Birthday Presents...

With the twins birthday approaching I have been thinking about birthday presents. This year the boys decided that they wanted a Jeep. The power wheels Barbie Jeep was a gift I asked for every Christmas. I asked for it when I am sure I was entirely to big to even fit in it, never the less I never got one. So, when the boys asked for one I was a little excited! Finally I would get a power wheels Jeep! After much research and searching we decided to get them this. I am hoping Jack can just ride in the truck bed so we don't have to get two of these monsters. However, since this truck is on back order we need something for the boys to open on their actual birthday so we also bought this. Here are some of my favorite gifts for kiddies.
Rainbow Rollers- I love this for expressive and receptive language building. You can work on phrases like "Ready Set Go" ayou can have a child make a "more" request. You can model "up" "go" "down" "wee" model environmental sounds like "vroom vroom"
Ironing Board Playset - Kids love irons! I have no idea why but they do!
Ukulele- its small enough for little hands, kids are exposed to music which is great, and it comes with a little case... all different colors too!
Personalized Beach Chair and Bucket-  I just love this because my boys used theirs even inside. They would eat snack in it.
Personalized Beach Towel- I feel like we always need a new towel for summer and even throughout the year with baths, swim lessons, cleaning toy cars, or using them as really big capes!
All Lego Duplo Sets and all lego sets, especially as the boys get older, they love to build
Soft Photo Books  ---This is one is super nice if you print off some pictures and put them in it for someone.
Pots and Pans- Favorit because they come with lids so you can expand language with words like "open" "close" "in" "out" and you can also practice verbs "mix" "stir" "cooking"
Easel- Love this because it is plain unfinished wood so you can personalize it by painting a color to match someones playroom or you can leave it plain!
Tunnel- this is great because it folds flat so you can put it right under the couch for storage
Bating Gloves for Tball- youth xs is a perfect size for little hands playing America's favorite pastime.

This is one of my favorite manzi'd from scratch gifts.
I found these super cute felt flips in a boutique in OC . You know when you get married as a shower gift people give you dishtowels for the holidays...well I thought it would be cute to do clips for a little girl. I just took a picture frame from JoAnne Fabrics (I had a coupon). I added burlap (remnant piece on clearance) and ribbon and there you have it. A little bit of effort makes for a special not like anyone else's gift! I will definitely do this again. I am currently playing around with a "Holiday Socks" version for boys. 

Did You Eat?

Chicken Cutlets that make my heart melt

Thin cut chicken cutlets
(we plow through these so I usually make two or three packs)
Scramble 3 eggs in a bowl
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
(I pour a decent pile on a plate...think about it, it has to be enough to cover all the chicken you are going to cook)
Mix Pecorino Romano cheese in with the bread crumbs (about half a cup)
Fine chop Italian flat leaf parsley  (about 1/4 cup)
Add salt and pepper to the bread crumb mixture

Okay so now take a large or multiple large non stick fry pans out.  Put about 1/2 inch vegetable oil in the bottom of the pan/pans. Basically take two turns around the pan.
Its important not to use olive oil because then the cutlets will just taste like olive oil. Vegetable oil is tasteless so the cutlets will actually taste like all the amazing seasonings you added.
Let the oil heat up
NEVER COOK ANYTHING ON HIGH HEAT! EVER! SO just let the oil heat up on medium, once its warm ( I test this by hovering my hand over the oil, when it feels nice and warm its ready)
My grandmother places 1 garlic clove in the oil while its heating and then she removes it before frying the chicken. This will make the oil have a slight garlic fragrance and light garlic taste.

Directions:
Take a cutlet
Dip in Egg
Cover with Bread Crumb Mixture
Place in Fry Pan
When the edges are a light golden brown Flip them Over
This should not take more than 3 minutes on each side
Take Cutlets out of pan and let them cool on a cooling rack ( not on a paper towel bc then they will get soggy)
Cover with foil

I sprinkle a little pecorino romano cheese over the top

Todays Outline for Life...

Boys have a 2 hour delay so after I drop them off I will be heading to the hardware store to purchase some new sleds!

After pick up all I want to do is:
Make chicken cutlets
Make mashed potatoes
Go sledding
Watch a Greys Anatomy re-run

Drink hot chocolate ( I love hot chocolate made on the stove... our family has become addicted to the classic Herserys recipe on the back of the cocoa canister, sooooo good)

The mom in me will incorporate working on writing the letter "A" with the twins
--- We will take sticks fallen from the storm and draw names in the snow. Since the boys both have letter "A" in their name this will work out well.
Do some light dusting and cleaning

Hope you all have a nice snowy Friday!

Beauty Favs

Okay okay, it's a massive snow day over here in Manziland. Jack has taken 2 great naps and the boys have been playing so nicely that I am able to make three posts in one day...tomorrow I will probably make 0. Michael told me giving people links within a blog post is a great way to connect, soooo consider me connecting.....

Favorite drugstore mascara
"Lash Exact" to be exact hahahaha. This is such a great mascara because the brush is nice and doesn't clump the lashes.

Favorite gift for friends, teachers, anyone really
I love this water bottle not only because of the mint cover but also because I love giving people things I want myself. I love having multiple water bottles. One for the car, one for my bedside, one for the kitchen, one in every room. Im kidding but seriously I love having cute storage for my H2O

Favorite Deodorant
Love love love this stuff....it actually does dry in a second and it lasts! I mean lasts!

Favorite Bronzer
Once upon a lifetime long ago in far away place of collegeland I worked as a smart- tan certified technician. hahahahahha I did. California tan always had the best accelerators, some with tingle some without....remember tingle?????? Cray Cray. Anyway I found this safe - compressed powder bronzer about a year ago and I am obsessed.

Favorite Self Tanner
Keeping with tanning, this is my new favorite self tanner. Warning if you do this at night the bronzer will make you very dark. DO NOT PANIC. When you shower the next day it will wash off the heavy stuff and leave you with a glowing tan.

BB Cream!!! Miracle cream
No words needed for this one. I just love it. It works. Its light. Its awesome.

Favorite Jeans
I love these jeans. I have them in two different washes. I am also a J-Brand enthusiast but these are the perfect rise and the right amount of stretch.

Favorite Swimsuit
I love this swimsuit. After three babies a girl needs a little ruching. I love to wear it with the strap attached. Its flattering, pretty, a little retro, and it comes in red ( love red in the summer).

Did You Eat?

Todays Recipe...
Its a crockpot kind of day...
Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

1 pack (or 3 boneless skinless) chicken breasts
1 12 oz bottle of wing sauce
1 packet of dry Ranch salad dressing/seasoning
1 tub blue cheese crumbles

Directions: Pour Wing Sauce in crockpot. Put chicken breasts on top and sprinkle with packet of ranch salad dressing/seasoning. Turn on high or low depending how much time you have... I put mine on low this morning...let it cook for 4-6 hours until you can shred the chicken with two forks. With about an hour or half hour before serving pour the blue cheese crumbles in the mixture. I serve mine on nice Amoroso rolls.

Thats it.

Snowy Days...

In the light of the moon, a mommy made capes...

Buddy decided he wanted a Batman birthday party so of course I said "Great!" As I thought of activities to do with him and his friends I kept coming up short...I needed something that would entertain 14 preschoolers and be fun.


Side note to bring you up to speed, the twins decided that they wanted separate birthday parties this year. I finally convinced them to have different themes on the same day. The kind - of agreed...none the less we are having a Jake and the Neverland Pirates party and a Batman party. They wanted to invite thier classmates to the party so in total I will have 14 - four year olds- at the house, "oy!" I am planning on doing two crafts at the same time: seven kids will decorate superhero capes and 7 will paint treasure boxes then switch. I downloaded a Jake timer app on the I - pad and I am going to set it for 15 min...when the timer goes off they will switch...this will take up approximately 30 minutes of the party (hopefully a little more). After crafting I purchased some superhero tattoos from Amazon.com and we will play a little pirate game. We will eat "pirate pizza", sing happy birthday (twice), and indulge on sugary cupcakes...Im really hopping this will take up the length of the hour and half party I have invited these little guys too..... Stay tuned....


Back to deciding what to do as a craft...I came across a pintrest post for felt capes. "Eureka!" We will make capes! I tried following other crafty moms posts on how to cut the felt but I just kept making them a little to big, so I free hand cut out a good enough template cape and away we went to save Gotham City!

 I decided since it is a Batman birthday party I would draw a batman outline in the middle of each cape. I needed to practice this...so I ripped open a half empty Wegmans ginger ale fridge pack box and started practicing. I went with the top one. After I finished I cut out the template ( I made sure it was big enough for the the felt letters I purchased, I know I have written I'm a sucker for monogramming...)

I practiced tracing with sharpie on scrap felt

Voila! I now have 14 Batman Capes to decorate. 

Treasure box craft looks a little bit like this...actually exactly like this...

Todays Outline For Life...

Today is Tuesday, Monday was such a blur I didn't have a minute to even sit...
let me sum it up for you...in a Nutshell (fyi my favorite BNL song)...Glad or Reynolds or whatever generic brand of aluminum foil/ plastic wrap I currently have needs a MUCH MUCH MUCH bigger warning label regarding these damn metal cutting strips! I seriously cut the tips of three fingers because there was so much going on yesterday I blindly threw my hand in the drawer to grab one or the other and SLICE! I never closed them correctly the last time I put them back so, the metal ridge was totally exposed! Painful. Just painful.

Happier note...over the weekend I picked up the Martha Stewart 6 QT Dutch Oven on sale at Macys! Score 1 for me and countless dinners for the fam! I have wanted a dutch oven ever since I saw my first episode of Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. That stove top to oven transition...priceless. It was originally $159.99 and I grabbed it for $59.99 on sale. Last night I made Bobby Flays Chicken Tacos. They were really tasty, but I did add a bit more cumin and I added flour to the broth to thicken the sauce. Next time I would not use as much chicken stock. Tonights Dinner: Chicken White Bean Chili
dutch oven

Today...
Get Dressed
Teacher Phone Conferences at 10
Dollar Store Trip
Decorate For Twins Birthday Party
Make "hopefully" awesome chili in my awesome dutch oven
Order Shower Gift
Bring Trash Cans Up
Get Mail
Drink Coffee
Work On Handwriting with the Boys
Work on Consonant Vowel imitation with Jack