Oh How I LOVE Rolos!!!

Yes, it is true.  I have one thing in my life that I would be lost with out.  That is caramel covered in milk chocolate.  It is the candy of choice for me.  Now- I am very picky about it as well.  I do not like my chocolate to be bitter. So pretty much all dark chocolate is out.  Not ALL of it- just most of it.   Every once in a while I will try something with dark chocolate and it is pretty tasty.  But the milk chocolate................YUMMY!  Yes please!!!!

So here is my point- Rolos.  Yes I love them.  They are not gourmet by any means, but they are my favorite grab and go treat.  Anyone else feel the same way about a treat?  I know that people will usually stick to their favs, and this is one of mine!  ( I also love a soft vanilla Charleston Chew, but now I am getting side tracked again!)

This summer we took our annual trip to Lake Powell in southern Utah.  This place my friends, is a magical place.  (Well,  at least it feels that way when you are there.)  

 

 My little R-man driving the houseboat!  See the gorgeous cliffs in the background?

If you have never been, I suggest you make it a goal right now to plan a vacation there!  The red cliffs and water are AMAZING! As I was preparing the food for our trip, I came across a pin involving my favorite candy- So of course I HAD to try it!  

 

Off to the store I went to buy a bag of mini rolos and marshmallows to roast.

Result:  Absolute success!  Yes, I am in love!  It was a great spin on your regular smore!

Thank you simplybephoto.com for this amazing discovery!

Scavenger Hunt

Today I went shopping to find gifts for my bunco group.  I am hosting it in October, and I like to have things done ahead of time.  I just work that way.  After loading my 2 year old kiddos into the car, making it halfway to my destination only to realize that I didn't bring the double stroller, turning around to get my stroller and making it to said destination, I was done. Actually, I was just a little flustered.  Anyone who has kids can relate to that feeling.  I don't care if you have 1 or 10 kids.  Shopping with little munchkins is hard.  And let's face it.....getting little toddlers out the door is half the battle.

Anyhoo- back to what I was talking about.........I went shopping with my twin babies by myself for Bunco prizes, and I survived!!!!  Those cutie patooties were actually perfect not crying through the store.  I enjoyed my time walking around the home decor store and finding cute Halloween prizes....Oh the money I could spend!  I found some awesome prizes and I was thrilled that I was able to get it all done!  Now I will be able to sleep without trying to come up with ideas for bunco prizes.....Does anyone else do that?  So happy that I am done with that.

Now to figure out what to serve.....hmmmmmmm......Any ideas for a great Halloween dinner with friends would be much appreciated!

Two in one day?

Okay- So you are probably wondering what the heck I am doing posting twice in one day.....Well, I will tell you why.

I want to share with you some of my successes with pinterest recipes!  I love to cook, and while I am not the BEST cook, I can usually follow directions to a recipe.  I have tried some stuff off of pinterest that were so yummy that I have made them several times already, others that were.....well.......meh, and others that were GROSS!  So I would love to share one of my family's favorites so far.  It is quick and easy and oh so yummy!  My B-man wanted to have leftovers packed in  his lunch for school!  If you can get a 10 year old to say that, then you have a good thing going.........right?

 

Okay- Here is the link to my board

And I want to tell Joann Johnson THANK YOU for this recipe!  Check out more yummy stuff at:

tastebook.com

Meatloaf failure......ugh!

Today was busy as usual......Soccer and football dominated the night, and I burned our dinner.  Yep- one whole meatloaf was wasted because I burned it.  I guess it is a bad idea to cook your meatloaf and your baked potatoes at the same time.  I thought that since I was going to bake the potatoes, I might as well cook the meatloaf at the same time........BAD idea. 

In my mind I had it all worked out that if I put the meatloaf in the oven half way through the time it takes to bake the potatoes and at the higher temperature that I do my potatoes- it would bake for a shorter time, and they would be done at the same time. Not the case.  Bad idea. 

End result- We are eating out tonight!  Bacon cheese burgers anyone?  

On a higher note-  My R-Guy scored a goal at his soccer game!  So proud of my little man!  I love that spunky little kid, and he makes my heart happy.

Angry Birds Birthday

So my little R-Man had a birthday....he is now 6!  Can't believe it!  He is one spunky little kid, and he is always cracking these one liners that have my husband and I rolling.  Life is never boring with this guy around!  He came to me several months ago and declared that he wanted a "REAL LIFE Angry Birds cake."  So that immediately intimidated me.......That meant I had to come up with a cake that flings a bird through the air and knocks over a structure made out of boards.  Hmmmmmmmm...........  Luckily I figured out something, and to say the least...... It was a HUGE success.  I had one happy boy!!!!

Do you want to see?

Nothing beats the smile on your child's face when they see a cake that you created for them.  I am in no way shape or form a professional, or would I say I have a "talent" for making cakes, but I have fun trying.  That is why I do it. (Oh, and for my kids, as well!)

 Here is R-man blowing out the candles.  He did it in one try!  Hope his wish comes true!

Here is how I did it.

(I must apologize in advance, because I don't have pictures of all of the steps of putting it together.  I am having some serious issues with my camera and it is not saving all of my pics that I take.  I am just glad that I have the pictures I have.)

1.  Bake 1 cake in a 9 X 13.

2.  Bake another cake in a jelly roll pan. (That is a cookie sheet with sides on it.)

3.  After you have let the cakes cool, remove the cake from the 9 X 13 and cut into 3 even strips the short way.

4.  Take one of the strips you just cut from the 9 X 13 cake and set aside.  Place the other two at opposite ends of the cake.

5.  Now take the piece you just set aside and cut about 1 1/2" off both sides.  Place the trimmed piece on top of one of the the pieces that are on the end. and then take one of the 1 1/2" pieces you just cut off and place right in front and in the middle of the two stacked pieces.  This will be the "Pig's side" of the cake.

6.  Frost it green.

7. Now use some chocolate wafer cookies to build the Pig's side of the cake.

8.  I piped some grass with frosting that I tinted a little darker green just to give it a little more detail.
9. I bought the Angry Birds board game and placed all of the little characters and the slingshot that came with it on the cake.

10.  Sit back and watch your birthday boy or girl smile from ear to ear!

Wish my camera had saved the pictures of the kids flinging the birds!  I guess that means the purchase of a new camera will be in my future........(sigh.)

Carrie's A to Z's

I have been seeing this A-Z list floating around blog land, and I thought it would be fun to fill one out.  Maybe get to know me a little better.

Age: 32 and proud of every year!

Bed size: Olympic queen......I hate it!!!!!  It is impossible to find a fitted sheet because they don't make olympic queen mattresses anymore. 

Chore that you hate: Floors.  As soon as I mop them, someone spills on it, or runs into the house with muddy shoes.

Dogs: always had one when I was growing up.  My beagle was my favorite one! My older kids keep asking me for a dog, I just tell them we have 2 puppies right now, and we don't need a third!  (I know my babies are not dogs, but who wants to clean up dog poop when you are changing 2 babies' diapers all day long?)

Essential start to your day: A shower.

Favorite color: Hmmmmmm....  It varies.  Right now I am loving spring pastel colors!

Gold or Silver: Silver.

Height:  5’8″

Instruments you play: Piano.  Not the greatest, but I can hold my own in the Children's Primary Song book!

Job title: Dr./Accountant/Repairman/Therapist/Chef/Taxi Driver/Teacher/Maid/Entertainer/Referee/ Detective.  

This can all be summed up in one word: MOM!!!!

Kids: 5- two 9 year olds, one 6 year old, and two 18 month olds.

Live: In the shadows of the beautiful Wasatch Front!

Mother’s name: Linda

Nicknames: Care Bear when I was a kid, Coop when I was a teenager.  

Overnight hospital stays: Ummm.... Appendix out when I was 13.  I have had 3 deliveries.  (That is really weird to see it written out that I have had 3 deliveries and I have 5 kids! Who does that?)  I had hernia surgery that required an overnight stay.

Pet peeves: People that eat with their mouth open.  I hate that.

Quote from a movie: Big gulps, huh?

Right or left handed: Right.

Siblings: 1 sister, 2 brothers.

Underwear: As my kids would say......Underwhere?  (Bahahaha!)

Vegetable you hate: Squash.  And any dessert that is lemony.

What makes you run late: I am usually a pretty punctual person, but I will occasionally be late.  Let's face it.......I have 5 kids!

X-Rays you’ve had: My left arm when I was 9.  (Broke it roller skating.)

Yummy food that you make: I make some pretty good imitation Cafe Rio enchiladas.  I will share the recipe with you one day.

 Zoo animal:  Penguins.  They are so funny to watch!

Catchin' ZZZZZZZZZ's!!!

I know I haven't posted in a while, and mostly it is because I am trying to decide what direction I want to take this blog.  I don't know how many of you actually read this....but that is okay.  I am mostly doing this for myself.  I have found it to be therapeutic, and enjoyable to write down some of my thoughts and ideas....or whatever is on my mind for that day.

Today I was thinking about how I get asked almost daily "How have you managed two sets of twins?!?!"  It is a fair question because not many people are faced with having their children arrive in litters. :) I usually respond with something like "We just take it one day at a time."  -or-  "It is easier the second time around because I know what to expect."  While these things are true......I have to say, my biggest life saver is the schedule I have put my babies on. Oh - and we laugh!! A LOT!!!!

 (Such a proud Daddy!  My hubby is so sweet with our babies it melts my heart!)

It is amazing to me how many people have said "Your babies slept through the night at 8 weeks (2kids), 10 weeks (2 kids), or 12 weeks (1 kid) of age?  How did you do it?!?!"  I am going to let you in on a secret.  I don't care how "hard" a child is- They need and want a schedule. My oldest boy was/can be very hard.  The schedule saved us.  It still does to this day.......and he is 9 1/2! They don't realize it, but children like have things that are consistent.  It is comforting to them to know what to expect.

If you like to read books to get information about having your baby sleep through the night, I recommend this one:

On Becoming Baby Wise

By Gary Ezzo M.D. and Robert Bucknam M.D.

 

I did read this one, and some of their suggestions are a little extreme for me.  But when I read the chapter on how to have your baby sleep through the night, this was a life saver!!!  It made sense. The best part about it is you can apply it to any age.  You don't have to have a newborn to start a schedule......I have had many friends try the baby wise with their toddlers/children and it has worked wonders.

If you don't want to get the book, I will give you a small run down of what they suggest.

1. Setting the schedule.

Decided how often you want to feed your baby.  We used a 4 hour schedule because that is what worked for us.  Usually it is about every 3-4 hours that works for people.  I also bottle fed all of my babies, so I was able to do the longer schedule.

2.  Day time feedings: 

Feed your baby, and then have awake time.  For a brand new baby this can be a challenge.  Giving your baby some sort of stimulation whether it is rubbing their back, or tummy time, or what ever you can do, for about 15 minutes after feeding will work.  THEN put your baby down to sleep.   This teaches your baby not to rely on food to sleep.  

3. Night time feedings:

Feed your baby in the evening, have a nighttime routine that is the same every night, weather it be a bath and a lotion rubdown, or singing to your baby.  Something that they can easily relate to bedtime.  Then put them down.  Some babies will cry, and that is okay.  They are babies.  They are built with a good set of pipes to let us know when they are upset, or something is wrong.  But they also use them to get what they want.  

Example:  If I scream, I get picked up.

I am not saying you should NEVER pick up your baby- just check them and see if anything is wrong.  Like a poopy diaper, their diaper leaked, their pajamas are twisted, and by all means- IF THEY ARE SICK YOU NEED TO PICK THEM UP!!!!!! 

4.  Dropping the middle of the night feeding. 

At about 8 weeks I let my babies sleep as long as they could from the late night feeding (10 p.m.) until their middle of the night feeding. (2 a.m.) feeding.  For some of my babies, it was an easy transition.  Only a couple of nights, and they were sleeping right through the 2 a.m. feeding and making it all the way to the 6a.m. feeding.  My other babies took a few weeks to adjust, but they all gradually made it, and by 12 weeks they were sleeping like champs, but more importantly, so was I!  

I can handle anything if I have a full night of sleep.  It is amazing how frazzled you can be without sleep.  Sleep is one of my favorite things in life.  Let's face it.  We all need to sleep.  Including babies.

The best piece of advice I can offer any new mom- whether you have multiples, or just a single baby- set a schedule and do what works for you!!!  If you have any questions, or just want to chat, feel free to leave a comment, and I would love to answer if I can.