Favorite Eats - Homemade Pizza

As a busy family of 6 soon to be 7 it's important that we have quick, easy, and fun recipes to make (and that we don't mind repeating... often). I wanted to take sometime each week to share with you one of favorites from the previous week.

Homemade Pizza

We love Pizza and with four kids it's definitely a favorite. But ordering Pizza out for a big family can get expensive quickly! It is a lot of fun to make homemade pizzas, everyone can pick their own toppings and the kids can get involved.

We were given a recipe for homemade pizza dough from a work friend and it is amazing. I have made it several times each time tweaking it a bit and I think this past weekend it was the best yet!

Recipe (with my tips)

Prep Dough: at least 1.5 days before Pizza day (make sure you do this! I usually make it the day before in the morning for the next evening and it works out great)

Pizza day: Max oven temperature with pizza stone 30 minutes prior to baking.

Ingredients: 

600g (4 cups) bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast (dry instant yeast)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups  water (warm about 110F)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

                        

1.

In a Kitchenaid bowl, combine flour, yeast, and sugar and salt.

2.

Warm water in measuring cup, then add oil and pour into the dry ingredients a little at a time. Kitchenaid should be running on lowest setting. Keep running on lower setting until all ingredients are mixed - you can tell it’s ready when the dough keeps comes off from the sides of the bowl but still slightly sticks to the bottom.

3.

Cover with a clean cloth. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.4.Punch dough down. Divide into quarters. Shape into balls, lightly coat with oiled hands, and place into four containers. Refrigerate for 1-3 days.

On Pizza Day, remove from fridge when you start to pre-heat oven - at least 30 minutes before baking. (I find you don't really need oiled hands to place the dough and I typically use a zipper baggie for the dough balls... also you will need more than 30 minutes for your dough to reach room temperature)

5.

While oven heats, slightly stretch ball into a flattened disc about size of hand. Place on slightly floured surface, cover with towel, let rise. Prep toppings - less is more. Bake times are short, so thin cuts are helpful. (Stretching the dough usually goes easier by holding the dough in your hands and turning it while the other end hangs.. think of a steering wheel. When the dough is starting to stretch nicely I place it on a surface prepped with corn meal to keep from sticking. Then I continue to flatten and stretch the dough a bit more)
6.

When oven is as hot as it can be, and stone has had a chance to come up to temperature you can begin prepping the first pie for the oven. Dust paddle with a generous amount of flour (I use corn meal). 

7.

(I like to put the dough in the oven on the pizza stone to brown and crisp up before adding toppings... if you do this be sure to poke some holes in the dough) When done, place on floured (Corn Meal) paddle, and top as desired. (if you have a paddle to easily move the dough from surface to surface it will be easier if not simply remove your stone each time)

8.

Quickly slide from paddle onto hot stone, being careful to leave oven open for as little as possible.9.Bake on highest temperature for 5-10 minutes, or until crust is golden and center is bubbling.

10.

Serve immediately, and allow oven to reach max temp again while prepping next pie. 

Tips:

Have fun and don't be afraid to try different things to make the recipe easier for you and your family. 

It's ok if your dough isn't round :)

Dough in the oven before toppings

 I like to move my pizza from the stone to a cutting board so that I can begin prepping the next pizza. 

  

Toddler Talk

A whole month older already? The older they get the faster time goes and the more changes happening each day. We still call them "the babies" and I feel so strange doing so... seeing as we have another "baby" on the way and they are far from babies. But if you ask my husband they will always be the babies :)

There are so many fun changes that happen during this age. I thought it was time to forego the "Monthly updates" now that the babi.....uh girls are T W O! Let's talk about what is happening in their toddler world.

Speak:  They love to repeat anything we say even the stuff we don't really want them to repeat! There are times we ask them questions and the respond using more thank one word and we are quite shocked making them repeat what they just said is our favorite thing to do! Little toddler voices saying new words over and over again is pretty much the cutest thing ever. They do seem to have their own language and we catch them sitting and "talking" to each other all the time. The respond to each other and shake their heads as if they know exactly what is being said.We can never really figure out what they are saying but man is it fun to watch.

Play: We love to play all day every day. Puzzles are our current favorite especially for Olivia the first thing she goes for is her puzzles and she is becoming pretty good at them. This is also one of the times the two of them will sit and "talk" to each other. I recently let time use paint and they had a blast always wanting more and most importantly PINK! They love to color, play with their babies, and their "Tato" heads. They do love to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (still) and it seems they are picking up the educational side of it as well. They love to be outside going for walks or running around playing with their ball.

Foods: They will mostly eat anything we put in front of them. Sometimes they decide they aren't going to eat was I've given them for dinner or lunch and we don't get too worried about it as they mostly snack on fruit and crackers during the day. Their favorites are mac n cheese, fruit, popsicles, cereal, and eggs.

Sleep: These two have for the most part been exceptional sleepers. The hard times come when teething or sickness hits. Every once in a while they will try to test the limits on how many times "mama" will come into the room. After a few nights of correction they go back to sleeping well. Naps are pretty good as well but there seems to be more variance when it comes to how long they will sleep or how long it takes them to get to sleep. There is typically a lot of playing going on at nap time and we have been working on not using diapers at nap as well. They for sure feed off of each other in this aspect.

News: Charlotte had surgery last week and she did really well. She had a small bump on her chest that we thought was from a Tic that was attached to her last winter. I had pulled it off and didn't think anything of it. A few weeks later we noticed the area was red and a bit swollen, but then it went away. At her two year check up we had the Doctor take a look and she suggested we see a surgeon just to be safe. After a quick visit he decided it was best to remove it in case part of the tic was still under the skin. I was hesitant and didn't really want her to have to go thorough anesthesia and the recovery after. After speaking with my husband and family we decided it was the best thing to prevent further issues. Like I said she did great and we are super proud of her.

These girls continue to change and surprise us everyday. They are aware there is a baby in mamas belly and I know they are going to be amazing big sisters! These little people are such a huge blessing in our lives and they remind us of this every single day. We love you girls!

11 Week

How Far Along - 11 weeks
Total Weight Gain - 1 pound - I certainly feel like I've gained more like 10 pounds given the size of my belly. I swear my body believes it needs to make space for twins again!
Maternity Clothes - Yes and No. Since I stay home with the girls I generally can be seen in yoga pants or some sort of shorts so those are not maturity. However, most of my regular shirts and tank tops are a little too small, still could be worn but mostly for around the house. If we are going out for dinner or some shopping where I am "required" or would simply like to dress in something other than yoga pants I most definitely have been wearing maternity shorts and tops. Fo the most part its just more comfortable.
Sleep - I can fall asleep pretty easily but do get up around 3-4 times per night to empty the bladder. Getting comfortable has been a challenge mostly because my hips and back hurt pretty regularly. I am tired most of the day especially right after dinner. I am hopeful as we near the end of the first trimester I will have a return of my energy.
Miss anything?  - Sushi would probably be my number one but I only miss it when I see it so thankfully I don't see if very often.
Cravings - Publix and Jimmy Johns subs I am well aware of the "rule" of no lunch meat so I don't need reminded... I am cautious of where I eat subs (i.e.: lunch meat) from and I feel comfortable with my choice :) I am also craving salt and vinegar chips like crazy they are hard to keep in this house because I am apparently not the only one that craves these potato goodies.
Symptoms - Exhaustion and all day nausea are tops. Good days and bad days for sure if I wait to long to eat the nausea is horrible; if I eat too much nausea, if I take my vitamin at the wrong time nausea.. you get the picture.
Looking forward to- Our second prenatal visit! Our first was at 6 weeks and I will be nearly 12 weeks at this upcoming appointment. I am not sure if there will be an ultrasound or not but fingers crossed there will be!


I hope you enjoy these little updates! Special shout out to of my favorite blogging mamas Amber Massey (Three Ladies & Their Gent...here) for always providing awesome pregnancy updates so I could use her format :)

Goodbye Rocky

Its been a sad 24 hours around our house. Our dog Rocky passed away during the night Saturday into Sunday. My husband and I have been married 13 years and Rocky was 14. When we first graduated college and moved in together he was our first pet. Curt's Aunt and Uncle raised beagles and when they had a litter we knew we wanted one. We picked the name Rocky because when we went to pick him up he was rolling around with another pup and he always ended on top!

We took him everywhere with us, he was part of every move, milestone, happy times, and hard time we ever had. He loved to roll on wet towels and snuggle close to anyone that would let him. He's watched over our 4 girls, let them pull his tail, ride on him, and put stickers on him. He loved to ride with his head out the widow and always knew when we were close to home. He was a great listener and didn't mind if we (I) cried. The last few months have been rough on him and we weren't sure how long he would make it. But even in his tough times you could still see that little puppy always trying to win over his brothers.

It's very tough to lose a pet, a member of your family. It affects you deep in your soul probably more than you imagined it would. A lot of people say he's in a better place and that he's no longer in pain, I know this is true. I try to remember all the things he went though with us and it brings me joy to know that this one little animal in some way helped us get to this place 14 years later, and for that Rocky will always be a part of our family.

We love you boy.

Journey to number F I V E

When you make that decision the decision yes, you do in fact want another child (and your spouse does as well) something changes in you. You look at your family a little differently, you start picturing another little child running round with the ones you already have; and suddenly you can't wait. If  I am being honest there is/was also a bit of worry that sets in when that decision is made. Will the other kids be ok? What will everyone think (5 kids.... )? Will the baby be ok (I'm 36)? Will I be ok? Will it take us some time to get pregnant? Of course there are just some things we have no control over, but the things we did have control over we made sure to put our minds at ease. We discussed this decision with our older daughters and they were beyond excited at the possibility of another sibling. The twins still a bit too young to understand - but we figured they would love to be big sisters. My husband typically doesn't care what others think of himself or our family and I am the same (Most of the time)... but women are just different. We look at (and get looked at) each other differently; sometimes good and sometimes not so good. It's hard not to take certain glances or comments to heart. Having twins has certain toughened my skin when it comes to comments/questions from others. I discussed some of these concerns with the members of my family that knew we were waiting to add another child and the response was the same... it's your life and those that matter will be happy for you and support you; as long as you are happy that is all that matters.

So the journey began... around the beginning of March we were given the all clear from he Doctor to start "trying". I want to first say that I know the journey to becoming pregnant is different for everyone, for some it happens quickly others it takes more time. I don't want to seem insensitive by sharing my story, I just want to be real and maybe a small part can help others like me. If you read my last post (do you want more) you know it hasn't been too difficult for me to become pregnant and that we have also suffered some losses along the way. I had a big fear of this happening again since it seems to be a pattern for me and this time I was older. During our second month (April) of trying I became pregnant and we were elated I had assumed it was going to take some time for it to happen give my age and other factors. We found out pretty early on... before I had even missed my period. We were so excited and decided we couldn't wait to tell the girls and some of our family. Unfortunately, the excitement didn't last and a few days later the pregnancy has ended. It was heartbreaking the share the news with the kids and the few family members we had told. In my mind I knew we should have waited but my heart just didn't feel the same. Of course there were many questions regarding why the loss happened and I began wondering if I was too old or if it was something I did. Even though I have a history of this same thing happening it certainly doesn't make it any easier.

May and June came and went, each month as hopeful as the last but nothing. July was a month of traveling to visit family and some work training for Curt. We pretty much knew July was going to be a no go, but still we didn't want to waste a month. Coming back from our travels I definitely didn't "feel" pregnant and I honestly didn't even think it was a possibility. But sure enough that test was positive. Again still very early we proceeded very cautiously and waited before telling anyone. Each day I would test the line would get darker (unlike the pregnancy in April). We made it to 4 weeks and I finally had enough courage to call and make a Doctors appointment. Of course the Doctor doesn't do blood work and even see a pregnant woman until 8-10 weeks... and I was a nervous wreck. I spoke to my primary care doctor who agreed to test my HCG levels. The first level was good and I felt I could breath a bit easier and I was headed into week 5. The second level nearly quadrupled, we felt pretty good until the spotting started. I know of course this can be very common so I tried to relax, but there is always a fear in the back of your mind... what if? I called the doctor after a few days and they agreed to give me an ultrasound the following week.

The days leading up to the ultrasound seemed to be taking forever and the emotions were high. Not only were we curios if we were having multiples again we also just wanted to make sure this "baby" was doing well and heart was beating. We saw right away that it was only one, with mixed emotions we looked for that flicker of a heart beat and I saw it almost right way and all the fears went away. Baby measured a day ahead with a good heart beat. It was also discovered that there was a subchorionic hematoma just under the sac. This could have been the reason for the spotting. For some reason I left the ultrasound feeling confused and not as excited as I was hoping. But we moved forward the spotting stopped and my symptoms picked up, at this point we had told the kids and our parents. We were feeling pretty good and nearing 9 weeks, I have never waited so long to announce a pregnancy before and it was getting hard to keep it a secret given my body was already looking very pregnant (My body appears to believe I am carrying twins). We had a friend take some photos for us and decided on an elective ultrasound to check on baby before making the big announcement. At 9 weeks 4 days we saw our little baby moving all over the place, we saw the little flicker of a heart beat, and baby measured 10 weeks 4 days!! We also saw that the hematoma was all but gone. Feeling much better we decided it was ok to go ahead and announce. The support was and continues to be overwhelming and we feel so very grateful for all of our friends and family.

I am 10 weeks today and I look forward to sharing updates with you all! We feel very blessed to be pregnant and adding a new little life to our family. Back in October I read the blog of a mama that had just announced she was pregnant with baby 5. There was something she said that struck me very deeply and at that moment I knew I was going to add another child to our family.

"But with every new life, it’s almost as if nothing changed. We had the same family and life we did before, just added a new personality into the mix. As soon as they were here, we couldn’t imagine life without them. When you stop to think about it, it’s just the people you have plus someone new to get to know and love."

To read the whole post visit White House Black Shutters (here)

Do you want more?

Sharing a special post I wrote for TwinTalk Blog a few months ago.... The decision to bring children into this world is very personal, I wanted to share our journey. 

I always knew I wanted children...always. I have two siblings and I couldn't imagine my life without them. I have four wonderful (beautiful... yes, I am a little biased) daughters Kendal- 11, Madison - 9, and twins Olivia & Charlotte (21 Months). Many people ask us if we are "done" or "do you want more" while this is somewhat of a personal question it made us think... are we really "done"? We have an answer but first here is how we got there.

In 2004 we welcomed our first daughter - Kendal, becoming  a parent was unlike anything I ever imagined or dreamed of. Every where we went we she was loved on and told she looked exactly like her daddy. I knew pretty much right away I wanted another baby, I remember being out with Kendal and texting my husband telling him I wanted ten kids!! Something struck me that day and I felt like I wanted a big family.  We waited about a year before we started the conversation on adding baby number two. We discussed that we wanted them about two years apart, we thought this was a good age gap. With it taking six months to become pregnant with Kendal we decided we would start "trying" around Kendal's first birthday. We didn't have to try for long (first try :) and I was pregnant making baby one and baby two twenty months apart. When we found it we were having another girl we were so excited for Kendal to have a sister! In 2006 Madison was born and we had a sense of completeness to us, at that point we both "thought" we were done, we would have two children and that was that.

When Madison was about two my husband and I were having one of those conversations where you talk about everything and you just talk for hours (kind of like when you are dating) and at the same moment we both said maybe we should have another baby. I couldn't believe we were even thinking this let alone on the same page...but that night the decision was made we were trying for baby three. I struggled a bit with how I would love another... of course I had these same feelings while pregnant with Madison but three just seemed so different. I kept looking at a photo I had of Kendal and Madison on my wall and tried to picture a baby with them, every time I did my heart swelled and I knew it was the right choice. We started trying (it was 2008) and almost immediately I was pregnant, again we were so excited to be expecting and the future seemed so full of excitement. A few days later the pregnancy ended and we were devastated, but knew it was all in God's hands. A few months later we were pregnant again and sadly that pregnancy ended as well. Around this time my husband was asked to deploy overseas, we talked and decided maybe two children did complete our family. My husband deployed and was away on and off for three years.

 In late 2011 the deployment was over and we never really discussed a third child again.... Until we had a pregnancy "scare" in August 2012, turns out I wasn't pregnant and turns out this little "scare" made us realize we really did want more children... well at least one more. We started "trying" and again I was pregnant almost right away and again that pregnancy ended. A month later I was pregnant and we were cautiously optimistic taking the pregnancy one day at time. We made it to 6 weeks were we had our first ultrasound and received a big surprise we were having twins!! We went from trying for number three to adding three and four. We were excited and scared of how our lives would change going from two children to four, but we knew it was what God wanted for us so we moved forward and in 2013 Olivia and Charlotte were born.

Life with four children was/is certainly hectic at times. There are times I just want to turn my mom card in at the end of the day... I mean lets be real being a parent is not easy and sometimes we just need a break. After the twins were born I quit my job to stay home with them, this was the best decision I have ever made. Being in public with four kids or even just the twins we get a lot of questions or the famous comment "you do have you hands full". When I hear these things I wonder do I really have my hand full?? My response... I don't have my hands full, I have two amazing older daughters that are just like little mommy's to the twins they help me in more ways than I can count and my husband supports me on every level. My sister-in-law and her family live close. So no I do not have my hands full.

We have been ask more times than I can count... are you done, will you have more, are you going to try for that boy and so much more. Each time we are asked these questions we just smile and say we don't know. Until we really took the time to think about these questions...do we want more are we really done? I have a lot mom friends and probably even more twin mom friends (thanks to social media) - I see parents struggle with this questions all the time, whether they are going from one to two, twins to one (or maybe another set of twins), or even four to five it's not an easy decision for everyone. It sometimes feels like there is a stigma that is attached to big families and when my husband and I really started to discuss "are we going to have another" I was scared of the comments we would get, I was afraid of the looks, would we need a new car, would I have to work more (I have an at home business), and just how would we make it work. But then when my husband asked me to put all those fears aside and said "do you want another child" my answer wasn't no (and for the record neither was his) I knew it was ok and if we wanted another baby we would be ok. We even discussed it with our older daughters... because yes, adding another child to the family can equal less time with the ones you already have. It was so important to me to involve them in this conversation and they are totally on board with adding another sibling... the excitement they have makes me know even more we are making the right chose. No matter how many children you already have the decision to add more is personal and not always easy. I see the fear that comes from many parents of multiples on making this choice, there are many factors that come into play if you have multiples and we have weighed those factors into our decision. Having two "singletons" and then the twins, we thought we were done, a family of six, but our hearts led us in a different direction and I can't wait to see what is in store for us and our growing family.