Week of Bar Desserts

We will not be eating this week. ;-) We are going to spend the week at the Bar.

Monday - Rocky Road Brownies
Tuesday - Butterscotch BrowniesWednesday -
Thursday -
Friday -

Enjoy the decadence.

 Double-Nut Maple BarsOatmeal Coconut Raspberry BarsThe Ultimate Lemon Butter Bar

School’s out for summer

School’s out tomorrow and to celebrate (and help out some friends because it is a half day) we will be having a party in the afternoon. We will be doing a summer scrapbook kit for the girls to use for the summer.


Foodies: Making a 9 x 13 cake and will frost it white with a border. The girls will be given fruit roll ups and some scissors to cut out summer shapes to decorate it with. Cannot wait to see what it looks like.

Craft: Decorate our scrapbooks

Scrapbook supplies:

Mini scrapbook (1 for each guest)

Alphabet stickers

Scrapbook papers in variety of designs

Scissors

Die cuts

Gel pens and markers

Double sided tape and glue sticks

To take home:

Got some clear expandable snap files

Each one has the following:

Disposable camera

Stickers divided out what was left over from decorating our scrapbooks

Die cuts again divided out what was left over from decorating our scrapbooks

Rubber stamps (there was a dollar section at Michael’s a few weeks ago and I had a 20% off entire order coupon – dropped them down to 80 cents apiece.)

Gel pens divided out what we used to decorate our scrapbooks

Photo corners 1 box divided between the 5 girls

Menu for the Week

A few days left of school this week and then we will truly be into a summer menu.

Monday -- Chicken Salad and Salad

Tuesday -- Altered Asian Enchiladas

Wednesday -- Baked English Omlette

Thursday -- French Dip with Au Jus  - yummy au jus!  but you can just get a packet if you are in a rush.

Friday -- Pork chops  - been making this one for 10 years and anytime I branch out with another pork chop recipe I get the ultimate question from my hubby.  "Why are you trying to fix what ain't broke?"  ** I substitute 1 tblsp. lemon pepper for the lemon peel and sage.

Weekly Menu

Monday - Spinach Salad

Tuesday - Seafood Pasta
The rest of the shrimp from last week and imitation crab was on sale

Wednesday - Steak!
Tenderize and throw on some Chicago/ Montreal Steak seasoning letting hubby get his practice on the new grill.

Thursday - Monte Cristo

Field Day – Ordering pizza with friends after school

Playing with your food - Rice Crispy Sushi

M is fascinated with anything Japanese.  This could be because she is named after my best friend from Japan.  She loves real sushi but we found a great recipe for desserts sushi and a great chance to play with our food.

Very easy.  Make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats.  Make your shapes with Fruit Roll Ups.  Multi Colored Airheads.  Gummy Worms. And Swedish fish. 

Directions


1. Sushi Rolls: Prepare a 13-inch x 9-inch pan by lining it with wax paper and greasing it. Place the Rice Krispies Treats on it in a thin layer.


2. Place a row of sour gummy worms about an inch in from one of the 9-inch edges. Using different colors, place a second and third row next to the first.


3. Using the wax paper, roll the cereal mixture once around the gummy worms, pressing firmly. Use a large knife to cut the log away from the rest of the mixture. Place it to the side and repeat the process once.


4. Slice the logs into 1-inch rounds. Wrap each round in a strip of green or blue Fruit Roll-Ups.


5. Cut the remaining Rice Krispies Treats into 1-inch x 2-inch rectangles.


6. Soften AirHeads in the microwave for 8 to 10 seconds, then mold them like clay into the desired shape.


7. Cut thin strips of contrasting colored AirHeads to resemble the lines found on sushi. (For an easier version, use fish-shaped gummies. Place the fish on top of a Rice Krispies rectangle and wrap with a strip of green or blue Fruit Roll-Ups.) Makes about 24 pieces.

Medical Release Form

DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY TO CONSENT FOR HEALTH CARE


We, __ __________________________ __, delegate our authority to consent for the health care of our minor child, ______________________________, for a period of time when we will not be reasonably available to exercise our authority.

We delegate our authority for consent to ________________________________________________.

This authorization of consent is to be exercised in good faith and in the best interest of our minor child.

This authorization of consent becomes effective on the

______ day of __________, ______ and will continue until the _________ day of ____________, 20__.



Dated this _______ day of ___________________, 20 _____.



______ __________________________________________________ _________________, Appointers

X___________________________________________________

X ___________________________________________________

(Parent/Guardian signature)

Address ___________________________________________________
Phone ___________________________________________________

I declare that I am an adult at least eighteen (18) years of age and that at the request of the above named, I witness the signing of this document by the appointer on the date noted above.
___________________________________________________

(Please print)

X __________________________________________________
(Notary)

Address _____________________________________________________________________________

Phone ____________________________________________________________________________________

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++__________________________________________ ________

Family Physician_____________________________________

Phone_____________________________________________

Insurance Carrier____________________________________

Medical Insurance Subscriber ID / Group Number

__________________________________________________

Card Number

__________________________________________________

Member’s Name and date of Birth

__________________________________________________

Claim Address

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

MEDICAL HISTORY

Allergies, if any, including medication:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Chronic or existing diseases or medical problems (i.e.

Diabetes, epilepsy):

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Medicines your child is taking now:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

In an emergency, parents can be reached as follows:

_Home ______________________________¬______________

_Mother Work__ ____________________________________

_Father Work_______________________________________

_Mother Mobile _____________________________________

_Father Mobile______________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Vacation with Grandparents

M is spending a month with my parents for summer break. Actually she will tell you she is spending 35 days. She is joining the 34% of children who spend their vacation time with relatives. This would not be so nerve wracking if they did not live three states away.

 

My parents see this as a wonderful opportunity to spoil her rotten. They have mentioned it numerous times in our planning stages. Now, I understand it is a grandparent’s privilege to do a certain amount of spoiling. That’s pretty much a given. But I am hoping that their tried and true parenting skills also kick in and give her a modicum of discipline too.

 

Some planning tips we have garnered over the last few weeks:

 

• Get a “Consent for Healthcare” form notarized in the unlikely event that said child will need Medical Treatment. If he/she has to go to the Emergency Room or doctor for any reason, this form will allow the grandparents permission to make medical decisions. It also contains insurance information, family doctor information, allergy information etc. You can even make it have a start and end date if it makes you feel better.
• Get an extra set of insurance cards for said child. Most insurance companies will issue extra cards at no charge. This way the grandparents have the insurance card for your child if they do need to visit a doctor. As an aside, you can also get additional Health Savings Account (HSA) credit cards issued in the grandparent’s name for use over the vacation for potential doctor’s bills. 
• Is your child participating in an activity at the grandparents that will require a waiver to be signed? For example: a class that they will be taking with the grandparent. Get a copy of that sent to you to be signed prior. This relieves the potential of the grandparent’s signature not being accepted on the waiver. 
• Phone. We looked into getting a pre-paid cell for her trip, but found that adding another phone to our current family plan would be cheaper (even with the required service agreement). She will be able to call us anytime and we are able to block most unwanted features on the phone. This way she does not eat into my parents minutes and we can monitor the phone.

As the time nears we get more and more nervous about M being gone so long. She on the other hand is getting more and more excited.

 

Menu for the Week

Menu for the Week


Chaos of the End of Month at work and a million things that the girls have to do.  Most of the recipes have at least one job each for the girls to assist with.



Monday --  Memorial Day Fare:  Barbque and macoroni salad.

Tuesday -- End of Month both working late:  Japanese noodles and a veggie.
Wednesday -- Berry French Toast

Thursday --  Shrimp Paella  we substitute the pimiento-stuffed green olives with black

Friday -- Eating out prior to Musical performance at school

Chore Chart

There are alot of opinions out there about allowances and chores.  How you should not give your kids an allowance based on the chores they do around the house.  Allowances are for teaching them how to manage money etc.  I do not agree. 

My kiddos are expected to do certain things without monetary compensation: pick up their toys, make sure their clothes go into the laundry basket.  Basic chores of cleaning up after themselves are a given in our household to be done because they live here too.  They are members of a family.  Other chores, however, are compensated.  Dusting.  Cleaning the toilet, sink and mirror in the bathrooms.  Vacuuming.  

I think that in teaching them about managing money we need also to teach them that a paycheck/allowance does not just come to you on a Saturday morning without doing something in return.  We have a chore chart that shows what they can do and what dollar (cents actually) amount they can earn.  My parents actually paid me an hourly wage for chores when I was a teenager.  If it took me 15 minutes to vacuum the downstairs, I logged it on my weekly time card.  Ours are still a little young for that,  but in the future I think that is what we will end up with.

Disney Craft

M will be gone for 5 weeks in the month of July to my parents.  A good time to get to know grandparents she rarely gets to see because of distance.  A time for me and hubby to be on edge because our baby is not home. She has a homework packet to finish to keep her on her toes. Monday's homework is to write a letter home.  She has been given the parts of a letter (greeting, body, closing, signature) now we are working on some fun stationary for her to use.
Disney has a great craft in their teacher apprectiation theme called Fun Fingerprint Stationary.





from familyfun.go.com

 We got some stamp pads in the Target dollar section.  The girls love that section.  And we are going to make little cards to do her homework on.  Will post hers when she has finished decorating.

Coloring hard boiled eggs for Layered Salad

Hey, it is not Easter.  But the requirement of hard boiled eggs for our Monday salad added some fun to dinner.  Post Easter sales had egg coloring kits for 25 cents.  I stocked up on quite a few so we could have fun year round.

We had a phenomenal time coloring our hard boiled eggs for our layered salad. 

SALAD:
2 bags of favorite lettuce greens
8 ounces, Baby Spinach, Washed And Dried
Salt And Pepper, to taste
8 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped (I use my pastry blender to make slices)
16 ounces, Bacon, Cooked And Chopped
5 tomatoes, Chopped
8 ounces, Cheddar Cheese, Grated
1 bag frozen peas, thawed
DRESSING:
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon Sugar (to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS:
In a bowl (clear glass makes more of a statement), layer salad ingredients in the order above, make sure the ingredients are around the edge of the bowl.  Fill in the center with lettuce, if needed.

Combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. Pour over the top of the peas and spread to cover.

Menu for the Week

Monday --Layered Salad

Tuesday --Turkey Enchilada Casserole

Wednesday --Chicken Fried Steak

Thursday --Migas

Friday -- Peppered Halibut Steaks

Take Back your life – Modern Spring Cleaning

I started with my “social network.” What do you want out of your “social network”? Take a hard look and make a list of what you want. Not everyone needs to have a Facebook, blog, Twitter and My Space account to be happy. Find out where your happiness lies, if you don’t want to spend the time to maintain relationships that do not uplift you, don’t. If there’s one word for your plan to take back your life, let it be ‘flexible’ and go from there.

I removed a variety of accounts and the address lists that went with them. My basic process was if I had not had individual contact with the person in the last 18 months I really did not need to keep the contacts.

Facebook has been delegated to those with whom I no longer am in a localized area: friends from college, friends from Japan, family members. I am adamant about not socializing with those I work with on Facebook. My co-workers do not need to know about what we are doing with kids this weekend.

Next to get my computer to run a little faster.

Get rid of clutter. Start your computer clean up with the icons. Look in your system tray: these icons show what is starting up when your computer boots. It takes time for your computer to open all these shortcuts. Remove or turn off unnecessary one with a right click. Do you have all your pictures and documents on your desktop? You most likely do not need such immediate access to them. Categorize them in Documents, Photos and Music folders to keep them organized and eliminate the clutter on your desktop.

Get rid of old programs. If you’ve never used a program that came with your computer you should probably trash it. It fills up your hard drive space. Use the Uninstall command (under Programs and Features in the Control Panel) or the uninstall that comes with the program. Don’t forget to empty the Recycle Bin in the end.

Defrag. Information gets stored onto your computer on the hard drive in small pieces – where there is space. Your computer looks around to find the file you are looking for and re-assembles it to be opened. The defrag tool (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter -- or see below) puts those small pieces back into larger pieces on your hard drive making it faster to find those pesky files.





Congratulations.  You are now entering the spring with a faster less cluttered life.

Kids Helping in the Kitchen

 I was breezing down the information highway looking for an easy dessert for the girls to make while I cook dinner tomorrow. I had only a few requirements. No heat. Something with fruit. Something that would keep them occupied for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then I saw Cookie Salad. Doubtful that it contained fruit, I looked anyway. Then my curiosity peaked again. Fudge striped cookies and fruit cocktail. Who came up with this?



A trip to Wikipedia to learn the origin:

Cookie salad is a dessert salad from the U.S. state of Minnesota made with buttermilk, vanilla pudding, Cool Whip, mandarin oranges, and fudge stripe shortbread cookies. It is popular with children and for potlucks. Berries can also be added.

They even sell it in the grocery. See below picture.


Huh, who knew? I added buttermilk to my shopping list. Here is the recipe that I used.

Cookie Salad

Ingredients:  

6 oz instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cups buttermilk

9 oz prepared whipped topping

16 oz fruit cocktail, drained well

11 oz miniature oranges, drained well

2 cups pineapple, drained well

12 oz package of fudge striped cookies

3 oz walnuts, optional (not included in our house due to allergies.)

8 oz maraschino cherries, drained

In a large bowl, combine the instant pudding mix with the buttermilk. Mix well. Add in the whipped topping. Fold in the drained fruit cocktail, miniature oranges and pineapple. Add the walnuts if desired. Break the fudge striped cookies into small bits. Fold into the salad. Cover and refrigerate. Chill the salad at least 1 hour before serving. Top each serving with a maraschino cherry.

M was in charge of making the pudding. She can read directions and a measuring cup.
I opened and drained the cans of fruit for B.
B mixed all the fruits together while pudding was being made.
 mixed the pudding and the whipped topping and folded in B’s fruit.
B smashed cookies into bits while M folded. (Thinking that those cookies should not be crumbs but it IS their dessert.)
M folded the cookies into the rest and we chilled for after dinner to eat while playing UNO.

Crafty Kids

I have a folder for craft ideas for the week. This keeps the girls busy while I am trying to organize dinner or just have some quiet time.

Start with a regular letter size file folder.
Fold it in half so the tabs line up:



Make a sharp crease so it will not go back to the original fold. I use a popsicle sticck.
Fold it in half, lining up the fold at the bottom of the tabs, as shown:
 

Crease it sharply and then open flat.

Fold up the bottom section so that the bottom is at your desired pocket height:

Ta Da.  Now you have a handy folder for putting your crafts.

Now all you have to do is decorate your folder with stamps and/or decorative paper, and labels.

It has sections for four crafts at a time. We never seem to complete more than two during the week anyway. I print out the craft with the materials needed at the top so that when I fold and place them in the folder those show at the top. This way I can see easily when I am shopping and can grab anything extra we may need.

I also have another in my purse for coupons, receipts and the list of generally forgotten groceries that never seem to make the list when I go shopping on Sunday.

School, Lunches and Being Green

I pack three separate “meals” for M on a daily basis during the week.  She spends her breakfast at the neighbors, has snack time during a recess, and of course the lunch box.  So how do I stop the plastic baggie monster?  I am not willing to put in a bunch of money on containers for a seven-year old that has not proven herself responsible enough to bring home containers, with the exception of her lunch box containers.  What is a mom to do to help save the planet? 

First, the good.  Her lunchbox never has a plastic baggie.  She has three sandwich containers that get rotated out throughout the week.  She has two snack containers for carrots and crackers.  Of course the loveliness of bananas and apples is that they come in their own container.  Lunch containers ALWAYS make it back home.  This meal is a no brainer.

Breakfast.  Breakfast varies from week to week.  Zbars are my favorite of her choices.  Easy peasy.  Throw a pre-wrapped bar into her backpack.  Trash is thrown away, and we are not out a container.   Bagels with cream cheese and strawberries and breakfast sandwiches  fit nicely into a sandwich container.  This container inevitably has to be picked up that afternoon at the neighbor’s house.  Not the most convenient but at least we still have our containers.

This brings us to snack, the most difficult of our meals.  I buy a variety of snack foods in bulk at our local Spouts market:  sesame sticks, oriental mix, vegetable chips, banana chips, corn nuts, yogurt raisins and pretzels.  The initial purchase is pretty green.  I take my own bags every time.  The divvying out becomes not so green.  Snack baggies.  We easily could go through a package of 50 every 2 weeks.  I have sent her with containers.  They get left on the playground and are never seen again.  This is not very green either. 

I wanted something that she could shove in her pocket when she was done to ensure its safe return home.  Something that she could easily eat her snacks from.  Something that would seal, so nothing crumbled in the bottom of her backpack.   Something I could put apple slices in and would not leak juice onto everything.  I needed a baggie. 

Looking online I found pretty much what I wanted:  Reusable snack and sandwich bags.  I was, however, unwilling to pay 8 dollars a back for a snack bag which would, more likely than not, get left on the playground.  Hello tutorials and let’s see if I can make these puppies.  I did not want to get too extravagant until M proved herself reliable.  I found this baggie tutorial from Heidi over on Dabbled (dot) org.  Best of all they do not cost much and are easy to make.

Menu for the Week

Keeping it simple this week.  Most of the recipes have at least one job each for the girls to assist with. 

Monday -- Cobb Salad
(Simply Recipes)

Tuesday -- Baked Eggs and Tortillas In Creamy Tomato Sauce
(Martha Stewart)


Wednesday -- Beef Stroganof
(Betty Crocker)

Thursday -- barbque ribs
(crock pot)

Friday -- Tuna steak
(Rachel Ray)

Green Ideas for the Kids

M’s journal requirement a couple of weeks ago was to write 10 things that she can do to be greener. The things she came up with were relatively easy and are things any family can do.


Don’t let the water go down the drain.

• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth.
• Set the timer when you take your shower. Don’t take more than 5 minutes.

Use your paper twice or even not at all.

• Use both sides of the paper when you color and draw.
• Use the white board to work you homework problems.

Do not take any trash to school.

• Pack lunch in reusable containers.
• Use reusable water bottles.

Wear the same clothes all day.

• With M in a uniform at school this one was adapted to: Wear the same afterschool clothes all week.

Donate what we no longer use or need.

• Go through clothes and toys we do not use. Donate them to a shelter. (Women’s shelters are especially in need of children’s clothes and toys. Most women who use these shelters do not have the opportunity prepare their departure and leave a lot behind.)

Eat more vegetables.

• Buy your vegetables using locally grown farmers.

Don’t kill spiders and insects.

• Insects pollinate, produce things we use and eat harmful insects.

 

Those were our ten. What others can your family think of?

 



Manners

Parents.com has posted

25 Manners Every Kid Should Know By Age 9

OK  So M is seven and B is four lets see how they are doing so far?

Manner #1


When asking for something, say "Please."

M&B -- Usually but sometimes need prompting.

Manner #2

When receiving something, say "Thank you."

M&B – Again sometimes need prompting.

Manner #3

Do not interrupt grown-ups who are speaking with each other unless there is an emergency. They will notice you and respond when they are finished talking.

This one B still needs work on. It is like she will lose her thought if she does not get it out right that second.

Manner #4

If you do need to get somebody's attention right away, the phrase "excuse me" is the most polite way for you to enter the conversation.

M&B need work on this one. M is getting better, but it goes back to Manner #3 for B.

Manner #5

When you have any doubt about doing something, ask permission first. It can save you from many hours of grief later.

M&B have both learned this one the hard way after losing privileges from doing said things.

Manner #6

The world is not interested in what you dislike. Keep negative opinions to yourself, or between you and your friends, and out of earshot of adults.

This one only seems to crop up at meal time.

Manner #7

Do not comment on other people's physical characteristics unless, of course, it's to compliment them, which is always welcome.

B still says whatever pops into her head. We are working on that filter.

Manner #8

When people ask you how you are, tell them and then ask them how they are.

M&B get so enthralled about telling how they are sometimes they forget to ask how someone else is doing.

Manner #9

When you have spent time at your friend's house, remember to thank his or her parents for having you over and for the good time you had.

M&B are very good about this one. M especially and without prompting. YAY!

Manner #10

Knock on closed doors -- and wait to see if there's a response -- before entering.

We have this one nailed.

Manner #11

When you make a phone call, introduce yourself first and then ask if you can speak with the person you are calling.

This one will probably come into play more when they are older. Right now they are only allowed to answer the phone when it is a political call. <>. And the only ones they get to call are us.

Manner #12

Be appreciative and say "thank you" for any gift you receive. In the age of e-mail, a handwritten thank-you note can have a powerful effect.

Yay for thank you notes. They love making them with paper and crayons. This was one that my mother beat into my head. I am continuing the tradition.

Manner #13

Never use foul language in front of adults. Grown-ups already know all those words, and they find them boring and unpleasant.

Grown-up words. They know better than to say them. And of course we rarely say them in front of the girls either. The occasionally say the “S” word. That is to say, their “S” word: STUPID.

Manner #14

Don't call people mean names.

M&B are both champions of fairness with others, just not amongst themselves.

Manner #15

Do not make fun of anyone for any reason. Teasing shows others you are weak, and ganging up on someone else is cruel.

This one I think goes back to Manner #14

Manner #16

Even if a play or an assembly is boring, sit through it quietly and pretend that you are interested. The performers and presenters are doing their best.

Our wiggles usually do not have anything to do with not being interested but with being able to sit for long periods.

Manner #17

If you bump into somebody, immediately say "Excuse me."

M gets too shy to say anything if it is an adult. We are still working on that one.

Manner #18

Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and don't pick your nose in public.

This one has been made very important by preschool so they are great.

Manner #19

As you walk through a door, look to see if you can hold it open for someone else.

They are still having doors opened for them. We do have a routine coming home. M holds the screen door. I work the key. B opens the house door.

Manner #20

If you come across a parent, a teacher, or a neighbor working on something, ask if you can help. If they say "yes," do so -- you may learn something new.

M&B both love to help others so I think we have this one covered.

Manner #21

When an adult asks you for a favor, do it without grumbling and with a smile.

Not always. But most of the time.

Manner #22

When someone helps you, say "thank you." That person will likely want to help you again. This is especially true with teachers!

Thank you is well used in their vocabulary.

Manner #23

Use eating utensils properly. If you are unsure how to do so, ask your parents to teach you or watch what adults do.

B still loves her fingers more than her fork.

Manner #24

Keep a napkin on your lap; use it to wipe your mouth when necessary.

M&B love the cloth napkins at special occasions. The lap thing is cool to them.

Manner #25

Don't reach for things at the table; ask to have them passed.

And if someone asks for the salt, pass the pepper with it. This one was beat into my head as a kid.

Sprout o rific

My girls have a set routine for bedtime. Four things they must do. These things should take about 5 minutes and they can drag on for about 20 to 30 minutes. Get on your pajamas, brush your hair, brush your teeth and wash your face. Last night for example it took them 15 minutes just to do the brush your teeth parts. Arguments and playing with the bathroom door were the predominant stalling tactic played.

After these four things are accomplished they snuggle down in our bed and watch a show on the Good Night Show on Sprout. Sprout is the local cable children’s PBS station. We have enjoyed some fine programming throughout the years from Sprout on the Good Night Show( this is a time slot not an actual show). The standard fare is on in the morning: Sesame Street, Barney and Thomas. In the evenings they have had some great shows that we miss. Piggly Winks, Sagwa and Dragon Tales. The show lineup changes frequently enough that the girls do not get bored. But I digress.

In the evening line up between shows they have a short for crafts. This one came just in time for summer shoes.

Recycled Treasure Box

Materials:

• 1 shoebox, with lid
•  Ribbon
• Scraps such as magazines, fabric, beads, wrapping paper, etc.
• Crayons
• Pencil
• All-purpose white glue
• Safety scissors 

1. Take the lid off the shoebox and poke two holes through the lid about four inches apart.

2. Take some ribbon and thread the two ribbon ends through the holes so that they poke out of the underside of the box lid.

3. Tie a knot and then flip the box lid over. The ribbon is now a handle for the treasure box.

4. Use your imagination to decorate the treasure box with leftover scraps, like cut-out magazine pictures, bits of fabric, beads, or anything else you can find around the house.

5. Now you have your very own recycled treasure box!

I will post the girls as soon as they are finished decorating.

Weekly Menu

Food Network was my friend this week. We have always loved the challenges.  My hubby loves watching Giada De Laurentiis.  I love the southern cooking of Paula Deen.  And we recently got sucked into Bobby Flay and his throwdown.  So this week's receipes are an homage to the Food Network.

Monday - Chinese Chicken Salad

Tuesday - Turkey Enchiladas

Wednesday -Veggie Pasta

Thrusday - Pork chops

Friday - Fish Fry

Enjoy.

Those Darn Plastic Easter Eggs

We do not do Easter baskets in the traditional sense of the word. The Easter bunny knows my intense dislike of freely dispensing candy to my little ones. He brings them awesome summer stuff in their baskets: bubbles, badminton racquets, flip flops, sunglasses, bug boxes, word searches and coloring books. Do not get me wrong there is nothing wrong with a good chocolate Easter bunny, but that is the only candy they receive in our house Easter morning.


So how do we have a shopping bag of those darn plastic Easter eggs? And the even bigger question, what to do with them?

Originally garnered from Grandma and Grandpa’s house full of candy, hubby and I hid them one last time for fun: empty. The girls had a blast seeing who could find the most, who found the purple ones and who found the big ones. OK now what?

Give me some glue, some buttons, pipe cleaners and we will have fun before they will eventually be recycled. Do those eggs have a recycle number?

The obvious craft was to make musical shakers. We filled some with rice, some with beans, and some with orzo to make different sounds. When we had found the sounds we liked, I super glued them together so as not to have to vacuum the insides later. This got rid of seven eggs. Fifty-three to go.

Stephanie at http://www.playinghouseinmaryland.blogspot.com/ had some great ideas. My favorite was the Capital and lowercase letter matching game. Put a capital letter on the top of the egg and the lower case letter on the bottom of the egg and mix them up. Match away. She has some beautiful stickers on hers. Knowing B and how long they would last I used a sharpie to write on ours. There goes another twenty-six.

M is learning fractions so, a spin on that one was doing numbers on the tops and bottoms. She matched them up and told us the fraction. This was fun as she could mix and match to make an innumerate amount of combinations. Nine more down.

http://www.creativityinprogress.com/ had the most adorable idea: Plastic Easter Egg Tea Cups. Two girls plus an infinite quantity of dolls equals a lot of tea parties. Buttons are tacky glued to round end of the egg. Decorate as desired. We used left over stickers from our Paas box and sharpie markers. We only made 5 each so we still 3 left over.

3 Easter eggs. Perfect for storing those mini hair clips in the girls “pretty box.”

They always seem to fall to the bottom of their box and get tangled in the ponytail holders.

The Nuclear Family Meltdown

Screaming can be heard from the street, through closed doors and windows. Something small set it off. “Please go wash your hands for dinner. No not at the kitchen sink. Upstairs in your bathroom.” Every Thursday. No. Really. EVERY Thursday.

M attends an intense core curriculum charter school. Homework is a daily occurrence. By Thursday she is done. The smallest frustration with math or reading sets her off. B attends an education-based pre-school slash daycare. By Thursday being a big girl and not napping anymore has caught up with her too.

Hubby and I are at our wits end. Three weeks in a row now we have had knock-down drag-out fit throwing from our seven and five year old. We have been following all the “rules.” Don’t give in. Don’t let them get their way. They will learn that a fit will get them what they want. The fits have lasted from 30 minutes to an hour. We are done.

We decided that there will be NO errands on Thursday afternoon. The monthly menu now boasts a crockpot meal on Thursday, so no cooking time either. We will come home and give the girls what they really want, but are not able to express: an environment to meltdown that is safe, loving and does not involve going to their room or time out. We call it family steam night. Let off steam. Do something together as a family. Lots of hugs and snuggles.

This week boasts Karaoke. Singing is my hubby’s true love. The girls love to flaunt with a microphone. We have a new video camera. Ham it up baby you are on TV.

Logistics:

Microphone attached to our speaker system so we can blast out the neighbors.

TV tuned to the Karaoke channel.

Did not know you had a karaoke channel? You get cable? Then you most likely do. Go into themes with your remote and type in karaoke and do a search. DirecTV has channel 1828 The Karaoke Channel On Demand. You can search by genre, artist, and title. Plenty of kid’s songs as well as all those 80s tune that hubby and I love to sing.

Optional:

Video camera so you can blackmail your children at age 18.

Enjoy your nuclear family time tonight.

Olive Green

We are a one car family. Due to some unforeseen occurrences over the last two years we have “lost” our second car. First, I tried to see if a minivan could take on a Prius. Prius won. The minivan was replaced by an older Saturn which decided to die a cruel death of transmission malfunction. Who needs reverse anyway, right? So we have a trusty Subaru Forrester now.

But hubby and I both work and the kids are in different schools, how do we do it? I have been asking myself that since November, when this started. Luck plays an important role. We are lucky to both work at the same office. We are lucky to have next door neighbors who have a daughter in the same school as M. We are lucky that I can come in early to work so I may go back and get the rest of the family.

My day runs like this. Out the door by 4.30 am. Go to work. Come back home at 6.30 am (10 minute drive thankfully). Finish up getting kids ready for school while hubby finishes getting ready for work. Out the door again at 7 am. M goes next door for a ride to school from our neighbors (charter school equals no bus). We drop B off at preschool and go to work. I leave work at 2.30 pm. Pick up M and neighbor girl from school. Drop of neighbor girl. Get B from preschool. Get hubby from work. Go home.

There is not a lot of room for error in our schedule. This means planning ahead. Need to stop quickly at the supermarket. Plan ahead. Need to make a doctor appointment. Plan ahead. My route to the school or back to work varies depending on what I need to get done. And when we arrive home, we are home for good.

One car has saved on the following:

Car insurance

Gas-- every trip is planned out to maximize the route and carpooling with neighbors

One car has given us the following:

Time – since our car usage is so planned we have more time to enjoy each other when we get home.

Communication – we are all in one space. There is nowhere to run; nowhere to hide so just tell me what is bothering you.

It is not for everyone, but it is working for us.

Yeah Yeah... Winter is over so Spring blooms blogs

Spring cleaning overtook our house and with the clutter gone I have time to update. The winter clothes are put away. What is this? SNOW on May 2nd? Maybe I was a bit hasty with that. We have de-cluttered the garage and sent a lot of things packing. Most notably, the hot tub that has taken up residence in our garage for 5 years left yesterday on some guy’s trailer. Thank you www.freecycle.org. The girls were so excited. B. for the first time saw what a garage should look like. She even made a comment about not having to walk around it to get to other things.


Books, clothes and the like made their way to ww.thredup.com. I am donating my box choices to a military family so we do not replace what is going out the door. Towels that were not used or frayed to the point that hubby did not want to wash anymore went to the animal shelter. They love getting towels and blankets alike. Something warm for that cold concrete floor.

The girls organized their toys back into the appropriate boxes. Dress up, Little People (nope, B is not ready to get rid of those yet), dolls, building toys and the newest addition to their toy bins: Barbie. We finally broke down at Christmas and allowed Barbie into our home. We have some older styles from the neighbor girls and some new mermaids and the ever famous Pet Vet Barbie. This is M’s fave since that is what she is planning on becoming when she grows up. Oh, and a teacher, cowgirl, AND a Bronco’s cheerleader. We are encouraging all of them right now. She has another 15 years to pick.

On a personal note, I did a monthly meal plan this month. I have always done the meal planning thing, but usually a week at a time. However, I was lazy the last couple of weeks. This caused a rash of eating out and poor nutrition. We are back on track for May. Monday is Salad Day. Tuesday: things with Chicken. Wednesday is Pork. Thursday is not so much a food group but crockpot only (will explain below). Friday is Fish. (Not for reasons of Lent) Saturday: Scrounge what you can, culminating in Sunday: family style sit down relaxing comfort foods. Menu is set. Grocery lists planned. Let’s get cooking. A whole month! WOW!

So why is Thursday crockpot only? Because Thursday for the last three weeks has been meltdown day for both girls. The intensity of school hits M by the time homework rolls around Thursday afternoon. B just has had enough preschool and being away from Mommy and Daddy. So Thursday I will not be in the kitchen cooking dinner when we get home. We will be able to have about 45 minutes to an hour more time to share together. This will hopefully fend off the nuclear family meltdown.

I will post my menu tomorrow.