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36 Things I’ve Learned in 36 Years

A few weeks ago, I turned 36 and began to jot down things I’ve learned so far in my lifetime. Here’s my completed list:

1. The Office and Frasier reruns will never get old.

2. If you are waiting in line, give the person in front of you space to do their thing. Just let me finish emptying my cart, guy breathing down my neck behind me.

3. Don’t tell anyone on social media that you will unfollow them because of something they’ve posted. Go ahead and unfollow, but recognize they have the power to post what they choose on their platform. You are not guardian of the inter webs.

4. If you are a parent, someone will disagree with your parenting style. It’s fine. If your children are cared for, consider another’s point of view and do what seems right.

5. Never, ever assume a woman is pregnant unless she tells you so in no uncertain terms, or if you are in the delivery room with her.

6. Your kids won’t love crap like Caillou if you never show them Caillou.

7. If you live alone, rejoice in the fact that you wield the power of thermostat control. (I miss you, glorious, quiet, warm semester of college).

8. Don’t watch the news. Read news from a variety of sources, from your partisan heroes to your nemeses, and think critically before you agree with either.

9. Travel as much as possible. Experiences are worth at least twice as much as stuff. (But I’m currently selling stuff, so it’s okay to buy that).

10. Don’t cut someone out of your life arbitrarily. Maybe they’ve been distant because they are dealing with their own baggage. There’s a lot to be appreciated about a friend who doesn’t expect constant contact but is there for you when you ask.

11. Speaking of asking, admit when you need help. There’s no shame in that, and people can’t read your mind and know what you require.

12. Food is best when you approach it without heavy expectation. That can be said of many things, actually. Expect nothing, appreciate everything.

13. Murphy’s Law is real. I’m Murphy. It’s fine.

14. Husbands can’t be trusted unattended in store electronics sections.

15. Cuddling babies is the best. If you don’t have one, volunteer to help in a church nursery or daycare or something. That isn’t creepy advice at all.

16. Get a library membership and read all the things. And if you’re kind of a germaphobe like me, spray all the things with Lysol before you read.

17. Go to concerts. They produce memories you won’t soon forget.

18. My Granny, who is 88, always tells me she would rather wear out than rust out. She is always working on something, from cooking and making jelly to tending her garden and selling her produce. But she also stops everything and sits to talk with me when I visit, and always has. Work hard, but take time for your people.

19. Always consider how someone else might feel. Always.

20. Be kind, especially to anyone and everyone in the medical field. You could not pay me enough to do their jobs. (Also, could one of you check out this weird mole? Just kidding. I don’t have any weird moles).

21. Kids can always help with the laundry. This is easy for me, though, because it looks like a kid processed the clothes when I’m finished, too. #cantironwontiron #whatfittedsheet

22. Dad always tells me not to borrow trouble. I’m trying not to take out too many fear loans. The interest rates really suck.

23. Speaking of interest rates: credit cards are the worst.

24. I’m an idealist, which sometimes makes for a painful existence. “This is going to be just like this, and I’m excited!” I think, picturing a perfect scene. And it is rarely like that and why was I excited?

25. We’re always waiting on the next thing. It’s easier said than done, appreciating the here and now for whatever it is worth. But it seems worthy of a good college try.

26. Set 90 day goals. If you succeed, it didn’t take long and it’s super rewarding. If you fail, try it again for another 90 days, because that really isn’t very long!

27. You don’t have to be the same person you were five years ago. You’re allowed to grow and change.

28. Pepperoni is disgusting.

29. Fear is the worst tour guide.

30. Write thank you notes. No one has time for them; do it anyway. Do it even if you think it is far too late to ever send them. The receiver likely didn’t owe you anything and decided to bestow kindness on you, so return the favor in a small way.

31. I grew up with conservative Christian parents who always recycled (which, I’ve found, is incredulous to some). Our nearest recycling center is 25 miles away and trash pickup does not grab bottles and cans from the blue bin at our curbs. We separate items and haul everything to the center ourselves, because it is prudent. Stewardship of our resources shouldn’t be taken lightly.

32. Assume the best of others. Unless they are left lane drivers, and then you already know everything you’ll ever need to know, don’t you?

33. Buy flowers, especially in winter. Aldi roses help pull me through Midwestern weather weirdness.

34. Make your own family traditions. My extended family has always had fun customs. As my own little family grows, we’ve adopted fun things like cinnamon roll Saturdays and family movie night. It’s something simple to strengthen a bond.

35. Gummy candy is a food group.

36. There is always hope.

Tell me a few items that make your own list!

Click here for the best bedding EVER! Worth every penny.
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Two Years

In the fall, my oldest daughter said of her one-year-old brother, “That boy will be two before you know it! It’s like I always say: where there’s a baby, that baby will just keep on growing.” The seven-year-old is wise.

Last year on this day, I wrote this post about my little guy, and he has indeed turned two before we knew it.

And while it was a bit of a blur, we are happy to report we’ve kept Fielder alive this year, because we all know that’s a feat with toddlers. He has scarcely left my sight in the past year lest he kill himself or others.

A grainy photo, but I can’t resist that face.
His shirt (from LilRockettCo) speaks truth. He broke out into a run here because he spied Gramps.

Our kitchen chairs have not been upright for months since he likes to climb. Our couch is steam cleaned constantly due to kefir spills, one of the few food items he accepts (though he’s made progress with his food aversions in speech therapy since starting in the spring).  Neflix is often tuned to Trolls or Moana, and he also has a deep appreciation for Peppa and Elmo (El-no).

I liked my friend’s caption of this: paperwork is exhausting.

Gramps and Daddy are his favorite people, aside from me. He asks me all day, “Where Dada go?” Sometimes he wakes in the night, where he typically sleeps beside me, and yells, “Dat Dada!” as he points at him.

From those glorious days when he did nap.

He is a man of few words and even fewer tricks, but he has retained yelling, “Touchdown!” with hands stretched to the sky like a good coach’s boy. If he sees the YouTube emblem, he says, “Oh oh oh?” because he wants to watch Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” (He’s such a dude).

School starting in the fall messed with his sleep schedule and he wasn’t happy about it.  Now that school is out, he refuses to nap, instead night owling with his mama.

Little Stinker

Fielder is easily amused and could entertain himself for hours with a cup and random objects to fill and empty the cup. He shreds every piece of paper he finds. He is often shy and quiet but eventually tries to fist bump everyone in the room. He likes to travel and is always happily along for the ride. If I can choose just one child to accompany me to the store, I choose him.

Happy boy

He’s quirky and fun and sweet and my favorite little dude. My biggest hope is that his constant cuddles don’t cease anytime soon, and that three won’t arrive so swiftly.

(And also, that he would nap).

-Amanda

 

CU - 2 For The Price of One

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Beddy’s: The Best Bedding

Post in collaboration with Beddy’s Beds; opinions, as always, are my own.

Of all the household chores I detest, changing sheets may top the list.  I defer that task to my husband most of the time; I prefer to avoid working up a sweat while I fight fitted sheets and try to figure out which way to turn the top sheet and comforter. And then it just creates more of a mess to add to my laundry pile. Ugh.

Enter Beddy’s Bed’s to solve my quandary!

Sleeping (and smirking) beauty

As soon as our new bunk beds were delivered last month, our girls started dreaming of the accompanying decor they wanted. I knew I did not want to fight the sheets from a bunk bed ladder (Grace is NOT my middle name), so I quickly steered them toward Beddy’s. Bedding sets that go on without a struggle and are adorable? Yes, please!

My oldest squealed with joy when her “Pretty, Pretty Purple” set arrived. I also squealed with joy, because Beddy’s makes prepping the top bunk easy. Because everything is built into one piece when zipped, I only had to fit the bedding on four corners one time, just like adding a fitted sheet. (Except somehow, this actually fits well, unlike a fitted sheet…or maybe I really am just putting those on sideways. But no room for error now!)

Pretty, Pretty girl with her Pretty, Pretty Purple set – Queen of the Top Bunk

Each night, my girl unzips her bedding and snuggles in. When she wakes, she zips it closed and arranges her pillows and stuffed animals, and it always looks perfect. Did you hear that? The beds of my five and seven-year-old look perfect because the bedding is foolproof.

Zipping the bedding

My soon-to-be kindergartener rarely wets the bed, but she had an accident the first night we added her new Beddy’s set. With normal bedding, this amounts to an entire day affair of washing and cleaning. But this was an easy fix. I zipped apart the Beddy’s so the top piece separated from the bottom, washed and dried them per the instructions, zipped the two pieces back together, and we were back in business. Seriously, that simplicity alone made this bedding worth it.

Such cheery and fun bedding for a cheery and fun girl!

Miss Kindergartener’s “Get Happy” bedding  is as bright and cheery as she is, and she is able to easily make her bed each day with the unique easy pull zipper tabs that run along the entire length of the bed, on both sides. One of her favorite features is the snuggly minky interior.

Now if I can ever boot my toddler from my bed, I’m getting him his own set!

From now until June 17, save 20% on your order with code PAPA20 here:  Beddy’s

They love the way their room looks so much and their beds are so easy to make, they keep it looking this neat. I’m a happy mama. Which means errrrbody happy.
Sweet dreams!

 

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The Best Party Ever

When Pinterest was the new thing and I was on Mission Pin-All-The-Things, one of my first boards was dedicated to planning my middle daughter’s first birthday party. The decor, the invitations, the custom pillowcase dress (because 2014), the food, the cake, the favors – I had it all pinned and ready to duplicate.Even in those archaic pre-Pinterest days with my firstborn in 2011, I plotted my girl’s shindig for weeks. When my vision came to life, my mom walked in the room and said, “Wow. I had no idea you were doing this much.”

The adorable owl cake my mother-in-law made for my first born’s first birthday. I made tons of decorations by hand for this one.
Owl cupcakes. These took forever and it really bugged me at the time that the Oreos split messily. Sweet baby type A me of the past.

And so I strove for extravagant for every party I ever planned for my children for years, and also for an anniversary party for my parents. I did all the baking and made the decorations. I put together activities like face painting, made veggie trays that resembled Sesame Street characters, and designed and printed t-shirts. This was no literal circus in our backyard or one of those toddler celebrations that ran a $10k bill, mind you, but still, it was more work than the parties we were throwing and attending back in my day.

Wearing football bows to their brother’s party and having faces painted.
You can’t see it well in that picture, but that’s a homemade goal post the football balloon is flying through.
This was the beginning of the end of the Pinterest parties. My third and final child was turning one. I recall being disappointed that our food selection ONLY included fruit, veggies, cheese and crackers, brownies, and cake, and for mid-afternoon. The nerve I had, starving my guests like that. My friends actually finished decorating for me because exhaustion and three kids. And also, good friends.

And while it stressed me out and I was always scrambling to finish it all at the last minute (often having pulled an all-nighter before the party) I loved it.

Probably the most complicated cake I’ve made, so much so that when I finally finished Max & Ruby, I just hurriedly piped on a border and ran to the car with it, because I had just pulled an all-nighter and it was almost time for the party. And of course, I also made homemade cupcakes and sugar cookies.

But last fall, we found ourselves in the midst of a particularly chaotic time. I knew I did not have time to plot my typical elaborate party, and it bugged me.I fretted over what to do for a few weeks. Then I sent out a message clearing a date, and we got together with just a few friends at a local hotel. We ordered pizza and let the kids play in the pool after they downed their grocery store cupcakes and juice boxes. Then our family spent the night at the hotel.It was an absolute blast, and I was well-rested and able to enjoy it.

We checked into our hotel, and this girl and I went to store across the street to purchase cupcakes from the bakery and a few party supplies, including the pictured toppers on her cupcake. We set up right in front of the aquarium because it was a Moana party. And we ordered Casey’s pizza because we’re good Midwesterners like that.

Another bonus: I didn’t find a need to wrestle a balloon bouquet into my car.

From one of those times I did wrestle a balloon bouquet.

This spring, we found ourselves in a similar situation for the middle’s celebration. During her March birthday, my husband and I were working around the clock. April was spent navigating health concerns for said daughter, and suddenly it was May and we still hadn’t really celebrated our sweet girl’s fifth birthday.So again, I messaged our friends and told them we would meet at my home for lunch after church and the kids could play in the hot tub if they wanted.

Simple party fare: grilled burgers and fruit. I had planned a fruit salad. Nope, fruit in a bowl. Good enough, folks. Everyone was just pleased we had slices of avocado anyhow. (But don’t blame me for the onion touching the avocado – my husband is the barbarian who did that).

My daughter’s one request for her day was a mermaid tail cake. The party was so last-minute that I didn’t have a chance to order a cake from our local baker extraordinaire, so the task was left to me.I spent far too long molding and dying fondant, only to realize my cake was going to be a massive fail. I was about to pitch it in the trash and drive to the Walmart bakery, but I decided to keep trying. When my daughter saw the finished product, she simply whispered, “Wow.”

Not only did the kids know the cake was a mermaid tail, they ate it. Hallelujah.

But aside from the homemade cake and a set of Ariel paper plates, there was nothing really defining this party’s mermaid theme. I placed them on the blue plastic tablecloth I found in my party supply bin and shrugged. Then I remembered I had picked up some craft kits and pencils fitting the mermaid theme in Target’s Dollar Spot for favors, so I counted it as a win.

The happy birthday girl.

The birthday girl’s happy brother.

The kids downed hamburgers, chips, fruit and cake (it was apparently edible), then played in about every room of the house before hitting the hot tub. From there, they played on the swings, in the sandbox, and ran through the sprinklers to wash off the sand.They loved every minute, and so did I.It wasn’t exactly the picture-perfect party I strive for, one that I like to write about in family albums so my kids will have evidence we did actually try. It was better.I can’t quit the Pinterest parties altogether, but I know our future celebrations won’t be particularly extraordinary.Because as the wise Pam Beesly-Halpert said in the finale of “The Office,” “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?” 😉

 

This was actually one of my better ideas: daffodils as party favors for my sister’s wedding shower. I would totally do this again, I just would skip tying bows on every flower.

For the best prices and selection on Princess Castles styled checks, Click Here!

I had technical difficulties creating toppers of my parents’ youthful faces for their 40th anniversary cupcakes. Worth it.

This post contains affiliate links at no cost to the reader.

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It’s Gonna Be…May?

On the first day of March, I shared my March Madness challenge, a “Use It Up, Move It Out” printable checklist. The goal was to launch spring cleaning by eliminating unnecessary items from the home, thus leaving less to actually clean and organize.

I’m not sure how it is suddenly mid-May, but I’m still working on my checklist. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

  • Removed 10 barrels full of trash from garage (and we recycle everything we can possibly recycle)
  • Delivered multiple loads of items to recycling center
  • Overhauled basement, throwing away numerous bags of trash, donating more boxes, and selling several items
  • Filled at least 10 tubs of garage sale items (an ongoing project)
  • Used up numerous bottles of travel shampoo, lotions, samples, full-sized products (my favorite task so far)
  • Unsubscribed to all catalogs and recycled the piles stacked on my desk
This girl finishes first grade tomorrow. I’m ready to make all the memories with her this summer!

The biggest lesson I’ve learned during this process is that I’m too hard on myself. I’ve felt the weight of guilt for my amount of possessions, but the truth is, it was mostly acquired naturally.

It all began to accumulate several years ago, when my husband and I were working full-time but also traveling to our reproductive endocrinologist in another state. It was an 8-hour round trip – not counting the time of the appointment and finding sustenance afterward – that we made at least a few days per week for months.

Three babies, a house build, and lots of gifts and hand-me-downs followed, creating our stuff problem. As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans,” and so it did.

Piles of junk that no longer reside in my home.

A few weeks ago, my mom decided to help me with anything I needed in my home every Friday, which has been a game changer for me. I work from home, and while that sounds glamorous to anyone who hasn’t worked amongst a mess with three kids, it isn’t so much. Thanks to her, I can now see the top of my desk, the floor of my laundry room, and I can sort of find things in my fridge. That fridge is probably just a lost cause, but it still saw improvement.

I traveled with friends earlier this month to see Justin Timberlake in Tulsa (insert raised hands emoji) and sorted through papers and catalogs and to-do lists on the trips to and from.  I added several items to my master to-do list on the journey thanks to recommendations or ideas sparked by my friends, but they were the types of things that would make my life easier.

This guy has a severe aversion to food (except purees and yogurt), so we’ve been working with a speech therapist and making very slow progress. It’s a good thing his mama understands slow progress.

On a trip to St. Louis that same week, writing thank you notes and letters I had intended to send long ago was a nice way to pass time and I felt like I had accomplished something meaningful.

So I have been plugging away at the biggest of my 90-day goals, but I haven’t met my purging/organization goals yet. I’m nonetheless proud of my progress and persistence and know it will continue to pay off. I consider that if I hadn’t started, I wouldn’t be where I am now (so profound, I know). While my next goals (I set no more than three at a time) should have technically begun April 1, I’m excited to set all those delightful summer plans into motion. My daughter told me today she wants to sew a patchwork tablecloth with me this summer, something I never would have added on my own.

Do you have big plans for the summer, or are you more spontaneous?

Turning five means you conquer all the slides, land and water, or at least it does if you’re this kid.

CU - 2 For The Price of One

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Dear Dearfoams, I Love You

I don’t understand people who wear shoes in the house.

My sister currently lives in an Asian country, where it isn’t customary to wear shoes in the house, and I totally get that. As for me and my family members, you will find us barefootin’ all day, errrr day.

So when I tried out Dearfoams, I was skeptical. I haven’t owned house slippers for years, and when I did, I found them to be annoying and too warm.

Coffee on the deck first thing in the morning. Hallelujah, amen.

The first day I wore these, I forgot I had them on. I made it to pre-school pickup before I realized I was still in my house slippers. Luckily, the workers and parents are used to my hot mess self, so no one batted an eye. Plus, the style I chose, the Mini Stripe A-line, wouldn’t have alerted them to my comfy footwear anyway since they are so much more stylish than the quacking duck slippers I used to rock.

But the best function I’ve found so far for my Dearfoams is a defense against LEGOs. Oh my goodness, the LEGOs. We have an entire section of our basement devoted to the tiny torture pieces, but God forbid one of us has to pass through. But fear not, I’m now armed with the best slippers. When I recently stomped through the area bleary-eyed to start my work for the day, I didn’t even realize I had passed through the danger zone unscathed. My husband watched me walk throughout the house without fear today as I donned my Dearfoams and said he was jealous.

Dearfoams provide excellent protection against all the tiny toys the kids scatter as they move.

Today only, they are having a sale with the code SAVEMORE. Go check them out at dearfoams.com!

My five-year-old also says my slippers would be perfect for parties! I’m not sure I’ll try her suggestion, although the pre-k parents wouldn’t be shocked if I did.

While I received this promotional product as a courtesy, all opinions are my own.


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The Pearl Girl

As we snuggled together for the last night she would ever be four years old, she asked for pancakes with strawberries and blueberries on top for her birthday breakfast, and even whipped cream.

“‘Cause whipped cream doesn’t scare me anymore,” she said.

Our little Pearl Girl, our raven-haired and blue-eyed beautiful middle child, is as sweet as she is quirky.

When we began to discuss what she might like for her birthday gift, Lucy listed items her siblings would enjoy. For Christmas, she wanted an upgraded pretend kitchen so she could play alongside her brother and sister.

She recently underwent a sleep study at the end of a long day in which she was already sleep deprived. We explained the procedure to her before she left home, and she smiled and skipped off to the car with her pillow and plushie in hand. She waited two hours as the professionals connected numerous cords to her body, even one up her nose, smiling all the while. Lucy charmed the nurses so much that they showered her with gifts when she woke and declared her to be the best patient they’d ever had.

While she is particularly brave for medical procedures, she is generally cautious, having eyed the slides at school for 7 months before finally deciding to test them out. This week, we were shocked when Lucy  tested the water slide at our vacation spot. Unfortunately, none of us thought to mention she should hold her nose. She popped up out of the water looking shocked, but never said a word about her pain.

Gratefulness comes easily to Lucy. At a live music event, the musician found out it was her birthday and sang her request, “You Are My Sunshine.” She insisted on writing him a thank you note and delivering it to him before we left.

Lucy is kind and quiet. She looks after her brother, worships her sister, keeps the whole family laughing, and otherwise resides in her own little world. She doesn’t like sudden change, but could spend hours playing with her Shoppie dolls, Legos, Barbies, and plushies. She likes to eat pasta with her mama, the beach is her happy place, and yellow is her favorite color.

Last year brought many new challenges and adventures for her, such as starting school and learning to properly express emotions when classmates annoy her. She has battled through health struggles with grace and joy. Lucy is a ray of sunshine and a blessing to many. We can’t wait to see what our little five-year-old will accomplish!

A Few Of Lucy’s Favorites


 

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Use It Up, Move It Out – March Madness Challenge

I adore challenges designed to organize belongings.

I like to follow along with photos and posts as a before miraculously turns into an after, as a cluttered space turns into a zenful oasis.

But I’ve stopped participating, because I’m not ready to organize my home.

I first need to purge all the things I’m hanging on to that I know I don’t need, that never should see the back of a closet or the bottom of a drawer again.

I’ve learned the hard way that if I dive into an organizational project, I will become overwhelmed, give up, try again, give up again, and find I’ve made a bigger mess than the original one.

Enter my project for the next month: The Use It Up, Move It Out March Madness Challenge.

You can get your free decluttering checklist, full of small tasks for the month to kick off your spring cleaning, here.

Print it out, save it on your phone, whatever works best for you. Then join me! Each day, check off at least one item on the list. You can complete an item multiple times as well if that works for you.


And get creative! For example, when I’m going through makeup samples, my kids and I are going to play with colors together. We no longer drink hot cocoa but have several packets in the pantry, so we will use them for baking. We’ve successfully turned old t-shirts into rag wreaths before and will be looking for our next craft project from items that are otherwise not useful to us any longer.

When you’ve accomplished your task, take a photo and tag me (@listlemon on Instagram and Twitter, and my facebook page is also List Lemon). Make sure to use the hashtag #useitupmoveitout.

So how about it? Join me and let’s use it up and move it out!

Keep up with my progress on social media, too!

This post does feature an affiliate link at no cost to the reader.

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Last-Minute Valentine’s Day Gifts

I woke up today and realized I only have two days until Valentine’s Day to buy all the gifts for all my people.

Oops.

But that’s why God made Amazon Prime, right? Here are some options for love day, whether you celebrate with your significant other, your gal pals, or your kids.

At least I bought the essentials: candy.


Seventeen years ago, my husband visited Belgium and returned with the best chocolates I’ve eaten (before or since). If you can’t hop a flight to Brussels tonight, ordering online is the next best thing.

I can’t decide if I like these sunnies (why does everyone suddenly call them sunnies?) for myself or for my kids. Maybe I’ll need three pairs. And best of all, when I inevitably step on my pair and break them, I’m out less than $10!

If you’re a budding photog, start small and try out this little lens for, that’s right, your phone!

My husband has been asking me for a QALO ring since he wore out his last one. These silicone rings are perfect for the outdoorsman or sporty dudes who otherwise refuse to wear a ring, probably because they claim they’ll lose a finger or something.


These Essie Nail polishes are giving me all the spring feels and would be great gifts for my girl squad. That is, if we gave one another gifts. Maybe I’ll start next year, friends.

And those gel pens! I might need a set for my daughters…so they will share with me.

If you love board games and don’t own Ticket to Ride – Europe, you’re missing out. I promise.

My husband gave me a set of these sheet masks for Christmas, and I have been loving them. I’m not a fan of the thick jar masks, so these are perfectly refreshing.


We like tea in our house. Enough said.

My daughters received a Shopkins Happy Places Pony after Christmas (exchanged for a Christmas toy that didn’t live). That poor pony never gets any rest for all the Shopkins playing with it. It needs a friend.

I like Carter’s jammies, and I particularly like them when they aren’t so holiday specific, like this set. Because I don’t care if Valentine’s Day is over or not, we’re still going to be wearing them.

My son eats nothing but these food pouches. He will be thrilled with a new installment.


Here’s a few items for the more traditional gift giver, with some champagne gummies and a nod to This Is Us thrown in.

Happy shopping!

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Super Bowl Sugar Cookies

Tomorrow is a holiday in my household.

My husband is a Pats fan, and so he has become quite spoiled when it comes to cheering for his team in the Super Bowl. But while he nervously roots for Brady and Co., the rest of us will eat.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law always kill it when it comes to the food setup and our contributions are minimal, but I will always bring my favorite party staple: iced sugar cookies.

Go Pats!
I’m probably not going to open a bakery any time soon, but even if they aren’t beautiful, they are addictively delicious.
The penalty flags in the football cups and the Edison lights are some of my favorite features of this setup.
Because you have to have more than sugar cookies, I guess. Aren’t the tomatoes cute?

I’m no pro baker, but these cookies are always delicious, even if not perfectly executed. My kids love to help in the kitchen, and this is one of their favorite baking projects. We make a simple buttercream frosting and add food coloring to decorate.

What is your must-have for the Super Bowl?

Here’s the link to the recipe (and I recommend rolling the dough out on parchment or waxed paper and not using flour).