laborofwonder

Where Whine Meets Wine

Apr 21

Good Thing They’re Cute

by motherofwonder

Last night I hit a wall. There is so much stress in this house it’s palpable. Ok, maybe in me is more accurate. My hardworking husband has been working a lot of overtime for over a month now. I don’t mean to complain about his job, because I’m so thankful he has one! Let alone one he enjoys, cares about, and (even better!) one he hardly ever even complains about. It is by far the best job he’s ever had, and probably the least amount of overtime as well. So why am I complaining? Because he pretty much stopped working overtime after Littlest E was born. I’m not sure if it was just so I would survive those beginning days as a new parent of three, or just the scare of it all, but I am ever so thankful for it! Really there is only a couple hours in the day where things are a little unbearable, and thankfully it’s not every day. Unfortunately it falls when Daddy “should be” home until he actually gets home. And then the magic switch is flipped back over and my sweet children return.

And truly, knowledge is power. Because while a meltdown might ensue when it’s me vs. them… just knowing that hubbyman’s home, even if he’s doing a project or something, is enough. Seriously. It’s maddening. There’s just something about knowing that I am not quite so outnumbered. Like last night, we were all bordering on the brink of disaster while I made dinner. And wouldn’t you know it, they didn’t like it/want it. Or the second meal I created out of sheer desperation. And then Daddy walks in, they want to eat what he’s eating, and they all (truly, all 3) are in his lap and eating! (*insert growl and eye roll*) Whatever, I’m just glad they ate.

While doing dinner cleanup, we notice that the big E’s have gone mysteriously quiet. And we know the gate is up (for littlest E’s sake), so they haven’t gone down to their rooms to play, which only means one thing- they’re in the bathroom. And that’s never good. Fortunately, I probably wear make up about once a month, maybe twice…maybe not at all. Yes, it’s that often. Therefore the kids aren’t really sure what’s it’s all about, because they’re not seeing it demonstrated on a daily basis. Unfortunately, I keep “the basics” in the bathroom they were in. (The basics being lipstick, foundation, blush, eyeshadow, and mascara) I wasn’t shocked to see my MissE in some make up, what I was shocked by was the fact that the biggest E had only been an observer and not a participant.

So she had mascara all over her eyes and eyebrows, foundation on her mouth, and eye shadow on her cheeks. It took a half an hour to wash MOST of it off. Thankfully at this point it was 9:00! Bedtime!! And littlest E had just been put down for the night. So I did what any normal mom would do after an evening like this… I poured a glass of wine, grabbed my favorite magazine that I’ve been meaning to read for months, and took a nice, hot, uninterrupted bath! (Which is very rare! The previous night I tried to take a shower after they went to bed, because that’s pretty much the only time I can fit on in… only to be scared half to death by the sudden movement of the curtain and the little hands that were grabbing at my legs. I’m surprised I didn’t scream, truly.)

I love my children, I love my life with them, I love being their mom, I really love it all… but when I lose myself in them, that’s when troubles arise. Sometimes something so simple as an hour in warmth of the tub, consoled by all my own thoughts and feelings about my own things, that I can reconnect with the person I am, as an individual. And today the person I am is a refreshed, albeit tired, mommy to three sweet little kids.

And I just found where she “stashed” my makeup… it’s in the bag, just completely filled with spilled foundation, unscrewed mascara, squeezed out lipgloss, and open cases of what I think used to be eye shadow. Did I mention how sweet they are? Good thing they’re cute. *sigh*

Family Life According To Me

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Apr 20

Faith Of A Boy

by motherofwonder

Life with children can be a crazy thing. It’s so easy to get lost in the day to day that we forget to see the big picture. And I am certainly guilty of failing to see things from their point of view, and not realizing just how much they take it and are aware of. Today I had a moment of clarity in a discussion with the biggest E.

We try and teach out children about God and His love for us, but we don’t always know how much of it “soaks in”, let alone how much they understand. I am here to tell you it is far greater than we think. We incorporate Biblical principals and stories throughout their days along with prayers, hoping that things will take hold. I’m not sure there’s an exact science to it or an exact age where things suddenly “make sense.” What I do know is that their faith is an amazing thing to behold. Something we should all strive after, just as the Scriptures say.

I was busy trying to reestablish some sense of organization to their bedrooms and playroom when I heard biggest E singing, “I promise God, I promise God, I promise God…” over and over. I asked him what it was that he was promising to God. He said, it’s that song we heard all those people singing about. At church last Sunday they did a snippet from their Easter play, with Jesus entering into Jerusalem, for Palm Sunday. It was very moving and through all the people and all the singing, you could feel the excitement and anticipation people must’ve felt, waiting for Jesus to arrive and bring the prophecy to fruition. It was so moving, it brought me to tears. It was also filled with (real!) animals- goats, a donkey, chickens, rabbits, so I was surprised that he had captured anything other than a petting zoo. But that wasn’t even the best part of the conversation!

He then asked me, “Does Daddy know that Jesus is bigger than him?” Yes, Daddy knows. “Well, why does Daddy always pray for God to come to the places we are?” Well, sometimes we need God’s help and so we ask Him to come and help us. “But God always just stays with us because we always just need help. Just like when I pick up my toys. But I never have seen Him much putting away my toys.”

And it’s just as simple, and complex as that.

Family Life According To Me

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Apr 20

Let’s Start A Petition!

by motherofwonder

I woke up this morning in a surprisingly good mood (you know, for it being morning and all). I was also surprised by how bright it was outside and the fact that I was all alone in bed- meaning the E’s stayed in their own beds. And so I start thinking, Man, this is going to be a good morning. Maybe I’ll get up, enjoy the quiet with a warm cup of coffee, while reading some blogs… *sssstttttttrrrrrrreeeeeeeetttttttttccccccchhhhh* I get out of bed, throw on my slippers and head up the stairs. I glance out the window as I head to the coffee pot, thinking, Oh the snow looks so pretty…wait, what? Snow? Ah what the @#$% (insert muttered grumbling of your choice- I’m pretty sure mine was more of a growl than an actual word, either way it didn’t sound English).

And it’s STILL snowing! Seriously, the weather we’ve been having is like the April Fool’s joke that never ends! And I know about that! So I vote we all band together in protest and start a petition- no more snow! (Do you hear me God, no more! Please and thank you?)

So in light of the weather and the fact that I have to keep telling my children that even though it was warm enough to go outside this last week, today it is not, I am making a list of things we do when we can’t play outside! Maybe a top ten? Well, we’ll see how it goes!

1. Stick them in a dark room until they fall asleep… no? Ok, fine! I’ll save that one for later (kidding!). Color!! Crayon, marker- whatever you’ll let them do! I make a “tablecloth” of old newspapers and let them have at it! When they’ve sufficiently moved on from this activity I take all their colorings and cut them to size and either a) Make a book out of it (with hole punches and string ties) for them to “fill in” (by them telling me what to say on each page) or b) Cut to size and make cards out of it. These make especially great thank you cards for all the gifts they get from family and friends. And both are great ways to recycle all their beautiful artwork!

2. Food: let them help you cook. Especially something they’ll like to eat. Even if it’s as simple as you filling the measuring cups and letting them do the dumping- that counts.

3. This doesn’t happen on a daily basis but… we talk about how some children do not have toys and they each pick out a toy (during cleanup my biggest E now looks for toys to give to a boy who doesn’t have any!) that as biggest E calls it, “One I maybe like, but don’t actually love. That a boy with no toys would love.” Middle E (who’s 2 1/2) consistently puts in her most prized possessions, because she thinks a girl would be so sad without her own *insert prized possession here.* While I (guiltily!) talk middle E out of giving away her favorite toy (because I know tomorrow she’s going to want it and there’s going to be no explaining away her unhappiness, trust me.), I am so proud that they are getting it- and that they continue thinking about the less fortunate, even after the “exercise” is over.

4. Playdough! + Cookie cutters! = lots of fun! (for my kids at least!) Try giving them shapes or certain objects to make and see what they come up with! (examples: what does a circle look like? what does a heart look like? or Big E’s favorite, what does a hexagon look like? I kid you not, the kid loves hexagons.)

4. The silly show: we make the silliest faces and try to capture them on the camera. (Then watch it as a “slide show” on the computer.)

5. Exercise! My kids think it’s tons of fun to watch me look all silly while doing Wii Active, and they love to do lots of the exercise with me!

6. Give them a job! I have really pretty decanters that I store my pastas in. Easy to get them out, but not so easy to get them in. You almost have to put each individual piece of pasta in separately. Great job for a kid! i find anytime I say, “I am having such a hard time doing this, look…” (show how hard it is for you) “…do you think you could do it?” They’re always willing to show off their skills! (confidence builder and helpful all in one!)

7. Follow the leader!! Our upstairs is basically a giant circle, which is great for games of chase and follow the leader, and anything that wears them out is a good thing in my book!

8. Story time! After you’ve read the book go back through it and pick out something on the pages and have them try and guess (I see something red on this page… or how many clouds are on this page?).

9. Dress up! Big E in Daddy’s shirt/shoes, Middle E in mine… and take lots of photos (watch this in a slide show too!). Especially great if you have them “act” like whoever they’re imitating (videos of this are terrific!).

10. Lastly, (and while the other ones are in no particular order, this one really is the “last resort”) a movie with everyone all snuggled on the couch.

…and now I’m going to go practice what I preach.

Posted as part of the Natural Parenting Blog Party!

Life According To Me

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Apr 19

I do have a pair.

by motherofwonder

Last night I had a whole life altering post planned for this morning. And then 6am rolled around, and along with it, my 8 month old and 2 1/2 year old. Which is about 2 hours earlier than they normally get up. At least. Alright, alright, I know that I’m lucky they sleep in that late on a regular basis, but let’s focus on me, at this moment! At this moment, I’ve drank about 3/4 cups of my coffee, which in all fairness, holds about 2 and a half cups. Which is basically the perfect amount. Although I may need a refill.  Except that I need a refill.

So what was I going to ramble on about this morning? My jeans. How many of you have a pair of jeans you don’t actually fit into anymore, but you hold onto them because they were oh so cute, or oh so comfortable, or just flat out your favorite pair? Because you know, one day they’ll fit again/come back in style. C’mon, I know you have a pair. Even my husband has a couple. Well, me, I have a whole stack. I’d say maybe 10 pairs of jeans that I haven’t worn in… forever. The pairs I’ve worn most recently were right before I got pregnant with littlest E. 18 months ago. The ones that are the oldest in there are from college. Let’s not say how many years it means I’ve held onto them without wearing them. So, we’ve acknowledged the college jeans, and there’s probably 3 pairs of those in there. Then there’s the first married/pre-baby jeans, there’s probably 2 pairs of those. And lastly, the post older E babies (but pre little E) jeans, and there’s 2-3 pairs of those. And this is probably the shortlist of what was really in there. Ok, put that knowledge aside momentarily and listen to this story:

My brother is getting married and his bride-to-be sent me a reminder (again!) that I need to pick up my bridesmaids dress…but by the time evening rolls around- I just don’t wanna. Not that I don’t want my dress, I’m just tired and want to cuddle up on the couch (or flat out just go to bed!). Hubby works late when he’s at this stage of a project at work (whatever stage that is!), but because he only had yogurt for lunch (want to know why? read this) he came home at a reasonable hour. Which means that in all likelihood, he’ll be working late the rest of the week. So I was encouraged to just go, especially when littlest E went to bed early (no wonder he’s up so early! And yes, I did just make that connection…brain, please meet coffee. Please.). So I went downstairs to put something other than sweatpants on. Found my jeans, put them on and….

hey, wait a minute! These jeans are almost too big! What?! ( I race to the closet and start whipping out afore mentioned pile of jeans and start trying them on)… pre littlest E jeans…yep they fit, but why are they so short? Oh well, they’ll work with flip flops in the warmer weather (if that ever shows up here, as it’s April 19th and it’s supposed to snow again!)…pre baby jeans… hey, these are too big?! Ok, now, these fit, but wait…what is up with these pockets? Weird. And these fit too, but the legs seem, maybe too wide or something? College jeans, well I got them on! Eww, these are too short too. And these fit but seriously, were they ever cute? My favorite of all time pair and I can get them on!! I bet they’ll fit perfectly within the month!!!

So I’m of course wildly excited that my post-baby-body is morphing back into my pre-baby-body (with some changes, of course), but then it dawns on me that I’ve been clinging to all these jeans for years, some of them through 5 moves… and I now that I can wear them- I don’t even want to! (*insert eye roll here*) So out of that pile there’s maybe 2 pairs of pants I’ll be wearing again, ever. But it doesn’t matter, in fact, little else matters at this moment. Today I fit into my favorite pair of jeans ever. Jeans I wore in college. Jeans I wore before I was a mother of three. Jeans I wore before I was a wife. Favorite. Ever. 

So, I put on pants that I haven’t worn in almost a decade, and go get my dress. Good thing I had enough presence of mind to order a smaller size (considering littlest E was just a few months when I originally got fitted for said bridesmaid dress), because it’s actually a little big. You know what would be great, if I could wear jeans underneath it! Turns out, I have just the right pair.

Life According To Me

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Apr 18

Blog Party!

by motherofwonder

What a fun way to get to know other bloggers, their lifestyles, their thoughts, and be a part of each other’s lives! I by no means claim to be an ultra blogger, but… I think this is just too great to skip out on- a Natural Parenting Blog Party, hosted by The Peaceful Housewife.

The Peaceful Housewife

And as part of the “Get To Know You”… here are some answers to some questions!
  1. How many children do you have, and how old are they? 3 kiddos! 4 yrs. old, 2 1/2 yrs. old, and 9 months!

    What a real family picture looks like

  2. Do you have a partner, or are you a single parent? I have a wonderful partner in my husband of going on 7 years
  3. What are your “hot button” parenting issues? Ignorant parenting (I believe in living life with intention, and parenting is no exception! Not caring to make an informed decision is ridiculous!), along with breastfeeding, nutrition, and many issues surrounding pregnancy and birth! Just to name a few
  4. Have you made any parenting choices that you didn’t think you would make before you were a parent, i.e. cloth diapering a child when you had previously thought it was disgusting? I do things that I wouldn’t have spent time thinking about (like cloth diapers and co-sleeping, and baby wearing) before getting pregnant, but once knew motherhood was imminent, I kind of just knew I’d be doing things naturally, or as much as possible.
  5. Is there one book or person in particular that’s heavily influenced your parenting choices? I read the whole Sears library while pregnant with my first
  6. If you had to describe each of your children using only one word, what word would you use? 1st- imaginative; 2nd- sweet-hearted; 3rd- miraculous.
  7. Is there one parenting decision that you regret more than others and wish you could change? I wish I would have used cloth diapers with all of them! (we were apartment dwellers and it didn’t seem feasable)
  8. Is there an area of your parenting you wish you were better at? oh being more patient for sure!
  9. Now for the fun questions – is there one particular food or type of food that you could eat every day? hmm… probably not! I love eating (and making!) all kinds of foods and probably wouldn’t be happy settling for just one!
  10. Vanilla ice cream or chocolate? ooh vanilla! (do not like chocolate!)
  11. What’s your guilty pleasure? well, time-consuming thing I occasionally feel guilty about- time spent on the computer! If it’s just something I thoroughly enjoy it’s books! I could buy a new book every day!
  12. If you could be part of any television show, which show would it be? Ooh, I don’t know… maybe Grey’s Anatomy, but really just so I could live in Washington again (yes, I do know it’s not really filmed there, but still…). Oh I know! How I Met Your Mother. That would be fun!

Life According To Me

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Apr 18

Something Fishy Is Going On

by motherofwonder

This year’s April Fool’s pranks have become the never-ending-prank! Since that fateful day hubby tied the hose down with a string, the hose now likes to “stick” as if being held down. About once a week you turn on the faucet and the hose starts spraying… all of these times it happened to me! Never to him! And a couple of times there’s been witnesses to these water drenching attacks! Now I hadn’t told hubby about it, because (obviously!) I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction that would go along with it! Until yesterday- he witnessed it. Boo! Hiss! But, he was nice enough to make dinner and do clean up so I guess I won’t hold it against him. At least not today.

We know lots of fisher-people (both men and women) and so we have lots of potential for (free!!) fish, especially over the summer! While we previously haven’t taken full advantage of this, this year we definitely plan to! Anyhow, I had a walleye in the freezer, just awaiting the hubs to skin and bone (I just can’t)… and he went ahead and did it all! Yeah hubby! Ok, I did make the batter… just so you know I wasn’t laying out, drinking mimosas in the sunshine while he slaves away or anything.

Anyway, this fish is so good, the kids love it, we love it… and if you’re starting to know me and my cooking at all, you know I always make enough for a)hubby to take to work tomorrow and b)at least one lunch for the kids (I try and only really cook one meal a day), so when I say there were NO leftovers– that’s a big deal.

Finger lickin’ Fish Bites Batter

1/2 cup flour (I used GF all-purpose)

2/3 cup corn starch

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup water

Stir the flour, starch, sugar, salt, and pepper together. If you especially like a certain seasoning- add it in! I added extra salt, pepper, and some Lowry’s seasoning to the mix as well. Because we like it (obviously!) plus the all-purpose flour we have has garbanzo beans as a main ingredient and I wanted to help hide some of the “vegetable-y-ness” of it. (*note: could not taste it -the beans- at all! The best batch we’ve probably ever had!) Add in the water stirring thoroughly. I had to add in a little extra water to mine because it just seemed a little thicker than normal, but I normally make it with all the gluten-free flours and not the all purpose, so I’m thinking that may be the difference. Anyhow, if you find it to be too thick, just add in water by the tbs.

I’m a new fan of grape seed oil. It’s pretty flavorless, but much better for you. You can, of course, fry it in whatever your oil of choice is. If you do use something like grape seed oil, you can always drizzle some olive oil over afterwards for the taste.

side note: this was enough batter for a whole walley plus two chicken breasts cut into strips. I wish I would have done another two chicken breasts so we would have had leftovers!


Totally Rockin’ Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup mayo (homemade or otherwise)

2 big, juicy pickles (or 2 tbs relish)

2 good squirts of lemon juice (or 1 tsp if you need specifics)

Mix it all up and enjoy! It is so yummy! There was enough to cover all the food plus have a little left over! I know I’ve said this a couple of times already, but I can’t emphasize this enough…I wish we were having it for lunch today, and as Erik’s probably currently scarfing down the yogurt he got instead, he’s probably thinking the same thing!



Family Gluten Free Recipes

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Apr 13

We’re expecting

by motherofwonder

As I sat out on my deck enjoying the beautiful weather yesterday, I couldn’t help but thinking, I’m going to cry if it snows again. Leave it to my husband to burst my bubble, but… we’re supposed to have snow this weekend (Ok, so he didn’t choose this weather, but because he informed me, that really becomes a moot point.). And I really may cry if we do see snow. We have, after all, had snow since October.

Anyways, this had me thinking about expectations… we expect spring to follow suit and spring into summer, but here that is not always the case.  It likes to dabble it’s way in and out until we’re in full meltdown, and then it’s winter again. Aren’t there many things in life this can relate to? We have expectations about so many things, both realistic and unrealistically. Like the expectation so many have that you’re going to live happily ever after, because you have found the one. My brother is getting married in less than a month and he and his fiancée spent the weekend with us, which also got me thinking about expectations. There was a little squabble about him not being willing enough to continue helping with the projects that are of course leaving this soon-to-be-bride a little frantic. Erik and I laughed and said, You think it’s hard now, just wait. (We’re so encouraging, right?) And we both reiterated that the first year or two or three… are spent learning each other in ways you maybe thought you already knew. And most importantly, you will learn how to fight with each other. I don’t mean you’ll learn how to defeat each other with one fell swoop (although you will learn which button to push to do just that). What I mean is that you will learn the way each other fights (this was a point from our pre-marital counselling that really was so helpful to us). You may learn that he needs to work issues out immediately or that she really needs to be given some space before being able to talk through an issue. Either way, you learn, and you adjust.

What does this have to do with expectations? Well, we expect things to be easy, we expect to continuously feel love, we expect to always feel/work/live/love as we do now. Unfortunately, what people often fail to take into consideration is this simple fact: Life does not just happen. We make choices. I think what it all boils down to, and what much of the last weeks’ Love Dare has been talking about, is that we can choose. We can expect the worst or expect the best, but if we’re not actively choosing the best, we’re not going to get it. Expectations are not the enemy, lack of choosing to pursue them, is. Especially in our relationships. As most newlyweds/new relationships of any kind (whether dating or friendships) you have this rush, this glow that you may feel defines your relationship and surely you will always get butterflies whenever you see them. I’m not saying you can’t have a great relationship throughout the years, what I am saying is that you have to actively pursue that. Because even though I have known my husband for hundreds of years (ok not that long, but 1/2 of my life! That’s gotta count for something!) he cannot read my mind! No matter how badly I want him to. He knows everything about me, all my secrets, all my fears, hopes, and dreams… and yet he cannot read my mind! And your other half can’t either. No matter how many sentences you can finish, no matter how many times you find the thing they were looking for (before they asked for it), no matter how much you can convey through looking at each other… Because he cannot read my mind, and because I often don’t speak what’s on it…we run into problems. And sometimes that leads me to days where I don’t particularly enjoy being his wife. And I think I can say with some authority, that on those days, he’s probably not enjoying being my husband either. But we choose to continue to be. Year five of our marriage was a bit tumultuous for us, as individuals we’ve had hard things emotionally and physically, and as a couple we’ve struggled between how to be a loving couple while working and raising children, very young and close in age children. And on the days that we weren’t really feeling like being active participants in this marriage, we choose to do it anyways. We chose to kiss each other goodnight, good-morning, and goodbye every day, even when we don’t really feel like it. Which is why, as we’re gaining on year 7… we’re not itching (you know, the 7 year itch). In fact, because we CHOSE to push our way through, to love our way through, to pray our way through…we are probably in the best place of our marriage, thus far. We are leaning on each other more, we trying to voice our feelings (especially the good ones) more, and we’re loving more thoroughly. But it is not by accident.

We believe in living with intention, and not just in our food. In our lives too- in our parenting, in our interactions with each other and with those around us, and in the way we love and show love. We don’t just believe in living that way, we practice it. It’s not perfect, and it’s not easy, but it is why I have the expectation that we’ll continue living and loving together as a family for as long as God allows.

 

Better Than Expectations Pizza

I know I mentioned previously doing pizza fridays (and I still really want to do that!) but because it was so good, I’m going to share this recipe with you now, on a plain old Wednesday! Friday I’m going out to buy an adapter for this stupid camera! So maybe Pizza Friday will be pictures! Anyways, the hubs texted me a couple weeks ago saying Buffalo Chicken Pizza sounded good. We’ve never had one before or made one, so I did what I do when something sounds good that I haven’t made before… I google as many recipes as I can. And then I make something completely different! Here is what I made:

Super Yummy Pizza Crust (Makes 2 small pizzas- fed four)

  • 1/3 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/3 cup white rice flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
  • 3 tbs dried milk powder
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp xantham gum
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbs olive oil (evoo)
  • 1 tsp cinder vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray sheet for easiest crust removal. Combine flours, dried milk, salt, baking powder, and xantham gum. In a separate bowl, whisk the water, oil, and vinegar. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flours, mixing slowly with a spatula until it is a smooth and soft, that just holds its shape (more than pancake batter but less than cookie dough). Transfer about 1/3 of the dough to a pastry bag, or resealable bag (what I used) with one corner snipped off. Divide remaining dough between the two pans, spreading it thinly with a spatula- about 7inch rounds. Pipe a raised, “rim” around the edge of each one. *Brush all over with egg white (1 egg white, lightly beaten) to help sealing and browning. Bake until puffed and starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Cover with pizza toppings, return to oven for another minutes, or until bubbling hot.

*This crust was SO good! I think next time I make it I will double the recipe to make bigger, and a little thicker crusts.

Flying Buffalo Chicken

  • 3 cups of chicken breast, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (or whatever your favorite hot sauce is)
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 2 tbs flour (I used tapioca flour)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tsp buttermilk ranch seasoning
  • Shredded Cheese (I used mozzarella and cheddar)

While pizza dough/crust is in the oven (you can of course buy or make whatever kind of crust you like best), I do the topping: cook chicken over medium-high heat. When a little over halfway cooked, add in hot sauce. Stir to coat chicken thoroughly.

My husband isn’t a big fan of blue cheese, but you could always do the “sauce” with a blue cheese dressing, or ranch dressing from bottles. You could also use the hot sauce as the pizza sauce if you wanted a stronger taste/flavor and then have something for dipping. I make my own sauce:

Combine butter, flour, milk, ranch seasoning (the only mix I could find that is MSG and food coloring free!) in saucepan over med. heat. Boil two minutes, stirring frequently. If seems too thick add milk (by the tsp) if it’s not thick enough add flour/starch (by pinches).

Spread sauce on crust (as much or as little as you want), spread chicken generously over pizza and cover in as much, or as little, cheese as you like.

Stick back in the oven for about 7 more minutes, or until cheese is thoroughly melted and bubbling.

Enjoy! I’m not a big “buffalo” flavor lover, but this was really good- we’ll definitely be making it again!

Chicken Gluten Free Life According To Me Love Dare Marriage Recipes

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Apr 12

Spring Meltdown

by motherofwonder

When you live in the frozen tundra, as my family does, by the time Spring has sprung I’m left in a permafrost funk. Thankfully sunshine helps. But after months of being stuck in the house with three small children… I’m a little bit antsy. Thankfully the warm up has officially started and the snow is FINALLY gone! Unfortunately, for my children, that want to spend every last moment of this new found warm weather OUTSIDE… I have got the organizational munchies. I love organization. And before children I was known to go as far as to refold towels my husband had folded, because they weren’t quite right. 6 years and three kids later, I’m just thankful if any towels have been cleaned and are in need of folding, let alone getting folded- by anyone!

Because of littlest E’s birth last July, we didn’t get things as unpacked and organized as we otherwise would have, so we’re dusting off the cobwebs and picking up the slack now! We’ve filled our whole big trash bin with things we’re tossing and it’s not even trash day (we never do that!). Declutter!! I just can’t stand that “little bit everywhere”…in fact, it makes me a little crazy. And let’s face it, I’m already headed down that lane, so you can see why this would be a problem. So for me the first couple weeks of warmer weathers- they motivate me! I have to force myself to stop and let the kids run and play outside because I just want to keep going!

And since Monday has been dubbed, “Monday Funday” (I’m still trying to work out the rest of the days… if you have suggestions- let me know), it is our “electronic free day.” At least for the kids, and I try to at least keep mine minimized for their sake. Since it means no TV, no movies, no computer games…. we play. Outside, inside… wherever! We play. So things don’t really get done around the house on Mondays, but happiness occurs anyhow. Since we’re over that hump, today I’m attempting to get going on the re-organizing business full force! Today I have become Operative Mother of All Organization. Ok, maybe not that extreme, because I still have baby to nurse, kids to feed, dinners to make (hmm… my days often seem to focus on feeding people…). I seem to be having trouble staying focused on one subject here, so I should make this quick. Go. Do. Organize.

Another goal of this mass organization is to find my stinkin’ camera adapter so that I can actually post pictures! Other than my phone’s pictures! I have some fun spring/Easter crafts and really tasty meals that I would like you to see!

Want to know what I’m having for dinner tonight? A family favorite! I usually just make this quick on the stovetop (takes the same amount of time as making a box of Hamburger Helper!) but in honor of being reunited with my crockpot, I may just throw it in there! This truly is a family favorite, and is also spouse-friendly! One of the first meals I made after throwing out all the boxed, packaged kinds! I didn’t know what I was doing, but threw things together…and voila! It was proclaimed delicious! Since then (I’m hoping!) it has been honed and tweaked just enough to make me feel like it’s no longer in the experiment stage.

Burgers a la Pasta!

  • 4 servings of pasta (any kind- my kinds prefer “the noodles that look like phones” aka elbow)
  • *Homemade tomato sauce (I’m all out of the stuff I made and frozen in serving-size packages last fall, so I use plain tomato sauce and make it my own… adding in whatever tomatoes I have laying around, oregano, garlic, thyme, pepper, salt, pinch of sugar, and a pinch of whatever flour/starch I have on hand to thicken it just a bit. Don’t worry if you end up with more than you need with this recipe! Save it to use later this week or freeze it and use it next time!) You can of course use any kind of tomato/spaghetti sauce
  • 1 lb hamburger, browned (I add whatever I would add when making normal hamburgers. So I add some Montreal Steak Seasoning, Garlic Salt, Pepper, Lowry’s, and salt… just pinches of each. And if I have any, I’ll mince just enough onion to taste like it’s got a little bit of onion in it, but not enough to be seen)
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar (or whatever kind you like on your burgers) cheese
  • Parmesan cheese (if you don’t have this, don’t worry. I keep the grated kind and the real, aged, parmigiana reggianna shredded kind on hand, so I always throw in a little of each.)
  • Splash of milk (maybe 1/4 cup if I had to guess)

*Like Ranch burgers? Stay away from tomatoes? I have to for my girl’s sake, and so I either A)omit the sauce for her and just make hers extra cheesy or b)make a ranch sauce (plain white sauce: 2 tbs butter, 2 tbs. flour, 1 cup milk. Boil 2 minutes and add whatever seasoning sounds good to you. I use a buttermilk ranch seasoning.) Don’t want dairy? Skip the cheese all together. Still very good!

side note: You can do this all in one pot, but I had hungry people so I boiled the water, then put the noodles in as I browned the ground beef (so they’d be done simultaneously).

After hamburger is browned (and drained! PS. if you cook it at a high heat, it gets more of the fat out!), add in the  noodles. Add the cheese slowly, while stirring, so that it melts and doesn’t turn into one big clump. If needed, adding in milk. (my kids like it just like this! no sauce needed!) Add in tomato sauce (about 2 cups. I always use more because my family likes things “saucy.”). Stir so noodles are coated and in the sauce. Once boiling (med-high heat) turn heat down and simmer (with a lid!) until noodles are thoroughly cooked, stirring occasionally. About 15 minutes (but that will depend on the kind of noodles you use, so keep an eye on them). Let sit about 2 minutes (will thicken up some). And eat! Enjoy!

I was starting to think my crock pot has long gone since I haven’t seen it since we moved, last summer. I came home from an outing with the kids to it sitting on the counter! My husband had found it! He walked in the door just in time to see me discover it! I literally jumped in his arms! (He threatened to hide it again based on my enthusiasm! But he also found my food puree-er that I’ve been searching for to make baby food with, so I was doubly excited!) In honor of that, I think tonight I will attempt throwing all the ingredients in the crock pot and seeing how it turns out!

I am going to take pictures of tonight’s meal…hopefully the process and not just the end results. And will add them to this post as soon as I can! THE CAMERA ADAPTER WILL BE FOUND! Hopefully before I get a chance to go out and buy a new one and not momentarily afterwards, like the Wii remote I just replaced, and was found within minutes of me walking in the door with the new one. *eye roll*

Family Gluten Free Life According To Me Marriage Pasta Recipes

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Apr 8

Strawberry-licious

by motherofwonder

Doesn’t this look amazing?!

Reprinted with permission from Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour. Copyright © 2011 by Elana Amsterdam, Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA. Photo Credit: Annabelle Breakey.

I’m always trying to build up my repertoire of gluten-free goodies, so it seemed necessary to add these to the list!! (Thanks Mandi for the suggestion!)

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 8 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Blend the wet ingredients into the coconut flour mixture with a handheld mixer until thoroughly combined, then fold in the strawberries.

Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then frost and serve.

*How I make it my own: Sub xantham gum and corn starch for the arrowroot. And agave nectar for honey. (I might also try substituting it with stevia) Both those changes were mainly because I like to use what I have without adding a trip to the grocery store. I’ll also throw in an extra 1/2 tbs of vanilla- because my dad brought me back a delicious bottle from Panama (thanks Dad!) and it’s so good). And because of the extra vanilla I’ll throw in a pinch of almond flour (plus if you’ve read any of my other recipes, you know I love almond flour). It’s not super sweet, so it makes a good breakfast muffin too! (Under the disguise of a cupcake! The kids will love that!!) For breakfast version I’ll fold in some strawberries into whipped cream, but any whipped frosting (or even a cream cheese frosting!) would taste really yummy!

Dessert Gluten Free Recipes

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Apr 8

First Kiss

by motherofwonder

This morning as I was being used as a human jungle gym, my mind wandered…

This summer marks 14 years since my first kiss. And every summer I can’t help but think back to that day. And that boy. He was almost 16. Which as any teenager knows, is a big deal, because obviously you’re so close to adulthood at 16, because you can drive. He was one of those boys who might come across as a little full of himself. (And it might have been a little true.) Lots of friends and always sure of himself. The adult in me sees that most of that was probably a facade, but to the shy teenage girl, it was totally believable.

So I sit and think about what happened between us that summer, the letters, the phone calls… I consider the ways I grew and changed afterwards, and how he inevitably did too. I remember how weekly e-mails in high school turned to yearly birthday calls in college. I don’t remember any of it being particularly heart breaking (he may remember it differently, but I still see it with a bit of rose-colored glasses). Mostly, though, I think about the way time and circumstance changes people. The girl I was…how she became the woman she is. The boy he was and how he became the man he is… and I can’t help but wonder at the affects of that kiss. Now it may seem silly to for me to even think about considering where I’m at now, but I can’t help but wonder what life would look like if the inevitable too-young-love break-up hadn’t occurred.

So instead of the what-might-have-beens, I take a deep breath, let out a sigh, and smile. The roads that boy and I have taken since that fateful night so long ago… there’s been bends and twists, heartbreaks and tears, and even laughter… for both of us. But as my hair is being pulled by my youngest, my oldest launching himself off the couch and onto my stomach, while my middlest lays next to me laughing hysterically; I have no doubts, no second-guesses, no wish-we-would-haves. Only a silent acknowledgment that the roads that boy and I took, well, we needed to take them, as individuals. And I kind of think it makes the road we’re on, as adults, that much sweeter. After all, that boy turned into the most wonderful husband and the most amazing father that this 14-year-old-girl-turned-woman could ever have dreamed of. ♥ And sometimes it’s the sweetness of “our story” and the length of our friendship, love, and history that keep me from killing him (figuratively, of course), so I think he’s probably thankful for it too.

Family Love Dare Marriage

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