What's Cookin'?

Chicken Fajita Nachos

Tortilla chips

Black beans

Shredded lettuce

Sauteed peppers & onions

Sour cream

Jalapenos

Salsa

Shredded fajita flavored chicken

Mexican cheese

White cheese dip

Grill chicken until completely cooked. Shred chicken & place in a pan with fajita mix (we use 2 Old El Paso Fajita mix packets). Simmer until ready to eat. Load up your nachos with all of your favorites & enjoy!

Brian came up with this quick & easy dinner option after I had an extremely difficult week. He made enough chicken that I was able to freeze about 1/2 of it for a later date. I love the fact that this meal can be made into whatever you want...burritos, tacos, salads, etc.

Super Buys: July Edition

I'm looking for ways to add to my blog posts. Let's face it...I'm not a great blogger. With that being said, I figured I could start sharing some items I purchased over the past month that I got a great deal on. Here's it goes:

Star Wars plates

No-slip grips on the back of the plate. Shout out to whomever came up with this idea!!

I love using plates for our boys that have separated compartments. It makes portion sizes easier to serve, calm the 1 child who doesn't like his food to mix, & let's face it...character plates are just plain cool. Both boys are into Star Wars right now so I picked up 2 of these bad boys at Kohl's. I got them on a BOGO 1/2 half sale making them $14.99 for the pair. 

Better Homes Wax Melts

I don't visit Wal-Mart often but I found these wax melts the last time I was there. They had a HUGE bin of melts for $2 each & I found so many scents that I like. I only picked up couple different ones on this trip because I know even more fall scents are coming very soon. They keep their aroma for quite a while & are easily stackable (which makes storage even easier).

Fiesta Glassware

This is by far my most exciting Super Buy of the month. I started my Fiestaware collection last fall & absolutely love all of the products I have so far. I've been searching for their glasses but they're difficult to come by in store plus I'm a cheapo when it comes to spending money on glasses when I already have a cabinet full. During one of my Kohl's trips (yes, there were multiple trips), I found 4 of these cuties on the clearance shelf in the kitchen section. They were marked down for $2.08/glass. I couldn't say 'no' so in the cart they went. You'll be happy to know that I even got rid of 4 older glasses to replace with the new ones.

Norwex

I've been an avid Norwex user for a few years. Their cleaning products have always been my favorite purchases & I recently became a consultant for the company. Since the new fall items have just become available, I purchased a couple of them for myself. The Body Scrub Mitt has done wonders for my eczema in the short amount of time I've had it. My skin has become much softer & I haven't used near as many lotion products. The Chenille Hand Towel is a huge hit with the kids because they think it's hilarious to dry their hands on it. It's extremely soft & dries quickly.

What are some of your favorites purchases from July???

July Update

***A couple days early but we have a hectic weekend ahead***

Outside my window . . . it's sunny but the sun will be setting soon

I am thinking . . . of a potential business opportunity. Lots to think about!!

I am thankful for . . . girl talk. It's wonderful to talk to other mommies who totally understand what I go through. We mommas must stick together!

I am going . . . back to work in the morning so tonight will be busy. At least there are only 2 days until the weekend.

I am wondering . . . how soon the speech therapist will contact me to set up an appointment.

I am reading . . . A Time to Dance by Karen Kingsbury

I am hoping . . . to finish sorting through Levi's old clothes before tomorrow night. I procrastinated long enough considering the yard sale is this weekend. Oops!

I am looking forward to . . . our fun filled weekend!

I am hearing . . . Brian give the boys a shower. It's the small tasks that he does that I greatly appreciate.

Around the house . . . are a ton of clean clothes that need to be put away. I've worked hard at catching up on this daunting task.

One of my favorite things . . . is spending our evenings together watching some TV before bed.

A few plans for the rest of the week . . . Brian's family reunion on Saturday morning, Brian & I are going to a wedding on Saturday afternoon (kid free!!), & a day trip to Holiday World on Sunday.

Happy Campers

Brian & I bought our first camper (a pop-up) last May. We camped twice in the fall & once earlier this year with it & were hooked. Brian grew up camping with both of his parents while I only camped once as a child. Both of us have always wanted to have something special to do as a family that will be fun, exciting, adventurous, & memorable. Camping has become that for us. 

Jump ahead to May 2016...Brian is full speed ahead on a search for a newer camper for us. I agreed right away but gave him a strict budget. We quickly realized our expectations were a little far fetched so we re-budgeted & agreed on a new price to stick to. We checked a few out & lost out on a really good deal right away. Brian came across this camper about a month ago:

Brian contacted the owner immediately & we scheduled a time to look at it the next day. We assumed it would quickly sell so we had earnest money handy & I'm glad we did because someone else was coming to look at it after us. I quickly fell in love with the layout & decor. While Brian loved the storage & extra space. After discussing it over dinner, we made up our minds that this was the ONE!! In a matter of a couple days, we were pulling into our driveway with a new toy...and we couldn't be happier. Here's an inside look:

Queen size bed (brand new memory foam mattress was given to us by previous owners)

Full working kitchen. Couch & table both turn into beds.

Bunk beds for the kids. Don't mind the messy comforter--the boys were wrestling. :)

Bathroom has a vanity just behind the door.

I'm super excited to share our camping adventures with you throughout the years!!! Do any of you have any camping do's or don'ts?

Summer Update

We have been super busy making lots of memories since Logan has been out of school. I hope you're enjoying the summer break as much as we are. Here are some pictures to highlight some of our favorites:

TMNT movie time with cousins

Daddy teaching Levi about gun safety (don't worry...it's a BB gun)

Logan practicing him aim

Working on his kicks for swim class

Snack break!

Splish, splash

Beautiful night for an Otters game

This is our solution to a pool :)

1st sleepover at our house. Cousin Landon stayed over & we got Donut Bank for breakfast

Sprinkler fun

Recap: January Edition

Brady thought the extremely cold weather was ridiculous

We took the kids to an Icemen game. It was Star Wars night & the boys loved it! They also enjoyed watching the fights. :)

Lowe's fun while I'm trying to decide on light fixtures

Logan reading his bible to my mom

The boys & I ventured to the zoo this past weekend since the weather was wonderful. Logan's smile & pose cracks me up!

Levi had a check-up with his orthopedic doctor so he was treated to Donut Bank for breakfast

Our very own winter wonderland

Logan was totally done with our Lowe's trip

Someone lost his 1st tooth!!!

Cousin play time

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Schedules are a must!

For me, organization is key. Plain & simple. If I don't have a list with me while I'm shopping you might as well forget it because it overwhelms me then I become irritated & frazzled. Plus, I end up making a 2nd trip because I forgot about 1/2 of what I should have gotten in the first place. My husband thinks I over do it on the list making but you know what...it keeps this family going. 

One area I have always struggled with has been cleaning our house. I would find an excuse every week: I worked full time, having a newborn is exhausting, I didn't feel like I should do it all, we had too many plans for the week, etc, etc, etc. Once I went part-time things got better but I never felt like I found a groove for cleaning. Let's be honest, it isn't a fun task but it has to be done. Now that I am working even less than before & have a set schedule, life seems much less chaotic. Sure, our house is spewed with toys throughout the day but the overall cleanliness is at an all time high. I credit my cleaning schedule to it. I have found that doing a little bit every day is easiest for me. Regardless if I'm working or not, the household chores don't get out of hand. I have 4 schedules (monthly, daily, & 2 weekly for each of my work schedules since it rotates).

Monthly

Basement

Baseboards

Ceiling fans

Windows

Weekly

Monday: Sweep, Laundry 

Tuesday: Toy room

Wednesday: Sweep, Laundry

Thursday: Bathrooms

Friday: Bedrooms

Saturday: Dust, Doors, Sweep

Sunday: Refrigerator, Pantry, Wash sheets

Daily

Dishes

Clear clutter off counter tops

Put toys away

 1 load of laundry

Gaiser Goals

2016 is a very exciting year for our family. Not because of anything specific but because we choose for it to be. It's time to become better planners & make more lasting memories for our kids. I believe by writing down our goals for the year it holds us accountable & drives us to obtain them. Below are our family's goals for the year:

• Plan 3 camping trips (with our new camper) including 1 trip to a new destination.
• Put more money into our emergency savings. (Who doesn't want to do this, right??)
• Eliminate as much debt as possible.(I'm excited to report that as of yesterday we've knocked out $3,300 worth of debt in 13 days!)
• Attend church more often. (I promised myself last year that I would start going to church more often & I did. Now I want to up it even more.)
• Strive to become a better meal planner.
• Sign the kids up for more extra curricular activities.
• Stick to our monthly budget more consistently.
• Learn the ins & outs of canning since we're planting our 1st garden. (I see a lot of quality time with my mother-in-law in my future.)
• Modify our chicken coop, extend the run, & add to our flock.
• Start saving for our Disney 2017 trip.
• Plan a mini vacation for Brian & I to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.
• Build a fire pit & picnic area to enjoy the beautiful weather with our family & friends.
• Upstairs bathroom renovation.
• Turn our storage area in the basement into my canning & food storage room. (I'm stoked about this one!!)

We have set some pretty exciting goals for ourselves this year. I can't wait to start crossing these off of the list & will update on them as the year goes on. What do you have planned for 2016?