Month: February 2013

Valentine Hugs

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I’m a little late posting this, but I wanted to make sure that my in-laws received theirs BEFORE reading about it on here.

Davey made special Valentines this year for his Grandparents, Aunt, and Great Grandmas who live in NY.   I found the idea on Pinterest and thought it to be the sweetest thing in the world.   It took a mere 30 minutes from start to finish and cost a little bit extra in postage to send just because of the size, but it was totally worth it and my in-laws love them!

Basically, what we did this year was to send Valentine Hugs in the form of Davey’s actual hands cut from construction paper and a ribbon run between the two of them that served as his arms.   He didn’t want to play too much and I had to hold his hands (well we only used one and then just mirrored it to create the other) so that my husband could draw the outline on paper.   I retraced seven more hands to have four sets.

Davey's hands
Davey’s hands

Next I took a hole punch and punched a hole at the bottom of each hand.   Then I took a spool of red ribbon, had my husband hold Davey and stretch out his arms and then I measured his actual arm span and cut the ribbon.

ribbons representating arm span
ribbons representating arm span

Once one was completed, I just used it as a measuring stick for the remaining three strips of ribbon.Before attaching the ribbon to the hands, I printed out a little note that I then cut and pasted onto construction paper.   I punched a hole in the top of the note and then fed it onto the ribbon.   Once that was in place, I then fed the ribbon into the holes on the hands and tied the ribbon into knots at the end.

Valentine Note
Valentine Note

The finished product looked like this:

finished product
finished product

I received text messages and phone calls from all four receiving parties last night and they loved the Valentine Hugs.   His Grammy apparently continued to give herself hugs from Davey.

It was more of a craft for me since Davey isn’t old enough to really participate.   Hopefully next year will be a different story and I can at least have him glueing and possibly coloring.

I know it’s a little late for any of you to try to get this done and out for Valentine’s Day this year, but it’s definitely something to hold onto for next year especially if your littles have family far away.   I guarantee it will bring a tear and a smile to their face.

Sloppy Joe Empanadas or Something Like That

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Let me start out by saying that this didn’t go as I had originally planned.   Of course, when you become a mom, most all of your well laid plans seem to go out the window.

Lately, I’ve had issues with getting Davey to eat.   I have to find ways to squeeze food into his daily routines and to do it healthy.   He’s more concerned with playing as opposed to eating, so I usually try to keep things out for him to snack on during the day.   Dinner time is a different story.

I grew up with my parents, brother, and I always eating dinner around the kitchen table.   During the summer it was usually transported out to the table on the back porch, but we always ate dinner as a family without the interruption of television.   I’m pretty determined to do the same with my family, but once again the problem these days is Davey.   And since I’m also pretty determined to not have a finicky eater and to not have to make multiple meals, I’m trying to find new and fun ways to get him involved while also getting him to eat.

Tonight I made what I was originally going to call my Sloppy Joe empanadas.  I first should admit that the idea wasn’t all my own.  I did get the recipe from the Grands! biscuit website and will post a link to it on this blog.   I had a few variations on it since I wanted to find a way to get some vegetables in for Davey.

The recipe states that you should take Grands! biscuits and flatten them out into six inch circles on a non-greased cookie sheet.   I greased the cookie sheet since I’ve had issues in the past with following directions like that only to have what I’m baking stick to the pan.  I started the oven on 375 degrees before moving on.

Next I was to place Sloppy Joe mixture on each round.   Before making the mixture, I decided to add in some carrots and green pepper.   While the carrots were steaming, I diced up a quarter of a green pepper and started sautéing it in the pan.   Once the peppers were done, I put in a pound of lean ground turkey, browned it along with the peppers, drained it (I have learned to do this) and then added the carrots and a can of Sloppy Joe sauce.   Now, here’s where I encountered my problem.

When placing the Sloppy Joe mixture onto the first round, I found that I was either putting too much sauce or I didn’t have the biscuit round big enough.   The recipe states that you should fold over the rounds to make what looks like a dumpling or an empanada.   I couldn’t do that.   So, I covered the entire round with Sloppy Joe sauce, placed some shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top and then opened another can of Grands! biscuits, flattened them out and then placed them on top.   I ended up with eight Sloppy Joes.

I placed them in the preheated oven for approximately 12 minutes.   When they came out, this was the finished look:

3 of the finished product.
3 of the finished product.

They were not as pretty as I’d hoped, but were more delicious than I’d ever imagined.   My son ate two of these at one sitting!   And what he doesn’t know is that I managed to sneak in some vegetables as well.

The website states that it takes 45 minutes of prep and cook time total.  It took me a half an hour from start to finish INCLUDING dicing up and steaming carrots.    And the end result was fabulous.   My husband has asked that I make these again.   Perhaps next time I’ll try to make them look like actual empanadas.

Here’s the link to the recipe.

http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/grands-unsloppy-joes/3203cf0c-74bb-4e68-a038-2a43eae76087#

Try it out and add your own variations to it.   Get your little ones involved.   Davey loves to add the diced vegetables into the mixture and emptying out the can of Sloppy Joe sauce.   It seemed fun for him.   Enjoy!

Yummy!
Yummy!

Did I Drain the Grease? Hmmm……

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There once was a girl who hated to cook.
The kitchen she refused to look.
But one day fate stepped in
And soon it would begin
That girl became a cook.

Alright, alright! I’m definitely not a poet who didn’t know it. Quite the opposite as you can see above.
I’ve started taking to my role of a stay-at-home mom quite well. It’s only taken me a year to do it, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day, kids! Ok. I’m done with the cheesy factor, at least with my writing.

Before I go on, let me tell this quick little anecdote of when my husband and I first started dating. As most of you may know (at least those of you who’ve known me my entire life, my husband his entire life, and both of us together), my husband is the cook in the family and I STINK at it. When we first started dating, he made this amazing meal of a crab meat stir fry complete with his own homemade soy sauce. He can open a fridge and pull random ingredients out and throw them together to make the greatest meal your taste buds have ever encountered. Me? Not so much, but I am learning.

The first time I cooked for my husband, I made what I thought to be an amazing meal (although it didn’t come out like my mother’s always had). I made your basic spaghetti, except I cooked the sauce ALL DAY LONG. It was one of those slow cooker sauces in which all of the ingredients are fresh and there’s no such thing as using a jar of sauce.

My husband ate his entire plate of spaghetti. I was so happy. As we were cleaning the dishes, he asked me about the sauce. Being proud of myself, I jumped right in with the comment that it was my mother’s recipe (my mother never wanted me to repeat this, considering how badly I butchered it). He smiled at me and then asked me about the meat. I told him I made it with ground beef, which I had crumbled up into a frying pan and browned. He continued to smile at me and then asked,

“What about the grease?”

Huh? Grease? What grease?

“Did you drain the grease?” He asked.

“Of course not. The recipe didn’t call for that. Look,” I said while showing him the recipe.

Once again, he smiled at me and then took the pot of sauce and said,

“Do you see this film on top? That’s not supposed to be there.”

And that, my friends, was the end of my cooking days. Flash forward nine years and I’m a new woman! Who would have thought that? Not only can I cook, but I can also chop and dice vegetables without drawing blood. I can grill and baste, make meatballs from scratch, and even improvise.

Since, I’ve started getting so much better at this cooking thing I’ve decided to start posting some recipes on this blog, especially the ones that are simple, unique, and fun not just for me, but also for Davey. I’ve found that something I despised so much, can actually be fun especially when you have a little helper such as mine.

If any of you have some great recipes you would like for me to try or would like to share with each other, please feel free to comment. Check back later tonight for my Sloppy Joe Empanadas. Yum!

The Muffin Man

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Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?Yes, I know the muffin man, he lives on Davey Lane!

I had dinner with some of my girlfriends on Friday night. Most of us are now officially mothers so we have our little tots to always talk about. Only two of us are stay-at-home moms, and most of them will tell you that I was probably one of the least likely to be a stay-at-home mom, but I’ve taken to it like a moth to flame.

I told stories of what Davey and I do together and how it’s fun for me to do things with him that seem just so traditional and June Cleaver-ish.

One thing Davey and I love doing is baking muffins, and I don’t mean the instant muffins you buy at the store for $1. If I’m going to do something, then I’m going all out.

Today, we made homemade apple muffins and what a great time we had. The most cumbersome part of the whole thing is actually peeling and dicing up the apples, but once that’s done then it’s all fun and games in our kitchen!

Diced apples
Diced apples

Davey jumped right into his first role which was to line the muffin pans with cupcake papers. It’s a great learning exercise for him as well.

 

Davey lining the muffin pans.
Davey lining the muffin pans.

 

After that was done, I began mixing the ingredients and once again was able to enlist Davey’s help. As you can see he enjoyed his tedious roll of putting the diced apples in the mixer. He hasn’t quite mastered the understanding that picking up more than one at a time is much faster. After each diced apple he dropped in, he’d clap his hands with such a sense of accomplishment.

Putting the apples into the mixer.
Putting the apples into the mixer.

I’m enclosing a copy of the recipe as well, for any of you who made want to do this with your little ones. I guarantee your significant others will be impressed and it makes for a good bonding experience as well.

APPLE MUFFINS

apple muffins

 

Making a Lifelong Difference

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I do a lot of reading. I don’t watch a lot of television. I prefer to keep it off as much as possible with Davey. So, while he’s playing on his own, I’m reading.

I pick up a variety of different books.   There isn’t a certain genre I prefer over others; however, I’m not much of a fan of horror books or smutty romance novels.

Books need to be one of two things for me…entertaining and mentally stimulating or challenging.   I want to learn something as I go along.   Fortunately, my love of books rubs off on my son as he’s in love with reading as well.   He spends more time sitting in the floor with his books as opposed to his toys or blocks.   It makes for a happy mama.

Davey reading to our dog Dixie.
Davey reading to our dog Dixie.

So, right now I’m reading a variety of books (I’m always reading more than one, it drives my husband crazy).   One in particular, I want to share with all of you.   My husband bought it for me at our local Lifeway Christian Store.   It’s titled, “52 Things Kids Need From a Mom”.   It’s broken down into easy to read segments and basically allows for you to read one chapter a week.   Not too terribly difficult; however, I do know a mom with twins who prevent her from doing anything she used to find enjoyable.   She doesn’t seem to be able to read books anymore.   Mom, you know who you are.

I want to post a blog each week on this book as I’m reading the chapters.  Perhaps it will open the doors to more discussions between all of my fellow moms out there.

Each chapter starts with the following phrase:  Kids Need Their Mom….

Chapter 1 states:  To Pray in Secret with The Door Open.   What does that mean to you?  For me, it means that I don’t have to pray outloud, but I need to do it in front of my son.  It’s hard to find the time to pray.   I get up early every morning, well before Davey, just so I can read my daily Bible lesson, pray, and then be able to write for a while.   Lately, I’ve been encouraging Davey to learn how to pray as well.   He can fold his hands, but doesn’t bow his head, and he doesn’t sit quietly with me, but he hears me thanking our Lord for all of our blessings.

Making a lifelong difference with our children is long road, with many hills and twists and turns.   There are always obstacles, but it’s our duty to navigate our children through these.   How many of you take the time to pray with your children?   I’m trying hard to be a strong Christian mother, but I don’t always succeed.  And when I fail, I pray for forgiveness and strength to try again and I make sure Davey sees that as well.

52 Things

Please, Mr. Postman

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Back in July, I started what I’m hoping to be a tradition for me and for Davey.   I started writing letters on his behalf and sending them along with pictures on a monthly basis to a few friends and family who live out of town.

Most of you are aware that my husband’s entire family lives in Western NY.   For the most part, we are able to see his mom and sister at least eight times a year.   We rotate trips back and forth.   For the rest of his family, we try to squeeze in some time with them while we’re in NY.   Unfortunately, that’s only about four times a year and they miss out on a lot with Davey.

Being a writer, I decided to start using my talent for something else.   I decided to write letters from Davey’s perspective.

My husband has two grandmothers who are still living, Davey’s great grandmothers.   They don’t have access to email or Facebook, so they rely on us to keep them up to date with Davey’s growth.   The majority of the rest of the family, has some sort of internet access, but it’s a lot more fun for me AND for them to send a letter via the mail.   Let’s be honest, you all think it’s nice to receive something in the mail other than credit card offers and bills.

Thanks to the increase in stamp prices, though, Davey will stop sending letters to some of our friends since they’re a part of our generation and have email.   By the way, he has his own email account too.   I will; however, continue to send letters and pictures to immediate family especially to my in-laws.

Here’s a sample of one of the letters Davey has sent in the past.   It’s a neat idea, can be pretty inexpensive (all dependent upon who you send them to and the number of pictures), and definitely warms the heart of its recipients.

December 2012

And oh yeah, Davey gets a copy emailed to him as well.   I look forward to the day when he’s able to read his own email and start writing his own letters.

Davey honing his typing skills months ago!
Davey honing his typing skills months ago!

Push Presents

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A quick survey….

How many of you have received a “Push Present” from your significant other at the birth of your child?

For those of you who did receive, what was it?

I read an article yesterday about Push Presents.   I’d heard of them before, but hadn’t really put much thought into them.  For those of you unaware of what they are, they’re gifts presented to you by your significant other at the birth of your child.

I don’t want this post to be judgemental and condemning of those who have participated in this little ritual, but I really don’t understand it.   Of course, it’s all about the individuals, but I understand there are some women out there who actually EXPECT to receive some sort of trinket once they’ve pushed out the baby.   Shouldn’t your baby itself be the best present ever?

I spoke with my mom and dad about this and they looked at each other and then looked back at me and told me this was typical of my generation, expecting something for pushing out a baby.   Whoa!  Whoa! Whoa!  I told them.   Don’t automatically assume I agree with it.

Then I told my husband about it and he looked genuinely concerned that he had screwed up at the birth of our child since he only got me flowers.   I soothed him and explained that I wasn’t asking because i was expecting him to get me a gift.  I was just curious as to his take on it.   He said if I wanted a present he would get it for me.   I don’t need a present.  I have our son.   Besides, I didn’t push, I had a c-section, which leads to another question…should there be a bigger present for those of us who go through c-sections?

I’m just curious as to your thoughts on this.

Oh, by the way, here’s the gift I received….

meanddavey

See my smile?   You know it’s the best gift I could have received.

Considering Baby #2? Some Added Information

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First, let me take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who steal a few moments out of your days to read my blog.   I truly appreciate it more than words can describe.   It’s been my lifelong dream to write and to have people read what I write.    So, again I extend a heartfelt “Thank You”.

Last week, I blogged about my concerns with having Baby #2.   I received a lot of response both on this blog as well as from those of you whom I run into out in public.   Your encouraging words and thoughtful advice were much appreciated, but I found myself still wondering if I was ready or not.

Recently, I’ve come across a couple of articles with the exact same topic.   I thought it beneficial, especially to others of you who may be thinking the same thing as myself, to post the links to those blogs and articles on this site.

I consider myself to be a social media addcit, perhaps not as much as some of my friends, but still in my down time or while I’m on the treadmill at the gym, I’m perusing Flipboard on my iPad.   I follow a lot of mother blogs on Twitter and receive emails from a few of the sites I’m subscribed to.   They’re excellent for coming up with ideas to blog about, but they’re also encouraging because they help me to see that a lot of my thoughts and feelings are being shared by many other women throughout the world.

The first link I would like for you all to take a look at actually comes from The Wall Street Journal.   It’s a very short article, but it’s discussing the toll it takes on a parent to become, well, a parent.

http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2013/02/05/to-make-another-baby-or-not/

The second link I would like for you to take a look at comes from one of my favorite sites.  TheBump.com is a product of the same creators as TheKnot.com.   Where TheKnot.com is catered to couples who are tying the knot, TheBump.com is for those who are becoming parents and those who are seasoned pros at it.   If you are a mother or thinking of becoming a mother, please go to TheBump.com and subsribe to their site.   They come out with new information daily.   Some of it seems a bit off the wall to me, but other times it seems to strike a nerve as it seems to be catering directly to me.

This particular article took the time to compile responses from a lot of readers who are either thinking about having another baby or who have perhaps already crossed that bridge.  Some of the responses are quite humorous.

http://pregnant.thebump.com/new-mom-new-dad/your-life/articles/signs-youre-ready-for-another-baby.aspx?cm_ven=Responsys&cm_cat=Newsletter&cm_pla=Parent&cm_ite=February%2006,%202013&MsdVisit=1

And just as a little side note, I decided to rip off the band aid and my husband and I are now trying for Number 2.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Put Down Your Phone for This Important Message

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I don’t like confrontation.   I may talk big, but for the most part I just avoid any sort of awkwardness.   That’s part of the reason for this blog…so that I can vent about the little things other parents do that bothers me.   And if you happen to be the parent this week who has annoyed me and you read my blog, well bring it on because what you’re doing is selfish.   As for those of you whom I have not caught behaving this way, well take note that you’ve been warned and you need to repent.   Ok, a little dramatic there.    So, what’s bothering me you ask.

Yesterday I took Davey to a completely new event at the downtown library.   All in all, it was a huge success and we will be attending this class every Monday and Thursday morning.   It’s a musical class that’s tailored to children 18 months and older.   Seeing as how Davey is a little advanced (everywhere except his speech as I’ve noted before), I thought I would take him.   I’m eager to get him into as much interaction as possible and give him more than I ever had.   It’s my job, but it’s a job I love.

Well, the class is not designed to serve as a daycare.   It’s designed as something you should be doing with your child.    The class was a bit larger than what we’re used to, but Davey immediately jumped right in.   I sat towards the middle with him as we sang and he danced.   I helped do the finger plays with him and encouraged him to interact by clapping his hands and touching his head.

At one point, I glanced over to my right and noticed a few parents lined up with their backs against the walls while their little ones were in the middle.   EVERY one of them had a cell phone out and was either texting or emailing.   I was shocked and appalled that these parents felt that it’s more important to be texting as opposed to helping your child learn and grow.

I looked over to my left to see if the same thing was going on.   Before I go any further, I want it to be noted that EVERY parent wasn’t doing this.   There were those of us in the middle of the floor with our children and playing with them except for the mom to my left.   I watched with a deep sense of sadness as she was Faceboooking while her child was desperately trying to get her attention.   My heart broke!   I’m sure she’s not a bad mother, but come on!   Facebook?????   Is it really necessary to do that when your child needs you?    I suppose I should have said that to her, but again I don’t like confrontation.

I’m sure that are a lot of moms who work out of the home and find ways to squeeze everything in.   They’re multi-taskers and may have to legitimately answer a quick email concerning work while at places like this.   Hey, I’m guilty of texting my doctor once while we were at story time at the library.   Story time was over and Davey was playing with the other kids, so I thought it would be the perfect time to respond.

I guess what I’m asking of all you moms out there is to just put down your phones and be WITH your children.   Don’t just physically be in the same room with them, but really be with them in their adventures and endeavors, especially if they’re asking you to.   At some point, they’re going to grow up and not want you to be a part of their lives.   Won’t you feel bad to know that you missed out when you had the chance?

Stop Beating Around the Bush, Son

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I’m dying here!   I’m literally dying!   No, wait.   I meant to use the word “figuratively” when saying that I’m dying.

I’ve written about this before.   I’ve talked to a lot of moms about this.   I’ve consulted a lot of websites and magazines about this.   I’ve followed blogs, tweeted with fellow mothers throughout the world, and they’re all telling me the same darn thing…it will happen when it happens.   Unfortunately, that’s becoming unacceptable for me and I need help.   I’m afraid I may be putting too much pressure on myself, which is putting too much pressure on my son, which in turn is putting a lot of pressure on our relationship.

Davey just turned 16 months old last week and I consider him to be advanced for his age in just about every arena except for his speech.   He started walking at nine months, started identifying animals by 11 months, and right now he’s doing puzzles that a three year old can do.   He’s a smart kid and there’s no doubt about that, but I have a fear about the fact that he’s not saying anything other than “mama”, “dada”, and “Dixie”.

A few months back he said the word “duck”, then he said the word “color”, and most recently he said the word “car”, but those moments were fleeting.   It’s like he spent a week saying each word and now when you try to prompt him to say the words again, he looks at you like you’re speaking a foreign language.

His hearing his phenomenal, so I’m not worried about that.   He comprehends everything.   He knows what a heart is, can pick out a giraffe, can point to his colors and even bring you his maracas, but he refuses to say the words.  We can even play the game “I Spy” and he’s able to pick out everything I spy. He shakes his head “no” at me, though, when I ask him to say any of these words.   Lately, I’ve started having nightmares about the fact that he’s not saying a lot of words.

I’ve started dreaming that other moms are talking about us behind our backs, that they’re making fun of Davey’s development and maybe my perceived lack of devotion.   Other days I’m having a sense of anxiety that causes stomach aches.   It’s that feeling you have when you’re in school and you’ve waited until the absolute last minute to get that paper done and you worry about if you’ll be able to turn something in or if you’ve waited too long.   That’s what I’m feeling like these days.

My pediatrician says it’s perfectly fine where Davey is, but I don’t necessarily agree with that.  Am I trying to do my pediatrician’s job?  No, but I definitely want to make sure that Davey doesn’t fall behind.   I actually have a few friends who claim their child has an advantage over mine because he’s in daycare.   I don’t agree with that either.   I just don’t really know what to do anymore.

I know a lot of you will tell me to stop putting the pressure on me and Davey.   I know a lot of you will tell me that he’ll speak when he’s ready, but for those of you who have been or are teachers, can you give me some advice or assistance as to what I could and should be doing to help encourage his speech?   I just want him to stop beating around the bush and speak his mind.

Sigh.