Happy New Year's Eve!

As we find ourselves saying goodbye to 2011 and hello 2012, we'd like to wish all of our readers and followers a Happy New Years Eve.


May 2012 bring more smiles than tears, more blessings than set backs and more laughter than cries.

If you do venture out tonight, please be safe.

See you next year! :)

Sarah and Emma

Food Friday: Tomato Basil Bisque

Looking for some great foods to entertain for New Year's Eve or for your football bowls coming up. Try this great-tasting tomato bisque to impress your friends. My husband made it and it was so good, I really felt like I was in some classy restaurant.

Original Recipe
6 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter cubed
3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions
In a large saucepan, saute the celery, onion, and red pepper in butter for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil, sugar, salt and pepper; cool slightly. Transfer half of the soup mixture to a blender. While processing, gradually add cream; process until pureed. Return to the pan; heat through (do not boil). This recipe yields 5 servings.

Adapted Recipe based on ingredients we had on hand.
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions
In a large saucepan, saute the onion, and red pepper in butter for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil, sugar, salt and pepper; cool slightly. Transfer the soup mixture to a blender. While processing, gradually add cream; process until pureed. Return to the pan; heat through (do not boil). This recipe yields 5 servings.

Wash Wednesday: Resourceful Ways to Store your Christmas Decorations

At our house we leave the Christmas decorations up until mid-January. Since we do not get our get our live tree until the second week in December, we like to enjoy it a little bit longer. You know keep the magic of Christmas around as long as possible or at least until the trash pick up is scheduled.

Most people though like to take the Christmas decorations down the day after Christmas suggesting the season is over (and in my opinion too soon). Due to crazy mothers from kids taking down the ornaments, some just have had enough. My neighbor friend even took hers down a week before Christmas because the cat kept eating the tree needles and puking up the remains.

Well for whatever reason, the tree comes down and the decorations get put away for another year. And the stores stock the shelves with expensive storage containers.

I was racking my brain for some simple storage containers to store our ever-increasing Christmas decorations. Here are a few ideas to more frugal with Christmas storage:

Have a lot of Christmas ball ornaments? Try placing them in a leftover egg carton. Egg cartons separate your balls to keep them safe and nice looking. The cartons then stack up on top of each other reducing the pain of rolling balls. Wrap some bubble wrap around the container for glass balls.

What do you do for those small wreaths that do not fit in those large plastic wreath holders? Utilize your leftover plastic party trays with lids. Wash them up after serving cookies and use it to house your wreath for the year. You could even wash the tray out and use it again to serve cookies next year.

You have many other loose ornaments? Recycle those pretty gift boxes or those boxes you made out of wrapping paper to store additional decorations. Wrap these items in the leftover wrinkled tissue paper to keep secure.

There is no reason to buy those expensive plastic totes to store Christmas decorations. Think outside the box and use what you have around the house. And please share your ideas!

For more frugal tips, please visit Learning the Frugal Life.

Tip Tuesday: Keep The Kids Busy--Treat Them to a Movie!

If your kids attend school out of the home, they're on break this week. We're on day three of break and already we've had a discussion about not having to get up at 6:30 and to be nice to your brothers.

But I've got to find things for them to do...or I'm going to go bonkers.

Today, on KBG deals, they have 50% off of movie tickets through Fandango. 4 movie tickets for $24! Click here to view and purchase this deal!

You could use it as an incentive or just when you've "had enough" and want them to sit still for more than 10 seconds at a time.

I never understood the line in "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" that says, "And mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again"....until now.

Merry Christmas!

In light of our post earlier this week regarding electronics, Mommys Recess is going off line for Christmas this weekend, the first in the history of the blog. Instead, join us in enjoying our family and friends and celebrating the birth of the baby Jesus.

From our families to yours may you have a Merry Christmas! Sarah and Emma

Toy Thursday: What My Kids WON'T Be Getting This Christmas

Is it just me or are toys getting stranger and stranger? What happened to the normal toys we had growing up?? That being said, here's a list of toys that my kids WON'T be getting at Christmas (or birthday, or ever).

1. Doggie Doo Game

Really? A game where you feed a dog and press its tail and it poops. And then you have to clean it up. And how is this fun? Ew.

2. Pop the Pig

You feed a pig burgers until his tummy bursts. Again, ew.

3. Squinkies

Here's a great idea...let's encourage our children to play with something that is super small and a choking hazard. What could go wrong?? Pass.

It reminds me of this SNL sketch.

My kids will not be getting "Mr. Skin Grafter", "Doggie Dentist", "Johnny Switchblade, Adventure Punk" or a "Bag of Glass".

Call me a mean mom. But I might just stick with Duplo toys and trucks.

Wash Wednesday: Laundry for Packing!

Laundry is always something that has to be done before you can finish packing your suitcases. Today I did just that with washing over five loads of laundry to get caught up on clean clothes so that we can leave town later this week.

I like to allow myself a couple of days in advance to do laundry. And I try to get every last bit done so that I can leave an empty laundry room to dump dirty clothes in when we get back. As I fold it, I lay out what we need and put the rest away in the proper drawers. I then start packing with the items laying out which saves me a step of putting everything away.

My laundry room is now clean but I know I will end up with more clothes that we want to take since we are doing multiple Christmas celebrations. Most of the time, we wear clothes we know we are not taking. Even so, I always end up with enough at the last minute that need washed. So I will rewash a load in a couple of days right before we leave.

How do you tackle packing the clothes for your family?

Tip Tuesday: Leave the Bows

I learned this trick the hard way and have been waiting to share my wisdom with other mommies!

The bows on the presents...if you're like me and you have to travel "Over the river and through the woods to Grandmothers house" you know the problem. You've got your gifts all nice and pretty, with a bow.

By the time you get to Grandmas, the bows are crushed and your wrapping job looks like you did it blindfolded.

Rather than putting the bows on before hand, I just leave them off of the gifts. I bring a bag of bows and put them on the presents as I'm setting them under the tree at Grandma's (and in our case, ma'ams) house.

It saves a lot of headaches, stress and honestly, more stress is the LAST thing a mom needs at Christmas.

Make Monday: Make an Effort to Turn OFF the Electronics

Sometimes I find myself thinking how did our stay-at-home moms do it without the Internet at home. I mean when I am feeling down on a day stuck at home, I get on the Internet and socialize with other moms on face book and email. These are good places to vent about your insane days with the kids, find solace and advice, and lift each other's spirits knowing that you are not alone. Moms (especially stay-at-home moms) feel more connected to each other and the world around them thanks to modern electronics.

The previous generation would have had the telephone but who wants to be on that after screaming kids. Every since the day I received over 100 messages on my work phone, I am one to totally screen my calls and take my time returning calls (sorry but realize it is not just you). Instead I spend my time sending a quick, to-the-point text when necessary.

Other times I relish the quiet when I can get away from the accessibility and convenience of electronics. One of my favorite things about our summer vacation trip to Canada is the lack of Internet and Blackberry access being in the middle of no where. And I love it! No calls to return. No obligations to fulfill. No temptation of being on the Internet for hours and posting about my life.

I do spend my fair share of time on the Internet doing my regular things: news, blog obviously, email, shop, and even my devotions (cause I am more productive than opening a book sometimes). It is at these times that I notice how much we all spend on our computers and smart phones twittering and face booking. It is so easy to do. I know because sometimes I get bored with the same old face book posts.

I have become concerned with our addiction to this modern technology though because I know how much time it can take away from daily life. I find it discouraging when I open my face book "stories" to find the same person has left the last five posts in a row. Or when I see people get up in the morning and go immediately to check their email on their smart phone even before going to the bathroom, let alone say good morning to their loved ones. And how about those relatives that will be browsing on their phone during your holiday party in the middle of a conversation with them. Enough. Obviously we need to rearrange our priorities because this is pathetic.

I want to scream (but internally of course), "get off the electronic device (insert phone, computer, and television) already." You have kids and spouses that need your attention. Enjoy the quiet of the day. Do something more worthwhile. And lessen the noise cause life throws so much at us as it is.

So I encourage all of us (myself included) to limit the electronic noise this Christmas season. In fact confiscate the phone. Turn off the computer. Think twice when turning on the television just for background noise. And enjoy your special time with your loved ones while reflecting on the joy of the season.

Salvation Sunday: The Magic of Christmas

Quite often we get a little too wrapped (pun intended) up in all of the Christmas traditions, baking, gifts etc etc.

The other night, Daddy was getting off of work late, I was tired and didn't want to cook dinner and we agreed to meet at Pizza Ranch (or Pizza Ants, as Sean calls it).

Daddy had a small mishap at work (bus accident, but he's fine) and was running late. The kids were hungry, and tired, and whiney, and fighting and and and...mom had enough.

Even though I knew Daddy wouldn't be able to meet us for a while, I loaded the kids in the van and we drove around looking at Christmas lights.

Baby B has started saying, "WOW! WOWOW!" at the Christmas lights. It was too cute. But Liam stole the show. He exclaimed, "Mommy! My heart is so full of Christmas joy I feel like it could explode!!"

And while that's not a very traditional Christmas vision, it made my heart warm. I knew what he was trying to say. I knew what he meant. And it was sweet.

Because I remember feeling that way about Christmas when I was a kid. And when he said it, I had that feeling return again.

It is magical.

Shuffle (Santorum) Saturday

I will be heading back to my hometown of Glidden today to visit with my parents and to attend an event with Rick Santorum. I will post more here once the event is over. :)

Not only did I meet Senator Santorum...

But so did my DAD!

And to my surprise, he spent almost two hours (uninterrupted by his "handlers") answering questions.

I was impressed. And so was dad. Three cheers for family values. Three cheers for someone who sticks with what he says. Three cheers for Rick Santorum!

And now his (albeit barn sign yard capable)yard is hosting a yard sign for Rick Santorum.

Go Rick!!

Food Friday: Vanishing (Raisin or Cranberry) Oatmeal Cookies

This oatmeal recipe is one of my mom's cookie recipes that we used to make for Christmas cookies. This recipe not only tastes great but you can make a large quantity of dry ingredients ahead of time and add the wet ingredients when cookies are needed. That is exactly what we did as my brother and I mixed up the lump of real butter into the dry ingredients. Then on another day my mom would pull out the , add the egg and vanilla, and finish the baking.

Cream together in a large bowl:
1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar

Add:
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Set aside.

Sift together:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Add:
3 cups of oats
1 cup of your choice of raisins, cranberries and white chocolate chips, or chocolate chips

Store dry ingredients in cool, dry place for up to several weeks. When ready to bake, combine dry ingredients with creamed sugars and eggs. Then drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 1 minute before removing to a rack. Makes 3-4 dozen.

Toy Thursday: Out with the Old and In with the New

You have heard the saying "out with the old and in with the new." I thought of this when I saw a mom's post on face book about cleaning out the toy room just this week to make room for new Christmas toys.

I guess adding a new collection of toys to the already overstuffed toy room can be a challenge (And a pathetic one in our society at that if you ask me). That is why it is a good time to clean and sort the toys as you make room for new ones. Here are some tips to do so.

• Allow age appropriate toys to remain while removing toys that are outgrown.
• Remove broken toys and their pieces from the room.
• Bag up some toys not played with for charities such as churches, clinics waiting rooms, and organizations that take gently used toys.
• Rotate toys around the house between rooms as some kids play with toys in different settings.
• Rotate toys from storage and get out when the kids are bored with what is currently out.
  
• Dust, wipe down, and wash toys and toy areas from germs and dirt to make a safe and clean play environment. Remember that some toys like bath toys can be washed in the dishwasher.
• Organize toys for easy access and efficient clean-up.
  

Wash Wednesday: A Kid Proof Tablecloth

I remember my brothers when they were little pushing their match box cars back and forth on the wooden furniture at home. You can still see the skids (scratch) marks on the wood of the now beat up piano in the living room. You can also see the spots on the dining room table from bangs, dents, and remains of craft/school projects. Kids are very hard on wooden furniture.

Now it is my turn to find that out. Our dining room oak table (with up to three leaves) and six matching chairs is the one piece of furniture that is nice in our house. I always wanted a very big table to house every family member for the holidays and family meals. I even collected 100% linen tablecloths for these special occasions to decorate the table.

With a kid though, keeping that table and chairs looking nice is definitely a challenge. And I know that it will come out on the other side with some ding ups which will only reflect on fond memories (I hope). But how do I keep it looking nice longer.

At first, I tried regular fabric table cloths but soon found out that I was washing the crumbs out everyday adding to my laundry pile. Then once we moved into the finger paint stage, I tried a plastic tablecloth that would be easy to wipe and clean. Finally we moved into the poke your fork into the table cloth stage and so I had to find something heavier.

That is when I implemented this wonderful idea from my sister-in-law. Her antique family-heirloom dining room table is covered with a real piece of heavy vinyl from the fabric store. First she laid down a regular small table covering exactly the size of the tabletop to help with moisture. Next, she laid down a piece of black vinyl just slightly larger than the table. Then she took safety pins and pinned up the corners of the vinyl around the edges underneath of the table so that the cloth did not get removed. The tablecloth has become the permanent table top.

I got my piece of red vinyl on sale at the local fabric store. And we have used it all fall on our table. I must admit it looks classy enough to decorate the table and to keep there for company. It is very easy to care and wipe clean with even throwing it in the clothes wash every so often. What most impresses me though is that it acts as a kid proof cloth against spills, paints, and scratches. We certainly have continued our everyday lifestyle on it.

Now I just need to do something about the chairs.

Tip Tuesday: Battle the Dry Air

Last week my husband blamed me for dripping hair color (purple) on our bedspread. I thought I had been really careful about it. I guess I wasn't.

And then I found a variety of dark red spots on the tile in our bathroom floor. Again, I didn't think I was that crazy with the hair color...but I guess I was.

And on Saturday, the real culprit reared his little furry head. As I was getting ready for our housewarming party, Beckett, our cat, came in and used his litterbox. On the way out of the swinging door, he sneezed. Blood sprayed everywhere. I screamed for my husband and he came running, holding the cat in the bathroom so he wouldn't drip blood on the new (cream) carpet.

"Gimme some cotton balls," demanded my husband who was holding Beckett down as Beckett continued to sneeze and spray blood.

I went to the "stockpile" in our closet and grabbed the first thing that made sense. A maxi-pad. It IS what it is for. So here's my husband, holding a feminine pad under our cats nose as he continues to sneeze and spray blood. Still.

"Cottonballs," yelled my husband. I finally found them and he did get the bleeding to stop...but it took about 20 minutes. My husband, who notoriously gets bloody noses in the winter, informed me that he had one a few days before.

We love the new house but it is so big that it makes it hard for a pot of boiling water to humidify the air...unlike the apartment.

So I've been air drying the items I know my husband isn't picky about and trying to occasionally boil water. I also leave the bathroom door open when I shower to help by getting some of the humidity into the house.

After the last big nose bleed of the cat, my husband put some Neosporin on his nose. That seemed to help....that and what I've done to put some humidity in the home.

At least I know it wasn't my hair color.

Make Monday: Printed Paper Cookie Cutter Ornaments

I had been trying to rack my brain on some ideas for safe ornaments to hang on the tree for my curious, touch everything toddler. We put up our Christmas tree finally on Saturday only to have Judah take half of the tree decorations within reach down. He has been carrying the ornaments all over the house, playing with them any chance he gets.

It is probably a good thing we did not put up any breakable glass balls on the tree as well as our sentimental homemade cookie dough ornaments we made our first year of marriage. What few nice ornaments we do have remain towards the top half of the tree, out of reach.

So this week's project is designed to create a safe, fun ornament that your toddler/preschooler can enjoy and be proud of showing off: homemade cookie cutter ornaments. And you do not mind if they end up being played with.

Supplies
cheap cookie cutters
printed Christmas paper or wrapping paper scraps
Elmer's glue
ribbon
scissors
pencil
hole punch

Instructions
First, trace the outside shape of the cookie cutter onto the front of your printed paper with a pencil. Cut out the shape from the paper and hole punch the top of the shape so that the object will balance when hung. Turn over the cookie cutter and line the edge with a tiny squeeze of Elmer's glue. Turn the cookie cutter back over and press onto the stenciled shape with the glued edged. Make sure the printed paper faces the front of cookie cutter. Let the glue dry before tying some ribbon through the hole. Hang the cookie cutter ornament onto the Christmas tree so that the paper backing lies next to the tree.

Lessons Learned
This project is a little above a toddler's age group, making it a project more for older kids. However, Judah had fun playing with the cookie cutter shapes and picking out the paper to match each cookie cutter. He even attempted to help glue the ornaments. To actually glue proved to be a bit tricky but we found that Elmer's glue still was the most effective and easiest form to use as long as you apply it to directly to the edge of the side of the cookie cutter you want to glue down onto the paper.

Salvation Sunday: The Smells of the Manger Scene!

Yesterday, we set up our Christmas tree. Judah was so excited to get out the ornaments as he asked to get them out all afternoon. He even has played with ornaments non stop since on and off the tree.

In the middle of decorating the house, however, Judah had this awful dirty diaper that was pretty rank in comparison to the Christmas smells of of candles and real pine trees. So we stopped for a break to change the diaper which I just did right next to the Christmas tree on the floor.

As I was changing the mess, the thought came to my mind. This is probably more the smell that filled the manger scene with all those animals nearby. The nativity certainly was not ginger and spice by any means. Imagine a newborn being born in a so called barn scene with the smell of manure. Humbling beginnings for sure for anyone but especially for a king, a Savior.

What a picture this paints. A Savior, a king, God himself in flesh, coming to earth in the midst of sin, dirt, and messy filth. His presence at birth for all permeated freshness and a sweetness from the stench, pain, and sorrow of life to that of Christmas joys and peace. Christmas came down right next to the filth of everyday sin.

And yet he came to do just that. "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:12

And again: "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:6-8

Shuffle Saturday: Prepping For A Holiday Party

We're having a housewarming/Ugly Christmas Sweater/Debate watch party tonight. I (with the help of my husband) made two different dips, a chocolate chip cheeseball and melted snowman cookies. All this morning.

The house? Yeah. I've learned my lesson. We won't be cleaning until AFTER the kids leave with Grandma for a friend's birthday party.

I used to clean the day before (or the morning before) a party only to have it completly destroyed by the time the guest came. And that made me one crabby hostess.

Here are a few tips:

1. Prep as much as you can ahead of time. Have dips that you bake? Mix them up and put them in the fridge. Bake them about 30 minutes before the guests come. That way you're pulling them out of the oven just before they come in.

2. Get Grandparents (or friends) to watch the kid(s) in the afternoon before the party so you can clean/organize/tidy up. There's really no point in cleaning while the kids are around...because if your kids are like mine, they'll just walk behind you making messes as you go.

3. Enjoy yourself. People really are not going to notice if there's a toy or two in the living room. You DO have kids after all. And if they're good friends, they'll understand.

Food Friday: Snickerdoodles

Need another batch of Christmas cookies and clueless as to what to make? Try these mouth watering, family favorites. From my experience, I guarantee you will not be able to eat just one cookie. So roll up your sleeves, get out your baking gear, and team up with the family to make a batch while listening to Christmas music in the background.

Ingrediants

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups of sugar and the eggs. Blend in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls.

Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon; roll balls in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from baking sheet.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Toy Thursday: Wrapping Presents with Toddlers can be a Game!

If you have a toddler in the house then chances are you are going to go through a lot of wrapping paper, bows, tape, and stickers this Christmas season. Unless you happen to only wrap gifts after toddler hours.

A while back I wrote about how I like to set up a wrapping station. This will allow me to wrap Christmas gifts as I get them (or have them delivered, rather) to save time later wrapping at the last minute.

This concept works great except when you want to wrap daddy's gifts during the day while he is away at work. Not only do you run into the problem of your toddler spilling the beans on his every gift (sorry dad, no surprises), but you run into the problem of managing your little elf helper.

So the other day, I did just that. I got out the wrapping paper and tape to spread out on the floor below my wrapping station. I also got out the scissors trying to keep these out of reach of little hands. And we started wrapping.

Judah was my big helper if you can only imagine. He unwrapped the roll of paper and proceeded to jump on it crinkling it all up. Next, he wanted to help with the tape and by helping I mean one very long piece of crumbled up on the gift box. He then found some stickers in with the gift tags. So I started him on decorating a gift box while I finished wrapping the other gift. This lasted until he stuck all the stickers on the box and because I was not finished, he wanted to move the stickers over to another box. And now you guessed it, we have remnants of Christmas stickers all over the house. Still he was excited about his sticker decorations, showing dad when he came home all the while telling dad what the contents of the box were.

And now days later, Judah walks around with little scraps of wrapping paper with rolled up objects. He pretends to give them to you as your present. Your part is too act excited and of course surprised (perhaps it is to find something you have been missing in the process).

It is all in good fun I suppose. Kids are what make Christmas memorable including the chore of wrapping gifts. Just turn the chore into a game and a fun activity. And forget about perfect looking wrapped gifts knowing that the time spent is more important doing it together. I may be wrapping twice as long and cleaning up more after the fact (not to mention the floor needs vacuumed now), but it is fun to have my little elf be my helper.

Wash Wednesday: New Downy Unstopables--A Review---Again!

I ran out of Downy Unstopables. It was the end of the laundry world in my household as we know it.

It wasn't until AFTER I ran a few loads without that my husband said, "Why don't my clothes smell as good?"

Thanks, Dear.

It was then that he told me he has received comments from co-workers and even blood donors who have said that his clothes smell so good.

And even though I didn't want to do it, I went to Dahls. And paid full price. No coupon.

The things we do for good smelling laundry.

Tip Tuesday: Frugal and Festive Holiday Decorations

It will be nice when I can decorate my whole Christmas tree...but for now, we'll just decorate the top half.

Now that we have hardwood floors, I knew I didn't want to put any breakable ornaments on the tree. I can just see it...the boys come running, crash into the tree and there would be green, red, gold and silver glass shards all over the floor.

Nope. Not going to happen.

But I really hate having decorations that I can only use once a year and knowing they're just sitting in a box in storage. It doesn't seem like a good use of property.

So I grabbed some vases and put the glass balls in them. I put three vases in our front entry way, one on the boys bathroom counter and one on our bathroom counter.

The boys bathroom with glass balls in a vase

Master Bathroom

Front entry way


It really gave all of the rooms a festive feel and it didn't cost anything as I already had the supplies!

Make Monday: Make It Festive (And Smell Good Too)--Even If It Includes Mr. Hankey

Yesterday I came across a recipe for applesauce and cinnamon ornaments. The kids seemed excited about them to we made them. When I say "we", I mean "I". They stuck around for about 5 minutes before playing with the Angry Birds set.

When it came time to pick out the shapes, they were all about it. We have snowmen, Christmas trees, Candy Canes, Gingerbread Men and stockings.

I found I had just a bit of dough left, and not wanting to waste anything, I did something I wasn't proud of.

We made a Mr. Hankey Christmas ornament. It wasn't my finest parenting hour. But the kids had fun and it will make for a conversation starter at our house warming party.

The recipe I used is as follows:
3/4 cup applesauce
1 bottle (4.12 ounces)of ground cinnamon

That's it. Mix it, roll it, cut it. Before baking, use a straw to cut a hole in the top of the ornament so you can string it and hang it on the tree.

Bake at 200 degrees for 2.5 hours. It will make your house smell AWESOME.

Even if the last bit of dough is in the shape of, well, Christmas poo.

I love being a mom of boys, I love being a mom of boys, I love being a mom of boys.


(Note: Mr. Hankey was my HUSBAND'S idea.)

Salvation Sunday: Keeping Christ in Christmas

We all know that saying and we know what it means...but do we really?

Quite often I see people too wrapped up in their Christmas shopping, decorating and baking that they're doesn't seem to be a glimmer of Christ in their CHRISTmas.

Someone fired shots outside of Valley West Mall on Black Friday. Someone was choked at the 8th Street Wal-Mart over a video game. Two teens got in a fight at Jordan Creek mall. Would Christ be involved in any of that? I don't think so.

We need to remember what's important...that HE is the reason for the season. We're celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The man who came to Earth, the man who died for our sins. The man who is more than just a man, but the Son of God.

It's not about who has the "right gifts", who has the "house with the most lights" or who has the "perfect" decorations. It's about that "Dear 8 pounds 6 ounces baby Jesus, new born, not even spoken a word yet."-Ricky Bobby.

And now that you're laughing, keep sweet little baby Jesus in mind. Because, it is about his birth.

Shuffle Saturday: Mommy (Parents) Knows Best for their Kids!

Tis the season for Christmas and all through the house you find family and friends. The Holiday season brings a lot of family and friends whether at your house or traveling on the road. That means a whole lot of conflicting information for a kid from parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

At our last playgroup the topic of "knowing what is best for our kids"came up for discussion among us moms. With so many extended family and family friends around, kids often are shuffled from one command to another. Do this, do that, do not do this, do not do that....and on it goes.

A big parenting frustration of mine is when mommy or daddy is standing in the room trying to give orders, correct their kid, or see to their kids' needs, and a third party interrupts them offering their own advice and/or their own instruction. For example, I can be telling Judah something important (to his well being) and have someone else interrupt me midway through conversation to tell him something different. Excuse me.

I have also experienced people who do not listen to the parents' wishes and instructions by ignoring them or choosing simply not to listen. Sometimes mommies have specific instructions as to to the care of the child only to have these wishes seen as obsolete by a third party. There is a reason perhaps mommy says.... "you need a hat." The kid is getting over an ear infection...."do not nap with them." Just like last time, the kid will never fall asleep from the extra stimulation. Not cool.

Now I am no exception to the rule. I have been known on occasion to tell another mom's kid no only to have to stop midway to apologize for superseding their authority, especially in front of them. And so I just simply have this conversation with my mommy friends if it OK to say "no" to their child. And we all agree that if their safety is in jeopardy, then go ahead and by all means say "no." I have also learned that if their mommy is present, it is better to hold my tongue. After all, I would not want them to question my authority in front of my kids, making life more difficult for all parties.

At the end of the day, parents know what is best for their kid. Sure, someone else like a grandparent may overall have more experience as they have been there, done that with their own kids. However, these loved ones do not have THAT experience with MY kid....in which times, personalities, and circumstances can be different. Moms (and dads) knows best to what makes their kid tick, get tired, get sick, be tempted. Perhaps that is why we are the best candidate to take care of our kids. And the best ones to tell them what is what.

Food Friday: Peanut Butter Bars!

Peanut butter cookies are my favorite. A good spin off of those include these peanut butter bars. If you need to whip something up tomorrow for your church Christmas Cookie Walk, try these. Guaranteed you will not be able to eat just one! Happy Baking!

Frosted Peanut Butter Bars

½ cup crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups unsifted all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, stir together peanut butter and butter until creamy. Gradually beat in sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into peanut butter mixture. Spread batter in a greased 13 by 9 inch baking pan. Beat in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Cool in pan.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

2 ½ cups confectioners sugar

For frosting, beat together creamy peanut butter and vanilla. Beat in two tablespoons milk and 1 cup sugar until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining sugar and milk until smooth and of spreading consistency. Use to frost cooled peanut butter bars. Cut into 24 equal pieces.

Toy Thursday: Surviving The Holiday

There are SO many toy commercials. Honestly, I was expecting more political commercials than toy commercials, living in Iowa one month away from the caucus. But I couldn't be that lucky.

Woah. Wait. Did I just call myself lucky to sit through political commercials? I did. I must be losing it. And Mattel must have a larger advertising budget than Mitt Romney.

But every time my kids see a commercial for something the TV tells them they need...they want it. The toy commercials have even infiltrated my evening news.

24 days until Christmas. We'll be watching a lot of IPTV (commercial free) and less Nickeloden between now and then. I'm done toy shopping for the boys and I don't want them to decide there's something they need between now and then.

And then there's the Pampers "Silent Night" commercial that never fails to make me weepy. And even though they scream and fight and yell for toys, they're my little angels.