Playing with food can be a good thing sometimes... check my post on Honest this week for more! xoxo.
I'm Domestic
Make it: Taco Salad /
I'm not big on salads.
That said, if it's covered in cheese, sour cream, chicken, etc., by all means: bring it on. My favorite one is taco salad (big surprise there! spoken like any good part-Mexican girl) I used to make taco salads constantly, got out of the habit, then brought it back today.
Make it. It's way too delicious, and feels pretty healthy, if you don't account for the sour cream.
- Lettuce
- Grated cheese
- Chicken (cooked & seasoned with taco seasoning)
- Salsa (pico de gallo is best)
- Crumbled tortilla chips
- Sour cream
- Dressing (I use this one)
Mix all the good stuff together, and enjoy. It's crazy good.
XOXO,
Kate
Make it: Cardboard Train /
During Maggie's nap time the other day, Sophie and I made a train.
Trains are a reeeeally big deal in our house. Everything that can be pulled is a train, and the girls can play for hours with them. We had a stack of boxes to be recycled, including the prettiest ones from Honest, and some days I don't make Sophie take an afternoon nap so that we can use that time to play board games, or do more involved crafting. This falls under the "involved crafting" category... took about 45 minutes, but if I did it by myself, it would probably take only about 20. ;) Here's how:
Clockwise from top left:
- Cut four circles for each train car. Ours had about a 6 inch diameter. Poke holes in their centers.
- Find boxes that are the size you'd like your train cars to be. Take the dull side of four pencils or colored pencils and poke a hole on each of the four spots you'd like your wheels to go. Insert a wheel on each pencil.
- Inside the box, tape the pencils for each side to one another, so when the wheels turn, they turn together from one side to the other.
- Tie a string from the wheels on the sides to the other. Be sure it's tight. It makes the side wheels turn together as well. Then poke holes in the front and back of the car to tie a knotted string for connecting and pulling!
There you have it. A little train. Ours obviously was filled with baby dolls in about two minutes flat, and pulled around all day!
Happy Monday to you.
xoxo,
Kate
(psss, use THIS LINK for a free trial of Honest diapers or household products. They just got the CUTEST new patterns!)
Make It: Avocado Mango Tacos /
Domesticity is not something that comes naturally to me. I have to force myself to become motivated to make something and my ideal scenario is basically the dinners with the fewest ingredients that I probably already have in my home.
THANKFULLY, it's almost mango season!! I think I can officially declare mangos my favorite fruit. Generally I just squeeze lime all over them, add a few sprinkles of chili powder, and eat... and eat... and eat. Mangos have this magical ability to motivate me to make a fresh and beautiful dinner. Gone is my aversion to cooking when mangos come into the picture. I love being a bit creative with them and making dinner that we all love, rather than the kind we tolerate in an "I wish we were eating takeout" way.
We were at a farmer's market in the north bay the other day, and picked up some avocados and mangos for the week. I never tire of photos of fruit and veggies, especially at a little side-of-the-road market, so yes, I have plenty of shots of the market.
One of these days I'm going to print some of these pictures and hang them excessively around my kitchen. It will be beautiful. (have I ever told you? My kitchen has been renovated twice it seems- since its creation- partially, in two different decades; consequently, I have one original tile countertop where the sink resides, one 90's tile that's fortunately all white, and that is where all the shelves are, and the oven side is dark granite countertops with wood cabinets. It's given us plenty of laughs. These SF landlords can definitely get away with whatever, and we'll still pay their crazy rents because we heart SF so, so, so much and let's be honest: it's worth it).
Anyway, back to it. Last night I made tacos with the mangos and avocados we picked up at the market. It was DELICIOUS. I just made chicken using a basic seasoning we have in the house, but I think I would be best with shrimp. Next week I'll try it. SO here's the recipe... I use the term "recipe" loosely, because people who really love going by recipes will be totally lost at my estimations here:
MANGO AVOCADO MIXTURE:
- At Least One Mango (I like my mango cut really tiny so that every bite has some)
- One or Two Avocados... I used two.
- About 1/2 Tomato, depending how much or little you like tomato.
- About 1/4 an onion chopped into tiny pieces so my kids don't notice.
- Garlic Salt, Salt, Pepper to taste (I like a lot of all).
- A Sprinkle of Chili Powder.
- At LEAST two limes... more if you're our family.
Stir everything together. Heat corn tortillas (I heat mine over an open flame to avoid adding extra oil, but you need a gas stove if you prefer to do that). Add your seasoned chicken, shrimp, pork, or whatever you like-- I seriously think grilled shrimp is the way to go here for ultimate spring/almost summer freshness- and spoon your mixture over the tacos! Add extra lime juice if you're so inclined.
If you want to add a little sweet/spicy zest, we added a bit of Sweet Chili Sauce from Trader Joe's over ours and it was just right... PERFECT.
We started our week with them, but I think "Taco Tuesday" has a nice ring. Try it!
XOXO, Kate
Eggs! /
I basically love egg-dying. I love watching my kids be creative and I love making my own. This year was fun because Sophie was at an age where she was just thrilled to be making eggs and made each as creatively as possible. We used wax to draw polka dots, tape to make lines, and pencils to draw pictures. Maggie pouring liquid over the eggs in the bowl with a spoon and she actually was pretty impressive and didn't crush any of them! My sister held her on her lap the whole time (at great risk of being drenched in coloring), and that may have been the best possible scenario for the process.
Here's my little dynamic dying duo. I'm bummed I left all the eggs at my mom's so I can't take pictures of their artistic genius. I only remembered to take pics of mine, like any good mama. Just trust me, theirs are way more brilliant and beautiful than mine. ;)
Happy Good Friday to you!!
My Secret Household Tips /
When I got married almost 8 years ago, I didn't know how to make pancakes, I shrunk nearly all our clothes in warm water washes, and stains... well, if something spilled on us, that article of clothing would never ever be the same. Domestically handicapped (very) young, married girl. Fast forward to now: I have two little girls who love getting messy... extremely messy. I am one mama who wants my children to enjoy their childhood and not always be worried about what might get on their clothing. Clothing just does not matter as much as celebrating joys of being kids while they're kids.
I've learned quite a few tricks along the way to get the clothes, the house, and the kids clean after the beauties and messes of "life" happen:
1. Lemons are the superfruit in cleaning. They make everything smell just a bit brighter! If you have a disposal in your kitchen, follow the smelly food with a lemon rind and it'll smell fresh and citric instead! It's also a wonderful glass cleaner to get the hard streaks and residue off your dishes.
2. Growing up, every single time anything spilled on a carpet, we were trained to immediately run to get a white rag and Club Soda. There was nothing that couldn't be cleaned off rugs with a bit of club soda. Dab on the stains that may spread if you try rubbing. The spot will be wet after, so get a dry towel to rest over it until it dries so that dirty kid feet don't track their day through it. (I'm directly quoting my mom here, thanks mom!)
3. So maybe you think your little one has gone to use the restroom for a bit, but they've actually gotten a hold of a permanent marker. Your bathroom is covered in graffiti.. what do you do? Nail polish remover. It's like wiping a little spill off the counter. The easiest cleanup ever!
4. So now what do we do about those tough stains on clothing? The 1.5 year old ate tomato soup and uhoh, it's everywhere. Your answer? Dishwasher soap. Dishwasher soap in liquid or pod form can be used to rub into those stains and cut through all the discoloration and GREASE stains too! Credit for this one goes to my mother-in-law. She can get anything out of my kids' clothes! Make a little paste with water and the soap, then rub gently on the spots. Let it sit, then rinse. Repeat as much as you need, but it generally gets right out... seriously.
5. I cannot handle the smell of a gross sponge. It's the worst! Sometimes I get a new-ish sponge and it gets left wet in the sink (not pointing fingers here, but it's not me that does that!). What a waste right? Nope. Just stick that smelly sponge in the dishwasher with your dishes, and it'll come out looking and smelling fresh and clean!
And a few bonus tips for ya:
6. Hairspray is your solution for ink removal. Just my kids or do all like to take pens to their clothing and sheets?
7. Tea bags clean hardwood floors and leave them looking shiny and bright!
8. Pot stains and grime are best scrubbed after filling them with soapy hot water and setting them to boil for five minutes! Once you let them cool, they're 100 times easier to clean (that's not a legit stat, just my own observation).
9. Stick dirty sneakers in the washer. Let them air dry and they'll be good as new most times!
10. If you've run out of nail polish remover and you need to remove the polish from your nails STAT, use polish and wipe. It somehow works the same way and removes the polish easily! Amazing.
I'd love to know all your tricks and tips, so feel free to leave a comment with your suggestions!
XOXO, Kate
