Summer is in full swing in New Hampshire-- beaches, lakes, ice cream shops, and playgrounds-- we are having a blast! The kids have been crashing to sleep at night from all the physical exertion during the day, but sometimes I am trying to slow them down a bit on the really hot afternoons. James, especially, becomes very easily overheated in the sun, and I try to force him to take breaks to cool off.
If we aren't swimming, I try to do some quiet activities during the afternoon to chill them down, protect them from the inevitable Irish-sunburn, and give me a few minutes of peace. A few simple tweaks on some "normal" fun games can make them super special:
Candy Land with REAL CandyI fished out the remainder of our Easter candy and some other fun treats from my candy and interspersed real candy on the Candy Land board. The girls LOVED seeing if they landed on one of the treat squares! We played two rounds to get all the candy-- and James
was on my "team" so he got all mine. You could use any candy, chips,
marshmallows-- whatever you have on hand.
Shaving Cream PaintO.k. well, this isn't exactly super quiet-- but the kids had a great time revisiting one of our favorite bath tub activities: shaving cream paint! Instead of doing it inside, however, I let them get in their bathing suits, and paint stuff outside on the deck. They brought plastic (waterproof) toys outside and decorated them-- and themselves. They even painted the deck (which admittedly took some scrubbing to remove-- so be forewarned). Afterwards, I hosed them down to much giggling and screaming!
Our little artists...
All you need is dollar-store shaving cream and some food dye!
Books! Reading is a staple in our house, even in the summer. I usually have the girls take an hour "book break" in the afternoon. All the summer-reading is fun- and since I recently went to the FANTASTIC library book sale, the girls are loaded with new material. We still do our weekly (or bi-weekly) library trips and we are signed up for the summer reading program there. The program encourages the children to read (or be read to) 15 minutes every day. We easily read 60 minutes plus-- but the kids love "charting" their progress towards great prizes.
All of these books... $4 (over 50 different items)
Love having a kid who can read to James!
Hope you are enjoying all the sunshine this fantastic season! Though the days may be hot, I am not complaining-- I did enough of that this winter. And for those of you down south-- I miss Rita's Water Ice!!!
Easy Rule #8970- Make sure your kids have some quiet time in the summer--keeping them cool is a bit easier when they aren't running around.
Easy Rule #980- When you really can't cool down-- eat ice cream.
I read an interesting article on consistency with your children, and it made me reflect on my own disciplinary nature with my kids. I tend to be consistent, very consistent.
Grace says, "Mom, when you say 'maybe' it always means 'no' doesn't it?" Yep. Pretty much.
First off, why do I discipline my kids? Well, when I first got my dog, Herbie, as a puppy, one of my coworkers said, "A well-disciplined dog is a happy one because it can go more places." Am I comparing children to dogs? Yes, yes I am. I want to be able to bring my children around town, to doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, etc.- without drama. I also want my kids to be safe. If I say, "stay by the car while I get the stroller ready" I need to know my children aren't running in front of traffic.
I have an acquaintance with a 4-year-old girl who wears these jelly-style, hot-pink high heels all the time even though she cannot run in them at the playground, they hurt her feet, and they don't match anything. The mom says, "Well, she won't wear anything else!" Um.... who's in charge? When my kids want to wear something unreasonable or unseasonable, I simply say, "No" and I usually explain why. Now, to me, consistency means having reasons for my rules/choices. I should be able to defend them; I try not to be mean for the sake of being strict. So when my 4 year-old asks to wear flip-flops to the restaurant and bring a change of shoes for the playground following lunch-- to me, that's reasonable. If she had thrown a tantrum regarding my choice of shoes (sneakers) then there definitely would not have been a compromise.
Playing the "My Mom is so strict..." blues...
I see teenagers in church with obscenely short shorts or tube tops, and the parents sit by looking a bit chagrined. If asked about their children's inappropriate church clothing most say, "Well, you have to pick your battles-- at least they're in church!" I am not saying go to war with your kids-- but if you allow your children to "win" lots of battles-- you are not in charge. At all. Especially in the toddler and teen years.
Parenting should incorporate some flexibility: dessert before dinner once in awhile; an occasional extra 3 stories at night; or even a "kids-choice" day. But the every day little "battles" are crucial in establishing a "parents-are-always-in-charge" environment. If you start letting your toddler wear pajamas to grocery store because it wasn't "worth the fight" that means the child will fight even harder the next time because he knows he can win.
As your children get older, they can understand "exceptions" to your rules or when you have a flexible-fun idea-- but toddlers-- they just think, "Wait, mommy gave me dessert even though I didn't eat my dinner last night-- she'll give it to me again if I cry loud enough!!"
Is it exhausting fighting this battle of wills with a 2-year-old? YES!! But, it's paying off. Since James turned two in November, I have not had to take him out of church once (no snacks, no toys either). Is it like wrestling a wild (but quiet) monkey-- yes! Are my arms breaking by the end of it? Yes! But I continue to battle every week....
A battle I won....
Also, one has to choose where the battlefield is. At one of James's doctor's appointments, he LOST it just trying to get him on the scale. Did I reward his behavior by giving him a lollipop? Yup-- I needed him to calm down because he still had to get blood drawn too. Did I then give him a mini-lecture on the way home? Yes. Plus, the next doctor appointment I preemptively explained what sort of behavior I expected- and it went much better. Did I lose that battle initially? Yes-- but I made sure he realized that his behavior was not acceptable.
Easy Rule #879-- Every battle is worth it, no matter how exhausting it seems.
Easy Rule #880-- Toddler choices might seem petty now, but when your teenager wants to get a tattoo of My Little Pony-- you'll want to be in charge.
Gabe to Tad: "STOP kicking me! I'm gonna cut you in half!!" Me, slightly horrified: "Gabe! That's not nice!" Gabe, in a lowered voice: ".....with scissors...."
Sweet Gabe:
Gabe: "Mom, I true love you. You so sparkly. Like a princess!"
Let's all shoot up a prayer that Sweet Gabe prevails...
In other news, we did the cutest dessert the other night that was so simple and fun!
Mason Jar Pudding Parfaits
2 boxes of instant pudding (we used vanilla)
Milk
Cool Whip
Chocolate chips
Graham cracker crumbs
Mini-marshmallows
Mason Jars (or other glassware)
Just make the pudding, put the toppings in bowls, demonstrate a proper parfait (layering, etc.) and let the kids go to town! They had a blast.
Whenever I go to the store, there are certain staples (other than the basic milk, bread, flour, etc.) that I buy nearly every time because they have many surprising uses and just make things more fun around the home. Most things on the parfait ingredient list are examples of this!
1. Cool Whip: I love this stuff. Oh, I know, that commercial "Oil? or Cream?" is pretty darn effective. But I still love the fluffiness and smoothness that comes in that blue tub. The Aldi version is always under a buck, so I buy two usually. Belgian waffles, sundaes, hot cocoa, pudding pie--you can see why this is a freezer essential.
2. Chocolate Chips: This is pretty self-explanatory, right? Who doesn't keep 4 or 5 bags of these in their pantry at all times? Hello...chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate chip waffles, chocolate chip cookies, granola bars, toppings, sauces...! Yay, chocolate!
3. Graham Crackers: In this particular case, I had a box of actual graham cracker crumbs on hand. When I was at the Dollar Tree I checked the food aisle (don't cringe! just check brand name and expiration date!) and scored Keebler crumbs for a dollar. Usually, though, I just buy boxes of the crackers. I use them for snacks and for pie crusts.
4. Marshmallows: Another fun and multi-use pantry item is the 'shmellow. Whether to award children when a spelling word is correct; to quiet a fussy toddler pulling at my pant legs; to top hot chocolate in the morning (I'm not a coffee drinker); or to whip up a delectable batch of Krispie treats--the secret is a bit more butter and a little less Krispie--it is clear that the marshmallow is a one of nature's perfect foods. Like the blueberry, really. Or maybe more like spinach.
5. Pudding and Jell-O: Affordable little boxes of wonder. Pick up a couple as you stroll the grocery aisles. When you have sick child or need a quick dessert, you will be happy you dropped the dollar.
Easy Rule #15562: Staples don't always have to be boring; infuse your pantry with flexible and fun items too! Your kids will thank you.
Yesterday was my birthday-- Homemade presents, time with the kiddos, and James getting into a can of "real" paint and re-decorating my bedroom, pants, and carpet.... fun times.....
One of my patients once said to me, "Having children means the days are long, but the years are short." It's true-- every day I cheer when bath time arrives, but I am so shocked that my eldest is already 6 years old! Age has a way of creeping up on you; some days I wake up and think:
So I present, the Top Ten Ways I know I am getting older:
10. Staying up too late debilitates me the next day. I attended a fantastically fun "Mom's Night Out" that my friend hosted with wine & appetizers on a Friday night. We were cackling over kid's stories, enjoying fattening food, and forgetting all about the time.... I glanced up it was 11:30 PM.... AHHHH!! I quickly said my good-byes and tried to fall asleep before midnight. But alas, my 5:30 AM 2-year-old-wake-up call still sounded, and I could barely function all day....
9. The days I don't wear make-up-- people say, "Do you feel o.k.?" I'm naturally pale. Alabaster, really. And the tolls of motherhood sometimes aren't too kind on my fair countenance. I usually use a combination of light make-up and awesome dangling earrings to hypnotize onlookers away from the dark circles.... however, if I fail to shower (which sometimes happens with children) I often get people mistaking me for an invalid.
At least celebs struggle too. And I know I look as amazing as they do in the "after" pics :)
8. My music taste has gotten "stuck" My dad raised me on 1950s du-op music; my mom loved Perry Como--and of course ABBA. I never thought that I would get "stuck" in a decade. Through the 1990s, I appreciated most of the radio choices; however, in the past 10 years I have slowly become more and more out of touch with today's music. Once in awhile I'll be familiar with a super-popular song, but for the most part I am stuck in the 1970s classic rock era....
7. I have uttered the phrase, "These darn kids today." My neighborhood has lots of teenagers--a couple of them are the classic "annoying and destructive" teens who like to egg houses, set off late-night fireworks, and ring doorbells late at night. I fantasize about hiding in my shrubs with a hose or running after them with a garden rake. These darn kids today, what are they thinking being so irresponsible?
Excuse the language...
6. I find the LL Bean guys more appealing than the Abercrombie and Fitch guys. I look at the scantily clad, Euro-techno music-laden models in the window of A & F and I cringe. They look so tediously arrogant, ignorant, and young. Yes, I am judging them solely based on looks. The LL Bean guys, conversely, look so sophisticated, responsible, and genuine. I know, I'm getting old.
I found this pic at "Your LL Bean Boyfriend" website- I'm not the only one.
5. I don't care about what other people think-- even more than before. I've never truly cared about embarrassing myself (anyone who's gone dancing with me can attest to that), but I've hit the, "Hmm.... should I worry about offending someone stage? Ah, who cares." I used to be quite tactful and concerned, but now I appreciate honesty and I like to practice what I preach.
4. I cry more. I've never been a romantic comedy, crying-my-eyes-out person. Until I had kids. Now, I get teary-eyed with hallmark commercials, children's books, and even some songs. I thought I was going to die crying while I was reading, Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul yesterday.
I got this book out of the library and it was so touching.... the girls thought I was nuts.
3. The energy level of my children amazes me. I watch my kids run from activity to activity outside; they run everywhere. I join them in a game of tag, after two rounds I try to think of a more stationary game-- I'm exhausted! I truly thought I was going to pass out attempting to get a kite in the air. I keep saying things like, "Why don't we sit and do sidewalk chalk or read for awhile?" Nope. They keep on going....
2.I'm shocked by most of popular culture. Have you seen some of the stuff promoted for teenagers on ABC Family or MTV? I'm truly shocked that kids are allowed to watch some of these immoral, inappropriate shows. I know I sound like an angry old person, but honestly, (see #5 I don't care). My children will not watch this stuff. We wonder what's happening with the shootings, the teenage pregnancies, and lack of respect for humanity- turn on the TV, that's the reason.
1. Sleep trumps all. As someone who works with the elderly, many of them cherish their naps. As a mother of young children, I now savor sleep. Would I rather hang out with friends, go out to dinner, or go on an adventure? None of the above! I want sleep!
"mother's day" can be substituted for almost any holiday, and my b-day!
Easy Rule #61779- Take time to reflect on how much you've grown-- getting older isn't all bad!
Easy Rule #45452- Don't waste your youth--- you're only getting older every moment....
I agreed to watch a little 4-year-old guy from my church from 8:30-1PM today in hopes that it would a perfect day to play outside-- instead.... torrential downpours all morning. So in anticipation of the gloomy forecast, I used my pinterest-addiction to pay off. So I declared today a well-needed "Silly Day" as my children have been "helping" with all the packing, cleaning, and organizing for almost 2 weeks now.
After making some fantastic shaped pancakes, the kids were face-painted and we listened to some awesome silly music. For snack, I had the kids mix, measure, and stir up these delicious banana muffins. To make them "silly" they could make mini-chocolate chip smiley faces on each (though the faces kind of melted into the muffins....):
After devouring some delectable, gooey muffins, I prepped for the next activity. I grabbed my well-used pampered chef prep bowls and added the following ingredients:
See how cool it looks? It's hard too-- instantly dry!
Homemade Puffy Paint
1 TBS self-rising flour
1 TBS salt
Food coloring
1.5 tsp water (play around with adding water until it's "paint-able")
Mix the ingredients together and let the kids use Q-tips to paint on thick paper (I had old card-stock that worked great!). The children decorated their pages for a long time, until I revealed the "surprise". After James completed his picture, I popped it in the microwave for 25 seconds and VIOLA! The paint puffed up!!
The kids scrambled to finish each painting so they could see the magical surprise of their paint "growing" in the microwave. They each made 3-4 pictures and spent over an hour (even James....) painting.
Grace's Puffy Masterpieces
Though I had several other activities planned, the puffy paint took up way more time than I anticipated (yeah!) and after lunch and a disastrous toy clean-up-- I survived having an additional little boy in the house! James adored having another "boy" in the house and they all played wonderfully (and LOUDLY) the entire morning.
Easy Rule #40908- Be over-prepared when you have lots of kids-- it's much better to not get to everything than be bored.
Easy Rule #8789- Sometimes it might be o.k. to say "No" to play dates when you are trying to keep your house clean to sell....
I am busy making my house ready to sell for a variety of reasons-- one including we need a carpet-free house for my dust-mite allergic son. Have you watched those HGTV shows about making your house "staged" to sell? Do you ever see any children in those scenarios? No, no you don't. For good reason. Trying to pack up extra crap stuff in your house is an endless job and those cleaning tasks that I am not so good at-- all have to be done....
To transfer this:
This is seriously how my living room looked before....
Into this:
Wouldn't you want to live here?
Anyway, as I am a bit overwhelmed with boxes, cleaning, packing, and living my normal life... I thought I would remind myself of a few of my favorite things... (thanks, Julie Andrews!)
My Kindle-- Last time, my kindle made my happy list too... but for a different reason. I am loving the portability of watching streaming TV series throughout my home while I'm packing. I can set it up on a stack of packed boxes and enjoy some classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer while I slave over each room. I forgot how hilariously entertaining these episodes are, a throw-back to high school!
My family, friends & neighbors. My mom came down on Thursday to Friday and helped me scour the house (well, the parts I had ready to scour) and she ordered us a well-needed pizza! My neighbors took my girls from over an hour on Sunday so I could focus on a room, while John took James to the grocery store. Over an hour of uninterrupted cleaning was such a blessing. Plus my friend Tanya swung by last night to help take photos of my house and she brought the fixings for dinner. Her two boys entertained my children (who have been sadly ignored this week...) and we had a great time shoving last minute items into closets:
Now don't you really want this house?
Procrastination. Homeschooling? Nah. Potty-training? Nope. Putting my son dairy-free for 8 weeks per doctor suggestion? Heck, no. During this 2-week crazy time, I am enjoying the benefits of putting stuff off. I am normally not a procrastinator but I think my head might explode if I have to juggle anything else... so my 2 1/2 year old is using diapers and drinking the possible-diarrhea-inducing milk and my 6 year old is finishing out first grade not-so-smart...ah well!!
Books on CD. Have you tried listening to one? I know some people can't focus, but I love listening to books as I drive to my home care patients. It makes me feel somewhat productive even while I'm driving. Plus, because I borrow the books from the library, I often try new authors and find some interesting, new stories. If you're new to the genre, you should try the Harry Potter series on CD, the actor who performs the books is fantastic:
The Weather. We have had some wonderful weather in New Hampshire with sunshine, cloud-free days, and even some time to swing by our town beach. The kids are staying outside with their bikes, gardening tools, and balls -- thank the Lord! Fewer toys out inside helps my never ending cleaning efforts.
Fun in the sun and the whole beach to ourselves!
So I am going to keep focusing on happy thoughts to get through the torture of a major life change. Keep me in your prayers as we attempt all this!!
Easy Rules #87970- Packing and moving really makes you examine if you need all this stuff. Try to purge some extraneous stuff before you move....
Lots of stuff going on, so I thought I would do a little Quick Take action to summarize!
1. Okay, I may be a genius. Don't feel threatened, I just think my brain functions at a higher level than most people. Or, maaaaybe this new addictive game I discovered is not that hard. It's called Buttons and Scissors and it is SO FUN! It's a puzzle game in which you have to match pairs of colored buttons and the scissors snip them off till the board is cleared. I have done (literally) hundreds of screens in three days and I'm like a speed-demon. By all means, try this game (free on both Android and Apple, I believe) and see if it makes you feel smart too! But probably I'm really, really, super special.
2. Despite the many grueling hours spent inside matching buttons, we actually have been hanging outside a fair bit in this warm and humid spring. Between the local park, friends' homes for cookouts, and the soccer fields, the kids have been running around like wild heathens...and some have the battle scars to prove it. So you won't vomit all over your computer screen, I will not be posting a picture of Tad's legs. Poor Tad. We're not sure what really happened and what creature bit him multiple times on his small limbs, but we do know that the wounds turned into blisters leaking clear fluid and his legs became swollen and red and infected. After a couple days of steroids, antibiotics, Claritin, Benedryl, and topical ointments, he's fine. Whew. I'm so glad we live in these modern medical times!
3. The kids made a sad discovery while playing soccer in the cul-de-sac after dinner: two baby birds, one on the driveway of a neighbor's home and one on the grass beneath a tree in their yard. They were nestlings, so tiny and sweet, eyes still closed, obviously newly hatched. No mama bird in sight, no nest to be found. Without personally doing any research on the subject of baby birds, I allowed the kids to bring them home and nurture them till bedtime. Christened Phoenix and Leaf, the little creatures would open their beaks wide demanding food and the boys would feed them whatever buggies that could be found on short notice.
Nesting in a tissue box, the birds were tucked in for the night and the kids went to sleep. At that point, I finally cracked open the computer and read up on the proper "etiquette" upon finding baby birds.....and realized we did all the wrong things. We were supposed to put them in a basket and hang it in the tree so the mommy bird could find them. Also, baby birds require feeding 3-4 times every HOUR, round the clock. Basically, they would die on the dining room table overnight. So at 11 pm, Bri and I carried two baby birds in a basket down the dark and empty street and surreptitiously hung it in the neighbor's tree....half expecting a spotlight and a rifle to appear for our trouble. I figured that the birds would not survive (and sorry to say, I was correct), but at least they didn't die in my house.
Baby Leaf. R.I.P.
4. I'm organizing the end of year soccer picnic for all three travel teams. Ack. Please pray that I've remembered everything and that I won't collapse after tying 400 water balloons.
5. Bri took the boys and a couple of their friends to a semi-pro soccer game in Pittsburgh. Go Riverhounds! They had an absolute blast, the highlight being the autographs they were able to finagle at the end. We will all go as a family sometime in the near future; tickets are a steal and it was a really fun time.
6. If I were made of money and had a chauffeur, I would be all over the summer camp thing. Any subject, any sport, any interest--there is a CAMP for that! Instead we have to be selective and really research the best plus most convenient options for the summer because I'm not driving 45 minutes each way, twice a day, for weeks. Through the local university, we signed the kids up for lacrosse camp as the first of the summer activities. They are having a great time, and I get to relive my high school lacrosse glory days! Although boys' lacrosse is cool and all, the girls' version is on a whole other level.
7. Most days, busy is good. The weeks go faster, kids have structure and activity...sometimes, however, stuff really gets in the way. Our good friends recently had a baby and blessed us with the opportunity to be godparents. Due to illness and work schedules and obligations on both our families' parts, we were not able to get together (they live around 4 hours away). They are moving to far, far away parts in a week and we are not able to see our god-baby or attend the baptism. I am grateful for technology that allows us to remain in contact despite our distance, but it is still so sad. So friends and Baby Luke, we love you and will miss you! And I pray that someday we will visit you in Tornado Land. I mean, Pioneer Woman Land. Ok, Oklahoma.
Easy Rule #44225: Buttons, lacrosse, and soccer games rock. Bug bites and dead birds and moving? Eh, not so much.
For those of you who have been grocery shopping lately (and if you don't have any money), you might have noticed that the meat prices have seemed to have skyrocketed. As much as I love serving my family pasta and rice, they need some heartier fare to be satisfied. Though my daughters would beg for steak every night, we rarely eat red meat even once a month. I would love to serve seafood and steak every week, but we can't due to price restraints and my desire to eat only grass-fed beef and non-Asian-farmed seafood.
So we eat chicken. A lot of chicken. How can I make my own staple more interesting and easy? I try to re-work the leftovers into something new and exciting.
First, either make a roaster chicken or grilled chicken breasts the first night. I usually get the biggest roaster I can find and I grill 3-4 extra breasts so I can use leftovers for 2-3 days rather than have to cook them fresh every night. So here are a few recipes that use leftover chicken.
These Fajitas look better than mine... I never have lime....
Poor Man's Leftover Chicken Fajitas
(amounts will vary depending on how much chicken you have and how many people you have to serve)
Ingredients
Leftover chicken, cut into strips
1-2 onions, sliced
1-2 green peppers, sliced
Cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt & pepper
Salsa
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Tortillas
Ingredients
Leftover chicken, cubed
1 Small chopped onion Frozen peas (or canned)
Frozen cubed carrots (or canned))
Frozen corn (or canned)
1 can of cream of chicken or celery soup
Can of biscuits (or make your own)
Milk
Ingredients
Leftover chicken, shredded or sliced thinly
1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chili peppers
6 oz cream cheese
Tortillas
1 can green enchilada sauce
Cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Add chicken, tomatoes, and cream cheese to a skillet and cook until all is incorporated and softened.
2. Add 1/2 cup to each tortilla, roll them and place them seam-side down in baking pan.
3. Poor enchilada sauce (It's not very thick) over all tortillas in pan. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
4. Bake 20-30 minutes until heated through at 350 degrees.
A few other ideas with leftover chicken:
Chicken salad
Quick chicken quesadillas
Grilled chicken over salad
Chicken club sandwiches (using bacon and sliced chicken)
Also, you can freeze cooked chicken because sometimes your family may get sick of chicken, no matter how you make it!!
Easy Rule #8710- Be creative with leftovers and someone might actually eat them.
Easy Rule #34890- Clean out your fridge regularly so you know what's in there....
