Penne sausage dish!

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Green Pepper
5-10 Cherry Tomatoes
1 package your choice sausage
3/4 box of penne pasta cooked
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions:    

1. Put your burner on medium heat and add olive oil to the pan
2. Slice green pepper and cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to pan
3. Cook till they are soft
4. Slice the sausage vertically and add to pan
5. Cook till sausage is done and then add your penne pasta
6. Cook for 10 minutes on low then add the mozzarella cheese
     Plate the food and enjoy!! 

Craft Store Haul!!

I don't love anything more than craft store shopping...(Well maybe my husband and kids....but that's still debatable....wink wink) 

I spent roughly $26.51, which is actually a great deal! 

**Craft store tip**

CHECK ONLINE FOR COUPONS! 

You can sign up for text coupons from Joann's, most the time I don't use them but I was glad that I didn't delete it. I get a text about every week or two with a coupon and I was so glad that I checked my phone when I went today because I had a coupon for 50% off any 1 regular priced item!! So I chose the Bernat Holidays yarn, it was originally $10.99 and I got it for 5.50!! I am gonna make some cute Christmas Potholders and dish cloths for Christmas presents. Joann always has great coupons and even great clearance items!

The Fimo clay was originally $3.49 but was on clearance for $1.74!! Which was great because I needed some to make handles for my crochet hooks and I'm glad that I went to Joann's before I headed over to Wal-mart and would have paid full price.

I went to Hobby Lobby to see if they had anything good and was just about to leave empty handed when I decided to Google and see if they had any online coupons and to my luck there was one for 40% off! What?!? So I bought the Yarnology G Hook, it was $3.49 and I got it for $2.26!! I have been wanting to try these hooks for the longest time but I am cheap and never got around to buying one. Even though I bought the clay to make handles for my crochet hooks I mainly wanted to use the clay for my smaller hooks so it won't hurt my fingers when I am making small projects. Plus who would ever turn down a new crochet hook??

The peaches and cream was full price, but I have been wanting to get some for some cool projects to come!

**Be on the lookout, I will be doing reviews on some of these items and also will be sharing my projects**
❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️Goodnight from Mommy Knots. ❤️️❤️️❤️️❤️️

A little bit about me.

Hey there! I got nominated to do a post to answer questions about myself from Mistle over at Sweet Tea and Hydrangeas. This should be interesting....;)

1. What inspired you to start a blog?

     I have been reading blogs and watching vlogs ever since I had my second child almost 4 years ago and I just loved moms being able to give and get advice! I felt like I had a story to tell, didn't know if anyone cared to listen but hey what can ya do?!? haha.

2. Where are you originally from?

     I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago born, raised and still live here...for now anyway.

3. What do you like to do for fun?

     I like to do crafts with my kids, paint, sew , crochet.

4. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
     Paris, I have always wanted to go there since I was a child. 

5. What is your long-term goal for your blog?
     My long term goal for my blog is to have more viewers and meet some great people! 

6. What are two of your most popular posts?
     My most popular post is the one I wrote about ADHD, 3 kids with ADHD is stressful! 

7. What is your favorite tv show or movie?

I am a sucker for reality t.v........

   

8. What advice would you give to bloggers that are just starting out?
     Be yourself and talk about what you love. 

9. What is your favorite food?
    Chinese, I could literally eat it every single day. 

10. If you could listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what would it be?
       Miranda Lambert- Platinum

11. What is your favorite store to shop at?
                  Walmart and the Dollar tree for sure!!

     


I CHALLENGE YOU.... YES YOU, WHOEVER IS READING THIS TO ANSWER THESE 11 QUESTIONS BELOW.

 1. What is your biggest pet peeve?
 2. What is your least favorite household chore?
 3. Who is your idol?
 4. What do you like most about blogging?
 5. Winter or Summer?
 6. What is your favorite book?
 7. What app do you use the most on your phone?
 8. What is your biggest fear?
 9. Who is your favorite celebrity and why?
10. What do you love most?
11. Who is your favorite blogger?!?

If you tag me in your post email me and I will also edit this post and tag you after you complete the questions!! mommyknots@gmail.com!!

Mommy Knots Out.....

Our ADHD Journey.

I knew absolutely nothing about ADHD until this last year, and yes I was once one of those people that thought your kid just needed more discipline until BOOM my 15 year old daughter got diagnosed then BOOM my 6 year old daughter got diagnosed and now we are waiting on my 2 year old son to be diagnosed, which there is not doubt that he has ADHD. It hits you like a wall, having one child with ADHD is hard enough but 3?!? It impacts them all in different ways and you have to maneuver through life figuring out how to handle each child and how it impacts there life. How do you figure out if they are acting up because of the ADHD  or just because they are being bad?!? ADHD is so much more than kids not being able to pay attention which for a lot of kids that is the main problem but it also can impact their moods and relationships. When my 15 year old daughter got diagnosed it all made sense, she had always done not that great in school, didn't pay attention and just gave up so easy.  I don't know why it took so long but once she was prescribed Adderall she did a complete turn around. She went from D's and F's to straight A's! She became more confident and started to love school.

My 6 year old we have been so far able to function without medication, when school starts again we are going to set up an IEP so she has resources to help so we can go without meds as long as possible. She was always extremely smart and when the ADHD started to impact her learning I was so devastated. They said she was below average in school and I knew that was not possible because she would come home from school and breeze through the work like nothing. Her memorization is unbelievable and she picks up stuff so quickly. The teacher was just not equipped to help her the way she needed and now that I know more I can make sure she gets what she needs to exceed.

My 2 year old son that will be 3 in a few months, well I don't see many other options for him. I do not want to medicate him until he can tell me whether or not he feels OK on it and right now he cannot do that. So we are going to try every option possible before medication. He is a constant ball of energy and you might think that is normal for young boys, but it has impacted his speech. He has gotten hurt because of it, he doesn't pay attention to what he is doing just runs runs and is loud and intense always. Instead of him focusing and pronouncing words he just spits out whatever and you can't understand him, he is super smart though and I am terrified that the ADHD will impact his learning.

The 2 most important things for an ADHD child is a proper diet and a strict structured environment. It took awhile before some family understood why I would be so strict with what the kids eat and with discipline but it really helps so much. My life is my kids and they come before anything, their happiness and education is first before anyone or anyone's feelings. Because I am a young mom I do get judgement, people think because I'm young that I must not discipline my kids and I must feed them out of a box and can. Or I am mean because I don't let them drink pop and eat packaged snacks. It's a lose lose so I just do what I know is right.

The best advice I have for anyone going through this is stick to your guns, research as much as possible and just do what you feel is the best for your kids because your the ONLY one that knows.

I also highly recommend this book. It gives you very good advice and even a meal plan and recipes to get you started! 

I would love to hear anyone's stories about their journey or experience with ADHD!


Jay Gordon's Website

My Facebook

Summertime Life Organization!

During the school year it seemed a lot easier to stay on a schedule, with the kids in school we kind of already knew what our days would be like. When summer break came it was like a whiplash of what the hell are we doing. 
My 15 year old(Kenzy) was constantly asking me what she is supposed to be doing and when she can do this or that and it was driving me nuts! I would forget to brush the kids teeth or make sure they picked up their room, and the house was always a mess! So I got completely sick of it and made a daily routine schedule for each kid ages 15,6,3,2. The younger 2 it was really just a few things because they like to be included. The older 2 especially my 15 year old are old enough to have chores and responsibilites. Kenzy and Natalie now have lists of what chores to do and when to do them and they have each over 6 hours of free time when all chores are done. No more million questions! I also made a list detailing what I expect from each chore, i.e. when you sweep you sweep under everything that is able to be moved. If a chore has to be reminded or not done correct that's 10 minutes of free time gone.. Below is Kenzy's list. What do you do in your home to stay organized?!?

Steps to being a healthy family!

Let's just come right out and get it out of the way...I'm not an expert on being healthy and I'm not perfect. But I've found that these things have helped me and my family to be healthier and happier.

1. Cut out as much boxed and canned food as possible....it is just as easy to buy a bag of potatoes and boil them than to use a packed potato mix!
Also canned foods have preservatives and sometimes they even have a sugary syrup...buying fresh fruits and vegetable will be the best thing you ever do and they taste so much better to!
I do have exceptions sometimes I know the feeling of being busy and I do have some backup things but taking the time to fix something healthy is very much worth the time and money.

2. If you do have boxed and canned things you buy READ THE LABELS AND DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! You have every right to know what your buying and eating, it's your body and you should care about what you are putting into it. Google can be your best friend with researching the items on a food label. I promise you if you do the research you won't believe the things companies are allowed to put into our food!

3. Cut out the junk and stop making excuses! If you don't buy it then they can't eat it, it's plain and simple! The sooner you show them good eating habits the better! It's not easy I know, everyone is busy but an excuse is like a you-know-what...everyone has one and it stinks!

4. Make it family thing...I know it's hard to cook with kids but I've noticed that if I just even let them help a little then they are more willing to try the food. It's about the whole experience.

5. EAT TOGETHER!! I know some family's can't do this every night, but making certain days for a family dinner night will be great for a healthy meal and kids are more likely to eat healthy food if they see you eating it!

If you cut out the excuses and take the time it is possible!! When my kids eat a healthy meal they are less grouchy and have more energy and so do I! I know it can be tough believe me, My four year old Bug, well that girl you never know it depends on her mood, she loves salads no joke but hates lettuce on her tacos. Olive she will eat just about anything you put in front of her and always is bringing her plate to me for seconds. Now my son is a different story he is a meats kinda guy, I have such a hard time getting him to eat vegetables, but today he ate probably a floret of broccoli. I've noticed that if I just sit them on the tray of his high chair and walk away he doesn't touch them, so today I cut some up and sat down with some Ranch and of course he wobbles over and wants to check out what I got. I put a tiny bit of ranch on one and hand it to him and he goes to town! No more ranch after the first one and he is still wanting more.....I call that a win for the day. If you get down to their level you might just be successful.
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☆ ♥ `•.¸.•´ ♥ º ☆.¸¸.•´¯`♥  Mommy Knots

Let's get to know each other.

Hi!!!! Mommy Knots here!! Kind of new to the blogging world, not entirely new but still learning my way around things. Who am I right? Well I'm a stay at home mom to 4 beautiful, wonderful kids (on their good days at least and lets be honest sometimes there's more bad days than good) I have 3 girls and a boy. My girls are 15, 6 and 3 and my baby boy is 2. I've been with my husband for 11 years. I love to craft, crochet and cook!! I welcome friendly advice because I sure as heck do not have this mom thing down perfectly. But who does right? My kids run and tear things down, they laugh loud and cry hard but they are the sweetest little kids and I have never loved like I love my kids. And yeah I'm one of those mom's that is always talking about her kids or things to do with her kids but I love being a mom and everything that comes with it.

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*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´ ♥
☆ ♥ `•.¸.•´ ♥ º ☆.¸¸.•´¯`♥  Mommy Knots