Kids Free Vacation List

Traveling is something I have always wanted to do more of and haven't been able to do too much of. I was lucky enough to live in Hawaii for close to a year and lived the ultimate vacation. Beach trips daily, perfect hiking trails and views no matter where I went. So many amazing food options on sites to take in. 

I can't wait to visit more beautiful places and feed my soul the beauty that the world has to offer. Payton and I have devised a list of our top 5 places that we want to travel together(kid free). We obviously want to go to so many more places, but we figured it was best to start with 5 and once we cross those off, add onto it.

- Santorini, Greece

Santorini a volcanic island known for the dramatic views, iconic architecture, and glittering waters. The sunsets are described as magical and breathtaking. Sanatorini is home to some of the oldest vineyards in the world. Wine in paradise, yes please. The best time to visit is between April and November so one of these summers, catch us in Greece! It has always been a dream destination for me. I am so happy that my amazing man wants to share the experience with me. 

- South Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada

Lake Tahoe is known not only as a ski town, but for its beautiful beaches and crystal blue waters. Home to some of the most beautiful hiking trails and waterfalls! We have been talking about visiting for awhile now and can't wait until the day comes that we do! Spring, summer, winter and fall are all perfect times to visit!

- Washington and Oregon coast

We actually had a trip planned to Boise for Memorial day and fire season kick off this past year, but had to cancel last minute when our custody case began. After Boise, we had planned to drive to Seattle then down the coastline of Washington and Oregon. Although I have previously lived in Washington, I didn't get to explore the coast and have always wanted to and it has always been a dream of Payton's. Fingers crossed for next year!

- Assateague Island, Maryland/Virgina

So growing up as a child, I read these stories about an island with wild horses. As a child who grew up with horses, these were my favorite books! Little did I know such a place really does exist. Assateague Island is known for wild horses bathing on the beaches. Sooooo this is one of my top travel dreams and in hand, Payton now gets to live it with me :)

- Mammoth Lake, California

Payton has been to Mammoth, but I haven't. It is somewhere we would love to go together! Summer offers so many amazing hiking opportunities and winter looks like it would be so absolutely magical. Mammoth is known for its breathtaking views and amazing skiing. No matter the time of year we go, neither one of us can wait!

-Laura

Must Have Lily Jade Diaper Bag

This post is sponsored by Lily Jade. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

Hey Guys!

I want to talk diaper bags today! Finding a cute, functional diaper bag can seriously be a nightmare. Let's face it, we don't all want to wear Mickey Mouse around! And we don't all want a diaper bag that matches our babies and kids, not us. I have literally struggled through 4 kids with limited diaper bag choices and purchased a million because the quality is just never up to par!

With Rhett, I knew that I just had to have something better than what I had used before. I was sick of carrying a diaper bag and purse around and trying to track down 5 kids! I needed something that would HOLD all of the necessities that a mom of 5 has to carry around. AND I wanted to make sure that it was good quality and actually accentuated my outfits. Why does being a mom have to look like a drag?

Imagine my happiness when I found Lily Jade! Guys. I have been eyeballing mother's carrying similar bags, wondering what amazing bag they were carrying. I finally spotted Lily Jade on Instagram and knew one of their bags was exactly what I needed.

I opted to get the Lily Jade Elizabeth Diaper Bag. It is one of their larger sized bags, but can be carried backpack style or traditionally, over one arm. I LOVE having options when carrying a bag so this was a perfect option for me!

The quality of my Lily Jade bag blew me away. Lily Jade uses premium grade leathers. They tumble the full grain leather to bring out the texture instead of sanding and stamping a pattern. No two bags are exactly the same. Lily Jade bags are made to last! All stitching is detailed and reinforced. When I took the bag out of the box, I got the most amazing whiff of real leather scent. Having grown up with horses, this is a smell I know well and I know means quality.

It is safe to say that the cost of a Lily Jade Bag is well worth it for the amazing quality bag that you are purchasing. Now lets talk about space! The bag is huge on the inside and contains so many pockets! So perfect for bottles and drinks on the go as well as snacks, diapers, change of clothes, wipes, you name it! The bag comes with a soft diaper bag insert so you can quickly add and remove your child's things for different outings. I love that is quickly and easily accommodates what I am doing!

If those reasons aren't all enough, check out all of the bag options for yourself!! Check out the Lily Jade site yourself! I promise, you will love this bag as much as I have!

-Laura

Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies

  

Not sure about you guys, but sometime Payton gets a sweet tooth and finding #KETO approved treats can be difficult. I have been on the search of a good chocolate chip cookies recipe that fits his diet and I actually enjoy! Let's face it, not all sugar free, low carb food is actually GOOD!

I found these KETO chocolate chip cookies super simple to make and EASY (after I combined a zillion recipes tries lol)! I want to point on that I am making the transition to all NATURAL, grass fed products so next time, I would use different brands of products in my ingredients, but still the same measurements of products.

It is super important to remember to mix your dry ingredients first and THEN mix in the wet ingredients. I did soften my butter in the microwave because it was frozen. I would recommend leaving it on the counter as opposed to microwaving. Tho it gave the same effect, I have read terrible things about microwaving food and loss of nutrients (yes, I am one of THOSE people).

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup butter - softened
• 3/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (I was out so used baking soda instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 1/2 Cups almond flour
• 1 1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper - I prefer using parchment paper on my baking sheet over greasing. 
• Measure almond flour into mixing bowl. Add baking soda and salt
• In a separate bowl (preferably a mixer) - Cream together brown sugar and butter then slowly add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix 
• Slowly mix dry ingredients into the creamed mixture into completely combined. Hand stir your chocolate chips in. 
• Using a spoon - drop spoon drop sized cookies onto your baking sheet - I use the spoon to flatten them out a bit. 
• Bake 11-13 min or until the cookies are golden brown. 
• Cookies save about 3 days on the counter, but are best eaten the same day

Hope you love them as much as we do!

-Laura 

Drumsticks Cereal a Breakfast Staple

This post is sponsored by General Mills. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

With 5 kids home during most of the summer, easy breakfasts are a must! Even though I am in Northern Arizona, it still gets hot so I prefer NOT to use the oven or stove! I love having cereal on hand for the entire family! And isn't it great that you don't really ever have to worry about cereal going bad before it is gone? Or is that just my kids?? Doubtful. 

We recently found NEW Drumstick Cereals at our local Walmart and couldn't be more excited about adding it to our cereal collection! We love having the wonderful flavor available right there in an easy to pour box for our morning or even afternoon cereal bowls because lets face it, sometimes we even have cereal for dinner!

I am sure my kids aren't the only cereal fans around. Mine love to drink the milk out of the bowl when they are done! Even Rhett is a cereal kid (we feed it to him pretty soggy for now)! Drumstick Cereal is a wonderful addition to our current cereal line up, giving the kids even more options and choices at breakfast time!

Drumstick Cereal was super easy to be found in my local Walmart or online! They have two flavors! Vanilla and Mint Chocolate! The Vanilla is my favorite, but Connor and Keegan love the Mint Chocolate! Head on over to your local Walmart and find them for yourself! Trust me, you will thank me once you and your family find out how amazing the flavor is!

So join me and have fun summer breakfasts with this ice cream inspired cereal! Thank me later y'all!

-Laura

Bathroom Sink Upgrade

**This is a sponsored post on behalf of Dorel Living. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

When we bought our house, I knew right away that we were going to have a huge issue in the master bathroom. Why someone opted for a pedestal sink in a master bathroom mystifies me. So going into purchasing the home, we started looking at different sink and vanity options for a TINY bathroom.

That is the sink we were dealing with, for 3 LONG months. We finally found the perfect colored, sized and style of sink through Dorel Living. We opted on the Dorel Living Otum 36” Vanity! It took forever for us to settle on a size and style since we were working with such a limited space and wanted to upgrade the mirror to one that we already owned and matches our bedroom set. I was pretty dead set on a gray and Payton was pretty deadset on a dark brown (guess who won LOL)!

Removing the old sink was pretty effortless. Since it was just a pedestal sink, it eaily came up off of the flooring and detached from the wall. Our biggest issue was that the piping didn't match up to the new sink so that required to buy a few extra supplies to hook it up. Still, it was very easy.

When our package arrived from Dorel Living, I was relieved to find that our vanity arrived assembled! Woo Hoo!!! I was super worried about having to put it together, I seriously lack patience in that area! 

It did not include the fixtures which was how we wanted it. This gave us the opportunity to get the vanity we wanted and match our fixtures to the shower. It would have been so difficult otherwise. We found the perfect sink fixtures and it ended up so beautiful. 

We were really happy to find that the color of the sink was EXACTLY what the photo showed on the Dorel Living website pictures! For us, that meant that is matched our mirror and bedroom perfectly. To have drawers, cabinets and counter space has been so life changing for our bathroom. Not only do we love our bathroom transformation, we know that it will help the resale value of the home! 

One downfall was that we did have to remove our towel rack and toilet paper roller. We did know that going into deciding to put in a vanity. We have a towel hook on the back of the bathroom door (for not, we plan to remove that and install barn doors) and still need to purchase a free standing toilet paper roll holder. For now we just set it on the back of the toilet!

Can't wait to show you guys more projects that we are doing to the new house!

-Laura

Don't forget to check out all of the products that Dorel Living has to offer!

Keto Taco Stuffed Peppers

If you guys have been following me much, you know that Payton has been #keto since August of 2018. We are consistently trying to incorporate new meals into his diet that is family friendly as well.

We have made stuffed peppers a few times, but I recently decided I wanted to try a taco style stuffed pepper since I LOVE Mexican food and am totally missing taco Tuesday!

I opted to use ground turkey over ground beef and obviously, because of family size, I used 2 pounds of ground turkey. He is pretty keto strict so I didn't add corn which I normally would have done (corn contains too much sugar).

It was really very simple from there and SOOOO good! Everyone in the family loved it. I added some cauliflower rice to our meal to finish it off!

Ingredients

• 2 Pound Ground Turkey
• 1 Large Yellow onion diced (I buy it pre diced and frozen)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 packet Taco Seasoning
• 7 Bell Peppers (Make sure at
  
  
  least 1 is green)
• 3 Cups (Aprx) shredded mexican cheese
• Sour cream to garnish
• Salsa 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut tops off of all red bell peppers (6) and clean the contents out. Place peppers on a greased baking pan, hallow side up, for 10 minutes.
3. In a frying pan, add ground turkey, onions, diced green bell pepper and garlic for 10-15 min
4. Add taco seasoning and 1 1/3 cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 7 minutes. 
5. In the bottom of each bell pepper, add a small amount of shredded cheese.
6. On top of the cheese, add the ground turkey. 
7. Top each bell pepper with shredded cheese
8. Bake until cheese is melted
9. Garnish your taco stuffed bell pepper as you please and enjoy!!

If you decide to make these, let me know how you like them!!!

-Laura

State Park Bucket List - First 5

Traveling is something we haven't done enough of and can't wait to do more of! With 5 kids, it is pricey and less of a vacation on us, but they memories are unforgettable. We have a list of places we want to take the kids, but are hoping to start with State Park destinations since we all love nature and the outdoors so much!

Grand Canyon 2016 

Read on for our First 5 Bucket List State Park Vacations -


1. Channel Islands National Park
California
Who wouldn't love to visit a national park AND see the ocean? Maybe not as exciting for those that are near the beach or ocean and see it frequently! For us, it would be such an amazing and breathtaking experience!!

They offer boat trips, an animal sanctuary and are even known for blue whale sightings!

2. Redwood National Park
California
Trees, trees, trees! I have always wanted to see the grand trees that are present in the Redwood National Park! I know that the kids would absolutely love to see the GIANT trees! The Redwood National Park is known for having the tallest trees in the WORLD!

The end of Redwood National Park, Fern Canyon, even has a creek the kids can play in!

3. Everglades National Park
Florida
Swamps, wetlands and alligators! The kids would totally FREAK out to see a REAL life alligator! I have always wanted to take them on an airboat to explore! Not sure if I would be more excited or them!

The Everglades offers guided tours, birdwatches, air boat tours, canoes and even bike rentals and trails!

4. Zion National Park
Utah
With 15 miles of canyons, there is tons of room for the entire family to explore the red and tan colored natural wonder that Zion National Park has to offer. With as much space as Zion offers to explore, the entire family will be able to find something to love about Zion National Park!

Zion offers many many paved hikes and swimming/splashing areas for the family. To top it all off, there is a free shuttle!

5. Yosemite National Park
California/Nevada Boarder
747,000 acres of clear streams, waterfalls and cliff is just some of what Yosemite National Park has to offer visitors! This is a park that has been on my personal bucket list for years! I can't wait to explore it with the family!

Once we make it to these State Parks, we will be adding more (lets not overwhelm ourselves hahah)! Can't wait to share our experiences with you as we get to visit!!!

- Laura

Banana Bread

Do you have any amazing family recipes that have been handed down? My family have a few! Banana bread is one of my favorite. I make that along with several other breads and treats every Christmas for family and friends! The kids love it so much, I try to make the banana bread as often as possible!

My favorite part of making it? How easy it is! It really takes no time and is so moist. My trick to super moist banana bread it throwing old bananas in the freezer and thawing them out right before use.

I always prefer to make mini loaves over large sized, especially when I give it out for holidays since I mix the banana bread with other baked goods! I have even made a large batch for home and frozen a few loaves to dethaw when we want to use it! 

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups mashed (dethawed) bananas
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 Cup butter or shortening
• 1 1/4 Cup Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Cream together sugar and shortening
3. Beat in eggs and bananas
4. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl 
5. Slowly add flour mixture to the banana mixture
6. Pour into greased and floured (or spray with Pam) pans - 2 Large or 4 Small
7. Cook for 1 Hour 

I hope you enjoy the recipe! Please tag me on Instagram if you make it and let me know how you like the banana bread!!!

-Laura

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

So you follow me on Instagram or maybe Facebook or my blog only. OR maybe you just stumbled across me blog and found me. So, you know what I share on those platforms. Have you ever wanted to know more about me? Those random facts? Well, today is your lucky day!! Here are 10 RANDOM things about me....


1. Divorced - that is right, I was previously married. I would tell you more about it, but that is a long story and definitely a long blog! Just know, if you are NOT happy or in a situation that you do NOT deserve, YOU have the power to change it! You can always reach out to me if you want to chat about anything!!

2. We lived in Brigantine, NJ for awhile. I absolutely LOVED it! One of the most beautiful places ever and the fall colors in Jersey?! So absolutely picturesque. I can't wait to go back and visit someday. Until then, here I am, an Arizona girl - born and raised.

3. Meningitis. I had viral meningitis in 2016. Is there much more to say? I was stuck in the hospital for days, told I could die and could not see my kids. I was under quarantine and in more pain than I could have ever imagined. I had Connor drug free and would opt to have 30 babies without any medication before facing meningitis again. For months I had a lingering headache, dizziness and hallucinations. I now have complete and total panic attacks anytime I get the slightest headache.

4. I have 3 brothers. Two are half brother and older than me. One is younger by 4 years. My older two are out of state and my younger brother is about 2 and a half hours away. Because of the distance, I don't see any of them too often. I do talk to my little brother all the time.

5. Growing up I didn't have a great relationship with my dad. We are no longer in contact at all. When I was a teenager, my best friend's dad was really there for me. I am so thankful for her parents for being so amazing. He recently passed away (April 2019).

6. I lived in Hawaii. Yep, another state. I lived in Hawaii Kai, Hawaii for about a year. I was a nanny for a friend's aunt. I had the worst island fever and was terribly home sick when living there. Who would think that someone can get homesick in paradise?! Now, I would give anything to go back....is the fire department hiring? Haha....should I make Payton apply?

7. I grew up riding horses competitively and I was GOOD at it. I was a state champion. I don't ride anymore and I miss it more than anything. Unfortunately, with a bum hip, I will never be able to ride the way I used to. I was told that I can ride though, just have to take it easy.

 8. I have my GED and High School diploma. Not much else to say! I dropped out of high school and got my GED and then I went back to high school online and earned my diploma. Weird, I know, but I realized that I wanted the diploma.

9. I LOVE mayonnaise. Like love love. I put it on everything and use it for dipping sauce. I love to add other sauces to it to change up the flavor a bit, but you can count on it being on my hot dogs, burgers, anything.

10. I am a victim of attempted rape. Another blog, another day, another moment of digging somewhere that I am not ready to. He is in prison for it.

There is so much more about me left to share, but a lot of it takes some barriers being let down on my end. Make sure you follow me to see when any new blogs come out!

-Laura

Tasty & Easy 30 Min Cauliflower Shrimp Bowl

As some of you know, Payton is pretty deep into the Keto diet so making meals that we both want to eat can be a bit of a struggle. I love rice, hash browns, bread and lets face it....CARBS.

I have been using cauliflower rice in multiple ways to make meals that work for us. And in the summer, I am not a big fan of heavy meals or meals that take a long time to make (ok, time is a factor no matter the season). I wanted to do an all in one type of meal that was quick and easy, so I thought, why not throw shrimp and cauliflower rice together? It came out so amazing and delicious! Absolutely on the top of my summer go to list!

I used foods that I had sitting around the house which made it even easier. I am not a huge fan of any extra grocery store trips than actually needed! Thank goodness for a deep freezer, right?

What all did I use/have laying around? 

• Large pre cooked shrimp
• Frozen diced cauliflower
• Tomatoes
• Onion
• Lime
• Avocado
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Cayenne Pepper
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Small Jalapeno

Cooking it was pretty simple! I got out 2 medium skillets and a cutting board and got to work. I put a tablespoon of olive oil in each pan and put the shrimp and riced cauliflower in frozen. I cooked everything and prepared the pico. Once everything was done, I threw it all in the bowl and enjoyed! AND Payton and Kenz loved it as much as I did! 

Ingredients

• 1 LB Frozen Large Pre Cooked Shrimp
• 1 Frozen bag of diced cauliflower
• 1 avocado
• 1 Lime
• 2 Ripe Tomatoes (I Prefer on the Vine)
• 1/2 an onion - diced
• Salt - Pinch
• Pepper - Pinch
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Small Jalapeno - Deseeded and diced

Directions 

• Get 2 medium skillets out and put 1 Tablespoon of oil in each skillet, turn the burners on medium. In one skillet, add the frozen cauliflower and in the other add the frozen shrimp. 
• Shrimp - 
• Lightly add a pinch of salt and pepper
• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder over the shrimp
• Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder over the shrimp
• Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper over the shrimp
• Squeeze 1/2 a lime over the shrimp
• Cook approx 15 min on medium/low heat, stirring occasionally
• Cauliflower
• Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper
• Add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
• Add 1/4 teaspoon of onion power
• Add 2 tablespoons of butter
• Cooking time varies - aprox 15 min on medium heat (i like mine golden)
• Stir frequently
• While the shrimp and cauliflower cook, get the fresh pico ready
• Dice 2 tomatoes on the vine and put into a bowl
• Dice 1/2 of a large onion and add to the bowl
• Dice small jalapeno and add to the bowl
• Season lightly with garlic powder and pepper
• Mix and set aside
• Cut up avocado
• Once riced cauliflower is done, put in the bowl you wish to eat out of and garnish with the rest of your toppings (Shrimp, Pico, Avocado)! 
• Squeeze lime over all of your food and enjoy!

Hip Replacement at 33

If you read my last blog, you know a bit of the back story on my hip and how I got to the point of needing a hip replacement! If you didn’t, you need to go read it to catch up 😂😂

J/K - I will give you the brief run down....

In junior high I rode horses and was in cheer! I failed to stretch before cheering one day and thought that I pulled a muscle going into the splits. Did I rest or go to the doctor? No. Did I continue horseback riding, doing barn work and cheering? Yes.

Fast forward to January 2019 (more years than I wish to admit). I now have bone spurs, a broken hip (I fell on the ice) and a joint that is partially dying. I can’t walk without limping, if at all! Some days it’s so terrible that I can’t. I am told that the only way to rectify it is to have a full hip replacement. Soooo, April 1, 2019 I had my first hip replacement.

 Let’s talk about the surgery. I don’t know why I expected to go into surgery and die on the table, but I totally did! 😂🤦🏼‍♀️ I am always super sensitive to anesthesia and warned the anesthesiologist, but I still had complications. I woke up so sick, like puking in a bag over and over for hours sick. A few hours after surgery they started rcoming in and trying to get you out of bed and moving. Well I was so sick I could barely sit up so I pretended to be sleeping all day so they would leave me alone. I finally got them to up my zofran and immediately was a different person! I felt alive again and was able to sit up and even stand up (with help obviously...photo above is the first one of my standing after surgery. Payton helped me out of bed)

Did I expect to be totally unable to lift my leg, move it or stand up on my own? No. I expected to be in pain and not be able to walk, but I didn’t expect to need help to the bathroom or even sliding my leg out of the bed. I stayed one night in the hospital. I had constant help and annoyances. The  morning after the surgery,  I was helped out of bed and was able to walk 2 laps with my walker and my belt on, just to be safe!

They were so impressed since most hip replacement recipients are older and couldn’t move around as much as I was or as quickly! Here I thought I should be moving more and they thought I was basically breaking records! 

Once we got home, I don’t know what I would have done without my mom there watching the kids and Payton off of work to help me. He had to buy me a raised toilet seat and even then, he had to pick me up and put me on the toilet. I was so proud of myself when I was able to cling to his neck and sit down. Small steps, but I felt accomplished. 

The first 4-5 days was horrible. I didn’t want to move and couldn’t. Payton had to slide my leg out of the bed to the floor and pick it up to get back into bed. I couldn’t get food, go anywhere without my walker or spend much time with my kids at all (note that Rhett’s 1st birthday was April 5). 

By day 5ish, I was able to slide my leg on and pick it up myself and put it on the bed on my own. I was still a bit iffy on the bathroom alone and had to be totally assisted in the shower, by the improvement was so drastic and amazing. I took pain killers the first night home and the next morning and never again. I hate the way they make me feel and am more of a suck it up type of gal. The pain didn’t seem bad enough for me to need more.

Let’s talk about the next few weeks. I was slowly able to do more and more. By the end of the first week, I was tired of bed and wanted out. I convinced Payton to take me furniture shopping with the assistance of my walker 😂! The looks I got were embarrassing, but it was amazing to move around! By 4 weeks, I was able to do just about anything without walker or cane! I was feeling so good! 

So here we are now, not much further, but much more mobile. I am just over 2 months post op. My hip feels great, I am even working out. My biggest complaint and complication is residual hives. I have never had a hive issue in my life. Ever since surgery, I have been getting them several times a week. I have seen the primary care and surgeon, even and ER dr for a rash that resembled cellulitis. No one knows what it is or why I am getting it, I was referred over to an allergist and will hopefully have answers soon! I have my first hike (flat and easy) planned for mid June! We are going to hike our favorite hike - West Fork Trail In Sedona!!

I will keep you guys posted on how the rest of my recovery and hives information as I get them!!