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If you consider the element of surprise strictly the stuff of fiction novels and blockbuster movies, think again. Surprise isn’t just for John Grisham and Tom Cruise. It can brighten up a regular old marriage, too.
See my post at Blissfully Wed today, and discover 5 ways to keep married life interesting!
photo credit: leezi5
On Mother’s Day, you’d think I’d be telling you what I got for my mom, not from my mom. But I’ve always been a little selfish that way. Despite realizing that it’s not all about me, sometimes I still think it is.
When the Parent Bloggers Network asked us what traits we received from our mothers, I got out my pencil and started writing. Well, okay, honestly I didn’t. Instead, I sat down to type, but that doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it?
A few gifts from my mother:
Thanks, Mom.
Happy Mother’s Day!
This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network's Blog Blast, sponsored this week by Johnson's.
He had to give up running track this year to give lacrosse a try, and he was a bit hesitant to do so. He deemed the first few practices "okay." Then came the wettest, muddiest day ever. It poured all day, and that afternoon the boys practiced right through it. But that's not all. When my son came home that day, I asked him how practice went. "Today was the BEST day," he said. "We got to HIT, with STICKS."
My day today:
I can't wait to go to sleep!
I recently perused an old journal from my college days. There's absolutely no reason to share much of that drivel here. I'm trying to decide if it's even worth keeping. Do I really want my children and grandchildren to read this stuff one day?
* Saturday update: The test from my son's school was negative. Hurray for now! AND the school has been sanitized. Double hurray!
Huh. So they're doing away with the cafeteria tray.
A few years ago, Facebook was the province of college kids. Before too long, teens and tweens joined the fray. Now the rest of us are logging on.
When my first son was around four-years old, I started to feel guilty. Okay, no, you’re right. I’ve always felt guilty. At any given time, I feel guilty for one thing or another—something I’m not currently doing, something I feel like I should be doing, or something I’m not doing well enough. But on this particular occasion, the one when my son was four, I felt guilty about my scrapbook. Or, rather, my lack thereof.
I kept a photo album chronicling the days since he was born. You know the kind: you peel back the plastic paper, stick the photos in, and press the plastic paper back down. I even decorated it a bit, so it looked more like a scrapbook. But Creative Memories was not in my budget, and scrapbooking certainly did not fit into my schedule. Nonetheless, the popularity of scrapbooking had me feeling bad for my poor, un-scrapbooked children.
And so, I caved. If you thought this blog was going to be about how I stood my ground and said, “My photo album is every bit as good as your Fancy Schmancy Scrapbook,” well, I’m sorry to disappoint. I’m feeling guilty about that, even now.
Instead of standing my ground, I took my checkbook and my frugal self to my friend Michelle’s house, where she schooled a dozen of us in how to preserve our children’s childhoods on acid-free paper. Acid-free! I should’ve known those photo albums were junk. I bought parsimoniously: an album, the pages, page protectors, and some paper. No pricey paper cutters for me, thanks.
Another day, I will tell you about what a fish out of water I was at that event, and at almost all Creative Memories events to follow. Nothing against Creative Memories—I think their products are fantastic. But, somehow, it just wasn’t my crowd. I tried, they tried, everyone tried, but I think we all knew I just didn’t have a crafty bone in my body. Maybe it’s because I was copying their page designs.
I started slowly, with a family scrapbook that documented all of the Fantastic Fun we have as a Fantastic Family. (Look at the album, you’ll see. No tears here!) I soon realized that these other women were working on more than one scrapbook. What?! Yes, it’s true. You may even be one of the crazies: They had a family album and an entire album for each child. Every ice cream cone, sports team, and pretty new dress beautifully detailed for all future generations to see. You people kill me.
Guess how I felt?
Still, I knew I couldn’t commit to a lifetime of scrapbooking every moment for every child. Instead, I cheated. And I absolutely love what I came up with. Or, really, what my friend Michelle came up with. She was the one who listened to my woes and gave me the following suggestion.
At the time, Creative Memories sold smaller albums, in a 7 x 7 size. I bought three, one for each boy, in a fun denim fabric. I don’t think they carry these anymore, but I’m sure you could find something like it at Michael’s in another brand.
In each book, all of the page layouts and designs are the same. Keep it simple, stupid, right? So each book has it’s own design, but it’s the same design on each 2-page layout. In one book, for example, I tape a ¾ inch strip of paper down the side of the page, with 3 small circles running along the strip, in coordinating colors. I use the circles to write their age, and the year. The colors of the paper changes, but the design is constant. Simplicity at its best. But that's only a part of what makes this doable for me. Here’s the key: I only put their annual photo (5 x 7) in the album. For the first two years, I included the 6-month, 1-year, and 18-month photos, but after that, it’s my son at 2, my son at 3, my son at 4. Flip, flip, flip and you can see the years flying by. It’s a perfect snippet.
For the details, they’ll need to check the family album.
Seriously, I do.
I know, I know, this is not your blog of choice for recipes. In fact, you may even be shocked. “She bakes?” You’re astounded. A woman of many talents, that’s me.
Of course, you must know that I bake cakes. Remember the pirate ship cake?
What about the race car cake?
I don’t think I ever posted about the under-the-sea cake, but look what a beauty it was.
The thing is, in a perfect world, with endless time and easy-to-please children, I would cook fun and exotic dishes more often. But it’s absolutely exhausting to go through all of that effort to listen to, once again, how disgusting dinner is. Cheers, everyone!
Desserts, however, are a crowd pleaser. I can bake a mean Carrot Cake, Italian Cream Cake, and a Cheesecake with nary a crack. Guests are astonished at the cheesecake, in particular, but it’s not hard. Here’s my favorite recipe, modified a bit from the original Better Homes & Gardens recipe.
And the trick?
Cheesecake Recipe
1 ¾ c finely crushed graham crackers (I use about 1 ½ - 1 ½ packs of Keebler’s)
½ c butter 24-ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 c sugar 2 T all-purpose flour
1 t vanilla 2 eggs
1 egg yolk ¼ c milk
Crust: Combine crushed graham crackers (I use the food processor) and butter. Reserve ¼ c+ for the topping, if desired. Press remaining crust onto bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. (You can also press it about 2 inches up the side, but I don’t bother.)
Filling: In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and yolk all at once, beating on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix! Stir in milk. Pour into crust lined pan. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs, if any (I don’t do this step). Place on a shallow baking pan in oven. Bake at 375˚ for 45 – 50 minutes (in my oven, I check it at 35 minutes; adjust accordingly). Cook until center appears nearly set when shaken. Cool 15 minutes. Loosen the hinges of the springform pan. Cool for 30 minutes more; remove sides of pan. Cool completely. Store in refrigerator.
P.S. Use butter. And cream cheese. None of that other nonsense. If you want substitutes, serve something else.
Also, if it’s a special occasion and you want to get all fancy, melt some chocolate over low heat. Add add a teeny, tiny bit of Crisco to thin it, and put it in a sandwich-sized ziplock. Make a small (small!) clip in the corner, and zig-zag the chocolate across the top of your cheesecake. Voila! It’s fancy.
It’s finally spring and this year, for us, that means lacrosse, soccer, soccer, and yes, one more time, soccer. I realize that I have only 3 children, and that 4 sports means I am going against a long-held personal belief that children should play one sport per season. But that conversation is long and convoluted and we can discuss it another time.
In addition to the sports frenzy, this is also the time of year when kids heading to middle school take tests for next year’s “challenge” classes, our district’s designation for honors classes during the middle school years. Conveniently, this testing coincides with the time of year when the sun hangs low in the sky well beyond bedtime, tricking children into believing that the school year is already over.
Last spring, SusieJ wrote a convincing post about not taking honors classes. Her son, as I recall, was nominated for honors math but took a look at the additional homework requirements and thought the better of it. And what are my thoughts on the whole thing? Head on over to Midwest Parents, to check out my post--and my thoughts--there.
So it’s gray and rainy today. It was gray and rainy yesterday. And it’s supposed to be gray and rainy tomorrow. Ahhh, spring.
Needless to say, we’re going a bit stir crazy here in the house-of-boys. You can only last so long outside in the rain. At least 2 of my 3 boys can read chapter books in a cozy chair on days like this. I love that. My youngest? Not so much. And I remember the days, very recently, when all three of them were standing there, looking up at me with those big expectations, asking, “What's next, Mom.”
My opinion? The best way to survive these days with a smile in your face is to throw in the towel. Yes, that’s right. My great parenting nugget for the day is….drumroll please…throw in the towel. Fine words of wisdom, don’t you think? What I mean by this, really, is that a rainy day is a day for us to forget our Very Important List of Things to Do, get down on the floor with our kids, and remember what it’s like to simply play.
Rainy Day Activities:
Homemade Play-Doh Recipe:
2 c flour 2 c water
1 c salt 2 T oil
4 t cream of tartar food coloring
(This makes a ton. Sometimes I just make half.)
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in food coloring. Remove from heat. Put mixture onto waxed paper and knead. Add extra flour, if sticky.
Dough Figures/Ornaments Recipe
1 c salt 1 c water
2 c flour food coloring (optional)
Mix salt and flour, then add water a little at a time. If you’re using food coloring, separate dough into different bowls, add color, and mix. Knead for 7-10 minutes until dough is putty-like.
Create people, animals, or other figures with dough. For ornaments, roll dough to ¼” thick (I go a little thicker). Use cookie cutters for basic shapes, like snowflakes, Christmas balls, or snowmen.
Bake on cookies sheet at 325 until very light brown.
Enjoy the rain. Happy spring!
