Insta Friday weeks 34-35

It's been a...

mug swapping,

 me panicking,

 brinner making,

 money saving,

 hair trimming,

sign making,

 baby proofing,

 arts and crafting,

 brother entertaining,

 wave jumping,

 go-poding,

coconut cream cupcake baking,

(recipe coming soon.)

final weeks of summer.

Sighhhhh.

I'm not ready for it to be over.

At all.

Best friends forever.

There are some little pieces of parenting advice that stick with you and can change the course the lives of your children.
When our oldest two were quite small, a dear couple imparted to us perhaps my favorite parenting advice to date.
They have five children, the youngest being a teenager, and all five love each other deeply, protect each other, support each other.  They are the kind of kids you dream of one day having.
When we asked their parents why everyone gets along so well, they simply answered this:
"We have been speaking over them since before they even knew what it meant, that they are all best friends."

That's it.  It is all they have ever known.  The four sisters, and their brother have been raised as best friends.  Best friends that they still are to this day.  It is such a beautiful and inspiring thing to witness, and so very simple.

From that day on we began speaking it over our girls.  When they fought, refused to share, or left one another out, we gently reminded them.  Carsons are best friends.  Best friends no matter what. 

Halley and Lucy get it.  They love each other fiercely.  They share a room, they share toys.  They are rarely apart.  Are they perfect?  Of course not.  But they are pretty awesome. 
Janey is beginning to get it.  She can repeat back to us when asked:
What are Carsons?  Carsons are best friends.
 

I know we are only eight years into this parenting gig.  I know the most challenging years are coming up.  In fact I am reminded of that by fifty billion strangers every single time we are out in public.  (My feelings on that subject for another day.)  But I believe that the hard work that we are putting in now, is laying a foundation that will carry them into the teenage years and beyond. 
Best friends forever.

Download a BFF print in your choice of three colors here.
Speak it over your children.
There is no better friend in the world than the one that shares your home.

iPhone 5!!!!

I cannot wait!!!!
Total game changer.
Seriously, my cupcake photos will be a whole new level of epic.
Then I will eat them and my feelings.

Happy Sunday

Confession.

I am super awesome at laundry.
As in super awesome at washing and drying it.
As in super awesome at washing, drying, dumping, and ignoring it.

This summer I have folded and put away the kids laundry a grand total of ZERO times.

Think I am lying?  Being dramatic?  Exaggerating?

Nope.  Total honest truth.

Want to know how I know?  Because the pile, the gigantic pile, the mountain of clothing on the guest room bed, totally contains school uniforms.  School uniforms of which my children only wear to school. Obviously.

But wait, haven't we had guests this summer?  Yes.  Multiple times.
What did I do?
Scooped up that mountain and threw it on Shane's floor.
Then when the guests leave?   I scoop it back up and return it to the bed.

How do my kids get dressed each morning?

They dig through the mountain.
Or they wear bathing suits all day.
Or in Shane's case, just a diaper.

Hey, it's hot and the electric bill is OUT OF CONTROL.

Laundry is my nemesis.  There are thirty zillion billion things I would rather be doing.  This summer I have done all of them, in lieu of laundry.
Folding clothes...
Lame.
Baking cupcakes, swimming, hosting parties, making printables, going to the beach, pretty much any other thing in the universe....
Way less lame than laundry.

So if you are feeling bad that you can't get everything done.  Or that everyone else in the world can, think of me.  Think of the number ZERO.
Think of my three year old digging through laundry for a pair of socks.
Or my forlorn son, rocking a diaper.  All day long.  Or skeleton sweatpants.  Because that is all I could find last night.

Know that you aren't alone.  Know that it's okay. Know that there is someone who has it way LESS TOGETHER than you do.  She also has a baby who is addicted to her.  She might also laugh at his drama.  Because honestly? He is pathetic and hilarious.  If he is not either A.  Attached to me B.  Being fed gobs of food or C.  Destroying things, he is crying.  That's how he rolls.  He apparently did not get the memo that the fourth kid is supposed to CHILL OUT.

Zero times.  All summer.  Zero.

Insta-Friday weeks 32-33

Happy August!

It's been a...

 new highchair sitting,

 donut eating,

 everything within reach destroying,

 cousin celebrating,

 Radiator Springs visiting,

 unmatching,

 bacon cupcake baking,

 swimmy swimming,

 fun mail receiving,

 sky partying,

 school shoes shopping,

 tea partying,

 sunset hiking,

 Kiwi Crating,

 snacky snacking,

 surprise finding,

42 mile adventuring,

adventure filled, few weeks.

Blueberry Oatmeal Monkey Bread

I love monkey bread.  LOVE it. 
I love brinner.
I love to bring people meals.  I love for those meals to be the unexpected treat of brinner.
Because there is just so much pasta/ chicken randomness/ that someone can take.

The thing is, monkey bread is sort of time consuming, not difficult, but it does take a while to prep, plus it really only tastes good when baked in a bundt pan.
The world has yet to invent a disposable bundt pan, and since our crazy schedule often means that I often drop off the meals early for the family to bake at their leisure, the monkey bread situation has been complicated.

Thankfully, my friend Amanda had a blueberry version, served in a normal baking dish, at a bridal shower and instagrammed the recipe card.

In my excitement, I didn't really pay attention to the ingredients and accidentally mad my own little version.  Mine has more brown sugar and eliminates the step of rolling the Grands in cinnamon sugar. 
More brown sugar and less steps?  Yes please.

Here is what you will need:

1 can buttermilk Grands biscuits
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
1/2 cup quick oats
2 cups blueberries

Grease 9x12 pan (If you are taking it to a friend, consider sending it in a disposable foil pan. I stock up at Costco.)
Tear Grands into pieces, place in pan
Melt butter and brown sugar together over low heat until bubbly, stirring frequently

Pour over Grands

Mix together rinsed blueberries, cinnamon sugar, and  oats
Spread on top of Grands/ brown sugar mixture
Bake at 375º for 20-30 minutes until Grands are golden brown.

It is a perfect accompaniment to Make Ahead Breakfast Bake.
Now I want brinner.

Make these.

 Hi.
This is me.
Every single person in the house is napping.
At the same time.
Husband included.
Blame it on a 4:45 a.m. alarm and walking over five miles on a crazy boiling hot day at Disneyland.

Back to me.
I don't nap.
Naptime is too precious to waste sleeping.
Naptime is for babies, and preschoolers, and kids, and husbands.
Naptime is not for me.

My naptime means a quiet house.
Dave Matthews on the headphones.
Brownies in the mixing bowl.

Not just brownies.
BROWNIES.
I don't love brownies.
I love cupcakes.  I love cake.  I love cookies.  I love cheesecake.

I just like sort of like brownies.

But these brownies, these brownies are different.  I want to take them to prom.

Make them.  Today.  Seriously.
{I heart naptime's thin mint brownies}
You will love them.
Even more than Pioneer Woman's knock you naked brownies.
For reals.
But you can't take them to prom.  They already have a date.

Yes.  Mine have white frosting.  Not minty green.  The minty green ones are way cuter.  Weird, dramatic, me and my food coloring issues just couldn't deal with it.  Then again, maybe I should have made them green.  If they were green, I could totally resist them.  But then I would be home alone and forlorn on prom night and that would be super sad.

I also used half & half in the frosting instead of evaporated milk, because if you are going to be bad, be really bad.

Run along.  It's brownie time.

Ten on ten.

Ten pictures for ten consecutive hours.

Seeing beauty in the ordinary.

Hi there August.

1.  Baby waking 2.  Mischief seeking 3.  Leftover cupcakes for breakfast 4.  When I am mad at everything in my closet, happy accessories snap me out of it 5.  Daily drama 6.  Long lunch with one of our favorite Texans  7.  Peace out seventy nine bucks 8.  Quiet crafting  9.  Smash book making (thanks for the rad idea Carissa!)
10.  Family walking.