perfect summer tea

I love drinking iced tea in the summer time. It is such a nice way to cool down and  if you aren't a huge fan of just drinking water tea is a healthy alternative to soda. I love green tea but find it can be a little bland and watery when iced. To combat this I combine a darker tea with the green tea. This summer I think I have finally found the perfect combination of teas!  The fruit flavored green tea I use adds a nice summery vibe to normally plain tea. Here is what I have discovered

Salada Peach and Nectarine Green Tea- I found this at bi-lo in family size tea bags but it is also on their website here: http://www.greentea.com/tropicalfruitgreenteaforicedtea-1-1.aspx

Trader Joe's Decaffinated Irish Breakfast Tea: I use this because I don't like a ton of caffeine but they also have a regular version as well. It is a strong and dark tea that helps give some body to the green tea. Here is a link on Amazon if you don't have a Trader Joe's in your area: http://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Breakfast-Traditional-Strong/dp/B003UTJEPU

To make half a gallon this is what you will need:

2  family size green tea bags
2 irish breakfast tea bags
1/4 cup sugar (I don't like mine super sweet)

Whats for Lunch?

Salad, salad, and more salad! I have been on a mission since January to eat a salad every day of the work week for lunch. I have been doing pretty well until this past week and I felt terrible after just one week of eating junk at lunch. Now, you may be thinking "wow its too expensive to eat salad every day" or "I would get so tired of  salad".  This is what I thought as well before actually committing to eat a salad for lunch five days a week. The thing is salad is really inexpensive if you do it correctly and there are SO many variations you can do that you should never get tired of eating salad! Here are a few tips:

Inexpensive salad making:

1. buy whole heads of romaine or leafy lettuce. By  cutting up your own lettuce instead of buying the bagged kind you will save a ton of money.

2. Buy ingredients at discount stores such as Costco or Trader Joe's. The lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and nuts are a lot cheaper at these places.


Salad add on's:

Keep your salad from being boring! Try a few of my fav's and mix and match until you have the salad you love. My favorite right now is lettuce, cucumber, sunflower seeds, cottage cheese, tomatoes and chick peas. I have been using hidden valley light ranch dressing.

1. Sunflower seeds: adds some protein and salt. Trader Joe's has these at great prices and you can buy them raw, salted, roasted, and unsalted. They also have great deals on Almonds and other nuts.

2. Chick Peas: Adds protein and keeps you fuller longer

3. Cottage Cheese: Again this adds protein and is a great way to get your dairy and the creaminess is great with the ranch dressing. Daisy brand cottage cheese is by far my favorite.

4. Cucumbers, grape tomatoes, red bell pepper, shredded carrots: add some crunch and color to your salad!

5. Dried Cranberries and Almonds: Great for a sweeter salad with a nice vinaigrette. 


So, Get out there and find your favorite salad and commit to eating your vegi's at lunch! You will save money because you will not be eating out and you will feel better because you are eating a healthy and natural lunch full of vitamins!

Tristan's favorite things : 2 1/2 year edition

1. Mickey Mouse and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
I'm not sure where this one came from, but Tristan loves Mickey Mouse.

2. Eric Carle books and Pete the Cat

Tristan is in love with "Brown Bear" and "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by EricCarle and he also loves anything "Pete the Cat"



3. Cars & Dinosaurs

he is such a boy

4. Playing outside

ie: helping mommy water the plants and making mud puddles to stomp in

5. His Superman hat from Old Navy

6. Any shirt with Elmo, Grover, Cars or Thomas

7. Chocolate Milk

Oh well, at least it gets him to drink something other than apple juice! 

8. Apple Juice, Apple Slices, Apple Sauce & even whole apples

But as his Grandma Lorri (nunu) reminds him "Man cannot live by Apples alone"

Long Time, No Posts

Yes it is true; I pretty much gave up on my blog. Not that I wanted to but just because we have been so busy! No telling where the time goes when you are a mommy, wife, and full time at work. Our newest adventure is buying a home! Our offer was accepted on the cutest little house and we are now working on financing and inspections. God has blessed us in so many ways here in South Carolina that I can not doubt that this is where we are supposed to be at this time in our lives. I hate being far away from my parents but I am learning to do better with not being able to see them for holidays , etc. If everything goes well then we will be in our new home by the end of July and starting on our new adventure there!

Little Boys Christmas List

Can't decide what to get the little one in your life for Christmas? Here is a list of our top picks!

1. Thomas and Friends Fisher Price Play Sets.

A more toddler friendly version of the many wooden Thomas play sets out there. These are for toddlers as young as 18months of age!

2. Books!

Can't get an idea about a good book for a little one? Get on Amazon.com and read some reviews until you find the best ones! We like books by Sandra Boynton 

3. Bath time toys

Our bath tub toys always seem to need to be replaced. They either get nasty, tristan gets tired of them, or the dog eats them.  If you have a baby or know a baby who loves bath time then try some new bath time toys for a thoughtful gift!

4. Nice Straw Sippy Cups

You can never have enough nice straw sippy cups when you have a toddler. The Foogo Thermos ones are worth the investment!

5. Puzzles

Encourage mental development with age appropriate puzzles. Wooden puzzles are perfect for little hands. Go for a puzzle with a theme you know your little one likes.

6. Trike or Ride on Toy

Toddlers have lots of energy and it is always a good idea to have a toy around that lets them get the wiggles out! 

7. Crayons, Coloring books and stickers

My son loves to scribble and put stickers all over the place. It doesn't keep him occupied for a long time but it makes him super happy for a little while! Try triangular crayons and large coloring books for young children in a theme they like such as sesame street etc. 

8. Puffy Vest

A very versatile piece you will get lots of use out of! Layer it over short sleeves in spring and over long sleeves in fall/winter. They don't restrict movement as much as bulky coats but it will keep your little guy warm while going in and out. 

9. Chinstrap fleece hats from old navy

Tristan has had his fleece hat from old navy for over a year and he is so in love with it! I love it because it keeps his ears warm and is super cute and affordable at the same time. 

Best Baby lotion

Tristan has never had a bad problem with dry skin but he does tend to get small patches of dry, rough skin that will sometimes become irritated. He doesn't have these all the time but maybe once a month I will notice a patch on his arm or back. I know there are some great natural moisturizers but as a full time working mommy I hardly have the time to remember to go buy groceries and always forget to pick up things such as baby lotion or hop over to whole foods to get something natural. Luckily someone gifted us with Burts Bees Baby Bee Calming Lotion. I have used it twice and Tristan's rough patches went away after the first night! We had been using Johnsons night time lotion and it did not seem to calm Tristan at all and it was such a thin lotion that it seemed to not give any moisture after a few minutes. I loved the smell of Johnsons night time lotion but it was almost overpowering at times. The Burts Bees lotion is a thicker lotion and Tristan was noticeably calmer after using it the first night. Its nice to know it is a more natural option than what we were using and when we run out we will certainly be buying more! If you have been looking for a more natural option of baby lotion I would highly recommend Burts Bees! 

http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/baby-mom-moisturizers/baby-bee-nourishing-lotion-calming.html 

Tristans Favorite Books 18month addition

Well, It has been months since I blogged so I thought I would kick off with a new list of Tristan's favorite books.I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to read with your kids and having some favorites to read with Tristan every evening is one of the best parts of my day. We recently bought him his own book shelf and it has really helped his love of reading grow. He knows where his books go at the end of the night and he will go pick out his favorites and bring them to us to read. What mom wouldn't want their child to bring them a book and snuggle down on their lap to read? Now that Tristan is older he is fascinated with learning words and has ditched some of his older books for new ones. Most of the touch and feel books have been replaced with word books. However, he still loves his "pajama time" book and his "Biscuit is Thankful" book. I hope this list inspires you to read with your little ones :) 1. Tristan is in love with this book which is categorized by animals, foods, shapes, colors, transportation etc.

2. This book has tabs which makes it easy for baby to find the page they want and the bright colorful pictures are large and clear. They are categorized into pages of insects, pets, farm animals etc.

3. It has sesame street characters, it rhymes, and its about bath time...whats not to love?

4. The wonderful pictures in this book is what Tristan loves most. They are bright and raised off the page which he loves. The story is kind of long for a toddler so we usually just point out the flowers and animals in the pictures and make our own stories up that are shorter.