Better in Bulk - Family photographer with a large family

How Do You Do It? – How This Big Family Manages CLEANING

Lolli — Fri, 25 May 2012 21:40:02 +0000

I’ve joined a few of my blogging friends who also have big families in a new series called “How Do You Do It?” – exploring how moms of big families handle things like cleaning, homework, dinner time, car pooling, discipline….you name it! In fact, if you have a “How Do You Do It?” question for us, we’d love for you to ask and we’ll each answer with a post on the topic.

Meet the moms of many:

Me (Lolli) from Better in Bulk
Lisa from Crazy Adventures in Parenting
Christine from From Dates to Diapers
Kadi from Our Seven Seeds
Kate from The Guavalicious Life

How do you handle CLEANING the house?

Today, we’re talking about CLEANING – something I am not overly fond of. Don’t get me wrong…I love a clean, orderly house. I actually don’t mind the process of cleaning. My problem with cleaning stems from the fact that I could clean and clean all day long and never know it by the end of the day. Kids make messes (and, frankly, so do husbands) and the more people you try to fit in a small space, the more mess there will inevitably be to build up.

We go through so many dishes every day that by the time a load has been washed and put away, there is a dishwasher-full of dirty dishes waiting PLUS a handful of pots and pans that never seem to make it in the dishwasher because plates, cups, and silverware always take priority.

Two hours spent cleaning can be destroyed in seconds when the kids come home.

The washer and dryer are running constantly.

When I was in the middle of the toddler and baby years, surrounded by baby toys and diapers, I dreamed of the day when I had the house to myself. It was hard to imagine what I would do with all of my time if I didn’t have 5 kids underfoot all day long. The possibilities, according to my imagination, were endless. I envisioned staying on top of the cleaning – my house would NEVER be messy! I imagined that I would prepare the dinners ahead of time so that the pre-dinner hour would be smooth and pleasant. I would read more books, catch up on all of my scrapbooks, and take on a few more hobbies.

Now that my kids are all school-age and I have a few hours each day with a quiet and empty house, I’ve found that my dream scenario is very far from my reality. Granted, now that the kids are in school, I’ve taken the opportunity to work at home, so my time when they are gone is spent on the computer instead of behind a vacuum cleaner. Now, I feel like I have less time than ever to keep my house clean.

The secret to having a clean house

Ok, the big secret is that my house is rarely is EVER truly clean. However, the #1 key ingredient to staying on top of the house cleaning with a big family is simple: teach the kids how to help with the chores from an early age, even if that means walking beside them step by step until they perfect the task.

Today, all 5 of my kids know how to load and unload the dishes. The older kids know how to wash and dry all of the laundry, and everyone helps in sorting the mountains of clothes and towels. They each know how to cook meals (they start cooking as early as 4, with supervision). I’ve even taught them the secrets to a clean bathroom, and the three older kids are each assigned to one of our 3 bathrooms to keep tabs on it’s status throughout the week.

Not only do we split the chores up amongst each of the family members, but we have certain areas or tasks that are “assigned” to individual family members. Reese, my 9 year old, for instance, is in charge of the family room. Since each family member spends a good amount of time in the family room each day, Reese is not responsible for cleaning up everyone else’s messes, but she does take the reigns in making sure that the owners of certain objects that are left out find their way back “home.”

In addition to this basic principle of shared tasks, here are a few more tips that help us a lot:

Messes happen. Don’t be discouraged when the house is a mess after a day of work and play. Kids play with toys, dishes will always need to be washed, and everyone dirties clothes.
Clean consistently. Rather than spending huge chunks of time cleaning, I have found that I prefer cleaning as I go, little by little. Of course, there will always be tasks that require a larger time commitment, but the clean-as-you-go method works well for managing clutter.
Everything needs a “place.” One thing I cannot stress enough is that fact that it is impossible to clean if everything that you own does not have a place to “live.” Whether it’s a spot in a closet, a section on the shelf, or a box in the basement, everything needs a place to go.
Donate regularly. I always have a bag or two of clothes, shoes, and other odds and ends to donate. I separate those things I’d like to pass down to a friend or my sister’s kids, and the rest is taken to the Salvation Army.

What are your tips to keeping the house clean and organized? And what else would you like to know about how big families operate?

How to Be Proactive About Your Kids’ Safety with the #RecallsPlus App

Lolli — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:15:48 +0000

When you buy a new car or washing machine or refrigerator, they each come with a thick owners manual, letting you know exactly which buttons to push and how to make it do what you want it (and need it) to do.

Unfortunately, children don’t come with owners manuals, and mothers everywhere wonder daily if they are doing everything “right.”

OK, I take that back. Maybe there IS a Baby Owner’s Manual. I never had one.

As a mom, one of the roles that I take most seriously is my children’s safety. Dangers are everywhere – from the cribs and the beds that they sleep in to the toys that they play with and the food that they eat. It feels overwhelming to try to keep track of it all.

I managed to survive the baby years 5 times over. I purchased at least 8 car seats, 3 cribs, 4 high chairs, hundreds of toys, thousands of diapers, and enough food over the years to feed a small country. A few times over the years, I heard about recalled products or foods from friends who happened to mention them in conversation, but otherwise I was completely in the dark in terms of the safety of the products I used with my kids. Once I made the purchase, I blindly believed that they would continue to be safe to use with my kids.

Last month, I was a panelist at the #RecallsPlus Twitter party, and was thoroughly impressed and utterly horrified at the same time as I discussed child safety issues with fellow moms. Looking back on some of the things that we did…it’s a wonder my kids survived as well as they did. Here’s a little bit about the Recalls Plus app:

About Recalls Plus

Recalls Plus is a newly launched app that helps busy parents to proactively monitor recalls on their kids’ strollers, cribs, toys, formula, and other items for greater safety and peace of mind. The app is created by SAP, a market leader in software applications whose vision is to help the world run better.

Our diverse team consists of parents and others who are focused and passionate about parenting issues — working around the clock to make sure we don’t miss catching a recall on kid’s products or food with undeclared allergens. Recalls Plus is designed and built for busy parents like you so you can focus on the important things in your life.

Using the Recalls Plus App

Using the Recalls Plus App (available on iPhone/iPad, Android, and as a Facebook App) is free and easy. You can either follow a list of latest recalls of foods/allergens, toys, children’s clothes, car seats, and children’s furniture, OR you can enter items that you own and use onto your “watch list.” The watch list is also perfect for families with food allergies, as the app will identify foods that have been recalled due to possible contamination or mislabeling.

As a mom, I always have so much on my mind – so much to keep track of – and having a tool like this gives me piece of mind AND takes a little weight off my mommy guilt.

Recalls Plus is available on Facebook, iPhone, and Android.

Connect with RecallsPlus and SheSpeaks on Twitter:
@shespeaksup & @recallsplus and use the #RecallsPlus

Disclosure: This post is part of a promotional campaign with SheSpeaks, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. I have also included one Amazon affiliate code…so if you happen to buy that Baby Owner’s Manual I’ll earn 20 cents. Heehee.

How to Capture a Good Picture of Your Kids – #PSF Give Me Your Best Shot

Lolli — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:20:08 +0000

A few weeks ago, when I came home from a trip to San Jose with YesVideo, my kids found a big orange lollipop and a blue stick of rock candy in my suitcase. AJ and Reese instantly claimed the treats, but I said that the candies were too pretty to let anyone eat them before taking pictures with them.

We’ve been busy and the candies were almost forgotten. But, really, my kids never forget candy.

Yesterday, AJ ran home from school, came right up to me and asked, “Can we take pictures of the lollipops today so that I can eat mine?!?”

Reese and AJ have never been such happy and willing photo subjects.

The moral of the story? If you ever want to get good, naturally smiling pictures of your kids, just give them a big lollipop.

Side note: Want to know something funny? When I typed that last sentence, I typed in “me” instead of “them” – as in “If you ever want to get good, naturally smiling pictures of your kids, just give ME a big lollipop.” I tell the truth, ladies.

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

To play Give Me Your Best Photo Story Friday, check this. Copy this code into your post and sign the link list:
<center><a href="http://betterinbulk.net/tag/give-me-your-best-shot" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://mychaosmybliss.com" target="_blank"></a><br/>Hosted by <a href="http://mychaosmybliss.com/" target="_blank">Cecily</a> and <a href="http://www.betterinbulk.net" target="_blank">Lolli</a> <p/></center>

5 Easy Steps to a Mommy Makeover

Lolli — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:58:22 +0000

Plastic surgery is becoming more popular among Americans, with about a 5 percent increase in cosmetic procedures per year, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ 2011 report. Patients had over one and a half million surgical procedures and over 13 million total cosmetic procedures. An increasing number of these are performed on new mothers, who think that surgery is the only way to return to their pre-pregnancy bodies.

A growing number of mothers are choosing so-called “mommy makeovers,” including tummy tucks, breast augmentation and lifts, buttock lifts and even cosmetic genital surgeries. All these procedures are costly, since insurance companies don’t cover them, and come with pain and the risk of significant complications.

Here are some cheaper, less invasive ways to remake a post-pregnancy body:

Correct Clothing Fit

Moms may fit into their old clothes but find that they don’t look as good in them. Instead of changing the body to fit the clothes, many people can benefit from taking their old wardrobe to an alterations shop for relatively low-cost re-fitting.

Correct Undergarments

One of the fastest ways for a mother to feel better about herself is by wearing the right bras and other undergarments. It’s tempting to go back to pre-pregnancy clothes, but most of the time, they don’t fit correctly, even if they fasten. A majority of women wear a bra that’s too loose in the back and too tight in the cup, producing a flattened, saggy look that can easily be corrected by an inexpensive shopping trip.

Improved Diet

A lot of new mothers go on crash diets to lose their “baby weight,” but few actually stop and change their eating habits carefully. Monitoring food intake, eating regular meals and choosing a nutritious diet without too many processed foods can take that weight off more effectively. Unlike crash dieting, it won’t sap new moms’ energy levels or eat away at muscle tissue. This would prevent us from having surgeries such as laser liposuction.

Activity Levels

A baby can keep parents very busy, but most of that activity won’t shape the body. Mothers should choose regular, moderate exercise to keep their metabolisms high and reduce extra fat accumulation. Strength training can be a big help, too; by filling skin stretched by pregnancy with muscle, mothers can reduce sagging and flabbiness. There’s no need to worry about bulking up – in most women, that won’t happen without a lot of work or steroids.

Improved Skin Care

It’s easy to let personal care go when there’s a baby in the house, leaving women feeling unattractive and tired. Instead of cosmetic procedures, many women can benefit from an improved skin care program, including moisturizers, gentle cleansers and UV-protective cosmetics.

Read “New Baby, New Body? The ‘Mommy Makeover’ Trend” on ABC.com to get more tips.

This post was written by Nina Bernice, mother of Liam who just turned one. You can find Nina on twitter at @topgirl_nina.

The Best Restaurant at Disney World – 50′s Prime Time Cafe

Lolli — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:09:23 +0000

I love food. Finding good food is often a huge part of my travel plans and the places we eat can certainly make or break a day’s on vacation. Although my day at Disney World without kids last month was wonderful on its own, the dinner I shared with Caryn from Rockin Mama, Liz from A Nut In A Nutshell, Carrie from Carrie With Children, and Sara from Momma Findings at the 50′s Prime Time Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was the highlight of our trip.

We’re still talking about it.

The night before we headed to Disney World for our day of free play (without kids!!), I was eating pizza with Carrie, who happens to live in Florida and frequent Disney World. I was asking her opinion on where to go and what to do to maximize my stay. In the end, I decided it was in my best interest to just stick with Carrie (along with a few other of our friends) and let her lead the way.

That was a very smart choice.

The first piece of advice that Carrie gave me was to bring my camera. I am so grateful that I did. I was able to stop whenever I wanted to capture pictures of all of the gorgeous flowers at Epcot (which would have been quite difficult with kids in tow).

The second thing that Carrie was critical in helping us with was restaurant selection. There are so many choices in all of the different Disney World parks, and I was lost when it came to choosing the best place for dinner. Carrie suggested the 50′s Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios, and we decided to give it a try.

First impressions:

The ambience when we walked in to the restaurant was striking. As we sat waiting for a table, I really did feel like I was sitting in a 1950′s family room. I was surprised that that ambience carried through to the dining tables. It had much more of a down home family feeling versus a restaurant feeling.

Our waitress:

Janice waited our table, and made quite an impression from the start. As a group of bloggers, we were naturally all on our cell phones when she walked up. Every time she caught any of us with a phone out or an elbow on the table, she yelled at us. While being yelled at while you eat may not seem like a desirable thing, we had a blast and really played it up with Janice.

The Cafe’s webpage describes the experience as “Mom expects you to mind your manners, so don’t be surprised if she tells you to keep your elbows off the table. It’s all part of the old-fashioned fun and gentle ribbing that’s served up along with the food.”

Janice served up more than a little “gentle ribbing.” I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time.

After our meal, Janice graciously agreed to take a picture with us and even agreed to let us all post it (and her story) all over the internet. In fact, the group shot with Janice is the cover image for my blog’s Facebook page.

I can’t wait to take my family back to meet Janice (and you’d better believe I’ll be requesting to sit at one of her tables!) when we go back to Disney in November. I am eager to see CandyMan’s face when Janice bites is head off for chewing too loudly at the table.

Disclosure: Disney, the Kissimmee CVB and Global Resort Homes sent me on an expense-paid trip to Florida for the red carpet premiere of Chimpanzee. I paid for my meal at 50′s Prime Time Cafe. Thoughts and opinions, as always here are 100% my own.

Boys, Boys, Boys! Wordless Wednesday

Lolli — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:13:56 +0000

KitKat, my oldest, is in love with two very cute brothers….and yesterday, they added another little boy to their family. She couldn’t be more thrilled.

This afternoon, we took a little trip to the hospital, just me, KitKat, and a camera.

For more inspiring photos, check: High Impact Mom, The Bonafide Life, Shanamama, From Dates to Diapers, Not Your Mom Blog, The Divine Miss Mommy, Colorado Moms, Rajean Blomquist and Zensible Mama and link your own photo stories.

Linked up to Wordful Wednesday, Wordish Wednesday, and Wordless Wednesdays all over.

Are you playing along with Wordless or Wordful Wednesday today? Link up!
Want to grab my button?

Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu Meal Makeover

Lolli — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:27:55 +0000

This is an old favorite recipe of mine that underwent a “meal makeover” with the Meal Makeover Moms Janice and Liz, making it not only easy and tasty, but healthy, too! I won a meal makeover consultation a month or two ago, and I had a blast chatting with Janice and Liz on the phone in April as we discussed some of my recipes that might need a little healthy boost. This ended up being the recipe that stood out the most.

I made the new and improved Chicken Cordon Bleu for my family last week, and everyone loved it, even my teen who normally doesn’t like the swiss cheese-ham combo on her chicken. She asked for seconds and then had some for lunch the next day. Score!

Cheesy Chicken Cordon Bleu

5.0 from 6 reviews

Recipe type: main dish

Author: Meal Makeover Moms

Serves: 6-8

The flavor of this dish shines thanks to the Holland House cooking wine. Our families enjoy this saucy dish with brown rice and steamed broccoli florets on the side. You could also serve it with whole grain noodles and just about any other veggie: peas, asparagus, carrots … you name it.

Ingredients

½ cup all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons, divided
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 x 3-inch strips (32 total)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
½ cup Holland House Cooking Wine
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon celery seed
1½ cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup all-natural chicken broth
6 ounces diced spiral or honey-baked ham (1 cup)
2 ounces low-fat Swiss cheese, chopped or shredded (about ½ cup)

Instructions

Place ½ cup of the flour, the pepper, and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine. Toss the chicken in the flour mixture until each piece is well coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and repeat with 1 more tablespoon oil and the remaining chicken. Adjust the heat to medium if the chicken browns too quickly. Remove the chicken to a plate when done.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour, the basil, paprika, and celery seed and whisk constantly until smooth, about 2 minutes. Whisk the cooking wine into the flour mixture until well incorporated and the wine has cooked off a bit, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and broth until well combined. Raise the heat and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir the chicken and ham into the milk mixture and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat, stir in the cheese until it melts, and serve on individual plates with your favorite vegetable and whole grain starch.

Notes

Nutrition Information per Serving: 340calories, 13g fat (3.0g saturated), 590mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 37g protein, 15% calcium

Janice and Liz also made a video of the recipe for those of you who do well with visual cues.

A huge thank you to the Meal Makeover Moms for everything!

Sneak Peek at Disney/Pixar’s BRAVE: “Fergus Shares a Legend”

Lolli — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:21:03 +0000

I’m getting more and more excited about my upcoming trip to LA for the premiere of Disney/Pixar’s newest movie BRAVE. I love this new clip that was just released over the weekend:

BRAVE arrives in theaters everywhere on June 22nd! Where will YOU be on June 22? I’ll be taking my kids to see Brave, for sure!

“Like” BRAVE on Facebook: Facebook.com/PixarBrave

Our Recipe for the Perfect Grilled Meat – Just “Cross Your Fingers!”

Lolli — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:06 +0000

I asked my husband, lovingly referred to as CandyMan in these parts, to share the story of how we learned how to grill the most delicious meats on the block.

“It doesn’t take a master chef to grill a good steak.” ~CandyMan

When Lolli and I got married, neither one of us was an amazing chef. I had worked in Richmond’s LeMaire restaurant in the Jefferson Hotel with a great head chef, but I never touched the grill.

We spent the first few years of marriage eating a lot of dry hamburgers, flavorless steaks and many other meat-challenged meals looking for the elusive magic recipe or grilling technique.

As luck would have it, shortly after moving into our current house, we became friends with someone who is not a chef, not professionally trained in France, not even a restaurant worker. He is simply a man from Argentina who knows his meats and his grill, and he shared with us the simple truths of fool-proof, great grilling.

Our friend taught us the “secret” of dry rub grilling. He had his own special blend of spices, and as soon as we could, we tried it on our own grill.

The secret: To make meat taste great, all you need is seasoned salt and any kind of spice you like.

The first time we tried this on our own, we mixed up some seasoned salt, Italian Seasoning, Montreal Steak seasoning, and a few other random spices. We didn’t know if it would be as good as our friend’s cooking, so we called our spice mixture “Cross Your Fingers.”

It ended up being a perfect blend, but we didn’t write down a recipe for it.

I pull out a piece of foil, then take my ribs, chicken, steak, or whatever I am grilling and place it on the foil. Then I baste the meat lightly in vegetable oil and sprinkle it with salt and spices.

I flip the meat over and baste the other side and sprinkle it again with seasoned salt and whatever spices I am using. I close up the foil so that the meat is completely wrapped and sealed. I then put the sealed foil on the grill and cook until it is about half way done. Then, I pull it out of the foil and throw it right on the grill to just singe it with the flames a little bit (Lolli’s favorite step).

Since that time, we have seen over and over again that all you need to do is baste your meat, lightly sprinkle with seasoned salt and then add your choice of spices. Cross your fingers or not, you’ll get a fantastic flavor every time.

And the best part about grilling for us (besides the savory meats)? Sharing the food with our friends, of course!

These are just some of the reasons why Grilling is my Happiness. Besides all of the tasty food, tell me what you love about grilling. One of my lucky readers who answers below will win a $25 Sears Gift Card!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Project 365 (Week 20)

Lolli — Sun, 20 May 2012 20:45:23 +0000

This last week was more exciting than usual at home. My mother in law was here for the week (and to celebrate the birthday she shares with AJ). Nana and I had adventures almost every day, including the adventure of another hernia surgery for Candyman, a trip to the Smithsonian, and the development of caterpillars to crysallys.

Here’s a peek at our week, as seen from Instagram:

What have you been up to this week?