Paleo chicken nuggets

I loved the breading used to make these paleo fish sticks, so I used the same breading on large cubes of cut chicken breasts and it turned out AMAZING! Paleo chicken nuggets YUM!

 

Paleo Fish Sticks

 

 We recently started using the Paleo diet because our oldest daughter was severely constipated constantly and some food seemed to be making her hyperactive and sending her into fits that would last hours. She would ask me to help her and tell me how she didn't have control over it. Since switching to the Paleo diet she has been regular and no more fits. Of course she has normal 4 year old fits but not like the ones she was having.... those were scary. For lunch today we made Paleo fish sticks and served with organic green beans. Click here for the recipe I used from Full Tummies Happy Hearts.

Military Children Saying Goodbye 2

 Once again this summer we have military friends moving away. It's not always easy to find a friend that also has a child who is the same age as yours to be friends with too.

 

We got lucky this summer! Our neighbor has a daughter just a month younger than Bella and her mommy and I get along too. 

 

It's so nice to see them develop friendships and bonds.

 These girls would wake up wanting to see each other and spend the day playing and cat fighting and then fall asleep mumbling about each other haha.

 Bella was lucky that she got to spend her Birthday with Hailey, just two days before they moved across the country. She wanted Hailey to help blow out her 4 candles.

 Today they had to say goodbye.

Little Bella cried the saddest little cry and they gave BIG hugs and then after they left, she sang some sad little lullabies to herself about her Hailey. Hopefully they can be pen pals and Skype friends! I'll miss her mommy too! Sometimes it's nice to relax with another adult while the kids run wild.

Military Children Saying Goodbye

 

One of the hardest things is seeing our babies affected by military life. It was easy when it was just my husband and I, making decisions for two adults. But our little ones sometimes have a hard time understanding and adjusting. They didn't get a choice. 

 This is Bella and her best friend, Hayleigh. Last summer they were inseparable.

 But after a short summer of being best friends they had to say goodbye. For the next year Bella would always talk about her "faraway Hayleigh" and when she was picking something out she would always get "One for me, and one for Hayleigh."

One of the most amazing things about military life is reunions!!! I think sometimes we appreciate the time we do have with each other more because we know the time is short and don't want to waste it. This summer Hayleigh came back to visit. Her mom and I decided to meet at the park. I didn't tell Bella that Hayleigh was in town. When they saw each other from all the way across the field they ran as fast as they could yelling each others' names and then a big hug. I pretty much almost bawled to death.

Before she left after her visit, the girls made these pictures to hang in each others' rooms. They stamped their hand prints in Elmer's glue and then covered it in glitter with their initials. Then used frames from Dollar Tree.

How to remove burnt grime from stove top grates

  

I'm not really a fan of harsh chemicals but my stove top grates have become burnt and gross to the point that scrubbing won't get them clean. 

 I read that soaking over night in ammonia will help. I got this bottle for 99cents at the Commissary.

 I put each grate in a freezer bag and poured maybe a 1/2 cup of ammonia in and sealed the bag.

 Then placed them in the sink and let sit overnight.

They just wiped clean! I rinsed under water and just wiped the grime off with a sponge. YAY!

Bella's Ballerina Dress-up Birthday

 

 Our Isabella Rose turned 4 September 15th! She wanted a ballerina dress-up party. I got all of my ideas for decorating from Pinterest, of course. The idea for the ribbon garland came from here.

 One of the party favors for the girls was tutu leggies. All you do is buy knee high socks, cut the feet off, and sew a strip of tulle, ribbon, or lace around the bottom. Pretty simple if you have basic sewing skills.

 These are ribbon wands with bells. Follow this link for the tutorial.

For the boys I made little bow ties. I just made bows with ribbon and glued them onto elastic and then used sticky velcro for closure.

 The wreath I made myself and was inspired by this wreath on Pinterest.

 The tulle wrapped balloons looked really elegant and fancy.

 The ballerina cupcake toppers were inspired by this tutorial.

Bella got a big girl bike from daddy and mommy!

One of my favorite things to make is tissue paper pom poms. They are super cheap, easy, cute, and ruffly!

Tutorial : How I Made Ribbon Wands with Bells

 

I got all of my supplies fairly cheap at Walmart. In the party/baking section you will find long cookie pop sticks. In the jewelry making and craft section you will find Head and Eye Pins, Split Rings, and Jingle Bells. Also in the fabric section you can find all of the ribbon you want.

 

First you take the eye pin and poke it into the top of the cookie stick. It goes in real easy. If you are super fancy you can use a dot of hot glue before you poke it in to keep it secure.

 

 Next I used the split rings to connect the bells to the eye pin.

 Now I cut the ribbon to my desired length and burned the ends a bit with a lighter so the ends don't unravel. I laid it out flat and put the stick on top.

 Add some hot glue.

 Then fold the ribbon over and let the hot glue dry. (These glue guns are inexpensive at Walmart and they sell packs of glue sticks at Dollar Tree.)

 Roll it up.

 I used a bit of tape to keep the ribbon rolled up but if you are super fancy you can use some thin ribbon or something to tie them shut.

 I also added some feathers to some of them! Just stick them in there before gluing and folding the ribbon over.

 Ta-da! Now you have super cute noise making party favors!!!

Can't wait for Bella's Ballerina 4th Birthday party coming up!