Happy New Year? What? Where Did 2011 go?!

So, I can't believe this year is almost over!  I have had all these ideas for postings this holiday seasons and well, life got in the way :-)
Tomorrow night we will be getting together to ring in the new year and I saw these recipes and decided to try them.  I put them together pretty fast and was out of the kitchen and dishes in the dishwasher in about an hour. I didn't take pics but I thought I would share the recipes with all of you....Enjoy and Happy New Year!


Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball - It's Paula Deen's recipe, so you can't really go wrong! I forgot the cocoa powder at the store, so I used Nestle's Quik.  I am going to serve it with graham crackers.

Pumpkin Fluff Dip- I got this from one of my favorite crafting blogs.  I didn't have any pumpkin pie spice, but decided to lightly sprinkle in some cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and it worked great.  Got to lick the bowl a little afterward and it tastes yummy.  Serving it with graham crackers, too.

Ranch Cheese Ball-  Super easy...very few ingredients.  Smells good.  Can't wait to taste it.  Going to serve it with some wheat crackers.

Where is time going?!

"They say a mother gives her children 

two things, 

first she gives them roots & then she gives them wings.

The wing part is definitely harder!"

 -Faith, Trust and a Little Pixie Dust

Well, I have been so busy that I have been ignoring my blog even more.  I have been taking pictures for my blog and have lots of posts planned, but I just need a clear hour to do it all.  I have been really crafty as of late so expect a couple of craft posts.  None-the-less, I feel like time is going by way to quickly.  Soon my eldest will be seven and my youngest will be five months.  I recently read a post from one my favorite blogs asking her child,"Who gave you permission to grow-up?"  A lot of people don't realize who quickly time does pass by.  Hug your kids and enjoy every moment of it (even the hard ones) because before you know it, they will be grown.  However, part of it all is also learning to let go.  I have always said that when you carry your child in your womb that is the only time where they are all yours. The moment they cut the umbilical cord you have to learn to let go. Each day they grow a little more and accomplish more and you do have to "give them wings" to do it.

 

 

"They say a mother gives her children 

two things, 

first she gives them roots & then she gives them wings."

Defintion Dizzy....

So lately I have been wondering about what exactly food labels mean.  I read "Natural" on the label, but turn it over to read ingredients that sound like a science book.  I recently found this article that breaks it all down into easy to understand definitions. 

To Quote Willy Wonka....

"So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it."

I have been neglecting my poor blog baby.  I actually have done a couple of projects and some recipes, but just haven't had the time to post them.  I will get them done!  Check back to see a couple of recipes and a couple of projects.

Thanks!

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

Sadly, I didn't get to write a blog entry yesterday.  It was a really busy day with taking my mom to my eldest child's school for Grandparents Day.  It was fun, but could help but feel a little sad that my children don't have a grandfather in their life.  I had to keep reminding myself that it was a blessing that my children do have at least grandmothers in their lives.  Some people grow-up never knowing their grandparents.
After getting home and making dinner my eldest started with tummy aches.  I told her to lie down and rest.  She did and seemed fine.  I then checked-up on my Facebook to find out the couple who I previously mentioned on my Thankful Thursday entry found out that the pregnancy didn't stick and they had lost the baby.  I then also found out that one of our friend's from our old neighborhood found out that their daughter is no longer in remission from Leukemia.  They found a malignant tumor on her leg and will begin treatment soon.  It's was so crumby to read all the sad news.  I just sat there and did what I could, which was pray. 
Shortly, thereafter my child's stomach ache took a turn for the worse and the throwing-up started.  Not that long after that I also joined the tummy trouble party.  Needless, to say it was a long and tiring night.  Thankfully, it seems whatever it was has gone and my younger children didn't get it. 
So, yesterday left me feeling "Blah" but as the character Chuck Noland from the film "Castaway" says, "And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"  Tomorrow is a new day and I have nothing but hope and faith for my friends and family.

Foodie Friday- 10/1/10

So, I don't have a recipe to share today, but my post is food related.  A friend of mine posted this video of a four year old hamburger.  "What?!," you say...yes, a four year old hamburger from a Happy Meal.  You will be amazed and disgusted when you see this.  What does it tell you when not even a basic living organism like mold won't eat it?!  What is even more amazing is that if you do a search on the net you will find lots of people who have also done this experiment.  Insects and even rats won't eat it!  Wow!

Thankful Thursday- 9/30/10

Well, it's Thursday and I am definatly so thankful for a lot of things but here are the ones that are sticking out in my mind today.
1. For a really good sale find.  I went to our local Burke Outlet looking for some jeans.  I found a pair that was my size.  Noticed that it had one of it's little additional percentage off stickers on it, but didn't really notice how much it would come out to.  Well, it turns out they were 95 percent off!  I got the jeans for fifty cents!!  And they are a name brand jean too...not like a super expensive name brand but a brand that would normally cost around 20 bucks or so.
2.  I am thankful for fertility treatments.  I personally had trouble getting pregnant with my first two children but never really had to take treatments to have them.  One of my facebook friends just found out today that her IVF worked and she is now pregnant!  It makes me so happy for them even if I don't know them that well. 
3.  For family...really, they are the best!

Wordy Wednesday- 9/29/10

It's late and I am sooo sleepy.  I wasn't going to write in my blog today, but I just wanted to share this bible verse.  It was one of my sister-in-law's favorites.  She passed away what will be almost two years ago in this coming February.  I miss her dearly, but when I think of her I always smile.  Today, I thought of her a lot.  Just thought it was fitting to share it since she has been on my mind.


"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,
 faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12 (NIV)

Mindful Monday- 9/27/10

Okay, first order of bussiness....I don't like the theme title I have for Mondays.  I am going to have to work on it. 
Second, I wanted to share a post from my friends and ex-neighbors who we miss dearly.  They recently started up their own blog which is about discovering the truth about our food.  Today's post was particularly interesting as it brought up food dyes and all the health risks they may bring with them! 

If it's FREE it's for me!

Just came across this article on Yahoo!  Has some great tips on where to get lots of free stuff.

No Foodie Friday....9/23/10

So I didn't have a chance to make a new recipe this week.  I did however make a cute Halloween/Fall/Christmas Decoration.  I was blog browsing and found this blog post from Ruffles and Stuff on how to make a bird mobile.  I like the idea that you could change out the birds to match the seasons.  Shortly there after I found this blog post from Dabbled on a Halloween tree.  Immediately the gears in my head started turning and I combined the two.  I made a tree that I spray painted gold and figured I can use it for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

First, I went out and found a branch in my yard that the oak tree decided to get rid off.  We had tons!  I placed it on some newspaper and painted away.  I then left it out to dry and when I came home it was gone.  I think some neighborhood kids thought it would be funny to steal a gold branch.  Either way this is what it looked like.  I ended up just making another one.

If you see this branch report it to me immediately!  LOL

I then cut up a  small carvable foam pumpkin from the dollar store and use that as my vase.  I added some floral foam on the inside (also from the dollar store) and placed the branch in making sure it stood straight.  I then held the branch in place and placed these white decorative rocks(you guessed...dollar store find) over the foam to weigh it down and keep the branch in place.

I also found these small ceramic pumpkins at the dollar store...aren't they cute?!

Then also from my lovely local dollar store I added these two crows/ravens to the branches!

Here is the finished product!  I may add some small tags with quotes from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" or maybe a little banner that says, "Happy Halloween".  I might also just leave it alone!

I was thinking for Thanksgiving I might take off the crows and maybe add some fall leaves or something like that.  Then for Christmas I can change out the pumpkin for something that goes along with Christmas and then add ornaments and a cardinal to the tree.  I might make another one of these painted white or silver for spring and summer.

Wordy Wednesday-9/22/10

So today instead of a quote I thought I would post a video to a song I just love!  I have had a couple of crumby moments in the last two months, but I have been keeping head up best I can.  I have been telling myself, "You can have a bad day, but you can't let the bad day have you."  Yesterday, I happened to hear this song.  I instantly loved the great beat and the message of the song.  It so happy and just lifts your spirit up.  I then looked into the artist and found out he sang another great happy song that I liked called, "Say Hey (I Love You)". The artist who sings it is also an activist for world peace and other great organizations and wants to write music that helps bring joy to people.  I have him on my list of music I need to buy.
So here it is....I just wanted to share this song for anyone who is having a bad day, week, month or year....the storm is passing and the sunshine will come!

Micheal Franti and Spearhead
"Sound of Sunshine"

Wandering The Web

Okay, this blog is totally not mom or homemaker related, but I just had to write about it.  It never ceases to amaze me how big and full of information the web is.  Although I know a lot of it may not be accurate you will find yourself wandering into a website that just sucks you in.
This evening I was doing a search on the Julia Robert's movie My Best Friend's Wedding (one of my top all time faves).  When my search results popped up I was surprised to see a news article that was written in a Houston suburb's newpaper.  The title of the article instantly caught my attention, "Katy resident meets Vietnam vet at Astros game". I clicked on the link and was met by an awesome story that was filled with a bit of history and most of all hope.  It also sparked more interest in me as I came across something I had never heard about... POW bracelets.  This led to another search.  I ran a search for POW bracelets and found a brief re-account of the history of them written by one of the original people who came up with the idea.  Their website then led me to the website for The National League for POW/MIA Families. I found out that not only do they still make bracelets for those missing soldiers, but here was an organization that even after all these years still work so hard to find POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War.  I was also even more amazed at the number they listed on their website.  They have lists of how many are still unaccounted for, how many have been found, how many sighting of Americans there have been in those areas even up to very recently.  It was all quite interesting.  Anyway, if you are interested please visit the League's website and learn more and read the article.  They are both very interesting.

All that from a 1990's Julia Roberts movie!

Leg Warmers....

So, I got my computer back and it's working great!  It rained almost all weekend, so I spent a lot of time browsing through tons of blogs out there.  There are so many great ones...just tons of information and crafts!

Well, my daughter had asked me to make her some leg warmers.  At first I had decided to crochet some.  I found this pattern and went to work.  However, after getting a third of the way into one I realized it was too big and had to undo it and start over.  Dismayed, I returned to browsing through blogs before I started again.  I then found this blog post from Little Birdie Secrets.  It shows you how to make leg warmers for kids and babies out of knee high socks!  I went to the dollar store today and got some black socks and went to work.

After making them I crocheted some small hearts (pattern also from Little Birdie Secrets) and added them to the leg warmers for a girlie touch since most of her dance wear is black and pink.

They were a hit!  I used a mens pair of socks for my child and they worked really well.  Just measure the sock against your child's leg to make sure they cover the calf part of their leg before you cut a perfectly good pair of socks.

Grandfathers and Piggy Back Rides

This last Friday I was at Sam's with my mom and my kids.  We went to have our fancy lunch (hot dog combos for under $2 each).  As we sat in ate, right behind us was a woman with her two children and her father.  The children's grandfather was probably in his late 60's and we kept hearing him joke and making the children laugh.  When he stood up to throw away his trash he came back to the table and started to give his grand-daughter a piggy-back ride.  The child's mother quickly piped-up, "DAD!!  You are not in my living room.  We are in public!  DAD! You can't just give the kid's piggy-backs here! DAD, PUT HER DOWN!"  The kids and the grandfather giggled and rode around the table one more time before he put her back down.  The Mom continued to huff and puff about her embarrassing father.  My mom giggled quietly at them.  I on the other hand was holding back tears.  That would totally be something that my dad would have done with my kids.  I probably would have been huffy about it too.  I wanted so badly to turn around and tell her to let him do it.  To let him enjoy his grandkids and they him.  I wanted to tell her that her kids were so lucky to have a grandfather to play with, make memories with and that gave them piggy back rides at Sam's.  I held my tongue though...I was so afraid I might burst into uncontrollable tears.  I really missed my dad at that moment and was sad that my children were growing-up without a grandfather in their life.

Thankful Thursday-9/16/10

Today I am thankful for Ibuprofen!  lol  My allergies plus conducting a meeting with a bunch of 6 and 7 year olds will have you reaching for the pain relief!! 

LoveBug

So this last weekend we were really blessed to get tickets to a charity softball game hosted by the Jonas Brothers and also tickets to their concert that night.  It was fun to see my oldest dance and sing along.  It was really hot too, but all worth it in the end.  Anyway, the Jonas Brothers sang all their hits one of them being , "Love Bug."  It's a cute acoustic guitar driven tune with an old-timey feel to it.  The song always reminds me of my second child.  It took four years to have my first child and after waiting another four years after that I thought I was never going to have another child.  My doctor said it was a slim chance since I have PCOS.  After taking a couple of rounds of one drug I kinda lost hope and stopped.  Then God suprised us with another beautiful child!  Anyway, everytime I hear that song I get a bit teary...just listen to the words and instead think of it as a song to a baby.
LOVE BUG VIDEO

Wordy Wednesday- 9/15/10

So my computer is still sick, but being taken care of by a family member.  Hopefully, my computer will be back soon!  Get well soon!

Anyway, I have been really busy this week so it's probably a good thing I am not as distracted by the internet.  Thought of this quote:
"The work will wait while you show your child the rainbow, but the rainbow won't wait while you do the work." -Patricia Clafford

Mindful Monday-9/13/10

Well, my children are sick and so is my computer.  I have some kind of virus that has shut down my line to the world, uh, I mean the computer.  We have an old lap top that I am now using, but it is beat up and very tempramental.  None-the-less, I do have a tip for today....back-up your iTunes...you just never know when it will be gone! 

Foodie Friday-9/10/10

Chicken Corn Soup

So my kids love three things.....corn, chicken and soup!  So I set out to find a recipe that included all three and found this recipe.  As usual, I added my own flair and changed a couple of things.  I used a chicken breast I had plus left over chicken from one of those grocery store roasted chickens.  I picked off all of the meat from the bones and had enough for the soup.  In addition to the onion I added a clove of garlic.  I didn't measure the corn; just used a whole can of corn.  I also didn't have any cream of celery soup so I used cream of chicken.  I also added some matchstick cut carrots for color.  As far as the dough balls go, try to make them as big as possible.  Pea-sized or a tad bit bigger is a good size.  They are quite tasty in the soup.  My six-year old was a  bit weary of them floating in the soup.  Other than that, it was really good and everyone had seconds!

Thankful Thursday (on Friday)-9/10/10

I had a crazy busy day yesterday so I didn't have time to get to my blog baby!  :-)

Yesterday, in all the hustle and bustle I was thankful for sweet baby smiles.  Corny?  Perhaps.  I love it!

Wordy Wednesday-9/8/10

Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him Father!

-Lydia M. Child

Mommy Thought of the Day

This one is not mine, but it belongs to a woman named Heather who writes this blog.  In one of her blog posts she posted some of the cutest pictures to document her daughter turning 7 months old.  The first couple of lines are to complain about what all moms complain about....time just going too fast.  Her words made me laugh because they are so true....
"I tried to convince Time to slow down, but apparently Time is a jerk"

Mindful Monday- 9/6/10

Well, I don't have a real tip to share, but I do have website (surprised?LOL).  All I got a say is that as much as people shake their fists as the internet, you have to admit it has a lot of positives.  One of them is keeping in touch with people and learning about them (sometimes learning too much), but it also builds a network where we can be there for each other or find comfort in others.  So with that being said here is a fun link called truuconfessions.com.  It has confessions from all kinds of moms, because seriously....deep down we are all somewhat the same, but it also shows us that a lot of us are crazy. :-)

Mommy Thought of the Day...

Some days you don't realize how long it has been since your last potty break, until you run the water in the washing machine.

Foodie Friday- 9/3/10

So my good friend and ex-neighbor bought me a copy of Jessica Seinfield's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious.  The whole concept behind the cookbook is how to make foods your kid's love with hidden veggies in them!  Sneaky, huh?!  >:-)
Well, as soon as I got the book I wanted to try something out, so the first recipe I did was the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies with Garbanzo beans in them.  Sounded to crazy to work, but I tried it.  Since the recipe is copyrighted I can't share it on here, but there seems to be a lot of recipes with Garbanzo beans in them.  So give it a whirl!

The Garbanzos!  AKA Chickpeas.  I will admit they do kinda look like Macadamia nuts, but I was still skeptical when I opened the can.

The butter and sugar.  I was supposed to use tub margarine, but figured I could be bad and use real butter since they had veggies in them....plus, that's all I had.  I was supposed to use a cup of brown sugar, but I was short about 1/4 of a cup so I used Splenda (hence the small white pile). Most of my recipes are poorly planned...but I can wing it!

Fat girl confession of the day...I love when recipes ask to cream the butter and sugar together...how can you not resist tasting it?  It's like Cinnamon Toast with out the cinnamon or the toast....yeah, pretty much butter and sugar. 

 
I hate separating egg yolks from whites...look at my first attempt....FAIL.

I added the rest of the ingredients and set-up my cookies to bake.  You can see the chickpeas, but most people thought they were nuts.

These are the "healthy" yummies.  My kid's loved them, especially when I let them eat them for breakfast one day.  My husband said they were good, but I haven't seen him touch them since he found out about the Garbanzo beans.

Thankful Thursday-9/2/10

What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. -Oscar Wild

Sometimes you can be overwhelmed by the trials of everyday things that you forget to stop and take a look around.  Blessings are everywhere....sometimes disguised as trials! 
There are days where you can get so overwhelmed with your children.  Especially, toddlers....especially toddlers who are in their terrible two's!  :-)  There will be days when my two year old will become so frustrated and cry and scream with every little thing that happens.  I feel so badly for her because I know it's a communication problem.  She is just learning more words and speaking a bit more clearly.  It's so hard for her to be patient when no one understands her.  Just think how you would feel....it would be like living France and you could only say a few French words.  The French residents would look at you and try to understand what you needed or wanted.  You are trying to tell them you are cold or hungry, but can't say the right words.  I try to remember that when my two year old is having one of those days...it's hard to try and keep your own cool and correct the behavior.  Often on those day I will call my mom and vent.  My mom always reminds me that most toddlers go through a stage like that...it's normal.  She says to look at it this way...she is normal and healthy!  So even some days are rough, I am glad that she is healthy and apparently has great lung capacity for some of those screams!  LOL

Wordy Wednesday- 9/1/10

So my inspiration for sharing today's quote is my oldest child.  Children do grow-up way to fast.  I try to learn to enjoy each stage of my children's lives...for we only pass through that stage once.

“You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers.” 

-John J. Plomp

Mindful Monday's 8/30/10

I thought today (and perhaps on other Mondays), I would share things that I read or find that help me as a mom.  Being a mom like any other job, is something you have to keep learning and training.  I have learned that not all kids are the same and not even your own children who make look alike they will act completely different from each other.  They are individuals and you have to adapt and re-work your parenting sometimes. 
Today, I thought I would share two links that I have found.  One of them I learned about in Family Fun Magazine (which is by far my favorite magazine for families). In one recent issue they mentioned a website called www.amazingmess.com. It is a blog written by a mom who used to be an early childhood educator.   She has such cute and fun ideas for the home and also for helping your preschooler learn.
The other link is actually something I just found about 10 minutes before I wrote this.  I was looking up for some information for a friend of ours on Lakewood Church here in the Houston area and I ran into a blog written by Joel Osteen's brother, Paul Osteen, M.D.  I had the honor of listening to Paul speak last December about being a positive force in your child's life.  While reading up on him I found this blog entry that he wrote.  I think it brings up some great points on how we can be a blessing to our children. 
On a totally unrelated note...I had to share how my child's principal asked me to make her lunch (in jest of course).  She loved all the cute lunches I made last week for the first day of school (sandwich on a stick, snail wrap sandwiches, and heart shaped peanut butter sandwich)  It's nice to hear stuff like that! 

Foodie Friday....on Saturday

So I had planned to write this recipe in my blog yesterday, but I just ran out of time.  However, it is too yummy and easy not to share...plus, it isn't all that bad for you either.

This week I made the Yum-Yum Brownie Muffins featured on the Hungry Girl Newsletter.  This recipe is sooo easy and it requires only two ingredients!  You use a can of pumpkin puree (like for pumpkin pies) and a box of Devil's Food Cake Mix. 

NOTE:  I had to buy organic pumpkin.  Apparently, there is a shortage of pumpkin!  So start buying now if you make your own pies.  Bonus! I got double box tops on my box of cake!

I mixed the batter by hand.  It get pretty thick and takes a little elbow grease to get mixed.  The best part of the batter though is that everyone can have a taste and you won't have to worry about bacteria and uncooked eggs!  Once I had it mixed I poured it into the cupcake/muffin pan using an ice cream scooper.  It worked pretty well...I bet if you have one of those scoopers with the scoop sweeper in it it would come out even easier. 

After it was all scooped in I put it in the oven according to the recipe and out came these awesome cakey muffins. 

They are soo delicious and you can't even taste the pumpkin!  It's like magic!  :-)

Themes/Thankful Thursday!

I haven't been posting on here that much lately.  I feel like I have so much I could write about, but don't have the time or don't get inspired enough.  Especially this week!  School started and it has been hard adjusting back to a set schedule.  Waking up at 6am or earlier has been rough especially with a baby who occasionally still wakes up in the middle of the night and a two-year old who for some reason has got into the habit of waking up at about 3am to have a sip of juice or eat a piece of sliced turkey cold cuts.  YAWN! 
Anyway, I thought I would add themes to the days of the week, so when I do have some time I can work on that theme and maybe be a little inspired. So, if you haven't figured it out Thursday will be about things I am thankful for. 
Today's shout out will be about family and my husband.  My husband's job has had him out-of-town for four weeks.  Although, I do stay at home with my children everyday, it's quite the different thing when you are alone all day.  Thankfully, my nieces are so great about helping out when I need a hand.  It's been such a help!  I am also thankful for my husband.  I know he misses his kids so much and being away, eating out everyday isn't what it's cracked up to be.  He works hard so I can stay home with the kids and it is such a blessing to be able to do that. 

You Can Quote Me on That....

I LOVE quotes and sayings.  I have signs all around my house with cute saying or inpiring words.  For example, one is above my daughter's dance picture that says, "In a world where you can be anything, be yourself."  I would like to share some of my favorites on here every once and awhile...hopefully, I can make it a weekly thing. 
Today a lot of kids started a new school year.  My eldest started first grade.  I was a little teary, but not as nearly as bad as last year.  That was full on Niagra Falls!  A lot of my friends had kids who started school for the first time.  One friend in particular mentioned that she felt like she had half of her heart was walking outside of her body and it reminded me of this quote from Elizabeth Stone:
“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
This quote is so true, especially on the first day of school.

Mom, I think I am a vegan

So, tonight while we ate dinner (chicken noodle soup, warm whole wheat rolls and salad) my daughter told me she thought she could be a vegan (she didn't use that word, but explained what she meant).  She confidently said that she thought it could be easy.  I didn't tell her otherwise but listened to her.  She said Mexican food would be easy since she could just cut out fajitas and chicken.  I informed her that frijoles a la charra and refried beans usually contained pork.  She said, "Oh."  She then said she could just eat salad (salad for her is just lettuce) with Ranch dressing.  I told her the dressing was out since it contained milk.  She started to think.  She then perked up and said, "Well, I think I could do it."  She then spooned up some soup and carefully picked off the peas and green beans and spooned it into her mouth. 

Recipe- Betty Crocker Key Lime Cupcakes

So I signed up to receive BettyCrocker.com emails.  They send recipes and other helpful tips.  I got this recipe for Key Lime Cupcakes and since then I couldn't stop thinking of how yummy they sounded.  Last night I made the recipe for my nieces. Instead of cupcakes (since I didn't have enough liners), I made it as a whole cake (baking time according to box).  It is so yummy...highly suggest it cold.  

It's What's You Put Inside that Counts

I have been wanting to watch the documentary film, Food Inc. for awhile now.  It is about what is in our food (you'd be surprised) and where it comes from (even bigger surprise).  There were multiple times that I was so grossed out.  The conditions in which our food is grown and how it's processed.  What is even more saddening is how big companies are smothering the small farmer and poisoning us, the consumer.  It also covers the subject how eating healthy is more costly.  It made me think about what I feed my family.  I wish I could afford to buy all organic, but I am going to try and make better food purchasing decisions.  I highly recommend you watch the film.  If you have Netflix it's on the Instant Queue list.  Also, if you are interested in buying local and fresh check out localharvest.org  My good friend from Fort Worth showed me this website...I found a lot of local farms and farmer's markets that I didn't even know existed.

Always surfing the net....

 Okay, confession of the day.  I am always on the internet.  Not, like every hour, but at least three times a day.  I do check on my Facebook (who can resist?! lol) and check my emails but mostly what I do is a lot of research.  I believe the internet is one of the biggest blessings (sometimes not) that a modern mom can have to her use.  I review products before buying them, research prices, find tons of recipes, connect with other moms, learn about prescriptions and even find doctors (that's how I found my OB/GYN who I love).  However, you need to be weary of where you look-up your information.  Not all sites are reliable.  Also, when reading product reviews keep in mind that there will always be one or two bad reviews.  Sometimes the product isn't what that particular family needed or they got a bad version of the product.  Plus, people are always more like to write a bad review than a good one.  So if a product has one or two out of a few dozen then that is not too bad, but if a product has more negative than positive, stay away.  I also wanted to share one of my favorite sites that I am so glad to have introduced to me.  It's the U.S. Government's recall website.  With so many toys and other household items being recalled it's hard to keep up, especially if you don't watch the news that much.  Even if you don't have kids, sign-up for their email updates.  I will tell you that you will get a lot of emails about stuff you don't own, mostly about hoodies that are being recalled because the drawstrings pose as strangulation hazards (which makes you think why they even sell them in the first place).  However every once and awhile you will get an announcement that makes a difference.  Click Here for the Recall website.

Stepping Forward With Both Feet

The idea of writing this blog has been on my mind for quite awhile now.  I wanted to write a blog about what I do...being a housewife/homemaker/stay-at-home mom.  It is after all what I know best and yet it is the subject I know so little about.  I recently took a deep look inside as to what exactly I was doing at home with my children.  For the past six years or so I have struggled with my role as a homemaker.  Part of me felt as if I was letting down someone.  Not myself, but someone out there.  Maybe all the women who fought for equality in the workplace, for women's suffrage.  Maybe all the teachers who said I would go far in my education.  I had several jobs that were on my list of what I "should" grow-up to be.  A teacher, a doctor, a nurse.  They were all impressive jobs when asked what I wanted to be.  In high school I entered a magnet school that concentrated on medicine.  I wanted to be a doctor.  Looking back now, I realize that I never really wanted to be one.  The title just sounded awesome.  I never had that deep down passion for medicine that my friends had.  It just seemed the thing a modern, smart girl should do. On the other hand, the other part of me is so in love with staying home with my children.  With seeing them grow, be silly, feeding them, dressing them, watching all the firsts.  All of it.  But yet, I carried this little badge of shame when asked what I do for a living.  That little badge is what bothered me.  I asked myself why.  What was it about being a stay-at-home mom that bothered me?  It was until recently that I realized how unfair I was being to my children, husband and ultimately myself for not appreciating my "job".  I realized I was letting other people's views of what a woman should do affect what I was doing.  I realized that doing what I do is not for everyone just as being a doctor, a teacher, a cook, etc. is not for everyone.  I may not get paid, I may not get a vacation, but what I do is a job...a real one.  I am incredibly blessed to do what I do.  Like any job there is room for improvement and growth.  So, here I am.  This is my self-evaluation time(I know about those..worked in HR for almost 6 years ;-) ). I am taking a step forward with both feet.  I am a SAHM and I plan to do the best I can.  I realize I am a minority in today's world, but I plan to embrace it.  I plan to share what I find that helps me as a mom.  Hoping what I share helps another mom out there, all moms.