Tag Archives: Mother

Bacon and Avocado Egg Sliders Recipe

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If you’re like me? You probably wonder what to do with all the hard boiled eggs every Easter. I have a simple recipe that you might solve your problems!

And… it’s not deviled eggs!

These bacon and avocado egg sliders are keto friendly. Plus, they pack a lot of big flavor in a little package!

Here’s all you need:

  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Avocado
  • Bacon
  • Salt and pepper
  • Quantities depend on how much you want to make!

The first step if you don’t have any leftover Easter eggs is to hard boil eggs. Everyone has different ways to doing this.

If you already have eggs made, start with your bacon. I like mine a little crispy, so I keep it on there for a while. Same as with the eggs, I won’t tell anyone how to cook their bacon either!

Next, cut your avocado up. Then mash it.

Usually, I add salt and pepper to the avocado to give it some spice. Make sure no one steals this mixture… like Mila.

When you’re bacon and hard boiled eggs have cooled down. It’s time to assemble these sliders

Then, slice your eggs in half, longways.

They can get a little slippery at this stage. Be careful of which plate you put them on! I’m speaking from experience if you couldn’t tell.

Then spoon avocado on top.

After, break the bacon up in smaller pieces. Then stick it on top of your egg slider.

If you have extra bacon left, you can add more to it too! I usually add one to the bottom to make a little sandwich.

This little bite-sized slider has amazing tastes. I love the saltiness of the bacon and the creaminess of the avocado. Plus, it’s a great mix of textures too.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite ways to eat hard boiled eggs. Mila loves them too!

There’s not a ton of steps to follow and kids can easily help making these. Bacon and avocado egg sliders are really great for the days following Easter.

If you liked and tried this recipe, let me know in the comments!

Before you go, check out these Easter recipes from other moms that blog:

April is National Poetry Month…

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…and a bunch more too.

April is not an easy month for me and this year feels extra difficult too. On top of my intense grief with Jensen’s birthday only four days away, I’m drowning in my last semester of school, work, and Mila’s birthday too. It’s a dangerous combination. Breakdown probably imploding soon.

Through it all, I’m trying to remain positive, even when it feels really hard.

This morning, I didn’t know if I was going to blog today. Instead, I took the morning easy and painted with Mila. Since it’s National Poetry Month, I thought it’d be fun to write a poem too.

My plan is to write a poem a day, whether I share it or not. It challenges me to think inward and be expressive. In a month where I don’t have a ton of time to self reflect or do a lot of self care, this will be my time.

For the first one, I thought it’d be poetic to write one about April.


April.
you hold so much of my heart,
i don’t know where to start.
you’ve brought me life and death,
promise you won’t take my breath.
your sun shines so hot,
my son comes through forget-me-nots.
you have flowers grow all around,
while my daughter runs all around.
you always tempt me to love you,
and one day that’ll be true.

It may not be the best poem around, but I think it perfectly describes this month for me.

Here’s what’s coming up for the rest of the month. Again, it’s going to be really busy here, but I’ll be around… promise.

  • April 4 – Easter & Family Pictures
  • April 5 – Jensen turns FIVE!
  • Mila’s Birthday Party
  • April 14 – Mila turns THREE!
  • April 22 – Earth Day
  • April 27 – Last day of this semester.

When it’s listed out like that, it doesn’t seem like so much. Yet, behind every single one of those is a lot of emotions and time. So, I’ll be just a bit busy.

Let me know if I should share my daily poems. Maybe I’ll paint too!

What Happened to Laundry Weekend?

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It was supposed to be a laundry weekend.

Moms know what this means. We had a long weekend so all the clothes in the house were to be folded. Extra cleaning was to be done too. The chore list doesn’t just do itself. It was all supposed to be neat and tidy for the week ahead.

Even though it was supposed to happen, it didn’t.

All the clothes are still waiting to be folded. The floors are swept and the house is somewhat tidy, but not to the level it could have been.

Instead, I focused on the hardest job: being a mom.

Mila and I played outside most of time. We went to get dinner at a food truck and made new friends. When the weather was it’s nicest, we went on a hike. She made me wear silly headbands, pretending to be a pirate. I played along with all that she asked. At night, we cuddled and watched movies. I listened when she needed to be heard. She showed me her new superhero power. We did what we needed to as a family.

Even though there’s a to do list full of chores, it didn’t seem so important in the moment.

At this time next month four turns to five and two turns to three. Time is continuing on, even when I want to hit pause.

I’ll always think about the should be’s, the moments I missed, and the extra laundry too. The Jensen-size-hole in my heart is just aching a little more. It reminds me of the choices I make on weekends like these.

He reminds me of moments and why I soak them up with her. Things around the house will stay, but she’ll continue growing. I don’t want to miss any more.

So, if you ask how my laundry weekend went just know…

All the laundry that was supposed to be folded will always be there. These moments won’t.

7 Spring Books Your Toddler Will Love

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With spring books comes beautiful illustrations that toddlers love. It’s also a perfect time to teach little ones about all the new things that happen in spring.

I can’t even explain the importance of reading to toddlers. That’s how they expand their vocabulary and learn about everything around them. Plus, it’s great time to bond with your little one too.

Here are seven spring books Mila and I are loving.

The Honeybee by Kristen Hall Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault

This is the latest book I’ve purchased for Mila. The covers illustration is beautiful and it carries on throughout the book too. I love how Mila is learning without even realizing it. Plus, it lets her know how important bees are to our world!

Also an Animal
by Lynn Parrish Sutton and Melissa Babcock Saylor

“Also an Animal” is a beautiful book about spring babies and the love between mothers and their babies. The book is so informative. I didn’t even know the name of some of the babies. Mila loves mama and baby pairs, so this book is perfect for that.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter

This classic book is perfect for spring and Easter too! Mila loves all the pictures and I enjoy sharing stories that I read when I was a child too. It’s a perfect book to make an Easter Eve tradition with too!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Everyone knows this classic song! This book version has beautiful illustrations that helps a toddler visualize what’s going on. At the end, it lets you know the hand motions to use too.

I also enjoy this book to explain to Mila that spiders aren’t scary. It seems to help!

Love You More
by Hannah Green

One of my favorite Aldi finds, “Love You More” is a beautiful book about family with bright colors. It lets young kids know that no matter what, they are loved. Mila loves pointing out the colors and we count the flowers on the page too.

If you can find this treasure online, let me know so I can link!

Play With Me
by Marie Hall Ets

Another classic story, “Play With Me” is perfect for teaching patience and gentleness to little ones. If you have a toddler, you know those two aren’t their strong points. It was a great teaching moment for Mila. Plus, I personally love the illustrations in this book. They’re not as bright, but they’re still beautiful.

Bunny Roo, I Love You
by Melissa Marr
Illustrated by Teagan White

I was originally gifted this book and Mila and I fell in love. This is a beautiful story about mothers of all creatures love of their children. Again, the illustrations are beautiful and Mila loved the babies in it.

All of these books are staples in our home. Let me know in the comments what are your favorite spring time books?

Toddler Friendly Spring Bucket List

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Happy first day of spring, friends!

The suns out for longer now and the days are finally getting warmer. My indoor plants are growing. Mila and Max are wanting to play outside all the time. Spring is here.

If you can remember back to the summer of 2019, I wanted to start new bucket lists for every seasons. Our summer and Christmas bucket lists were a success and whole bunch of fun. Unfortunately, COVID came and changed everyone’s world, so it didn’t feel like there was a lot to celebrate.

Even though COVID’s still in our lives, we’re excited to do a springtime bucket list this year!

With Jensen and Mila’s birthday, the end of my student teaching, and whatever else this bucket list has in store for us… we’re definitely going to be busy.

Without me going on and on… here’s our spring bucket list:

I’d love to hear what you’re planning this spring. Let me know in the comments.

The Unwritten Milestone

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To say I wasn’t prepared for Mila’s new and unwritten milestone would be a complete understatement. Not only did it come out of no where, it completely took me off guard.

Usually, Wednesdays are to tell you all about their weird things Mila does. It’s one of the things I look forward to sharing most about. They make me laugh to think about and I know other parents can connect to them too. I’m pretty sure all our kids are somewhat weird.

Anyways, I couldn’t even call what she did yesterday weird. It was more like… touching, heartwarming, and inspiring.

She absolutely made my heart grow with one little sentence.

Here’s what happened.

As I was leaving to go back to work after lunch, Mila did her normal goodbye routine. She has to give whoever a hug and kiss, at least two times. Then tells them she loves them and to have a good day. Just when you’re about to walk out the door, she’ll yell, “I need a hug and kiss!” Then run up to you.

Well, this lunch period was a little different. She ended up walking me out of the house, instead of watching me go. When I bent down to give her a hug and kiss, she said something new. Something no one prepared me about: the unwritten milestone.

You’re the best, Mom.

She has never, ever said that before; especially when I’m about to leave her for a few hours.

As she said it to me, she gave me a big squeeze. Then, she flashed her smile and walked back to the door. She waved and told me to have a good day.

In that big moment, I had to take a deep breath and get back to real life.

On the inside, I melted. I swear if it was any other time, I probably would have cried. With all the leaving her lately, I wonder how she thinks of me. That statement let me know everything I was doing was right.

It might sound silly to cherish this one unwritten rule, but no one told me what that one little saying would feel like when they said it.

There’s a high chance I’m not the best mom in the entire world, but I’m the best mom to MIla and that feels pretty good. One day she’ll learn the power in her words and how I’ll always think she’s the best girl.

For now, I’m celebrating this victory in motherhood and the unwritten milestone.

Toddler Activity: Snipped Paper Shamrock Collage

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With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I thought it’d be fun to work on Mila’s scissor skills and do some more process art. This Shamrock Collage is a fun way to teach them about a ton of different things, while they’re having fun.

Mila is so interested in scissors. Whenever I use mine, she asks for her and tries to cut different things. Although she’s still into using both hands to cut, I challenge her to try and use one hand.

If you didn’t know, toddlers Mila’s age shouldn’t really be cutting paper. They should practice on play-doh or something similar, which Mila does. But, I like seeing how she’s progressed. When she practices on paper, I try to cut strips for her so she can do short cuts.

Anyways, let’s get back to this project. Here’s all the supplies you’ll need:

  • Scrap paper
  • Scissors
  • Market
  • White paper

I’m going to go on about scissor skills (sorry!). If you want to age this activity up, use the green paper as a template. This is too old for Mila’s age and for most toddler-aged kids.

Anyways, I found extra scrapbook paper in the playroom. We don’t use a ton of green for crafts, so I actually had a good bit of it. To make the shamrock, I followed this pin. I cut long strips for her to make small cuts too.

She practiced holding the scissors and the paper.

Eventually, I ended up holding the paper for her to help out. She got a little bit frustrated with it, but she cut a good amount.

I ended up getting out play-doh and those scissors so she could continue cutting. Then I cut some extra squares and triangles so she had enough to do the collage. We sort of sham-rock team work. Okay, that was a lame joke, but it was festive.

Next, I placed the cut pieces in a bowl and covered all the white area of the clover in glue. Then, I instructed her to make a collage.

Specifically, I told her to cover all the white with green pieces.

She had a blast picking out the best pieces to put on her shamrock. We found some Irish music to listen to and it all came together pretty quickly.

One thing I would suggest is have a wet washcloth with you.

I think Mila’s going through something about sticky things. Every time her hand accidentally touched the glue, she immediately needed it wiped off. That took some time to do, but we had so much fun.

When she was done placing the paper, she wanted to draw around the sides. I think she just loves using markers.

Honestly, I loved the way it turned out.

It’s so festive and I feel like it’s a project that I can do with her through the years. For now, it’s hanging up on my fridge, waiting for the leprechauns to see!

Let me know what you think about this activity and if you try it out, I’d love to see what you and your little came up with.

3 Ingredient Lucky Charm Bars

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If you’re looking to make St. Patrick’s Day magical or just want a tasty treat, try these Lucky Charm Bars. They’re just like Rice Krispy treats, but with the taste of Lucky Charms.

The best part is there are only 3 ingredients! Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 6 cups of Lucky Charms
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter
  • 16 oz of marshmallows

The process to making this treat can be a little messy, but it’s fairly easy to do.

First, start off melting the butter and marshmallows together. I used medium heat so it didn’t get too hot to burn the marshmallows. It took a little bit of time, but I made sure to stir to break them down too.

When it’s melted, take off the heat and add the Lucky Charms to it. Make sure it all gets coated. This can get messy quick!

Then, spray a nonstick spray to a baking pan.

Spread the mix evenly across the pan. Again, this is a little tricky to do because it is so sticky! Keep at it and it’ll work.

Before letting it cool, I picked out marshmallows from the bag, even though I tell Mila not to… oops. I thought it’d look cute to have some extra on top of the Lucky Charm Bars. If it’s not a leprechaun trap, it’s definitely a toddler trap!

After around 40 minutes, your bars will be cooled and set to take pictures.

Cut them into bars or try using cookie cutters for fun shapes. After they’re cut up, you can enjoy your Lucky Charms Bars!

To store them, keep them in an air tight container on the counter. If you put them in the fridge, they’ll just harden up and loose their chewy appeal.

As always, let me know if the comments what you think of this recipe or if you try it out!

Want more St. Patrick’s Day food and snacks? Check out these ideas:

Always Blow the Bubbles.

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In a month, Mila will be three.

Three whole years of learning about and loving her. I’m going to admit, two has been my favorite. It’s a gift that I only have a month more to cherish.

If I could go back to a year ago and talk to myself about parenting, I’d tell myself one thing.

Always blow the bubbles.

When she has her bubble bottle outstretched to you, take that ten minutes and blow them. Even when you’re swamped with work and need to clean, blow the bubbles.

This is the purest time in their lives. The world around them is magical.

With all the worries adults have going on, bubbles are the only thing on a toddler’s mind. That and seeing their favorite smile in the world.

Bubbles are, of course, metaphoric.

They can be singing, or playing, or running, or listening, or dancing. Whatever it may be, when your child asks, try and blow the bubbles.

The years go so fast and in the moments you drop everything, time stands still.

Their laugh is all you can hear. And their smile… well, there hasn’t been a sweeter sight. They’re engrossed in the moment as much as you. All it took was focusing on this second.

Work, a dirty house, and other adults will always be around, but they won’t be little forever.

There will come a time where they don’t want you to blow bubbles. They’ll just do it themselves. The freedom you crave now will come and those toddler cuddles and desires will fade away.

Two and these toddler years are hard, but they go away so soon.

For us, two ends in a month.

If three-year-old Mila’s mom came to talk to me today, I bet she’d tell me the same advice…

Always blow the bubbles.

What advice would you give to toddler moms?

I Pretended to be a Beauty Blogger!

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Since I’ve been getting ready every morning since August, I’ve definitely used a lot more makeup. It’s also let me experiment too.

When I had the chance the last month to try a few new products, I took it. Honestly, it felt different reviewing beauty products, but I had a ton of fun with it!

Instead of just sitting with these pictures and experiences, I figured I’d share them!

benefit • they’re real! mascara

My favorite type of makeup is mascara. It can completely change someone’s face. For me, I feel like it frames my eyes and just makes my face look more polished.

When I had the opportunity to get this mascara in a VoxBox for free, I took it!

To make myself feel official for the review, I took progress pictures and all. It was intense, but I think I did alright?

As you can see, the mascara is pretty nice. I love the wand and how easily it applies.

One thing that I have noticed with it is the mascara smears off by the end of the day. It’s probably a me thing though. I have oily skin, so that plays a big part in it.

I guess I could flip that negative and say it’s nice to clean up at the end of the day too!

If you like the results of this type of mascara or just want to try something new, you can find benefit’s they’re real! mascara here.

Mary Kay • Color Card

A Facebook friend recently reached out to me to try a color card.

She got a quick assessment of my makeup likes and dislikes. I also let her know I wanted to be adventurous in whatever I tried. Maybe I was feeling a little confident after my mascara review.

After a little mailing hiccup, I got to try a new look!

I followed the instructions on the card and tried new application techniques. Honestly, I think it turned out gorgeous. I only wish I could have showed my lipstick off in person.

After looking at these pictures again, the shades of eyeshadows are beautiful. I love how they all blended together. It was almost creamy, but still powdery too.

There’s some blush on my cheeks too. Just can’t see it as much! Isn’t that what makeups about?

Both looks and products were so much fun to try.

If I learned anything about my week of makeup blogging/testing, it’s to just say yes! Often we don’t want to try new things, but it can be a lot of fun. Maybe you’ll find something you love.

A big THANK YOU to everyone that let me try these products out. It was a blast.

If you liked this blog and have any suggestions of things I should try and review let me know in the comments, please.