Our Weekend in Pictures….

Wow!  What a weekend!  Where did the time go….Does it go by as fast for you as it does me?  This weekend we visited a local hands-on children’s museum.  I thought it would be fun to share with you our experience in pictures.  We had a great time.  Ethan was already asking when we could go back when we were driving home!  J  We will definitely be going back this summer on the days where it is just too hot to go outside!  I hope you had a great weekend too!  Talk to you all tomorrow!

~Nikki

Disinfecting with Basic G

If there is one thing I can’t stand other than a dirty house is the germs!  I was a huge bleach user until I stumbled upon Shaklee.  Did you realize that bleach is considered a pesticide by the EPA?  Unbelievable!  I was disinfecting my bathroom sinks, toilets, laundry, and even my kid’s toys with bleach!  Yikes!

Now, I use Shaklee’s Basic G.  It is a safe and effective alternative to that yucky bleach.  Basic G is awesome.  It kills far more pathogens than Lysol (Basic G kills 32 pathogens and Lysol kills 8) and it’s effective for 3 days, whereas bleach lasts about 1 hour.  It is non-toxic and biodegradable.  It is also super concentrated so one quart of this magic stuff will make up to 64 gallons of disinfectant!  Can you feel the weight lifting off your wallet?  Total money savings!  Yahoo! 

I use my Basic G on a variety of places in my home.  One place that I’m always cleaning is my daughter’s diaper pail.  It’s great on garbage cans, toilets, bathroom sinks, the shower or bathtub, kitchen counters (please not around food), door knobs, light switches, and even floors.  Some people even use it as a weed killer!  (1 gallon of water, 1 tablespoon of Shaklee Basic G, ½ cup of white vinegar)

If you are a Lysol or Clorox wipe fan, Shaklee has the alternative for that as well.  The Germ Off Disinfecting Wipes are great for cleaning around the toilet, the kitchen counter, or surfaces in your bathroom.  I keep a container of these in my car as well because they are great on the go too. 

So, here’s what you do….First, jump off the bleach train and grab a bottle HERE.  Once you receive it, just mix just 3/8 of a teaspoon to 16oz of water or 1 tablespoon to 1 gallon of water for bigger jobs. (Use within 30 days once mixed)

That’s it!  So easy and safe!  Again, if you want to start to remove the toxic cleaners from your home my suggestion would be getting a Get Clean kit and the Basic G.  It’s a great investment for your health and your family’s health. 

Have a great weekend!

~Nikki

Summertime Fun for the Kiddos!

Now that I have taken on the role of being a Stay at Home Mom, I have been compiling a list of things I’d like to do this summer with my kids.  I have never had the experience being home with them in the summertime other than a week of vacation that I would take at work.  I’m so excited to finally be able to have some fun in the sun!  I thank God everyday that I have been given this opportunity to be with them.  I thought it would be fun to share my list so far and see if you my readers have anything that you’d like to add.  It’s a long summer, so the more the merrier!  J

·        Have an indoor picnic (perfect for a rainy or really hot day)

·        Play in the sprinkler

·        Start a garden (flowers and veggies)

·        Go bird watching

·        Take a trip to the local park

·        Go visit a children’s museum

·        Go berry picking at the orchard

·        Set up a lemonade stand

·        Go fly kites

·        Build a fort out of pillows and blankets

·        Have a water balloon fight

·        Go bowling

·        Spend a day volunteering our time for a local charity

·        Go to the beach

·        Make some homemade bubbles and wands

·        Start a fire and make smores!

·        Take a trip to the amusement park

·        Camp out in the backyard (my husband will be doing this….I choose to stay inside where it’s bug free!)

·        Go to the petting zoo

·        Make homemade popsicles

Please add any more you can think of in the comments section below.  I’d love to hear your ideas!  J

Have a great day!

~Nikki

Super Easy, Kid Friendly, English Muffin Pizzas

Ok, so this isn’t the most gourmet recipe in the world but its fun, kid friendly, and really easy!  My husband works well over 2 hours away from work so most nights it’s just me and the kids for dinner.  With my hands so full, I usually turn to things that take me 30 minutes or less.  These pizzas are so versatile.  I’m sure most of you have already made these before and know that there are so many variations to the recipe.  I like to stay on the more healthy side so I don’t use pepperoni, bacon, or any of the really greasy stuff.  In this particular recipe I used Italian chicken sausage.  It’s awesome!  Any way you make these, I’m sure they’ll be delicious! 

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of English muffins
• Olive oil         
• 1 jar pizza sauce
• ½ tsp of garlic powder
• ½ tsp of Italian seasoning
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Whatever toppings you like on pizza (In this recipe I used Italian Chicken Sausage)     

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450.

Split the English muffins and brush the outside with olive oil, place the cut side up on a baking sheet. 

Sprinkle the muffins with the garlic powder

Toast in the oven until slightly brown. 

Remove from the oven and top with pizza sauce, toppings, the mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. 

Even Ethan likes to help!

Bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly brown. 

Here is Ethan's plate….I always like to have some sort of veggie with every meal!

Enjoy!

~Nikki

Meal Planning 101

Welcome to my first of an ongoing meal planning series for Mom’s and Dad’s!  As a very busy Mom who is taking care of two children, running a business, and going to school, I find it very difficult to not have a plan in place when it comes to meals during the week.  Before I started meal planning, my husband would pick up take out on the way home from work or I’d cook frozen junk that really took no effort at all.  Both of these are extremely unhealthy and not creative.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t cook gourmet meals every day.  I make things that are not only healthy, but quick and easy as well, because let’s face it, who has the time! 

So, twice a month I’ll be sharing with you my lovely and faithful readers our menu and give you some tips on what works for me.  I do my big grocery shopping trips twice per month and then weekly I get my essentials, milk, fresh fruit, veggies, etc.  I plan according to what is on sale and I also clip coupons.  This is a bit time consuming on my Sunday nights, but I have saved a significant amount of money. 

Without further ado, here’s my menu for the next two weeks!

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Mother’s Day Dinner at Aunt Sue’s House	Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli with rice	English Muffin Pizzas with Italian Chicken Sausage	Stuffed Peppers	Chicken Parmesan with Salad	Tater Tot Casserole	Teriyaki Steak on the Grill with Veggies and Baked Potatoes
Crockpot Bolognese with Salad	Chicken Enchiladas	Meatloaf Muffins with Rice and Veggies	Crockpot Chicken Philly Grinders and French Fries	Tacos with Mexican Rice	Grilled Honey lime chicken with Mexican 3 Bean Salad	Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet Potato and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Note:  I post my menu on the front of the fridge so I know what I need to thaw out first thing in the morning.  This way, I don’t even need to think about it!  I also keep a magnetic notepad on the front of the fridge as well so if I run out of something my husband or I will make a note of it.  This makes life very easy when it comes time to plan my grocery shopping trip. 

I’m also going to be sharing with everyone some of the recipes I make for our dinners.  Now, keep in mind, I’m feeding an extremely picky five year old!  Need I say more?  I cook very easy, very kid friendly meals that work for my family.  I try very hard to instill what my Mom taught me which is to have a meat, veggie and a starch at every meal.  Do I do this every night?  Nope.  I’m human!  I do try my best though. 

Tonight I’m making English muffin pizzas with salad.  I’ll be sharing the recipe tomorrow so please stop back!

Have a great day!

~Nikki

Happy Mother’s Day!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend so far!   We have been quite busy helping my brother with his new house.  He’s literally flipping it.  He got a great deal on it, but it also requires a great deal of work.  My husband spent the day over there yesterday helping build furniture and install various things.  It’s really coming along.  I’m kicking myself for not taking some before and after photos because it’s such an amazing transformation! 

I just wanted to take a quick moment today to let you all know of the free shipping special we have going on for today only.  Today, we’re offering free shipping with any Enfuselle Skin Care System purchase.  I absolutely LOVE the Enfuselle line.  I was always a Neutrogena fan until I came across this stuff.  My skin is incredible and has never been healthier and best of all, you deserve it!

If you are a member you can order the kit right HERE. 

If you aren’t a Shaklee member yet you can join FREE with your Enfuselle Skin Care System purchase!  Order right HERE.

Our system comes in two formulas, Normal to Oily and Normal to Dry.  Pick whichever one is right for you!

Just don’t forget….This is good for TODAY only!  While you are at it, don’t forget to enter into the Mother’s day giveaway!  It’s right below this post. 

Have a great day and Happy Mother’s Day!

~Nikki

Mommy & the Monsters Mother’s Day Contest!

Hi Moms!

It’s that time again….the time where our families celebrate us for all the hard work we do for them all year long!  It’s the day where we can stay in bed and let our husband’s cook us breakfast and take care of the kids!  Don’t you wish it was everyday!  I know I do! 

To celebrate this fun day I thought it would be fun to have a little contest for the weekend.  There are only 2 requirements….here we go!  J

First, you must subscribe to the Mommy & the Monsters newsletter (The sign up box is on the left hand side)

And

Second, you need to respond to this blog post and tell me one thing you LOVE about being a Mommy. 

Ok, so I know what you’re wondering…..What do I win?  Well, if you are like me, I LOVE the spa.  With having my two monsters at home I just don’t get there as much as I used to.  I absolutely adore this Enfuselle Spa Shea Butter Cream.  My skin is so much softer and hydrated since I started using it.  This stuff rocks!  One of you lucky Mommy’s will be receiving a full size bottle from me!

I’ll draw one lucky winner Monday morning (5/14)

Good luck and Happy Mother’s Day!

~Nikki