Crock Pot Slow Cooker Ideas!

I just got a Crockpop Slow Cooker as a gift from my sweet aunt from Chicago. Actually, let me be more truthful...I got it for Christmas and it's already April and I've only used it twice. I know, I know, I'm terrible.



I wanted one really badly because my friend Luisa kept talking about the yummy things she was making in her slow cooker. The first thing I made was chicken soup. It was the winter and it seemed like the girls were taking turns getting sick, so I made a huge pot full of soup! I had a lot of vegetables in it, including baby carrots, sweet corn and huge chunks of cut up potatoes. My husband then went and got a rotisserie chicken from the Costco near us and cut it up and added it to it right before it was done cooking. Oh! And rice! Plenty of rice! (We love rice in my house, it goes fast!) I prefer Jasmine rice, but I guess any rice will do. Next time I think I'll use brown rice, but my concern is always it getting too mushy too quickly. I also used Trader Joe's broth. It's really good and they have a good selection.

Since then, I haven't come up with any new ideas of what I can throw in to the Slow Cooker. I have a recipe book that my aunt got with it, but I seem to always forget that you can make things other than soup in it! And I love household gadgets and small kitchen appliances that make life easier (especially with having 3 kids!)

The house smelled really good while it was cooking! The vegetables weren't overcooked or too soft and the kids loved it! We all ate a bunch! Especially my carrot-loving children!

What are your favorite crock pot recipes, and what websites do you use to find good crock pot ideas? Share in the comments below!

Sick Kids

After sitting in the house non-stop for almost the past week, I could really use an outlet. All I've been doing is taking care of my sick family. And I myself have been fighting off a cold. 

It's really a shame that the kids are sick again. They've fought off several colds and allergies since they've started school. It's Kindergarten and I'd like to think its not a big deal that they keep missing, but is. They're learning to read and learning basic math. Missing days means they're missing valuable knowledge. And trying to teach them at home, with all of the distractions, can only do so much. 

It started with my husband getting sick. We thought it could be food poisoning as he was the only one who was sick, and he'd eaten a different dinner than us. That next morning, he woke up, throwing up a lot. I'd never seen him that sick before. He then began running a fever. I took the kids to school, then went home to take care of him. 

The next day, he still wasn't feeling well enough to go to work. By Wednesday, Laila was vomiting also and running a fever. It got to be so excessive that we took her to the emergency room. They gave her medicine to stop the nausea. She then missed 2 days of school. 

I got paranoid, assuming one of us was next. The doctor said it was probably a stomach virus, which is highly contagious. We cleaned the house, top to bottom. Lysol wipes, a can of Lysol, vacuuming, everything. But by Sunday, during the Super Bowl, Mia got a runny nose. Then a fever. Monday, she woke up vomiting also. Couldn't catch a break, Huh?

So here we are now, Tuesday of that following week and Mia has been to the emergency room and got the same medicine, except now she's running a fever again. And it's easy to say it's no reason to panic until you see your kid, who is usually very active and silly, just laying there, uncomfortable and miserable. The medicine helps some. Her temperature is t too high, but I can't relax until it's completely gone. On top of all of this, I'm fighting off a cold that just won't go away and I missed my doctor's appointment last week because I was taking care of my sick husband and didn't want to leave him alone. 

I sometimes forget I have to take care of myself too, as I'm not sleeping enough or eating enough. This is probably why I'm still fighting a cold, more than a week later. 

I'll reschedule my doctor's appointment. I'm praying that Anneka and me don't get this stomach virus. I can't afford to be that sick. Too much to do and too many people to take care of. 

New blog! Same me!

New blog! Same me!

This is my separate "mommy" blog! Hi all!
To people who read my other blog, this blog is going to be more about my life in Southern California with my kids.
I'll also post healthy recipes that I want to try or have tried, Los Angeles-area going-ons and cute little stories about my 3 daughters, Anneka, Mia and Laila.
I encourage moms from all over to subscribe to my blog and I'll also open a "guest blogger" feature in the future.
I'll also be posting interviews with other moms and videos.
That's it for now! Check back often for new content as I'll be posting here more often!
Later!



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