With Heart From the Home

 I've had 2 moms in the same young season of motherhood reach out to me recently about screen time and the amount we allow in our home. It's one of those topics that seems so simple and then when you dive into the conversation it's actually super complex and filled with emotion. Screen time amounts vary from home to home and I think it depends on what works best for your children and family. I have friends who always have the TV on while their children play around it and stop to watch throughout the day. I have friends who don't own a television and never plan to bring one into their home. There can be so much judgement in motherhood and I hate that that is the case since we're all trying our hardest to find what works for our kids. Today I'm sharing what screen time we allow and the journey that we took before finding a healthy balance for our family. March of 2020 my back completely went out. I had struggled with back issues for years prior, having my first MR...

We made this meal for dinner tonight and it was a total hit! My husband and I both agreed that if we were craving the real deal, this copycat Chick Fil A spicy chicken sandwich and sauce would complete the craving for us.  All ingredients came from Aldi (surprise, surprise) except for the Frank's Red Hot sauce. Aldi does have an off brand version but I haven't tried it just yet. See recipe below and enjoy! Ingredients: Pack of Brioche Buns from Aldi (in the bread section. We got the pack of 6.) Pack of Breaded Chicken Breast from Aldi Freezer Section. (Also comes with 6) Sliced Pepperjack cheese. Franks Red Hot sauce (as much as you like on your sandwich) Sliced tomato Sliced Lettuce Butter to place on brioche buns before broiling. Fries to go along with sandwich. Hamburger dill pickle chips. Recipe: Bake fries and chicken according to package instructions. Place butter on bottom of buns and broil a few minutes until they are browned. Place sliced pepper jack on chicken and ret...

 This recipe is so yummy. It’s like having a bowl of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie for breakfast. I think adding some yogurt or milk and strawberries would make this even more delightful. See recipe below! Ingredients: 10 cups old fashioned oats 1 cup chocolate chips 2 tsp salt 1 1/3 cup brown sugar Mix all above ingredients [I mixed right on the baking sheet] then add to mixture: 1 1/3 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup water 1 tsp vanilla Mix again to incorporate well [I use a large spatula] Bake at 275* for 1 hour, stirring every 20 min.  If not quite done or less ‘wet’ in appearance, then oven to 300* and bake for 15 more minutes.  Let cool completely and enjoy! This makes a lot of granola and would be a great gift. I froze a large bag and it will keep 2 months in the freezer I also used 2 mason jars for storage. With heart from our home, Jordan

 We started incorporating a toy rotation over a year ago. Since we've cut screen time from our weeks I can see that it will be a more common occurrence in our home to swap out toys for different options since hands on play is happening much more frequently. I've tried many different methods of rotating toys--incorporating dress up items in her cubbies, adding books, putting technology/learning books on her shelves, etc. I've had some dud weeks where she wasn't interested at all, but other weeks where she loves what I have out and it entertains her for 2-3 weeks long.  I think a good principle for a toy rotation is if it's working, don't change it! I've come to realize that sometimes it doesn't need to be updated if she's still enjoying the current rotation. Also, some weeks I just swap out a couple toys for new ones from our pantry. Our little toy corner has looked different over the last couple years depending on her age and interests, but I am shar...

 I wrote this schedule a few months back. I didn't like the way our days were playing out. Leighton was watching a nauseating amount of TV while I worked through a fractured back. We were doing what was needed and helpful for the painful days, and that's okay! I think there is a season for everything and sometimes we do need help in different ways--even through screens. My back still isn't healed but I knew I couldn't stay dependent on screen time and quick snacks instead of nutritious meals to make our days flow well, so we had to be uncomfortable for a short while before this became our norm.  Most days we don't follow this schedule perfectly, but it does give us a good guide for the day and allows us time in different areas that are important to us as a family. We've cut out screens completely except for a weekend movie as a family that we check out from the library so no inappropriate ads play. I plan to do a screen free post soon and share more on this topi...

 Below you will find personal blog posts, motherhood thoughts and memories I hope to hang onto by sharing here. 2 Years, 10 Months. Old Fashioned Ways to Reconsider Photo Projects Smoothies with Daddy Sniffles & an Easy Sticker Remover Library Fines & Laundry Piles Spendy Mama, Sleepy Toddler. Mornings Around Here In This Season Our Daily Schedule

 Soon enough we will be celebrating Leighton's third birthday. We were recently talking about her first birthday party and what a great day it was. It was a 'One in a Melon' theme and our closest friends and family came to celebrate. Leighton had a blast and ate her weight in smash cake.  Her second birthday was an at home celebration with Minnie Mouse decorations and a homemade Minnie cake. It was hard for me to do a birthday party on a smaller scale because I grew up with well thought out themed parties and invited lots of friends. Leighton's best friend Blakely and her mom came by on her birthday and brought gifts and we swam in the pool at our apartment with her daddy and she ate all of her favorite foods. We also turned her car seat front facing that day and she didn't know what to think! Her third birthday will be July 22nd and although we're not sure of location, we will be having a Curious George themed party. Im sure I'll share more in detail on the...

 Think of a chocolate covered strawberry. Now add the flakiness of a crust and the lightness of a cool-whip and cream cheese combo. That's what you get with this deliciously sweet chocolate strawberry pie recipe! It originated from Mennonite culture (if you know me, you know if it has Amish or Mennonite in the title I'm likely to make it).  I obtained the recipe from the Instagram account of @a_heidimarie and it's the third recipe I've tried and loved from her account. Though she's not a food account, she does share recipes from her parents and grandparents who are Mennonite and they never fail to impress. So without further adieu--here is the recipe you came for! This recipe has three parts to it (4 if you're making homemade pie crust but I used frozen store bought because I've learned to choose my battles) And I'll be sharing each part below and then telling how to construct the pie.  RECIPE TO MAKE TWO PIES First, if you're using store bought crus...

 We read a lot in our home. We like to go to the library weekly and load up on books for our daughter. When we were doing tot school lessons (we will start again in August), I would make sure to reserve a few books that were on topic for her themes.  As I've shared in previous posts, checking out books from the library can lead to fees when an eager toddler turns the pages and accidentally tears one. We've had a few library fines come our way recently so I've been more inclined to purchase used books for her collection. I wanted to share some ideas to build an at home library for your young child for cheap as well as some storage ideas if you're small space living. We have a display book shelf in our daughter's room, similar to THIS one from Amazon. My mom and her fiancé built it several months ago and we love it. We have outgrown the storage limit on the bottom shelf so I've been utilizing baskets and rotating the books that we put in them. In our living room ...

This recipe is served well because of the smaller portions and ease of transfer. No cutting into a big loaf and hoping it cooked all the way through!  This is a very basic meatloaf recipe and I found the original on Every Day Mom's Meals , though I've changed it up quite a bit to fit our family.  See recipe below! Ingredients: 2 lbs ground beef 2 eggs, beaten 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 cup plain bread crumbs salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup ketchup + extra to top muffins 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce Recipe: Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin tin with non stick spray and set aside. In large bowl mix all ingredients well (I use my hands to make sure it's thorough) Fill each muffin tin with some meat mixture, leaving about a half inch from top empty so it doesn't overflow while cooking.  Take your ketchup and squirt a bit on top of each muffin. Bake for 25 minutes at 350. After time is up, heat oven to 400 and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes. This makes the top and ...

 I can't tell you where I found this recipe, but I've been making it for years! The marriage between Italian and Mexican food is quite good.  The filling for the shells is similar to the Enchilada Stack recipe I shared previously, but a little more simple.  See the recipe below--Enjoy! Ingredients: 1lb ground beef 1 Pkg taco seasoning 4 ounces cream cheese 1 pkg Jumbo pasta shells (I use about half) 1 cup salsa 1 large can red mild enchilada sauce 1 cup mexican cheese 1 cup cheddar cheese Recipe: Boil pasta shells til al dente, drain, set aside to cool. Brown ground beef, drain and return to pan. Add taco seasoning with a small amount of water to make taco meat. Place cream cheese in pan and cover to let it melt and then mix well with ground beef. Add salsa to meat mixture and mix well. Once pasta is cool, place half the can of enchilada sauce in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Fill each jumbo shell with a heaping spoon full of meat mixture, Place each filled shell in 9x13 ...

The world drastically changing in 2020 caused many to live more intentionally. Whether it was reaching out to family and sending meals to those who were struggling or cherishing memories of time spent together, many implemented traditions of the past in order to calm the storm of rapid closures and change. I've always loved the idea of slow, intentional living. One could even call it 'simple' living. Social media, I believe, has masked true connection and fellowship. We could feel like we've spent time with others, but in reality we've only messaged or commented on their posts.  The last few years my husband and I have been discussing how we want to raise our children and how we want to spend our time. Our conversations nearly always point back to a simple lifestyle that encourages fellowship, serving and screen free time spent with our children and family.  I've compiled a list of old fashioned ways that should be reconsidered, in my opinion. If you have any ot...