Wash Wednesday: Reuse Home Items for Cleaning

Sometimes I find that certain household items work better or even more better for other things other than what they were intended. Then I also find that being resourceful with what you have around the house can solve several other household problems eliminating the need for an expensive alternative.

What I am trying to get at is that I find that certain cleaning tools simply do not work. Too big, too awkward, too scratchy, too clumsy...nothing frustrates you more than not having the correct tools to get the job done. With experience I tried other items you would not normally think to use for cleaning but you soon realize they are more efficient and thorough. And I know we all like a clean house (even though it is unheard of with kids, right?).

Here are some examples of some items you would not normally think of using as cleaning tools.

Toothbrushes. First, I like to recycle our old, worn toothbrushes for those hard to reach, small cracks that need to be clean. A good example is scrubbing the toothbrush back and forth underneath the bathroom sink faucet to remove soap scum. I have also used the toothbrush to aid in cleaning food spills among the cracks around the stove top and oven. Just make sure that once used to clean, the toothbrush is not used on the teeth.

Kitchen Handled Scrub Brushes. Second, I like to recycle our long handled kitchen brushes to scrub the toilets. The handles are smaller for my hand making it easier to handle. The brushes are tougher and just the right size to reach under the lip of the toilet bowl getting those hard to reach bacteria infestations.

Automotive Sponges. Third, I like to buy automotive sponges you use to wash a car. What for? The larger surface of the sponge helps to clean the shower and tub faster with less the amount of elbow grease needed with a regular sponge. And if the sponge is safe on a car, it should be safe on the shower surface.

Do not be limited by the use of a tool. Think outside the box about what works for you and gets the job done. And let me hear your ideas on being more efficient with the right tools.

Make Monday: Gift wrap your own Box!

Now that Christmas season is upon us, it will soon be time to start wrapping presents. Many people wrap presents as part of their Christmas festivities while some simply check off this chore from their to do list.

Personally, I like to wrap my presents as I get them. Setting up a wrapping station for the month of December eliminates the stress and hassle of waiting at the last minute. My parents on the other hand enjoyed wrapping everything together before Christmas day. I can remember waiting with anticipation as they would bring one wrapped gift after another from their room every few minutes. As they put it under the tree, us kids would try to guess who it was for and keep track of how many we had.

Looking though for a different way to wrap gifts. This year I have a whole lot of finger painted banner pictures from our many projects to use as wrapping paper. In the past I have enjoyed using recycled paper bags for an antique look with giant fabric bows. Colored cellophane also is fun to use to wrap odd looking shapes. And of course, recycle cards to use as gift tags.

Here is one of my favorites though that could involve a family craft....I discovered this delightful, pretty way to wrap a shoe box from a friend who gave us a box of Christmas cookies once. I even liked hers so much, I store Christmas decorations inside.

As you wrap your regular presents, save all your small Christmas scraps of wrapping paper. Then recycle an old, empty shoe box by decorating the scraps onto the box as a collage. Use clear tape to overlap different pieces (shapes and colors) onto the box . Decorate the lid so that the box can still close. Line the inside with tissue paper and store the gift contents inside.

Happy Gift Wrapping!

Shuffle Saturday: Sixth Birthday (Green Bay) Surprise

My big boy turns six today. How is that even possible?? It feels like yesterday I was in the hospital having trouble with his delivery. And he's already six years old???

Later today we'll be having a birthday party for him. He's requested a Green Bay Packers Birthday party. I found this great idea on Pinterest and had to try it. We pulled it off. As one of his gifts, we got him a (SUPER SOFT) Green Bay Packers blanket and put it on his bed after he went to sleep. We filled 20 Green and Yellow balloons and took them into his room--hoping that he wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night and turn on his fan. We also got him a really cool Green Bay Packers cup and set it at his spot on the dining room table.

When he woke up this morning, he came into my room and said, "Mommy! I already saw my blanket and balloons. THAT WAS AWESOME!" Daddy has to work this morning so he was somewhat sad that he was going to miss Liam's reaction.

Liam then ventured out to the living room/dining room and said, "Oh COOL! A Green Bay cup!! This is like a Birthday-Egg Hunt!"

He still has a few more gifts to open from us and guests are scheduled to arrive around 2. Daddy doesn't get off of work until 1. I hope I can get a shower/make all of the dips/decorate/maintain my sanity before the guests show up.

But so far, it's been a success. Happy Birthday, Liam. I can't believe you're already six.

Food Friday: No Bake Cookies!

In spite all this yummy food from yesterday, I am craving my mom's homemade No Bake Cookies. Easy to whip up. So bring some apple cider and join me curled up in a front of a Christmas classic movie nibbling on some of these.

No Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar

½ cup margarine

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups oatmeal

6 tablespoons cocoa

Mix together sugar, milk, margarine, and boil (rolling) 1 minute over medium heat. Add vanilla. Put oatmeal and cocoa in a bowl. Blend well. Pour hot mixture over dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly and drop teaspoonfuls on wax paper. Cool completely before storing.

Option:

3 cups oatmeal

½ cup coconut

½ cup nuts

Could use 8 tablespoons cocoa for real chocolate taste.

Thankful Thursday!

On behalf of the authors of Mommy's Recess, we wish you and your family a blessed day.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his,

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Wash Wednesday: Washing those Hands Away

Tis the season for dry hands. And if you are a mom with small kids, you are washing your hands constantly.....after dirty diapers, wet spit up, filthy dishes, germ filled laundry, muddy shoes, runny noses, unkind cleaning supplies, and the list goes on.

My hands are naturally dry to begin with. Every year at this time, my hands literally crack and bleed because they are so dry. My knuckles and wrists become wrinkled while my nails sport hang nails.

And then you add on top life of a mom. Hands tell a lot about your work ethic. When I am with my grandma, I always wonder all the things her wrinkled hands accomplished to care for her family.

Well, let's just say being a mom is hard on your hands. And pausing to take care of yourself is about as abnormal as soft hands. And at the end of the day, your bleeding knuckles look horrible and hurt even more. And hand sanitizer usually adds to the sting.

So what do we do? I have been trying to come up with ways to squeeze some time into my already packed schedule just to take care of my hands. I would appreciate any ideas you may have fellow moms.

In the meantime, I have placed my favorite Aveeno therapy lotions at each sink so that after each wash I grab a little bit. At my husbands request, I also put hand soap at each sink instead of using dish soap to wash my hands. I try to dry thoroughly with a soft towel especially around the wrist area to prevent chapped hands. I also have started carrying my chap stick around for constant use.

Speaking of, I better go put on some lotion now. Good luck hands! After all, you do a lot!

Tip Tuesday: Eliminate Clutter With Sheets in Their own Pillow Cases

Why didn't I think of this before. Really. My sheets take up SO much space. Fold em up, put them in the corresponding pillow case and done. It makes SO much sense! I have to give credit where credit is due and saw this on a pinterest post. We tried it this weekend and it worked. It cut our linen closet space by half. BY HALF!

And we have a King size, two twin's and a crib/toddler bed in our home. It makes so much sense, keeps the sheets smelling fresh and is organized!!

Make Monday: Paper Cup Turkeys

At the end of last week, Judah and I made some turkey cups in celebration of Thanksgiving. Our other goal was to practice using glue for this craft.

Supplies

Paper cups
Colored construction paper
Artificial feathers
Craft glue
Q-tips
Scissors
Hole punch
Pom poms
Pencil



Instructions

First we traced Judah's hand onto his choice of construction paper. After mommy cut this out, we used this as a base to glue the feathers onto each finger. Mommy gave Judah a cup with a little bit of glue. Taking a Q-tip, he then dipped it in glue and spread it on each finger of the hand. Once glue was added, he laid a feather of his choice down. To conclude the feathers, we glued the bottom of the hand (the wrist) to one side of the cup. We then made eyes, nose, and mouth out of hole punched dots, pom poms, and little craft eye balls gluing them to the front of the cup. Judah even insisted on adding pom pom cheeks to the side of his turkey.

Variations

We made our turkey design as simple as possible. However, for older kids you could do hidden turkeys. To achieve this you use different size of cups such as a normal paper cup, a Dixie cup, and a nut cup, so that they fit inside of each other. Decorate different sizes of turkeys. Then enjoy playing a game stacking and hiding your turkeys with each other.

Salvation Sunday: The Defying Attitude

One has to look no further than a two year old to see "sin nature" at its best. Defiance is the name of the game.

My own two year old son is definitely in this stage right now. In the midst of curiosity and independence, he is exploring this attitude of "my way." Among things this includes not listening, not obeying, and giving me a look or attitude of defiance. Sound familiar?

It is hard not to lose my patience (and my mind) some days. I just get so frustrated at the lack of listening and follow through. In fact, he almost appears to do the opposite of what I say. I have to remind him that sometimes mommy is telling him no for reasons due to safety.

On these occasions, I am reminded of my own heart in relation to God. I am not exempt in this defiance attitude. My two year old self comes out at times in life. God instructs. We hear but not obey. And then we turn the other way until consequences and pain inflict themselves upon us.

Thankfully, God is a lot more patient and loving than I (we) deserve. Take for example of the Israelites history in the Old Testament. Time and time again God provided and loved expecting only obedience in return. How many times did the Old Testament nation fall again and again in disobedience and defiance only to be picked back up and loved once more.

Guess I need a lesson in regards to my two year old self. How about you?

Food Friday: Peanut Butter Recall

Yep. It happened again. Another Peanut Butter recall.

This one effects Smuckers Brand Peanut Butter. They have "Best if Used By" dates of Aug. 3, 2012 and Aug. 4, 2012, plus the production codes 1307004 and 1308004. The cause of the recall is possible salmonella contamination. Salmonella is bacteria resulting in fever, cramps and diarrhea that lasts for several days and can require hospitalization.

Ew is right. So check your jars and toss em if you've got them.


Read more: http://www.kcci.com/health/29793364/detail.html#ixzz1e0WsJUa0

Toy Thursday: Make Leaf Place Mats for Thanksgiving

Looking for some last minute decorating ideas for your Thanksgiving table. If you desire to make it a family affair, consider making place mats for each place setting on that special day. The kids will have fun helping decorate too.

Remember those leaves we collected a few weeks ago on our nature walk. Judah and I selected various shapes, sizes, and colors of fall leaves. We brought them home to press between magazines.

Recently, we got those leaves out to make place mats for our Thanksgiving table. To do this we took 10 inch by 13 inch piece of colored construction paper. Judah helped me glue down the leaves onto the paper. He finished his design with adding some color from the markers.

Once the leaf designs were finished, we cut two pieces of clear contact paper. Taking one piece of contact paper, we placed the construction paper (face up) onto the sticky side. We then proceeded to press the remaining second sheet on top. Finally, we smoothed out all the air bubbles and trimmed the edges of contact paper around the construction paper.

Be sure to make enough for all your Thanksgiving guests. Have fun using the leaves to make designs of all colors and shapes. Your new place mats will be sure to add to your holiday spirit and your time with family will make your day that much more blessed.

For added decorations, press your leftover leaves alone between some contact paper. Cut around the leaves in different shapes. Punch a hole and hang your sun catcher on the windows.

Wash Wednesday: When They "Try" To Help

I'm blessed, I know it. And I need to be thankful when my kids want to help out with cleaning...but sometimes they make more of a mess.

Our new house has mostly wood floors, except for the bedrooms which are carpet and the bathrooms are tile.

I've been using a Swiffer Wet Jet on the wood floors (cleaning suggestions are appreciated). The other day while I was changing the baby's diaper, I found the toddler had accessed my swiffer, with no pad, and was SCRAPING the wood floor. No good.

I know he was copying what he sees and is trying to help...but man. It took everything in me not to pull my hair out!

Tip Tuesday: Christmas Shopping Savvy

Whether we're ready or not, Christmas is coming. I find it hard to believe that some stores already have their Christmas gear out...did I miss Thanksgiving? No? Okay. Just checking.

I've been buying all year for Christmas. When items go on clearance, I grab them. I stash them. I spreadsheet them. I am a nerd. And in addition to my "gift tote" I also had to figure out a way to get the larger toys from the apartment to our new house in the move. It wasn't easy.

My boys LOVE Angry Birds. They love it so much, they "play" angry birds. That means on kid is sitting on the couch and the other "launches" himself from the other side of the room, to the kid on the couch, screaming "CA-CAW!"

When I saw this deal I couldn't pass it up.

A "live action" Angry Birds game, complete with sounds, for HALF PRICE.

My oldest (the biggest Angry Birds fan in the house) turns 6 just after Thanksgiving. I know what he's getting for his birthday!!

Make Monday: Make Moving Fun

Okay, maybe not fun, but it does help to be able to have a few laughs during a stressful event like moving.

We were thankful to have family and friends willing to help us move. But there are always a *few* things you don't want people to see.

One of our friends who helped us move was my friend John from the MPIS group I just joined. Honestly, I've known him for maybe two months. But when you can stay up, overnight, listening to silence and taking temperature readings, you trust that person. That being said, I didn't want him (or my dad, or my brother, or my father in law) seeing my underwear drawer. There are just some things you don't want to share.

We had moved our beds over on Friday with my parents and my father in law, so we were able to have the bed made up when everyone else arrived. My brother and John were moving clothes into our master closet and that's when the quote of the move was said.

We've had our bed since 2005 and we do need a new mattress. My brother looked at it, John looked at it and they both started laughing. John said, "Looks like you guys need a new mattress."
My brother chimed in, "Wow! You don't just have ass grooves, you have full body grooves."

Yes. It's true. You can see where we sleep. And we all had a good laugh out of it.

And yes...except for the sentimental stuff...this is SO true.

Salvation Sunday: Facing the Storm

I recently found this neat kids devotional book for Judah. Based on songs, you read a verse and a short story to match the song you just listened to. One morning, we attempted to read the verse for the day (as we call it) and found the story of Noah and the ark.

The story is so well known with God protecting Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark while rain flooded the earth. Another common aspect of the story is that God asked Noah to build the ark and in spite all odds and persecution, he obeyed God. Still, the story of salvation is clear as God provided the only way to life for Noah and his family through the safety of the ark paralleling the picture of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

This devotional though had a different take on Noah and the Ark, one that I had not heard in my many sermons.

Imagine the storms of life in the context of the flood. We weather storms in our journey through life. Storms with lighting, rain, and wind. These storms come at us in floods tossing us on fierce waves.

Now imagine the ark being our relationship with God. The Bible talks about God being our refuge. II Samuel 22:3 says, "my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior..." Psalm 46:1 also states, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." The ark is the perfect example of finding refuge in God.

God literally encloses us inside the ark to protect us. We can find our safety from daily storms and tossing waves there. The place of safety is found in God alone. He will help you weather life.

Shuffle Saturday: Dealing with Naughty Sick Kids

This weekend Judah had an ear ache. This means that he does not feel well but well enough to still do normal activities. Even so, Judah always seems to act up more when he does not feel well.

With a plugged ear (as any time he slightly feels bad), Judah seems to scream more, whine more, and overall is more uncontrollable. You can also tell when he is out of sorts as he seems to jump from one thing to another in sort of a destructive, unhappy manner. Typically it is hard to keep up with him on these days.

Most often I am cleaning up the remains of one mess while he is into the next thing. It appears I have to anticipate what is coming next and be proactive in my response approach. I spend a lot of energy in this mode.

In spite all efforts to keep up, entertain, and avoid disaster, we still run into bumps along the way. At some point (and most often more than once) we have melt downs. I think kids do not know how to handle not feeling well and so act out in naughty ways even if they know better. Heck, even adults do this.

The question becomes how do you balance discipline with caring for a sick child? Even though you know they do not feel well, you still cannot allow this naughty behavior. Although you realize this aggression is frustration over feeling poorly, how do you manage or even limit unseemly outbursts.

Do you change your discipline approach? Do you not discipline?

This is something I struggle with quite often when he is sick. I have no answers but rather deal with it as it comes on a case by case basis. You?

Food Friday: Protein for the Toddler.

Back to my picky eater....sometimes I have a hard time getting Judah to eat meat. Too rough, too stringy, too dark...whatever the reason, he does not always like to eat meat.

Perhaps this dislike of meat was because I rarely served it to him as a baby. Meat is not exactly something that can be pureed like peas or apples. Meat tends to be stringy and rough in nature making it a hard item on the menu to digest.

I started out with peanut butter sandwiches. Using cookie cutters made this fun to eat. Then for a while whatever meat I served him I told him it was chicken. Chicken he usually ate, especially chicken nuggets. Then we got into fish sticks because the shape was cool. And of course there is the hot dog phase which makes me cringe every time to think of all those packaged nutrients going into his body.

So how do you get protein into his little body. Recently, I discovered every time we go to eat at the local grocery deli, he would eat the cold lunch meat slices from the salad bar. I would add shredded cheese, cold peas, and some fruit to go along making a complete meal.

I decided to hunt down some cubed, cold lunch meat with the deli meats to bring home. You have to hunt for it but ham and chicken are there. He likes the cubed meat which is small for finger foods. He likes how easy it is to eat, not stringy and chewy. And he is getting another source of protein.

Toy Thursday: I (eye) Spy!

I spy with my little eye....Every little kid at some point in their lives sits down to read an "I Spy" book. After all, hunting for hidden objects in the book is a classic past time. The concept of I Spy can be transferred into so many activities and games to help pass more time on a cold, snowy day.

First, you can play I Spy by describing objects in a room. Judah and I use this technique while waiting at the doctors office. I tell him "Eye Spy something...." and I proceed to describe the color, shape, or size of the object. This technique helps him discover and familiarize himself with his surroundings.

Second, you can play a variation of I Spy by hiding objects in the room. Take a medium-sized object and hide it in the room of choice. The second person then looks around the room to find the object. Once found, the games continues to the next person to hide and the other to seek. For example, I will hide a book mark with a string in the living room while Judah closes his eyes. He will then look around the room to find the book mark.

Still you can play I Spy by filling up a clear, glass jar (with a lid) with birdseed. Add a number of objects to the jar that are small in nature. Tightly close the lid of the jar and shake the jar to see what objects you can find inside. My neighbor utilizes this game with her preschool son. Objects inside the jar include things like a small bouncy ball, a matchbox car, a penny, and so on. Each person on their turn will spy something and proceed to describe the object they see peeking out from the birdseed.

These games not only help pass the time on cold days indoors but also teach valuable skills. Use adjectives to describe objects by specific details as in color, size, and shape. Also, practice using words of opposites like inside, outside, up, down, high, and low. You are building vocabulary and spatial skills. And above all, have fun using your eyes!

Wednesday: Preparing your House and Vehicle for Winter.

The snow last night brought a friendly reminder that we need to make our winter preparations to winterize our house and vehicle. After all, the furnace will run constantly now all winter long making our winter utility bill crazy and we will be traveling out in the snow.

Here are a few steps that we take to winterize our house to save money. Also, taking these precautions increases health and well-being while reducing risk in dangerous situations.

1. Furnace Maintenance - We had the furnace cleaned this year. Routine cleaning and maintenance on the furnace every year (or every other year) lowers your risk for allergies and allows the system to run more efficiently.

2. Vent Cleaning - We had our dryer vent cleaned last year. Cleaning your dryer vent every year (or every other year) prevents fires hazards.

3. Seal the windows - Every year we seal the windows with plastic. Sealing leaky windows minimizes air flow into the house and keeps the utility bill down by keeping the furnace from running constantly to warm square footage.

4. Vehicle Maintenance - Routine inspection of your vehicle with rotating your tires prepares your vehicle for winter travel on the roads.

5. Winter First Aid - Equipping your car with supplies keeps you safe on the road for long Holiday trips. Make sure to outfit your car with sand, a shovel, food and water, and a blanket among many others.

Be safe and stay warm this winter! And keep your bills down!

Tip Tuesday: Yak Trax

It's coming. The four letter S-word...snow. It's in the forecast for tonight. I am thankful that I'm not pregnant this winter...but I've managed to survive two snowy Iowa winters pregnant.

When you're expecting, your balance is off. It's normal. And falling is not good for pregnant women. However, I did find that owning a pair of Yak Trax always helped.

While putting the Yak Trax on and off of my shoes was a bit of a challenge, it sure beats slipping and falling and injuring baby or myself.

Make Monday: Make LESS Mess!

Now that it has turned rainy, cold, and gets dark earlier in the evening, I need more craft ideas of activities for Judah to do to pass the time indoors. I was thinking about this today as Judah and I got the paints out once again.

When he got the paint out, he mixed the the colors with his hands and asked for a paper towel. Then he proceeded to wipe off his hands transferring the color to the towel. As the towel turned green, he told me he was making play dough.

Which reminds me that we should make some more homemade play dough again soon. It is a good activity to foster creativity and use up energy that otherwise would drive mom crazy if unchecked. But then play dough indoors, really? As some moms express, it can be messy. All that play dough in the carpet.

Other activities too are so much fun and help pass the time. For example, creating an indoor sandbox provides entertainment as kids scoop, pour, and push the contents around. However, the last time Judah played with the rice mixture, he left a large trail around the house for me to vacuum. Then you can make magic mud, a homemade silly putty. That is even more messy.

Back to the drawing board for ideas with less mess. I think not. Why should mess deter us from having fun and being creative. And I could certainly use the distraction for this busy toddler.

Solution! During play group this morning the subject came up regarding crafts. And once again, my neighbor friend reminded us to utilize the BATHTUB. The bathtub is the perfect crafting venue. The tub will minimize the mess by keeping it contained. And if the child gets too messy, all you have to do is wash the tub, rinse off the child, and clean your tools.

Mystery solved. So back to some messy concoctions. See you on the flip side.

Shuffle Saturday: One Week Away

Our move is one week away. I feel like a kid on December 15th. I can't wait for it to be here, yet there's still so much to do.

We've packed up pretty much all of the toys (except the "essentials") and already taken three boxes of toys to Goodwill. And by we, I mean Dave. He's the packer/organizer in the family.

I still don't want to take down the family pictures, not just yet. I feel once pictures are removed from the walls, it's empty and doesn't feel like home.

One week until my Christmas. I'm making my list and checking it twice. And trying to figure out how to use up the food in the pantry and fridge!!

Food Friday: Tim's Pot of Homemade Chili!

The weather turned cold this week. Wednesday was the really first damp, rainy day and last night the temperature dipped down into the twenties. Brrr....

If you are not ready for winter (like me), then make yourself a pot of chili this weekend to warm you up. Tim, my husband, came up with his own recipe several years ago, making a family favorite.

Add some shredded cheddar cheese on top with corn chips. Make some tasty, golden cornbread from scratch. Or dip a peanut butter sandwich in this delightful, filling dish. At any rate, fill your tummy and then curl up with a good movie with the family this weekend.

Cook Together
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 green peppers finely chopped

Add 1 package of McCormick Chili Seasoning with additional chili powder to taste. Let simmer into meat for a couple of minutes.

Add
14 oz can Hunts Fire-Roasted tomatoes
16 oz can light red kidney beans
16 oz can dark red kidney beans
28 oz can Hunts crushed tomatoes

Stir all together and let simmer. Add more chili powder to taste if needed. Cook until ready to serve or make in the crock pot to serve later in the day. Add V8 original juice to make the pot go further.

Toy Thursday: Toy Organization

Judah has been been in this habit lately of walking with his toys around the house. I find upstairs toys being carried downstairs and downstairs toys being carried upstairs. He wants a specific toy and so he goes to get it often bringing it to a different room. Then he puts it down forgetting about it until the next time he wants it.

The next time he wants the toy, he asks me where it is. I have been so busy doing chores that I am not sure where he took it, played with it, or put it down. We often end up going on a hunt around the house just for one specific toy. We find it, play with it, and then put it down as we go onto something else, thus forgetting about it again until the next time.

I run into the constant problem of hunting down toys which I neither have the patience nor time to do.

I understand and in fact encourage the need to play with all kinds of toys at the same time. Build a city with your blocks. Add your cars to drive around. Then build the train track. It makes sense for the need to be creative and resourceful.

I also understand the need to move toys around the house. In addition, I also realize the benefits of rotating toys not only from room to room but also what is available to play.For some reason creativity is sparked by changing venues. You can add a striped blanket from the living room for the roads. In the bedroom, the bed acts as the mountain for the city.

I am starting to realize the key is to picking up the toy when finished and putting it away in the appropriate place (room). Judah has this nice new toy bin with buckets for his blocks, cars, and trains among other toys. At first, the toys have been thrown in each bucket in any old way with some of all three in each bucket. This adds to the stress of finding a toy when desperately needed and relying on mom's help every time to come to the rescue.

While I continue to tell him to look in his toy bins, I have decided it is time to implement some further organization tips to make the search process run smoother.

When Judah opened his brand new toys from the boxes, I immediately cut off a picture of the toy from the leftover box. With high hopes I plan to tape the pictures of the blocks, cars, and trains to the corresponding bin that will house the toys from now on. Then when we pick up, we can be more mindful of matching the correct item into the box. Judah, himself, can look at the picture knowing what goes into that specific bin, aiding a faster search.

I hope this lessens the stress finding the toys. Now the next step is to figure out how not to walk with them around the house, leaving them in random places. Any ideas?

Wash Wednesday: Winter Clothes

I couldn't believe it. I even had to check the local news website. Still didn't believe it. So I checked out the Weather Channel. Yep. Snow was in the forecast.

So I find myself pulling out the snow pants, heavy coats, gloves and hats. I know I washed them before I put them away...but they just...smell.

So what did other mom's do so you're not re-washing the winter gear before it hits? We don't have a smoker in the house and other than our handi-cat who doesn't get into the tote, what can do you do make it not smell--for lack of a better word, icky.

Tip Tuesday: Dealing with Morning Sickness.

So it is official - I am 20 weeks pregnant. Yes, this does explain why all my posts lately have been full of grammar errors more so than usual. This also explains why my co-author Sarah has been doing the bulk of the posts...because most days I have been too tired chasing my toddler around or I just finished throwing up my lunch.

Just like with Judah, I experienced morning sickness throughout my whole first trimester. In fact, I knew instantly when I was pregnant. One day I started feeling nauseous and the thought of any food seemed repulsive.

When you feel nauseous, nothing sounds good to eat. Your husband, like my sweet husband, has to literally cook all the food and clean up afterwards. As with me, any turn of the head with one (but the wrong) sniff of smell would send me running to the sink.

Even Judah caught on by plugging his own little nose and mouth with his hand calling things stinky. He also would go to the sink with me and pretend to cough. And when my diet became picky, Judah's diet also changed.

Morning sickness is never fun to go through. You feel just yucky all the time, ready to throw up at a moments notice. The only foods you can get down are the ones that sound remotely good and do not require a lot of chewing. Simple things like brushing your teeth, washing the dishes, and changing a dirty diaper suddenly seem like a huge production.

Going through morning sickness twice, I have learned a few tips along the way that at least lessens the bad feelings and yucky tastes. Luckily with Judah, I could lay down all the time.

Here is what I do for morning sickness. Please as with anything before trying talk to your own doctor about what is best for your situation.

1. Try chewing gum after you eat. This helps clean the teeth from leftover food particles that make you want to gag. Chewing gum also helps curb the bad after tastes that seem to penetrate your mouth and make you nauseous.

2. Try taking Unisom sleeping tablets offset with B-6 vitamins. Unisom can be bought over the counter and helps with nausea. The B-6 allows your food to be converted into the energy. With Judah I took two B-6 tablets during the day and a Unisom tablet right before bed throughout my whole pregnancy.

3. For a quick boost in energy and carbohydrates to curb the onslaught of nausea, try eating saltine crackers. Even more so, try eating saltine crackers when you wake up in the morning and before you get out of bed.

4. Snack before you go to sleep. In taking some extra protein (like Greek yogurt) lessens the nausea when you wake up.

5. Eat small meals more often. Personally, I have used Ensure to supplement my diet when I need a snack on the go.

Share your own experiences on dealing with morning sickness.