Mommy Confessions: Couch Potatoes

When my kids are sick they are pretty much allowed to watch as much TV as they want. In an ideal world I'd  have them rest, read books with me, play quietly, sip their juice and have lots of quiet time. But I have two very rowdy boys...the only way they WILL rest is if they are watching a DVD. Plus, this winter I've caught every bug they come home with. So all I want to do is watch TV and sip my tea.

Breakfast for Dinner

I do not have a special recipe to share with you this week. Now that everyone in my house is done being sick (for now), my husband is traveling for work. In our house that means one thing...breakfast for dinner. Sometimes it's pancakes, sometimes eggs, toast & fruit. Tonight it was scrambled eggs, bacon and sliced oranges. When I'm feeling extra fancy, I make Rookie Cookie's Candied Bacon. If you haven't tried it, do.

Mommy Confessions: Never Say Never

Being a parent means you sometimes do things you thought you'd never do.

Back in October I "confessed" that my kids had never eaten at McDonald's. My husband and I can't stand the place. Everything is really unhealthy and the food gives him digestive issues and me migraines. Well, guess what we did yesterday. That's right. I took the boys to McDonald's. I COULDN'T HELP IT! It wasn't my fault! Our dentist office gave the boys a McDonald's gift card for being such good patients. What was I to do? Plus, I do miss having the occasional chocolate sundaes with nuts. Those are goooooood!

When we left McDonald's after our lunch of chicken nuggets, apple dippers and sundaes Peanut said, "Mommy, the food isn't very healthy here. But it sure is a tasty treat!" I agree. But I think it will be a long time before we go back.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

When you really need a good bowl of chicken noodle soup you probably don't have time to make it from scratch. But it is almost impossible to find a decent canned chicken soup. Well I've got a chicken noodle soup recipe for you that will hit the spot without taking all day to cook.



Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dried pasta
salt & pepper for seasoning

Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onion and cook until tender. Add thyme and cook 1 minute. Add carrots and celery and cook until tender. Add chicken and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then add pasta. Let the soup come back to a boil, then turn down heat to let it simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Season with salt & pepper. Serve with bread.

Library Picks: Farewell to Shady Glade

Farewell to Shady Glade by Bill Peet

We bought our first Bill Peet book this December when we visited a train museum in the mountains near Seattle. At the gift shop Peanut picked out The Caboose Who Got Loose by Bill Peet. It was a pleasure to read, so I decided to search out more books by Bill Peet. This week at the library we found Farewell to Shady Glade. A very sweet story with a subtle tale about the dangers of overdevelopment. Both boys, at 4 and 2, love listening to the story and waiting for all of the little animals to catch the train to their new shady glade. It's a bit longer than our usual bed time book, but it's just too cute to resist.

Mommy Confessions: Parenting is Hard

Where have I been for over 3 months? Well, ignoring my blog of course! Why? Oh, so I could handle the rest of my life. I won't bore you with details. But let's just say it started with Peanut's birthday, Halloween, Sprout's birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas....next thing I knew it was February and I had just come up for air. And while I wasn't looking, our kids learned how to step all over us. Peanut started acting like a typical four-year-old (extra stubborn, opinionated, difficult, rude, etc.) and Sprout decided to act like a typical two-year-old ("No! No! No! No!").

Last night I was at my wit's end. All of us have been sick with a bad cold and I felt like I spent all day cleaning, feeding and giving time-outs. I was exhausted, emotional and losing my voice. I got out of the house for an hour when Hubby got home. Once I had time to breath I reminded myself that just like every parenting hurdle, we will get through this time too. Our children are testing their boundaries. While it would be much easier in the short term to throw our hands up and let them have their way, in the long term we'd only be hurting them. It's our job to show them where their boundaries are...again and again and again and again. They seem to test us every waking moment. And then at the end of the day they remind us that they also need our unwavering love, attention and acceptance. With all of the chaos that ensues during the day, at bed time both boys soak up as many hugs and kisses as they can get. Almost like they are saying, "Thanks for letting me push all your buttons today so that I can learn what my boundaries are. And thank you for loving me with all of your heart anyway."

It really is amazing how difficult parenting can be. But the rewards are priceless and precious.

Mommy Confessions: Fabulous Fours?

#54 I think four might actually be easier than three, thank goodness! Peanut is starting to show signs that the terrifying threes are over...and that maybe we are headed toward the "fabulous fours." On Wednesday of this week he was throwing me every curve ball imaginable: refusing breakfast, pulling all the books off of his book shelf, tormenting his brother, etc. But at one point I came into the play room and he was cleaning up and putting toys away...WHILE singing a little song about cleaning up!!! My jaw hit the floor. I made sure to shower him with thank yous, hugs and kisses. I'm looking forward to more of these little improvements.