Monthly Archives: October 2011

Dirty Underwear = Forget. Swear Word = REMEMBER FOREVER!

This summer we went along with my husband to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. We took some time to visit the National Museum of the US Air Force. It was amazing to our three boys as we strolled through rooms and rooms full of military planes.

We came across this one plane that had a swear word on it. Of course, my middle son read it aloud, totally oblivious to the fact that it was a swear word. Our oldest hung his head and practically died right there on the spot because people around us were chuckling. It went something like this:

Chase: “Mom! Look at that plane! It’s called The Strawberry Bitch! What a funny name for a plane!”

Chandler: “Oh my goodness, MOM. Did you hear what he just said! Oh my gosh. I am SO EMBARRASSED.”

Crowd of people around us: “giggle, giggle, snicker, snicker”

Me: LAUGHING OUT LOUD (I’m such a good role model.)

Chase: “What?”

Chandler: “OH MY GOODNESS.” Walks away so as to not be associated with us embarrassing swearing people.

Then I got a hold of myself and explained to Chase that the “B” word can be used as a swear word so he really shouldn’t say it. He was all embarrassed and almost cried because he thought he was in trouble. We assured him that it was totally ok, just don’t say it anymore. And then we moved on. (After I took a picture and posted it to Facebook, of course.)

Fast forward to last week, months later, and out of the blue he says, “Mom, remember that one plane we saw at the museum that had that ooh-la-la lady on it with that ONE swear word that I said – but don’t worry I won’t say it – and then we laughed after I said it? That was funny, huh?”

Me: “Oh, you remember that, huh?”

Chase: “Of course, it was so funny!”

Me: “Oh yeah, I hardly remember that.”

Chase: “Oh, I do! I remember it!”

Well isn’t that nice. The kid can’t remember to put his dirty underwear in the hamper but he can remember this.

Perfect!

Pefect Boy Snack: Dirt Cups! {dairy free!}

 Our middle son, Chase’s, birthday was last week. I wanted to send a fun treat in for his Cub Scouts meeting. There was one snag, though, one boy had a dairy allergy. So I asked my Twitter friends for some ideas. I wanted to make dirt cups, but figured pudding and oreos would be full of dairy. Then @ryles chimed in with wonderful news! You can make dirt cups dairy free! Who knew?

Oreos are dairy free. Just buy name brand Oreos! (I had no idea!)
Pudding mix: The JELLO brand is dairy free.
I used coconut milk to make the pudding.
Gummy worms are dairy free.

Of course the ingredients are full of all kinds of other awful not good for you things, but it’s dairy free!  🙂

There really isn’t a recipe here. Mix the pudding mix with your choice of milk as directed on the box. Cover with finely crushed oreo cookies. Squish some gummy worms into the dirt.

A perfect treat for little boys!

Recipe: Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

I was always intimidated to try making Chicken and Dumplings from scratch because my Mom’s were always SO GOOD that I thought it must be a lot of work. A few years ago I watched her make it and I was like, “Wait, that’s it?!” And I have been making it ever since! My boys love this meal and I love that it can be a super quick meal if you play your cards right!


Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
about 6 carrots, pealed and chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced (or two if you like garlic like I do)
2 tbs butter
celery if desired (my family does not like celery so I leave it out)
1 pound cooked shredded chicken
2 (32 oz) cartons of chicken broth
1 tsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/4 cup biscuit mix
2/3 cup milk

In a large pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Mix in chopped onions, carrots, garlic and celery. Saute for a couple of minutes. Basically just to get the flavors blended and cook down the veggies a bit.

Add shredded chicken,*See note below* broth and seasonings.

Heat through until it comes to a light boil.

(Basically at this point, you have chicken soup. Add cooked noodles for chicken noodle soup. Or rice. Or nothing!)

To make dumplings, add the biscuit mix *See note below* and milk and stir until it makes a soft gooey dough. Drop into the soup. Don’t worry, the dumplings might sink at first. But they will come back up! Cook uncovered for ten minutes. Put a lid on and cook covered for ten more minutes. You can check the done-ness of the dumpling by splitting one open. If it’s fluffy and does not have a gooey center, it’s done!

**Here is where I say you can make this meal quick. I like to use chicken that has already been cooked and shredded from my freezer. This saves me a ton of time. I will also sometimes plan to cook my chicken in the crock pot and then use the broth left over right in the soup I’m making that night. If you do not have any on hand, you can still easily make this meal without a ton more effort. Just place some chicken in a pot of water and boil it. Once it’s cooked through you can shred it up. You can use some of the water as broth as well. Or take it a step farther and cook it low and slow all day with veggies and herbs right in the pot with the chicken to make a broth from scratch.  For the biscuit topping, I like to make my own biscuit mix so making the dumplings is quick and easy. You could also just mix together any biscuit recipe together and use that. I like the consistency of the Bisquick dumplings. So I use my homemade version and follow the recipe for dumplings from their box.**

Enjoy!

This post linked to:
Southern Fairytale’s Mouthwatering Monday
Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

You Know You Are A Mom Of Boys When…Birthday Card Love

My precious middle child, Chase, is turning eight years old today. To celebrate, he had a friend stay the night last night. His friend gave him this card:

I asked his friend to explain the drawing. He said, “Well, that’s Chase and that’s me. And that’s me throwing a guy that Chase doesn’t like into a brick wall.”

I must have looked slightly horrified because my husband chimed in, “That’s how boys show love. He’s a really good friend.”

And Chase and his friend agreed that if you are a good friend, you are willing to throw bad guys into brick walls for each other.

Can someone please help me escape the Boy Planet I’m stuck on? I don’t seem to speak their language.

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHASE!!!

Contentment and Gratitude: The Lesson That Never Ends

The past year we have been living in an 850 square foot, 2 bedroom apartment. Yes, you heard that right. My husband and I and our three BOYS have been squished into this box we call home. To make it better, we are on the second floor. We have to pay $3 a load to do laundry (that’s about $80 a month if we’re keeping track). And it’s just overall SMALL.

Last summer we moved to Vermont. We never did sell our house. So we are renting it out. Which means we are renting here. I should explain that renting here is difficult to say the least. We don’t want to make the kids switch schools again so staying in this particular town is making it even more difficult. After six months of searching and looking at rentals and countless emails and phone calls, still…nothing. Nothing has worked out.

So I sit here, in my tiny box, trying to make sense of it all.

What lesson is this? Being grateful for what I have? My (ever so lovely but say it one more time and I’ll slap you) husband says, “At least we don’t live in a hut in Africa.”  OK. So yes, that is true. And I remind myself several times a day when I am feeling aggravated that “OMG Why does stuff fall on my head every time I open the closet door?!” And when I get sad and upset that we do not have a backyard for the boys to play in.

At least we have a roof over our head. At least we have food to eat and clothes to wear. Even if they are falling on my head.

Is this lesson on being content? We have all definitely learned a huge lesson on being happy with what we have. I have learned that what I need and what I want are not the same. I have learned that stuff doesn’t make me happy. We have gotten rid of so. much. stuff. We just don’t need it all. When I buy something, I stop and think. When my boys made their Christmas lists this week, they only asked for roller blades and skateboards. “And maybe a video game if you want, Mom.” I mean, how awesome is that?!

Now I kind of feel like, OK! All done! Lessons learned! But I don’t think it’s that easy, is it? I don’t think gratitude and contentment are learned and then you move on. I think they are ongoing lessons. Ones you need to remember and re-evaluate daily.

We have decided to pursue buying a house this Spring. We were thinking we needed to wait but things are looking like they will work out for us to buy soon. This is good. This is good news. It means our planned trip to Disney before Matt’s deployment is canceled. It means a weekend trip to NYC is canceled. It means a 13 year anniversary trip is canceled. But it also means that we are buying a house. So it’s good.

It has been a long, long year. I have complained and cried and complained some more. But I really have learned so much through the complaining and the tears. And I’m sure that I haven’t cried my last tear or whined my last complaint. Especially since the person in the apartment above us is letting her 300 pound, is that a dog or a horse, run laps right now. And tomorrow while I am yelling PLEASE STOP JUMPING SO WE DON’T GET KICKED OUT for the millionth time, I shall complain some more. And when my boys cry because I yell at them for jumping like only normal boys do, I will cry again.

But then, one day soon, we will jump and laugh and dance and sing as LOUD as we can. We will be in OUR home. Ours. We will be happy to breathe in as many square feet as God blesses us with. We will fill every corner with the things we have decided to keep, to call our favorites. I will complain about how long it takes to clean big houses. I will cry that everyone has suddenly decided to start singing opera. And then I will sing just as loud while I clean my big house.

Contentment and gratitude, I got your number. And I won’t stop looking you straight in the eye from now on.

Recipe: Tortellini and Zucchini Soup

Tortellini and Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 large carrots, finely chopped
1 onion, diced
2 tbs minced garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 14 ounce cans vegetable broth
2 medium zucchini, diced
2 cups fresh or frozen tortellini (I prefer the spinach filled ones)
4 plum tomatoes, diced
2 tbs red wine vinegar
I also like to add some sliced kielbasa sausage but you can keep it meat free and it’s still delicious!

Heat oil. Add carrots and onion, cook till soft.  Add garlic and
rosemary, cook about one minute.  Stir in broth and zucchini, bring to a
boil. Reduce heat and simmer until zucchini is soft. Add tortellini
and tomatoes (and sausage if used) and cook about 6-10 minutes. Stir in vinegar just before
serving.

Enjoy!

This post linked to:
Southern Fairytale’s Mouthwatering Monday
Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Breakfast Idea: A Healthy Way to Eat Waffles!

 A few months ago I bought a Good Housekeeping magazine with Dr. Oz on the front cover boasting a weight loss meal plan. Yes, I bought it. My muffin top told me to. We followed the meal plan for about three weeks and honestly, I did drop weight quite quickly. But it was A LOT of work because every single meal took a decent amount of effort and prep and I had to cook the kids separate meals most days. This breakfast suggestion, however, was quick and easy and very good!

At first I thought it sounded strange but after I tried it I was hooked. I still eat it regularly because I know it’s a nice healthy option and I don’t feel like I’m starving afterwards. Are you ready to hear it?


Ricotta and Date Waffles:
Two whole grain waffles
2 tbs part-skim ricotta
3 chopped dates
1 tsp honey

OK, don’t run away screaming. Try it! I was delightfully surprised with how tasty it was! You can make your own waffles or just go the easy route and buy the frozen ones. I bought dried dates and chop them up as I need them. 

The best part about this breakfast is that it is only about 300 calories! Let me know if you try it and if you like it!


*Not a sponsored post

Parenting: Saying No Without Saying No

It’s no wonder that so many kids say “No!” as their first word. It’s probably the word we say most often as parents, isn’t it? I’ve learned that there are a lot of ways to say no to a child without using the actual word. (Mostly from Love and Logic, my favorite parenting resource.)
I think it’s important to branch out and try saying no in other ways because the word loses it’s meaning after awhile. It also helps kids to understand that you aren’t just ordering them around with yes and no answers. It allows the child to think and then make a choice. And that is the best thing we can do for our kids! Make ’em think!

So here’s a few ways to say no without letting the actual word leave your lips!

Here are a few tips from the latest Love and Logic Newsletter:
Give a choice and imply consequences: “Gee, I don’t think that is a very good decision and I’m pretty sure it might work out poorly for you.”
Suggest an alternative behavior without ordering it: “I think that if I were in your shoes, I would probably change my tone of voice rather than being asked to leave.”

Ask for illumination (without using a witness stand tone of voice): “I’ve always wondered about what leads kids to be obnoxious. Can you help me understand that?”


Give a direct question: “How do you think this is going to work out for you?”
{For more advice on this and more, check out Love and Logic’s site and sign up for the newsletter.}
The important thing to remember is that it is ok to say no. Sometimes you have to. But when you avoid it, the meaning of the word becomes much more respected!
You can avoid that constant “No! Don’t talk like that to me!” and “No! You stop that right now!” and so on.
If we can say something that gets the kid to think and make a choice about what to do next, we have taught a lesson instead of just demanded a behavior to stop.
You can also use one liners and give enforceable statements. My favorites are “That’s an option!” and “Let me know how that works out for you!”

This is also great advice for toddlers and young children. A cue other than NO can be used like “Uh-Oh!” and remove them from the thing/area/etc that you want to tell them no about.

It works! Try it! Do you have any creative ways to say no without using the actual word?

PS – Not a sponsored post!

Recipe: Homemade Fried Chicken

 There is nothing more comforting than fried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner! This recipe is easy and fried chicken isn’t as hard to make as you think!

Homemade Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk (you can use regular milk if that’s all you have)
1/4 cup hot sauce (more if you like it spicy!)
8 pieces of chicken
1 cup flour
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tsp salt
4 cups oil for frying

Add buttermilk and hot sauce to a bowl or baking pan and mix. Place chicken in and marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes. (If you do not have time to marinate, don’t worry about it! It will still work out!) Add flour and seasonings to another bowl and mix. Place marinated chicken into the flour mixture and coat. I like to do that process a second time as well but if you aren’t a huge fan of thick batter, only do it once. I like the crunchy batter. It’s my favorite part of fried chicken!

In a large pan or a fryer, heat the oil to about 350 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, you know it’s hot enough when you add a drop of water to the hot oil and it sizzles quite loudly. Place the battered chicken into the hot oil and fry for about 15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170 degrees. I will usually cut open one of the bigger pieces to see if it is cooked through. You can see from the picture above that I used a skillet to fry the chicken so the oil did not cover the chicken. I just turned it half way through to cook both sides evenly.

Place cooked chicken onto a plate lined with pa1per towels to catch the grease. It’s not legal for me to serve fried chicken without mashed potatoes and corn

Enjoy!

This post linked to:
Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday