Mother Who Needs to Know

Help! I have been asked to take part in a discussion group tomorrow. I am to lead a discussion on Mothers Who Know Are Nurturers and I have no idea what I am going to say. The girl who arranged all this wants only positive reinforcement of Julie Beck's talk and will not accept dissenting opinions. So all the interesting questions and PhD babble that my professor husband and I came up with is out the the window. That said, I do agree with this section of the talk, I just find it hard to measure up.

Here's that section of the talk:

Mothers Who Know Are Nurturers (segment taken from Julie Beck's talk in GC)

"Mothers who know are nurturers. This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness. To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens bet in a "house of order," and women should pattern their homes after the Lord's house. Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women." 

Any insights or tips on this topic would be greatly appreciated. I am especially interested in what people have to say that actually have a house of order (April and Stephanie, you know what I am talking about, your houses are always super clean). How does everyone balance the nurturing and housekeeping and keep everyone happy? I must admit for those of Katy's friends who haven't been to my house that I am a terrible housekeeper. I do play with my kids a lot and read to them and make crafts. I taught Aidan how to make rice krispie treats. He did it all by himself and they were delicious. The only chores my kids do are cleaning their rooms, taking out the trash and compost and occasionally mopping or vacuuming. I guess they do yard work with Collin sometimes.  

Also, my mom and stepmom are not what I would call the nurturing kind, at least not towards me. For those who don't know my family history, it contains 4 generations of divorce on my mom's side and two on my dad's side. I am pretty much the only active girl in 4 that were baptized. Two of my sisters have never been members of the church and my mom is not a member. I have two bi-sexual sisters and three of my 5 sisters live with their boyfriends. (And that is only the tip of the iceberg folks.) I am the only currently married one. One is divorced. It is lonely to be LDS in my family sometimes.

I didn't learn to cook until after I was married and it was a frustrating to concoct inedible meals so often. Collin employed a lot of tact during our first few years as a married couple. 

April and John have been wonderful examples to me. They really live the principles of nurturing and it shows in their home and children. Their kids are all caring, nurturing parents and all around wonderful people. I feel really grateful to have married UP in this respect. Thanks April and John!

I know some of you are not LDS. I hope you are not offended by this post. If you are a mother, you are a nurturer and that is what I want to hear about. Thanks all.

Caramel shortbread

This is a recipe for layered shortbread and caramel bars that are way good. I make them regularly and they never dissappoint. I ALWAYS double the recipe because it seems dumb to use a half can of s.c. milk. Plus the more the better.

CARAMEL SHORTBREAD
------------------
BASE:
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
2 tbsp. sugar

CARAMEL FILLING:
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. soft brown sugar
2 tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

TOPPING:
1/2 pkg. chocolate chips (I use mini kisses, I like the milk chocolate better)

Base: Blend butter and sugar until smooth. Add the flour and
rub to a crumbly consistency; continue until a smooth paste
is formed. Press mixture into a greased 9 x 9 inch pan, when doubling use a 9x13 or bigger)
prick well with a fork (through to bottom) and bake in 300
degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Filling: Place all ingredients (except vanilla) in saucepan
and melt slowly. Bring to the boil and stir for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, beat mix with spoon
until it starts to thicken and cool slightly. Pour over
shortbread base.

Melt chocolate according to directions on package, pour over
caramel mixture. Or sprinkle chips on top while still warm. When tray is cool cut into squares as
desired. These can be frozen or kept for 1-2 weeks in the
refrigerator.

Sometimes I add nuts too. It keeps me from eating the whole pan since I don't like nuts.

Ghettofabulous Groceries

Is anyone else on a budget here? Our grocery budget is pitifully small due to house payments, etc., and all the other grown up stuff we have to do . . . sigh. I don't know how we would ever feel full if it wasn't for good old food storage and the sheer amount of eggs we eat. We use food storage everyday, literally. By now my kids probably wouldn't know what they were drinking if they had regular milk uncut with powdered milk.

I mentioned my frustration to some new friends here because I felt like I was doing my best by using a calculator and getting produce from the local farmer's market which is about 60% cheaper than the grocery store. Three of my friends from church suggested that I try the Surplus Outlet which is just down the road from the prison and reptile land. I am not kidding, it really is THAT  W.T. hearabouts in them thar parts. So I drive half an hour to it and I miss it because it is one of 4 tan warehouse looking buildings on the same road. 

When I finally get there, Ian gets all excited because they have Spiderman Cheese Nips for a dollar a box. I get excited too. Aren't Cheese Nips $2 or more a box? But alas, the expiration date is for December 2007. I didn't risk it. Over and over I would pick something up and the expiration date was past already. I didn't let it stop me from shopping there, but I did check the  expiration date of every single thing I bought.  

Surplus Outlet is the Marshalls or ugly cousin of grocery stores. There are great bargains to be found underneath, behind and between tons of yucky, dented, contents leaking out of the packages foodstuffs. 

After some serious digging around I did find some great stuff: Almond Joy cookies for 25 cents a pack, unsweetened single serving applesauce for 10 cents each, a can of Black Pearl olives for 25 cents, fruitabu flats (like stretch island fruit leathers, same company) for 50 cents a box, Corn Chex for $1.29, Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry Juice cocktail for 99 cents, Justice League Teddy Grahams 99 cents, box of 12 Trivial Pursuit strawberry Pop Tarts 99 cents, etc., I ended up spending about $ 40 and the checkout lady estimated that I would have spent easily $100.

So what if a label or two was torn and the tops of the plastic juice bottles were smashed in?Who really cares if the applesauce cups were free from their original packaging? Does it really matter if all the cans I bought were dented? Big deal that I felt like I needed a shower after shopping there. The end result was that my kids were thrilled that I bought all kinds of junky and semi-junky treats for their lunches that I usually can't fit within our budget. The fact that they will just have to eat some of them faster than usual because of looming expiration dates don't bother them. 

It was really hard to pass up a box of dog bones for 75 cents, oh wait, we don't have a dog . . . . YET. It would be almost worth having a dog if I could buy its food, etc., for so cheap.  That dog would pay for itself and protect me from the two SCARY looking Deliverancesque (April you know what I am talking about) garbage truck drivers sporting head to foot filthy camouflage and chin to bellybutton length beards that stopped at the same gas station I did and kept trying to talk to me (don't worry April, Ian was safely locked in the car). That pepper spray keychain I bought at Runner's Corner would serve me a lot better if I actually put it on my keychain instead of in my sock drawer. 

What are some ways you all save money on groceries? 

There is a website called miserlymoms that gives tips on how to save money, but some of the recipes sound pretty unpalatable (mystery burgers made with cottage cheese, Lipton onion soup mix and oatmeal). I don't think I am that desperate yet. On the website they figure out how much the meals cost per serving which is kind of neat. I think I will stick to ground 99% fat-free turkey breast even if it does cost more than ground chicken or ground beef.

Well I tried to load some images of her haircut (not ahircut, Katy can you fix that?), but it didn't work:(

My Daughter's Locks of Love Haircut

So my daughter's friend from her first grade class got her haircut and donated her hair to locks of love. (See the website to find out more http://locksoflove.org/)

Emma thought it was such a neat idea to give your hair to someone who didn't have any, due to illness, that she wanted to get a haircut and donate her hair. She thought that she would get to see it made into a wig on the spot and was only slightly disappointed when that didn't happen. 

My husband cut my hair a month ago and I wish I had thought to donate it because he probably cut off about a foot of hair. LOL requires at least 10 inches to donate. Maybe I will grow my hair out and donate too. That should only take me about a year or two.

Anyway, we are all really proud of her for wanting to help others. I think it is never too early to teach kids about service and thinking about the wants and needs of other people. 

I think her hair looks really cute too. She says it is spunky and couldn't wait to show her teacher and friends her new haircut.

Crappy day

Ugh, it was just one of those days. I just want to vent.

Kendall was throwing fits ALL day long and I was having a really hard time keeping my patience with her. Patty got mud on her feet and ran away from me, IN THE HOUSE for 5 minutes while I yelled at her. I drove way out of my way to the Provo library and they were closed, that's what started the tantrums from Kendall, so we went to the Springville library. We weren't there long because Kendall had a melt down because her boots were too big? Whatever the crap that means. My house was messy and that stressed me out, I managed to get it kind of cleaned. I was working on dinner while holding Gage and he pushed a jar of salsa off the counter and it shattered on the floor. That took forever to clean up and Dave still wasn't home so I had to do that while holding Gage cause I didn't want him to crawl in there. While we were eating guys from church came over. Did I mention the messy house? How about the fact that I haven't showered, am not wearing a bra and have boogers on the pajamas I've been wearing all day? Not really wanting people to see me. Right now Gage is crying in his crib, sorry mom.

Okay I started the post just after I put Kendall in the bath and she called me in there to show me that she had sharted in the water. Excellent. We don't have enough hot water to refill the tub so no bath for her tonight. At least Gage is quiet and the church guys left so I can go downstairs and clean. Woo hoo.

I'm so glad I checked out Twilight from the library so I have that to look forward to before bed. I love the couple hours after the kids go down and before I go to sleep. Is that bad?

crayons...markers...colored pencils...I hate them all

Okay- here's a good one. I can't seem to find the perfect medium for my kids to draw and color with. Crayons end up broken in no time with pieces of the paper torn off and all over the place. I tried the twist-up ones. They were twisted up and broken off in no time flat. Markers- on clothes, on skin, on furniture, floors and walls. My kids don't like the color wonder ones because it doesn't show up immediately on the page. I'm not sure why that bugs them, but it does. Not to mention if you lose a lid, you might as well throw the marker out too, because it will just dry out. So on to colored pencils. Apparently they don't color dark enough. And of course there is the problem of the tip breaking too. Are my kids especially picky or what? I personally prefer the colored pencils, but my kids don't like them. Maybe there is a brand with more pigment in them or something, but for now, I hate them all. Any suggestions???

For sacrament

I saw this on my sis-in-law's blog and think it's so cute and brilliant. No more crayons hanging out at the bottom of the diaper bag or loud ziplock bags as the kids fish them in and out. Plus you could personalize each child's so they feel special when they use it. AND if you only use it strictly on Sunday (which should be a must for any tactic you decide to try so it stays novel) then they will be excited to use it. My kids only get fruit snacks on Sunday- and only if they are good in sacrament meeting.

Just an Idea!

Alysia Thomas

Hi gals! I don't have a cute picture of myself. This is the best that I can do. And if I'm being honest, this is what I look like most days. :) I like to think that one day that will change. I hope I'm not alone in my plight to have more than 5 minutes a day for a beauty routine.
But look.....when given the chance, I can clean up pretty well. This is me (with makeup) and my family. Joe D. and I have been married going on 8 years. Kenzi, (the one cheesin' it in the center) is our oldest at 6 years, then comes Will, who is 4 and ends with Sadie who turns 2 next week.
I am blessed to be able to stay at home with my kids and I am also a part-time student in the evenings. We live in sunny St. George, Utah, where my husband works for a logistics company. I met Katy in summer of '06 when we were living in Switzerland, but our husbands attended BYU together before that. I'm not sure how we didn't meet before we did, but I'm glad we finally did. Katy is the ultimate super mommy! I LOVE the idea of this blog. I hope I can contribute something useful and look forward to hearing what the rest of you have to say. I have a feeling this is going to be taking up some of my precious spare time. In fact, I should be doing homework right now. :) Can't wait to get to know you all!

Reverently, Quietly...

How can I keep my energetic kids happy (and quiet) during Sacrament meeting? Is there a magic toy that I have not discovered? There has to be something that will hold their interest for an hour and is appropriate to bring to church. Any suggestions?

Chelsea Hoopes

Hello all! I am Chelsea Hoopes and I am excited to get some advice and input from other moms, because heaven knows I need it.

Intro: Not related to Katy in anyway, but think the world of her and her family. I was born and raised in Provo and still live here now. I gradutated from BYU and met my husband there also. We have two kiddies-Jesse 3 and Faith 2 in March. I play house pretty much all day, everyday, but I also love to play outside, read, snow ski, play on the internet, ride motorcycles, go on vacation and have recently explored photography (glad to see others have too, so maybe I can learn some more). My husband is from the bay area, works in real estate and likes anything with wheels. The kids think he is a superstar and I pretty much do too. Jesse is a clone of his dad and is extremely passionate about anything with wheels, but monster trucks are his favorite. Faith loves to talk, tease her brother and crack jokes. She is very into being pretty, but won't let me her give any input or pull her hair out of her face.

Well this is us in a nutshell--more at chelseahoopes.blogspot.com. (if it's still blocked, email me chelseahoopes@mac.com and I will send an invite:) I am excited to join the group.

Turkey Burgers

So as I mentioned to Stephanie, I am eating turkey and chicken again because I don't want my kids to be picky so I need to be less picky. 

I made turkey burgers last night. Everyone liked them! Emma didn't complain for once and Ian ate two (that is one more than I ate). I looked at a couple different turkey burger recipes, but ended up winging it because I didn't have some of the ingredients required by the recipes. The only thing is that the burgers turned out white instead of tannish. I think this is because I used 99% fat free ground turkey breast instead of 93% fat. One of the recipes I looked at recommended using the 93% fat ground turkey because it makes for a juicier patty. Ours were still juicy because I used a George Foreman grill to cook them on. I'm sorry I don't have a picture, but we ate them all.

I snuck some zucchini and onion in and you couldn't even see or feel them. For once, Emma did not spend 1/2 an hour picking out onions, gagging or whining. It was just a really nice and happy Sunday dinner. Ahhhhhhh!

Turkey Burgers 

1-1/2 pounds ground turkey (93% or 99% fat free)

1/4 c fine bread crumbs

1 egg

1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 c grated onion

1/4 c zucchini puree

1 t A-1 sauce

1/4 c yellow mustard

1/2 t salt

1/4 t white pepper

1 clove garlic crushed

Mix it all together and form into 8 patties. Cook on George Foreman grill for about 5-6 minutes. Put them on a plate and cover the plate with a bowl or pan lid until ready to serve or else they will dry out from all the steam escaping. Serve on whole wheat buns if you can find them (they don't sell them at our grocery store) with lettuce and tomato.

President Hinckley

Most of you may have heard that our sweet prophet died today. I am sad for us because I know we will all miss him, but I am sure he is happy to be with his sweetheart again.

http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=aedea6c9-7797-40e8-a1e5-1e7a54050390

April McKinney

Hi Everyone! My name is April Louise Mansfield McKinney, and I am Katy and Kirsten's mom. Now you see where they get their gorgeous looks! I have 4 grown kids and 10 grandkids... and my greatest joy in life is being with ALL my babies! I am a licensed R.N. but I have not practiced in about 8 years. Right now I stay busy hanging out with my children and grandchildren as often as possible, working out, cooking, reading, and I just got a (very part-time) job at Ann Taylor! That's right girls... my discount is AWESOME! I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but I love living in Utah. It will be hard to leave Provo, but we are planning to move back to California when my husband is released from his calling as bishop. Not that I'm counting or anything, but that should be in about 2 years, 2 months, and a few days.

Rock Band

I'm not really a fan of video games in general. If I'm going to waste my time I'd rather do it watching tv. Plus I'm really bad at them and it's never fun to do things you're bad at. My husband though is a techy through and through and we've got two gaming systems, a wii and an xbox. We recently got a game called Rock Band and it is so much fun. My parents came over tonight to play it and I think they both enjoyed it. There's a guitar, drum set, and microphone, and everyone has a role to play. I'm terrible at the drums but the guitar/bass and the microphone are a lot of fun.

Recipes please

I would love to have a huge collection of recipes for us to refer to. So feel free to share any of your favorites. So we can easily access them, label them "Recipes- followed by a category". Like "Recipes- Desserts" or Recipes- Chicken. So all the recipes are in categories like a table of contents. Also, post a picture with the recipe if possible. I love seeing pictures of foods so I know what it's supposed to look like, in case I mess up.

Tara, hope you don't mind, I changed your label so all the chicken recipes can go together.

Tatiana the Tiger

OK, this is the picture. Did anyone else feel freaked out about that incident?

Bwak! Bwak! I am a Chicken

Is anyone else afraid to take their children out in public crowded places? Disneyland, the zoo, etc., are really scary for me. I am totally paranoid about taking them places and having them get lost or kidnapped. Or mauled by a wild animal. 

My cousin works at the San Francisco zoo and so every time I visit my mom who lives outside the city, we go to the zoo (for free). I am never going there again. I always knew it was ghetto and run down, but I didn't know it was unsafe. I am not sure, but I think this is a picture of that same tiger that killed that guy on Christmas. I took this picture of her at feeding time a couple summers ago. 

Also, some guy fired a gun in the Provo library (last summer or the summer before) and then there was the trolley square incident, the Disney World ride that a six year old died on and the superman ride at Knott's Berry Farm that chopped off that teenager's legs. 

Is it safe to go anywhere anymore? How can I protect my kids/self from these weird random scary things? Does anyone else struggle with this kind of stuff? I have a hard time enjoying family outings because they are worried the whole time like I am? 

My Husband Martho Stewart

I'm not sure if he is serious, but Collin wanted to know if he is allowed to publish stuff on here because he is cooking now. He actually answered the door wearing my girliest apron which is lavender gingham with yellow flowered ruffles on it. 

Anyway, yesterday he made the yummiest chicken from the Everyday Food cookbook he got for his birthday. I liked this way better than the same thing you order in a restaurant. The recipe calls for plain bread crumbs, but he used Panko (freeze-dried Japanese bread crumbs) and I think it made all the difference. You can buy them for pretty cheap at Trader Joe's. 

Chicken Parmigiana

3/4 c panko bread crumbs

3/4 c grated Parmesan

8 Chicken cutlets, sliced thin

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 c jarred tomato sauce

1/4 c olive oil

6 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 1/4 inch thick slices

Heat broiler. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan in pie plate. Season both sides of chicken with 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Dip chicken in beaten egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixtures, turning to coat both sides. Spread tomato sauce on bottom of 10X15 inch baking dish. Heat 2 T oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 4 chicken cutlets in skillet and cook until golden, 1-2 minutes on each side. Using a spatula, transfer the browned chicken cutlets to the baking dish, placing them on top of sauce. Repeat with remain oil and chicken cutlets. Top each cutlet with a slice of mozzarella. Broil 4 inches form heat source until sauce is hot and cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots, 5-8 min. Serve immediately. 

It makes me so happy that he cooks on the weekend now:)

White Bread

I made bread today. This is the recipe that Tara mentioned. It is pretty easy and very yummy. It makes two loaves but I always double it.  I mix my dough in a Bosch mixer, which does all the kneading for you.  I highly recommend using one if possible.

5 1/2 - 6 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

2 pkg. yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp)

2 1/4 cups water 

1/4 cup butter

Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Heat water and butter until very warm (120 - 130 degrees F). Add to dry ingredients, stirring well.  Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half to 12x8-inch rectangle. Beginning at short ends, roll up tightly as jelly roll. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place loaves, seams down, in greased 9x5-inch loaf pans. Cover and let raise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes or until done. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Makes 2 loaves.

Stephanie "Bald Baby Maker" McKinney

                                                          Me and my sweetie!!

Hi everyone!  I'm Stephanie and I'm married to Katy's other brother Aaron (I love all my in-laws by the way). Aaron and I have been married for almost...oh my gosh, I can't remember.  Let me think about this, hmmmmm????? O.K...... I just got off the phone with Aaron.  We've been married for almost 7 years, BUT we've actually been together for over 12 years.  Yes, we were high school sweethearts.  We started dating when I was just 16. He stole my heart!  I knew he was "the one" right away.  Enough about all that mushy stuff. On to my kids!  

I have a two daughters, Sevrie and Coral.  Sevrie will be four in March and Coral will be two in June. And yes, they're bald beauties! I wouldn't have it any other way.  O.K., yes I would:-) Sevrie is my tomboy in a princess dress and Coral is my baby in boots.  She has this pair of boots she wants to wear ALL the time. I love spending time with them: going on walks, going to the park, and reading them books. Both girls are very active so we are constantly going on adventures so they can release all their energy. 

In my free time (which doesn't really exist) I like to cook/bake and do arts and crafts. Though I like to scrapbook, sometimes it's just too intimidating. I have Sevrie's first year done, and have yet to start Corals.  Typical second child syndrome, huh? My husband is finishing his last year of law school.  HORRAY!!!!!!! He'll be done in May and I couldn't be happier.  He plans on practicing patent law, but I think he's yet to decide for sure.  He has been so busy with work and school so we look forward to his school end.  All-in-all, I'm happy to be a part of this blog. Thank you, Katy, for inviting me. I'm probably the only non-Mormon gal of our group. Don't be fooled though, I could easily be mistaken for a "Molly".

                                

                                                     My sweet princesses

A.K.P.B.

Hello Ladies,
Alyssa Kalissa Prestwich Barlow here. I grew up without a middle name and always wanted one... and somewhere along the line decided that I would make one up. Thus claiming "Kalissa" as my faux-middle name- no one knows why. Prestwich was my last name for 21 years and then I met Jared- the most wonderful guy in the UNIVERSE- just over 7 years ago and he said I could add Barlow to the list. A.K.P.B.
(I love this picture not because it is flattering, but because my son took it and cut off my head. How can you not love 5 year old photography?)


I have two children and and one on the inside kicking my ribs right now. Sam, 5, is a super son - well behaved in public, intuitive, smart, secretly wishes to be Spider/Superman simultaneously, idolizes his dad, and loves climbing rocks. Mia, 3, is a character... full of sugar and spice, angel and demon, and princess fever. She has such a quirky, sweet, and funny demeanor. I love my kids... they make me smile at least 8 times a day. I can't wait to meet the third in 10 weeks, a little boy who has no name yet but is already much loved.

I talked Jared into marrying me and I don't think he regrets it yet. He works in NYC and we live in Connecticut. We just moved here from Switzerland (where I met Katy) a few months ago. During our marriage we have lived in many places and made many friends... we claim Utah Valley, Seattle, Atlanta, San Fransisco, and Zurich as prior homes. Jared is a loving dad, husband, and investor. Sometimes it makes him tired.

Well, I am sure that's more than you wanted to know. Unfortunately, there's much much more from me in the future or if you can't get enough check out my home blog www.familiabarlow@blogspot.com

I can't wait for all your awesomeness to rub off on me. I am intrigued about this cookbook that a fellow poster was talking about concerning butter squash mac and cheese... I have a lot to learn.

Cheers.

Twilight the movie

I'm guessing that by now you have all read the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. If not, you need to. If so, you might be interested to know the progress of the upcoming movie. Thanks Alysia for the link. Go to http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html to see who will be playing Edward and Bella.

KMO

I'm Kirsten, Katy's big sister. My birthday is next month and I'll be 28. I've been married to my sweetheart Dave for 7 years. We have three children, Corban who is in heaven, Kendall who is almost 4, and Gage who will be 1 next month. I'm a stay at home mama and love it. I'm a couch potato and proud of it- I like food, watching tv, reading, and taking care of my family. I'm one of those moms who is obsessed with their children and thinks that every tiny thing they do is adorable and a sign of genius. I'm trying to learn about photography, children's portraits especially, and would love to do that professionally some day. We have two little dogs who annoy me to no end.

Bread

Is anyone else a little hesitant to post pictures of their kids on the internet? I tried to post my own picture and it didn't work. I am going to try again. Does anyone work from home? How do you manage it? I am trying right now to work part time at home and it is dang hard. I get really distracted (obviously since I am supposed to be working right now). Katy's white bread recipe with a whole cube of butter always turns out really soft and awesome. Yesterday I made it with 3 Tablespoons of flax seed meal throw in and it still tastes great, but now has a little more nutritional value. Does anyone have any bread recipes for sourdough? I tried one last week and it was so hard and dense that we have named it "LEAD BREAD." I am thinking that in addition to the sourdough starter there also needs to be some new yeast added it to make it not so dense. Any bread bakers out there? Please respond.

Secret Veggie Power

(Katy, I think this idea is awesome!) So I am Tara McKinney. I am married to Katy's brother Collin and I live in Lewisburg, PA. I really enjoy cooking, knitting, reading mostly young adult and children's fiction and scrapbooking. The one thing that has improved at mealtime for us is using Jessica Seinfield's Deceptively Delicious cookbook. So far my kids like the mac and cheese with butternut squash, the blueberry oatmeal bars with spinach, scrambled eggs with cauliflower, pink pancakes with beets, yellow cake mix with pumpkin and I am hoping they will like the little graham cracker and yogurt sandwiches because I made them last night. I have looked everywhere for brown rice crispies (not cocoa flavor, regular). Does anyone know if I can get them at Trader Joe's? Anyway, back to the recipes from J.S. My kids hated the butter noodles with yellow squash, sweet potato hot cocoa and cauliflower frosting (duh on that last one). Has anyone else tried any of the recipes and had their kids like them? Anyway, I think it is really amusing that my daughter (who has actually thrown up at the table when we tried to have her eat some plain steamed butternut squash) ate as much butternut squash mac and cheese as her dad did last night. Does anyone else have a husband that likes to cook? Mine just started to cook dinner on Friday and Saturday night and I love it. It makes for a really relaxing weekend.

Katy McKinney Anderson

I guess I'll start the introductions. I turned 26 last month and I am the youngest of 4 kids. I grew up mostly in Modesto, CA. I played soccer and volleyball since I was little (unfortunately, not so much anymore--I do miss it). I graduated from BYU with a degree in Business Management. I met Justin while at BYU and we have been married for almost 6 years. We have two wonderful kids--Ollie, 4 1/2 and Lily, 2 1/2. We just moved to Las Vegas and bought a pest control company. I love to do crafts and my latest projects have been making baby bows and cards. I also love to cook and try new recipes, especially sweets. I am trying to make photography a new hobby, but I need my dad to help me figure out my camera first. My two favorite foods are chocolate and peanut butter (although Justin says those don't count as real food), especially when they are combined. For more info, check our family blog http://jkandfamily.blogspot.com/
Okay, now let's hear about all of you.


Me and my cuties.

Introductions

After you get all signed up to be an author, I thought we should each do a little introduction. I know all of you, but you don't all know each other. It would be nice to be able to put a face with the names we see. So put a picture and any information that helps everyone get to know you. Also, let's put labels on all our posts so it is easy to access past posts.

Supermoms to the rescue!

I have been wanting to do this (a mom's group) for a long time, but wasn't sure how I could make it work. I love to share ideas and advice about cooking, kids, crafts, all those homemaker-y things. We are all spread out across the country, and since we can't talk in person everyday, I thought a blog could bring us all together. We each have many different hats to wear--mother, wife, maid, chef, chauffeur, teacher, friend, daughter (in-law), and the list goes on, and on. I love to hear how other moms get it all done, and stay sane. I think you are all Supermoms, so I want to learn from the best.

I have never done a group blog, but we can figure it out as we go. Anytime you have a question, story, suggestion, anything you want to share, post it. In response, we can leave comments about the post. I'm hoping it will work something like an interactive forum on a website. We'll see.