Manic Monday

Today was manic Monday here at the Bruinings...A.K.A. Mommy gets too many ideas, makes too long of a list, and then actually attempts to complete the list.

We started out by digging up hosta, cat mint, and creeping thyme at my sisters...oh, wait no, that was after we delivered 2 yards of wood chips to her. Then, we all descended upon my mother, who kindly served us lunch (I always forget that children like to eat), and added in more perennials onto our load. I tucked my 3 year old in for a nap and worked a good 2 hours with my son splitting, planting, and mulching. Man, can that boy work! Then I got and idea to build a teepee out of 15 foot trees that my sister and I had cut down last Saturday....

It all looks awesome but throw baseball practice in and it was a bit over the top. Tomorrow will be Pay For It Tuesday and I'll try to put up a post on the teepee because, it is wicked awesome!

Beat the Heat

It's hot...and our air conditioning broke. I hate to complain about it because I've never gone long without central air. I know that in a few short days my hubby can have it up and running but in the mean time I've gotten a bit creative with keeping the kids cool. Here are a few...

1. For a great healthy snack, wash and freeze some grapes. They don't take long to freeze and they're like mini Popsicles. Add in a frozen juice box and you'll be a hero!

2. Water balloons...my kids and I have spent hours the last few days filling and throwing water balloons. We bought a jar of 500 for a frw bucks and I think it's going to last the entire summer. I've had some great chuckles watching my kids break them over their heads, sitting on them, and playing catch with them.

3. Make a quick water table with a wash bin or large plastic box. Even my 6 year old is having fun making boats and racing them.

4. Make an obstacle course that winds through your yard. Add jumping over a sprinkler and dipping your hair into a pail of water. Kids love it when you time them!

5. Set up a water rocket. Our 6 year old son loves to use a Solo cup as a rocket. Kids can decorate their cups into a rocket ship then launch them using the water hose. You will need one person to man the faucet and one to hold the hose upright....very wet and fun.

Leave a comment if you have any other sizzling ideas!

Beach Day

Today we went to the beach. It was perfect, with little puffed clouds in the sky, clear blue water, and white sand beaches. I sat in my beach chair watching my kids play in the waves. We ate a picnic lunch and played more. I turned to my sister and wondered aloud, "Why don't I come here with the kids more?!"

Then, 4 hours later, we packed up sand coated toys, scrounged around to find sandles, loaded the pack mule...oh, wait no, that was me, and made our way back up the sand dune. Half way up, I started to worry about my kids feet becasue of the hot sand...I could barely stand it. We made our way through the parking lot to our car, which when we opened the car door felt like the gateway to hell heat wise. We drove home with kids arguing about who was touching whom. At that point, I turned again to my sister and said, "Oh, now I remember why we don't do this more often." I may need a reminder come February...

Still, my kids experienced the beach. They played in the sand and the water the whole day and made fast friends with other kids at the beach with their families. It's one day tucked away in their memory and nothing makes me happier than giving them that!

Review: CSN Stores (Caphalon 8 Quart Multi-Pot)

I'll probably never get to say this again...I leave for the Mediterranean next week. Don't hate. I know, it's ridiculous! Anyway, I started to worry last week and thanks to some fabulous advise from you all, I was able to let that worry go! When my head cleared I realized that if my husband is willing to hold down the fort while I'm off in Italy, France, Spain....the LEAST I could do for the man is make him and the kiddies a few meals!

So, today, I've been slaving away in the kitchen slicing, dicing, chopping, browning, and saucin'. The last meal is tucked away in the freezer, the counters have had one last wipe, the floor is swept, and the dishes are drying in a heap in the dish rack. And, what?! I have to make dinner for tonight still. Oy vey!

The only think motivating me to get back into the kitchen is that I received a new pot from CSN Stores for review. I know, I'm easily amused! Up until now, I've only had a 4 quart pot or a 20 quart pot. Hmmm....something in between please.

Here's my new pot... Yep, it does it all! You can steam veggies, cook and drain pasta perfectly, and use if for all those other times you need something in between 4 and 20 quarts. Here's my shameless plug for CSN, they are easy to shop, and with 200+ on-line stores, you can find every thing you need. Just think, no loading up the kids, no dragging the kids through the store, and no going from store to store looking for what you need...it's ALL at CSN, trust me!

So, for dinner tonight I'm cooking rotini in my new pot using the pasta basket and using it in this delicious recipe!

Rotini with Chicken, Asparagus, and TomatoesIngredients
8 ounces uncooked rotini (corkscrew pasta)
Cooking spray
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (1-inch) slices asparagus
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. (In my new pot...woot, woot!)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt. Add chicken and asparagus to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta, basil, vinegar, and oil. Arrange 2 cups pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese (or more if you're me!).

Powder Pouch Giveaway: Winner!

And the winner is....








Winner #1: Mom 2 Three of Aspiring Mon 2 Three




Winner #2 Keli of Sovereignly Sustaining Sanity



Winner # 3 The Dekorne Family of Upside Down Hashbrowns

Congratulations on a sandless summer thanks to Powder Pouch!

Top 10 Things I Love About the 4th of July

10. Helping my kids snag candy during the parade. Watch out because I'm all about making sure the little people get their fair shake down of the candy...oh, and making sure my kids don't get run over too.

9. Decking my family out in red, white, and blue. While I don't feel the need to buy a new 4th of July t-shirt every year, it sorta makes me happy when my family is all coordinating. It's like we're all a part of team USA...love that.

8. Carnival food. Yep, I'm a cotton candy freak. If we're on team USA...then I win gold on the cotton candy eating contest.

7. Sparklers. It's sparkly, it's fire, it goes stizzzz when it's finished and you put it in the bucket of water! Best of all, my 6 year old can "write" his name with them now. Fun. Fun.

6. Annual used book sale. Our library has a book sale before the parade. I've shopped it since...well, as long as I can remember so it's definitely apart of my 4th tradition.

5. Firecracker pancakes. Okay, they're just pancakes. In our family, I always make strawberry and blueberry pancakes with whipped cream for breakfast. It's a great way to start the sugarfest! Somehow, calling them firecracker pancakes makes them extra special for the kids.

4. Elephant. What...elephant!?! Yes, elephant. At the end of our local parade there's a huge carnival where all the rides are free (that means the lines are extra long). At the end of the carnival, the firemen roll out watermelon to the elephant who's been giving rides all day. She stops each watermelon like a professional soccer ball player. She uses her long trunk to scoop up the first watermelon, brings it to her mouth and bites down causing a waterfall of watermelon juice to cascade down her front. It's incredible to watch and worth the wait. It makes me happy every time I see it.

3. My kids reaction to the police cars and firetrucks as the sirens wail by. Although, for the youngens, could you please dial it down a notch guys?

2. That first firework that goes off as a test. I love the way a noisy, restless, worn out crowd settle right down after the first blast. I wish I had that kind of affect on my kids.

1. Feeling the earth shake under you with each explosion during the fireworks. Fireworks are like candy for the eyes and almost overwhelming for the ears but I especially love the way they make a nice thud under me and my blanket.

Praise God for our freedoms and God bless America!

Giveaway: Powder Pouch

*** This giveaway is closed ***
I was just sent a product for review and giveaway that I can't wait to share! Pure genius! And I'll give you all the juicy giveaway details...in a second.

I live 30 minutes from a gorgeous beach that's often featured in Family Fun magazine...it's that good. Think white beaches with clean sparkling water in walking distance from the cutest little shops, bistros, and ice cream parlors. The thing is, as much as I love the beach sand, I wish it would stay there and not on my feet, the car mats, and well...certain delicate areas. I can handle it (I'm a big girl) but I always feel for my kids. I usually peel off their suits to find a cup of sand in the suit and still more stuck to their tushies. Ouch. Talk about chaffing!

Here's the solution.... The Powder Pouch is a sand removal system. It includes a leather pouch to keep the inner powder pouch from pondering the inside of your beach bag and a 100% cotton pouch filled with their amazing powder. The pouch is washable and re-closes with Velcro so that you can refill it with your favorite powder or cornstarch....genius. Plus, it's just cute! It's extremely easy to use too. You just remove the pouch from the leather bag, pat it a few times to release the powder, and wipe off the sand with the pouch. And if your aren't impressed yet...let me jsut add that Powder Pouch was featured in InStyle magazine as a top recommended beach product and the only item to be labeled a "Wow Product"! Yeah, I know...wow! Is it just me or do I here babies rejoicing?! No more owie diaper changes at the beach!

And....I have 3 to giveaway! Leave a comment below for each entry. This contest ends Friday July 2.

1. First, and you must do this step to win. Become a follower of Parenting in Blue Jeans. If you already follow, just leave a comment and remind me.

2. An extra entry for visiting the Powder Pouch website. Come back here and leave a comment with the html and which fabric choice you think is the cutest.

3. A 3rd entry for following Parenting in Blue Jeans on Twitter. If you already are just leave a comment and remind me.

4. One more...why not?! A final entry for listing your favorite beach and or favorite beach story involving sand.