For the lego lover: DIY lego table

This Lego table was one of the most exciting ideas and creations I've had. I am extremely happy with the way this project turned out. It will be around for many, many years.

My little guy became obsessed with Legos when he turned 4. We enjoy building a new Lego creation from instructions, and we enjoy creating together. Legos has encouraged more creativity and imagination. So I set out to find a large Lego table for future Lego creations. I was inspired by the Lego Movie and knew exactly what I wanted.


I started my search, but I could not find the table I had in mind. Every Lego table I found was too small and expensive. I decided to make my own. I spent weeks searching for the right sized dining table at the right price. I finally found the table on jet.com. It's fun watching the price drop after it goes in your cart! It was listed for $128. I paid $109, no tax, free shipping. The table measures 60L x 36W x 30H inches. Thank you, Jet.com!
https://jet.com/product/Homelegance-Tibalt-Black-Dining-Table-60-in/db38cebd98984cfdbb2d64d1f038abb7


I cut the 30" legs down to 24" high with the help of a circular saw and screwed the legs in with the screws and tool that came with the table. The table took 15 minutes for one person to put together. I went for 24" H on the legs, because it gives him room to grow with it (he is 42" tall), while still allowing a kids chair to be pushed under it. My husband sits on the floor and reaches fine.

I purchased Lego baseplates from Amazon. I went with the Lego Education Building Plates set on Amazon, because it came with the "old school" color green and blue plates in 10x10. I could not find blue plates sold individually online or at the Lego store. I also used the Lego sand baseplate. I used Lego plates as opposed to the Lego compatible.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085Y3YV0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-6102276-Classic-Sand-Baseplate/dp/B00NHQF626/ref=pd_sim_21_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YWV9165W0QWG77B7DV0M

I laid out the base plates, on the table, the way I wanted them and used legos to connect the plates for the proper placement. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP! You can not simply push the plates together and glue, or the Legos will not connect onto other base plates. I, then, determined less than an inch needed to be cut off 1 grey plate and 2 green plates to fit perfectly on the table.

I used a box cutter, laid the plates on the driveway and used Legos as a guide. I just worked my way down. It took about 5 cuts to allow me to break the piece off. Since it was my first time, I was afraid I would ruin Legos by using them as a guide. Now that I know they weren't damaged, I would have used more to avoid alternating them all the way down. I cut the same size strip off 3 base plates.

I then used the cutter to smooth the cut side. It didn't need much.

Lastly, I snipped a tiny piece off the 2 pointy edges to round it out.

I laid the newly cut base plates on the table, connected them with Legos and began to glue. I glued one plate at a time and placed it back in it's position with the Legos keeping it in place. I pressed down firmly and went on to the next plate.

I found the best glue for this project was the Gorilla Super Glue Gel. I figured that out when I ran out of several bottles of the gel pretty quickly and then used original gorilla glue on the rest of the plates. The original gorilla glue expands. It oozed out in some spots and raised a couple of base plates by a tiny amount. The GEL worked perfectly, and did right by this project. The gel was definitely the better glue. I used almost a bottle on an 18x18 plate and more than half a bottle on a 10x10 plate.

Wood table below is 32"x16" and sells for $180 plus $30 in shipping.

Plastic table below is 23" in diameter and sells for $75.00. This is what we used for 3 years.

Our table is 60"x36". I spent $258 on the table and baseplates. This does not include the glue.

I hope this helps you make your own Lego table. You can use any size table, even a coffee table, to come up with your own creation!

Mashed Cauliflower

Have you taken the leap from mashed potatoes to mashed cauliflower yet? You've got to try it. Don't get me wrong. I love mashed potatoes. My mom makes the best ones. I also love to eat healthy and enjoy the thrill of making healthy foods taste delectable. This is one of them. Mashed cauliflower tastes sinful, but it's a guilt-free and delicious way to cut calories and lower carbs. One 2 1/2" boiled potato contains about 27g of carbs. 1 medium (5-6" dia) boiled head of cauliflower contains about 23g of carbs. Bonus-It doesn't taste like cauliflower. Your mashed potato loving kids will not know the difference.

We serve mashed cauliflower under sea scallops for a fine dining feel at home. We also serve them with steak or grilled chicken and more vegetables (try them with green beans). Serve them with anything you like having mashed potatoes with!

There are a ton of ways to make it. You can add parmesan cheese, chicken broth, cream cheese, garlic, cottage cheese, or milk. You could simply add some cooking liquid from the cauliflower to thin it out, and that's it! I like to experiment with different ingredients to change it up.

My mom's mashed potatoes have sour cream, cream cheese and butter. We replaced sour cream for plain non-fat greek yogurt many years ago. The yogurt tastes just like sour cream. Yes, we use it on tacos, too. While I absolutely love her recipe, I had to come up with a healthier compliment while achieving a similar flavor.

I share with you the way our family enjoys mashed cauliflower.

hands-on time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
makes 4 servings


2 medium cauliflower heads, cut into chunks
1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt
2 tablespoons butter
kosher salt & pepper to taste


Bring water to boil. Add cauliflower. Boil cauliflower for 8-10 minutes until tender with a fork. Place in blender with yogurt, butter, salt and pepper. Blend til smooth.

I love this dish. I hope you enjoy it, too!

The Ballcap Buddy

We are a ballcap wearing family, and I finally found the best way to clean them!


We would wash our caps in the washing machine, and they would get ruined. So we either bought a new cap (and caps are not cheap) or didn't wash it (and that got gross). I went back and forth with buying a Ballcap Buddy for years. I just didn't like the idea of putting a dirty cap in the dishwasher or wasting money on water to wash it alone. I gave in when hubby so badly wanted his newest cap to be cleaned and not ruined. I bought the Ballcap Buddy, and it saved our favorite caps. It's intended for the top shelf of dishwasher or top load washing machines. It's very specific to not use in front load washing machines. I do the short cycle of dishwasher and take it out to dry by leaving it on the ball cap buddy til dry. Wish I bought it years ago. Better late than never.


This cap was my guinea pig. I figured I couldn't ruin it more than it already was. I went to town with Goop (see GOT GOOP post from 2/27/16), let it sit for 20 minutes and threw it in the dishwasher. Came out brand new. I almost cried.

before

 after



I bought my Ballcap Buddy from the LIDS store for $5.99. Amazon carries them for $7.95 with Prime shipping.
https://www.amazon.com/Original-Ballcap-Buddy-Cap-Washer/dp/B0013FGVW2


I don't know if the type of dishwasher soap makes a difference. I use Cascade Platinum ActionPacs. It is not only amazing on our dishes, it works great on the caps.
https://www.amazon.com/Cascade-Platinum-ActionPacs-Dishwasher-Detergent/dp/B00O7Y9DGW/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&ie=UTF8&qid=1474997343&sr=8-1&keywords=dishwasher+detergent

How I lost my pregnancy weight

I gained 54 pounds when I was pregnant. My doctor wasn't concerned. She assured me I would be able to get it off. I didn't believe her. I was always hungry, and I was addicted to Starbuck's. I stopped on my way to work every day in the 2nd and 3rd trimester for a blueberry scone. It was my guiltest pleasure. I ate greens and ate as healthy as I could. I was just ALWAYS hungry.

This was me the night before I checked into the hospital. We went to the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show. People stared. I didn't understand why until I saw this picture after my son was born. I must have looked like I would tip over at any moment. My family had bets on how big baby boy would be. Sweet boy was an average 7 pounds, 8 ounces.

When my son was 3 months, I saw a commercial for Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis. It looked easy enough, and I might get good results. I tried some of her other videos right before I got pregnant, so I didn't get to commit to them as I had done in the past with Tae Bo, Power 90, P90, P90X and Slim in 6. I bought the Metamorphosis Glutecentric version. I was nowhere near my pre pregnancy weight and couldn't fit into any of my clothes. I was very intrigued by the commercial and so bored with the P90's of the world.

I have 2 be clear about 3 things.
1. I tried the eating plan for 2 days. It was disgusting, and I almost passed out in HEB. I decided to stick with my normal daily diet (white & green), because I already enjoyed eating well. I haven't been on a "diet" in over a decade. I consider my daily diet to be the way I normally eat.
2. I don't care what some say about her. I lost my pregnancy weight and another 15 pounds on top of that. The inches kept coming off. She keeps me motivated to move, and I feel powerful after her workout.
3. Her method is not for everyone, and that's ok! Some say they don't like it, without trying it, because they don't want to look like her. Tracy Anderson is 1 of 2 of J Lo's trainers, and J Lo looks like J Lo. The fact is - she gets you moving a way that most don't.

Just as P90 changes the workout to avoid focusing on one group of muscles, Metamorphosis changes to a new workout every 10 days. I admit it was a true dedication for 8 weeks. And it was definitely not as easy as it looked. She advises 6 days a week for 1 hour a day. I worked out 5 days a week for an hour a day for 8 weeks. I was determined. The inches and weight just fell off. I was content with fitting back in my clothes, so I backed off and did 30 minutes a day. At the end of 4 months, I weighed less than my pre pregnancy weight. I'd lost 18 pounds & 17.25 inches and continued to lose more. After another 5 months of 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week, I lost another 6 pounds and more inches.

Metamorphosis comes in 3 dvd's with 90 days of workouts. Tracy Anderson has made years worth of Metamorphosis DVD's, and I still have them delivered to my door. I may be back logged on them, as I do not exercise often enough to keep up with the program...but, Metamorphosis is still the only exercise I do. I feel like a powerhouse when I finish her workouts. I average 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week with some form of physical activity. Some of those days may be kicking the soccer ball with my son for 30 minutes. Then I'll catch one of her dance or exercise clips on instagram and get excited for a 30 minute workout the next day. When I do pop in her exercise video, I pick up from wherever I left off.

Whatever you choose to do as your exercise routine, just get moving! Exercise can help or prevent health problems, improve your mood, boost your energy, promote better sleep, and can be a fun way to spend time with your family.

cilantro burgers with sriracha mayo

At the start of the new year, I decided to change things up by making 2 new recipes a week.  I wish I had kept track of all the new recipes I've made since January. This thought didn't occur to me til May.

We eat at home about 5-6 days a week. I like cooking, and we like healthy eating. We also appreciate knowing what's going in our food. While I can cook dishes without a recipe, it gets hard coming up with interesting, new and tasty on my own. It's inspiring to get new ideas. I will buy magazines, I will do research, and I will share my findings with you. A favorite magazine of mine is Cooking Light. This baby is not cheap. So, if I buy a copy, you bet I'm going to make as many recipes as I can from it.

We eat white meat or fish most days. A burger is a once a week or every other week splurge. Hubby and I love a good burger. Our version of a good burger is one with cheese. Any cheese. And sauce, from mayo to chipotle ketchup. A new favorite is Cilantro Burgers with Sriracha Mayo. Hubby works out 6 days a week. So Hercules needs more food than I do. While this recipe feeds 4, I make 3 burgers out of it. A half pounder for hubby and two 1/4 pounders.

TIPS about this recipe-
We eat a lot of cilantro, so we add more than the recipe calls for.
We use a lot of kosher salt and cracked pepper to flavor our meat.
We double the mayo recipe, because we use plenty on the top AND bottom bun to give it the sauciness. It makes up for the lack of cheese. This way, we don't miss it. Like I said, burgers are a splurge for us. You may as well do it, right.

hands-on time: 20 minute
total time: 20 minutes
makes 4 servings

1 pound 90% lean ground sirloin
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 burger buns
3 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon sriracha
1/3 cup cilantro sprigs


Combine ground sirloin, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper in a bowl; mix just until combined. Divide sirloin mixture into 4 equal portions, gently shaping each into a 1/2" thick patty.


Heat a grill to medium high heat. Add patties and grill 4 minutes. Turn patties and grill 4 more minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove patties. Add buns to grill, cut sides down. Grill 1 minute or until toasted.


Combine mayo and sriracha in a small bowl, stir. Spread mixture on bottom half of each bun; top each with 1 patty. Divide cilantro sprigs evenly among patty; top with top halves of bun.


Recipe inspiration from Cooking Light

My Not-So-Overwhelming Cleaning Schedule

People have asked me how I keep my house so clean. It actually does require a bit of organization and planning on my part, so I'm not cleaning for one whole day. A day of cleaning is exhausting, boring, and not likely to get all done when you have a child at home with you.

Hubby and I are most relaxed in a tidy home. We prefer a swept floor, toys picked up from the downstairs before bed, and a clean kitchen to wake up to every morning. By clean kitchen, I mean no dirty dishes in the sink. I keep a toy basket in the downstairs closet. It's an easy place for us to do a quick stash.

Several years ago, we decided to save money by no longer using our maid service. The only way I could get out of spending a day cleaning was to make a schedule of daily tasks that would keep the house clean. The schedule allowed me to still spend lots of time with our little guy and/or run errands, while enjoying a clean home. I don't stay home every day. I did for one year after our son was born. Then he went to a 2 day a week Kids Day Out program, and I work on those 2 days. I adjusted my cleaning schedule to have a lighter task on the days I work.

My Not-So-Overwhelming Cleaning Schedule

 

And, let's be real. I may not vacuum every Thursday. Maybe I'll let another week go by. I'm sure going to try, though, because my son and hubby have terrible allergies (some of which include dust mites).

I fell out of my routine the end of last year. I struggled getting back in the groove at the beginning of this year. I was a slacker. Then it started spiraling. I had too much to do. My head was spinning with what needed to be immediately cleaned (restrooms) to things I needed to do (dust baseboards, replace air filters, replace an outdoor floodlight that was knocked out in the hail storm). I keep a planner, but that wasn't going to work for this list in my head. I decided to just write it all down. Everything. I made a list, and it kept growing. I stuck it on the fridge knowing I could see it better there. My goal was to knock out 1 or 2 things a day. It was an accomplishment when I could mark something off the list.

The Big List

The house is almost back where it needs to be (I still need to do my annual baseboards dusting), and I am now able to go back to my daily schedule. And there you have it! Now you know the Adams family has clean sheets on Friday.

Daily To-Do's at 3

My little one is 3. He's now able to dress himself and needs reminding to brush teeth in the morning. I created this chart and used the help of superheroes stickers. Since he's already such a helper, I decided to use it on the chart.We are a family of helpers. I think it's an important quality to have in life. The chart is at his eye level at the bottom of the fridge.

 

Art is definitely not my strength, but he knows what the smile means!