Finding the Best in Midwest Weekend Getaways
Each year, Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of camping season for families all over the country! Reservations for spots at our local state park open up in February and book up very fast! Time to Camp Camping with kids
I know, a cheesy spin-off of Dr. Seuss, right? But, honestly…it describes my life right now. A few months back a friend of mine, Jen over at Just A Mom Giving It A Tri wrote about the different hats that
Did you know it’s Beef Month and so these Easy Shredded Beef Enchiladas fit perfectly! We are lucky enough to be able to purchase our beef from friends, who are farmers! We purchase it a half at a time (which means we get a half of a cow processed at a local locker) and our favorite locker is Lewright Meats in Eagle Grove, IA! This also means that we can have cuts of meats that we don’t eat as often as others! Ground beef goes REALLY fast in our house, steaks are close behind. Roasts…slowly bring up the tail end.
So, I’ve been hunting for recipes to use with roast beef. Last month I introduced Shredded Beef Tostadas! Well, I have good news and bad news The good is that I thought they were fantastic and the shredded beef that I concocted was melt in your mouth good. The bad news is that T thought the tostadas were too messy and hard to eat! I thought to myself…how can I use this mexi-beef in another dish? So, without further adieu…
Can I tell you a secret? I hate Mother’s Day! I love honoring my mom, which I feel that I do throughout the year and of course do my best to make her feel extra special on Mother’s Day, but being a step-mom on Mother’s Day is hard! This is one of those real times that choosing the path I have is very difficult and the feelings are very raw!
R & M have a mom who is very present in their life and she is a good one! I will NEVER try to take that away from her! However, I’d by lying if I didn’t say that it hurts to not be recognized on Mother’s Day for the things that I do to help support and better the boys’ lives as well as love them unconditionally. I don’t blame anyone for this, I’m not angry with them, T, or anyone else. It just sucks and there is no good solution. We try very hard to be very respectful of the boys’ mom and so we don’t make a big deal out of this type of thing (until now…whoops!) In fact, while I was driving R to his moms this morning, I said to him, “you know Sunday is Mother’s Day…you need to make sure to make your mom a card or something!” I encourage their relationship and focus on that she is their mother! However, I will admit that every once in a while, it would be nice if someone recognized me for what I do for the boys.
Dear Parents (of Child Athletes),
First, you won’t a more enthusiastic parent in the stands than myself! I’m the biggest cheerleader there is for my boys and am not afraid of who sees or hears, so before you start thinking that I’m one of those parents who sits on their hands and is silent (ironically, that is T), think again!
These Are Kids – I know that you think you’re setting your kid up for the future, but remember…right now they are kids. Let them be kids! Let them have fun and play their sports. Let them run and get dirty, let them play with their friends…don’t fill their schedules with endless teams and practices. Make sure they have time to just be kids!! Be positive and upbeat. You can provide criticism and coaching and still be positive! Don’t kill your kids’ spirits! Remember, they are JUST 
KIDS!
This will be a 2 part post to both the child athlete and their parents! Part 1: Dear Child Athlete Dear Child Athlete, I know how excited you get when it’s time for practice, games, etc. It’s so much fun to
Everyone loves a good classic recipe and that’s exactly what you’ll find with this goulash round-up! It happens to be one of R’s favorite food, so during the colder months here in Iowa we eat it frequently!
I traveled to Australia in college and I got the privilege of staying in a lot of homes (host families) during my tour with the Castle Singers of Wartburg College. While staying in Canberra (their capital) I was placed in a home of German immigrants. They immigrated to Australia in the 60’s and still spoke German in their home. Their accents were so thick that it made it hard to understand some times. They were great people (even though our host-dad did think the answer for everything was a little “vhisky (whisky)”. Our second night with them our host-mom asked if we liked Goulash! A home cooked meal just like mom made sounded so good, but little did I know at that point in my life that not everyone made Goulash the same way. Imagine my surprise when we sat down for supper and I was served something similar to THIS over noodles! While it was good (hers had quite a bit of a spice) it definitely wasn’t “like mom makes it”! So, what better than a Goulash round-up with all these thoughts floating in my head?
I folded another “little” shirt the other night and put it on the stack of shirts to sell or giveaway! As I did a tear rolled down my cheek! M has been growing at a rapid pace lately! Too fast for my liking!! Every weekend when I do laundry, I’m folding at least one shirt that has gotten too small or one pair of pants that look more like capris, or a pair of shorts that are on their way to looking like volleyball shorts…these go into a pile to either giveaway or sell (depending on how long they’ve been around and what kind of conditions they’ve been introduced to during their life in our home)!!
