The Caitlin Moss Blog

It started almost a year ago after Isaiah had been going to preschool for a while and one day he asked for a snack. I grabbed him a granola bar or something and started to open it to give to him..."No, wait, mom! I want to do it." "Do what?" "Open it by myself." He wasn't rude, he wasn't demanding, he was letting me know I was encroaching on something he was very much capable of doing. It was a small moment, a nothing moment. But I realized something, I do things for my kids that they are capable of doing. Why do I do it? Because I'm faster, I'm more efficient, and sometimes just impatient. I feel like I'm pretty good at letting my kids be themselves. They can pick out their clothes, Maci picks out her hairstyle every day, I let them run freely at the playground (they know the limits I give them but they are free to do almost whatever). I let them get messy, get hurt, and be wild. But there are some aspects of life I forget to just...

    I get asked what I do for exercise quite often. I, in no way, have the perfect body, but I am in pretty decent shape and I think it is always important to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle whether you're a mom or not. I don't think being a mom is an excuse to not be healthy (and just so y'all know, being healthy doesn't mean we don't have stretch marks or extra cushion. AmIright?) but I do understand dedicating a large quantity of your day to fitness is really difficult. In addition to having a desire to be healthy, I workout because food. I love it. And I don't want to stop eating it. So I workout. I take one kickboxing/insanity class each week at a local church (I LOVE IT!) but other than that I'm on my own for exercise. Running is usually my go-to - it has always been relaxing, calming and therapeutic to me. Then my kids turned 2 and 4 and I was like 'holy cow! Is there an actual COW in this stroller I'm pushing? One that won...

Oh. My. Heavens. I don't always have the greatest impromptu ideas when it comes to cooking. But sometimes it's just delicious. The other day I attempted to bbq broccoli and it was so good. Recipe | 1 bag frozen broccoli florets Drizzle with olive oil Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder Toss so the broccoli is doused in the olive and seasoning Use a veggie grilling tray and set the burner to medium heat. Grill for about 15 minutes total, tossing and flipping occasionally. Serve & enjoy. Because I used frozen broccoli, it's already cooked and will stay juicy instead of drying out, while the BBQ will give the broccoli a nice char and crunch on the outside. Yum!

We are a green smoothie family. For us it is the easiest way feed our kids something that is packed with all the goodness that comes from greens like spinach and kale. And the kids (even though they help me stuff the blender with "salad") think they are getting a treat. Here's one if our favorites...let's call it the sweet green smoothie. 1 cup vanilla almond milk (unsweetened) 1 cup carrot juice 1 banana 1/2 cup frozen pineapple 1/2 cup frozen mango 2-3 large handfuls of spinach and/or kale Blend until smooth. Enjoy! (NOTE: This blend also makes delicious popsicles or freezie pops. Just add the mixture to the molds and freeze. My kids love them! We use these the most.)

Play doh and I have a love/hate relationship. I love that it is a excellent tool for learning, great for sensory development, and entertains the tiny hands in my house for hours (yes, hours). But it can be messy and [the brand name kind especially] dries out so easily. Everyone [my mom and sister] always tell me to just make my own. It's so easy, less expensive, and quite frankly, better play dough. I also discovered Moon Dough at my son's preschool. It looks a lot like play dough but doesn't flake off, dry out, or leave a weird residue on my table (what-the-what??). Yeah. It's awesome. For less than $15 and 15 minutes (okay, 30 if you have "helpers"), I made Moon Dough (amount equivalent to about 8 regular sized containers) and Play Doh (amount equivalent to about 16 regular sized containers). Play Doh: 2 cups flour 1/2 cup salt 2 Tablespoons cream of tartar 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil 1 1/2 cups of boiling water Food Coloring Mix all ing...

Here I go again...This round is 24 meals for $146 (averaging about $6 per meal). It took me about 2 hours to prep all the meals and I only used 5 dishes in the process (score!), but don't get me started on what my floors looked like when I was done. I'm a messy cook. For those of you wondering, 20-25 meals is my happy place. The meals last us long enough that the prepping is worth it but not so long that you forget what you have and the last few meals die from freezer burn. So let's get started - Menu | Caribbean Jerk Chicken Sandwiches on Ciabatta Bread Sesame Ginger Chicken Hawaiian Chicken Garlic & Herb Chicken Spaghetti Sauce (I know, I make it every time) Peach Mango Salsa Chicken Memphis BBQ Rub Pulled Pork Broccoli Cheddar Soup w/ Bacon White Chicken Chili Dirty Rice Butternut Squash Corn Chowder w/ Bacon White Chicken Enchiladas I made two of each. Grocery List | Meat: 2 packages of bacon 5 bags frozen chicken breasts 4 lbs. ground bee...

A few weeks ago, I finally decided tospruce up my son's dresser. About 3 years ago we converted his room from a jungle sports nursery with a crib to a superhero big boy room with bunk beds. My mom gave us this old, solid wood dresser that just so happened to match his bunk beds and I thought I'd eventually do something to update it. Three years later, it happened. This happened to be one of those 70's or 80's dressers with those ugly, dangly pulls (if I had a picture I'd show you) and it just so happens no other knobs/pulls fit in the hole spacing. I filled the holes they left with wood filler, sanded the drawers after they dried, then drilled new holes in the center. I decided to go with simple knob. After the three coats of navy, semi-gloss paint dried, Ilined up the drawers on the ground to make the Captain America shield. I printed out a star I found online and traced it through the paper, pressing hard so it would leave a slight dent on drawer. Then I f...