Favorite Quiet Toy

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Kerri

It's simple.

A watter bottle with colorful cotton balls.

Target age: 9 months - 3 years old

It goes with us to church, to meetings, to waiting rooms, to restaurants -- Anywhere that the kids might be asked to sit more still and quieter than their usual attention span might allow.

And the concept is simple. Put the cotton balls in the bottle.

From the learning aspect, we are targeting fine motor skills, colors, sorting, and concentration. At home, we've integrated an egg cartons and tweezers as the kids grow older. And at the restaurant when our food was taking far longer than normal--out came our cotton ball bottle, and the whole family enjoyed blowing cotton balls around the table using straws. When you're equipped with fancy cotton balls, your imagination works with you when you need to wait.

Like:

Which hand is it in?

Hide a cotton ball in the room and find it.

Find something that is "this" color.

Which color do we have the most of?

Sort the colors.

Finger Soccer.

etc.

Needless to say, this has been a lifesaver in my magic bag of tricks.

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Jeanne Robertson-humorist

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Sunny

Have you laughed enough today already? Not long ago I was able to accompany my husband on a business trip, and one evening after a dinner, they had the comedian Jeanne Robertson perform. What a kick! She tells stories from her own experiences and has refreshingly clean humor. She jokes a lot about her age, height, and her husband, whom she affectionately refers to as "Left Brain." Here's a couple Youtube clips--the first one is pretty short, the second is a bit longer. There's more where this came from, of course.

Most of what we heard wasn't on Youtube, but you can buy her DVDs and CDs online. I thought they would be great in the car or as gifts for grandparents, as a lot of her humor stems from having lived a lot of years already. She also had a lot of funny stories related to her being 6'2" even though her mother and sisters were 5'4" and being in the Miss America Pageant. I hear she's got a good one about playing the flute in the marching band, but it's not on youtube . . . maybe I'll have to buy that one!

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Anniversary Getaways…Worth every penny.

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Janae

Today is my anniversary.  I’ve been married for 11 years and have loved every single anniversary.  But only the last 6 have gotten truly high marks from me.  Why? Anniversary Getaways.  They are definitely worth every penny or THE penny if you only have one to spend.

For the first several years of our marriage, my husband and I couldn’t afford much for our anniversaries.  We’d “splurge” by going out to dinner at a restaurant that was a step up from taco bell.  While I can’t complain, when our 5 year anniversary rolled around, we went “all out”.  I found a room at a thematic bed and breakfast by our home.  We arranged for friends to take the kids, and we headed “out of town”.  Okay, it was only 45 minutes away, but it was magical. It was just us.  Our room was decorated in full italian style, including a bed in the shape of a Gondola.  Sparkling Cider and cheesecake greeted us when we arrived.   We had such a good time reminiscing and just being together.  It was so refreshing and rejuvenating for us as a couple.

It was that night that we committed to always find a way to get away for our anniversary.  Of course, when things were really tight financially, there were times when we were tempted to just have a nice dinner at home.  But, we searched the internet and found great deals on hotels (like $99 for dinner, a hotel room with a spa, and breakfast the next morning).  One year, we let each of our kids sleep over at a friends’ house and we turned our home into the getaway (that was the year it only cost a penny :))

Each year though, regardless how frugal, has been a blessing.  There’s just something about getting away and celebrating each other that is so worth whatever it costs.  I hope you have a chance to do it.  If you have any great ideas on places to go or places to stay or things to do, please comment.

As for me, I’m off to a hot springs resort today.  Can’t wait!

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My 3 Favorite Kitchen Appliances

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Heidi

There are 3 tools I have in my kitchen that I love.  They are fun to use and help my family be a bit more healthy.

Vitamix

Okay, this thing is a blender Giant.  Soups, ice cream, smoothies, the whole bit.  And it also has a “dry” container that grinds wheat or any other kind of grain into flour and even makes peanut butter.  With a 2+ horse power motor, if thing had wheels, it could be on the highway.  But I’m happy to have it on my kitchen counter.  Smoothies are a breeze in the morning, and don’t have those chunks of ice or uncrushed fruit that is common in other blenders.  I can make bread dough, from the grinding of the flour to the “pour into the pan” stage all in one blender container.  Love it.  Expensive, yes, but worth it.

Our favorite Vitamix recipe:

Papaya Milkshake

Perhaps I’m biased because of the papaya tree growing in our yard, but this milkshake is not only delicious, but also super good for you.  Ironically, I am not a fan of papaya, but this milkshake changes the bitterness of the fruit to a creamy, sweet taste.

Put about 1 cup papaya fruit in blender.

Add 1/4 cup sugar or honey

Pour in 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water.

Add 2 handfuls of ice.

Whip it up and drink it down.

And if the sugar makes you feel guilt with every sip, add some wheat grass.

Rice Cooker

Having lived in Asia and now in Hawaii, rice is a staple at our home.  It is served at almost every dinner, and sometimes lunch and even breakfast.  I grew up thinking “Uncle Ben’s” is rice.  The truth is, it’s as close to rice as Chef Bouardi is to spaghetti.  Bleah.  A rice cooker allows you the same convenience as a crock pot:  Put the rice and water in, then push the magic “cook” button.  It’ll automatically turn off when it’s done so you can serve the rice when you’re ready.  The one posted here even has a food steamer on top.  How cool is that?

Not into rice?  If you are into healthy living or losing weight, rice is a great way to go — especially brown rice.  Try substituting it for potatoes and pasta, and I bet you’ll notice a difference in your energy level and wellbeing.

Brown Rice

Unlike white rice, brown rice needs rinsing before cooking.  Add 1 1/2 cups water to every 1 cup rice.  Too healthy?  You can add butter and salt, or chicken bullion to the pot before cooking.  2 cups dry rice easily feeds my hungry family of 5.

Tortilla Maker

We also love burritos (and we serve them with, you guessed it — rice).  However, the ingredients in tortillas in the store are often full of hydrogenated oils and preservatives, and they just don’t taste good.  This machine will make you feel like you’ve crossed the border, and your eating audience might even call you “Senorita”.

Note that this is not just a tortilla press — this will bake your tortillas as well.  Following the easy recipe below, you simply roll a bit of dough into a ball, place it in the middle of the hot griddle, press down, count to 10, open it up and enjoy the hot, fresh, stretchy, mouth watering, healthy tortilla.  That’s right — 10 seconds per tortilla.  Can’t get much quicker than that, can it?

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Whole wheat tortillas are usually dry and too healthy to enjoy.  This is my own recipe, having perfected it to reach the maximum stretchiness you expect from a good tortilla, while contributing to the “WE WANT MORE!” factor at the dinner table.

1 2/3 c. wheat flour

1/4 c white flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 pinches cumin

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 TBS vegetable oil or butter

2/3 c milk

Mix dry ingredients really well, then add wet ingredients.  Let it sit for 30 minutes…. or if you don’t, it still works.

Leave a comment and let us know what is YOUR favorite kitchen appliance?

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Great Children’s Books

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Cheri

We love the library.  Typically, we go to the library every 3 weeks, checking out about 100 books at a time.  Then we come home, squish on the couch all together and read about 20 before naps.  After naps, we read another 20 or so, with the girls looking at the rest until dinner.  By the third or fourth day, we’ve read every one, and most of them many times.  We love to read.  And my girls can usually be found with a book all over the home (especially the youngest).

For a while, I didn’t know enough books to pick and choose which were our favorites.  But after about a year of regularly checking out library books, we have a few that are our go-to books.

First, the Berenstain Bears series.  A classic.  My girls LOVE the BBs.  I know there’s a lot of words on a page and some of the books are oddly similar, but the messages are great and the morals are excellent.  These books have spurred quite a few good discussions with our 4 year old.  We have now (as of last week) read every single Berenstain Bears book. 

Second, Fancy Nancy.  In a house full of girls, the Fancy Nancy books are a natural favorite.  I love the drama in the books as well as the simplicity.  I also love the illustrations and how they teach big “fancy” words, as well as their definitions. 

Third, Pinkalicious.  Now, the original Pinkalicious book is the best.  Purplicious is okay, but not as good.  We also enjoy “The Pink Drink” but “Tickled Pink” is probably one of the dumbest books I’ve ever read (besides Ghost Gets Dressed).  So Pinkalicious is a hit and miss, but if you haven’t read the first one, do.

Fourth, we love all the adventures of Frog and Toad.  They are so much fun!  And the humor is so dry.  Sure, “The Dream” is odd, but “Cookies” and “A List” are great. 

Fifth, we love Dr. Seuss.  Of course, every one is familiar with Dr. Seuss, right?!  But if you want some classic favorites, we love The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street, the ABC book, The Tooth Book, Baby Oh Baby The Places You’ll Go!.  We also LOVE Go Dog Go! but that’s PD Eastman, not Dr. Seuss.  Still, the books look the same.

Sixth, the “If You Give” series.  Sure, they are exceedingly redundant and stretch the theme too far, but the original ones are still clever.  We recently saw a little rendition of “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” which the girls LOVE.  We also have a CD with “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, A Pig a Pancake, A Moose a Muffin, and Take a Mouse to School” plus some other songs.  We love the songs and the girls regularly beg to listen to this CD. 

Some of our other favorites are not part of a series, but are just one of a kind books. 

  1. Hippo-NOT-Amus–excellent and very fun to read.  You’ll get very good at saying “Hippo-gir-ele-bat-onoceros” and I didn’t even have to look it up!
  2. Moose’s Loose Tooth–I love the clever ending.  This is one of my favorites.
  3. Heckedy Peg–I love the power of a mother’s love in this book.
  4. The Monster at the End of This Book–Who doesn’t love Grover?!
  5. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day–Ahh, memories.  I love this one.  Did you know there are two others in the series?  Both pretty good, though not as classic as the first.
  6. Click, Clack, Moo–Hilarious!
  7. Oink?–Such dry humor. 

Of course, there are thousands more books that are worth checking out, but if you needed place to start, hopefully you can head over to the library and come home with a whole bunch of great ones now!  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. 

What are your favorites?

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Creative Family Dining

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Kerri

Studies have shown that something as simple as eating dinner together as a family has a major positive impact on the happiness and well-being on children and parents.  Studies continue to suggest that while it produces routine and stability, family dinner time increases communication and social skills, is correlated to achieving better academic performance,  promotes healthier eating habits, and contributes to overall child development, including having children who are less likely to smoke, drink, or be depressed. (see here)If Dinner time is one of the family’s most important times of the day to spend together, take time once in a while to spice things up and make it special again.

  1. Light Candles and turn on special music
  2. Have the kids help make  a creative table centerpiece.
  3. Pack a picnic dinner and eat out on the lawn.
  4. Spread a blanket in the family room for an indoor picnic.
  5. Tell stories about when you were young.
  6. Add a “secret ingredient” to a favorite recipe and try to guess what it is.
  7. Make fruit smoothies and guess what fruits are inside.
  8. Have a cook off.
  9. Let each family member choose and help prepare one part of the meal — the main course, a side dish, the bread, the dessert, etc.
  10. Play a naming game, think of a food starting with each letter of the alphabet, or each color of the rainbow, etc.
  11. Make “Family Soup” with an ingredient of choice by each family member (may have to set out acceptable ingredients on the counter first).
  12. Make mini-sized items (ex: mini meatloafs, mini burgers, baked mac-n-cheese in muffin cups, mini pizza, mini clazones, etc.)
  13. Make special place setting with place mats, name place cards, or unusual dishes.
  14. Create a “Top 10” list of favorite meals and schedule them for the week.
  15. Make up wacky names for the foods on their plates.
  16. Go through the coupons and have everyone plan a meal around what’s on sale.
  17. Have Breakfast for dinner
  18. Hide a surprise note under each person’s plate –compliments, an invitation to play a game, or some clean up chores.
  19. Have a finger-food dinner, and do not serve utensils.  Amazingly fun with spaghetti.
  20. Have Backwards Day.  Have your dessert first, then dinner second.

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Stud-Muffins

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Sunny

It's Spring, and for our family, I know what that means. We need more food. I have two teenage sons who have started the high school swim team season. They want carbs and protein, and I want them to be the good kinds of carbs and protein. They need portable food, since they leave for early morning workouts at 5:50 am, have school (during which my son who isn't done with his growth spurt yet takes weight lifting), then have after school swim practice and maybe get home at about 5:50 pm. Often there's just time for a quick meal before they're off again to scouts or a concert or some other event.

Though portable and packed with carbs and protein, I didn't want to buy them the protein bars you find in many brands nowadays. Besides the prohibitive cost for really very little food, they are basically souped up candy bars full of refined sugars, flours, and chemicals (read the labels, but not when home alone late at night, they can be scary).

Here is one of the top bars on the market: the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Promax Promax bar (not a typo, they say it twice) that I could find for a discounted $1.29 each if I bought a box of them online.

Ingredients: Promax™ Protein Blend (Non GMO Soy Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Concentrate, L-Glutamine, L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine), Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Chocolate Flavor Coating (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa, Whey Powder, Nonfat Milk Powder, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Chocolate Chips (Sugar, Unsweetened Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Natural Peanut Butter, Canola Oil, Cocoa Crisps (Non GMO Soy Protein Isolate, Calcium Carbonate, Cocoa Powder), Guar Gum, Brown Sugar, Salt, Non GMO Soy Fiber, Oat Fiber, Natural Flavor., Vitamins & Minerals: Dicalcium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Ferrous Fumarate, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Gluconate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Cyanocobalamin. Contains: Peanuts, Milk And Soy. May Contain Eggs, Nuts And Wheat.

Now I confess, I don't know what most of those things are, but I certainly am all too familiar with corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and brown sugar. Really, they had to put in all four? The protein sources are highly refined as well, the main ingredient being a soy isolate (read a little about soy and health concerns here). Certainly nothing qualifies as eating "close to the farm" as health enthusiasts encourage. Granted a lot of those ingredients are vitamins and minerals, but I think I have a better alternative.

Stud-Muffins

1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (or flour of your choice)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt (sea salt is better)
1 banana
1 egg
3/4 cup (1/2 a can) white beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup liquid (water, apple juice or milk)
1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
1/8 cup olive oil
6 Tbsp. milled flax seed (optional and variable)

Combine first 3 ingredients in mixing bowl. Combine all the rest in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add to mixing bowl and mix. Then, if necessary, add 1/3 cup or so chocolate chips. Makes 1 dozen. Spray muffin tin (or use papers) and cook at 400° F for 18 min.

Now you probably at least recognize all of those ingredients and know them as healthful. Beans=protein and vital nutrients; whole grain=energy, vitamins, minerals, & fiber; banana=vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, & fiber; unrefined sweeteners and healthy oils=energy a body and can use without abusing it; and flax seed seems to be todays wonder health food. Of course the chocolate chips are a flat out bribe and I leave reading that label up to you. My little ones would be happy with chopped dates, a healthier and sweeter option. (I make a few muffins for myself before adding the chocolate chips for the teenagers.) I used Great Northern beans, but you can use any bean. I only say white because of the color. You could probably use black beans, throw in a little cocoa powder with extra sweetener and call them chocolate muffins.

Whoever is home for the after-school snack gets to eat them fresh from the muffin tin, but the rest I package in baggies of 2 or 3 and put in a gallon storage bag in the freezer. If I want those left overs, though, I have to double it. (I chose to use 1/2 a can of beans for easy doubling--you can use a little more or less really.) Then at 5:50 am they grab a bag from the freezer, and it's thawed and ready to eat and give them healthy fuel before after school practice.

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Ten Powerful Phrases

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Janae

This month, my life has been touched by a simple but profound book:

TEN POWERFUL PHRASES FOR POSITIVE PEOPLE by Rich DeVos

I have met Rich DeVos and have been touched by his sincerity, his powerful influence for good, and his ability to make everyone around him feel important.  He’s the kind of person I hope to become.  Naturally, I was drawn to his advice in this book.

He lists 10 phrases that will help each of us become more positive if we can embrace them and say them often:

I’m Wrong…….I’m Sorry………You Can Do It……..I Believe In You……..I’m Proud of You…………Thank You………….I Need You…………I Trust You……….I Love you

They seem so simple and obvious, but as I read his words, I realized that far too often I fail to use these phrases.  I may realize I’m wrong, but do I actually go to the person I’ve offended and admit it?  I know I need my garbage man, but have I taken the time to stand outside and wait for him just to let him know?  I’m grateful for all the joy my children bring into my life, but do I let them know?  I believe in my children’s teachers, but do I write them a note letting them know how I feel?

All too often the answer is no.  So, today, my family and I are setting a goal.  For three weeks, we will pick one of the 10 phrases to practice.  Why three weeks?  Because three weeks is how long it takes to make a habit.  When we’ve mastered one, we’ll move on to the next.  Not only do I need the practice, but I’m convinced that if I can help my kids master these 10 phrases in their youth, they will become incredible forces for good in this world.

And so today, I start with you.  First, thank you.  Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and leave your insights.  I am so uplifted by what you have to share.  I need your insight in my life.  We’re all moms and wives out there, making a huge difference.  But, we’re also faced with huge struggles.  I need to feel that we’re all in this together.  I need to learn from you.  Thank you for sharing with me and lifting my life so I in turn can share with you.  Keep it up!

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Recycling Water

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Heidi

You wouldn’t share the same drinking glass as your kids, but your plants don’t mind.

How many cups of half-drunk water find their way back to the kitchen sink in your house?

In our house, it’s plenty.  And if you’re like most people, that water goes down the drain.  But one day my parched plants visible from the kitchen sink window seemed to lean in my direction, and I had an idea.  Now I keep the watering can right near the kitchen sink, and I pour the unused water from our drinking cups right in.

It makes the water supply a couple cups worth more full, and my plants are happy.

Don’t have plants to water?  Consider using the water from your cups to wash the dishes, using the water from the tap only to rinse.

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Baking Bacon

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Cheri

It’s 8:15 and I have a chiropractor appointment in 45 minutes.  My children are still in bed, I’m still in my pajamas, my sister in law is arriving with her 5 children in just 6 hours and my house is a DISASTER…but I just had to post this really quickly.  I used to hate cooking bacon.  I hated the time, the mess, the burns…then I realized I hadn’t posted about the GREATEST way to cook bacon!!!  I’m a recent convert to this method and I LOVE it.  I first saw it on Our Best Bites a year ago and thought it looked awesome.  But then when my friend mentioned that she cooks bacon that way too, I knew I just HAD to try it.  And guess what?!  It makes the BEST bacon ever AND there is no babysitting a griddle, getting spit at by grease, and having nasty melted blubber all over your floor, counter, and griddle.  Ahhh…

So here’s what you do (go to OBB for pictures and detailed instructions).  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with edges with tin foil.  If you want, put in a rack so the bacon isn’t cooking in its fat.  But if you don’t care and want the extra flavor, just line the pan with the bacon.  They can be right next to each other, touching even, so you don’t have to worry about spacing them.  I can fit a whole package on one jelly roll pan. 

Pop it in the oven, set the timer for 12-16 minutes (I like mine on the extra crispy side, so I usually do 16-18 minutes) and then forget about it…until the time rings.  Then, pull them out of the oven, line a plate with paper towels, transfer the bacon to the plate to drain, and enjoy!  It is AWESOME!!  C’mon, admit it.  You’re going to find an excuse to use bacon just so you can try this…

(**please note that Kerri tried this many years ago and it started a grease fire in her oven.  However, she is the only one I’ve heard of yet that had that experience.  Otherwise, every other person I’ve talked to who does this has never had a problem.  If your tray doesn’t have high enough sides or is uneven or your oven is prone to problems, perhaps try this under a very watchful eye.**)

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