New Year, New You, New Healthy Recipes!

So I was thinking of how every year we try to make that resolution.  This year, it will be different. This year, I will make healthier meals.  This year, I will workout more.  This year, I will be more patient and stress-free.  Well, atleast those were mine so far.

So, here you go.  Here's a fighting chance to a New You!

Idea for a side dish:

Brussel sprouts topped with walnuts and bacon

In a small bowl, combine 2 tsps. rice vinegar, 2 tsps. maple syrup, 4 tsps. EVOO and salt and pepper to taste.  This will be drizzled over the Brussel sprouts when done being roasted.

Roast Brussel sprouts at 425F for 20-25 minutes.  Top them with crushed walnuts when there is 10 minutes left.

Lay several bacon slices on a rack over aluminum foil in a baking tray.  Set oven to 375 F and wait until bacon is crispy (usually 10-20 minutes).

My kids love baked salmon so this was the perfect side for them to try out.

 I got 2 out of 3 to approve it!

YUM!

Texas chili idea:

Saute 1 medium chopped onions,1 tsp garlic and 1 tsp ginger.

1 lb ground beef in slow cooker

3 cups beef broth, 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbp. garlic powder, chopped tomatoes, chili seasoning, and salsa

...ALL IN!

ADD IN ONE CAN OF BLACK BEANS, IF YOU LIKE

and some cumin powder.

8 hours on low in the slow cooker.

Shredded cheddar cheese, sliced scallions and diced avocado, for topping (optional)

YUM!

Now, about those days you lose patience and contact lenses just won't work for you...

Here's a few ways to conquer those days you MUST wear your glasses:

                                                                                                                                        

         

                                                      

'Dark shadows: Save the smokey eye makeup for when you’re wearing contacts, because too much dark eyeshadow underneath glasses can make your eyes look way too dark. Instead, go for a light, highlighting shadow color on your lid. For a little bit of extra drama and dimension, use a medium shade color in your crease and blend well.
Liner that matches your frames: Matching your liner to your frames can make your eyes blend in, not stand out. Try, as best you can, to choose a liner that’s at least a shade or two lighter than your frames (unless of course your glasses are clear or cream colored). With black frames, use a grey, brown or navy liner, and with brown frames use a taupe or bronze liner. Blend the eyeliner with a cotton swab to give a less harsh look.
MORE: 10 Ways to Look Gorgeous in Glasses
Not curling your lashes: Make sure you’re opening up your peepers! Curl your lashes at the root, mid-length and tip before you begin applying mascara so that your eyes look extra wide.
Mascara on your bottom lashes: In general, mascara on your bottom lashes can be a little bit tricky, but especially when you’re wearing glasses, skip this. The dark lashes on the bottom plus your frames can cast a shadow on an already dark part of your face, making you look tired.
MORE: 10 Things No One Ever Tells You About: Concealer
Skipping your skin: Yes, the emphasis is typically on your eyes when you’re wearing glasses, but that’s no reason to skip the rest of your face! Smooth out your skin and even out tone with concealer and a lightweight foundation so that your eyes can really have the spotlight without any pesky red spots.

Anything besides yellow concealer: Under eye circles are wreak the most havoc when you’re also wearing glasses, meaning now’s not the time to be using the wrong concealer. Opt for a yellow shade to really combat any dark or red discoloration happening.
MORE: Instagram Insta-Glam: Gorgeous in Glasses
Thin with thick: Thick frames call for thick eyeliner, just as thin frames call for thin eyeliner. Don’t mix the two, which can under or over-exaggerate your eyes in a bad way.
Forgetting your brows: Sometimes we focus so much on what’s behind the frames that we forget to look up! Remember to brush through and tweeze your eyebrows, which are framing your frames, and if you’re feeling a little daring, use a bit of brow gel to really emphasize them.

(Excerpt taken from:  http://stylecaster.com/beauty/makeup-with-glasses/#_a5y_p=1172630)

And, finally, I will leave you with this.  This is something I need to keep reminding myself as well.

(Check out: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfX21h0TeVXnVhDoe7qqd-uq_MlXopf5_DHlTVYRUG1CI2oRXCev-1hnol-BMtQ5_0fHi4R4x6JXI33NyUyyHMoeSKj14TCjv363vDQlv6iL1rYlu_8rKQhLahXFJl8yIFMdXJTtSTwM/s1600/motivational+wallpaper+free.jpg for the free printout.)

So...keep your chin up, work your butt off and let's make tomorrow count! Until next time,  Adios!!

Happy New Year! 

Holiday picture time!!

**This post was a long-time coming, but hopefully some of you can use it for next year or even some of those party pictures the next two weekends!  Enjoy!

It's Holiday Picture Time! 

Yes, the time for crying and shrieking children and trying to get them to smile real quick has come upon us.  When we have that one stray hair or eyes slightly closed or that pudge didn't get hidden in time...

"Lights"

Apparently, photographers like having lights included in pictures, whether in the background or in the center theme of the picture. Taking this picture from the right angle may include standing on nearby stairs.  Make sure to have the right balance between natural and artificial light, so taking multiple angles and pictures is sure to come in handy!  Aperture high and slow speed on your SLR will do the trick for having no outside light on these pictures.

"Good sunlight"

Between 2 and 4pm EST, outdoor parks have vibrant leaves in the background of most pictures on a sunny day.  A little bit of cloudiness can provide for better pictures sometimes due to less glare.

Also, taking pictures in parks is great in capturing the vibrant RED leaves in the background.

"Christmas tree pictures"

Capturing your little ones in front of the lit up Christmas tree would be great without glare and fuzziness, wouldn't it?  Have all the other lights in the room turned off and just the Christmas tree light on.  Then, place the little one/s 2 to 3 feet in front of the tree.  Keep your f-stop setting as low as possible on your camera and come in closer to the child/ren as you take your pictures.

Another idea:  Taking a picture of kids opening up a gift with a battery-operated nightlight inside the box gives off the best glowing effect.  Make sure to have all other lights in the room off and stand 2 to 3 feet away for best quality.

"Kids"

Obviously, plan around nap times, changing times, the shorter and quicker time used, the better.
If possible, using an object or a new personality will get kids' attention better to hold still for pictures.

Action shots: Aperture: f/2.8, Shutter speed: 1/1000 second, ISO: 1600

"Number one tip"

Use the self-timer and get in the picture! Set your phone on a tripod or a stack of books and have fun with the family! 

Special thanks to Dawn Trenka Caputo, Janice Joseph, Navdeep Singh, and Kayla George. 

Oh, the sentimentality of it all...

As a dutiful and efficient mom of young kids, I started putting or giving away clothes that my youngest baby will no longer be able to fit into.  He is the last of the crazy monkeys we will ever have.  It was a joint and cognizant decision my husband and I made.  What hits me now so hard is what no one ever told me.  The heart sinking every time I put away a too-small outfit.  The same outfit that was a hand-me-down from our oldest child when he was an itty-bitty baby and had his first smile or his first walk in.  Just when I get over that, I find another outfit I can't believe doesn't fit the baby anymore and I keep telling myself I can't keep all these old clothes.  I tell myself, just some, not all.  Why didn't anyone warn me about my emotional fight regarding this?

Then, just when I think I got my handle on all of the clothing department mayhem, my middle child reminds me to stop just anxiously awaiting my "short time of quiet" all the time.  Yes, us moms always need a break.  So, when my parents came over to watch the babies while I go pick up my oldest from school, I was quick to say, "ok, you are going to stay home".  My daughter's response:  "But Mommy, I love you.  That's why I want to come with you.  I love you and want to hang out with you.  Just for a little bit.  I'll be good."  How the heck do you say no to that?? Also, it's not like she is always getting in trouble during the walk.

Today, my youngest showed me just how guilty I should feel for having him babysat for less than an hour so I could get to a meeting.  The entire day so far has been an angry monkey clawing at my sides, preparing to do a hard latch, should someone else come by.  However, I have to tell myself once again, "It's because he loves me that this is so hard".  

We are a family of hard loving.  My oldest still gives me the biggest hugs and cuddles but demands that he is the wisest, strongest and jedi master of all seven year olds.  If it weren't for all the hard loving, it would just be me yelling to be heard by my kids.  Now, I am trying to think before I raise my voice and realize the day will come when I am tuned out and they might not care so much about saying or doing these things anymore.  Then, I will wish I had complained less and enjoyed the actual moments first.  

Showing and doing things with love, all the other things get turned down.  Prime example, I was going to get annoyed with my daughter doing something wrong at the store.  I overhear another mom ever-so-calmly tell her child to "stop doing it because it bothers mommy and" ends with"  because mommy loves you".  It turns out that was motivation for me to re-evaluate my current state of mind.

With all the crazy things in the world, let's keep our kids grounded in this family love.  No matter who we vote for, where a bully is, what obstacles may come or when us parents leave this earth, only we have the power to leave our kids the lasting memory that we tried to love them back hard too.  It is our honor, not our duty as parents.  I, personally, wouldn't have it any other way.  Hopefully, it will spell out to our kids how life should be in their future as well.

So, go ahead, love hard.  Simply because life is hard, they won't back down and will have strength to move past it because of that love.  Thanks for being such a good parent and nodding your head in agreement!  

Yummy After-School Recipes

Hopes, Dreams, and Games

I'm back!! Woohoo! That means it only took me a year after my third child to get organized again!

This definitely helped me reflect on life at home and with my surroundings.

I know this cutie helped a lot!

So, I was debating with myself what topic to talk about and it occurred to me that there is something I almost push for but with the most careful treading around it and have researched from people I would have imagined doing this parenting thing better than me.

Six months ago, as my 7 year old is asking to play video games, "for just one round, please?" I just try to persuade him with diversional, but more thought-provoking activities.  Later that night, my husband and I talk about a new game that is out for, "school-age boys", appropriate in his eyes.  Our son can defintely be a bit more mature in his deductive reasoning.  So I really shouldn't worry, right?
There is no gore or blood in it.  It's a shooting game, so there needs to be a gun on the screen. Kind of like Star Wars with light sabers and sound effects.  Of course, also, like a typical bad-guy mom, I let him know he is not allowed to play it without an adult, so we can screen the game as he plays.  He knows also, right from wrong and a great big brother, waiting for his siblings to nap, so they don't see "pretend bad guys", as he puts it.


Rewind back about a year before now, this same child had night terrors. What a scary thing! He would wake up screaming, staring straight ahead, and feared for his life about something that was not there.  It finally went away like a phase in his life.  However, we did our best to have him calm down on video games and t.v. viewing before bedtime.  We encouraged reading, praying and cleaning house to help him wind down for the night.  This would be a lot easier to maintain during the school year.  Now it's summer.  Some, not all, of his friends stay up later and are allowed to play games we would never allow just yet for him.  However, when we all get together, the trouble with maintaining our stance and being a little bit lenient starts rising.  Who wants to be the parent that "helicopters" play dates all the time?  I mean, weren't we the generation that were told by our parents,"go out and find someone to play with.  Come back by dinner." or something to that effect? Back then, our parents met because we became friends first.  Fast forward to present times and we befriend certain parents whose kids become friends with our kids. Things are pretty different for our kids.

So, about a couple weeks ago, I found myself acting like a crazy parent.  I almost want to add to that "once again".  In the rush of running errands with all 3 kids and myself in the car, I wasn't paying attention to what toys were being brought by them in the car as well.  During the middle of my drive, I found myself yelling at my son, "Don't put that thing out the window! Put the window back up! What are you thinking??" His response, "I was just playing pretend-fight."  Yes. Of course.  He brought a toy gun, like the cowboy style ones. I ended up explaining to him the what-ifs of someone seeing him from another car and their possible perspectives.  That is when I decided I needed to talk about this.

It's a world of crazies out there.  Everytime you turn on the T.V. news, there is a crazy new incident.
Bullying, racism, reverse racism, showdowns, and just horrible people ransack our living rooms.  This is why I ban news channels, which my older parents watch now and then, when our kids are around.  We screen games, ban news, restrict it to just weather, decide who our kids' friends will be, and don't let them go past our shopping cart (forget just being in visual range).  Now that I have three children to raise and be confident in going out in their world, I feel like my confidence is going way down as a parent.  I question everything.  I know my husband understands my worries, but also thinks the way we grew up should somehow be put into the kids' playtime.  Because...hey, we turned out ok!
My worry involves everything from, "will he start night terrors again" to "will he be bullied because he is being helicoptered" and "am I diminishing his independence, self-confidence and self-esteem?"  Besides trying to keep up as a mom, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and sister, I often think at night, should I have just played games with him that we used to play at his age or should I have just kept quiet, so as not to make my child wonder about the more evil things in the world?  I mean, I do know of parents that don't allow their kids to buy toy guns or even swords.  This shielding and painting a pretty world is a big question mark to me about raising kids over a certain age.
I can't believe he is 7 already.  I heard in about 3 years, they should have already had the birds and the bees talk, in a more thorough way than "mommy and daddy kissed and you happened."  I have no idea how I won't get my first gray hair by then....(biting my nails now).  Somehow now, the talk will have to now happen 3 total times. Oh boy.  I hope things change a little in this world to help us breath a little easier.  Wouldn't it be great to just send the kids to the kids in the house 2 streets away without wondering if there was any foul play to worry about?  Maybe my kids will be THE KIDS that everyone else wants to be friends with and will just come to our home until they turn 30.  Yup, sure.  I will keep telling myself that my kids won't get sick of me ever, even at 14.  To all the new parents out there, Godspeed.