Magnolia Mamas

Friday, January 8, 2016

Kitchen Confessions: Mississippi Mud Pie Bars

I know the holidays are over and if you are anything like us, you probably indulged a little too much during the busiest time of year. Most of us are onto eating healthier and starting healthy habits, but I'm a big believer in doing everything in moderation. That includes still having some sweets now and then!

One of my family's favorite treats are these Mississippi Mud Pie Bars. They have a from-scratch taste, but they are actually made using boxed brownie mix!

They're so yummy and taste even better warmed up. I love a good warm dessert on a cold winter's night!

Be sure to check out the recipe and step-by-step direction over on Savvy Sassy Moms!

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Kitchen Confessions: Soup-tacular Meals

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EatLightEatRight #CollectiveBias

Whew! This week has flown by! After the holidays, I was feeling a little post holiday crash, and could not get my energy back! We had a crazy fun break filled with fun events, and great times with friends and family. We slept in, enjoyed the unusually warm weather we had for this time of year (yes, even for us who live in HOT-lanta), and ate ate ate! It was blissful...

Reality hit two-fold on Monday when it was time to prep for back to school, and we were greeted with temps in the 20's-40's. For this carefree summer loving Southern girl, it was a double whammy for sure!

Now that we have our gluttonous holiday behind us, and winter temperatures have settled in, our little family has been craving warm healthy well balanced meals (although if you ask them they could live off cupcakes forever). We need a good detox from all those sugary filled sweets, and are seeking warm meals that help us feel good and can combat those chilly days.

One of our favorite go-to's this time of year is always "Noodle & Cheese". Cute's version of chicken noodle soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. And who am I to deny the kids the pleasure of enjoying some of life's greatest culinary creations? Or join in, and make some for myself as well?

I am a soup girl year round, but in winter I definitely consume more than my fair share. My favorite to pick up on my weekly grocery trip to Walmart are the ones from Progresso® Light. They are lower in caloric in take, and offer a variety of delicious flavors. I love that I am getting a warm well balanced meal, and never could never get bored of soup with all of the fabulous options.

I love that the Progresso® Light soups are also versatile. I tend to use the soup in a lot of recipes as well. They are full of flavor and make for an easy mix in for some delicious recipes. Especially some recipes involving my favorite kitchen appliance ever - my slow cooker! (Long time readers, you are totally shocked right???)

Last night I decided to make a family favorite - Fiesta Chicken! Every time I make this meal the entire family gobbles it right up. It's easy, healthy, and with the help from Progresso® Light's Santa Fe Style Chicken soup, it's quick! Better yet, the recipe lends to a variety of alternatives so you can get a few different easy meals from the same ingredients. Just what every busy mom with post holiday crash, and a few pounds to lose from mass sugar consumption is looking for!

Ingredients:
- 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can of Progresso® Light soup (either Santa Fe Style Chicken or Chicken Cheese Enchilada will provide the same flavor).
- 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

Instructions:
- Place washed chicken in slow cooker
- Add soup and tomatoes
- Set on low for approximately two to three hours
- Remove and serve either alone or with sides of your choice (our family loves to eat this with black beans, corn or avocado).

**Additional recipe options: Leave additional breasts in slow cooker for an additional two to three hours, then shred and serve as tacos or nachos on another night. This will also freeze well for a future meal.

Another fun bonus of the Progresso® soups (you know, as if the deliciousness wasn't enough) is that they are supporters of the Box Tops for Education program. Cute's school participates this wonderful program, and they often hold collection drives and fun contests to see which classroom can collect the most Box Tops. They usually get to earn a fun activity for entire class to do.

We love when we find those Box Tops for Education labels on our favorite products, and just before the break Cute had informed me that their class had won the latest contest. Their prize was a fun popsicle and playground party, and he was beyond excited to tell me they got to play on the playground, not once, but twice that day.

With all of my winter soup consumption I have a feeling that his classroom might have the next Box Top for Education contest in the bag.

What yummy flavor of Progresso® Light soup do you enjoy or include in your recipes?

{Coupon Alert: Readers are able to SAVE $1.00 ON FOUR when you buy FOUR CANS any flavor canned Progresso® Soups. Click here to save and enjoy! Offer valid until 1/31.}

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Helping Kids Make (and Keep) New Year's Goals

This time of year everyone is thinking about the New Year! New beginnings and a chance to start new with goals and aspirations. I love hearing about other people's New Year's resolutions and reflecting upon my own. In our house we like to focus on goals for the new year instead of resolutions and I love involving my kids in the conversation, too. My kids are old enough to get it and I am all about helping them set goals for themselves. As a mom, I want to do my very best to help them keep up their hard work to actually achieve their goals!

I came up with 5 easy steps to use to help kids make and keep their New Year's goals for this year.

1. Help them to make attainable goals.

Sure some kids might say it is their goal to make $1 Million dollars this year, but in most circumstances that isn't really attainable. Our job, as parents, is to help them come up with a goal that is actually something you think they will be able to achieve.

2. Discuss specific ways to help them work towards their goals.

Don't just have them set goals and then go on your way. Discuss ways that they can work hard to reach their goals. If they want to get a 100% on every spelling test, talk about ways you help them study more each week and take more practice tests. Maybe they want to make a difference in their community. Talk about ways they can help other kids in their school or make cards and deliver goodies for firefighters and police officers to say thanks. Whatever their goal may be, talk about the exact things the can do to meet their goals.

3. Have a weekly or monthly check-in to stay on track.

A year seems like a long period of time to us as adults, so can you image how long that seems to a kid? I think we are better off making monthly goals or at least having weekly or monthly check-ins to discuss their progress. Put a note on your calendar for a month from now so you won't forget to bring up the goals in conversation again.

4. Reevaluate or change steps to achieve their goals.

If things aren't going quite as planned, that's OK! Together you can reevaluate the goals or even change them up a bit. It's all about working hard for something they really want to do and if you see that the steps you are helping them take are not working for them, change the goal a bit or alter the steps they are taking to get there to something that will work for them!

5. Be their biggest cheerleader.

This world can be a tough place, but you are here to be a bright spot for your child. Be their biggest cheerleader. Encourage them, push them, challenge them, and motivate them. Do whatever you have to do to help them be successful so that they feel that sense of accomplishment and pride when they do achieve the goal they've been working for.

I started off by talking to my kids about the New Year and sharing with them my own goals. Then I asked each of them to pick a goal for themselves they would like to work on. We did this last year and I can't remember what any of them said except for Blondie. She told me her goal for 2015 was to not wear bows anymore. It made me so sad and I told her she had to pick another one, but you know what??? She achieved it!

Bow :-)

No Bow :-(

With a bit of compromise we settled on something that would work for both of us. I stopped forcing her to wear the bows I loved, but she hated. It was a turning point for sure, but she's happier with the way she looks and I'm happier to see her becoming an individual and speaking up for the things she likes and dislikes.

As for this year, these are their goals:

Little Mama - I wasn't surprised when she told me her goal was to get her back handspring. She's been working so hard in her tumbling classes and has really progressed a lot. She has pretty much decided that she is going to focus on tumbling and cheerleading this next year and a back handspring is a major goal of hers. I think this really is something she can achieve, but it will take a lot of work. As for specific steps, she's going to stretch more each day, work on her arm strength by doing push-ups and conditioning at home and she has decided to take a second tumbling class each week instead of doing another sport because this is something that she really wants.

Blondie - Her goal is to try out for an academy soccer team this spring. She loves soccer and really wants to do more of it. Being on an academy team would allow her to get more coaching, more practicing and more skills. She's a good soccer player, but I know this would help her to become a great soccer player. For specifics she said she would practice her dribbling and ball handling skills more on her own at home, pay extra careful attention at her practices this spring, and give her practices and games 110% so she can develop some of the skills she will need to try out.

Boo-Boo - Now he's the youngest of the bunch so I know that for him the concept is a little harder to grasp, but he loved talking about it and told me his goal for this year was to make new friends. I just loved that! He has a lot of friends from school and friends that are siblings of the girls' friends. I think he means being able to have more friends over to play at our house (which is something we don't do often enough for him...it's aways the girls' friends who are coming over for playdates). To help him achieve his goal I will schedule more playdates with his friends, helping to grown their friendships and double their playtime!

I am excited to go through this year and to check in each month with them to help all three of them to stay on track and really reach their personal goals!

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Fashion Fix: PinkBlush Maternity

Last week, Carrie Beth shared her love for the trendy online boutique PinkBlush, and this week it is my turn to profess my love! PinkBlush Maternity has quickly become one of my go-to favorites for trendy maternity clothes.

As I am nearing the end of my pregnancy, comfort is key. The little princess growing inside of me constantly lets her presence be known - kicks, shifts, contractions, swollen hands/feet/face, back pains, hiccups, etc. All while trying to keep up with The Cutes, sometimes I absolutely don't feel my best. However, that doesn't mean I can't look my best. Finding comfortable and cute maternity clothes has been so much fun, and such a great motivator as I am getting ready each morning.

One of the fun things about PinkBlush Maternity is that their maternity clothes mirror their non-maternity counterpart PinkBlush. The boutique has done an excellent job of creating trendy pieces with fun details just as they do with their PinkBlush line that Carrie Beth mentioned, but with a slight alteration and enough stretch to grow with you and flatter your bump throughout your entire pregnancy.

From the moment I clicked on the site I loved everything I saw, and literally spent way too much time deciding amongst all of the great options! The comfy tunics, amazing florals, and fun maternity maxi dresses had me swooning. Mix all that with the occasional hint of sequin and you are speaking my fashion love language.

Mad For Plaid
Winter always has me thinking of warm colors and cozy plaids. PinkBlush Maternity has a great selection of plaid options, but I fell in love with this adorable red plaid dress.

It is the perfect weight for those chilly winter days, and I found it was one of my favorite things to wear during the holiday season. The length was perfect to wear with leggings or to wear by itself with some cute booties for slightly warmer days.

Flirty Florals
Typically florals are identified with spring fashion, but this fall and winter florals have been a huge trend that I am more than willing to embrace.

PinkBlush Maternity had a ton of fabulous floral pieces that I loved, but I landed on this adorable Floral Elbow Patch top in mocha. It is so soft and the floral pocket and elbow detailing is super cute!

Trendy Tunics
Anything I can wear leggings with is always a win. The variety of trendy maternity tunics available at PinkBlush Maternity is impressive. I wanted one of everything!

I kept coming back to the cozy look of this Crochet Shoulder Hoodie and I am so glad I did. It is probably one of the most comfortable softest things I have ever worn!

The material it is made out of is super stretchy and soft to the touch. It is perfect for every size bump and I plan on wearing it even post pregnancy because its loose style lends perfectly to any body shape.

These last remaining weeks of pregnancy I know these fabulous pieces will be worn often to dress up my constantly growing bump. I love that I have found a cute maternity clothes line that combines comfort and trend for all sizes, and I just might have added a few more fun items into my cart to enjoy both before and after baby arrives.

To learn more about PinkBlush Maternity:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

What style do you enjoy when it comes to dressing your bump?

*These items were gifted to me in exchange for a review from PinkBlush Maternity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Monday, January 4, 2016

New Year's Eve and 2016 Goals

We hope everyone has gotten off to a great start for the New Year. We had fun celebrating New Years Eve last week. My kids spent the night with grandparents and had lots of fun of their own. They wen to Fernbank's Noon Year's Eve party and had so much fun! There was a DJ, dancing, a balloon drop at noon and so much more fun! Apparently it was really crowded, but they still loved it!

As for us grownups, we had a few friends come over and we watched football and got all dressed up for an adult only night out (plus one little guy who is sweet as can be).

We ate at Paper Mill Grill and I had heard mixed reviews about this restaurant since it had recently re-opened, but we were pleasantly surprised by our meal. Yummy appetizers, great dinners, good drinks and delicious desserts! If you go get the "Happiness in a Jar" dessert. Dessert in a mason jar...you can't go wrong!

Then we all came back to our house to ring in the New Year. We watched more football, danced, laughed, toasted with champagne at midnight and watched fireworks that were happening in the neighborhood. We all stayed up way too late, but it was so much fun!

It still feels weird for me to write 2016 when writing the date, but I just love all that comes with a New Year. New goals, new ideas, and new hopes and wishes! I wanted to quickly recap my goal for 2015 and set a few new ones for 2016!

Last year I was really ambitious. I had some good goals and some of them I stuck to while others I failed miserably at.

Carrie Beth's 2015 Goals/Resolutions:

1. Drink more water. I drink water, but not nearly as much as I know I should, so I want to be more conscious of it this year! It might mean more frequent trips to the restroom, but I'm hoping the benefits will be worth it.

Well I had really good intentions with this, but it just didn't happen. This was pretty much how it went down.

2. Read more books.  I love to read and once I get into a book I usually can't put it down. However, it's just making the time to get through the first few chapters to get hooked that I sometimes struggle with. This year I'm planning to force myself to just get started on books because I know the rest will follow.

I seriously failed at this! I read a lot of our book club books, but didn't read as many as I had hoped. Maybe I'll do better this year...

3. Spend more time with my kids.  This one might sound silly because as a stay-at-home mom I am with my kids all the time. What I really mean is that I want to spend more quality time with my kids. I'm always so busy at the house with things like laundry, cleaning, cooking and other household chores that my days don't have a lot of "extra" time for things like playing games, doing puzzles or watching movies together. This year I want to really make an effort to put the stuff on my to-do list aside so that I can focus on quality time with them. I love the ages they are at right now, but they are all growing up so fast so I just want to soak up as much of them at this phase as I can and really be present and involved with them.

This was probably the most important goal for me and I feel like I did really well at this one. I hate that my kids are growing up so fast and I just want to savor this phase of their lives as much as I can!

4. Complete house decorating projects.  I have a short list of projects for the house I really want to accomplish in the near future. I did a lot the first few months of living in our house, but now that we are settled and comfortable, I feel like decorating the house has gone to the back burner. Now that the holidays are behind us, I hope to get the things on my list done.

I competed our living room and that was a big one for me, but there are still a few things I would like to accomplish. I feel like the house is an ongoing project!

5. Plan and take a big family trip.  My kids have been begging to go on an airplane trip (the girls don't remember the last time they were on a plane) and since they are all at such great and pretty easy ages, I am ready to make that happen this year! I'm banking for somewhere tropical, fun, and family friendly.

This is something that I had hoped to be able to do, but for scheduling reasons we just weren't able to make it happen. However, we have some really fun family trips planned this year so hoping we are able to double the fun for our trips this year and make up for what we didn't do last year.

Now onto thinking about this year's goals. I have really been thinking long and hard about this and only have a 2 goals that I think will include a lot for me.

Carrie Beth's 2016 Goals

1. Organize. I am a very organized person, but at times I feel like my life is in complete disorganization. I feel like I'm going a million miles an hour and in a million different directions. Things pile up, stuff gets tossed in closets and forgotten about and my time because used in ways that are not productive. So my big goal for this year is to organize.

Organization at Home - We've been in our house for 18 months now and it's about this time that parts of the house are starting to get unorganized. I've learned this about myself, but if things are left out, piled on counters or not in their places, it causes me so much stress and anxiety. I plan to go room by room, closet by closet, and cabinet by cabinet. I will clean out, donate old and unwanted things, organize the stuff that is staying and most importantly, encourage my family to put things where they belong! This also includes organizing the garage and basement...two areas I dread doing, but I know will feel so good once it is done.

Organizing My Time - As far as organizing my time goes, I just want to be very cognizant of how I spend my time. I always have a long to-do list of things that are important, but somehow things don't get done when I would like for them to because I'm busy working on other things that just don't matter. I want to make better use of my time when my kids are at school so that when they are home I am able to focus on them. Once they are home from school I really don't have any time do the other stuff because I'm helping with homework, driving them from different practices and lessons, cooking dinner and getting everyone to bed. I volunteer at their schools a lot, but sometimes I end up being at the school 3-4 times a week. I love being there and being able to help out, but I need to schedule the times I will be there more thoughtfully so that I have time for the other things I need to accomplish as well.

2. Take Care of Myself. I am quick to do things for other people and often put myself on the back burner. This year I want to make sure I am also taking care of myself. That includes making some doctor's appointments I have been putting off, making good food choices, taking time to exercise like I should and making sure I'm getting enough sleep!

That's it for me! I figure the rest are things I will just continue to do from last year, but if I can accomplish these two things I will feel great and it will make 2016 a great year!

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Book Club: January

Happy Book Club Day!

A new year, a new round of books! But first...December's book club discussion! This time of year we love to enjoy the somewhat carefree schedule of winter break, and enjoy a warm snuggle on the couch with a fun holiday read. We left December's book club choice up to you with an open read? What fun book did you cozy up to in December? Was it one of the holiday ones we suggested?

And just a recap of all our book club reads from 2015...

2015 BOOK CLUB

This month's pick is one that has been on our bedside for awhile. While it came out last year, we just love everything by Kristin Hannah, and are so excited to read it for our first pick of 2016!

JANUARY SELECTION
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

From the Back Cover:

In love we find out who we want to be.

In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn't believe that the Nazis will invade France … but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne's home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne's sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can … completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women's war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France--a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

Happy Reading!

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Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy Everything in 2016!!!

We hope you have a fabulous day celebrating the New Year with friends and family!

Here's to a happy, healthy, and fabulous 2016!!!