The cooking lesson!

Teaching Andrew to cook........

For some reason it is alot easier to teach my daughter to cook than my son.  Perhaps because she is alittle more eager to attempt cooking.  Oh well :)  Today was Andrew's day to learn a few things about cooking.

I had him chop mushrooms, onions, and zuchini and put into a bowl.  I then had him add the hamburger (raw) 4 eggs, and some mashed crackers.  He then got the job of mixing it all together with his washed hands.

 He wasnt so sure he liked it but he was smiling so I think he lived.

 He then pressed all of it into a 9x13 pan and poured spagetti sauce over the top.  We then covered it with aluminum foil and put it in the oven to cook at 350 degrees.  A pic of the finished meal will follow soon!

At this point I am just so proud of him for helping me and trying to learn something new!

hugs to my wonderful son Andrew!

Libby went to Homecoming!

Last night my only daughter and babyof the family, Libby, went to her first High school Dance!  It was Homecoming.  Since she is only a freshman and 14 she went with a group of girls and just met the boys there.

We (Libby and I ) had gone to Macy's a few days before and were lucky enough to find the exact dress we had liked online!  We then picked out shoes etc.  It was fun.  Then yesterday while out shopping, Otis and I picked up some earrings to go with her dress.

The girls were so excited and all your could hear were squeals and music  from upstairs the whole time they got ready.

Here is a close up of her earrings and her curls!

 Here they are as they ran out the door!  They met up with more friends at the dance.  They both looked so beautiful!  After all that, I was too tired to craft or anything else- but it was so worth it!

Feathers!

Today we went to the fair.  We had a great time but we also did one thing I had a hunch was coming. 

My daughter got feathers!

No, She isnt turning into a bird.  Feathers are a very popular trend with teen girls right now.  When she first saw these, she didnt like them at all!  But!  It is amazing how a teen girls mind can change when her friends start getting them!

Here she is while the salesgirl is trying on different colored feathers in her hair.  You dont want to clash your feathers!

 As you can tell she had a hard time deciding! But finally settled on pink and white.  We spurged on 2 feathers.  They are supposed to last for 4 months in your hair with no ill effects.  Im a bit skeptical.

Once she decided they attach the feathers with a crimp bead and she was set to go.

And there she is!  All set for the first day of HIGH SCHOOL next week!  I cant believe my baby is going to be a freshman!

First day of High school

Yesterday I registered 3 teenagers for high school.  I realized how much the whole thing has changed since registering for elementary school. 

The week before watching the kids get so excited to go check the school doors for a class list.  Seeing who is in their class and who their teacher is going to be. 

Then tackling the job of finding the perfect backpack and supplies.  Having everything all ready, labeled and sitting by the front door till the big morning.

Its so not the same now.

Trust me.

Google first day of school crafts and see what comes up....

first day of school cookies!  So Cute!

an adorable ruler wreath!

even the back to school get together for moms once the kids get on the bus!

Now google first day of high school crafts.....

"crickets chipping"

Did you get anything?

Nope?  I didnt think so.

So see!  Back to school for me has changed.  Not one of my kids wants a cute note telling them how much I love them stuffed inside their backpack.  (not without an Oh good grief you are such a DORK MOM! )

Nor do they want a cutsy first day of school breakfast.  (at 6:30 Im lucky if they will be awake enough to eat some cereal and drink an instant breakfast).  And, after all the kids are off for their first day, the only get together I will be invited to is one with the clutter the 3 kids have accumulated over the summer!

Fun!

Just not the same....  I did however get to write a large check.  Does that count for anything?

Anthony painting!

I thought I would pass this info along.  Nothing huge, but if you go to your local newpaper, most times you can buy the large end rolls of paper for just a few bucks- they used to give them away but not anymore!

My son loves to draw on them and paint!

He takes his painting very seriously! :)

The paper is also great for other purposes!

My Mom List & Dessert

I know sometimes as a parent it is overwhelming trying to be all things all the time.  I used to go to bed and worry that I wasn't going to be good enough or that I was failing my kids.  After stressing about it way too much I came up with a system that I use and thought I would share it today. 

Alot of moms run themselves ragged trying to do everything....perfectly.  But when you think back your own childhood most of us really don't remember everything our parents did.  We remember the feelings we had, certain things that parents did on a consistant basis or special times that stood out from the normal day to day.

I decided to mentally make a list of the 5 most important things I could do that would have me laying in bed at night feeling like I was a successful mother.  Just 5.  And even tho I do in fact do more than 5 parenting things a day my list of 5 is my top 5 essential.  It also changes sometimes but I find that over time most of my 5 still stay the same long term.

Here is my mental list of 5 things right now....

1.  Help the kids stay on top of their grades.   I check grades and assignments online often and we talk about what is due.  I also make sure that I have enough school supplies on hand plus I also keep an open dialog with their counselors and teachers.

2.  Plan and prepare a good dinner.  My kids are all on the thin side (my beanpoles) and my daughter I swear has a hollow leg.  I feel that they can't grow to their fullest potential if I don't feed their bodies well.  This does not mean I am a gourmet cook, nor do I have them on a restricted diet.  Just a healthy balanced nutritional meal.  Plus we normally eat between 5 and 6.

3.  Make an after school snack and dessert.  Ok this is two that deal mainly with food lol but I have growing teens. Plus while they are eating their snack we are usually talking about what happened during their day.  Then at the end of the evening they love a small dessert - its my feel good moment.  The desserts by the way are usually only about 1/2 cup in size.

4.  Be open and available for my kids to talk.  It always makes me feel good knowing that if my kids had a problem they can come to me and talk about it.  This doesn't happen unless your open to hearing all the daily mundane things that go on in their lives or your willing to discuss a new interest or idea they have.  This does mean that lately I have had several conversations on how cute Justin Beiber is or how my son has plans for us to live in an underground bunker when he is grown  (oh yeah all of us, including my parents lol) to save us from a zombie invasion and if the Emperor from Star Wars really did have a mother and if she did indeed make him brush his teeth with or without the dark side.

5.  A clean, well kept environment.   Confession, my house is not completely spotless.  I do however think that kids learn by example.  If my room is a dumping ground how can I expect theirs to be all neat and tidy?  I also feel that we are all more relaxed in a clean home.   I will admit however that I will put this one off if number 4 on the list takes too much time.

This list is different for everyone.  It just helps me figure out what is really important for me and shoot for that instead of focusing on all the little failures we all have daily.  It also helps me reduce my stress which was a huge goal for me considering I tend to internalize and worry over everything! 




here is a photo of our dessert last night....... white cake with chocolate pudding trifle with Raspberry sauce.  YUM!  This was Mr. Sweetheart's so his was alittle larger.