Artichoke Parmesan Chicken

This is the best chicken recipe I have ever tried. It is extremely simple to prepare, yet looks very elegant to serve to your finest guests! It is best served with fresh, warm bread!
Head over here for the recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Artichoke-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Toddlers!

There is nothing worse than the potty training days (or months in this case). Our youngest, which is the princess of the home and is going to be 3 years old next February, has been somewhat interested in potty training for months. She gets into it.....then loses interest. For a while it was like having a puppy.... she would pee in the corners and then come get us to tell us about it! Everyone told me that girls are easier than boys, I am NOT finding that to be true in our house. The 2 boys potty trained fairly easily and my middle son practically trained himself in a matter of one week!
So we have tried all kinds of tricks, her own potty seat, letting her pick out panties, rewards (better known as bribes!). So now what? I guess we just wait until the time is right (again) *sighs*
A friend of mine just told me that she pushed both her daughters to potty train early and now at 6 & 8 they are still wetting the bed. She has been going to a "dry clinic" at Children's Hospital and says that they doctor there told her that really children should not be trained before they are 3 years old. So I guess I will hang tight for a few more months!

Child size apron

I made each of my 3 children their very own apron. We love to spend time cooking or baking together. I guess, since I love to cook and bake it is a great way to spend time with my kids. Sharing that passion I have for the kitchen with them is so much fun. My oldest, Spirit, as I call him, will help but it really isn't his favorite thing to do and he loses interest in the whole thing rather quickly. My middle son, Lefty, as I call him, enjoys it very much. He will stick it out until the whole process is done, even helping to clean up afterwards. My youngest, Lady Bug, as we all call her, isn't that into it either and it may be that she just is still too young....time will tell I suppose!
I wanted to put pictures here of the aprons because Lady Bug's came out SO cute! I found a white towel that had a cute cherry near the bottom and red and white ruffled trim. It was so perfect for Lady Bug, I had to adjust the directions a little bit in order to make this one work with all the trim but it still came out so adorable. For the boys I found some neat retro looking towels!
I haven't had a chance to get good pictures out of the kids (they are less than cooperative), so I will post those as soon as the kiddos cooperate! (Maybe I was pushing them over the edge because they had picture day at school yesterday which was a fiasco because the power went out in our whole neighborhood!)
I got my instructions from the Family Fun website:
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11092
Each one took me about or less than an hour to make!

Picture day

Today is picture day for the boys at school. I got them all dressed and combed their hair and then what do they do? They do what all good brothers do.... started wrestling while they were supposed to be eating breakfast so one of them ended up crying and the other ended up with strawberry jelly on his shirt - the very shirt I wanted him to wear for pictures! So we had to pick another shirt and comb the hair again!
I remember dreading picture day when I was in school, but my boys embraced it like it was a party! Last year one boy was smiling and the other boy looked scared to death. Hopefully this year the school photo will be better than last!

I am excited about my post for tomorrow - it is a child's apron craft. It is extremely simple and so adorable!! I will have the instructions for this apron so come back tomorrow and check it out!

An inch tall

Have you ever worked with someone who made you feel so inadequate and stupid that you got knots in your stomach everytime you saw them or saw that they emailed you? I was working (until today) this part time job helping my friend. I love him dearly but his office manager makes me feel an inch tall every day. I have talked to my friend over and over and he makes me feel better.... then we have a new day and I feel terrible about myself all over again. Sheesh. I can't take it anymore. Today was the last straw. I mean this woman double and triple checks my work........I have never had anyone do that to me. Then she will find a small typo and make a huge issue of it. I mean a typo in something that no one but the office staff will see, not a client or anything. Today's mistake though was a big one...... And I am the first to admit it. A client left a message and needed some info..... I took the message off the voice mail and called once (the woman didn't have an answering machine or it wasn't working ...anyway I couldn't leave a message) but I never called again. I have no idea how she slipped through my notes/cracks!!! So anyway, she ended up not getting her info in time! I felt terrible, offered to call and apologize. But all I got from this crazy office manager was that she hoped it didn't cost our boss (my friend) a long term client and that she would have someone else call to apologize. Whatever. I am so done. I hate to quit on my friend but the last time we talked about her he said he needed her so he can have her and find someone to replace me!

Make your bed!!

As a working mother of 3, sometimes it is hard to keep the house clean. I try. I really do! But a friend of mine commented the other day on how clean my house is! I said "WHAT? Do you have your contacts in???" So we got to talking about it and here are some tips that I have incorporated into my daily routine: First, I always make my bed. Growing up my dad always told me that if you make your bed then the house "feels" cleaner. This is true. So I always make my bed as soon as I get up (this helps so I don't jump back into bed too!!) Secondly, after I am done in the bathroom with my hair and makeup, etc. I ...... are you ready for this....... I take a disinfectant wipe and wipe down the counter, faucet, sink and even wipe down the toilet. This makes the bathroom "feel" clean and forces me to put stuff in it's proper place. Thirdly, I start a load of laundry which will get tossed into the dryer when I come home from work. Then, after we have dinner I wipe down the counters and stove. But I also wipe my sink clean and wipe down the faucet. I throw the dish towel and dish rag in the laundry basket to be washed (I can't stand a stinky washrag!) Then, I spend 20 minutes picking up the living area, folding that load of clothes from the dryer, watering plants, etc. The children are required to help with this task of picking up and also making sure their backpacks are ready for the following day and hung up by the door. Now, dusting...... well that is not something I do regularly! Ask the poor little knick knacks whose lungs are filled with dust and debris! *sigh* Oh well, maybe one day I can incorporate that into my daily routines!

Taco Soup

As the weather is changing and turning colder it is time to pull out the slow cooker and make some soup. Here is a simple soup recipe that is better the longer it sits in the slow cooker. I serve it with crushed tortilla chips in it or sometimes cheese and sour cream. Crushed Fritos are good too. The kids like to use cookie cutters and cut shapes out of tortillas, we brush them with a little oil and sprinkle with salt. Then bake for about 10 minutes in a 325 degree oven to make our "shape chips".

Ingredients:
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cans (16 oz) corn
1 can (20 oz) pinto beans
1 can (16 oz) dark kidney beans
1 packet dry Taco Seasoning mix
3/4 cup water
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix
1 1/2 lbs hamburger

In a skillet, brown hamburger. Drain fat. Add taco seasoning and water and simmer for 10 minutes. Add meat and all other ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on low setting for 6 or more hours. This soup truly tastes better the longer it cooks.

Printable version of recipe

TGIF.... boy do I need a weekend

Well, I am sure glad it is Friday. We have had a terrible week. A friend of our DS, who is only 5, was hit and killed on his bike. We had to tell our DS and of course I went to the funeral. Even though my DH is in the funeral business and we have to deal with death daily, it is very hard when it is someone we know. I can't imagine what that poor mother is going through. I delivered a still born 4 years ago but the situations are so very different that I can not put myself in that woman's shoes. Not to diminish what we went through, but I never had the birthdays or the Christmas' or baseball, etc. There is nothing more heart wrenching - as a mom - watching another mom sob for the loss of her son. Especially such a young boy.WOW! Sorry to start off with such a downer! But I needed to get some of this pain down on "paper" and try to move on!We are walking, as a family, to raise money and awareness for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood. (See link below) Then we are also hosting a Denver Bronco football party at our house. Then for dinner on Sunday we are biking to meet some close friends at a nearby park for a picnic. Should be fun! We do a lot of walks to raise money. Last week we raised over $600 for Alzheimers and walked a 5k in City Park!!I probably won't be blogging this weekend since there is so much going on. Back on Monday!Here is the link to the fundraiser we are involved in this weekend. http://www.joshandgus.com/