Five Real Moms - Blog about living and loving life as women, wives, and mothers.

Olive Oil Lamps

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Sunny

A tradition our family has at Christmas is to light an oil lamp, with olive oil in it, similar to what we imagine they would have had in Christ’s time. We put it on our table for our Christmas Eve meal and talk about what it might have been like the night Christ was born.

If you like short posts, you can stop here. If you’d like more info., including our trial and error experiences, read on.

When the wick that came with our lamp ran out, I had a hard time replacing it with something that would keep lit. I learned online that I needed 100% cotton, but what I thought was 100% cotton string or T-shirt scrap didn’t work for more than a minute or two. For a couple of years our tradition was pretty pitiful. Finally I tried making one out of a cotton ball, and it worked great! And cheap and handy, too. (And pretty obvious, in hindsight, of course.)

Just take a cotton ball and gently pull out the cotton.

Spin it between your fingers to make a strand. If you make it too thin, it may not draw the oil up efficiently enough to stay lit. Try again. You also want it long enough to have an inch or 4 lying in the oil inside the lamp so it will last a while.

Recently, we attended a Christmas party with a “Back to Bethlehem” theme, and there they made their own clay oil lamps! Very cool. They used air drying clay for convenience, and the lamps still work. We did learn some lamp making tips I thought I’d pass on:

1. Use a bowl shape. Do not have a large flat area on the bottom. If you do, you will have to fill it with a lot of oil for the wick to get at it.

Or you can tip it to one side.

2. Keep the hole small enough to hold the wick up.

Or use a paper clip to make the hole smaller. This is only an issue, though, if your lamp design violates #3, as you can see by the many examples of lamps you can buy here.

3. The hole’s location shouldn’t make the wick dangle too far before resting on the side of the bowl.

Or you can use the rest of the paper clip to help hold up the oil-saturated wick.

Most of all, learn from your mistakes. Else, why make them in the first place?

This second try my daughter made worked so much better than her first homemade try!

Here are some other helpful tips we have learned using our oil lamps.

Some of the wick they had at the party didn’t work for us at all, but another kind worked great! Sadly, they don’t know where they got the wick that worked. Good thing we have our cotton ball trick. (You can probably buy it online without too much difficulty, I just figured I could find 100% cotton without have to buy something.)

The pottery is porous, and absorbs the oil. Our purchased lamp that we have used for years is saturated and a little sticky. I have it on a little non-porous plate. Our new home-made lamps have also absorbed the oil and have eventually soaked through onto the plate or perhaps leaked, so I wouldn’t use them on another surface unawares.

From what I’ve seen, with a good wick, your lamp will burn with no maintenance until you blow it out or it runs out of oil. The next time you light it, trim your lamp by pinching off the wick that has turned to ash, pull the wick out a fraction of an inch, and relight it. Your wick will last a long time.

I’ve even used our lamp instead of emergency candles when our power has gone out. I’ve heard that olive oil lamps are safer than other lamps because if it should spill, it will just go out as it is not as flammable as other fuels.

Here’s a link to someone who made oil lamps using Sculpey clay.

And in case you are wondering, you can just use any olive oil you find at the store.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Parties, Crafts, Sunny | Tagged Bethlehem, christmas, Christmas Eve, clay, cotton ball, craft, lamp, oil, olive oil, tradition, wick cotton | 7 Comments

And Here’s The Cinnamon Bear!

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Cheri

When we were children, one of my favorite traditions was gathering around the Christmas tree every night, starting on December 1st, to listen to our vinyl record of The Cinnamon Bear. I don’t know if my sisters were as enthralled by it as I was, but I wanted to share it with you, in case it will become a family favorite of yours…or in case you’ve been searching for it all these years.

The Cinnamon Bear is a story about Judy and Jimmy Barton and the Cinnamon Bear and their adventures in Maybeland as they search for their beloved silver star that belongs on the top of their Christmas tree. They meet the Crazyquilt Dragon, fly over the Rootbeer Ocean and Looking Glass Valley, get captured by the Inkaboos, and get trapped in a picture by the Wintergreen Witch with Fe Fo the giant, among many other adventures.

The Cinnamon Bear was broadcast for the first time on Thanksgiving Day, 1937. It was broadcast 6 days a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. (We always start it on December 1st and listen to it 7 days a week, instead.) I love what was written in the newspaper in 1937 when introducing the broadcast of the Cinnamon Bear:

“Don’t miss his exciting adventures with Judy and Jimmy (two of the nicest playmates you could want!) over the air every night but Saturday! Early-to-bedders can listen at 6 and stay-up-laters at 7… and some nights you’ll be so anxious to hear how they got the Silver Star back from the wicked Crazyquilt Dragon that you’ll listen twice!”

Doesn’t that just sound straight from the 1930s?

If you’d like to start (or re-start) this tradition with your family, you can listen to each episode online! Just go to this link and click on each episode! There are 26, so you’ll need to do a little catching up here and there.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Cheri, Christmas, Family, Fun, Holidays, Kerri, The Moms | Tagged CD, christmas, family, kids, radio, the Cinnamon Bear, tradition | 3 Comments

Continuing the Attitude of Gratitude

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Janae

I hope that all of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I loved the chance to reflect on all of my wonderful blessings. It filled me and lifted me.

How quickly, however, the feeling of gratitude can so easily be replaced by the “Holiday Rush” and the gimme, gimme of Christmas. Today I wanted to share an idea that was shared with me a few years ago to help me and my family keep the feeling of gratitude in our hearts all year long. It’s a gratitude journal.

Here’s how it works. Buy a journal and keep it on your bedstand. Each morning as you get out of bed, write down at least 5 things you are grateful for. If things come to mind during the day, add them to your list. As you go to bed, list 5 more things you were specifically grateful for that day. Every day, you should have at least 10 things written.

At first, it will be easy, but after you write the most obvious blessings (family, friends, shelter, food, etc.), you’ll find that 2 things happen. You have to take the time to think. And when you do, you’ll feel a feeling of gratitude for things you’ve hardly even noticed before. Second, you’ll start being grateful for things you never thought you’d say “thank you” for (the trials, the growth you’ve experienced through hardship, the “aha moment” you had in the midst of confusion, etc.). You’ll see life through a whole different lens.

At first, you won’t see much happen, but as the days and weeks pass, a subtle yet obvious change will come about in you. You’ll feel more joy because recognizing our blessings brings happiness. You’ll spend less time focusing on what’s not working in your life and more time seeing your challenges as opportunities. You’ll feel lifted and filled. Don’t believe me? Try it. There’s something about gratitude that naturally changes and lifts us.

Take it one step further and challenge your kids and family to do it too. If they can write, give them a journal and help them start the habit. If not, have them verbalize 5 things to you each morning and night. You’ll see a difference in your whole family.

Better yet, start a family gratitude journal. Leave it on the counter where everyone has easy access to it and invite family members to add to it whenever they’d like. It’s inspiring to see what each member is grateful for, especially if it happens to be you!

So, have a wonderful Holiday season full of family, fun, happiness, and most of all gratitude!

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Challenges, Family, Finding a Balance, For You, Goals, Holidays, Janae, Life is Better With..., Love, Thanksgiving, The Moms | Tagged attitude, blessings, gratitude, happiness, happy, help kids, journal, thankful | Leave a comment

Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Gnocchi

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Sunny

You remember what a powerhouse sweet potatoes are, right? Here is my favorite recipe that uses them. Sorry, this isn't a particularly "quick" recipe, but it's a good one to do with an extra pair of little hands to help with the work and keep you company. Besides, play dough skills are handy with this one. And they freeze great, so I like to make a big batch, freeze them on a cookie sheet so they don't all stick together, and then bag them and pop them in the freezer for another day when I need something quick--at that point the work is all done.

That said, it is a rather simple recipe, with few ingredients.

Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Gnocchi

1 medium or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked and pureed
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (*see below for gluten free notes)
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt

*Using just tapioca flour/starch turned out too tough/gummy. Going to try a GF flour mix off the shelf, a rice flour, or arrowroot for a grain free version. I think I did arrowroot once and it was okay, but I can't remember for sure.

To me, it's easiest to microwave the sweet potatoes. I like using this bag my sister-in-law made for us one Christmas that is specifically for cooking potatoes in the microwave. Then peel and puree them (I use a food processor. You can use a ricer too).

The pureed sweet potato should be warm enough that it's soft, but not so much that it will cook the egg. (Of course when I was making this particular batch, the potatoes seemed unusually dry and I couldn't get them to pureé. I added several tablespoons of water until the food processor I was using could cycle them, and it all turned out fine in the end.)

Combine all ingredients into a soft dough.

Do not over mix or the gnocchi can turn out tough. This can also happen if there is too much flour. Your resulting dough should be workable but nice and soft. Since the potato isn't an exact measurement, you may have to adjust the flour. Don't worry about it too much; it isn't an exact science, those are just some tips if you want them. I've always been cautious, but I've never had them turn out bad.

Get yourself some counter space and someone good with their (clean) hands that wants to spend a little time with you. Flour your surfaces, and take a lump of dough and make a snake with it, about 1/2 inch in diameter. Maybe a little bigger than that.

Cut the snake into pieces about 1 inch long. (I don't really measure them, I'm just trying to give you an idea.)

Here's the part that takes a little skill. Take a fork and with a little pressure in your thumb, smash/roll each piece down the tines.

This makes a nice little pattern on the outside of the gnocchi, and makes it so none of the pasta is too thick. They will cook somewhat uniformly and not make you feel like you're eating lumps of play dough.

This recipe made this many gnocchi. There were five of us eating, and we ran out, but we probably should have stopped eating them anyway. You can cook them right away, or if you made them earlier in the day let them sit a little while until it's closer to dinner time, or freeze them.

When you are ready to cook the gnocchi (frozen takes a little longer but is the same method) bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the gnocchi in, and give them just a little stir to make sure they don't stick together at the bottom. Bring the water back to a boil, and after just a few minutes, they will start floating to the top.

Use a slotted spoon to pick them out as they surface because that is your sign that they are done!

I like them with marinara sauce (one more veggie on the plate) and Parmesan cheese, but anything you like on pasta will probably be delish.

Buen provecho! (I know "Bon Appetit" is probably more appropriate, but I've never been to Italy, and I first learned to make these in Uruguay, though with white potatoes and white flour, and where they were usually spelled "ñoquis" or "ñokis"--there's your trivia tidbit for today.)

And thanks for getting me to nail down the measurements on this recipe as well as get my crew trained. They had a great time rolling snakes and cutting them with a butter knife. Now I can double or triple this next time, throw a gnocchi party with my girls, and have some for freezing.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in Children, Food, Gluten Free, Health & Weight, Recipes, Relationships, Sunny | Tagged autumn, children, cooking, dough, eating, egg, fall, food, gnocchi, healthy, homemade, meals, recipe, sweet potato, whole wheat, working together | Leave a comment

A Better Way To Praise America

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Heidi

This may be a bit of a “soap-stand” post, but as moms with children in school, I believe I may be speaking to a wide audience of readers that have the same concern and the same ability as I to do something about it.

Often I see schools try to engender patriotism, pride, or concern in their students with a display on the schools’ fences. You’ve seen it too: plastic ribbons tied onto the gate or plastic Silo cups wedged into the spaces in the fence. As inspiring as these may be, doesn’t it seem ironic to express love and devotion and patriotism in non-degradable plastic?

Display of Patriotism outside our elementary school using

9 plastic ribbons and 94 plastic cups.

Each of us can suggest alternatives to our schools’ principals or PTO or PTAs so the children can still express themselves in a more earth – friendly way. Of course, the school’s intentions are good and they are probably using plastic because it is cheaper and convenient. If you find the idea is opposed because “plastic is cheaper”, it may help to suggest this could be a learning experience too about taking care of the earth. Here are some alternative suggestions you can propose:

1. Cloth ribbons. These could even be reused from old clothes the children bring in.

2. A painted sign

3. Painted sticks arranged to shape a word or expression

4. Cups made from a renewable source like these from Styrophobia

Often it takes one voice to match with another person’s thoughts to create change. If your school creates plastic displays, may I encourage you to speak up and suggest a better way?

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in Heidi, school, School Age | Tagged earth friendly, plastic, school displays | Leave a comment

Five Kernels of Corn…A Thanksgiving Tradition

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Janae

The other day, my 8 year old came home from cub scouts with 5 kernels of corn and request that we start a new family tradition for Thanksgiving. You may have heard of it, but it was new for me. And I liked it.

I readily remember the story of the first thanksgiving and can even recall acting it out in the first grade. I had on a paper bonnet and sat with my fellow classmates, decked out with paper pilgrim hats. But, what I didn’t realize then, nor in the years that followed, was that that Thanksgiving “feast” did not symbolize years of plenty. On the contrary, after that first feast, the Pilgrims faced many years of hunger, want, and need.

Just after that first feast of 1621, the Pilgrims took an inventory of their harvest, only to discover that they were far short of their needed supply. Already scant rations would be cut in half. What’s worse, a ship came in carrying 35 more settlers, but no provisions. The rations were cut again.

By May, their rations were gone and the harvest was still months away. They went up the coast and begged for food. Captains of ships, appreciating their dire situation, graciously gave of their abundance. They were generous, but still only allowed for 1/4 pound of bread per person per day.

The harvest came. But, it was meager. Fortunately, a ship came through on its way to England. And, though they were cheated miserably by the Captain, they were sold goods they could trade with the Indians. With this, and some fishing, they survived, eagerly awaiting their harvest.

But again, their rations dwindled as they waited for the harvest to come; this time, down to a few kernels of corn per day. The Pilgrims waited and starved, and waited, relying solely on their Creator for the substance.

They needed the harvest of 1623, but a drought came and the corn began to wither. It was then, that they turned to their God and prayed, not once, not alone, but together for 9 hours. He listened and the rains came. A soft, gentle, constant rain fell for 2 weeks, lifting their spirits and the ears of corn that had drooped.

That harvest of corn of 1623 proved to be their best and became a time of hope for them that they would never pass through such a trying time of hunger.

At the Bi-Centennial of the Landing of the Pilgrims, the five kernels tradition began. In memory of the Pilgrims and the “starving time” they passed through in a determination to be free. Each kernel had a special meaning: The first kernel was thanks for the Autumn beauty. The second kernel was to give thanks for loving one another. The third piece of corn was in thankfulness for their family. The fourth was in thanks for friendship. The fifth and final kernel was in gratitude for the freedom that they found in America.

Since then, the tradition has lived on in many homes of America. On Thanksgiving day, place 5 kernels on each person’s plate, in memory of the Pilgrims and the sacrifices they faced and the blessings we enjoy. Then, have each person share with the others what their five “kernels” represent, the five blessings they are most grateful for that, like the corn did for the Pilgrims, give them hope in times of sorrow, strength in times of need, and faith in times of doubt.

May you remember all the bounteous blessings we enjoy this wonderful season.

Happy Thanksgiving.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Holidays, Janae, Thanksgiving, The Moms | Tagged 5 kernels, blessings, corn, count blessings, five kernels, Pilgrims, thanksgiving, tradition | 3 Comments

Simplifying the Holidays

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Cheri

Christmas is my favorite holiday. As I’ve probably mentioned before, I start planning for Christmas on December 26th…a year in advance. For me, it is the thought that is the most important part of the gift, so I work most of the year on trying to discover what is most meaningful for each recipient. I pay close attention to their likes and dislikes and try to make something truly special for them.

As I attempt to make most gifts homemade, both because of budget and because I pour my love for each person into the time and energy homemade gifts require, I also try to finish all homemade gifts by Halloween. Why? Because I want to ENJOY the holidays. I don’t want to get to the point where gift giving is stressful or obligatory. I want to relish in it.

The only problem I run into is that a year’s worth of planning often leads to more ideas than I should really have. So while we may not spend much money on our children, they end up with way too much under the tree because I was able to get so many great steals at yard sales during the summer or we were given bags of clothes or toys from friends, and so on. Last year, we went really simple…or so we thought until we saw the pile under the tree. As we opened gift after gift after gift (and all wonderful, purposeful, full of love gifts) I found myself feeling a little ashamed at the waterfall of presents that had descended upon our family.

Christmas is not about the gifts. Christmas is about love, family, service, hope, and our Savior Jesus Christ. When our children lose interest in opening the presents, isn’t it indicative that there are too many?

This year, I want to simplify Christmas by adopting a gift giving philosophy I recently heard about. I know it’s been around for years, so we’re a little behind in jumping on the wagon, but I’m excited to give it a go this year.

This year, our children will receive 4 gifts from my husband and I:

Something they WANT
Something they NEED
Something to READ
Something to WEAR

Santa will also bring one gift, plus they will have little things in their stockings, like an ornament, cereal, a grapefruit, a treat, and something small (like lipgloss or nail polish or a toothbrush). We also decided to have our 3 older girls draw each other’s names to give to just one sister this year. Of course, they will also receive presents from grandparents and aunts/uncles/cousins. But at least what we prepare for them will be confined into these parameters, keeping us sane and them grounded.

I’ve heard great success stories with this philosophy and I can’t wait to give it a try this year. I’ll let you know how it goes. I hope I’ve given you enough time to implement this tradition this year. I can’t believe it is really Christmas time again already.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Budgeting, Cheri, Christmas, Christmas Organization, Family, For You, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Money Saving Tips, The Moms, Uncategorized | Tagged christmas, gifts, holidays, presents, simplify | 4 Comments

Potato (Plus extra veggies) Soup

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Sunny

The air has definitely turned chilly, and we’ve already had snow. Time for soup. And if you happen to be looking for a white main dish to celebrate a snowfall (any one else ever do that?), this is a good candidate. It also happens to be one of my family’s favorites, and besides often getting picked for birthday dinners, we traditionally make a big pot and leave it on the stove on New Year’s Eve so there’s something warm (and not sweet) to enjoy during the party.

I got this recipe, or its progenitor, from my mother-in-law, but I’ve changed it just a tad. Or rather I’ve kept the spirit of the original. Mostly.

Sorry again to recipe sticklers, there’s lots of room for variation in this one. I’ll throw in some numbers, but they’re pretty random. I took this picture of the ingredients I used on my latest batch, and I just barely fit it all in the pot. We like leftovers. This amount feeds company and makes a few lunches as well. Feel free to use less, and it doesn’t need to be in equal proportions. Like I always use a whole onion even if I use less of the rest.

ingredients:
a couple Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (and any leftover onion you have in the fridge)
1 mound potatoes (I promised numbers)
1/2 cauliflower or so
1 or 2 yellow summer squash (or peeled zucchini)
grated cheese of your preference (I like Colby/Jack)
salt and pepper to taste
crumbled bacon and more cheese for topping

Warm the olive oil in your big soup pot and start chopping up vegetables and throwing them in. They can be in big chunks, especially at first because they will cook longest. I like to do onion first and then get some potatoes in and turn the heat up enough to start frying them in the oil to give the soup a touch of french fries and onion rings flavor. (You can even call it “French Fry Soup” if that helps your family like it.)

Continue to add vegetables and stir so as to brown but not burn vegetables. It will get a bit difficult to stir as the pot gets full. If you ever feel like you can’t keep it from burning, you can throw water in and be done with the saute phase.

Cover vegetables with water and allow to simmer until vegetables are cooked through. Umm, maybe 30 mins or more?

Blend vegetables with an immersion blender if you’re lucky enough to have one, otherwise I think you have to do the batches through the blender routine. If you like a few potato chunks, set as much as you want aside while blending the rest, then chop them and put them back in the soup.

Stir in a cup or so of grated cheese and add salt (1 Tbs?) and pepper (I do a few grinds).

If you prefer a bit of decadence, instead of the olive oil you can use a cube of butter (it does taste good), or leave out the cauliflower or squash (or just use less, really you don’t taste them anyway), and heck, while you’re at in, throw in some sour cream.

My favorite is a spoonful of bacon on top. I get it precooked and crumbled in a bag at Sam’s Club. Seems much less fatty than if I did it myself and perhaps cheaper (certainly tons more convenient). My kids like to spoon on more cheese. Or both.

of course it’s heavenly with some homemade bread. Try your hand at the recipes Real Moms love for a fresh loaf of Peasant (quickest), whole wheat, or white bread.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in Allergy Free, Food, Gluten Free, Recipes, Sunny | Tagged cauliflower, cheese bacon, cooking, dinner, fall, french fry soup, onion, potato, potato soup, recipe, snow, squash, zucchini | 1 Comment

Treat Your Kids to a Spooky Halloween Dinner

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Heidi

Halloween is TOMORROW! (Sometimes just that reminder is enough to scare moms!) First of all, I want to add my cheer for Kerri’s great and charitable Trick or Treating idea. I’m definitely doing it this year.

Here’s a healthy way to SPOOK your kids before they leave for Trick or Treating. All these recipes are from Family Fun Magazine at familyfun.go.com. I absolutely love this site for holiday recipe ideas, and perhaps you have read my previous post on how Family Fun magazine can alleviate the “I’m booo–oored!” whine. And here’s something that won’t scare you about these recipes: They’re healthy enough for dinner (well most of them!) Just click on the link below each picture to be guided directly to the recipe.

Swamp Juice

Squashed Guts

Potato Skin Ghosts

Pizza Mummies

Night of the Living Bread

Gingerbread Skeletons

Edible Eyeballs

Witches’ Fingers

Bon Apetite! Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah!!!!

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in Halloween and Autumn, Halloween Recipes, Holidays, Recipes, Uncategorized | Tagged Halloween recipes | Leave a comment

Fantastic Meatloaf Recipe

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Janae

Entertain me for a moment. Put on a grumpy face and in your most pouty tone of voice say, “Meatloaf…Beatloaf….I HATE Meatloaf”. Can you name that movie? Or are you only reminded of the chorus of little voices around the dinner table whenever you serve meatloaf? That’s what I used to hear until I tried this recipe. It is now the favorite meal of the entire family, one of those meals they actually beg for. No matter what your family thinks of meatloaf, try it. It’s that good (and easy :)).

2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
3 slices bread
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 oz. shredded cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

Topping (since tomato sauce typically comes in an 8 oz. can, I double this, using a can of tomato sauce, almost a cup of brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons mustard)

1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard

Beat eggs. Add milk and bread and let stand until bread absorbs liquid. Stir in onion and cheese. Add ground beef. Mix well. Shape into a loaf. (I prefer to put it in an 8X8. It makes it thinner so it cooks faster, plus there’s more sauce which is what makes it so yummy).

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Combine topping and spoon over the meatloaf after 30 minutes. Continue to spoon topping over meatloaf every 10 minutes until the meatloaf is done cooking (brown the entire way through). Note: I’ve found that sometimes this can take up to an hour depending on how thick you made your loaf.

This also freezes wonderfully well. Just place meat mixture in a gallon size bag, push flat and freeze. (Don’t freeze sauce…just make when you are cooking the meatloaf). Thaw completely before cooking.

Oh and by the way, the movie is the Christmas Story. The younger son’s complaints come just before his mom has him act like a pig and eat the whole thing. Though I don’t recommend having your kids snort while they eat, they just may eat like pigs after tasting this meatloaf. Happy Eating!

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Posted in All Writers, Food, Janae, Recipes, The Moms | Tagged beef, fast, kid friendly recipe, meatloaf, recipe for kids, yummy | Leave a comment

If you liked this post, you might also like:

If you liked this post, you might also like:

If you liked this post, you might also like:

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Display of Patriotism outside our elementary school using

9 plastic ribbons and 94 plastic cups.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

If you liked this post, you might also like:

If you liked this post, you might also like:

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Halloween is TOMORROW! (Sometimes just that reminder is enough to scare moms!) First of all, I want to add my cheer for Kerri’s great and charitable Trick or Treating idea. I’m definitely doing it this year.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Search for a topic here:

Our 10 Most Popular Posts

Tags