Day to Day With Mom

Looks like kitty had plenty of pizza and soda!

Chelci wishes she had some pizza and soda!!

 I am so proud to say that my pottying princess woke me up in the middle of the night lastnight to tell me she needed to go potty! That is the best thing in the world to me right now. I am so very proud of her, she went all night without wetting her pullup!

We also went to another baseball game and this time I took her in panties… no pullup! She went to the potty twice which means she didn’t wet herself at all. She’s doing wonderful! I’m hoping this is the start of no pullups and only panties.  (Remember to click on the potty picture to join Potty Time Tuesdays).

I don’t know if anyone remembers but a few Mondays ago I gave a recipe for meatball subs that were good for kids to make. Well we did it! I let him cook and he had a blast. I have to admit the subs were really great and we will definitely do it again sometime soon.

This is a picture of me and my fiance eleven years ago! It was my senior prom and this picture was taken by the year book staff. I think about how much time went into that night for it to end in what seemed like five minutes. I believe we spent most of the night standing in line to get pictures taken.  I didn’t go to my junior prom because I was pregnant but it’s never bothered me however if I had missed my senior prom I think I would  really regret it.

There’s a lot in our lives together that we didn’t share but I’m glad that most of the big moments in my life I’ve been able to share with the father of my children. He was older when we got together, 20 to be exact and I was 14 so a lot of stuff he had already been through but it’s really special for me to look at my kids and tell them that I shared so many great experiences with him. I feel like it gives them that fairytale ending that little kids look for in life. Our relationship hasn’t been perfect, we’ve fought hard to get to where we are and we continue to struggle with some issues but my kids don’t know that. All they know is that we’ve been together a long time, they look at this picture and see two people who for that moment were very happy and who continue to hold hands no matter where we are, sneak kisses in the kitchen while cooking and we always say I love you before leaving the house or going to sleep because you never know when it’ll be the last time you hear it or say it. That’s what I want my kids to know and learn about love, that it isn’t always perfect but with hard work you can make it work.

We’ve been really busy over the past few weeks but I have to admit Angelika is doing great with using the potty! I took her to her brother’s baseball game this past Saturday which she put on her new Dora pullups instead of panties because I wasn’t feeling confident enough to take her out in panties. Boy was I surprised again by her ability to focus on pottying, she was in the middle of playing and I had forgotten to even ask her if she needed to go potty because I was into the game and her she comes jumping up and down “I gotta go potty mommy” “I gotta go!” I was so proud of her! We ran all the way across the school yard to the potty hoping that she wouldn’t have an accident before we got there since she tried so hard to get there before using it in her pullup and phew! We made it! “Yay do you hear it mommy” She always likes to know that I’ve heard her pee pee because she then knows that I’m certain she’s done it. “Yes sweetpea I heard it GREAT JOB!”

I’m learning not to underestimate her and the potty. Put the panties on her and just take an extra pair of clothes in case an accident should occur. I didn’t second guess my other two kids so I really need to stop  second guessing her… I think it’s just really hard for me to let go of my last baby.

EDIBLE DIRT http://edibledirtrecipe.com/#

1 (20 oz.) pkg. Oreo cookies
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip (thawed)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
2 (3 1/2 oz.) pkgs. instant vanilla pudding
1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
3 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
Artificial flowers (garnish)
Gummy worms (optional garnish)

Finely crush Oreos. (A salad shooter works great - or use a food processor or rolling pin.) Set crumbs aside.
In one bowl, cream the sugar, butter and softened cream cheese. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix the pudding mix and milk. Fold in the Cool Whip.
Now combine the mixtures of both bowls and blend well.
Layer the cookie crumbs and the pudding mixture in a flower pot, beginning and ending with the crumbs, making several layers. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Garnish with flowers and gummy worms.
Serve with a trowel for a special effect

 http://www.familycorner.com/family/kids/recipes/crawlies.shtml

Ants in the Sand

graham crackers, crushed
chocolate sprinkles
snack sized resealable plastic bags

To crush graham crackers, place inside a large (gallon size) resealable plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, smash crackers through bag by rolling back and forth over them until they are all in crumb form.

Fill snack sized resealable bags halfway with graham cracker crumbs. Add a small handful of chocolate sprinkles to the bags and seal.

Cookie Spiders

black or chocolate licorice twists
fudge sandwich cookies
chocolate frosting
red cinnamon candies

Cut licorice in half. Remove the top of each sandwich cookie; press 8 licorice pieces into the fudge center to resemble spider legs. Spread a little chocolate frosting over the licorice; replace cookie tops. Frost the tops of the spider cookies with frosting. Place red cinnamon candies on top for eyes.

Muenster Beetles

Note: Cheddar makes a bright and colorful beetle, but can be very frustrating for little fingers as the cheese is a bit too hard to press the noodles into without breaking. Use softer cheese such as gouda, havarti, monterey jack, or even mozerella.

Today was my son’s first baseball game and even though they didn’t win he made the first score at his first time up to bat! Here are some pictures of the game, his sisters, and his pop. I also included the pictures of him at bat, on first, second base and making it across home plate.

As I said yesterday I am heading off of my regular blogging routine to focus on fun ways to celebrate and learn about Earth Day with my children. Today I found this awesome hat made our of plastic bags! I have tons of plastic bags around my house because instead of throwing them away I use them over again for my little trash cans. Now I might actually have found something useful for them!

This is from http://familycrafts.about.com/library/photalb/blphotopic281.htm and the picture was submitted to the site by Belva Slate.

Start out with 8-10 bags of one color. Choose bags in pretty colors with bright lettering on them; white bags with red and blue letters make pretty hats. The beige bags look like straw when crocheted. Trim off the handles and the bottom seam of each bag. Cut each bag into a single, long 1-inch strip starting at top and cutting in a circular (spiral) pattern to the bottom of the bag.

Use a favorite crocheted hat pattern or find one here: Hat Patterns from Sandi. Start crocheting using the pattern you chose. At end of each strip, overlap the end of the next strip and continue to crochet until done.

For the band, cut three bags (may use a constasting color) into 5 inch strips, fold in thirds and tie or fasten the end. Braid enough to go arond the crown of the hat. Add a bow made with the bag material. Use a small strip and the crochet hook to fasten the band and bow to the hat.

Now seriously tell me this isn’t a pretty nice looking hat.

In case some of you out there don’t know here’s a reminder… April 22 is Earth’s birthday, also known as Earth Day. On Earth Day coutries all over the world will celebrate Earth learning and teaching ways to protect it.

I have to admit I haven’t pushed myself to live the most “green” life but I have been looking into things a little more because I don’t feel that it’s ever to late to start trying to save our beautiful planet. I also know that the more I do to protect our environment the more my children will find interest in helping as well.

I will be trying to focus on Earth Day with a few posts within the next few days and look forward to reading what others have planned for Earth Day as well.

The first thing I want to do is get my kids involved with a few Earth Day crafts to spike their interests. I searched online (as we all know I wouldn’t be able to do anything without the internet) and I found so many cute ideas! I absolutely love the site www.showkidsthefun.com and suggest anyone with kids check out all of their craft ideas but I wanted to share a few cute ideas from Kaboose.com.

LAUNDRY BOTTLE PET FOOD SCOOP

What you’ll need:

• Plastic laundry bottle
• Felt in your favorite shades
• White craft glue
• Scissors or a sharp knife
• Felt alphabet stickers (optional)

How to make it:

1. Have a grown up cut the top of the laundry bottle off, leaving the handle in tact.
2. Remove packaging labels and wash the outside to remove any residue.
3. Wash the inside thoroughly, making sure that all soap residue has been removed. A good rinse with very hot water will ensure all soap is gone.
4. If using felt alphabet stickers, stick them to the front of the bottle, spelling out your pet’s name. If you don’t have the felt stickers, simply cut your pet’s name out of felt and glue them to the bottle.
5. Cut out fun shapes such as bones, biscuits, and paw prints, and glue them all over the bottle.
6. Let dry completely before using.

TERRARIUM

What you’ll need:

• Plastic 2 liter soda pop bottle with cap
• Very sharp scissors or craft knife
• Dirt or potting soil
• Seeds
• Water

How to make it:

1. Remove the label from the bottle. Discard label. Save cap!
2. Wash and rinse out the bottle and cap.
3. Cut the bottle close to the bottom. There may be a “line” near the end of where the label was, that’s a good place to cut. You can cut it higher if you wish.
4. Lightly place dirt or potting soil in the base.
5. Plant a few seeds in the dirt.
6. Lightly water.
7. Put the cap on the bottle.
8. Cover the base with the top of the bottle. You will have to fiddle with it a bit to fit back inside the base.
9. Place in a sunny spot and watch for your seeds to grow.
10. When the plants are ready, repot them or plant them in your garden.

COFFEE GROUND FOSSILS 

1. Stir the together the coffee grounds, cold coffee, flour, and salt until well mixed.
2. Knead the dough together and then flatten it out onto the waxed paper.
3. Use the can to cut out circles of the dough or use the dull knife to cut slabs large enough to fit your “fossil” objects.
4. Press your objects firmly into the dough. When you take the object out, you have your “fossil”. If you want to hang the fossil, poke holes into the edge to hold the string.
5. Let the fossil dry overnight and then hang it if you wish.

1.  
   • 1 cup of used coffee grounds
   • 1/2 cup of cold coffee
   • 1 cup of flour
   • 1/2 cup of salt
   • Wax paper
   • Mixing bowl
   • Some small objects to make impressions in the dough
   • Empty can or a butter knife
   • Toothpicks, optional
   • String to hang your fossil, optional

 What you’ll need:

How to make it: