R3ZBOYZ

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T22:06:00.000-04:00

I hope you all enjoyed your St.Patrick's day! I had a wonderful shamrock shake from the McDonald's today :o) YUMMY!

I had 2 lucky charms with me today and hope my 3rd had a great day at school and with his mom. :o)

Zain and I made some rainbow cupcakes....The leprechaun and his rainbow :o)

Zain also enjoyed some GREEN mac n chz

What's Cookin'?

2011-02-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

For the past few weeks as I have started to "coupon it up" I have found it MUCH easier when going through they flyers to plan my meals around what's on sale or what we already have in the house.

What's Cookin' this week at the Marro-Lent Household?

Monday:
Chicken and Rice with mixed veggies

Tuesday:
Panera Broccoli Soup made at home served with bread and salad

Wednesday:
Steak with mashed potatoes and veggies

Thursday:
Leftover Buffet

Friday:
Mac n Cheese

Saturday:
Pickings from the freezer...whatever Chris wants to cook....good deal on Roasts this week at Shaw's so I bet that's what it will be :o)

Off to McD's to get a FREE oatmeal :o)

Happy Day

Coupons are AMAZING

2011-02-22T23:55:00.000-05:00

For the past few weeks I have been clipping coupons and researching HOW people save so much. It really is amazing! I've been reading blogs after blogs about JUST COUPONS.

There are so many coupons out there, you just have to know where to look and how to use them. In the past whenever I got a coupon for a product that my family uses, I would go out to the store and get the biggest size I could find because hey I am getting 1.00 off right! no, No, NO!!!

I am so new at this but here are some tips that I am learning to follow....

~Organize your coupons...know what you have

~Read the flyers Compare your coupons with the sale prices (coupon match up)

~Try new products! If you are able to get it for very cheap or maybe even free what's it going to hurt to just try?

~Read the coupon, if there is no size limit then you may be able to get a bunch of trial size products for free and have possible overage (today I bought a light bulb for $.99 but my coupon was for $1.00. So I had a 1 cent overage.)

~Stock up if the price is good! Stocking up is very new to me..I will be looking into shelves this weekend, and my new freezer that I have wanted to years is due to arrive tomorrow!!! (Just in time for the sale at Target in Smart Ones!) OOOHHH and I got a great deal on my freezer but more about that later :o)

After following these tips I took my coupon binder, flyer, and list and off I went. I went to Shaws and Price Chopper. 2 stores I never go to.

I feel really good about what I did and I know that it will only get better!

I want to thank 2 Boys + 1 Girl = One Crazy Mom. Melanie helped me get started and you should really go check out her blog...HOLY SAVINGS!

Have a great day!!!

Money Saving Excitements!

2011-02-19T02:16:00.000-05:00

I LOVE saving money! I want to do it more often!!! I want to be that person who goes into the grocery store with a stack of coupons and walks out with a cart full of items for $40 bucks!

Well friends, I am not going to be that person sitting here thinking about it! It takes work to be able to save that kind of money! For the past 2 weeks I have been clipping coupons, grabbing coupons at the store, visiting coupon websites like http://www.couponsuzy.com/ or http://www.couponmom.com/ (there are so many out there) signing up to receive the local flyers in the mail...Hannafords, Price Chopper, Shaws, and Market Basket. I made sure my CVS card was up to date, I even bought a binder for my coupons (seriously?!?). Now that I have my tools in place I feel as though I am ready to work on saving my family some money!!! I know that it is not going to happen over night. I must be patient! This is a good lesson for myself...I keep telling Zain he NEEDS to be patient..things don't always come when YOU want them....now I have to follow my own advice!

There are so many blogs out there to help with this money saving life style change. You have to stock buy. Some weeks you may buy tons of meat and not much of anything else...OR the next week you may buy 8 packs of dog treats.

I am really addicted to saving money!!! I can not wait to see what I can do!

The best thing that I have discovered while researching money saving tips is how to save on DIAPERS!! We use fuzzibunz cloth diapers here at home, but we still buy disposable for overnight and when we leave our house. I think we save on average about 3 diapers a day which is about 90 diapers a month. That is almost a box of diapers that I would buy at Target for $20.00 WITH coupons. UNTILL NOW!!! I signed up for Amazon Moms at amazon.com/baby I get free 2 day shipping right to my house...yes I do NOT have to drag 2 boyzz, sometimes 3boyzzz out in the freezing cold NH weather to buy a box of diapers!

Amazon sells a package of 152 Pamper Swaddlers Size 2-3 for regular price 46.99. Because I am an Amazon Mom member I get a discounted price of $41.99 and free 2 day shipping....already it is better then T because I would have to spend $50.00 to get free shipping from them. Ok now let's talk about what happens if you subscribe to have your diapers sent to you every month, or every 2 months....your price now goes down 30% $29.39 is what you will be spending. Oh did I mention that as soon as you see your diapers have been shipped you can cancel your subscription!!

$29.39 is a really great price for 152 Pamper Swaddlers!!!!! BUT the savings does not need to stop there!!! Amazon puts out 20% off coupons in magazines. American Baby click here to request your magazines (which is FREE) Parents, and others...just keep your eyes open...you can also use 2 coupons on ONE order! I just used 2 that expire next week on one box and my total price for 152 diapers was......................................................$12.59 HOW EXCITING!!!! I may have done a little dance :o)

I hope that this helps some of you save on diapers!!!

Do you have any savings tips and tricks you can share?

Till next time......

-Kylah

Wintery Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-12T12:59:00.000-05:00

A Little Late But Here is a Christmas Hello.....

2011-01-10T00:18:00.000-05:00

It has been TOO long!!!!

Wow can you believe we are in 2011?!? AMAZING!

Our holiday was so wonderful! It lasted an entire week...it was AWESOME! Zakary spent Christmas at his Mom's house this year while Zain, Zayden, Chris, and I passed out gifts at the nursing home. It was such a great day! We love being able to teach Zain at such a young age that Christmas is not only about toys. He really enjoyed giving to all the Alzheimer's patients.

Zak came later in the week and we had a great Christmas of our own. Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, coffee, and presents!

I remember the butterflies in my stomach that I would get the night before Christmas when I was younger, the sleepless Christmas Eve night because I was just SO EXCITED! The mounds of gifts to tear open in the morning, the feeling of being the luckiest girl ever! Man, Christmas was the BEST when I was little...then I grew up and had my own kids and NOW Christmas is EVEN BETTER!

Watching the excitement in the boyZZZ eyes jumping up and down and not being able to control their screams. The thank you's that are repeated over and over all day! Then we have the smiles for weeks on end because of their new toys. It has been 2 weeks and Zain keeps telling us how important his toys are because they were Christmas presents! It is GREAT!

I promise it won't be so long till we chat again!

~K

Wordless Wednesday Holiday Style

2010-12-08T07:45:00.001-05:00

Happy Baby!

2010-10-30T00:41:00.001-04:00

We are so lucky AGAIN with our little Zayden!

He is 11 weeks old and such a HAPPY baby!

He loves his tubby time so much. He are a "few" pictures I captured after his tub the other night.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T08:24:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I grabbed my camera, called a friend, and headed to the park....too bad my battery for my camera died just minutes into being there.....I was able to get a couple of good shots though.....

Have a Wonderful Wordless Wednesday!

Friends, Help us find our photo.....

2010-10-15T02:05:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, while Zakary was here, we did another round of family photos! Yes I am a little addicted to pictures, and the best are with all 5 of us! I decided to try and do the pictures myself this time...I grabbed my tripod that Chris gave me last year and told everyone to smile. It is NOT easy to get an 8 year old, 3 year old, newborn, and a mama that is running back n forth to smile at the same time!!!! Also Zayden's hat is a little bit too big so it kept covering his eyes...GRRRRR

Despite us not getting "the perfect picture" we still had fun (with a little chocolate bribing!)

The boyZZ thought it was "so cool" that the camera was taking the picture without anyone behind it.

Towards the end I could tell that Zak and Zayden were starting to get restless...I don't want them to hate taking pictures....seeing as though I LOVE it...so I we stopped and they started throwing leaves, having an awesome time.

So to all my new friends....please help me pick the best one :o) I will let you all know what photo has the most votes :o)

picture 1

picture 2

picture 3

picture 4

picture 5

picture 6

picture 7

picture 8

Thank you so much for helping me pick the best one. I played a little in iphoto with effects and vignettes .

I really want to get photoshop and really learn how to use it. I downloaded a free version and I am soooo lost! Anyone have any suggestions?

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC FUN FILLED FRIDAY!!!!

Beauty of Fall

2010-10-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

As much as I hate to see summer leave us....the beauty of fall is very stunning!

10/10/10

2010-10-11T08:04:00.000-04:00

10 10 10 Perfect Score!!!! A great NH Fall Day

We know we have a perfect score with these 3!

Zain is just not into taking a lot of pictures these days...so a little bribing went on...those new candy corn Hersey Kisses do amazing things!

The picture of Zain alone was actually 1 of 30....his smile kept looking so fake and he was not looking at me. I decided to take a different approach...I started throwing leaves at him and this is what I got. I am so happy with ALL the pictures :o)

I am really having fun taking pictures...so far Zayden is the only one not complaining haha....

Wordless Wednesday-the looks

2010-10-06T00:22:00.001-04:00

Monday Night Football!

2010-10-05T14:43:00.003-04:00

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL....with the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS makes a very very happy Marro/Lent household!

What's for dinner with Monday Night Football??? MUNCHIES of course!!!!

NACHOS!!!!!!!

Need a quick dinner for your family? Why not have nachos? Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start off by cooking your hamburg or ground turkey on stovetop and then adding some taco seasoning. Grab a can of black beans and throw those in too...it makes for some great texture! Lay out your tortilla chips out on a baking sheet. Top your chips with your yummy meat and beans. What is Nacho's without cheese? Add as much or as little as you want. Throw them in oven till you are all melted! Add some jalapeno peppers if you like the HEAT. I always have some salsa, sour cream and GUACAMOLE!!! YUMMMMM

We also had some WINGS!!!!

Wings are a great GAME NIGHT food! Make a big batch of wings and a bunch of different sauces to toss them in and EVERYONE is happy. Zain and I love our wings with ~~some~~ BBQ sauce and Chris loves them HOT. He decided to just buy some bottled sauce instead of making his own to save on time...He got Franks RedHot Wings Buffalo sauce...he didn't really like it though :o( It was not hot at all. I tried one and I liked them so they were definitely NOT hot. Do any of you have a favorite buffalo sauce?

Chris cut up the fresh wings and put them in the fryer for about 10 minutes each batch. We blew a fuse the first time....LIGHTS OUT pitch black dark.

After the were done in the fryer he tossed them in a big bowl with the sauce....YUMM YUMM YUMM Zain's face was covered with yummy BBQ sauce.

We had to have something SWEET as well!!!! So I made some peanut butter cupcakes!

These were so YUMMY!!! So easy too

1 box of yellow cake (I used a sugar free one)

1 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup oil

3 eggs

3/4 c creamy peanut butter

Preheat over 350 degrees

Mix all of the above in your trusty mixer for about 3 minutes (or use your handheld mixer)

Line muffin pan, fill about 3/4 of the way

Bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

For the frosting I bought some chocolate frosting and mixed in 1/4 c peanut butter. This was the first time I piped on the frosting and I was very happy with the way it came out! I will need a bigger frosting tip but for now WAHOO!!!! I also sprinkled some chopped peanuts on top....made it PERFECT!

I found these in the Halloween Betty Crocker magazine!

A great way to finish the night was with a HUGE WIN! That made us all very happy!

Sunday Night Play Date

2010-10-04T08:44:00.000-04:00

Play dates are a great way for kids to get together! I love being able to get Zain together with his friends!
Watching them interact with each other is AWESOME! Listening to their stories and letting their imagination R U N is so fun to watch!

Zain and Jolie have been friends since Zain was born :o) Jo is 8 months older.....I actually found out I was pregnant for Zain days before Jo was born.

I brought my camera to practice capturing memories in a new way, BUT I was so disappointed! I must have had my camera on a wrong setting because they were coming out very blurry. The sun was going down and my flash kept going off....My flash must be so bright because all the kids usually look like an adult on a Friday night ;o) Eyes half open...I can't figure it out.....I have to KEEP PRACTICING!!!!

Zayden hung out in the Baby Bjorn while we were at the park. I just LOVE that thing!!! I am so excited that Jolie's mom Avril (a GREAT friend of mine) is having another baby and the 2 new ones will be about 5 months apart! That just makes me smile!

The kids had so much FUN! Chris and I LOVE going to Wheelock Park! The kids had a great time running around, climbing, jumping, and sliding! In the bigger picture with the 2 of them they are pretending to be on Dancing with the Stars. I was laughing so hard!

We stopped at Dunkin Donuts before heading to the park for a HOT CHOCOLATE! They really seemed to enjoy it! They told Chris and I they were drinking coffee....such grown ups!

After our fun evening at the park we decided to continue their play date so out for pizza we went!!!

We always have such a great time playing with friends!

Transformation

2010-09-23T00:00:00.004-04:00

Nothing says the start of fall like going apple picking with my family! This year we were lucky to have friends join us!!! We have been going to Alyson's Orchard in Walpole, NH for the past years...it is so beautiful up there.

We had tons of fun picking apples, climbing trees, and walking through the pumpkin patch.

JUICY apples

Madison loved her apples!!! She got very upset when she was "appleless"

Zain is so good with her!!

I wonder...What is she thinking?

Enjoying the deep colors of fall.

There is nothing like the start of fall like the scent of apples baking in the oven...apple pie, apple crisp, apple crostata...want to make this? Go Bake and Create with my great friend Avril OR my new personal favorite Apple Dumplings..OH MY I can not believe I have never had these before. YUM YUM and YUMMMMYYYYY!!!!

So how does this transformation start? Well, as Zain says, "let me show ya"

Ingredients

1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie (I used store bought Pillsbury dough)
6 large apples, peeled and cored
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups water
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F Butter a 9x13 inch pan

On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a large rectangle, about 24 by 16 inches. Cut into 6 square pieces. Place an apple on each pastry square with the cored opening facing upward. Cut butter into 8 pieces. Place 1 piece of butter in the opening of each apple; reserve remaining butter for sauce. Divide brown sugar between apples, poking some inside each cored opening and the rest around the base of each apple. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples.

With slightly wet fingertips, bring one corner of pastry square up to the top of the apple, then bring the opposite corner to the top and press together. Bring up the two remaining corners, and seal. Slightly pinch the dough at the sides to completely seal in the apple. Repeat with the remaining apples. Place in prepared baking dish.

In a saucepan, combine water, white sugar, vanilla extract and reserved butter. Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour over dumplings.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes.

Right out of the oven...

I can not believe I just transformed a wonderful healthy apple into this SINfully yummy OH so BAD for you treat! I shouldn't eat anymore but it is calling my name!!!!

What is YOUR favorite apple transformation? I'd LOVE to know because I want to take Zak apple picking while he is here this weekend....use MR. Linky at the bottom of the post to share :o)

I hope you all have a wonderful Fall season and take some time to transform something ;o)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-22T14:48:00.001-04:00

This photo is over 20 years old......me and my siblings at my grandmothers house.

The Eye of a Photographer

2010-09-18T10:31:00.002-04:00

Photography is the process, activity, and art of capturing moments close to our heart that we never want to forget.

A friend of mine has the "Eye of a Photographer" She has been taking pictures of my family for the past few months....her gift is truly amazing! She is able to capture moments that make my heart melt when I look through the photos

She has inspired me to look at things very differently when I pick up my camera. The best photos are NOT always the ones that have been posed.....

or have the biggest smiles.....

She has showed me that you can play with different angles and lighting...

Also faces are not the only subject...

I have always love the art of photography and was lucky enough to get a GREAT Sony digital camera years ago....Unfortunately I have never learned how to use it to its fullest potential. After having a wonderful conversation with my friend I decided to run off to Borders and purchase the book Digital SLR Camera and Photography for Dummies. I can't wait to learn all about my camera!!!! Watch out for some "play photos"!!! (I have GREAT subjects!) If any of you wonderful readers have any tips please feel free to SHARE!!!!

All photos in this post were taken by Kristen Lenox

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T09:25:00.000-04:00

Z3 is HERE!!!!

2010-09-03T20:59:00.000-04:00

Here I am at about 6am on Friday the 13th! Look at that BABY B E L L Y!! The contractions started on Thursday night around 10:30...they were nothing really at all but it got me excited all the same! I did the dishes, I got the kids breakfast and lunch out for the next day, I made sure their bags were packed, I made sure MY bag was packed, I rearranged the diaper bag for the 5th time, and I called my mom. My mom lives 45 minutes from me so we kept going back and forth on the phone...should she come or was this not really it? She told me to time them and call her back in an hour. They were very irregular...5 min...8 min....12 min...3 min. They were getting a little stronger by midnight and she said she was just coming...She would much rather be here for nothing then miss everything. I also called my friend Jo to tell her what was going on because she was kind enough to come to my house when we went to the hospital so we wouldn't have to wake the boyZZ. Chris was writing my contraction times down...every time I said YUP he knew I was having another one.....I don't think he REALLY thought this was going to happen.

At 1am my mom pulled in with my 2 sisters as I got out of the shower. Of course while I was in the shower I felt NOTHING...I started to feel bad that they drove all the way here...then they started again. I knew we were about to have a L O N G day ahead of us so I decided to go get some sleep, but before I did that I grabbed a poem that was given to me while pregnant for Zain I would love to share it with each of you

These Last Few Hours….

It is important to me

that I spend a part

of the next few hours here

alone with you in the darkness.

You and I

will never be this close again.

By morning

you will be a tiny person

all your own.

No longer the kicking demanding

bulge in my body

that I have grown to love so well.

I pray God will safely guide you

on your journey tonight

and I ask him for the strength

to help you all I can.

Again you signal

your impatience to be free.

Time to wake your Daddy!

I LOVE this poem!!!! I always give it to my friends who are expecting! :o)

So sleeping worked on and off till about 4am. I woke Chris up and he started timing them again....he didn't say one word, just got up got dressed and said call the clinic we are going to leave soon. We had a bagel (between contractions) let the dogs out, called JoAnn and told my mom and sisters we would call if this was really it. We finally left the house around 5:30...I was in a little bit of pain now....

When we got there they hooked me up to the monitors and then a wonderful midwife, Jessica, examined me. almost 5cm! WAHOO 5 to go. She told me to walk around the building do some stairs, and maybe a few squats for about an hour then report back by 7.

Squats and stairs I don't think so...I was really in pain at this point...I said labor is the stupidest thing ever! :o) I called my mom and told her this was it and please HURRY to the hospital...needed a WOMAN'S support. LOL Chris was WONDERFUL!!!! I just needed someone who knew what I was feeling! What am I talking about I just needed MY MOTHER!!!!!!!!!!

Chris suggested we walk outside for a little while but I had to keep stopping because the contractions were getting harder and harder. I was getting a little bit verbal with each one ;o) not mean...just thinking that this was so very stupid....My mom met us outside before we headed back to the labor and delivery room. When we got back they told us to order breakfast (ya ok I am not in the mood!) I kept running into the bathroom with each contraction, ugh, I hate it when people see me in pain. My WONDERFUL doula arrived moments after we got back into the room.

What is a doula you ask? http://www.dona.org/mothers/index.php explains it perfectly!

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

A Birth Doula

Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
Stays with the woman throughout the labor
Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level

My doula, who I can now call a friend, was wonderful during my labor. She arrived about 45 minutes before Zayden made his quick entrance into the world. She did things for me that I didn't even know I wanted....I will forever be grateful!

I asked to labor in the tub so at about 7:30 they let me get it...I was 7 cm at this point. I had a few contractions in the tub and then all of a sudden at 7:44ish I felt the need PUSH and there was no stopping it...I have never seen so many people run into a room. They all got me out of the tub and I started pushing....Chris was ready to deliver this baby! I pushed 2 times...next thing I know......

ZAYDEN CHANDLER LENT
6lbs 3 oz
18 1/2 inches
7:48am August 13, 2010

We are so in LOVE all over again!

He just plopped out! Chris keeps telling me how amazing it was. He couldn't believe how quickly I did it (neither could I)

My labor was amazing! I had an easy time with Zain but this was even better! I couldn't believe it! I was mentally prepared to be in labor for hours and hours...pushing and pushing. How grateful am I that DIDN'T happen! I have to thank my MOM for this!!!! She had all her babies very quickly...thank you for passing this gene on to me :o)

Being with Zayden minutes after he was born will forever be remembered. My favorite memory is seeing Chris look down at us with tears in his eyes....I love this man so much! Thank you for giving me a wonderful family!

Zakary and Zain LOVE him so much!!! Zak kept saying "HE IS SOO CUTE" He later told my mom that he almost cried when he saw him...and he didn't know why....that made ME cry! So awesome! Since being home all Zak wants to do is hold and kiss him....He loves him so much! It broke my heart the other day when Zak had to go back to his mother's for the new school year.

The hospital plays a lullaby for each child born and it is played throughout the entire hospital and parking lot. The nurse was nice enough to ask my family if WE wanted to press the button. Zak and Zain did the honors...I thought that was the coolest thing ever!

The boyZZ then pushed Zayden back to our room. I knew they would be wonderful big brothers....I just didn't know it was going to happen so quickly!

3 weeks has past since Zayden was born and I have so many pictures and stories to share with you. Having Z3 with us makes our new family of FIVE complete!

I have so much LOVE for my BoyZZZ!!!!!

Dinner Leftovers + Mom's Garden Veggies

2010-08-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

Equals a YUMMY lunch!

My mom has a wonderful garden with lots of YUMMY FRESH veggies! I love that she is willing to share with everyone! She brought these beautiful cukes, green peppers, zucchini, squash, and tomatoes over the other day...Oh boy what is Chris going to make (because we all know I am not making anything)

Well we had so yummy steak the other night for dinner..neither of us could finish up our piece so lunch the next day was YUMMY!!!!

What to do when you have steak fresh veggies and EGGS (oh I have 2 and a half dozen in my fridge...WHY?!?) You make omelets! OR have Chris make OMELETS! I helped....I cut the green peppers and got everything out for him while he jumped on the "jumpoline" with the boyZ

So I have no idea how many eggs he used for each of the omelets...want me to ask? Chris, CHris, CHRIS!!!!! Shucks he has his headphones on at the moment...looks like he is making me a playlist for LABOR!!!! Bring it on

He is such an artist with his knife!

When Chris was in the process of making the omelet in his fry pan I was making lunch for the boyZ...I did see him flip it up in the air and catch it in the pan.....Can I just tell you that when he does this to MY omelet it makes my heart stop BECAUSE I am so afraid it is going to fall on the floor....Geez I need to have a little more faith...in the last 5 and a half years he has never dropped mine!

Look at this YUMM omelet! Chris topped it off with some salsa and sour cream. Double YUM! It was so good! It def filled me right up!

Well off to talk to Baby Z3. He really needs to come out on Friday the 13th! (TODAY IS MY DUE DATE)

Have a great day!

~K

I Love My Blue Sausages!

2010-08-11T23:23:00.000-04:00

My facebook post on Tuesday:

Anyone want to come over and paint my toes this afternoon? I can't reach :o(

I am very lucky to have such great friends and family! Today my friend Kirsten came over to drop off some Stampin Up catalogs for me and she also brought me some WONDERFUL nail polish! Marine Scene from Sally Hanson...It is a really cool shade of blue which is very appropriate (did I seriously spell that right the first time?) seeing as though Baby Boy Z3 is expecting to join us ANY DAY!!!! Kirsten even offered to stay at my C R A Z Y house and paint my toes for me! Her kids were all prepared to entertain Zak and Zain...SO SWEET!!! Chris's sister, Shana, was already on her way over to do my toes. People...you should have seen then before she worked her magic...G R O S S!!!! She made them look all nice and pretty so when my feet are in my face as I push out my new baby boy I won't be so grossed out!

Look at my cute chubby swollen sausages now! The boyZ keep telling me how much they just LOVE the color. They are awesome!!!!

Thank you so much to Kirsten for the great color choice, and to Shana for coming over to pedi me!!!! (I have actually been VERY lucky, this is the 3rd time I have gotten my toes painted while I have been preggo! Dawn, Chris's other sister, did it the first time. My sister Leigha did it last time out by the pool....thank you to the 2 of you as well!)

The boyZ were very happy to have their little cousin Xavier aka X-Man come over for a little play date while Shana worked her magic! I can't believe how quickly X-Man is growing. I think Zain doesn't realize that he is a big boy now...he kept saying "do you want to play with the baby toys?" Too funny! I took a few pictures of X-Man and this was my favorite!

I hope you all have a great day!

~K

(1 cm dilated, 9 to go! hear the sarcasm haha)

I sew...I so don't

2010-08-06T16:58:00.000-04:00

Zain is amazed at how fast this was going.

I CAN'T SEW, but sometimes I like to pretend I know how. My mom ~~gave~~ let me use her sewing machine earlier this spring when I attempted to make a bag (I did it, looks great, and I use it!) well I still have her machine in my stamp room. Sooooo I decided to make some burp cloths like my friend Chelly made for me when I was pregnant with Zain. I love the size of these burp cloths, and they are a nice thick absorbent flannel....PERFECT for lots and lots of spit up!

These are SO EASY! I would like to thank Chelly for showing me how she made them, AND for the new pile she made for Baby Z3.

Here is how I did it!!!!

First you want to cut your FLANNEL material. I just got 1/2 a yard of each pattern the boyZZ and I picked out. That made one burp cloth. I should not have even cut it because of the amount I sewed around but whatever :o) If you get more then 1/2 a yard or you really need measurements then cut 2 pieces at 18"x22" QUICK TIP: Remember to make it a little easier for you keep the fold, then when you start to sew you will only have to sew 3 sides instead of 4 ;o)

I then took the material over the the sewing machine, which I brought into the living room, set it on the boyZZ spiderman table so I could catch up on some GH!

Having my material inside out (pattern sides NOT visual) I stitched a 1/2 inch seam around the 3 sides (did not have to stitch the fold) and left about 4 inches open so I could return my material right side out. (this really reminds me of the pillows I made in 8th grade...all except I am not stuffing these) Chelly told me before I turn my material right side out to clip the corners a little to make a sharp corner when finished...well I forgot to do this every single time and mine still look great :o)

After turning my material right side out I added a quick stitch around the entire burp cloth...all 4 sides. You can iron the burp cloth before this step so it is nice and criap before you start sewing, my iron was A L L the way upstairs so I just started sewing... ;o) I am so lazy sometimes.... After I was done with the hem around all 4 sides all I did was cut any extra threads that were hanging around.

Guess what WASH and then you are ready to wipe up some spit up!!!!

All DONE!

These are the burp cloths Chelly made for me! LOVE THEM!

Most burp cloths that you buy at the store are so little and it does not even start to cover any of my shirts (also costs so much for 3) so I am thrilled with the size of these AND I just LOVE the skull material we found! Shop around and make sure to check out the clearance section of your favorite material store.

I really would love to sew more. It is so rewarding! Please share with me any tips you may have or other projects to try. Any sites that have helped you when you first started? Anything.... Thank you so much in advanced...as always I LOVE hearing from you!

Slice of YUMMINESS!!!!

2010-08-05T00:00:00.002-04:00

How YUMMY does this pizza look....ahh let me just tell you it was AWESOME! As you know I am not a big fan of making dinner UNLESS it is something UBBERLY YUMMY! I saw this recipe while blog surfing the other night and I knew right away this was going to quickly become a family favorite! Our 2 favorite things BBQ sauce and PIZZA combined into ONE!!!! YUM!

One reason I am not a big fan of cooking dinner is because I dislike the amount of time some dishes can take. Well friends this one takes NO time at all and the kids helped make the dough...oh ya I made the pizza dough too (thanks to Avril who gave me a little extra yeast the other day!) It took me about 35-40 min from start to finish and I was able to do a few things other then cook during this time.

I didn't get any pictures of the dough making process because I was not planning on making this a blog post but as I got thinking about it I thought WHY NOT this is going to be tasty!!!! I need to share with my friends!

So you want to know how we did this? OK then I will direct you to the blog I found it on...she is an amazing artist and has incredible photos of every step....
BBQ Chicken Pizza

Dough

1 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2+ cups flour

Mix yeast in with warm water in bowl stir in oil and sugar. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. I had to use about 2 1/4 c of flour. I used my paddle in my Kitchenaid Mixer (love that thing!) till combined. Let rest about 5 minutes. Honestly mine was about 10 minutes because my company was leaving.

I then stretched my dough onto a greased/floured cookie sheet. I baked a 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. During this time I shredded a rotisserie chicken that I picked up from the grocery store. I got a day old cold chicken for 3 bucks....wahoo! Using the rest for chicken salad YUMMMMMMMM

Dough after being baked at 350 degrees for 10 min.

BEEP BEEP BEEP dough is DONE! Now it's time for the good stuff BBQ SAUCE!!! Slab on as much as you want...I did!

Oh how I LOVE BBQ sauce

add some shredded chicken

Added my chicken....as much as your family will enjoy. I also added some minced onions because I didn't have any fresh....Zain really wanted some mushrooms but again I didn't have any. I also added a little black pepper.

Now add some yummy cheese. I used MOZ oh so good....put back into oven at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. I made my crust pretty thick (the more dough the better for me) so it took about the full 18 minutes and if I wanted it crispy (love a soft crust) then def would have had to cook it longer...it's all up to how you like it.

During baking time I did the dishes and helped the boyZ clean up their playroom. Not much to set the table tonight because we just used some paper plates seeing as though I wanted a quick clean up so we could go to Family Night at the KPD (Keene Police Dept)

Add some cheese of your choice MOZ for me!!!!

Do your dishes while it bakes

Try to wait for it to cool.

{BEEP BEEP BEEP} DINNER IS READY MOM???????? Yes Zain but it is RIPPIN hot we have to wait a few minutes. That was the HARDEST part because it smelled so YUMMY!!!!

We really really enjoyed this dinner and I would like to thank Alisa Burke for taking time to share this with everyone! I bet Chris would have been proud of this Mama!!!! I even left him a piece to try...I wonder if he will????

This blog post took more time then it did for me to make this pizza!

Have a WONDERFUL day!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T00:00:00.001-04:00

FAMILY FUN NIGHT ROCKIN' MARRO/LENT STYLE!!!!! Thank you Keene Police Dept!!!!

The Good and the Not So Good

2010-07-30T01:37:00.000-04:00

Tuesday

Talking with Coach Dave

These are the bracelets Zain gave Coach Dave, and Coach Adam

Soccer Camp continues! I am still having FUN watching Zain out on the soccer field after 4 straight days. Four mornings of making sure we are all up, breakfast made and swallowed, dressed, bags packed, Gatorade chilled, sunscreen, hats, and project of the day...WHEW

My goal on Monday was to have him out on the field without me by Friday...WELL he did it with Zakary on Tuesday!!! I was so excited! He lasted till about 10 and I was thrilled with that. He came home and had a 3 hour nap after lunch. We had such a great day!!

Day 3 Wednesday didn't go as well at all! My friend JoAnn, Gramma Jo, came to watch Zain and he did not want anything to do with soccer AT ALL! He wanted to be with Jo and her granddaughter Madison. I will admit I was a bit embarrassed! Zain sat on my lap and ate his snack instead of playing on Wednesday. There were some tears too....I wanted to cry as well...my patience, unfortunately, has been missing the past few days....blaming this waiting game I am playing. We got through it though and I learned that somedays are just better then others.

After having such a hard day on Wednesday I was not looking forward to Thursday....Chris had to work early so that meant I would be there alone with the boyZ...no biggie at all it is just a little easier to have some support when he does not want to do it.

To my surprise Thursday was AWESOME!!! He was so good and really enjoyed it! I sat in my chair the entire time, sipped my water while I watched....NOT playing. He only came over a few times to get a drink and he played in ALL the games. It appeared as though he was understanding what Coach Dave was asking him to do....today totally ROCKED! As I was sitting there watching my baby play soccer my mind wandered to the day he was born. My little baby boy is now a toddler with a strong mind of his OWN!!!! WOW!!!! Where has time gone. I am so happy I am able to be there for these memories!

So everyday this week the parents, I mean kids had to do a project (ya right my kid is 3, the sun is out till 8pm, he wants to be OUTSIDE running around!) Thursday was make a bracelet for your coach day. Well people I am ONE OF THOSE PARENTS!!!! I went to the store to buy some really cool things to make the coached a ROCKING bracelet from ZAIN!!! They didn't take much time at all BUT he didn't really help. I'm the parent that did the project FOR HIM...eeekkksss He was in bed by the time I finally got the stuff together. I should have involved him more, but I didn't OH WELL! HE was still proud that these were from him! Oh and can I tell you when the coaches said WOW look at these fancy ones....yup I smiled ;o)

Coaches and their bracelets!

Tomorrow is the last day FLAG DAY!....I think I will be sad next week when we don't have to go....BUT no running around each morning and a little sleep in time WILL be nice as well!

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

~K

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T00:02:00.000-04:00

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!!!!!

Every Wednesday I will be posting a photo, or series of photos for your enjoyment.

Please feel free to add a caption in the comments! Can't wait to see what you say!

Have a ROCKING Wednesday!!!!

YUMMY MESSY SUMMER NIGHTS

2010-07-27T14:35:00.000-04:00

I LOVE nights that Chris is home for a number of reasons....one that tops the list is that he makes dinner! I HATE cooking dinner, such a PIA if you ask me. Chris is the chef in this house, and thank goodness for that! One of our FAVORITE go to summer meals is good ole BBQ chicken! OH YUMMY and OH MESSY! He serves whatever we have on hand...usually rice and a veggie. Last night we had cauliflower and cheesy broccoli rice....whole meal done 40 minutes...even better. 20 min of which was just parboiling the chicken so it does not take so long on the grill. He slabs on the BBQ sauce in the last few minutes of sizzling on the grill. Favorite BBQ sauce is Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue.

After dinner the boyZ begged for a fire and a little marshmallow roasting. YAH mama wants a marshmallow!!! Chris does mine while I sit back and choke on the smoke, I mean enjoy the fire. So good, toasted so brown on the outside and sticky sweet on the inside. Zain likes his "raw" as he calls it and Zakary just started to like marshmallows last year.

Nights like this are one of my favorites! Everything seems so much simpler in the summer! Don't you think? What is your favorite carefree family summer activity? My list includes outdoor dinners like last night, full days at ANY body of water, bike rides (so much easier when I am not pregnant), walks, and ICE CREAM :o) I can't wait to read yours!

Enjoy your summer, make memories!

~K

3 Year Old, Soccer Camp, 9 Month Preggo Mommy!

2010-07-26T14:40:00.000-04:00

I LOVE soccer! My dad signed me up at the early age of 3 (you MUST understand...soccer is my dad's passion! HE STILL plays to this day!) he coached me, my 2 sisters Leigha, Hannah, and my brother Bud until we moved up from Midgets to PeeWees. I remember getting ready in my GREEN LIONS soccer shirt every Friday night and Saturday morning, putting my shinguards on and my HUGE soccer socks. I thought I was the coolest! Granted I didn't always play soccer out on the field, sometimes I would pick flowers, do cartwheels, or complain to my dad that I wanted to go home....BUT looking back now I am so happy I was able to start so young! I played soccer all through high school...I wish that I played rec in college but never found the time to make a game....

In this photo I was about 7 and my sister Leigha is 4...gotta LOVE my shorts LOL!!!!!

When we found out we were having a son almost 4 years ago I was so excited to someday become a soccer MOM!!! Friends, TODAY was the DAY!!!! (yes Zakary does play soccer as well, but he plays in NY where his mom lives so we can't always go to all the practices, games, and camps. Let me tell you when we do go I am right there with my camera and my GO ZAK LENT shirt that I have made for the whole family LOL) Zain got dressed this morning in his white ADIDAS soccer short, black shirt, shinguards (that go to his knees, LOVE IT) with his black and white HUGE soccer socks....I was wrong years ago...I was not the coolest ZAIN IS!!!!

Mr Zain arrived Soccer Camp this morning, 8:30 sharp.....I knew that he would not go right out on the field and just start playing....it just does not happen like that. I am aware of this...I did not freak, my child won't be the only one (and he wasn't all the other 3 year olds wanted their parent as well PHEW!)...... Zain is a bit of a Mamma's boy (when I am around) SOOOOOOO in order to get him to go out there I had to go too....not Dad, nope he wanted his 9 month preggo mamma to run around and kick the soccer ball with him. I have to be honest I LOVED it....but would have loved it much more if I was not pregnant!!! OMGoodness I must have looked like a fool out there HAHA!!!!

He did a pretty good job considering that the coaches changed a few things in the program. Originally it was for 3 and 4 year olds from 9-9:45. Today they told us they combined 2 groups, so now we have 3-6 year olds and the time will run from 9-11 at no additional cost. GREAT, if my child was 6, but not so much for a 3 year old!!!! He did really well the first 40ish minutes (with me right there...it's normal right??? please say yes...but I won't be upset if you say no) We decided to leave at 10....other parents had the same idea as well. I do not ever want to force my children to do a sport or rec activity...he said he was done, he was on the verge of a meltdown so we left before any of that happened. We will go back tomorrow and see how the morning goes. I am HOPING , crossing finger, toes, cankles, legs, arms, you name it he will participate by himself by the end of the week.

Tomorrow is make a smoothie for your coach day...I thought they were kidding but they were serious....hmmmm we just went blueberry picking, add some milk, vanilla soy, and ice...sounds good to me...maybe I will make 2 ;o)

Till next time!!!

Getting things DONE!

2010-07-25T07:41:00.000-04:00

HI Friends!!!!

Yesterday was such a productive day! Chris and I were getting things DONE for the arrival of Baby Z! It was so HUMID here in NH, but that did not stop us! We spent all day in the 3 bedrooms upstairs can you say heat central! We do have AC but I thought it would be nice to have some fresh air coming in....what a bad idea......

So what did we do???? Well all laundry is folded and put away...whew what a relief! I HATE putting laundry away!!!!! I don't mind putting it in the washer, switching it over to the dryer...and MY FAVORITE part is taking out the fresh warm laundry out and I just will sit there and smell it...ahh my favorite scent in the world!!!! I really don't even mind folding it..as I watch GH (LOL)...it's just the putting in the drawers and hanging it in the closet part that I despise. My "dirty laundry" secret is I have CLEAN laundry in baskets in my room that takes me FOREVER to put away...oh well could be worse! For now all laundry is put away and there are NO laundry baskets in my room...it looks WONDERFUL! I should take a picture to remember what it looks like so I can always keep it like this!

Chris put the bassinet back together after my mom washed it all up for us last weekend....with Dreft and the hose LOL!!!! He also put all the new knobs on the dresser in Baby Z's room. Thankfully he did all the running up and down the stairs for me too. Ever since I found out I was pregnant back in December I ALWAYS find myself out of breath while walking up the stairs, even more so now that I am NINE months pregnant. CHRISSSSSSS can you bring the paper towels and purple MR CLEAN??? CHRISSSSS can you please grab the load of laundry in the dryer? CHRISSSSSS, CHRISSSSSSS, CHRISSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! Ya he must have been happy to go to work at 4!

The boyZ messed their room about 4 times throughout the day, but it's ok seeing as though they have limited amount of toys in their now....GOTTA LOVE THE NEW TOY ROOM!!!!!! They were having a stuffed animal fight, Chris told them that someone always ends up hurt in pillow fights so they made up their own game. Love those boyZ!

Oh I also started to pack my bag for the hospital...which included charging my 2 camera batteries!!!!!! I hate it when they are dead...

After an entire day of cleaning and sweating I decided to take the boyZ to my moms for a little pool time. We went out for a little ice cream treat, and then back in the pool for a night time swim (MY FAVORITE). We had a great day, work and PLAY! The 3 of us stayed at my moms for the night seeing as though we have 2 birthday parties to attend and it would be very silly to drive back and forth.....

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Sunday!!!!

Kylah MOM

Welcome to my Rockin Home!!!

2010-07-19T22:42:00.000-04:00

Hi New Friends!

Welcome to the Marro-Lent home! My name is Kylah, I am MOM, I decided to start this blog to discuss life in our ROCKIN home!!!! Let me start by introducing us all.

Chris: DAD....chef at a local Bar and Grill. Heavy Metal music is one of Chris's passions and he is definitely passing this on to the boyZ!!! One of his ALL TIME favorite bands in KISS!!! the boyZ also LOVE KISS!

Kylah: MOM....I work with a 99 year old Alzheimer's patient and have been with her for over 6 years. She is a wonderful lady who has taught me so much! She will be 100 in Dec. I have a passion for paper crafting, I am a Stampin Up Demonstrator I love sharing new ideas and techniques!!!

Chris and I met through mutual friends in December 2004...I didn't think he was interested in me at all because he didn't ask for my phone number, but he just wanted to be "sneaky" about it. We had our first date in January and have been together ever since! He is my rock and I am so grateful we found each other.

Zakary Collyn: Bigger Brother, Z1 Zakary is Chris's oldest son from a previous relationship. Zak lives 2 hours away and we have him every other weekend, vacations, and SUMMER TIME!!!! Zak just turned 8 years old on June 13th and will be going into the 2nd grade in September. Zak is into Legos, Star Wars, bike rides, swimming, playing outside, karate, and so many other FUN activities! I am so lucky to have Zakary in my life!!!!
Zain Noah: Big Brother to be, Z2 Zain is our very active 3 year old! He is soon to be a big brother and I am not sure how he really feels about this. I know he is going to be a rocking big brother just like Zak! Zain is very active in programs at the local YMCA...at the moment he is in Pike/Eel swimming lessons.

Baby Boy Z, Z3 is due to arrive August 12th. We are all very anxious to meet him! Pregnancy is really not my all time favorite thing in the world and it has been one of the hottest summers in 8 years...SOOOO I am really ready!!! We are 37 weeks! ANY DAY NOW!!!!!

I hope you all enjoyed getting to know our family and you stop by often! We are always doing fun things at this house!!!!!