MOPS

With the cold months up ahead (although you would not know it this week) I am devoting this week's Works for Me to what parents should or should not do in the bitter cold with your children. My own one solid piece advice is to have hot chocolate and marshmallows on hand. That way when you want your child(ren) to come inside you can bribe them to come in voluntarily. I have also heard of parents bringing the snow into the bathtub on days when it is too cold to take the children out. This next portion is actually a few tips on frostbite that you might or might not have heard before. I pulled from my "It Worked For Me" book, which is a compilation book distributed by Parent's Magazine.

To prevent frostbite:
DO give a child plenty of fluids and a hearty meal or snack before she goes outside. This helps blood distribute heat to the body's extremities.
DO teach your child to learn the warning signs of frostbite and to come indoors if they get wet or at the first sign of numbness. (For younger children, you will be the one pointing this out to them)

DO bring a child indoors for change of clothes immediately if she gets at all wet.

Warning signs of frostbite:
Ice crystals form on the skin
Sufferer feels pain and burning sensation as skin begins to thaw.
Skin turns red, pale, or white.
Skin blisters and/or dark patches form under the skin.

To treat frostbite:
DO bring your child indoors at once.
DO cover the affected areas with extra clothing, a warm, wet washcloth or blankets. As rewarming occurs, your child should feel a tingling and burning sensation and the skin should turn red.
DO seek medical attention if the skin blisters, if you see dark blue or black areas under the skin or if the skin remains numb and/ or painful after 15 minutes of warming.
DO dry the affected areas. Wrap in sterile dry clothes, separating finger and toes if you can't see a doctor right away.
DON'T apply heat from heating pads, which could burn numb skin.
DON'T rub sensitive frostbitten skin, which can cause further damage.

Okay, your turn now. What have you done, or heard of others doing, when it comes to children playing outside in the winter months?

Does cleaning your house seem like an impossible task when you are the MOP? (mother of a preschooler) At some point in just about every other day I think that I have finally gotten my house to a point of cleanliness that I can stand and then 10 minutes later, or one meal later, it seems to be all undone. As a mother, anything that can be done (as in finished/ completed/ DONE) will be undone...it's only a matter of time. Today I was reminded, though, that these days will not last forever and there will come a day when we can spend all the time we want on the dishes. Of course, I was also reminded that then it won't mean that much to me. :) (sigh) LIFE and all it's complexities. I am certainly not the one to talk to you if you are looking for how to keep your house in tip top shape at all times, but I have learned a thing or two for right before guests come over. ;)

Okay, so here are a few housecleaning shortcuts:

Create a cleaning carryall
This is not one I personally do, because I store my cleaning supplies under the sinks in my bathroom and my kitchen. If your house is large enough, though, it might help to have all your cleaning supplies in one bucket, along with a paper towel roll.

Use the dishwasher
The other day I was going to clean off and bring all the toys from the sandbox in. As I was freezing my digits off, using the frigid water from our garden hose to clean each individual one. it dawned on me: "I could use these fingers again someday. Maybe I should stop before the frostbite is so bad that the doctor has to amputate my hands off." DISHWASHER! It's for more than just your dishes. :)

...or the bathtub
For those huge toys that you wish you never bought because they take up half of your child's room. :) (it's okay, you can sell it at your next garage sale) Also, if you are cleaning a huge mass of toys all at once the tub can be your friend. Just add some dish washing liquid and scrub a dub with a dishtowel. When you are done lay them out to dry on a beach towel.

Dust off those old socks
Put one old sock on each hand and "wax on" and "wax off". Give your children a sock and let them help you with the coffee table and end tables while you get the entertainment center.

Use paper plates
I was talking to my friend not too long ago about how there was always a pile of dishes in my kitchen. I just couldn't keep up with them all. She suggested using paper plates for a week. I realize that this does not make me "green" at a time when everyone is supposed to be all about saving the planet, but you know what...that week was a little easier on me, at a time when I needed it.

Swap time to clean with a friend, or two, or three
Once every other week I am given two hours of no children in the house to do some kind of uninterrupted deep cleaning. Last time I cleaned out my refrigerator. I send my children to my friend's house and she watches them for two hours. On my off weeks she sends her darling to come and play at our house. It's great for our kids because they have a lot of fun together. It's great for us because we desperately need that time.

And lastly...
Work to music. You'll get a little pep in your step.
Set a timer so you are as efficient as you can be in 20 minutes. Try to beat the clock.

Okay, your turn. What have you done around your house to make clean up a little easier?

For those of you who are/ were interested in making your own baby food, I had done a post before on how it could save quite a bit of money, and went through the steps to making your own. I have taken pictures since then of the steps, for all of our visual learners out there. :) Also, I wanted to add a couple of practical tips that I forgot to mention before. The pictures are a demonstration of doing pears. (Keely's favorite)
Here's the pics:

Pick out your food you will be cooking. (Pears, apples, peaches, squash, zucchini, etc.)

Core and chop food into chunks. (you may also peel the food, but you don't have to)

Cook into boiling water until extremely tender. Drain.

Mix in your blender or food processor with just a little water.

Pour into ice cube trays and allow to freeze completely. Once frozen, put into a large freezer ziploc bag labeled with name of food, date it was made, and when it should be used by. (Should be used within 6 months)

Extra tip: Add more water if you are having a hard to blending chunks of food. Add a little baby cereal (oatmeal or rice cereal) if you find that it has too much water and the food seems runny to you.

Do you feel like a good mom? I bet you are a GREAT mom! It is easy to get hung up on what other mom's are doing that makes them better than you are. Since I am the master at this I thought I would take a moment to encourage you all as I have been encouraged. A few things have been brought to my attention lately, and I thought I might share. This might not sound like "news" to you, but comparing yourself to other moms is not fair. Here are some reasons why:

1. Every child is different, just as all humans are different. From birth, they are all different. I hated hearing that my friend's baby was sleeping 12 hours a night when she was 3 months old because it made me feel like I was doing something wrong since my child wasn't. This next statement is actually meant to be an encouragement: Some children are much more difficult than other children. Your child might be "spirited" while another child might be "shy". Call it whatever you want...the bottom line is this: You are not dealing with the same child as anyone else.

2. Every mom is different. Your personality is uniquely your own. You temperament is more or less intense than another persons, and your needs are different as well. Do you have a need to get out of the house? Did you know that some moms actually would prefer not to leave the house? :) God bless you if that is you. It just drives me nuts when I don't get out of the house. When I would talk to a mom who was happy to be in her cute little 3 bedroom ranch, feeling blessed as she was cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her children I would immediately go into negative personal dialogue. "I will never be that mom, but I should be!" I would beat myself up in my mind daily. Your personality is more or less conducive to being the mom that keeps the house in tip top shape while whistling a tune for the children to hear. While I struggle in one area, someone else is struggling in another area. What I want to tell you is this: Give yourself grace, and others as well. We've all been dealt a different hand, and we're all doing the best we know how with what we have been given.

3. Every circumstance is different. Do you stay at home, work outside, have an infant, have three children, have a husband who cleans, etc, etc. No family is going through all the same things. Your stress is not the same as another mom's stress. What you should hear is this: God will give YOU the strength YOU need for the unique situation YOU are in.

4. It will get better. (This is my favorite one) If this is not "the best time of your life" please know that it won't always be this way. Someday your children will be in 3rd grade! :) I happen to be someone who cannot get enough of grade school children, so this helps me. What helps you? Someday your children will.... (fill in the blank) Whatever it is, know this: If it doesn't seem all that great to you right now, it will get better.
Extra thought: My son woke up at 5:00 this morning and wanted to crawl into our bed. Our full size bed. ;) Problem is, he stretches himself out and there is no room for us. I suppose I had enough sleep by then because all I could think is "someday he's going to be a 12 year old that would not dare sleep in the same bed with his mother". I scooped him up and put him between me and his father. I think this would count as one of those "enjoy this time because it will pass" moments that moms of older children tell you about.

Isn't it good to go through motherhood together? It's nice to have each other. We have a lot to learn from one another. You are doing a GREAT JOB as a mother. Look at you! You do a lot. You should be proud of all you do for the good of your family. Your reward will come. God sees it all and knows it all. He does not compare you to the mom next door. He knows the completely unique place that you are in. KEEP IT UP! Final encouragement is this: You will be blessed for all your are doing now. (even if it is just to survive this day) Hang in there! Your blessings are coming.

Your turn: What is something you have heard that has been an encouragement to you as a mother? Take a moment to comment. It might encourage another mother at just the right time.

Okay, mommas out there. Works for Me Wednesday is being posted on Monday this week, because I just can't wait to share this with you all. Are you having a hard time coming up with reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving? It's possible that you have been given more than you know what to do with? Works for Me Wednesday this week is actually an invitation to be inspired. I have talked about moneysavingmom.com in my financial blurbs at our last couple of MOPS meetings. Today there was a guest post called "The Freedom of Limitations" on this website. I really think you will be blessed by it. Take a moment to read it. If it means something to you feel free to add a comment telling us what you thought of it. Go here to read the post. Be blessed. Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay, so I am finally making it downstairs to my computer (it's almost 2:00 in the afternoon) although I have been thinking about getting down here all morning. We had major issues with our basement after the big rainfall months ago and we still have not gotten around to doing what is necessary to make it so that our children can be down here. (Long story that I will choose not to tell right now.) The only reason I am here right now is because of a friend of mine. Julia is a sixth grader. I met her at our church when she was in 2nd or 3rd grade and I was the children's pastor at VNC. Since then, I have become friends with her family, and have been blessed by my relationship with them a million times over. She is home schooled this year, and her mother offered to have her come over once a week, or so, and help me by watching the children or helping clean the house. Did your eyes just get big? :) Of course, I jumped all over it.
Okay, so here's my "Works for Me" this week. As soon as I am done with this post I plan to go to the other side of our basement and wrap the Christmas gifts on a card table. I went out and bought all the wrapping paper, scotch tape, ribbon, etc. last night, so it's all set to go.
*Side note** 3 Roll pack scotch tape normally $4.50 at Walgreens. This week 2/$2 and you can send in for a rebate for $2, making them free.**
What is "working for me" this year is to have a dear friend watch my children while I wrap presents so that tonight I can actually hang out with my husband...unfortunately the hubster and I will be working on the basement. ;)
I know what you are thinking...LAME POST! Does she think that every mom has a teenage friend that would come watch the children for free? To answer my own rhetorical question: No, I don't. But, what might work for you is to swap nights (or days) with a friend, watching each others' children, so that both of you can wrap presents...or if you have not gotten presents already, so you can get to the store to buy them. Use your directory that you got in MOPS if you are drawing a blank on who to ask. We're all in this together, mommas. So, branch out and be there for each other. If you are looking for an extra way to connect with another mom, this might be a perfect opportunity. Can I just remind you that you are doing a great job? Mom of a preschooler, you are doing a great job.

No seriously, my husband just informed me at lunch that today was Thursday and I got so excited because that means that tomorrow is Friday, but it also means I missed posting on Wednesday. (I know you all were on the edge of your computer chairs just waiting) ;)
Regardless, I am posting a tidbit I stole from moneysavingmom.com and that she stole from freebies4mom.blogspot.com. Isn't it good that moms look out for each other? Here's the scoop:
This is for all the mommas out there who are Pampers diapers lovers, along with me, and are dilligently putting in their Pampers points on pampers.com. You can earn rewards for the points you enter in. Each code on the package of wipes or diapers is worth a predetermined number of points. Here's what Crystal says on moneysavingmom.com...

PSST! Through the end of December, you can get free shipping on all the rewards offered. Plus, go here for some free codes you can use to help boost your points a bit.

Okay, so I know this post is weak, but there will be better posts in the future when I am a little more caught up. Have a great Thursday. ;)

Have you ever heard the "Count Your Blessings song"? I just wasted about a half an hour just looking for the song on YouTube. :) Once I found it I wanted to listen to every one of them on there. I think I found the perfect video to share with you. At first I wanted to find a video that you could share with your kids so you could sing it together, but then when I found this one it seemed too perfect. It will truly make you count your blessings. Click Here to listen to my favorite video of the song.

Okay, so works for me: Take time to list off with your child(ren) the things you are thankful for and then sing this song. :)
Count your blessings. Name them one by one.
Count your blessings. See what God has done.
Count your blessings. Name them one by one.
Count you many blessings. See what God has done.

Our little Preston was thankful for cars and Nina and Papa. He had no trouble listing off things to be thankful for once he understood what we were doing. Have fun. Let us know what your kids say when you ask what they are thankful for. If your little tike is too young to talk to you, sing the song to them anyway. Keely loves to bob up and down to the song.

Have a great day.

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!

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. :-)

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!!

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.

My dear friend gave me a copy of her grocery list that she prints off and uses each week to mark off what groceries she needs to buy. I loved it! I thought you might to. Click here to read more and print off a copy for yourself.

Are you doing anything this Saturday? Are you aware that it is Valentine's Day? :)

Some ideas you can do for/ with your children or for your huband:

Scratch off:
Make a personalized scratch and win card for them. Take a heavy piece of paper and draw hearts on it. Using a permanent marker, write something you will do as a prize in each heart. Color over the top of each heart with red crayon until the crayon is really thick and you can't see the words anymore. The rules are, only one out of three hearts can be scratched.

Love Pillow
Take a light solid colored pillowcase (you probably have one in the closet) and on one end write or sew special messages like, "Sweet Dreams", "True Love" or "I love you". Use your computer to print pictures of you both on iron transfer paper. Then iron the transfer pictures in the center of the pillowcase.

I love you bows.
This valentine gift idea takes a little planning but is a lot of fun. Give your valentine a card that says, "Whenever you see a pink (lavender, red, whatever color you like) ribbon, remember how much I love you." Put the first bow on their car, backpack or bike. Then drive or walk along the route to your lover's school or work and tie big bows on each tree, stop sign, bridge overpass, snowman, etc. Be sure to remove them later!

I found these ideas on UniqueHolidayGiftIdeas.com

Have fun this Saturday! For a breakfast, and a couple of dessert ideas you can also go here.

KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED THIS VALENTINE'S DAY!!! We love our MOPS MOMS!! We cannot wait until the weather cooperates and we can all be together again!

This week's entry is kind of meant to be a joke, but kind of not. We just did a Birthday party for my son who is a big 3 year old boy now. I wanted to throw him a real party with his real friends because this will be the first year that he will be absolutely thrilled about his birthday. (he was singing happy birthday to himself all day long) I thought about how they corral and entertain big groups of three year olds all the time at MOPS and at church. If they can do it I can too, thought. But no, I can't. They are saints and we all should thank those that take care of our itty bittys regularly. Okay, so here's my
TOP TEN THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY SON'S THREE YEAR OLD BIRTHDAY PARTY:

10. Keep It Simple Stupid. (KISS)
If you are throwing a one hour party, don't plan for like two months over the thing. Have a couple of things to make for cute pictures, and then remind yourself that when it's all over you will be glad you kept it simple.

9. For a three year old party, you might not need two whole hours. :) I read somewhere that two hours was a good amount of time for a party for kids this age. I had a couple of games prepared. I thought to myself, these should take a little while. For whatever reason, I imagined havoc everywhere that would make each activity take a half hour, but really we breezed through each thing in 5-10 minutes. I was done with our games and we still had a whole hour left. (It worked out okay, because some parents stayed and they did not mind leaving early, but ONE hour is probably a better idea if you are going to keep them all entertained in your house on a winter day)

8. Don't open the presents with the kids ANYWHERE near the birthday boy or girl. :) Preschoolers want the gifts they see being opened and lack the self control to hold back from ripping it out of the hands of the birthday person. I had the great idea to let them little ones play with the toys, thinking it was another opportunity to enforce that we share our toys. It was ALL over after that. If you are brave enough to try such a thing, make it the last thing you do. (but if they are three or younger, I don't advise it at all)

7. Remember to give out the grab bags at the end- not in the middle of the party. I mean, really, what was I thinking?

6. Don't play "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar" with a group of two-three year olds. My son looked at me like he was going to start crying, and said, "NO! I didn't!!" He would not play along and he did not want to accuse any of his friends of stealing the cookies either. (of course, what did I expect) The almost four year olds, on the other hand, understood that it was a game. I suppose I should be proud of his integrity.

5. Get one of those cake things from Michael's that has the design already done for you so all you have to do is decided what color frosting goes where. Or just buy it already made. I am not even going to go into details as to why my simple train cake idea took me all morning to frost. I finally finished frosting the cake and I asked Preston, "do you know what it is" and he smiled and said, "CARS with wheels!" And he loved it. :)

4. Let your kid help. Make the decorating about your kid, not about impressing everyone once they get to the party.

3. If it gets hectic, look up at the other parents around you and smile. Then breathe out. :) It's okay, kids are kids. Just laugh. And then take excedrin later if you need it.

2. A three year old loves it all anyway. You can totally mess everything up! You could have a train cake that looks like a pile of blocks and your kids loves you still and loves that he/she gets a cake! All those little details that you thought ruined the party did not actually ruin the party and your child LOVED IT!! That is the beauty of a three year old.

1. Don't be in the first trimester of a pregnancy when you throw your party, and if you are, lean on friends for help. Headaches and morning sickness are bound to strike on that day. The good news is that my strength comes from the Lord...and a few great friends. Thank you dear friends.

My son loves all the shows on PBS. I usually do too. Although, if we are being totally honest, (which is always a fun thing to be) I can really really REALLY do without Sid the Science Kid. At any rate, PBS is always throwing out the idea to the kiddos to jump on PBSKIDS.ORG. From time to time, I get on the computer with my son and do some of the activities with him. I have found that many of them require decent use of the mouse, which he has yet to master. For that reason, I usually end up helping with each step. Yesterday we played Word World's dog game and Preston laughed out loud every time as the dog would leap into the pile of letters. There are several downloadable coloring pages that I print every now and then as well.

Here's one for you if your child is too young to handle the mouse and you want them to feel like they are doing the game on their own.
Fisherprice.com
Click on Fun & Family Time (on the sidebar)
Click on Fun and Games, Online!
Click Infant, Toddler, or Preschool (I do infant for Keely, who is not quite one year old and toddler for Preston)

Fisherprice.com is great, because it has games where the preschooler, toddler, or baby can actually hit any key and something will happen, so the child does not have to really understand anything in particular to feel like they are in control of the game.
Preston (three years old) likes the top three that pop up: Count the Score, The ABCs Zoo, and The Musical Instrument Game.
Keely likes the Peek-A-Boo Games

Okay, now it's your turn. Are there any websites that you get on and play with your children? Leave us a comment and share with the other mommas. I would love to hear of some others out there that are toddler friendly, if you know of any. I am aware that several moms reading this are saying, "NO! My kid is NOT going to touch the computer!" I know that because I used to feel that way. As with all things in parenting, boundaries must be set. :) It can be fun! If you try it out for the first time, let us know how it goes.

Darling mommas,
I am having one of those weeks...okay, months really. I feel like I am the very last person to be giving anyone any kind of advice on how to "live the life". :) I thought I would open the floor today and make it all about what you have to offer. Everyone, please think of one thing you did today that seemed to work for you, your kids, or your husband and share that. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering. You never know, it just may inspire another mom.

I'll start, with a little one for me this week.
I took my son to the Valparaiso library today for toddler time. For just $3 he can go to 6 sessions and he LOVES them. At each session they do songs, a craft, a video, and read a book, as well as other activities. Preston has really learned to sit down and be a big boy this time around. (we had a little trouble last time when he was not quite three years old yet, and could not bear to part from his momma) He also happens to love Miss. Mary, the librarian. :)

Okay, your turn. What worked for you this week?

Works for Me Wednesday message: Instead of taking on something new, get caught up with the things you have been meaning to do since December. :) Remember a long long time ago when we ate that delicious breakfast together and everyone went on and on about the STUFFED FRENCH TOAST? That day we had mentioned that we would get that recipe up on the blog. Well, 3 months later...here we are. Thank you to the dear Moppets worker who reminded me to get this recipe up, because I had completely forgotten. Thank you also, to Stephanie for getting the recipe to me so quickly once I remembered to ask for it. ;)
Works for me Wednesday this week: get caught up on what should have been done a while back and then sigh a sigh of relief. It'll feel good. Alrighty mommas, here's the recipe you have all been waiting for:

STUFFED FRENCH TOAST
Recipe from: Stephanie Anderson

Ingredients:
Texas Toast or French Sour Dough Bread
2 tsp cinnamon
5 eggs
Salt (pinch)
1 ½ cups milk
½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1-8oz pkg cream cheese
1 ½ tsp vanilla
½ cup sugar

Layer 9x13 pan with bread.

Mix cream cheese, vanilla & sugar. Put tablespoon on center of each piece of bread.

Top with another layer of bread.

Melt butter and mix in cinnamon and brown sugar and pour over bread.

Beat eggs, salt & milk and our over everything.

Cover and let sit overnight refrigerated.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Enjoy.

Better late than never, right? Thankfully I know that all of you can appreciate a busy mom who is forgetful from time to time. My excuse is "Spring Break Brain." I am enjoying a certain amount of laziness that's not a part of my normal routine and my brain decided to take a break as well. My apologies!!

Today's entry isn't a testimonial type-I have no idea if this would work for me on Wednesday or any other day of the week for that matter, but I'd love to give it a try!

As I listened to Alisha describe freezer meals and a food co-op at MOPS last week, the idea became very appealing to me. I wondered if anyone else out there might be interested. Just imagine . . . even if only 7 people swapped meals, there's the potential of no cooking for a week!! Or, spread it out and enjoy a night off for 7 weeks . . . the potential for a break is there. I'm wondering if anyone else is interested.

So, it's your turn! If you'd like to explore the possibility, leave a comment here. It won't commit you to the idea, but we can start to explore the idea and the options if a lot of you are interested.

One other item I'd like to leave you with is an excerpt from an e-mail that I received from MOPS International. Check it out. You can earn rewards and maybe even cash just for signing up!

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Disposable diapers...child safety seats...collapsible strollers...baby monitors. All these products exist because of new moms like you.