this in small. Small is not the normal size I buy but it usually fits and is just a tiny bit snug. That's exactly how this fit so I don't think you'll find you need to size up much unless you prefer a little more room. The coast isn't extremely long as you can see from the pictures but that's part of the fun style. I wore my 11mo old in a Tula under this coat with no issues from the bulk of the carrier. The coat is very silky and soft and the hood is quite comfy too. It can also be worn as a maternity coat according to the use guidelines.

I received this product in order to facilitate my review. No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Monday, January 18, 2016

Mealplan Monday

Prepping for another grocery run in freezing temps. Brrr!! Why is Monday morning always the coldest??

Monday
  Lasagna

Tuesday
  Leftovers (we will have Brunswick stew, our quinoa sweet potatoes from last week which got moved around, and lasagna left)

Wednesday
  Beef Pot Roast
     I use the crockpot and will add some tomatoes to the normal potatoes and carrots. It gives a great acidic taste to the dish. 

Thursday
   Kielbasa w/pan fried potatoes and roasted cabbage

Friday
   Shrimp lo mein

Saturday
  Cuban sliders with street corn

Have a question or want a receipt not listed? Just leave a comment. 

Monday, January 11, 2016

Mealplan Monday

It's a new week and time for a new menu board. Ours got an upgrade this week with a coat of paint on an adjacent door. I'll post picture with next weeks plan once everything is finished. 

Monday

Tuesday
    Fundraiser for our son's school so we're eating out!

Wednesday

Thursday
   Shepherd's Pie (see below)

Friday




Shepherd's Pie

ground beef
potatoes (and seasonings for mashing i.e. butter, milk, salt to taste)
mixed vegetables
garlic
onion
worchestershire sauce
garlic powder
chicken bouillon
pepper
shredded cheese

Brown ground beef with garlic, and chopped onion. Cook potatoes for mashing. Season to taste with garlic powder, pepper, Worcestershire sauce (2T minimum) and chicken bouillon. Once almost cooked add 1-2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables. Prepare and season mashed potatoes. Layer casserole dish with beef mixture on bottom, mashed potatoes on next and top with favorite shredded cheese. Bake until bubbly (15-20min) at 350 degrees. 

Monday, January 4, 2016

Mealplan Monday

Here is this week's meals. Any new favorites you've tried? This week we have plans and don't need a Friday meal so I'm only planning three full dinners.

Monday
Tuesday
   Chicken Shawarma with Taboulleh
Wednesday
   Mexican Spaghetti (see below)
Thursday
   Salisbury Meatballs over Mashed Potatoes with green beans



For Mexican Spaghetti, I originally started out trying to use black bean pasta but the expense became a little out of reach for a frequent menu item. Instead I use regular spaghetti, and top it with canned black beans, fresh tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, corn (fresh uncooked), cilantro, and a drizzle made of sour cream, lemon juice, salt, and cilantro blended well. It's amazing, fresh, and simple!!

Saturday, January 2, 2016

New Year, New Ideas

It's a New Year and time for us to try and implement some new ideas around here. I've had this project... and the supplies... in mind for quite some time. If you're anything like me I'm sure you have hundreds of amazing ideas and plans pinned away but when you finally have free time or bored child those things never come to mind. I hate when we spend a day not knowing quite what we should or could do but also not having the time to sit and surf back through my hundreds of pins. Enter my new plan!!



I made a boredom buster jar. I have plans for it to expand as I get time to add the additional fun tasks and ideas I have but wanted to get it started ASAP so got going on a smaller scale. The basic premise is that I have activities written out onto easy to access craft sticks then sorted and classified so we can find the right thing to do at the perfect time.

To get the classification going. I used my old trusty pal a spreadsheet. You can access a copy here for your own inspiration. Check back in a few weeks as I'll be adding more often. I grouped activities how they would work best for us: Arts/Crafts, Learning, those specific to each child, outdoors, and then those which are very specific. In addition I mark the activities that require me present the whole time.

I then wrote each activity onto a craft stick. If I was afraid it was something I'd forget the specifics for I placed a link to the idea on the spreadsheet. For some learning games and ideas this was really helpful!! Next I gave a color to each category type in the spreadsheet and painted/colored a circle of each on the back of the craft sticks. This should make it easy to give the kids a pick of a whole category quickly.




What I envision for our Boredom Busters is the next time we're having squabbling amongst the boys, the TV has been on too much, or someone is bored they can pick from the sticks and I'll set up the proposed activity for them. If I'm cooking dinner or otherwise busy I'll eliminate the ones that require me present the whole time. If they haven't had much education fun that day I might only give them the learning sticks and so on. The kids won't be given choices of which activities to do they'll just pick blindly from the sticks I hand them. Don't feel bad if you just can't handle another mess some day and hide all the painting or crafting themed sticks!!

Post back how your Boredom Buster is working out if you try this idea!!! You can see more ideas for your own sticks on my Pinterest boards by following me here.