Author: thenotsoboredmom

If there was one food I could never give up it would be pizza.   Pizza is a never ending journey of creativity.  This is why I truly love it.  You can make it for breakfast, lunch or dinner and top it with well, anything.  My mouth never stops watering for it!  In fact I could eat it every day.

You might think there is just New York style or Chicago style or some version of a crust, plus a tomato based sauce, and mozzarella.  While this is an essential staple in your pizza repertoire it is only the beginning point.  Open your mind and your stomach to what pizza can be and try a new one every week.

First things first get a pizza stone.  It’s a must for a crispy crust. Size matters if you want a thin crust.  Go big.  Then get a pizza cutter and kitchen aid mixer if you want to save yourself a ton of time.  Its an investment but remember this is just the start of your pizza making days!

Here is my simple crust recipe:

Ingredients
1 package active yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3/4 cup water (might need more)
1 teaspoon oil

Directions
Combine the yeast, sugar, flour, salt in your kitchen aid. Slowly combine. Add the water gradually until the dough begins to form a ball.

Coat a bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, and cover with a warm damp cloth. Put in a warm spot to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough, scrape it onto a cutting board with olive oil and knead it lightly into a smooth ball. Roll it out and place on a hot pizza stone.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees or your grill.

Now get creative!  My latest love was an olive oil base topped with caramelized onions, gruyere, mozzarella cheese and prosciutto. Then I topped this one with arugula. I don’t exactly time cooking my pizza.  I watch for my crust to bubble, look for the crust to crisp and I just know it’s ready.  I let it cool for a few minutes before cutting.  Then I embrace a little bit of heaven.  I can’t wait for this Saturday’s pizza night!  What should I try this week?  Tell me your favorite in the comments below.

Being a parent changes you.  Once you fall in love with that plump little face you will do anything for your child.  My days of high heels and skinny jeans are not over but they do tend to sit in the back of the closet.  I used to have a wardrobe that couldn’t fit in two closets.  Now my daughter dresses better than me on an average day.

I realized that I do sacrifice a bit of my own grooming and personal comfort for my childs. I eat leftovers off my child’s plate so it doesn’t go to waste.  A hot cup of coffee is a rare delight on most days. Oh and the sleep I have lost to cuddle someone when they just don’t want to sleep alone.  But what I never realized was the crazy things that parents do just because we are parents.

This is my top five list of things I would never do:

1. Pick my child’s nose- Sometimes a tissue just doesn’t do the job so someone has to clear the way when the bulb suction isn’t available
2. Entertain an audience in a bathroom- Toddlers are curious about everything and anything and they don’t like closed doors.
3.  Eat baby food- I am in a rush and I don’t always get to eat a warm breakfast.  On occasion a packet of sweet potato and peaches has slipped in my hand.  Baby food has come along way.  It’s actually tasty and healthy too.
4. Walk out of the house with stained clothing- Your about to walk out the door, diaper bag in hand, fresh diaper on baby, and boom baby spits up on your shoulder or your toddler had a leftover cookie and smeared it on your shirt
5. Try my own breast milk- Curiosity overtook me one day and lets just say it may be nutritious but its certainly not delicious.

Being a parent is all about learning, growing and adapting.  During this journey of parenthood I have never laughed harder.  I embrace every moment. Please share in the comments below something you never thought you would do as parent.

Living in the South I thought winter would be mild, but not this year.  It seems the hot topic of conversation is the weather.  I  am not a winter fan.   I love the sun on my face and the ability to walk outside without a coat.  It makes me feel alive!

Instead of complaining about the weather I am going to embrace it and take the time now to focus on family fun without electronics and getting things done around the house.  This way once spring hits  we will have time to take walks and enjoy the fresh air!  Here is my list of

10 things to do in the winter:

1. Try a new recipe- The best time to experiment with cooking is when you have time.  Break out that crock pot too.  They are very to use and you can make anything from chili to mac and cheese in them.

2.  Do your spring cleaning- Clean out those closets.  If you didn’t wear the item last spring/summer it’s time to get rid of it.

3. Work on your photo albums and scrapbooks- Get out all those precious photos of your little ones and organize them or start printing the 100’s you have on your smart phone

4. Plan your spring garden- Research flowers and vegetables that you are thinking about growing and put a plan together so when the ground is thawed your ready with shovel and seeds in hand.

5. Take a walk in the snow- Snow makes everything bright.  Even though I am not a fan of cold I love taking a walk when there is fresh snow on the ground at night.

6. Don’t text, call- Catch up with friends and loved ones the “old fashioned way” on the phone where can you hear emotions.

7. Write in a journal to your kids- There is something very special about reading letters that a parent wrote to you when you were a child.  Videos and photos won’t replace this sentiment that you can express in a letter.

8. Clean out your inbox- Just like your closet your email needs cleaning up to.  Organize old emails into folders and delete anything that isn’t needed for future use.

9. Get crafty- Do you sew, paint, or take pictures?  Take the time to nourish that art and plan a project for those cold days you are stuck indoors.

10. Play board games- Put away the electronics and break out the monopoly board or trivial pursuit.  Invite the neighbors over so they get a break from the inside of their own house.  Make popcorn from scratch.  Yumm!  There is nothing like homemade popcorn. Just ask my husband!

Tell me in the comments your favorite things to do  in winter.

As soon as you have a baby, that child is thrust into a world where measurements tell his or her future.  The pediatrician takes measurements of weight, height and head size and your baby is put into a percentile.  When that measurement falls below 50% I think sometimes we as parents believe we fell short or did something wrong.  Thus begins the quest to becoming the perfect parent.

When we set our sites on becoming the best mom or dad our lives start to revolve around our children and there’s where everything goes wrong.  We forget that we were wives and husbands before we became parents.  Before you became a husband or wife you had to become satisfied with yourself.  Think about going back to that beginning.  Start living healthy, taking care of yourself and finding happiness in your own personal accomplishments.  If you do this you will be the best partner to your spouse.  Happiness is contagious.  If you are taking care of your spouse your bound to be a better parent.  Kids see everything,  don’t be fooled.  So if you want to become the best parent become the best you first and everything else will fall into place. Remember as well that in that moment when you first met your baby,  he or she was perfect and so were you.

I would love to hear about your challenges in the struggle for becoming the best parent.  Comment below and tell me about them.