MOPS

This is a simplified version of an idea that was in the dessert Pampered Chef cookbook I just recently got when one of my dear MOPS friends had a show at her house. Use one box of white cake, one tub of white frosting, (there is another recipe for the frosting in the cookbook that uses marshmallow creme. If you are interested in more specifics let me know and I will type it in) and various candies to make a snowman cake with your children. I am using fruit by the foot for a scarf, mini pretzel rods for the arms, m & m eyes, fruit snack buttons, candy corn nose, and chocolate chips for the mouth, but use what you have on hand.

Mix cake batter as the directions tell you to do, but add 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar.
Use three different size glass bowls sprayed with cooking spray. I used my prep bowl, (1 cup bowl, with 1/2 cup mix), my mini batter bowl (4 cup bowl, with 1-1/2 cup mix) and my classic batter bowl (8 cup bowl with the rest of the mix).

Cook cakes. I did 30 minutes for the mini cake, 45 for the middle size, and about 55 minutes for the big cake. You'll know the cakes are done when the cakes spring back and not sink in when you touch the middle.

Let them cool completely. Wait at least an hour if you can. Too much heat from the cake while doing the frosting will be a messy situation. I can tell you from my previous experience that you will have a melting snowman...which could also be fun, but not the look we are going for.

Stick skewers (I used straws because it is what we had) down into the cakes after you stack them, to hold the three cakes one on top of the other. I used three straws and it held pretty well. Frost and decorate. I am decorating ours tomorrow with my son. I will post a picture after we are done. Should be interesting. :)

Have fun!

Dear Walters Wife,
I'm always struggling with the clutter in my home. Do you have any suggestions for keeping things neat? Clutter bug

Dear Clutter bug,
This is a struggle that many Mom's have. We begin with just the two of you and along comes baby with more "necessities" than one can imagine. First realize the size of the space you live in. It can only hold so much. If you have a place for everything to "live" it will be much easier to keep your home in order by simply returning things to their "home space".
For daily decluttering, I use a laundry basket. I begin in the kitchen and put everything that doesn't belong in the kitchen in that basket. I move to the dining room and take out of the basket what goes in the dining room while collecting other things in the dining room that don't belong in that room. I move to the bedroom and do the same. Continue through the house until you wind up back in the kitchen with an empty basket. In no time at all you will find a decluttered space to live in.
Walters Wife

I'll never forget an afternoon several years ago, that I went to retrieve our oldest daughter Cassidy, (age 2 at the time) from my mom's house. Mom had offered to take her oldest granddaughter for the afternoon and I, being of sound mind and body, took her up on her offer without a second thought.

When I arrived to pick her up later on, I heard squeals of joy coming from the kitchen. I eagerly wandered in-excited to see what fantastic things were happening that I'd missed out on. Fully expecting cookie baking or a date with chocolate pudding, I wasn't prepared for what greeted me instead.

My young daughter was perched on a chair alongside her Nanna, playing with a sink full of water. And bubbles. And plastic measuring cups. And spoons.

To say that Cassidy was LOVING this would have been a major understatement. She was having a ball and my mom was beaming. Until she saw me.

"You're here early," she said. "We're not finished playing." And with that, she turned her back on me and went back to her young charge, gleefully filling and dumping water out of the cups and laughing the whole time.

Obviously, I was not welcome here.

I peered over their shoulders. "Wow! She's loving this, Mom. I NEVER let her do this at home."

My mom sniffed. "Yes. She told me that, too."

Ratted out. And by a two-year old nonetheless. Dern it.

I'm guilty of not taking enough time out to play. In fact, there are a lot of days that I just plain fail miserably at this part of motherhood. I need to do it more. A lot more!

A couple of weeks ago, in the midst of the chaos of preparing for the holidays and truly feeling overwhelmed with no end in sight, our 4 year-old Mackenzie wandered in the kitchen, where I was doing dishes.

"Can I help you, Mommy?" she asked.

"No, I've got to get this done. I don't have time. I've got so much to do, and I've just got to get this done already" then I stopped and saw her face. "Pleeeeaaaase?" she pleaded.

And suddenly I remembered an afternoon when her older sister had stood at a sink full of bubbles and was playing, laughing and having the best time ever. I swallowed the lump in my throat and told her to pull up a chair. She happily complied and even long after I had finished actually washing the dishes, I'd gotten a lot of stuff on my to-do list checked off as my youngest happily played in the sink. Did I have a lot of water to clean up around the area afterward? Absolutely. Did she have fun? Without a doubt. Did her playing really interfere with my to-do list? Not at all.

So, from me to you, let's see if saying "yes" from time to time-indulging our kids in the small simple things that we anticipate might inconvenience us, actually turns out to be a double blessing. It worked for me. It might work for you.

And maybe, just maybe, we all might have fun along the way as well!

A couple of years ago, our oven went kaput. The one good thing that came from bidding farewell to our appliance friend came a number of new recipes from friends as I lamented about having to rely on our range, microwave, and crock pot for anything involving a hot meal as we shopped around for a good deal . . . a process which took a little longer than I'd have preferred. But, I digress . . .

Thanks to Tamra Tanner, wife to lead pastor Gene Tanner, I added a new crock pot recipe to my collection and would like to share it with all of you. It involves 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep work and tastes wonderful! Better yet, each member of my family likes it, too! Hopefully you'll experience similar luck with your own families. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Beef & Noodles

1 can of each: Cream of Mushroom Soup, French Onion Soup, Golden Mushroom Soup
1 lb beef stew meat
1 bag of egg noodles

Combine soups and stew meat in crock pot. Cook 6-8 hours on low heat.
Boil egg noodles and add to crock pot just prior to serving.

To say that Preston was thrilled about the cake would be a huge understatement. :) His friend came over to help us eat it and together they salivated over the cake, rubbing their hands together, during lunch saying things like, "I am gonna eat his eyes, and nose, and hat...yummy" and things like that.

Hope you have fun with this one.

Dear Walters Wife,
My husband and I have 2 small boys who are really a handful. My In-Laws came over for dinner last week, and my Mother-In-Law said I should always have a centerpiece on my table.
I tell you, this is the last thing on my mind and I'm a little miffed about her suggesting it. Do you think my boys will really care about a centerpiece?

Dear Daughter-In-Law,
I'm hearing your seething in your question. I have to admit that suggestions from Mother-In-Laws can sometimes be like nails on a one-room schoolhouse chalkboard. It is important to keep the peace and respect her because she is your husbands Mother. Walter seemed to like having fresh flowers on the table, even if it were a single stem of something from our garden. The children, at a young age really didn't seem to pay much attention, or so I thought. Even in the winter time, Walter would sometimes surprise me with a single rose he picked up on his way home. I always felt special when he did that. I always loved my african violets. They would often find there way to the center of the table for dinner, just to spruce things up a bit. It became a game to the children to see what I would put on the table next.
It may not seem like anything of importance, but there was a real message in that centerpiece. It was a focal point of caring and often a tender gesture from Walter to me. Now that our children have grown and have families of their own, I see how my oldest, our son, would occasionally bring home a rose to his wife. I know that he watched the way Walter spoke to me and his gentle caring ways to make me feel special. It pleases me so much to see him do the same for his young wife.
Next time you set your table, think about something special to put in the center of your table. Sometimes, even the smallest item can bring about great conversation and build memories. I'll bet your Mother-In-Law knows something about that. Her suggestion may not have been meant as a criticism. Being surrounded by a husband and two little boys, she may have thought a little feminine touch would remind the "boys" that there is a lady in the house. It is never too early to teach them how to act at the table and a centerpiece just steps things up a bit. It tells them they are special too.

As if there weren't enough things that can make us moms crazy and send us running for the nearest closet to scream loudly in private, then emerge refreshed . . . ready to take on the next challenge with our preschoolers . . . I give you the:

"Can I have . . . " or the ever popular "I want . . . " or the never-ending "Gimme . . . " all while trying to shop for groceries.

ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Forgive me-I forgot to duck into the closet first.

You all know what I'm talking about. In fact, I can just about visualize the collective nodding of heads from many of you. You're at the store, maybe not even armed with a grocery list or your storage bin full of coupons-all while trying to tune out the whines of a smallish person seated in front of you.

I experienced this phenomenon just a few days ago with the impending warnings of the blizzard to beat all blizzards headed in our direction. As I left work for the evening, I listened to the weather reports on the radio. Gloom and doom in the form of falling white stuff with wind was being predicted by the forecasters. I smiled smugly-knowing I'd already done my last minute shopping and was heading for my nice warm house. Then my cell phone rang. Seeing my husband's number flash up, I cheerfully greeted him with "Hi honey!!!!" Unfortunately he wasn't quite as cheery.

"Uhmmm . . . do we have any stomach medicine at home?"

I'll spare you the details, but suffice to say that my smug smile vanished into thin air as I raced for the grocery store. Along with thousands of other people on Blizzard Watch '09! I grabbed a shopping cart and headed for my aisle of destiny while other shoppers scarfed up bags of chips and liters of Coke like there was no tomorrow. (When did shoppers stop heading for the bread and milk aisles before a winter storm?) The blizzard was coming and people didn't want to be caught with only Spam or cans of tuna to snack on while taking bets on when the plows might make it down their streets. (Extra bonus points if they SALTED their street, too!)

But I digress . . .

So as I raced frantically from aisle to aisle, I listened to the droning sounds of my 4 year-old beg, whine and plead incessantly for various items screaming her name from the shelves. I finally stopped the cart and got down on her level. Literally. Not as in the kind of level where I started to beg, whine and plead just as loudly, if not louder as her.

"Listen kiddo, Daddy's not feeling well. I need your help. We need to find cans of peaches. Fast!! Where is the aisle where we buy those? Can you help me look for it?"

She lost her train of thought and snapped into mommy-helper mode. It was great, all except for the incessant speculation on her part of whether daddy was going to throw up.

Thankfully, asking for her help in the past has helped us move from the "gimmes" and more into the mode of helping to get the shopping done. I ask her to hold coupons for me (but only ones that I know I'm not going to use . . . like for cans of Spam) and my grocery list (NEVER the real one, of course). Giving her a part in the whole process usually takes her mind off of her wants and helps to bring peace to the land. Ahhh . . . such a nice feeling. If you're feeling really brave, let them help choose their own soup or cereal. Take it a step further and make it a learning process. One store in town has their lowest prices marked on bright yellow tags. You might say, "hey, we need to get some granola bars, but the rule is that they have to have a bright yellow tag like THIS! Can you find your favorite one with a yellow tag?" Once again, try involving them in the process.

I hope you're having a marvelous Wednesday. I also hope you'll share your own hints for grocery store survival as well!

And by the way, my husband is feeling much better. :-)

To turn this into a meal, serve with soup from the can

Ingredients:
6 large russet potatoes
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbs. taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
15 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 green onions, chopped
Salsa and/or sour cream, optional

Directions:
Bake potatoes at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. When cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes lengthwise into quarters.

Scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4 inch shell. (save pulp for another use...maybe to go with lunch tomorrow?)
Combine the butter and taco seasoning;
brush over both sides of potato skins.
Place skin side down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon, and onions. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Serve with salsa and/ or sour cream if desired.

Dear Walters Wife,
This past week, our kids were home from school due to extreme cold weather. The kids got on each others nerves and fumbled for things to do. What did you do on snow days with your kids? Stir Crazy Mom

Dear Stir Crazy,
Of course, that was a long time ago. We had a 2 story house, with hardwood floors, so we let the kids put on their roller skates and skate some of their energy off. It did create lots of noise, but it was "fun" noise and not fighting noise. When the weather was too cold to go outside, we did crafts. I would pop popcorn and the kids would string it into long sections to hang in the trees to help feed the birds. We always had flocks of house finches and cardinals in our trees. If we had a couple of oranges, we cut them in half, scooped out the pulp and juice inside for dinner. I would heat up some suet and mix it with peanut butter and seeds that the birds liked. We poured that mixture into the hollowed out orange cups, placed them in our shed to firm up. We used string to hang those cups on branches of the trees. Then we had a contest to see who spotted different types of birds.
We mixed up homemade playdough and made flat, rounds that we used to press our handprints into. I used a nail to create a hole near the top so when they were dry, the kids painted them and we hung them on the wall over the coat hooks near the back door.
The children loved to cut out shapes and make "pictures" with colored paper and create a story that went along with the pictures. I would make a front and back cover for each of them with their name and the date. I had a paper punch that I used to make holes down the leftside of the created books. Then the children used pieces of yarn to bind the books together. They loved to present them to Walter when he came in from his work that day.
Sometimes the children would make friendship booklets to give to elderly friends. Each page was an idea the children could do to help them with chores around their home. It was always a good idea to be thinking of others instead of just themselves.
Oh, there was always much to be done back then. When the weather was not so frigid outside, Walter would make a "Fox and Goose" pattern in the yard for the children to play outdoors. They shoveled snow for the neighbors and delivered homemade cookies just as an act of kindness.
You might ask your kids to think of 2 things they can do for others that would bring joy to someone else. I think they will be surprised at how it makes THEM feel.

If you're anything like me, there are times when you just can't seem to shake the lyrics of a song from your head. Sometimes it may be a particular song from a recent time of worship. Other times it may result from your kids finding out how much you hate the song "The Italian Christmas Donkey" and they decide to sing it any time of year.

If you're a mom feeling a need to experience some "new material" to play for your kids, I have two words:

Go Fish.

Not as in the card game, but rather the group "Go Fish."

Not only do these guys put a new twist on familiar preschool favorites like "Twinkle Twinkle," and "The Wheels on the Bus" but they also are a great teaching tool. If you don't believe me, then take a listen to the "10 Commandment Boogie" and "Bible Book Bop." You can check out their site here. Even better still, their music is for a wide range of ages and who wouldn't love their mission statement?

Our mission is to make "great music for kids that won't drive parents BONKERS"!

Having said that, I hope you'll Go Fish. I'm pretty certain you'll be glad you did!!

This past weekend my friend said something that seemed to mean a lot to me. I thought there was a chance that it might mean something to some other mommas out there. She said, "I guess I am still here so there must still be work for me to do".

Does it sometimes feel like everyday is the same as the one before? Wake up, get them breakfast, change diapers, answer a million meaningless questions, ;) etc. etc. and end the day trying to clean what didn't get cleaned so that you can do it all again the next day. This was meant to be an encouragement, so it here it is:

There's more to your life than what you see and hear and feel today. You are here for a reason. While all the little things you are doing now do count for something...there's more to your life than that. All the little things you do now show your love for your family, but also trust that there's a bigger picture you can't see. You don't have to change the world, just trust in God. He's your creator and he's working out his plan, and through you He will show them He is who He says He is. If these words sound familiar, it is because the last part is part of Ginny Owen's song. (I heart Ginny Owens)

Please do yourself a favor and click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrEIM8gWxTo

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 cup chopped peeled tart apples
TOPPING:
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. cold butter

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sour cream and butter. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Peel and chop apples. I use a peeler/corer/slicer to make the peeling and chopping very fast. I am showing pictures, in case if you have never seen one used. I use my peeler/corer/slicer all the time when I make anything with apples and it save lots of time. Definitely a worthwhile investment. Fold in apples. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. I use a mini muffin pan because my son can easily pop one into his mouth as a snack. If you are using a mini muffin pan use 1 Tbs. batter for each cup. If you are using a regular size muffin tin use 3 Tbs. batter for each cup.
For topping, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle a rounded teaspoonful over each muffin. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes(I do 12-15 minutes when using a mini muffin pan) or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

Makes 16 regular size muffins.

Dear Mom's
I thought I would share one of my ideas for cold February winter days. They can be hard to handle sometimes and make you feel like a shut-in. Use this month to start and finish your "spring" cleaning. In each room make a list of the deep cleaning you need to do. Begin with the hardest chores starting at the top and work down, I'll use one room as an example and you will see what I mean. In the bedroom the list might include, taking down and washing the ceiling light, washing the walls, cleaning out the closet, cleaning out dresser drawers, shampooing the carpet. This is a great time to sort out the clothing and deside what needs to be thrown out, handed down or readied for a yard sale/donation center. If you make your list, and each day tackle one item on the list, by the end of the month you will have cleaned everything in your house. Now when those warm spring days come, you will feel so good about breaking out of the house to play outside. No guilt will set in, because your house is "springclean". In and of itself, each task doesn't take a lot of time, so you won't be overwhelmed and wonder what to do with your children. Give your child a little cleaning bucket of their own with a sponge and dust cloth. They will be happy to work right alongside you and it is good for them to work in their home to help. We use a reward system in our home. If we get this job done, then we can read that special story, or take a walk. Whatever you want to use as a reward will be incentive for them to work with you to complete the task. You'll love the way March feels when you are all done.
Walters wife

Let's all say it together . . . "When momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!!"

Is it not true???

So dear friends, my advice today is simple: take some time for yourself.

As many of you know, many of us VNC MOPS were blessed to have had the opportunity to escape for 24 hours this past weekend. I would be lying if we said it was horrible and that if you had to stay behind, you didn't miss anything. On the contrary, it was great and I'd sign up again in a heartbeat!

But . . . keep in mind that I used the word "blessed" in that last paragraph. Not all of us had the opportunity to escape-whether it was due to financial, childcare, or other issues that prevented you from having the opportunity to join us.

So, if 24 hours is out of the question, try an escape for just an hour or two . . . it'll do wonders for your soul and morale. No baby sitter available? Try swapping childcare with a girlfriend-you'll both benefit! No money? No problem . . . take a nap! Curl up with a good book! Give yourself a pedicure or manicure! Visit the bathroom ALL BY YOURSELF! I've even found it to be therapeutic to visit Barnes & Noble and stand in sections of the store that didn't have books about mischievous monkeys or dancing princesses staring me in the face.

Take my advice and do it! Soon! And just maybe, your little ones will reward you with a renewed appreciation for mommy, all that she does, and greet you with an even bigger hug than the one they gave you when you left.

Makes 4 (1.25 cup) servings.

I have to start by saying that these pictures do not do this recipe justice. This soup is so good that it may just become a weekly "Sunday soup" in your house. Extra bonus: Doesn't take a lot of ingredients either. This one came from my Five Ingredient, Fifteen Minute cookbook. I LOVE this cookbook. It is definitely my favorite of all my cookbooks. This recipe has two easy steps.

Ingredients: 1 (14.5 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth or vege broth
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning (I always use it from an Italian seasoning packet, but I think the recipe intends that you just use regular seasoning)
3 cups frozen cheese ravioli (about 12 ounces)
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Step One: Combine first three ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
Step Two: Add ravioli, zucchini, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heart, and simmer 7 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender.

Now, the question is: Will you use a fork or a spoon?!