Summer Activities

Having to plan things for your kids can get expensive! Especially when you want to keep them occupied & busy but also continuously learning. So that's why I've compiled a list of what our summer in the Harmon House will look like. These activities are basically free. Aside from lunches, snacks, etc that you'll need to bring or do. The best way to save money is by using what you have. I can't stress this enough. Doing an art activity? Use scraps! Lunch time? Grab different leftovers/snacks & build a variety plate. Get creative & get resourceful. Fun does not depend on the amount of money spent! 

Here's some things I have planned:

1. SPLASH PADS. Splash pads are awesome for several reasons. But just let me list a few: 

-socialization. Afraid of going alone? Don't be. Someone will be there. Who knows, maybe you'll meet a new Mom! 

-perfect for hot weather

-engaging. Most splash pads have great hands on equipment kids can use and explore with. 

2. Park Picnics. Every kid loves the park. Want to get out of the house but just for a little? Pack a picnic & head to the park! 

3. Mall! The mall is perfect for those terribly hot days. You can get a nice walk, look around with your kiddos, & end or begin at the play area! Invite a friend or meet someone new. The play area is always filled with parents & their little sweeties! 

4. Start a play group. I am always seeing posts from mommas who want to get together with kids in their child's age range & visit with other moms. Start a group! Take turns hosting it & planning the days activities. Have each family bring their own lunch or a dish to contribute to the meal! 

5. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL!!! Sign your kids up! I'm so excited to volunteer at ours this year and it is AMAZING what we have planned. I'm sure you can find a great one no matter what area you're in! 

6. Libraries. SO many libraries have summer reading programs and story times. Look around! This will be my first year to do this with J & I'm looking forward to seeing her enjoy reading (hopefully). Our library also has a toddler time we will be going to this summer! 

7. Scavenger hunts. I love doing these with J. Since she is still learning new words every day I do her hunts very open ended. I describe things I'd like her to find. This helps me evaluate her comprehension skills. I'm usually pretty impressed at what she brings me! For older ones, you could do it more centered towards a certain subject (alphabet, math, nature, life skills, etc). 

8. Site see!!! There are so many things in every area/town that as adults we take for granted. Start taking advantage! Go for a stroll & explore your city with the kids. Or explore your favorite parts if the city. I see several downtown walks in my family's summer! Make a list of things you want to see in your city & mark them off as you go! 

 

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I hope these activities help to kick your creative juices in & get you moving with your kids this summer. Don't worry about the money, the perfect activity, or the plans. Don't forget to enjoy the time with your kids- that's what they will remember. They may not remember the day, the time, the place...but they'll remember the time you shared. 

XOXOX, 

Harmon Housewife

Chicken & Kale Enchilada Casserole

I'm obsessed with enchiladas. Obsessed. I'm always trying new ways to create them. And my ideas usually turn out pretty wonderful. But tonight, I was kindof skeptical. I bought Kale to make smoothie packs for my husband & I. I'm not too much of a fan of Kale but I've read so many benefits to the green so I'm curious to find a way to eat it more! I only used about half the bag for the smoothie so I still had a lot left & no clue what to do. I came into the kitchen to start prepping dinner & I see this beautiful bag of Kale saying, "Use me! Use me!". So I thought, "Why not?!" 

That's when a magnificent recipe was born. 

I'd also like to say, I'm a mom of 3 kids under the age of 2. So I don't have time to roll enchiladas, so when I say we're having enchiladas, I actually mean we're having enchilada casserole. It's delicious either way so I make no apologies. None. 

I make my own enchilada sauce simply because I like it. It really doesn't take a lot of extra time & I always have the ingredients on hand because I cook the majority of our meals from scratch. If you're busy or don't have the spices for your own enchilada sauce, don't sweat it.  Canned sauce will work just as good! 

Give this simple recipe a try on your next Mexican night! 

For the sauce:

Ingredients: 

2 cans no salt added tomato sauce 

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp onion powder 

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp oregano 

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. 

For the chicken mixture: 

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast, boiled & then shredded

1 cup boiling broth (or water if using pre packaged chicken)

8 oz kale (1/2 bag)

1/2 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp garlic powder 

1 tbsp cumin 

2/3 cup Greek yogurt 

1/4 tsp garlic powder (for kale) 

Salt & pepper (for kale)

Directions: 

1. Put 1 cup of your boiling water (what you cooked your chicken in) into a sauce pan. Add kale. 

2. Sauté kale until wilted, add 1/4 tsp garlic powder, & salt & pepper to taste. 

3. Mix in chicken, Greek yogurt, & remaining spices. 

4. Mix all ingredients together until you get a good mixture that's thick & creamy. 

For the casserole:

Ingredients:

18 corn tortillas 

Enchilada sauce

Chicken Mixture 

1 cup of cheese

Directions: 

--set oven to 375 degrees 

1. Spray pan with nonfat cooking spray. Pour a little enchilada sauce onto bottom of the dish & spread around. 

2. Layer 6 corn tortillas to cover bottom of dish, top with more enchilada sauce. (Not to much, just enough to keep the tortillas moist & flavored!)

3. Layer 1/2 the chicken mixture onto tortillas, top with sauce (just enough to cover). 

4. Add 6 corn tortillas, a little more sauce, & the last layer of chicken. 

5. Add the remaining corn tortillas, top with your sauce. (I had a little too much sauce so I stored it in the fridge). 

6. Top with 1 cup freshly shredded Colby jack cheese.

7. Bake for 45 minutes. 

& my favorite part:

Enjoy! 

Now, I'm not saying this is THE best enchilada casserole I've ever made, but I am saying- it was pretty close. & since on top of it being absolutely wonderful it's also healthy? HECK YES! I served ours with corn on the cob & ranch beans. We all enjoyed this meal & yes, that's including my toddler :) meals in the Harmon House must be toddler approved! 

XOXOX, 

Harmon Housewife

Momships

Before you had kids, all you had were friendships. After kids, you had friendships & then you were introduced to Momships.

Momships are pretty much like friendships except you're really only getting together because your kids play well. If you're really lucky, your Momship will turn into a friendship. & if you're really really lucky, a friendship with sail over into Momship when your both in the same stage of life. 

But Momships are entirely different than friendships in two key areas: 

-defensiveness 

-forgiveness 

Ok, let's be honest, when your kids are involved, how many of you get entirely too defensive? (My hand is raised.) You literally cannot try & tell a mom anything negative, "constructive" criticism, or different views on subjects that particular mom is passionate about. Example:: someone tried to tell me that I shouldn't babywear because it will make my children too dependent. ---I'm an avid baby wearer & wish I had more wraps/carriers. Obviously, I fully disagree with that statement so it got me pretty heated! Another example:: breastfeeding/bottle feeding. This is not an area you want to go with any mom if you're close minded on either side. & then that brings me to forgiveness, it's entirely harder to forgive Momships because it's usually disagreements over your kids or parenting. 

Let's be clear about this, I'm 100% guilty of being on both sides. But I really do try to be open to pretty much all things. Why? Because I also 100% believe that every mom out there is just trying to do what's best for her kids, her family, and her self. I feel as if sometimes, it's just hard to see past what we want because we always feel our way is THE way. 

& I've finally come to the conclusion, there is no ONE way to parent effectively. I actually read that on a blog awhile back & I'm paraphrasing here but he basically said, "If there are a million kids out there, there are a million different ways to parent. " 

Wow, way to slap me in the face with some stone cold truth! I've never read a more accurate statement about parenting. 

So I'm basically writing this so that maybe other moms can see that statement, & maybe it can save your Momships. 

"I don't need Momships!" - says the doubting homebody mom. 

Yes, you really do. Here's why: 

1. Momships share & fully know "the struggle". --you're late? No problem. Been there. You yelled at your kids today? Don't beat yourself up. Been there. You have to cancel literally last minute? Absolutely no problem, been there. 

2. Momships have full open range to brag about your kids. You can totally send your Momship a picture of your kids doing nothing but being cute. Why? Because they get it. 

3. Momships are totally cool with your messy house. Need I say more? 

4. Momships are completely okay that you're in the sweatpants from yesterday & that you can't exactly remember if you put deodorant on that morning. But, your kids look adorable. That's what matters. 

5. Momships have the potential to be the greatest friendships of your life. Let it happen. Enjoy the struggle, the joy, & the bond that comes with motherhood. 

I only wish I had known these things about Momships while pregnant with J. I'm just now seeing the greatness that comes with Momships and I feel so blessed God's brought me moms to share life with. I cherish my Momships, because most have turned into genuine friendships. 

XOXOX, 

Harmon Housewife

A Work In Progress

There's something beautiful about going off the grid. It's like a cleanse of all things unnecessary. I finally deactivated my Facebook today, I felt excited. I felt happy. I felt free. I haven't decided if it is a permanent thing or if it's temporary, but I know that for now, it's what I needed. 

Social media literally consumes my life in ways it shouldn't. I find myself consumed by the lives of others, consumed by my thoughts, consumed with judgement, consumed with how I appear. I don't like that person, I'm constantly fighting that person.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about slowing down my life, I feel I've done a tremendous job so far. But God is consistently showing me areas in need of cleansing, areas in need of separation, and areas that need to be completely shut down in my life. I'm a work in progress. I'm better, but I'm no where near my full potential. 

Since starting my journey to work on my life about 2 years ago, I've been so grateful for the friendships God has restored and the friendships God has shown me to rid myself of. As I grow in my new determination to fully live for Him, I find odds against me. & that is why I'm slowly cleaning out even more areas of my life- such as social media. 

I want to be a person that makes others literally run towards Christ. I want to be a person that shows his mercy, his grace, his works through my life. I'm not sure when I'll get there fully, but I know I won't stop until I do. 

XOXOX,

Harmon Housewife

Simple Spaghetti Sauce

Did you know that there's people out there who literally don't know how to cook even spaghetti?? I assure you, there are. I'm often surprised when my friends ask me how to cook it. To me, it's such a simple meal. But, this is for all you  (I know you're out there) who honestly don't know how to cook a simple batch of spaghetti! If you can't boil water, you're out of luck because I don't have time to get that basic. ;) 

You can use any type of noodles you like, but I try to make gluten free as much as possible so we prefer the quinoa noodles. My store was all out so tonight we're using brown rice noodles! What's different about this spaghetti is the sauce. I used bottled up until we changed our eating in a big way. I worked on getting a sauce we like the best, & this is it! I'm a veggie girl, my smokin' hot husband is a meat man-& this sauce is a great compromise in between! 

Simple Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients 

1 lb hamburger meat 

1 cup chopped pepper mix (red, yellow, orange) --I cut 3 whole peppers up & freeze them. I get about 3 cups from them all. I like the flavors of the mixed peppers.)

1 can tomato sauce (we use no salt added)

1 can italian diced tomatoes

2 tbsp sugar 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1/2 tbsp dried basil

1/2 tbsp dried oregano

1/2 tbsp dried parsley flakes 

Directions

1. Brown meat in skillet with mixed peppers. 

2. Drain any excess fat if needed. 

3. Add garlic and stir. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, spices, and sugar. 

4. Let simmer for 10 minutes. 

5. Top your noddles of choice with the sauce & enjoy! 

 I served my plate with 1 slice of toasted Ezekial bread - yum! 

How simple is that? But it's so tasty! My smokin' hot husband says it's his favorite. I'm not sure if he's telling the truth or if he's just smart. But I can tell you, this sauce is delicious! Happy cooking. 

XOXOX, 

Harmon Housewife

Living in the Moment

Lately, I've felt tremendously overwhelmed. I've been a horrible blogger. I've been so preoccupied that I honestly haven't even had anything to write about! 

But today, I feel the need to write about something that I'm really, really, really struggling with. Myself. 

It's hard to be everything three small kids need, my husband needs, my family needs, my friends need...myself needs. I've been feeling that all anyone wants from me is to give, give, give. I give. I've given all I can. & I've given out. 

I'm at this point to where if I don't do something, anything, just for me, I really think I might lose it! So, I've recently started waking up at 5 am (most days, when I don't turn my alarm off) to get 2 hours of time to myself. Work out, quiet time, me time. It has made my days entirely   better but I'm still feeling lost in my ever-long to do list, mommy duties, wife duties, and life duties. 

I'm not quite sure when I lost myself but I'm guessing it was somewhere in between diaper changes, trying to make family events/friend parties, & trying to be everything to everyone.

So, I want...no, I need to break away from the chaos outside of my home. I'm going to be a pretty bad friend for awhile. I'm considering deleting my social media accounts, temporarily, possibly permenately depending on if this helps my anxiety levels. 

I'll keep my play dates and my mommy groups, but I won't feel bad if I have to cancel. If I feel up to going, I'll go. If not, I won't. I refuse to be bound by obligation to unnecessary things. 

I'm obligated to my family, which is why I try to be everything. But I'm one person. I'm one person on the verge of having a serious meltdown if anything else comes my way. I'm getting rid of the noise outside of my enjoyable obligations. I want to be a mother. I want to be a wife. But I don't have to be a baby shower planner. I don't have to go to girls night. I don't have to keep every single play date/group. Those are choices. There is no choice for me in being a wife and a mother, that's natural. I wouldn't give that up on my worst day. 

I know I'll keep blogging because this blog is for me, it's also for others who can relate or just enjoy different views on aspects of life. I can't promise I'll blog often but I won't stop. But I've got to stop being so distracted by the world & everything in it, that I just feel lost. I'm taking a journey to say, "No". To declutter my life & the constant state of movement it's in. I'm saying no to busy. & I'm saying YES to life in the moment. 

XOXOX,

Harmon Housewife 

Joey

I always wanted a boy. Like, always. I never even wanted any girls. Three boys. That was it. But somehow, God gave me all I ever wanted. 

He gave me you. My sweet, lovable, funny Joey. A prince, in a house full of princesses. 

I love you so much that it makes my heart hurt. I love you so much that I never want you out of my arms. 

I love that you look and act just like daddy. You are daddy's little man, you are momma's little sweetheart. 

 

My sweet Joey. Always smiling, forever laughing. 

I don't want you to grow. I don't want you to date. I don't want you to ever lose your ability to laugh at the simple things. 

As my son, I love you different. I want different for you. I will hold you accountable differently. I don't love you less, I don't love you more-I love you different. 

You are the only, my only son. You are special, you are different. 

There will come a day when I am not the most beautiful woman you know. There will come a day when I will not get kisses.  There will come a day when you do not want a hug. I will hate those days. But I will take comfort knowing that your dad & I prepared you for those days. The day when you are no longer a boy, the day you are a man. 

But to me, you will always be my baby. My beautiful 6 pound 4 ounces, blue eyed, care free blessing. What a blessing you are. What a light you are to my life. 

& if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that you will be a light to others. 

XOXOX, 

Harmon Housewife