"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/