Judy Hopps: “I came here to make the world a better place, but I think I broke it.”
Chief Bogo: “Don’t give yourself so much credit, Hopps. The world has always been broken, that’s why we need good cops. Like you.”

‘Zootopia’ is a fast paced movie filled with beautiful animation, loveable characters, and a heart touching story. The kids loved watching this anthropomorphic animal adventure and probably took it as face value, but as a parent… I LOVED IT! Judy’s hard work and determination helped her achieve her dream to be the first bunny Police Officer! She proves herself to the police chief and all of ‘Zootopia’ by overcoming her fears,  stereotypes, and standing up to bullies. Even when things get tough, she uses ingenuity and interacts with others with kindness! Disney has been pushing the “Dream Big Princess” campaign as of late, but I feel like Judy Hopps should be added to the list! A role model that all girls (and boys) should look up to! Her positive attitude and compassion shines over all other adversity.

I picked ‘Zootopia’ because it’s National Police Week! It was so refreshing to watch a movie depict a positive police officer character. Judy displays all the attributes that make up a wonderful police officer; intelligence, determination, compassion, sense of humor, creativity, responsibility, honesty, strength of character, etc. Just like in every occupation, the few rotten apples are the ones you see on the news, while thousands of wonderful people never get the respect and appreciation that they deserve.

In honor of Police Week, the kids and I wanted to show our appreciation and share some kindness to my husband, his co-workers, and our local police station.

Every LEO family knows the crazy amount of gear and equipment their officer has to carry around every day, so we built my husband a “Cop Caddy!” He likes the “Industrial look” and after multiple trips to Lowes, I finally designed an awesome iron pipe tower with a tray connected on top. He can now unload all of his gear and have a designated place for everything! No more rummaging around at the crack of dawn to find things. It has helped him save sooooo much time and frustration!

The Thin Blue Line stands for the sacrifice law enforcement officers of this nation make each day and I wanted to incorporate that into something special for my husband and his co-workers. After racking my brain, I came up with the most DELICIOUS idea! ‘Thin Blue Line’ Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers! BRILLIANT! I made blue icing and sandwiched it between split chocolate graham crackers. Put them in the fridge to harden, and then dipped them in dark chocolate! When the officers took a bite, they would find the “Thin Blue Line’. Cute, huh? I’m so glad I sent them all with him, because I have a weakness for sweets, and O. M. GOODNESS were they good!

Made ‘Thin Blue Line’ sweets

*A side note about the chocolate, my mom used to have a chocolate making business and I’m set on having GOOD chocolate to make things. When I can’t get my mom’s chocolate wafers, I only use ‘Ghirardelli Chocolate Dark Melting Wafers’ (you can find them here). They melt EVERY time, and smooth as… ya know… chocolate! So much better tan the chocolate wafers you’ll find at a craft store. 

We also made ‘Thank you’ bags and made cards for our local hero’s and dropped them off at the Police Station. My daughter was so excited to help make the bags, sign the cards, and deliver it to them. Police Officers will accept homemade treats, but if they don’t personally know you (even though very much appreciated) they will not usually keep it. It’s just the nature of the job and the messed up world that we live in. We filled the goodie bags with pens and notebooks, pre-packed trail mix, bottled water, pre-packed instant coffee, tissues, hand sanitizer, and a gift card to Chick-fil-a! We made one for Brandon too. 🙂

We started the weekend eating Clawhausers favorite food, DONUTS! I swear I could eat a dozen fresh Duck Donuts all by myself! And we ended the day by watching ‘Zootopia’! Since it’s an anthropomorphic world, I couldn’t make myself cook dinner with red-meat. Instead, I made Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with roasted broccoli and carrots! I love the added crunch the panko gives to the fish. Do you roast your veggies? My kids scarf them down like candy! My daughter has cried when she couldn’t fit more broccoli in her mouth. TRUE STORY! We love roasting vegetables, it sweetens the flavor and keeps all the wonderful nutrients inside.

Rainy afternoons call for a good book and donuts

Gideon Gray would have been proud of our Mason Jar Lid Blueberry Pie!

For dessert, we made ‘Mason Jar Lid Blueberry Pie‘. For an added twist, I made them in mason jar lids! Click here for the recipe.

Sorry this was such a lengthy post, but this is something I’m very passionate about! Being part of a Police Officers life is harder than I could have ever imagined, but I am so extremely proud of Brandon and the job that he does. This is what he was born to be and I’m honored to be his wife and to help him in any way I can! He is my hero, my best friend, and love of my life!