Um, did you know that skinny pretzel sticks are the PERFECT size for threading Cheerio-like cereal onto? Yeah. Me too.
Suddenly snack time for Bean is way more interesting and less screamy.
In case you need elaboration: these super skinny pretzels are from Cost Plus World Market where you get a VW-sized bag for, like, six bucks or something.
You’re welcome.
-W
So it hasn’t been NEARLY as long as I thought since I’ve written but still, too long. My bad.
Bean was born, and at almost exactly the same time (4 days later, actually) Tike started swim lessons and soccer practice. Then preschool at a parent co-op [at which I have to work in the classroom 3 or 4 days per month, manage their Scholastic book orders, attend meetings and trainings, read 'homework', clean the school, maintian the grounds... you know. The usual.]. And my mom’s group (for which I am on the leadership team) was notified that we had to move churches ASAP before this new year started, and then, you know, the new year started.
This is what I felt like for at least a month
I was going to a nursing support group at the hospital because Bean and I had breastfeeding issues, but I had to stop attending due to preschool schedule. I belonged to a spiritual discussion group that was GREAT and I LOVED, but I had to bow out because I just had too much going on and was having a break down and seriously struggling with how mothers with more than one child get ANYTHING done EVER. Like seriously, I am still catching up on laundry from the week Bean was born (over two months ago). There were a few weeks that I swear I only showered once or twice. Ew.
Did I mention I [foolishly] accepted a work-from-home part-time job weeks before my due date. And no, my client was not informed I was pregnant. Yeah, won’t be doing that again.
So anyhoodles, I scrambled and cried and drank lots of coffee and finally my life seems to be back in some sort of manageable groove and I am even able to get things done again. It really REALLY helps that Bean is a fantastic sleeper. Cause this momma is one irritable, useless, lady when she hasn’t slept.
So a lot has happened, even pre-Bean that I haven’t written about, that I think I will try catching up on here in the upcoming weeks. A sneak-preview:
-I love Pinterest and I’ll tell you why.
-Tike’s FANTASTIC 4th Birthday.
-Tike is a MythBuster; let’s discuss.
-I’ve been inspired to streamline my life, here’s why, here’s how.
-I was right about those eucalyptus trees, hooray!
-The situation with our pets.
-More on Caring Meals from a lucky recipient.
But for now I will leave you with this:
My New Plan- how i got it together
Hubby bought me a planner of my choosing. It was way more expensive than I would have liked, but that’s because I’m a cheapskate. And it was totally worth it. I started with this idea:
inspiration
Which I loved because my to-do list was rather fluid and my plan for each day had to be pretty dynamic. I would start a day with the best of intentions and then get lost in everything that was left to do, and how much I couldn’t do with a newborn who needs me… and then worry about not remembering to back around to something, forgetting priorities, getting sidetracked by unfinished projects I came across… I was a mess. Post-it note To-Do list was great, I hate scratched out, eraser-blurred, arrows-pointing here and there. But I needed something a bit more concrete, so I put it in this planner which has monthly and weekly views, dinner planning spaces, a spot for goals, errands, you name it. I color-coded my stickies to reflect what area of life something was for: work, pre-school, moms group, house/family errands, etc. This way I could see at a glance if it looked a little thin in some color and make sure I wasn’t forgetting something. Anything at SET times (soccer games, school work days, doctors appts) gets written onto the planner page.
Then at the end of each day, I can flip sideways any items I’ve completed, and move any incomplete items to another available day. This has helped TREMENDOUSLY. So obviously I have time to blog now. And take up sewing, but that’s another story for another day 
Later, gators!
-Wifey
I feel the LOVE! Aww, Hooray, and what fun to pass it on. Here I go…
1. Thank the person who nominated you.
Thank you, thank you to Jenna over at We’re Jumpin’, so, so sweet to think of little ol’ me for some blog love. Grazie!
2. Share seven random facts about yourself.
~I love the beach, especially the treesy, windy, grayish ones.
~My favorite breakfast is french toast.
~I like taking on more than I should, it’s when I feel most productive.
~I think JK Rowling is a genius.
~I’m almost positive I will be getting two eucalyptus trees put into my backyard.
~My new love is a website called Pinterest.
~I want three new dogs and a bunny or two for cuddling, then I remember I will have a new baby for that VERY soon…
3. Pass the award along to 15 deserving blog buddies.
1 ErroneousSupposition’s Blog
2 Make It Happen Mama
3 Dumpster Dame
4 Young House Love
5 Frilly Details
6 Laura Thoughts
7 Delia Creates
8 Show Tell Share
9 HomeSpun Threads
10 Curiously Crafty
11 Lil Mop Top
12 Sweet and Lovely Things
13 Simply Made
14 It Happened Like This
15 Cleverly Inspired
WOOHOO! I hit 15! You can tell what I like to do in my spare time? These bloggers are crafty, clever, and brilliant… so go check them out 
4. Contact those bloggers to congratulate them. [On my way!!]
Once upon a time, I had a couple overripe bananas and absolutely no motivation to make banana bread. A FaceBook friend serendipitously posted a link that same day to an article: 100 things to do with bananas besides bread. Amazing. I browsed and perused and stumbled upon this gem on a cooking blog called Macheesmo. Chocolate, banana, and cranberry blondies.
Chocolate, Banana, Cranberry Blondies: Macheesmo
In case you are unfamiliar, blondies are similar to brownies, except instead of being chocolate-based, they are caramel based (butter and brown sugar, need I say more?). Hubby can not eat chocolate, it gives him migraines, the poor, deprived wanker. So brownies are a rare treat around here. Actually anything that involves ME baking is a rare treat, but I digress.
Since I don’t know how I feel about fruity baked goods, I decided to tweak these for Hubby. Obviously the chocolate chips were out. But I had opened a can of peaches at snack time and still had maybe half of it left. So the tweaks are as follows:
Sub 1/2 cup butter for 1/2 cup peach can juice
omit chocolate, and use chopped up peach bits (up to half the can’s worth)
also, I never have unsalted butter, so I used regular salted butter and did away with the pinch of salt the original recipe calls for.
Mr. Macheesmo prefers his blondies still soft and gooey in the center, but Hubby does not, so I opted for the 40 minute bake time. So altogether, here is what my tweaked recipe gets me:
Fruity Blondes a la ME!
Fruity Blondes, and gold stars at home from Hubby and Tike.
Enjoy!!
~Wifey
Why? Because I just cleaned my bathroom, inducing a few random contractions and some sheer exhaustion. So I am going to sit here and catch my breath a minute. Cleaning is house-wifey, gold star.
Product: KABOOM Foam-Tastic
Introducing newest innovation from Kaboom®. With color-changing technology, Kaboom® Foam-Tastic™ sprays on a blue foam and begins to penetrate deeply into bathroom grime. When it turns white, you can be sure the surface is clean. No more guesswork. Just wipe away to reveal a deep clean and a sparkling shine – with absolutely no dull residue left behind. Will not stain surfaces and leaves a fresh citrus scent.
So this is the second time I have used this product on my shower. We have the original Kaboom, which works really well on tough spots but you have to contend with the INCREDIBLY strong chemical smell, and you also have to literally put your back, arms, whole body weight into the scrubbing. So I rarely used it.
This new version is modeled after Scrubbing Bubbles, which I love, so I thought this combo was worth a look. Well, here’s what I think:
1- The blue foam turns white after so much air contact, it seems. There is no “clean” underneath without some scrubbing. My shower is a textured insert, and I had to bust out a scrub brush to get the crannies. There was no “just wipe away”, even on the few smooth surfaces. It takes less effort to scrub than original KABOOM. It takes more effort than Scrubbing Bubbles, which truly is ‘wipe away’ in the majority of my experience.
2- Strong cleanser smell, I was surprised they call it citrus. Still not as strong as original KABOOM.
3-The very vivid blue has NOT stained anything yet, and is kinda pretty.
RECAP- Decent product, but not at all impressive. Why? Scrubbing Bubbles did it first, by a long shot. And does it better.
Review complete.
nothing better than
a juicy peach and iced tea
this hot summer day
First some tips I have to start.
1) Unless you know a new mom is NOT going to breastfeed (and I do NOT suggest asking unless you are close to her) then avoid foods that carry strong flavors (spicy hot, garlicky, oniony, fishy, etc.)
2) It’s also a good idea to have someone close to the patient/new mom ask about family dietary restrictions. I, for one, would hate to put all this care, thought and planning into a delicious and creative meal the family couldn’t actually eat. In our mom’s group, the mom taking the lead to set up the delivery plan also shares if there is anything important like that to keep in mind.
3) Buy those bake-n-toss pans (recycle, actually!) so nobody has to worry about washing dishes and keeping track of people’s crockery. I am not a huge fan of disposable living, but in this case I think it’s far kinder. Especially if the pans (and other dishes) are recyclable or reusable by the family- leave a note with the meal that they need not worry about returning any cheap-o plasticware. I think the foil pans are self-explanatory.
Now for some recipes:
Yummy! Alfredo Spinach Pizza
Everybody likes pizza!
This one looks so delicious I want to eat it TONIGHT. Chicken, bacon, and spinach, with alfredo sauce. I like when there are veggies in the main part of a meal. Makes me feel better as a mom FWIW, if I were doing this for a family with older kids too, I would include a regular pepperoni pizza with tomato sauce, or a ham and pineapple, or BBQ chicken pizza with onions and peppers. I am making this alfredo pizza in two week for our newest new mom. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. The dinner will include a pasta salad with tomatoes and cukes in it, and a brownie or blondie dessert. This mom is a nutritionist, and has had dietary restrictions throughout her pregnancy, that she no longer has to worry about, so we are all spoiling her on carbs and sweets. Too bad my family has to eat the same thing that night [sarcasm font]!
More yummy, easy, shareable pizzas:
Margherita Pizza
Chicken Club Pizza
Sausage and Broccoli Stromboli
No-Meat Stromboli
Okay, now I’m hungry.
Bon Apetit!
Wifey
Belonging to a mom’s group has been a huge blessing to me. And I do NOT throw that word around lightly. At all. I have [finally] made friends, Tike has buddies and social skills, and I have a community of women (and their families) that are willing to help out anytime, even if we are not specifically close in the grand scheme of the group. For example, Hubby, Tike and I moved when I was about 12 weeks pregnant or so. This meant Hubby was pretty much on his own (his always very helpful parents were taking care of a property they own about 8 hours away, which would have fallen into a river had they not gone down. So, no help there, and no hard feelings) to move anything over 25 pounds. I asked for help from two women at one of our meetings on a Tuesday, and that Saturday they arrived with their hubbies and work gloves. I had asked for help moving the big items (beds, sofa, etc.). Well in half a day’s time, they had moved all that and everything else left in our house, even though I hadn’t been able to pack it all myself yet.
The moms group I belong to is part of this national organization
Another area in which our group excels at rallying and pitching in is when someone has been in the hospital (usually to deliver a baby, but not always). As you may remember, this is an arrangement I will personally appreciate in a couple more months. We set up a tri-weekly meal delivery (regular baby-delivering circumstances usually call for a month, in case you were curious) through a free website (in our case we use http://www.caringmeals.com). About two months ago, one of our moms had a baby, and we did what we do. Our website allows for us to list what food we are bringing, so I try to make sure not to duplicate too closely something someone else is bringing in the same week. I can’t imagine a worse week for dinner than endless pots of spaghetti and some lasagna, green salads with all. That may just be because I am not a fan of tomato sauce.
My stand-by was baked chicken zitti, with parmesan bread and spinach salad, cookies for dessert. Last month, I hit a snafu. Someone had signed up on the website on behalf of two other parties (my guess is a couple of sweet old church ladies with no concept of Interwebz), so had to put in what she was told they were bringing. Of course I discovered this issue on the day I was bringing dinner, as it was baking away in the oven. And the issue was this: Spaghetti/green salad, chicken bake/green salad, lasagna/green beans, baked zitti/spinach salad, spaghetti/green salad. I felt so bad. Since then I have been on the look out for new “stand-by” ideas, and let me tell you they are NOT easy to come by.
First of all, what are they called? How do you Google it? Caring Meals, Blessing meals, Meals for others…? Secondly, trying to look it up on recipe websites, the best category I could come up with was “portable” or “potluck” if the site had such listings, or “picnic” and “entertaining” if not. Finally, the meals have to be easy to shop for and cook (since I am doing two batches of everything, as our family eats the same menu on a caring meals night with perhaps a few tweaks), not to mention easy to transport (bless those brave women who make soup and drive it around the foothills here where we live! I am too klutzy for that), relatively universal in their appeal (spaghetti and lasagna are so popular because pretty much everyone loves it), and unique enough not to be repeated the next day.
I have decided I am going to randomly blog about good recipe ideas for caring meals, plus any other tips and tidbits I stumble upon on the search (like what else they are CALLED!! yay for additional search terms). As if my blogs aren’t random enough.
Peace out (til later today)
-Wifey
I will never enjoy doing the laundry. Ever. I know this. I am at peace with this. But I must say I was super excited that our new house has a real laundry room. It is even painted a fantastic mossy shade of green.
Lately I have been trying to get it “finished” … meaning uncluttered and set up for efficient washing and folding. What is with this sudden interest in housewifey-ness? Well it seems to coincide with bouts of crazy productive energy and long, long lists of things that need doing before the baby gets here. My friends say this is nesting.
Whatever it is I am all gung-ho about the laundry room and here is what is inspiring me:
Loving this drop-leaf table for folding
This laundry sorter has a table-top!
So now all I need for my laundry room is that wire shelving, the drop table, the hamper/sorter, a rug, some wall art, a CD player… Oh yeah, and Hubby, to put it all together
**both photos from RealSimple.com**
An Easy Peasy snack
So around my house we try to eat a lot of fruit and veggie snacks. I wish I were the uber-creative mom that spends the extra time to arrange carrot sticks into a park scene or some such. Alas, that is just not me, at least not lately.
However there is one family snack that is always a hit, and impresses friends on playdates, too: apple donuts. I would love to take credit for inventing this treat (thank you, thank you) but really all credit goes to my mother-in-law here. She is so NOT the lazy housewife model, in case you wonder. She created this for her two boys and I learned of it after she fed it to Tike. And Tike loved it.
You ready for this doozy of a recipe? Here goes:
Core an apple
Peel it (I skip this step)
Slice it cross-ways to make ‘donuts’
sprinkle cinnamon on top (optional)
*Also works great for pears
Tike will eat an ENTIRE piece of fruit in this manner. Good mom gold star.
