Summer Vacation & Super Woman

I remember as a kid how I would look forward to summer vacation. Starting January I would be counting the days till the last school bell. Each month would pass and I would celebrate as the temperature would rise and the snow would melt.  When the flowers bloomed I knew my days of hanging out with friends and endless lazy afternoons were ahead!  Summer would finally arrived then it seemed to fly by before I even felt settled in. The Fair would start and we were shopping for school clothes.  So here I sit 20 years after my last day of school with kids of my own in the middle of Summer.

My son The Noodle will be going into First Grade in September and it will be the first time he will be away from me all day long. I go back and forth between mourning the fact that he is growing up so fast and cheering at his accomplishments. My Little Goon will be in Preschool 3 afternoons a week and then next year he will be in FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN! So this will be my last year with a kid home during the day again another fact that I look upon with a mixture of mourning and cheer! I have thoroughly enjoyed being a stay at home mom a job I never planned on having. Sure I always thought I would be a mom but somehow I just never thought I would have the opportunity to be home with my kids. My mom was a single mother and worked her tail off when we were growing up and almost every single one of my friends had mom’s who worked.  So my examples of Stay at Home Moms were limited to TV, movies and the occasional friend whose mom seemed to do it all.  I realize that I have spent the better part of 6 years now trying desperately to be Super Woman. I have somehow bought into the fact that a Stay at Home Mom has to do and be all things.

• I should have a clean a house because I am home all day
• I should take my kids to the Zoo, Library, Bounce House, Museum…because I am home all day
• I should have them in activities like Karate and Dance ……
• I should do craft projects with them every day …..
• I should make them healthy meals……….
• 

The list is endless, I also feel that I should be in better shape and that I should be the perfect wife and that I should give the best gifts and cards and SHOULD SHOULD SHOULD SHOULD SHOULD SHOULD SHOULD SHOULD………………………………………

The lists in my head are endless and overwhelming. So this year when Spring came and every mom I knew started talking about Summer Camps for their kids I backed out of the conversation. I remembered how fast my summers went when I was little and I wanted my kids to enjoy their summer and not feel like it was eaten up with too many activities.  I wanted them to play outside and ride their bikes, swim with the neighbor kids and learn how to play ball.  Unfortunately what I didn’t think about was that Super Woman over here started her own business last November that is busier than ever and Super Woman is on the board of a theater company that is going through a huge transition and Super Woman is training for the IronGirl. So now I am trying to be Super Woman and Super Mom and all I am managing to do is feel stressed out and scattered and all my kids are doing is whining that they are bored and fighting over video games.

Last week on my morning run with my cousin she mentioned that she had to get her daughter to Dance Camp.  Before the words were out of her mouth I jumped on that!!!!  “What time is Camp? How Much is Camp? Is there Room for my Kids?” Luckily the Camp is at my BFF’s Dance Studio and I had an in.  I ran all the way home I packed those kids up so fast their heads were spinning. We raced down to the dance studio and I dragged those kids in there and walked into the crowded room. “Is there room for 2 more in the class?” I had Cash in hand and looked desperate. The kids got in and I walked to my car feeling a huge weight off my shoulders for the first time since the school bell rang in June. The camp was only an hour and a half each day for the week and the boys didn’t really participate but they were out of the house and I had a moment of peace. I then drove directly to my local Michaels Craft Store and signed them up for Craft camp next week.  As I left the store heading home I felt a little guilty for what I felt was dumping my kids at camp. The truth is no one can do it all and even a Stay at Home Mom can’t handle her kids 100% of the time. We all need a break and my kids are having fun and learning new things. Yes it’s true that the Noodle asked me “Mom can I never ever come to this camp again?” after dance camp by the Goon had a blast.  He made a fairy wand and danced in the recital. So next week they will tackle craft camp and I will have 100 things to display on my refrigerator.

I guess the real difference from being a kid and being a mom when it comes to summer vacation is that as a kid I counted the days until the last school bell rang in June and as a mom I am counting the days until the first school bell rings on September 8th! Thank you teachers for taking my kids for a few hours a day and helping me be the best mom I can be. Can someone please kick Super Woman for me cause she is really getting on my nerves!

The Blog Post from the Black Lagoon

The Blog Post from the Black Lagoon.

Love these books!!!  They are so so great!

 

BLACK LAGOON!

Homemade Granola Bars – For real this time!

So if you read my last post you know I tried making Granola Bars and ended up making Baked Oatmeal! Now that was pretty yummy but not the intent.  So I finally got around to making the real thing so I thought I would share with you my results.

 

First off there are quite a few ingredients (don’t get scared!) I actually was surprised to realize I had most of these things in my cupboard already. So here ya go, you will need the following:

3 Cups Oatmeal

1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour (use regular if you don’t have it- no sweat!)

1/4 Cup Flax Seed Meal

1/2 Cup Wheat Germ

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon (I used a few extra we really like Cinnamon)

1 tsp Ginger (optional)

1 Tsp Nutmeg (optional)

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Cups Dried Fruit or Nuts or Chocolate Chips ( I used Craisons cause it’s what I had)

1 Egg

2 Tsp Vanilla

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/2 Cup Honey (I might have used a bit more)

1 Mashed Banana

2 Tbsp Applesauce

2 Tbsp Peanut Butter (If allergic to Peanuts just add another banana or twice the applesauce)

First mix all of your dry ingredients; Oatmeal, Flour, Flax Seed, Wheat Germ, Salt, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, Ginger, Nutmeg. Mix all together and make a well in the center. Feel free to add a little more or a little less of the Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Ginger you are making your Granola Bars so make them taste yummy to you!

Now add the rest! Egg, Vanilla, Vegetable Oil, Honey, Mashed Banana, Peanut Butter, Applesauce. At this point the consistence of your final product is in your hands! If you want a crunchier Granola Bar stick close to the wet measurements!  If you want a softer chewier Granola Bar add a little more Honey or Applesauce. Not too much just one or two extra Tablespoons.

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Now you need to Spray a 9X13 baking pan or a cookie sheet with nonstick baking spray. I chose to use

Ready for the Oven!

a baking pan because I wanted thick and chewy Granola Bars.  For thinner crispier bars use a baking sheet. Now spread the mixture evenly in the pan.  Use a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper to help you spread it evenly without getting your hands all gooey! Then pop it into a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

 

Once they come out of the oven let them cool in the pan on a baking rack for 5-10 minutes.  Then you want to make sure you cut them before they cool or they might be too hard to cut!  I removed them from the pan and let them cool completely on a baking rack.

 

Once they were cool go ahead and chow down-  I sure did!!!  These are super yummy!  My kids love Granola Bars and I am so happy to be able to make some that they love just as much as Quaker but are made with love by me!

 

I promise these are really Granola Bars and you will really like them!

Finished Product so Yummy!

 

I found the original recipe on Pinterest  http://therealhousewife.com/blog/goin-granola/

Baked Oatmeal by Accident!

So I have recently gotten hooked on Pinterest. It is slightly addicting and I am trying very hard to keep my addiction under control.  So this afternoon I saw a Pin which read “baked Oatmeal to go instead of Granola Bars” but somehow all that registered in my brain was GRANOLA BARS. So I repined it and thought what a great idea I am totally making those! So I got out all the ingredients:

• 2 Eggs
• 2 Cups Applesauce, unsweetened
• 5 Cups, Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 1 Banana
• 2 3/4 Cups Almond Milk
• 3/4 Cup Honey
• 1/4 Cup Flaxseed Meal
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
• 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• Optional Toppings: raisins, walnuts,  chocolate chips

 

 

I followed the directions to a T:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana & honey
3. Add oats, salt, baking powder, flaxseed & cinnamon mix well
4. Pour in milk and combine
   

   Ready for the Oven!

5. Spray muffin tins w/cooking spray or use cupcake liners.
6. If using fresh fruit, add before filling cups.  If using toppings add after filling cups.
7. Bake 30 minutes until a toothpick in center comes out clean!

 
So I mixed them up and popped the bad boys in the oven fully expecting to have granola bars when they were done.  Um hello???  It’s not like I haven’t baked before how would my kids eat a 3 inch think granola bar! Yep I was really thinking clearly.  So after 30 minutes to my surprise I have a dense cupcake…what happened to my granola bars? I immediately go back to my aforementioned PIN. Oh isn’t that crazy how it says quite clearly Personalized Baked Oatmeal!!!  LOL Yep

 

Now that being said!!!!  I tossed one of those babies in my mouth and was delighted!  What a great idea for breakfast.  My kids love oatmeal and I know it only takes a few minutes in the microwave but hey I made this myself! So the directions from Sugar-Free Mom say that I can just plop these suckers in the freezer so that is what I intend to do!  Some times the best surprised come from the biggest accidents!

Yummy Yummy BAKED OATMEAL!

My boy and his shoes

So I took the boys to Payless to get new sneakers yesterday. I always have a little sense of trepidation as I walk into a store. I am sure many parents struggle with finding things their kids want that work into the family budget. I know I have several friends with teenagers who struggle to agree on what is appropriate for a teen to wear. My struggle is figuring out how to handle my 3 year old sons request for everything pink, pretty and girly. Do I crush his dreams with a NO. Do I give in and face our disapproving family and worry that he will be ridiculed by his peers?

This is my struggle every time I walk into a store.

Yesterday as we walked from the car my little Goon started asking “Can I get Girl Shoes please mom?” My response was “let’s go and see what is in your size.” My 5 year old picked out a great pair of sneakers he ran up and down the aisle and he felt like a cool cat!  I tried to get his little brother to get the same pair and be JUST LIKE BROTHER! No Deal. Then I pulled all the boy shoes off the shelf.  NOPE No Deal.  He spotted the pink dress up shoes and was smitten. 

Thankfully, we were looking for sneakers so those really didn’t qualify. Although he was pretty disappointed he went along with my logic. He quickly vetoed all boy shoes, he even insisted a pair of perfectly fitting SPIDERMAN sneakers were killing his feet because they were “so tight!” I was starting to realize I had 2 choices, refuse to buy him what he wanted and deal with the tears and heartache or let the 3 year old have the sneakers he wants.  I also realized that I let the 5 year old pick out his sneakers and he picked out super cool black sneakers with lime green stripes.  This didn’t bother me at all they were in my budget and they fit great. But here I sat ready to cry because my happy little man wanted Purple Sparkle Dora sneakers.  They were in my budget and they fit him great. SO the real reason I didn’t want to buy them was because they are unacceptable in my society. They are GIRL shoes and everyone will know it.  They are NOT BOY SHOES and people will stare at him.  They are NOT what everyone else wears in his class.  I realized that my real problem was what everyone else is going to think and say.

I looked at my special little guy and although I was fighting back tears I bought him the Purple Sparkle Dora Sneakers. Though I was heartbroken my little Goon was beaming from ear to ear as he skipped out of the store on his way to the Carousel for a ride on the Pink Horse!

Mom Thank you so much for my Dora Sneakers I love them SO MUCH!!!!

Dinner Time

 

Why is it that no matter what I cook my children don’t want to eat it? I make dinner and we sit at the table as a family every night and every night my kids turn their noses up.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  I feel like they conspire in the other room.

Noodle” OK mom made mini pizza’s and I know you like them but lets cry real hard when she puts them on the table!”  Goon “Yeah great idea, and I’m gonna throw the carrots at you when we sit down!”

 

I know that if I just made them fish sticks every night they would be thrilled but I just can’t be that irresponsible. I have invested in cookbooks full of “creative recipes for kids” yeah they hate them!  I have tried hiding veggies inside food they like and somehow they know and all of a sudden HATE that food.  I searched Pinterest for fun ideas and came up with what I thought would be a slam dunk!  Only to Foul out in the end.  Hot Dogs stuffed with Pasta what a great idea!  A little spaghetti sauce on the side for dipping and some puzzle shaped carrots a perfect meal. I mean how can I go wrong the kids ate hot dogs all summer on the deck and loved them!  Famous last words.  I told the kids they were having Octopus for dinner.  I even let them help me make them thinking that would get them excited.  It worked they were excited they loved helping me prepare the food. I am not sure what happened between the boiling water and the dinner plates but as soon as the Octopus was on the table the kids tag teamed me and revolted! What was suppose to be a successful dinner with my family turned into another night of crying, whining, making deals and threatening. Oh yeah and also resulted in my dinner being ice cold and my husband being frustrated that he couldn’t eat dinner in peace.  Yep welcome to Dinner Time!  Honestly when does this get easier?  I am so tired of hearing “I hate dinner!” every night. One of the reasons I am a stay at home mom is to make sure we have dinner as a family every night. I just wish somehow at about 5PM every night my little boys would magically sit like angels and eat everything on their plates without a complaint. Then at 5:30PM they can turn back into wild animals!  Hear me universe????

Morning Miracle

Well, the day is finally here……

After 5 and a half long years of little boys jumping on me at 6am every single morning. Crying for breakfast or a cartoon I slept until 8:30. Now I know 8:30 might not seem like SLEEPING IN to many of you  but to parents of small children it’s a dream.

We have been through many stages of waking up with my children.  The infant stage where they cried every 2 hours or 20 minutes depending on which kid we are talking about. The baby stage where they woke up at 6am or every 20 minutes depending on which kid we are talking about. The toddler stage where they woke up at 6am or 3 times a night again depending on which kid…. The little boy stage which we have been in now for about a year where they started the morning at 6am yelling from their beds “Mom can we get up?” which moved to running into our room and yelling “Mom it’s morning time get up!” and earlier this week morphed into yelling at each other at the top of the stairs as they fought over what to watch on TV.  This was all before the TV was even turned on.

Today we somehow entered a new stage a stage I have yet to name as I am afraid to jinx myself for tomorrow. My little guys got up at 6 just like every morning came in my room and yelled “Mom it’s morning time get up!” just like every other morning.  But this time when I said “Just go downstairs and watch cartoons!” They went!!!!!  Yep that is right they went downstairs all by themselves turned on the TV and entertained themselves for 2 and a half hours. They even let the dog out!  They forgot to let the poor thing in and at 8:30 her barking woke me up but hey she is a husky mix so a little snow isn’t that big of a deal right?

 

Overalls

I was getting my little guys dressed for church this morning.  I pulled out overalls for them both to wear and matching long sleeve shirts.  I couldn’t wait to see them both dressed knowing it was going to be a super cute photo moment.  My little 3 year old Goon got dressed like a champ he helped buckle his overalls all by himself and felt pretty cool about it.  A few minutes later when Noodle got done standing at the naughty wall he came upstairs to his room and looked at the clothes I had laid out for him. I could tell by the look on his little 5 year old face he was not thrilled with his outfit. I helped him dress, telling him how cute he was going to be as I buckled him up.  Visions of adorable poses danced in my head as I stood back to see my little man in overhauls for the first time in 2 years. On the verge of happy tears I said “OK let’s go downstairs and show daddy!”

My little Noodle looked at me and said “Do I have to go to school today mom?”

“No honey we are going to church.” I said.

He then looks at me and very kindly explains “I can’t wear these Mom all the kids at church will laugh at me!!” I tried my best to beg and plead as all my dreams quickly ran out the window.  I think he could see how crushed I was because he looked at me with a small smile on his face and patted my arm and said “Mom listen, I promise on a day when we aren’t going anywhere I will wear these pants for you. OK?”

Yep at 5 he knows how to work it! But don’t worry I will totally trick him into wearing them soon so I can get those pictures.  I am the mom after all I will win!!!

My little Wrestlers

So my kids have been sick for a week and a half at least. Coughing, runny nose and lots of whining.  So couple that with normal holiday stress and I am pulling my hair out.  So even though I was dog tired yesterday morning from ringing in the New Year I got us all dressed and dragged myself to church. My kids needed the outing and I needed to feed my spirit. After church there was a lull in the coughing so I decided to do some grocery shopping. My local store WEGMANS has a great play place for the kids. You can leave them for up to 90 minutes in a fantastic well supervised environment while peacefully shopping or sitting in the cafe drinking a cup of coffee. My kids love this place and it is always a treat for me to know they are having fun and I get a few grown up minutes to myself. So I got to the store made everyone go to the bathroom then trotted my little guys to the play place.  Only one other kid was there but I knew the boys would enjoy the toys and the care providers. I blew kisses and waved goodbye and headed for the coffee counter. I roamed the store with no real purpose just sipping my coffee and enjoying myself when all of a sudden over the loud speaker I hear myself being paged to the play room! My first thought is that someone has to go poop. As I walk up to the door expecting one or more children holding themselves and dancing around I am met with an apologetic faced teen. “I am so sorry but your boys were fighting and the Goon is bleeding  “. Um WHAT!!!!  I looked into the room and sure enough there sat my little monsters. The Goon was bleeding from a scratch on his cheek and sobbing hysterical and Noodle was pouting angrily with his little fists clenched.  Great I am not That Mom with Those Kids.

 

I put on my best “Mom Voice” and tried to reprimand him with all of the correct phrases I learned on Dr. Phil and Oprah.  All I wanted to do was yell at them but I kept my coo.l Then of course had to make them walk around the store with me while I got the actual groceries I needed since I had squandered all my time drinking coffee.  So for the next 20 minutes I walked around the store while both kids cried. The Goon cried because his face hurt and he wanted me to buy him something.  Noodle cried because he felt it was really his brothers fault and he should not lose privileges when he got home. It seems that the boys were playing video games and Goon didn’t like something so he slapped his big brother and then Noodle scratched him back.  Lovely.

 

I can not even begin to tell you how many times we have had the “your brother is your best friend” conversation.  Or the “we don’t hit when we are mad” conversation.  Most days I feel more like a referee than a mother. I try to let them work out their little squabbles and disagreements and step in when they are yelling or start hitting each other.  I sometimes wonder if having them so close together, which was by choice, was a really bad idea.  I am told all the time that they are boys and boys will be boys. But I really hate that saying. I don’t see why just because they are boys I should allow them to literally wrestle out all of their issues.  I hate grown up men who think they have to fight or be physical so am I just raising my kids to be a couple of Tools? I feel like I am talking to a wall I don’t fight with my husband we never yell at each other. We certainly don’t hit each other or throw things. So where do they get it from. Most of the cartoons they watch are the same ones I watched as a kid. So here I sit saying another New Years prayer that my boys will grow up to be great men. To love each other to be good partners and productive members of society. That they will come to dinner at my house once a week and mow my lawn. I pray they will be safe and healthy that they will grow up strong and happy. I also pray that they will not grow up to be WWF Wrestlers even though I am sure that is a lucrative career.

Cookies Cookies Everywhere!

“‘Tis The Season” can apply to many different things. But today at my house ‘Tis The Season for Cookies, Cookies and More Cookies!!!!  A few weeks ago I baked 5 different kinds of cookies and loaded up my freezer.  I was pretty proud of myself that I had all of my holiday baking done and I could sit back and relax!  So last night I was scheduled to go to a cookie exchange. Now if you have never been to a cookie exchange it’s fairly simple.  Usually you bake a certain amount- say 4 dozen- of one kind of cookie.  You go to someones house and meet up with a few friend you each swap out your cookies and you go home with four dozen different kinds of cookies. It’s a pretty good deal.  So last night I headed over to my girlfriends house with four dozen gingerbread men ready to swap out!

I was completely unprepared for this cookie exchange. There were over 20 people there I honestly have never seen so many cookies!!!  We each put out our cookies on a platter and loaded up the table. Once everyone got there we grabbed our Tupperware containers and formed a line.  We went around the table taking 1 cookie off of each plate until the cookies were gone. I arrived home with a huge box full of cookies. As I placed the box on the kitchen table I looked over at the counter that already had 3 containers of cookies on it and almost cried. Here I am 4 weeks into a diet that is finally working.  I am down 10lbs!!  My weight is lower now than it has been in 5 years and I am starring at my Kryptonite!!!!

COOKIES!!!!!!!!

I took a breath and realized that in just 3 days I am due for a cheat day!!!  I can resist the sugary goodness for 3 days- I know I can.  But how do I avoid my house full of men eating all the cookies I have my eyes on?  I took out a container from the cupboard and meticulously filled it with all of my favorites! I then scribbled out a note and stuck it to the top of the bowl! MOM’S CHEAT DAY COOKIES HANDS OFF!!  I can’t wait until Saturday when I can dig in!!!  Plus i am going to the movies in the afternoon.  It’s going to be the perfect cheat day: cookies and a bucket of popcorn.  Man- life just doesn’t get much better than this!