Snack cupboard for Kids

Maybe all of you brilliant parents out there have already thought of this but it's a new and exciting addition to our household: a SNACK CUPBOARD!

Are you tired of having to stop in the middle of whatever important activity you're doing (laundry, sleeping, emailing, changing a diaper, etc.) to get a snack for your kiddos? Then jump on the snack cupboard bandwagon.

This was suggested to me by a friend and I decided, why not, let's try it out. We cleared out one shelf in a low cupboard and filled it with mom approved snacks. The kids were so excited to be able to help themselves to a snack easily and I was so excited that they were no longer climbing on the kitchen chairs and counters trying to find something to eat in the high kitchen cupboards.

I still like to monitor how many snacks they have and when they eat them (like not right before dinner which is Mason's favorite snack time), but overall the snack cupboard has been a smashing success in our house.

For other snacking ideas see my article Healthy Snack Ideas or my posts about making a Fruit Rainbow and Fruit Smoothies.   

This post is participating in Alphabe-Thursday (S is for Snack Cupboard). 

Eating Octopus

Who woulda thought my little picky eater would be so brave in a culinary dare?

Emily started out her childhood as a picky eater. Thankfully she has grown to love many new foods, in a large part due to our rule of taking at least one bite of everything on your plate. That has forced her to discover that new food isn't scary and that she could (gasp!) actually like something new.

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when at her year-end Kindergarten party she tried a very exotic new food. The theme for the party was "Under the Sea" and her teacher had some seafood to try.

She brought out octopus tentacles and asked if anyone was brave enough to come up and try it. A couple of kids jumped right up and then to my surprise Miss Emily volunteered too. You go girl! I was so proud of her when she took a teeny tiny little bite and smiled. I'll never say she's a picky eater again after that.

Whatcha Reading Book Review - The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Stephenie Meyer, the creator of the Twilight series, has given us another little tidbit about the world of Twilight. She wrote a novella called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner to give readers another perspective on Bella's story.

I read an article in which Stephenie Meyer suggested reading Bree Tanner's version of events (Bree is a newborn vampire) before going to see the movie Eclipse, so being the dedicated "Twi-hard" that I am I rushed right out and got the book.

It was interesting and a good refresher for Eclipse but it made me realize that the major appeal of the Twilight books, for me, are the characters Bella and Edward. I am rooting for Team Edward. Most of my girlfriends love Jacob but for some reason I'm a sucker for that over-the-top, co-dependent, unrealistic romance represented by Bella and Edward.

You can read the novella at breetanner.com but only through today (July 5th). Of course you can purchase the book, like I did, if you're not interested in reading that much of on the computer screen. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a quick must-read for Twilight fans but it doesn't compare to the original series.

I'm still hoping that Stephenie Meyer will miss the Twilight characters and decide to right another novel. I've got my fingers crossed!

Busy, busy summertime

Here we are in the middle of summer already. How did that happen?

I had this idea in my head that I'd have more down time once the kids were out of school and we didn't have to rush out of the house every morning. We have a more leisurely morning routine now, but it seems like the days are filling up fast.

Emily had a dance recital at the beginning of the summer, then she went to VBS (Vacation Bible School) and now she goes swimming lessons. Mason is playing T-ball and tennis and he'll start a summer program at his new preschool next week. They will both go to little day camps later in the summer too. Theater and dance camp for Emily and T-ball camp for Mason.

Add in some fun "play dates" with friends, grocery shopping, running errands, taking walks, trips to the playground/zoo/Children's Museum, bike riding, etc. and we're a busy little group over here.

Summer can be so busy and filled with activities that I have to make sure we have some good ol' fashioned relaxing time at home to enjoy ourselves. Especially now that baby Ryan is here I need to force myself to stop over-scheduling and stay home more.

Do any of  you have trouble with over-scheduling in the summer? Let's all enjoy some time at home relaxing and not rushing from one place to the next. Happy summer everyone!

W is for...Watermelon

Now that we are on summer vacation there are so many things to look forward to: warm weather, sunshine, t-ball and tennis for Mason, swimming lessons and theater camp for Emily, visiting family, barbecues, going to the beach... I could go on and on.

There are a few challenges that come with the change in schedule and season but one challenge that I had not considered until recently was the daily question: What is there to eat?

On the snack front I try to keep it healthy and easy. That's my goal and so far it is going pretty well. My kids are definitely snackers. They will eat most of a meal but then be hungry again an hour later. I figure that their little bodies need lots of fuel to grow so I feed them on "demand" so to speak.

One of the favorite snacks that we have stumbled across lately is fresh fruit, especially watermelon and cantaloupe, cut into bite size pieces and eaten with a toothpick.

The toothpick is key. My six-year-old angel of a daughter can be a picky eater at times and she thought she didn't like watermelon. But wait, what is that cool thing that her brother is eating with? A toothpick. Okay, now she likes watermelon. Surprise, surprise.

That toothpick changes an ordinary snack into something extra special. Amazing.





This post is participating in Alphabe-Thursday "W is for..."

A Father Is...

There in every memory

See his love and care
Strength and hands to count on
Freely he does share
Provider, toil so faithfully
To make our dreams come true
Give strong and tender discipline
Though it is hard to do
A Father is God's chosen one
To lead the family
And point it to His will for life
Of love and harmony.

(by Sue Skeen)

Emily made a Father's Day gift with this poem on it at school and I thought it summed up her daddy pretty well. I hope that all of the wonderful dads out there had a great Father's day filled with love and hugs from their children.

Mailbox Monday

Blog hop? What's that? The latest dance trend?

It's a way to find other bloggers you might like and to share your blog too. It's a "you check out my blog, I'll check out your blog" kind of thing. 

I follow Simply Stacie's blog and so I thought I'd try out her blog hop. You never know what interesting stuff you'll stumble across out there in the blog-o-sphere.

I Heart Tori & Kate

Okay, I have something to admit. I've become a reality TV junky. Not all reality TV - just a few shows that I'm obsessed with lately.

It all started when after Ryan was born and I stopped working. No more sitting at the table grading papers all evening for me (high school English teachers out there will relate). I had time to watch some TV, especially while sitting comfortably on the couch feeding the baby or folding laundry, both of which I do A LOT.

Here's a run down of my new favorites:

Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood - I love Tori and Dean. Who woulda thought it, but Tori is a cool chic. I want to hang out with her. We could talk baby stuff and I'd love to hear more about what it was like growing up as a bizillionaire. (Another confession: I just finished reading her first book, too. I told you I'm obsesssed.) I also love the Guncles. Mehran is so sweet. Who wouldn't love a best friend like him?

Giuliana & Bill - Another surprisingly likable couple. Why is it so entertaining to watch them live their regular lives. I guess because their "regular lives" are a lot more exciting than mine. Giuliana cracks me up. They make such a cute couple and I would love to be invited to their next dinner party. (Did you see the episode when Giuliana cooked for the first time? Loved it.)

The Next Food Network Star - This one just started up again and I'm way too excited about it. Sometimes when I'm in the kitchen I imagine that I'm about to serve my dish to the selection committee and I only have a few minutes to pull it off. (Okay, okay, I'm a huge dork.)

Kate Plus Eight - Another big confession. I like Kate. Most people don't, or at least it seems that way. I will say that her fake nails, hair extensions, and high heels make her less of a relatable mom than when she was cooking in her small kitchen and serving up dinner on paper plates, but I still like her. I even voted for her on Dancing With the Stars a couple of times even though she could not dance worth a darn. She had to put up with her husband cheating on her in front of the whole world, so how can you not be on her side, even if she is a bit really uptight?

I would soooo love to have a girls night out with Tori, Giuliana, Susie and Giada from the Food Network, and Kate. Do you think they'd all make the trip to Oregon to hang out with me? Maybe not, so I'll just keep watching them from afar and pretending that they're my girlfriends. (Wow, that sounded pathetic, huh? Good thing I have awesome girlfriends of my own to hang out with already.)

If you could have a reality TV girls night out, who would you invite?

Homemade Hot Wheels Birthday Cake

My big boy had his 4th birthday recently and he requested a Hot Wheels cake. (Then the day before his birthday he asked for a Spiderman cake but it was too late. Oh well.) 


So I decided to attempt to make and decorate my own cake. I made a two layer vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. 


The only real problem came when I tried to remove one layer from the pan and it stuck. I guess I didn't grease the pan well enough. One corner of the cake crumbled. I had to think quick....so I turned that crumbled, sagging corner into a grassy hill. No one even noticed. Score one for me! 

I'd say the cake turned out fine but it was a far cry from looking professional. That's okay though, because all that really mattered to Mason was that he got to blow out the candles and eat tons of frosting.

This post is participating in Friday Follow.

King of the whys

Mason has been rolling out the funniest sayings lately. It must be his age (happy 4th birthday to him last week!) - or just the fact that he's a big goofball. He is definitely in the "why" stage.

We were driving down the highway and he had been asking me questions non-stop for an eternity (okay, 15 minutes but it felt like much longer).

We were crossing a bridge so I asked him if he saw the bridge and the boats, etc. Then he pops off with, "STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS MAMA!" Okay question man. Like he's one to talk.

Then a few days later we were out on a walk around the neighborhood.

The conversation went something like this: Mason asks about something and when I answer he asks why. I try to explain and then...

"Why?" he asks again.

"Because...(insert some random answer)," I say as I try to think of something that will satisfy his curiosity because saying I don't know does not cut it for this kid.

"Why?" he asks again. Repeat above sequence about three more times.

Then Mason says, "Why, why, why, why! Why do I ask why all the time?"

"Good question, son!" That's the only response I can muster.