Shuffle Saturday: I Have a Bully

I have a confession. My second child is a bully. I'll admit it. But he's also one of the sweetest kids I know. He likes to sit next to me on the couch, putting his arm in mine while watching TV. He likes to sing to his baby brother when he's crying and is always very helpful putting diapers in the garbage. But he can be a bully.

It's a part of his personality. When he was 6 months old in the Jumparoo, he'd bounce, turn back to me and give me a "look" that would scare me. And honestly, not a lot scares me. I am a Ghost Hunter after all.

It's when I get reports from my Mother In Law that a parent claims we need to "get him under control" or that we "should just leave" while playing at the playground or Monkey Joe's. And that makes me angry. Thankfully my 6 year old can explain what actually happened, as the three year old and the other child always seem to have a limited vocabulary.

This post is mostly for the parents of the kid who claims he's been picked on. Get the whole story. Maybe your kid fell on his own. Maybe your kid started it. You can't always believe your own child, I know I don't. And you can't always coddle them. They have to grow up. They have to learn to stand up for themselves. They can't always run and tattle on the other kid. This "snowflake" children mentality has to stop. Yes, your child is special, but so is mine.

I insist on the whole story AND make my child take personal responsibility if he is the guilty party. However, if I (or my in-laws) pay to enter a play area, we will not leave because you embarrass us in front of other parents. I can honestly say that the last parent that approached my mother in law is just lucky it was her and not me. I am a bulldog when it comes to my kids. But I also believe they should be punished if they're the instigator.

I really fear the generation my children are being raised in. It seems every child has learned that if he whines and complains, he can get what he wants, even if he's the trouble maker. I refuse to raise my kids with that mentality.

Be the adult. Don't show your kids it's okay to embarrass other parents. Be diplomatic. Be responsible. BE A PARENT.

Make Monday: Pumpkins

Orange everywhere! Our wall is covered with pumpkins to celebrate the Fall season. And making these pumpkins made for a good Fall activity on a cold, rainy day.

My neighbor expanded on our coffee filter flowers. Her son wanted to do a craft with eye droppers. So instead of using washable markers for color, they came up with the idea of using droppers with colored water.

To get started, recycle and save your infant medicine droppers. Add food coloring to various cups of water to get desired colors. Squeeze droplets onto the coffee filters watching the color diffuse together. Dry between paper towels or on paper bags. Once dry, add black construction paper faces or connect pumpkins with green vines and leaves for your own personal pumpkin patch.

Decorate your own house with pumpkins.

Salvation Sunday: Baby Harry's Baptism

As Catholics, my husband and I believe in baptizing our children shortly after birth. We always try to make this a family affair, as it is our family that holds us together, our family gives us strength, with our shared faith in God.

I won't be posting a lot of words, as there are none. But these, Matthew 19:14, "Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Food Friday: BPA Myths

On this food friday, we won't post a recipe. However, I do want to discuss something I think is important for all parents to read. As a mom, I always try to give my kids the best. That's why when this latest BPA scare came out, I wanted to do more research.

I ran across an article that I thought spoke to me well. The author discusses the studies that the media twists and turns and uses to scare parents. 

I have two children, one boy and one girl. While I was pregnant, my doctor never told me to avoid any kind of food packaging. My child's doctor has never mentioned anything about thyroid levels with my boy, and I'm not worried. My son is a very bright, curious and healthy boy. 

Every year, my family tries to travel to Canada for a vacation and I know how strict their rules are when it comes to food. Knowing that Canada debunked the theory of BPA makes me feel even better. 

I store my leftovers in plastic containers. We eat food packaged cans and bags. This author had it right. Even though we're busy moms, we must not allow the media to scare us before we can do some research ourselves. We can not allow ourselves to be scared and swayed. Every mother wants to do what's right by her children, but I've learned we can't take "reports" at face value. We must do our own research and yes, even as the author said, use common sense.

What do you think? 

Food Friday: Chicken Cordon Bleu....IN THE CROCKPOT!

Oh yes. Believe it. I wasn't sure at first either, but it really works and was really good. I would have taken a picture but we all, including my husband who claims he doesn't like Chicken Cordon Bleu, gobbled it all up.

So here's the recipe, from Chef In Training.

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I just used an entire frozen bag of breasts...and put them in frozen!)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
4 ounces sliced ham
4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
1 (8 ounce) package herbed dry bread stuffing mix (I used Stove Top Chicken Flavored)
1/4 cup butter, melted
Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour enough of the soup into a slow cooker to cover the bottom.
Layer chicken breasts over the sauce.
Cover with slices of ham and then Swiss cheese.
Pour the remaining soup over the layers, stirring a little to distribute between layers. ( I didn't stir and it turned out great!)
Sprinkle the stuffing on top, and drizzle butter over stuffing.
Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, or 2 to 3 hours on High.
Enjoy!

It was SO good. Enjoy!