Schools

Anybody know how to find out which schools in an area are the best?

The Nativity

We watched this for part of FHE tonight. It's about 5 minutes long if you have some spare time. The video is to the song "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant. I have always loved this song. If you listen to the words, try to imagine how Mary must have felt at this time.

Give oh give, give oh give

With the times the way they are and the holidays here we've been reflecting a lot on how blessed we are. We've been trying to teach Kendall about blessings and how fortunate we are and that with so much, we should try to help people who aren't as fortunate. I'm trying to give her little chances to give like having her put all our change into the 'bell piggybank' at the grocery store while explaining that the money goes to help people, and having her come to our tithing settlement which gave us a great opportunity to explain about tithing and offerings.

So, this morning we were watching Postcards from Buster and he was in China visiting kids who did things to help others. One girl raised money to give to sick kids. Kendall was all over it. (I think she liked that girl because she was a figure skater.) Anyway, she wants to earn money to give to sick kids and who am I to say no. I think it's great but I need ideas- what types of things can a 4 year old (with our help of course) do to earn money? You are all so creative so I thought I'd ask you.

Any ideas?

What's On Your Bookshelf?

I've really been enjoying Charles Martin's books lately. He's a christian writer so there isn't bad language or nasty talk. Really feel-good books. I'm finished with all his books and was wondering what you all are reading.

Gumdrop Wreath

Saw this on MarthaStewart.com

I think I'll try a small, multi-colored version with the kiddos.

Tools and Materials:
Styrofoam wreath form
Florist's wire
Gumdrops
Toothpicks
Decorative ribbon

Gumdrop Wreath How-To:
1. Wrap enough florist's wire around wreath form to leave a large loop for hanging. Break toothpicks in half. Lay wreath form flat.

2. Begin a short row: Place pointed end of a few toothpick halves into Styrofoam, following the form's curve from inside to outside; push one gumdrop onto broken end of each toothpick. After row is a few inches long, make a parallel row on each side until section is covered. Repeat until wreath is complete. (Note: If you try to complete an entire ring of gumdrops before moving to next row, it will be very difficult to create a uniform pattern.)

3. Suspend wreath from wire hanger, disguised with a wide satin bow.

snowflakes

I made these snowflake ornaments with my 3 year old the other day and she loved it. I got the idea from a magazine and I think they turned out pretty cute, I still need to find something to hang them with but it was super easy and fast so I thought I'd share with all of you! 

What you need: 

popsicle sticks

glue

buttons

I heart Etsy.

I'm not a big shopper and most of the shopping I do is online. I have a few favorite online stores that I regularly shop at like old navy and amazon but one of my very favorites is Etsy. It's where people can buy and sell homemade products and there are such unique things to choose from. You can find anything there I swear.

Here's the link...

http://www.etsy.com/

It's also a great place to sell all sorts of things. You pay a small fee to list things but don't have to pay a percentage like on ebay.

I'm buying these Christmas gift tags from there (minus the blue)...

Twilight Reviews

So ladies, it is here! What did you think about Twilight? IF you didn't see it you DON'T READ THIS PLEASE!

Reminder

I love this talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard in April 2008 conference. I've been feeling frustrated with my lack of energy lately. I feel like there's always so much to do and not enough time/energy to do it all. I remembered this talk and it is very encouraging and uplifting. I really like the quote from Anna Quindlen. I need an occasional reminder to stop and enjoy the moment instead of rushing to the next task.

"What can you do, as a young mother, to reduce the pressure and enjoy your family more?

First, recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. … I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less' (Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)."

Ornament wreath

I made this today and people seem to like it so I thought I'd post a link to some basic directions on here too in case anyone is interested. It was very easy, not too time consuming, and turned out really cute.

Here's mine...




http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2008/01/mardi-gras-wreath-ornament-wreath.html

intro: Misty

hey everyone, I'm Misty and Katy invited me to be part of your great group! I know the McKinney's from when they lived out here in Modesto, Ca, we went to church together and it's been fun finding them again! 

A little about me: My husband Ryan and I have been married for 6 years, we met while we were at school in San Diego and we were married a short 7 months later. We lived in San Diego for 4 years and moved back up to Modesto right before we had our daughter. So now we have 2 kids, Dylen who is 3 and Max who is 18 months. My husband is a Paramedic and also in the National Guard and I work a couple mornings at my Dad's office and get to spend the rest of the time with my two cute kiddos. I love being a mom and I look forward to getting advice and great ideas from all of you! Thanks for inviting me Katy.

Who is ready for Twilight?

Opening in Theatres near you November 21st!

Need ideas

I'm going to wrap a bunch of boxes and use them as outdoor decorations. I need advice/ideas on what I can wrap them in so they will be snow and rain proof. Any ideas ladies??

Free Photobook from Snapfish

You can make a free custom Snapfish photobook through the link on Oprah's website (click here). The offer ends at midnight so hurry and check it out. Thanks Britney for the info. I'm gonna go work on mine.

Pumpkin Bread

I've been making this a lot lately. It's so yummy, especially when you add chocolate chips to the batter.

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. *I use two standard bread loaf pans (not sure the measurements) and cook about 60 minutes.*

In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Dates

Just wanted to survey how many of you regularly go on dates with your husbands.

For no good reason we rarely do and I've been thinking for awhile that that needs to change.

Sleeping Woes

As you may or may not know I had a tiny guy back in August. This is my third time around and it really has been the easiest. He is a great eater, is only up twice in the night and goes right back down after eating, he is a mild mannered little guy too. At night I lay him down in his crib when he is drowsy and he usually wiggles for a few minutes then falls to sleep.

My only hiccup has now been naps. For the first weeks he of coarse slept most of the time and I would just tote him around the house where ever I was and he would sleep in his bouncer or swing. But the past few weeks (he is 9 weeks now) I have been trying to get him to sleep in his crib for naps and it hasn't gone well. Like at night, I will lay him down when I know he is sleepy and he will wiggle in there for a few minutes, no crying, then will then fall asleep. But the problem is he doesn't stay asleep. He always wakes up after about 10-20 min. Sometimes I can go stick his binky back in and he will go back to sleep, but again only for about 10 min. Today I thought I would just leave him alone and let him cry a little and see if he would go back to sleep. He cried for 30 min straight and didn't fall back asleep. So usually after about an hour of the battle I just get him out bring him around the house with me. Although the past few days he doesn't really sleep well in his swing either.

I am at a loss. So what do I do? Am I going about it all wrong? He doesn't really have any issues falling asleep its just staying asleep. None of the books that I have address this. They only talk about getting them to sleep, not staying. Please help if you can.

Women Helping Women

So while I was doing some research for food storage (specifically what kinds of sanitary supplies to store) I came across something that just blew me away. In developing countries, girls only have rags or newspapers to use when they have their periods, or even worse they have nothing at all! This makes it difficult for them to go to school on the days that they are menstruating. 

Some companies are providing disposable sanitary supplies to some areas which is good, but has a downside. There are no public waste facilities and so the pads, tampons and covers end up being burned which releases harmful toxins into the environment. They also would have to depend on an outside source for their sanitary supplies instead of being self-reliant once they had the reusable pads.

I thought it would be neat to challenge each member of the blog to make 6 reusable cloth pads to donate to Goods 4 Girls (and if you are feeling ambitious, 3 zippered wet bags to carry wet or dry pads in). There are a variety of patterns to choose from and they don't look too hard to make. If you feel too intimidated by sewing to make them yourself, you might also consider donating money to the cause or buying cloth pads from an online store and they will mail them to Goods 4 Girls for you.

I am so grateful that I can drive to the drugstore and buy myself sanitary supplies whenever I want. After reading about these girls, I felt like a spoiled brat because I complain a lot about my period. I have sanitary supplies, hot running water, soap, wipes, Midol and Ben and Jerry's to help me get through my period. I can't imagine having to sit in a hut on a pile of newspaper for days while I wait for my period to end. I feel so fortunate that I live where I live in the pleasant circumstances that I live in!

I think we could do a lot of good with a little effort. You can use fabric you already have as long as it is clean. You might have to buy some waterproof fabric and snaps or velcro and zippers, but the cost should be minimal. If you don't have fabric on hand, many fabric stores sell remnants for much cheaper. Some of the recommended fabrics are flannel, cotton T-shirt material and PUL.

I think this would also be a wonderful humanitarian aid project to suggest to your Relief Society Enrichment Supervisor (my calling in my ward) if you are LDS.

Are you gals in? I think a good deadline would be the end of January after the holidays are over. Does that sound reasonable?

Complete information and instructions can be found at Goods 4 Girls.

Middle Names

It's been a family tradition (for many generations) to not give girls middle names. It bothered me for a time when I was younger that everyone had a middle name but me. Then it became a cool thing, because most people hated their middle names and luckily, I wasn't plagued with one. Now that I'm married, I'm really glad that I only have three names, that I didn't feel like I had to choose one name over another, and that I've been able to retain all my names without being cumbersome. I've been wondering where this tradition began. Is it a Mormon/Utah thing? My husband's family is from Utah, and they have the same tradition. How many of us don't have middle names? Are you happy about that, or do you feel gypped? If you don't have a middle name, did you carry on the tradition for your daughters, or did you break tradition? If you broke tradition, what was your reason? I've heard some people complain that they feel like not giving girls middle names is sexist, since the boys merited three names. What do you think? If you do have a middle name, did you legally keep your first, middle, maiden, and married names, or did you leave something out? What made you choose to include or exclude certain names? And April, you have a middle name, right? But you didn't give your daughters middle names. How did you make that decision?

Halloween Ideas

I need help with some ideas for Fall or Halloween activities to do with a group of kids. It can be a craft, game, treats or anything else the kids would enjoy.

Tooth Fairy???

My daughter lost another tooth today. She put it under her pillow with a letter to the tooth fairy asking very politely for a picture of her. She explained that her friend at school doesn't believe in tooth fairies,Santa Claus or the Easter bunny. Sp she wants a picture to show her. Yeah, what do I do here? I hate to ruin childhood innocence, but do I need to tell her the truth? I seriously thought about finding a picture of someone in a fairy costume under her pillow, but that seems a little too much to me. Well, I guess asking for advice on this at 11:30 at night doesn't help when I'll have to do something by morning. Oh well. What would you do?

twilight trailer

How to peel an egg

Here is a video demonstrating how to peel an egg without peeling the egg. This guy is Tim Ferris, author of The 4-Hour Work Week (never read it, but it sounds interesting) and master of efficiency. Pretty cool.

A fun conference weekend idea

6 months ago my friend posted this on her blog and I loved it. We are doing it tonight.

"The King Benjamin Tent...
In one of my institute classes, I learned that a fun way to get children excited for conference is to read in the Book of Mormon about King Benjamin's address to his people. We explain that the people came from far and wide to listen to their prophet and leader at that time and pitched their tents with the door toward the prophet. So we reinact this idea by putting up a tent, and if room permits, face it towards the TV for conference. Talon LOVES this. He looks forward to it and we let him sleep in the tent those two nights of conference. It's so much fun. Whoever thought of the idea was very inspired."

I thought I'd share the idea with all of you and see if anyone else has some ideas about how to help kids listen to conference.

Potential Nightmare

My oldest daughter (3.5 years old) hates to see the doctor. She doesn't want strangers touching her. She remembers the shots. She doesn't want someone looking in her eyes and ears and mouth. It's almost too much to even ask her to stand on the scale, but she will, reluctantly with a bribe. But that's about the limit of her cooperation. The last time she needed a vaccine, she pulled the needle out of her leg and threw it at the nurse (it was impressive, but not shocking, although the nurse sure didn't see it coming). To say that she makes a scene is a huge understatement. This is just the way she is and she's always been that way. I would like her to see the dentist (I think she needs it, given that she makes it extremely difficult for ME to brush her teeth), but I fear things will be even worse than the well baby visits. I have a friend who is a dental hygienist for a pediatric dentist and she has tried to convince me that these people are really good at what they do, and they would know how to handle my daughter (hmm...). She says that kids who are three years and older leave their parents in the waiting room and see the dentist by themselves. I'm pretty against that idea, not just because it would be traumatic for her (they'd have to drag her), but also for safety reasons. But even if I'm with her, what would they do for a child like mine? There's no way she'd be cooperative even for an x-ray. I'm thinking they'd have to knock her out completely just to get a glimpse at her teeth. Does anybody have experience with difficult children at the dentist? What can they do? And if they have to dope her up, is that safe?

Crazy 8

A friend had information about this store, Crazy 8, on her blog. It is owned by the same company as Gymboree, but has better prices. Cute stuff too. There are not many physical locations, but of course you can shop online.

Meltdown Prevention

I mostly only have major meltdown problems with my 5 year old (and sometimes myself). I actually had my son wait an extra year before kindergarten because he seems to have meltdowns often. He has gotten better about it since he started pre-school again this year. The first day he came home from school and said, "My day wasn't so good. I threw five fits." As the month has gone by he has thrown fewer and fewer fits, probably because his new more business-like teacher won't put up with it. I thought this article listed some great ideas for meltdown prevention.

heart hurt.

My little Sam started Kindergarten this year. It's been a pretty smooth transition so far, but lately he has been telling all of us that we "have BAD breath"... including our little baby. So of course, that made me suspect that someone has been telling him that. So I asked him tonight if someone at school was telling him that. He says, "yeah, they tell me that everyday." Come to find that it's several of the boys in his class that he speaks about admiringly everyday and really wants to be friends with them. I asked him if they are mean to him and he said, "only sometimes". Of course then we talked about the importance of brushing teeth 2x a day, etc.

You know, he really seems pretty unaffected by it-- when he told me about it there were no tears or anything. But tonight my heart feels really heavy. He's my first off to School-- he's away from me everyday for the full day- and I can't protect him anymore--I can't fight his battles. And it just hurts my heart.

Ellen with Stephenie Meyer today!!!

Stephenie Meyer will be on The Ellen show today talking about Twilight. 

 Thought you'd all like to know.  I know I'm excited!

Guilty Pleasures: MOVIES

The other day I was blog hopping and on one blog a song from Moulin Rouge was playing. Instantly I felt happy because I had flashes of my life back when I saw the movie and what a great time it was. Now, I keep wanting to sit down and watch it. It is remarkable how sights, sounds, smells and music can transport you/your mind to a different time that you experienced.

My question: What movies from your past do you love because it brings back exciting/happy/positive feelings? Maybe it was just the soundtrack you loved. Tell why please.

My guilty pleasure is Moulin Rouge. I saw it at the dollar theater in Provo when I still lived there. I heard from some women that it was good. I went with my girlfriend, Meghan. At first we didn't get it, it was too in your face. A day later we both kept talking about it and then we went and saw it again. The weirdness made it unique (ie. Napoleon Dynamite). I admit it is not for every taste. Anyway, we burned the soundtrack and then became huge fans of the music, movie and actors (especially Ewan McGregor). When I think of that time, it was a fun, young, kid free, mortgage free, poor married student time in my life. :0)

9/11/08

As you all know today is September 11th, I was just wondering...... Are you guys going to talk to your kids about today and why it is important? I was watching the news this morning and they were having a memorial service which made me think.... They are trying to have a Gay Day in our schools, but are they going to have a day to remember what our country is fighting for? Or the men and women that die to protect it?

Paper crafts

I think paper crafts can be very cool. My favorite part of my Real Simple magazine are the section intros that have a picture made out of paper.

I checked this book out from the library today and it's awesome! I tried to make the tiny gift box and it turned out pretty good for doing it with kid scissors and dealing with a crazy toddler clawing at my legs. It looks like a tiny doughnut box because it's pink but that's okay, it was still cute. I'm excited to make holiday decorations from here. They seem easy enough for Kendall to help with and they're very cute. Clean and not too country which is how I prefer my crafts.

http://www.amazon.com/Paper-All-Seasons-Projects-Presents/dp/0823038920/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221099518&sr=8-2

Monkey See Monkey Do

So, I wanted your opinion on this item. I recently purchased this Backpack/Harness, but lets be honest, it is really a leash. I got it because when I set Elianna down to grab something in the truck she takes off and I would be mortified if she ran out into the street or road. I also bought it because, we are taking our family vacation at the end of September to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This would be perfect, I can keep her in range and not be totally stressed trying to keep her right next to me at all times. This would let her get tired too, sitting in the stroller doesn't have the same effect. She isn't physically doing anything. She is a busy body. This would allow her to roam but safely. What do you think about it? Am I seriously sick minded?

Dream House

Thanks to everyone who participated in the last post, it is so fun getting to know a little bit more about everyone. Here's the next question.....

What would be you're ideal dream house..... That is what style and where would you want it to be. The reason I came up with this one is because my parents have just finished building a house this year and it is more of the Spanish type, and that got me thinking.... if I could build my own dream house, what would it be, and where would I live?

OK girls go for it, let's say money's no object, any place in the world, and any style of house... this does not have to be realistic. Have Fun!!

Dream Job

If you could do any job in the world, what would it be.... and I mean in a perfect world where you can have kids and still get everything done that you want to in the day. Maybe even have a cook or house keeper, in your most perfect situation, what would you do?

I'll give you a few examples.....

doctor, lawyer, zoo keeper, dentist, school teacher, librarian, lunch lady at school, the walmart guy that hands out the carts and says hello, nurse, artist, photographer, just to name a few....
now remember, you can be as creative as you like, as for me.....

I would be a CSI.... Crime scene investigator.... I love that kinda of stuff, it's kinda like a puzzle and you get to figure it all out.

Baby Blues....

I just needed to know, of all the women who read this blog, how many got "the baby blues" and for how long? With my first child, I went into a depression so bad the Dr. medicated and counseled me... that lasted over a year. Now with my son turning two months I'm finding it harder and harder to get out of bed and shower. I'm nervous, does this happen to all moms, is it just me? Am I horrible for feeling this way when the people close to me (my sister) are struggling with a loss, and I can't even deal with my issues? HELP

Midnight Sun

Someone leaked on the internet a partial draft of Stephenie Meyer's Midnight Sun manuscript (which, as you probably know, is Twilight retold from Edward's perspective) and now Stephenie has offered the partial draft (12 chapters, non-contraband this time) on her website. I read the leaked version and I loved it, so I really hope she publishes Midnight Sun in the future (when she's not so angry about the leak).
http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html

Let the guilt go!

"Their physical brain develops through play"

Forever my friends and I have been worried, that as young moms, we didn't know enough or do enough extra activities with our kids in their first years. Many of us didn't have the budget to sign-up for art classes when our baby was 18mo. or buy the expensive electronic learning system toys for Christmas. We all just tried to make ourselves feel like what we were doing was going to be good enough.

Recently, I been feeling guilty because I didn't put my second son, who just turned 3, into preschool this year. My first son went to preschool when he was two, mostly because he needed to the social interaction. So, he ended up going for three years and now, in Kindergarten, it's not like he is any smarter then the kids who only went for one year. Well, I saw this Today Show segment and it made me feel like, OK, my child will grow-up to be just (if not more) innovative then the child who had violin/art/chorus lessons and a personal computer when he was two. Let the children play!

Enrichment Ideas

So I am the new Enrichment Supervisor in my ward. I am excited about it from the learning and crafts side, but a little daunted by the spiritual stuff. Can everyone please share some ideas of Enrichment meetings they have attended that had cool spiritual themes? I have the entire year to plan coming up, no committee yet and an Enrichment counselor who has a very slow and indirect way of doing things (completely opposite from me).

Our next activity is RS Broadcast and I thought it would be fun and easier to do a potluck fancy dessert with another ward since we will both be in the building at the same time and since here the Broadcast starts at 8 pm.

Also, if you have any cute and cheap Christmas gift ideas to pass along that would be great. So far we are doing cookie mixes in jars, painted wooden signs with vinyl lettering (love at home, etc.,) and hair bows.

School Snacks

I came across some fun ideas for snacks and other back-to-school ideas at FamilyFun.com

Potty Training

I need help with training my daughter. The only time she goes is when she is really relaxed (naptime and night sleeping). I have her sit on the "potty" after she gets up, before nap, before bed at night and anytime she wants to but there has been nothing. Does it take along time for them to get the hang of it or is she still too young?

Twilight News

Ladies, I just read on Stephenie Meyer's blog that due to circumstances regarding the Harry Potter movie being delayed, Twilight will be released in theatres on November 21st now! Check it out!

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html

School Time Snack Ideas

Does anyone have any great school snack ideas? Claire's first grade class is asking for people to just randomly bring snacks in that the teacher can pass out before they go to recess. They need to be something easy and fast and preferably, not sugar. It all sounds great, but I think that the kids are gonna end up with a lot of pretzles and grahm crackers. Anyone have any other great ideas?

Love it!

Almost done reading it, if I could just hide from my kids for 2 seconds uggh! This book is Crazy!! My plan is to set the kids in front of the t.v. with lots of junk food so I won't have anymore interruptions except from my nursing baby Dallin! I hope this neglect towards my children will be successful! :)

Yummy Toffe Bark!!!!

Last night I hosted a recipe exchange and this is what I made.  It doesn't take long and it's pretty easy to make.  Also, you can make it a day or two before and just refrigerate or freeze it.  I've made it before and everyone LOVED it.  It's deadly because once you have just one bight, you'll want to eat it all.  So here's the recipe:

1 c. brown sugar (packed)

1 c. melted butter

1 pkg. Trader Joe’s semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Nabisco’s salted tops soda crackers

Trader Joe’s dry roasted unsalted almonds (chopped)

Preheat oven to 350.  Put foil over cookie sheet and spray with Pam butter flavor.  Place crackers salt side up on foil.  Melt butter then add brown sugar and stir over med. heat until it boils.  After sugar mixture has boiled for 3 minutes, pour over crackers and put in oven.  When it stars getting bubbly on top, turn oven down to 325 and let bubble for another 5 minutes.  Turn off oven and sprinkle choc. chips over mixture (crackers).  Leave in oven for 3 minutes.  They should be soft enough to spread evenly thereafter.  Sprinkle with chopped almonds and freeze for 45 minutes, or you may refrigerate.  Crack into pieces and enjoy!

Breaking Dawn

Who's read it and what did you think?

Don't read the comments if you haven't read or finished it and don't want to be spoiled.

Cheap Dates

I don't know how many of you have already read this article, but I thought it had some good ideas for inexpensive dates. We get most of our babysitting for free through a co-op, but when no one in the co-op can take a sit our dates are really costly. Once when we had a sorority girl babysit for us, the babysitting cost twice as much as what we spent on the date, which didn't seem right. With gas so expensive and the economy so bad, we've all got to cut corners where we can.

French Toast Kabobs

I haven't tried these, but I thought Martha had a fun idea.


Serves 4
Ingredients
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup nonfat buttermilk
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 loaf (one-pound) unsliced dense white bread (such as pullman), crusts removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
2 bananas, sliced
Maple syrup (optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven to warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, salt, and vanilla. Stir in bread.

In a large saute pan set over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Place half of the bread mixture in pan; cook, turning occasionally with a spatula, until browned on all sides. To keep warm, transfer to the oven. Cook remaining bread in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter as before.

Thread bread cubes onto skewers alternating with blueberries, raspberries, and banana slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, if desired.

Use the Force

A had his b-day party on Friday and I made these cupcakes and some star wars goodie bags. If you like, you can read about how they were created.

Let us Discuss

The Twi-hards at church are getting ready for the big release of the last Twilight book. I found this magazine photo and I thought you ladies might want to comment on it. I think that it looks like Edward ate a cherry Otter-pop before the photo shoot. And what about the chest hair?

Here is the lastest movie trailer too.

3 Hours in a Row!

Our Little Wyatt actually slept for 3 hours in a row last night. I know that's not amazing for some of you, but he had been getting up every hour to two hours to eat, and let me tell you I have been sooooooo tired! He is only 3 weeks old now, and hopefully the older he gets the more he will sleep. I feel like a new woman today, it's amazing what a little extra sleep can do!

In the delivery room,

One Day Old,

Wyatt's First bath,

First Fo-Hawk!

Soft Pretzels

After seeing these pretzels made on Good Eats I decided it was something that Kendall and I could tackle during one of Gage's naps. I was really surprised at how yummy and easy they were. I gave Kendall a ball of dough to form at the end when I was rolling the rest into pretzels and she had so much fun. In the end she said hers was a dinosaur but it was just a big lump of small dough balls stuck together. I brushed hers with melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar and did the rest like it says in the recipe. They were WAY good, soft and chewy.







http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html

My secret food weapon

Kendall is a picky eater and it can be hard to get her to eat things besides cereal, string cheese, pancakes, and pb&j sandwiches. Unless it's junk and then it's never a problem. So lately I've been putting a tiny bit of sprinkles on top of things like yogurt and fruit and my word she will gobble it up.

Here's her lunch, grilled cheese and fresh pineapple. She was so excited to see sprinkles on the pineapple and she asked me to put some on her sandwich too. Nasty but whatever gets the job done.

She's such a princess I swear.

Belly cream

Do any of you have recommendations for belly cream?  I just used regular lotion with both pregnancies but I think I'll need all the help I can get to NOT get stretch marks this time around.  I'm not even sure they work but I thought I'd ask anyway.

Bubble Boys

For those of you who are out of the loop the state of California is on fire. I know your saying to yourself , "it's always on fire". Well, the smoke is trapped here in Sacramento valley and for the last three weeks have looked like some "Day after Tomorrow" type movie.

The sky at 8 am.

Besides the smoke it has been around 100* degrees. My boys are losing it! I have tried to find things inside for them to do. We go to the library and inside fast-food play places. We have been advised not to go outside and not to use our cars, "spare the air ". We usually go to the pool, but my son's swim lesson are cancelled because so many people are getting sick when they go outside. We are running out of friends to have over and coloring and play-doh are done. We have made forts and filmed music videos. We've watched enough T.V. for the rest of the year. I have intense morning/evening sickness, so doing cartwheels and somersaults with the kids ain't happening. I need help, I need like "thinking outside of the box" ideas. I have a 3 year old, so they can't be too involved. They are boys, so they need to get as much energy out as possible. Thanks

Twice the fun!!!

I'm offically anouncing I'm prego with twins.  Most of my family knows this but for the rest of you, SURPRISE!!!! I get to get stretched to the max and gain a bunch of weight.  No I'm kidding, we're very excited....still getting used to it though.  Currently, everything looks good to go.  I'll continue to have updates and pics of my growing belly on my blog.  Please feel free to take a peak.  

Just so you all know, I will be seeking advice through all of this and continue until after the kiddies are here.  Be prepared!

Baby Food

I've always wanted to make my own baby food, but never got around to it. I might give it a try with one of these.

They have them at Williams-Sonoma and here is what they say about it.

Beaba Babycook
The French baby-food maker that has won praise throughout Europe is finally available to American families. This compact countertop appliance multitasks as a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster to prepare fresh, healthy meals for baby. It starts by steam cooking vegetables, fruits, meat and fish in less than 15 minutes, preserving their vitamins and flavors, then purees or blends them to the desired consistency. You can also use it to quickly reheat or defrost precooked foods. With it comes a 2 1/2-cup plastic bowl, cooking basket, spatula and recipe booklet. The bowl and basket are dishwasher safe. 11" x 5 1/2" x 8" high.

Sale

Old Navy is having a pretty decent sale on some of their summer stuff. I got myself a bathing suit for less than 10 dollars, one for Kendall for 7.25, and a few other warm weather things. We went to the store and the selection wasn't great but I got everything I wanted online.

Just FYI.

Pancake Cups

I take absolutely zero credit for this idea, my friend in Boston got it from a friend of hers. It looks like something you would see on this blog, so I copied it. I know you Supermommies will try it and I want to see some pictures. I think it would be great for a baby shower brunch.This idea sprang from a recipe she found in the book Kitchen Playdates by Lauren Deen. In her version thinly sliced wheat bread forms the cups instead of pancakes. She didn't have any thinly sliced bread on hand nor did she want to run to the store so she gave pancakes a try. It was great!

Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Make your favorite pancake batter but add a few extra tablespoons of water. Add 1 tablespoon at a time to make sure the batter doesn't get too thin. You want the batter thinner than usual but not watery.

Step 2: Use a 1/4 c. measuring cup to add the batter to the pan or griddle. Cook pancakes.

Step 3: Lightly grease your muffin cups with butter. Don't forget the sides

Step 4: Gently press pancakes into the muffin cups. Remember to press around the bottom edges of the muffin cups.

Step 5: Bake in a 325 degree oven for 5-8 minutes.

Step 6: Let pancakes cool in the muffin tin.

Step 7: When ready to serve, remove your pancake cup, place on a plate and reheat in the microwave (if desired.) Fill with yummies and eat!





Filling ideas:

Strawberries and whip cream (as shown)

Scrambled eggs, bacon and syrup drizzled on the plate (as shown)

Peanut butter and bananas

Blueberries

Ricotta cheese and berries

Lemon curd, raspberries and a dollop of whip cream