Mama Laughlin: Pay it Forward - Stories 4-5

It makes my heart heavy and sad for all of these people in need, but it also is overwhelming how others are coming together to make people's world a bit brighter, especially during this holiday season. I urge you to go read Mama Laughlin's Blog, follow the stories she is going to be posting over the days of December and get involved, even if you feel as though your donation is not enough, remember that every little bit counts. 

Mama Laughlin: Pay it Forward - Stories 4-5: Father Walked Out Nominated by: Anonymous Location: Augusta, GA  "I went back and forth on whether to write this or not. My intent...

Nicole

Come December.

I would be lying if I didn't say that the month of December scares the crap out of me. This is a big month for my family and I. We have about 5 birthday's and Christmas, plus all the holiday events in between. But I will put on my big girl panties suck it up and throw back some spark to give me the energy I will need to survive.

I started the elf on a shelf tradition with my kids last year, but I was terrible at it, stupid lazy elf didn't do anything fun for the kids, get into mischief or anything. But this year he has been kicking it up a notch.

So far he has left the boys their first Christmas present of the season! (Their Christmas PJ's), he has taken up reading...and a lot of it, he drew glasses and  mustache on the glass of Rylan's new school picture and he has been soaking it up in a nice marshmallow bath.

When Rylan (my oldest, he is 5) saw what the elf did to his picture, he was furious, it really made me rethink this whole elf thing, he said he wanted to punch the elf in the face for doing that to his picture. Let me give you a bit of background information on my 5 year old. He is the sweetest little boy you will ever meet. He is so kind to others, always includes everyone, he is smart, he is sensitive and he is an old soul. So to hear him say that was a huge shock. 

Needless to say, I don't think our elf will be pulling very many more antics.......if he wants to survive this holiday season in the Hoyt house.

What are your idea's for elf on a shelf? Below I have made a list of my 10 personal favorite elf on a shelf ideas.

1. Hang your kids unmentionables from the stocking holders.
2. Marshmallow fight with your kids other toys.
3. Sitting up reading kid books or playing a game with other toys.
4. Drinking your syrup through a straw.
5. Use crepe paper and tape it in a zig zag shape back and forth across your kids bedroom door.
6. Create a zip line and have your elf going down the line.
7. Leave candy covered sunflower seeds and have your kids "plant" them in a bowl to grow a special treat.(Candy Canes, Christmas cookie pops, etc).
8. Have your elf leave the ingredients and directions to make some yummy Christmas trees. (sugar cones, frosting, and candies to decorate.)
9. Have him watching elf eating popcorn on the couch.
10. Have the elf use a paintbrush with red paint to dab on your kids nose while they sleep, and leave the elf with the paintbrush in hand and a note to tell your children to look in the mirror.

So far this year I have done pretty good at having our elf moved every night, but there are times when I forget. But hey, I am doing better then last year! 

I love having fun family traditions, even if it means extra work on my part! 

Ciao, 

Nicole  

Mama Laughlin: Holiday Pay it Forward - The Movement

I thought I would keep the updates coming on the Mama Laughlin Pay it forward. Her and her two friends have posted stories up on their blogs, be sure to check back with them over the next twelve days if you yourself would like to pay it forward or help out in any way. 

 

Mama Laughlin: Holiday Pay it Forward - The Movement: I've spent the past week reading through over 160 emails of people in need this holiday season. I've cried more tears than I thought possib...

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas,

Nicole

Mama Laughlin: Mama Laughlin's Holiday Pay It Forward

I love this blog. The lady is hilarious! She is going to be doing a Holiday Pay It Forward, be sure to check out the link below, and you are welcome in advance for directing you to a hilariously inspiring blog! 

Let's pay it forward this holiday season shall we?

Mama Laughlin: Mama Laughlin's Holiday Pay It Forward: 

Ciao, 

Nicole

Time with the littles.

Yesterday afternoon my MIL (Mother In Law) dropped by our place and wanted to know if I was interested in going on a walk with her. My immediate answer in my head was ummmmmm no! But I said yes, since she was already here and all....and she wanted the boys to go as well. 

It turned out to be a nice walk. We got to spend some time together and I found out that she use to blame me for E V E R Y T H I N G, how nice right?!?! But over the past 4 years of being married to her son she has realized that it was all him, not me....and that I am a blessing. Wow sweet pep talk MIL. Also found out that my brother in law feels closer to me then my husband. It was a refreshing walk in more ways then one. 

I did however get some sweet pics of my babies.

The kid in the middle is my brother in law. 

Thank you MIL for the wonderful outing. 

Do you have any great mother in law stories? Do please share! I would LOVE to hear them..haha.

Ciao,

Nicole

Baby it's cold outside.

I am writing this post today for a friend who makes all my boys beanies, I refuse to buy them from anyone else because her work is AH-mazing!  I love the crochet look, and I can never find one that I quite liked until I saw hers. She makes all different kinds. Go check out her etsy page and tell me what you think. My personal fav is the newsboy hats she makes. Tell her I sent you! 

A little info on her, she is a single mother of two beautiful girls, and has done such an amazing job of raising them being both Daddy and Mommy (It's hard just being a mom, I can't imagine being both to my kids.) She is hardworking, kind, and loving to all those around her. She is currently going to school for Health Informatics and loves to crochet. Below are pictures of her girls, aren't they just the cutest?!?!

Bella Bear, she is 2 years old.

Gyselle "Elle", she is 4 years old.

So go check out her Etsy page, and even better place an order! You will not be disappointed!!

If you want to request a special order, just send her a message, and she will try her best to accommodate you! 

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetBerryBabies?ref=pr_shop_more

Happy Monday!! 

Nicole

It's that time of year.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday are over and now everywhere I go there is a crap ton of Christmas decorations, gift ideas, lights, etc.

Did you go black Friday shopping? I couldn't believe that some stores opened up at 8 & 9 on Thanksgiving night. I have a love/hate relationship with this one day a year. I told my cousin that had never been its like doing drugs, you get a high from being bumped, pushed and running into a store to find that amazing deal. If you go with friends and family, it makes the experience even better.

So here is my miracle find on Black Friday. My mom decided to go with us for the one purpose of buying my hubby an xbox controller that was $10 off. So we get to target and by the time she figures out the system and grabbed all the door-buster deals we wanted they were all out of controllers (she was really bummed.) We finally made it to the end of the line and got the chance to wait FOREVER before we ever saw another register or worker again.

While we waited and took baby steps towards the ultimate destination (the registers), previous shoppers in line before us had set on the shelves items they decided they didn't need that bad. There were tons of movies, pj's, slippers, games, etc. I looked over and grabbed this item to see what it was and low and behold I was staring at an xbox controller...I looked over to my mom and said can you see what I just picked up. She was so excited. The worker she talked to earlier said they had sold out within 10-20 mins of opening the store, and about 1 1/2 hours later we found one. YAY!! We waited in line for 2-2 1/2 hours and finally checked out and left the store. Then we all called it quits and found our way home to our beds.  Did you do any shopping, or score an awesome deal?  I would love to hear about it!!

So cheers to the holiday season and a great way to kick off the craziness!! 

Ciao,

Nicole

Princess Syndrome

For those of you who do not know what princess syndrome is, I will enlighten you. 

Via Urban Dictionary:

1. Princess Syndrome:

A mental state that a female exhibits out of reverse sexism. Because she is unaware of her sexism, she will claim to deserve supreme aristocratic rights from a partner due to her looks or her child-bearing "pain." Any brainwashed man will give her tangible things and emotional sublimity to stop her, and she will only demand more.

2. Princess Syndrome:

When a girl is deluded in thinking that she is a 'princess' & everyone else--such as her friends, family, & peers, are of secondary or little importance.

I by no means think that my princess syndrome is this bad. But being the only female in my family I think I deserve a little extra special treatment. ( Have I mentioned my biggest fear is getting pregnant and having it be a girl?). I am not a terrible person, nor do I treat others with disrespect because of this. But I do get a laugh out of my friends or husband pointing out my princess syndrome. 

I have to reel it in sometimes, and that is not easy. So yes, I admit, I am working on not being such a "terrible" person, while still getting my way. 

Take care and have a Happy Thanksgiving, may all your wants come true and may everything go your way! 

Ciao, 

Nicole

Staycation.

Last week I took off work. It was going to be amazing, and I had planned out in my head what my man, my boys and I were going to do.

But seriously...NOTHING ever happens as plans. 

My husband, whom I love more then a fat kid loves cake, offered to help my father, not knowing if he was getting paid or not (yep that's my man!) on his week's vacation. (My dad did pay him, because my dad is awesome like that). So it was just me and the littles.....WHAT?!?! 

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, they are amazing, and cute and everything every mom could dream of.....but let's just say, I was very happy to be back at work yesterday. They exhaust me. 

We decided we would kick off our holiday cheer early this year and decorate for Christmas. Then we busted out our one tub of holiday cheer. My kids and my husband were a little more then disappointed. We set out to go find more decor on my husband's day off, only to find that my husband taste in Christmas decor is disgusting. 

We stood in one store for 30 mins arguing over Christmas garlands.

We didn't buy anything except a snowman soap dish. 

My oldest did a Thanksgiving Day skit with his entire class of 6. I loved every second of it. Here are a few pics from the event. 

 

He was so excited about the skit, as was his best friend. (He is in the orange shirt.) They were shooting Indians, they didn't quite grasp the idea of the skit. But they are in kindergarten.

I am however grateful that plans don't always pan out how you want them to. That is where some of life's greatest adventures begin. 

Ciao, 

Nicole

Healthy Shrimp Spring Rolls.

Over the past few months, I have tried to find recipes that are not only enjoyable and taste-worthy, but also are low cal. Here are is one that I have found and absolutely LOVE. (Along with my two boys and husband).

Here is one for Healthy Shrimp Spring Rolls. (photo's and recipe compliments of Undressed Skeleton.)

 

Ingredients:

1 Bag Shredded Carrots 

1 Bag Shredded Cabbage 

1 Back Broccoli Slaw 

1 Cup Chopped Green Onion 

2 Tbsp Olive Oil 

1 Cup Medium Cooked Shrimp 

2 Tbsp Lite Asian Ginger Salad Dressing 

Large All Natural Won Ton Wrappers 

Salt and Pepper 

Directions In a mixing bowl combine carrots, cabbage, broccoli  slaw, green onion, olive oil and shrimp. Cook on medium heat until sauteed. Add in Asian Ginger Dressing, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 350 Dip Wonton wrapper into water and add 1/4 cup filling and roll Bake 10-13 Minutes.
 Calories 85, Fat 2g, Protein 5g, Carbs 14g Per Roll