Tag: Boy Mom

Easy Puppy Chow

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In my small midwestern town, puppy chow was an ever present part of my childhood! It was at pot lucks, sporting events, bake sales, etc. It only requires four ingredients, and is super simple (and quick) to throw together.

I shared a picture of our first batch of the summer and immediately had messages asking how to make it, and since i’m not one for drawn out intros, lets get to what you’re actually here for; how to make it!

What You’ll Need

  • 5 Cups of Rice Chex Cereal
  • 1 Cup of Peanut Butter
  • 1 Cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • Enough Powdered Sugar to Coat (I used about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup)

What You’ll Do

  • In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave in 15 second intervals until melted and well combined. This took me about a minute total but will depend on your microwave!
  • Next add the Chex cereal one cup at a time and in the chocolate mixture. Repeat until all your cereal is coated.
  • Added you coated Chex to a Ziploc bag and add the powdered sugar. Shake the bag until all of your Chex is well coated. You can adjust the amount depending on your preferences! I like to make sure each piece has a good layer on it.

Eat it straight from the bag or store it in an air tight container. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Leah

Dandelion Lion Craft

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

With spring being fully here (and almost summer), the dandelions are out full force!

Kaz loves picking flowers, and dandelions are not exception. A friend shared this fun and easy craft, and I just knew it’d be a huge hit!

You only need four things, for a craft your kids can do over and over again!

What You’ll Need

  • Cardboard or a paper plate
  • A black marker
  • A hole puncher or screwdriver
  • Dandelions

Take your paper plate and marker and draw your lions face on; eyes, mouth, nose.

Next take your hole puncher or screwdriver to poke the holes around the outside edge. These holes are where the dandelion stems will go. This definitely took me a second to do with a screwdriver, but I have no clue where our hole puncher is.

Find lots of dandelions, and have fun!

xoxo,

Leah

Military Life: Reintegration

LeahLeave a comment

When most people think of a solider coming back from a deployment, they think of the videos and pictures they’ve seen on social media or talked about on the news. A person in uniform, kids to be surprised, and lots of tears.

Don’t get me wrong, those always bring a smile to my face and the waterworks of pure happiness that those families are finally reunited after being apart, but what you rarely see is what happens after that initial high.

When it was getting close to my husband coming home from his deployment I did all of the things I thought I was supposed to do; decorate, make ‘Welcome Home’ signs, clean the house from top to bottom, stock the fridge and cupboards with all his favorite foods and drinks, buy a new outfit, etc.

Needless to say, I did all the things. In the end though, while they were nice, they didn’t really help prepare us for reintegrating my husband back into our family after being gone for so long and during a global pandemic.

For starters, our almost seven month old was now almost fourteen months old and getting into all of the things. Kaz and I had gotten into our groove of living life just us and Ailey. We had certain ways of doing things and a schedule (or as much as you can have with a toddler).

When my husband got back, we had a few weeks of him not going to work and being home with us. The first few days I think we were all riding on clouds of adrenaline and pure bliss from being reunited. When the dust settled (like it always does), we found ourselves stumbling. If you know me you know that I get set in my ways, I like routine, and knowing what to expect.

With all of the trainings, schools, deployments, etc., over the years, I’ve had to learn how to be pretty self reliant. This deployment was no different, and I had gotten so used to doing everything by myself. If I didn’t do something, it wasn’t getting done. With my husband being home, it was harder than I thought it’d be to let some of those go and fully accept that I didn’t have to be a one woman show anymore.

Now almost two months post deployment, I’d be lying if i said we weren’t still trying to figure it out. Here we are, just doing the best we can for ourselves and our little family.

It’s one heck of a crazy ride, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!

XOXO,
Leah

Photography by: Allison Vrhovac

Military Life: Month of the Military Child

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Monday, y’all!

Did you know that April is the official Month of the Military Child? This is the month we recognize and celebrate the strength, bravery, flexibility, resiliency, and sacrifice that the littlest members of military families make everyday.

When my husband and I decided we wanted to try to expand our family, we knew that our little one would have a wildly different life than either of us did growing up.

In Baby K’s first year of life, his daddy will have been gone more than he’s been home. Heck, my husband was even gone for training over my due date!

While he doesn’t know life any other way, my husband and I do. We often wonder if this path we’ve picked is the right one or not.

We may not regret a second of this life we live and how far we’ve come, but that little bit of guilt is always there.

For our sweet baby it means a lot of confusion as to why we sometimes only talk to and see daddy through a screen. It means crying out for him in the middle of the night and him never coming. It means seeing a whole lot of mama and always looking for daddy.

As he gets older, it will mean having to say goodbye to friends more often than if we weren’t part of the military world. It will mean his daddy will have missed being there in person for major milestones like crawling, first words, and maybe even walking and first days of schools.

We are not the first family to face a deployment, and we certainly are not the last. There will be many more times where duty will take daddy away.

Our little boy is so kind and loving. He is made of tough stuff. He is resilient and flexible beyond belief. He is sacrificing more than he even knows while his daddy is away.

Today and every day, I am in awe of this military child of mine!

XOXO,
Leah