I mentioned in an earlier post that my brother is getting married in March. While I'm excited for him, I'm not excited for the trip from Georgia to Nebraska with two babies. Eek!
Among the things about the trip that are stressing me out is the fact that we don't have clothing for that type of weather. I'm going to have to squeeze my larger than life "I'm nursing twins" boobies into a too small jacket as it is, but I can't for the life of me find anything jacket-wise for the kids. Heck, my local stores already have swimsuits out in the baby section. Swimsuits! Someone please remind them that despite the fact that we're in Georgia, it's still February.
In comes the crafty momma mode. I know! I'll make them something warm. Their little bottom halves will be covered up under blankets, but I know their top halves will get cold, so I decided to knit them some quick jackets and matching hats. Luckily I already had the yarn and the buttons. In fact, the yarn for Little Man's sweater has been boxed up and moved with us three times. I think I bought it about 6 years ago! Whoops! At least it's getting used up now.
This pattern was a little confusing in regards to the collar, but once I stopped questioning it and followed it as written, it turned out great.
Here's to having warm little ones on our trip!
The kiddos had a cold last week, so no one was happy in this house. With two sicklings and a sick mom and dad, things like grocery shopping got put on the back burner. It's times like this that I'm glad that I have a well stocked pantry. It's like a game to me to come up with something for dinner from what's in there already.
Tonight's dinner is going to be an easy yet healthy one, taco soup. It also happens to be one of my husband's favorites. I won't tell him that it's also one of the easiest meals I make. I lucked out on that one!
For those who want to give it a try:
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 large can Rotel tomatoes with chilis
1 can low/reduced sodium corn
1 can low/reduced sodium pinto beans
1 can low/reduced sodium kidney beans (dark or light)
Chicken broth
Taco seasoning
Directions:
1. Open all cans (Corn, tomatoes, beans). Drain each and empty contents into crockpot.
2. Place both chicken breasts in crock pot.
3. Add chicken broth until beans and chicken are mostly covered. How much broth is really up to you. If you want it soupier, add more. If you prefer it more like a chili consistency, add less.
4. Sprinkle taco seasoning on top. I have a large jar of taco seasoning that I bought at a local market and usually put about 2 heaping tablespoons into the pot. I eyeball it, so sometimes it comes out spicier than other times, but no one seems to notice but me.
5. Stir everything together.
6. Turn crockpot on Low for 6 hours, or if you forgot to put it on at lunch time like I did, put it on High for 4 hours.
7. When done, take two forks and shred the chicken in the soup.
8. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese and crushed whole grain tortilla chips on top.
Enjoy!
What's your favorite easy recipe?
Oddly enough, not only do I have boy/girl twins, but I am a twin myself. So much for skipping a generation... Haha, Mother Nature!
My twin brother is getting married to a wonderful woman the first weekend of March. I have to admit that I'm stressing a bit about flying from Georgia to Nebraska with them. I'm sure most parents worry the first time they fly with their kids, but I think I'm especially nervous since they were born two months early. That makes their lungs extra fragile and their immune systems extra vulnerable to infections. Yikes!
Ok momma, deep breaths...
Instead of focusing on the scary parts, I'm trying to focus on the fun part, dressing up the nuggets!! I found an adorable little shirt/vest combo at Walmart online for Lo but still need the perfect dress for Lil. I'm still deciding between a few, but what I do know is that whichever one I pick, she'll need a little shrug or sweater to go over it since it'll be a bit chillier in Nebraska than we're used to.
In comes this adorable shrug idea. I had the yarn but unfortunately took the label off forever ago and have no idea what it's called. Oops! It's a light grey with a silver metallic thread woven throughout. I modified this basic baby cardigan pattern that I know fits the kiddos and voila! I'll be adding some pearl buttons to dress it up just that little bit extra. I'm sure it'll be adorable over whichever dress I choose for her to wear.
Now back to stressing about the actual traveling part...
Any tips for traveling with infants?
When people find out that I have infant twins, I get a lot of different types of responses. Many of these are looks of horror or a pat on the shoulder with a "good luck to you" as they back away slowly. Believe it or not, I cherish the few positive comments of being blessed because I truly believe we are. We've hit the baby jackpot as I like to say. We've been blessed with not one, but two babies and a boy/girl combo at that!
Now, this life certainly isn't easy, but seeing as these are my first children, it's all I know. So, how do I find time to remain me and enjoy the things I used to do before I became a mom. One simple word...naptime.
I've learned to cherish the silence, whether it be for 30 minutes or several hours. It's funny how I used to hate the silence in my house, particularly when my husband was deployed. Now, I see it as a blessing and have truly learned to enjoy it.
Naptime is me time, when I can explore my crafty side or play in the kitchen. When it's over though, the mom hat goes back on, and I couldn't be happier to care for these little love nuggets. This is my life, and I'm grateful for every minute.
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