Barnyard Birthday Party

Well, it's been an interesting 2 weeks.  My son just turned 2 and we were supposed to have his party on his actual birthday.  Unfortunately, he got sick the day before and we had to cancel last minute and reschedule for a week later.  Of course he didn't start showing symptoms until I had already spent two hours baking and decorating his cake and spending the day getting ready for the party.  But when you have kids, you are forced to be flexible.  We cut that cake on his actual birthday and I made a new one for the party the next week, minus the barn that took forever to layer and frost (I'm a pretty good baker, but I don't have a lot of experience decorating birthday cakes.  I'm still trying to hone this skill). 
But of course, the day we rescheduled it to was a cloudy day with 50% chance of rain, so we had to move the majority of the activities indoors.  We have a great property for outdoor entertaining, with a big deck and a patio and driveway where we put our moonbounce. Not so much a great house for indoor parties though.  But we made the most of it.
I perused Pinterest for a lot of the ideas I came up with for the Barnyard theme we did.  The games had to be simple since the kids were mostly young.  I drew and painted a pig on posterboard for "Pin the Tail on the Piggy".  I used pipe cleaners with a piece of tape attached for the tail.
The other game was a catch a duck game.  I filled up my son's water table and floated rubber ducks in it.  The kids used a small net to "catch" the rubber ducks and the one they pulled out of the "duck pond" they got to bring home with them.  As you can see from the pictures below, the ducks didn't quite float right-side up...but the kids didn't seem to notice or care.
I made all the goodie bags out of paper lunch bags and glued on eyes, noses, ears, etc to make pig and rooster faces.  I filled them with "farmy" things like cow tail candy and farm animal figures. I made rice crispies treats, wrapped them in plastic wrap, then tied twine around the ends to make it look like a hay bale.
I think it was a successful party, even with having to reschedule and bring it indoors.  My next challenge will be my nine year old's Shopkins party later this month!

The silo is made from a rice crispies treat that I rounded and frosted.  The building part of the barn is just cake that I layered. I'm sure it would have been a piece of cake (hahaha) for a real baker, but it took me forever to get it to stand straight without crumbling.

I made these vases by just hot gluing burlap around a mason jar and tying ribbon around it. 

It's hard to see but there is a small chalkboard "Watering Hole" sign above the drink counter.  I also had one that said "Garden" for the fruit tray.

The end results of the Piggy game...

Goodie bags.

End of Summer Recommendations

With the end of summer approaching, I wanted to give some recommendations for music, books, tv, etc.  that I have found to fill my time over the past few months -- that is, in between the never ending episodes of Bubble Guppies, and the billionth trip to the pool.  Here are a few things I found enjoyable this summer:

TV -- ...I don't know if Netflix is considered TV  but if you have a Netflix account and you haven't seen "Stranger Things," you are one of the few who has managed to be out of the loop.  Everyone is talking about this show.  It takes place in the 80s, so there's a lot of 80s references and nostalgia. It is a cross between "The Goonies" and a Stephen King novel.  A group of friends make it a mission to find their friend after he goes missing under mysterious and paranormal circumstances.  It has a horror/thriller element but nothing too scary.  There's a little bit of gore but only enough that it would bother you if you had a really weak stomach.  

The child actors in this show are amazing and Winona Ryder plays the mother of the child who goes missing and she plays it so well.

My boyfriend and I watched this together and we had a hard time turning it off every night to go to bed.  It's so good you'll want to binge it.

Book-- So my book may be controversial.  The "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" script book was released on July 31st at midnight.  I actually went to the midnight release party at our local Barnes and Noble and I was probably the oldest person there without kids (meaning the other grown ups were only there for their kids...) but it was exciting to celebrate a new Harry Potter book.  Except that Jo didn't actually write it and it is just the written form of a medium that's meant to be seen not read...but I did enjoy the book for what it was.  As a die hard Harry Potter fan, I did not have high expectations going into it, already knowing what the plot was and being spoiled on all the twists and turns. 

If you like HP I recommend you give it a try.  Just keep in mind that the characters may not seem like the same ones from the books.  Keep an open mind and just enjoy it for what it is. 

Music-- I just discovered this yesterday and the whole album just released today. My favorite instrument is the violin and I randomly googled violin music to find something new to listen to and stumbled across this.

Lindsey Stirling-Brave Enough

I knew Lindsey Stirling's name and had heard her music before.  I am in love with this album.  It's perfect for background noise while you work (I'm a writer and often have trouble concentrating with other types of music on).  Or it's great for blasting in the car, or jamming out to while you clean the house or play with the kids.  I've had it on repeat on my phone all day today while we ran errands and then did chores and things around the house.  

It has purely musical tracks but also tracks with lyrics by other musicians and they are all good.  I don't often buy music but I am glad I made the investment in this album.

Hopefully you'll find at least one of these recommendations helpful.  Feel free to comment with anything you've enjoyed watching, reading, or listening to this summer!

End of the Year Teacher gifts

Yes, teachers should get a gift from their students at the end of the year. As a former preschool teacher I can say, probably stay away from homemade baked goods, coffee mugs (they probably already have too many), or a ton of candy.

Some of the things I appreciated getting from my students were gift cards (Wawa, movies, etc.), and Bath and Body Works lotions.

You don't have to spend a ton of money on a gift.  A gift card and a hand made card stating "thanks for all you do" is enough.  However,  I like to try to take it to the next level. 

Last year, for her first grade teacher, I put together this mani/pedi kit for my daughter to give:

Most of the items could be found at Walmart and I don't think I paid more than $15 - $20 for all of it.  It includes nail polish, nail polish remover, foot scrub, nail files and other pedicure tools, and the bottom is stuffed with cotton balls.  I think I got the bucket at target or the dollar store...

This year I found a cute idea on Pinterest and did something similar.  It is a pool/beach themed gift for the summer.  I started out buying a beach towel (this time of year Walmart has them for $5.77 a piece so you don't have to spend a fortune), then I found some pool/summer-ish things to go with it, matching the color scheme and also including a bookstore gift card. 

Just a couple ideas....

I'm not very confident in my gift giving ideas so hopefully these ideas can help some of you. I didn't spend more than $20 on them and I think they are things that can actually be used.  

Flourless Peanut Butter Choclate Chip Cookies

Recently I decided to go gluten-free (or at least as gluten-free as possible for my family) and it has done wonders for my stomach issues.  I am not one of those hipster-go-green-eat-only-orangic people.  I think consuming gluten is perfectly fine and healthy if you don't have an allergy or intolerance to it.  But suffering from all kinds of stomach problems most of my adult life and never being able to find a cause of it, I decided to try the low gluten/gluten free route and I have definitely seen a difference. 
The problem is EVERYTHING has flour (which is the main culprit of gluten).  No more baked goods for me unless I want to buy all kinds of wheatless flour and find the right mixture to make the conversion to regular flour equal. 
I stumbled across this recipe online (I believe someone actually posted it to Facebook) and was super excited to try it since it was flourless and I could actually eat it.
I didn't except it to be very good but the cookies actually turned out delicious.  The recipe only makes slightly over a dozen cookies so you may want to double (or even triple it).  They are a little crumbly, since flour is the main ingredient that holds baked goods together.  Once they come out of the oven, you definitely need to let them cool enough before you remove them from the tray or they will just fall apart.  But if you cannot have flour and are craving cookies, I recommend you cook these up!


Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
•  1 Large Egg
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat Oven to 350 (F).
Stir together peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda, and salt.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking tray.
Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.
Cool on baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool 15 minutes.

Things Mothers of Boys Say

 

 

Just a few things I find myself saying on an almost daily basis.  I'm sure a lot of these things aren't just limited to boys, but I don't remember saying these things when my daughter was younger (And I definitely don't say them to her now!).  Feel free to add things that you find yourself saying to your boys in the comments! 

 

(A "Things Mothers of Daughters Say" will be coming soon)

 

 

 

No licking the dog

Where are your pants?

Don't eat dirt

How did you get a cookie stuck in your hair?

No licking your shoes

Where are your pants?

No climbing over the couch

Hands out of your pants

Stop throwing your toys

Don't shoot your mommy

Don't shoot your sister

Where are your pants?

Don't bite the cat's tail

Don't let the dog lick your tongue

What is all over your face?

How did you scrape your knee?

Don't lick your toes

Take your socks out of your mouth, you're not a dog

What is stuck in your hair?

The stick is not a sword, put it down

Rocks are not for throwing

Why is this blanket/floor/toy/couch cushion/etc.  all wet?

Don't let the dog lick your mouth!!!

WHERE are your pants???

Mother's Day

I'm a little late with this post, but I hope everyone had a good mother's day!  It was a day to slow down, leave the dishes, leave the laundry, and just appreciate being a mother.  We packed a lunch and headed to the local state park (Ridley Creek) for a picnic and a hike.  Luckily the weather was nice so the kids were free to skip rocks in the creek, splash in puddles, and collect flowers and rocks by the mud without fear of them freezing to death when they got wet.  My son stopped to pet every dog that walked by, crying "Lucy! Lucy!" because every dog apparently is named Lucy.  He stomped in every puddle he came across.  My daughter climbed on rocks in the water, and with her being the clumsy one, I was shocked that she didn't fall in.  (Although she did slide down a muddy hill once or twice.)  Sometimes it's hard for me to let the kids go and let them get dirty.  I think about the muddy, dirty laundry I will have to do and the baths I will have to give and I cringe. But it was a good day for me to relax and let them be kids. 
A day out doesn't have to cost a lot of money to be memorable.  This day of being out in nature, just walking the trails and pushing the kids on the swings and hiking with them through the woods cost no money at all, but the time spent is invaluable.  They had so much fun we are already planning a time to go back. 

Free Summer Bowling

As the summer approaches it can be hard to find things to keep the kids busy. Especially when they've been occupied in school for 6-8 hours a day and are now suddenly home for that time.  

You can go to kidsbowlfree.com and sign your child up for a free summer of bowling!  Each child will get 2 free games per day.  You will have to pay for shoes, usually a cost of $2. Not all facilities participate so you'll have to find one near you that does.  

You'll have to sign up on the website, enter the names and birth dates of all the kids you want to participate in the program and then starting May 1st, they will have access to free bowling all summer! You just have to show the employees at the desk your smartphone with the coupons or you can print them out. 

It is only between certain hours and it changes daily so you'll have to check the website or you bowling facility before going bowling.  Usually it is between 12 and 5.

I have done this the past two years and signed up all of my kids for this summer!

It's a great way to spend a couple hours getting out of the heat and keeping the kids out from in front of the tv.  

"Hurts! Sorry!"

It's an amazing feeling when your kids finally start putting into practice the things you've been teaching them.  My nineteen month old has a habit of throwing things.  Not to be bad or out of anger. Just because he thinks it's fun.  Sometimes the things he throws hit people. Sometimes it hurts.  Usually it's his sister that takes the brunt of the injuries.
I always make him say "Sorry," and tell him that hurts his Sissy and to give her a hug.  I'm never sure if he understands what is happening but last night my heart melted when I realized my attempts to teach empathy were not in vain.

I was sitting on the couch with my boyfriend next to me.  My son and I were playing catch with his ball.  During the game, the ball fell and hit my boyfriend's foot and he said "Ow."
The next thing I know my toddler is saying, "Ouch! Hurts! Sorry!"  and rubbing my boyfriend's leg with his little hands.
It is a small thing and anyone with kids knows that it is probably only cute when it's your own kid doing it.  But I was very proud of my little man automatically recognizing that someone was hurting and he should say sorry (although it was technically not his fault this time!) and show physical affection to try to make it better.
Just a proud mom moment I wanted to share to encourage other parents that just because sometimes it may not seem you are making a difference, your kids are listening and learning all the time and to keep on being consistent and they will catch on!

Banana Bread Goodness

I hate when you're looking for a recipe and a link takes you to a blog post and you have to read or scroll through a whole page of someone's blog post about how they found the recipe and why it's so great, blah, blah, blah. 

I just want the recipe, not the whole story behind it!

So here's my banana bread recipe with no back story behind it.  It's just good stuff:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of sugar

Mashed bananas (I usually have about five leftover that have turned brown that I use)

3/4 cup of vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

I sprinkle in cinnamon, your choice of chopped nuts, and chocolate chips

(I don't actually measure these things, just eyeball and toss in what I think is a good ratio)

Pour into a greased bread pan. I use this pan:

It makes eight small loaves of bread.  They are easy to grab for snacks on the go or for my eight year old to get by herself when I am busy with other things. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

If you're using a regular bread pan it will probably take closer to an hour or so. 

They should look like this:

Summer's Coming: Swimsuit Deals

If you are like me and won't spend money on clothes unless they are on clearance or stores are having a super-sale, this post is for you!

With summer fast approaching and my kids needing swimwear, I kept holding off on buying their swimsuits because $15 - $20 on a kid's bathingsuit still seems like a lot of money to me...

So, I was happy to get an email the other day from The Children's Place telling me that everything on their site is 50% off, plus free shipping.  I got the below suits for $7.47 and $8.98.  Plus flip flops are $2!  And free shipping! So if you're looking for deals on bathingsuits and summer clothes for your kids I think these prices are great!  Sale is still going on now.  Some of the things are online only, some are in store.  I bought these online and they came within a few days.

I am not getting paid by The Children's Place for this post!  LOL!  I am just sharing what I have found with all of you! 

Pink + Blue = Two, My introduction

I used to have a blog called Pink + Blue = Two.  I started it when I was pregnant with my son and I already had a daughter.  I thought it would be a good idea to chronicle the differences between having a boy and a girl.  I deleted this blog for a few various reasons, but I often find myself wishing I had a place to share some of my experiences as a mom and a part time nanny so I created this blog in the hope that it will be a place to share experiences with my kids, recipes, and life hacks for busy moms. 

To start with I'd just like to introduce you to my life:  I have an eight year old daughter who is currently in second grade, a nineteen month old son, who stays home with me, and I nanny for three boys during the afternoons (3, 5, and 11).  I also have a nine year old stepdaughter who is with us every other weekend.  It's a crazy, hectic life, especially my afternoons, picking up children from school and daycare and keeping five kids of all age groups occupied and trying to keep the peace between three brothers who like to rough-house.  I am by no means the "Pinterest Perfect" person.  While I try my best to come up with different activities and crafts to keep the kids busy, you won't find any of my ideas continuously repinned or retweeted, but I think I do an okay job.  I don't claim to be an expert at anything.  Raising kids is a learning experience, no matter how many kids you've already had yourself or have taken care of in the past, because each kid is different.

Some things about me:
I am a writer.  That's how I define myself in one word.  I write fiction, though I've never finished anything worthy of being published.  I have a few blogs dedicated to my poetry and small snippets of things I am writing.  (See the end of this post for those links).  I am working on a novel for self-publication but it's a long process. 

I enjoy baking, but not cooking, although I have come a long way in trying new dinner recipes and even improvising in the kitchen.  My banana bread recipe is well loved by all my kids as well as my chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies (recipes to follow). 

I enjoy cleaning.  Yes, you read that right.  I like to be organized.  I hate clutter.  And I like to live in a nice, clean space.  I am that mother that will clean all the toys up off the livingroom floor before I go to bed, even though I know they will be back all over the floor in a few, short hours.  I do it because it makes me feel good to see a nice organized space before I go to bed and when I get up in the morning.  Is it a waste of time?  I don't think so, because I do it for me.  Cleaning is my way of relaxing.  Plus, I get to put in my earbuds and listen to my podcasts while I work... 

I love podcasts.  I am currently subscribed to about 20 of all different varieties.  I may write a post about them later.  They bring me sanity.  In a lifestyle where I seldom talk to adults all day, at least I have them speaking to me through my earbuds.    

If you are reading this and you think you would be interested in future posts, I would love it if you subscribed.  My future hopes for this blog are to not only share recipes, recommendations for things that I love and want to talk about, things that have helped me along the way during parenting and raising kids, but also funny stories that happen with my kids that I think others will enjoy.
Happy reading!  And if you have any ideas for things you'd like me to write about, feel free to send them in!

Here are the links to my other blogs:
http://fictionsnippets.blogspot.com/
http://poemsforthehumansoul.blogspot.com/
http://fairytalesandrabbitholes.blogspot.com/