Mom Versus The Pumpkin Patch

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw that on Saturday I had the chance to take over the account of my all-time favorite children's clothing brand, KicKee Pants! Talk about a huge honor and privilege! I love that KicKee is always looking for new ways to connect with their customers and show their adorable clothes on regular kids doing regular things. For our KicKee Day, I planned a trip to the pumpkin patch with Mac and Mim in the morning with the hope of getting some cute photos of them playing amid a sea of pumpkins and pretty fall leaves...

Well, of course, since I had big plans to take all these amazing photos, the kids were naturally less than cooperative. I should have known better than to get my hopes up or set my expectations high with two wild and strong-willed toddlers. Needless to say, things didn't exactly go as planned. I briefly talked about this on IG, but I'm going to jump right in and give you all the gory details here. It was definitely not my best parenting day and I want you all to know that despite how "pretty and perfect" photos can look, the real story may be quite different than the one you see on social media. Let's get real here, shall we?  

First off, it took us FOREVER get even get out of the house. I had their adorable KicKee Pants outfits laid out and ready to go, but it still took us almost 2 hours just to get in the car!  How is that even possible? The pumpkin patch is 20 minutes from our house and Mim despises car rides, so it was a solid 20-minute screamfest in the backseat while I silently seethed in the front seat and wondered why it was never easy for us to do anything. I'll admit that right then and there I could feel myself getting overly worked up about this outing and how hard the morning had already been. I probably should have just dropped all expectations right then and there and called it a day, but we trudged on.  

When we got to the pumpkin patch, it was bright, sunny and much warmer than we anticipated. As soon as we got out of the car Mac asked for his sunglasses, which I realized we forgot. He was very distraught about it and I was losing my patience. I feel like such a jerk for getting upset with him about this, especially since I know he always wants his sunglasses, but there I was getting all impatient and frustrated with him. Over the last year he has really developed a sensitivity to bright light, loud noises and scratchy clothes (hence, why we love KicKee so much).  I won't go so far as to say that he has "sensory issues" because he doesn't have them across the board (no issues with taste or smell or textures) and most of the time he gets over things quickly, but he's definitely extra sensitive when it comes to light and noise.  From what I've read this seems to be a normal thing for toddlers/preschoolers that they grow out of, but it has started concerning me.  Does anyone else have a kid that's sensitive to light/noise?  

Anyway, the pumpkin patch was packed! I mean, I knew it would be since it's mid-October, but it seemed like every kindergartner in the bi-state area was there on a field trip and it was loud and intense. Mac immediately had a hard time with all the noise and the chaos, leading to multiple meltdowns from him over nothing and more frustration on my part. He didn't want to play on the hay bales, he didn't want to go down the slide, he didn't want to go in the mazes or on a tractor ride or on the swings.  He just walked around whining about how bright it was. And that's about the time when I reached max impatience mode.  I didn't yell or scream or throw a fit, but I was angry and disappointed and frustrated with him, with the day, with myself.  I just wanted the kids to have fun! Why couldn't they just have fun?!  HAVE FUN, DAMMIT. I could hear the anger in my voice and the lack of patience in my tone and yet I didn't check my attitude.  No wonder they couldn't relax and have fun when mom was being such an uptight crank.  Ugh. 

We made the best of it and it got better.  Some of the school kids left and the intensity of the place died down.  Mac finally calmed down a bit after going through the corn maze a dozen times and into the hay bale tunnels with a flashlight, which he loved.  Maybe because it was dark and quiet in there? I don't know. He finally started running around, climbing, playing, laughing and we all relaxed a little.  The kids rode on the mini tractors, Mim loved the slide, Mac was brave enough to try the zipline!  (even though it ended with tears)  I got some really cute photos of the kids and we left the pumpkin patch on a good note, excited to hit Chick-Fil-A on the way home.  

But I can't quite shake that guilty feeling that I should have done better...been better. I know I'm being a bit hard on myself, but I'm disappointed in the way I handled everything and honestly, I'm embarrassed. This isn't the first time this has happened and I'm sure it won't be the last.  I've bit a bit more high-strung than normal lately and I'm trying to figure out what's going on.  Maybe it's just a "phase," like everything else?  Looking back now, days later, while we're no longer in the heat of the moment and all the photos look like we're having fun, it's hard to remember exactly why I was so frustrated and angry. And maybe that's the beauty of photos and reliving your memories in highlights. Ten years from now I probably won't remember how hard this time in our life was, how infuriating it was and how exhausted I was.  I'll look back on these memories with so much love and affection and nostalgia.  I will miss this. I know it because I'm already missing this and wish we had a do over.  

So for now, I just need to remind myself to chill out a bit.  Calm down.  Check your expectations at the door.  Go with the flow.  Relax.  Hang loose.  Settle down.  Take it easy.  

And remember the damn sunglasses...

Instagram Accounts I Adore

@everydayreading // I love the feed of this children's librarian turned homeschool-mom. Janssen posts the most gorgeous photos of her kids, gives great book recommendations, craft ideas and recipes. 

@momtog // This is one of those accounts that every mom that wants to take better photos of her children should be following.  Started by the amazing Drew B, this account lets real moms and photographers take over and give advice, tips and tricks about how to improve your photography, how to get the perfect shot and how they do it.   

@smallfryblog // This feed is a great place to find the hippest products, clothing and projects for you little one.  They are always on top of the latest trends and share great finds/sales. 

@northwestmommy // I'm in love with this family and their giant dogs and horses.  I can't get enough of Stasha's beautiful images and it makes my heart happy to see a family love and interact so much with their pets.

@melanieburk // Mama of three gorgeous little girls, Melanie's feed is filled with beautiful images of family and fun, peppered with support, encouragement and humor.  I especially love her #unexpededtype posts that she does to teach the kids letters/word.  

@bestfriendsforfrosting // This gorgeous feed is filled with beautiful images of projects, recipes, parties, fashion and creative ideas.  

@totschool // Possibly my favorite new discovery on Instagram, this feed is packed with creative ideas, activities, projects and educational crafts for little kids.  Each week is a theme and all the activities that week relate to the theme.  Perfect for preschoolers. 

@imkaceyjane // Another new discovery for me, this feed is dreamy!  So many gorgeous photos of her daughters and life in the Midwest.  

@superhealthykids // One of my favorite places to go for healthy, delicious meal and snack ideas for kids. This is where I find my ideas on how to get my kids to eat more vegetables. 

@imoments // This feed of ALL iphone photos will blow you away. The underwater photos alone are absolutely mesmerizing, haunting and gorgeous.  

@pickyourplum // This is a great site for finding amazing deals on fashion, crafts, decor, kids stuff and party products.  Plus, they always post the funniest quotes and sayings that make me smile. 

@burtsbrisplease // This gorgeous feed is filled with the most beautiful photos of a little boy and a cat (and other stuff).  I cannot get enough of Leo.

@ministyleblog // This feed is all style, all the time.  If you're looking for the cutest, trendiest, most adorable clothing and accessories for kids, this is the place. 

@one_wild_and_precious_life // Another amazing mom photographer that captures beautiful moments with her adorable little boy.  I'm obsessed with their adventures. 

@sparklingfootsteps // New mama Lynzy just started posting nightly topics for new moms as part of her #latenightnursingfeed hashtag, where moms can connect with others in the middle of the night, when it's sometimes so lonely with a new baby.  I spent an hour the other night reading all the comments on one post and bawling my eyes out.  

@oliviasfoster // I love this feed by a Sydney nanny, filled with amazing DIY projects, crafts, recipes, experiments, boxes and projects for kids.  I love everything about this.

@childhoodunplugged // Another photography feed, filled with gorgeous photos of kids unplugged and having adventures outdoors and without batteries.  I love getting ideas of fun things for my kids to do (and ideas for beautiful photos to take) from this account.

@kickeepants // If you follow me on Instagram, you know my love/obsession with this brand their amazing clothing and pajamas.  My children live in KicKee Pants and I love following the company and the awesome community that they've built. 

@thepapermama // This is another feed filled with gorgeous photos of really fun things to do/make/bake with your kids. 

@easytoddlermeals // My go-to place for getting ideas of incredible foods my kids will actually eat (and that I want to eat too).  They also have really great little videos showing you how to make some of the food and how easy it all is. 

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT** 

Tomorrow, I will be taking over the Instagram feed of one of these amazing accounts!  Please please please head to my account tomorrow (@sara_mccarty) to find out where I'll be and pop over and say hi!  I'd love to hear from you!

Who are your favorite Instagrammers?

Give & Take Baked Pasta Casserole

My friend Michelle makes the most amazing creamy cheesy decadent baked pasta casserole I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.  I'm telling you, this pasta casserole is legendary...it's life-changing. It's a top-secret recipe passed down to her from her mother (who is an incredible chef) and given with love anytime there's a new baby, a death in the family or an occasion calling for amazing home-made comfort food.  I've begged Michelle for the recipe no less than a dozen times and she absolutely refuses to budge on the secret of this amazing meal.  I can't say I blame her - it's become quite the signature dish and absolutely I'd hold that over my friends if I had something that amazing.  I've considered turning to espionage or bribery, but instead, I just keep trying to recreate the pasta casserole over and over.  And I finally think I've come pretty close to creating something (while not exactly similar) just as delicious.  

I made this baked pasta casserole the other night to celebrate my first dinner back after a long weekend away and it blew us away.  Ryan and I each had two full plates, took leftovers for lunch the next day and couldn't wait to come home and have it again for dinner the next night (that never happens).  Mim ate THREE servings the first night and screamed for more every time she finished what was on her tray.  Mac ate some - he's three, so that's saying a lot. I'm pretty sure I could sell this recipe for a million dollars, but I'm going to take my chances and just give it to you all for free in the hope that you will worship my culinary genius-ness for the rest of my life. 

I had a really hard time trying to figure out what to name this dish.  I toyed with the idea of "Sara's Sausage Surprise" or "Awesomesauce Passtarole," but nothing quite worked.  The title "Most Amazing and Delicious Creamy Cheesy Baked Pasta Casserole In The World" seemed a bit long and superfluous.  I think one of the greatest things about this pasta casserole recipe is that it makes enough for TWO entire casseroles (one to eat yourself and one to give to a friend/neighbor or freeze for later) lends itself well to the "Give & Take" part of the title and the "baked pasta casserole" part is pretty self-explanatory.  Honestly, I don't care at all what you call it...so long as you make it and love it.  

I started with a big diced yellow onion, minced garlic and olive oil.  Cook until soft and your entire house smells like Italy.  Then add the sausage and ground burger - beef or turkey or chicken would all be fine, depending on how decadent you want to be (step not pictured).  Once cooked, remove from heat and throw in a big bowl with the most amazing pasta sauce (Bertolli Riserva Marinara), the cheese (shredded and cream), the spices and the zucchini. Don't worry if your sauce is runny or thinner than you think it should be - the pasta will absorb a lot of the juice, so that's totally fine.

Spoiler alert: I even managed to sneak some green vegetables in the pasta without my children knowing or gagging. Actually, if you have kids that aren't necessarily the best veggie eaters, this is the perfect dish to add green veggies to.  I added shredded zucchini that I used a cheese grater on (took 30 seconds), but feel free to also add some chopped spinach (fresh or frozen) or kale.  Also, mushrooms and/or a diced roasted red pepper would be incredible additions.  Don't worry, your kids won't know you added veggies and I guarantee they won't be able to taste it (I won't tell).  

Cook the pasta al dente.  I used penne, but you could really use whatever you wanted.  My husband loves farfalle (bowtie pasta) and while that's good, a round noodle (that the sauce can get into) it better, trust me.  Rigatoni, ziti, elbow, cavatappi or even shells would all make excellent choices.  Actually, I think any pasta would probably be amazing.  It's that good.  Once the pasta's ready, put it in two casserole dishes and spoon the sauce on top.  The more sauce the better, because a lot of it will be absorbed by the pasta.  No need to mix it all up or anything, it'll be fine when you scoop it out. Put a healthy layer of cheese on top of the sauce.  I sprinkled some shredded mozzarella on top and then covered the whole thing in a layer of sliced provolone.  You can go as light (or as heavy) as you want on the cheese.  Trust me when I say that you cannot have too much, just in case you were wondering. 

Bake covered at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted.  Then remove the foil and bake until the cheese top gets nice and toasty brown.  Serve immediately while hot and melty, but don't be surprised when it's even better reheated the next day.

As I mentioned, this recipe makes TWO entire casseroles.  It's just as easy to make two as it is one, so why not?  You can either drop one off to a friend or family member (trust me, they'll be incredibly grateful) or freeze the second one and pop it in the oven the next time you don't have time to make dinner or want to impress someone with how amazing your cooking skills are.  This recipe is meant to share! 

The highlight of this dish is definitely the sauce.  I used Bertolli's new Riserva Marinara with Parmigiano-Reggiano and it was perfection.  This sauce is part of Bertolli's new line of Riserva sauces, introduced as part of their 150th anniversary (and just in time for Italian Heritage Month). They have four variations: Marinara with Parmigiano-Reggiano, Porcini Mushrooms & White Truffle Oil, Asiago Cheese & Artichokes and Balsamic Vinegar & Caramelized Onions.  They all sound incredible.

But even better than incredible sauce - during the month of October, Bertolli is making a $1 donation to help end childhood hunger in America for EVERY photo shared via social media using the #MyTuscanTable hashtag!  It's that easy!  This is a partnership with No Kid Hungry and each dollar will provide 10 healthy meals to kids in need.  Amazing sauce, amazing company, amazing cause.  I hope you'll share a photo.  You can find more about the celebration and get meal tips/recipes HERE. 

Give & Take Baked Pasta Casserole

(makes 2 casseroles - one for you to eat, one to give to a friend or freeze)

Ingredients:

- 2 jars of Bertolli Riserva Marinara pasta sauce

- 2 boxes of penne pasta

- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage

- 1 pound ground burger (turkey, chicken or beef)

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

- 1 yellow onion, diced

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1-2 zucchini, grated/shredded

- 2 cups shredded mozzarella

- 1 package of cream cheese, softened

- 1 tablespoon Italian spices

- 2 package sliced provolone

Directions:

1. Cook onion, garlic and olive oil in a skillet until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add sausage (crumbled, no casings) and burger and cook until no longer pink. 

2. Remove from heat and place in large bowl.  Add salt, shredded cheese, cream cheese, spices, zucchini and pasta sauce.  Stir until well combined and all the cheese has melted. 

3. Cook pasta to al dente, according to directions.  Drain and place half of noodles in one casserole dish and half in a second dish.  

4. Cover the pasta with 1/2 the sauce in each casserole dish until it's all used.  Sprinkle any remaining shredded mozzarella on the top and cover with slices of provolone.  

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. Uncover and cook until cheese is brown and bubbly (about another 10 minutes).  Serve hot and enjoy!

I'm guesstimating the amounts for all the ingredients because I'm a bit of a wild card in the kitchen and like to go rouge and not use recipes.  I add ingredients all willy-nilly until I get it to taste just right, so don't feel like you have to stick to this recipe exactly - feel free to play around with it and make it your own.  These are the bones to get you started.  And of course, cook/serve with wine!!

Hello Scout Weekend

This past weekend I ventured a bit out of my comfort zone and headed to Las Vegas to spend three days with a bunch of ladies I'd never met, but felt like I'd known forever.  For most people, this probably sounds really weird, but if you're a blogger, you probably know what I'm talking about. The mamas I met up with are all part of the Savvy Sassy Moms Scout program (or are contributing writers for the site), none of whom had ever met in real life before.  However, reading their blogs, following them on social media and interacting in our discussion group, I felt like we were all long-lost friends, just waiting for our reunion.  

The weekend was amazing.  We had great weather for hanging out at the pool having cocktails.  We did some shopping and some gambling, ate a ton of great food and even made an appearance at a nightclub that was so loud our guts were vibrating for hours after leaving.  But mostly, we talked shop (or blog), shared ideas, told stories, joked around, asked for advice, gave encouragement and bonded over a shared love of our kids and storytelling.  In a time when it can sometimes feel so hard to make new friends and find people that truly get you, this was an incredible experience.  I'm so honored to be a part of this group and privileged to get to know these mamas.  

Easy Like Sunday Morning

If your family is anything like ours, then you understand what I mean when I say that we tend to spend our weekdays in survival mode. With two professional working parents and two young, wild hooligans running around, our weeks are crazy! Weeknights fly by in a haze of playtime, dinnertime, bathtime, bedtime.  By the time Friday rolls around, we have no idea where the week went or how we (once again) managed to get absolutely nothing accomplished. 

But weekends, on the other hand...oh, they are glorious! Weekends are when we disconnect and reconnect, spend quality time with the kids and maybe even get the lawn mowed or the laundry put away.  Magical times, I'm telling you.  Weekends are also our time to get out of the house and do fun activities with the kids. We take our weekends seriously and try to plan fun activities and adventures for us all, even if it's just hitting a local park or going for a family run.

Even better, my husband and I have a deal worked out where we each get one day on the weekend to sleep in (barring any unusual circumstances or scheduled events). On my husband's day to sleep in, I get up early with the kids and handle things until he moseys his way down to us.  I don't mind at all, but sometimes my three-year old has a near nervous breakdown when I walk in his bedroom in the morning and not daddy.  The best way I've found to talk him off the ledge is to promise to let him help me make breakfast...especially if it's a VERY special day when we get to have Pillsbury™ Grands! Cinnamon Rolls!  He jumps out of bed with a smile on his face that could light up a stadium!

I open the can for him, but he's surprisingly good at doing everything else.  He loves picking out the circle pan (working on shapes), counting out each cinnamon roll (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), arranging them in the pan and pressing the numbers on the kitchen timer (see, I even made it educational!).  By this time his baby sister is usually awake and ready to come down and play, so we have a quick dance party in the living room to the Paw Patrol theme song (don't judge, it's catchy!) while our house fills up with the smell of cinnamon goodness.  When the timer goes off, we all scream and run to the kitchen!

Because I'm incredibly trusting (or slightly insane), I let Mac put the icing on his cinnamon roll all by himself. He's a typical independent three-year old, so that made his day.  He was actually very careful and did a great job.  So, I let him add some sprinkles (because everything's better with sprinkles) and that was where it all went downhill.  I'll be cleaning sprinkles out of our tiles for the next six months. 

Mim was also a huge fan of the cinnamon rolls!  I didn't let her do her own icing or sprinkles (she can't be trusted), but she definitely enjoyed her cinnamon roll and licking all the sprinkles off her tray after she'd finished.  She kept smacking her lips, saying "Mmmm" and giving me the sign for "more."  Point taken, girlfriend.  They were a big hit and I score extra points for being such a fun mom. 

We finished our cinnamon rolls, mango, yogurt, eggs and milk (lots of coffee for mommy) and headed downstairs to play for a while before daddy woke up and finished off the remaining cinnamon rolls.  His wake-up signals "go time" and we spend the next hour in a mad dash of getting dressed, getting ready, getting packed and getting out the door so we can make the most of the day.  It's always stressful, always chaos, but always fun (ok, almost always). 

Our weekends look so different than they did a few short years ago.  Gone are the days of sleeping 'til noon, breakfast in bed or spending the day watching football on the couch.  Now our days are filled with changing diapers, catching crickets, wagon rides and chasing kites.  We dig in sandboxes, zoom down slides and ride bikes around the neighborhood.  I have to say, weekends now are way more fun.  They're full of memories and magic. All you have to do is add icing and sprinkles...

What do your weekend mornings look like?

*This post was sponsored by General Mills through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Pillsbury™ Grands! Cinnamon Rolls, all opinions are my own.