Uncategorized

This Week’s Meal Plan | A Pantry Challenge

Recipes, Uncategorized

It’s the last week before our EBT re-loads which means we are doing a Pantry challenge this week. Personally, I feel like some of our best meals come from these Pantry challenges! It forces me to dig deep in cookbooks I don’t usually pick first to find recipes using only ingredients that we have on hand. I also really utilize Pinterest for these challenges. There, you can find endless recipes & ideas for meals using only a few ingredients.

We are an ingredient house – so we tend to keep a stocked Pantry of items to make meals from (including random things I have no idea how I accumulated 😅), but we don’t have any ready to eat or snack/junk food type items on hand hardly ever unless it was given to us, so if we want to eat, we have to make it ourselves.

I’m very good at meal planning, but I’m bad at planning meals using the ingredients that we already have on hand. This has led to an abundance of items that I don’t even know I have and a lot unnecessary spending. It’s time to fix that & get creative with what we currently have.

Even though a majority of the items are processed/canned instead of fresh, I still tried to keep the meals as healthy as possible. I really try to stay as far away from processed foods as possible (which is why they have ended up in Pantry storage rather than being used), but this challenge is all about using what I have and I’m honestly pretty proud of the meals I ended up throwing together & I had a fun time doing it. I tried to keep it interesting & exciting instead of meals like Spaghetti & Sauce that everyone is sick of.

Most of all, I’m grateful that I have these items available to me to prepare for my family. After our last issue with EBT, I learned the importance of building a food pantry and having items stored & available for emergencies. It has proven very useful.

On to this week’s meal plan:

👩🏼‍🍳 Sunday

• Breakfast: Lemon-Poppyseed Cake

• Lunch: Leftovers

• Dinner: Dad Choice – Mom working

👩🏼‍🍳 Monday

• Breakfast: Custardy Popovers

• Lunch: Stovetop Yogurt Mac & Cheese

• Dinner: Roast Pork + Glazed Carrots

👩🏼‍🍳 Tuesday

• Breakfast: Cream Cheese Omelets

• Lunch: Leftovers

• Dinner: Pan-Fried Catfish + Green Bean Casserole

👩🏼‍🍳 Wednesday

• Breakfast: Danish Puff

• Lunch: Cheesy Bean Burrito Copycat

• Dinner: Chicken Piccata with Spaghetti & Sourdough Bread (1 of 2 Loaves)

👩🏼‍🍳 Thursday

• Breakfast: Homemade Sourdough Bagels with Cream Cheese

• Lunch: Leftovers

• Dinner: Slow Cooker Broccoli & Cheese Soup with Day-old Sourdough Bread (2 of 2 Loaves).

👩🏼‍🍳 Friday

• Breakfast: Egg Muffins

• Lunch: Crockpot Buffalo Wings

• Dinner: Tuna Pie + Creamed Peas with Swedish Braided Bread

👩🏼‍🍳 Saturday

• All meals are handled by Dad on this day while I am at work.

Hopefully you were able to find some inspiration from my Pantry challenge to now start a Pantry challenge of your own! Also, an important reminder that shelf stable items are still good past the date on the box. Here is a helpful guide for using up Pantry items!

Credit: Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

Credit: Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

Eggciting Announcement!

Uncategorized

We’re starting off 2025 crossing off a MAJOR mini-homestead dream of mine that I’ve been chasing for the last 5 years!!

WE BROUGHT HOME BABY CHICKS!!!!!! 🐣

We spent weeks preparing: picking out, buying, and setting up their chicken coop. Picking out their brooder home & putting it together. Buying food & accessories. Reading, researching, and watching videos about raising backyard chickens. Deciding what breeds we wanted based on our needs.

This is their baby brooder home. They will live in this up to about 4 weeks, probably less depending on available space as they grow (and they are already growing fast!!). Since it will still be too cold here in Ohio in 4 weeks, they will have to move to a bigger brooder – a small horse trough/galvanized tub with a larger heat lamp until at least 8 weeks, depending on the Ohio weather at that time. We are realizing they may be living inside until closer to 10-12 weeks, but we’re used to living in a zoo 🤪.

Once they finally make it outside, this is their starter coop. We have plans to buy a small wooden shed like the one we have that I painted to look like a barn and turn it into a large size, walk-in chicken coop with more boxes for nesting and warmth for future winters.

I got a metal fence through my Amazon Products Testing gig for “free” (in exchange for a review) that my husband built around and secured to the chicken coop to create a little “yard” for them. Once early Spring arrives, I’ll be able to begin decorating their coop with a rock wall & herb planters filled with herbs that help chickens with health & egg production. I’ll definitely buy them enrichment toys for their run!

We also started out 2025 with massive Winter Storm Blair. We got the most snow we’ve had in decades. It was amazing! I love snow so much & how magical it makes the world feel around me. My kids have been playing outside & building snow castles. Rumor has it, we’re getting another heavy round of snow over the weekend. 🤞🏼

Unfortunately, I also learned a huge life lesson on Greenhouse Winterization. I’m devastated, but choosing to be grateful that it wasn’t our home. While it’s just snow for us, it was a stark reminder of what families in Ukraine are going through, but way worse – waking up to their family home caved in from bombs, losing everything & possibly loved ones.  We’re lucky it wasn’t our home and everyone is safe. We didn’t lose power & we didn’t have to worry about running out of food or water.

I’m hoping there’s a way we can salvage it or at least build around it and it won’t be a total loss (ideas? Experiences? Help!). My husband is less of a dreamer than I am. He says it’s done. I guess we’ll see when the snow clears. I’m glad I took one last photo of it as the snow began coming down, before it caved in.

We picked up our one day old babies from Mt. Healthy Hatchery on January 8th. I chose 4 breeds: Ameraucana, Barred Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Blue, & Golden Comets. They threw in an extra one that I am unsure of the breed – she’s a reddish, brown and doesn’t look the same as any of the other babies. I really like her a lot though. I got the Ameraucanas for fun for their different colored eggs. The rest I picked for high egg production. All of the breeds I chose are known for being good around children & other animals which was important to us since we have a large family and many pets.

When we first brought them home, they huddled together in their brooder. They were probably nervous from their big trip and they were probably cold even though I kept the heat on in the car during the trip. As the day went on, they spread out (a sign of happiness & contentment) and began eating, drinking, and exploring their new surroundings. We have had a couple of hiccups along the way, but we are learning as we go. Everyone is healthy and getting stronger day by day.

I really love the way the Ameraucanas (in the middle) look. They remind me of baby cheetah print. They are so fluffy! I spend so much time just sitting with them, admiring them all. I also think the Golden Comets are really adorable.

We’re currently bonding with them and teaching the children (especially young ones) about chicken safety for both us & the chickies, and of course referencing our Farm Anatomy book! We are all so in love with them!

Chicken Mamas 🐓🐥, bless me with all your advice please!!!

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

Happy New Years! + FREE Printable

home, Motherhood, Uncategorized

New Years is one of my favorite holidays. I love looking around our home, admiring all of the changes that we made over the year & dreaming of all the things I want to accomplish in the next. I love setting goals & even more, I love crossing them off my list.

I personally am SO excited for 2025! 2024 was a hard year for me, but 2025 brings so much new to look forward to. December ended with a lot of blessings for us that has lit a new fuel in me that has me full of hope and endless energy.

This year, I made a cute little worksheet for my kids to fill out to get them started in finding their own joy of planning & wanted to share it with all of you, in case you would like to print it out for your kids too! Plus, it was really good insight to hear their answers they came up with!

Get Your Free Printable Here!! ➡️Download

Speaking of planning – after a lot of going back & forth with myself, I decided to splurge on a Christmas gift for myself this year! I got myself the Homemaking Planner of my dreams. If you know me in real life, you’d know that I always have my planner with me; planning activities or meals, or making lists of goals I want to accomplish. My planner is absolutely crucial to running my crazy lifestyle! If I’m not planning, I’m literally malfunctioning.

This planner has literally everything I need & want. Beautifully designed, daily to-do lists already planned out for me for the entire year with daily homemaking tasks to keep my home running smooth & Bible readings. It has the exact layout I was looking for. It has Holiday planning checklists, vacation planning checklists, cleaning lists, financial budgeting, goals & books I want to read, meal planning. It’s seriously the best planner for any Homemaking, Homeschooling, or Homesteading mom. If you are an extensive planner like me, it’s absolutely worth every single penny!

I’m SO excited to sit down today and plan all the things! I can’t wait to see how far this new planner will take me in achieving both mine & my family’s goals this year. I can’t wait to make our Homeschool Goals list for the year & start crossing them off!

We’re getting back on track, beginning today. We’re clearing the clutter from both our space & mind. We’re preparing for new adventures for our family. I’m so excited for all this New Year will bring!

Our Year in Photos 📸

I wish you a Happy New Year and wish that you, too, are filled with hope & joy for this year to come. What is something you are looking forward to most this year?

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

Cookie Baskets 🍪 & Gingerbread Homes ☃️

Crafts & DIY, Motherhood, Uncategorized

We have been working hard this week baking SO many cookies to put together little Cookie Basket Christmas gifts for our homeschool teacher, Ms. Natalie, and our piano teacher, Ms. Bayleigh. We also made a Cookie Box to bring into my work for my co-workers.

The kids were all big helpers and had lots of fun decorating. I loved how much they were into it and how long it kept them occupied for.

To keep the mess to a minimum, we rolled out our large paper on the table to work on. This is one of my favorite hacks! It makes the situation so much less stressful. Kids can also color on the paper while they are waiting. If you’re working in a group setting you can use it as a way to organize whose cookies are whose, what types of cookies are available to work with (Gingerbread, Sugar, etc.), or ingredients for allergy purposes.

I think that the kids did a really great job decorating. They really put a lot of effort into each cookie.

Cookies Boxes

This year we included:

• Snowballs • Gingerbread Men • Sugar Cookies with M&M • Peppermint Fudge • Chocolate Crinkles • Decorated Sugar Cookies & Gingerbread Men • Sourdough Gingerbread Biscotti

We had a lot of fun putting these together! I think they look adorable. I especially like how the box for my co-workers really shows what all is included in the box. I think next year I’d rather do all boxes than baskets for this reason. Mia asked if we can make this a new tradition for our family. We will definitely have to start planning earlier next year to increase our variety. This year, we just worked with what we had available on hand in our pantry. I’d really like to include some fruit ones next year, and a few other treats.

Ella’s Favorite: Sugar Cookies • Mia’s Favorite: Chocolate Crinkles • Sasha’s Favorite: Sugar Cookie • Athena’s Favorite: Snowballs • Moses’ Favorite: Sugar Cookies • Mama’s Favorite: Peppermint Fudge • Dad’s Favorite: Peppermint Fudge

Gingerbread Homes

Each kid made their own Gingerbread House with Ms. Natalie for a Christmas activity before winter break began. I did not know this was our activity or I would have made sure Mia came. We did bring home a plateful of treats for her though. It was only Ella & Sasha’s classes today, but I like to bring the Littles so they can free play while the other kids are at their classes.

Some of the cookies broke in the process of trying to separate them. We were able to make the best of the situation and still make them work. I especially liked the little scenes that Ella made. I thought that was really creative.

The important thing is we had a lot of fun! I think they all turned out super cute and they were yummy! These cookies from the kits had a much more mild gingerbread taste to them than the ones we make at home, but I think that’s probably good for kids. Gingerbread can be a bit spicy for kids who aren’t used to a lot of spices. Next year, I’d love to try making our own Gingerbread Homes from scratch! I think that would be an extra special Christmas memory for us.

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

A Letter I Want to Remember

mental health, The Story of Me, Uncategorized

I recently learned that I have a “spam” folder in my Facebook Messenger & when I checked it, found this really nice message to me from someone who had found me online.

Even though I was late to recieve it, it came at a time when I really needed to hear it more than when it arrived & it felt really good to know that my efforts are not going unnoticed; that I am making a difference. It was received at a time when I was feeling weak, and needed a reminder that I am strong.

All I’ve wanted since getting sober almost 12 years ago now, is to help others and put good back into the world to make up for the bad that I had done – a restitution to the universe. To live out my purpose of why I was chosen to be saved, and not be the “waste of narcan” I was told I was when I overdosed. To give somebody hope who currently has a loved one who is struggling with addiction – that they can win this battle and conquer their demons.

It felt nice to be acknowledged by a complete stranger. To actually be seen. I don’t want to forget that.

March 28, 2024 – my last felony expunged & my rights granted back to me.

Hi Madison,

Let me introduce myself: Max. My family, consisting of my wife, daughter and me, is originally from Kyiv, Ukraine.

When I came across your Facebook post in which you provide invaluable assistance to Ukrainian families in need, I couldn’t help but be touched. Your unwavering commitment to providing the necessary support is truly commendable.

Your resilience and fortitude are evident, Madison. Learning about the adversity you overcame eleven years ago fills me with awe. Such strength of character is rare; not everyone has the ability to overcome their shortcomings and create a brighter path forward.

Your merits require admiration.

I beg you, Madison, to never look back on your past. Embrace this new beginning that has been given to you. This is not a matter of choice – it is your legal right.

With the greatest respect, Maksym 🙂

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

Holiday 🎄 Popcorn 🍿 Ball Bites

Recipes, Uncategorized

We’ve still been working on our Daily December activities, but I’ve been super busy this past month and haven’t gotten around to posting as much as I had hoped.

Something I have learned during these activities: I do not work well with corn syrup. None of the recipes I make with it turn out as I hope when I plan for them, but I imagine it’s a learning curve, like dough was for me in the beginning too. I’ll just have to keep trying.

I followed the recipe (but added salt and vanilla as the commenters suggested), but the mixture was a gloppy mess. I don’t like gloppy messes. Luckily, I found a way to still make it work.

I spooned the mixture into several silicone candy molds, packing them as tightly as I could. I then placed them in the refrigerator overnight. The next day they popped out nicely into bite size popcorn balls. They were really cute!

The bite size balls tasted really great and the kids gobbled them up! I was happy to avoid a gigantic mess as messes tend to take away from the joy of the experience for me & turn me very Grinchy, and that’s the last thing I want in this season.

I actually really love the bite size ones and think they’d be a great additive to a treat basket gift. It would be really easy to switch them up for each holiday using different themed Sprinkles, drizzled chocolate, or caramel on top.

Ingredients

  • 5 Quarts plain popcorn, popped
  • 3/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup
  • 1/4 Cup Salted Butter
  • 2 Teaspoons Cold Water
  • 1 Cup Marshmallows
  • 2 1/2 Cups + 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
  • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Directions

  • Combine all ingredients (except popcorn) in a pan over medium heat. Heat & stir until the marshmallows are melted and the mixture comes to a boil.
  • Pour mixture over large bowl of popped popcorn and mix until all is coated evenly.
  • Spoon mixture into silicone molds, pressing tightly to pack the mold. (Alternatively, use greased hands to form into balls and wrap with plastic wrap to hold shape.)
  • Top with Holiday Sanding Sugar or Sprinkles & refrigerate overnight. Pop out balls when ready to eat or use!

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

Christmas Lights 🎄 & Birthday Night

Uncategorized

Last year on December 31, Cincinnati lost Coney Island, a beloved (but dying) amusement park with a rich history, that had been around since 1870 (originally Parker’s Grove) and was home of the largest recirculating pool in North America, and for a long time – the world.

Cincinnati preservationists and longtime lovers of Coney Island tried their best efforts to save the park & Sunlite Pool, but sadly failed. While they weren’t able to save it all, they were able to save & relocate the Christmas Light Show to the Clermont County Campgrounds!

Last night to celebrate Grammy Kat’s birthday, we made the drive to Owensville, Ohio for dinner & the light show. It was definitely worth it!

Dinner

We went to Gramma’s Pizza since it was closest to the Fairgrounds and we didn’t want to risk being late. I hadn’t eaten Gramma’s Pizza since I was back in highschool, and I had never been inside to eat. I was really happy they had a lot of options. Moses ordered a kids cheese pizza, but everyone else got Cheeseburgers. I got a fish hoagy, it was delicious. It was a nice little place for families, although they do not have any beverages besides Coke soda products (no lemonade), but they do have water. The staff was very kind, and the food arrived quickly. Ella brought Uno to play while we waited.

Light Show & Scavenger Hunt

I found this adorable scavenger hunt on Pintetest a couple years ago, printed it out and laminated it so that we were able to reuse it year after year. We all look forward to seeing if we are able to cross off all of the items!

We were definitely able to find them all this year! It really was spectacular! There were SO many lights!! We had to tune our radio to 97.5 so we could watch the lights & music work together to create the show. I am happy I was able to get some nice, clear photos of some displays. The lights were flashing so fast it was difficult to get many!

Our Gift For Grammy

I was recently gifted a Cookbook Stand from my neighbor for my birthday last month and I have used it every single day since. Grammy Kat has recently been beginning to get more into cooking, so I thought it would be perfect for her kitchen.

I asked Niko to build me a Cookbook Holder using materials that we already had at home. He even hand-carved her name into the mini metal plaque in the front. It turned out even cuter than I had imagined. The girls picked out her favorite colors to paint it.

We all signed the back. I really love how it turned out and was really excited to give it to her. The girls also made her birthday cards. It was a great time and I’m really happy that she loved her gift. I think it was really useful & meaningful, and a lot of love went into it. I think homemade gifts are the best. We are really happy that she had a great birthday and that we were able to celebrate together.

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

Salted Christmas Caramels

Recipes, Uncategorized

Salted Caramels are one of my very favorite candies in the world! I was really excited for us to try to make them ourselves as one of our Daily December Holiday Activities.

These ended up being more of a toffee consistency than I like. They were really hard, but I have a feeling that is because my husband keeps our home temperature set to morgue. Once you got to chewing them for a minute they softened up a bit, but not enough for me (or my TMJ) to be happy with. They did have a pleasant taste though and were nice to suck on, very much like the Werthers hard candies.

They definitely looked cute with the salt. It reminded us of snow in our Christmas pan. I’d really like to attempt to remake these using a different recipe & end up with soft, chewy Caramels instead. Overall, it was still a happy holiday memory made & that’s the whole point of these daily activities. Despite my aversion to the hardness of these Caramels, the kids still really loved them, especially Athena. If hard candies are your thing, you’ll probably love them too!

Salted Caramels

  • 1/2 Cup Whipping Cream
  • 1/4 Cup Salted Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Cup Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 1/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup
  • Flaky Salt for topping
  1. Line a 2L quart pan with parchment paper
  2. Heat the cream & butter until the butter has all melted, set aside.
  3. In a cast iron Dutch oven, mix together the vanilla, sugar, water, and corn syrup. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until the temperature reaches 320°. Turn off heat. Pour in cream/butter mixture and continue stirring for 5 minutes until the temperature lowers to 245°.
  4. Pour caramel into prepared pan & place in refrigerator overnight.
  5. Cut into candy size pieces and top with flaky salt.

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

Santa 🎅 Handprint Salt Dough Ornaments

Crafts & DIY, Motherhood, Uncategorized

I found the idea for these adorable Salt Dough Ornaments on Pinterest!

If you have never made Salt Dough Ornaments before, they are SO easy & fun to make! Plus, you get an adorable keepsake from your children or grandchildren!

First, we made our salt dough.

Salt Dough Recipe

  • 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Table Salt
  • 1 Cup Warm Water

Mix together until a dough forms, adding more flour if needed. SO simple!

Once your dough forms, roll out onto floured parchment paper. Get your hand nice & floured to prevent sticking and press down gently, but firmly for a handprint. Cut excess dough away from your handprint & use a chopstick to create a small hole at the top for your ribbon.

Once everyone’s handprints are pressed, bake for 2-3 hours in the oven at 225°F. Once completely hardened, remove from oven and let cool.

Once completely cool, you can begin painting! We went with the Santa theme we found, but you can use your creativity to come up with other Christmas ideas or check Pinterest for more inspiration (there are so many ideas there!). We even made a paw print keepsake for each of our pups!

Once you finish painting and your ornament has dried, it’s time to put a layer of Mod Podge (or other clear sealant) to preserve your ornament! Once the sealant is dry, superglue your pom-pom to Santa’s hat & add your Christmas ribbon to hang!

I think that they turned out SO cute & we had a lot of fun making them! We did decide to hang them from their stockings rather than on the tree because of their weight. I think it looks adorable there though!

This is a super simple craft that keeps kids occupied for hours! Even after we finished pressing our handprints, the kids continued to sensory play with leftover dough for a long time while the Ornaments baked in the oven. I definitely recommend adding to your holiday traditions!

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov

We Got Our First Customer! | + Updated Flower Press

Uncategorized

We received our first customer at Morozov Mini Market! I got to make a flower press for our homeschool teacher, Ms. Natalie! Our Mini Market dreams are coming true! That makes my heart so incredibly happy!

We decided to upgrade our flower presses with these velcro straps instead of screws! The straps are a lot easier for little hands to manage, plus there are way less pieces to have to keep track of! I also think they look a lot nicer with the straps, but I will always love the original look as it was our beginning product!

I wasn’t sure if she would like it to be painted or only wood-burned (to paint yourself), so I left it unpainted for now. She did tell me that she would like for it to be painted by me, so I’ll be doing that for her, but I am so glad she loves it as is too! I think it is really beautiful & will only be even more special once painted!

With each of our flower presses, we include the first page of dried flowers for our customers. I think that gives it a really special touch. She was really excited to find her page!

We are now taking custom orders! These would make a really great, personalized gift to give for Christmas to any Nature Lover in your life! Flower Presses begin at $35 & include cardboard inserts. All presses will now be made using straps, however, screws are still available upon request if you prefer that option. I can’t wait to create with you!!

UPDATE: February 2025

I began painting Ms. Natalie’s flower press during Sasha & Athena’s reading lessons. We both agree it looks so much happier painted. I still have more to go, but I’m loving how it’s beginning to look!

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov