Favorite Meal?

 Today is the final day of the Commenting Challenge hosted by Jenna's Journey and the topic is favorite meals.

What's your very favorite meal EVER? It can be home made, mom made, store bought, restaurant, etc. 

 This question is actually a little hard for me to answer because I love ALL kinds of food! I tend to gravitate more toward comfort foods and one of my favorites (and a family favorite) is homemade chicken and waffles! I make stacks and stacks of waffles because when we've finished stuffing ourselves with dinner, the kids always want ice cream waffle sandwiches for dessert. YUM!

Do you have a favorite meal? It's not too late to link up over at Jenna's and share!

Merry Christmas...in July

I must admit, it usually takes me until the day after Thanksgiving to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I'm a "take one holiday at a time" kind of girl. But, the topic for the Commenting Challenge hosted by Jenna's Journey is just that!

"Share some of your gift ideas for this upcoming Christmas season and/or share about the best gift you have received!"

With six kids, as I'm sure you can imagine, our budget is pretty tight. Although the kids have their Christmas lists complete in June, I'm usually still wrapping up Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve. I always say I'm going to start early, but that never happens! 

Last year, I decided to focus more on the season and less on the shopping.

 We baked cookies together...

 Did a few crafts...

Watched some Christmas movies together...

 ...and found the perfect Christmas tree!

For me, the family time is the best gift ever!

 

Pinterest Love

Today's topic on the Commenting Challenge hosted by Jenna's Journey is Pinterest.

"Share a project or recipe you've found and completed, your favorite pins or if you aren't a pinner, share a favorite tip with us (cleaning tip, cooking tip etc). "

 I've actually tried a few things that I have pinned and I've also had some pins spark other crafty ideas. My girls have even gotten into Pinterest as well! They use the search feature to find what they are looking for. Felicia even made her Valentine's Day box this year based on this pin:

For the most part, I pin way more than I actually attempt! Ha! But I still love to scope out new ideas and I get lots of inspiration from Pinterest. You can follow me here:


 If you're on Pinterest, leave your link in the comments and I'll follow along! 

What I'm Watching

It's day 2 of the annual blog commenting challenge hosted by Jenna's Journey and here is the topic for the day:

What's your favorite TV show/series/reality show? If you don't watch TV, what about a favorite movie or book series?

Well, as a mom of 6, it's very rare for me to actually be able to sit down at a specific time and watch anything in particular on TV. Thank goodness someone invented the DVR! It has changed.my.life.  I know, the really sounds pathetic, but seriously...life changing!  So, when I finally get to relax and catch up on my dvr, what do I watch..."reality" tv! I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but the more twisted, the better! Some of my favorites are:

• Gypsy Sisters
• Here Comes Honey Boo Boo
• Dance Moms
• Pretty Wicked Moms
• Teen Mom 2
•  Breaking Amish
• Duck Dynasty 

My summertime guilty pleasure...Big Brother on CBS! Anyone else watching? Wow, talk about serious drama! I've never seen a bigger bunch of whiny, catty, arrogant, racist, homophobic adults in all my life. But...I...CAN'T...STOP...WATCHING! It's the whole good vs. evil thing that sucks me in every time.

In addition to "reality" TV, I love a good drama. Grey's Anatomy is my favorite!

What are your favorite tv shows? Head on over to Jenna's and link up!

All About Me

 

This week I'm participating in the the Fourth annual Commenting Challenge hosted by Jenna's Journey! It's a great way to meet some new peeps and who doesn't love to do that?! Click the link in join in! 

Today's topic is "All About Me"

If you are a first timer to Moments of Mommyhood, welcome! My name is Sandy. I live in a small town in Pennsylvania with my hubby of 21 years, Mike. We have six kids: Michael(20), Brandon(18), Aaron(16), Felicia(9), Madelyn(7), and Stella(3). Of course I can't forget my fur baby our Chihuahua, Lucy!

In 2007, I left my job (that I loved) in a daycare/preschool to become a stay at home mom. It was strange to not be caring for so many other kids but I was happy to be able to give my full attention to my own family. 

In August of 2011, life as I knew it changed abruptly when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I knew I was in for the fight of my life, but I was prepared to do it for my family. After many months of chemo, radiation, and surgery I BEAT IT! I'm not going to lie, it was grueling and not something I would wish anyone to ever go through, but I am now well and going on with my life with a much better attitude. Enjoying the small things is more important than ever!

I recently started providing childcare again, in my home. It's the best of both worlds for me. I love the job and I can still stay home with my own kids. Win win! 

Here at Moments of Mommyhood, you will find some crafts that I do with the kiddos, some recipes, and just general happenings from our lives! Take a look around. I look forward to getting to know you!  

You can also find me here:

Twitter

Facebook

Pinterest

{Beat the Heat} Painting with Water

There is a heat wave here and finding ways to beat the heat and combat boredom can be tricky. But when all else fails...just add water! This activity is so simple yet the kids love it! Just grab a few paint brushes, fill a bucket with water and let them paint anything and everything they desire. No worries if they paint each other...it's only water!

 

Sand Pudding

 

Picnic season is here and I couldn't be happier! Desserts top my list as favorite picnic/party foods and this one has quickly become a favorite of the kiddos too. Served in a sand bucket it is the perfect beach themed treat!

{You will need}

1 box of vanilla wafers

2-3 chocolate sandwich cookies

2 small boxes of vanilla pudding (banana would be yummy too!)

2 3/4 cup milk

8 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup of butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 small tub of whipped topping

 a sand bucket and shovel

Start by crushing the cookies (the sand) in the food processor and set them aside. Next, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. In a separate bowl combine the pudding and milk. Whisk it until it thickens and then add it to the cream cheese/butter/powdered sugar mixture. Fold in the whipped topping. 

 

To assemble your sand pudding, layer the crushed cookies and pudding mixture in a sand bucket starting with the "sand" first. This is a great way to let the little ones help out! 

Serve with a sand shovel and enjoy!

A Trip to the Zoo

 

Summer is in full swing and we've been checking a bunch of things off our summer bucket list. Yesterday, we were able to put a check mark next to "Visit the Zoo".  Although the big girls have been to a zoo before, this was actually Stella's first trip to the zoo!

We knew that the day was going to be a hot one so we headed to Philadelphia bright and early and arrived just as the gates were opened. It was already very warm and the girls first stop was to a misting fan to cool off! Thankfully there are a lot of shady places and many indoor exhibits to see that kept us out of the direct sun. Stella decided almost immediately that she did not want to ride in the stroller so I wasn't able to get as many pictures as I would have liked. But that's okay, because we bought a membership so that we can go back again anytime we want (hopefully when it's a bit cooler)! 

The flamingos are one of my favorites...what girl doesn't love PINK!

All of my kids love the primates. They are just so much fun to watch! Stella got a kick out of the monkeys swinging around their habitats. She loved the ones with long hair too.

We saved our last stop for my favorite animal of all...the giraffes! Madelyn said they sounded like big brother Brandon when they chewed! Ha!

Even though at times, the heat got the best of us and we felt like we were going to melt, we had a great day. I can't wait to go back again soon!