DIY Letter Beaded Bracelets

One of the trends are these adorable gold beaded letter bracelets. I really wanted one with each of the boys name on them. ShopBop has them for $36 and up. Etsy has them too, but they are still pricey. 

I was going to buy the gold beads at Michael's, but if you don't buy the real gold beads the color starts to rub off quickly. I decided to take a different route and make mine with colored beads. I saw the Dollar Tree had some seed beads and letter beads. 

Each package of the seed beads was $1 and the letter beads were $1. I spent $3 on beads total. I also have enough beads to make probably 10 more bracelets. I barely put a dent in the one package of blue beads.  I bought the elastic string on Amazon for $3.  

I decided to make the bracelets while Cashy was napping one day. G had a great time making his own bracelet and playing with the beads. He asked me to get his sensory bin down while I finished. We both sat at the table chatting away with our projects. 

I tied the elastic in a knot and then put clear nail polish over the knot. I tried to pull the bracelet to put it on before I put the clear nail polish and the bracelet exploded all over the dining room. I know there are beads hiding still after G and I both searched the floor on our hands and knees. Take it from me. Seal it with nail polish before you put them on. lol

I spent a total of $6 on supplies. I have plenty of supplies left that I could make numerous other bracelets. 

The boys love these bracelets. They each point to their names and smile. G will tell me each letter from the bracelets. They are so proud that I wear their names on my wrist. 

Air Fryer Eggs!

We eat A LOT of eggs in our home! We go through 4-5 dozen eggs every 2 weeks. I sent eggs to work with Art every day for breakfast. Some times it's just scrambled and some times I do an egg bake. 

One of my friends Caryl posted on IG that she bought these OXO silicone air fryer molds to make over easy eggs. She said she makes an over easy egg in about 10 minutes in her air fryer. WHAT!!!! Well like any good influenced person does I ordered the OXO molds from Amazon for $4. I made some over easy eggs a couple times. Then I decided to try other type of eggs.

I cut up some red onion and jalapenos to add to the bottom of the cups. I whisk 6 eggs and 1/4 cup of salsa in a bowl. I pour the whisked eggs over the onion and jalapenos. I place them in the air fryer at 400 for 10-12 minutes. They easily come right out of the cups without any oil. 

Ready to go into the air fryer

ALL DONE! 

I have been eating the eggs over a slice of turkey and a slice of Daiya cheddar cheese with some Franks Red Hot over the top! This is my favorite breakfast right now! 

Cash has been eating these eggs without jalapenos. He was on an egg strike for awhile. He ate one the other day and was yelling for more. 

The combinations for eggs you can make are endless! Let me know if you try these and what you think! 

Molds found HERE 

10 things to do besides social media!

Social media can just take over your life. It has a way of sucking you in to scrolling and scrolling...wait...there went an hour or more. Instagram stories can be a time suck for me. 

I have actually unfollowed people because some bloggers are always telling us what we need to buy. I would think oh I neeeeeed that shirt or shoes. I felt I HAD to have it. I have a closet full of stuff that and I honestly don't need anything...well I honestly could use a new navy and white striped tee because mine is worn out. lol

Here is my list of things you can do besides spending it on social media.

1. Write in a gratitude journal

I really try to write in a journal each morning. I write down 10 things I am grateful for and 10 things I will make happen. My grateful things can be as simple as no one woke up last night, coffee, our home, snuggling with my boys, tacos. I just write down simple things that I am grateful for in that moment. 

I have a ongoing list of things I write that I will make happen. I try not to put a time limit on these things. As the past year has gone on some of those things have happened and they have been removed from the list. I write down each day I am a good mom. I feel it's important to start off the day thinking I am a good mom. It helps keep my intention good to take time to be a good mom. Work on my keeping my cool when I am frustrated. 

I love looking back over the past year of things I have wrote down. 

2. Read a book or listen to an audio book

I got on a roll after I finished watching all 16 seasons of Grey's Anatomy of listening to audio books. I listened to like 15 books in a few months. Our local library has an app called OverDrive where you can borrow audio books for FREE! A lot of popular books you have to go on a waiting list for, but if you have to wait a few weeks who cares again they are FREE! 

3. Go on a walk 

I have started walking again. When I worked in San Francisco I walked almost every single day on my lunch break. I would walk to AT&T Park and back to the office. It was close to a 2 mile round trip walk. I looked forward to that walk every day. I even went when it was raining. 

I like to listen to an audio book or a podcast while I walk. I always find if I am enjoying to what I am listening to it helps the walk go by so much faster. Walking is so much easier on my body than doing cardio. My fatigue gets much worse when I do a very strenuous exercise. 

4. Do a brain dump!

Have you ever tried doing a brain dump in a journal or notebook? When Covid first started I was so anxious. My brain was going 100 MPH. One day I just started writing in a notebook everything that was on my mind. Getting it put on paper helped me relax and be able to sort out my thoughts. It's a great way to make lists of things you want to do, goals, get things off your chest. 

5. Do Yoga or stretching

Chris Freytag has some 10 minute yoga and stretching exercises on her website www.gethealthyutv.com that are FREE! I love Chris! I just find her to be a very motivation trainer. I also like that she does the workouts with you. It drives me up the wall when trainers are always working on showing you how to do moves and don't do the workout. How about you show us how to do the workouts by DOING THEM!!!! 

Yoga or stretching will not only help your body, but it will help your brain too! If you want to try some of the 10 minute workouts you can find them HERE. 

6. Go play with your kids or dog 

My kids absolutely LOVE it when I play with them. If I take 10 minutes to wrestle with them they are ecstatic. I spent some time with Cash wrestling around and he was giggling the whole time. He likes to punch people in the face while you wrestle. This was a good time to teach him to punch me in the arm not my face. lol

G loves to play games. Taking the time to play a game with him completely changes his mood. My boys are the ones who will remember when I have taken time to play with them not the influencers on social media posting crap. Those people won't care that I watched their stories 5 years from now, but my boys will sure remember! 

7. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee

Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee! Even if your kids are running around, your at work, or whatever is going on take a few minutes to just enjoy the moment with a cup of tea. I have been enjoying a cup of tea at night after the boys are in bed. I will sit in bed drinking the tea and relax. 

8. Go declutter that cabinet or drawer

Take the 15-20 minutes to go organize that cabinet or drawer that has been driving you crazy! Organizing a space will help you feel so much better each time you see it!

9. Plan our your outfits for the next week

Wear stuff you that has been hanging in your closet unworn for ages. If you put the item on and don't like it then add it to your donate pile. This is a great way to wear stuff you forgot about, get rid of stuff because you don't like the fit of it and shop your own closet! 

Do you really need that new shirt you found at Target? What accessories could you add to the outfit to make it pop?

10. Put on a charcoal mask and listen to some of your favorite music

Does music ever take you back to a place when you use to listen to that song? The other day a song came on the radio and I remembered instantly where I was driving and how I was feeling when I heard it for the first time. 

I have been listening to the old The Chick's music. Man that first Chick's cd brings back so many memories. I loved it and I still do. I have so many great memories listening to their music. I went to their concert so many times with friends too. 

What are some things you enjoy doing to avoid getting sucked into social media?

Twix Bars - Dairy, gluten and refined sugar FREE!

A new follow for me on Instagram is Stacy_simmons made these gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar twix bars. I had to try them! They looked really good. One thing about being home so much is I have been baking more. Baking is not my thing. I would rather cook a full meal over baking. Maybe I will become a baker now. lol

The boys love to bake with me. It's usually easier to let them bake then to have them help cook a meal. As soon as I pull the mixer out Cash comes running and pushing a chair over to the counter. 

Cookie Bottom:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup almond flour

1/3 cup coconut oil

3 tablespoons honey warmed

Put in a small pan lined with parchment paper. You will need to pack this down tightly onto the parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. 

Completely cook before you add the next layer.

When I pulled it out of the oven I was afraid I forgot an egg or something because it seemed crumbly. Once it cooled it wasn't crumbly at all. 

Middle Caramel Layer:

1/2 cup almond butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

sprinkle salt

Stir in a sauce pan over low heat until it all liquefies. Let it cool before you add it to the cookie layer. Spread it evenly over the cookie layer and put it in the freezer for 2-3 hours. 

Chocolate Layer:

I used 1/2 cup of Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Melt in a sauce pan over low heat. After the chocolate has melted pour over the top of the cookie and caramel layer. Sprinkle the top with kosher salt. 

I put these back in the freezer for about 10 minutes before I cut them into squares. After I cut them into squares I put them into a zip lock bag and keep them in the freezer. If you take them out for a couple minutes you are able to eat them. These bars melt quickly, so you don't want to leave them out. 

My final verdict is they don't really taste like a twix, but they are sure yummy! Let me know if you make these and what you think!!