Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

Every year after Christmas I ask my daughter what theme she wants for her birthday party. I ask her WAY in advance so I have plenty time to plan and create. For her 2021 birthday she choose Minnie Mouse. Since 2020 was cancelled and we're still, sort of, living the pandemic lifestyle I want to throw her the best birthday party while taking into consideration appropriate safety precautions. 

We had a total of nine kids including our kiddo. All the kids were in the same school and most were in the same class. I held the party knowing people would have already had lunch and might only want snacks. I did make some snack baskets for each kid using berry baskets but the kids didn't really care, they just picked out what they wanted to snack on. The party started outside but it rained for the majority and the kids played inside while the adults hung out on the covered patio. 

{Sign by local Sign Gypsy}

I thought the party went really well and I was so happy that she was able to have friends over and things resembled some normalcy. 

{Minnie Cupcakes and Snack Station}

Normally I would have gone really big on food and done everything with a "Minnie" theme, like Minnie Corn Dogs, Minnie Carrots, Minnie Water Bottles...etc. But it wasn't the year for that. 

How are you celebrating birthday parties this year? 

How to Look After Yourself as a Working Parent

We all know how difficult it can be for working mothers to strike the right work-life balance, but making time for yourself can be another challenge entirely. Between your work duties and family responsibilities like preparing healthy kids meals, self-care can easily be forgotten, leaving you feeling drained and burned out.

Fortunately, having a job and children doesn’t mean you can’t find room in your schedule for a little self-care. These tips will help you find the time for yourself that you need to recharge and reconnect with your passions and interests.

Get Up Early

Your mind and body both need adequate sleep to be at their best, so you should always try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Even just fifteen to thirty extra minutes in the morning can be enough time to make yourself a drink or a light breakfast and relax a little before the busy day begins.

The early morning is typically the quietest part of the day, making it the perfect time to spend on the things you want to accomplish. Whether you’d rather work out, start a new book, or just have some time to wake up more leisurely, you’ll appreciate setting your alarm a little earlier.

This is something I do and have done. Twice a week I wake up at 4:10am to meet a friend for a 4:30am run. We run 3 miles and are done by 5am. Leaving me plenty of time to clean up, get dressed, pack my lunch and get to work on time. On days that I don’t run, I started setting my alarm just 5 minutes earlier, so I don’t feel so rushed to get out the door.

Set Your Own Goals

When you’re a working mom, it’s easy to let other people’s interests and goals become your own. While there’s nothing wrong with that, you may eventually feel like you need more space for your own interests and aspirations.

Try to take some time out of your day to work on your personal goals, whether they’re related to an interest, secondary source of income, or anything else. Having something to work on that’s entirely your own will be empowering and help you feel more confident.

Spend Time with Other People in Your Life

There’s no way around the fact that our children take up a lot of our time, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only people that matter to you. Partners, friends, and other family members are all important, so try not to let too much time go by without seeing them.

Some of these people may also be able to offer a helping hand with a few of your parenting tasks, so don’t feel bad about asking for or accepting help when you need it. It can be isolating and discouraging to feel like you’re taking care of these things all on your own.

Being a working parent is an incredible challenge, but it’s also a rewarding experience that allows you to focus on your family and career at the same time. If you find yourself spread too thin to focus on your own goals, keep these self-care tips in mind and try to make time for other things that matter to you.

We have a set bedtime in our house; this gives my husband and I the time we need to chat about our days without having to sensor your language and talk about things we might not want our child to hear.

I also make time for friends, as I mentioned above, I run a few times a week with friends and prior to COVID I attended a monthly ladies game night!

How do you look after yourself while being a working parent? 

10 Dinner Recipes All Kids Love

Between working, running errands, and everyday life, it’s hard to constantly come up with meals that your kids will love. So we’re here to help you plan easy, no-fuss dinners with foods your kids will gobble up!

{image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/PMxoh8zJNb0}

A few of these recipes are so easy that your kids can join you in preparing the meal. It’s a fun family activity that will not only allow you to spend more time with your children, but it will teach them to be more self-sufficient in preparing their meals. Picking healthy menu items also helps to instill a healthier lifestyle foundation for your kids to build on as they grow.

1. Mini Pita Pizzas

Pizza night doesn’t always have to be on Friday. Enjoy this recipe any day of the week! It combines a few ingredients and can be topped with your kids’ favorites – garlic, pepperoni, ricotta cheese, olives – the list goes on. And this is the perfect recipe to make with everyone in the family.

2. Spaghetti Carbonara

You had me at bacon! This pasta recipe is ready in 25 minutes and will be devoured in a lot less time. Bacon can be swapped out for pancetta.

3. Beef Tacos

Looking for a recipe to make on Tuesdays? Make it a Taco Tuesday and serve this simple but still delicious dish, made with a solid base of beef, onions, tomato sauce, and a homemade taco seasoning. You can have as little or as many topping choices as you want. Avocado anyone?

4. Lemon Chicken

Looking at the photos of this finished dish made me drool. Made in less than 30 minutes, this lemon chicken is a quick dinner that can be made after a busy day. 

5. Stovetop Mac and Cheese

With a high review rating, this recipe combines two of every kids’ favorite things – cheese and pasta. Most of the ingredients are what you’d find in your kitchen pantry. And it’s made in 20 minutes. Sold!

6. Meatball Subs

This easy dinner can be made in 5 minutes. Yes, really! Make sure you have frozen Italian meatballs (thawed) and you’re good to go. If you forget to thaw them overnight, the meatballs can also be thrown into a crockpot for cooking. 

7. Penne Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pesto

Looking for a delicious recipe that can be made with quick-cooking pasta (pasta that’s ready in 60 seconds)? This one includes sundried tomatoes, pesto, nutmeg, parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley. Yum! And it’s ready in 15 minutes.

8. Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Once you learn how to make thin breaded chicken cutlets, you can make a variety of dishes, including this one made with panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and rosemary.

9. Vegetable Fried Rice 

Skip the takeout option and make vegetable fried rice at home. It’s easier than you think and takes less than 15 minutes. If you freeze leftover rice, you have it ready for when you need to make something quick.

10. Spinach Tortellini Soup

Soup is a comforting dish to make as it warms the body. This 10-minute meal is made with chicken stock, minced garlic, cheese tortellini, dried basil, chopped spinach, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese.

What are some of your favorite meals to prepare for your kids?

Grand Cayman Island

After getting a blizzard dumped on us last April (2018) we decided to book a tropical trip for winter in 2019. We landed on Grand Cayman based on award availability (three round-trip tickets for 105,000 points?! YES PLEASE!).

However, we had some hiccups getting there. The day before we were scheduled to fly out of our local airport, that is only eight miles from our house, we got an alert from United letting us know our flight from Appleton, WI to Chicago, IL had been canceled due an impending snow storm. After a few rebooking attempts and those getting cancelled too we just decided to drive to Chicago. We tried our hardest to wrap things up at work, at the house and get the kid from daycare and the dog to the boarding facility within a few hours. We were on the road by 3pm and in Chicago by 6pm. We stayed the night in a hotel close to the airport and had no issues with our flight to Grand Cayman.

The flight was smooth and short, but customs was a hot mess. Luckily for us we had a kid and they pushed us to the front, sorry folks! Once we waited in all the lines for customs and the car rental we were driving on the left and heading to our hotel. We stayed at the Marriott with points, which was good because I would have been disappointed if I had paid full price for that room.

Cayman Sunsets

Our trip was relaxing and unscheduled, we didn’t have much planned with a 3.5-year-old in tow. We slept in everyday and did a lot of beach sitting and sandcastle building. We played in the ocean and the pool. We did visit Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park to see the blue iguanas and we took Sea View Rd to see the blowholes (and we learned that most are blocked with debris from past hurricanes). We took advantage of all the activities the hotel had to offer for her age and just relaxed. The two activities we did have planned were a boat trip to snorkel, Sting Ray Island and Starfish Point and the other was a night boat ride to Grand Cayman’s bioluminescent bay.

Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park

Sting Ray Island is a shallow sandbar that is famous for its attention seeking sting rays. They all seem pretty friendly, swimming around your feet and letting you give them a “hug”. I was so proud of our daughter for staying in the water with them! Then we headed to Starfish Point. I thought it was really cool, I have never seen starfish in warm water that I could pick up and feel.

Stingray City & Starfish Point

Later in the day we boarded another boat to head to the Bioluminescent Bay. This was pretty cool and so hard to capture on camera. But the small microorganisms glow blue when they are disturbed. So, when you jump in the water, they glow. You could swim with them if you wanted but I opted to stay aboard with our daughter. The tour guides did fill a bucket for the kids to play with and see the glow or sparkle, which was really nice of them. The only time I could capture a picture was when they started the boat engines up. It was really cool and I highly recommend it!

We were not looking forward to the weather that awaited us back in Wisconsin, hello wind chill -55 degrees Fahrenheit! But we were glad we took it and thought it was worth the points!

Emphasizing Self Care as a Working Mom

I was recently asked by Yumble to share an article about working moms and self care. I was so excited to be asked because this is an important subject to me being a working mom and a runner. Running for me is stress release and a social scene. When I moved from Texas to Wisconsin the local running group provided fitness and friendship for me. Please continue reading to learn more!

{image: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-using-gray-laptop-computer-in-kitchen-1251833/}

Do you constantly feel busy and stressed all the time? You’re not alone. According to survey results, many American families have busy lifestyles.

Unfortunately, those same results also indicate mothers are still expected to do most of the housework, even if both parents have full time jobs.

It’s easy to understand how that can lead to burnout. Self-care is the best remedy to guard against burnout. As a busy mother, you might feel you need to do everything for everybody, but this type of attitude will actually sap your productivity in the long run. Do yourself and everyone else in your life a favor by taking care of yourself.

These tips will help. If you’re not sure how to embrace self-care with your busy lifestyle, keep them in mind.

Wake Up a Little Earlier

 Getting enough sleep is vital if you want to stay productive throughout the day. If you’re not getting enough rest, your cognition will suffer, you’ll be more vulnerable to heart disease, and you’ll simply be too stressed to handle your daily responsibilities.

That said, setting your alarm 15 or so minutes earlier than you normally would can give you a little more quiet time to yourself in the morning. Those few extra minutes can be used for reading, meditating, or any other short activity you enjoy.

If you do feel the need to make use of this time for your family, preparing quick breakfast ideas, planning dinner, or fixing healthy, simple vegetarian meals for your kids to take to school is always an option, too. Try not to make this a habit, though. It’s still important to allot time for yourself, too.

Adjust Your Attitude

Mother’s guilt is a very common problem. Don’t worry if you struggle with it. As a mom, you want to give your loved ones the world. But, as a human, you can’t. Failing to meet your own expectations for motherhood can make you feel too guilty to care for yourself.

Fight back against this attitude whenever you notice these types of thoughts. Again, you’re only human. Having needs and tending to them isn’t a flaw. It’s simply natural.

Be Willing to Ask for Help

The more you realize you shouldn’t be expected to be Supermom, the more you’ll realize it’s entirely acceptable to ask other people for help when you need it. This is particularly important to remember when survey results show responsibilities aren’t spread out evenly in many of today’s families.

Maybe your spouse could do more to help around the house. Simply asking for a little extra help will give you more time to address your own needs.

Socialize

You aren’t just a mom. You may also be a spouse, daughter, cousin, or friend.

Taking time to socialize with the other important people in your life helps keep stress at bay, and research confirms it. Additionally, you may find it’s much easier to tackle your mom responsibilities when you give yourself chances to switch out of “mom mode” and enjoy other relationships.

Set Your Own Goals

Busy moms can be so focused on taking care of others that they forget to set their own personal goals. This can result in an unfulfilling lifestyle.

What are you passionate about? Maybe you want to create a side business or master a hobby. Perhaps you even have a dream vacation in mind.

Reaching these goals can take time if you’re a busy mother. However, setting them is important. They serve as reminders that you’re also a person whose sole purpose isn’t simply taking care of a family.

Remember, when you care for yourself, your ability to care for your family increases. Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s part of doing right by your loved ones.