The truth about Pinterest

      I know I'm not the only one obsessed with Pinterest.  I know this because every time I log on, my feed is flooded with new Pins, and this is where it all starts... On more than one occasion I have found myself sucked into the Pinterest vortex, when all I intended on doing was finding a quick recipe, or looking up the author of that book I was going to download.  The next thing I know an hour -or more- has passed and I'm late for the carpool line at Andrew's school.   Dang it, not again.  I pin and pin.  And pin and pin. And, well, you get it.  The point is, I pin a lot.  But last night, I came to the realization that I have never even gone back and looked at, or used, 99% of the things I have pinned.  Please tell me I'm not the only one.  I mean, let's be honest; when am I ever going to have the time to make a giant holiday wreath made of a hundred foam balls covered in yarn?  Or, manage to pull together one of those perfectly matched and accessorized outfits?  You know the ones I'm talking about.  Skinny jeans, riding boots, the big comfy sweater with coordinating scarf and the PERFECT "messy" bun!  Oh, and don't forget the statement necklace!  

Yeah, probably never gonna happen.

 I really do Pin with good intentions.  The problem is that I pin like I speed clean.  I shove it in a drawer, or in this case a board, and forget about it.  Because of this, I have decided that I am going to challenge myself to utilize ONE pin a week.  Yes, one.  I'm starting small here people.  Whether it be a new recipe, a craft or just a new cleaning tip.   I'm gonna admit, I have had my share of Pinterest fails, but since we're all friends here,  I'll check-in every couple of days so you all can see how things are going.  In the meantime, Happy Pinning and please come be my friend here and we can Pin together!

While you're waiting...... Enjoy

Scary Good!

Okay, I'll be the first to admit, I don't really enjoy cooking with my kids. There, I said it. It's not that I don't enjoy spending time with them, because I do. I can just think of 1000 other ways that I would rather do it! It's not the kids that make it unenjoyable, it's the actual cooking itself.  Heck, I don't really even like cooking without my kids! I hate the preparation but even more than that, I hate cleaning up my mess!  I'm not a "cooker", never have been.  I do enjoy baking, but even that manages to stress me out if done in large doses! 

 But, I thought in honor of Halloween I'd suck it up, put on my Perfect Mom costume and do a few fun and easy Halloween cooking projects with them!  We found a couple of recipes online and got cookin'!

Hot Dog Mummies

(Makes 10) 

These were so stinkin' easy!  The kids literally did everything themselves.  All they really needed me for was to get them in and out of the oven and Hannah probably could've handled that if I had let her.

Ingredients

1 can of refrigerated breadstick dough

10 Hot Dogs

Mustard (optional)

Directions

*Separate the dough into individual pieces. 

*Use scissors or a knife to cut each raw breadstick into 2 strips

*Wrap the strips around each hot dog, starting at the bottom, to cover the hot dog like a wrapped bandage.

*Leave a small area unwrapped at the top (this will be the “face”).

*Wrap a final piece of dough around the end of the mummy in a turban fashion.

*Place the wrapped mummies on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 15 to 18 minutes until the dough is golden brown.

*Let cool for 3 or 4 minutes, then use the mustard to draw a face on the exposed area of the hot dog.

 Mummy in your tummy!

Tombstone Cupcakes

Makes 20 - 24

These were more work than the Mummies but the kids had so much fun making these!

Ingredients

*1 box cake mix

*16 ounces chocolate frosting

*3/4 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (we used oreo’s)

*Milano Cookies (or any oblong shaped cookies.  We used some vanilla sandwich cookies and pulled them apart.  We scraped the frosting out of the center and we got 2 “headstones" out of each cookie.)

*Black piping gel (you can find this at almost any grocery store.  Wilton and Betty Crocker both make it)

Directions

*Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes.

*Lick the beaters and crumble up your cookies while you are waiting for your cupcakes to cook.

*Once they are out of the oven and cooled completely, frost them, and cover generously with the cookie crumbs.

*Use the piping gel to write "RIP", Mom, or the names of every person in your family, like my kids did on each cookie.

*Stand each cookie up and push down into the top of the cupcake to create a headstone. 

Enjoy your Graveyard!

Eosino.........what?

In case you were wondering about this picture from yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post.........

It is Ethan in my bed with his "barf bowl" on his head.  It was taken on Tuesday evening after a long day spent in the hospital getting blood work and IV fluids to get him rehydrated after a week long bout of nausea and vomiting, likely due to an ugly beast............ 

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

  It's a mouthful, but this is the disease that Ethan lives with every single day. Thankfully, right now his E.E. is pretty well maintained but for a couple of years he was a very sick little boy.  Ethan was finally diagnosed almost 2 years ago after suffering for far too long.  Throughout everything, he always seems to have a smile on his face and a positive attitude.  There is no cure, only strategies to deal with the symptoms.  Luckily, Ethan doesn't have many flare ups but when he does they are doozies and they are heartbreaking for me to watch as there is virtually nothing I can do other than comfort him.  He is fully aware of the foods he can and can't have and although I know he feels isolated when he can't have the ice cream, cheese pizza and peanut butter sandwiches that his friends are having you will rarely hear this kid complain.