Christmas is Over

So... The holidays are over for another year. Not that this is a newsflash to anybody. Sure, there are occasional wishes of "Happy New Year!" and "Have a good holiday!" that somebody will pop out with... For some, I'm sure that it's a genuine wish that the joy Christmas and the New Year are still fresh, but for many I tend to suspect that it's an unavoidable slip after two months of replacing "have a good day" with "have a good Christmas."

This holiday season was, I think, the best one I've ever had. A trip to Disney World in September set the stage, then after that, life was a whirlwind of candy, over-the-top dinners, presents, costumes, new hobbies, new ideas, a desire for tradition and the creation of lasting memories. It was almost a shame to say goodbye to it all. Though I say this while still sitting in the glow of a Christmas tree, still lit and decorated, so it's something of a lingering goodbye that hasn't taken hold yet. What can I say? I think this year we got the most gorgeous tree I've ever seen and, despite the fact that it's a dried out stick, I'm having a hard time pushing it out the door.

One of the great things about this holiday season was that my son was old enough to absorb what was going on, participate, and (dare I say it?) enjoy it. That alone was a tremendous motivator to try and make the season special. Now, while for him "special" included getting root beer floats on Christmas Eve, whapping people with cardboard wrapping paper tubes, and ripping paper into tiny confetti-like bits that I'm still finding in all sorts of odd places, for me, "special" meant digging for great ideas, indulging in my new hobby of making bentos (more on that later), and making the foolish resolution to try and create a special experience for everybody for more than just 2 months a year.

Insane? Yes. Of course it is. I know how crazy it is. I work full time, I'm starting a part-time job from home, I want to finish my degree... Oh, and my audience includes my son who is 18 months old, and his stepbrothers are 2 1/2 and almost 5. Plus, I have all those fun, grownup things like bills, health problems, too much stress, too little sleep, and an almost total absence of free time. But there was a time where I clearly remember when I spent time planning fun things for everybody to do. I had fun planning, I had fun doing, and it was really relaxing.

Now, I know life takes over, but wouldn't it be nice if this year I could go back to my passion of blogging (yes, that was a passion for me at one point) and having fun by being fun?

A happy boy in a "Cars" chair, watching "Cars."  And a tree that's seen better days.

Finding the Strength to Try Again

Last week I was inspired by my favorite Bible passage:

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:21

This has so much meaning to me and I get so much happiness and strength from reading it and thinking about it.  This passage reminds me of the love of my life, how much I adore him and need him in my life.  It reminds me of all we've been through and how we've come together and survived it all.  I can't think of this passage without thinking of him and how much he's changed my life.  Last Sunday, I had so much I wanted to write about everything this passage makes me feel, but I couldn't put it down.  Instead I just promised myself that I'd do better in living this principle and displaying it outwardly to those I love. 

How did I do?  I had my victories, I had my failures.  The failures came in that I didn't live this principle like I wanted to every day.  Life makes for a great excuse for why we forgot to be the person we strive to be, doesn't it? But the victory comes in that now, sitting back, thinking of my week, I see where I failed and, most importantly, I see why I failed.

I've honestly spent quite a lot of time thinking, writing, praying, and I'm feeling really good.  I've already had several realizations about what I can do to help myself out and help out my family, bringing myself closer to living this principle that is so important to me.  Over the next week, I'm going to start introducing the changes that I think that will help me to live this passage I love so much.

Talk about being inspired!  This is how I want to start my week every week...

Favorite Ingredient Friday ~ Mini Corn Dogs on July 4th

What a 4th of July week.  As usual, I wasn't as prepared as I wanted to be...  Who ever is though?  The day was oppresively hot, so other than a quick trip to the neighborhood pool, we stayed mostly indoors until about 7pm.  Our big plan was, of course, to go to the fireworks since they were going to celebrate both July 4th and our town's 250th anniversary.  We figured that the already limited parking would be even more limited, so we got there 2 hours early and spent our time at the playground.

Still in love with wheels

We all had a lot of fun...  He found the wheel on the playground and spent most of his time playing with that, but I did actually manage to introduce him to the slide.  By the third or so time down, he got the hang of it and was pushing himself down and laughing.  Only one very small disaster occured when he fell off a step, but thank goodness the wheel was there to help get him through the trauma. 

After moving the party to an abandoned tennis court for a round of beachball volleyball with breaks to blow bubbles, read books, and drive cars around the court, we were off to the town green for a picnic of popcorn (microwave popcorn popped and brought from home) and to hand out glowsticks.  Is it sad I knew they'd sell the things there but I knew they'd be cheaper at Dollar Tree so I brought my own?  For the price of one set of 3 glow bracelets there, I had 15...  Everybody was lit up like Christmas which was not only fun, but made keeping track of everyone VERY easy.

A necklace and one for each foot...

Finally, the fireworks started.  Considering his almost crippling fear of thunderstorms and lightning and the fact that the fireworks didn't start until 9:30 (well past his bedtime), we held our breath and prepared for the worst...  But he watched the whole thing and was completely captivated.  He even called out "oooooh" and "wow" and, always one to copy everybody else, he gave us a series of claps and "yay yay YAYs" at the finale.  Thank goodness.

After yelling "wwweeeeeeee!" all the way back to the car and falling asleep on the way home, despite the fact that the ride home was only about 10 minutes, he called it a night at about 10:30 and went happily to bed, glowsticks in hand.
_______

The big culinary hit for lunchtime though had to be the mini-corndogs and mac-and-cheese.  They were fun to make and made the house smell like a fair, which I loved.  I think he must have had 10 of the things and of course the grownups liked them too. 

You could use mini-cocktail dogs to make this, but I just wanted to use what was on-hand so I cut full sized hot dogs into thirds.  I also wrapped a few of the hot dogs in a little American cheese for a cheesy corn dog which was quite delish.  Along with the mustard, I had little dipping bowls of BBQ sauce, tomato sauce, and salsa for a little variety.  And you can wrap the extras and store them in the freezer for up to several months.

Mini Corn Dogs
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter
1 tablespoon shortening
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
8 hot dogs, cut into thirds

Honey Mustard Sauce:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup prepared mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg and milk; stir into dry ingredients until a soft dough forms. 

 Turn onto a lightly floured and cornmealed surface; knead 6-8 times or until smooth. Roll out to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut dough into squares of about 2 inches. Fold each dough circle over a hot dog and press edges to seal (dough will be sticky). Place on greased baking sheets.

 Bake at 450° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. In an small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Serve with the corn dogs. Yield: 2 dozen.

Why Does My Bathroom Smell Like Butter?

The moldy offender...  Crocodile Mat from Ikea

I noticed the other day that my son's rubber bath mat has a few spots of mold growing on it.  Terribly frustrating since I have no mold remover in the house at the moment and the mat is not to be soaked in bleach.  So as I go to the computer to research a solution, I am told by my other half that he had heard just the other day that using simple Pam (as in the non-stick stuff from the kitchen) was a really great way to remove mold.

Now this makes me very happy...  It's non-toxic, I have it in the house, and I have my blog update about the wonder of Pam in the bathroom already written in my head.  The nagging questions (how is that possible?  Doesn't it make the tub slippery?) I quietly ignored, figuring that all would reveal itself as I used it.

Today, I spray the mat from top to bottom with the Pam.  My bathroom smells like popcorn, but I figure who cares if it works?  I take a wipe with my microfiber cloth and...  Still there.  So I try again, leaving it on for about 5 minutes.  Still nothing.  I finish my third application and pop open my phone to see what I can find about Pam as a mold killer.

As it turns out, my other half was half right...  I found plenty of websites that talk about how wonderful Pam is at releasing mold.  Unfortunately, the mold it's great as releasing are the variety that are to be painted and displayed, not the kind that the kind found on bathroom mats.

Even as we speak, the hot water shower is running in the bathroom to try and make it not like a Slip-N-Slide and I have learned a very important lesson about how just because you love somebody doesn't mean you don't fact check him first.

But for those who are curious who may make models as a hobby, apparently car wax also works wonders as a mold release, though I have not tried it on the bathroom mat to see how it works on that mold.  I do not suggest it.

WFMW: Colored Water = Cheap Entertainment

My son has more toys then any child his age has any right to have.  And you'd think with every toy in the world, he would never be bored, never be without a toy, never sit on the floor frustrated over having "nothing to do." 

You'd think wrong.

Granted, he's only a year old, so I don't have to hear "But MOOOOOOM, there is NOTHING to do!" yet (and conversely, don't have the satisfaction of saying "If you can't FIND something to do, I will GIVE you something to do...").  But I can tell he feels bored when he's just sitting and making his angry noises despite being in a sea of toys or when I have to go pull him out of something that he knows he shouldn't be getting into for the 15th time.

One day, I got frustrated with it.  Knowing he loves water, and knowing that space and mess concerns prevent me from getting a water table, I decided to put something similar together in the hopes he'd be entertained. 

I got a handful of Ziplocks, filled them with water, used simple food coloring to dye the water, sealed it (while pushing out as much air as I could), folded the top over several times and taped it with packing tape to the bag so that the zipper section was totally sealed in by tape.  Then, again with the packing tape, taped it to the sliding door. 

It was an instant hit, not just for my 1 year old, but for all of his older playmates.  Splashing without the mess.

Since then, I've had a little fun.  I've put glitter in the bags, layered the bags so that the 3 primary colors make the secondary colors, added dish soap to make bubble water that puffs up when played with, even put some food coloring and shaving cream or whipped cream and taped that to the window for "clouds."  Adding colored water to empty, used water bottles has brought unexpected fun.  The bottles are stacked, rolled, slished, sloshed, put by the window so that the reflection they made by the sunlight can be cast on the floor, on the wall, on the ceiling, on unsuspecting parents...

It's funny to think water, coloring, and tape can make for a fun, rainy day, cheap distraction.  But then again, when I was a kid, I was utterly entertained by such simple distractions.  Maybe it's time for me to under think his entertainment?



Don't lie, you kind of want to take a swat at it too, don't you?



Don't believe the look, he was having fun.

Adding Some Bounce to Your Life

Maybe I'm stuck in the 80's, maybe I can't break those housekeeping trends I learned from my mother, or maybe I'm just too lazy to be bothered with adding liquid fabric softener to anything other than a spray bottle, but I love, love, love dryer sheets.  I'm almost ashamed to say that my favorite brand isn't even a "real brand."  It's the Wal*Mart generic brand which smells like "Mandarin Essence."

Another thing I love about them?  Even after they're used, they continue to be handy:

*  I use them on my glass/polished electronics surfaces like the TV, computer screen, laptop keyboard, and even the gaming units (Xbox, Wii, etc).  They remove fingerprints and dust with a single swipe but also repel dust and static. 

*  They are awesome for freshening up living areas...  I've put them under couch cushions, inside pillows or pillow cases, between the sheet and bed, old shoes, in storage boxes, in my drawers (as in the place you keep folded clothes), tucked in the pocket of a shirt hanging in a closet, or even sandwiched between books on the bookcase.  It keeps things smelling fresh and clean, even slight movement (like rolling over in bed or sitting on the couch) releases a little burst of sweet-smelling air.

*  Added bonus?  They repel ants, mice, moths, and silverfish.  Sweet smelling and pest free is a win/win.  If you find a hole where mice or bats are getting into your house (did I mention how fun it is living in the country?), stuff a crumpled sheet into the hole and they won't get through.  The smell keeps them away and the fabric itself they can't and won't chew through.  Bring them outside to ward off mosquitoes. 

*  Spill some flour?  Knock over some baby powder?  Dryer sheets are perfect for sweeping up fine powder spills.  I accidentally knocked over a whole can of powdered formula and used dryer sheets saved the day.

*  Like the look of those dashboard polishing sprays but can't stand the price?  Wipe the dashboard and chrome or other detailing in your car with a dryer sheet and remove dust, dirt, fingerprints, and slow down further buildup.  Or keep a used sheet under your floor mats, in the glove box, or the center console. 

*  Tweezers not quite doing the job anymore?  Wipe the tweezy part with the dryer sheet.  Also use them for cleaning up other gunked up makeup accessories like mirrors or eyelash curlers.  Same with scissors that have lost their will to cut.

*  I use them in the bathroom to get soap scum off my tub but they can also be used on shower doors and on the faucets for a beautiful shine.  I also use around the toilet to remove that weird, wet, grimy dust stuff.  You can also find used dryer sheets between my folded towels to keep them smelling dryer fresh.

*  As I said in an earlier entry, I use them as a replacement for dry wipe floor Swiffer.  It not only gives a light polish, but also helps keep the floor from being sticky, and happen to be waaay cheaper then Swiffer cloths.  They're also brilliant for dry dusting wood.

*  Sometimes I leave the used sheets in the hamper because laundry at the bottom of the pile can smell pretty bad by laundry day.  Especially in my son's room...  Stinky little boy.  I also put them in trash cans between the trash can and the liner.

If you didn't use them before, I bet you're thinking about it now...  Just a word of warning, especially for you fancy folks who have those high-end dryers, make sure you clean out your lint trap and clean it with warm vinegar or soak in boiling water for 30 seconds and wipe at least once a month.  It extends the life of your dryer, allows clothes to dry faster, and keeps your laundry room more free of dust.

Happy July 4th!

Have a safe, happy, and fireworks-filled July 4th to all of my readers!

Today will be a busy day for us as it's both July 4th and the 250th anniversary of the founding of our town. 

Make sure you visit Taste of Home's recipe for USO Berry Cake...  For every hit the page gets, they donate 10 cents to the USO up to $100,000!

My menu today will be pretty straight forward...  Hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and other forms of sweet deliciousness.