Thursday Thoughts..

Nothing exciting has been going on around here lately...We have all been kind of sick and busy with regular stuff like school and activities...

I don't have anything specific to blog about this week so I put together a little list of just a few things happening this week...

1. Griff man started spring soccer! He gets moved up this year to U6, so he gets to play with the big kids. He so needs this..his birthday being in August puts him right on the brink of everything.. he is either the oldest by far or the youngest. He is definitely too big, strong and competitive to be playing with 3 year olds anymore...this season should really challenge him! I am so excited to watch his games! 

2. Elliette had her first dentist appointment this week! We tried out a new office in town called The Smile Academy and it went great! She was so brave! she didn't cry, she didn't fuss and she opened her mouth biiiiig and wide for the dentist to check out her teeth. Everybody was commenting about how her awesome behavior was not typical for a kiddo her age..cue beaming proud momma moment! We kind of dropped the ball with Griff when it came to early dental care so we are getting Ellie in early and often to start a positive experience with dental hygiene!

3. Meyer has learned how to patty cake! Watching him get all sorts of super excited and clap his hands together when somebody starts to sing the patty cake song just makes me grin from ear to ear. I love little milestones like this..it makes him seem so big! 

4. Scott got me a fitbit for an early birthday present and I am seriously obsessed with it. Nobody probably cares that I've walked 13,000 steps today but you better believe I'm going to tell you all about it! And also all about my heart rate, the calories I've burned and lots of other useless information that I am strangely proud of haha. I did some light research before we purchased and I decided on the fitbit Charge HR because I really liked that it kept track of my heart rate all day...even resting. The most interesting aspect of it so far is when it tracks my sleep...it is so weird to see how many times I was awake or restless in the middle of the night (thanks Meyer) and how many hours of sleep I actually got. Love this thing!

5. For the first time in about 3 years I have started "working"...although it is an independent business and done mostly from home, I am excited for this new adventure in my life and to see where I can take it and where it might take me! I have joined the Mary and Martha team selling unique and beautiful products for the home. I will be having my launch gathering soon, so keep your eyes peeled! Feel free to visit my personal consultant website to browse, discover and shop...you will not be disappointed!

6. I have subscribed to Hello Fresh and ordered some delicious meals for us to try next week. Our first shipment should arrive tomorrow and I am looking so forward to cooking our first round of meals! Is anybody else a Hello Fresh subscriber? I would love to hear some testimonials!


Thanks for stopping by and catching up with the Kuglers!
Have a good weekend! XO

Easter Weekend

I hope you all had a wonderful, bright, sunny, and relaxing Easter weekend with family and loved ones! Easter makes me SO happy, all the bright colors, the sunshine, the spring-y dishes I get to cook, the time with extended family, building memories with my kids...and...

We had a great Easter this year...we ventured down to Cheyenne to meet the rest of my family who had been spending the last 10 days on the beaches of Mexico! We won't get into how insanely jealous I was..we will just say that having 3 littles is hard enough work in the continental states ;-)

Before we left, we made and decorated some Easter/Spring cookies...this is one of my favorite traditions! We try to make themed cookies and decorate for every holiday..and since my family was all too busy drinking strawberry daiquiris out of town we had to dial down the volume and just make a few this year...when each kid decorates 1 or 2, that leaves mom and few more than she had originally planned..nothin' like stayin' up till 11 decorating cookies by yourself....and trying not to eat them all.

I used this recipe for the cookies and just made a simple butter cream (1 stick of softened butter mixed with approx. 3 cups of powdered sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract) for the frosting. We added all sorts of fun sprinkles, decorative icing and other toppings!  

Sorry in advance for the super duper high-quality iPhone pics.

When everybody finally arrived at about 7pm on Saturday night, we had everything set up to dye Easter eggs. It was so much fun this year, both Ellie and Griffinn were very interested!

Meyer wasn't so sure...

We just used store bought dye tablets, nothing too fancy here! We ended up with a little over 2 dozen after all the dropping, cracking, and eating..which was the perfect amount for the Easter Bunny to hide and for all the little ones to find! 

Sunday morning we woke up and attended 9am Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Cheyenne...such a beautiful church and a very nice Easter Mass with the Bishop.

After church we came home, finished up brunch (menu to follow), checked out our Easter Baskets, and finally grabbed up all the eggs our little eyes could find and our little hands could hold! The weather was amazing, and it was the perfect day!

 Happy Easter from the Kugler's!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

We had some family in town over this past weekend and we all got together Saturday night for our standard dinner gathering. I am in charge of dessert pretty often, and my sister in law requested Flourless Chocolate Cake for this occasion. She sent me this recipe since it is one she has made before. I will say that it is fairly easy, and has only a few ingredients...the most "difficult" parts were trying not to deflate the eggs and chopping all that chocolate..which I may or may not have sampled.

The cake itself is moist, rich and decadent! I served it with some chocolate ganache glazed over the top like frosting (which you can find here), some vanilla bean mascarpone whipped cream and of course, fresh raspberries...YUM! It got rave reviews all around, it is such a classic, delicious dessert and I am thinking it will become my staple dessert when I want to impress people will a little faux fanciness.

This recipe is great if you're trying to stay away from gluten, we can pretend it's low carb too, right?..or if you just want to try something a little different! It is the absolute perfect combination between regular chocolate cake and gooey brownies & I can't wait for an excuse to make it again!

Black Eyes & Potty Training

Two big parts of Elliette's world right about now...

She got her first "shiner" the other night..of course the night before we have a check up appointment at the doctor. She is a little daredevil! It's a combination of having no fear and trying to keep up with her big brother. She was climbing up on our ottoman in our basement; slipped and smacked her eye right on the corner of a wooden tray we keep on top of the ottoman. Needless to say she burst into tears and her poor eye was instantly swollen, almost swollen shut. 

Normally she is pretty resilient but this little boo-boo had her down and out for awhile. The next day was almost worse and as it became less swollen it got more and more black and blue. People are constantly asking what happened (some people are genuinely concerned and some randoms are probably checking my "story", whatever). As of today it looks like she is wearing beautiful smokey eye make up in shades of purple, blue, and green.

On to potty training...

For being a mere 21 months old this girl is rocking the potty situation! 

Let me add my disclaimer here: I know there is a lot of controversy over what age is appropriate to potty train...Ellie was showing major signs of readiness and I am not "forcing" her or "tricking" her into toilet training; if she wasn't ready, we wouldn't bother.

A couple months ago she started taking her diapers off. Sometimes she would wake up from her nap bare butt in the air, but she mostly liked to take the poopy diapers off. Once she started leaving poop smears down her leg and all over the floor I decided it was time to teach her to use the potty. For about a week she didn't was totally not interested and I was at the point where I was ready to let her be and just duct tape her diapers on her...then like magic the next few days it started clicking for her! I think its because we got her this Minnie Mouse potty chair (she is OBSESSED with "Mi-Mi"). 

I have found that consistency is the biggest key when potty training. When we trained Griffinn, he was just a few months over 2 years old and I used this article

Ellie didn't respond as well to going nakie from the waist down she was just pooping and peeing on the floor...but like a typical girl she took pride in her pretty new panties and didn't want to get them dirty! We used positive reinforcement techniques including doing a serious potty dance and some small treats when she actually used the potty (not just sat on it for .5 seconds)..She was thrilled about the mini marshmallow she received as her "treat"..

Basically for the first week or so I asked her like every 10 minutes if she has to go, and whether or not she said yes, I would still take her to sit on the potty at least once an hour. For that first week she didn't really ever tell me when she had to go, we were just in and around the bathroom a lot, on the potty a lot, and got lucky a lot. She would have about 2 accidents a day (sometimes more). The second week she started telling me when she had to potty and we have even been on multiple outings without accidents.. YAY! (we always make sure to go right before we leave and once we get where ever we're going).

Going #2 is a little more tricky, we are still working on that! At home, she is about 90%...otherwise she is pretty terrified to poop on any other toilet anywhere else. Our best luck so far has been to give her a book so she will relax... Stay tuned for how that all works itself out. 

What potty training this time around has taught me:

1. You can never ask "do you have to potty?" enough.

2. There are not bathrooms close enough to anything for a 1 year old's training bladder.

3. Sometimes you have to "potty" just because you want a marshmallow.

4. Pooping in a toilet is scary when you're one year old.

5. "Driving" the giant double stroller into the bathroom at Target 10x isn't any fun at all.

6. "Potty!" will almost always get shouted out right when you're all loaded up in the car about to pull out of the driveway.

 What are you best potty training stories?

Meyer 6 Month Update

This cutie was 6 months old last week. A whole half a year has passed since he was born..half a year?! It feels like I was just holding him fresh and new in the hospital...and then I blinked...and here we are halfway to a 1 year old. Time is going by all too quickly, as it seems to with all of our kiddos! We are enjoying watching Meyer grow and learn everyday. He has become such a happy happy boy (compared to the fussy baby he once was) he is so sweet and his big-mouthed smile can light up the room!

Meyer is 16 pounds 5 ounces and 26 3/4 inches tall. He has moved up in percentiles (23rd for weight and 50th for height) so maybe he won't be such a shrimp after all! Meyer doesn't have any teeth or any real signs that I can see (besides lots of drool, but what baby doesn't?) He wears size 3 diapers, size 3-6 & 6 month clothing and has recently started to eat some solids, which makes life a little easier; mostly rice cereal..usually mixed with a little fruit and/or veggies!  He is very ticklish and a little wiggleworm too!

Meyer can: sit unassisted, smile, laugh, play with toys, eat big boy food and has started to try and clap his hands.

Meyer loves: to snuggle his momma, when his daddy holds him, breast milk (in the most literal sense of the word), chewing on soft blankies, watching his big brother and sister play, grabbing for things that are off limits, putting everything in his mouth, playing with his feet, and being held.

Meyer dislikes: being left alone, sleeping in his own room/bed, bottles (still), and pacifiers (still).

I wanted to share about this teething/nursing necklace I recently purchased from The Vintage Honey Shop... it's quickly becoming one of our 6 month favorites!

- It's stylish so I don't feel like I am wearing a toy around my neck.

- Since it's tied around my neck we don't have to worry about Meyer dropping it on the dirty floor like we do with a lot of other teething toys.

- It's the perfect distraction for while he is nursing since these days he is a lot more interested in what is going on around him rather than relaxing for a good nursing session.

- Each necklace is handmade, organic and safe!

-An extra perk that nobody probably cares about but me...it's packaged beautifully and I felt so special getting it in the mail! 

I would highly recommend one of these for you mommas that have a grabby, teething, curious baby on your lap!

Meyer really has surprised me with his 180 degree transformation from a very unhappy, fussy, whiny little baby to a happy, easygoing, smiley little 6 month old...and I am so very thankful for this!
He is getting better about sleeping too! Thank GOD

I just love this little boy with all my heart!

We are looking forward to celebrating his 1st Easter next weekend!

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

I have previously expressed my love for all things red velvet, especially around Christmas time. Well turns out that love doesn't fade until after Valentine' Day (okay, let's be real it doesn't fade ever). Deep red cookies made into a sandwich with pretty pink frosting will make anybody's Valentine's Day special, right? 

You will need:

1 box red velvet cake mix

2 eggs

3/4 cup Crisco shortening (melted)

*Stir above together to form a dough*

Scoop into 1" rounds onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Let cookies cool completely before frosting.

I took the easy route with these and just bought a can of cream cheese frosting and turned it pink with a few drops of red food coloring. If you are feeling ambitious, please feel free to make your own frosting but I betcha nobody will know the difference!

This makes about 15-16 sandwiches, if you're a math whiz that's about 32 cookies. If you need more, double the recipe; its easy.

Yeah... you noticed that this was made from a cake mix, did you? Wanna know a secret? You can use ANY cake mix with this recipe to make any kind of cookie that you want! German chocolate? Check. Carrot? Check. Seriously, try out different flavors and different combos- it's fun and super simple!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

XOXO