F is for Visiting Family and Friends

When my kids got mobile my whole world changed.  It meant I had to make sure they couldn't eat anything they shouldn't, EVERYTHING became a choking hazard and everything seemed dangerous.  So, like most parents I turned my house (or at least part of it) into a kid safe zone.  But what about when they go other places?  Here are 5 ways to keep your kids safe and happy when visiting homes that haven't been childproofed!

1. Bring your own milk and/or juice.  Don't assume that people will have it at their house.  We usually stop at a gas station and buy those 1 serving milk/juice bottles and then stick them in the fridge when we arrive.  The distraction of a bottle or sippy cup does wonders.

2. Bring an easy to transport toy.  We don't travel with my sons building blocks, but we will bring one puzzle or one of his toy trucks.

3. Assume there will be no good place to change a diaper.  Make sure you have something to put under them to protect wherever you do change them

4. Use distraction well.  Your child focused on the stone fireplace and chimney? Time to go outside to run around the big tree!

5. Ask for help.  Is your child obsessed with stuffing things in electrical outlets?  Bring some covers with you and ask your host to place them in the room your child will be in mostly.

And remember, learning to exist in environments outside the home is important.  For you and your child!

E is for Eating with Toddlers

My son went from being an adventurous, try anything eater to a kid who prefers to say "no" without opening his mouth.  So through trial and error I came up with 4 ways that made meal time more enjoyable for all of us

1. Know what they do like.  In my house we love pretzels. My son would eat them for every meal and snack if I let him.  So I know most of the time the promise of just one Utz pretzel will make him eat a little of almost anything.

2. "Dipping sauce".  This is key in our house.  My son will eat just about anything if he can dip it in something first.  It doesn't matter what.  Strawberries into ketchup, squash into maple syrup.  A small pool of dipping sauce goes along way.

3. Changing the view.  When he was younger it didn't matter to him what his high chair looked at.  Now, we found he eats better when he is facing the table and we are all eating together.  He is more likely to eat more and sit longer if he is watching us eat as well.

4. Sometimes you just have to give them what they want.  Yesterday for example my son refused to eat anything but pretzels or yogurt puffs.  Last month this would have made me crazy...I would have tried everything to get him to eat something healthy.  Sure enough, today he woke up and ate fresh tomatoes with french toast and strawberries for breakfast, housed a tuna sandwich for lunch, ate a snack of veggie sticks in a little ranch dipping sauce and is already looking around for dinner.

Mommy is trying SO hard NOT to lose her $h!T!

Ever feel like screaming so loud you'd lose your voice, want to pull your hair out, or beat your head against the wall?

These desires were mine this morning.

Let me first say that I LOVE MY CHILDREN TO DEATH! They are my first and last breath of the day. BUT the drive me FU&$!&G CRAZY!

I so desperately do not want to take my six year old's child like dreams and happiness away from her. BUT, there is a fine line between being non-stop silly and putting laughter on pause to listen and understand simple instructions.

Lately it seems that everything to my six year old is a big joke. AND IT DRIVES ME CRAZY!

I try so hard to utilize every ounce of patience in my body when listening to each laugh or giggle. I think to myself, "How hard is it to just get dressed?" I mean for crying out lout, my daughter has a better wardrobe selection than Macy's, and STILL she complains she has nothing to wear. BUT, no matter how eclectic my daughter's clothing selection, sometimes Mommy has to take a deep breath and walk out of the room... So that Mommy doesn't completely lose her $h!T!

I keep telling myself, "She is only six", "Cut her some slack", "Her silliness is part of who she is". If only she would take SOMETHING seriously.

My daughter wakes up giggling, laughs at her own jokes, and continuously shares these rituals with others. All of the previously mentioned things are beautiful parts of her personality. I'm happy she has such a positive outlook on life. That being said, these qualities also make it difficult for her to stay focused on getting herself dressed and ready for school in the morning. She
would rather share her latest adventure with me than finish her breakfast.

But I wonder if we the adults are the ones with the problem. We are always focused on what comes next. We try so hard to stick to a routine or schedule. Hurrying from one place to the next, we never really stop and live in the moment. We don't allow ourselves to completely let go and enjoy what is going on around us.

Maybe, just maybe...if we try to channel our inner child, our giggles and laughter... Maybe we could stop and be silly instead of completely losing our $h!T!

Torn between Me, Myself, and I

"Me" as Mommy, "Myself" at work and "I" as a Wife. These three people equal one chaotic, messy, crazed, individual. Sometimes I feel brief moments of smooth sailing... and in the blink of an eye the seas get rough.

I love being a Mom. It totally has it's moments when I want to scream high shrieks into my pillow and rip out my hair. BUT, that being said the pros totally out weigh the cons when it comes to having kids. I can't help but love my girls to little bits and pieces!

Then there is myself at work. I don't excel at much, however, I am damn good at my job. I get a certain satisfaction from what I do. Work is something in my life that is just mine. A place where they call me by name and don't scream "Mommy" while climbing me like a jungle gym. A place where I am simple me.

And after the kids are clothed, fed, and loved... After my tasks at work are completed and my clients are happy... at the end of the day I am still a wife who loves her hubby. It takes all that I have left to keep my eyes open as we share the details of our day. Most times I don't even remember falling asleep as we snuggle. That being said, we still start and end our day together.

My life is certainly chaotic. Rushing around the house getting everyone ready in the morning, running from a meeting to a school field day or play, and then being home at the end of the day to hear everyone's adventures over a "thrown" together dinner...
I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, who else gets to be three people in one and still be declared legally sane?

D is for Dinner

I don't have a lot of time, and don't want to spend what time I have on dinner.  Meatloaf shouldn't be hard, require a trip to the store or need a lot of dishes.  This one doesn't.

What you need:

1-2 pounds of ground beef (or turkey)
1/2-1 onion, diced (depending on how much you like onion)
2 pieces of bread torn into pieces (any kind)
1 egg
2 of the 3: 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, 1/2 cup molasses

1. Mix everything in one bowl
2. Shape into desired shape (I am a fan of the classic loaf)
3. Cook for 50 minutes at 350

C is for Cookie

So I may have just discovered the most perfect chocolate cookie.  It happened because I ran out of oats...I am addicted to chocolate no-bake cookies.  So since I knew I didn't have much time before the kids woke up I thought I would see what happened if I just omitted the oatmeal.  Perfection.

Here is the recipe (as I haven't seen this out there)...it takes about 5 minutes.

1/4c butter
1 cup sugar
1/4c cocoa (powdered)
1/4 c milk (best success is when you use just shy of a quarter cup)
1/4c peanut butter
1/4tsp vanilla

1. Mix your butter, sugar, cocoa and milk together until it starts to boil. 
2. Remove from heat.
3. Add vanilla and peanut butter.
4. Stir until combined
5. Drop onto wax paper (or parchment paper)...about the size of oreos

That's it.  They take about 10 minutes to harden completely...although you can always stick them in the fridge to make it happen quicker.  Or you can do what I do and just eat some of the unhardened goo while you wait for the cookies to set.
NOTE: the recipe also doubles and half's really well.

Summer on a Shoe String Budget

Ok, so summertime is rapidly approaching. And the hubby and I are trying to be financially responsible and still go on family trips and do fun activities with the kids. Tapping into my Mommy creativity, here are a few ways to entertain the kiddies with limited funds.

Fire Pit

S'mores Yum!

1. S'mores by the camp fire...
My hubby and I recently invested in an inexpensive fire pit for our back yard. I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable they had become. In fact, you can pick one up for $50-$60 at your local Job Lot, Christmas Tree Shop or Home Depot.

The kids really enjoy sitting by the fire as we tell "ghost" stories and roast marshmallows. We have even created a "camp ground" in the living room to sleep at as if we had really gone camping. All the comforts of home with the best features of being outdoors!

Sample Clip Art for Decorating Box Cars

Popcorn with m&m's YUMMY!

 2. Drive-in Movie Night!
This one is a favorite. I got some big boxes big enough for the kids to sit in and printed out headlights, steering wheels, car radios, and bumper stickers I found online by googling "car" clip art. The kids decorated their box cars while I set up the "snack stand" with juice boxes, pop corn and candy. Then they sat in their cars in front of the tv with their snacks and watched a movie. No mess from food because it all falls in their box car! Now if you can't get your hands on recycled boxes, you can pick up moving boxes at your local hardware store for a reasonable price.

Ice Cream Social TIME!

Blacksmith demonstration at Founder's Day

3. FREE Activities in Your Community!
Keep an eye out for family events held in your town. Our town library hosts an ice cream social and the parks department sponsors "Movies Under The Stars" a handful of nights in the summer. Any historical landmarks or houses in your town? Check with your local historical society. My kids enjoyed going to "Founders Day" where they learned about our towns history and enjoyed potato sack races and free pony rides.

Jazz Band at Farmer's Market

Town Turtle Comes to The Farmer's Market

4. Visit your local farmer's market
Get some food shopping done AND entertain your kids! It's become our summer weekend tradition to check out the homemade bread table and produce stand. Occasionally, a jazz band or a few farm animals even make an appearance. Sometimes we even have a picnic lunch on site. The kids love going from tent to tent and discovering all of the new treats!

Example of a Coconut Race

5. Theme Nights!
So this is something we have recently been having. Once a month we hold a pot luck dinner theme night. We invite a few family friends and they bring their kids and a food dish to share. The adults hang out while the kids have a group play date. No sitters needed, and you get adult interaction! We've had Italian night where the kids make their own pizza, Mexican night where we get a piñata and the kids make their own tacos, and most recently (in honor of summer) Polynesian Night!

See how flexible the little kiddies are by playing limbo. Pick up some fabric flower leis and glow sticks from the Dollar Store....AND you can't forget the plastic pine apple or coconut cups from the party store to serve them tropical punch in. OR get a few coconuts from your grocery store and have coconut races. You see who can push the coconut the furthest using a broom. And coconut bowling with some empty water bottles standing in for pins (decorate them as palm trees) using the coconut as the bowling ball is always fun. (Both games best to be played outside.) Last but not least, don't forget hula dancing by that fire pit you just invested in!

Happy Summer!!!!

B is for Books at Bedtime

I don't have a lot of time at bedtime unless I am going to keep my little guy up past his bedtime.  So creating a meaningful routine is hard.  Ours centers around books.  I make him up his bottle and he gets his blanket and stuffed animal of choice and gets to pick 3 books.

We read the classics, Goodnight Moon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  But lately he has been going to ones I had not previously been familiar with.  This week we have read Duck on a Bike a wonderful story where he can make animal sounds.

But my favorite part of our bedtime routine is after his three books he curls up in my lap and drinks his bottle and we read Goodnight NOLA.  I can recite the book by heart, and my little guy loves it so much that I have decided to buy these Goodnight books every time we travel to a new place that has them.  It seems like a great way to help a child remember all the places they visit.  And they are perfect for bedtime.

A is for Apple

I was, as usual short on time the other morning.  Trying to rush through breakfast so I could get to work on time and all I could find as a main ingredient were apples. In 15 minutes I created 3 different things that pleased each of the people in my home (with some left overs for me).  I was impressed since I have a 6 month old, a 20 month old and a husband who is picky about breakfast.

So I present A is for Apple...my guide on how to make 3 things in 15 minutes that they all will appreciate...and is healthful for them (and organic if you choose).

1. Put on water to boil
2. Take at least one apple per person (I used 4...my husband got two)
3. Peal the apples for the children
4. Cut one pealed apple up crudely (we are going to make quick apple sauce with this one)
5. Cut one pealed apple in thin, long strips (dipping sticks)
6. Cut the remaining unpealed apples into square shaped chunks (no bake apple crisp)

To make the applesauce:
1. dump the crudely cut, pealed apple into the boiling water (boil about 5 minutes)
2. remove when the apples are soft.  I like to mash them up with a fork.
3. add a dash of cinnamon and/or nutmeg to taste

To make the dipping sticks:
1. take thin, long strips of apple and arrange on a plate
2. using available (appropriate) condiments create mini "dipping piles" around the plate.  My son ended up with maple syrup from our neighbors farm, organic peanut butter and tomato sauce (he requested the last one and ate it all I might say)

To make the no bake apple crisp:
1. take the remaining apples and toss with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg
2. melt 1 tbsp butter
3. toss butter with 1/4 oatmeal and apple mix and microwave until warm