it's the freakin weekend

TGIF. (I miss when that had a double meaning and there were fun shows on ABC)
What a busy week it has been and I'm glad to see it come to an end. Time to kick back and relax.
Work, meetings, doctor appointments, tumbling and birthday parties, oh my.

Tomorrow I will see what it's like to have one child again, since the princess is having a sleepover with my parents.

And let's just say the anticipation for Frozen coming on DVD was well worth it. Seriously one of my new favorite Disney movies. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that. I enjoy them all, but they never compare to the classics. This one is fantastic though. Go buy it now, if you haven't already!

Here is the recipe I mentioned earlier this week.

LEPRECHAUN CHOW
AKA THIN MINT PUPPY CHOW
  

This needs no explanation or introduction. I scheduled my cheat day around St. Paddy's day and this was one of the reasons why. (the other being my tradition of making reubens)

• 5 cups of rice cereal (chex or crispex)
• 1 bag of Andes mint chocolate chips (or whatever mint chocolate chips you can find)
• 1 cup of powdered sugar

Put the cereal in a big bowl. Melt your chocolate. I started at a minute and stirred, it needed a tad more melting, so I did 15 seconds more. This was perfect. Remember not to over cook the chocolate, it's easy to ruin. Also after it's melted, act fast! It doesn't take long for it to start to harden. Poor chocolate and spoon around the cereal until it's completely coated. It a plastic ziploc bag, pour your powdered sugar in then dump the chocolate chex mixture in. Seal the bag and shake around until it's good. I tossed in some green mint M&Ms as well.

YUM!

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT'S BACK THAT AZZ UP FRIDAY.

whitney @ http://www.iworeyogapants.com

What are your plans this weekend? 

Over and out.

i can't wait for summer

It has been a rough winter. A long, cold and snowy one. While I enjoy the snow and the change of seasons, I am ready for the heat now. No promises that I'll continue to have those feelings when it's 100 degrees outside. Just remind me of this winter.
Please and thank you for your consideration.

helene @ http://www.heleneinbetween.com

tay @ http://www.thedailytay.com

Shorts and tank tops. As much as I love my leggings and big shirts, I'm ready to switch my wardrobe up.

Walks and runs outdoors, with my pup! Because it's completely unamerican to do so in the cold, right?

More motivation. Warm weather makes you have that. It's pretty much a scientific fact. 

Tan lines. Looking a little ghostly these days.

Farmers Market and veggies from my parents garden. Clean eating will be at an all time high.

My daughters birthday. How in the world is she going to be 7?! Bittersweet.

No School! My kids are not fun to wake up, hell neither am I. It will be nice to cut some slack on routine and be a little carefree!

Flip flops, all day errday. 

Iced coffee. Yep.

Windows open. There is nothing like a home with a fresh breeze blowing through.

Flowers and greenery. Tired of seeing brown everywhere I look.

No coats, no layers, no problem!

Grilling. Not on the George Foreman.

Bright colors. Clothes, nails, you name it!

Sitting outside at night. With OFF and a citronella candle of course.

Longer days. Not technically, but you get it.

Concerts. None planned so far, but I would normally say this.

Day trip(s) to the beach (Lake Michigan)

Summer Premieres. You know, for when I'm not outside. Pretty Little Liars! True Blood! Bachelorette! Big Brother!

Patio lunches/dinners. When it's not sweltering.

And one of the biggest reasons is MY BESTS WEDDING!!!! 

Link up and tell everyone why YOU are excited for the summer!                                                              

life in leopard

Oh hey my pretties. Happy Frozen Release Day! 

Welcome to Life in Leopard, formally known as The Life of a Hoosier Momme. 

I gave myself a little blog makeover. Just because. You likey?

I also added all my favorite gals to my sidebar.

kay @ http://kaysbestintentions.blogspot.com
allie @ http://www.talesofatwentysomething.com

I gotta be honest. I haven't done much different in this department. I've still been eating clean and drinking my 70 + ounces of water, but haven't done anything more. I have been so busy with everyday life that before I know it, my day is over. Excuses, excuses. I get it. 

Whenever Indiana decides to stop actin a fool and bring us spring, my motivation will sky rocket.
I love running and going for walks outside.

And can someone please tell me how to cure the terrible addiction to the Cadbury Mini Eggs? 

How do you know when it's a problem/addiction? 

The answer is: when you carry a bag around in your purse.

On to a positive note, I was able to fit into a pair of my old jeans and no not the type of fit where they button but it's painful, but you just want to say that you fit into them. 

I'm talkin the kind of fit where they are comfortable, I can move AND I can still breath. #WINNING

I haven't lost anymore weight, but I haven't gained. 

I really wish I would have done my measurements. I'll just tell myself I'm losing inches and didn't plateau.

I do have a recipe I want to post from St. Patricks Day yesterday. It would be totally wrong for me to do so on this post, so I will post it later this week. If you follow me on Insta, you already know what I'm talking about. I feel guilty for even mentioning it. Prepare yourself for heaven in the shape of dessert. 

While we are discussing health, I made it 28 years with good vision. Which I have found pretty impressive seeing as how I work on a computer and I'm constantly on my phone, iPad or reading; aka straining my eyes. Well yesterday I went to the eye doctor. I've been noticing certain things being hard to read and getting headaches off and on lately. 

I kid you not, I almost flipped backwards in my chair when they shot that air into my eyes.

I think I'd rather be blind. 

Kidding.. Sort of.

Then I saw the Justin Timberlake machine, which I found out was called a phoropter. You are welcome.

That machine is what showed me (pun intended) that I needed glasses. 

Yes folks, that is right. I need glasses. Not full time though, unless I find life better with them on. 

Now to the fun part. Picking out frames. Big perk working for an eyewear company! 

dea eyewear; mimi

dea eyewear; nora

Whatcha think?? I'm thinking the top with RX sunglasses and the bottom for everyday wear.

social sunday pt 2

Look at me blogging on a Sunday again. 

I had so much fun doing this link up last week that I think I'll continue to do it each week.

ashley @ http://www.ashleylately.com

neely @ http://www.acompletewasteofmakeup.com

1. How much time do you spend on Social Media a day?...be honest

I spend a lot of time on social media, but I don't let it interfere with my job, housekeeping, cooking and most importantly my family. No phones at the dinner table! 

2. How long were you reading blogs before you started a blog?

I've read blogs for years. I had a livejournal back in the day, circa 2004-2006ish. Anyone else? Bueller? I met some awesome ladies who I still talk to. After that I started reading blogs. I started mine about a year ago because I wanted somewhere to get my thoughts out. And here we are!

3. What is your favorite kind of cupcake?

Actually, I'm not big on cupcakes or cake for that matter. I'm a brownie or cookie kind of gal. BUT there is this place here in Indianapolis called The Flying Cupcake, they have the best cupcakes I've EVER had. Not just the kind of good where if someone gives me one I'll eat it, but the kind that my non-cupcake loving self will drive and buy one. I don't even know how to explain what makes them so amazing. With that being said, the Red Velvet Elvis from there is my favorite. Red velvet (which I love and I love it in any other form, red velvet puppy chow, red velvet cookies, red velvet ice cream), it has chocolate chips in the batter and cream cheese icing. I'm also not an icing/frosting fan, but you had me at cream cheese.

4. Do you eat fast food? If so whats your favorite?

No, I don't eat fast food. If you consider Chipotle or Qdoba fast food then that is my answer.

5. What is the most random thing someone would find in your purse? 

Flushable wipes, but that's not that too random since I have kids.

6. What is the weirdest TV show you watch?

I don't think anything I watch is weird, haha. I'm a reality TV junkie, which I consider completely normal.

kids are hard

brother & sister together as friends, ready to face whatever life sends. 

joy & laughter, tears & strife

holding hands tightly as they dance through life.

One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Just Married.

"You never see the hard days in a photo album, but those are the ones that get you from one happy snapshot to the next."

So very true. I mean who wants to see the grumpy moments? People have said to me before that my kids are always so happy. I always bite back with "oh they definitely have their moments, you don't want to see that!" While that is a true statement and I never see the light at the end of the tunnel during bad moments, I take those comments as compliments! I hope I'm doing this thing called parenting right. I hope my kids look back on their childhood and say, "man we had so much fun when we were little."

Lately, my patience with my kids is running thin. When they act out, I feel a sense of failure within myself that really frustrates me. I have to remind myself they are learning and depend on me to push them in the right direction. They just need guidance. No, it's not always going to be rainbows and butterflies (but it's compromise that moves us alongggg) but to get those happy moments, it takes work. It takes consistency, discipline and learning right from wrong. I don't want my kids walking around like robots with no personality. I want them to be quirky, crazy, funny, adventurous, because that is what being little is all about right?  

When I get upset, I try to think how my parents would have handled a situation, how my grandparents would have handled it, etc. Trial and error until something works, everybody is different. I don't want to be the mean mom that screams and yells. I also don't want to be the mom whose kids walk all over her.

I don't ever want to bring down their self esteem by blowing them off or giving them the easy answer to get them to be quiet. I want to be the one that lifts them up. I want to be involved. I don't ever want them to think they can't talk to me or ask me a question. A question that may seem silly to us, is serious to them. And when there are times I feel like I'm going to lose my mind, I need realize they are only little once. These two little babes that my husband and I created will only be small for a short while. And since I'm fixed, spayed - whatever the medically correct term is for humans - I need to soak up these moments. I will never get yesterday back. 

I tell my kids a lot each day, that I love them. I never want them to forget it. Ever. 

I never forget to ask how their day was and what they did/learned, 

We hug often and I always kiss them goodnight.

This was all over the place but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. 

How do you handle the hard times with your kids?

whitney @ http://www.iworeyogapants.com
We are getting real country over here with this song. I just felt it was perfect.

mother nature needs a timeout

NOTE: I HAD THIS WHOLE POST READY TO BE POSTED AT 9AM AND FORGOT TO SCHEDULE IT. #fail

I just couldn't bring myself to blog yesterday, because I stepped out of my normal and did on a Sunday.

Let's talk about what my life consists of these days aside from being a mother and wife.

I went through our closets and got rid of a bunch of stuff. It feels good to purge and organize. My husband is a bit of a clothes hoarder, no really, he has more space in our closet than I do. I had a car full of stuff that I took to Goodwill. Bravo to him for letting go. <insert me singing adele dazeem, i mean idina menzel, here>

Yesterday it got up to 60 or something. I don't know. But I do know I did what everyone else in Indy did and rushed to Mikes Carwash. Seriously though, there were people waiting for spots at the vacuums like people wait for a gas pump when it's 10 cents cheaper than the one down the street. My car is nice and pretty now though and that's all that matters. 

Onward. My kids got to play outside without 13 layers of clothes, hats, scarves and mittens. I'm talkin sidewalk chalk, bikes, scooters and no jacket. Spring may finally be here, especially with today being in the 60s as well. Oh nope just kidding. It's going to snow tomorrow and be 60 degrees colder than it is today. Indiana needs a time out. Just go home, you are drunk.

STUFFED PEPPER CASSEROLE

I was going to make stuffed peppers last night but decided I wanted it in casserole form. Instead of looking on Pinterest or Googling it, I decided to embrace my inner chef and just wing it. Mission accomplished. I thought for sure we'd have leftovers. Nope, donezo! Since I made this up, I didn't measure. I will try my best to be accurate but you can't really mess this up. 

• 1 lb ground turkey (you can use lean beef or ground chicken, whatever!)
• brown rice (i think cooked, i had about 2 cups)
• 3 bell peppers, chopped (i didn't chop them small, they were bigger chunks)
• 1 small onion (i used white and chopped these small)
• tomato sauce (i have no idea and i will explain how much is enough later) you can use jarred/canned/or make your own, it's easy!
• salsa (about a 1/4 cup salsa, I think)
• seasonings (i used garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, cayenne and a pinch of oregano)

Preheat oven to 375 and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Brown meat in skillet. I seasoned the meat with the seasonings mentioned above. Like I always say, do this to your liking. While the meat is cooking, in a large bowl I place my chopped peppers and onions in there and set aside. 

side note: since rice takes forever and a day to cook, i usually do this ahead of time

When the meat is done cooking, drain any excess liquid. Ground turkey has close to none, so I normally don't have to do that. Pour into bowl with the peppers and onions and add the cooked rice. OK here comes the part with the salsa and tomato sauce. I had some salsa on hand so I poured a little in for a kick, I am guessing it was about a 1/4 of a cup, maybe less, maybe more, I don't know. Either way it's not going to ruin the recipe. I promise. Same goes for the tomato sauce. I just poured some in and gently stirred everything around. I added some more because everything wasn't coated. When everything is covered and looked good. You can move forward. Dump everything into the casserole dish and bake for about 25-30 minutes. If I was feeling naughty, I would have loaded that bad boy up with some cheese with about 5 minutes left. I did top mine with a little Sriracha though. Livin on the edge. 

So that was dinner and it was delicious. 

HELLO BACHELOR FINALE! I had my phone ready to tweet away. It's been the worst season ever because JuPa is a douche, but I wouldn't miss this train wreck for the world. And that's exactly what it was. Why do Clare's facial expressions make me want to harm someone? What did he say off camera? Well I have a pretty good idea but that shit needs to be on audio. When did he "know" Clare wasn't the one? I wish she would have let him get that out. Did he really say "I'm glad I didn't pick her" ? Have some class bro, it's not a GAME, you don't just pick. And did he really tell Nikki he had a ring and then not give it to her or show her? Where is that ring now? I'm all for waiting til the time is right and not rushing to say I love you, I get that. I really do. But his intentions don't seem even the least bit genuine. Nikki sat there like a puppet, making excuses and forcing a smile on her face. It's clear Chris Harrison does not like JuPa and theres probably so many more reasons that we don't know about from behind the scenes. I did think his drilling about the I LOVE YOU was a bit excessive though. Sean and Catherine in the audience made me so happy. They were both so annoyed with the situation and you could see it. And I really wish I knew what caused the change of plans for where they will be living or whatever. In the end, after the whole 3 hours I sat glued to the TV, I was left feeling mad and that's just embarrassing. But I can't wait to do it all over again because Andi is the next Bachelorette! 

What are your thoughts???

Byeeeee!

sunday social

I don't normally blog on the weekends, but when I do you better believe there will be a link up.

Yes I've had a lot of those lately. I'm trying to branch out into the blog world and grow my audience. I believe this is one of the perks of doing so, all while finding new ones to read by some awesome ladies!

ashley @ http://www.ashleylately.com/
neely @ http://acompletewasteofmakeup.com/

1. What is your favorite outfit pin?
I love this look. From the leggings/skinny jeans, to the flats, that just so happened to be leopard, along with the big scarf that is also leopard. When I said "leopard is a neutral" I wasn't playin! Then there is the long shirt, come on girls, those are the best! The Louis Vuitton, which happens to be my favorite bag that I own. Cute little jacket. This outfit is everything.

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2. What is your favorite food pin?
I've had this recipe pinned for a long time and I have yet to make it. It surely doesn't fit into my menu planning these days with eating clean and our cheat days are usually eating out. I will probably be making this the next time we stay in for that though. Caprese in dip form, looks like heaven to me!

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3. What is your favorite wedding pin?
Since we went to Vegas and got married, I love looking at wedding pins. I couldn't pick just one, sue me! 

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4. What is your favorite DIY/craft pin?
I absolutely love our front loaders, but everytime we walk through Sears, Lowes, etc.. I get jealous of the ones that come with the pedestals. Yeah that's what life has come to as an adult. Then I learned that you can buy those separately, but I wasn't a fan of the price tag. My detergent and softener can stay in the little basket it's in for now. I found this pin though and will do this when we move!

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5. What is your favorite quote/verse/lyric pin? 
I am constantly striving to be a better mother. To not yell, to be there, to teach. We all have our weak days and when I do, I remind myself what this journey is about. I love these quotes.

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6. Share one more random pin you love.

This just screams happiness and I love the colors. I've actually had something like this in mind for years, but we have a decent dining room set right now. When we move, this will be on the list! 

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We had our family fun night on Friday. dinner & bowling. Yesterday my intentions were to go look for a mattress for little mans big boy bed. But then we decided to be spontaneous, which I looovvveee and head to Bloomington to shop (not for a mattress) and go to one of our favorite pizza places. Now in addition to this lost hour of sleep due to DST, I have a terrible food hangover. Wahhhh. 

What are you all up to??