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Fruit Painted Rocks #craft #kidsinthekitchen

July 25, 2013 by

Don’t we all have pretty bowls and vases on our kitchen table filled with fruit, flowers and other lovely centerpieces. On our tables I have a bowl of fresh produce and on the other table I have a tray filled with junk. I’m talking about coupons, sunglasses, notebooks, beads and business cards. It’s the catchall for the room.

I gave Sabreena and Shae a task to make something pretty for the table.  They hunted under our deck for very specific shaped river rocks and made a this bowl of fruit.

The first thing they had to do was wash all the dirt off of the rocks and set them aside to dry. A couple minutes in the sun is all it took.

river rocks

The girls brought out all of the acrylic paints plus some kid friendly washable poster paints, tons of brushes like these ones  and protection for my table. They wrote down lists of all the fruits and veggies they thought they could paint and started mixing colors.

Shae went for her favorite fruits first, strawberries and blueberries. Sabreena went for more elaborate designs like corn an squash. Hours and hours went by and they were still sitting there painting rocks to resemble something completely new and beautiful.

Painting Rocks-Corn #kidsinthekitchen

painting rocks #kidsinthekitchen

Did you have fun in the “kitchen” this week? Did you try a new food or a new kid friendly restaurant? Did your littlest ones use their snacks to count to 10? We invite you to share your experiences, photos, stories or recipes that include your #kidsinthekitchen.

Come join me and my co-hosts, Paula at Frosted Fingers and Sara at Sensibly Sara, each week linking up a post, new or old, that feature the theme Kids in the Kitchen. It doesn’t matter what you are doing as long as you are doing it together, enjoying it and learning something along the way.

Don’t have a blog? Share an instagram photo or Facebook update.

Linky Rules, #kidsinthekitchen

#KidsintheKitchen Weekly Linky

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NyQuil and DayQuil when you can’t take a day off

March 7, 2013 by

The cold fall and winters months but a beating on our family. Each of us, except Shaun, got sick in different ways as cold and flu season was running rampant around the nation. Shae suffered through 4-5 croupy coughs and congestion filled episodes before a steroid was administered to get her through a night. Rob and were switching between cough and congestion medicines, tea and throat drops just to get through the day. I endured 2-3 sleepless nights of coughing and tossing and turning.

Now how I forgot about the tried and true Nyquil and Dayquil is beyond me. New products are coming out every season and tout themselves as the new best thing and as consumers we want that new best thing. New remedies are tried and may or may not work or treat one symptom and not another but since we’ve spent our hard earned dollars on it we want our value from it. Vicks Nyquil is what I call an all-in-on treatment for the everyday cold and flu-like symptoms. We’ve all heard the commercial; the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching stuffy head, fever so you can rest medicine.

My favorite Nyquil Spokesperson

The original may not have the best flavor but there are new options out there, Soothing Cherry Flavor and Vanilla Cherry Swirl. I wish I had this in our cabinet 2 months back when I was reading Facebook on my phone instead of sleeping at 3:20 in the morning.
nyquil for coughs and colds
Daytime cold relief is a must have for busy moms and dads too. Yes I stay home while the kids are at school but that doesn’t mean my task list isn’t a mile long. Rob doesn’t have the luxury of calling in sick whenever he pleases. He has to muscle through the aches and misery while dealing with clients, co workers and a commute. Dayquil is offers the same relief as his nighttime cousin in a non drowsy formula. Stock up on both now. The seasons are changing and in our house that means lots of coughs to come.

Nyquil and Dayquil are #1 pharmacist recommended brands for adult cough/cold/flu relief and sold at most retailers where other similar product are sold.

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Vicks DayQuil & NyQuil. I received product samples and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”




Newair AI-215SS Stainless Steel Portable Ice Maker

February 22, 2013 by

The running joke in our house is someone yelling “ICE” and that is because recently I received the Newair AI-215SS Stainless Steel Portable Ice Maker for analysis.

The Newair AI-215SS makes ice every 13 minutes which is good because in our house we go through a ton of it in a day plus the ice maker in our freezer hasn’t been working for a few months. You can imagine how many times in a day someone yells “ICE” because every 13 minutes or less new ice is made.  It has become a game that has gone as far as Sabreena texting me “ICE” when I am not home just so that I am in the ice loop.

So far I really like having the Newair AI-215SS in the house because of its simple setup and because of how easy it is to use.  From box to ice cubes was about 15-20 minutes and remember I said it takes 13 minutes to make ice so set up is really that fast.  All you have to do it take it out of the box, plug it in, fill the water tank (located under the ice bin) with about a half gallon of water, select your ice size and walk away. Come back in 10-15 minutes and you will have ice!

The Newair AI-215SS allows you to select one of three ice sizes; small, medium and large which is cool so you can select what size you want based on your individual needs.  I used the large ice setting and to me they are the perfect little bullets.  The machine will make 12 bullet shaped ice cubes at a time and will fill the basket in about two hours (approx).

Here are a few more features and details:

  • 18 hour timer for on-time ice production
  • Removable ice bin for easy distribution
  • Quick cycle time makes ice in 13 minutes
  • Side mounted drain for easy cleanup
  • LCD display makes operating this machine easy
  • Makes up to 50 lbs. of ice per day

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Now that I have this new toy I am looking forward to hosting parties this summer because we love to use our margarita machine but it runs through a lot of ice.  Now that I have the Newair AI-215SS Stainless Steel Portable Ice Maker that will no longer be a problem and I will be able to make tasty beverages all day long and not have to worry about running out of ice.

Do you use a lot of ice at your house? Would the Newair AI-215SS Stainless Steel Portable Ice Maker come in handy?

I Disclose




Pepperoni Soup Recipe

January 9, 2013 by

The recipe name sounds strange I know. Those outside my family look at me strange when I say we’re having pepperoni soup for dinner.  It was something that seemed like a special treat when I was growing up.  It’s something that my own family has grown to love and in fact Sabreena asked to have it for her birthday dinner last week.  Traditionally my grandmother used a Spanish sausage NOT pepperoni but I particularly like the pepper and spice that comes from it. My grandmother also called it pepperoni soup maybe because that was her translation.

Pepperoni Soup #Recipe, puerto rican comfort food

It’s very simple to make with very simple ingredients, most of which I have on hand. It can be made very quickly or left to gently simmer to develop more flavor. This is truly a one pot meal but prepared in steps.

Pepperoni Soup

Ingredients
  • 1lb of pepperoni or salchichon (traditional Spanish sausage)cut into bite size cubes. I usually ask my deli to cut me a 4″ slab of pepperoni then cut it down myself to size.
  • 2 bayleaves
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup chopped peppers
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1tsp pepper
  • 1tsp Adobo Seasoning
  • 1tsp dried oregano
  • 1 packet of Sazon
  • 12 cups of water
  • 1lb russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2″ chunks
  • 6oz spaghetti or rigatoni
Instructions

In a large pot over low heat brown and render off cut up pepperoni for 10-15 minutes.

Add chopped onion 7 pepper and cook till softened.

Mix in garlic and seasonings and cook for additional 5 minutes before adding water and potatoes.

Bring soup to mixture to slight simmer and cook until potatoes almost cooked.

Increase heat to bring soup to boil and add pasta.

Soup is ready to eat when pasta is cooked. Salt and pepper if needed.

Don’t forget to remove bay leaves.

Pepperoni Soup #Recipe, puerto rican comfort food Pepperoni Soup #Recipe, puerto rican comfort food

Pepperoni Soup #Recipe, puerto rican comfort food

sazon, what is sazon

this is Sazon

We use this in lots of of our meals. It adds a little something special to soups, sauces, meatloaf, roasts and rice.  When I mention Adobo seasoning i’m not talking about the peppers in adobo sauce I’m talking about this Adobo. It’s another magic ingredient that adds a special touch to everyday meals.

Goya Adobo Seasoning for meals




Homemade Squirrel Nut Zipper Candy Recipe

January 2, 2013 by

This is a both a Pinterest recipe FAIL and success. I found a 6 minute microwave caramel recipe that got great reviews so I attempted it as my first foray into candy making. It was simple, easy and hopeful. About 1 hour after it was “setting” I knew it wasn’t going to be exactly what I wanted so i tried again. Thank goodness I did because I’m addicted to what I did create.

Remember those old school penny candies, Squirrel Nut Zippers. Sticky, chewy, nutty, pull your molars out kinda yum. I made them, and made them better.

Homemade Squirrel Nut Zippers
Recipe Type: Candy
Author: Melinda@LookWhatMomFound
Just like the Old School penny candy
Ingredients
  • Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup light Karo syrup
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts of choice (I used walnuts)
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt(optional but recommended)
Instructions
  1. Prep a 8″X8″ casserole dish with cooking spray and parchment paper. DO NOT skip the parchment paper.
  2. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of dish and set aside.
  3. In a large microwave safe glass bowl mix together butter, sugars, Karo syrup and condensed milk.
  4. Cook on High for 7 minutes, stirring at the 2, 4 and 6 minute marks.
  5. Remove the cooked mixture, add the vanilla and stir. The caramel will bubble up so be sure your bowl is large enough.
  6. Pour the hot caramel into your prepared casserole dish.
  7. Sprinkle sea salt evenly over the caramel and set aside to cool on counter for 20 minutes, then in fridge for 2 hours.
  8. Remove caramels from pan by lifting the parchment paper.
  9. Using a bench scraper or large knife and ruler mark on 1″ squares or rectangles.
  10. Wrap in wax paper and enjoy.
3.1.09

making caramel in the microwave

If you won’t be wrapping them store them between sheets of waxed paper as temperature changes will affect the texture and stickiness.

The salt isn’t traditional for a Squirrel Nut Zippers but it adds a great contrast of flavor that goes well with the nuts and sweetness of caramel.
The recipe #FAIL was the first batch then didn’t hold their shape and ended up getting put into a jar and used as a ice cream and brownie topping. Cutting back on your cook time by just 1 minute will greatly affect the end result.

I Disclose




Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4540 All-in-One Printer

December 30, 2012 by

With three kids in school they are always asking to print something so I was glad when we were asked to consider the Epson WorkForce WP-Pro 4540. You can imagine the wear and tear that three kids and two adults can put on a printer. Shae is always asking to print something from PBS Kids or some other website that she is on. Shaun and Sabreena are also printing something for school and Melinda and I seem to print something on a daily basis and our old printer just wasn’t cutting it.

Epson_logo_tagline_r_287

The Epson WorkForce WP-Pro 4540 is a perfect match for our household because not only is this a printer but it’s also a two sided copier/scanner and fax machine. It’s awesome because it holds a ton of paper (580 sheets) but is also includes a multipurpose tray for different paper types which comes in very handy in this house. The WorkForce WP-Pro 4540 easily connects to WiFi with its built-in WiFi or you could use Ethernet networking if necessary. It offers high volume printing with extra large capacity ink cartridges (2,400 pages black and 1,200 pages color) and comes with a 30-page two-sided Auto Document Feeder to quickly copy, scan or fax one- or two-sided documents. There are so many features that there is no way I could touch on all of them in my article so for full specs, features and overall awesomeness of this printer be sure to click HERE.

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We have been using this printer in our house for about two and a half weeks and so far I am in love with this printer. For years printers have been my kryptonite because I tend to stay on the cheap side and within six months to a year the printer dies and I need to start all over again and try to find a better one. After ten years I think we finally have a printer that is perfect for our household that will withstand the abuse that we are going to be throwing at it on a daily basis. I have always liked Epson products and printers and the Epson WorkForce WP-Pro 4540 has exceeded every expectation that I had for sure.

I Disclose




2012 Kia Optima Hybrid

September 12, 2012 by

I love cars especially new cars and I was super excited when I recently got the chance to recap the 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid.

I see more and more hybrids on the road and I always wonder how much better they are on gas then a traditional car since they are both gas and electric.  The Kia Optima Hybrid has about an 18 gallon gas tank and I was getting about 500 – 550 miles on a tank of gas.  I was averaging around 32.2 miles per gallon which in my opinion is awesome for a mid to large size sedan.  In comparison I drive a pretty small car that gets about 27 miles to the gallon and Melinda drives a minivan that get about 18 miles per gallon so as you can see the Kia Optima Hybrid is very good on gas especially for its size.

Not only was I impressed with the terrific gas mileage but I was also very impressed with the inside of the Kia.  It came loaded with heated and cooled front seats (how cool is it to heat and cool your butt, LOL), heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, full leather, GPS, satellite radio, backup camera, panoramic sunroof, push button start and the list goes on and on.  I must admit this is the first car that I have seen that comes with rear heated seats which I didn’t notice until Shaun pointed it out to me.

For you car geeks like myself if comes with a 2.4L 4-cyl Hybrid engine, 6 speed sportmatic transmission, 16” tires and alloy wheels, ABS brakes, traction control system and electronic stability control.  The Kia Optima Hybrid also came with Dual front airbags, front seat mounted side airbags and full length side curtain airbags.  This Kia was loaded with comfort, safety and was great on gas; what more could you ask for in a car.

The Kia Optima Hybrid was a blast to drive but it took me a while to get used to how quit it was since it is a hybrid.  I would start the car and have to double check the RPM gauge to be sure it was running; that is how quiet this car is.  It also took a little getting used to the acceleration again because it is a hybrid it’s a little different than a traditional gas vehicle but after getting used to it the Kia took off like a rocket.

I will say that Melinda and I were very impressed with everything that the Kia Optima Hybrid had to offer and Melinda even said she could see herself driving this car on a daily basis.  I will admit that I really do love the gas mileage that this vehicle gets and could see replacing one of our cars with the Kia Hybrid for sure.

I Disclose




2012 Kia Sorento EX AWD

July 27, 2012 by

What is better than getting to drive an awesome new car for the week except maybe owning that awesome new car but I must say that I really enjoyed my week behind the wheel of the 2012 Kia Sorento EX AWD.

My commute to work one way is about 52 miles which takes about an hour with no traffic but could take as long as 1.5-2 hours depending on traffic.  Having the Sorento get me through the daily traffic for an entire week was terrific.  It was super comfortable to drive and had a ton of awesome features like Sirius Satellite radio, blue tooth enabled phone and navigation.

iPhone/iPad Cable

The Kia Sorento that we got to recap was a dark cherry/black color with black leather interior.  To me there is nothing better than the feel and smell of new leather interior and I instantly feel in love and this was just the beginning.  Sitting behind the wheel looking at all of the controls threw me into a little bit of overload since neither of our two cars have anywhere near this many features.  Our Sorento had an AM/FM radio with Sirius Satellite radio, navigation, blue tooth enabled phone, backup camera and iPhone connection.   That was just the entertainment features then I saw the dual heated leather seats, climate control settings and dual power seats and darn near lost my mind.

Ok, so that I don’t totally forget some of the features of the Kia Sorento that I really enjoyed I will list them for you now:

  • AM/FM/CD/MP3/SiriusXM Satellite Radio Audio System – What more could you ask for and I love Howard Stern so it col to have Sirius.
  • Infinity Surround Sound Audio System w/10 speakers – Shaun asked me on numerous occasions to turn the radio up so we could jam to Maroon 5.
  • Navigation System & Rear Camera Display – backup camera was a little hard to get use to because I was afraid I was still going to hit something or someone.
  • Push Button Start w/Smart Key – Really cool that you can start the car with the SmartKey in your pocket.
  • Eco Minder Indicator – Told me when I was achieving optimum fuel economy which is awesome since gas in Delaware is $3.47/gallon.
  • Auto-dimming Mirror w/Homelink – This is cool because cars behind you won’t blind you and I like that on the rear view mirror there are buttons that you can use to control your garage door.
  • Power folding outside mirrors – hit the lock button twice on the SmartKey and the vehicle locks and the mirrors fold in. TOO COOL!
  • 8-Way Power Driver’s Seat and Lumbar Support – Seats were soooooo comfortable and with all of the different settings it seems impossible for anyone not to be comfortable while driving this vehicle.
  • Third Row 50/50 Split Folding Seats – Since we are a family of 5 the third row came in handy but didn’t figure out until the last day that the passenger seat in the second row folds up allowing easy access to the third row.  LOL, we aren’t the smartest people in case you haven’t noticed.

These are just a few of the highlights for me but it had so many more cool little features that you probably would never even think about but make the Kia Sorento a really nice vehicle.

All in all an AWESOME vehicle and definitely a vehicle I would consider buying.  The Sorento offered a really comfortable ride and I must admit I was a little sad when they picked it up.

I Disclose




Our Unexpected Surprise!!!!

May 31, 2012 by

About 6 months ago my husband and I got some news that we really weren’t expecting at this point in our lives. We are the happy and proud parents of two very independent and self-sufficient girls, ages 10 and 8. We had fallen into this less demanding world which no longer revolved around taking care of the every little need of a child. It was nice to be able to come and go as we please without having to pack a car full of items for the girls.

At our ages, I’m 37 and my husband is 40, we believed that it was smooth sailing from this point out. We were just preparing ourselves for the craziness of the teenage years, even though they were still a few years off. But all that changed 6 months ago when I found out that we would be having another baby in September. At this point we couldn’t be happier and excited, but I will admit that it did take some time getting use to the idea of starting all over again. It didn’t make it any easier that with every doctors appointment they loved to point out that at 37 years old I am of “ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE”. I know I’m getting older, you don’t need to let me know every time. I can see it in the mirror every morning and I feel it every day with how tired I am. But thank you for pointing out the obvious.

Things seemed to brighten up once we found out that we would be adding a little boy to our already perfect family. Now it’s just trying to get the girls use to the idea of having a little one around. They definitely did not take it well at first. My oldest, Parker, has a crippling fear of vomit and in her eyes all a baby does is throw up. So it took some time and tears to calm her fears and once the baby is here she’ll will fall in love just as she did with her sister. My other daughter, Peyton, took it a lot better but was not happy at all when she found out it was a boy. She had all these grandiose ideas of playing with, dressing up and molding a little sister and a baby boy didn’t fit into her plan. We talked it over and once she realized that she still gets to be the baby girl in the family she started warming up to the idea. We also decided that she could still dress her brother up and we would take picture to show his future girlfriends. She loved that idea! At about 4 1/2 months we finally got over the initial shock of getting pregnant, even though we were not actively trying (and obviously not actively preventing them) and I started to realize how much there needs to be done before this baby gets here. This house is no longer baby friendly and there are so many things we now need to get which we didn’t think we would ever need again. All and all, this is truly a blessing and wouldn’t have happened any other way. And we couldn’t be happier!




Are You Picky When It Comes To PJ’s?

May 29, 2012 by

Not sure if all women are the same but I know one thing that Melida is really picky about is having nice PJ’s and nightgowns and I recently found nice nightware from Figleaves.

Not sure why she is so particular about what she wears to bed because she is going to bed and no one other than me sees her.   I on the other hand could care less what I wear to bed and funny thing is I only own two pairs of PJ’s and thay are flannel for when the winter months hit.  During the summer I typically wear shorts to bed unless it is extremely hot then I just sleep in my underwear (sorry if that was TMI, HAHA).  The same place I saw the cool nightware for Melinda did have some nice stuff for me.  Figleaves mens underwear are pretty nice and offer a different selection than I am used to.  I try to keep it pretty simple and basic because again they are just underwear, LOL.  Maybe I am over simplifing it but I have other things to worry about then my sleepwear and underwear.

Are you picky about what you wear to bed or are you like me and wear whatever?

I Disclose




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