Day to Day With Mom

This has been a really busy week even though it seems like I’ve done nothing all week. Today we all woke up at 7am, yes on a Saturday morning, and headed two cities over to play a makeup baseball game against an undefeated team…. well they are no longer undefeated! That’s right our boys played their little hearts out and won the game!!! We are thrilled!

Right now we are all at my parents house because our county has decided that they have some type of work to do and we are having a black out tonight for a few hours. My parents went out of town and we came to their house since it’s a lot safer to be here then at our house. When the lights go out in our area it’s just a little too dark for comfort but here it’s not so bad. It’s been fun so far, we got a chance to swim as a family which is something we rarely do and the puppies are getting a chance to run around in my parents fenced in area. I have to say they are getting bigger and smarter because they have now realized that they can climb up on some of the items in the fence and get over the top! How smart! 

Speaking of puppies… we still have three of them but my wonderful Aunt and Uncle got two of them. Bless their hearts they fell in love with them like we did. I’m happy but sad at the same time. I’m thrilled that they are with two people that will love them and take great care of them but I’m so sad to see them go. It’s nice knowing that they are right down the road and I know they are soooooo happy! I’m so glad to have such loving family members! I know where I get my big heart from!

Crayola always has the best craft ideas for kids and they didn’t let me down for Memorial Day ideas this year either. Here are a few of my favorite crafts to get the little ones excited and ready for Memorial Day.

COOKOUT COLLAGE

• Using Crayola® Colored Pencils on construction paper, draw a cookout with your family.
• To make a picnic table and tree trunks, cut corrugated cardboard with Crayola Scissors. Glue them on with Crayola School Glue.
• For summery greenery, take the paper wrappers off of green and brown crayons. Break the crayons into pieces by crushing them in a zipper lock food storage bag. Place the pieces between two pieces of wax paper. Choose a safe, flat location in which to iron. Place the wax paper on a bed of newspaper. Cover the wax paper with white paper.
• Ask an adult to preheat an iron on cotton with no steam. The adult irons the wax paper to melt the crayon. Cool.
• Cut the melted crayon into shrubs and flowers. Add other collage materials if you like. Glue them on your drawing.
• Add finishing touches to your picnic scene with Crayola MiniStampers.

HEROIC STATUE

Sculpt a statue using white Crayola® Model Magic®. Color the modeling compound with Crayola Washable Markers. Mix the color together just a bit to get a marbleized look. Or mix it up completely for a solid metal effect. Make tiny dots of color for granite. Think about which shape will show your concept best. The bases of statues are often made of a different material

INDEPENDENCE BANNER

• On a large piece of paper, use Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils to draw a large top hat. Cut it out with Crayola Scissors. Show red, white, and blue stars and stripes in a creative way using Crayola Washable Markers. Add sparkles with Crayola Glitter Glue. Dry.
• On another piece of paper, draw an oval face to fit under the hat. Use Crayola Multicultural Markers to color Uncle Sam’s skin. Add eyes and a nose with Crayola Classic Fine Line Markers.
• Trace eyebrows, a mustache, hair, and a goatee on white paper. Cut them out and attach them to Uncle Sam’s face using a Crayola Glue Stick. Glue the head to the hat. Dry.
• For a sturdier wallhanging, trace Uncle Sam on cardboard. Cut out. Glue decorated paper on cardboard. Dry.
• Punch a hole at the top of Uncle Sam’s hat. Thread yarn or ribbon through the hole to display.

 MINI FIREWORKS IN 3-D

1. Use Crayola 3-D Sidewalk Chalk to draw exciting fireworks on black paper. Ask your friends to draw their favorite fireworks designs, too.

2. To create the best 3-D effects, leave a small line of uncolored black paper showing between each chalk color. Place cool colors such as blue, purple, and green near warm colors such as red, yellow, and orange.

3. Put on your own fireworks display, being careful not to smudge your designs. With everyone wearing Crayola 3-D Glasses, slowly pass each firework design in front of your friends while all of you make whistling rocket sounds. Lay the fireworks flat for a sizzling grand finale. Listen to the ooohs! and aaaaahs!

4. Other ideas: Ask an adult to help find a safe paved area to draw life-size fireworks outdoors. Add a musical background for your fireworks show. Spell your name in fireworks.

 PICNIC PLATE PADDLE GAME

1. Spread newspaper over your work area. Place four heavy paper plates upside down on the newspaper. Paint plates with Crayola® Washable Kid’s Paint and Paint Brushes. Dry.

2. Add more designs and decorate the craft stick handles with Crayola® Washable Markers.

3. With Crayola® School Glue, glue craft sticks to the inside bottom of two plates. Glue handles and plain plates together with decorated sides facing out. Dry.

In case I haven’t mentioned this before I live in North Carolina’s oldest town known as Bath. This past weekend we had our yearly Bath Fest which is basically where they block off one of the streets have performances, booths with different things to buy, petting zoo area, fun areas for the kids, dancing, and you get to walk through all of the old houses for free. This year was pretty exciting because my son Brandon got to perform in the band in front of everyone! They did so good!  After spending the day there with my fiance, the kids, and my parents we ended it with my two girls getting a chance to act out a story with a few other kids during story time theater. I  have to say I was completely surprised at how well they did since they have never done anything like that before. My youngest did exactly as she was told and didn’t get all crazy like I expected her to do at her age and my oldest daughter was so shy it was just amazing watching them and really made my day even more special to see all three of my babies perform in a day that is so special to my town.  

With Memorial Day approaching todays meal will focus on just that. Each recipe can be found at http://allrecipes.com/features/holidays/MemorialDay.aspx and you should really head over there and find more great recipes for Memorial Day!

  Rosemary Ranch Chicken  Kabobs

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
• 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

~~In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing,

Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar,

pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl,

and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

~~Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers

and discard marinade.

~~Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Southwestern Pasta Salad

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a large bowl combine oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic. Stir in pasta and set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in corn, beans, green pepper, red pepper and 1/2 of the cilantro leaves. Spoon onto a platter and garnish with tomatoes and remaining cilantro. Serve chilled or at room temperature

Watermelon Pops

1. Mix 1/3 cup sugar and lime gelatin mix in medium bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add enough ice to 1/2 cup cold water to measure 3/4 cup. Add to lime gelatin; stir until ice is completely melted. Refrigerate 25 min.
2. Meanwhile, repeat Step 1 using strawberry gelatin mix and omitting the refrigeration step. Pour into 16 (3-oz.) paper cups. Freeze 20 min. Stir 1/2 tsp. chocolate chips into gelatin in each cup.
3. Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar with mixer in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in COOL WHIP; spread over gelatin in cups.
4. Pour lime gelatin over cream cheese mixture. Insert wooden pop stick into gelatin in center of each cup. Freeze 3 hours or until firm. Remove pops from cups just before serving

I wish I could find some baby pictures but this is a newer computer and I don’t have any up here, I will however scan a few at some point. I know I have written about him before but he’s growing up so fast, I know there are so many things that I fail to let him know and hopefully he’ll read this and know just how very proud I am of him and how special he is to me. Having Brandon at 17 I feel like we’ve grown up quite a bit together in many ways. He came at a point in my life that I needed to grow up and change my lifestyle. He’s been my strength to push through life for so many years and he continues to keep me wanting more and working hard everyday to get it.

I can’t even put into words how proud I am of the young man my son has become. He’s so smart (top of his class), he isn’t afraid to try anything which is something I really admire. I was so afraid to try out for sports or drama but not him, he plays football; basketball; baseball and he’s in the band plus performs with his class each year in the stepping out program. I have to admit seeing him do these things never gets old, it doesn’t matter how many times he hits a baseball I get tears in my eyes and a huge knot in my stomach!

A note to Brandon:

One thing you will learn as a parent is that no matter how many children you have, you love each of them the same but for different reasons. I love you my son because you are my babyboy, you will always be my babyboy! I love you because you are the most sensitive and caring young man I know, you would give up a day of pure fun just to help someone in need and that will take you far in life. I love that you protect your sisters and take care of them when you feel it’s necessary. I love that you are outgoing, smart, determines and strong. You are a fighter and I know we are hard on you but we only want what’s best for you, in those times that you stop fighting that’s when we have to step in and fight for you and one day I hope you’ll be thankful for that. Most of all I love you for the happiness you bring in my life, the way you brighten a room with your smile and the fact that the day you were born my heart was complete. You taught me how to be a mom and because of you I am a better person. I love you son and today when we are at your baseball game I know you’ll see me out of the corner of your eye watching you up at bat and just know that I’m there for you and you’ll be fine. We’ve come so far together and we’ve got a long way to go but together we will continue to be winners! I love you, your father loves you more then life trust me on that and your sisters think that you can do no wrong. Of course you know you are the reason your grandparents even breathe! None of us would be happy without your smile and we thank you for being the great kid that you are! I love you Booboo.

Today is Wednesday isn’t it? Everything is so hectic right now I’m not sure if I’m coming or going half of the time. Here are some picures of the kids at the park on Mother’s day, the puppies, and a surprisingly cold baseball game it really felt like football weather!

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day! I really enjoyed my day. We woke up early to go eat breakfast but the restaurant was packed with people waiting all the way out the door so we ended up getting breakfast from Burger King and taking it to the city playground by the water front. It was nice, we had family time and then the kids got to play on the playground so it really worked out. I had gotten my gifts before we left. When we got home we packed up all five puppies and took them to my mom and dad’s house and my fiance went to his moms house. It was great to see the puppies playing so much outside, my parents have a fence around the side of their house where their dogs use to stay and boy did the puppies love it! I had a wonderful time with my parents and my kids. I got solar lights to go down my driveway, plants, fencing to go around my plants, a new microwave, a volleyball/birdie net b/c mine broke, cards handmade and bought. Plus my mom and dad had gotten my hair cut for me and took me out to lunch a few days ago. I don’t think I left anything out.

Now on to the meals! I think with school getting out next month I’m in the mood to focus more on fun recipes for kids and stuff the kids can make. All of these are thanks to http://www.ablebaby.com.

Banana Pops

• 1 cup vanilla yogurt

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 1 medium ripe banana, cut into chunks

In a blender, combine the ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Pour into Popsicle trays, or into small plastic disposable cups and insert Popsicle sticks in center. Freeze until firm, about 5 hours or overnight. Makes 6 servings

Jell-O Magic Milkshakes

• 1 pkg (4-serving size) Jell-O gelatin

• 1 cup milk

• 1 pint softened vanilla ice cream

Pour 1 cup of milk into blender, add Jell-O. Cover and blend 30 seconds. Add softened ice cream and blend 1 minute longer. 

No Bake Marshmallow Cookies

Fun for kids to make and eat!

• 1 pkg Kraft caramels

• 1 stick butter or margarine

• 1 cans sweetened condensed milk

• 1 pkg marshmallows

• 1 large box Rice Krispies

Melt caramels, butter and condensed milk in double boiler. Dip marshmallows into melted caramel mixture then roll in Rice Krispies.

Cowpoke Burritos

• 1 can (16 oz) pork and beans with brown sugar

• 8 hot dogs

• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 8 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed up

Mix beans and ketchup in a medium saucepan. Add hot dogs and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until hot dogs are heated through about 7 minutes. Fill each tortilla with one hot dog and a spoonful of beans. Roll up like a burrito and serve with chips.

Beefy Biscuit Cups

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce

• 2 tubes (8 oz each) large refrigerated biscuits

• 1 cup (4 oz) cheddar cheese

In a skillet, brown beef; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until heated through. Press biscuits onto the bottom and up the sides of  greased muffin cups. Spoon 2 tablespoons meat mixture into the center of each cup. Bake of 375º for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 3 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Makes 8 servings.

Cake Mix Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients well. Drop tsps of dough on ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

• variations: Add walnuts to Chocolate Devils Food cake mix,  use strawberry cream cheese frosting on yellow cake mix. 

Sunday Morning Sweet Rolls

• 1 pkg refrigerator crescent rolls

• 1/4 cup melted butter

• 8 large marshmallows

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 tbl cinnamon

Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Dip marshmallow in butter, then sugar mixture. Wrap crescent roll around marshmallow, sealing all edges. Dip entire roll in butter and then sugar mixture. Place in muffin tins and bake at 375º for 10-13 minutes.

Man what a week! Between work, kids, chores, and the unexpected puppies I haven’t been able to take time to write as I would like to do. I was hoping to focus on Mother’s day this week in my writing but I’ve been lucky to even focus on being a mother! Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining and the puppies have been wonderful but it’s quite a chore to take five puppies outside to potty, the continue potty training my daughter, feed all the pets plus the kids, clean up after everyone, work as much as possible between the puppies barking spells and do it all with a smile. I just have to find my grove again. I feel less stressed with the puppies here if that makes since. I guess it’s because there’s no time to think, I live a busy hectic life anyway but there’s still time to think about how instead of doing laundry today I would like to just watch some tv for once. With the five puppies, three kids, our dog and kitty, and my fiance who seems to be worse then all ten of the others there isn’t a time to say well maybe I can get in some tv time instead I have to start cleaning and staying busy from the minute I wake up or I’ll lose control of the house quickly. Maybe it’s a good thing to have the puppies dropping by right now because I honestly was at my wits end with things around here but they have made me take a moment and forget all of that and to find a way to control it all. We are planning on checking out the animal rescue in our town to see if they will take a couple of the pups but we will keep a couple of them. Right now though they seem to fit in with my hectic life perfectly. 

So with that said I do want to post a few cute Mother’s Day crafts that I found while searching online. My oldest daughter is now at the age to understand what holidays are and my son loves to make things so I’m hoping they will get a chance to work on some of these for Mother’s Day.

Sites I visited for these wonderful ideas: http://www.allkidsnetwork.com, http://family.go.com/holidays/pkg-mothers-day/

Mother’s Day Fingerprint Box

What you’ll need:

• Paper heart-shaped box (available at all craft stores)
• Craft paint in your choice of colors (make sure it’s washable!)
• Paint brushes
• Chocolate kisses

How to make your Mother’s Day Fingerprint Box of Kisses Craft:

• Paint the box inside and out, including the lid. Let the box dry.
• Dip your index finger in paint and make put your fingerprint in the center of the lid.
• Dip your index finger in a different color and make fingerprints around the first mark to make flower petals.
• Paint a stem and leaves on to the flower. Let the lid dry completely.
• Fill the box with chocolate kisses (or any other candy I think would be great) and surprise mom!

Mother’s Day Flowerpot

What you’ll need:

• 3″ Clay Pot
• Clay
• Colored Popsicle Sticks
• Flower Template (click here)
• Construction Paper (many colors)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Scotch Tape
• Pictures
• Paint, Markers, Crayons, etc.

How to make your Homemade Mother’s Day Flower Pot Craft:

• Decorate your clay pot however you would like! Put it aside to dry.
• Print out the flower template provided above.
• Cut out the template flowers, trace them onto construction paper and cut out the construction paper flowers.
• Cut the center circle out of the template flower. Place onto construction paper flowers and trace around it. Carefully cut out the center circle in each of the construction paper flowers.
• Tape pictures or sayings on the back of each flower so that they are visible through the hole.
• Tape a popsicle stick to the bottom of each flower as the stem.
• Cut leaves out of green construction paper and glue to each popsicle stick.
• Fill the clay pot with clay. Stick the popsicle sticks into the clay to complete the craft!

Beauty Mask

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Flannel-backed satin fabric
	Glue
	16-inch length elastic
	Funnel
	5 tablespoons flaxseed
	3 tablespoons dried lavender
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Cut two pillow pieces from flannel-backed satin (download our template here). On the satin side of one piece, use tacky glue to attach rickrack edging and two 2-inch lengths of black fringe fabric trim eyelashes. Trim the fringe if necessary.

2. Run a line of glue around the flannel-side edge of the other fabric piece, leaving an inch-wide gap (shown in photo A, marked by waxed paper). Glue the ends of a 16-inch length of elastic to the flannel (A). Lay the other fabric piece on top, satin side up, and gently press the pieces together. After the glue dries, use a funnel to pour 5 tablespoons of flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of dried lavender into the opening (B) and glue it closed.

3. Before using the pillow, heat it in a microwave for about 20 seconds to warm the flaxseed and release the lavender scent.

Handprint Apron

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Solid-colored apron
	Fabric paints
	Paper plates
	Fabric pen
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Cover a work area with newspaper, and lay the apron right side up. Pour a little paint into a paper plate.

2. Have kids press their hands in the paint, move them around until the palm sides are covered, then place their handprints on the apron. Continue until the apron is covered with prints.

3. Write each child’s name with a fabric pen under his handprint. Let dry for at least one day before wearing.

Painted Glass Vase

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Clean, empty jar
	Acrylic or liquid tempera paints
	Paintbrushes or cotton swabs
	White glue
	Clear glaze (available at craft stores)
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. To make the paints stick to the glass, first mix the colors with some glue. Keep the paint thick so it won’t run.

2. Use brushes or cotton swabs to paint a design on the jar. To erase a mistake, use a paper towel to wipe off the paint before it hardens.

3. Let the paint dry, then seal the finished design with a coat of glaze.

Well I got an early Mother’s Day gift and a huge surprise! I woke up yesterday and put my dog Chelci out on the chain like every other morning. Around 8:20 or so Chelci started growling and barking and pulling towards the carport. I thought it was a snake but when I looked out the window I could tell it was an animal of some sort. When I got outside I realized that it was a puppy. I called the puppy to me and to my surprise out ran four more puppies! That’s right, I’m guessing someone put them out and lucky me we found them… well actually they found us ALL FIVE OF THEM.

I am a huge animal lover and my heart aches when I see animals that are without a home. You just ask my mom and she’ll tell you how many dogs I would have follow me home when I was little!

I figured when my fiance got home he would be like everyone else and say “well they have to go, we can’t take care of them, that would be too much to deal with” but instead he said we’ll keep two of them… after spending time with them and seeing how loving they are and how close they are to eachother he laughed and said “God five more dogs looks like we’ll be buying puppy food with the money we save from not buying diapers”. Yeah you gotta love a man with a heart for animals.  

The truth is I hate the thought of seperating them from eachother, I hate the thought of someone else getting them and mistreating them and it would be my fault because I didn’t keep them. Yes I’m somewhat an over thinker on things like this. Whether we keep them or we don’t keep them someone in my life is going to be bothered by the decision so I ask people who have pets to please don’t put another family thru something like this. How dare people dump animals like trash! These puppies didn’t ask to be put on this earth and they certainly didn’t ask to be thrown out to deal with whatever came their way. It’s sad that people have such little compassion for animals and it’s sad that I have too much.

Here are a few pictures of the pups and of mother hen chelci.