If you are anything like me – then you spend 75 percent of your life in your car or minivan – driving the kids around. If you don’t then I bet your children are under the age of ten – and soon you will.

As much as I hate being the chauffeur – I have resigned myself to this fact of life and am trying to make the best of it.

Time is at a premium – and if I am not prepared, the time spent going from activity to activity can easily turn into down time. There is way to much that I have to accomplish to let this happen.

So, I usually pack a tote bag each night with mom essentials – that will help me accomplish my daily goals during all the wait time between activities.

Here are ten things that I can’t do without:

1. Cell phone – ABSOLUTELY necessary. In my case I use the iPhone – which is my number 2, 3, and 4 combined (sometimes even number 5). If I forget this – I am out of luck.
2. Calendar – using a few stolen moments to review my calendar is priceless. Especially since my personal memory (meaning my brain) is too full to handle all the details.
3. Contacts or Address Book – having phone numbers handy – to schedule everything from doctor’s appointments to hair appointments to playdates can help to check off a bunch of things on that to do list that is probably longer than Santa’s.
4. Oh yeah – that To Do list – keep it with you at all times. And when you are tempted to squeeze in just one game of Bejeweled – tackle the list first.
5. The book you are currently reading – assuming that you have put that to do list aside (or maybe finishing the book is on the to do list). If you have an iPhone or Kindle or Nook or whatever – maybe the book is right there at your fingertips. But whatever mode of choice – remember to throw it into that tote bag!
6. Current magazines or newspapers – when you don’t have much time – absorbing a quick article or two is the way to go.
7. Pens, pencils and paper. Cram in a quick brainstorming session by  jotting down a few ideas, notes, or more to do’s.
8. Checkbook and a stack of unpaid bills – use the wait time to catch up on bookkeeping.
9. Something to occupy siblings while they wait with you. If they are complaining of boredom – you will get nothing done.
10. A bottle of water and some health snacks. Taking care of yourself is important too.

What do you carry around town while shuttling kids from one activity to another?

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Come one, come all! Announcing the Parenting Tips Carnival!

I know all you ladies and gents have a treasure chest of advice that you have accumulated over the years. Why not blog about it – and then have your article included in a new “regular” feature on NeenMachine.com.

Here’s how it works:

1. Write a blog post on your own site about any kind of information that will help other parents do a better job. Your story can be funny, helpful, insightful, or even just an observation.
2. Submit your post to the carnival at this link: Parenting Tips Carnival by the third week of the month.
3. On the first of the following month, I will publish a list of all the wonderful submissions.
4. Stop by at that time to discover some new sites and some great advice.
5. Grab this button and display it with your post, or wear it proudly in your sidebar if you wish:

<a href="http://neenmachine.com" title="Parenting-Tips-Carnival"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4778064020_83d22885bd_m.jpg" width="125" height="125" alt="Parenting-Tips" /></a>

• Real Simple Magazine Has Good Parenting Tips
• Quick Meals That Kids Love
• Kids Allergies
• Parenting Tips – Packing School Lunches
• Child Car Seat Safety

It’s Thursday – time for another one of Mama Kat’s writing prompts.

Today she asks “What would you change about your life if you could?”

Generally I am a thankful soul – and while I would love to own that sprawling manse on my exclusive private island – I would not necessarily change anything in my life to make that happen.

In fact, while there are many “nice to have” things out there – I really have everything that I want and need. A loving husband, a happy and healthy family.

What would I really change?

To be honest – there really is only one thing that I wish I had done differently. Hindsight is always 20/20 right?

Looking back – way back – to my college days, I would have liked to have the foresight to pick a career that would blend well with raising a family. Something that would have created a good foundation for a home based business. I always knew that I wanted to stay home and raise my kids. But I never realized how much I would miss having a career as well.

Perhaps having four kids postponed my planned career a little longer than expected.

And who knew the web would make internet business so achievable?

If I could do things differently I would have started a business early on, when my first child was just a baby.

Oh well, if making up for lost time is the only change I would make – then I guess I am doing pretty well.

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My son is allergic to dairy products – so I am always looking for dairy free recipes. Because of his allergies – one of the things that I purchased years ago was a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.

I tried my hand at a few soy ice cream recipes – which were great for him – but which the rest of the family was not too thrilled about. As time has gone by – the selection of soy ice cream in the grocery store has blossomed and my use of the ice cream machine has gone way down.

Recently I pulled it out again, determined to make a cool confection that the whole family would love. My quest was for a homemade sorbet recipe – but I couldn’t find one that was simple enough and would work with the ingredients that I had on hand at the time.

So, I decided to piece together something using the various recipes that I found. The result was pretty good – and here is the gist of what I did. If you are an exact measurement kind of person – this is not for you. But if you are willing to experiment to create your own concoction then give it a whirl

NeenMachine’s Homemade Sorbet Recipe

4 cups of fresh or frozen mixed fruit (berries, peaches,  frozen pineapple, strawberries, mangoes)

apple juice (or other fruit juice)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Heat water and sugar on stovetop until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool completely (you can pour the mixture into a bowl and set the bowl in ice water for speed cooling).

Puree fruit in a blender – adding enough apple juice to make a thick and smooth puree.

Mix the cooled sugar syrup and fruit puree together.

Pour into the ice cream maker container.

Process in the ice cream maker for about a half hour.

Transfer sorbet into a covered container and put in freezer for a few hours.

Keep in mind that all measurements are approximate. I used a bag of Dole Frozen mixed fruits for my sorbet. The result was good but after freezing the mixture was a bit crumbly and on the icy side. Most of the recipes that I saw called for a lot more sugar and water – some even required as much as two cups of sugar! Using more sugar may result in a better texture – but a bigger waistline and more cavities may result as well. I was happy with the half cup of sugar. The fruit and the apple juice also add sweetness.

If you try this – let me know. And if you tried to vary it up a bit or if  you have a great sorbet recipe – I would love to hear about it!

And if it is good family recipes that you are interested in – you may want to check out the following:

• Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
• Dairy Free Rice Krispie Treats Recipe

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I am tackling a sensitive topic today – but it is something that I had to deal with recently.

A cousin of mine passed away last weekend at age 60. Not too early but at the same time way too early.

He had visited my home on many occasions and my family has also been to his family’s home. The kids knew him, but maybe not extremely well.

I made the decision to take my kids to the funeral. (For reference, my oldest child is fourteen and my youngest is six.) In fact, it really wasn’t even a decision – I just assumed they would go. However, another cousin of mine has children the ages of my youngest two. They all were a bit closer to the cousin that passed away. And she waffled a bit on whether to take her children.

Her indecision surprised me – because it hadn’t even been a question in my mind. I truly didn’t even realize that there was the option of not taking the children.

I guess my logic is this – dying is a part of life. My children are rather sheltered and this exposure is important to their understanding about the good things and the bad things that life throws our way.

I worry about the unemotional way that death is portrayed on video games and in media. Sure I can censor certain objectionable games – but really as they get older it is harder to do. Each of their friends have different rules and they will be exposed to titles that I don’t agree with at some point in time.

They need a reference point to differentiate between virtual death and the finality that comes when a “real” life ends.

They need to understand the grieving process.

They need to learn how to provide support and comfort when those closest to them need it most.

Every child is different – they all mature differently. It is up to the parents to determine if their children can handle the situation. And including a child that is too young to sit through the formalities would be an insensitive move on the part of the adults. But overall, providing some exposure is important for the growth of the kids.

In the end, my cousin decided to bring her children. And in this case, it all worked out for the best. Talking with my children after wards gave me the impression that they also received a bit of needed closure through the process.

Picture from e-strategyblog.com’s photostream

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Happy Fourth of July everyone!

While the best fireworks are the live – offline kind, sometimes the web version can be pretty fun too. And the best part – no crowds to deal with.

Crayola Creativity Central has a fun activity where kids can create their own online fireworks show. Children can choose from a variety of rockets (hearts, smiley faces, stars, and traditional sparkly ones). Then they add the ones that they like to a timeline.

From here the kids can space out each one. So, just like the real live thing, they can start with one at a time and then build up to the grand finale using all of the rockets at once.

I am probably passing this information on to you way to late to actually enjoy it on Independence Day this year – but the activity is actually fun at any time. And if you bookmark it now – it will be at your fingertips when next July Fourth rolls around.

Thanks to a tweet by Little Miss Mocha for this little parenting tip!

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One thought provoking blogger that I follow is Seth Godin. For those not familiar – he writes short and succinct articles about business development.

Since my websites are my business – some of his ideas are very helpful to me.

Today he wrote a piece called “The Difference Between Running and Managing a Project“. We all know the difference, of course. But it is nice to be reminded of those responsibilities – especially when the going gets tough. The key distinction between the two is that project management involves reporting to someone else – while running a project means you are in it for yourself.

It is also the difference between owning a business and working for someone else.

The problem for me is that I am not a very good boss of myself. If another person gave me a job to do – I would take it and run with it. My motivation would be to impress – to show that I was ready for greater responsibility.

But working for myself means that I am accountable to myself. And when one project is finished then creating the next one is up to me.

If I am not careful – I end up with a dozen abandoned endeavors all in various stages of completion. The result is nothing – with a lot of time wasted in between.

Do you feel that your project management skills are serving you well in your own internet business? What areas do you struggle with the most?

photo by Marcin Wichary

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Does Mom’s job contribute to childhood obesity?

I just read an interesting perspective at iVillage – wondering whether there is a correlation. And I have to say that I am curious.

Recently I have really stepped up working on my own internet business. I am kind of at the take it or leave it stage of my at home career. Meaning that the scales have to turn soon on the cost (my time) – benefit (my income) ratio to make my work worth it.

Obviously, the only way to make this happen is to work harder and smarter.

Unfortunately – my timing coincides perfectly with summer vacation.

So for a few hours every morning I let the kids enjoy their freedom while I slave at the computer.

And guess what their chosen pastime is – tv, video games, and snacks. Quite a formula for packing on the pounds.

I truly limit my work time and when the natives get restless – I have to call it a day. Usually I fix up a good lunch that will last them awhile.

But what about parents that don’t have this luxury. In a daycare situation – you can’t always be there to monitor what your children eat. You can leave directions – and, of course, the best action is to pack food from home.

The problem arises when the caregivers opinions on what is “healthy” food differs from your own.

How do you make sure that your children eat healthy food when they are not with you? Is this a concern or do you just let it go?

• Healthy Snacks
• Childhood Obesity
• Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes
• Healthy Kids and Sweet Treats

I am a big fan of OmniFocus for getting things done.

You see, I think that the human brain has a finite capacity – and mine is quite undeniably full. To the point where I cannot be called upon to remember even one more thing. (ask my friend – who’s dinner party completely escaped my mind last week -oops)

In order to accomplish at least 50 percent of the things that I need to do everyday – I rely upon technology. I tried the old paper and pencil thing – but kept losing my notes.

But a digital planner will only work for me if it can sync across every single device that I own. There are several programs that accomplish this – but the one that I like best is OmniFocus.

I use it on my Mac, I use it on the iPhone, and I have been waiting for it to arrive on the iPad. (I know, technically I can use the iPhone version on the iPad – but it just isn’t as much fun.)

I have tried several different to do programs on all of these devices – and I am happy to delve into the pros and cons of each one – but I don’t want to bore anyone with all the geeky details. Unless of course – you really want them. If you want to talk about GTD (getting things done on Apple devices) leave me a comment here and let’s talk it up.

But if you just want to know when OmniFocus is coming to iPad then check out the post by OmniGroup here telling us that it won’t be today. They are working round the clock but can’t yet offer up a date.

And I’ll still be waiting……

• A Mom’s iPad Review
• Digital Planner
• Apple PDA
• Camp Apple
• Free iPods

To every business owner out there – Sticking a flyer underneath the windshield wipers of every car in a parking lot is NOT a good form of advertising!

I have usually settled into the car, backed out of the parking space, and am halfway to the exit before I even notice your nuisance piece of paper.

At this point – I cannot get out of the car to retrieve and TRASH it – so I must drive with it like that all the way home – or inconvenience myself to pull over and remove it.

If I notice it before I get in the car – then you have given me work to do – as I now need to get rid of this piece of garbage that you left on my vehicle. Obviously other people are not as conscientious about littering as I which is evidenced by the large amount of flyers strewn on the ground in the lot.

Whatever it is you are selling – I am NOT buying, even if I had been willing to do so before you spammed my ride.

Save your money and your time – and find a better way to advertise.

**Rant over.**

photo by eliazar

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