Gimme A "B"

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Baby Prep

SO I have had so many ask for my recipes and how I have been prepping for baby #6, so I figured I should get it all down and share.

My nesting urges have come and gone all throughout my pregnancy, but most intense at the end of October. I decided we needed to rearrange every room in the house, we pretty much moved, it was exhausting, but just what I needed. We will now have 2 kids in each room, minus a playroom, which in all reality was just a room that was ALWAYS messy and was never played in. I have to point out that no matter what there is no way I would have been able to do any of it without my amazing husband who gives into my decorating whims. He's a very patient husband, who hates to anchor furniture, for obvious reasons.

After moving each room around there was a desperate need to "clear-out". I went through EVERY drawer, got rid of 8 bags of clothing. Each kid got to keep 7 shirts, 3 pants and 10 pairs of underwear. We ended up purchasing new socks and underwear and other clothing that they may not have had. It felt good to get in there and see exactly what they had or needed. It's so easy to let those things go with everyday life getting in the way, so to get in there and know for sure felt really, really good. :) We also went through toys and only kept toys that were actually played with, not just dumped out on the floor. We kept blocks, trains, baby dolls, doll house/accessories, dinosaurs, cars and super heroes, this has helped a lot with messes. When the messes are too big my kids feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start, so with less it's much easier to get them to pick-ip before bed.

Another thing that has helped with my nesting are daily chores. My kids have chores that they do everyday. They each have a room in the house that they are responsible for every day, we only change jobs every 3-6 months or so, this way we never have to figure out who does what, they already know and the more they do it the better they get at it and the faster it gets done. It's magic. Honestly. They do their room in the house and then they are also responsible for their own bedrooms. On Saturdays they have an extra chore, i.e. windows, baseboards, toys in the yard, lawn mowing for Calvin, and on especially cool days weed pulling, this is the only chore they get paid for, $1 for every full grocery bag. Keeping up with these chores daily/weekly has helped SO much. When you are trying hard to organize it's hard to have the motivation AFTER cleaning the house, especially when you're huge and pregnant. ;) It also helps me to feel willing to clean-up because I don't feel like I'm the only one who cares what our house looks like, and I'm doing it all my own, you know, what mom feels at times.

Now for meal prep. It all stemmed from advice from my therapist, yes, I see a therapist/energy healer, it's amazing, but that's another post. We were talking about why I always get so sick after having a baby and how to prevent it. I am desperate to enjoy this last baby, and to not be sick at all. We figured out that it is because I try to do too much and don't just let myself recover and enjoy my baby. Not to get too in-depth in our conversation, she suggested I have meals brought to me for 3 months. That freaked me out because how does one even go about asking for 3 months of meals?! So I decided I would let my family, friends, and R.S. bring as many as they were going to bring and I would cover the rest. I did a little research on-line...Pinterest, but didn't like most the recipes I found, so I went through my own and used the ones I figured would be ok freezing. First I went through my freezer and made the meals I could with what I already had. I was surprised, I was able to make 8 freezer meals EIGHT, with what I already had. It's much easier to get a s many done as possible in one day, because it is exhausting and to make only one or 2 a day would be crazy hard. I made 2 different types of meals, crockpot meals, oven meals and microwave meals.

*Some things I would recommend having been through it...spend a little extra money and buy Glad gallon freezer bags, and the sturdier foil pans and aluminum foil. The thought of going through all the work of putting it all together to have a bag break or a foil pan tear isn't worth it. I would also like to point out that if you use Walmart online Grocery and store pick-up, it. will. save. your. life. Okay, not really but it will be SO much easier. You have plenty of time, no kids wanting everything in the store and so many distractions that make you forget one or two items which totally screw you up later when you're trying to get it all done.

Oven Meals:
Beef Stoganauff
Chicken Enchiladas(4)
Chicken Stuffing Casserole(2)

Crock-Pot:
Teryaki Chicken(2)
Sweet n Sour Meatballs(2)

Microwave:
Bean & Cheese Burritos
Bean, Cheese & Meat Burritos
Sausage, egg, potato and cheese Breakfast Burritos

Beef Stroganoff
2lbs browned ground beef
2 22.6oz cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 9.8oz container Sour Cream
1Tbs Parsley
2 minced Garlic Cloves
1Tbs onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste(I salt and pepper my meat when browning it)
1.5 packages of cooked egg noodles
4 14.5 cans of cut green beans

Mix meat, soup, sour cream, herbs and garlic. Layer noodles, green beans and meat mixture, cover and freeze.
Bake @350 50-60 mins frozen, thawed @ 375 30-40 mins

Chicken Enchiladas:
1.5 78.6oz packages of Corn Tortillas
3-4 Shredded Chicken Breasts
1 12oz package Frozen corn
1 22.6oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 22.6oz can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
1.5 9.8oz container of Sour Cream
1Tbs Ground Cumin
1-2 7oz can of Green Chiles (depending on your taste)
1/2c chopped White Onion(about half a large onion)
16oz package of cheese(about, I had like 3 open packages in my fridge for several reasons, that I just needed to use up.)

I add corn to add texture and extra filling, so I don't have to use as much chicken, I mean 4 meals with just 4 chicken breasts?!

Mix all ingredients together minus the tortillas. I fry my tortillas so they get nice and crispy in the oven, but you could just microwave them to soften them up, you really need to do either so the tortillas don't break when rolling, but if you're just going to do layers like a lasagna, you could leave them "raw". With this recipe I had enough filling and tortillas to do 2 rolled and 2 layered. If you roll them add the cheese to each roll, and then sprinkle some on top. If you layer, then just add a layer of cheese. If I roll them I pour a little I'm sorry it's not more specific, I made these first so they were made with whatever I had in my freezer and pantry. Freeze in disposable tin tray, cover with foil. Bake @ 350 for 50-60 minutes frozen, 375 30-40 thawed.

Chicken Stuffing Casserole
2 packages of Instant Stuffing(any flavor)
1 72oz Package of frozen California Blend Veggies(Carrots, cauliflower and broccoli)
3 Shredded Chicken Breasts
2 22.oz Cans of Cream of Chicken or Mushroom soup
1 9.8oz container of Sour Cream
2-3 Chopped Green Onions
1c Chicken broth divided(I used what I had from boiling my chicken)
1 8oz Package of Cheese

Mix Chicken, cream of chicken soup, onions, sour cream and cheese. Put half of the mixture at the bottom of the pan, then layer half bag of veggies and half of moistened stuffing. cover and freeze. Bake @ 350 for 50-60 min frozen, @ 375 30-40min if thawed.

Teryaki Chicken recipe I stole from Pinterest.

Sweet n sour meatballs, I used the sauce recipe from Six Sisters Stuff from their Baked Sweet n Sour chicken, which by the way is Ahmazing! Try it. I added a bell pepper, can of pineapple chunks and white onion and half a bag of precooked meatballs. Cook in crockpot for 3-4 hours.

For the burros I did a large can of refried beans and spread it straight from the can onto a warmed flour tortilla, put cheese on top, then rolled it and wrapped it in plastic wrap, then placed in a gallon freezer bag. Others I added meat to, I just browned up some ground beef and added in the taco seasoning. Make sure to follow the directions on the package when making taco meat with taco seasoning. A lot of people just sprinkle it on while browning, if you follow the directions it turns out SO much better.

Breakfast burritos I did an entire bag of frozen potatoes, 2 dozen eggs, 1lb pork sausage, green chiles. Cook your sausage. I cooked the potatoes in my large skillet with some of the grease from the sausage, salt and pepper and a little butter. After potatoes are to your crispy liking add in the sausage and green chiles. Whip eggs up with some milk and add to potato mixture. When I rolled them I did one bag with cheese and the other with cheese and hot sauce and made sure to mark them really well, so my kids don't mix 'em up.

I realize this is not very specific and may to be as helpful as you might want, I'm definitely not a blogger, and don't take the time to document very much. I would love to be more specific, but I have several more meals to make to get up to 30 meals in my freezer before this baby comes in 10 days, respectively. Eesh! Check our dump chicken on Pinterest, they have some great easy recipes, I just found it easier to use recipes and meals that we already use because I already had most of the ingredients and if I didn't I knew exactly what to buy and didn't have to go through and make a complicated grocery list.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

What do you mean?

Do you ever feel caught between two worlds? I feel I am at constant war with myself. I tend to really love trendy music with somewhat questionable lyrics but a great beat, but then I love feeling the spirit, and most of the time the two don't mix. I also really love the idea of being an entrepreneur and being busy working and building a successful popular brand / business, but then I love the idea of just being home and being a really great mom, which doesn't give me a while lot of recognition from the world. I know I will never regret working hard to be a great mom, but I most definitely would regret taking time away from being a mother to be something else. It is still hard though, recognition from the world or peers for being good at being trendy or setting trends is SO appealing. Why is it that we want to be better than others? And what I mean by "better" is stand out above the crowd. I'm not sure why.

Here are some things I am struggling with right now:

1. I want to be SUPER fit...and by super fit I mean skinny/toned AKA look smoking in a swimsuit BUT I also REALLY love food, mainly Doritos and Chocolate malted crunch ice-cream.

2. I LOVE to have a clean home because it feels so good BUT I really like to look at Pinterest and watch Netflix.

3. I love to get up early and go running/biking/swimming BUT I really like to sleep in.

4. I really really love to decorate my home BUT I really really really don't have any money. ;)

5. I love the outdoors and camping BUT I like being at home cozied up in front of a good movie.

6. I love to host parties BUT really don't feel like cleaning up my yard/house.

7. I really like to put together cute outfits BUT don't really feel like brushing my teeth today.

8. I really like to love myself BUT am often too busy hating myself.

9. I love to be productive BUT also really love just hanging out.

10. I love being a wife and mother BUT just want to be left alone!

So these are my dilemmas right now. ;) Really though, life is good, I think at times we just have to be kind and patient with ourselves. We are in actuality caught between 2 worlds, this one that we are currently in and the eternities to come. It is hard to choose so I must find that grayish area where I am still progressing but still able to listen to the Biebs. Does that make me terrible?

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Contemplation

There may be something pretty big in the works. I have been mulling it over in my head "is it ok to do this?", "am I brave enough?", "will my family judge me, hate me, distance themselves from me, or love me?", "Maybe I should just be anonymous". These thoughts keep going through my mind. I'll let you in on the secret soon. Maybe.

Things are pretty uneventful here, if you don't consider changing diapers, cleaning up pee, drowning in peed sheets and laundry, and never ending hunger as events.

Life is such a....I don't even know. I cry at night (or broad daylight) because my husband doesn't get me, but then I cry because how is he supposed to get me? I don't even get myself. I came to the conclusion a few weeks past that I will just never ever be satisfied, because I am a woman. When I think I know what I want, I don't want what I wanted any more. Its like sending the doc out for take out, in the time it takes for him to go out and get it and bring it home, I either don't want it, or want something completely different. It's maddening. Maybe that's why it's hard for me to make a healthy dinner, by the time it's finished I don't want it anymore, because lets face it, healthy = takes a REALLY long time make.
I am stuck between really really wanting a needing a schedule and not wanting any schedule at all because "I like my freedom". However, I am totally stuck, because no schedule, for me, equals no freedom. I am stuck with a huge mound of laundry, struggling to find a clean uniform 20 minutes before school starts, kids sleeping on the floor because I still haven't gotten around to cleaning those peed sheets, and dishes galore because "I like my free time".

I used to think that the happy me was the me sitting on the couch watching copious amounts of uninterrupted episodes of my favorite show and eating really really crappy food and drinking soda. I realized just today while chatting with Biff (my best Friend in Utah, long story) that happy me is actually not that me, it's the me that plans great parties with great decorations and plenty of food, including mini chocolate, powdered and crumbs donuts. Going on great hikes and trips with my family. Sleeping outside on the trampoline with he kids counting stars, having a bonfire and s'mores every night, holding off on eating that second helping of the best pasta I ever made, waking up early to have some girlfriend time while running, the me that can't wait to pick up my kids from school and loves spending time with them, not the me that can't wait till they go to bed. That is happy me. Which happens to not be the current me. Current me broods over the fact that we are feeding all the stupid birds in our entire neighborhood with expensive cat and chicken feed, that my children are constant mess makers, that my bedroom always seems to look like a war-zone and how I CANNOT for the life of me find the chairs I want for my bedroom within my budget, or that I am not as skinny as my sister!!!

I am crawling out of this fog that I have lived in for the past month or so, I am only realizing this now, now that I am stepping out. I look back and it seems so clouded and dreary, like nothing, stagnant. I spent an entire day on the couch watching TV, I got up for the occasional diaper change, snack and to pick-up my kids from school, but other than that I did not move. In a way it was good because I do feel I needed it, but now that I'm in the light I am finally seeing a future a future full of fun stuff.

I think my fog started when I decided life sucks when you have your own business and it's not making any money, at least not enough. I realize now that I was not counting my blessings. I have a husband who loves me and my children and works hard for us, we have a home, but not just a home a beautiful home full of beautiful things, its the perfect home for us - the fireplace. I have family and friends who live close by, I live in the most amazing neighborhood with he most amazing Ward, a blossoming new relationship with me and my sisters. It is not to say that it isn't hard especially when you throw the things of this disgusting world in the mix, like pornography, sex trafficking, child molesters, homeless children, true true sadness, but focussing on those things does not make it any easier. I am not saying to dismiss them and go on living, but to look to the positive and...I don't know. All I know is those things disgust me and make me want to craw into my dark from room and watch non-stop television, even the trashy kind. So if I just look to my blessings and strive hard to be grateful and get up and get outside everyday and enjoy the sun or clouds or snow or leaves or the stupid birds that eat all our pet food and don't even sing us pretty songs in return *exhale* I am happier, I am able to see a brighter better happier future and it's not even a distant future, its like right now.

It's almost Friday!

-Keara

Sunday, November 15, 2015

"It's comin on Christmas, they're cutting down trees"

Sometimes I do "wish I had a river to skate away on". Life can be hard, but also oh so good. Usually I am anxious and put my tree up and listen to Christmas music WAY too early and then get sick of it. This year we have decided as a family that we will wait and enjoy each Holiday in it's own time. A few days into November we took down Halloween and set up for Thanksgiving. I was throwing a Norwex party, so I borrowed all my mom's Fall/Thanksgiving decorations, because we still have not yet been able to replenish our seasonal decorations. (sigh) Oh well. So my house looks beautiful and festive. I am LOVING being above ground and enjoying looking through windows and opening them to let in the crisp air. We do not have a fireplace, so we have been utilizing our Prime membership and putting a fireplace on the television, I love to hear the crackling, just the sound makes me warmer. We've been drinking Hot Cocoa almost morning.

Dr. Barnes and I celebrated 12 years of marriage last night. We went to dinner and shared a delicious steak dinner, with a delish cheesecake topped with strawberries for dessert. We talked so long at dinner that we missed our movie time, so we called my MIL who was sitting for us and made sure it was ok to catch a later movie. So we walked around and shopped. It was a lot of fun, and we were out way too late. My poor MIL, she is a Saint.

I woke up and studied my RS Lesson, and was reminded and maybe even chastened to make sure we are being mindful and living within our means. I do work a few days a week and earn a little extra money, maybe that should be set aside for savings rather than new bedspreads for everyone. Then a little overwhelmed at the thought of not being able to do what I love, because we need to be frugal. Hmmm.

Full moons during the day

enjoying some hot cocoa with a crackling "fire"

No clothes allowed while on the potty.

cutest scooter alive

Captain underpants reading Captain Underpants

Cozy kitties are the best

Happy Sabbath.

-Keara

Ponderize Scripture: Joshua 1:5 "...As I was with Moses, so I will be with her: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

My favorite season

We just passed my favorite time of year, when the air is changing and the people are putting up fake spider webs and orange porch lights. I love going for walks at dusk when you can see the lights of peoples homes shining onto the street. It always gives me a feeling of love a coziness, thinking of going home to my family cozy sitting around the coffee table coloring Halloween pictures and watching spooky movies, like "HalloweenTown", or R.L. Stine's "Spooksville". I love picking out costumes and planning great Halloween parties, which we did, have an extremely awesome Halloween party.