My Favorites: Cozy Season Essentials.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ Leave a comment

One season I always get excited about is Fall. Especially in Michigan, it is so beautiful.

Colors everywhere, the weather cools down and suddenly being cozy inside is all I want to do.

Football and hockey on the TV with a batch of chili in the crockpot. Just thinking about it gives me the warm and fuzzy feelings even if it comes with my husband yelling at the TV in the background ;).

Although I did join a fantasy league with the girls this year so maybe I will be just as into it when the football games are on.

I love finding new things for the house to get me excited for rainy Fall days inside. Creating that cozy atmosphere is so important to me and I feel like this is my best haul yet, I can’t wait to share it with you all.

Oh my goodness, you have no idea the excitement I had starting this. Fall/ Winter I dive into my Romantasy reading and if you are a book girlie like me then I can only imagine your excitement for the upcoming Fall reads. BUT let me tell you, THIS BOOK WRECKED ME. What a way to kick Fall reading off. I was absolutely blown away by this book. Have you read it?

Speaking of books, I recently purchased this duet and I cannot wait. I have been eyeing them up for years and I finally decided to dive in. I have heard so many good things about them and they seem like the perfect type of atmosphere for some gloomy day reading.

It wouldn’t be Fall without a new coffee cup and Gilmore Girls! I re-watch it every year and it is just so soothing for the soul. I was so excited when a friend bought this coffee cup for me. It’s perfect and so cute.

One of my favorite indulgent drinks lately has been finding Diet cherry coke! I have only found it a few times in store but I love it!

If you haven’t noticed I love soothing things. Mainly I try to find things that does not have me doom scrolling constantly. I thought these were adorable and I am really excited to have them for when I just need to relax and wind down without being sucked into a book or a show.

Also the colored pencil set? The colors are so beautiful, it came with two trays of different shades of color. This is the first nice set I’ve bought for myself.

A new candle is a must. Give me all the pumpkin smells. I love it. Also this candle warming is such a game changer. I feel so much better about having candles going in the house since I’ve has this lamp. Defiantly recommend if you are a candle lover like me.

I wanted to add one more book in here, not only is the cover absolutely gorgeous but just in case you aren’t into fantasy type readings. I have this on my reading list for Fall and it sounds like it’s going to be a great one!

Jean and shacket season is upon us! I went to a consignment shop near where I live the other day and scored both of these. I’ve been on a hunt for a good jean jacket for so long and I swear old navy is always such a staple. My son plays hockey so I am especially excited to have both of these to wear over sweatshirts at rinks that aren’t frigid.

What are some of your Fall essentials? Pick up anything cute lately? Or any favorite activities you can’t wait for? Share with me!

I am a basic chick so of course I’m excited for my first pumpkin spice latte’, strolls around an orchard. It’s such a fun time of the year.

Wishing you all the best! Thanks for hanging out with me.

Lazy Lasagna Perfect For Busy Evenings.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 7 Comments

If there is one recipe I love the most now that we are gearing up for back to school, it’s an easy one!

I am always looking for quick but delicious dinner idea’s and this lazy lasagna is defiantly one of them that your kids will love too which is always a win for me as mine can be pretty picky.

Obviously you can customize however you want but I like to keep it pretty simple with ingredients.

This also makes really good leftovers so even better in my opinion.

Let’s get started and gather the ingredients!

Ingredients:

1 (24 oz) bag of frozen cheese ravioli

1 lb ground beef

1 (24 oz) jar of pasta sauce

2 cups shredded mozerella

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

1 tablespoon of garlic powder (optional)

1 tablespoon of onion powder (optional)

salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Instructions:

  • Preheat your oven to 400 F and grab a 9×13 pan
  • Brown and drain your ground beef
  • Add your pasta sauce to the ground beef and season to your liking
  • Spread a thin layer of your meat sauce onto the bottom of the pan (about 3/4 cup)
  • Arrange half of the frozen ravioli into a single layer over the sauce
  • Top with half of the remaining meat sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese.
  • Repeat the layers starting with what’s left of the ravioli. Finish by topping with the remaining sauce and cheese.
  • Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if you would like.
  • Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and conitune baking for an additional 15 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

I served mine with garlic sticks but you could do a side salad, favorite vegetables or whatever you prefer and enjoy!

Let me know what your favorite easy dinner is, I am always looking for ideas!

Just A Mom Who Isn’t Ready For Summer To End.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 4 Comments

I swear each Summer goes by faster and faster now that I have children. This Summer though? I feel like this has been the fastest yet. My kids are getting older, even if they are still so young I just feel time being a thief more lately and it’s making my emotions go haywire.

I am not ready to let go of the carefree Summer evenings, the later than normal bed times even though they still wake up early as ever ;), the lazy pool days, slip n slide fun and heading out the door on a random weekday just because. I’m not ready for the ice cream smeared faces out on the back porch to come to an end or the scent of grilling in the air to be done for the season. I’m not ready for bikes and scooters to be used less and less as the chaos of the school season starts.

Summer to me is where I feel like my kids get to be kids the most. Where you really see the childhood magic and imagination light up and it honestly soothes me.

Even though it might be nice for it not to be WWE smackdown in the house on the daily because my kids are in each other’s spaces too much, I still feel not ready for the new school season to start. My oldest is about to conquer 2nd grade and my youngest starts pre-school (don’t mind me crying thinking of this). I swear they were just babies laying on their blankets kicking their chubby little feet around and babbling at me in the Summer sun.

I sure do love watching them thrive though. Taking on each new adventure with confidence and learning independence more and more as they go. I know my son is excited to see his friends again at school and I can tell my daughter is just as excited to make some friends of her own. They are excited for their Fall sports to start up and new activities to try but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to miss all the extra time with them.

For now though, I am going to soak up all the Summer day’s we have left and make the most out of the warm weather until the cooler days start. Crossing off more Summer bucket list items and relishing in the days we get together where we don’t have to share each other with school, work or activities.

My biggest hope for all of us as Summer break is coming to an end is that this new school year is a great one and that our kiddo’s thrive and learn and are happy and that we keep our sanity along the way! I don’t know about you but I sure know my coffee intake will be going up, maybe even my wine as well ;).

Cheer’s mama’s!

As Mom’s, We Should Normalize These 5 Things More.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 8 Comments

I’ve been over here thinking a lot lately…

And that means my thoughts hit paper, or in this case my blog 😉

But really, in the midst of the chaos that is life lately, I feel like we forget what normal life can look like. What ordinary motherhood really is…

Not the picture perfect Instagram pictures that we feel like “should” be normal and idolized. Even though I am sooo guilty of scrolling and thinking I should have or do what other’s do.

I am talking about normalizing a fridge full of homemade pictures, little fingerprints and sticky notes for important things you need to remember because if you’re anything like me, everything needs to be written down or it doesn’t exist.

Sipping your non fancy coffee from your coffee maker and sitting down to get some reading done or just enjoying the morning sitting outside.

Leaving the toys and the mess of a fun filled day full of imagination on the floor because let me tell ya, your “me time” is just as important as having an immaculately clean house.

Having plans that just include getting out of the house and getting some fresh air or visiting your local attractions, even just grabbing an icecream cone instead of always needing a big vacation planned.

Enjoying home cooked staple meals because if your kids are anything like mine and mostly live on chicken tenders and cheese pizza every time we visit a restaurant let’s just cook it at home and maybe throw in a family movie after while we are at it.

I feel like we feel we have to constantly rush to the “next big thing” but we don’t. Living in these moments of our children’s childhood is the biggest thing and it’s so normal to feel like you always need to “do more” but you are doing just fine and trust me when I say these are the day’s they will look back on even if it’s the simple things.

Best thing we can do when the scrolling makes you think you always need to do more and the anxiety sets in for what you think is “normal”…

Go ahead and get right off your phone’s.

At least, that’s what I am telling myself these days.

As always, we’ve got this mama’s!

What I’ve Been Reading this Summer.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 4 Comments

This Summer, my goal as an avid reader was to step back and take a break from long series and it’s been so fun to get back into reading a variety of books again.

I have mainly tried to stay within a fun Summer type of feels books but of course I have to dabble in some in depth emotional reads and can’t ever forget about my sport’s romances because if you know, you know.

It’s been the best sitting outside while the kids play and reading in the fresh air and I can’t wait to share with you what I’ve been reading. I myself love going in blind when picking books so I will have the links to them on goodreads but I will just provide what my thoughts were and you can decide what you think! 🙂

Just for the Summer

Such a perfect, cute Summer romance and it had so much depth to it though which is a huge plus. I adored Justin and Emma.

Mayluna

I will never ever forget this story.

My heart. These characters are so special. Evie and Carter. I was so sucked into their lives.

By the end of this book I was sobbing not going to lie.

Devastatingly beautiful is how I would describe this and you need to read it.

Birthday Girl

Oh goodness, talk about a spicy, spicy slow burn. I ate this up and loved every second of it!

The Five-Star Weekend

This was such a great, entertaining, drama filled Summer read. You really feel like you are included on this five-star weekend with the girls and it’s so fun!

Locked In: Season One

I don’t know what kind of crack was put in this book but I absolutely devoured it and could not put it down. What a wild, wild ride. Defiantly a fun read to get lost in.

Next Life Duet

Talk about emotional damage and missed opportunities, my cup of tea! Absolutely loved the ending of this duet.

Skate The Line

I just finished reading this and the way I felt CONSUMED by this book let me tell ya. Single dad hockey romance? Can’t get any better than that. Sooo spicy and fun. I absolutely adore Rhodes and Sunny.

Tattered Tides

Talk about emotional! I loved Willow and Weston. Tattered Tides has such depth but also a good level or spice and I was all about it!

Do any of these catch your eye? Let me know in the comments!


I would also love to know what you’ve been reading this Summer? I love finding a new read so give me some book recommendations below as well. Along with blogging of course, reading is defiantly one of my favorite hobbies, I love escaping to different worlds or just towns all the time and meeting different characters.

Let me know if you want to see more book content! I defiantly could do that for you.

My First Christmas Without You.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 12 Comments

Please make time for the tradition’s.

I put my Christmas tree up just like every year and it’s just filled with my mom. 

I lost my mom this year.

Seeing every personalized ornament from her brought tears to my eyes. 

You know, at the time of receiving them every year it doesn’t seem so important and decorating never seems like such a big deal. I was used to every Christmas opening a gift from mom that included a personalized ornament with that year’s date. It was just what was expected, until it’s gone. 

Christmas was our thing. The ultimate Mrs. Clause’s. Everything about it. The decor, the lights, the music, the movies, the holiday coffee, gift giving. We loved it and we loved experiencing it together.

I knew this holiday season was going to be hard, traditions being kept up without her here with me. I just didn’t expect the punch to the gut at the reality of it all. That’s how grief is though, it hibernates for a little while until something brings it out of its cave again. 

For me, that was ornaments.

If you do anything this holiday, keep up the traditions. Buy the personalized item every year. Bundle up and go ride around and look at Christmas lights, watch all the movies, bake all the goodies, buy the matching Christmas pajamas, build the gingerbread houses, turn up the Christmas music, have fun with elf on the shelf if that’s your thing. I would send her a picture every night of “Harry and Marv” getting into mischief. 

Most of all though? Do all of it with the ones you love. Surround yourself with them as much as you can and just enjoy it all. You have no idea how much you will miss it when it’s gone. 

The memories really do last a lifetime.

My Christmas tree is full of my mom and I’ve never been so thankful for it. 

I Am Most Definitely An Autumn.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 8 Comments

It really is here again, Autumn. Oh it makes me so happy just writing that.

The crisp cool mornings, I truly feel more alive when I am not sweating every time I step outside. The fact that it is the season of long walks in leggings and a sweatshirt is more than enough to have me feeling giddy.

Fall to me is like a hug. My favorite sweatshirts come out, pretty decor goes up, a warm cup of coffee makes you feel all fuzzy inside and my favorite cozy blankets and best of all? My reading gets all the more fun. AND!? Yes, there’s more. Gilmore Girls goes on in the background.

The kids and I were outside this week and I glanced up and noticed our tree’s changing. I know it happens every year but it just takes my breath away every time. Anyone else? Nature truly is beautiful and I am so happy I live in a place where I experience all the season’s.

What are your Fall plans?

I’ve been thinking of mine and I really want to try to make it to all the small festivals around here for the kids and even for myself. Make lots of cozy delicious crock pot recipes. There is also a book event in October that I am extremely looking forward to.

Anything you are excited to read?

I have a lot of romantasy and regular fantasy on my list for the cooler weather, plus some thriller’s as well and of course have to throw in a couple cutesy reads. My big one I think I am going to start though later in the season and attempt to read is the Zodiac Academy series. I am so nervous about it but I think it will be worth it in the end! Has any one read it? Let me know!

I just hope we all have a lovely new season. I know life can be overwhelming at times, but I just hope you know you are never alone and just try to enjoy the little moments as much as you can. When you are walking, look up and enjoy the beauty around you. When you are at home, crack open a book you’ve been wanting to read lately and make yourself a nice warm drink. Enjoy the presence of your loved ones. Enjoy all the joys your kids bring you. Just enjoy it all.

Let me know what you are most looking forward to for the Fall season, I’d love to chat with you! As always, thanks for stopping by and hanging out with me.

Hello September. Back to School & Fall Sports.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 2 Comments

And just like that it is back to school time.

How was your Summer!? Ours was amazing filled with lots of trips, swimming and family and friend time.

Anyone else feeling a bit rusty at the early mornings and lunch packing or is it just me??

I feel like in the Summer it’s easy to get up early but even though I am an adult and work full time, when the school season starts I still find it harder to get up just like when I was attending school 😆

It’s so bittersweet. Every new school year just reminds you of how much your little’s are growing.

My son started first grade yesterday and although my daughter is still at home, the fact that she is starting pre school next Fall is just unbelievable.

Weren’t they both just in diapers toddling around and keeping me up all hours of the night!? I remember starting this blog and all I had was my little man, just figuring out motherhood together. Now they have sassy little comebacks and Lego’s and Barbie’s galore strewn across the floors.

Ok, cue the tears!

With September, I am saying bye to long Summer slow days and mornings and starting to fill my calendar with sports practices and school field trips again.

My son is starting his first year of hockey and my little girly is on her 2nd year of dance starting up as well.

As much as I do love a non busy day, sometimes I strive in the chaos with figuring out the kids schedules and how they work into my work schedule.

Adulting is being excited for new calendars and pretty pens and markers to use!

My friend and I have been gushing about our excitement for organizing and keeping schedules in check.

Also, my TBR list is growing outrageously now that it is September. I am so so excited about so many of my upcoming reads, let me know if you would like a post on that! Plus, share the book you are most excited to read this Fall!

Ok, enough of the rambling. I am mainly trying to say that I hope you and all of your kiddo’s have the best and the safest new school year! Wishing you all of the luck and just know we will all navigate this together!

We’ve got this mama’s!

Michigan Getaway Spot: Frankenmuth.

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 12 Comments

One of my favorite things? Mini weekend getaways, especially when they are close to home.

We kicked off Summer vacation heading to Frankenmuth in our home state Michigan and it was a BLAST! Not only does it have the cutest downtown and the best shopping plaza but it has two fun waterpark hotels and we stayed at one of them, Bavarian Inn where they have the Bavarian Blast Waterpark.

I swear my kids are little fishes and would swim every single day if they could. I can’t blame them though, I was the same way when I was younger and still love swimming every chance I get.

We spent 6 hours total in the waterpark area on Saturday and there was plenty to keep them busy thankfully. You honestly didn’t even have to leave the water area. They had drinks, bars, and food all conveniently located in the waterpark.

That wasn’t the only hit though, their arcade area was massive and it was so fun getting dried off, comfy clothes on and spending the evening playing games, getting pizza, ice cream and hanging out. I think my husband may have had just as much fun or more in the arcade area. The best part was when our five-year-old made two hole in ones while we were playing putt putt and beat us all.

We spent Friday waiting for our room and Sunday after we checked out exploring the downtown and shopping area’s. The kids loved the big hills they had and were rolling down them, again made me think of my childhood. Nothing like a good hill roll.

They have so many shops to browse in and I of course had to make a pit stop into Charlin’s Book Nook because is there anything better than a coffee and browsing a used book store? I love those, you can tell how much a book has been read and loved.

It was such a perfect weekend getaway for us and we can’t wait to go back!

If you are visiting Michigan or even live here and have never been, you should. It has so much for everyone and it’s a great vacation spot for all.

Mama’s: Welcome to The Chaos of “Maycember.”

~ quirkymoms486 ~ 6 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I am scrambling more and more looking at my May calendar than I do in December! Talk about total May madness.

My oldest is in Kindergarten so this is my first full year with all the school activities so I never really understood the meaning behind Maycember until this year. He brought home his May calendar from school about a week ago and I never knew there could be so many days that have things going on! Brings back so many memories though especially seeing field day on the calendar. But all the end of the year parties, teacher appreciation week, performances, field trips, spirit type week days.

I defiantly feel the pressure of trying to keep everything straight. Especially when you throw in all the extra activities for both kids. Ball games, dance recital, birthday parties, Mother’s day, Memorial day weekend, trying to be in two places at once at times.

The feeling of an endless to-do list is real.

And we wonder why it’s so easy to get burnt out as a mom?

The part keeping me going though? It’s just a season.

It will pass and I will look back and I’m sure wish I could do it all over again because secretly the chaos is fun. I love being busy with my kids. I love supporting them and cheering them on and being there for as much as I can and showing the people who deserve it how much we appreciate them.

But that isn’t saying that all of it isn’t overwhelming because it is.

To help break up the chaos a little I’ve started writing everything down.

Prioritizing and making lists on what to get each week for the week coming up.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I fortunately have a wonderful support system and have family to help when my husband and I can’t be in two places at once.

Push things that aren’t pivotal that month to later in the next month to help loosen the up load of things to do.

And most importantly give yourself grace, remember you are doing the best you can and no matter what, you are doing a wonderful job!

I am here rooting you all! We’ve got this.

Bring on Maycember!