The Mommy Games

Rylan 11 Month Summary

Feb72013

I seriously cannot believe that my little baby is just one short month away from being a year old. That whole saying, “The days are long, but the years are short,” totally applies to how I’m feeling. With his cute little baby face, Brad and I are always remarking that Rylan seems younger at this age than Brandon did. Maybe that’s why it surprises me so much when he grasps a new concept. He’s beginning to understand processes lately, and likes knowing what to expect. As most mothers would recognize, he is in the pulling everything out stage – emptying a drawer or basket of clean diapers takes no time. Clapping is still his go-to move (everyone loves that he knows “If you’re happy and you know it”), but he has also gotten the hang of using signs for “more” and “all done” at meal time.

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· Filed Under: Baby Summaries, Mommy, Our Family · Tagged With: 11 months old, Baby, baby summary, reflux, schedule

5 Meals for Kids in 5 Minutes

Feb42013

We all have those nights that just seem to get away for us. We get busy doing something-or-other when we suddenly realize it’s dinner time. When I find myself in this predicament, I immediately scratch the idea of family dinner and focus on getting something made for the kids pronto. The adults will just have to fend for themselves after bedtime. Rather than having the kids fill up on goldfish while I cook for 30 minutes, I assemble a super speedy meal that can be thrown together at a minutes notice, all using ingredients that I usually keep on hand. These aren’t necessarily the most well-rounded meals, but they only happen on occasion and they get the job done without having to resort to anything boxed and frozen. I usually throw in some kind of fruit side (berries often being a good choice since you don’t have to cut them up) and you could also quickly microwave some frozen peas and a little butter for a veggie. They all take less than 5 minutes (because 10 is just way to long to deal with whiny, hungry children!), and there are no Rachel Ray super fast chopping skills required. These dishes have saved us time and time again, and I hope you find them helpful too.

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Mommy Know How, Recipes · Tagged With: dinner, easy, kids meals, lunch, quick, toddler

Red Velvet Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Jan312013

It’s almost February and Valentines is right around the corner. Although it is arguably the cheesiest holiday around, it’s fun being a girl on Valentines. If you are in a relationship you can rightfully expect to get pampered. And if you are single you can rightfully expect to get bombed with your other single girlfriends – who needs men?! But we can all expect to ride a sugar high for most of the day.

My mom made this amazing cake when we were home for the holidays, and I knew I absolutely must share it with all of you. It was so incredibly good! My brother recently got married, and the woman who made his rehearsal dinner cake told us the secret to her super moist cake was to freeze them beforehand. When they are defrosted, all that moisture goes back into the cake, making it one of the most tender and moist cakes you will ever eat (how-to details in recipe below). My mom did just that with this beautiful layer cake and the result was amazing. You have to try it for yourself! And the frosting is beyond delicious. Like, you should make extra. Tempted to throw in a comment about what to do with said frosting on this romantic holiday, but this is a G-rated show here at The Mommy Games. Thanks Mom for sharing this recipe and for letting me be a very diligent taste tester!

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: cake, coconut, cream cheese, dessert, frosting, holiday, red velvet, valentines

Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings

Jan282013

Oh, Monday. Did you really have to throw in this freezing snowy weather to add to your sting? Going on my 8th year here in the Northeast and I still haven’t come to terms with the winter weather. About the only thing cold weather is good for is an excuse to stay indoors and eat warm, hardy, comforting food. And yes, chicken and dumplings fits just that bill. This is especially perfect for a weekday since it takes no time to throw everything into the slow cooker. I mean, how fabulous is it to hit 6 pm and realize that dinner will only take another few minutes of your time. Just the kind of end of day you need on a freezing Monday like today.

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Slow Cooker · Tagged With: chicken, dinner, dumplings, slow cooker, soup, vegetables

Mint Chocolate Cookies

Jan252013

I just can’t seem to get enough chocolate. I know it’s a super cliche woman thing, but seriously, chocolate is my indulgence of choice. And these cookies are right up my alley. Going to forewarn you – they are amazingly addictive. Like, I made this recipe, ran out of cookies a few days later, and preceded to then make a whole other batch. They are a delicious cross between a brownie and a thin mint girl scout cookie. Seriously to-die-for. I especially liked them slightly chilled in the fridge. These should definitely top your “to-bake” list. They are simple to mix up, bake in no time, and will fulfill any chocolate craving you throw at them.

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· Filed Under: Recipes, Sweets · Tagged With: chocolate, cookies, dessert, glaze, mint

Low & Slow Oven Ribs

Jan222013

Please forgive me for the ugly picture. I just had to share these with you because they are awesomely delicious – bad picture be darned! I have a long going love for meat that can be thrown into the oven, forgotten about for a few hours, then popped out right at dinner time. I love the scrumptious smell that fills the house and gives off this impression that I’m working harder in the kitchen than I really am. Really, I’m cruising Gilt and ordering a bunch of cute shoes that I don’t really need, but don’t tell my husband that. These have a sort of sweet and sour Asian style thing going. A really unique, easy, and delicious rib recipe to add to your collection. These would be perfect for football watching!

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· Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes · Tagged With: dinner, meat, pork, ribs, slow cook, tomato relish

Brandon 2.5 Year Summary

Jan172013

The highlight of the last couple of months with Brandon, was definitely Christmas time. Granted he had like 4 different Christmas celebrations since we were visiting different family members, but he simply couldn’t get enough of “open presents!” As parents, I think it’s even more fun for us. Brad spent hours making sure Brandon’s train was set up just right for Christmas morning. And of course, we patted ourselves on the back for being the ultimate gift givers when he proceeded to play with it all day. He even got a special table to keep it on in his room, which turned out to be a smart move since it keeps the trains and tracks somewhat out of Rylan’s reach. He could not possibly have been happier when we were visiting family and had tons of playmates at all hours of the day. He was one tuckered out kiddo by the end of it all. We even had to go back to him taking 3 hour naps for a while, and even then it was sometimes hard to get him up.

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Our Family, Toddler Summaries · Tagged With: schedule, toddler, two and a half

Let’s Get Organized: Tame those Recipes!

Jan142013

I love the start of a new year. It feels like everything is fresh and clean – a chance to renew and restart. Just looking at my empty and pretty planner makes me excited. I know that a lot of people make resolutions to get more organized this time of year, so I thought I would start a “Let’s Get Organized” series of posts dealing with how to do just that. Each month I will do a post on how to improve your life with a little advanced planning. I’m not talking about hours of cleaning out your closets, more like streamlining your daily tasks to make your life easier and more efficient. By no stretch of the imagination am I a neat freak, but I’ve found that having some semblance of order to my day and planning things out in advance have helped me be a better mom and wife.

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· Filed Under: Mommy, Organization, Recipes · Tagged With: menu planning, organization, recipes