Tag Archives: Single Parent

Toddler Activity and Snack: National Pizza Day

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Today is National Pizza Day.

I love that it feels like everyday is a holiday. It makes not being able to do things like normal feel a little more special.

Anyways, since Mila is learning to count, I decided to make a fun counting activity and a pizza wrap for the occasion. Of course, her friend, Pizza, had to be involved too.

All I used for this little activity was construction paper, a crayon, scissors, and tape!

I divided the pizza up into eight slices. Then cut out enough square pepperonis for them all the have the correct number on them.

If your child is working on scissor skills, this would be great for them too.

This is a simple activity, but the repetitiveness helps solidify their counting skills. Mila has a hard time with four and five and likes to skip them. By doing this activity, it made her see four and five and do it eight times in a row.

I also love that she’s using her fine motor skills to pick up and place the small pieces on the pizza.

After she went through the activity once, she had time just playing with the little pieces. Pizza and her Barbie dog enjoyed it as well.

Even though this is a simple game to put together, it really does help with counting. It’s always such a good feeling to see them put their knowledge to use. Not just repeating numbers. Plus it gave me time to make food too.

Of course, we had to make something pizza inspired for the day!

Using the same wrap style as I did for the Cheesy Beef Quesadilla, Mila and I had cheesy, pizza wraps.

All you need are these things:

  • Tortilla
  • Pizza Sauce
  • Cheese
  • Any toppings you’d like!

Make a cut halfway through and down the center. Then add pizza sauce and cheese all over it.

Next fold the tortilla and place it on a hot pan.

Once it’s brown on both sides, you can take it off and serve it. I turned the pan on a lower setting so the cheese could melt more.

We love having handheld food, especially when it tastes so yummy.

We had a blast celebrating National Pizza Day!

One funny thing that did happen was Mila thought it was Pizza the Sloths birthday. So, it was just a day of being happy for all types of pizzas.

I hope you can make or order some pizza in really soon!

If you do the counting activity, let me know how your child likes it.

Also, check out these two AMAZING pizza recipes from my friends Erica and Irma. Erica did an amazing Rainbow Veggie Pizza that I want to immediately make. Irma made a yummy bubble pizza too. Another recipe I’ll try soon too!

Italian Chicken Dinner Recipe

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I know I say this with almost all my recipes, but this is truly an easy recipe. This Italian chicken dinner recipe comes with potatoes, green beans, and a lot of Italian seasoning.

It’s be perfect to make for a romantic dinner or putting it in your meal rotation.

Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Here’s all you need:

  • Chicken breasts (I used four for lunch leftovers)
  • Green beans (I used frozen)
  • Russet potatoes (2)
  • Zesty Italian dressing mix
  • Salt and pepper
  • Butter

Preheat your oven to 350.

Then peel your potatoes and cut them and the chicken into bite sized pieces. You can leave the chicken as whole breasts, but it gets more seasoned when cut before.

If you have fresh green beans, you’ll also want to cut them into smaller pieces.

Place the chicken in the middle of a pan with the potatoes and green beans sandwiching it. This way the chicken gets the most flavor.

Next, evenly pour over a packed of zesty Italian seasoning, leave some behind to season the other side. Then top with salt and pepper.

Grab a stick of butter and evenly cut slices of it. Place over top the chicken, green beans, and potatoes.

Put the dish in the oven for forty-five minutes.

Then take out your dish to mix or flip (whatever’s easier for you) each section and add the rest of the seasoning too.

Pop your dish back in the oven for fifteen more minutes.

When it’s all done, it’s ready to serve.

I seriously was pleasantly surprised with how this turned out! If you’ve read my recipe posts before, I’m not super confident with chicken. Yet, this meal gave me the chicken confidence boost I needed.

Mila loved it and I loved being able to have amazing tasting leftovers for work.

As always, let me know if you try this recipe!

You have the strength.

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Whenever I’m feeling down, I remember I have the most important cheerleader looking up at me. 

She reminds me that I have the strength, especially when she hits this power pose.

Even on the days, I can’t imagine getting through, I know she’s watching. She reminds me that with love and determination, I can accomplish anything. 

Now I know motherhood, and parenthood, in general, is hard. It’s even harder when the last year has been all out of whack. We’ve been through a pandemic, crazy election, and overall change in every aspect of life. 

Somehow, we’re still doing it. Every day we come back better than ever. Before we know it, this hellacious time will be over. 

Today, I’m going to be your cheerleader and verbally scream online, you have the strength. 

If twenty-two grown men can go play a football game and are considered strong, you have the strength to do anything you set your mind on. 

When your kids (human, animal, or plant) are demanding all your attention, you have the strength to keep doing it. 

You have the strength of all the energy you put out in the world because all that good comes back.

No matter how long we have left with this pandemic and lockdown, you have the strength to do your best with it all. 

You have the strength to decide what’s best for you.

During your time at work, school, or home with your children, you have the strength to crush all your goals. Whatever goal you have, big or small, I know you’ll hit it.

You have the strength to be the badass woman (or man) you’ve always been. 

On the days where you don’t feel strong enough to keep going, I know you will find the strength to keep moving forward. 

You have the strength of the stubborn toddler you raised.

If you haven’t raised a toddler… I’m still cheering on that strength to you because the energy that’s in a toddler could move mountains. Everyone deserves that.

You have the strength.

10 Things to Try When You’re Feeling Stuck

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If you’re stuck at home or work not knowing how to get motivated, try some of these activities. They may just get you back on track.

1. Take a shower or bath.

The first thing I do any time I’m feeling stuck is take a hot shower or bath.

Water is so healing. Showers feel like they wash away all troubles from your skin just as the water falls. It instantly feels relieving. Baths are like a warm, water hug. All your stress leaves your body and the bath helps recover that trauma.

My favorite thing to do is add aromatherapy to showers and baths. I feel like it helps clear my head. Usually, I use eucalyptus and lavender.

2. Listen to a podcast.

I just discovered podcasts in 2020, but they’ve helped me get through the toughest times.

When you’re trying to get through a stuck moment, find a podcast you want to listen to. When you listen into a conversation about something that inspires you, you want to get up. A lot of the time I do chores or work, I’m listening to podcasts. It definitely helps motivate me.

Some of my favorite podcasts are from the Exactly Right Media, like My Favorite Murder, That’s Messed Up, and I Saw What You Did.

3. Tend to plants.

This one sounds SO silly, but tending to plants might be the most relaxing thing I do.

Any time I get to water my plants, dust them off, or propagate them, it makes me want to do more. It’s like the more I help them, I also want to help myself. Somehow, they’re self care reverse psychology. I want to do a post about the best starter plants for newbie plant parents, but I haven’t gotten there yet!

The connection to nature really helps get a person unstuck and back to themselves. You’ll have to try it out to discover that.

4. Meditate.

Meditation is one of the hardest things to practice, but it really clears your mind.

There’s a ton of meditation music on YouTube or any music app. If you want to try to mediate, put one of those songs on and try it out. I usually sit with my legs crossed, close my eyes, and take deep breaths. After a few minutes, I feel better and try to get unstuck with whatever I’m doing.

I don’t think anyone’s great at meditating their first time. So don’t be discouraged if you try and it doesn’t help.

5. Dance your heart out.

I feel like this one is self explanatory, but I’ll explain anyways.

Getting up and moving with your favorite songs, helps. Once you’re on your feet after a mini dance party, you’ll want to keep going. You just released a ton of endorphins which makes you feel happy. That’s the best way to get unstuck.

6. Call a friend.

One of the most underutilized resources we have are our friends.

When you reach out a friend or close family member, they can help with so many different things. If you’re out of ideas for a project, want advice, or have no idea why you’re feeling stuck, they’ll be able to help out. A person you trust can help organize your thoughts and motivate you to keep going.

Another great option is to reach out to your therapist. Some reasons why you’re feeling stuck goes deeper than surface level feelings.

7. Start a journal.

Not everyone is a writer, but there’s a variety of different journals to get unstuck.

For me, writing whatever is on my mind helps clear it up so I can tackle the things I need to do. If you want to write and don’t think you’re good at it, you don’t have to be. You’re just writing to help you, not impress other people.

There’s also art journals where you can doodle out what’s going on in your head too. Do whatever works best for you. This is to help you feel unstuck.

8. Do a chore.

Chores are boring and I put them off until they HAVE to be done. So how does this help?

It’s almost like when you check something off a to-do list. When you get a chore done, you feel a rush of endorphins. It also lets yourself know that you can get things done. This will help you realize you can do whatever or help motivate you to do more.

This one is the last option for me, but it does get me feeling better. As soon as I start folding laundry, I want to do anything else to stop. You can most definitely laugh at that.

9. Take a walk.

Again with the endorphins, I know.

But really. Getting up and moving releases so many good feeling hormones in your brain and body. It clears up your brain and gets your body moving. If you can walk outside, you’ll have the added benefit of the healing effects of nature.

Plus, if you can go for a long walk or a tough run, you’ll feel on top of the world.

10. Slow down and don’t be too hard on yourself.

Sometimes when you’re stuck, you’re meant to slow down.

When you take on too many things or just need a break, your body will let you know. Maybe this is your body and mind telling you to rest. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone needs a day or week to get back to yourself.

Once you give yourself that time, you’ll feel back to normal.

What do you do to feel unstuck?

10 Things To Try When You're Feeling Stuck

Toddler Activity: Celery HeARTwork

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Process art is one of my and Mila’s favorite ways to be creative. This week we discovered that celery makes the cutest, little hearts.

Isn’t that just amazing or is it just for me since I’m the worst at drawing heart?

Anyways, this celery heARTwork activity is so easy to set up and your child can be as creative as they want. It was also great for us to mix in with snack time.

It takes playing with your food to a different level.

This is all you need for this activity:

  • Canvas or something to paint on (craft paper makes amazing wrapping paper!)
  • Paint
  • Celery
  • Something to put paint on (I used recycled milk jug lids.)

That’s seriously it! We obviously used different shades of pink and red. You can use whatever colors your child picks.

All they have to do is use their celery sticks like a paint brush. Dip the celery into the paint. Then press it down on the canvas.

At first, Mila wanted to move the celery like a brush. I showed her how to use it like a stamp to clear that confusion. She immediately recognized they were hearts.

Celery transfers the paint MUCH easier than potatoes. That means they don’t have to push down as hard.

Mila had so much fun playing with her food, while eating the same type.

When she would switch to snacking, I had a rule that all four celery paint sticks had to be in the upright position. That made me feel a little more comfortable when she kept switching back and forth!

No paint was consumed during this art project.

I love the way this process celery heARTwork turned out.

She just made the canvas and wrapping paper, but again, this can be used for anything you need hearts on!

The biggest thing to remember while kids do process art is there’s no end goal. This is their time to be as creative as they like.

I think the best part of process art is to see how your child grows with it. They get a better sense of composition, shapes, and colors the more they paint.

Their growth is truly the greatest gift.

As always, I hope if you do this activity, you let me know in the comments.

The Blanket of Grief.

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Almost five years after losing Jensen, grief feels like a blanket of snow.

It comes out of no where and all of the sudden. There’s a sense of beauty to it mixed with the coldest you’ve ever felt. Once you start to get used to it, it melts away and the season changes. Grief is complicated and is always reshaping itself.

I’ve never thought of it as snow or the winter season, usually just the ocean waves as it comes and goes. This year feels different though.

Somehow, it doesn’t feel like all this time has passed. Maybe the weight of time and the part of life I’m in has made me feel this way. When I saw Jensen’s angel covered in this literal blanket of snow, I somehow felt the instant beauty and cold at once.

Grief, for me, has its seasons. I can tell when I’m close to important dates or I’m beginning to feel it more heavily now with his upcoming birthday.

It’s beautiful to look at the love I will always have for Jensen. Mila adores talking about him and seeing his picture. The way he touched our lives in such a short amount of time will always be so touching. Love and grief are so intricately intertwined.

Then when it all comes down and lingers, the weight of the cold and loss settles.

His absence is so heavy. I cry knowing I’ll never have him again or Mila will never be able to play with her brother. Then, five years feels like such a short amount of time compared to how much longer I have without him.

These thoughts make me feel cold and alone. There’s no real protection from the cold and snow. You can put layers on or go inside, but it’s still out there until it’s time to go away.

Just as you start tackling it, the sun starts to shine a little. The world gets a little warmer and the weight of that season of grieving lightens up. Grief is always there. Always. Somehow you get stronger and can carry it through what’s going on then.

You always remember the sting of the cold, but you can live in the warmth of summer.

At this point in my grief, I go through my seasons of heaviness. I think about his loss and the hurt surrounding it. When I can move forward through the coldness, I still always carry him with me. I think about him walking through life with me and picturing his smile. He would want me to smile when I think about him.

I miss Jensen every single day, but the love and guidance he brought me is something I’ll always treasure. Five years later, and I’m just starting to get to this new season of grief.

It takes time and a lot of work, but summer will be here again. Then you don’t have to feel the constant, overwhelming weight of the blanket.

Toddler Activity: Super Bowl Artwork and Noise Makers

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The Super Bowl is this weekend! If you’re a person who just watches for half time, here are two activities you can do with your kid’s before the game or during.

I incorporated two things Mila loves: art and music. For both of these activities, you probably have everything you need in your home.

When doing these, I would highly recommend a parent to help on a few steps.

Noise Makers Supplies:

  • Toilet paper rolls
  • Paint
  • Glue – Elmers and hot glue
  • Glitter
  • Ribbon
  • Rice

The first step is to paint both rolls.

I tried to stick with both teams colors, so Mila can shake when either team scores. She was able to help me paint them, but it was messy!

After the paints dried, you can add glitter to them. I did stripes around each side and Mila rolled the glitter on. To get it to stick, I did another coat of Elmers paint on top of the glitter. Then she wanted to add a sticker to both.

When the glue is dried, fold one side of the roll down. Then, put hot glue over top to seal it.

Add rice when the hot glue cools down and the fold and glue the other side too. I didn’t measure out the rice to a science. The rice probably filled half of it!

Then, we added ribbons on the end for extra decorations and to cover up the dried glue. It also double seals the ends so no rice flies out.

These are fun to shake and Mila loves dancing with them!

The next activity is so simple and we turned it into a little gift!

All you need is three things:

  • Brown paint
  • Canvas
  • Potato

To get the football effect with the potato, just carve the laces into it. I used a knife. That was one step definitely not suitable for young kids.

Then, all you have to do is dip the potato in the paint and use it like a stamp. I would suggest to really press down on it. If not, it doesn’t transfer the paint well.

I let Mila do her own design, but it’d be really cute to tape down a rectangle to make a frame. Then put your child’s picture inside of it.

We ended up taking pictures and made our own little frame with a clip. It turned out SO cute.

Other ideas for the potato/football stamp would be table cloths, banners, or place settings. Another idea could be to use the potato stamp for a fun way to keep score. There are so many possibilities.

We had so much fun making these and I can’t wait to see her play with the noise makers. My dad, her papa, is going to love this little gift as well.

I hope this gives you something to do if you get bored during football or are just really excited for the game.

As always, if you decide to try these out, let me know in the comments.

Weird Things My Toddler Does: Part Ten

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We’re back with another week of Mila being weird. There was a lot that I could’ve wrote about, but this one makes me laugh the most.

Everyone meet Pizza the talking sloth!

The first stuffed animal Mila actually decides to name is one that talks back to her. Of all the names in the world, she somehow settled on Pizza.

If that name wasn’t weird enough, just wait.

This sloth repeats everything you say. It can get a little… much. Mila thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world though.

That is until they start arguing. In essence, she’s arguing with herself. It’s quite hilarious.

Their big argument is about who’s a boy and who’s a girl. Mila gets angry with Pizza says he’s a girl because you know, he’s just repeating her. Then when she says, ‘you’re a boy’ and pizza says it back to her… so much anger and annoyance.

Honestly, it’s hilarious to watch. I had to take a video for everyone.

So, yeah. It’s easy to say, my toddler is still weird.

What’s the weirdest thing your toddler has ever named something?

Philly Cheese Steak Cheesy Bread Recipe

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Thinking about what to make for the big game this coming weekend? Or are you just a philly cheese steak fan? Either way, you’re going to want to make this.

This take on cheesy bread adds some meaty bites with some freshness with the bell peppers and onions.

It’s extra cheesy, which is my favorite part, and perfect to share.

Here’s all you’ll need:

  • French bread
  • Mayonnaise
  • Bell pepper (I used red and yellow because it’s what I had on hand)
  • Yellow onion
  • Mushrooms
  • Provolone cheese
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Philly Gourmet Sliced Steaks (you can use whatever steak you want)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Butter

Yes, to those who are wondering about my bread, those are Mila bite marks! She attacked it while I was getting everything ready. Life with a toddler is always fun. It’s also why I didn’t get a ton of preparation pictures.

This recipe is not hard. It took under thirty minutes to do in all… including wrestling the bread away from her.

First, cook your steaks and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

I’ve used the Philly Gourmet brand a few times. It’s easy and gives me that classic vibe. I can imagine ribeye would work really well too!

For this, all I did was put the meat on the pan with some oil. I added salt and pepper and let it all cook through. If you’re using this brand, I used the entire box.

After that’s cooked, transfer is into a bowl. Then take your chopped peppers, onion, and mushroom to the pan. Add a little butter and cook.

While that’s on the pan, slice your bread. I lost the entire bottom half to Mila and and Max, but still had plenty.

Put mayonnaise on the bread, then a provolone layer. Next, add the cheesesteak on top and another layer of cheese.

After your veggies are done cooking, layer them on too.

Once everything is placed, stick it in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until browned.

Take it out of the oven. When it cools off, cut it how you please and enjoy!

It’s seriously so tasty and cheesy! I can see it being a hit for a Super Bowl party or for a quick weekday dinner.

If you give it a try, let me know in the comments!

I got a custom painting done and here was my experience.

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If you would walk into my house, you would be able to tell a few things:

  1. A toddler and a dog reside here.
  2. There’s a lot of plants.
  3. I love art.

My walls are covered with art, pictures, and things that make me happy. Art comes in so many different types of forms and it’s a great way to represent what’s going on inside my head… just on my walls.

I’ve always wanted to get something custom done for just me, but the opportunity never arose. Until a few weeks ago.

On Instagram, someone I followed shared this one-line artwork and I was obsessed. The artist’s name is Ami Pruett and I dove deep into her website. Her paintings and prints really struck me, but one stuck out. She has a mother, baby – rainbow edition that I thought was beautiful. I was just about to put it in my cart, until I saw she did custom paintings.

Instantly, I reached out and sort of told her my family’s story and how much I longed to have an image of me, Jensen, and Mila all represented the same. All our family pictures we have, Jensen is represented in his bear or a picture, which is amazing and I love doing.

But… thinking there was some way we could be interconnected and together really spoke to me.

Ami got back to me a couple days later and we went for it.

She seriously was amazing to communicate and work with. Obviously, I feel comfortable sharing Jensen and our family’s story with others, but Ami was so genuine in just her website and Instagram, that I felt SO comfortable trusting her with something that meant so much to me.

The process was pretty simple.

Again, I told her my idea of what I wanted the art to portray and we bounced ideas off of each other. She came up with two designs to show me and we both agreed on the one.

Honestly, seeing both of the designs was intriguing. I think just having something custom for me on paper felt surreal.

Anyways, after I picked the design, it went quick.

I could’ve customized it with different paint, but I stuck to black. She gave me different options. So, it was nice to know that people have choices in what works best with their own individual decor style and personality.

While I knew she was working on it, I stalked her Instagram for updates. I felt like a kid on Christmas when I saw her working on it.

After approving the pencil work, she painted. Seeing it completely done for the first time made me cry. It’s absolutely beautiful and perfect; even better than what I had envisioned in my head.

This isn’t the painting’s forever home, I want to get the perfect frame for it. It deserves the best.

I would 100% recommend Ami to anyone who loves her style. She just dropped new prints for Valentine’s Day, which showcase love perfectly. I definitely scooped one of them up.

Ami, if you’re reading, thank you SO much again. You have no idea how much this painting fills my heart. It helps bring my family together in a way we can never be. I’ll have no way to truly thank you for that feeling.

Have you ever gotten a custom painting done before?