March 26, 2015 by Krista

General Conference Bingo

I am LDS, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, known to most as the Mormons. Next weekend is General Conference, when we have the chance to listen to our leaders on a worldwide level. It’s always one of my favorite weekends – partly because they broadcast the service and I can watch it right at home on my couch in my jammies… yes, church in sweatpants.

But with three little kids, it can be difficult to entertain them long enough to actually get to hear much at all. My mom always had fun little quiet activities for us to do while we were growing up and watching General Conference. My favorite was always Conference Bingo. But the boards I remember were designed for much older kids than mine and there is no way I’d ever get them to sit and use it, so I created a Bingo board for my kids to use this year.

GENERAL CONFERENCE BINGO

If you would also like to use this Bingo board, you’re more than welcome to download and print out as many as you need. Click on the image below and it will take you to the download link. You’ll have to download and save the file to your computer and then print it out. I know there are tons of options out there, but here’s one more:

I wanted something basic with simple, bright pictures that used both sight and hearing in order to get the bingo. I’m hoping it will encourage them to listen and watch, so maybe I can do a little of both as well. I’m not going to give them strict rules. If they notice “family”, whether it’s from a speaker speaking about them or if they see a family on screen, it counts. I didn’t want it to be so hard, they give up and return to the usually scheduled arguing, rough-housing and general horseplay that accompanies mom and dad trying to do… just about anything. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

March 25, 2015 by Krista

The Perfect Popcorn: Snickers Peanut Butter Chocolate

Yesterday, I told you about the fight Mr Napping and I had in the middle of a mall not too long after we got married and how we have learned to prevent unnecessary arguments. I had intended to share this recipe with that post, but that post just kept creeping further and further down the page and the scroll bar was uncomfortably small. So, today we’re going to be delving into a deliciously tasty treat to share while you’re not fighting or in case you ever need a peace offering. This is pretty much perfection in a bowl. It’s movie-perfect popcorn and you don’t have to juggle it and your box of candy, it’s all right there in one convenient, incredibly delicious little perfect popcorn package. Seriously, this Snickers satisfies the munchies big time. And, really, can you go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter?

THE PERFECT POPCORN:
SNICKERS PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE

It says it takes 1 hour 10 mins of prep time. Actually it takes about 10 mins of prep time and about an hour of set time. But check out the notes if you’re too impatient to wait a whole hour. There are definitely ways to speed up the set process. And this makes a bunch, we’re talking my family of five can watch a movie with it and have our peanut butter chocolaty fill.

Print This Recipe

The Perfect Popcorn: Snickers Peanut Butter Chocolate

Prep time: 1 hour 10 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: Approximately 16 cups of popped popcorn

Fluffy popcorn drizzled with chocolate and peanut butter chips and topped off with pieces of Snickers Peanut Butter squares.

Ingredients

½ cup unpopped popcorn kernels
¼ cup peanut butter and chocolate chips - I found an 11oz bag of Toll House brand chips in the baking aisle at Wal-Mart and they were fabulous
4 Snickers Peanut Butter squares

Instructions

Pop the corn kernels and lay them out on a large cookie sheet in a single layer.
Chop the Snickers Peanut Butter squares into coarse pieces and set aside.
In a microwave-safe dish, melt the chips on high for 30 seconds. Stir the chips and melt in additional 15 second intervals until they are smooth and creamy.
Transfer the melted chips to a zip top bag. Push it all into one corner and snip off the tip of the bag.
Drizzle the chocolate over the popcorn. Let set for about an hour. You can speed up the setting process by putting the pan in the fridge or in a cold garage.
Once the chocolate is set, break the popcorn apart and transfer to a large bowl.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 14 days. I bet it won't last that long though. Enjoy!

And if you’re looking for an entertaining read to eat some popcorn with, don’t forget to check out the mall brawl from yesterday. Okay, okay, calling it a ‘brawl’ might get your hopes up… but it’s still a funny story.

March 24, 2015 by Krista

The Hungry Monster and How to Get Rid of Him

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WhenImHungry #CollectiveBias

Mr. Napping and I learned something very early on in our marriage. I will be the first to wholeheartedly admit that I had NO idea what I was getting into when I got married. Yes, I’d always wanted to get married and I’d had a few semi-serious relationships before Mr. Napping came along, but when you know, you know. He is still my Prince Charming, my Knight in Shining Armor and I’m so glad he asked me to say “I do”. But I had NO clue what being married would really be like.

Our first married fight was over macaroni and cheese. Yes, friends, mac and cheese. I’ve always liked mine with a little more milk. Mr. Napping likes his with a little less, so that it’s sticky. We were both used to cooking for ourselves, the way we preferred our food. Imagine my groom’s chagrin when his new bride ruined mac and cheese. I couldn’t decide if I was more angry that he was so ungrateful for dinner or embarrassed that apparently I didn’t know how to make macaroni and cheese. It was a long night where I sat fuming on the couch and watching chick flicks while Mr Napping, very noisily, boiled the “insane excess of milk” back out of his pasta. It was my first glimpse of the hungry monster, but I didn’t recognize it for what it was.

About a year after that, we started to realize something. I was pregnant with Big J and was at the stage that none of my clothes fit any more. The little town we called home in Idaho had limited shopping and even more limited maternity shopping, so we took a quick trip to visit my sisters-in-law and do some of the other baby shopping we hadn’t been able to complete at home.

We got up fairly leisurely one morning and made our way to a couple different baby and maternity stores and then went to check the mall. I had decided I wanted some new camisoles that would accommodate my growing figure and had stopped to look at some hanging in a display at a store front. I am terribly indecisive and was debating on these camisoles. By this time, both Mr Napping and I were tired. We were frustrated and a little overwhelmed with how quickly a baby can cost so much! And we were both hungry. When I asked what I thought was a pretty simple, harmless question about the shirts, my usually loving and attentive husband snapped at me. I was so surprised and upset that he would do that, I fired right back. I am not usually a fighter, but I’m a whole new kind of Mama Bear when my babes are in my womb. Oh, the hormones. I finally bought all three of them, partly out of spite, and we went on our chilly way, with our chips still firmly on our shoulders.

Once we were back out at the car, we realized it was lunch time and decided we should get something to eat. After we’d finished our meals and we were sitting in the booth at the fast food restaurant, all snuggled up next to each other, our fight pretty much forgotten, we had a shocking realization. We had a hungry monster. Or two, if I’m pregnant.

Perhaps you’ve heard of this creature. The dragon who rears his (or her) head at the slightest provocation. The culprit behind this demon is none other than hunger himself. Hungry anger can make one temporarily into something they are not usually. That was the growling monster I unexpectedly met that day in the mall and my own monster jumped right up my throat with a mean retort. I joked to my once-again mellow husband that I needed to carry treats around for him in my purse. Well, it was mostly a joke. And I’m not sure if he thought I meant for me or him.

Perhaps you feel as though I am mercilessly pointing out a tiny character flaw in my dream guy. It isn’t so. This is just how I have become acquainted with the hungry monster. Don’t worry, Mr. Napping met my own little demon about a year after the mall incident, when we were moving out of state in a matter of two weeks. That’s right, I have TWO monsters. We were trying to get our house ready for renters and existing on ridiculously little sleep for days on end. My fire-breathing dragon emerges when I’m tired, the hangry one usually comes out when I’m expecting.

Mr. Napping and I are now very aware that he needs food on a regular basis, whereas I can go nearly all day and be okay (as long as I’m not pregnant). I, on the other hand, need at least 6 hours of sleep at night. Mr. Napping can get by with 4-5 hours a night routinely, although he doesn’t do that as often as he used to. We have discovered that I need sleep, he needs food and the opposite is not true. If I’m grouchy, he sends me off with orders of a nap. And I make sure to keep the pantry (and my bag) full and Mr. Napping’s hunger satisfied. It makes us both much happier. Until we so generously passed these onto our kids… Since they have both of our most endearing traits, it can be a little harder to figure out what they need. Sometimes, I just throw them a snack and a pillow and pray.

Speaking of snacks… What better way to satisfy a hangry monster than with some SNICKERS® because SNICKERS® Satisfies. It says so on the wrapper.

I couldn’t wait to try these new kinds of SNICKERS® and I was so glad when I found all three kinds at my local Wal-Mart while I was there running after some other stuff already.

SNICKERS® makes it easy to keep our hangry monsters under control, even when we’re out and about. I love that it is so easy to find. I will admit, candy bars aren’t the best choice in the healthy snack department and it doesn’t outweigh all the chocolate and caramel, but I like that there are extra peanuts, peanut butter and almond versions available. I don’t endorse eating candy for every snack, but it is convenient to grab a quick treat while I’m already out running errands. And some times, when I’m running errands with small children, I need a little chocolate to help me keep my cool. It’s like SNICKERS® knows me. Now if they could just make silent, crinkle-proof wrappers…

See more great SNICKERS® recipes and fun stories on the SNICKERS® social hub. Show the world who you are when you’re hungry when you enter the SNICKERS® “Who are you when you’re hungry?” contest by uploading a personal photo or video from your Computer, Facebook, Instagram or use the SNICKERS® Meme Generator to create something new! Voting begins at Noon on 5/11/15 and ends at 11:59:59AM ET on 7/15/15. Check out other uploaded photos for some inspiration!

Need a yummy SNICKERS® recipe to help satisfy your hunger?
SNICKERS® Peanut Butter Chocolate Popcorn is just what you’re looking for!

March 23, 2015 by Krista

My Beautiful Mess

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SweepTheMess #CollectiveBias

Wanna know what my life is really like? Behind the home page, painstakingly-written blog posts and carefully styled photos with just the right light? My life is messy. Utter and constant chaos. Can you relate? Is your life messy too? Your messes may not be the same as mine, but I’m sure that things sometimes get a little chaotic and disorganized for you too. That’s just life. With three little boys, my life often seems like a never-ending span of messes amid a whirlwind of energetic boys that I can only pretend to keep up with.

My real life is often full of blurry photos of boys I just can’t keep up with in less-than-ideal lighting because they don’t always do the cute stuff when the sun is streaming through the window.

Here is something I don’t often admit, at least not out loud. I often get discouraged by the turmoil. I wish I were better at keeping my family organized. I am always looking for ways to tame the chaos, new methods and systems to try. But, truth be told, my house does not look like a spread in a magazine. And it probably never will. In photos I take for my blog, there are all kinds of clutter and chaos just outside the frame. It’s all staged. My real life is a never-ending cycle: if the floors are vacuumed, there’s a mountain of dishes waiting to be done. The sink is actually empty? Well, you can bet there’s enough laundry to clothe a small village needing to be tended to. The last load of laundry is finally in the washer… wait, is there such a thing as the “last load of laundry”?! Don’t get me wrong, I do clean. I clean ALL. THE. TIME. My house is just never all clean, all at one time. See why I get discouraged?

He was supposed to be napping… I have no idea how he made such a mess and I didn’t hear a thing. Apparently, it was tiring work though.

Over the years, I have found little things that help. A load of dishes a day, for instance, helps keep the counters clear. Which, in turn, makes it easier to complete meal prep. A load of laundry a day, even if it doesn’t always (or ever) get folded and put away, keeps everyone in mostly clean clothes… There are the occasional days we get to the store and I realize there’s spaghetti sauce on my toddler’s pants… whoops. And a sweep (or two or three) of the kitchen every day makes it look so much cleaner than it really is. Bonus: it keeps odd choking hazards out of the baby’s mouth. Baby N is in the stage of taste-testing every speck and spot he can manage to get his hands on. Whether we are cutting hair, doing science experiments or art projects, a clean floor is one thing I need to stay on top of, for the safety of my family. Good products that I can trust make the mundane and monotonous part of my life a little less so, or at least help it pass more quickly. Flour sack dish cloths to dry the dishes, my DIY laundry basket dresser to help me contain the laundry explosion, and, most recently, the O-Cedar Angler Broom to help me quickly and efficiently clean the floors are some of my very favorite, can’t-live-without items that I use everyday.

Here’s one more secret. When I’m feeling discouraged about our chaos, I just have to do is look at my children. I mean really look. Not at their dirty faces and the mischief they are causing, but at how they are learning and exploring their world. I have to look past the disarray to find just how amazing and beautiful this parenting thing really is. Sure, I’m angry that every single toy has been pulled off their shelves, but when Little J tells me about how his Angry Bird cars had a race with the Thomas trains and the Dusty Crophopper airplane had to save Spider-Man before the dinosaurs could eat him, it suddenly becomes more than just too many toys all over the floor. The magic of a three-year-old’s imagination is, indeed, beautiful. The entire silverware basket from the last load of dishes I just ran through the dishwasher becomes a rowdy band as Baby N learns more about cause and effect… and sound. Big J used an entire bag of marshmallows and half a box of toothpicks to create his marshmallow house masterpiece. That sparkle in my sweet boys’ eyes when they master a new skill, or when that light bulb finally lights up, is amazing. My life is a mess. An adventurous, chaotic, sticky, slimy mess full of new discoveries and light bulb moments every day. A beautiful mess. My beautiful mess and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Who doesn’t love to win?! Try your luck and enter with the widget below!
O-Cedar “A Beautiful Mess” Giveaway

And if you need something to do with all the dust and dirt while you wait for a winner to be chosen, check this out:

March 20, 2015 by Krista

Easy No-Bake Easter Treats Bird’s Nest

It’s no secret around here than I have a love affair with chocolate. I love chocolate in pretty much any shape or form. No-bake cookies are some of my favorites when it comes to chocolate in cookies though. And really, why wouldn’t you love a cookie that you don’t have to spend the better part of an hour baking? With Easter coming up and Spring trying it’s darnedest to put Old Man Winter aside, I thought I’d make some fun, no-bake Easter treats. Chocolate always makes me happy, especially when you add Cadbury mini eggs to the mix too. I am pretty much floating on clouds, or in a river of chocolate. Either one sounds nice…

NO-BAKE EASTER TREATS
BIRD’S NEST COOKIES

Print This Recipe

Easy No-Bake Bird's Nest Easter Treats

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 7 mins

Total time: 22 mins

Serves: About 12 cookies

Ingredients

1 cube butter
2 cups sugar
½ cups milk
6 Tbsp cocoa
½ tsp salt
½ cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy, your choice)
3 cups quick oats
Peeps Marshmallow Chicks (I used yellow, but blue ones would be really pretty too!)
Cadbury Mini Eggs

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, sugar, milk, cocoa, and salt together. Bring to a roiling boil and boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and mix until peanut butter is thoroughly combined.
Stir in quick oats a cup at a time. Mix until evenly coated by the chocolate mixture.
Drop approximately 2 inch balls onto wax paper. Let cool to the touch and then use your fingers to poke down the middle and shape the cookies into a nest shape. You don't want perfect, nests are messy! The less you can touch the cookies the better. Place Cadbury Mini Eggs in the nests and top with a Peep Chick
Let the cookies cool and set completely, usually between 1 and 2 hours. Serve.

I think these no bake Easter treats would be super fun (and edible!) table decor or place cards for your big Easter Sunday meal. Tie a small piece of paper around the Bird’s neck with the seating assignments written on it. Cute and delicious!

GENERAL CONFERENCE BINGO

THE PERFECT POPCORN: SNICKERS PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE

NO-BAKE EASTER TREATS BIRD’S NEST COOKIES

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THE PERFECT POPCORN:
SNICKERS PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE

NO-BAKE EASTER TREATS
BIRD’S NEST COOKIES