Normal Life Mom

October reads and ratings:📚⭐️

Cue the Sun- a pretty extensive history of reality TV. My friend who also loves reality TV let me borrow this and it was so interesting to learn about the early days of reality, behind the scenes of Survivor. the Bravo era, and even how the show Apprentice led to our current president……This read more like a textbook, has some great info, it’s a good read if your into reality TV. (I never rate non-fiction with stars)

Listen for the Lie- ok this one sat on my shelf FOREVER.. when I finally picked it up I couldn’t really get into it. I saw several people suggest listening to it on audio and that was a game changer!! Part of the book is a podcast so the audio really makes this come to life. Once I switched to audio I really enjoyed it. Overall a good read 3.7 rounded to (4⭐️)

Weyward- Another book that sat on my shelf for too long. It follows three different women’s stories from one family over the course of hundreds of years. Nothing is happening in this book and everything is happening. Enjoyed the writing and found myself eager to get back to my book each night which is always a good sign of a good book (4 ⭐️)

I have a ton of books TBR in October! Any suggestions to add to my pile?

Three Things Thursday: Cookbook Edition 📚✨

These three cookbooks basically live on my counter and are packed with the recipes I reach for again and again. I’m also sharing my Too THREE go-to recipes from each:

Defined Dish: Healthy and Wholesome Weeknight Recipes
•Turkey Taco Skillet Bake
•Greek-Style Meatloaf
•Hamburger Salad w/ Jalapeño Dressing

Taste of Home: Slow Cooker
•Caribbean Chipotle Sliders
•Shredded Beef Burrito Filling
•Chipotle Pulled Chicken

Skinnytaste One & Done
•Giant Turkey Meatball
•Spicy Chicken Sandwiches
•American-Style Cheesy Goulash

These are the cookbooks that have stood the test of time in my kitchen, and I know you’ll love them too. If I could only pick one for the rest of my life to use it would be One and Done! I’ve never made a bad meal from that book.

What cookbook do YOU reach for the most? Let me know so I can add it to my list!

🛝 BLO-NO PLAYGROUND CHECKLIST

There are so many different parks scattered throughout Bloomington and Normal so it’s easy to forget where you’ve been and where you still want to go. That’s why I created a Blono Playground checklist for anyone looking to explore all the parks Bloomington/Normal has to offer.

This checklist includes only the parks in Bloomington-Normal that have playgrounds, organized alphabetically for easy use. I also made a second version that separates the parks by city, one for Bloomington and one for Normal so you can explore however works best for your family. You can grab it from my link or comment PLAYGROUND and I’ll send it right to you.

Which playground in Bloomington/Normal is your favorite? Is there a hidden gem out there we should know about?

Clearing out my winter break digital junk drawer ✨

Winter break gave me time to slow down and reflect and reevaluate what I really want to share here on Normal Life Mom. Instead of overthinking what’s Instagram-worthy I’m starting the year by sharing 10 random snapshots from my camera roll of imperfect everyday moments, each picture representing a theme I want to take into 2025.

In 2025, I’m focusing on and you can plan on seeing more ⬇️

👋🏻- Hey that’s me, and I hope you’ll see more of me this year as I hope to get in front of the camera again.
🥑- Grocery Hauls/Meal Planning/Recipe ideas/Meal Prep
🏡 Real Life- Messy, beautiful, & 100% unapologetic for my unaesthetic photos.
♻️Using What I already have- less waste, more intentional
✨ Cool Blono finds- hidden gems and all the quirky charm of our amazing community.
📚 Books- taking you on my reading journey again this year, healing from last years spree of bad books.
🧖‍♀️ Self Care & Wellness- simple products, recipes that bring me joy (and health!) to each of my days.

So here is to embracing what I have, loving where I am, and sharing what matters to me ❤️ Which photo from my junk drawer speaks to you most?

From the Library ➡️ my bookshelf

If there's one thing I love more than a good cookbook, it's a good slow cooker recipe. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered this new cookbook at the library packed with delicious and easy-to-make recipes for my favorite kitchen appliance ❤️I didn't waste any time diving right into the pages and before I knew it, I had a whole list of dishes I wanted to try. They were flavorful, hearty, and downright delicious. I was so impressed that I ended up purchasing the cookbook so that I could keep these recipes in my collection! If you're a fan of slow cooker cooking (and really, who isn't?), you won't want to miss out on this gem 📚 It’s great for allergy families because a lot of these recipes are easily modified or were free from gluten/dairy all together.

What is your favorite cookbook?

I have no idea how it took me this long to make homemade granola. It's so easy, cost effective and totally customizable and now I think you should make your own too 👏

Here's what you'll need ⬇️
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the oats, salt and cinnamon. Stir to coat.
3. Pour in the oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix well. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
4. Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway
5. Enjoy!
I added Enjoy Life chocolate chips once cooled. You can add nuts during the cooking process or dried fruit after!

I’ve been adding it on top of yogurt, as a cereal, as a grab and go snack, and It's also amazing just on its own. What’s your favorite granola add in?

This weeks lunch meal prep was too good not to share 👉 Sweet potato + Brussels sprouts skillet.

Deets ⬇️

BEEF
1 lb lean ground beef, Can use ground turkey if preferred.
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic, minced

VEGGIES
2 tbsp oavocado oil
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 cup beef stock
1 lb brussels sprouts, diced

—Brown the meat and add the beef seasonings. Once cooked set aside.
— Add avocado oil to pan and diced sweet potatoes, and carrots. Add seasonings listed under veggies. Cook about 8-10 minutes until brown. Add the ground beef back in, Brussels, and beef stock. Cook covered for another 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

First book of the year in the books and I was pleasantly surprised by how good this one was! Fast paced and kept my interest the entire time. Good easy, thriller/mystery to add to your list. Giving it a 4.4/5 ⭐️

From GoodReads- “One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her-literally. Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn't slept in a year. Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can't go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster-but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason's disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.”

⚠️ Could be upsetting to new mothers

Have you read? Sound interesting to you!?

Does your child hate coloring? Lots of children don’t like coloring because they get distracted easily if they go outside the lines. These black background coloring books are a total game changer 🖍️

I created TWO coloring books with young colorers in mind! Black backgrounds are a great way to hide mistakes when coloring. The edge limits what you can do without making your drawing look messy! Great to improve those fine motor skills.

Which one would do you think your child love? The unicorn or space coloring book?!🦄 🪐

Space book (aff link)- https://amzn.to/3VVHSbd
Unicorn book (aff link) - https://amzn.to/3iXl9gr

My kids both want to “decorate” the house for the holidays and I’ve found decorating their bedroom door is the best place for that to happen. I cut out these trees and white circles (ornaments) and let the kids decorate them however they wanted. We taped them to their door and everyone feels Merry and Bright! Easy Peasy. Do you do a special Christmas/Holiday craft!?

If you’re looking for gift ideas for the special seven year old in your life, you’re in luck! This list has something for everyone. Whether your girl is into sports, art, science, or just plain fun, we’ve got you covered with great gifts for seven year old girls. What gifts are on your child's wish list this year?!

Gift ideas for Seven Year Old Girl Great gifts for a seven year old girls. Easy and fun birthday gifts for seven year old girls and Christmas gifts for a seven year old girl.

Made this Halloween snack mix for our spooky movie marathon 👻

I actually mean the opposite of spooky because my kids don’t like scary movie at all. We watched the animated Adams Family 1+2 which was soooo cute, but need a good suggestion for today. What’s your favorite wholesome family friendly Halloween movie?!

Deets on this allergy friendly snack mix👇
- Mini cheese balls
- Popcorn
- Mini pretzel twists
- Raisins
- Chocolate pieces ()
- chocolate