Weekly Meals....Cheque please!

We love to eat, like seriously love it....what I don't love is planning what to eat a week in advance! I dread it every week, I make my numbered list from 1 to 7 and tap the pen on my head.....What are we going to have this week for meals?? Probably the same things we have every other week....Tacos, chicken breast, pasta.....rinse and repeat...over and over...

It drives me insane! Throw in a couple of picky eaters and I just keep spinning in this vicious cycle!

I am a self proclaimed Pinterest addict so I do search there for recipes, but I do admit that if anything has more then 4 ingredients or has the words overnight in it, I'm out...

So how do I win this uphill battle? Any suggestions? I need quick easy meals that will please everyone...is there even such a thing?

And the winner is........

Thank you to all of you who left me comments about your DIY projects! I drew a name at noon using http://www.miniwebtool.com/random-name-picker/ and our winner is........

 

A.Grey! Congrats! Pls email me your mailing address to jhoward9@hotmail.com!

Thank you to everyone who participated and keep an eye open for another giveaway coming up soon!

Pinsday- DIY Color Mason Jars

Every Wednesday I will post about a pin from Pinterest that I have tested! We will see which ones are successful and which ones are fails! They could be recipes, cleaning tricks, or crafts.Feel free to send me some suggestions as well!

Here is my Pin-test for this week!

DIY Color Mason Jars

Here is what you will need:

Pint Mason Jars
Mod Podge Gloss
Water
Liquid Food Coloring
Plastic Spoons and Knives (or Popsicle Sticks)
Cookie Sheet
Parchment Paper
Measuring Spoon (tbsp)
Oven (Pre-heated to 225 degrees)
Something to protect your workspace (Newspaper, Paper Bags, Cardboard)

 1.Wash out your mason jars and remove and stickers or labels on them, ) I use Goo Gone and all the adhesive comes right off!)

2.Pour 1 Tablespoon of Mod Podge Gloss into an empty Mason Jar. Add 1/2 Tablespoon of water and 9 drop of food coloring. If mixing primary colors to create a secondary color like orange, make sure your drops do not exceed 9 drops combined (example: for orange use 6 drops of yellow and 3 drops of red, totaling 9 drops). If you add too much food coloring, the mixture will be too thin and will cause streaking.

3. Stir the materials in the mason jar together with a plastic spoon or popsicle stick until the color is uniform and you don’t see any white Mod Podge. Be sure to mix well around the inside edges and the bottom of the mason jar.
*I still had white in the edges so next time ill mix more thoroughly...

4.Swirl the Mod Podge around the inside of the jar until it is completely covered.

*You can see on the bottom edge there is some white still there, next time I will mix it much more thoroughly..it still turned out fine though!

5. Once the inside of the mason jars is completely covered, including the inside rim, set the jars upside down on top of plastic knives (or Popsicle sticks) on your protected work surface to let the excess Mod Podge run out of the jars. Placing the jars on sticks will allow the Mod Podge to run out without it pooling around the inside of the rim.
Let the mason jars drain in this position for 1 hour.

6. Repeat as necessary for as many colored mason jars you need.
The colors of the mason jars will look pastel because you mixed the food coloring with white Mod Podge.
*Once the Mod Podge dries clear, your color will dry the same color as the food coloring you chose.

7. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.

8. After 1 hour, carefully lift the jars and gently wipe any Mod Podge from the outside rim of the jar (if there is any).

9. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the mason jars right side up on the lined cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet and jars into a preheated over for 1 hour until the Mod Podge is completely dry and the glass is transparent.

10. Remove the jars from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, sit back and admire your new gorgeous DIY Color Mason Jars!

Really happy with the way it turned out for my first try! I will be making 2 more in this color and using them in my bathroom for q-tips, cotton balls, and makeup remover pads! 

Comment below and let me know how you would use yours! 

 

Super Saturdays!

With a husband who works long hours, 5 days a week, we always countdown the days until weekend! Even though they fly by in a flash we still try to enjoy every minute of them...
Yesterday was a really fun day for us. Our 3 year old loves planes, every time he hears one flying by over our house he has to run to the nearest window and check it out.
So yesterday morning my husband suggested we go over to an area by the airport and watch them land!
 When we arrived, there were planes landing every 5 minutes! So exciting!

It was a little loud for P's liking but we sat in the car instead and watched quite a few land and he liked it better. Every time one would pass he would cover his head thinking it was going to touch him! HA!

Next we went over to Toys R Us because who can resist the toy store right? P loves it so much there, that as soon as he sees the sign he cheers for joy! We made the rounds and got out with only a 7$ purchase! A new record for us!

We also stopped at Globo shoes and accessories. As you all know the back to school vibe is in full swing and my teen needs to look her best! She has been researching school bags for the last two weeks in order to find the right one!  We knew she wanted a Jansport brand one, but the color decision was a difficult one..(oh to be young again!)

We went in and were so surprised that they had all the colors she was debating on, so after trying them all on her back and making sure all was just right we came out with this beauty:

And these suckers aren't cheap! 35$ for a school bag? Dear lord! I think the most expensive bag I ever had when I was in school cost 10$...oh well! Whatever I can do to make her enjoy school I will do!
Between bags, uniforms, supplies and shoes, its almost as expensive as Christmas time!

What are your tips and tricks to getting your kids ready for school on a budget? Is it possible to make both your kids and your wallet happy?

It's that time of year again!

God how I love the easy mornings of summer....no alarm clocks, no rushing around, no cranky kids...
But alas! All good things must come to an end! With my teenage daughter waking up at 11 every day all summer, it is going to take a miracle to get her up in the mornings!
It usually takes a good solid month before our routine is down pat.
We try about 2 weeks earlier to wake up a half hour earlier every two days, to try to re-set her internal clock.
Maybe easier said then done but we try! 
One of our biggest struggles is getting her to eat breakfast before she leaves.
 When she eats that early she doesn't feel well, but if she doesn't eat, it makes for a long wait until lunch.
I need something portable that I can send off with her to eat once she gets to school.
I usually opt for cereal bars, drinkable yogurt and fruit.
She has always really liked YOP drinkable yogurt. It's easy, portable and she can pretty much eat it anywhere.
And I am happy to send her off with something healthier then a pop tart or a bag of sugary cereal.
As moms we want whats best for our kids, although it's not always easy we are lucky to have those available products to make our mornings a little easier on everyone!

 If you would like to try YOP out for yourselves, head on over to the Life made Delicious Facebook page for your free coupon on August 7th, while supplies last so make sure you get there bright and early!

https://www.facebook.com/LifeMadeDelicious

Leave me some comments and let me know how you guys get your kids out the door in the morning, awake, dressed and fed!


“Disclosure – I am participating in the Help YOP Help You Blogger Campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.”