Practice What You Pinterest: No Bake Energy Bites

Here we go!

This is the first post in this new series. Basically I am going to be taking ideas I find on Pinterest and letting you know what I think about it. If you are familiar with Pinterest then check out this post. These are all just my thoughts and opinions that I am going to share with all of you!

First up, No Bake Energy Bites. This is a recipe from Smashed Peas and Carrots. This is a blog that I really enjoy. Recipes, reviews, giveaways, crafts and lots more. I am telling you the Creamy Chicken Enchiladas... YUMMY! But back to the point.

One of my first finds when joining Pinterest was this recipe. Looked so good and the no bake part is always a plus! I won't post the whole recipe since that is what their blog is for but it is basically this: oatmeal, coconut, peanut butter, honey, mini chocolate chips and ground flax seed. Mix it together. Chill and then roll into balls. That is it! I am not a huge peanut butter fan but I am in love. I think I have made them 5 times in the past couple of months and 3 times I doubled the recipe. They are pretty much a staple at my house.

Just a few helpful hints: I omit the flax seed. Not for any reason except that I don't have it. I think it would be an awesome addition and the kids wouldn't even complain that they are eating something good for them. Tonight when I made these I used half and half vanilla extract and coconut extract. I really wanted a little more coconut flavor and this seemed to do the trick. The only other thing I have to say is to think before adding those few (or not so few) extra chocolate chips. I may or may not have dumped a little extra in the bowl and mixed them in before chilling. When I went to shape the mix into balls it wouldn't stick together. I had to really squeeze to get them to form at all. So, if you do add a little extra of the dry ingredients make sure you have a little extra of the wet ingredients to hold it all together.

All I can say other than that is try not to eat them all at once and save a few for the kids! Super easy and only 5 ingredients. It doesn't get better!

There it is. My first review. I will try to add pictures in the upcoming ones if I have them so I don't bore you with text, text and more text. Until then!

An Intro to Pinterest and a New Blog Series

Unless you live under a rock or have been off in another galaxy then you have probably run across the term "Pinterest". Now you may or may not be part of this online community so I will briefly explain it to you. Pinterest is a virtual planning board (or boards). There could be a lot more to it than what I use it for but this is going to be my description of the site and how I use it. You need an invitation to register but with all of the users out there it shouldn't be hard to find a friend who can email you one or just leave a comment and I can get one to you. After registering you have your "profile" page. You can customize this with information about you as well as a profile picture. Here you will see all of your organization boards. There are some preset and you can also create any for whatever category you choose. This is the page people are going to see when looking at your profile.

What you will see when you log in to the site is different. On this site you are able to "follow" people as well as have them "follow" you. What you see when you log in is all the things that the people you follow have "pinned". You can follow people, friends or not, as well as just certain categories from each person or all of their "pins". You can also "repin" things that the people you follow have pinned and post them to your profile. Here is where we explain a little better. Pinterest has a toolbar that you can download. As you search the internet for anything at all, clothing, crafts, recipes, etc. Anything you can look up online you can "pin" to your Pinterest profile. If I am looking at a quilt online, and by this point I have probably clicked on 15 links and jumped to 8 different websites to find it, all I have to do is click the little "pin it" button on my toolbar, pick any picture from the page I am on, choose the board I want it to go to, add a description and click "pin". Now, anytime I want to pull up that quilt I log on to Pinterest, go to that board and click on the picture of the quilt and it takes me straight to that link. Make sense?

Also, you can search Pinterest itself. There are billions of ideas from other users from all over the internet right there for you to browse! The hardest part about this is the fact that when you search through Pinterest it searches the descriptions of each persons pin. The fact that we all write our own description can sometimes make this a little difficult. If I pin a lasagna recipe but in the description box I write "It's what's for dinner!" and do not say anything about what it is, when you go to search for lasagna recipes mine will not show up.

Another thing to keep in mind when pinning items onto your boards is the source. Sometimes you find a great idea but when you go to click through to the actual site it is only an image or it will say "uploaded by user" and just keep opening the same window. (Not sure why that happens.) A lot of ideas come from blogs but when you click through the blog post was actually showing a few ideas from other blogs so you still have to click through to find the actual post online. When you are pinning ideas from all over the internet it is best to make sure that you are on the actual site with the correct link in the address bar so that way you can get back to it and others can get to it easily as well.

The last tip I have also deals with the description bar. While you want to describe the item you can also add a personal statement or even a reminder to yourself. For instance, I am going to be planning a 2nd (AAHHHHHHHH!!!!!) birthday party for my daughter Ryleigh. I may describe something as "Owl Birthday Cake. This will be perfect for Ryleigh's 2nd birthday!". Now all of my followers can see the cake, are able to go to the site the cake is on and see my description that tells what it is and what I may be doing with it. Now let us say that my husbands second cousin who is retired sees my pin of this cake and wants to repin it to her page because she loves all things owls. Well, she repins this but doesn't change the description. Now everyone who follows her sees that she loves this owl cake for some random 2 year olds birthday. Odd, right? I am not saying you have to write your own descriptions but it is a good idea to read them before you post and make sure they apply to you before you inadvertently tell the world that your husband made you a crocheted hat or some other completely untrue statement.

I think that is the basics. I may have missed a lot or just not know what this site is capable of but I do have to say that it is amazing!!! The internet is a crazy web of sites and information and it is great to have a way to keep track of all the wonderful ideas you come across online with the social media aspect as well. You get to see what other people find and get great ideas! I would definitely recommend this site to anyone who has ever used the internet to find a recipe, or toddler boredom busters, school ideas, home decor, fashion, hairstyles, makeup, and on and on and on.

I am sure if you are a user of Pinterest you have spent countless hours in front of your computer looking at organizing ideas and drooling over the yummy foods and cakes. I think some days I spend more time looking at all the things I could do than I do actually doing them. That is where my new blog series comes in. Practicing What You Pinterest. There are so many ideas out there but how many do you actually do? How many seem like great ideas but aren't the time savers they claim to be? I have had a lot of success with the things I have tried. There were also a few things that I don't feel were worth the effort. Each week I plan on posting about something I found on Pinterest and what my thoughts are on it. I won't be doing tutorials, after all, I am not trying to reinvent the wheel, just telling you what it is, where it is from and what I think. That simple.

I know that I am notorious for a lack of follow through so if you don't see more posts then email me, text me, call me. Whatever it takes. Also, if you have any ideas that you want tried provided they are cheap and easy, I will do my best to get it on here! I am all about the cheap and easy. If it is going to be a 3 week long project and I have to not feed my children to do it then it probably won't happen. I am sure I will do some more involved things that I see if I love it for my house or it will be a benefit to my family but those are going to be too few and far between for this series. So... here we go! Please let me know what you think and what you would like to see or how I can make it better!

Choosing Love

I feel like this post needs a preface.

These are just my thoughts on the subject. I am not an expert. I am no ones judge. I truly pray that this will be helpful and encouraging to someone out there or I would not be up this late typing. I am simply writing this because I need to hear it and I have seen too many of my friends hurting lately. I don't think that this could or would have been a fix for everything going on in their lives but I know that I have been truly grateful over the years to whoever it was that first told me that LOVE isn't a feeling. It's a choice.

1 Corinthians 13

The love chapter. The book every Christian turns to when proclaiming anything on the subject of love. I love this chapter. 13 verses that speak volumes. It is beautiful but at the same time, it is hard to see the beauty of it without seeing the hardship of it.

When I used to think of love, I would think of Valentine's Day. Hearts and flowers. Romance. Butterflies in your stomach. Getting dressed up to see someone and spending all your time away from them just thinking of them. Now when I think of love, I think of a choice. A choice you make to love every single day from the moment you say "I do."

I love my husband. It is a completely different love than 12 years ago. So many things have changed. Me, him, our lives together, kids, responsibilities. It isn't a bad change and each one of these things will change the way you love that person in ways you cannot expect. Still, love isn't the warm, fuzzy feeling that everyone thinks of when they hear the word. It is truly a choice. I wake up in the morning and I choose to love my husband. (my kids and life and all of that as well but you will see where this is going) Some days that choice is like breathing, you just do it. Other days I make that choice over and over and over. Especially when I open my bible and see that:

Verse 4: Love is Patient

I am NOT a patient person. I want you to hear me the first time. Do what I ask the first time. Do it now. But today I chose to love my husband. That means when I have repeated myself for the upteenth time and he asks me to repeat it again. I do it. And I don't roll my eyes, or sigh, or tell him he is deaf, even though he probably can't hear me. (By the way, I need to make better choices!)

Verse 4: Love is Kind

I was browsing the older posts of my little blog here and realized. I am kinda mean. Maybe a lot mean. While I am a lot better than I was I still have a ways to go. Being kind does not come naturally to me. I find myself rolling my eyes at Charles a lot. I mean, who does that?? ME! I think I need to look up the word kind in the dictionary.

Verse 4: It Does Not Envy

Not a problem! Or is it?
Does that mean when my hubs walks out the door and "escapes" to the land of grown ups and eats lunch at a restaurant with real silverware and tablecloths and has conversations using words that are longer than 3 letters I don't get to be jealous??? Tell him how unfair it is he gets to have a life at that job of his and I am stuck in the house with little people all day? Can I at least remind him of all the tedious and gross things I am stuck doing while he is away living out his dreams? NO! Hmmm....

**Let me just say that this whole choosing to LOVE someone isn't looking so good. It's hard. And honestly, if I were my husband, I would start to wonder if I was loved at all. If the bible says that love is these things and I am being shown the complete opposite how does that feel?**

Moving on.

Verse 4: It does not boast,
It is not proud.
Verse 5: It does not dishonor others,
It is not self-seeking

Self seeking? Like when I know my husband likes to have the house picked up and clean clothes to wear to work and I don't do it unless I want to go hang out with friends? Is it wrong to do those things simply to ease my guilt? Not because they are expected of me because I am a woman or because I am a stay at home mom. Simple because this is my family. My husband goes to work everyday and provides for us. Should I not too have a responsibility to him and my kids to get things done as a leader of our household?

Verse 5: It is not easily angered

Enough said there.

Verse 5: It keeps no record of wrongs

Like last week when he forgot to put a trash bag in the trash can even though I have asked him to do it every week and every week he forgets? Like that kind of record? Sure there are serious issues that come up in a marriage and they are repeated and need to be addressed. You work on it. Don't let someone's shortcomings build resentment.

Verse 6: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

I once had someone tell me that they hoped one day they could confirm the suspicion of their husband cheating years in the past so they could justify leaving. It broke my heart. Of course I don't condone that behavior but how can you want to have it proved true at all? Do you allow your relationship to sit stagnant if that chance ever arises? Do you give up on any relationship you have built since because of something committed well before? I do not know what I would do in that situation exactly but I do know it would take a whole lot to get me to ever consider ending a marriage. Without some serious attempts with professional help at saving it and a release from God from the marriage I am in it for good.

Verse 7: It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.

This in no way sounds good. Maybe it's because I read tons of books and have an overactive imagination I can't help but think: What kind of situation do I have to be in to be protecting, trusting, hoping and persevering? It honestly does not sound like something I want to go through.

I look at all of this and I am overwhelmed. Why on earth would I choose to love someone if it is going to be this hard? Look at all I have to put in to making this choice EVERY DAY. I was just here for the chocolates! But for me, when we go back to the beginning it is like this:

There is this guy. We met and fell in love. (Remember the whole warm, fuzzy love?) We get married, live together a while, have some kids, grow older, we have responsibilities and have to start making plans for our future as well as our kids. There are some really good times and I love him. There are some really bad times and I choose to love him. Despite how hard it might be or how many times that day I had to ask for forgiveness and decide again. I may not know exactly what you are going through but after almost 12 years I have gone through a lot. The choice is the same. I know that it is worth it to choose to love. When I look at my husband I know that in all the good and all the bad he has to wake up each morning and make a choice. He chooses to love me. And then I can truly understand.

1 Corinthians 13
4 Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.

A long time coming. Big Prayers and Big Decisions.

4 years ago, on August 31, 2007, I knew I would have a decision to make.

My first son, Braxton, was born on August 20, 2003. I was 37 weeks 6 days pregnant when he decided to make an appearance. My second son, Rogan, was born June 19, 2005. I was 37 weeks 6 days pregnant when he decided to join us. So, here I am, August 31, 2007. I am 37 weeks 6 days pregnant and I know in my heart that this little guy is going to make me wait.

It isn't a huge deal waiting. It isn't like I was overdue. At this point I had never even made it to 38 weeks. My issue was more a minor detail. If this child was not born by September 1st then he would have to wait an entire year before starting kindergarten. I know. Petty. It just wasn't part of my plan. I didn't mind that he would be home a year longer but it really bugged me that he would be 2 years behind Rogan. Instead of 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades, they would be Kindergarten, 3rd and 5th. Instead of spending two years together in high school Parker and Rogan would only be together for one. I didn't want my child to be a full year older than everyone else in the class although I didn't even have a good supporting argument.

I really had an issue with this. I researched it and there isn't anything you can really do. Not to mention, I haven't even given birth yet and I was consumed with an issue that was years away.

Fast Forward.

(I understand that I am the mom. Of course I think my children are uber geniuses. I am writing this as non biased as possible.)

For the past few years, any time the subject of Parker and school is brought up, I have simply prayed about it. All things happen for a reason in God's time. I was going to let nature run it's course, so to speak. We had done a little more research and there are not a whole lot of options. It is a state law that requires the child to be a specific age by Sept. 1 and it is for Kindergarten and 1st grade. We could pay for pre-k out of pocket to the program that Braxton and Rogan attended and that would be great as far as his learning goes but when it was over we were still in the same boat.

I could home school but realistically??? We have sent emails asking if there were any tests he could take to allow him to start this year and the answer was no. I do realize that the law is there for a reason. There is always going to be someone who wants to be the exception. You have to put a cut off somewhere and someone is going to get the short end of the stick. I understand this. I had become content with not pushing things or asking for an exception until recently. I have one child in IB, one child in a gifted program and hope to have another one in the gifted program next year as well.

I cannot take any credit for this! I have been blessed with extremely smart children. Parker really seems to be following suit. I knew he would pick stuff up from his brothers but he has picked up a LOT more than I thought possible. The crazy part is, you never know what he has learned! All of a sudden, at the most random times, he starts subtracting, or writing, or spelling words. All of this leading up to a couple of days ago when I wrote HAPPY BIRTHDAY on a paper and handed him a pen. The result?



I am not saying it is perfect or that other children can't do the same thing but I do know that it is really good for a child who is 3 and hasn't had anyone teaching them other than sitting at the table with his brothers while they do homework. This was with no help at all. I didn't even realize he could do it! All of this lately though has confirmed the feeling that he needs and wants to learn. So that brings us to our other option. Private school.

I have been avoiding this for 4 years. There are so many issues.
1. Money
2. He has to go for 3 years. Well, legally 2 but I really think he needs to start school now with pre-k.
3. He will be in a different school than his brothers.
4. He will end up changing schools after first grade.
...on and on and on...

We looked at a few of the private schools in town and the one with a later birthday cut off and best price is Pensacola Christian Academy. I am not writing this to hear any negative comments about the school. It is a large private school in Pensacola and has been around for 50+ years. People seem to have strong feelings about the school. There are good, there are bad but that is not the point. Charles and I have been praying about this decision for a long time. I have been incredibly skeptical but in my heart I know that it will be the best thing for Parker.

There are still a few things that need to fall into place. One is money. Because we are just considering this option when we register we will have to pay the registration fee as well as the July tuition payment. There isn't a payment in August but in September there is a tuition payment as well and a fee for books and supplies. Fortunately this covers everything. They even provide him with a satchel with his name on it to carry back and forth. He can wear his regular clothes and the only thing she mentioned was the boys are supposed to have short hair.

I truly believe that this is going to be a good thing. Just walking into the front office has the child in awe! He begs to go to school. He always tells me about his class and what his teacher will be like and his friends. I was worried but I know that he is ready. It is such a bittersweet thing to see him so grown up but still my little boy. There are still a few things that need to fall into place but I believe it is all going to work out. I have prayed and prayed and have a peace about everything. I am not exactly sure where the money is going to come from but God provides. I feel like I would be doing something wrong if I were to keep him home another year when I know that he is more than capable of succeeding in a class room.

I know that this has been a novel and if you have made it this far, BLESS YOU! Please just be keeping us in your prayers. This is an adjustment for the whole family. Any questions or comments are welcome but please be respectful of the school itself. Thanks so much for the support!

"Sand" Art

This craft cost me about 38 cents per child. It took a little while and was a little messy but not bad. We will definitely be adding this to our list of things to do over the summer or on rainy days!

What you need:
Baby food jars with lids(or a similar seal-able jar)
Salt
Colored Chalk

Other stuff:
Plastic containers to mix in
Scrapbook paper
scissors
glue or tape
funnel


Here we go:


The first time I tried this we poured the salt onto paper towels and rubbed the chalk on it but it was hard for the little ones to keep the chalk on the towel so we switched to bowls.





Mix the chalk with the salt until the salt has reached the color you want.






Next add the salt in small layers to the jar using a funnel, or in my case a piece of paper rolled up and held together with painters tape.






Make sure to fill the jars up to the very top so that when you close them up and move them around the salt doesn't move and the colors mix together.



You can super glue the lids on to keep for a while or not so that you can reuse the jars. We glued them down and then made some cut outs with scrapbook paper to give for Father's Day.

We made a Hawaiian shirt, a tie, a dress shirt and tie and a guitar. You could do anything your dad is interested in or it would be cute to do little people with interchangeable shirt and hats. Just have fun!!!

Rant: Things people say about my kids and me.

So, I just need to get all this out.

1. I am telling someone that I plan on taking the kids to the beach this summer.
Their response? You're going to take all of them? By yourself?

Ok genius. What does this even mean??? No, I just thought I would take the bigger ones and leave the little ones fending for themselves at the house. I mean really. Yes I am going to take all of them. By myself. They are my kids. Why wouldn't I be able to take them somewhere by myself. I get that I am outnumbered by a decent amount but unless there is a mouse in my pocket, it is just me. Do you suggest I sit at home all day, everyday? Because I have more than your typical 2.whatever children I am not capable of going places with them?!

On to the next.

2. Breastfeeding. Do I even need to go here? First of all, it's not any of your business. Second, my baby is 13 months. She isn't 13. Unfortunately I will more than likely have to give it up soon since I will be out of town for a week in July. I don't have a problem with anyone who formula feeds their baby. All I ask is that you return the favor. I don't say anything when I see a mom put a bottle in bed with her baby until they are 2 so I really don't appreciate when I get put down for nursing as long as I have. She will quit when she is ready. There is a limit with this that I understand. I do not feel it's appropriate for me if she can sit up and ask for it but until that time comes we will go with what she needs from me. There is a LOT more to be said on this but you get the idea...

3. When are you going to put her in a bigger, forward facing, car seat?

I'm not. Is that an ok answer? If you have seen my child then you know she is the size of a 6 month old. There is absolutely no reason at all to take her out of an infant carrier. The law is one year and 20 pounds. My carrier is for children up to 35 pounds and if she is comfortable in it then I have no plans to change. More children are injured in wrecks in forward facing car seats than rear facing ones for many reasons. If you want statistics, look them up.

4. Babies having babies. REALLY?! Ok, RUDE!!! and not your business. Then you want to be all nice and sweet when I tell you that I am (almost) 30. And who on earth thinks it is ok to ask someone their age?! Not your business! Yes, I know, when I get to be your age I will appreciate it.

5. How do you stay so skinny? I have no flippin' clue. I get it. I am super skinny. I am 95 pounds. BUT I am also 4'11". I would like to gain weight. Really I would. I know, I know, you will be happy to give me yours but I am looking for an actual answer. I get extremely uncomfortable in conversations about weight. People always stare at me. Believe it or not, being underweight has just as many issues as being overweight but don't worry, I won't say any of those for fear of the lovely comments everyone so willingly spout out.

6. Are all of these kids yours? Yes. And I really do get where this question is coming from. I look 10. I have 4 children. Makes sense. It's the fact that people act like 4 kids is such a freakishly large number. I know it is a lot but my goodness. Whatever happened to children being a blessing? My kids are pretty awesome.


I guess that is it. Just had to get a couple of things off of my chest. I am sure everyone has a few things that really irk them and I am probably guilty of being the person delivering those aggravating comments. It happens but at least now I feel better.

Ice Cream Cone Shirt

Of course for my baby's first birthday I felt the need for her to have something special to wear. I found a couple of shirts on the best site in the world, a.k.a. ETSY, but I couldn't get the one I really wanted in time for her party. I could have tried to make it but it seemed a little above my skill level, not to mention, I like to see quick results! I came across an idea I liked online and decided to duplicate that instead.

I have a habit of picking up plain white or colored shirts when I can find them on clearance. I usually pay $2-$3 for them and then can add whatever I want and it ends up being a small portion of the price of one you would find already made. I didn't have a white shirt though and so I found this one at Walmart for $6.50. The buttons were less than $2 per pack and I only ended up using 2. The red ones I found on clearance for 50 cents. The glue I bought at JoAnn's and I think it was around $3. All total was a little more than I had hoped but I have buttons and glue left for next time.

Here are my supplies:


The glue I used (I wasn't sure when I bought it how it would work because it was a little cheaper and not a brand I'm familiar with but I was pretty happy with it):


The first step is to just lay out the buttons where you want them. It's that simple. I tried to center the design as best I could by just looking at it.




Then just glue them down. I found that using tweezers helped grab them without messing up the design too much. Mine ended up being not as close together as I would have liked but I think it still turned out ok. After they were all glued I picked up the shirt to make sure none fell off.





Then I grabbed a needle and thread and added a stitch to each button. I used a quilting needle because it is what I could find easily but I think a regular length needle would have been better for this.



I really like the look the thread added to the shirt.



And that was it. Took just a couple hours and less than $15.