Freezer Meals!

One of my favorite "secrets" to the life of the busy mom is freezer meals. I had not discovered these until I became a mom, but any fixer of meals can benefit from how easy they make dinner time! I wish I had known more when I was just a working wife and then perhaps, I would've cooked yummy, healthy, homemade meals a little more often. Now that I'm 2 weeks away from having Baby #3, I've finally made the time to research and prepare them. Better late than never! And I can't wait for that moment to arrive when I'm exhausted and need to get dinner on the table, and I can look in my freezer and choose from a variety of homemade options. Here are two of my favorites (found several years ago from TheBusyBudgetingMama.com) and slightly altered to fit my needs. I've made all three of these before and they are fabulous!

Curry Chicken
2-3 Chicken Breasts (cut into smaller pieces)
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp. curry powder

Put all ingredients into freezer bag and write on bag:
- Cook low 8 hours.
- Serve over basmati rice & with a side of garlic naan (Indian bread which is YUMMY! & found in the bakery section
at Kroger)
- Option: add sour cream to reduce heat

This is also a great meal to just make on the go and throw in your slow cooker. In fact, I most frequently make it fresh, not frozen. In this case, I cook it 3-4 hours on high, or until I can tell that the chicken is done. I also usually double all the ingredients to make multiple meals out of it. It requires so little, you might as well make it last! I've also read it's a good idea to place your freezer meals in the fridge the night before you plan to use them, so in that case, I would imagine you may not need to cook it as long either. I will let you know!

Chicken & Dumplings
2-3 chicken breasts
2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup
2 medium gold potatoes (chopped)
half a bag of frozen peas & carrots
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp. butter
can of biscuits (not added, save for when you make!)

Put all ingredients (except biscuits) into freezer bag and write on bag:
-Place in slow cooker and cover ingredients with water
- Cook on High 4 Hours
- Take can of biscuits, open, and cut each biscuit into 4ths. Drop in slow cookers and stir around. Cook for 30 more minutes.

Pulled Pork
1 onion, chopped
1 pork shoulder ("pork butt"), 5-7 lbs
salt & pepper
2 cans Dr. Pepper
2 tbsp. brown sugar

Add everything into your freezer bag. Write on bag:
-Add 1/4 cup water when you cook.
-Cook on High 3-4 hours

I will say, I have made the pulled pork MANY times, but not from being frozen. It seems like a huge pork butt that is 7 lbs. will not fit into a freezer bag, but you can let me know! I made this recently fro my family and because it makes so much, I put a ton of it into a freezer bag for once baby comes. That way it's already actually made and just has to thaw. The last time I made it, my pork butt was a little over 7 lbs and took several hours longer than the 3-4 hours written in the recipe, so keep that in mind. You'll know it's ready when you take two forks and try to shred the meat. If it doesn't just "fall apart", then it's not ready.

I hope these are helpful and please give me feedback on what works for you!

xoxo,
Lizzie

Valentine's Day Giveaway!

Love is in the air...and I'm feeling especially full of love today (and all weekend)! Enough so, that I want to share a little love with my readers. I'm thrilled to announce that I'm doing my first blog giveaway (no purchase required)! Make sure to read through to the bottom so you can have your chance to win. AND YES! IT'S WORKING NOW! (there was a little hiccup when I posted the giveaway on Friday).

Today's giveaway is with the one, the only, Jamberry Nails! As many of you may know, this is my new "work at home mom" side career. I not only stay at home to take care of my 1 year old, my 2 and 1/2 year old, and our new 13 week old puppy (which you can read more about the craziness of that here), but I have joined Jamberry's team of consultants in the U.S.! You can check out my official Jamberry profile: http://lizziewoolwine.jamberrynails.net/profile/

So what is Jamberry? And what is all the hype? I've had many friends excited to try it (and are now loving their beautiful, long-lasting nails) and I've also had some who are shy to give it a go. I was in that same boat. I had heard of Jamberry and wasn't sure what all the hype was about. Nail wraps? Seemed a little...odd. Until I finally tried a sample.

I requested my first sample last summer when my friend Jaime had a Facebook party. It arrived....and then I let it sit on my dresser for months. Another friend had a party and I requested another sample...so now I had TWO samples. What to do, what to do? I finally decided to watch the darn "application video" that I kept seeing in these Facebook parties and try to put it on. I think I watched that video like 5 times before I actually did it, because I was so scared to mess it up! I put a sample on each hand and painted the rest of my nails with my preferred OPI polish.

Day 1 (Jamberry is on my ring finger, OPI on the rest)

Day 7 -- still Jammin'!

One day went by, two days went by....the polish started chipping, but my Jamberry was still there. Looking the same and "growing" on me with it's crazy, leopard pattern. Two weeks later (which is how long Jamberry claims that their wraps last), my polish was all gone (it had gotten so bad that I removed it with polish remover), but  I had a random Jamberry sample on because it was STILL looking awesome!!!! It finally came off a couple days later in the shower...but I was amazed. I knew I had to have my own party and earn more of these babies for FREE!

The rest is history...I had my party, LOVED sharing it with my friends, and decided that I loved them so much I wanted to share them with everyone! The HYPE is for REAL!

The wraps are very affordable being $15 for a sheet, and each sheet comes with enough wraps to wear multiple manicures and multiple pedicures. Just wait until you try a pedicure -- they're awesome! I was scared to try that too. But I did. And SIX WEEKS LATER, my toes were still "jammin'! I've never taken care of my toes in the winter, but with Jamberry, I've had super cute toenails since December and I love it! It takes a little longer to apply them to your toes (trying to get the right shape because toenails are just awkward!), but it's worth it for how long they last!

How do you put them on? Well, if you have a hair dryer, a nail file, and either nail scissors or nail clippers, you can do it! Basically, you prep your nails with an alcohol swab, heat each wrap using your hairdryer (3-5 seconds), press it onto your nail (lots of pressure for a great seal!), then trim/clip and you're ready to go! This is a quick "summary" of what to do, so I recommend watching that aforementioned "Official Application video" before doing your first mani or pedi. Here's the video!

If you've seen Jamberry and thought, "Whoah, the designs are a little out there" (which is how I used to feel, too!), that's ok! Because Jamberry has a calm side, too! We have solid colors, sparkly solids, french tips, you  name it!

Jamberry has thought of everything --- they even have "Jamberry Juniors" which fit little girls! I was actually able to do my Victoria's nails, which is amazing! They also have "Mommy & Me" designs so that you can match your little girl! How fun is that??

One of my favorite things about Jamberry is that there's no dry time! Once you've applied them, you're ready to go! This is not only essential for doing little girl's nails, but is great for me as a mom as well. I certainly don't have time to wait for my nails to dry once I've painted them. There is WAY too much to take care of around the house (cooking, dishes, laundry, changing diapers, doggy needs - you name it), so with NO dry time, I can do my nails and be done with it! Then, it actually lasts long enough to make the time I spent doing my nails worth it!

Even the celebs are loving Jamberry! Check out these famous ladies rocking our Heart Health Awareness wraps for the Go Red event that took place yesterday. These wraps are part of our commitment to charity. For each wrap that is sold, $2 is given to the American Heart Association to help fight heart disease. I'm wearing them as well and they're still looking awesome!

                                                     

Are you convinced yet that Jamberry is worth trying? Well, here's the great news. I'm so excited to offer a giveway to one lucky winner --- your choice of a free sheet of Jamberry nails! There are SO many designs to choose from though, good luck picking one out!

If you don't want to wait for the giveway to end for a free sheet of Jamberry nails, I'm offering an amazing deal to my readers. Right now, Jamberry is running a special for when you buy 3 sheets, you get 1 sheet free. However, as part of my Valentine's Day giveaway, I'm going to one up that. I'm going to give you TWO free sheets! {Deal ends February 17th at 5:00 PM EST}

Place your order for buy 3, get 1 free through  my Jamberry page, then message me through my Jamberry Facebook page the other free wrap you would like with your order. YAY!

If you want to earn even more free Jamberry, please message me about hosting a party! I love, love, love Jamberry parties -- home and on Facebook! My hostesses are always so excited to earn their free wraps and other Jamberry products (for free and half-off!).

I know once you try Jamberry you will be hooked. Your world is about to change, friends...get ready!You can enter to win the free sheet of Jamberry nails below. Click on the link to visit my Facebook page first (and LIKE the page if you haven't already!) and then you can submit your entry!

One lucky winner will receive their choice of one free sheet of Jamberry nails wraps!

This giveaway starts now and ends on Monday, February 17th at 5:00 PM EST.

Entry-Form

My Insane Life in Baby/Toddler/Puppy Ville

Wondering where I've been? If I was coming back? No worries, I'm still here. Or what's left of me after five weeks in Baby/Toddler/Puppy Ville. 

As those close to me put it, "Just when you got to where you could probably get some things done, you throw a puppy into the mix"....and now, like when there's a newborn in the house, nothing gets done. My life feels like it's full of pee, poop, and some spit up here and there. I am constantly changing diapers, taking our puppy outside to use the bathroom, and cleaning up the messes inbetween. If you think I'm trying to make you feel sorry for me, you've got that right! Boohoo for poor Lizzie!

Sometimes I think I might be going a little insane. And it's totally my fault, of course. I'm that type of person that I feel like I just have to fill every single moment to the brim to feel complete and then I just can't catch up because I'm doing SO much! But I'm hanging in there and I love my pups, my kiddos, and my disaster of a house. I've pretty much given up trying to pick up things and clean...unless someone is about to choke on something or make a bigger mess by shredding it to bits...then I make an effort to pick up some things. 

Sometimes I go in my bathroom and shut the door, sit down on the floor with my back against the wall and BREATHE. I know, that sounds a bit drastic and dramatic, but it's the only way I can take a step back when both children are crying, the puppy is whining, Dean is barking, and the cat is meowing, and I JUST NEED TO BE STILL. And in that moment of breathing, I'm usually saying a quick prayer for sanity and  calmness. Thank goodness for prayer, am I right?!

So I probably would have put off this post until another time, as I have been doing lately with all my blog post ideas, but this one couldn't wait. It's just too good.

Victoria (my 2 and 1/2 year old) is going through a stage where she is constantly taking off her clothes and her diaper and enjoying the freedom. She'll do this is in bed, as well, and either spend the whole night naked or wake up and undress and then pee in the bed. It's been interesting. So, Saturday morning we decided to give potty training a try. A friend had mentioned just letting her go without any diaper or pants and just be "free" on the bottom half. We read a potty book, practiced sitting on the potty, reviewed the rewards that were in place when she used the potty, and so on. She was super excited to use the potty. Fast forward thirty minutes. Trey's in the basement, I'm in the kitchen, and Victoria yells out from the main floor hallway, "Mommy! Poo poo! Lexi eat poo poo!". I immediately sprint to her location to find the puppy eating some feces. 

Now whose feces is she eating, you may ask? I was trying to figure out the same thing. Samuel was napping, so he was out of the question. Dean (our older lab) never poops inside. Definitely wasn't cat poop. And it would be awfully strange for Lexi to eat her own poop, not to mention this looked different...and then thirty seconds into this moment of me gagging and wondering what in the world was going on, I realize the truth. My half-naked 2 and 1/2 year old, who considers herself to be a princess, had just pooped in the floor without hesitation. And the dog ate it. Can life get any more ridiculous?!

I picked up the puppy, yelled for Trey and handed her off to have her mouth washed out by the dentist in the house, cleaned up what was left of the mess, cleaned up Miss Victoria who seemed to have no problem with the fact that she just pooped in the floor, and then we immediately put a diaper on her and decided to forgo the potty training for the day. For the sake of my sanity. I hate to be a quitter, but sometimes you just gotta throw in the towel. 

Life is still good, in fact, it's great. It's certainly a little  LOT more chaotic than it was before Lexi arrived, but we're holding on tight and laughing when we can. Take care, friends!

xoxo,

No More Mommy Milk?

A change is coming. It's on the horizon; I can almost see it. I can most definitely feel it. And I'm not ready.

My baby boy is almost one year old. 

1 day old 

1 month old

9 months old

So much change comes with your baby's first birthday. More teeth, solid foods, starting to walk and talk, changes in sleep patterns...I'm ok with all that. What I'm scared about is weaning him. I've been nursing Samuel for almost 1 year and it's all he knows -- and as of the last year, it's all I know. Weaning Victoria was no big deal. It was fairly simple, in fact. However, Victoria went to a babysitter  while I worked and drank most of my milk out of a bottle, so the attachment factor wasn't quite there. 

Samuel and I have a different bond with me being home all the time. Whenever he's hungry, or sleepy, or sad, I can soothe him through nursing. I don't think I'm ready to give that up! And I know I don't have to. But I had planned to wean him at 1 year old. It's when the pediatrician recommends doing so, plus I'm ready to not have all the extra work that comes with nursing and pumping. Emotionally, though, I'm not ready. I know the time will come when I'm weaning and he tries to come to me for some "mommy milk"...and it won't be there. That makes me sad. I know his frustration won't last for long and soon he'll forget that I ever nursed him at all, but that kind of makes me sad, too! 

#milkbarinthecar

And of course, I'll miss taking post-nursing selfies after my workouts at the Y with my boy and using the hashtag "milk bar in the car"....sigh. Such trials and tribulations that lay before me. I know the world has much bigger problems on it's hands, but these are the worries of this stay-at-home mom. Thanks for listening, friends!

xoxo,

So long! Farewell, 2014! What a fantastic year!

I can't believe it's already New Year's Eve. This year has flown by so fast! I started out the year with the goal of
1) having a healthy baby boy

2) losing my baby weight

3) staying sane with 2 under 2

I know, some pretty lofty goals! However, once I set goals, I'm pretty set on obtaining them. I am a Type-A perfectionist (which is such a pain in the hiney!), so once I set goals, you better believe that I'm going to do everything in my power to MAKE IT HAPPEN. So how did I do accomplishing these goals?

1) Yep. He's a chunk. Looking pretty healthy to me.

2) I signed up for a half marathon and all that preparation helped me lose those baby pounds and then some. I can't believe I actually got there and I'm so excited for new fitness goals for this year!

(2014 also brought a new hair-do!)

3) Ehhh...some days, yes; some days, no. Having two babies is SO hard. And did you know we just added a 7 week old Lab puppy to our mix? Am I insane? YES! Things just got so much crazier. But the truth is, I love every minute of it. Even when I'm feeling at my wit's end (like today's visit to the vet with a puppy, an 11 month-old, and a 2 year-old -- that's a post for another day), I feel so blessed to have such amazing children, to have the opportunity to be home with them, and to have our fur babies as well. So there are moments where I sit in a corner and cry and say WHAT AM I DOING?! THIS IS UTTER CHAOS!, but then I count to ten, take a deep breath, look at my children laughing and playing, and puppies bouncing around the room, and just laugh right along with them. Pure joy and happiness surely beats the tantrums, sleepless nights, and poop accidents.

This year has had some surprises, as well! I found an amazing group of mommy friends through MOPS, which you can read about here. I started writing on my blog more frequently in an attempt to be a blogger, and NO, I have not given up! I know I have not written a lick in December and my brain hurts because of it! I have so many things I want to write about, but to be honest, it's been an insane month. I started a new business the last week of November, we traveled to Disney the second week of December, we traveled all during the holidays, and then Sunday we picked up our new puppy. Yes, I promise to blog about all these things so you will feel caught up!

And yes, you heard me right, in the midst of all this "chaos", as I call it, I have started a new business. I've been working for Jamberry for 5 weeks and it has been such a fun and exciting whirlwind of a job. Why in the world would I add one more thing to my plate?
1) I LOVE Jamberry nails.
2) This is something I'm doing for ME. In Jamberry, I'm not mommy, or wife, or puppy trainer: I'm Lizzie Woolwine, Independent Consultant.
3) The camaraderie. The feeling of community that exists among Jamberry consultants is like nothing I've ever experienced. I've had many different "jobs" since I turned 16, and this is the first one where I've felt so supported. It's like I've gained a second family that is there to guide me, cheer me on, and help me succeed!
So that's my WHY in a nutshell - plus, I make some "me" money that I'm hoping will turn into "family vacation" money! I'll let you know how it goes!

So as 2014 comes to an end, I don't see an end. I see a beginning. My children are growing like weeds and our puppy won't be a puppy for long. I'm feeling the high of ambition as I set new fitness goals, Jamberry leadership goals, and develop plans for a REAL blog. I'm excited for the growth of friendships and adventures along my fifth year of marriage. I encourage you to take a moment to look back on all that has happened in your life in 2014, and how will that transfer into the new year? Are you ready? Are your goals set?

Happy New Years, friends!

xoxo,

A Blessed, Blended Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, I was truly able to focus on the meaning behind the holiday. I didn't get wrapped up in the stress of cleaning, cooking, traveling, or how I looked that day. I did do all of these things (except travel, what a relief), but I didn't stress about them like I normally do. And everything still happened. But instead of being stressed out about getting everything done for no necessary reason, I got to enjoy the day and be thankful. It felt...fabulous.

Our Thanksgiving this year was very different in other ways, too. My family is separated in many different directions, so I usually have several meals. I'm overstuffed, feeling hurried to get to the next one, and I don't get to relax. I'm stressed about making sure that I seem to be enjoying the lovely preparation that has gone into making the day a success, but I'm honestly worried about making sure I  see everyone  that I'm "supposed" to see on this day and that I'm able to spend a decent amount of time with them. When you have lots of family, it's really hard to get that accomplished in one day. Sometimes it takes two days. And then I don't have as much down time to recover from the craziness of it all and get the house decorated for Christmas before December 1st. Talk about STRESS!

This year we invited everyone to come to us. With two little ones who take long afternoon naps, it was truly essential that we not be dragging them all over town all day. For our sanity, and theirs. When I decided that we would host and invite everyone to come to us in one large gathering of all our families, I was a little worried not everyone could be there. We live an hour away from our original hometown, and everyone else still lives there. But for the first time in my life, almost everyone that I normally share Thanksgiving with, came together. You have no idea how thankful I am - all the pieces fell into place.

All of my parents (I have four, plus my in-laws), all of my siblings (minus my sister-in-law who lives in Seattle), my nephew, an aunt, uncle, and cousins who have basically been like my siblings growing up, plus my own family, were all present. We all sat at a long, elegantly decorated table (if I do say so myself - thanks for the help, Mom!) , with name cards handcrafted by Victoria and myself. We used our china and silver for one of the first times since we married and enjoyed a giant buffet of food prepared by everyone.

How cute are Victoria's little finger prints as the turkey feathers?

SO much food...we are still eating the leftovers! Score!

The entire time, all I could think about was how perfect everything was on this particular Thanksgiving because I felt so at peace. I was truly thankful for having all of my family in my home, enjoying one another's company, laughing together, dining together, feeing blessed together. We even ended the night in hysterical laughter as we played a game of Thanksgiving Pictionary. Watching my mother-in-law trying to draw "stuffing" and my step-father trying to draw "cold turkey" was quite entertaining.

      

Cranberry Margaritas by mom

Trey & my dad

Dad drawing on the Pictionary board

Trying to guess Sue Ann's word...

family love & football!

To my family, thank you for always being so wonderfully loving and thoughtful. I am so grateful for your love each and everyday, and it means so much to me that you all drove an hour to spend Thanksgiving with us so we wouldn't have to travel with the kids. This small gesture was huge for us and I am so grateful that I was able to give thanks without the stress.

Our blessed, blended family

xoxo,

Why I Love Jamberry!

I know you may be wondering, what in the world is Jamberry? Well, I'm about to show you and tell you about how much I love it!

I am a girly girl that has always loved getting pampered. Going to get my nails done is such a delight!  However, the other details that go into it (getting a babysitter, paying a LOT more than I want to, questioning how much I should tip, and then having it get messed up way too soon) is such a pain. So my solution to this problem? Jamberry Nails!

I earned these festive "hostess exclusive" wraps from a party I just hosted!

Jamberry Nails are wraps for your nails that make them look oh-so-beautiful, only cost $15 for a set of two manicures & two pedicures (that's $3.75 per manicure/pedicure), and you can do them in the comfort of your own home! The truth behind why I really love them is because they are amazing for moms. There is NO dry time and they last much longer than painting your own nails. I can actually do them while the kids nap and not have to worry about them getting messed up if the kids wake up before I'm done! Alleluiah!

With Jamberry you can go so many different routes. Whether you prefer solid colors, sparkly colors, stripes, polka dots, chevron, french tips, and anything else you could possible think of, we've got you covered. You can even design your own nail wraps with their Nail Art Studio! They also have college and sorority wraps. It's really hard to pick, in all honesty!

Holiday Jamberry nails - so festive!

So I don't know if you caught it, but I referred to Jamberry as "we" because I am now officially a Jamberry consultant! I love "jams" so much, that it just seemed logical to share them with you! I am officially having my "Launch Party" over the next couple weeks, so if you are interested in trying them out, please let me know! I will send you a free sample so you can try them yourself. If you're curious as to how they work, watch this video!

Want to see all the choices? Check out my new website: lizziewoolwine.jamberrynails.net

So here's to ending 2014 with a bang...or rather, some very attractive nails!

xoxo,