Category — easy

We had a pork roast for  Easter dinner and there were plenty of leftovers. I decided to use them for pulled pork. I looked up a recipe and got started. When it came time to add the BBQ sauce, I realized that my bottle was only about 1/3 full. Hmmm…I opened the bottle, filled it nearly full w/ ketchup, dijon mustard and garlic, shook well and add it to the recipe.

A little improv turned into a tasty meal.

Have a great day~

With the rainy, cold weather comes comfort foods. This dish is easy and goes great with anything from steaks to chili. Give it a try!

1 pkg Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 can cream-style corn
1 can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 cup sour cream
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Good night~

I’m home from work with Luke-Xavier today because he’s not feeling well and when I’m home I LOVE to be in the kitchen.

I decided to make a super easy treat since I have a little time.

2 pkgs of Dr. Oetker Dark Chocolate Truffle Mousse
2 cups milk
1-12oz. tub of extra creamy cool whip

Follow directions on pkgs of mousse. Fold in the entire container of Cool Whip. Chill 2 hours and EAT!

Super easy and extra moussey! Yum!

Have a great day~

I don’t often blog about work, but this week we came up with a craft that was fun, educational and can easily be done at home.

We have been talking about farms and ranches, the different animals on each and the duties of the people who live and work there. We came up with the idea to have the kids learn about sheep and wool. So we made each child their own wooly sheep to shear.

Then we explained about the process and that they would be shearing their sheep with their hands.

Then we had them collect their “wool” and explained that it gets sent to factories and is made into different things that we use at home. We gave them the choice of making a sweater or a blanket.

It was a fun and easy project that taught them about sheep, wool and some of our household items.

Have a great day~

Now that Black Friday is over and we are in full, “it’s time to think of gifts for the kids” mode I wanted to share a great gift idea for those looking for a fun and educational idea for their younger kiddos.

Jump Start Pet Rescue for wii! My 3 youngest have been having a blast with it. And I’m truly surprised at the fact that it’s not only fun but educational. It’s recommended for ages 3-6 but my 7yr old and our 8 yr old friend have been enjoying it too.

The kids have been enjoying JumpStart.com for awhile now and getting Pet Rescue was another way for them to have fun and learn with all that the Jump Start family of products has to offer.

Good luck with all the holiday shopping! I hope all your gift choices can be as easy as this one!

Have a great day~

Many of you know that I get up at 4:15 every morning so that I can get some time that’s just for me and to get things started before I have to wake the kids. It gives me time to think in the quiet while I pack lunches, fill the crock pot, etc.

This morning I had a few minutes left before waking the kids when Luke-Xavier came walking into the kitchen. I cuddled him a little (I love that he’s still little enough to scoop up and cuddle on!) and set him on the counter. He asked me for chocolate milk and I had to explain that we are out of chocolate but that I could make him vanilla milk with whipped cream. He wasn’t too sure about it, but he let me get started anyway. I pulled out the container of whipping cream and he giggled at me and said that that wasn’t whipped cream, it was for coffee. Oh! A moment for magic! I told him I would turn it into whipped cream. He smiled at me like I was the silliest mom ever. So, I poured some into a bowl, added sugar and took out the hand-beater. He still thought I was silly. Once I turned it on and started mixing he watched closely. Pretty soon he yelled, “it’s whipped cream!” and clapped. I scooped up a finger full and put it in his lil mouth. He was so happy! Then I warmed the milk, added a little vanilla and plopped some cream on top.

Happy boy. Happy face. Happy morning moments!

Have a great day~

Mommy of Many’s Mexican Lasagna

JJ requested this tonight and I realized I had forgotten about it.  For awhile it was a staple around the Lang house.  Having Kateri and JJ home for a little while in the summer brings back some of the things I used to do and have just let get dusty in the back of my memory. So, here’s a simple recipe that serves 8-10 but, as with every recipe I post, it can easily be modified to serve fewer or even MORE!

Tortillas

1 can refried beans

1 can black beans

1 can cut tomatoes (you can use any type or even substitute a chunky salsa or Rotel if that’s what you have on hand)

1 can corn

Cheese, sour cream, salsa, olives, avocado….whatever you want to top it with after it’s been cooked

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl dump the refried beans, black beans (drain first), can of tomatoes (do not drain) and the can of corn (drain first).

Mix well

Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with tortillas. I use 3-4

Top tortillas with mixture from the bowl

Top mixture with tortillas (again, 3-4)

Cover pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes

Uncover, top with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted

Cut and serve with chosen toppings

Done!

EASY and INEXPENSIVE!

Let me know how you like it or if you modify it and, as always, feel free to share your recipe ideas.

Good night~

The flooded bathroom because of an overflowing toilet.  This is where I have to be thankful.  Yes, thankful!  Thankful that I’m in military housing and simply had to throw towels down, shut the door and pick up the phone.  They were here in  20 minutes.  The culprit….an apple.  And apple?!  Of all the things I thought he’d find….an apple?!  I’m pretty sure one of the kids must’ve grabbed an apple, taken a few bites, told me they were done with it and I must’ve said, “no, you took it, you’ve gotta eat it”.  So off to the bathroom to flush the evidence.  

~sigh~ 

M.O.M. is thankful for the ease of housing maintenance and challenged by this first week of summer.  

Have a great day~

Potty-training……

Well, I’ve been down this road 8 times and I’ve always started right around each kiddos second birthday.  Last year, as Luke-Xavier’s second birthday was approaching, I decided to wait a little while since Clay had just deployed and I knew that it wasn’t the best time to try to introduce any other life changing events.  So, I waited.  Then summer came and we were busy running around and I thought, “well, I’ll just go through the summer and we’ll worry about potty-training when everyone’s back in school”.  Then school started and I found myself homeschooling two 7th graders and I thought, “well it’s certainly not a good time to worry about potty-training!  Maybe after Clay gets back from deployment and we’re into the holidays….”  And so it went with one “reason” after another until yesterday when I thought, “ok, we HAVE GOT TO GET THIS DONE”!  Not only has his 3rd birthday come and gone, but he’s going to preschool in the Fall and he MUST be potty-trained to be there.  So my mind started working on strategy (I’m a little out of practice).

The other night when he was in the bath, he started to pee and stopped himself and I put him on the pot and he finished there.  Hmmmm….not bad!  So, I know he’s got some control over the whole thing.  Hmmm…..how to motivate him?

Ah Ha!!!!! M&M’s!  I remembered the old trick of giving an M&M (or other small treat) every time a trip to the bathroom is successful.  So, I told him we were going to go to the store to buy a bag and he quickly reminded me of the successful pee episode of the other night and that I owed him ONE M&M.  Who was I to argue with memory, math or motivation?!  One bag of potty-training motivators was purchased and ONE colorful candy was dispensed into a eagerly waiting hand.  

But today!  Oh today!  He gets it!  Man does he EVER get it!  He’s come to me saying he’s gotta go, several times.  So, off with the diaper and a boost onto the potty and he sits there until he makes himself go.  Then he excitedly puts his little hand out for the ONE M&M.  This last time, he was so determined that he spent 20 minutes sitting there, insisting he had to go.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I found something that was gonna work and work fast, but this kid has the patience of a saint!  

So, let’s hope he stays motivated and that it’s quick and easy!  I’d love to make my next shopping trip without purchasing another box of diapers!  

I’ll let you know!

Have a great day (and an M&M!)~

I was grocery shopping yesterday, moving through the store (whinny 6 yr. old in tow), meal planning and thinking about what was already in the fridge, when I realized that I have a pattern of Sunday being the day when I clean everything out and start over again.  When we get home from church on Sundays, I take out all the leftovers from the week (though “week” means more like the last 4 days) and put it all out for lunch.  It’s really the only time I present leftovers and it makes Sunday afternoon easier because I don’t have to prepare a large lunch.  It also gets the fridge cleared out.  

With everyone’s busy, family schedules, I’m wondering what some of your “clean it up and clear it out” strategies are.  Share!

Have a great day~

I felt like this was a good example of how we make things work around here-

The other morning, Clay was making the lunches and let me know that we were out of bread (of course it was the morning of the day that I was going grocery shopping, so there wasn’t a lot to work with).  I told him to grab the tortillas and cheese and make quesadillas.  There weren’t any flour tortillas.  Hmmmm…….what to do?  I looked in the fridge, saw that we had the small, corn tortillas, grabbed them and the cheese and headed to the stove-top.  I lightly toasted the tortillas over the flame of the gas burner and then added some thinly, sliced cheese, folded each one over and VOILA!  Lunch was ready to be packed.  

Of course, as soon as the kids were delivered to the school, I headed to the grocery store.  We are now fully stocked, once again.

Have a great day~

During this time of the year we tend to put out decorations. A lot of the time I have my table decorated which means a table cloth and garland etc. When the kids get crumbs on the table, it’s a pain to remove everything to shake out the table cloth.

Quick tip; brush as many crumbs off with you hand, as you can. Use a lint roller to pick up the rest. It’s super fast and easy and keeps the table cloth clean!

Have a great day~

So…..my favorite vidcaster…Chassy Cat (Wonderwoman AND Technogenius) was asking for videos awhile back and though I thought of obvious things to submit (you know, singing, dancing and the like), what I actually came up with was an idea on how to use her “One Click Server” idea to help deployed service members and their families keep in touch. So, Luke-Xavier and I sat down and made a little video about it and sent it in. Guess what?! It’s up! Go check out Chassy Cat’s Podcast O’ Technogeekery and watch me and Luke-Xavier in our video debut. And hey, while you’re over there, don’t forget to subscribe to her show. She has some seriously great ideas AND she’s too much fun to watch!

Good night~

P.S. if you came here looking for Rod Stewart info and you feel led astray…..never fear! Just click HERE

It was brought to my attention that my first show wouldn’t play. Bummer! Good news! It’s fixed. So, if you’re new to the site and you want to hear a little about each of the kiddos and why I started this adventure or if you missed the first few shows and want to catch up, click here. It’s a good place to get started!

While you’re here listening, take a minute to subscribe to the show. It’s quick and easy! Just click the button to the left that says, “iTunes”. While you’re there, don’t forget to leave a review, telling the world what you think of the show (be nice!). Don’t have an iTunes account? Take a minute to sign up!

Still wondering why in the world you should subscribe or what it’s all about? Take a look at Chassy Cat’s show . While you’re at her site, help her out by clicking on the Aveeno Baby ad! Yep, we’re all working together to show the great people at Aveeno that our listeners/readers care.

Thanks for visiting!

Good night~

No is a powerful word and as parents I feel that we need to feel confident in using it to set limits for our children, even when it means that we go against all the hype happening around us. It can be hard to stand firm, but I feel that it’s crucial so that our children learn to appreciate the true gifts in life.

Thank you for coming to MommyofMany.com. I look forward to your questions or comments. You can email me at Jen@MommyofMany.com

Have a great day~