- oh, the NFL -

I love sports...I really do. I have always been a "tomboy" and have always loved the outdoors and sports. In our house, NFL is king...it's what we follow the most. Matt and I will watch any sports, but we don't follow and watch anything as closely as the NFL. Sundays are footballs days in our house, and I love it. I love the beer drinking, the slightly mostly unhealthy snacking, and the great games.

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And of course, we have a home team that we follow....that we love...we bleed their team colors...we're loyal fans. BUT, there is such a big difference between me and my hubby when we  watch our football team. Yes folks, I love my football team. But my husband...oh my husband...he gets so overly emotional about our home team, it's crazy! I just can't relate. I mean, when our team loses, I'm disappointed. But when our team loses, my hubby is devastated....devastated! The NFL brings out emotions in my husband (both happy and upset) that I only see during football season.

I'm not saying it's a female vs. male thing. I know a lot of females out there that are emotionally crazy about their teams. But in general, I think it's more common that it's the men out there that get a little "irrational" about sports.

Does anyone else out there have a husband/boyfriend that is absolutely bonkers when it comes to their sports team?

- quick recipe of the week -

It's that day again....Monday...when it all starts over again! We had a good weekend...picked out our pumpkins and spent some quality time with some good friends. All in all, a great weekend!

Today I am sharing another Pinterest recipe I found. It's a great, kid friendly recipe. And they are super easy to make!

Taco Bites
1.5 tsp chili oil (regular olive oil works too)
1/2 lb ground turkey, beef, or chicken
1 Tbs taco seasoning
3/4 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
16 wonton wrappers
5 Tbs of queso dip
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup Mexican shredded cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside. Heat chili oil (or Olive oil) in a saute pan or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and taco seasoning and brown beef, breaking it with a spoon. Add black beans and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until warm. Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the  muffin tin. Spoon a teaspoon of queso dip into each wonton wrapper and spread across the bottom.Follow by spooning some of the meat/beans mixture into each cup and then spooning a teaspoon or so of salsa on top of that. Sprinkle a pinch of the cheese evenly over the top of each cup. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin. 

(Image credit http://bricelife-gabrielle.blogspot.com/)

 Printable Recipe 

Perfect toddler recipe! And quick and easy! What would I do without Pinterest? Ha ha!

- the little one through my lens -

A little "photo journalistic" look at my little one...

 

- getting back in the saddle -

Okay, so after some friendly encouragement from this lovely lady, I decided try my hardest to get back into the saddle and start writing on this blog again! The thing about stopping a regular activity is, it's always so hard to get started again! I have a million things I want to write about, but it's been so hard making myself sit down and type. Part of it is lack of sleep...if you follow me regularly on any type of social media, then you already know we are having big problems with Ellie's sleep. It's nothing new...been going on for at least 3- 4 months consistently, but before that, on and off since she was born. But it's really been taking a toll on us, and our daily lives. The things about lack of sleep in an adult, is that it just keeps building and building until one day you question how you are even functioning. Lack of sleep in a child keeps building until the child is so over hyper, delirious and out of control. After months of lack of sleep in our house, let's just say the perfect storm has been brewing around here. And it's hit...multiple times in the past few weeks...and it hasn't been pretty.

So, all of this is my "excuse" for being absent around here lately, but I realized how much I miss it, and how much I really need this outlet....especially now. I can't guarantee that my posts will be super cheery and rosey right now...but a long time ago, I did promise that this blog would be kept real and transparent. So I know some of my stress will probably be reflected in some of my upcoming blog posts (and I know it already has after re-reading some of my posts from the last couple of weeks). But we all take the good with the bad right? And this is real life, and that's exactly what I promised myself I would blog about.

So, I guess this post really has no point other than to say I'm going to do my best to get back into the saddle and get back to writing here. I'm not going to promise a certain number of posts per week , because I'll just end up not being able to keep up (or worse, I will drive myself crazy forcing myself to keep up). So instead, I'll just say I am going to get back at it as often as I can.

I saw this the other day and had to laugh...hard...because it is so, so, so true! And then, when I saw that it was listed under the "Cry for Help" section on someecards website, I just had to laugh even harder. Again, so , so, so true!

p.s.- back to the "non sleeping" child issue...has anyone used melatonin with their toddler? I am hearing that a lot of people know people that use it for their kids, but no one that has used it directly for their own kids. I have tried some of the other "all natural" products out that like Hylands Calm Forte for Kids with absolutely no success. But I am so hesitant to try melatonin because I have seen some negative things online about using it on toddlers. Of course, my pediatrician is away for 3 weeks, so I can't ask her about it (she never really suggested it to me when I've discussed Ellie's sleep problems before, so my guess is it's something she either doesn't recommend or something that she doesn't have much knowledge about). The interim pediatricians that are filling in for her aren't much help either. But I would love to hear first hand if anyone has tried it with their child in the past, and how it worked, and if there were any negative side effects.

- quick recipe of the week -

Hello folks, how is everyone doing on this lovely Monday? We had a great weekend...complete with a date night Saturday evening! Drinking wine at the top of Matt's office parking garage...sounds romantic, no? Actually, we were watching a spectacular fireworks show from the nearby stadium, and his office was the perfect, (and free), location to camp out with our beach chairs and our bottle of wine! We had a great time!

Today, I'm excited to feature a gluten free recipe from Megan. Megan blogs over at Absolute Mommy. Megan blogs about all things revolving around motherhood, pop culture, and her obsession with Instagram.

(Image credit Megan)

She told me she was shocked (and humbled...awe, thanks Megan) when I asked her to contribute a recipe, because when it comes to cooking, she "fakes it, til she makes it" (lol).  Today she's going to share a great crock pot recipe for fall.  It's simple, easy, and the ingredients may already be in your refrigerator or pantry as we speak.  Can't get easier than that right?  And the big plus... it can be made 100% gluten free which is a big plus for Megan, since she's gluten intolerant. I know I have a couple of readers that are always looking for a good gluten free recipe, so I hope you guys enjoy today's recipe!

 (Gluten Free) Slow Cooker Chicken and Veggie Soup

 6 chicken breast tenders

1 cup frozen sliced or diced carrots
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen cut green beans
3 Tbs Minced Onion or 1/2 chopped raw onion
1 tsp sage
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 32 oz box chicken broth (gluten free)
1 c. water
2 cups white or brown rice cooked (optional)

Place chicken, veggies, broth and water in slow cooker and stir.  Then add all spices, and stir. Then place the lid on and set for high 4-6 hours. When the chicken starts to float on the surface, sometime after the 4th hour (if cooking on high for 6 hours), check it to see if it's done.  If it's done, shred or cube chicken into pieces. Serve with bread (gluten free or not), or over rice.

(Image credit Megan)

Printable Recipe 

Another perfect fall recipe, right? This sounds delicious! In case you need some gluten free goodies to go with this, you can visit Absolute Mommy for GF Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, GF Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, or Nutella Crispy Rice Treats.  

Thank you so much, Megan, for sharing all of these gluten free recipes with us! I can't wait to try out this soup. It sounds like the perfect comfort food dinner! And comfort food always makes me happy!

- i can do this -

  Life's not perfect...parenting is not easy...friendships aren't always peachy...but I can get through this...I see the sun shining in front of me and I'm heading towards it.  

- quick recipe of the week -

Hi everyone...another start to another week...hopefully it's a great one for everyone!

Today I'd like to introduce you to Lindsay, from Little Mudpies. Lindsay's blog is a mishmash of her daily adventures of being a wife to an amazing man and Momma of two little boys and a sweet little girl puppy named, Oatmeal. On her blog, you'll find recipes for yummy treats like Caramel Apple Rice Krispie Treats and Chocolate Eclair Cake. DIY tutorials for Halloween Garland with Lights and her most popular Heatless Curls. You'll even get a glimpse inside her world, with her Momma Tales. 

(Image credit Lindsay)

When I asked Lindsay if she would share a dinner recipe with you guys, she immediately said yes! She admits, she hasn't always loved to cook, but since she became a momma, she feels like it's her duty to at least try to feed her kids good, healthy, home cooked meals. (My thoughts exactly Lindsay!)

Today Lindsay is sharing the recipe for Vegetable Tortellini Soup. It's one of her family's favorites and with the cooler weather coming, she figured it would be perfect to share.

Vegetable Tortellini Soup
2 Tablespoons Oliver Oil
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Medium Zucchini, Chopped
1 Medium Yellow Squash, Chopped
1 Medium Carrot, Peeled and chopped
6 Cups chicken stock (can use vegetable also)
2 Teaspoons basil (fresh or dried)
1 Bay Leaf
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Package of Tortellini (fresh or frozen)
2 - 3 Tablespoons Parsley (fresh)
1 Tablespoon Garlic, Minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan on medium heat. Add all the veggies and sauté for 8-10 minutes or until the onion is soft. Stir often. Add the remaining ingredients and increase the heat to a boil. Add the tortellini. Set soup to a low boil cook for about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper and parsley. Remove bay leaf before serving.

(Image credit Lindsay)

Printable Recipe 

What a perfect fall recipe! Thank you so very much Lindsay, for sharing this recipe! If you're interested in meeting Lindsay, visit her blog or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.