Midweek Randoms!

Hope everyone is having a great week and happy hump day so here are some random thoughts! Decided to do a link up! 

• So I have started Once Upon A Time on Netflix and I have to say I am obsessed! I mean I am already pretty fond of Ginnifer Goodwin and something about fairy tales and just how magical and wonderful they are really capture my attention! All the fairy tale characters are stuck in this town in Maine and don't know about their true identities. If you haven't seen this, then I suggest you should. You will be hooked!

• Right now I have some chicken taco chili in the crockpot for dinner tonight. If anyone wants the recipe I will be happy to post it if I get some requests :)

• After a couple of hours I finally made a blog button! Cute huh?? If you love my blog and want to show it off, you can grab my button with the code on my profile! Let me know if you grab my button and I will do the same for your blog!

• Madison has been very active lately! She looks like she wants to crawl but so far has only managed to move those legs. 
• I recently also did my first blog post exchange. Check out my previous post! :)
• Next picture is scientific fact! 

Three staycation ideas for the family on a budget

During the summer, many families fill up the car or jump on an airplane to find a new destination. While this can be an enjoyable event, some people cannot justify the cost and opt to stay closer to home. Here are three staycation ideas that any family can afford with ease.

Rediscover the city: In many cases, a family will live in the same town for a long time. When living in the same area, one will often forgo to look for fun and exciting activities in their hometown. Luckily, a resident should have no difficulty in finding water parks, rivers, museums and other fun and cheap attractions locally. Upon discovering these places, many residents have a newfound love and respect for their city and often visit the attractions in the future.

Camping: When heading to the outdoors, one can camp and enjoy what nature has to offer. During a camping trip, a family will not spend much money as the fees are usually low and a camper can cook their own meals. After waking up in the morning, one can set out on a hike or day at the lake. This is the perfect opportunity for one to reconnect with nature and have fun with family or friends.

Block party: When getting together with neighbors, one can watch movies and eat home cooked meals. Simply put, a block party is the perfect way to save money while learning more about the neighbors.

These three staycation ideas are great for families of all sizes.

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My life changing experience of motherhood

As I think back to my thoughts and ideas while I was pregnant, I have found that everything changes as events starts to take place. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was scared but my instincts started to settle in. I vowed to be 100% percent healthy. That was extremely hard when every healthy thing made me sick. I had all day long sickness for 9 months. It seemed only the junk food would settle my upset stomach. How convenient huh? I never really was a chocolate person but all of a sudden I HAD to have chocolate and that is the ONLY thing I wanted on Valentines day. And by the way, I did receive my chocolate and it was too glorious!

I didn't want to get induced and I wanted to go natural as long as I could. I was induced and got that nifty epidural at 5 centimeters.

I vowed to exclusively breastfeed, to never co sleep, and never to get frustrated. I breast fed up to 3 months where I was simply not producing anything for her. I tried fenugreek, pumping, everything! For some reason it didn't work. That first night Maddie did not want to sleep anywhere except in arms close to my warmth so in the bed she went. And I had no idea why I vowed to never be frustrated. It is so difficult to understand why your child is crying. Especially when everything you are doing for them is not working. I found that parenting is a huge guessing game and you just have to do everything until you finally realize what is upsetting them.

It's crazy how all my ideas seemed to change over the course of my journey of pregnancy and motherhood. So with that being said, I say this...

You can try to have a set plan but things can change. Each experience is different. What you believe will happen can reverse on you. Try to have an open mind of other possibilities. Not just with motherhood but with life itself. Don't judge the others who do things differently than you. I may have done things not in my set plan but the experience has changed my thoughts and beliefs and I look at life a little differently now. And I hope you do too

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Yes it is true I have decided to share another recipe that is a definite household favorite! I had no intentions of ever giving recipes or cooking advice on my blogsince I am still in the beginning stages of becoming a "decent cook". That's what happens when your mom was a stay at home mom! Didn't really get the hang of cooking till Justin and I started living together. But I have learned some great recipes that are just oh so good and simple especially when you have a 4 month old who needs your constant attention :)

This was a favorite of mine growing up when my mom made it so naturally one night I wanted to make it for Justin and I was quite surprised at how simple and quick this recipe was! So if you're looking for a quick dinner that you can throw in the oven and have lots of leftovers then I suggest you try this! In this post I will give the instructions on how to make the full size version. In the pictures I am uploading it will show the lighter version of this recipe! Still the same just different sizes so don't freak out if you think it is too small for your family! Trust me the full size version will feed the entire family! 

So the ingredients are:

• 3 cooked boneless skinless shredded chicken breasts
• 28 ounce can of Rotel (I use the one with green chili's)
• 26 ounce can of Cream of Mushroom
• 26 ounce can of Cream of Chicken
• Tortilla chips
• Shredded Mexican cheese

First preheat the oven to 350 then you are gonna mix together cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, and rotel in a mixing bowl. I also add some extra things to really kick up the spice since Justin loves everything hot and spicy! I added salt, pepper, aleppo pepper, and red pepper.

Next add in your shredded chicken then mix.

Then you crunch up about half a bag or tortilla chips, add into mixture, then mix.

Next you are gonna put it in the dish, then sprinkle your cheese on top. Cover it with foil and put in the oven for 30 minutes.

Once that is done, take off the foil then broil it until the cheese on top is brown. When it's all brown, take it out of the oven, wait for it to cool, then enjoy!!

Hope you enjoy this simple recipe!

Inspirational Mondays: Handwriting on the Wall

A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8 year old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.

"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall!
It's on the new paper you just hung in the den.
I told him you'd be mad at having to do it again."

She let out a moan and furrowed her brow,
"Where is your little brother right now?"
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.

She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear--he knew that meant doom!
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.

Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught!

She headed for the den to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart.

Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall

-Author Unknown