Being a mom can be…emotional. And in my current 7 month pregnant state, it can be even more so. Kids fighting, refusing to eat a dinner I spent 45 minutes making, not getting enough sleep, stress from work, getting kids to school and back from school. The list seems endless.

I think my worst result of not setting my concealer/not wearing waterproof mascara was after G's birth. We were getting ready to welcome the other four kids to the hospital to meet G and I found out that my oldest daughter had a slight fever. We waited a little longer to see if it was just a random occurrence, but a few hours later she still wasn't quite to normal. So there I was, just having given birth, a birth my husband missed, and now I can't see my other kids?! Oh there were SO many tears. And although I can appreciate people not commenting on my appearance post birth, I really wish someone would have told me that I had eye liner and mascara literally down to my mouth.

The thing I’ve learned: When you end up crying multiple times a week, if you are going to put on makeup (which I do to feel more like a human being) make it worth it by setting your under-eye concealer.

Being a Mary Kay rep, I have really enjoyed MK’s under-eye corrector for covering the bags (funny story below!) under my eyes and the translucent powder (shown below) to make sure it stays in place. Start with putting some concealer under your eye and apply in a triangle shape from the side of your nose to halfway up your cheekbone and then take a small brush – since I don’t usually wear powder eye shadow, I use that brush – and put a layer of that on top of the concealer.

Other products I’ve heard good things about are:
IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

Okay, so the story. I was talking to Andre about having tons of bags but apparently didn’t specify to him that I was referring to bags under my eyes so his response was, “yeah, you have a ton of bags.”

He thought I meant handbags…

Sometimes I wish I was okay with repeating the same menu week after week. It would make shopping easier, I wouldn’t have random sesame oil that I never use and it would make mealtime less stressful. But, I like trying new things – even though 95% of the time I don’t like my first attempt at a new recipe. And, just like with clothes, workouts and tv shows to binge, it can be easy to get in a rut. Here are some of my go-to places to search for new recipes!

Pinterest: I think it’s the obvious choice nowadays but I get a lot of good ideas from Pinterest. Type in your protein followed by “dinners” and thousands of recipes come up. Typically I will pin anything that looks good and then when I ultimately decide to make it for dinner, I add it to my “For dinner this week” board so I can access it easily when it comes time to make it.

Emily Bites: Emily at emilybites.com creates meals that work well with a weight watchers diet but all of the recipes are delicious even for people who aren’t, like myself. We love her Cheesy Taco Pasta (in Andre’s top 3 favorite meals) and Deep Dish Pizza Casserole!

Budget Bytes: Beth is on Instagram @BudgetBytes, on her website budgetbytes.com or her Budget Bytes app. She is all about cooking good food at home on a budget. Our favorites are Beef & Mushroom Stroganoff, Bacon & Spinach Pasta and her 5 ingredient Freezer Biscuits! Below is her Bowties and Broccoli which is the perfect quick and easy kid lunch!

Parsley & Pepper: Kayla is on Instagram @ParsleyandPepper. She has four kids and all of her recipes are kid approved. Plus, her cooking tutorials make it so easy to cook awesome food! We have loved her Crock Pot Ribs, Taco Casserole and Coconut Chicken Curry (also in Andre’s top 3!).

Damn Delicious: Every single shrimp recipe Chungah posts to her site, damndelicious.net, is ah.MA.zing and there are tons of other recipes I can’t wait to try! My most recent success was her Broccoli Ham and Cheese Soup.

The thing I've learned about myself: I like to switch it up. But, if you have meals that your entire family likes, don't be afraid to repeat as much as needed! For us, it's Spaghetti Sunday and I hope we continue it forever :)

*This post contains affiliate links*

We have never been ones to shy away from taking trips and with five kids, flying is out of the question. We live 4 hours away from my parents, we like to take trips plus my drive to work with my four youngest kids is an hour one way so we spend a. lot. of time in the car. We have yet to find a fool proof formula for riding with kids, but we have found some things that have helped!

Books on CD: Yep, just like the books on tape you used to listen to with your parents but they have them in all of your favorite Disney movies on CD! Right now our favorites are Zootopia and Cars 3 but they have tons at Target or on Amazon - I've linked an awesome family pack below!

Buckle in lap trays: Coloring, snacks, toy play, all of this can be done in the car now! They don’t like keeping them on the entire drive but between bathroom breaks is a great time to buckle/unbuckle. Oh, and did I mention, it has pockets!

L's lap tray (linked below!) has a coloring book, colored pencils, a toy, an old iPhone, water cup and snacks!

Games: License plate game, squiggle, mad libs (family friendly option linked below!), brain quest. Give them games you can play together as well as ones they can initiate themselves. We also have kept our old iPhones strictly for use on trips. Just download a bunch of free games or, if you have kids like my son, all you really need is the camera app and lots of storage!

But really, the thing i've learned you really need is patience: Lots, and lots of patience. They just want to get to the destination, too :)

*This post contains affiliate links*

Things in my house have been chaotic to say the least. I don't know if it is because of my upcoming return to work, a baby who won't nurse or because of the holiday season, but honestly, it's probably all of the above. With all of the chaos, "me time" is pretty difficult to get, but I have found two things that help tremendously: getting to the gym and baking. Kind of counterproductive since one is healthy and the other is so not, but for now it's working!

While exploring recipes, I found it. THE best chocolate chip cookie recipe that you cannot screw up. I have so little confidence in the kitchen but these cookies never disappoint.

Warning: people WILL request you bring these to all events because they are so. good.

Ingredients:

• 1 C unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 C sugar (I prefer pure cane sugar)
• 3/4 C packed light brown sugar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 2 & 3/4 C all-purpose flour* plus a tablespoon or two if needed
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 12-oz pkg. chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Place rack in middle of oven.
3. Cut butter into pieces and place in mixing bowl.
4. Mix on low and, after a few seconds, add sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until creamy.
5. Add eggs, beating just until incorporated and smooth.
6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl (or if using a Kitchen Aid, use this spatula attachment) and bottom of the bowl to insure all ingredients are mixed well.
7. Dump 2 C of the flour, soda, salt and chocolate chips all together on top of butter mixture.
8. Add the remaining 3/4 C of flour to the top of this mixture. Slowly mix the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips together. Do not over mix.
9. If the dough is sticky, add an additional 2-3 T of flour to the dough.
10. Using a cookie scoop, drop onto ungreased baking sheets, or silicone baking mats (like these!).
    
11. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
    
12. Bake at 375° for 8-9 minutes.
    
13. Cookies should be slightly golden and the cookie should not be wet on top.
14. Cool completely and try not to devour them all at once!
    

I was always worried that I would get the kid that only ate mac and cheese and chicken nuggets and that either our dinner palate would be limited to these two foods or I would end up making an adult meal and kid meal every night.

The thing I’ve learned, they aren’t as picky as my worst case scenario mind assumed. With that said, I know some children have emotional needs when it comes to food and this may not work with every family, this is just my experience.

Start them when they are young. Do I always have mac and cheese and chicken strips on hand? Yes. Those are great for lunches or when you’ve been debating about going out, spend 40 minutes trying to think of where to go with five kids and then realize you don’t have the energy to spend your entire meal making sure butts are in seats and minimal amounts of food end up on the floor, so you end up staying home. But by now it is 7:00pm, no one has eaten and food not getting to their mouths in 10 minutes will surely lead to a meltdown.

However, on those nights when I have 30 minutes to make a meal, I try to not go straight for the blue box. Try spaghetti with a side salad. We do this once a week and after a while the kids start asking for the salad when you forget. Or rice and beans with sausage that you tell them is actually cut up hot dogs. Or even fish. Yes, fish. My kids LOVE tilapia which is great because so do my husband and I! It is a mild fish and paired with rice and asparagus is a delicious family dinner.

Our kids can be super picky and it can get really frustrating when they suddenly don’t like chicken or pasta sauce anymore, but starting good habits when they are young just makes it easier later down the road. We still have nights where the kids do not want what is in front of them, but as I mention here, fruit and veggies are always okay and hopefully the next night will be better!

And if all else fails, just throw some cheese on it and they’ll gobble it right up.

M is pretty much our ear infection queen. 4 ear infections in 4 months with 4 different medications to treat them. We have not had the tubes talk yet but we know with one more it will need to be discussed.

The day before going into the doctor was a normal day. M was happy, eating fine and playing just like she usually does. The next day, however, she woke up a bit fussy and with a runny nose. After about an hour of cuddling, which I did NOT AT ALL mind but was a little unusual with M, I called the doctor. At the time it felt so silly. I’m calling the doctor because my kid is cuddling with me? That sounds insane.

So I called and got her an appointment that day…in the middle of naptime. So now I feel crazy for calling because she could just have a cold AND I am interrupting my kids’ naptime to potentially go to the doctor for nothing. However, with the weekend approaching, and knowing it would be a naptime appointment or potentially an ER visit after hours, I kept the 2:30 appointment time.

All five of us got to the doctor’s office and waited for our doctor to come in. It was a doctor I hadn’t seen before but luckily I love all of the doctors I’ve encountered at our pediatric office. She did the usual checks: eyes, nose, lungs and then went for the ears. As soon as her tool hit the side of M’s ear, “Yep, that one’s infected” and she moved to the other ear. She took a few extra seconds to look in her second ear and announced that that one was also infected.

The thing I learned: Trust your mom instinct.

It’s not like I wanted her to have an ear infection since I knew it was probably pretty painful for her, but at the same time I felt validated as a mom. Like, as crazy as it sounded, I knew my kids and knew something was up. I’m not terrible at this after all!

*I should note that this is not how it is all the time! I have also taken the kids in numerous times when nothing has been wrong so I feel silly yet also a bit better to have some peace of mind. It is these times that I am thankful for good health insurance!*

So as a bonus, the second thing I learned: peace of mind is worth a trip to the doctor at any time of day.

Aldi is seriously on my top 5 list of happiest places. The prices, the food, the simplicity, the prices…however, I was really intimidated the first time I went in. It was probably about 5 years ago and I saw there was a good deal on milk. Going in as an amateur for just one item while others had carts full of food and were rushing past me was a lot to take in. I didn’t go back for about 6 months but ever since then it is our go-to place to grocery shop.

So for those who aren’t so sure about going in there, here are some tips and deals you may find!

1. Bring a quarter – one of the reasons their prices are so low is because none of their employees go out to the parking lot to bring carts back. You put your quarter in the cart when you get there, get your food, checkout, bring it to your car, put your cart back and get your quarter back.
2. Don’t buy all Aldi brands for prepackaged food the first time – we have found some items where we prefer the Aldi brand (pasta salad and fish) but we’ve also tried other things that we haven’t loved (coffee and waffles). Try maybe 1-2 new items per trip until you know what you and your family like.
3. Buy the cheese!!  - twice as much for less than your local grocery stores. I just bought packs of sliced cheese today with 11 slices for $1.89!
4. Produce packs – one of the great things about Aldi is that not all produce items are per pound. A lot of things are in packs so you get a much better deal (examples being 3-pack of peppers, kiwi and apples!)
5. Check out the baby section – all of our kids have loved the pureed pouches of food. Gerber and Plum Organics have them in most grocery stores but at a hefty price of around $1.80 each. Aldi has combinations of fruits and vegetables that are just as good as the name brands, are organic and only $1.29!! When you are buying 10-15 each time you visit, this adds up so quickly! They also have baby food, snacks, formula and diapers!
6. Limited time section – this section may as well be called Target because I can get into a lot of trouble in this aisle! I always take a look and sometimes I come out with an amazing deal! Our outdoor patio table, umbrella with stand, griddle, over the toilet shelf and pineapple corer have all come from this section at a great price!

The thing I’ve learned: as long as you go in prepared, Aldi is a great stop for filling your fridge and pantry with quality food for a fraction of the cost!

Per family would be nice but I’d settle for one per kid. And that one kid is E. She has been to the ER four, FOUR times, in her 2 and a half years of life. Ear infection after hours, croup twice and the piéce de résistance, swallowing a small magnetic ball.

At first I wasn’t sure she had swallowed it. She was coughing a bit and whining during nap time so I went upstairs to check on her. When I got up to her room I saw 13 of these magnetic balls in an airplane toy. I knew there were 20 balls that came with the original toy but I also knew that we had lost some so there was no good way to know if she had in fact swallowed one. I mean, I asked her if she did and she said yes and then I asked her again and she said no…she’s 2 so I was not actually thinking she would give me the real story of what happened.

So after I called Andre at work in a panic, he came home so I could sit in the ER with E while we waited to go back to X-Ray. They were busy at 3pm on a Tuesday but we eventually made it back to radiology. She was a champ on the table waiting to “get her picture taken” – she’s always been a GREAT patient; never cries after getting shots and smiles as the doctor checks her vitals – and then there it was. If there was ever any doubt there wasn’t anymore. On the X-Ray, along with seeing her ribs and pelvic bone there it was, clear as day, a small opaque circle aka the magnet. We ended up getting a second picture to make sure it was just the one ball since two of them inside could cause internal problems.

The nurses and doctor were all great and we got out of there shortly after the second X-Ray was taken with instructions to come back in a week to see if it was making its way out – no sifting through her dirty diapers which deserves all the praise hands!!!

After we got home it was SO hard to not beat myself up about the fact that, on my watch, my daughter swallowed an inanimate object that, had she swallowed more, could have caused some significant issues. I use nap time as a time for me to regroup. Usually, it involves me watching a show on Hulu, a movie, sitting on my phone or cleaning the house (that last one is pretty rare!) so I thought to myself, I should have checked on her earlier. I should have made sure the magnet toy (kept in her siblings’ room) was put away the night before. I should have put a gate up. I should have…

I am fortunate to be married to the man that I am who reminded me that I saw the issue and addressed it as soon as I realized. I didn’t ignore it or assume it did or did not happen that would have put Elia in more danger. And, while I, in the future, can be more careful about putting the gate up and making sure she has less access to toys that are not age appropriate, it’s not realistic to think that I am going to check on her every 15 minutes during the 2+ hours she is in her room for nap.

So, the thing I’ve learned: don’t evaluate your success in motherhood based on the number of ER visits you make.

If you love your child and intervene when necessary, you are already a pretty great mom J