I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.
We have been fans of PACT Organic clothes for several years. Their socks are my absolute favorite! In fact I have giftedPact Organic Christmas sock gift packs several times to family members.
Two things I love about PACT Organic is that the fabrics are super soft (you will notice the softness when you wear them) and their clothing is better for both us and the environment. I wrote more about it a few years ago which you can read here.
These pajamas are made of soft, breathable, 100% organic cotton that is made without toxic chemicals and with 91% less water than conventional cotton. Did you know that organic cotton uses 91% LESS water than conventional cotton when produced? I think that is amazing!
PACT Dream Big Pajamas are available in kids’ sizes 18 months to 10. My 9 year old is wearing a size 10 and my 4 year old is wearing a size 5. I ordered up in size so they had some growing room and could get more use out of the pajamas. They are a little loose on my slender boys since I ordered up in size, but they stay on nicely.
These pajamas provide a snug fit for safety, with a pull-on waistband and banded cuffs at the wrists and ankles. They are also made with a tagless label on the back to prevent discomfort and skin irritation. The fabric is prewashed and shrink resistant. They wash well and are so snuggly and soft when they come out of the dryer.
These pajamas are tough too. They hold up to all the wrestling and tumbling in our busy house of four boys.
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I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.
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Did you know that COVID-19 has increased screen time for kids by 500%? Nearly half of American children spend more than six hours a day in front of a screen. Add in remote learning and this number gets even higher.
I know it can be hard to monitor screen time, especially with so many of us working from home and trying to manage distance learning at the same time. Luckily my kids are back in school, but we went through many long months of them working at home to complete school assignments and attend zoom meetings with their teachers. I found it difficult to monitor three school-aged children and their younger brother when I had my own work to complete and they could easily distract themselves with video games or YouTube videos. I am glad to have Circle Home Plus now, but wish we would have had it then. If the boys go back to remote learning for any reason in the future, Circle Home Plus will be a lifesaver!
Circle Parental Controls (affiliate link) is the simplest way for families to manage screen time and filter content on all their Internet-connected devices, from tablets and smartphones to gaming consoles and smart TVs. I am not the most tech savvy person so I was a little intimidated to set up the Circle Home Plus device, but it was really easy. Once I downloaded the app, I was able to follow the step by step onscreen instructions (which are also included in printed form with the device) to set it up.
Circle Home Plus (affiliate link) has so many useful features. • Age-appropriate filters for different websites and apps (or block content all together) • Time limits for both individual apps and categories of content • Bedtimes that automatically disconnect devices from the Internet • Pause/temporarily turn off Internet-connectivity for a single family member or everyone at the same time • Focus Time to restrict access to certain sites for specific periods of the day—a perfect tool to keep distance learning or homework time on track • Rewards: Reward your child with more screen time or a later bedtime, at the touch of a button • History: Check out visited and filtered sites from the day's activity • Track usage for yourself and your family. This information is insightful if trying to reduce screen time or stay on track with projects for work and school.
• With the Off Time feature, you can set up Off Times when internet is restricted to selected devices for important family times like dinner and game nights.
Circle Home Plus typically retails for $69 for a three-month subscription, $129 for a one-year subscription, or $299 for a lifetime subscription (all plans include the Circle Home Plus device and Circle App access).
Want to learn more? Visit Circle for more info. Enjoy this exclusive offer and save 20% on your purchase of a Circle Home Plus device + 1 year app subscription or Circle Home Plus device + Lifetime app subscription at moms meet with promo code MOMSMEET2021! Valid until 10/15/21. One promo code use per person.
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you make a purchase through my links, I will receive compensation.
So this isn't even really a recipe, but I realized that with more people cooking at home during the quarantine, people want ideas for things they can stock in their freezers and pantries and prepare quickly and easily. We have been making these semi-homemade pizzas for a several months and love them. Honestly, we like them better than any takeout pizza available locally and they're less expensive to make.
Bonus: Your kids can make dinner and they will probably really like getting to help. Now is the time to take advantage of all of this family time at home and let the kids learn some life skills.
The boys keep begging to make more cooking videos since we did a facebook live making banana bread. We had trouble with our internet connection during our facebook live so I put this video on YouTube. This video was a last minute decision so it's real...no makeup and I wore the same lounge pants and t-shirt for two days. #quarantinestyle You'll see the ingredients in the video, but our favorite pizza crust is Stonefire (purchased from Kroger). I keep a few extras in the freezer. We also like this pizza crust (amazon link) although it's less expensive at our local grocery. I also keep shredded mozzarella and pepperoni in the freezer. Some pepperoni is shelf stable so you can keep it in the pantry. If you purchase it from a non-refrigerated shelf in the store, it's shelf stable. Onions can store for a couple of months in a pantry. You may like to keep some canned olives and canned pineapple in your pantry too. Pizza is so versatile you can use your favorite toppings based on what you have available.
Ingredients:
Pizza Crust Pizza Sauce Mozzarella cheese Topping ideas: Pepperoni Sausage Bacon Spinach Tomatoes Olives Onion Mushrooms Artichoke hearts Peppers Pineapple Preheat oven before assembling pizza. Use oven temperature and recommended time from pizza crust package. Assemble pizza then bake. We bake right on the oven rack (no pan) for a crispier crust.
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I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.
I have been giving my kids probiotics for a couple of years. They take them daily which helps with regularity and overall health. The boys are rarely sick and hardly ever have any tummy issues. I do think probiotics have made a positive impact on their health.
The boys tried Wakunaga of America Kyo-Dophilus Kids Probiotics and they love them! They are easy to chew, vanilla flavored tablets. There is no refrigeration required making them easy to store and take along on trips.
It is amazing what a difference probiotics have made for the boys. I remember years ago before we introduced probiotics, more issues with upset tummies and constipation. I can't say they never have any issues, but they are very rare. I have four very healthy boys full of energy running around (full time now that they are out of school). They spent the entire day outside in the creek, climbing trees, and in the barn and pastures.
Did you know 70% of your immune system is located in your gut (your gastrointestinal system)! It's amazing when you think about it.
Kyo-Dophilus Kids Probiotic maintains good bowel regularity, relieves occasional digestive discomfort, and promotes healthy immune function. Wakunaga of America Kyo-Dophilus Kids Probiotic is available to purchase at local health food stores, Sprouts Farmers Market, Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers, as well as online at Swansons Vitamins and Amazon.
Disclosure: I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.
When I agreed to read this book for review, I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. I have been reading it aloud to my 7 and 9 year olds for a few weeks and we are all caught up in the story. They always ask for "just one more (chapter)" and I usually read another chapter because I am enjoying it so much too.
We are only about half-way through reading A Drop of Hope, but I can whole-heartedly recommend it. The characters are well developed and their stories so well connected that we are left wanting more at the turn of each page and at the end of each chapter. We usually stay up a little longer so we can read "just one more".
A Drop of Hope is a Scholastic publication written by Keith Calabrese. I read that his seven year old daughter dared him to write a children's book so he did. He is a screenwriter by trade. "Told from multiple points of view, A Drop of Hope is a book that shows how a single act of kindness can create waves and remind us how powerful a little hope can be." It is refreshing to find a book that is both enjoyable for young and old alike making it a great family read aloud book. You can find A Drop of Hope where children's books are sold and at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, BooksA-Million, iBooks, Audible, and Google Play.
I find it amazing that in 11 years of hosting kids birthday parties, this is the first time that we have done a Star Wars party. We have been so busy, that we literally planned this party in less than a week. We decided it would be fun to show a Star Wars movie on the barn and planned the party around that. A quick email invite, late night on pinterest, amazon prime order and of course some effort and we had a party.
These pool noodle light sabers were a huge hit and made great party favors. In fact, our kids have been playing with them for days. My husband made most of the light sabers for the party, but the kids have been making things all week with the extra supplies. They even made an elaborate shield.
I bought the light saber supplies at Walmart. All you need are pool noodles (which are unfortunately seasonal), duct tape, and electrical tape. My husband got really creative and made all different kinds including a pair of numb chucks. For most of the light sabers, he used a half length of pool noodle, but made some of different lengths too.
I always make a meal for our parties, but don't usually make theme food. This time I made some things with a Star Wars theme. There were so many great ideas online and it was fun to bring the theme into the kitchen. My husband formed this Jabba the hummus out of some store-bought hummus and peppers. It was adorable and delicious too.
We served with fresh cut vegetables for something healthy since we had sugary cookies and cupcakes. Gotta have some balance or the kids will bounce off the walls, LOL. I always make guacamole so I served some with chips. I saw some creative Yodamoles online, but didn't try to sculpt a Yoda out my guacamole. We can only do so much...
I didn't get the best picture to represent what these are, but these are cheese and cracker tie-fighters. I used some port wine cheese spread to "glue" hexagon shaped crackers to small slices of cheese sticks to make the tie-fighters. The only crackers I could find in this shape, were these small gluten free crackers which broke easily when handling, but they were delicious and a fun food for the party.
Pork carnitas has nothing to do with Star Wars, but it's one of our favorite meals and has become our party go-to main dish. So we served our favorite pork carnitas.
I wanted something really simple for the cake because with four kids I don't have time to do anything elaborate. I bought yellow cupcake liners at Walmart, made simple cupcakes in vanilla, chocolate, and lemon from cake mixes, and frosted them in homemade buttercream frosting tinted black,
I ordered yellow star candies and light saber cupcake toppers on amazon. Also, if using a cake mix, the Betty Crocker Original Recipe is my favorite, although it is getting harder to find in my local stores. It is the old fashioned fewer ingredients version and tastes more like homemade. I may have to order some to have on hand for cake emergencies, ha! Although, from my link it looks like its $15.99 a box! Yikes! I will have to see if I can find a better source. I used extra star candies as a decoration scattered on the black tablecloth on the food table.
Wookie Cookies
I decided to make Wookie Cookies, but wanted to keep them pretty simple. I used one of my favorite recipes adding cocoa powder to make them brown and eliminating the nuts and chocolate chips in the cookies. I melted chocolate chips to make the bandoliers and used white chocolate chips to finish them. I ran out of brown sugar so I used coconut sugar which works well too. I used this recipe because we love them and because the coconut and oatmeal would give them a bumpy texture like hairy Chewbacca. Wookie Cookies were a big hit at the party.
I doubled this recipe for the party.
Ingredients: 1 ¼ cups flour ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. salt 1/4 cup cocoa powder ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter softened ¾ cup packed brown sugar or coconut sugar 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 egg 2 Tbsp. milk ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes 1 cup old fashioned oats Chocolate chips (for melting) Raisins (for the eyes) White chocolate chips for the bandoliers 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a bowl. Set aside. 4. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture and milk. Stir in, oats, and coconut. 5. Drop by rounded tablespoons on parchment lined baking sheets. 6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are crisp but centers are still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; press raisins onto warm cookies for the eyes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. 7. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave then pour melted chocolate into a plastic zipper seal bag. Seal the bag and cut one corner so that the chocolate can pour out like from an icing bag. Draw a bandolier in a diagonal line across the cookie with the melted chocolate. Then place white chocolate chips on the melted chocolate to finish the bandolier. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.
Linking up at Inspire Me Monday
We get really excited about holidays at our house. Not just the big ones like Easter and Christmas, but the little ones like Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, and St. Patrick's Day too. You can bet we're having corned beef and cabbage and shamrock shaped green jello next weekend. Since we love holidays so much, I wanted to do something special for the boys for Valentine's Day, so I made a strawberry waffle cake.
Talk about happy kids! They loved it and it was pretty simple to make. I actually enjoy making waffles so we eat them fairly often...well once or twice a month which is a lot in my book since I like to keep breakfast simple. Here is the recipe I always make.
I actually mashed up some strawberries and added them to the batter, but don't think I really tasted them in the waffles. I doubt I will go to the trouble to do that again since it didn't change the flavor of the waffles, but it's always fun to try new things.
I love the simplicity of this. Waffles, whipped cream, and strawberries layered to make a beautiful cake. I make homemade whipped cream which is super easy if you have a mixer. I put cream and strawberries between each layer, cutting the strawberries thinner for the inner layers so they will stack easier. You will want to serve this treat shortly after assembling to prevent the waffle layers from getting too soft, although it's still good if it has set awhile.
Ingredients:
Waffles (my favorite recipe) Whipped cream (homemade or store bought, honestly homemade is easy and so much better) Strawberries, washed and sliced Prepare all ingredients then layer as pictured for a fun sweet treat.
I originally posted this recipe on here on a cold 9 degree night in January 2012. It's fun to look back and remember where we were and what we were doing 6 years ago. We only had 3 kids then, but they were all 4 and under so life was really busy. My husband was in grad school and a graduate teaching assistant so he was on campus much of the time. We didn't have much money, but we were happy. We were and still are frugal. We ate most of our meals at home because it's much easier with little ones and to save money. We always had a warm meal on the table. One of my favorite things to make was chicken noodle soup which I still make today.
This is my easy version of chicken noodle soup because sometimes you just don't feel like cooking a chicken carcass and messing with it. I do freeze them after I roast a chicken and usually have one in the freezer for bone broth or bone broth chicken soup, but sometimes...I just want easy.
My 15 month old and I were both under the weather earlier this month so I made a big pot of chicken noodle soup. I didn't feel like making a bone broth, but I found bone broth at the grocery store (32 oz. carton) with the regular chicken broth so I bought some and tried it in this soup. It was more expensive than conventional chicken broth, but delicious and comforting and we did get over our colds within a couple of days. I always feel like chicken soup from bone broth helps to shorten colds around our house.
I recently discovered that our kids really like this small ditalini pasta in their chicken noodle soup. It is easier for them to manage on a spoon so mealtime is easier. We like it too!
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients: 1 onion diced 3 cloves garlic minced 1 stalk celery diced 2 T. butter 6 C. water 8 C. chicken broth or bone broth 1 lb. boneless chicken 1 t. salt 1 t. Cajun seasoning 1 C. sliced carrots 1 C. frozen peas 12 oz. ditalini pasta or egg noodles (I often use the whole 16 oz. box of pasta which makes it thicker) 1. In a large pot, sauté onion, garlic and celery in butter until tender and caramelized. 2. Add water, chicken broth, chicken, salt, Cajun seasoning. Cook on low to medium for about an hour or until chicken is cooked. 3. Remove chicken from the pot and shred/chop it with a knife and a fork. Return the chicken to the pot. Add sliced carrots and peas and bring pot to a boil. 4. Add noodles and continue to boil uncovered (for the time suggested on the noodle package) until noodles are cooked. 5. Once noodles are tender, remove from heat and let soup rest for a few minutes to cool before serving. I think it's funny how our approach to Halloween costumes has changed over the years as we have had more children and consequently have less time to devote to things like getting the perfect Halloween costumes for our kids. I told a friend this story with no intention of posting it, and she said you should write about that. I thought it was such an ordinary thing, but maybe it isn't in our perfect pinterest world of high expectations. So here is my story…I took the boys to a church Halloween party last week and when we pulled into the parking lot, the boys noticed children in costumes. Uh oh, huge Mom fail, I never even thought to have the boys put on costumes. I had spent the time between school pick-up and the party trying to get my 8 year old to sit still long enough to do his homework and making homemade applesauce. This is no easy task. It is hard to get him to do his homework every night. We finally got something accomplished with him sitting on a stool in the kitchen reading to me while I peeled and cored apples. This was a potluck church party so I needed to get the applesauce done to have something to take. Somehow I managed to make applesauce and get all four kids in the car and get there almost on time. We were less than 5 minutes late to a two-hour party, which is on time in Mom-time. I was feeling pretty good about this, and then we pulled into the parking lot and saw THE COSTUMES! The boys were pretty let-down and I felt really bad so we turned right around and went home. Luckily we live about 5 minutes away, but I knew this would make us a half hour late so I let go of the need to be on time for this one. I pulled into the driveway and said run into the house and grab something out of the costume bin. (We have saved all of our costumes over the years and they are in a big dress-up bin in the little boys’ room, a benefit of having 10 Halloweens under our belt.) I never even got out of the car. I stayed in the car with the baby while the boys ran into the house. A few minutes later, Captain America, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and a bat came bounding out of the house. I didn’t know what they would choose. We hadn’t even discussed Halloween costumes yet this year and here they were… three very happy boys dressed in costumes they have worn a million times. Most of our costumes are hand-me-downs, homemade, or purchased after Halloween on clearance or second hand and they are the best. One thing life with four kids has taught me is that simple is usually best and that everything doesn’t have to be perfect all the time.
We have enjoyed an abundance of fresh peppers and tomatoes this fall. We actually still have a huge pan of green tomatoes gradually ripening on the counter. It's fun to see them starting to turn orange then red among the bright green sea of tomatoes.
We love stuffed peppers, although the kids find them a bit challenging to eat. Plus the work of stuffing the peppers (while not difficult) is a step I would rather skip so I make this kid-friendly casserole instead. I love making one pan meals like this stuffed pepper casserole. If you are a regular here, you are used to seeing my favorite pan in the world...my iron skillet. This baby can cook just about anything anywhere. It makes preparing this casserole a breeze transitioning from stove top to oven with ease. If you don't have one, no problem. Just use a skillet when cooking on the stove, then transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish.
I actually came up with this dish last summer when we had an abundance of pepper from the garden so we have enjoyed it a lot over the last year. It's one of our favorites and I hope you will enjoy it too.
Stuffed Pepper Casserole Ingredients: 4 medium bell peppers, seeded and chopped 1 sweet onion, diced 2 cloves minced garlic 1 lb. lean ground beef 4 tomatoes, diced 1 heaping cup cooked rice 1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. salt Fresh ground pepper to taste 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese plus a little extra to sprinkle on top 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Brown beef with pepper, onion, and garlic in skillet at medium-medium/high heat. 3. Then remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients. 4. Sprinkle top with extra cheese then bake about 25 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.
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Welcome to Home Ec @ HomeHi, I'm Faith, a former Family and Consumer Science teacher turned food blogger. I love God, my family, and food. You can usually find me in the kitchen preparing family friendly, homemade recipes and taking lots of pictures. This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesFan Favorites
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