My Girl Jamming

My girl jamming to "Caillou's Rock and Roll Band" on Sprout with her homemade guitar.

My Toddler's Old (but still Favorite) Bedtime Story

My toddler likes to read this to her little sister too! It's still her most favorite bedtime story!

My Toddler's New Favorite Bedtime Story

My toddler's new favorite bedtime story. I've been reading it to her the past week or so and she already has it memorized and reads it to her little sister. Kids are amazing!

Snowflake by My Girl

My toddler made this "snowflake" out of Popsicle sticks and colored rice while at the Ayer Family Partnership playgroup with her friends.

Homemade Car by a Toddler

My girl kept asking if she could drive while we were out on errands today so I had an idea to make her a car out of a box for her to "drive" around the house.

Tired Puggy

Hailey taking a little snooze.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:
2 1/2 handfuls of baby carrots
32 oz chicken broth
1 can condensed tomato soup
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (drained)
15.5 oz can white kidney beans (rinsed & drained)
3 stalks of celery
1 c pastina
1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 2 c of hot water
1/4 tsp thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary
group pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil carrots in water until fork tender. Chop celery and carrots into bite size pieces. Combine all ingredients (except patina) in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add pastina - continue to boil on medium heat for 7 minutes.

Serve with bread and salad and enjoy!

Snowman Fun by My Girl (courtesy of Ayer Family Partnership - Playgroup)

Teddy by a Toddler

SLEEP - Update!!

So I thought we were getting somewhere when my 6 - now almost 7 month old started sleeping until 6am a few mornings a week. Then - this past week - she has decided that 4:30AM is a good time to wake up - EVERY DAY!!! UGH!!!

Facebook Status & Comments - Sleep & Kids

ME:
Getting ready for the day after a not so great night of sleep.

Friend One:
why is someone sick?????

Friend Two:
Join the club! My boy was up three times last night. Once he flung himself up and over me while I was sleeping...trying to get into the big bed. The second time he woke up screaming about big bugs. The third time, I ended up in his bed with him! UGH!

Friend Three:
Big Bugs? Well didn't DADDY the Exterminator get rid of them lol..and he has a few "Uncles" that can help out with the BUG issue lol...Kids and their imaginations. My girl has done that a few times. Says she had a big bug in her bed..to the point I had to go get her a new blanket to sleep with cause she wouldn't use the one that had the "bugs" on them lol.

ME:
No one is sick - just my girl was restless - up constantly from 1am-5am - then at 5am decided to sleep for another 1 1/2 hours - great for her but stinks for us (my husband & I) as we had to get up to get ready for work. UGH!Yeah Friend Two - I definitely with Friend Three on the Big Bugs theory - have Daddy scare them away next time!!

Friend Four:
I feel your pain...although my girl slept well last night she just didn't fall asleep until 10:30PM. It could have been that 3 hour nap her father let her take 4-7PM!!!

ME:
Ugh!! Doesn't he know that there is NO Napping after 4pm (unless it's like a 20 minute cap nap). I hope you made him stay up with her.

Photography by a Toddler

Maverick peeking out at Miss Emily.

Sleep - a little longer - Please! - UPDATE

Sleep is getting better with the little one now - she'll sleep at times until 6am-6:30am on some days - but others it's still up around 5am-5:30am. I guess it's true what someone once told me - once you have kids you'll never sleep like you used to!

My Girl's Abstract Art

Homemade String Instrument - UPDATE

O.K - So Daddy came home and added to this project - and I must say it definitely looks more like a guitar now. See how creative you become when you have kids!!

A Toddler's Tropical Island

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients:
6 chicken tenderloins
3 cups baby carrots
1 green bell pepper
Mrs. Dash Table Blend Seasoning

Directions:
Spray a rectangular baking dish with olive oil. Place the 6 chicken tenderloins in pan – season both sides with Mrs. Dash Table Blend Seasoning. Bake at broil temp for 9 minutes – flip chicken over and bake for another 9 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. Boil baby carrots in water until fork tender. Cut into bites size pieces the cooked chicken, fork tender baby carrots and bell pepper. Put in a Tupperware container with the chicken at the bottom, then the carrots and lastly the bell peppers on the top. Place in fridge until ready to prepare to eat. ***

In a large skillet, add a small amount of olive oil to the pan (nickel size). Saute peppers until tender, then add the carrots (saute for few minutes to warm) then the chicken last (saute to warm). Add a few herbs such as pepper, thyme and rosemary for taste. Serve with one of the Knorr Rice Sides (the Herb and Butter or Chicken flavored go well – cook according to directions on package). Enjoy!

Apple Cinammon Squares

Ingredients:
1 cup cinnamon applesauce
1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c flour
1 c white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla Mixture of cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top - takes about 1 tablespoon of white sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Mix all dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt - in a bowl and set aside. Melt the butter, brown sugar and white sugar and mix well - let cool (this is so the eggs do not scramble when added). You can stick it in the fridge to cool to room temp. (I did not time this but I'm thinking around 5 minutes or so.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Once the butter and sugar mixture is cooled to room temp, add the vanilla and eggs and mix. (I find that using a wooden spoon works best.) Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients at a time and mix well. Add the applesauce and mix well. Grease a rectangular (13x9) pan and add mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!!

P.S. - Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - Yum!!

Cleaning White Cabinets ... UGH!

OK - so today I finally decided to tackle the god-awful job of cleaning our white cabinets in our kitchen (which I swear to my husband our next home will not have as I cannot stand them!) The last time I cleaned them was nearly 2 years ago. So I had my 6 month old down for a morning nap, gave my 2 year old a spray bottle filled with water and a cloth to "help" me clean the bottom cabinets (which resulted in a very wet floor but a productive time of cleaning the cabinets - hey - whatever works!) and set out to scrub the heck out of these dingy cabinets. In the end, the best thing that worked was this cleaner called "Greased Lightning" that I found in the back of my cleaning supplies cabinet. It was the only thing that I think worked the best with the least amount of effort from me. I also used it to soak the stove knobs in and it worked pretty well too. So I can know say that at least 1/2 of my kitchen is clean. The other half is for another day.

P.S. - Here is the website of the cleaning product I used.
http://www.greased-lightning.com/

How Times Change - 1977 vs NOW

1977 (the year I was born)

Top Headlines:
Alex Haley's 8-part mini-series, "Roots", viewed by 80 million.
President Carter pardons all Viet Nam War draft dodgers.
Elvis Presley dies of a heart attack.
Disco is the craze, partly because of "Saturday Night Fever".

Top Songs:
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Car Wash - Rose Royce
New Kid In Town - The Eagles
Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Dancing Queen - Abba
Hotel California - The Eagles
How Deep Is Your Love - The Bee Gees
Best Of My Love - Emotions
You Light Up My Life - Debbie Boone

Prices:
House $58,473
Car $4,317
Milk $1.44
Gas $.65
Bread $.32
Postage Stamp $.13
Average Income $10,360

Academy Awards:
Best Picture - Annie Hall - Directed by Woody Allen
Best Actor - Richard Dreyfuss - The Goodbye Girl
Best Actress - Diane Keaton - Annie Hall

NOW (based on my web research)

Top Headlines:
Obama warns of dire consequences without stimulus.
Bushes buy $485k china.
Macy's will shutter 11 stores in 9 states.
John Travolta's son dies in the Bahamas.

Top Songs:
Just Dance - Lady GaGa Featuring Colby O'Donis
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce
Life Your Life - T.I. Featuring Rihanna
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Heartless - Kanye West
Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Womanizer - Britney Spears
Let It Rock - Kevin Rudolf Featuring Lil Wayne
Love Lockdown - Kanye West

Prices:
House $220,000
Car $25,000
Milk $2.00
Gas $1.75
Bread $1.99
Postage Stamp $.42
Average Income $50,000

Academy Awards:
Best Picture - No Country for Old Men - Directed By Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Best Actress - Marion Cotillard La Vie en Rose

Homemade String Instrument

Homemade String Instrument

I made this with my 2 year old daughter as she has been very fascinated with instruments lately (especially on her favorite show "Caillou" - she likes singing with Caillou's rock and roll band). I took an old checkbook box and put both pieces together to make the cardboard stronger. Wrap the box with construction paper. Use various stickers and foam/felt pieces to stick and glue on then let dry completely. Take a few rubber bands and put them around the box the long way. And there you have it! A homemade string instrument (or "guitar" as my daughter calls it).

Chicken Meatloaf

Chicken Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken
1 egg
½ c Italian bread crumbs
¼ tsp. basil, oregano, thyme
¼ tsp. ground pepper
1 large chicken bouillon cube
2 c hot water
2 Tbsp margarine
2 c Stove Top stuffing mix

Directions:
Dissolve the chicken bouillon cube in the 2 cups of hot water. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth with the 2 Tbsp of margarine and stuffing mix – mix well and set aside. In a large bowl combine the ground chicken, stuffing mixture, remaining 1 cup of chicken broth, egg, bread crumbs, herbs and ground pepper. Mix well with wooden spoon. Grease a loaf pan and add mixture to pan. Cover with tin foil. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Put in fridge until ready to prepare to eat. *** Remove meatloaf from fridge. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm meatloaf in oven for approximately 15-20 minutes. Serve with corn and steamed veggies. Enjoy!

Cold and Flu Season

And so the fun begins with the Cold and Flu Season in our home. Both of our daughters have a cough, runny nose and fever - ugh! We are visiting the doctors today to check for ear infections (as my toddler was saying her ear hurt last night). I'm hoping it is just ear infections and not something worse or unknown because that poses another set of drama to put my poor kids through (urine samples, blood samples, testing, ugh!) - and I feel as though we have been through enough of that lately with my 6 month-old having a UTI and then being diagnosed with a grade 2 reflux of the urethra (which thankfully most kids grow out of but the testing and procedures to get to that point are not fun.) Keeping my fingers crossed that it's just the simple ear infections as I know how to treat those.

Sleep the past few nights has been spotty at best and I'm starting to feel the effects of the cold and flu season as well (thankfully enough I can take things such as Zicam which seems to help me ward off the worse of it). I'm hoping to get a decent night's sleep tonight as I'm starting my new job tomorrow and would like to not look like "death warmed over". (Isn't it odd how many phrases and sayings you find yourself using as a mother that your own mother used frequently?)

I hope everyone else out there is happy and healthy and stays so.

Tomato Meatball Soup

Here is a recipe I created about a year ago. I passed the idea by my husband who thought it sounded pretty good and I've made some enhancements since then. I also made it for my family (parents, siblings and grandparents) who all seemed to like it as well. Let me know what you think.

Tomato Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

• 10 3/4 oz can of condensed tomato soup
• 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 14 oz cans of chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/8 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• fresh group pepper (to taste)
• 12 frozen mini meatballs
• 1 extra large chicken bouillon cube (dissolved in 2 cups of hot water)
• 1 c orzo pasta

1. Cook the frozen meatballs as directed on the package. Cut in eights - set aside covered in tin foil to keep warm.
2. In a large pot combine the condensed tomato soup, diced tomatoes, chicken broth and herbs. Bring to boil and add dissolved chicken bouillon cube to pot.
3. Once pot is boiling, add orzo pasta. Boil on high for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Add meatballs. Let simmer on medium for 5 more minutes stirring occasionally.
4. Serve with fresh bread and salad - Enjoy!

Dreams

Dreams
Each day is like a work of Art that's yet to be designed;
An empty canvas waiting for the dreams that fill your mind.
You talents and your strengths are like the colors you can use
to paint the pictures of your life in any way you choose.
~ Unknown

I don't remember where I pulled this from - but if anyone does know please let me know and I will post it. I want to say it's from a book or cover of a journal or something.

Make Your Own Twinkle Tiaras (courtesy of "Klutz", "Chicken Socks" and "auntie L")

Make Your Own Twinkle Tiaras (courtesy of "Klutz", "Chicken Socks" and "auntie L")

This was fun to create with my 2 year-old. There are some small pieces but as long as there is adult supervising (who does not might getting glue everywhere) it's fun. Try it! A tiara makes every little girl feel like a princess!!

Pom-Pom Pals (courtesy of "Parents" Jan 2009 edition)

Pom-Pom Pals (courtesy of "Parents" Jan 2009 edition)

I decided to try this craft with my 2 year old daughter. It ended up being a little more difficult that I expected (mind you I'm not very strong in the artsy crafty area) but it was still fun. Here are the directions (with my comments included in parenthesis):




What you will need:
- 1 skein of thick yarn (I used regular width yarn and they still came out OK)
- Thin book, approximately five inches tall (I apparently did not read the directions carefully as I used a smaller book - about 3 inches tall - hence probably why I had some difficulty in this area)
- Scissors
- Assortment of craft supplies (chenille stems (pipe cleaners), beads, pom poms, googly eyes, craft foam, felt, buttons, feathers, etc.)
- Glue (lots of it)

1. Wrap yarn (loosely - I wrapped it too tight the first time and could not get it off the book!) around a small book 80 - 100 times, until yarn is 1 1/2 inches thick on each side. Slip the yarn carefully (very carefully) off the book (in one piece).
2. Cut a 6 inch strand of yarn from the skein; knot it tightly around center of yarn bundle. Snip each loop until the pom-pom forms. Trim as needed.
3. Decorate the pom-pom with craft supplies. Use chenille stems (pipe cleaners) for arms and legs, feathers for ears, a bead for the nose (ours did not get noses or ears - I'll have to remember that for next time) or get creative (with your own ideas).

This was a fun craft in the end and I would definitely do it again.

Snowman

A snowman made with my 2 year old daughter out of paper and various felt and foam shapes. One of my finer artsy-crafty moments I must say! (To those of you who do not know me I do not consider myself very creative - however, I will say that since having children my creativity has increased some!)