First day of summer vacation

School's out for summer!

The kids are now home full-time. Summer is here. This Momma is looking forward to it and going crazy all at the same time.

I need to get a plan in place... A chore chart, some sort of schedule, a plan for getting outside and active each day, meal plan, reward chart, and a calendar of the kiddos activities.

Oh boy!

I know we'll get by without these things, but it sure would make life a little easier.

So, that's my plan today!

Little Guy has his birthday party on Sunday and we went and saw an amazing acrobat show last night, so today is all I have.

Anyone have some great ideas for summer vacation tools to get us through without losing our minds?

Happy Mother's Day

Wow! It has been years!

I would like to report that things are going as well with my weight loss and healthy living efforts as they were when my kids were this little, but it's gone steadily downhill ever since. The main problem is definitely binge eating. This has lead to a 50lb gain... It's so depressing. My kiddos are at an age right now where they are really looking at what I do and learning from me. I feel like I'm failing them...

That's a tough thing to say on Mother's Day.

I know I'm a good mom. I love my children. I do anything for them. They love  me right back unconditionally and they kinder than I can ever love myself.

However, on this one thing that is so important and may determine how long I'm around for them I feel like I'm failing.

I think I might re-open this little place to let out all my feelings and just get back to basic blogging. Getting things off my chest. Keeping myself accountable - even if it's just for me.

Let's see how long it lasts, shall we?

Be #CartonSmart

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carton Smart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

since I first saw them in November, I have been in love with these Tetra Pak cartons!  What a great way to package things that would normally be stored in bulky cans.  

 

Imagine how great your pantry would look if you replaced your cans with these!

 

 

Not only are the Tetra Pak cartons convenient, they are so great for the environment and the taste of the food!  Look at all these great benefits of these products!

 

 

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Florida this year.  We wouldn't even think about hauling all those heavy cans along on the two-day car ride, but these cartons were so light and packed so well!

 

We love to make a loaf of banana bread for breakfast during the trip down to Florida, so I decided to go with the season and switch it to pumpkin bread.

 

We took our usual banana bread recipe and substituted the pumpkin puree for the bananas.  I went with it because I know it's delicious and I didn't want to experiment when I had this awesome product to try, but I want to work with this recipe to make it a little healthier in the future.  Don't get me wrong, things taste awesome with butter, but I'm pretty sure I can get that stick of butter reduced a little and I want to try the tricks I learned from my Benefits of Flax post.

 

You can find that recipe here and look at how delicious it looks! Nevermind that I spent the first few hours of the trip resting my feet on the bread in the cramped car - it was still delicious flat!

 

The carton was great.  I loved not having to struggle with a can opener.  Just lift the sides, squeeze where the arrows indicate, fold the top back on the perforated line and tear (this may take some effort), and pour.

 

I can't wait to try use the other two products I received!  I can easily find something to do with the chicken stock, but I'm looking for a fun recipe to try with the Cranberry sauce.  You can go to pacificfoods.com and CartonSmart.com to see other products availible in these fantastic cartons!

 

 

Want to learn more?  Make sure to Become Carton Smart, Tweet @CartonSmart, and Follow #CartonSmart on Pinterest.

 

 

Are you convinced to make the switch to environmentally friendly and tastier cartons!  Have any suggestions for my Cranberry Sauce?  I'd love to hear them!

 

 

 

 

Tips and Tricks Tuesday #6

Tips and Tricks Tuesday #6 is live - head over and link up all your awesome old and new posts!

In case you're missing out...

I'm making that switch I've been promising.  In case you haven't followed me during the move, here are some thing you're missing.

I ran my first 5K!!!

Tips and Tricks Tuesday #5

Hey all!

It's Tuesday!!  Time to share your healthy living tips and tricks, or to seek the wisdom of others to make this journey a little smoother.

** Just a reminder, I will be making the switch to only one blog at Exploring Domesticity, so please remember to follow me over there!  I'm taking all my weight loss posts and adding them to my craft, tips, recipes, and DIY - should be great!!  Hope to see you there!**

<div align="center"> <a href="http://likea2-year-old"><img border="0" alt="Like a 2-Year-Old" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinv1wOR_cln-TimfMZRf2SmPSrgVc7qVqFQH0SxRfbVt2yI5eyZlZIcrVgv98ZLxxNeeLJDOBxKNSCvL6JKKseSlxFJ6h7IkZmiR9TQc8XYxOCaSbO41Cm9zUM6v8J4jA2l1797rp-wwk/s640/blogger-image--1974888572.jpg"/></a></center>

Thanks for everyone who shared last week!  Here are the top three most viewed links.

Healthy and Fit Homeschool Mom shared a fantastic workout.

Like a 2-Year-Old shared her questions about her upcoming first 5K and looked for advice from you!

Seeing Less of Kristin shared why it's important to Track Your Measurements.

Make sure to check out the rest of the links last week - you won't be disappointed!

if you were featured, make sure you grab a button!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://likea2-year-old"><img border="0" alt="Like a 2-Year-Old" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q3L8APlYnYEXSTfeDboJx3QomkS0Tw8IBrWFy3vFM52ouXh3Nzh3Aztq9xdQZYg-chXlSl-NFAwn7gQTwcbMJKY5kpfGCbi88MMu7izSDA2-HiELfQs0RYetMFWOxGbEQsTPt8yDaUo/s640/blogger-image-780338807.jpg"/></a></center>

So, here's the deal:

• Link up any past posts you have that you think may benefit others in any way - advice, recipes, reviews, workouts, motivation, inspiration, etc...
• Link up any past posts in which you are searching out advice from others - help staying on track, products, workouts, food, motivation, etc...
• Make sure to include the topic of your post in your title (I've noticed putting "Kristin @ Like a 2-year-old" in the title spot is a total weight loss blog trend - we're looking for the subject so people know what they're clicking on.)
• Follow your lovely hosts, Kristin and Kristin - let us know and we will gladly follow you back!  Hey, we're all here for the same support, right?
• Place our button somewhere on your blog or link back in your posts - let's gather as much advice from as many people as we can!
• Last, visit as many links as you can - help answer questions from those looking for help and let the others know how much you appreciate them sharing their own tips and tricks.
• Each week we will try to feature the most clicked link, as well as others that seem particularly helpful and deserve a little more recognition.

Now on with the show!

One Pot Fajita Pasta

I've been warning everyone that I'm making the switch over to my permanent home at Exploring Domesticity, so if you haven't already please follow me over there.  I wouldn't want to lose any of you!

I'll keep reminding you for another week or two, but most of my posts will be over there and linked from here.

Here is a yummy dinner that I made last week.  It is perfect for one because you can do it completely in one pot if you wish and eliminate all other dishes - I'm serious, if you're eating along who needs a bowl when you already have it in a pan?

I used to make these one-pot meals all the time and it was much easier to keep track of what I was eating.  My family absolutely loves this so I make enormous batches now.  It's just a complete hit all the way around!






And just because it's Sunday night, here's a little motivation for your Monday.

Wendy @ Daily Dose of Del Signore

Veronica @ V Watts' Thoughts

Morgan @ Fat to Fit Confessions

Tiff @ The Fit Train

Katie @ The Carb Monster

Alisha @ Coily Locks