I AM ONLY ONE WEEK BEHIND NOW IT’S A MIRACLE. But now I really really need to stop blogging and do some work on this birthday party I’m throwing on Saturday so I probably won’t really catch up for another 3 weeks.

Sunday:

KNUFFLE BUNNY

Screen zombies. It’s getting old.

Monday:

Big bottle for a little baby

Standard tv watching in our house

Tuesday:

Rose garden sun dial

Maybe it’s time to get him some shoes

Wednesday:

This is Finn’s favorite game

Skeptical I REALLY need all this stuff at the craft store

GET TO WORK, CHILD LABORERS

Thursday:

Toddler for sale, everyday low price

Finding rocks and hiding rocks

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, BABY?

Friday:

Waiting for blood draws is exhausting

More rock painting

My new blanket for the USS Virgina. TIMELY.

Saturday:

Mad Scientist station at Cousin Camp

Custom made pizzas

Borrowing a neighbor’s swimming pool to end our awesome camp day

My parents are here to help with party stuff and I am SO unprepared. This is not going to be my best party. At this point I’m going to be impressed if there’s a cake and no construction actively occurring. Have I mentioned that I am TOTALLY OVER having people in and out of my house and not having a working full bathroom?

I don’t care what breaks in this money next – I’m throwing a tarp over it and ignoring the problem forever. NO MORE HOME IMPROVEMENTS. EVER.

Thank you Ellio’s Pizza for sponsoring this post. Visit your local retailer to pick up your own Ellio’s Pizza for a pizza night in!

Once a month – or more often, if we can manage – we share a game night with one of E’s coworkers and his family. We taught them a card game called Hand and Foot, which I was forced to learn before I was allowed to marry into the Davis family and which we now force other people to learn as a requirement for friendship. I mean, we don’t make ALL our friends learn, but if you hang out in our general vicinity for more than 6 hours at some point E will volunteer to teach you because he probably has the card box waiting right over here just in case there is a card-playing emergency. He’s prepared! He made a special box to keep the cards in! Don’t worry if you have never played, there is a cheat sheet right in the box to help you!

I’m teasing a little bit, but I absolutely love our game nights. In fact, there are even nights when we play online casino games on W88 together with our friends. With 5 (now 6!) children between us, babysitters are expensive and hard to come by so hanging out as a family is much easier. Plus Amanda is an amaaaazing cook and baker and always feeds us super well when she hosts.

Since I was 84.5 months pregnant at our last game night, my desire to spend two days in front of the oven making a gourmet dessert for game night was missing. My desire to eat lots of delicious food was still more than available though, so I was thrilled with this chance partner with Ellio’s Pizza for a fun family dinner option.

The husbands – who are not from New England – were puzzled why Amanda and I were super excited about frozen pizza. Amanda, who is from here, said “This tastes just like my childhood!” And it’s totally true. Ellio’s Pizza is a Northeast tradition, founded on Long Island in 1963 and one of the things parents have been feeding their kids as a quick dinner or after-school snack for the last 5 decades. Available in six different flavors and made with 100% real cheese and zero artificial flavoring, it’s super fast, super delicious, and super kid- (and parent) approved.

Along with a plate of veggies, it was a balanced meal everyone enjoyed and I didn’t waste any precious card-playing energy to make. That’s probably why Amanda and I TROUNCED the guys in the first round (we won’t talk about the second round). I’m stocking my freezer with more Ellio’s Pepperoni Pizza (our favorite) for the back-to-school craziness combined with the end-of-summer laziness and the having-a-fourth-baby insanity that is all about to hit us at once. Frozen pizza is exactly what those situations call for. Get in on the goodness yourself and check out the store locator at the top of the Ellio’s homepage to see where Ellio’s Pizza is sold near you.

You can follow Ellio’s on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Dr. Oetker USA LLC. I received compensation for this post, however all opinions stated are my own.

Every once in a while we get a day together as a family where we DON’T have anything planned but still manage to get ourselves out of the house and into the real world. It’s incredibly rare and easy to scare away if I start saying things like “Have you heard about this place in Maine?” or “I found out about this beach down I-95…” or “SHOPPING”. If I can balance my desire to do ALL THE THINGS with my hard-working husband’s desire to do NONE OF THE THINGS we get a unicorn day.  The trick is…this was all in town. We never went more than 3 miles from our house.

It’s amazing we’ve managed to find enough balance in the past 9 years to stay married. Nine years (and one day) and two gingers and more perfect days to come.

Warning: One bazillion photos to follow.

I love this life <3

1. When E says “What’s for dinner?” and I have no idea, I can throw together a pizza in 30 minutes.

2. Everyone in my family eats it.

3. Cheeeeeeeeese.

4. It’s easy to keep the ingredients on hand so I can make it any time I get a craving.

5. I never have to deal with leftovers.

Super Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1 Pillsbury thin crust refrigerated pizza crust

2 cups shredded mozzarella (2% or fat free is ok, but not as delicious as the real stuff)

1/2 bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Toss the chicken in a baking dish, top with some of the BBQ sauce. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Spread out the pizza crust evenly. Pop the crust in the oven for 5 minutes (you can put it in with the chicken). Once the crust is pre-baked, take it out and spread the rest of BBQ sauce over it. Top with the red onions, then the cheese. When the chicken is cooked, shred it up into bit sized pieces and add it to the pizza. Put the whole thing back in the oven for 8-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and the crust starts to brown. Try to wait a couple minutes before you eat it, or you’ll burn your mouth.

If you or your kids aren’t fans of spicy stuff, substitute your favorite BBQ sauce for the Sweet Baby Ray’s. It’s not exactly HOT but it is tangy. And if you don’t like onions (Mom) just skip ’em.