Shanamama Menu

Permalink:

Mabels Labels, perfect for my family and yours

September 20, 2012
inMabels Labels, Review
• Leave a comment

Mabels Labels was created by moms who were frustrated by the amount of stuff that was being lost. I am sure we can all relate to that huh. So, they created labels that were dishwasher, microwave, and laundry safe for all moms to label their childrens belongings. 

I may have gone a little overboard on going through my kids school and everyday items. I put them on all of the kids backpacks, lunch boxes, all sandwich containers, thermoses, inside their shoes, their sweaters, beanies, gloves and even on a few special toys around the house. Then again I am glad I did because last year we lost not only a lunch pail but a sweater and a few gloves. I even put my own labels on my phone, inside my purse and on some makeup that I am constantly loosing and of course my laptop.

In addition to their childrens’ labels they also make allergy labels, write on labels, sticky labels, waterproof labels, iron on labels and more. One of my favorite sets that they offer is the Ultimate Back to School Combo set. With three little one’s in school it’s perfect for all of their school necessities. 
The ultimate back to school combo set includes:

  • 40 Skinny-Minis
  • 50 Tag Mates
  • 16 Shoe Labels
  • 2 Teeny Tags  

The teeny tags are also great for luggage as well and for school backpacks. Especially if you ever run into more then one kid having the same backpack at school. Eventually it may happen and having a little tag on the outside helps the kids identify which pack is theirs.

To wrap it up I am in LOVE with Mabels Labels. I think what they have done with their labels is absolutely genius! I come close to using up all of my labels and I can’t wait to order some more. Are they my newest obsession….you bet they are!

*I received a package of Mabels Labels to facilitate my review. All opinions therein are of my own.*
  • Thanks for leaving a comment, please keep it clean. HTML allowed is strong, code and a href.

Permalink:

Weekly Meal Plan

September 13, 2012
inCooking, Meal Planning, Recipes
• Leave a comment

I have never been an organized person, I am more of a on the whim let things flow gal but lately deciding what to make for dinner has become more of a chore then an enjoyable experience as it once was for me. I love cooking, always have so in attempts to get back to the enjoyable side I have decided to try my hand and making a weekly meal plan.

I have avoided doing this for quite some time now because my thinking was that it would take forever me forever to sit down and plan it all out but in reality it took me under ten minutes. I think I mentally overwhelmed myself by assuming I had to do it a month at a time. But doing it weekly I can handle. Here is what I came up with for next weeks menu.

Week of 09/17 Menu

Monday: Curry Chicken
I love Curry Chicken. It is such a simple meal to make and one that is never a disappointment. Even my kids love it. 

Tuesday: Spaghetti
Another simple dish. I let my sauce cook most of the day and by dinner time all the flavors have infused wonderfully.

Wednesday: Wild Rice Chicken Casserole
I haven’t made this dish in a while but as I sit here next to the open windows while it’s a beautiful 65 degrees out I just had to include a nice fall/winter dish.

Thursday: Chicken Tortilla Soup
Again inspired by the coolness outside I wanted a soup but nothing too heavy.

Friday: Leftovers
Waste not want not. I know not all people are leftover fans but I absolutely love them. It’s the perfect time to have a little bit of everything from the week and to make sure nothing gets wasted. 

Saturday: Chicken Tostadas
While my husband is at work I usually leave the weekends as my easy days in the kitchen. And this is one of the kids favorite meals. It’s a win win.

Sunday: BBQ chicken sandwiches
This will be a new one for us. My mom used to make BBQ Pork sandwiches while we were growing. While my kids aren’t a big fan I thought a new twist might work. Fingers crossed.

My fridge and pantry are a little bare right now but luckily I do have a lot of the basics for these recipes so my shopping list will (thankfully) be semi short.

Now the biggest obstacle for me….sticking to it! Fingers crossed people.

  • Thanks for leaving a comment, please keep it clean. HTML allowed is strong, code and a href.

Permalink:

Sunset Sunday-The airport never sleeps

September 9, 2012
inSunset Sunday
• Leave a comment

Funny story. I was doing some work on my laptop last night when I kept getting these notifications that my dropbox was being updated. So what’s a girl to do but be nosy and see what was being added. My husband, while completely adorable is a bit of a dork, was taking tons of pictures of what I think was clouds. If not they were completely random building pictures with neat clouds in the back ground. So yeah I will go with the former.
Realizing I once again didn’t take any sunset photos I asked him to take a few for me to share in today’s Sunset Sunday post. Like a good hubby he obliged and sent over about ten photos. These were my two favorites from the group he took.
He said the pictures were just eh but I disagree. I  absolutely love how the sun was right in the middle of the second shot and the tail of the plane was right in front of the sun in the second photo and in the first one with the one plane park and another in the background taxing somewhere it just shows how even while the sky may be peaceful and slow moving an airport never sleeps. So thank you hunny for sharing your photos with me so I could share them here.
Do you love sunsets? Have tons of photos of them, or maybe even just a few? I would love for you to join us in Sunset Sundays and share a few of your favorites.
  • Thanks for leaving a comment, please keep it clean. HTML allowed is strong, code and a href.

Permalink:

Cradle of Rome 2 Winner

September 8, 2012
inUncategorized
• Leave a comment

And the winner of the Cradle of Rome 2 for Nintendo 3 DS is……..drum roll please……

CONGRATS commenter #33 @misaacmom  who said “i would love to win this for my DD”. I hope your daughter loves it! I will send you an email shortly Mary.

  • Thanks for leaving a comment, please keep it clean. HTML allowed is strong, code and a href.

Permalink:

Wordless Wednesday-Not your ordinary family

September 5, 2012
inphotography, Wordless Wednesday
• Leave a comment

I am in an odd kind of mood today and I just realized about an hour ago that it’s Wednesday and not Tuesday.  On the plus side that means were one day closer to the weekend. Down side, I am mentally a day behind hence this post going up late. In a mad rush for getting this post up I went on the hunt for silly pictures of my kids for today’s Wordless Wednesday. And HELLO WW peeps! It’s been a while.

I remembered on our last hoorah my daughter cracking up while in the pool because of her hair. It was such a funny moment I knew I had to include this picture.

And this one makes me laugh every time I see it. He kept asking to be thrown into the pool but this was the only shot I got of it. I just love how he almost looks like he is sitting.

I take full responsibility for this. I used to try and get my baby sister to go cross eyed at a baby and some way some how I thought it would be funny to see if my daughter could go cross eyed. You think it worked? Yeah ever since about a year ago she now goes crossed eyed on her own and darn her for making me laugh while she does it.

My big boy being brave and sliding into the water! I love how big his cheeks are from holding his breath. And it makes me giggle that his eyes are closed. Still working on getting over his fear of water but this….this is awesome for him.

I think I found some winners here…what say you?

For more inspiring photos be sure to check out:

  • Thanks for leaving a comment, please keep it clean. HTML allowed is strong, code and a href.

Permalink:

Sunset Sunday-Good morning?

September 3, 2012
inphotography, Sunset Sunday, Travel
• Leave a comment

I know the title may throw some of you but while I was browsing through my photos looking for one to post for this weeks Sunset Sunday I came across a picture I took with my cell phone (I seem to be doing a lot of that lately) on our train ride from Paris to Brussels. Seeing it I knew that I had to share it, even though it isn’t a sunset but instead a sunrise.

It’s gorgeous isn’t it? I know I am biased here but there’s something just so peaceful about this photo. The start of a new day, a new beginning. That is what sunrises symbolize to me. And when I see a stunning sunrise it reminds me to make the day extra special. I will never forget this sunrise. Even though I was running off less then four hours sleep and less sleep the day before I was getting ready to fly home to see the most precious things in my life, my children. So for me having that little reminder that I needed to make my day great and knowing I would be seeing my babies soon it will forever be carved in my memory. And that is why I had to share this sunrise picture instead of a sunset for this weeks sunset Sunday.

Do you love sunsets? Have tons of photos of them, or maybe even just a few? I would love for you to join us in Sunset Sundays and share a few of your favorites.

Permalink:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

September 1, 2012
inCooking, Recipe
• Leave a comment

Julie and I were chatting on twitter the other day about soups and I asked if she had any recipes she may want to share with me since I came to the realization that I’ve only ever made two types of soups. Creamy Potato and Broccoli Cheese. While they are amazing soups I have been trying to stay away from creams and cheese based foods. And being the awesome person that she is she shared a few soup recipes that looked amazing. But I knew I had to try her Chicken Tortilla Soup as soon as I saw the recipe.

When I went shopping I had two of Julies soup recipes up on my phone and I accidentally looked at the wrong one and purchased a rotisserie chicken when the recipe called for chicken breasts so I ended up changing the recipe a little bit based on that.  


Chicken Tortilla Soup

1/2 cup salsa (I used Riverwalk Cantina salsa, you can pick it up at Walmart for under $2)
5 cups of chicken broth (or chicken bullion)
Half a roasted chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces (I picked up a precooked roasted chicken from the store)
4 Tablespoons uncooked rice
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro (optional…I am not a straight cilantro fan so I didn’t use this)
1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 can of black beans (washed and drained)
2 large, ripe avocados chopped into bite sized pieces
Tortilla Chips
Onion powder, Cumin and Cayenne pepper to taste
Lime

Heat chicken broth to boil in a large pot. Once boiling add salsa and rice and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Now throw in the chicken, onions, black beans and seasonings to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Taste the soup to make sure the seasonings are to your liking. If all tastes good then turn off the flame.
Just before serving add the cheese and cilantro. 
The fun part is piling up all the goodies to your hearts content. Avocado, cheese, sour cream, additional cheese (if you want it extra cheesy)and chips. You can either put them in the bowl prior to pouring the soup in or you can break a small handful of chips for the top. I personally like the little bit of crunch putting them on last adds to the soup. Last but not least is squeeze a little bit of fresh lime juice on top.

  • Thanks for leaving a comment, please keep it clean. HTML allowed is strong, code and a href.

Permalink:

Verizon Ambassador Program with Samsung Galaxy III

August 29, 2012
inSamsung Galaxy III, Verizon Ambassador
• Leave a comment

I recently embarked on part two of my Ambassadorship with Verizon Wireless and I am very excited about returning for another round with this amazing company. Not only do they have awesome phones but they are truly a great group of people to work with.

Last time I got to review a Droid Razr which I loved and my kids loved it as well. After using it for three months I was very comfortable with the phone and quite honestly I was a little sad that I wouldn’t be using it anymore. This round with Verizon I was sent a Samsung Galaxy III and my oh my is this phone sexy.

 A few amazing features this phone offers are:

  • 16/ 32GB User memory AND a microSD slot (up to 64GB)
  • Android 4.0 operating system (the new Ice Cream Sandwich)
  • The main camera features an 8 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with  flash, zero shutter lag and  BSI (backside illuminated sensor)
  • The front camera features a 1.9 Mega pixel camera, HD recording, zero shutter lag and BSI as well.
  • Lots of Google Apps come standard with the phone such as search, maps, gmail, latitude, google play, google play books, YouTube, google talk, google navigation (which is an AMAZING app) and many more.
  • The ability to set your phone up as a mobile Hot Spot. 

I am very excited to learn all about this phone and share my thoughts and opinions on the Samsung Galaxy III with you all!

Verizon Ambassadors

  • Thanks for leaving a comment, please keep it clean. HTML allowed is strong, code and a href.

Permalink:

Cradle of Rome 2 review & giveaway

August 27, 2012
inCradle of Rome2, Games, Giveaway, Kids
• Leave a comment

My two boys love video games. I don’t believe they have ever come across a game that they didn’t like. With the school year starting we have a strict no video game rule during the week to keep the kids focused on school. So during the summer they may go a little overboard in the playing of video games. Normally I am not a fan of it but I went ahead and let loose this summer and let them play to their hearts content.
One of the games my oldest played was Cradle of Rome 2. The big thing for me is that it requires actual thinking. Not just another game that you have to find the villain but where you actually need to use your brain to accomplish the levels. My son is eight and he had no difficulties with the first few levels but did mention that he had some difficulty getting beyond that. He liked the challenge and didn’t give up!
In Cradle of Rome 2 the object of the game is to swap tiles so you have matching tiles of three or more in a row. This is how you build buildings, palaces, cities and empires. The games suggested age range is E for everyone so if you want to steal borrow the game from your kids that’s quite acceptable. I may or may not have done this.

Cradle of Rome 2 challenges players to race against time by swapping tiles in an intense match-3 game. With a 100 levels available, players must earn enough gold and materials to return Rome to its former glory and ascend to the position of Caesar. Providing simple, yet addictive, gameplay on both the 3DS and DS platforms, Cradle of Rome 2 lets players use their earnings to build houses and magnificent palaces as they develop their small settlements into flourishing empires.

For my loyal readers you all have the chance to win a copy of Cradle of Rome 2 for your Nintendo 3DS. To keep things simple there are only two ways to enter. In order to do the additional you must complete the mandatory entry first.

Mandatory Entry:
Who do you want to win this for? If you say yourself don’t worry it still counts!

Additional Entries:
Tweet about the giveaway and comment with a link to your tweet
Example tweet:
I just entered to #Win Cradle to Rome 2 #Nintendo3DS game from @Shanamama9197 #Giveaway

Giveaway is open to US residents only and ends September 7th at 11:59pm CST. Winner will be drawn randomly and contacted via email. The winner will have 24 hrs to respond before another winner is drawn.
 
I received a copy of Cradle of Rome 2 to facilitate my review, I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are 100% my own.

Permalink:

Sunset Sunday-Paris

August 26, 2012
inSunset Sunday, Travel
• Leave a comment

Over the summer my husband and I had the chance to take a vacation by ourselves. That hasn’t happened since 2002. Yes you read that right, it has been ten years since we had an adult vacation and boy was it needed! In ten years we have gotten married, started a family, moved 12 times, gone from none of us being in school to four of of the five of us in school and many, many more changes. It’s been a wonderful adventure but every once in a while some adult alone time is needed.

So on a whim (sort of, there was some planning but it was quick planning) we packed everyone up, dropped the kids off with the Grandparents and off we went. Where did we go? Paris, the city of love.

I am not quite sure how I managed to not take any photos of sunsets with my camera. We were out and about all day long every day we were there and always on the move. But the night before we left I did manage to get a few photos on my phone.

 Walking to the train looking onto Part 1 of the Convention Center
 The dome on the left is part 2 of the Convention Center
 Walking back to our hotel waiting for the Metro to pass by
Another shot on our walk to our hotel
I wish I had remembered to take more sunset photos but I am thankful I do have a few from my phone. Maybe if there is another trip to Paris I will write myself a note to take more sunset photos.
Do you love sunsets? Have tons of photos of them, or maybe even just a few? I would love for you to join us in Sunset Sundays and share a few of your favorites.

  • nike low blazer

  • Thanks for leaving a comment, please keep it clean. HTML allowed is strong, code and a href.