fun – Motherhood Overloaded

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

by CasieBlog, Mom Things May 27, 2025September 16, 2025No 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!

Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice

by CasieBlog May 2, 2025September 16, 2025No 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

Make your rice (Boil in bag, or rice cooker or however you choose!)
Butterfly Chicken and Cut into Bite size Pieces
Put Cornstarch and Flour on a deep plate or in a bowl and add in Spices; mix it all up
Coat chicken pieces in the flour/cornstarch/spices mixture
Melt Butter and Oil over Medium
Add your chicken and cook until golden brown, you’ll need to flip halfway through
While the Chicken cooks, make your sauce
Add all sauce ingredients together, I did this in a 2cup measuring cup and mixed it with a small whisk (a fork would work)
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
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.
Mix your chicken into the sauce
Servce over rice!

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

Do you wanna build a Snowman?

by CasieBlog, Mom Things, Toddler Fun March 29, 2025September 16, 2025No Comments

Do you wanna build a snowman? (Are you even a parent if you aren’t singing along to Frozen in your head, while you read that sentence?)

Its the end of March, lets be real, I’m TIRED of the snow. We’ve had a couple of high 40 and even 50 degree days here in Maine. It’s a real tease when the next day we get 6+ inches of snow. That’s what happened this weekend.

But we had a beautiful sunny day last week, so my sister-in-law and I took my daughter outside to play in the snow. She’s FINALLY brave enough to walk in her boots and her snow pants! It was so exciting to see her bravely stomp through the snow (even if she did fall on her face a few times). Watching her grow and try new things or re-try things that once made her scared or anxious is one of the most amazing parts of being a mom.

My sister-in-law started to roll around a ball of snow, but come to find out, she’d never built a HUGE snowman before! I knew we had to make it happen before the snow was gone! So she rolled for a while, then I did. Then I did some shaping while she chased my daughter around the yard and we rolled up the second ball of snow. (I forgot how HEAVY snow can be, it took both of us to get it onto the bottom ball.) Then lastly, the smallest for the head.

I remembered that I had got my husband some Lego theme snowman accessories and ran down to the basement to grab them. I’m so glad I did! My husband works in the Health and Safety field, so we made the snowman into one of his co-workers. Hardhat and walkie-talkie included.

This is a fun way to wrap up winter. Seeing as by the end of the day, the snowman face had melted off. Then we got snow this past weekend. I’m ready for spring. For green, for grass, hell, I’ll even take the bugs. (I don’t like bugs) I’m tired of being inside all the time and I can’t wait for us to spend our days in the yard, going for hikes, or heading to the lake. So here is my send off to winter. Snowman included. Until we revive him next year. Bring on spring!

What did I wanna be?

by CasieBlog, Mom Things, Prompts and Musings March 28, 2025September 16, 2025No Comments

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

What did I wanna be as a grown up? When I was five, the world was actually a pretty exciting place! I’ll be honest, I don’t remember that far back. But I know as a little kid, there were so many things I wanted to be.

I wanted to be a Veterinarian! Especially one that worked on BIG animals! Elephants and Rhinos and Tigers! I could imagine myself doing surgery and saving these amazing creatures! Until I figured out that I’d have to deal with animals that were dying or have to put them down myself. Then it didn’t seem so great.

Naturally I had to think of something else cool! I wanted to be the FIRST female MLB player! Girls were just as good as things as boys were. So why shouldn’t I be able to play a sport with them? We know that there’re still no female players in “mens” leagues, and unfortunately any chance of that is just getting slimmer under our government’s administration….

I wanted to do anything that dealt with the Ocean! Because the Ocean was amazing! I wanted to be a Graphic Designer, I wanted to work in the government making people’s lives better! At least I kept one theme up with all these dream jobs. I wanted to help people or animals. And I’ve always wanted to help others. I love helping people and bringing people joy!

I’m extra lucky to get to do that as a Stay at Home Mom! Honestly, it’s probably the hardest job I’ve ever had! (And I worked in retail management! IYKYK!)

But now I can’t wait until my daughter is 5! What will her dream job be? What kinda jobs will there even be when she’s grown? Will she wanna help people? Will she be creative? Will she work in technology? Only time will tell, but I’m excited to see where she goes! ❤️

DIY Toddler Sensory Bin: Fun, Messy, and only cost me $5.25!

by CasieBlog, Toddler Fun March 9, 2025No Comments

(So let me start this off by saying, this could be even LESS than $5.25. If you already own food coloring! I did not.) All you’re going to need is 2 ingredients. Food coloring, and a bag of uncooked rice. I used a 2 lb bag and I’d suggest at least 2 lbs of rice. (Also, I think you can get food coloring at Dollar Tree for $1.25. This would save you the extra $2 I spent at Walmart.) Everything else that I used for this sensory bin, were items I had around my house!

Depending on how many dishes you want to wash, (either use the 4 separate bowls, or keep reusing one, whatever floats your boat!) grab 4 bowls and evenly distribute the rice, leaving 1/5th behind in the bag. Then, add a few drops (5ish) of food coloring to each bowl. It’s kinda like Easter! But instead of eggs, it’s rice! *Bonus Activity, you could color the rice then add your Easter eggs to the bowl and swirl them around for a cool design!* Stir your rice and food coloring around until the rice is covered.

Don’t go TOO crazy, because the food coloring will only go so deep into the rice. It’ll only get so pigmented but I was pleasantly surprised that the rice dried fairly fast! Once each color is dry, mix all the rice together in a large bowl, including the rice you left white.

I initially had all the rice in a large empty seltzer water bottle. My daughter used this as a shaker for a while, it was a worthy instrument. But after some time had passed, she lost interest, and I figured it would be more fun for her to play with her hands and with some tools. But, as a parent of a Toddler, we all know how quickly a mess can happen. So I had to figure out a way for her to play with the rice, without it being ALL over my house.

I had a light bulb moment! We had just got some totes so I could do some organizing, and one of them we hadn’t put anything into yet. It was a big tote, so I knew she’d fit with room to spare. I brought over the tote and dumped the rice into it in front of her. She was FACINATED! And immediately wanted to be in the tote so she could try to put the rice back into the bottle. And thus, the Rice Sensory Bin was born!

When we can’t go out to the snow, so we bring the snow to us!

by CasieBlog, Toddler Fun February 21, 20253 Comments

Since we live in beautiful, snowy Maine, we get lots, and lots of snow. (Not like when I was a kid, but still enough to despise shoveling.)

My daughter hasn’t really gotten the hang of shoes yet. Especially boots. (Those suckers are heavy!) So we haven’t spent a whole lot of time outside in the snow. But, she’s so interested in it!

So instead of going out into the snow, I brought the snow inside to us! I dug down a bit to get past that hard, crunchy layer. (I used a Tupperware container 😅) Then I filled the container with snow and brought it in. I set her up in her highchair (a towel on the floor soaks up the inevitable mess) then I added in cut up blueberries and grapes and put some sprinkles on top!

This kept her busy for about a half an hour! I replenished the snow every so often so she could continue to play. She definitely needed an outfit and diaper change afterwards. But I’d say mission success!