October Challenge
Hey, friends! Happy October.
Can you believe we are at the last 90 days of 2019? I mean, CRAZY right?
We want to finish this year strong and set the stage for the year to come so we were thrilled when we saw that one of our Instagram besties was doing a fun challenge. First off, you need to follow @todaysthebestday seriously great content and such a good reminder to find the BEST in your own life journey while doing life with others!!!
So…the challenge. You can find all the details HERE
This challenge is all about living your days with intention, finding joy in every day, and making memories. What I also love about this challenge is we are being encouraged to do this with OTHERS. I don’t know about you, but I am in such a stage of live where I have to be super intentional about making time for others. It is so easy to just take the kids to school, run errands, workout, pick kids up, do homework, make dinner, repeat. But that’s not living. It’s just doing.
We really want to strengthen our relationships as part of this challenge. Of course, a big part of that will be spending that intentional time with your own family, but I love the idea of inviting others along to do this challenge alongside you or beside you! Us sisters don’t see each other as much as we’d like, so this challenge will be a great way for us to do something together. In fact, this is the very reason we started this blog! To stay connected in each other’s lives, while also connecting with YOU and others around us.
We would love for you to do this challenge with us. We will be sharing daily posts with the …
Read MoreLove Fiercely
This past week I lost a friend. She passed away unexpectedly a few days after her new baby boy was born. The moment I found out I was so shocked, heartbroken, devastated for her family, I didn’t want it to be real. It couldn’t be real… This mom was running by my side a few weeks ago at Fit4mom class and now she’s just not here? While I can’t begin to imagine what her family and close loved ones are going through, this mom and friend was a part of our village and the loss hit us hard. She was one of us. She was a dedicated member of our Fit4mom group. She was a friend. She was a mama who loved fiercely. She was a go getter that worked for what she wanted. She was an inspiration who motivated others. This girl lived fiercely, loved fiercely, laughed fiercely, and left an impact wherever she went. Her smile and tenacity will stay with me and with our village. Her strength is an example to us. Her love is what we can strive for. She will be in our hearts and her inspiration will live on. I am so thankful to have known her. My heart breaks every time I think of it, it doesn’t make sense, it may never make sense, but I know she will live on in the hearts of so many.
Making Time for Mama
Hands in the air if making time for YOU, mama, is hard.
We feel you. It is hard to find time to breathe, let alone actual time to do things for yourself.
You might be in one of those sink or swim survival seasons of life. If so, this might not be advice for you. However, I hope that you will find some things you can incorporate into your life to find a little more of yourself in the mama juggle struggle.
Mamas, I know firsthand how hard it can be to think of yourself. You are raising tiny humans or maybe even bigger humans that require your time and attention. But you know what? You CAN be a great mama and wife and still be a great person. But that person, yes YOU, needs time too.
Here are a few tips that are working for me in this season of life.
- Do things you like WITH your kids.
The benefit here is you are doing things you enjoy and sharing that enjoyment with your kids. It is really important to show your kids things that are important to you and even cooler that you can do it together! Also, no need for childcare. YEAH!!
I love working out, so for many years Fit4Mom was an excellent way for me to share fitness with my kids. I taught classes too, which allowed me to teach (one of my passions) with my kids there with me!!
2. Do things YOU like. PERIOD.
For this one, it’s ok if your kids are tagging along or on the sidelines. They can watch! Goodness knows we will spend many many hours of our time watching our kids do things they love, and they can do the same. Again, you are showing them something …
Read MoreDIY Kitchen made of Cardboard Boxes
Our DIY cardboard kitchen was one of the best grandkid creation I have ever made. The directions are below. It was durable, lasted through the first batch of grandkids and I am sad to see it go. Our second youngest granddaughter, Madi, is ready for a wooden play kitchen and Gammie is finally ready to retire the DIY Cardboard Kitchen that I made 6 years ago. So this week when she and her brother came for a visit I surprised them with a red wooden kitchen that we bought on Facebook marketplace. The new kitchen was a hit but brother Garrett could not understand why we had to say goodbye to the original DIY one I made. I would highly recommend this project because it was fun and our family made many wonderful memories together playing with it for years.
The refrigerator, stove and sink after 6 years of fun with Jorde, Reese, Zeke, Calvin, Ellie, Hanna and Mikah.
Here is the new kitchen, ready for the second batch- Garrett, Madi, Sophie, Hezi and Selah!!!
DIY Cardboard Kitchen
3 Large sturdy boxes (whatever number of appliances you choose to make)
2 rolls white contact paper
2 rolls clear contact paper
3 colored poster boards – 1 red, 1 blue, 1 green (choose any colors that go together)
3-4 rolls colored duct tape – 1 red, 1 blue, 1 green, 1 yellow ( choose coordinated colored tape)
clear packing tape
scissors
exacto knife or retractable box cutter blade
plastic glad/ziplock/tupperware disposable round container with lid
pen or pencil…
High Protein, High Fiber Oat Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies
When you are a nursing mom and your baby starts to wiggle and grow, sleep through the night and seems to want/need more breast milk…..this delicious cookie may just do the trick.They are easy to make and can be stored in the freezer for a quick nutritious treat. Remember to use Brewer’s yeast and NOT nutritional yeast. This delicious lactation cookie recipe is similar to the other one we tried but uses whole wheat flour for more fiber and has extra protein with the addition of more peanut butter to the dough. You can add an extra bit of fiber by adding raisins. Watch out because your husband and other family members will be sneaking these when you are not looking -they are that delicious. For more information on herbs and nutritional supplements that can improve your milk supply if you are a nursing mama click here. Here are two other recipes that we have tried-one a bar and one a cookie and we also added brewer’s yeast to our favorite bran muffin recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons of flax seed meal
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups of whole oats (not instant or quick oats)
1 ½ cups chocolate chip
½-1 cup raisins optional
4 Tablespoons Brewer’s Yeast (NOT nutritional yeast)
½ cup peanut butter (we used Trader Joe’s natural)
Stir the flax seed meal and water together in a small bowl. Blend butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and add vanilla and blend until fluffy. Measure flour, baking soda and salt into a small bowl and pour into mixer. Blend on medium speed until mixed …
Read MoreSummer Bucket List
As Summer comes to an end and many of us are back or going back to school, I love reflecting on how we spent our Summer Vacation. I like to bring a little bit of the carefree attitude and focused family time of Summer into the school year. It can get SO busy with school and activities starting back up, I think it is important to make sure we are still setting aside time to just BE as a family.
The past few Summers we have made a SUMMER BUCKET LIST at the end of the school year. We make it together. The girls give ideas and I add a few of my own too! It is a great way to balance those days with no plans at all, and days where we are conscious to have an experience and make memories.
Now that the girls are older, they had a blast being involved in the making AND executing of the Bucket List. The days we did one of the activities we not just fun, they felt like we accomplished something we had set out to do. I found it very rewarding to see the days go by and the items get checked off. It really helps with my mindset when we get back into the school routine to know that I made the effort to have those adventures.
I also feel like having a Summer Bucket list reminds me how much fun we can have when we put things we want to do on the calendar and make the time to be together as a family. Even when things start to get busy with school, we make a point to put these types of adventures on our calendar as they year goes on!
Do you have a Summer Bucket …
Read MoreStuffed Peppers with a Mexican Flare
In the summer months when it is hot and you are craving some Mexican food for dinner but a burrito sounds too heavy and filling, this recipe is a nice healthy alternative. This Stuffed Pepper recipe with a Mexican Flare is a wonderful and satisfying recipe to try.
Stuffed Peppers with a Mexican Flare
1 ½ lbs ground turkey
1 teaspoon avocado oil
3-4 cloves garlic smashed
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2-3 teaspoons cumin
3 cups cooked Farro (I used quick cooking faro from Trader Joes) or brown rice
1 (15 oz) can corn drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth divided
6 large red, yellow or orange peppers
Cook farro or brown rice in 3 cups of chicken broth. Set aside.
Saute garlic in a large skillet with avocado oil. Place ground turkey into the same saucepan, add the spices, and cook until meat is completely cooked. Add tomato sauce and ½ cup chicken broth and cook on medium low, about 5-8 minutes until bubbly and flavors have blended. Save the remaining ½ cup chicken broth to put into bottom of baking pan when pepper are stuffed and ready to be baked. While meat mixture cooks, cut peppers in half lengthwise like pepper boats and clean out membranes and seeds. When meat mixture is cooked, add the farro or brown rice and stir until mixed evenly. Fill the cut in half pepper boats and place into a 9×13 pan. We actually were able to make two 9×13 pans and they tasted just as yummy the second day. I only cooked one pan the first night, saved the filling and cut, …
Prime Day Deals
What we will be buying this Amazon Prime Day 2019, along with our family favorites that we recommend.
I’m wearing my Blue Light Shield glasses as I write this list. They have made a huge difference in screen related headaches and eye strain. Use code “livewell2019” at checkout for 25% off.
- Home/Kitchen
Insta Pot (over $70 savings!)
Aaron’s favorite Insulated Water Bottle
Power strip surge protector with USB ports
If you like to read in bed like we do, this is a great reading light.
Weighted blanked for better sleep
Extra long lightning cable
Amazon Fire Stick
- Beauty/Body
Rachel’s favorite aluminum-free deodorant is an extra 15% off with coupon
Rachel’s favorite sun hat
Silk pillowcase is a must for healthy hair and skin
Clarisonic Mia cleansing brush
- For baby/kids
We love wooden toys, and these wooden building blocks look amazing!
Lots of Graco products on sale! This is our favorite carseat for forward facing kids.
Have an event planned where you want to bring baby? Grab these ear protection headphones.
Favorite glass food storage containers.
- Health
I’ve been seeing these new Kind Protein bars at the stores and really wanting to try!
We are all about adaptogens from our favorite wellness store, but these Four Sigmatic Mushroom drinks have been getting a lot of hype from healthy people I like to follow.
Cloth resistance bands plus an extra $2 off with coupon.
Hope you enjoy this list of some of our favorite things on sale during this deal.
Did you shop? Let us know what you grabbed for a great deal!…
Read More10 Hints to having a Fantastic 4th of July Week Celebration
Celebrating the 4th of July with family is FANTASTIC! We have made some wonderful memories over the years with our immediate family and with extended family. This year we have the Spoelhof family (our oldest daughter Rachel, her husband and 3 daughters) with us for the week. The girls are 7, 6 and 4 ½ so we have been busy, busy, busy! So, this blog post will not only share some of the fun things we have done, but helpful tips on how to stay organized and be able to truly enjoy building deeper relationships with your adult kids and grandkids.
Plan ahead…..
1. Make a bucket list of things to do. ( I made ours on a piece of cardstock so the kids and parents could see all the options of things to do.)
2. Let all family members visiting have a say in the plans for the week-(it is a vacation week for EVERYONE)
3. Grocery shop and make menus for the week. (Make sure you check with the moms to buy the kinds of snacks and treats everyone likes.)
4. Cook dinners ahead or prep parts of the meals you have planned.
5. Engage the visiting families in cooking the meals. (One summer we had dinner cooking contests between the couples visiting-This was a HUGE success-everyone had fun and the food was fabulous.)
6. Have all the supplies on hand you need for crafting or art projects. We did Tie Dye, beading, Painting and lots of coloring)
7. Plan some kind of exercise for each day-hiking, swimming, biking, walking, soccer, trips to the local gym (get gym guest passes ahead of time).
8. Allow the parents of your grandkids to have a date night.
9. If you plan a day trip, take a picnic and stop for …
Peach-Blueberry Cobbler
Hot summer nights are a perfect time to serve up some homemade cobbler. My favorite combinations of fruit for cobbler are peach-blueberry and strawberry-rhubarb. This week I was visiting my youngest daughter, Bekah, in Clovis and picked up a big box of fresh peaches-nothing like a peach cobbler made with fresh peaches from the Valley. We had taken the children blueberry picking a few days before so I decided to make a peach-blueberry cobbler tonight to serve at a gathering tomorrow evening. I will warm it up tomorrow and serve it with fresh vanilla ice cream. YUMMY!!!
Cobbler Ingredients
4-6 cups very ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup sugar
Topping
2 cups whole grain baking mix (you can use whole wheat flour and add 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder)
1 ½ cups oats
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup softened butter
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
Peel and slice peaches. Mix with rinsed fresh blueberries. Add lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar and stir well. Pour into a 9×13 glass pyrex pan. In a large bowl, mix together baking mix. oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and softened butter. Stir until butter is mixed in and then add yogurt and stir until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of fruit and if desired sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes until bubbly and topping is golden brown. You can use 6-8 cups of peaches to make a delicious peach cobbler if you do not have blueberries.
This is the baking mix I used and it turned out so delicious!
This is my new recipe stand where I can place any cookbook I am using right in front …
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