Caring for My Chaos

Summertime is here. I know it's not the official first day of summer, but since yesterday was Bubby's last day of school, it is in our house! This got me to thinking about when I was a kid. Nowadays, I see all over the place parents looking for ways to "entertain" their kids in the summertime. Either with camps, vacations, workshops, etc. Whatever happened to just letting kids get bored? Isn't that when the best ideas come up? I remember when I was a kid, we would spend a lot of time at my grandparents' house, which is in the middle of nowhere in a little village named Laurens NY. Grandma's house is an old farmhouse that has been in the family since the late 30's, early 40's. The closest neighbor is about 2 miles away. No cable, no internet, they even had a party line phone until the early 80's. My cousins and I would spend weeks there with Grandma and Grandpa. And yes, we got bored. But, that was when our imaginations would kick in the be...

**I received this for free through  Tomoson  from Roewe in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions are 100% my own. This post also contains affiliate links.** Isn't this just adorable?

We are in the middle of a very hot summer. Not the hottest we've had, but still pretty miserable. I wanted to point out to everyone the importance of staying hydrated. Dehydration can sneak up on you very easily and quickly. It's very dangerous. A friend and coworker of Hunny's had to be taken to the hospital the other night during work because he had gotten dehydrated. You should be taking in 8 5 oz glasses of water a day. More than that is better. This should be in addition to any other drinks you consume. Remember that caffeinated drinks can dehydrate you more, so those shouldn't count toward your intake. The rule of thumb that I was told by one of Izzie's urologists years ago was that you should be urinating at least once every 8 hours. Less than that, you are on your way to dehydration. Also, the color of urine is important. The lighter the color, the better. If you have begun to dehydrate or you are dehydrated, your urine will begin to resemble tea. I wan...

This is my favorite sandwich of all time. I first had it when we went to Buena Vista, VA at a little sandwich shop there. Caprese sandwiches are simple but sooo good! I have been craving one for a while now, but no one makes them around here. So, today I'm going grocery shopping and I'm going to make it on my own! I've been looking through recipes, because of course there's all different ways to make them. The ingredients are basically the same, but the variables are the vinegar you use and if you use fresh basil or basil pesto. Oh, and if you grill it or not. I have had them grilled and uncooked and they are delicious either way! Here's a basic recipe I found from one of my favorite chefs,  Mario Batali . This is for a huge sandwich, but you can cut the recipe down for one person. 1 baguette 1 pound fresh mozzarella (It must be fresh) 1 bunch Basil 2 lbs tomatoes Olive Oil Red Wine Vinegar Salt and pepper Slice baguette lengthwise. Slice tomatoes and m...

I found this recipe on  Betty Crocker  and can't wait to try it! It looks so easy and the best part is you can just plop it in the slow cooker and walk away! No heating up your kitchen! Makes 6 servings. Ingredients-- 1 lb small potatoes (6 to 8), unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)   2 cups ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots 1 cup frozen small whole onions (from 1-lb bag), thawed 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 1/4 lb) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper   1 jar (12 oz) chicken gravy 1 1/2 cups Green Giant™ Steamers™ frozen sweet peas, thawed Directions   Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, place potatoes,  carrots and thawed onions. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; place  over vegetables in cooker. Pour gravy over top.   Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.   Stir in thawed peas. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook about 15 minutes ...

In keeping with the summer theme, I was thinking about summer memories. This picture is of my grandparents' farm when they bought it back in the late 30's to early 40's. It is still in the family today. The house is a little different since my grandfather built 2 more bedrooms upstairs and added 2 bathrooms downstairs and the landscaping has grown up considerably. This is where most of my summers were spent. My mother's brothers and sister would all come here and we would all pile into the house. I have 2 brothers, 4 boy cousins and 2 girl cousins on this side. The house was always full and loud and crazy. We would get up in the morning and eat breakfast fast and then be outside until it was time to eat again. Grandma didn't have cable, she had a party telephone line until the late 80's, so we had to entertain ourselves. It's a wonder sometimes we didn't kill each other! We would play in the barn, in the trees, (there's an apple orchard to the righ...

Did you know today was National Picnic Day? They seem to have something for every day, don't they? When was the last time you went on a picnic with your family? It's been a while for me. I do remember one picnic that was a memorable one that we had a few years back. We had taken my in laws with us up to a boat ramp that had a playground and picnic tables. Hubby had a boat back then. We had decided that he would put the boat in and drive everyone around the river for a little while and then have a picnic. Now, Kojack, our doggy, loves riding in any kind of vehicle. But, he had never been in a boat. He's a Rottweiler/Black Lab mix who doesn't really like swimming, if you can believe that. He will only go in the water if he's watching the kids. If Hubby and I are around, he'd rather go sniff. So, Hubby picked him up and put him in the boat. I don't think I've ever seen a happier dog. He stood on the bow the whole time with his nose up in the air and would...

  I have never really done a bucket list per se. I know it's good to set goals and such. We do have some plans for this summer like going to see the Nationals play in DC. Oh, and go to the Aquarium in Baltimore. Hubby has been wanting to do that for a few years now and we just haven't made it. It's hard for us to plan many trips during the summer with Hubby's work schedule though. Another goal I want to do is to find a new campground. We have 2 that are our favorites but haven't really branched out in years. But, this is also the first year in about 4 that we actually got time to go camping. Camping is honestly one of my favorite things to do. I love getting back to simple. No tv's, no phones, just the family and the outdoors. And around here there is no shortage of mountains. Which I absolutely adore. If I can't have the beach all the time, give me the mountains. I would like to make it to a beach this summer, if possible. We have gone to a beach ev...

 Now, I was born and bred in New York, so southern summers still get to me. The difference in the humidity is amazing down here. It still shocks me. But, if I get past the humidity, there really are things about summer that I love. And no other season is like it. I love that I can turn off the alarm clock. I can let my kids sleep in until they want to wake up. (Although I draw the line at 11!) This is also a perk of being a stay at home mom. I just really enjoy the laid back schedule that we have in the summertime. Compared to the full to the brim schedule we have during the school year, it's a welcome change of pace.I love watching my kids catch fireflies. Even Izzie and Doodle still do this from time to time. Camping! I absolutely love a warm summer's night sitting around a campfire with my husband and kids. We are talking about going when Hubby gets home from his trip. Swimming in the lake is always a favorite. Or just swimming in general! Being able to go on vacatio...

Remember when bathing suit shopping only meant finding something with your favorite character or color and that was it? Why can't it be that simple when you grow up? Summer is coming. Our vacation is coming. We are going to a beach resort so I need a new bathing suit that is actually flattering. Guess how easy it is to find one? I am short, only about 5'1, and I'm not skinny by any means. After 3 kids, you get hips. No choice in that matter. You also get a belly. I have never felt comfortable in a bikini, even when I was skinny when I was much, much younger. But, I don't want the bottom to have a skirt or to ride up my butt. Is that so much to ask? I also am a little top heavy so I need what boils down to having a bra on top. I can't just wear the ones that are lined. Gravity takes over and it's not pretty. I have looked at our local stores and even online. The one bathing suit that I found that I wanted to try, of course the only size they had left was extra ...

I really love this wreath! I don't have any sand dollars around here but I do have seashells since every time we go to the beach, I come home with bags upon bags of the ones we collect! I think a bunch of seashells would be just as cute! I found this one over on The Tall Chick Blog and the instructions are really easy. She just uses a wreath form, yarn, twine, sand dollars and ribbon. Oh and of course hot glue. I think I may have to go buy a wreath form this afternoon!!