You might not be ready to see what true, agonizing, pain in the butt terror looks like but here it is…

Ready? Are you sure?…

This kid is seriously putting me through the ringer lately. He has an attitude that I never would have expected from him and to top it off…he has THIS face! Which of course makes it nearly impossible to punish him.

4 must be a tough year for kids because the memory of my now almost 6 year olds 4th year is very fresh. They are caught in between. Not quite a school age kid but most definetly not a baby.

All I know is that the 4th year comes with a whole lot of attitude and I can’t wait for this kid to be 5!

Bathrooms are messy business. I try to avoid cleaning them as much as possible. The upstairs bathrooms tend to stay nice and tidy, complete with a sparkling toilet. However, my downstairs bathroom is like grand central station because no one wants to huck their bottoms upstairs. So the toilet downstairs is always in need of a cleaning…and freshening. 

I am a huge fan of Soft Scrub so when their new 4-in-1 toilet care came out, I was eager to give it a try. My first impression is that it smells pretty good. It actually made my high traffic bathroom smell like an evergreen forest, which by the way, I normally would never buy. The smell was not over powering at all and I actually enjoyed it.

As for cleaning, it didn’t work as well as I had hoped. For my low traffic upstairs bathrooms, I think it would be great. I also had a hard time finding a good position for the case. It needs to be in the flush stream and in my toilet that is right in the front. My kids were very distracted by this and the 4-year-old refused to go with it there all together.

So, as an air freshener, I think Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care is great but as a cleaner, not so much. I think I will be sticking to original soft scrub and a toilet brush.

Cooking is something that is more in my wheel house. Sure he surprises me sometimes by making homemade English Muffins (YES! He can totally do that!) and he is an expert at boiling eggs so the shell comes right off. But, for the most part, he leaves meal prep to me.

On Sunday my mouth wrote more checks than my behind had time to cash. I had promised to go produce shopping with Mr. M2C, take Ansley to buy a fuzzy diary and I told my brother we would go see a movie at 4…Oh yeah, I also told Mr. M2C that we would try our hand at making sushi for dinner. He even bought a rolling mat and expensive crab meat. 

I was determined to do it all but in my mind I knew something was going to come up short. At the movie I sent Mr. M2C a text that the movie was long and I wouldn’t be home until 7pm. He said he would save me some sushi. *SAD PANDA*

When I walked in the door, I was struck with amazement! He had made 2 platters of hand rolled California rolls…and they were BEAUTIFUL! I couldn’t believe it. Not only did he make the sushi that tasted AMAZING but he even took pictures! You know that man is married to a blogger if he took pictures of his food!

This currently landlocked California girl sure is lucky! Not every girl has her own personal sushi chef!

The Kentucky Derby is always a festive time at our house. We have a love of all things horse racing. Year after year, I try to come up with an amazing menu in which to watch the greatest two minutes in sports…

This year, I wanted something different. So I turned my focus to cocktails! I wanted something that kept the tradition of the Derby alive but wasn’t a traditional mint julep. I didn’t have much luck until I was hard at work on a cookbook I am putting together. In case you missed it, I am compiling all of the recipes from Mr. M2C’s grandmother into a hard bound cookbook.

Anyway…

As I was going through the recipes, I came across this recipe and I knew, THIS WAS IT! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and my your horse win big!

Bourbon Slush

1/2 pint Kentucky Bourbon

1 cup Strong Tea

1 small can Frozen Orange Juice

1 small can Frozen Lemonade

1/2 cup Sugar

3 1/2 cups Water

Mix all ingredients together and freeze. When you are ready to serve, fill glasses 2/3 full of slush and fill the rest of the glass with 7-up or lemon-lime slice.

Vegan Cinnamon Banana Ice Cream

4 large bananas, peeled

1 tsp cinnamon

Dash of Nutmeg

Peel the bananas and place them in a gallon freezer bag. Freeze overnight. Place frozen bananas into blender and add remaining ingredients. Blend until ice cream consistency forms.

This was a big hit at our house. The kids even came back for seconds and I was honestly surprised that it was exactly like ice cream. If you are looking for a healthy, low mess treat, look no further!

There is a recent trend that has caught my attention. The “BOX” trend. You pay a monthly subscription fee and once a month you get a nice little box of themed goodies. I am particularly fond of my monthly box of beauty products. 

When I was clued in about the existence of a “Spice Box”, I was intrigued and completely up for giving it a try. Of course Mr. M2C was right on board. 

Spicy Subscriptions gives a great description on their service:

“Get monthly romantic surprises to your door, with Free and Discreet shipping. Spicy Subscriptions is the best and most convenient way to spice up your love life.

You’ll receive a curated collection of Romance, Intimacy & Beauty products hand-picked from our Spice Shop. The Spice Box contains Romantic Gifts and an assortment of Intimate Items, Massage Oils, Sexy Lingerie, Romantic Fragrances and more!”

I thought this would make a great jumping off point for times when things got slow. Lets face it, between jobs, kids, pets, etc…Things can get slow! It’s sometimes hard to find the time or even the right mood to get things going but I figured getting a box would move the idea to the front of the line.

First, the box comes in very discreet packaging. The kids will have no clue, nor will your post man. I know some of you don’t mind but for those who do, rest assured, you can keep your bedroom business IN THE BEDROOM!

My expectations for the box was of something soft, romantic, pretty…maybe something different that we didn’t know was out there. I have to be honest and say I was slightly disappointed. Our box contained three different brands of lubricant. That may not seem like a lot but in a box of 6 items…that’s 50% lube. One lubricant was called Gun Oil and the logo had bullet holes in it. That doesn’t really scream sexy to me but to each his own. One lubricant was kiwi strawberry flavored and the other was just your basic water based product.

Our box also contained a linen spray. This I really enjoyed. Making the bed smell nice definitely makes it someplace you want to spend time. I also really loved getting a bath product. Taking a bath is so relaxing and doing it with a partner is a great way to spice things up. 

Our last product was a small bullet massager. Though these are not unfamiliar, we were happy to have it. Great things do come in small packages.

Though I was slightly disappointed in the first box, I would try Spicy Subscriptions again. It’s fun to get little surprises in the mail each month and when I can share them with Mr. M2C that’s even better.

Spicy Subscriptions is even offering a discount to readers of my blog! Visit Spicy Subscriptions and put in the code mommies2cents for a 5% discount off your first order. What are you waiting for?! You deserve a little spice and Spicy Subscriptions may be just what you need!

Last night I had a few light bulb moments before going to sleep which inevitably lead to me not sleeping very well. My mind was fresh with new ideas. Over the last two months, I have made a transition to a raw vegan diet…mostly. Mr. M2C has joined me about a month in and I must say, he is doing fantastic! The kids have incorporated many more healthy foods into their diets and are very aware of healthy and non-healthy items.

But I have been straddling the fence on whether or not to take my family, at the very least, 100% vegetarian. I have a secret goal of having a 100% raw vegan family but I know that will be quite a process and I don’t want to freak them out right out of the gate. Last night when I was doing some vegan research for myself, it just hit me…JUST DO IT! Stop thinking about how others will perceive it and just get started. 

This week I will be making the kids some kid-friendly dinners with the last of our chicken. I am also spending the week getting ready to transition the kids lunches over to Bento Boxes. If you have a favorite, I am all ears. There are so many choices! I know the kids will love having an interesting and delicious lunch everyday rather than a square sandwich and a granola bar.

Changing the direction of your family is a scary thing. You are never quite sure of the reaction you’ll get but I’m willing to risk it. Your health is something so easy to lose yet so hard to get back. I never want my kids to be in a position where they are fighting to regain their health. 

I might be the weirdo mom now but I felt like I always was anyway. I hope you’ll follow along with me as I take this journey with my family. Look for recipes, ideas, tips and the epic failures that I pass along the way.

Happy Eating!

It is these things that I find myself lacking these days. Things seems to be in a constant hustle and bustle. The last year being a tornado of events. In fact, the last thing I remember doing was going to Sea World on vacation last summer. After that, everything became a blur of moving. My mother came to help out in September, big move, enter Christmas, 3 months later my brother is here for an extended stay, following up with a road t…

Mr. M2C comes walking into my office saying “How come you don’t write a post about juice?!”

Anyways, I am headed out on a road trip once school ends for a month long visit in California. I am waiting for the time when things calm down although I fear….

Nick (my brother) comes into the office to ask me what the plan is for tomorrow. I explain that we have storytime and then some produce shopping to do.

…

Nick comes back into my office to tell me something funny he saw on Facebook…It wasn’t that funny

…

Mr. M2C walks in with an orange in each hand “Are these the grapefruits you were talking about??”

…So like I said, I am lacking in the Peace. Quiet. Alone Time department…

When I had the opportunity to try Dial Kids new hair and body wash, I was more than ready. For younger kids age 2-5 they have this wonderful peach scent called Peachy Clean. Both of my kiddos as well as myself, LOVED it. So often, kids soap smells fake and sugary. The peach scent of Dial Kids is so clean and soft. 

Dial Kids body and hair soap is also tear free. Cole was my first victim volunteer. He wasn’t keen on having a photo taken during this time so we negotiated. I said no pictures if he didn’t fight the soap. We  both agreed. Dial Kids Body and Hair Wash was great! After I started washing his hair, he was hooked. We both love the no tear formula and the fact that it washes both hair and body. With little kiddos, that is an important component.

You’ve heard how much we love it, now a word from our lovely sponsors:

For 65 years, the Dial brand has been developing trusted personal care products for clean, healthy skin. Dial is excited to announce its entry into the kids’ personal care segment with NEW Dial Kids Body & Hair Wash that offers age-appropriate variants developed to address the specific skin needs of children. Dial Kids Peachy Clean for ages 2+, and Dial Kids Watery Melon for ages 6+.

Developed with pediatric dermatologists, Dial introduces specialized formulas for children ages 2-5 and 6-10, helping parents make smart decisions when it comes to kids’ perfect skin. The 2-in-1 formulas combine shampoo and body wash for one speedy step!

I seem to have done this whole process backwards. I started eating a high carb raw vegan diet 2 months ago. Now I am doing a juice feast. I have to admit though, I like it better this way. I don’t feel hungry or deprived. BUT, I have to tell you, I am craving my favorite salad! If you would have told me two months ago that I would be craving a salad with no dressing or oil…I would have laughed at you. 

As of this morning I am down 17.5 lbs and I feel AMAZING! This is the part where I toot my own horn, just stay with me…My hair is amazing, my skin is soft and glowing, I sleep so soundly and wake completely refreshed.

Making the decision to change your lifestyle is not an easy one but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love the power I feel when I make a good decision about my body. At this point, it’s just a habit. My life no longer revolves around food and cooking. I make a healthy decision and move on. 

If you are thinking about going raw or trying a juice feast…DO IT! You won’t regret it! 

You can check back this week and I will post some of the juice recipes that I love.