Archives for April 2017

Fun Date Night Ideas That Are Not Your Ordinary Dinner and A Movie

04/26/2017 By Jenn 2 Comments

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Date nights are great to strengthen your marriage. Not only does it give you two time away together without the hustle and bustle of the kids but it helps your reconnect as a couple. Fun date night ideas can be rather tricky and you fall into the rut of what restaurant or what movie.

Remember when you started dating? Date nights seemed to be so much easier back then but you can still have a fun date night or date day that adds a little excitement and quality time together.

Fun Date Night Ideas That Are Not Your Ordinary Dinner and A Movie

Get A Couples Massage

Head to your local spa and enjoy an hour or two getting massages, facials and spa treatment for just the two of you. It’s so nice to be pampered once and awhile together!

Take A Class

If you both enjoy cooking find a local cooking class together. Whether its painting, dance classes anything you both love to do go improve your skills and do it together. You can check out Eventbrite for local events in your area for so many more class ideas!

Town Fair and Carnivals

Rides, carnival games and different food vendors make for such fun date night ideas! Walk around together and be kids again.

Wine Tasting or Tour A Brewery

Unwind with a few drinks somewhere other than your local bar or restaurant. You’ll experience different drinks and compare your favorites.

Workout Together

Hit the gym together, go for a run or a hike as long as its something physically challenging you are doing together that’s all that matters. You can even check out your local CrossFit to try something new without the commitment of a gym membership, they offer drop-in rates to check them out.

No matter what date night ideas you have keep it interesting and fun. Think outside of the box when planning a night or day out together.

What are more fun date ideas you would add to the list?

6 Reason’s I Am A Bad Mom According To Society & I’m Perfectly Fine With That

04/12/2017 By Jenn 3 Comments

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Kids, they do not come with instructions. As moms and dads, we try to do our very best every day to raise them as upstanding human beings to society. So here is my question…

Why is there so much judgment when it comes to someone’s parenting style? No one is perfect so why should parenting be? No one should be shamed and be called a bad mom, we do our best!

We all make mistakes, learn as we go and that’s okay! Judge me if you will, I’m perfectly a-okay with that.

6 Reason’s I Am A Bad Mom According To Society & I’m Perfectly Fine With That

Lying

Yes, I lie to my children! Nights that I could not cook yet another chicken dinner and make pork I tell them it’s chicken. I have been known to turn the lights off on them head to my room. Lock my bedroom door to pretend mommy is going to bed too just so they will go to bed.

Cursing

I’m a NY girl at heart born and raised, we curse – a lot! It adds character to what we are saying just like we talk a lot with our hands. I have a potty mouth, I will not deny that. I curse in front of my kids, they know it is wrong for them to say the curse words, so they don’t. But, when they spell them back at me well, I check them for spelling it correctly.

Eating Habits

In the beginning, I made all my kid’s baby food. Thought back then what a “perfect mother” I was, knowing everything that went into their mouths. All organic and healthy. Yeah, these days a couple nights through a drive-thru won’t hurt them.

Patience

What patience? By the time they get home from school after I’ve, broken up fights about who was staring at who. Heard about someone not liking the lunch I packed for them after they picked out what they wanted the night before. Or my personal favorite the homework battle I’ve about lost it before we even make it through the door. I try my best not to get annoyed, I feel guilty after I’ve screamed my head off, I do! But between all the hats we wear sometimes kids just suck that last bit of patience out of you to the point where your head feels like it’s spinning out of control.

Me Time and Kids Screen Time

Gasp, I do not monitor my kid’s screen time. Now, let me clarify they do need to have their homework done that is a rule but after that, it’s a free for all. They are allowed on game systems and iPads if they’d like to be until dinner. I take me time when it is available and do not feel guilty about that either. Whether it’s 30 minutes every day while I’m cooking dinner while they play in their rooms. Or on the weekends, I’ll take a day to get a pedicure, have lunch with my sister anything to de-stress.

Breastfeeding

This is a more serious topic that is hugely judged. I did not breastfeed any one of my three children. With my first child, I was unable and to be honest by the time I got to my third I wasn’t into it. I felt like the worst mother on this planet for the comments I received for not breastfeeding. Guess what, I did not care by the time I got to my last child. I know the health benefits, read all the books but what’s best for you may not be best for me so let’s not judge.

Side note – I am going to flip this to the breastfeeding momma’s, I applaud you! You will never get a look from me out in public breastfeeding your child. That is whole other topic, but why are these mother’s judged for feeding their child in public? You eat in public, right? Let that mom feed her baby in peace she does not need the stares and judgment. End rant!

So conclusion, my kids are loved, they know that. Just because society thinks I may be a bad mom, I know I am not. Your kids, my kids, her kids are all taken care of to the best of our ability every single day. Our kids know that so why can’t other mother’s understand that? The mom guilt we have about other things we worry about is enough on ourselves, there doesn’t need to be this label of what makes you a good mom.

What are things you do that makes you a bad mom according to society? Leave me a comment below, let’s keep it clean though.

No Bake Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

04/10/2017 By Jenn 2 Comments

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This week is my husbands birthday but since we couldn’t celebrate on his actual birthday we had our little celebration this weekend. He LOVES cheesecake but you guys know I like to take shortcuts where I can so first thing it needed to be no bake.

Then, he asked if it could be a Reeses peanut butter cup cheesecake. Well my first thought was I’ll go to the cheesecake factory and buy one haha. No, I figured I could pull it off and still make it pretty simple. If it failed Cheesecake Factory it is but I am happy to report it turned out AH-mazing!

This No Bake Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake is so silky and smooth, it literally melts in your mouth. I usually make no bake cheesecakes for Christmas but this one combined with peanut butter and chocolate was so much better.

It starts with a chocolate gram cracker crust, pilled with peanut butter cheesecake inside a few bits of Reeses peanut butter cups for texture. Then I drizzled on top chocolate sauce and more peanut butter for color. Plus a few extra Reeses peanut butter cups added on top, why not add some extra calories right we’ve gone this far?

The No Bake Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake took literally 20 mins to whip together, chill and your good to go! Grab a fork and some milk!

No Bake Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

Crust

1 Package Sleeve Chocolate Gram Crackers crumbed
5 TB Butter melted

Cheesecake

2 8oz. Blocks of Cream Cheese (Softened)
1/2c. Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 c Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Tub of Cool Whip
5 or 6 Reeses Peanut Butter Cups Chopped

Topping

Chocolate Shell Syrup
Extra Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Directions

Mix your gram cracker crumbs and butter together
Pack down on a 9 in cheesecake spring form pan
Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, peanut butter and cool whip.
Fold in your chopped up Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
Add that mixture to the pan
Let set in the fridge for about 4 hours or until firm
Undo your pan and drizzle the chocolate sauce and melted peanut butter on top for garnish (optional)
Sprinkle with more chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (optional)
DIG IN!

There you go No Bake Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake simple and yet SO delicious!!

Need more chocolate and peanut butter combo recipes? I got you covered here.

The Simplest To Die For Crockpot Chocolate Rice Pudding You’ll Ever Make

04/03/2017 By Jenn 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

Crockpot Chocolate Rice Pudding is one of the simplest recipes you’ll ever make. It is literally a few mins of effort to gather your ingredients and dump them into your crockpot and in a couple of hours you’ll have a delicious chocolate dessert ready for you.

My kids were off for spring break last week so we did a whole bunch of baking and freezer meals. I noticed I had a ton of rice on hand so I figured to give rice pudding a try but with a twist of chocolate, ok double chocolate. I have never made Crockpot Chocolate Rice Pudding this way before but the chocolate lovers in my house loved it! Next time I might have to find other flavors to make.

This Crockpot Chocolate Rice Pudding is creamy and smooth, if your not a chocolate lover like me you can omit the chocolate parts and just have it plain. It’s still just as good! Gp grab your crockpot for the simplest to die for Crockpot Chocolate Rice Pudding you’ll ever make.

Crockpot Chocolate Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

3/4 c uncooked white rice
3 1/4c whole milk
3 TB butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c sugar

Directions:

Spray your crockpot with a non stick cooking spray to prevent from sticking
Place all ingredients into the crock pot
Set your crockpot on high for 2 -3 hours or low on 4-5 (you just need the rice to be cooked through and not hard)
It’s that simple!
Top with a nice helping of whipped cream of course
Add a few chocolate chips to garnish, because a little more never hurt anyone
Enjoy!

Have you ever made Crockpot Chocolate Rice Pudding before or just rice pudding in the crockpot? Share your variations with me, I’d love to try them out!

The Simplest Crockpot Chocolate Rice Pudding

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 c uncooked white rice
3 1/4 c whole milk
3 TB butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c sugar

Instructions

Spray your crockpot with a non stick cooking spray to prevent from sticking
Place all ingredients into the crock pot
Set your crockpot on high for 2 -3 hours or low on 4-5 (you just need the rice to be cooked through and not hard)
It’s that simple!
Top with a nice helping of whipped cream of course
Add a few chocolate chips to garnish, because a little more never hurt anyone
Enjoy!

Need more crockpot recipes? Check them out!