Making the Change

I am a stay @home mama, that's what I've been for most of my adult life. But with 3 kids, one with autism that requires speech, OT, and ABA therapy money is tight. All 3 kids will be in school full time soon so I am looking for a part time job to help supplement some income. And let's face it, I'm a girl so I like to shop, duh! So it would be nice to help lessen my husbands burden of bringing in the bacon.

I've also gone over our spending habits to find ways to save. Our biggest spender. The grocery store! There are so many little ways I am trying to save with this so I am hoping it adds up to big bucks! I shop at 2 places, sometimes 3... Walmart and Publix and occasionally Target. I started shopping at Walmart to save money but end up spending a ton more on things not on my list. Cool new toys, that art project I saw on pinterest, some yummy new shampoo or make-up. Next thing I know, I've spent $200 and I only got 2 nights worth of dinner!

So day 4 I forgot to get dinner, I'm exhausted and fast food/ordering pizza seems quick and easy, there goes another $20, the next day is a repeat because let's face it, I'm a procrastinator so there is another $20.

I finally make it to Publix for a quick easy in easy out and spend another $60-$80 on 2 more nights worth of dinner. Another quick fix fast food or going out to a restaurant and there is anywhere from $20-$80 dollars. I will also run to Target to pick up some snacks for the kids lunches and another dinner and come out spending another $100 on I really don't remember what. So all this adds up to me spending roughly $900-$1000. On food a month. We are a family of 5 but my 4 yr old is super picky and won't eat much. So really a family of 4 is eating for about $1000.

Yes, I agree, something has to change! That is hard earned money that could be going to new clothes. Ok fine, the savings account!

So I am making the change! I have done extensive drooling, I mean searching for dinner ideas. I wrote out a full 2 week meal plan that will also give leftovers for my husband's lunches (which cost us another $150 every two weeks.) Making the meal plan keeps me from spending extra at Walmart and Target on stuff we don't need too.

I am in the process of making a food price log so I can compare store prices for the cheapest. In the past I've relied on my memory, which lets face it, is withering into the abyss! This is taking some time so it's not quite saving me yet.

I made my grocery list today and ventured out to Walmart. I bought two weeks worth of dinners, breakfast staples, lunch foods and snacks. I didn't roam around Walmart. I went straight to the grocery and got my stuff and left! I did use a couple of coupons but nothing to be excited about. I walked out spending $203 on JUST food! I patted myself on the back! I don't usually shop at Winn Dixie but most of my dinners call for chicken and its Bogo at WD right now. So after dropping off my Walmart food, I left for WD. I spent $33 and got 8 packs of chicken breasts.

My wonderful, super amazing, darling dearest (in case he reads this later) husband cut up all the chicken while I wrote each meal on its own freezer bag. We then divided up the chicken accordingly. Some of the meals I could add all or some of the ingredients with the chicken.

So now i have almost 2 weeks worth of dinners in my freezer ready to be cooked! Another pat on the back is deserved!

I will have to go back and research where I found my meals so I can place correct credit to the person. So that will be for another day.

Do you have any extra savings at the grocery store ideas that you can offer? I'd love to hear it!

Yummy Goodness Baked Into a Cake

Today is my husband and his twin brother’s birthday! And birthdays mean CAKE! I am not a chef, cook, baker, or anything else that does anything in a kitchen. I mean I can follow a recipe and it will taste good. Sometimes I get crazy and will add some different spices. WHAT? I know, I warned you…crazy!

Well my in-laws love this certain pistachio pudding recipe that is more mousse-y than pudding-y (I know those are words) and of course I made this one night while my wonderful friend was over. She had the brilliant idea of turning it into a cake frosting…. So viola, birthday cake idea was made!

It was super easy and super yummy! Here’s what ya need:

     1.   1 box cake (I told you I wasn’t a baker!) I used Duncan Hines

     2.   The ingredients for the cake(3 eggs, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup oil)

     3.   3 boxes of pistachio pudding

     4.   2 cups of milk

     5.   Container of cool whip

     6.   Mini chocolate chips (if you want extra goodness, of course)

I mixed the cake according to box, adding one pack of the pudding mix to the cake mix.

Note: my cake was a little too thick so I added about a Tbs more water and a little more oil. Only if your mix is too thick.

I blended and baked the cake in two 8x8 round pans (or they were 9x9, I am not positive)

Because I wasn't sure what size they were exactly, I put the timer on for a couple mindless than the called for time. The toothpick was still messy so I cooked them for 5 more mins. Took them out and let them cool in the pans on a wire rack.Left for a couple hours to go play with my friend and then came home.

Time to make the mousse-y pudding-y frosting!

Dump the remaining two boxes of pudding mix in a bowl, add 2 cups of milk and a container of cool whip. Mix together and stick in fridge to chill. After a bout 15 mins, about the length of time it took me to get dressed for dinner, I took it out of the fridge and dumped in a handful of mini chocolate chips. OK fiiiine, two heaping handfuls! Then fold the chips into the pistachio pudding mix.

Now frost the heck out of your cake, layer your second cake on top, frost the heck out of that one and then it’s go time!

You should also have a heaping pile of pudding left in the bowl. Save that for when hubby is working late, kids are in bed, and you decide you want a yummy snack; suddenly remember the pistachio mousse pudding hiding in the secret part of the fridge (wait that should be invented! Secret compartments) and do your happy dance! 

If you make this I hope you enjoy it! Please leave me nice comments telling me so! If you don’t like it you can leave me nice comments telling me I smell nice and I’m pretty but you don’t care for the cake! ;-)

Love Always,

Angela xoxo

Have you seen my mojo?

I have lost my mojo. You know, that thing that carries you through this world a little happier, a little easier. I don’t know when it left, where it went, or how to get it back. I am a mother to 3. I stay at home and take care of them. That is what my life is.

Trust me, I am not complaining about that! I love that I have the ability to stay home. I am not “whining” about that because I know there are a lot of people who would love to stay home with their family but have to work.

It’s just somewhere along the way I lost who I was. I lost what made me feel special.

I get up every morning and my life is immediately “mom” I jump into doing for them. For the rest of the day it’s making their food, cleaning up their mess, keeping them from yanking each other’s heads off, taking them to the store, keeping them from climbing the walls at the store, coming home and trying to clean while having my 4 year old chew on the lamp cord, my 6 year old punching him the back of the head. My 12 year old laughing at me when I tell her if she doesn’t stop talking back to me she is going to be in trouble. Fighting bedtime routines, having my 4 year old clench his teeth shut while I brush his teeth, spitting on me because he is mad. Having my 6 year old slam the door shut because he pushed his sister as she walked past so she pushed him back and then he got in trouble. Finally getting them into bed, exhausted but not wanting to sleep because I NEED some time to myself. But using that time to veg out instead of reminding me what I loved about me. Doing something that I loved, that is just for me.

I have a 4 year old son, Lovebug who has autism, my 6 year old, monkey-boy has ADHD and my beautiful 12 year old daughter, Trouble is a pre-teen! That equals CRAZY in my house! It also means mom is all I have time for.

But it’s turning me into a grouchy, moody, don’t wanna go anywhere or do anything with anyone kind of mom. I am tired. Tired of having to fight to get my kids to listen and tired of breaking up the fights between them. (Yes I get the irony of that, but I can only fix one problem at a time)

For now I am fixing me. I love photography! My whole life I have always wanted a DSLR and finally got one. I am teaching myself, very slowly, how to take it off Auto and I’m exploring life through the lens. I am finding myself wanting to take the kids out and have fun so I can see what magic appears on my LCD screen. I am trying to make my kids smile so I can capture it. I am finally getting my “happy” back! 

This is my Lovebug                      

These are my attempts at taking my camera off auto J

Simple Pleasures

That's got me thinking...

I wanted to explain a little about my life with autism. I have thrown myself into being an advocate for Ayden, which essentially means being an advocate for autism.


 Ayden was diagnosed with autism a little before his 3rd birthday. My husband and I took Ayden to our local Early Steps program when he was 2 because he wasn't speaking. He could only say mama and dada but he didn't babble, he didn't try to use other words and we were concerned. but only with his speech. At that visit he was painfully "shy" he didn't pay attention to the lady when she called his name over and over to get him to come sit down and attempt playing with him. Instead he found a bug crawling on the floor and got down on his knees to watch it intently. He also insisted over and over and over for the tic tacs in my purse. Ayden was VERY demanding of what he wanted and it was hard changing him from that thought process. 

 The early steps program provided us with a speech therapist and also wanted to keep an eye on his need for an occupational therapist. But we were also told that he showed signs of autism and they wanted to keep an eye on his progress. David and I were stunned, I insisted over and over that he was shy and a two year old. Ayden loved me, he showed affection towards me, he was smart, there was no way he had autism...or was there? We left that day feeling numb, unsure, confused, and a little hopeless. I assumed autism meant the child that walked around on tiptoes flapping his hands all day, well yes Ayden walked on his tiptoes but he smiled while he did it. So it was different. I also thought autism was reserved for the kids that didn't show any attention to anyone, they just stood there spinning or gazing at the wall or flipped light switches on and off. Well yes Ayden would bust into a spinning frenzy anywhere, anytime. Yes he lined toys up. Yes he didn't pay attention to other people or kids. But he would spin and giggle so he was doing it for fun. But he would line toys up because he was only two and didn't quite know how to play. But again he didn't pay attention to other people because he was shy. He acknowledged family, he would hug David and me. How could this child have autism?


 I threw myself into research. If you know me, you know I don't like not knowing, not understanding, not being in control of what was happening. So I learned and I understood. Autism is different for each child. Autism has so many different levels, so many different  challenges. Speech, sensory issues, social understand, repetitive behaviors, eating problems, this is just some of the constant challenges that come with autism.


 The more I read, the more little "quirks" I saw Ayden had. When you put all of his quirks together in one jar you realize they add up to alot more than just a "boy", a "two year old", "normal delays" Ayden has Autism. 


 When I finally understood what Autism was, then I learned what i could do. Not to "fix" my child, because I never though of him as broken. But to help him. He has sensory issues, and speech issues, eating issues, social issues. I want for Ayden what I want for my other two children, what every parent wants. For him to have the best life possible. We worked with his speech therapist and Ayden has jumped into speaking, he has beautiful words that he says everyday... My favorite of course is "I love you" They are not said everyday, and my heart melts each time he speaks them! We put him in occupational therapy because he is a sensory seeker, which is why he spins all the time, and he also is defensive. He doesn't like people to hug or kiss him, we still do :) And he doesn't like strong smells or loud noises. He is in an early pre k class to gain social skills that have to be taught over and over and he still barely grasps some. 


 Ayden is very bright, he is a mostly happy child, he is handsome, he is love!


 1-88 children are now being diagnosed with autism according to the CDC. That is a number that means so much. There is so much struggling and it will not stop. As soon as you defeat one challenge a new one pops up. This will be everlasting with our children. It is their way of life. People outgrow hairstyles, change their wardrobe, change careers. But autism will be a part of a person forever the same as their eye color. The more awareness there is for autism, the more understanding there will be. They will be the kids in your class, the adults at your job, at the grocery store. It is every one's responsibility to learn ways to interact with someone with autism and to show we are all different. But DIFFERENT doesn't mean LESS!

  April is Autism Awareness month, and April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day. It is a day that many prominent buildings don blue light bulbs to show their support in raising awareness for autism, parents and family members show their support by changing their porch lights to blue. My house is blue, but I wanted to give you a better understanding of why I really do this! I live with autism and it's challenges everyday. But I also live with happiness, and innocents, and pure love- and that is all part of autism as well! 

A little home therapy for the day

I saw a blog (http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/search/label/Water%20Beads) that showed these water beads and it looked really cool. Finally went to Michaels and bought a couple packs. Put each pack in a huge bowl filled with water overnight. When we woke up I drained the remaining water out and put them in plastic bins.

The boys went to town playing in them. They stuck their hands in and out feeling the cool, wet feeling. They put their hands at the bottom of the bucket and let the weight of the beads fall on their hands. We added some toys and they played for a little bit with them, not too long cause they lack imaginative play. I took some beads out and put them on a tray and did a pattern with Tyler. Used them to ask addition and subtraction problems. Ayden enjoyed lining them up and semi counting them. They experimented with their feet to see what it would feel like, and they were using words to describe how they feel and the colors and what they like. They were also sharing and talking it out when they didn't want to share.

So very happy I finally bought these cheap,easy, sensory items!!