Our Five Ring Circus: What's Up Wednesday

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

What's Up Wednesday

I say it each month, but I truly can't believe this is the last week of July! Time is passing by far too quickly for my liking.

One week from today, Lily will turn 5. Two weeks later, Liam will turn 3.  Then all four of my kids are heading to school. I'm not going to lie. I can't even think about sending Lily and Liam to school without tearing up! Why do they have to grow up so quickly?!?

Since life is passing by in warp speed, so I figured it's time for a little life lately post!

 


WHAT WE'RE EATING THIS WEEK...

Monday-Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Garlic Bread
Tuesday-Creamy Lemon Chicken and Seasoned Potato Wedges
Wednesday-Grilled Brats and Turkey Dogs, Homemade Macaroni and Cheese and Corn on the Cob
Thursday-Grilled Pork Chops, Three Cheese Sliced Potatoes and Cauliflower & Broccoli
Friday-Dinner with my parents
Saturday-Leftovers AKA Clean Out The Fridge Night
Sunday-Baked Chicken, Fried Rice and Creamed Green Beans

Creamy Lemon Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
  • 3-4 boneless chicken breasts 
  • 12 oz chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz heavy cream
  • Salt & Pepper
1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper then brown both sides of the chicken breasts in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Mix Chicken broth, garlic powder and lemon juice together in a bowl.
3. Remove chicken from skillet, pour chicken broth mixture into skillet and heat up.
4. Once the sauce is thoroughly heated, mix in the butter and the heavy cream.
5. Place chicken in a casserole dish, pour the sauce over the chicken and bake in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

I miss the baby stage so much! One of my friends had 4 kids the same ages as my kids and she just had her 5th baby. We're done, BUT I could barely control the baby fever! I miss having a baby in the house...

Babies

Slow down, time!

WHAT I'M LOVING...

I absolutely love this time of year! I love the hot weather, the long days, and the warm Summer nights. I love the fact that we can sleep in a bit , I love the more relaxed schedule and I especially love having all four of my kids at home with me!

139

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Although our schedule is a bit more relaxed, I think we're actually busier in the Summer than during the school year!

My great niece is with us Monday through Friday, and I watch my best friend's two boys on Thursdays. During the week, we've been having fun with all of our Camp Mom activities. It's hard to believe that we're already 7 weeks into it!

I blog about our activities each Tuesday, but here's a quick photo recap of 35 days of kids activities:

Camp Mom Activities
 Camp Mom Summer Activities

Dylan is in full Tween mode (AKA annoying) and I spend a lot of time being the Mom Taxi so he can hang out with his friends. Lexie is just thrilled to be spending the entire Summer with her best friend (my great niece). Lily is really excited to start Kindergarten AND ballet. She just finished her Summer story time session at the library today and has been practicing her flashcards in preparation for Kindergarten. Liam only has 3 weeks left with in-home therapy through Early Intervention. On the night before his third birthday, he gets kicked out of the program and his first IEP meeting is on August 11th. He will be making the transition to preschool-based therapy.

We've been spending time at the stable where we board our horse every weekend and the kids love it. I love it, too. It's a great escape from Suburbia. We get to enjoy farm life for a few hours each week!

As for me, blogging picked up big time! I'm writing for Pittsburgh Moms Blog in addition to this blog and I have a lot of collaborations in my queue. I also do some online volunteer work. I've been staying up until 4-5 AM to work, because there simply isn't any time during the day, and I'm exhausted.

To sum it up, I spend my days with 5-7 kids, put them to bed, and work for 5 hours. I kind of need a vacation!

WHAT I'M DREADING...

I'm dreading the upcoming school year. I'm not ready for Summer to end and I'm certainly not ready to send my two babies to school! I just bought Liam his first backpack from Pottery Barn Kids, so it's starting to feel real!

 

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

HOME: I'm currently trying to redo our front door and porch decor and convince my husband to finish the bathroom floor so I can paint!

PHOTOGRAPHY: Liam is a brand rep, so I have some new clothes that need to be photographed along with a few fun clothing brand features.  I'm also going to be taking senior pictures soon!

ORGANIZATION: I swear, I always have a million projects going on at once. I'm desperately trying to sort through all the kids clothing in the attic so I can figure out what I need to buy for Fall/Winter. I'm also writing out meal plans and shopping lists for the rest of Summer, filling out my calendars and planners for August and September and making lists for our upcoming vacation.

BLOG: I'm currently working on awesome collaborations with Netflix and JORD watches and I'm working on a post that's due for Pittsburgh Mom's Blog. I also have plans to update my About page and Media Kit ASAP!

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

Did I mention vacation?!? We leave for the beach in a little over 3 weeks! I can't wait. The beach is good for my soul!

1610

Even though I don't want my babies to grow up so fast, I am looking forward to celebrating Lily and Liam's birthdays next month! Lily is just so excited!

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

Here's what I'm currently watching on Netflix:

Netflix lineup

We actually finished Stranger Things on Sunday. It was REALLY good!

I'm still working on this book from the beginning of the month. It's really good, but I haven't had much time to read over the past few weeks!

013

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...

The playlist my kids created on my iPod. They request Everybody Talks by Neon Trees, Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's, Bad Romance by Lady Gaga and Christina Perri songs on a constant loop. Every so often Let It Go gets thrown in there, too.

WHAT I'M WEARING...

It is really hot and humid in Pittsburgh, so lots of tee-shirt dresses and shorts with cute short-sleeved shirts.

057
{Shirt-Kohl's / Shorts-TJ Maxx / Shoes -TJ Maxx}

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND...

Hopefully spending time with friends on Saturday night! On Sunday, Grant has to help his brother move and I have to take Lily to her friend's birthday party. And, well, getting as much stuff done around the house as I possibly can. Sleeping in will be involved, too. Just saying.

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH...

Celebrating Lily and Liam's birthdays and having their birthday party, going to my family reunion, checking more activities off of our Summer Bucket List and going to the beach!

WHAT ELSE IS NEW...

Did I mention that my lease is up and I need to get a new SUV in the next 2 weeks? Oh yeah...that! Life is going to be busy next month!

Question of the month is:
What was your favorite part about summer?

Can I just say everything? I love the weather and the long days and I love spending Summer Break with my kids and having the freedom to do whatever we want most days! It has been a great Summer so far! 

030

Let's Connect!



I'm linking up with The Larson Lingo for What's Up Wednesday.

19 comments:

  1. That lemon chicken recipe sounds delicious! I might have to try that one. Did you kids like it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! They actually did. The lemon flavor isn't too strong!

      Delete
  2. I hope you have a fabulous beach trip. You are one of the hardest working bloggers I know. You definitely deserve a little down time on the beach.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are seriously a super mom! I can't believe how much you have on your plate and I'm beyond amazed at how much you do....and do so well! I wish I had half of your energy with my two kids! Way to go, mama!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww,thank you! There are definitely days where the exhaustion gets to me!

      Delete
  4. Love the picture with the red wagon!!! You have little Leos just like Little Chick! Her birthday was yesterday and we had so much fun celebrating! You have been up to so much! Summer really has gone by very quickly. My grandmother always said that as we get older the time seems to speed by rapidly. She was right. I hope you have a great week my friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really does seem to speed up each year! Happy Birthday to your sweet Little Chick! XOXO

      Delete
  5. I love the PBK backpacks too and Buffy is one of my favorite shows ever!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's awesome! I finally convinced my husband to watch it with me and he actually likes it!

      Delete
  6. So much good stuff, but stuff that is hard on a mama's heart too. But hey, the beach!!! Do you feel like you are sitting around watching everybody go, return and blog about their beach trips while you just twiddle your thumbs?! I sure do. We don't go until September and I CAN HARDLY wait. I hope your week is going great friend and you are getting things done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I definitely do!!! But it's such a fantastic way to end the Summer and the beach isn't crowded! I hope you have a fantastic time!

      Delete
  7. I'm so glad you shared the lemon chicken recipe!!! I'm a sucker for anything lemon. I was just adoring your beautiful babes when I realized Lexie is the only one with brown eyes! How does she feel about that? My papa was the only with blue eyes until my brother and I could have KILLED for those lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love all things lemon, too!
      Out of all 4 kids, Lexie is the only one who resembles my husband. Although her hair isn't as dark as his, she definitely has his eyes! She's okay with it...I think it makes her feel special!

      Delete
  8. You really are Wonder Woman! Can I have your autograph?!?! Everything is going so wonderfully for you and I am delighted in that. WOW! All babies in school? How will you do it? You'll rock it that's how! Yay for a beach trip! Ours is two weeks from this coming Monday and honey, I am ready! Thank you for sharing that recipe, my kids will love it. Also, you look so pretty in your TJ Maxx/Kohls finds. Have a beautiful last few days of July :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. At first I was surprised that you have a great niece, but then I remembered that I have one too! LOL. She's a baby though. And I have a great nephew who is about 18 months. I'm dreading back to school too. So stressful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for the recipe! I have been trying different lemon chicken recipes and I just can't find one that everybody likes. I like the creamy aspect of this one! I will definitely be trying it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm so excited for the Gilmore Girls reboot coming in November! I too am dreading school starting. My first born is starting kindergarten and I'm so not ready! :'(

    ReplyDelete
  12. OMG you are super Mom for sure! I cannot believe you work until 4-5am! You rock, seriously!

    That creamy lemon chicken sounds so good, I'll for sure be trying!

    I miss the baby stage soooo much too but I'm *pretty* sure we are done :(

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from you! Let's chat!!!