Happiness Found In French Toast

Saturday morning I woke up wanting to make something different for breakfast, something a little special since the kiddo was going to his Nana's for the night. I decided rather quickly on berry and cream cheese french toast roll-ups, I mean does that not sound absolutely divine?

As I was getting everything I needed out and in order I could already tell my two year old was not going to let me just do my thing and call him in when his meal was ready. At first I was slightly frustrated because it is so much easier to get things done while left alone and then it dawned on me that this is such a simple breakfast with barely any kitchen tools needed and he really can participate up until the point of using the stove.

That is all he wanted was to help mommy anyway and he is at an age where small tasks are fun and a good learning experience for the both of us. I rolled up the sleeves on his completely adorable pj's set up all of our ingredients on the kitchen table handed him a butter knife and showed him how to remove crust from the bread and he was pretty good at it. I spread the cream cheese just because it seems to tear the bread a little when its not warm enough. Little Prince put the berries on the bread and most importantly to him inside his little Buddha belly. He whisked the egg while I sprinkled in cinnamon and he rolled the french toast in the mixture for me all on his own while I did the actual cooking process. This was the first time I really let him help cook anything, he's mixed banana and oat cookies before but that only required a fork or his hands so this was extra special to me as a first moment.


I was so impressed, he was so happy and I have to say I had a great time just the two of us in the kitchen. I sipped coffee he chugged his milk. we laughed and hugged and shared little Eskimo kisses. I was super proud of my little man and most importantly he was extremely proud of himself. His cooking experience seems minimal in the eyes of an older kid or to that of what an adult can do but to him it was like he made a five course Christmas dinner for twenty people. His sheer joy and happiness from letting him do some of the work in creating his first meal of the day could fill my happiness jar for a thousand years.

A child's happiness isn't about money, new toys, the best of the best in the latest whatever it may be, it is the time you spend, it is in simple every day activities, it is being together, sharing laughs, and simply you being there for them. That is a child's true happiness. We created sheer bliss from some french toast and I will always hold it near and dear in my heart even if years from now he won't remember it.

Coupon Frustration

I so badly wanted to be a coupon clipping,money saving, super mama. Reality is that coupon clipping frustrates me and by the time I'm done searching I'm borderline angry.

If I wanted to feed my family pre-packaged, frozen, chemical ridden foods every single night couponing would be a blast. But the endless search for healthy, organic, or even foods with less preservatives and junk in them is next to impossible (or at least in my experience)

I had lost close to all hope in saving any money on the foods we purchase and then I found the Cartwheel app from target.I have used so many coupons on there from cleaning supplies, diapers, pullups, holiday stuff, and YES even HEALTHY ORGANIC FOODS!!! Target once again you are a Godsend. The rewards card for the commissary has some good finds here and there especially for personal care items and the like, also great deals on k-cups.  Even with these two digital coupon systems it just isn't enough to make a serious dent in the bill, which leads me to wanting more, more coupons, more savings and I'm getting zero results.


What I don't understand is why companies are not making it easier for people to make better food choices for their homes. If I were an Organic company I would be handing out coupons left and right. I also wonder why I haven't heard more consumers pitching a fit about the great deals on (no offense) Garbage foods and the few and far between on good wholesome foods and products. I think if we make a larger fuss over this topic maybe companies would listen and we can get somewhere with better eating and healthy living as a whole.

If anyone has found the holy grail of health food coupons or are the health food coupon clipping guru. You sharing your wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

What is a Grandma?

A Grandma is a.....
A tuck you in snug as a bug
A I can't sleep, please one more hug.
A Grandma is a sugary treat
A I don't care if the house isn't neat
A kiss or two or three or four
A, alright but just one more.
A Grandma is like a mom, a sister, a friend
 A Grandma will be by your side until the very end.
A woman who is super strong.
A woman who loves you even if you were wrong.
A woman who knows you can go far
A summer time song in the car
You see....
A Grandma is so special to me.


A Grandma is one of the first Heroes a Child has and will continue to see that way their whole lives. A grandparent doesn't judge, they can not hate, they have an undeniable eternal love for their grandchildren, as do grandfathers. I have been so very blessed to be given the amazing, strong, beautiful, kind, encouraging, amazing inside and out Gram that I have. When I simply did not believe that I could keep going on she pulled me out of the darkest place I have been in and showed me how great I truly could be. She has done this her whole life, with her husband (my beloved poppy), her children, her other six grandchildren, everyone she comes in contact with I'm sure has been touched by her in some way.                                                                                    

My son, her very first Great Grandchild, now gets to enjoy her. And while he doesn't get to see her every day like I got to growing up he enjoys her phone calls more than anything in the world. My grandparents to him are like Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus two amazing magical people. Seeing the love between them on our visits fills my heart with so much joy and you can see the joy radiating from all three of them when they are together.

My mother is the same kind of wonderful grandparent as her mother was to me. I can only foresee the special bond they will share. In that same sense my mother in law is the same way which only proves more that I made the right choice when I fell in love with her son. It makes me so thankful that my little prince will grow up having these amazing women in his life. A Grandmother truly is a blessing that is hard to put fully into words, you can try, but there is never enough good to say.