Mom Swaddles All : 2014

December 14, 2014

Last minute beauty gifts!

Okay, so there are sooo many great deals this year! I missed out on a few I really wanted on black friday, but that's ok. I am in the market for make-up this year. I haven't bought any great new products in long time. Lucky for you, I've found some awesome deals on Amazon, I have prime so it's my one of my main shopping choices. Free 2 day shipping!

Check these out if you're still looking to find that perfect gift for yourself or someone else!

On to the list...

December 10, 2014

Herbed Spinach and Tomato Rice

In an effort to sneak vegetables into our diet, I concocted this dish. I was pleasantly surprised with the result. It takes a bit more effort than just plain rice, but the result is yummy and flavorful. In the end, you can't even tell there is spinach in the rice. Approvals were abound!

Ingredients:

2 cups of basmati or long-grain rice
1 cup of spinach leaves
1 roma tomato
1 half de-seeded jalapeno
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic

4 cups broth or water

2 tbs oil

Directions:

In a blender combine 1 cup of broth with spinach, tomato, parsley, garlic and blend until smooth.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil and stir fry rice for 3ish minutes. Add blended mixture and broth into the pan. Add salt to taste.

Bring to a boil. Place lid on and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Fluff as needed

Serve with entree or as is

Enjoy!

December 5, 2014

Getting Back into the Groove

Or... It can be child birth.

It isn't a fall, but it certainly set me back a few months. My baby boy made his arrival as he planned, on his due date, October 23.

I waited for so long, and now it feels like it just came and went, and here he is about to turn 6 weeks in a day. It was a pretty uneventful birth. We went to the hospital, he was born a few hours later, and we were released the next day. So, that all in all I was happy with that experience.

The real trouble began with my toddler and newborn combined. They create this super power that's tough to tackle alone. I was glad to have the help I did. Things are finally starting to come into focus.

So, now I am slowly turning it back to me, and focusing on getting my health in order.

First off, I have about 20lbs I need to shed through diet and exercise. I am not ready to reduce food intake, but am going to slowly incorporate in an easy workout.

Today is the first day they both have napped at the SAME time! By some sort of cosmic connection. The stars aligned, and their nap times collided allowing me to get in a blog post! Yay!

Let's get back into the swing of things, and get going!

Above photos-
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/397020523374905878/
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/537898749216244026/

September 27, 2014

Social Media Mixer- Week 18

Welcome to the 18th week of the Social Media Mixer!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Week 17 - we had 126 blogs and numerous social media link-ups!

The Social Media Mixer is all about networking and making connections. Also, you can gain exposure and increase your social media following! Link up your blog posts and social media accounts and mix it up with some of the other linkers. Each week, the Weekday Mixer will start on Saturday nights at 8:00pm and go on until Wednesday nights at 11:59pm. A blog post will be chosen each week by each of the hosts and guest hosts and featured in the following week’s link-up! If chosen, a brief summary about yourself and your blog/website and all of your social media accounts will be featured. It’s a great way to stand out among the crowd! One blogger will be chosen for 2 weeks of free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures!

Welcome your hosts!

And welcome your guest hosts for September!

And here are the Featured bloggers from last week's Social Media Mixer...

Holly chose...

Slow Cooker Beef Chile Verde Nachos from Lou Lou Girls

My cute hubby called me from work and told me that he had just signed up to bring a main dish for the company pot luck dinner. Main dishes can be so hard because you have to get the dish to the party without falling apart and then finding something that will feed so many people! I love challenges! We decided on these incredible nachos. They were a big hit at the party! Mike told me that everyone was trying to get the last piece of meat out of the slow cooker because the meat was so tender. The great thing about nachos are that everyone can make their own the way they like.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Google+

Cathy and Avie chose...

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Icing from Mayhem in the Kitchen!

Last year I bought the Costco pack of organic pumpkin puree, and based on how September has gone thus far, I’m going to need to stock up again this year. I know a lot of folks think this whole pumpkin spice thing is overrated, overdone, overblown, but I just can’t help myself. As soon as the air gets crisp and the leaves start to crunch, the pumpkin obsession stirs within me and there’s nothing I can do about it. …OK maybe it’s not quite that bad. But it’s close. I knew I was ready for fall when I went through and sniffed the entire autumn themed line of wax melt air fresheners at the hardware store. Twice. Three times on the Pumpkin Pie and Spiced Cider varieties. Lucky for me, one of my coworkers shares my pumpkin love, and requested a pumpkin spice treat for her birthday, so I didn’t even have to think of an excuse to make these.

Mila chose...

Therapeutic Blogging from The Realist Optimist

Our culture revolves around the idea of self-sufficiency and independence. We don’t want our survival to be dependent on anyone besides ourselves. But I’m pretty sure our culture has it wrong. Community is important. It always has ben and it always will be. We’re born into families, we play on teams, and we’re assigned to work in groups. We’re designed and engineered to function not in isolation, but in relationship with other humans. Even us introverts. After writing my most recent post on physical, emotional, and spiritual therapy, I realized that something was missing. I threw out a whole lot of information about the various forms of therapy and I neglected to talk about one of the best forms of therapy I have ever found: BLOGGING! I realize that some of you might not believe this fact, so I decided to make a list of the…5 Reasons Blogging Counts as Therapy

Cyndi chose...

Project: Pallet Shed- Finishing touches! from Scrapality

It’s been a long journey and a learning lesson from the first pallet to the last. My pallet shed is finally complete and I am very pleased how it turned out.

Ce Ce chose...

Crockpot Lasagna from 4 Sons 'R' Us

On top of it being an all-out yummy classic comfort food, lasagna is a busy mom’s secret dinner weapon. It’s such a great option, especially when we’re talking about a crockpot, not oven, version because it’s so easy to throw together and it’s really filling, so a little goes a long way. Plus, this recipe usually makes enough for leftovers, which is a bonus because lasagna is one of those foods that almost always tastes even better the next day.

Blog | Bloglovin | Facebook | Twitter

Natasha and Silvie chose...

10 Reasons Why I Am No Better Than My Kids. from Domain of the Mad Mommy

Am I supposed to hold myself to a higher standard? I mean, I am their mother after all. Yet, somehow, I am no better than my kids.

Lori chose...

The Latest in Cat Pumpkins and More from Oh My Heartsie Girl

Pumpkins-on-Parade-on-Oh-My-Heartsie-Girl--1024x1024

Welcome To Weekend Fun Party Halloween Pumpkin Preview I could not wait to start sharing these cute creations I found while searching on All You and Good Housekeeping websites.

Jillian chose...

Fall Handbag Essentials with U by Kotex from Warrior Queen

It's the first day of fall and California spent the morning pretending it was going to actually have cold weather for once. It's quickly thrown a JK in our faces, but I took advantage and wore my favorite Sevenly sweatshirt as I dashed to Walmart to get the best deal ever...which totally inspired today's post. It does help that my mom's best friend gave me a Kate Spade handbag this past week...Paulina's so proud of me!

Tiffany chose...

The Phone Call That Left Us Speechless from How Do the Jones Do It?

It was a school night and we were just getting ready to crawl in bed when the phone call came. ‘Jenny and her young daughter, Grace, don’t have a place to stay tonight. The hotel won’t take credit over the phone … can you go to the hotel in the next town over and pay for two nights?’

And the winner is...

Therapeutic Blogging from The Realist Optimist

Congratulations!! You have won 2 weeks of free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures! Please e-mail Natasha at 1EpicMommy@gmail.com for more information on your free ad space.

Stop by and follow our featured bloggers! We're sure you'll love them as much as we do!

If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!

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Are you ready to start mixing it up?? Then, let's go!

Make sure to add the button below to your sidebar to invite even more people to join the fun!

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An InLinkz Link-up

September 18, 2014

Beef and Cabbage Rice Pilaf

Yes, this does seem a little off the beaten path, but the result did not disappoint. I really liked the one-skillet aspect of it. Easy to make, and easy to eat! What else can you want in a dish? You can mix and match with a lot of ingredients in the fridge, especially leftover veggies, rice, etc.

Ingredients:

2 cups of leftover rice- brown or white

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 cup of extra lean ground beef

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 tablespoon soy sauce

salt to taste

Directions:

Heat a large skillet, add ground beef, soy sauce, ground black pepper. Cook until fragrant, and beef is no longer pink.

Now add the shredded cabbage, saute until wilted

Add the rice and oil in. The oil will help coat the rice, and soften it

Stir-fry all together- until everything has melded together

Additions- try bell pepper, eggs, chili flakes, fish sauce, jalapenos, SO YUMMY

DONE!

See how quick that was?

The soy sauce seems out of place, but trust me, it tastes good in this dish.

September 14, 2014

Social Media Mixer - Week 16

Welcome to the 16th week of the Social Media Mixer!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Week 15 - we had 150 blogs and numerous social media link-ups!

The Social Media Mixer is all about networking and making connections. Also, you can gain exposure and increase your social media following! Link up your blog posts and social media accounts and mix it up with some of the other linkers. Each week, the Weekday Mixer will start on Saturday nights at 8:00pm and go on until Wednesday night at 11:59pm. A blog post will be chosen each week by each of the hosts and guest hosts and featured in the following week’s link-up! If chosen, a brief summary about yourself and your blog/website and all of your social media accounts will be featured. It’s a great way to stand out among the crowd! One blogger will be chosen for 2 weeks of free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures!

Welcome your hosts!

And welcome your guest hosts for September!

And here are the Featured bloggers from last week's Social Media Mixer...

Tiffany chose...

Never Say Never from Three Boys and a Mom

Before you become a parent, there is usually a list of things you say you’ll never do. That list looks different for every one, but I’m pretty sure grabbing poop with your bare hand doesn’t even make the cut. It’s just not something you’d think would be necessary to specify on a list of things you’ll never do.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Ce Ce and Anni chose...

Recipe: Calzone from A Little Bit of Everything

This delicious sandwich by Giada De Laurentiis is an ideal appetizer or lunch. Simply follow her recipe below and enjoy! I did substitute pepperoni for the prosciutto and I rolled the dough into a rectangle rather than a circle. The pizza dough is often found in the deli or bakery department of most grocery stores. You can now find gluten free pizza dough as well in some stores.

Blog | Pinterest | Networked Blogs

Shana and Avie chose...

Make This: Mocha Coffee Breakfast Shake from Style Island

I feel a little like Ray Liotta in Good Fellas. As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a coffee addict. These days, coffee is like a religion in my household. I have several coffee machines, all varying degrees of effort, status, and needs.

Jillian and Cyndi chose...

9 Amazing Green Cleaners You Should Not Be Without from Wonderfully Messy Mom

If you are looking to make the switch to a cleaner, greener home, I have 9 solutions you should try. These can be found in your local grocery store or whole foods market. Some of these items may already be sitting in your kitchen right now! Not to mention these green cleaners are simple, cheap and best of all- EFFECTIVE!!

Angel, Mila and Holly chose...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cracker Candy Recipe from Glimmer Creations

These candies are out of this world delicious, and they are pretty easy to make. Be warned though, that the process does get a bit messy, but the result it worth it. They are delightful mix of semisweet chocolate, salty peanut butter and crisp, buttery crackers. Pure goodness that makes it hard to just eat one.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Danielle chose...

Let’s Do Lunch from Domain of the Mad Mommy

Jennifer chose...

Autumn Bucket List for Toddlers from How to Make The Sun Shine

The magic of summer has been replaced with backpacks, football, leaves changing colors, and pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING! The end of summer doesn't have to equal the end of fun. Here is a list of fun fall activities you can do with your toddler to keep the magic alive!

Tara chose...

Laboring Away - DIY Blog Hop from 702 Park Project

I’ve found that a lot of furniture in our home is dark…whether wood or fabric. Most of the time it’s nice to have these hearty pieces, but sometimes it can darken the mood a bit. So to keep things fresh and summery year round, I decided to make over this sad little dresser I picked up at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Silvie chose...

Apple Recipe Round-Up from Cooking with K

It's September and that means apple season! Apples are by far a favorite around our house. There are so many ways to use them, appetizers to salads, or main dishes to desserts! I have gathered up a list of some of our favorites. Hope you enjoy going through these. Go ahead and pin some of them when you hover over the picture with the pop up pinterest button.

Natasha chose...

Longing to be a Grandma from Looking on the Sunnyside

Can I be honest? I am a little jealous of my friends who are grandparents. They post pictures of their grandchildren, just gushing with the kind of pride that only a grandma or grandpa could exude. I look at those pictures and look at how much fun they seem to be having and I admit - I am jealous.

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