Toddler Tuesday

With Brother Goose being on Spring break and Daddy Goose being home with a "broken back," we have a lot of time with our goslings this week.  Daddy is literally held up switching between ice and heat either on the floor or his chair, so we're trying our best to leave him alone or do things that involve him laying near us.

Enter my bright idea of a living room fort!  Brother and I have done them on many occasions, but last night I thought it would be fun for all four of us to get inside and read our bedtime stories.

Here's how I had pictured our fort...

Source: theelephantpress.tumblr.com viaLauren on Pinterest

And here's how things really went...

Lil' Miss refuses to keep her clothes on these days!

We grabbed a flashlight, crawled in (Daddy Goose painfully inched in) and we read 10 books!  Well, let me be honest, I read books, Daddy Goose layed next to me while Brother & Lil' Miss crawled in and out, up and down off the couch and all OVER the fort.  I'm pretty sure that our fort was only standing for a total of 15 minutes...and that includes a couple rebuilds.  After a while I was just reading books with a sheet hanging in my face.

It's always fun to see the difference between your visions and your reality.  Even though my reality wasn't as beautiful as that first picture...Daddy Goose and I had a great time.  Most importantly, I'm pretty sure Brother and Lil' Miss had a ton of fun.  They've already asked me to build another one. 
Do you build forts?  Got any construction suggestions for me?

What are you doing with your kids for Spring break?

Always ~ Momma Goose

Mellow Monday & Menu Plan

So, this morning I got up, showered, took Daddy Goose to the doctor, we went on a lunch date and then I came home and put my pajamas back on.  At 2:30 p.m!  Really?!?  I dunno, it just felt like a pajama kind of day.  To make matters better...I am the only one awake in my house!  Woo-hoo!  Can you say, Momma Goose FREE TIME!  Yup, that's right!  Sooooo....I'll spend it with you. :)

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it took me to Tasty Kitchen - a community recipe site.  I decided to make it yesterday for our weekly Taco Sunday dish.  It was super yummy and my boys cleaned their plates like nobody's business.  But...wouldn't you know it, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product? So, I'm gonna have to rely on Pinterest for that.

Source: tastykitchen.com viaBuffy Goose on Pinterest

Slow Cooker Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of ground meat  (I used turkey, but you can also use beef)
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 can of water (use the beef broth can)
• 2 packages of taco seasoning (I made a homemade version from here.)
• 1 cup of chopped sweet onion
• 1 cup of chopped green bell pepper
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 23 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1 package of cream cheese
• 6 cups of medium sized shell noodles, cooked
• 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Brown meat and drain.  Add to crock pot with beef broth, water, taco seasoning, onion, green bell pepper, garlic and tomato sauce.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Add cream cheese and cook for 30 more minutes.  Cook your noodles according to package directions and then add to crock pot.  Add noodles and shredded cheese to crock pot and cook for 20-30 more minutes.

I also made a green salad and paired it with this spicy salad dressing...just to stick with our Taco Sunday theme. :)

Source: mexicanfood.about.com viaBuffy Goose on Pinterest

Here's what else my family is eating this week!

Monday:  Leftover Taco Casserole
Tuesday:  Pastrami grilled cheese with frozen baked onion rings
Wednesday:  Bean burritos & quesadillas
Thursday:  Chili Dog Casserole
Friday:  Chicken Nuggets with green salad
Saturday:  Brother Goose's birthday pizza party
Sunday:  Taco Sunday

Do you see a theme in this week's menu?  Yup, just EASY!  Brother Goose is on Spring break and I am planning extra activities with him, a sleepover, friend time, naps, pajama days and birthday party planning...so we need easy.

 Do you meal plan?  I do because it saves me time, money, and answers the never ending "What's for dinner?" question.  After you've checked out my menu plan and then see others at Orgjunkie.com.

What are you eating this week?

Always ~ Momma Goose

Five Minute Friday: Remember

Sometimes it's nice to just sit down and wrote a note without planning it out, thinking it through, feverishly editing and re-editing. I love the Five Minute Friday link-up at Lisa-Jo's blog. It's free'ing to just write about something, anything and then look back and see what you've came up with. You should try it sometime.

Today's topic is REMEMBER. Check out my five minutes below and then take the opportunity to check out some of the other bloggers/writers at LisaJoBaker.com.

Remember the "good'ole days?"  The days before responsibilities, before husbands/wives, before kids.  When you got paid and had no idea what to do with ALL THAT MONEY! (Minimum wage was $4.25 and I'm pretty sure my checks were a total of $100.00)  

Daddy Goose & Brother-In-Law Goose - just a year ago!  I love this memory!

Lake Tahoe...too many years ago!

My 30th surprise birthday party

Like, remember the time when....we would sit at the park and eat lunch during our 42 minutes lunch break from high school.  Or...remember our Bass Lake trips?  Or...that time when we walked 3 miles in the middle of the night because your truck broke down and the Sheriff picked us up because it was waaaay to foggy for us to be walking down a country road.  What about Jaws, the movie...whoa, that one put our household on high alert!

Look how young we look!  2005

I remember these times like they were yesterday.  And yet...there are so many memories that have faded.  I wish they hadn't, I wish I could remember them all.  The good news is I still have many of these friends and we remember those times together.  The even better news is that we are continuing to make memories.  The best news is that we have been able to remain friends all of this time and we get to REMEMBER our good'ole times and that our friendships will remain.

This picture was from last Sunday...remember?

What do you remember?

Always ~ Momma Goose

P.S.  Please don't get me wrong I SUPER LOVE my life now. THESE ARE THE NEW GOOD DAYS!!!  With responsibilities, a hot husband and the cutest goslings on the block!

It's OK Thursday

Happy Thursday!  Or as S-I-L Goose says (and I love) Happy Friday's Eve!  It makes it sound so much better.  I hope your week has been great and that your list of OK stuff is long!  For me, it's OK...

...that I waaaaaaaay over ate on Sunday at our St. Patrick's Day party!

...that I had a fantastic time with my friends!

...to wash party dishes the next day.

...for Mommas to "toot!"

Sometimes a little more after a few cocktails. ;)

...to have a few cocktails!

...to miss someone even if you don't want to be around him or her.

and

...that my favorite little boy has a flame hair cut!

What's OK with you this week?

Always ~ Momma Goose

Oh How Pinteresting!

Here are some of the GREAT things I've found on Pinterest this week:

Let's start with something yummy to eat, shall we?

Source: fabulousfoodblog.com via Mary Beth on Pinterest

Now that I have your mouth watering, how about we move on to something inspirational?

Source: designspiration.net via Lindsay on Pinterest

I'm pretty sure Lil' Miss needs this:

Source: img.veryjane.com via Cyd on Pinterest

With Easter coming up, I know I'll be using this one:

Source: babyfeuker.blogspot.com via Bethany on Pinterest

How cool is this?

Source: artlovefashion.com via Ali on Pinterest

I started a board on Pinterest called, "D.O.N.E." with all the pins I've actually completed.  Check it out, here.  What have you been pinning this week and/or what have you completed from Pinterest?

Always ~ Momma Goose

Toddler Tuesday: A New Haircut

A couple days ago, I posted on Facebook this status:

"Sitting in the garage watching a timeless tradition, a dad giving his son a haircut.  We just add a lil' fire to the tradition...pictures to come."

As promised here are the pictures from that day.

It starts off very traditional...

Then things start warmin' up:

And the end result - a good lookin' flame haircut:

 

Brother LOVES it!  Daddy and I love it! Even 'Lil Miss has ran her hair over it a couple of times with a big grin.  Daddy has gotten several requests for more haircuts and I'm pretty sure Brother's entire baseball team wants their done, too.

The compliments and reactions have been fun and so far, my favorite comment has been:  "He was running so fast, his head caught on fire."

It was such a fun afternoon to be a part of and hey...you're only 4 once - might as well have flames in your hair!

Always ~ Momma Goose

Mellow Monday & Meal Plan

Happy Monday, friends!

How many of you are dragging today because of the time change?  We can't drag because we have a busy day and week ahead of us.  Who knew sports for an almost 5 year old little boy would take up so much time.  He is, however, having a great time.  (And so are we.)

We did have a pretty mellow weekend.  I spent most of the day yesterday catching up on my housekeeping like laundry and floors, etc.  I also tackled a long overdue project...my home office!

I've been using my office as a "catch-all" place for the last couple months.  One night last week I "wigged" out because I couldn't even pay bills at the computer because it was piling up so much.  Surprisingly, it only took me 1.5 hours or so. It was mostly dealing with paperwork, putting seasonal decorations into their "home," and other general tidy'ing.  After all was picked up I dusted everything, steam mopped the floors and was so happy with myself.

I am super excited about my new bill pay, home management, organization system that I'm putting together now that my office is clean and ready.  I'm hoping to be able to share these with you later.

After all of my cleaning yesterday, we ended the day with our new tradition, Taco Sunday with Brother & Sister-in-law Goose and Cuz Goose!

Here's what we're eating this week:

Monday:  Leftovers (I did a lot of cooking last week and didn't have a leftover night)
Tuesday: Spaghetti
Wednesday:  Crescent hot dogs with baked onion rings (from The Daily Happenings of a Stay at Home Mom) and veggies
Thursday:  Baked chicken breasts and sweet potatoes with spinach
Friday: Take & Bake Pizza (Papa Murphy's - my new favorite!)
Saturday:  Date Night! :)
Sunday: Tacos

With Lil' Miss's egg & milk allergy I adjust recipes or provide her with something else to eat.  It takes a little more planning and caution, but it's just another reason why I meal plan!

Do you meal plan?  I do because it saves me time, money, and answers the never ending "What's for dinner?" question.  After you've checked out my menu plan and then see others at Orgjunkie.com.

What are you eating this week?

Always ~ Momma Goose

It's OK Thursday!

Brother Goose and I just finished a tough round of Battleship.  He found the game in our cabinet and I was surprised that he wanted to play. While I may have helped him a little, he did a great job figuring out where to place the red and white pegs and how to sink my ships.  A little lesson in coordinates!

This week has just flown by for us. How about you?  Happy Thursday or Friday's Eve as my sis-in-law Goose would say!  Here's what's OK for me this week...

It's OK that...

...I am totally obsessed with the new Kroll Show on Comedy Central.

The man is hilarious!  (It's a comedy sketch show that is "ridiculous!" Sorry, Liz!)

Comedy Central - Kroll Show (Source)

 ...Daddy Goose and I waste waay to many nights watching lame (don't have to think) television programming.

 We also love the Science & History channels, so that balances it out...right? RIGHT???!!!

...I'm a little side-tracked because I haven't had a diet Coke in 4 DAYS!

Don't ask...just know that getting older is for the birds!

...that I am ready to smash, smash, SMA-ASH my computer into oblivion!

(It is soooooooooooo slow!) (And thank you, Kai for the "smash" reference used so very often in our household!)

...Daddy Goose and I are known for our movie and comedy quoting.

...I am irritated with how irresponsible some of the people on this planet act.

...I sometimes bribe my goslings to do things with rewards.

We work on the incentive plan over here.

...I'm sad that I missed my coffee date this morning.

At least we got to make up for it at the beginning of the week.

...I am more than a little thankful for the very tragic "misunderstanding" of the week.

Yet, I am deeply saddened for a family I don't even know.  Please be sure to include the "other" Healy Family in your prayers.

...maybe I am a little more than side-tracked due to my lack of diet Coke.

What's OK for you this week?

Always ~ Momma Goose