Mommy Octopus

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Easy Raspberry Vanilla Overnight Oatmeal

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Easy Raspberry Vanilla Overnight Oatmeal

I’m all about simplicity and eating right.  Here’s a simple way to be prepared for your day with a delicious breakfast.  You could also easily mix it up and use other fruits or toss in some nuts at the end as well if you prefer.  For less sugar, use plain yogurt.

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Easy Raspberry Vanilla Overnight Oatmeal
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup Steal Cut Oats
  • 1/4 cup Milk
  • 1/4 cup Vanilla Yogurt
  • 1/8 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tbsp Raspberry Preserves
  • 1/4 cup Fresh Raspberries
Instructions
  1. In a mason jar, combine oats, milk, yogurt, vanilla and preserves.
  2. Screw on lid and shake well to mix.
  3. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
  4. When ready to eat, remove lid and top with fresh raspberries.
  5. Enjoy!

 

About Those Ears…

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Back in April, I told y’all about how I took my 4 year old to get her ears pierced.  Suffice it to say that it didn’t happen.  You guys gave me excellent advice on how you went about going for or waiting for earrings.  We decided to wait.

Here we are a month later and she has been asking again.  Constantly.  Telling me she doesn’t care if it hurts, she wants earrings.  We decided to go for it today, honestly thinking she’d back out again when we went there.

My pretty girl proved me wrong!  She hopped up on the chair and took the earrings without as much as a flinch!  We could see the determination in her eyes of how badly she wanted earrings.  And so… let me show you one of our little princesses and her beautiful ears….

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I definitely think the key is waiting until they are 100% absolutely positively sure and so are you.  It’s okay to back off when you get there.  Even if they change their mind after the first ear.  It’s OKAY.

I felt horrible for the girl that went after my daughter.  The mom was pressuring her and there was lots of screaming, crying, and bribery.  I even went over to try and talk to the mom but she would have nothing of it.  It broke my heart.  I’m so glad we waited and my daughter is so thrilled with her earrings.

DIY Disney’s Frozen Birthday Party

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Disney's Frozen Birthday Party Ideas DIY

Frozen is super popular right now.  Even my almost 5 year old daughter is wanting a Frozen birthday party for her next birthday.  If you’re like me, you prefer to “Do it Yourself” instead of buying a ton of commercial items.  Below are 19 Frozen Birthday Party Ideas for you to use to make your party special.  Have fun!

May 15th: National Peace Officers Memorial Day

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Screen Shot 2014-05-15 at 9.54.37 AMIn 1962, President John F. Kennedy made May 15 National Peace Officers Memorial Day and that full calendar week National Police Week. Today, we honor those who have given their lives for the protection and safety of others. Today, we honor their families who were left behind.

Looking for a way to support your local officers?  Check out our instructions for Police Officer Appreciation Week Goodie Bags.

 

 

Blackberry Ginger Good Girl Moonshine Slush

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Blackberry Ginger GGMS Good Girl Moonshine THM Trim Healthy Mama

As some of y’all know, I’ve been reading and semi-following the Trim Healthy Mama plan.  One of the things that they discuss is all the great benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar.  It can help lower blood pressure and help you lose weight among other benefits.  It’s great for your body but it doesn’t taste that great by itself.

Several ladies have come up with concoctions for apple cider vinegar and are referring to them as Good Girl Moonshine.  Many recipes call for strawberries and lemons.  I opened the fridge this morning and released we used all our strawberries making Strawberry Shortcake last night.  What we had left were some blackberries since they are only $.99 at Aldi this week.  I decided to give it a whirl and see if I could come up with my own concoction.  It does have a bit of a zing to it from the ginger.  Here’s what I did:

Blackberry Ginger Good Girl Moonshine Slush
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup blackberries
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup ice
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • truvia to taste
  • 1 tsp ginger
Instructions
  1. Throw all items in the blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy your slush!

Of course, to each his own, but we enjoyed it and my kids even drank some.  I still think strawberry is my favorite version, but sometimes you work with what you have!

Who Is Mommy Octopus?

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With my recent post about making a Survival Kit for Law Enforcement Officers, I’ve received a ton of new readers on Facebook.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!  I thought it was time to introduce myself!

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I’m Erin!  I’m a stay at home mom of 4 and wife of 12 years to my husband who is a Corporal with the local sheriff’s department and we live in NorthEast Georgia.

This blog was created so I can share deals and tidbits with my friends and grew from there.  We now have over 16,000 Facebook fans and I’m increasingly surprised about how many people take the time to read this little blog.

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We love going camping, enjoying the outdoors, and we also homeschool.  Our days are filled with fun and adventures with a little blogging on the side.  Thanks for taking a moment to stop by our little world and enjoy the ride 😉

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Police Officer Survival Kit – Appreciation Week Goodie Bags

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Survival Kit for Law Enforcement Officers Police Sheriff with FREE Printable



In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week.  This year, the week is Sunday, May 11th through Saturday, May 17th.  That’s next week!  My husband works for the local Sheriff’s Department so I’ve been coming up with a Police Officer Appreciation goodie bag to pass out to his fellow deputies.  My goal is to make 50 bags from our family, but I think it would be super awesome if some of y’all wanted to make some as well! 

Materials needed:

  • Paper bags
  • Ribbon spools in a thicker blue and a thin black
  • Hole Punch
  • Individually Wrapped Candies of the following: Lifesavers, Starburst, Payday, Hershey Kisses, Gum, Tootsie Rolls, York Peppermint Patty, Snickers, and Mounds.

First up, the printables.  I have uploaded them so they are easy to print.  2 print per page and then you cut them to glue to the white bags.

Free Printables:

Next, simply put together the candy needed for each bag. Police Officer Appreciation

Fold over the top of the bag and punch 2 holes.  Using the same length of the black and blue ribbons, cut off enough to thread through the holes and tie in a nice bow.  Ribbon can easily be found at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or even some Walmarts.  Now all you have to do is drop off with your local department and make their day!

Thanks so much for helping to support our officers!  What are you doing during police officer appreciation week?

Tasty Tuesday: Simply Strawberry Shortcake

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Simply Strawberry Shortcake

My husband’s grandmother drove down here all the way from New York and we have been having a blast.  Yesterday we went to Washington Farms to conquer our strawberry fix.  We picked 3 gallons of berries within just a few minutes and had an absolute blast!  Pickings are great!

Strawberry Picking

Now we had to figure out what to do with all those beautiful berries.  I decided I would whip up a simple strawberry shortcake.

For starters, I washed the strawberries, cut the green off, and sliced them.  Lightly sprinkle with sugar and stir. Let them sit in a bowl for the time it takes to make the cake.  I used 1 gallon of strawberries since we had a bunch of people over, but you could easily do less.

Simply Strawberry Shortcake 2

While the strawberries are resting, start working on the shortcake.

Simply Strawberry Shortcake
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mommy Octopus
Simple Strawberry Shortcake that is easy to make and fun to eat!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 stick of butter, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
Instructions
  1. Beat together butter and sugar. Drop in eggs and add vanilla. Beat until smooth.
  2. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl.
  3. Add dry mixture and milk into the butter/sugar/egg mixture little at a time, stirring well in between additions.
  4. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.
  5. Cool completely before serving.

When the cake has cooled, cut into squares.  Each square, cut in half as you would a hamburger bun so you have 2 square pieces.

Strawberry Shortcake

Place one shortcake piece on a plate, layer with a helping of strawberries.  Place the other on top and add more strawberries.  Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

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