First of all, let me just say that I really do watch my children......really I do.
Last night, while waiting for my eight-year-old to fall asleep, my three-year-old was running around. He had just gotten out of the bath a few minutes before and was running around waiting for his turn to go to bed (they share a room and they cannot go to bed at the same time, or they will keep each other up FOREVER).
I was finishing something up on the computer when I heard my three-year-old coughing. As I got up to see what was going on, he met me half-way in the kitchen and threw up all over my shoes!! This is not an uncommon thing in my house......it happens every now and then, but this was a bit out of the blue. He hadn't been sick, it had been a while since dinner. For some reason I kept asking him if he had put anything in his mouth. Nope, he was sure he hadn't. He said his tummy hurt, but that seemed obvious.
Once he was done throwing up, I took him into the bathroom to give him yet anther bath. As I pulled back the shower curtain, I realized that the liner was torn.......and missing a piece. (It's blue, and super-thin, and I suppose looks a bit like a giant fruit roll-up.....sort of??)
"Jay...........did you put the shower curtain in your mouth?"
"NO! I'm not talking about it!"
"Jay...mommy needs to know what goes into your mouth or your belly...... did you put a piece of the shower curtain liner in your mouth???"
"NO, Nope, no."
"Okay.......let's get you washed up"
A few minutes later my twelve-year-old comes up to me and says "Jay just told me the wierdest thing....he says he ate the shower curtain"
Seriously...........he ate the shower curtain liner!!! I have absolutely no response to this.....are shower curtains poisionous? They can't possibly be good for you.......yeah....try searching on the internet for whether shower curtain liners are poisonious if injested...Okay...so they are made out of some very icky stuff. Umm...try calling your husband at work to tell him your son ate a SHOWER CURTAIN LINER!!!!!!! Should I take him to the emergency room ('cause I'd just LOVE to be that mom that comes in and has to explain to the ER staff that I think my kid might have eaten a shower curtain!) Wow... no the house is waaay too messy for a visit from CPS. Let's just call his doctor at home and see what he says.
Bottom line: He's fine.....I think he may have tried to eat a piece of the plastic, but I don't think it went down. (As icky as it seems it wasn't in any of the throw-up) I'm hoping he just gagged on it and that's what caused the vomiting!
New Rule: NO EATING SHOWER CURTAINS!
And we now own a very thick, non-tearing, NON-EDIBLE shower liner!
Adventures in Motherhood
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
"Wednesday Night Suprise"
This week I haven't posted a menu, since at my house it's time to use up all of the odds and ends left in my cupboards, refrigerator and freezer. Every so often they just seem to pile up! You know the extra cans that somehow made it into the shopping cart, or the leftover half of a cucumber.
So instead of sharing a whole menu this week, I thought I would share some of the tips I use when I want to use up most of the odds and ends.
1) Soup - soup is a great way to use up little bits and pieces of leftovers. I stock up on chicken broth when it's on sale and keep it in the pantry. That way, when I have leftover meat, I can just simmer it with whatever leftover veggies I have in the fridge. Add in some kind of starch (chopped potatoes, rice, or dry pasta) and whatever fresh or dried herbs you have in the cupboard, and you are good to go!
2) Salads - much the same thing, as long has you have some greens and a favorite salad dressing on hand you can add in pretty much whatever leftover raw veggies you have on hand. To make it the main dish add in any shredded meat you have and you're set!
3) Omelets - again, good for adding small amounts of leftover veggies and cheeses. (If omelets are challenging, just scrambling the eggs with the other ingredients works just as well - especially when topped with shredded cheese!)
4) Fried Rice - you can take day old (or 3-day-old) rice and add veggies, eggs, and meat (optional). Just fry it up in a little bit of oil in a wok or a non-stick frying pan.
5) When I have more challenging ingredients left over, I turn to one of my favorite online recipe sites:
They have an option at the top of the page to search by ingredient. I prioritize my extra ingredients because I want to use the ones that might go bad soonest first. I pick two, and enter them into the search by ingredient page. Then scroll through the options it gives me. If none of them appeal, try a different combination. Many times, it gives me options I never really thought about. Sometimes I end up needing just one or two ingredients from the store in order to make whatever looks good (okay with me, since I'm trying to avoid wasting the ingredients that might otherwise go bad and get thrown away). The last example I have was typing in "carrots" and "sour cream" and coming up with a great recipe for sheppard's pie that I didn't even know I was craving!
If you have other hints or tricks for using up the odds, ends, and leftovers; let me know in the comments, and I'll post them for everyone else!!
So instead of sharing a whole menu this week, I thought I would share some of the tips I use when I want to use up most of the odds and ends.
1) Soup - soup is a great way to use up little bits and pieces of leftovers. I stock up on chicken broth when it's on sale and keep it in the pantry. That way, when I have leftover meat, I can just simmer it with whatever leftover veggies I have in the fridge. Add in some kind of starch (chopped potatoes, rice, or dry pasta) and whatever fresh or dried herbs you have in the cupboard, and you are good to go!
2) Salads - much the same thing, as long has you have some greens and a favorite salad dressing on hand you can add in pretty much whatever leftover raw veggies you have on hand. To make it the main dish add in any shredded meat you have and you're set!
3) Omelets - again, good for adding small amounts of leftover veggies and cheeses. (If omelets are challenging, just scrambling the eggs with the other ingredients works just as well - especially when topped with shredded cheese!)
4) Fried Rice - you can take day old (or 3-day-old) rice and add veggies, eggs, and meat (optional). Just fry it up in a little bit of oil in a wok or a non-stick frying pan.
5) When I have more challenging ingredients left over, I turn to one of my favorite online recipe sites:
They have an option at the top of the page to search by ingredient. I prioritize my extra ingredients because I want to use the ones that might go bad soonest first. I pick two, and enter them into the search by ingredient page. Then scroll through the options it gives me. If none of them appeal, try a different combination. Many times, it gives me options I never really thought about. Sometimes I end up needing just one or two ingredients from the store in order to make whatever looks good (okay with me, since I'm trying to avoid wasting the ingredients that might otherwise go bad and get thrown away). The last example I have was typing in "carrots" and "sour cream" and coming up with a great recipe for sheppard's pie that I didn't even know I was craving!
If you have other hints or tricks for using up the odds, ends, and leftovers; let me know in the comments, and I'll post them for everyone else!!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The Secret of Motherhood
The great secret to motherhood is....that we are all just making it up as we go along.
We want to know exactly what to do in every situation. We especially want our children and spouse to think we know what we are doing. But the truth is, all of us are just doing the best we can moment to moment.
Some of us pull it off better than others. My first three children were born within about a three-and-a-half-year time span. I soon realized that while some people could make this look easy, even after several children I was still an Amateur Mom. Things that should go smoothly never did. Mistakes I should have seen coming, still snuck up on me - and messes that were impossible to clean up were a daily occurrence.
One of my only saving graces as a mother is that no matter how insanely frustrating, or obviously overwhelming my day-to-day mother moments are; deep down in the nether-reaches of my soul, I have never lost my keen sense of the ridiculous. And, no matter how badly, I want to scream, or sell my children to pirates for magic beans; I also know that eventually, whatever the situation is, it will make a great phone call to my own mother. And we will laugh (eventually).
Much has been written about how important motherhood is, and how profound and soul-rendering it is. Much has also been written about how much is at stake when we take on the responsibility of caring for and raising precious little human beings. My point is that in addition to these very valid aspects of motherhood; motherhood can also be...fun (well, funny at least).
My journey started the moment I realized that I had been a much better mother, before I actually had children. I had a lot of parenting know-how. It was simple really. If you were kind, firm, and consistent one could solve any parenting dilemma. If only that lady at the grocery store with the screaming two-year-old had been kind, firm and consistent, her child would be sitting contentedly in the cart! If only that poor mother in the back of the congregation at church had been a little more prepared, her children would be sitting with rapt attention instead of crawling all over the floor. (Are you sensing a little self-righteousness - don't worry, God has a sense of humor!!) That's right, now I'm that lady!!! And while it's not always fun in the moment, these things pass. And mothering is a lot more complicated than just being kind, firm and consistent.
But, it can be fun. There are the moments that my children say the most hilarious things! There are those looks between my husband and me, when we hear them using phrases our parents used (not that they learned them from us, or anything!) And not to forget the rare moments when they think we're not looking and actually do something kind for each other.
And there are a lot of situations that are just so ridiculous they're funny! And chronicling them here, helps me to remember to find the humor, and the joy in the day to dayness that is motherhood.
Here are some links to some of my previous experiences (in case you'd like a good laugh at my expense).
I also look forward to sharing the hilarity that will most certainly continue to happen (we're expecting our fifth child in February - and I am looking forward to the blessing of being able to start all over again with a new little human being, who I am sure, will bring even more to the mix!)
We want to know exactly what to do in every situation. We especially want our children and spouse to think we know what we are doing. But the truth is, all of us are just doing the best we can moment to moment.
Some of us pull it off better than others. My first three children were born within about a three-and-a-half-year time span. I soon realized that while some people could make this look easy, even after several children I was still an Amateur Mom. Things that should go smoothly never did. Mistakes I should have seen coming, still snuck up on me - and messes that were impossible to clean up were a daily occurrence.
One of my only saving graces as a mother is that no matter how insanely frustrating, or obviously overwhelming my day-to-day mother moments are; deep down in the nether-reaches of my soul, I have never lost my keen sense of the ridiculous. And, no matter how badly, I want to scream, or sell my children to pirates for magic beans; I also know that eventually, whatever the situation is, it will make a great phone call to my own mother. And we will laugh (eventually).
Much has been written about how important motherhood is, and how profound and soul-rendering it is. Much has also been written about how much is at stake when we take on the responsibility of caring for and raising precious little human beings. My point is that in addition to these very valid aspects of motherhood; motherhood can also be...fun (well, funny at least).
My journey started the moment I realized that I had been a much better mother, before I actually had children. I had a lot of parenting know-how. It was simple really. If you were kind, firm, and consistent one could solve any parenting dilemma. If only that lady at the grocery store with the screaming two-year-old had been kind, firm and consistent, her child would be sitting contentedly in the cart! If only that poor mother in the back of the congregation at church had been a little more prepared, her children would be sitting with rapt attention instead of crawling all over the floor. (Are you sensing a little self-righteousness - don't worry, God has a sense of humor!!) That's right, now I'm that lady!!! And while it's not always fun in the moment, these things pass. And mothering is a lot more complicated than just being kind, firm and consistent.
But, it can be fun. There are the moments that my children say the most hilarious things! There are those looks between my husband and me, when we hear them using phrases our parents used (not that they learned them from us, or anything!) And not to forget the rare moments when they think we're not looking and actually do something kind for each other.
And there are a lot of situations that are just so ridiculous they're funny! And chronicling them here, helps me to remember to find the humor, and the joy in the day to dayness that is motherhood.
Here are some links to some of my previous experiences (in case you'd like a good laugh at my expense).
I also look forward to sharing the hilarity that will most certainly continue to happen (we're expecting our fifth child in February - and I am looking forward to the blessing of being able to start all over again with a new little human being, who I am sure, will bring even more to the mix!)
And I would love to hear from you, the fabulous stories that come with having children. I'm hoping that I'm not the only Amateur Mom out there!
Next Week: Snowmen!
Next week our preschool theme is going to be Snowmen!
If you'd like to join along, here is a link to a pdf document that has all of the activities, materials and detailed instructions and links for all of our theme projects next week. There's also more information on my weekly theme projects on the "Weekly Themes" tab at the top of the page!
If you'd like to join along, here is a link to a pdf document that has all of the activities, materials and detailed instructions and links for all of our theme projects next week. There's also more information on my weekly theme projects on the "Weekly Themes" tab at the top of the page!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Popcorn and Manicotti
First of all, my three-year-old just walked up to me and informed me that:
"cleaning my ears with popcorn would be a bad idea"
Which, by the way, I completely agree with; it would.
Thankfully there is no popcorn in the house, that I know of, so I'm hopeful this is just a hypothetical statement......
But, on to other things.
One of the things I love about having a menu planned ahead of time, is that it gives me a starting point, when plans change. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but to me a menu is just a plan, and you can always switch meals around to fit what is going on in real life. At least you have the ingredients already on hand to make the switch!
When I found out a few days ago, that we were able to vist some friends who live about an hour and a half away from us, I was really excited! We love to visit them and miss being able to spend a lot of time together. Our kids and our parenting styles are complementary, so its always fun to visit!
The great thing is that we are both expecting our fifth child, and our due dates are only a day apart.
The not-so-great news is that she has been on bed-rest for many weeks now, and we haven't been able to vist very much.
So, when I checked the menu to see what I would need to switch around, (since we won't be eating lunch or dinner at home today). I realized that the menu I had planned for Saturday lent itself really well to being doubled, and frozen. This way, I have an extra dinner on hand when I need it, and I can take one down to my friends to stock in thier freezer while mom is on bed-rest!
I made baked manicotti.
I just doubled the recipe for the filling and used the big mixing bowl.
Once everything was mixed together I put the filling in a gallon ziplock bag and cut one of the corners off. I used it as a piping bag to fill the shells.
Our grocery store was sold out of manicotti shells, so I just used the jumbo shells instead. The original recipe called for 8oz of manicotti shells, but the 12oz box of jumbo shells filled both 9x13 pans with 20 shells each, and there were a few left over.
The other cool thing about this recipe (besides being a great way to get spinach into my kids), is that you don't have to boil the shells before you fill them. You just put the filling in the uncooked shells, and add some water to the spaghetti sauce. As a result you do add quite a lot of sauce (you want to cover the shells) They will absorb the extra moisture as they cook.
I just added a pre-packaged salad and frozen garlic bread. I popped theirs in the freezer, and they can bake it up anytime. We can save ours for anytime we need a meal, and I'm too busy to cook!
If you'd like a pdf with all of the recipes and a grocery list here's the link:
"cleaning my ears with popcorn would be a bad idea"
Which, by the way, I completely agree with; it would.
Thankfully there is no popcorn in the house, that I know of, so I'm hopeful this is just a hypothetical statement......
But, on to other things.
One of the things I love about having a menu planned ahead of time, is that it gives me a starting point, when plans change. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but to me a menu is just a plan, and you can always switch meals around to fit what is going on in real life. At least you have the ingredients already on hand to make the switch!
When I found out a few days ago, that we were able to vist some friends who live about an hour and a half away from us, I was really excited! We love to visit them and miss being able to spend a lot of time together. Our kids and our parenting styles are complementary, so its always fun to visit!
The great thing is that we are both expecting our fifth child, and our due dates are only a day apart.
The not-so-great news is that she has been on bed-rest for many weeks now, and we haven't been able to vist very much.
So, when I checked the menu to see what I would need to switch around, (since we won't be eating lunch or dinner at home today). I realized that the menu I had planned for Saturday lent itself really well to being doubled, and frozen. This way, I have an extra dinner on hand when I need it, and I can take one down to my friends to stock in thier freezer while mom is on bed-rest!
I made baked manicotti.
Once everything was mixed together I put the filling in a gallon ziplock bag and cut one of the corners off. I used it as a piping bag to fill the shells.
If you'd like a pdf with all of the recipes and a grocery list here's the link:
Friday, December 28, 2012
Some of our favorites
One of our favorites was the "Snowglobe" science activity. We put our own little twist on it. The instructions only have one sample (the one using Karo Syrup), but we did three so that we could compare how the different liquids behaved. We did one using Karo, one using mineral oil (any oil would work, but mineral oil is cheap and clear) and the final one with water. In the picture our water one is a bit cloudy, but we couldn't wait until the glue in the cap was dry to try it out!
We used beads, glitter, and confetti pieces. As you can see each one was distinct. The kids loved playing with these. Even after the initial excitement wore off, I put them out on the toy shelf and they kept coming back to them throughout the week. Of course, please be sure to glue the lids on!!!
You could also do a combination of oil, water, food coloring and glitter (these make great "waves" to observe).
My one hint on this one, is to cut out the letters the night before (you know after the kids are in bed, while you're watching TV!!) Otherwise, half of the silver bells will disappear before you get to play the game. I used a 12oz package of chocolate kisses, and there were plenty (with a few left over).
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Omlet Success!
Our Monday morning breakfast was omlets with fresh spinach. (Actually we didn't have them on Monday, since we had a special Christmas Eve breakfast that day.....) And, I'm very excited that they actually turned out like omlets instead of really big pieces of scrambled eggs, which is how my omlets usually turn out.
The trick for me is to treat the omlet like a really big pancake when I try to flip it over (it's a bit like trying to cook a crepe - if that helps at all :)
I'm counting this one as a success as two of my four children liked them, and three of my four children tried them with the spinach filling!!
The trick for me is to treat the omlet like a really big pancake when I try to flip it over (it's a bit like trying to cook a crepe - if that helps at all :)
I'm counting this one as a success as two of my four children liked them, and three of my four children tried them with the spinach filling!!
First, I sauteed a little bit of onion and shredded carrot in a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil and added some salt and pepper. Then I added some fresh baby spinach and let it wilt down a bit.
For each omlet I scrambled three eggs and cooked them in the non-stick skillet. Once they were set on the bottom, I flipped them over like a pancake or crepe to cook the other side (I know some people just cook the one side - but I have a pathalogical fear of eating uncooked eggs, so I cook mine on both sides!)
I added shredded cheddar cheese to the filling and foldeded the omlet over on itself to let everything melt together for a minute or two.
Since my kidlets are still little (and everyone was trying it for the first time) I cut each omlet in half and served with pears and mandarin oranges - fruits I know everyone likes.
Sorry, I didn't get the chocolate milk in the picture, but you get the idea!!
Here's another link to this week's menu if you'd like the recipes:
Christmas!
I hope everyone had a wonderful, happy Christmas with friends and family!!!
Feel free to jump in with us:
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Christmases Past
Christmas is always a special time of year for me. And while, I love spending time with my little family, it’s also a time that I miss the family I grew up in (they all grew up and moved away!). So in memory of Christmases past, I thought I would share my favorite Christmas story from when I was growing up.
Every year, our family tradition, was to go to a Christmas tree farm and cut down our own Christmas tree. I loved being out in the hills, and the smell of the fresh trees all around. Each year we would pretend to be “lost in the forest” (although it is harder to get lost when all of the trees are planted in nice straight rows!) Each year we would pick the perfect tree, watch my father cut it down, and bungee cord it to the top of our minivan. And each year, one of my sisters, Kelly, would hate the tree we picked. That’s right every year……no matter what. It was never the tree that she wanted and it was always the saddest thing in the world to her.
One Christmas, my parents decided that this was one tradition that needed to change. Looking back, I’m sure they were tired of the inevitable crying and complaining on the way home. This year was going to be different, this year, whatever tree Kelly picked we were going to like…..no matter what. This was Kelly’s year, and if she picked a three that was two-and-a-half feet tall and brown, we were going to like it.
Off we went to our regular Christmas tree farm. All seven kids tumbled out of the minivan and off we went to find the perfect tree. Kelly took her time finding one that was just right. When she did, true to instructions, the rest of us agreed that it was the perfect tree.
We should have known when it took longer than normal to cut it down. We also should have known when we trimmed it again at home (in preparation of putting it in the tree holder) and found that about two inches above the original cut, the tree separated into two trunks – not the best configuration for fitting it into the holder. We finally got it all situated, sprayed it with the hose to remove any bugs and left it overnight. The next evening when we brought it in the house to decorate, someone noticed a ladybug.
Then, we noticed another and another. Turns out the entire trunk was covered with a living mass of ladybugs! We spent the next two weeks removing lady bugs from the tree, and the furniture, and the drapes, various guests and the house in general. Don’t get me wrong, ladybugs are cute, just not in the quantities were finding. It was months before we stopped finding little ladybugs in tiny nooks and crannies.
This year was, of course, known forever after as The Ladybug Christmas. It has now become enshrined in Parry Family Folklore and is one of the favorite stories told every Christmas. Even Kelly think s it’s funny now!
Every year, our family tradition, was to go to a Christmas tree farm and cut down our own Christmas tree. I loved being out in the hills, and the smell of the fresh trees all around. Each year we would pretend to be “lost in the forest” (although it is harder to get lost when all of the trees are planted in nice straight rows!) Each year we would pick the perfect tree, watch my father cut it down, and bungee cord it to the top of our minivan. And each year, one of my sisters, Kelly, would hate the tree we picked. That’s right every year……no matter what. It was never the tree that she wanted and it was always the saddest thing in the world to her.
One Christmas, my parents decided that this was one tradition that needed to change. Looking back, I’m sure they were tired of the inevitable crying and complaining on the way home. This year was going to be different, this year, whatever tree Kelly picked we were going to like…..no matter what. This was Kelly’s year, and if she picked a three that was two-and-a-half feet tall and brown, we were going to like it.
Off we went to our regular Christmas tree farm. All seven kids tumbled out of the minivan and off we went to find the perfect tree. Kelly took her time finding one that was just right. When she did, true to instructions, the rest of us agreed that it was the perfect tree.
We should have known when it took longer than normal to cut it down. We also should have known when we trimmed it again at home (in preparation of putting it in the tree holder) and found that about two inches above the original cut, the tree separated into two trunks – not the best configuration for fitting it into the holder. We finally got it all situated, sprayed it with the hose to remove any bugs and left it overnight. The next evening when we brought it in the house to decorate, someone noticed a ladybug.
Then, we noticed another and another. Turns out the entire trunk was covered with a living mass of ladybugs! We spent the next two weeks removing lady bugs from the tree, and the furniture, and the drapes, various guests and the house in general. Don’t get me wrong, ladybugs are cute, just not in the quantities were finding. It was months before we stopped finding little ladybugs in tiny nooks and crannies.
This year was, of course, known forever after as The Ladybug Christmas. It has now become enshrined in Parry Family Folklore and is one of the favorite stories told every Christmas. Even Kelly think s it’s funny now!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Christmas Week
Hi Everyone,
Sorry about the lack of posts this week. Between cub scout meetings, and principal meetings, teacher meetings, my last week of work before our holiday shut-down, and a few other things, I just haven't had time to post anything! (Also, haven't had much time for laundry - but I digress.)
Anyway, here is the preschool theme for next week:
Sorry about the lack of posts this week. Between cub scout meetings, and principal meetings, teacher meetings, my last week of work before our holiday shut-down, and a few other things, I just haven't had time to post anything! (Also, haven't had much time for laundry - but I digress.)
Anyway, here is the preschool theme for next week:
And here is the menu for next week as well:
Leafy greens are super healthy for you, and it should be noted that I'm very liberal in my interpretation of greens. While I do have one recipe for traditional cooked greens, most of my greens recipes include spinach or leafy lettuce. (Hey, it counts in my book if my kids eat leafy lettuce on their turkey sandwiches!!)
Today is my day to get caught up with housework, cooking, and laundry. The good news is I have ELEVEN DAYS until I go back to work (for THREE more days) and then I am off on maternity leave until July!!!!!!!
So, other than having a baby, I will have much more time to keep the blog updated!
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