Dinner took FOREVER, but never tasted better :)

Tonight to keep the kids out of Daddy's hair, I had them come and cook every bit of dinner with me.  Although it took much longer than if I had just done it myself, we had so much fun and there really were so many "jobs" they could help me with.

They washed and dried the zucchini and squash then as I sliced they put the slices into the pan.  My son sprinkled the salt and pepper on them and with a little butter they were ready to go.  They each took turns "painting" the pork with the brush and some BBQ sauce which was their favorite part of course!  For dessert they made pudding and the did every bit themselves.  Henry helped measure the milk and pour it in, they both took turns whisking and then we put chocolate chips in their for a surprise. 

They loved making it, they were proud to eat it and to have Daddy eat what they  made and they ended up loving the pudding the most (shocker).  It made my daily chore of making dinner so much more enjoyable and I didn't have to fight anyone to eat because they made it.  I realized that I need to do this more often and treat it less like a chore cause that was the best dinner we've had in a long long time.

Trust Me, You Need a Reminder

Just a reminder to all the parents out there.  All the Mommy's and Daddy's and anyone raising children these days.  Every home gets messy.  Every kid eats a bowl of cereal or peanut butter sandwich for dinner sometimes and that is ok.  My kids had peanuts, bananas and hot dogs for dinner just the other night, and CPS didn't visit and the kids lived to tell about it the next day.
The other parent's you compare yourselves to, they have bad days.  Their dishes pile up and their laundry is ready to go again before the last load is folded and put away.  Everyone gets tired.  Everyone feels like having a lazy day.  Of course their house "always" seems clean- cause they were expecting you SO THEY CLEANED UP!!
I often need reminders like these and I have alot of "self-talk" going on with myself about parenting.  I know I don't make ALL of the right decisions, I know that I am not the BEST parent ALL of the time but I WANT to be and that makes a difference.  I get lazy and tired and just plain sick of the house sometimes or the battles or the laundry or how much I feel like I spend my entire life in the kitchen, but I want my children to know I love them and I always loved them every moment of their childhoods and entire lives.
 
I need a reminder that while that "other Mom" might be the neatest neat freak and not even a hair seems out of place, I am a much more interactive story teller than she is.  I need to remind myself that even though I may have forgotten a tad bit of sunscreen on my daughter's little neck, she loved that I jumped right into the baby pool and pretended to be all kinds of silly water animals with her to brighten her day.  I have to be reminded that even though we had pizza twice this week, they loved it both times and would eat it again tomorrow if I talked it up one more time.  So we ran errands and she had jelly all over the front of her shirt, she thought my peanut butter and jelly on homemade waffles was the most fun lunch EVER!

Everyone has overwhelming days, hell weeks and sometimes longer.  Every person in charge of raising a little person gets stressed, feels like the worst parent ever at times, gets too tired to be patient every minute of the day and just wants to escape life for a little while and pretend that there aren't so many responsibilities.  I need reminders from myself, from other parents, my husband and especially my kids.  I know they aren't trying to be insulting when they say "I don't like that for dinner, that's yucky" to a meal they have eaten a zillion times. I know that when they are upset about being disciplined and they say "Dad, GO TO WORK!!" they don't really want him to leave.
I also know that when I am not feeling well and my son makes sure my water glass is full all day long so I can "drink fluids to get better." He is not only being sweet but reminding me that he listens to what I say and he cares about me feeling better.  The fact that each of my kids smile EVERY morning when I get them out of bed, like they can't believe I have showed up AGAIN after all these mornings, that I am the luckiest Mommy in the whole world and they are overlooking my faults just as much as I am over looking some of theirs.

Have a great day parents and remember to take in the reminders.  Remind yourself and your children how much you love them and you love this life, no matter what.

Duct Tape, is there anything you CAN'T do???

Talk about the end all be all product.  This stuff can handle almost all home repairs, screens, pipes, woodwork, metals, car parts.  Shoot duct tape is holding half of the homes together in the ghetto and rural places on the map I am sure of it!  I don't mean that in a bad way either, this stuff is amazing.
There is a book about all the great things you can do with it.  Kid's are making wallets and prom dresses out of this stuff.  Their are fashion designers making all kinds of wearable things out of duct tape.  Have you seen the printed duct tapes???  Crazy!

So I heard that they are also an "unauthorized" way to kill warts.  I know this is gross but hear me out.  I have one that has turned into 3 on my thumb.  I have tried all the over the counter, over priced crap that is offered.  I still have this wart...we are talking years folks!  I went to the doctor and had him use the super sub freezer on it and all it did was hurt like hell, make my entire hand throb in pain for days and guess what??? WART!
I am now on day 2 of duct tape therapy and I am going to keep you posted.  I hear that it takes about 6 weeks.  So if you ask me about my silver gray band aid on my thumb...  I will let you know how this goes people and if it is worth it :)

Backyard Wildlife

Our yard is full of backyard wildlife.  You would find it hard to believe we are in the suburbs with all the types of birds and nests we have.  We also have families of bunnies that seem to stick around even though they are too close for their own comfort and the groundhog...well he never seems to leave except to hibernate.  The squirrels don't even skitter away when the kids are out and we also have some snakes.  Nothing too out of the ordinary (except the creepy groundhog of course, I think we are the only ones with a backyard pet like that)

So I wasn't surprised when we went out today and found this.  The kids just love all the nature we have here and I am always teaching them about all of the creatures we find.  This cicada really threw them for a loop though.  They just couldn't understand that it is NOT ALIVE, it is just the shell.  After I held it for a few and showed them where the bug actually split out and left the shell they were a bit better and now he is safely sealed in the bug catcher so we can show him off to Daddy when he gets home.

Scariest toy in the UNIVERSE

I'd like to thank Luke Skywalker for getting rid of this guy and I would like to kick my husband's butt for bringing this toy into my home!!  I found him last night tucked into bed next to me when I went to lay down and nearly hit the ceiling.  This is the freakiest and scariest toy EVER MADE and I am so grateful (dripping with sarcasm) that my MIL saved it all these years so it can now live with me! AHHHHH!!
I refuse to let it sleep upstairs, it has to go back to the basement every night, yet somehow he always makes it back up here during the daytime.  Luke I need you!!!!

The very frightening
Rancor Monster

Wapakoneta Kamping- July 2011

Just back from another wonderful camping trip with the family and this has definitely been the best this year!  After the trip where Jon and I got dripped on with icy rain the entire time and the most recent where Callie put her head through the camper screen, this one was definitely the best so far! :)

The set up for our weekend getaway

We met Lofty (Jon's brother) and his wife Nancy and their two boys Arthur and Howard in Wapakoneta, OH at the KOA there.  Why Wapakoneta?  Simply because it was a halfway meeting point.  There is nothing in Wapakoneta except farmland and this KOA- which was super nice by the way- and we didn't need anything else.  We were able to get all set up before Lofty and the family arrived which was perfect too cause then we could help them unload and just love up on those adorable nephews who I have been saving up kisses for, for about 7 months!



Arthur making a Rock Sandwich



It was super great because the place was loaded with shade and our campsite was connected to their camping cabin so it was like one big sprawling estate!  We got right down to it setting up our kitchen and walking the grounds to check everything out and familiarize ourselves with our new home away from home.  It was determined early on that Lofty and I would be the Gourmet's for the weekend (which is not too much of a chore since we both have fun cooking).  While we were getting things ready in our "kitchen" Jon took the kids to the park- located on the surface of the sun- and they made him "lunch" of bowls and cups of rocks. YUMMY!

The cousins all got along great and fell right into step with each other.  Arthur running around after Henry, Callie running around after both of them and all of them equally concerned at where the others were at all times!  Henry and Arthur played more games with rocks than I thought were imaginable and never grew bored of that gravel!

Meal times were good and we pushed that kitchen as far as it would go cooking for 7 people at a time!  Lofty and Nancy brought a TON of fresh fruit and we munched on it the entire time we were there.  Michigan blueberries, raspberries and cherries and the kids tried their first apricots too!  We were lucky enough to spend Howard's first birthday with him and celebrated with a Yummy cake! (it was a week early but we all know that when the opportunity presents itself, you gotta party!) 



Howard appreciating some of that cake!

We threw Howard a Pirate Party- since no where in Wapakoneta do they sell party hats! The kids loved it and it was definitely good for some photos ops!!











That afternoon we headed to the pool with Henry and Callie.  I was so proud of them!  Henry swam the length of the pool with just arm floaties on and no breaks!!  Callie was jumping in off the side and didn't even want me to catch her!  Both of them were so brave.  Arthur, never having been in a large pool before, watched from the fence and asked his Mommy a zillion questions, "are they allowed to splash all that water OUT of the pool??" Which is so cute cause you definitely can't do that in the bath tub!!

Pool play and park play and running around had all the kids and parents tired but all attempts at normal naps failed horribly.  Jon, Nancy and I took Henry and Callie to the family swing and THAT is where we had to swing for about an hour and let's just say that my butt wasn't the only thing that fell asleep!

Overall we had a fantastic trip and enjoyed getting together so much that we are already talking about the next trip.  The kids were adorable and enjoyed the campground so much.  The play ground and pool were obvious hits but the parade and hayrides were also super entertaining and the birthday party was just "icing on the cake."  Catching up with our siblings was also much needed and appreciated.  We had such a good time it was hard to say goodbye.  Thank you to Lofty, Nancy, Arthur and Baby Howard for a lovely time.  We can't wait to see you all again super soon!!

Plumber

Jonny's Lunch

Old Blue Eyes

















Callie and Howard

Uncle Lofty feeding the baby

Arthur, sleepy after a long weekend





 

Cleaning up...Daddy Style

We are headed out of town this weekend and I have learned my lesson about leaving the house messy!  I try to make sure we are good to go with laundry and clean up so I don't come home to twice as much work.  My husband will help unload the car and then that is where he stops the "unpacking" process.

So in an effort to run around like a chicken with my head cut off and get things done, while getting things packed up, I ask the kids to clean up the puzzles.  The puzzles that they took every piece of and put in a basket then threw around the room, while I was folding a load in the bedroom.  In the meantime, my Dad calls on the phone to check in, my husband calls to see what he needs to pick up from the store and all the while I am telling the kids to "put the puzzles together and on the shelf or else!!"  My Dad must have heard me say it about 13 times in one conversation!

They apparently did not think they had to listen to me and this could be A: because they were superheroes today and superheroes don't have to listen to their Mommies?  or B: Mommy took a phone call so she doesn't really mean what she is saying?  Either way, I meant it!

My final order to them (maybe it was a plea) was "Do you know what Daddy is gonna say when he sees this??  This is your last chance to clean it up before he gets home and when he gets home he is gonna make you cry AND throw the puzzles away!!"  (now normally I pride myself in not having to use these tactics and handling situations myself, but sometimes you just need some ammo at the end of a day of taking care of kiddos and diffusing all the bombs that go along with a day in the life)
Sure enough Daddy comes home and tells them to clean up.  Of course, they listen right away.  They are cleaning up, Daddy is helping them clean up and then he comes to me and says, "wanna see my big finish??"  They have cleaned up and put all the puzzles together and he is still getting the garbage bag!!

They are shocked, Henry is crying, Callie doesn't know what to do and I am secretly smiling to myself at how satisfying it feels to let them know I am dead serious when I say, "CLEAN UP OR I WILL THROW THIS STUFF AWAY!!"

Of course, it is not in the trash, just the basement and out of the way for awhile.  Maybe that is what we need to get them to appreciate it.  Might sound mean but hey, it works every so often.

Oh Cabana Boy

For us parents, organizing a trip to the pool can be a nightmare.  There are so many things to remember and if you are like most of us, your children outnumber you so it can be equally terrifying as it is a pain in the butt.  Bathing suits, swimmies, swim shoes, sunscreen "Where did I put the sunscreen??"  Snacks, lunch, drinks, towels, hats, sunglasses, swim diapers, dry clothes, bag of beach toys...the list goes on and on.  That is why this Mom recommends the "private pool" at your own home.

Now, this is the kind of "private pool" everyone can afford and this is the kind of pool everyone needs.  When we were looking to buy a home I didn't want any kind of pool.  I don't want the cost, the work involved and the danger of my children so close to such a large body of water simply terrified me to no end.  When we shopped for a baby pool for the kids I made sure to put in my 2 cents.  In fact, I got exactly what I wanted!  If I am gonna sit out there and monitor the children in the pool, you best believe it better be big enough to cool down a Mommy too.

We went with the Step 2 Big Splash Center.  A large rectangular pool with a plug (very important feature) and two seats (for little butts) at one end.  The step 2 slide even snaps into one end to make your own water park.  Now this is the type of pool I can handle.  You don't have to have giant muscles to empty the disgusting water at the end of the day cause there is a plug.  It is large enough that the kids and jump, splash and play however, while Mommy sits at one end of it sunning herself-while monitoring activities of course, and stays cool.

Today was a wonderful day in our "private pool."  We washed the car with squirt guns and watered some flowers with them too.  We laid out our blanket and our snacks and enjoyed the mid morning sunshine.  No one fights the sunblock at our "private pool" and everyone listens to Mommy about the rules- cause time out in your private bedroom is just seconds away if you don't.  I brought down some popcorn that I had to devour first cause once wet pool hands got ahold of it, it turned into bird food fast like.  We had some apples and some ice water and got nice and brown.

It is funny how the kids FREAK when you get water in their face during bathtime but at our "private pool" this doesn't seem to bother them one bit! Weird!

If you are lucky a worker man may stop by your neighbor's house to take care of their phone line say, this guy may even check you out as you are playing in your pool.  Who knows if he thinks you look like a fool or not, you know you are the smart one!

If you are like me and you are always looking for ways to beat the heat, get yourself one of these "private pools" and install IMMEDIATELY.  You too can have a pool boy, that is your 4 year old son who can't stop appreciating that we are having popcorn and apples for lunch.  You can also have a bathing beauty, that is your 2 year old daughter who mysteriously lost her bathing suit bottoms somewhere at this pool but still keeps it covered with a swim diaper- cause she is classy.

Quick Dinner? Grill a Pizza!

Yeah that is what I said, "Grill a PIZZA!!"  All kids love pizza and pizza night means EASY dinner on Mom and Dad so this is the latest favorite in our house and it is easy and QUICK.  A parent's dream come true for dinner.

Put the grill on LOW HEAT (this part is very important)
Use the ready made dough and brush with oil- put dough oil side down for about 5 minutes then brush with oil and flip to other side.  Spread your sauce, fixins and cheese on there and cook another 5-7 minutes checking the bottom to make sure it doesn't burn.  Pizza is DONE!

It really is that easy and takes no time at all.  In fact, we still haven't figured out how to do it without BOTH us parents cause it all happens so quickly that you can ruin it in seconds.

We love these and although we were skeptical in the beginning (as you will be) you will be pleasantly surprised and everyone will love it!

Mini Mansion in the Woods

Took the family and our friend's family camping in the woods this past weekend.  We had a great time but ONLY due to the company.  We were at Kincaid Lake State Park and while it was last minute and a close campground, we wont be visiting again.  Here is the review:
Thank goodness for great company of great friends!!  Arriving at the 2pm check in I was pleasantly surprised by how friendly the staff were and it felt like we were off to a great start.  Then we started setting up- in the blazing heat cause there was absolutely NO SHADE.  The sites are on a hill or RIDGE really so there was no where for kids to ride bikes or play really without being right in the street. Ok we'll make due.

Got it all set up and then looking for something to do we decide to head to the pool- until we realized that there would be admission into the pool for everyone in the group.  Yes even the people camping had to pay to swim. What the????

So we take the kids on a hike down to the lake.  Thank goodness there was a dirt trail and shade down there.  We arrive at the bank and there is a mud sculpture, sitting on a log, of a giant penis.  What did she say?  Yup giant dried mud clay penis.  Nice.  Travis karate kicked that down so we had somewhere to sit and the kids chucked rocks and skipping stones for awhile while we grown ups enjoyed the shade.

We all head back to the campsite to cook Brats and Mets and corn on the cob roasted in the fire only to realize that I forgot the tongs, flipper and any tool of any kind that will be useful to take things out of a fire!  I make friends the neighbors quickly and borrow some of their tools to cook on the fire with:

While us grown ups are making dinner in it's various stages, the kids are enjoying the screen room and talking about butts- for real they are in there saying the word butt as many times as humanly possible and it is nice to know that no matter what age you are, butts and farts are funny!

Everyone ate a yummy dinner and the kids did surprisingly well at finishing what was on their plates- which all parents know is a touch and go situation.  Next comes the campfire with the overpriced, wet wood.  Being the boyscout that my husband is, he douses the thing with half a jug of lighter fluid and tells everyone to stand back!!  Ha ha ha!  I always think he is going to blow himself up but he walks away with all the hair on his arms and face that he originally arrived with!!  The kids got in their chairs with their important belongings and enjoyed the fire and gave us parents a break for a few.  It was the first time they slowed down ALL day.

The night was good and the dinner was great and after the sun went down it actually got cool and the fire was a nice gathering.  Once bed time hit, we parents knew we were in the clear.  The Wilson kids went to bed with some funny shadow puppets and they were quiet and snoozing in no time.  The Durham kids went down quietly but are so NOT used to sleeping together that it was loud in no time.  Then was the ripping sound. What is that ripping sound???  Jon and I run into the camper to find Callie, our 2 year old, ripping a zipper down off the window!!  AHHHH!!!  Jon immediately grabs the pack n play, revoking her privileges of using the bed in the camper while hollering "You are destroying my camper!!!!" (which everyone thought was hilarious)  Callie sees the pack n play and immediately throws her head back to have a fit and puts it THROUGH THE SCREEN, almost flipping out of the camper!!!  This crap can only happen to us!!

After all the hub bub is done and the kids are quiet it is time for grown ups around the campfire.  Of course at this point I am so zonked and just DONE that I head to bed and we are all asleep by 1130!
Still it was a fun time and soon after the "destroying of the camper" we were all laughing about it.  Of course, the next day when we planned to head to the pool and have a fun day, we all decided to pack it up and head home.  Thank you Kincaid Lake for a lovely trip. :)

Side by Side with my Kids in Tow

I am very fortunate that my husband works so hard for our family.  Fortunate that I only have to work part time in the evenings and can run a small boutique FROM HOME.  I am a stay at home Mom with a part time job outside of the house, who gets to stay at home with her children even on the days that she has to work.

All that said, when working on projects for my shop, I am so lucky that my children are involved and they LOVE it!!  They help me name pieces, they adore walking around the craft store and going to shows and the most important thing is that they are always by my side when I am creating.

The newest endeavor to my shop- www.thethriftygift.etsy.com - are keepsake jewelry made of a customer's dried rose petals from various events in their lives.  While working with various types of clays and textures the kids have learned to make their own projects to fire in the oven and it has been super great and very fun to work and play beside them.  Here are some previews of some of our hard work.


                                                Some little pretties that were created this week

Rose beads:

Red Rose beads VS Orange Rose beads

Play-doh Snack

Summertime is here and so is the craving for one of my favorite ever things to make with the kids.  I wake up some mornings craving this stuff and use that as an excuse to whip up a batch!!
Peanut Butter Playdough!!!  I am fortunate to not have to deal with peanut allergies and although I know lots of folks have to deal with them, I do not have a recipe for this stuff with a substitution :(

Here is the recipe:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey (spray the measuring cup with cooking spray first and honey will come right out)

Mix it up and enjoy.  Use confectioner's sugar like flour- if it is sticky add a bit more etc...  This is super yummy, not all that healthy for you or sugar free in the least and the kids love it-so do Mommy and Daddy!
All the play doh tools work and the kids can make cookies that we can eat!!  Leftovers store in ziplock in the fridge but need some thaw out time of about 20 minutes when you take it out.

WARNING: You can and will want to eat this until you are sick.  Keep out of reach of weak grownups that need a snack in the middle of the night!!!  Be aware that you may want to hide this and horde it for yourself and you may make excuses to your children like "you aren't old enough" or "this is for grown ups" because it is so tasty.  Peanut butter play doh can turn into a bad habit so use with caution.

I want my Daddy!!!

     I am reminded, as I sit with my little girl, how much I was a Daddy's girl and still am.  She is sitting on my lap and holding her blankie (Ki Ki) and telling me she wants "Daddy", in her cute 2 year old voice.

     When I was born my mother had a stroke (that she fully recovered from).  Nevertheless, at that crucial time when I should have been nursing and bonding with my Mother, she was taken from me for weeks.  Even once she returned she was not strong enough to hold me while standing and couldn't be left alone with me much because of that, so I bonded with my Daddy.  I have always heard stories of how he never let other people hold me because I was "His Baby" and he was terrified that he was all I would have left as he was led to believe my Mother would not make it through the stroke.
     She did make it and is still with me today and had a full recovery AND my little brother(24) without any complications.  However, my bonding moments with my Mom were few and far between and I was a Daddy's girl.  When I woke up crying it was always for Daddy.  When I was somewhere unfamiliar I always turned to my Daddy.  I was his shadow planting the garden, changing the oil, putting on a new roof, washing the truck, cooking and grocery shopping, anything he did I was right there.  I was his sidekick.  He often tells me how fun it was having a sidekick because I would do ANYTHING he asked.  We had lots of laughs and he was also my best friend.  One time in the grocery store he dared me to run and slide on my butt to see how far I could go and yup, I just did it without question!  We have lots of crazy fun memories like that.

     As my daughter asks for Daddy I have to wonder will she have the cherished and special relationship that I had with my Dad as a young girl and still have with my Dad as an older girl (not old just old-ER)?  I had always hoped that if I had my own daughter she would also adore her Daddy the way I adore mine and it appears that after the 2 short years we have had with her, that she is following in my footsteps and as you all know, Mommy does know best!

Blog Hop

If you are a Mommy, Daddy or a member of a family ( that's what I said!)  Click the link below and you will be privy to a Blog Hop!!  It is an excellent resource for us bloggers, mothers and people looking for good info on anything family related.  A blog hop is new to me and this is my first but this is an opportunity to look through all kinds of lists of family friendly blogs and follow people as well as get people to follow you! I LOVE the idea and am looking forward to making many more friends.  So click the link for some new fun Blog Love!

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Name Change

As some of you will notice, this blog has undergone a name change and new identity.  The Blog will now be called Kid Laughs.  Many reasons for the change but mostly I felt that it was time so voila!!

Kid Laughs is a Mommy Blog and inspired by all the times folks tell me I should "WRITE THAT DOWN!!"  when my kids say or do something funny- which in my life and with my sense of humor- is everyday!  So here is my latest laugh~

It was library day today, every Thursday is library day for us, and on the way home I look in the rear view to see my Henry (4) putting his hand on Callie's (2) knee really sweet in their car seats.  I am smiling and happy that at this moment they love each other and I turn around at the stop light to tell them how sweet that is when I notice that while Henry is looking ahead, Callie is wiping boogers on his outstretched arm...that is so sweetly resting on her leg! Ha!  Kids and their boogers I swear!!