My “free time” has been consumed with getting things ready for my 14 year old to begin homeschooling in January. Glad to say we have almost everything lined up! Hurrah! I have tried ordering a computer book twice, both times it has ended up being sold out (used). I may have to suck it up and order it new.
Melissa actually “officially” started her German course today. She had played around on the site (www.livemocha.com), but today she actually went through the whole first lesson straight through. The first section of the course is review, if not the second as well, so she is going to go through it quickly.
I wish I could say I am BACK… back, but the hubby and I are heading away for our anniversary (without children!). I should be back, full force, at the end of th weekend. Until then…
HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Congrats to the winners of the Cherished Boutique Giveaway!
Veronica
Christine
Kelly
Contact me with your ribbon choice! I can get those sent out by the end of this week!
And keep a lookout for my December Giveaway. I will be giving away coffee from Just Love Coffee! A family that is near and dear to me is raising money to adopt from Ethiopia and they are selling coffee through this organization!
Details will be up tomorrow!
CONGRATS, WINNERS!
Tags: Cherished Boutique, Giveaway
Welcome to the holiday season! Today marks the beginning of National Cookie Cutter Week. This tradition was started in the 1990’s by Paula Mullins. It was handed over to Lyn Linder in about 2007. There is even a museum in the Museum Complex in Joplin, MO. Each year a new cookie cutter is designed and release in honor of the special day.
National Cookie Cutter Week marks the beginning of the holiday baking season. Holiday baking is a tradition in many families, whether you make goodies requiring a cookie cutter or not. There are a number of types of cookie cutters. They include basic cutouts, those that also leave in imprint in the top of the cookies, cookie molds, and cookie presses. Cookie cutters are definitely not limited to the Christmas holiday, but are often most widely associated with this holiday.
There are a number of alternative uses for cookie cutters. Some ideas include using cookie cutters to shape other doughs, perhaps to add a special detail to the center of a pie or pie crust. You can cut sandwiches with cutout cookie cutters to make any meal or occasion special. Crafts can be fun with cookie cutters used to trace shapes and designs, or to be used as a stamp.
Now, how do you celebrate this holiday? Easy! You bake! Make some goodies to freeze and store for the upcoming holiday gatherings, or perhaps plan a cookie baking party or cookie exchange this week. Ok, many of us may not have time for, or even plan to bake this early in the month, but perhaps you could purchase a new special cookie cutter during this holiday week!
Some cookie cutter care and storage tips include to hand wash your cutters, not machine wash them. And never use bleach! Also, a little tip is to place them on a clean cookie sheet after washing and let them dry completely in a warm (not hot!) oven, perhaps after you are done baking and the oven is cooling down. This prevents rust damage during storage. Also, storing your cookie cutters in a sturdy, sealable container is best to prevent bending and damage.
In honor of the week, I will be posting some extra cookie cutter requiring recipes! I can’t wait to start making goodies!
Happy baking!!
Tags: Christmas, Cookie Cutters, National Cookie Cutter Week
Yay! December is one of my favorite months!!
Speaking of a new month… remember that you only have till tomorrow to enter for the Cherished Boutique giveaway!
Now that the Thanksgiving holiday is past, time to start planning and posting about CHRISTMAS! Hurrah!
Starting on December 1st, I am going to do a series of 25 Days of Christmas. I will also be featuring a number of holiday goodie recipes, probably more often than once a week. Iwill also post then here as a post in addition to the featured recipes! I have a whole pile I can’t wait to share!!
We had a nice Thanksgiving. My son Logan, who is 3 and has autism, did amazing at my dad and step-mom’s! We didn’t have a single tear shed, and he did well with staying out of stuff. Of course, our door knob covers we brought also did good at keeping others out of the bathroom. Turns out my dad’s door knobs are hard to use those covers on!
We also did some shopping on Black Friday. Nothing over the top, we didn’t leave the house until after 9 and brought the boys with. We got a few gifts for them, boots for the boys, and I got a new crock pot!
All in all a nice peaceful and easy weekend! Much needed!!
Tags: autism, Black Friday, Christmas, December, Giveaway, Thanksgiving
So, I again have been MIA. I had intended to get some much needed writing done this weekend, here and elsewhere… but was in too much pain.
Despite being on 500mg of Amoxicillin, 3x a day, I managed to get some sort of ear infection! It came up fast as well. So, the doctor says it is either viral or it is one nasty infection! My eardrum is bulging to the point where he predicts it will rupture. Ouch! He held up his fingers 4-5mm apart and said it is bulging at least that much.
So, I am now on Augmentin, continuing to take my “migraine cocktail” since it is working (4 ibuprofen, 2 acetaminophen), and have instructions to come in 2 weeks after it ruptures to check for healing. As I read about it, I am NOT looking forward to this rupture! Sharp pain, dischange, LOSS OF HEARING!?!?
Couldn’t come at a worse time. I have a number of singing events coming up with the holidays. Advent evensong on the 29th. Xaltation Christmas show (small choir and dancers) on the 11th and 12th. And of course, a very active schedule for singing at church services. I can’t imagine how those are going to go if I can’t hear out of my right ear. Right now, it is nice because it sounds like my ear is plugged, meaning I can hear myself sing… and hear my pitch well. Nice!
Well, hopefully I do get some time to get some posts in here… well, good ones anyway!
Wow. I can’t believe Sesame Street is 40! Then again, I am not THAT far behind! So I found some fun and interesting facts about the show and its history and wanted to share!
1. Baby Bear is Jewish.
2. The Count is nearly two million years old.
3. The Count’s laugh after counting each number was discontinued over concerns of it frightening children.
4. In 1985, Snuffeupagus ceased to be a creature only Big Bird can see. The reason? Concerns that adults not believing Big Bird about Snuffy would lead to children being afraid to speak out about sexual abuse.
5. In the first season, Grover was brown, not blue.
6. Cookie Monster predates Sesame Street by 3 years. He began his life as “The Wheel Stealer” in an unaired General Foods commercial, and went on to become involved in an IBM training film and a commercial for Munchos, where he went under the name “Arnold the Munching Monster.” Back in these early days, he had a big set of sharp teeth and seemed a little more terrifying to kiddies than the friendly blue monster we all know and love.
7. During his first season in 1979, Telly was known as “The Television Monster.” He had an antenna on the top of his head and his eyes would spin around whenever he watched TV. In 1980 he was revamped into the worrywart we’ve all gotten used to.
8. Rosita, the only Hispanic Muppet on Sesame Street, is actually a fruit bat.
9. In the first season, Oscar the Grouch was orange, not green.
10. In 1970, a single was released of Ernie singing “Rubber Duckie.” It reached #16 on the Billboard chart.
11. Bert and Ernie aren’t gay. Get over it. Sesame Workshop has gone on record about this.
12. The pilot episode of Sesame Street that was screen tested in front of a number of families in July 1969 featured only one Muppet sketch. It involved Bert and Ernie. This was the only part of the show that tested well, so the show was retooled to focus more heavily on the Muppets, and to have them interact with human characters as well.
13. After Jim Henson’s death in 1989, only a handful of “News Flash” segments, which prominently featured Kermit the Frog, were created. In 2001, the sketches, both old and new, were abandoned completely.
14. Guy Smiley’s real name is Bernie Liederkrantz.
15. The fat blue muppet that always plays a customer to Grover’s waiter has a name befitting his appearance – Fat Blue.
16. In 2002, a the South African version of Sesame Street, an HIV-positive muppet was introduced in 2002. Kami is a five year old girl that became HIV-positive through a blood transfusion as an infant. Her name is derived from the word “Kamogelo,” which means “acceptance” in several African languages.
17. Contrary to popular belief, Big Bird is not a canary. He’s a Golden Condor.
18. Although the character of Elmo didn’t debut until 1984, the Elmo puppet was used regularly as a background Muppet since the early 1970’s.
19. Barkley was originally intended to be an acrobatic ape rather than a sheep dog. As well, he was called Woof Woof at first, only being called Barkley after several appearances.
20. Ken Kwapis, the director of the 1985 Sesame Street film “Follow That Bird,” went on to be involved in the creation of such cultural TV landmarks as The Larry Sanders Show and the The Office.
21. Bert and Ernie were named after Bert the Cop and Ernie the Taxi Driver in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
22. Sesame Street airs in over 120 countries. Some simply dub episodes while 25 others have their own version that represent the country culturally through the characters and segments.
23. Sesame Street was aimed at low-income families to help children learn and prepare for school. To help facilitate the feeling of an inner city neighborhood, the set featured peeling paint, alleys, stoops, and metal trash cans on the sidewalk.
24. Sesame Street was banned in Mississippi for 22 days in 1970 because it showed African-Americans on an equal level with Caucasians.
25. Some have criticized Elmo’s tendency to speak in third person and fear it will not teach children how to speak proper English. The show maintains he acts like many preschoolers.
26. The show has won 118 Emmy Awards.
Also, if you have a LOT of time on your hands, check out Sesame Street’s page on Wikipedia. Oy! That’s a read! But worth it!
This post brought to you by the letters B, C, and D, and the number 5!
Tags: Anniversary, Fun Facts, Sesame Street
Well, things have been slow here this week. Sorry for not being too active. I ended up with an emergency root canal on Tuesday. OUCH! My tooth, which I had a number of problems with 2 years ago that required me to call every dentist in town and see who could get me in fastest, had a repeat offense. Last time my new dentist (yes, the one who got me in the fastest became my permanent dentist, we love him!) said the filling, and all my others fro my old dentist, were shoddy and causing the problem. He suspected I would have issues again and it would require a root canal.
And that time came late last week. Thursday night I could hardly eat dinner all of a sudden, and the dentist is closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Called Monday and they got me in Tuesday.
Although I have to complain. Not about the dentist, the tooth pain, OR the root canal. I was put on antibiotics and pain meds, which then required me to make a trip to the pharmacy. I chose to go to Wal-mart’s pharmacy since I had some things to pick up there anyway. I was there well over an hour! The precription itself took 45 minutes, and then they messed up my insurance, TWICE! Finally the 3rd time they ran it, it worked. This is often an issue, so I try to use Hy-Vee or Lewis, but I needed stuff at Wal-mart anyway. Not doing that next time!!
So I spent the last couple days recovering, going to bed early so I can take my pain meds and know they will wear off before I must be up in the morning. But I am feeling better now and hope to jump back into writing ASAP!
I know, I have posted about this great show before, but tonight is their 2+ hour holiday giveaway special show! Yes, OVER TWO HOURS!! I recently received my coffee cup caddies I won from this site and they rock! Hope I win something else tonight, but I know I will gain some great tips and ideas, plus a little mom-time chatting with all the other viewers!
The show is at 7pm PST (9pm CST) and you can view it at www.247moms.com!
Be there! I will be!!
I am curious what makes you the mom you are today. Please feel free to post or if you wish you can email me!
There are SO many things that make me the mom I am. My mom was amazing, and I think that plays a role in how my children are first and foremost in my life, and I think losing my mom as a teen also helps me appreciate my time with my children… you never know when your time with them will be up.
Having my daughter at a young age also molded me into the mom I am today. Mostly because I feel I have always been a mom. I never had that “free” time before kids and so it is just 2nd nature and easier to accept the amount of your time and energy that goes to my children.
Being a full time student and/or working mom through my daughter’s younger days has also really made me appreciate that I can be home with my boys. Not being able to breastfeed her also gave me the drive to make it work with the boys, and my almost 16 month old is still nursing strong… his brother nursed until 14 months when my milk dried up from pregnancy.
I also think my time in college really does affect my parenting. I am no longer a teacher, but do use an array of the skills learned in my home and my daycare. I also have found that some things I experienced or learned, my psychology minor for example, have actually become important in my parenting… particularly with my 3 year old son who has autism. I was destined to be his mother. He has a strong love of music and will sing words he never says and music calms him down when he is upset. (I have a bachelors of music education) The psychology background has helped with his general diagnosis and therapies. I changed a lot in college… going from a rather shy and introverted teen who would never stand up for herself to a woman who is never afraid to push for what she, or her family needs. This has been important in getting Logan services he needs.
So… tell ME what kind of mom you are and how your parenting style came to be!
Tags: autism, Mothering style, Parenting Style
My first business feature is Cherished Boutique.
Cherished Boutique features mostly custom made items for your family and your home, and there are a wide variety of items available. There are numerous items not yet listed, and even more that I may not have thought of yet. If you are looking for something you haven’t found yet and do not see it on my site, do NOT hesitate to ask! Inquiries for Cherished Boutique can be sent to cherishedboutique@gmail.com.
Some of the items available include pacifier tethers, apron bands (nifty things that turn a kitchen towel into a temporary apron), diaper cakes, Christening gowns, and more!
Pacifier Tether
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION!
I am giving away THREE pacifier tethers. These can be basic, deluxe, or double clip tethers and can be selected from any of my stock ribbon choices.
For each entry, please make a separate comment below. Required entries must be made before extras. Winner to be selected on November 30th using random.org.
Required entries:
1. Follow this blog in my Google box in the right sidebar.
2. Visit Cherished Boutique and tell me your favorite ribbon.
Extra entries:
1. Add my button to your blog, include a link in your comment.
2. Follow me on Twitter, include your twitter ID in your comment.
3. Become a fan of Barefoot In My Kitchen on facebook, include your name in your comment.
4. Blog about this giveaway, include a link in your comment.
Tags: Apron Band, Cherished Boutique, Christening Gown, Diaper Cake, Giveaway, Pacifier Tether
Ok, I do love to do posts with a more personal twist, and here is one of them. I run a home daycare and while this is a common phenomonon I have seen in the past with pretty much every baby that comes through my doors, Izzy is my current “Rock Star”.
We all have this fascination with infants. We love to hold them, admire their little toes and fingers, laugh at their cute little sounds. As women we often speak of ‘baby fever” and the strong desire to have a baby, dispite the hassles of our current toddler and his refusal to sleep at night or perhaps potty train. To explain this addiction is nearly impossible.
So, what about Izzy?
Izzy is this adorable little 5 month old girl I have in my care. And in watching her rock star status with the other kids I got to thinking about the attraction of infants. I realized this attraction starts VERY young. For example, when Izzy (actually her name is Isabella) arrives each morning, every child in my daycare runs to the door to see her, they oogle over her in her car seat and squeal with delight. And when I say every child, I am including two toddlers, ages 15 and 16 months. These two also have the added advantage of being low to the ground, so they get to see Izzy up close.
I have always called this the “rock star effect” since as teens and adults we respond the say way to various celebrities. But ya know, I think it is just baby fever… displayed without the modesty and discretion we learn as adults.
So for now, Izzy can enjoy her popularity. And being such a sweet and beautiful baby, I am certain that as she grows up she will have no problem finding friends. But being swooned over by the other children, I call that her 5 months of fame (as opposed to the cliche 5 minutes of fame) because all too quickly she will be one of those toddlers, running to the door in anticipation of getting a glimpse at the next baby to come through my doors.
Tags: baby fever
cookie
Oh. My. Gosh.
If you have even the slightest sweet tooth, you HAVE to pop over to Cupcakes In Jars on Etsy! Or even better, check out my newest featured blog, TicTacDough, as they are having a giveaway where you can win your choice of item from Cupcakes in Jars! I had added her button to my sidebar, so click it and check out this awesome giveaway! She also has a post about how delicious these goodies are and a little interview with the woman behind Cupcaks in a Jar!
You won’t regret checking this out! Yummm!!
Tags: Cupcakes In A Jar, Giveaway, TicTacDough
I stumbled upon these awesome DIY roses today and HAD to share! I am heading out to my back yard today to find some leaves to do this with. I have an old stereo in our foyer just begging for some new fall decor, and these will be perfect.
http://haha.nu/creative/how-to-make-roses-from-maple-leaves/
Tags: autumn, decor, floral arranging
We all know how easy it is to rack up a hefty credit card balance at this time of year. We also know how long it takes to pay it off in the coming months. Ideally, families should plan and shop for the holidays all year long. This not only spreads out the expense, but it also allows you to purchase things on sale as opposed to last minute, take what you can get, shopping.
A few things you can do to help avoid a helfty credit card bill come January is t0 set a spending limit, and stick with it, make a list of people you wish to buy a gift for as well as gift ideas, remember to budget for holiday goodies and holiday meals, or give homemade gifts such as crafts or cookies. If it helps you control spending, use cash. When your wallet is empty, your shopping is done. I also highly recommend shopping around online and even if you do not purchase an item online, at least research how much a particular gift idea is going to cost and figure that into your budget.
It is easy in today’s society to lose sight of the real purpose of the holiday season. If you travel to spend time with family, make this your priority and if all else fails, let your presence be your present. Especially in the current economy, your family of all people will understand.
One trend that deserves to be mentioned is to give charity donations as a gift. For example, Heifer International is an organization that allows you to purchase livestock for families in struggling countries. Many people will perhaps purchase a flock of chicks for $20 and give an individual a card noting that the chicks were purchased in their honor. You can also purchase larger items such as a pig for $120 all the way up to a full ark for $5000. These larger gifts could be purchased in honor of a family. Heifer International is not the only good will organization and you can likely find many other opportunities to give in this way through any of your local churches.
If money is very tight, this same concept can be applied to giving your time to benefit others. Working at a local soup kitchen or food pantries is a great way to help out others and it is perfectly acceptable to give your time in honor of an individual or family as your gift to not only them, but to the community members who benetif from your effort.
With these tips and suggestions, you too can make it through the holiday season without a debt hangover, and then you will be right on track to start saving and shopping early for next year’s holiday season.
Tags: budget, Christmas, Heifer International, homemade, Smart Shopping, Volunteering
Jerry O’Connell, the star of films such as “Joe’s Apartment” turned stay at home dad to twin daughters Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip while his wife Rebecca Romijn works on the TV series “Eastwick” (which I highly recommend!) is reportedly working on a parenting book.
According to www.aceshowbiz.com, the title of the book is said to be “Cry, Feed, (Make Love to Wife), Burp”.
The release date is yet unknown, but I may be compelled to pick up a copy, just to hear what he has to say! Not often you get to hear a stay at home dad’s perspective on parenthood.
Tags: Eastwick, Jerry O'Connell, Rebecca Romijn, SAHD
This is my first Married With Children post! The MWC series is going to focus on the unique challenges that couples face as parents from parenting responsibility to bedroom topics.
As parents, a husband and wife can face the difficult challenge of trying to share the responsibilities of raising their children evenly. This is important both for the parents as well as for the children since it helps them bond with both parents. But all too often this can become a detriment when one or both parties start to keep too close of an eye on how truly equal the duties are shared.
First of all, the parent who feels they are bearing the bulk of the responsibilities will feel resentment to the other parent, perhaps even jealous of the apparent freedoms they appear to have. But when that parent starts to point out and demand exactly equal duties, this can also cause friction in the relationship.
If you feel you are unfairly being forced to take on more than your partner, voice these concerns and be ready with ideas of how they can help you more. Perhaps if they took over one bath a week, or maybe they could become the primary bather. But be open to discussion. Understand that the other parent may also have other responsibilities you are not aware of, or perhaps are not aware of amount of time and effort some tasks may cost them.
If your partner approaches you with concerns that they are taking on more of the parenting duties than you are, don’t take offense. Again, be open minded and considerate. Even if you feel you are doing your fair share, often times if you offer to take on the simplest of tasks it can boost your partner’s view of the situation significantly. Often, just showing you are considerate of all they do can help tremendously as well.
A special situation this happens often in is when one parent stays at home, or worse if they work at home. It is easy to think “well, she/he just plays with the kids and does a couple chores each day” but until you have lived in those shoes you cannot understand how exhausting it is to be an at home parent. On top of the actual amount of work an at home parent does, there is often a feeling of loss of self. A feeling that they have no importance. Attempting to help share the parenting and household duties in these situations is critical. Most importantly, acknowledging that they work hard also and therefore shouldn’t also be burdened helps show that they are important and an equal partner in the relationship.
So, try to be fair. Try to do everything you can regardless of how even it is. But most importantly, don’t start a spreadsheet to track the number of times you give a bath vs. the number of times your partner does.
I have added two new rooms to the site. The Playroom and The Kitchen.
The Playroom is where you will find an every growing list of recommended sites and resources for your little ones, generally from ages birth to starting school. Soon I hope to add The Classroom for school age children.
The Kitchen is of course all about food! There will be a featured recipe each week, this weeks of course being Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake since Halloween is just days away.
Check them out and let me know what you think!!
To our own domain that is!
After some debating with myself, I decided to go ahead and put my blog on my own domain. This opens up many more options and themes. The blog program itself is still Wordpress, but just hosted on my own domain instead of their free site.
Sorry for the lack of posts. Getting this set up has been time consuming due to a few poor decisions (like trying a different hosting site than I usually use and being sorely disappointed), but now it is all straightened out! It will take another few days to get everything all pretty, but hopefully I will be back in my posting groove soon!
It has arrived. Flu season. According to the CDC’s flu page, November is a typical beginning of the flu season, but most of the time February is the peak month for the seasonal flu. So, it is time to kick those precaution efforts into high gear!
So, as promised on Twitter, here is a post on some tips to help your family avoid spreading the flu and other bugs…
First of all, the cardinal rule is to wash your hands often. I myself do not use antibacterial soap at all times, but after bathroom trips and during flu season it is used at every sink in my home. A little tip for kids is to have them sing the ABC’s while washing their hands. This usually is about the amount of time needed to get hands clean. You can also utilize a hand sanitizer such as GermX. This is NOT a replacement for good handwashing, but use in between hand washings can always help. I use GermX each time I wipe a nose and after washing my hands following a diaper change. I also use it before feeding infants or preparing meals in addition to washing my hands.
Some other illness prevention cleaning tips include:
- Rinse dishes in bleach water (you can do a 2nd rinse in clear water if you wish)
- Use the sanitize feature on your dishwasher
- If you use feeding chairs instead of high chairs, run them through the sanitize cycle (if they are dishwasher safe of course!)
- Switch to a dishsoap with bleach
- Wipe frequently touched surfaces often with a bleach solution, I also spray with a sanitizer such as Lysol or Oust a few times a day as well. These include door knobs, sink knobs and handles, light switches, remotes, phones, and so on.
- Wash toys in a solution of bleach and water frequently.
Some other tips include sneezing or coughing into the bend of your elbow, minimizing the surfaces you touch (both to not spread germs should be ill and to not come in contact with flu germs), and of course staying home if you are not well. Your employer would much rather you take a day off than have 5 others take a day off after you pass a virus on to them.
www.cdc.gov/flu has great tips on flu symptoms and prevention.
Keep healthy!!
Tags: bleach, Cleaning, flu, sanitizing
So, Tuesday night. Nothing special about it, right? Monday, it’s the first day of the week. Blah. Monday, Monday… Wednesday, well for many of us this is filled with church functions such as religious education or ministry organizations (I sing in my church’s santuary choir and play handbells). Thursday, well… the week is almost over! For us, this is family dinner night since it is the only night of the week all 5 of us are usually together. Friday, of course, is the start of the weekend. So, what about poor little Tuesday?
My husband, along with the husbands of a few friends, plays on a pool league on Tuesdays. It is also my most stressful work day as I have 2 infants all day. And I have now stumbled upon my sweet relief. 24/7 Moms and their live webast!!
I have added a button to my side bar and as you can see, they have shows at 7pm and 9pm pacific. For me, this is 9pm and 11pm. My boys go to bed at 8:30, so the timing is perfect! Hurrah!
There are weekly topics, this weeks include meal ideas for busy families, crock pot recipes, and a Nestle halloween pumpkin demo. As usual, there will be awesome giveaways (I won a book about a cat named Moe who travels through the holidays, and get this… it is a scratch & sniff book!!) and plenty of mom-versation in the chat room. The 24/7 moms chat along for a while after each hour long show.
So, as they say… put the kids in bed, throw on your PJs, and surf over to www.247moms.com!!
