And it always has been for me.

I grew up in a house and lived and breathed Alabama football. Even when we didn’t have family on the team, we always went to the high school games. As a teenager, I was part of the flag corp and LOVED my high school football team. As  an adult, I am still a DIE-HARD Bama fan.

And now that I have a little boy, I am now learning to live and love my hometown football team, because more than likely, my son will play on it one day. As you can only imagine, my husband is ecstatic that he loves football so much. It’s every dad’s dream. (Well, here in the South.)

Here are a few pics of our little football star and future Alabama football player.

Are you a big football fan? If so, who do you root for?

*Extra points to the one who can tell me what movie the quote in the title is from!*

If there’s one thing my kids love, it’s snacking. And unfortunately, they think they need to snack 24/7. So one thing I try to do as a mom is limit the amount of “bad” snacks they have. Whether it be snacking at school or at home, I always try to give them a veggie or fruit and then something a little extra to appease both of us.

One of our favorite snacks is Rice Krispie Treats (Did you know they are only 90 calories?). We make them at home at least twice a month (will put our favorite recipe below) and for their school snacks, we buy them pre-packaged. What I love even more is their new packaging. They have sections on the wrapper that allow moms to write our little ones a message, perfect for those who are in school. Just yesterday I wrote “Good Luck on your game today, Go Warriors!” for my son because he had his first home football game that day. He LOVED it!!  My daughter is a very sentimental person and insisted that she keep her wrapper from yesterday…here it is below.

Granted, it isn’t anything special to most people, but for her it lets her know that I’m thinking about her. And making her ( and her brother) feel special is one of my favorite jobs.

Our Rice Krispies Recipe-

3 tablespoons   butter
1 package (10 oz.)   regular marshmallows
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
6 cups   Rice Krispies®

What are your kids favorite snacks?

*DISCLOSURE- While I received a box of Rice Krispies along with compensation for this post from Kellogg’s, the opinions and thoughts are of my own. *

Picture taken at my son’s pee-wee football game tonight. Their second game, first win!

For more wordless wednesday posts, visit www.5minutesformom.com.

ROLLLLLLLL TIDE ROLL!!!

We are gearing up for our Family Fun Night with Mickey Mouse and the gang, so I thought I would share a few more games and some recipes with you to help make your night even more special.

There are tons of recipes on the Playhouse Disney website, but here are a few of my favorite.

Mickey’s Markers

Ingredients: 1 cup canned low sodium garbanzo beans, drained 1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers, drained and coarsely chopped 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon fat-free sour cream Pinch ground black pepper 8 slices whole wheat bread, crusts cut off.

Directions: • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. • Place garbanzo beans, red bell pepper, lemon juice, sour cream, and pepper in the work bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. • Place bread on a flat work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll while pressing firmly to compress bread to 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 1-inch and 2-inch circles. Spray both sides lightly with spray oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. • Serve with hummus dip.

Mount Mistletoe Slushy

Ingredients: 4 cups zero calorie or sugar-free sports drink, green 3 cups honeydew melon, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks 1 1/2 cups ice.

Directions: • Pour green sports drink in ice cube trays and freeze. • Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

And our favorite, the Rescue Truck Cake that we are going to make together the night before.  

Ingredients: 1/4 sheet cake, about 7×12 inches, any flavor 1 (16 ounce) can white frosting 4 (4.25 ounce) tubes red decorating icing 12 round chocolate sandwich cookies 4 shortbread cookies 8 licorice whips 8 white disc-shaped candies 6 red or yellow disc-shaped gummy candies.

For directions on making the cake and other great recipes, visit the Playhouse Disney website.

As for the games, my kids can’t wait to make the Craft Stick Racers, and if time permits, Goofy’s 3D Rescue Truck.  Also, Don’t forget to tune in to the premiere of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally, September 7th at 7/6c.

*While Playhouse Disney supplied me with the placemats, sticker sheets, Family Night calendar, and compensation for this post….the opinions and views in this post are of my own.*

Images from PlayhouseDisney.com

UGH!!!!! Could this cold last any longer? I’ve had it for about 2 weeks now (which is why I didn’t post last week, I was too drugged up to remember) and it’s getting a little old.

I’m so congested and snotty at the same time that I have no energy to workout or do anything, but I did manage to lose 1 1/2 lbs. somewhere. Probably b/c I’ve been too sick to eat a whole lot, but hey, I’ll take it.

Once this goes away and I get my other child in school (she starts tomorrow), I’m hoping to have a few hours everyday to devote to just me and working out.

How have you been doing?

Now that our lives are settling down and everyone seems to be on a schedule again, we have started implementing “Family Fun Night” again. At least one night a month, we eat dinner together and/or watch a movie or play a game together.

This month (well, the first of September) we are going to be having dinner and watching the new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Road Rally.

Mickey Mouse Road Rally helps kids learn that friends help friends, and that with teamwork, we can overcome challenges and solve problems. When Mickey announces that we’re all going on a Road Rally, we learn that a rally is a race where everyone wins!  As you follow the Road Rally Map, get ready for special surprises along the way and celebrate the awesome ride.

My kids absolutely LOVE Mickey Mouse (and if I’m being honest, so do I), so they are going to love what I have planned. We have activity placemats and sticker sheets so that we can celebrate the new show, which premieres at 7pm/6c on September 7th.

You and your family can join us in planning an extra special family night by downloading some great printables from Playhouse Disney like Clarabelle’s Map Puzzler, Road Rally Bingo, their very own Road Rally placemat, and much much more.

I believe that Family Night should be a permanent staple in every home as it brings families closer together, so please join us in celebrating Mickey’s new adventure. I may even be back in a day or so to share some recipes with you to help you make the night extra special and fun.

*While Playhouse Disney supplied me with the placemats, sticker sheets, Family Night calendar, and compensation for this post….the opinions and views in this post are of my own.*

PS-When did I get old enough to have a 1st Grader?

For more WW posts, visit www.5minutesformom.com.

So last week wasn’t a good week. We had school meetings, late football practices, getting ready for our beach trip, etc and I fell off the wagon. No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. Things got way out of hand and with not getting home til 30 minutes before bedtime, dinner became something convenient instead of something healthy.

Fortunately, I only gained 1 1/2 lbs. with all of that and our vacation at the beach where ALL of our meals were paid for. Not that I ate bad, I just didn’t eat well.

I’m getting back on the wagon this week, so if you see me online, hound me about the exercising and water…I need some of my mojo back.

Goals for the week-

• Lose the 1 1/2 lbs. I gained
• One soda a day
• 3 days on the elliptical

The past two weeks have been completely insane (I even forgot to post last week).

After being with Mark for two straight months, it took some time to adjust being away from him again. The good news is that I didn’t gain any weight, but the bad news is I didn’t lose either. I guess maintaining is good when you are struggling with missing your husband, trying to get ready for back to school, dealing with family visiting, and getting into a routine with football practice.

Thankfully, school starts back this week so now that I have to get up earlier, I’m hoping to get in a few walks at the park each week, as well as working out on the elliptical and to the new Jillian Michaels DVD my Mother-In-Law bought me.

Goals for this week-

• Drink 100 oz. of water a day
• Get in 10 miles on the Elliptical
• Work out 3 days to the Jillian Michaels DVD

BIG congratulations to Julie Mansfield @jamnsfld76 for being the Sista of the Week! Also, thanks to Lori @gutimom for sponsoring this week’s blogging carnival with her Avon giveaway.