motherhood unplugged

WOW.

motherhood is hard right now, guys. anyone else struggling?

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my kids..more than anything in this entire world, but this season of life is plain h a r d. Your girl is struggling big time.

The twins have been testing me... daily. Like to the point where I say "I'm going to pack a bag for the baby & I, and I am leaving!" (....mom, can I come home now? HA!)

Seriously though..... I'm going to be 100% real right now.  The twins have been driving me absolutely crazy! I spend most of my days cleaning up their messes (toys, CRUMBS, etc) all over my house, breaking up constant fights, screaming at the top of my lungs.. "stop doing ninja moves on your brother" "leave daddy alone, he's working" "you can't go outside by yourself, someone will take you" "the baby is sleeping please lower your voices" "your brother is not a dog" "your going to get hurt" *que tears*....naturally, with the occasional swear thrown in when I'm really ticked off (that has been more often recently.. but whatever.. sue me.... you do it too, I'm just being honest lol) . the list truly could go on... please tell me I'm not alone.....

But like clockwork, once I get the crew to sleep, I go in to their now bunk beds, crawl in with each of them & kiss them 100 times, tell them I love them 100 more times, snuggle them, and apologize for being such a grump.

Which leads me to spend most of my nights feeling like a total mom failure & crying to Matt about how I feel like a bad mom. And promising myself "tomorrow, I'll be more relaxed...it's going to be a good day!" .........right? usually, I am wrong. and the next day ends up like a whole lot of the day before. it's a vicious cycle right now. Matt does do a good job reassuring me that I'm a great mom though, and that our kids are just a little nuts haha! It's funny because it's true... they are the wild things, in real life.

Arie has been so good & sweet... but he just recently started to wake up every hour at night screaming. He's in the process of teething & the poor thing is getting 3 at once right now. So I am also pretty sleep deprived, which I am used to. But it's definitely causing me to be more agitated during the day.

This quarantine has flipped us all upside down. We miss doing things & going places. Seeing our families....everything that was our normal, has pretty much been non existent right now. We're all trying to figure it out. I know that it's hard on them... it's confusing & they ask everyday if they can go see their cousins. They actually miss going to the market... They beg to go with Matt whenever we are really in need of some things. We don't let them obviously, but they try every time.

which leads me to my next point.... I have not "left" this house since March 14th, besides going to two doctor appointments with Arie. I am going a little stir crazy at this point. I need this to be over.

I need to be at the beach with a margarita in hand, no worries in the world, watching my boys play in the sand together, while Matt is sitting next to me.....constantly refilling my marg HAHA! just kidding. But seriously, I can't wait to be at the ocean with my family. We think and talk about it everyday. Once we get the OK.... peace out JT... hello OCNJ.

I know things will get better, sometimes it just seems like it won't. But it will! And I'd rather have all of these rough times with my family, than not have anything at all. They are my life.

I am so grateful for those 2 buggers...and their little bro. And of course, Matt. We're a team. A team that sometimes loses, but we're always going to get back up & try again. We are in this together. & that's all that matters.

xoxo,
Erin

Haluski + Ramen Burgers

These two recipes were two of my most requested, so I'm going to share both below! 

If you're Pennsylvania Dutch, you know what Haluski is.... and you know what "perfect" Haluski tastes like. You don't want it too dry, but you don't want it too, too buttery either. Haluski has always been one of my all time favorite foods!! Either at a fair or at our church picnic, THAT is what you'll find me ordering. It's the perfect comfort food for ANY time of year. I started making this about two years ago. So this is what I've came up with, and I swear it gets better every time!! And it's easy.... just like I like!

HALUSKI

16 oz of medium egg noodles

1 c. butter, divided (two full sticks)

2 large onions, diced

2 heads of cabbage, cored + cut into 1 inch pieces

(always peel off the first few layers..no cleaning necessary)

1. cook noodles according to package directions. Drain & set aside.
2. melt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter in a large dutch oven or stock pot. Cook onions until they are soft and translucent.
3. add remaining 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter & melt.
4. Over medium heat, slowly add in the cabbage in until you have it all in the pot (cabbage cooks down, so once it does, add more). Cook for 20-30 minutes stirring frequently, making sure the cabbage gets covered in the butter and onion. Once cabbage is soft & starting to get a golden brown, it will be done!
5. add in the egg noodles & toss to coat/combine.
6. season with salt + pepper to taste!  I find the more pepper I use the better & a pretty good amount of salt. Always do a little at a time... you can always add more, you can never take away.


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Ramen Burgers. YES....RAMEN. I know, I didn't even know these existed literally until the other morning. Matt had something on tv & I saw someone making BUNS....out of RAMEN NOODLES. Stopped me dead in my tracks. Our plan that night was to have burgers for dinner anyway.. so I watched & took it all in. That night, I ditched the buns & made these!! What a change from a normal burger bun!!

RAMEN BURGERS

(this is for ONE burger)

1 package of ramen noodles (beef is best)

2 eggs, divided

plastic wrap

1 burger (cooked, made to your liking)

2 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp ketchup

1/2 tbsp sriracha

toppings optional : cheese + greens

1. Cook ramen according to package directions. Drain, mix in seasoning & let cool to room temp.
2. in a small bowl, whisk 1 egg. Place ramen in the egg mixture & toss to coat.
3. divide ramen in to two ramekins or two "bun sized" bowls or mugs. Cover with plastic wrap & push the wrap down to cover the noodles. Place an unopened can of soup on top (or anything that will be able to press down on the noodles) & put in your fridge for 20-30 minutes. COOK BURGER PATTY NOW IF YOU DIDN'T YET!!
4. Once the noodles are ready, heat oil in a skillet. Once hot,  dump the ramen directly out of the ramekin into the skillet. Cook on both sides until each side is crispy and golden brown. Set aside.
5. with the left over oil in the pan, cook the other egg sunny side up, over medium, or over well, whichever you prefer. Set aside.
6. Mix ketchup & sriracha together & set aside.
7. Assemble your burger! Ramen bun, greens (if you want), sriracha ketchup, burger, fried egg & top with other ramen bun.

ENJOY!!!
xoxo

***Also, I'd like to add, I did not "make" any of these up.. I base most of the recipes off of multiple recipes I've tried and add a little from everywhere to make own recipe simply to better suit my family. If you make either, take a picture & show me! I hope you enjoy them!!***

Easy Breakfast Bake

This might be my new favorite egg bake! It's SO easy & so good!!!

Late Saturday night, I decided I wanted to make some sort of egg casserole for Easter breakfast the next morning, so I searched online for a little, but most of them I was missing a few key ingredients because my grocery stock was running low (thanks COVID!). So, I had to improvise.... And it turned out pretty good!! I prepped everything the night before, so the next morning I just threw it all the casserole dish & popped it in the oven! If you try it, snap a picture & show me! :)

EASY BREAKFAST BAKE

8 eggs, whisked

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 c. red pepper, chopped

1/3 c. yellow pepper, chopped

1/3 c. yellow onion, chopped

2 slices of bread, cubed

1/2 c. bacon bits

3 tbsp.  milk

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

salt + pepper to taste

sriracha for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl.

3. Add all other ingredients to the egg mixture & gently combine.

4. Pour into a greased 13x9 dish.

5. Bake for 25 minutes & serve with a drizzle of sriracha! 

A Little Life Update

WOAH. Sorry I have been so MIA the past 2ish weeks! Things have been a little crazy with this whole pandemic& recently with a family issue. Our life has drastically changed, just like I'm sure many of yours did as well. Trying to "home school" my twin boys, while taking care of a baby.. is a little rough. I do know, I am NOT meant to be a home school teacher, or a teacher in general. But, we will make it work.

Matt has also been ordered to work from home. He is still as busy as ever, doing zoom meetings & phone calls most of the day. The boys are still having trouble understanding the fact that just because he's home, they can't bother him all day. lol the whole thing is a work in progress. One slow day at a time...

March in general was a bit rocky for us. Parker got a bug, then Peyton got a bug, so they have been out of school a week before anyone else. Then Arie ended up with the flu. Which was terrifying. Luckily, he responded really well to his medicine & his lungs stayed clear. Thank goodness.

We had a surprise birthday party for my Nana Heaney. No one deserved it more than her!! It was so beautiful. My family from Missouri even came home for it & all of her friends showed up to show her how much she is loved! I only wish we were able to stay longer (we left right after dinner to rush Arie to the Urgent Care). My brother, sister & I got a photographer to take pictures at the party, so I was still able to see how the night went for her. She had a great time & was truly surprised!!

April started off as it always does! My niece Brynn turned 7 & we had a birthday car parade for her with all of her family & friends! It went off perfectly!!! There was about 20 cars filled with people. She was so excited .. I only wish I was able to squeeze her!!!! I love her so much.. we all do!!

We spend most of our days outside as long as the weather allows us. The boys wouldn't care if it was below 0 & pouring rain....they would still try to get outside. Easter was a good day! I spent the morning cooking & then we went to drive by to see the Easter Bunny at our local fire department. We came home, I finished making Easter dinner, & we ate together in the dinning room. After we finished, we got ready & headed down to my parent's t-ball field to play some ball. My entire family walked down for a little & we all eventually walked up to my parents to exchange gifts for the kids. My parents have a huge yard, so it worked out pretty well (social distancing is rough though). The kids were happy to see their cousins, aunt, uncle, grandparents & even my Nana. It was for a short time, but we needed that. I can't wait to hug everyone when this whole thing is over.

Arie turned 7 months TODAY! And he started crawling this weekend!!! I can't believe how big my baby is getting.... its so crazy!! His fourth tooth is about to pop through,  & he loves to eat just about anything he can get his hands on. He is an absolute pleasure!  Summer is going to be so fun with him & his brothers!!!

I hope everyone had a happy and blessed Easter!!

** I would like to ask everyone to please pray for a close family member of mine who was in an accident recently. It would mean the world to us if you could lift her & her family in prayer. And please, KEEP PRAYING!!!! We love her so much. God can perform miracles....we truly believe that! Thank you in advance!!!**

ALSO! I will be posting a few recipes that I have been getting asked to share on here, so I will be working on that now!! If there's anything I've made that you would like to see, just send me a message. So far, the most requested are :

Skinny Stuffed Peppers

Haluski

Easy Breakfast Bake

Ramen Burger

Chili

PHOTO. DUMP