Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tacos

This was a fun little recipe for me! I made it up! I was craving chicken tacos, but I'm a big fan of buffalo sauce so I thought that it sounded delish, so I threw this together in the crock pot and was very pleased with the results!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 bottle of Buffalo Sauce
• 8oz of cream cheese
• 2 Packets of dry Ranch Dressing seasoning packets

1. Place chicken breasts in crock pot. 

2. Pour the bottle of Buffalo Sauce over the chicken. 

3. Add the Ranch packets and stir. 

4. Cut cream cheese into cubes and stir into the mixture. 

5. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. 

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I added sour cream, cheese, and lettuce. You might not need the entire bottle of sauce, just be your own judge! I also think Ranch would be great on these! Today I'm going to eat the leftovers on a salad. So easy and yummy! 

Feel the Love

Ohhh...it's almost Valentine's Day. It's not of my favorite holidays but now that I'm married and have a little guy I think it's a little more fun than usual. Any holiday is better with a kid around! I try to come up with cute ideas/gifts that are unique. I think everyone needs to remember why we have Valentine's Day - to show our friends and family that we care, that we love them. Sure, it's easy to get caught up in all the big teddy bears and red and white hearts, but we need to remember that we love the people in ours lives!

Last Valentine's Day I wrote on a bunch of heart sticky notes a reason why I loved Ross. I put them on a wall and on Valentine's Day he read all of them. He loved it and thought it was the best present I could have given him because normally I don't tell him things like that.

I also made him chocolate covered strawberries. I love love love them so I'm not sure if I made them more for him or me, but regardless they were amazing and I think I was pretty creative when it came to the decorating!

Anyway, I just wanted to share that sometimes the simplest gifts are best. Go tell someone you love them, because that is the best gift of all.

This was the table at our last Valentine's Day last year. I bought him a Valentine's Day cookie, sparkling grape juice (I was pregnant!) and a couple little small gifts. It was perfect!
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Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Jalapeno Cream Cheese

You will love this! This definitely speaks for itself! The flavors are amazing and I love when I can bake chicken breasts!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Jalapenos, diced
• 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
• 8oz of cream cheese, softened
• Bacon
• Toothpicks

1. First flatten out your chicken breasts with a meat pounder. 

2. Next, dice up the jalapenos. I didn't have any whole jalapenos so I just diced some slices. 

3. Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and jalapenos together in a bowl. 

4. Spread cream cheese mixture on chicken breast. 

5. Roll up chicken breast. 

6. Wrap bacon around and secure with a toothpick. 

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. 

I completely wrapped the chicken in bacon because well, I love bacon! I love love love these and the bacon adds such a great flavor! We aren't huge fans of jalapenos in this house so I didn't add too many. The cream cheese is so good with the jalapenos and cheddar cheese. After my husband ate this he looked at me and said, "You are the best cook in the world." 

Yup, I love when he says things like that! Enjoy!!! 

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Baby Food - Squash

Hunter loves squash so I decided to make him some! This was so much easier then I thought it would be. I got a pretty small squash so it didn't make as much as I was hoping for, but definitely enough for a couple meals.

First, cut the squash in half, lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds.

Then, lay the squash in a baking pan with 1-2 inches of water with the insides down.

Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes. I just scooped the squash out with a spoon and put it in a food processor. I added a little of the water and processed until smooth. I then added it to a couple of containers I had and an ice cube tray. Wait until the food has cooled before putting it in the freezer! Hunter loves it! And it made a lot more for less, which is always the point!

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Red Pepper, Basil Pesto, and Chicken Penne Pasta

The best part of this meal, other than the fact that it tastes amazing, is that I was able to use my food processor! Ever since I got my food processor I have only used it for baby food so I was excited when I found this recipe! This meal has so much flavor that your taste buds will love you!

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Ingredients:

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup of pine nuts
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
• 1/4 cup basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta
• 3 boneless chicken breasts (cubed) 
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Place garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. 

2. Add Parmesan, red pepper, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Pulse until combined. 

3. With the motor still running, add olive oil through the feed tube and process until all combined. 

4. Cook pasta. Drain and return to pot.

5. Cook chicken. 

6. Add the pesto and chicken to the pasta and stir to combine. 

7. Stir in heavy cream for a creamier sauce. 

8. Heat until warm. 

I added more cream because I wanted a creamier sauce. I love this! So quick, easy, and yummy! Add a veggie and some garlic bread and you're set! 

I adapted my recipe from a great blog! Check it out here!

Taco Bake Casserole

I've been wanting to try this recipe out. Mainly because I had an excuse to buy a bag of Doritos, but also because it sounded amazing, and boy, it sure was! The recipe that I used is here: Taco Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1 pkg of taco seasoning
• 8oz sour cream
• 1 pkg crescent rolls
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used a little more than a cup)
• 3/4 bag of Dorito chips

1. Brown hamburger.

2. Add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes.

3. Press out crescent rolls in 9x13 dish to form a crust. (I just used my hands to press them together) 

4. Lay out the hamburger mixture on top of the crust. 

5. Add sour cream and then cheese on top. (The sour cream was hard to spread, so I almost ended up mixing it together with the hamburger mixture)

6. Crush 3/4 of a bag of Doritos and put them on top. 

7. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

An easy meal to make that tastes great! Add some corn on the side and you've got a great meal that the family will love!!

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Never Take Anything For Granted

Life is so short. No one knows exactly when our time will come or when our loved ones will be taken from us. That's life. I wonder sometimes how much different we all would be if we knew the exact moment when our life would end. Would we do more things knowing tomorrow might never come? Would we be nicer to the cashier at the store? Would we say "I love you" to our husbands, our children, our parents? Would we call our parents more then we do? Gosh, I don't know. Maybe knowing would make us go crazy. It actually definitely would make us go crazy. We act the way we do because we think we will be given one extra day to make things right; to fix things. But what if we don't? What if we don't have that extra day to apologize or to tell someone how much they mean to you? I never realized how precious life is until I had a baby. I want to see him do so many things. I want to see him walk and hear his first word and to listen to all his giggles. I want to watch him go to kindergarten, play baseball, and I want to go to countless track meets and watch him. Or band concerts if that's the route he chooses. I want to see him graduate high school and get married and have children of his own. I don't want to miss any of that. When I had a bridal shower all the guests wrote advice on a notecard. Over half of those notecards told me to never go to bed mad. I think that is so true. We need to end each day on a positive note. No one wants to wake up with a heavy mind. I want everyone to know that I care and love them at the end of the day. Each morning is a reason to celebrate life. God has blessed you with one more day to do better then the day before. Everyone says to never take anything for granted because you never know when it will be taken from you. Live each moment like it's your last. There's no way we can actually do that because deep down, we know that it's not our last. We always assume that we have another chance, another opportunity. Eventually that will not be the case. We live to learn. I want to be a better person. I want to be a better mother, a better wife, daughter, sister, friend. I want to LIVE. I want to be kind to people I don't know and be happy, because there is always a reason to be happy. It can always be worse. I have experienced a lot in my 24 years, but I am sure that I have experienced more good than bad. There are so many people out there that have it worse then me. I have great friends, parents that support me and love me, a brother who has become my best friend, a husband who thinks I'm the greatest woman in the world, and a beautiful baby boy who needs me. I have a roof over my head and I put food on the table. I laugh more than I cry and I think more than I speak. I am blessed. I have worked to get where I am, but God has and is blessing me and the people in my life. What more could I want? There's tons and tons of things I want, but I've got everything I need. I have it so good. SO GOOD. Life is beautiful. 


My dad is a birdwatcher. He loves birds and when I was little he would take me bird watching. He loves it and I grew to love it. There's a peace about looking at birds through binoculars. They are magnificent creatures that just float through the air. They are beautiful and strong and are independent. My dad taught me to notice the little things. He taught me to appreciate everything around me. He makes me notice the rain, the dark clouds, each little piece of grass, a flower petal, an ant walking on the ground. My favorite thing when I run in the early mornings (it's been a while since I've done that), is taking a deep breath and seeing my breath in the air. I don't know what it is, but I love it. How many times do you notice something like that? Every time you walk outside in the winter? When do you really notice the frost on the windows in the morning or the dew on the grass? When do you really see the colors of the sunset? We always notice the bad things. The wrinkles around our eyes, the gray in our hair, our muscles that aren't toned. We are so quick to pick out the things that are wrong, when really, we should be focusing on the things that are right. When I stare at Hunter I notice every little wrinkle, every hair. He's so new, so fresh. I don't want to miss anything about him. What would life be like if we stopped being so busy and just noticed what was around us? If we just appreciated what we had right in front of us? We will never know. Life is so wonderful, but we tend to forget that when we get all caught up with everything else going on. 


My daddy taught me to see that life is beautiful. There is something beautiful about every moment of every day. Embrace it. Look at it. Capture the moment. Breath. Live. We never know when our last day might be, but we have today. We have it now and that's all that matters. 

 My Daddy 

Us

Slow Cooker Angel Chicken

Oh my gosh. This recipe will blow your mind! The flavors are so great and this is something unlike anything you've ever had before. Your crockpot will love you!


The orginial recipe is here: Angel Chicken



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Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breast
• 1 8oz package of fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 0.7oz package of dry Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 10 3/4oz can condensed mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 1/2 of an 8oz tub of chives and onion cream cheese spread
• Rice or angel hair pasta

1. Melt butter in saucepan

2. Add in Italian dressing packet

3. Stir in soup, wine, and cream cheese until melted

4. Slice mushrooms

5. Place mushrooms in the bottom of the slow cooker. 

6. Put chicken on top of the mushrooms. 

7. Pour the sauce mixture on top. 

8. Cook on low for 5 hours.

There is rice under that chicken and sauce! I added some garlic bread and green beans (both from the freezer). Note to self: learn how to make homemade garlic bread in the near future. I love love love this meal and so did the hubby. They always say that the way to a man's heart is his stomach. If that's the case, my man is hooked! 

Yummy Chicken Pasta

Since I've started cooking and baking more I've noticed that I really like to experiment with the recipes that I use. I have stopped measuring spices that are under a tablespoon. I just shake a little out, stir, smell, and shake some more. I really like flavorful food. If I'm using a nice spice I tend to measure it because I'm not sure how strong it is. When it comes to garlic and lemon pepper I go a little over bored. I am very picky when it comes to my food. I will make a meal and usually I'm not extremely pleased. Yeah, it tastes good, but I always feel like I could have added something or changed something to make it over the top. However, the other day I made this chicken pasta that is out of this world and it takes a lot for me to say that about a meal that I cook. Oh my gosh. It was unbelievable. You must make this as soon as you can. You won't regret it. 


The original recipe is Cajun Chicken Pasta. I couldn't find cajun seasoning and I was kind of in a hurry so I coated the chicken in some chili powder and paprika and it tasted great! I am a big fan of paprika. Gotta love improvising! 


Here is my recipe! 


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Ingredients:

• Linguine Pasta (I never measure pasta. I just add about as much as I think we'll need!)
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 3 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper (I never measure these. I just shake a couple times and boom!)

1. Cut up the peppers and mushrooms. (I like to do this first so I can throw everything together quickly!)

2. Boil the pasta. 
3. Place chicken, chili powder, and paprika in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. 
4. In large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter then add the chicken. Saute until tender. 
5. Add peppers and mushrooms. Saute and stir for 5 minutes.

6. Add cream and parmesan cheese. Stir. 
7. Add spices. Stir and heat through. 
8. Add the pasta and heat through. 
9. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and get ready for the best meal ever!! 

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I made some garlic bread and steamed some broccoli as sides and they topped the meal off great. This is definitely an easy and quick meal that is super filling and so delicious!! 
As I mentioned above, I don't typically measure every single spice. I just like to add as much as I think it needs. I didn't put a lot of basil in because I'm not a big fan of basil. Just play around and experiment and you'll be surprised at how your recipe turns out! ENJOY!!!

It's all about convenience.

Oh the life of a busy mom. I guess I can't really call myself THAT busy. I work nights so I have the days free to spend time with my little guy. My house isn't spick and span like it probably should be since I have all day at home, but I always have laundry to do and dishes that need to be washed. Granted, this week I have been on top of the dishes. I'm pretty proud of myself on that note. I spend a lot of time with Hunter. We read, giggle, look at books, and be silly all the time. My husband would probably say that I need to do more things around the house, but the way I look it, the dust, the grime, and the dirty clothes will still be there tomorrow. My baby is only little today. Tomorrow he won't be the same. As long as my baby is clean, we have clothes to wear, and food to eat then I think I'm doing a pretty dang good job if I do say so myself. 


I love love love my crockpot. Gosh, if you don't have one, you need one. It is a great investment. I however didn't buy mine. It was my Grandma's and it is one heck of a powerful crockpot. Recipes that need to be on high for 8 hours are usually done in half that time. I hope it never breaks because it is awesome. I love slow cooker meals. They are simple and fast and boy, do they make your home smell delicious! I love walking in my house and smelling the glorious smell of the food that's just simmering away in the crockpot. One of the best slow cooker blogs that I have found is 365 Days of Slow Cooking. Recipes galore! So many yummy ones too. I do a lot of searching on recipe sites for slow-cooker recipes too. The best advice I have, is just search! You will find something that will make your tummy say, "Yum!" I love making slow cooker meals because they are so easy and 8 hours later you have meal ready to eat and all you did was throw some stuff in the pot! I LOVE things that make my life less complicated. My crockpot is definitely one of those things! 


Last night for dinner I made Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers. I changed up the recipe a little because I didn't have everything in my cabinets and they turned out great! Super easy and hardly any mess, which is always a plus! 

The original recipe can be found here: Slow Cooker Couscous-Stuffed Peppers


Here is my recipe! 

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3 large bell peppers 1/2 pound ground beef or venison (we're a big deer meat family! Sorry, Bambi!) 

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of chili powder

2/3 cup of rice

1/2 cup water

First cut the top off of each bell pepper and remove the seeds and membranes. Then rinse peppers. 

In a skillet, cook beef (venison) and garlic powder until meat is brown. Drain. Add the tomato sauce, cumin, salt, and cinnamon, and chili powder. Add rice. Divide the mixture evenly into each pepper. 

Pour the water in the slow cooker and stand the peppers upright in the cooker and cook on high for 5-7 hours or until peppers are tender. 

NOTE: Next time I make this I probably won't cook these as long. My peppers were a little too tender for me. I think it would have been great if they would have still had a little crunch to them. I also added a little more water as the day went on. Overall, YUM!!!

Nom nom nom

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Today was a baby making food day! It wasn't as extreme as I was planning on it, however, I did make a few meals for my little Huntman. I grabbed some apples and bananas and went to work!

For the bananas I cut them up and pureed them in the food processor. I added a little water to make them more smooth. I put the bananas in containers by themselves.

For the apples I peeled them and cut them up into small squares. I then put them in a pot with a little water and steamed them until I could mash them. I had some banana left in the food processor so I just added the apples and processed it all together! Apples and bananas!! Whoo! I put the mixture in the two containers that I had left and the rest of the mixture in the ice cube tray.

TIP: Wait until the food has cooled before putting it in the freezer. This helps eliminate the ice crystals!

I'm excited for Hunter to eat these. I know he is going to love them!

Way ahead of Everyone

I'm married, have a baby, and I live 5 hours away from most of my best friends. Most of my friends aren't married and only a few have babies. I feel like many of my friends can't relate to what I'm going through in my life. I want to talk about diaper rash and teething and they want to talk about what bars they went to the night before. My life revolves around cleaning bottles, baby lotion, middle of the night feedings. They just aren't quite there yet. I get excited when Hunter starts rocking on his knees and I think he's going to learn to crawl. I jump up and down and yell when he learns something new. They get excited when they take a shot or can sleep in until noon. I'm the mom who makes the weird faces, silly noises, and dances around the room just to get a little grin out of Hunter. If anyone walked in the room and saw me they would probably think I'm crazy. It's kind of amazing what you will do just to make your child smile. I sing made up songs that make completely NO sense, but if Hunter loves it then I do it! Sometimes I feel a little left out from my friends because I am at a completely different point in my life then they are. I can't really relate to going out on the weekends. They don't know what's it like to wake up at 2am with a crying baby when you're exhausted. When you become a mom your body just gets used to sleep. I still enjoy going out, but I would much rather stay at home with my little family. I know that eventually my friends with all be in the same place I am in their life and then we'll have lots more to talk about. Then we can all have conversations on diaper rash, car seat brands, and what books to read to our babies. For now, I'll just enjoy my little guy and listen to their crazy stories from the night before. The best part is, someday they will all be asking me for advice because I'll already have been there. I can tell them how it is. I love my husband and my little boy more than anything in the world. They complete me and I love watching us grow together as a family. When you get older you lose friends, but gain so much more. Your social group becomes your husband and your child. I get to experience all these moments and I treasure all the early mornings, the icky diapers, and all the giggles. This is the best time of my life and I wouldn't trade it for a night at the bar for anything.

Why are we so busy?

We rush, rush, rush every single day. Why? What's the point? We are so wrapped up in the fast paced lifestyle we are all living. I get so worried about getting things done; the laundry, dishes, paying the bills, cleaning, etc...It will all get done eventually right? Yes, of course. I can't put all these duties off forever! Since I've basically been a stay at home mom for 6 months (I work at night), I have realized I don't know how working moms do it! How do they work all day long and then still find time to snuggle their children and get all these things done that I do during the day!? It amazes me! I know I probably can't be a stay at home mom forever. Unfortunately, I'll probably get a day job sometime, but I am so blessed to have stayed at home for as long as I have. I treasure this time with my baby boy. I am home all day and I still don't get all the dishes and laundry done. Working moms would probably laugh at me and think, "Girl, you don't know how good you have it! I could get so much done if I stayed home all day!" Haha! Okay, maybe not, but still. Everyone gets into a routine which makes life easier. I am in this routine now, but if I had to get a job, I could make it work and it wouldn't be a problem! A few jobs opened up that I would love to have. Don't get me wrong, I love being home with my little guy and I would rather stay home with him then work, but I would like to get some experience in a field that is of interest to me. Everything can change so fast. I wish there were more hours in the day to spend with my family. When Ross gets home from work I have 3 hours to spend with him and Hunter. We have 3 hours to be a family together. That stinks! But that's life. I would rather have 3 hours, then zero. We make it work. That's what has to be done and that's what will be done!

This week I made broccoli and cheese soup, roasted-red pepper, sun-dried tomato chicken pitas, and pulled pork. Tonight we are having leftovers and tomorrow night if we stay home, I will probably make baked potato soup. I never know what our plans will be on Friday nights so I just try to keep an open mind.

For the broccoli and cheese soup, I took a recipe and modified it a little. I've noticed that ever since I started cooking more and trying out new recipes, I have learned how to add to them or change something.

Here is the recipe I used for the broccoli and cheese soup.
I didn't add the small onion because the hubby doesn't really like onion and I didn't add swiss cheese because I forgot! I added 4oz of cream cheese though and a can of cream of mushroom soup! My husband loved it and we are having leftovers tonight!

Here is the recipe I used for the chicken pitas.
I didn't shred the chicken, I just cut it up in cubes. I couldn't find sun-dried tomato oil so I used some roasted-red pepper dressing that I found in the salad dressing aisle! I also couldn't find sun-dried tomatoes so I just used a sun-dried tomato spread that I can't wait to try on a sandwich soon! I used a little more of the balsamic and roasted-red pepper dressing because I used more chicken. This is a great recipe and so easy to make!

Here is the recipe I used for the pulled pork. AMAZING! So easy! I love the fizzy taste of the diet pepsi that is added!

I just love trying new recipes. I love trying them and having them taste great! Haha! It is such a satisfaction; cooking. So rewarding.

Oh gosh, I did this ab workout two days ago and I am still SO sore today! It's such a great feeling though. I am addicted to that pain. I better get another workout in today! You should too!

Well, I should probably put away all the laundry I did yesterday...or maybe I'll just stare at Hunter while he's sleeping. Besides, what's the point rushing around? I can always rush, but tomorrow Hunter won't look like he is today.

Between diapers and miles...

A Brand New Year

Ahhh, 2012 is here! 2011 was by far the best year of my life and I cannot even imagine what 2012 will bring. I am so excited to watch my little Hunter grow and learn and change. Each day he learns something new. He makes my life so great and he keeps me on my toes. He will be 6 months old tomorrow. Completely blows my mind! He has gotten so big and has learned so much and his personality is starting to shine through. I love it. He's so funny and I love his little smiles and giggles. He is going to be a year old before I know it. 


A new year always brings changes. People always have all these resolutions that they want to do and usually by the time March rolls around they don't even remember making them. I've never been big on making new year's resolutions. I think it's because I don't like to fail so if I don't make one then I can't fail! Ha! That sounds pretty lazy now that I think about it. This year I got to thinking that there are a few changes I would like to make. I don't know if I would actually call them resolutions but since it's January 1st, 2012 we can call them that for now. 

• I want to be a better mother, wife, friend, daughter, sister. -I want to be the best I can be when it comes to each label in my life. I want to be a better mother and learn the best things for my baby and how to make him the happiest baby in the world. I want to be a better wife and support my husband even more than I already do and love him and just do my part in this family. I want to be a better friend and be there for my friends and I want them to know that I care and love them. I want to be a better daughter and sister and make my family proud and I want them to know that I will do anything for them. I want my family to know that I would not be who I am today without them. 
• I want to keep meal planning. -I want to make sure that I keep planning meals for my family and save money when it comes to food. 
• I want to focus on the little things. -My baby boy is growing so fast and each day I try to take time to just stare at his beautiful, innocent face. I love to watch him sleep and take in breaths, stare at his plump little lips, feel his little hands and feet, and just admire how wonderful he is. He is definitely a gift from God and I am so blessed that God has given His son to me to raise. I just want to make sure that I don't get caught up in the rush of life and I focus on everything that is right in front of me. I need to just enjoy each moment as it is happening, because once a moment is over you can never get it back. 

I guess I don't have that many changes that I want to make, but I think you always need to think about what you want to do better in your life or you will never have anything to work towards. You have to realize that everything you have right now could be done tomorrow. People aren't in our lives forever so we need to enjoy the time that we spend with everyone that we hold dear in our lives. Tomorrow I could wake up and my whole life could change, but right now, this moment, is all mine. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and regret not living, not loving with everything I have and more. I don't want to regret not being the best I can be. I want to wake up tomorrow and be content with the life that I am living. I think when you have a child you realize how precious life is. You become more aware of what is around and what is happening around you and in the world. You want to make sure that nothing can harm your child and you want them to be the happiest child ever. 

Each day I will probably realize something else I want to change or learn and that's the way it should be. You should never be content with what you know now. You should always want to learn something new. A new year is sometimes what people need to start fresh. They feel like they have a clean slate, a chance to start over and become the person they want. It's all about dedication. You have to be dedicated to change. You can't get discouraged. You must always keep the goal in mind. Once you have your goal, never stray from it. Just go get it. Once you get it you will feel a million times better than if you don't get it. 

Challenge yourself. Challenge the ones you love. Live. Love. Laugh. Focus on what you have right in front of you. Enjoy each day even if it doesn't go exactly the way that you wanted. Be thankful you were able to hear your alarm clock go off and be thankful when you lay your head down on your pillow. Take a deep breath outside and just notice the colors and smells of the world around you. Notice the trees, sky, birds, grass, rocks...We make everything so complicated when really we just need to think of everything as simple. We have one life and that's all we get. Appreciate it, appreciate others, appreciate yourself.