Let the Garden Growing Begin: How A Real Mom’s Budget-Friendly Garden begins!

by CasieBlog, Mom ThingsPosted on No Comments
3 raised garden beds sitting on a lawn with bags of soil

The beds have been built and ready for a while now.

The weather in Maine has decided not to cooperate! (Not really a surprise there, to be honest.)

We got our dirt yesterday! I’m excited to finally get the beds filled and get the garden started! I tried a garden probably 10 years ago, but I’m actually taking it seriously this time around.

I did a lot of research on how I wanted to layer the beds. I’m sure I could have filled them to the brim with Raised Bed Garden Soil. But let’s be real, that would get expensive QUICK.

In this economy, I’m doing my best to do things a bit cheaper where I can. It’s not exactly cutting corners—I’d consider it to be using resources wisely.

Early in the spring, I cleared a bunch of the dead leftovers from the garden out front of our front steps. It REALLY needed it and it felt good knowing the lilies would grow back in a clear spot!

I had already built my garden beds and had them sitting and waiting where I wanted them to be. So I took the cuttings and placed them at the bottom of the beds. We also had a rose bush that was so overgrown it was stuck in the siding of the house and it hadn’t flowered in the 2 years we’ve been here. So I got clippers and went to work!

Even with leather palmed gloves, the roses took their revenge.

The thorns on those suckers HURT! But I still won in the end. I used these clippings to fill the bottom of the garden beds along with the lily clippings.

This seems kinda random, but I read to add cardboard! (Plain with no printing on it.) And that it would work like a weed cloth, and will eventually break down into organic matter.

We try our best to recycle what we can, so we always have a ton of cardboard. This was a perfect way to get rid of some in an eco-friendly way! And I’m not a huge fan of weed barrier cloth—I find it only ever works OKAY (and it’s expensive).

We have a planter incorporated into our front steps that had a shrub in it for who knows how long. I was determined to rid the front steps of said shrub. I knew in time it would grow too large and the roots might crack the concrete. (The stairs are fairly old.) I fought with the damn shrub on and off for weeks, slowly getting its roots loosened from the concrete. I got her out in the rain and threw her down in triumph! I’m sorry little shrub. You were cute, but not where you were planted.

Since I wanted to add something floral and pretty, my husband took me out on Mother’s Day to get some plants! I took out quite a bit of the existing dirt and placed it in my raised beds. I figured it would be covered with new soil anyway, so I made space in the planter and repurposed the old stuff. Win-win, am I right? Anyway, I’m getting off topic.

We went to Aubuchon Hardware this weekend to get the soil. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, we figured it’s late enough in the year to get the soil and take advantage of any sales. (For those not on the East Coast, Aubuchon is partnered with Ace Hardware.) I took a long time deciding what exactly I wanted to get and what I could get for the best price. Since I managed a Garden Center at a local Lowe’s for a time, I knew I had multiple options, but it took a bit to decide what amounts of each type of soil I’d need. (I’m TERRIBLE at math.)

So after too much time thinking way too hard (while my husband and toddler were amazed by wind chimes), I went with:

  • 3 bags of Cedar Mulch
  • 6 bags of Topsoil
  • 3 bags of Organic Humus and Manure Mix
  • 3 bags of Organic Raised Bed Soil

These are the exact items I used. (The links are as close I could find online.)

https://www.hardwarestore.com/195541-miracle-gro-raised-bed-soil-15-cu-ft

https://www.hardwarestore.com/665342-scotts-lawn-care-eath-gro-top-soil-40lb

https://www.hardwarestore.com/195543-earthgro-manure-humus-1-cu-ft

https://www.hardwarestore.com/126465-cedar-valley-organics-mucd107-mulch-aromatic-natural-3-cu-ft-bag

Since I already had my base layer of clippings and cardboard, I started with the mulch. I was going to go through the woods and get more branches and organic matter, but I like the fact that cedar is a natural bug repellent. I did read it can change the pH of the soil, so I made a layer of cedar in each bed and tamped it down until it felt firm, but not compact. Then I layered on a bag of topsoil and a bag of the humus/manure mix and mixed those layers together by hand. I tried my best not to incorporate the mulch into it (which is why I did this by hand—with gloves on!). Then at the end, I topped it with a bag of the raised bed soil!

I’m going to start my seeds inside this week. I cut boxes from granola bars in half and that’s where I will plant my seeds! This way I can keep an eye on the little babies while they sprout. Once I transfer them to the garden, I’m going to put toilet paper rolls around them! This way I can keep them safer from certain bugs and slugs. Plus, it will help protect them from any birds or other critters for a while.

Am I overly ambitious? Probably. Excited? Absolutely!

I’l be back with updates once things start growing! I can’t wait to share this with my daughter and have her learn about plants and growing our own food!

Discover 8 different mom types. What kind of Mom you are? Am I?

by CasieBlog, Mom Approved, Mom ThingsPosted on No Comments
Image of multiple clip are mothers with their children doing various activities. With the words What kind of Mom are you?

Being a Mom is my greatest accomplishment in life.

There is nothing I wanted more, and nothing that will ever make me feel as full as being the mother of my daughter.

Being a Mom is an impossible task.

The expectation to be perfect, to have zero screen time, to feed our kids only organic foods—the list goes on and on. From never-ending to-do lists, to misinformation, to ever-evolving trends, the pressure to get it right and be “influencer cool” is real.

But most of us aren’t influencer cool. We cant follow every single trend—heck, I don’t even understand the meaning behind “Sigma” and I feel like the kids have been saying that for a while now! (I’m literally at the age where I don’t understand the cool hip lingo…when did I get so old?).

I feel like the most common “Mom types” I see are the Crunchy and Scrunchie moms. They dominate social media tags and are included in Instagram handles. Do I fall into one of these categories?

I suppose if I were to label myself, I’d consider myself as a Scrunchie mom.

My child is vaccinated and I wholeheartedly support vaccines. I can understand peoples fear, but the scientific information is out there, it’s available to the public for free. We have almost eradicated diseased due to the invention of vaccines.

If you’re on the fence, check out the link below from UNICEF featuring Dr. Mike. If you haven’t heard of him, Dr. Mike is an American physician who immigrated from Russia as a child—and yes, he’s also a social media personality. (He was even voted Sexiest Doctor Alive by People magazine in 2015! And 10 years later, I’ll say it’s still true.) He shares a lot of fun, informative content on YouTube and is a strong advocate for children and transparency in medicine and vaccines.

https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/doctor-mike-vaccines-lets-not-let-misinformation-win

I also use disposable diapers. I allow my child to watch some television (mostly music and nursery rhymes that we sing and dance to—but she also loves cat videos. That’s probably thanks to my inner millennial). We watch a lot of Bounce Patrol—they only fuel my dream of moving to Australia (a story for another day!).

We also do our best to get outside every day. I think it’s important to get the fresh air, enjoy nature, and learn about the world around us—including how we can protect and preserve it. We can learn about worms, birds and other various bugs. (I HATE bugs…) But we love to get dirty, play in the sprinkler, and blow bubbles into the wind.

My daughter is a year and a half old and we’re still breastfeeding. I count myself lucky to be able to breastfeed at all, and I 100% believe that fed is best. The stigma behind not breastfeeding, using formula, or breastfeeding “too long”….it’s all just noise. Honestly, breastfeeding was my biggest postpartum fear— but luckily, she latched and was ready to go as soon as she was born!

We also chose to do baby-led weaning. If you have food, you BETTER be sharing. Shes also more of a savory food kind of kid. She literally threw a piece of donut the other day in the back of the car—so I stopped and got her french fries. That’s right, donut and french fries. (But you know when the “We’ve been in the car too long and if I don’t get a snack I’m gonna scream” moment is coming…and we were moments from it!) But when we can afford it, I’ll get the organic fruit and veggies.

I had a medicated birth (kinda), but all the power to those who don’t! I had a very complicated birth, and the epidural didn’t work (the pain is REAL)! But ended up medicated in the end. (The last hour) (I’ll link my birth story once I finish writing it!)

I even co-sleep with my child. It started out as a necessity—the only way I was getting any rest was with a mattress butted up against her crib. But that turned into sharing a bed. And at a year and a half, we still do this every night. It works for us for now, and I love how close it has made her and I.*

This is just a snippet of my beliefs as a mom.

A reminder that, at the end of the day, we really aren’t all that different. That each and every one of us is doing the best we can with what we know—and that we are learning as we go. There is no manual for motherhood, we get to learn as we go and pick up the pieces as they fall.

At the end of the day, I feel like most of us fall into the Scrunchy mom category. We do the best that we can, with what we have, and the resources we have access to. We want our children to have better than we did when we were growing up.

It’s OKAY for us to have different opinions than other moms. Every child is unique. Every child Is different and needs different care. I stand by the choices I make as a parent. I love my daughter more than anything I’ve ever loved before, and I will always do anything in my power to make sure she has everything she needs, and knows she is loved beyond measure.

So, regardless of whatever Box the world tries to fit you into, regardless of how the world tries to stereotype us, scare us, or shame us—stand strong. We are mothers. We brought life into this world. We get to shape it. We get to enjoy watching our children learn and play, grow and thrive. Motherhood is a gift, don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.

Don’t let the naysayers get you down. Do your research on the world, but also follow your gut. You got this Mama, and I’m right here with you.

*Just a note that I’m not a doctor or a specialist in any way. None of this information is to be taken as advice, but is an insight as to how I go about my life and what I do with my family.

Dear Body, I see you: A love letter to my Postpartum Body.

by CasieBlog, Mom ThingsPosted on No Comments

Let’s be real, the pressure to “bounce back” after having a baby is REAL.

To lose the “baby weight”, to “exercise” to “eat right” or “diet”. I mean, celebrities bounce back to their pre-baby bodies, so why can’t I?

The number of these posts I see on social media is astounding- and honestly heartbreaking. Look at this article about how “incredible” these celeb “transformations” were. Or the article explaining how to get your body back.

Celebrities that Have Bounced Back after Having Children
5 Ways To Get Your Pre-Pregnancy Body Back

Let’s get real for a minute.

I know we all want to look and feel out best, but we grew an entire human AND an extra organ! And if you’re in the US like I am, you employer likely only allows you 6-8 weeks of maternity leave to “heal” your body. Never mind bonding with your child or get used to life as a new family.

I’m sure the majority of us don’t have a Nanny, or a Cook, or a Maid (and if you do, more power to ya – I’m jealous!). We don’t have a personal trainer or a plastic surgeon on call. We don’t have endless hours to spend at the gym, or the extra money to buy that trendy smoothie everyone is raving about.

From childhood, we’re immersed in images of the “perfect body”.

(Granted, things have come a long way since the early 2000’s when I was a kid.) It’s nice to see models out there with stretch marks, soft bellies, and even actual plus size representation. But still to this day, I don’t really see anyone who has my body shape. (Before and after giving birth). And honestly? That’s OKAY. It’s a bit frustrating, sure, but that doesn’t mean I have to look like those models to like how I look or to know I’ll look good in something I want to wear.

I used to be, 110 lbs in high school. Then my metabolism caught up with me. Right before my due date with my daughter, I hit 200 lbs. The midwives were great to measure in kilograms, but I know how to roughly estimate what that would be in lbs.

It was a scary number to me.

How could I have been so small, and now I’ve almost doubled that? I’m twice the amount of people I was. But I also remind myself, I graduated high school 15 years ago! (My reunion is coming up!) Of course my body isn’t going to be the same it was when I was 17. Just like my personality and my character and my soul, I’ve grown. I’ve changed. I’ve matured. And that’s not a bad thing!

I could spend all day stressing about what I’m going to wear, how I’m going to fit into the smaller sized jeans at the back of my closet, or count the calories I’ve eaten each day. (All things I’ve done in the past.) Or, I could realize that the size I am now (165lbs…ish? I don’t think we even own a scale) is an okay size to be.

Sure, I’d love to loose 10-15lbs. But it’s hardly even spring here in Maine. We’ve had a couple nice days, but it’s been raining just about every day here. It’s hard to drag a toddler out into the 55°F weather and expect her to enjoy her time outside.

Yeah, we could exercise inside. But I’d rather not have her using me as a jungle gym while I try to do yoga in the living room. (Having 2 dogs and 2 cats don’t help either.)

So instead, I’ll focus on what’s actually important.

Playing with my daughter.

Teaching her fun things.

Teaching her new words.

Letting her try new foods.

I’m really lucky that she wants to try everything we eat. She’s more of a savory kid then a sweet one. (Idk who she got that from, it wasn’t me or her father).

I also refuse to let her grow up mentally fighting with herself over her body. That battle is hard enough as it is with everything that’s thrown at us from outside sources.

Instead, I’ll teach her to enjoy all kinds of foods. To show her that it’s okay to have sweets, in moderation.

We’re going to have a garden this year and I want her to be involved, so she gets the satisfaction of growing her own food.

Instead of hating her body, I want her to love her body.

And for me to teach her to love her body, I am choosing to love mine.

To love the lumpy parts and the bumpy parts.

To love the stripes on my belly and the new shape of my breasts. (Breastfeeding really does a number on those puppies!).

I love my slightly crooked nose and that one eye that squints just a little more than the other. I love the way I laugh and the way I talk. I love that my body created another human! That it did the work it had to bring her into this world and in my arms.

Why should I speak so badly of the marvel I lived through?

(Even if I did loathe being pregnant, but that’s a story for another time.)

My body (for the most part) is healthy. It tells me when something is wrong or if I’m sick. It’s full of love and happiness and believes in the goodness in other people. My body is part of what makes me, me!

One of the biggest moments in my life that made me learn to love the body I have, is realizing that it’s the only one I get.

I had a friend who hated being in pictures because of how they looked. They hated their body, their smile, their laugh. One day, I saw a post on social media that said to Take the picture anyways, so future generations can remember you.

This still sticks with me.

Someday, we all leave this earth. Pictures are the only tangible proof that we were here.

If I were to be gone tomorrow, I wouldn’t want my biggest regret to be that my daughter wouldn’t remember my face.

My smile.

My crooked nose.

My slightly squinty eye.

I want her to be able to share photos someday with the people she loves. When I’m long gone from this earth and that’s all she has left. Photographs and memories. But if I waste my time, hating the body I’m in, I don’t get to be present with her. I’ll deny being in the pictures that could hold a strong moment of love. So I will choose to accept my body, as it was when I was younger, as it is today, and as it will change as I get older.

Dear Body,

Thank you for bringing me on this journey of life. For growing with me, both to adulthood and into motherhood.

Thank you for growing my child, my most precious treasure. For allowing me the privilege of bringing her into this world.

Thank you for adapting, for being ever changing. For allowing me to see, to think, to feel.

Even though our journey together hasn’t been the easiest, I thank you for toughing it out with me.

Thank you for weathering the hardest days, the heart break, and the breakdowns.

Thank you for holding me steady through growing, both physically and mentally.

Thank you for guiding me through this life, for fighting through health conditions and illness, in order for me to become who I am today, and for who I’ll be tomorrow.

I promise to honor you and appreciate you as we age. I will keep you healthy, (within my control) and do my best to take care of you through the rest of this life. I promise you accept you as you are now, and as we will be tomorrow. In time, I may want to change some things, but only to the betterment of both of us.

Love,

Casie

I hope that this speaks to you.

And that if you’re still struggling with your body, I hope you can take something from this and be a little kinder to yourself.

You deserve self love.

You deserve peace.

You deserve to be remembered in every way possible.

I promise you are worthy, no matter the season your body is in.

Things I cant live without

by CasieBlog, Mom ApprovedPosted on No Comments
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

My Stanley Quencher 😍 My biggest craving during pregnancy was things being ICE cold.

PINK cotton tshirts. I’m pretty sure I have them in every design. They’re soft and a little “oversized”, so they are super comfortable chasing baby or running errands!

Birkenstock’s. Look, I know they’re expensive. But I promise they’re worth it. I wear mine year round….yeah even if it’s snowing. (I’m a little crazy it’s FINE) But the comfort is unmatched and they last for basically forever. If you want Birkenstock’s but for a lower price, the EVA sandals are also amazing. (And Trendy ..I think…idk ask a Gen Z).

Caffeine. Any and all of it. From Red Bulls, to Monster to ice coffee. (I ONLY drink cold beverages!) I even buy drink packets to make my own energy drinks at home to save some money!

https://benable.com/Motherhood_Overloaded/things-i-can-t-live-without

Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice

by CasieBlogPosted on No Comments

Ok, I already know, everyone is going to judge me for using Boil in Bag Rice. Get your laughter out now. Get the criticism and judgement out now. I’ll wait.

Cool, got it out? Ok good! Lets be real, someday’s we just need a good set it and forget it so I can walk away and do other things and not think about part of dinner cooking. I also do NOT have the space for a rice cooker.

You know when you’ve had chicken too many times in one week and you’re just, OVER it. This recipe is perfect for those times. Its flavorful, filling, and just some thing a little different.

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 2 bags Boil in Bag Rice
  • 1 Chicken Breast(per 2 people), butterflied and cut into bite sized pieces
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1/4 Tbsp Onion Powder
  • 1/4 Tbsp Ginger
  • 2 Tbsp Flour
  • 2 Tbsp Corn Starch
  • 3Tbsp Butter
  • 2 Tbsp Veg Oil

Sauce

  • 1/3 Cup Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vin
  • 6 Shakes Fish Sauce
  • 1-2 Tbsp Minced Garlic(Measure with your soul)
  • Shake of Red Pepper Flake
  • (My daughter added oregano lol)

Instructions

  1. Make your rice (Boil in bag, or rice cooker or however you choose!)
  2. Butterfly Chicken and Cut into Bite size Pieces
  3. Put Cornstarch and Flour on a deep plate or in a bowl and add in Spices; mix it all up
  4. Coat chicken pieces in the flour/cornstarch/spices mixture
  5. Melt Butter and Oil over Medium
  6. Add your chicken and cook until golden brown, you’ll need to flip halfway through
  7. While the Chicken cooks, make your sauce
  8. Add all sauce ingredients together, I did this in a 2cup measuring cup and mixed it with a small whisk (a fork would work)
  9. Once the Chicken is cooked, move it to the edges of the pan so the middle of the pan is clear and turn the temp down to medium low
  10. Pour your sauce into the middle of the pan and let cook for a couple minutes, it should get fairly thick. If its too sweet for you, you can add half a cup of water.
  11. Mix your chicken into the sauce
  12. Servce over rice!

Thats it. Its honestly so simple, but so good! I like the fish sauce but you can leave it out!