A Mother's Dumping Ground

Separation

2013-12-05T18:06:00.001-07:00

Had to separate the kids for the first time EVER today. They just haven't been getting along lately. Ugh...

Get Your Pretty Face On

2013-11-12T21:27:00.001-07:00

I know, moms. We are lucky to get a shower or a potty break, let alone getting makeup on our faces. But if you can spare four minutes (yes FOUR!), then you can get your face made. What a weird phrase, but you know what I mean.

Cara from maskcara.com is UH-MAZE-ING! She's super talented, super friendly & encouraging, and her tutorials are so easy to follow. My favorite video is her Mommy Makeup or Everyday Make tutorial that shows you how to get a pretty little face on in four minutes (here is her post that goes along with the video). Check it out, then try it out. You won't be disappointed.

And please, check out Cara's site for loads of hair, makeup, and fashion tips and tutorials.

Hide and Go Seek

2013-11-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

It's a great opportunity for you and/or older children to teach your young child or toddler how to count and explore. All while having fun. Win-win.

Worse Blogger Ever

2013-11-11T11:38:00.001-07:00

Me.

Crayons

2013-10-03T11:20:00.001-06:00

So, The Boy is angry with me, because I won't let him eat crayons.

This is Totally My Family

2013-09-18T12:47:00.001-06:00

howtobeadad.com got it right.

Understanding The Boy

2013-08-15T08:56:00.001-06:00

The Boy is almost 2 years old and he's chatting away. Bystanders, though, may become alarmed at his vocabulary. Personally, I think it's hilarious.

Shit = shirt
Fuck = fork
Damn it = diamond

See? Innocent enough.

The Thirty Second Egg

2013-07-10T22:37:00.001-06:00

I never knew I could stick a bowl of raw egg in the microwave and get a scrambled egg. Why? I don't know. Y'all out in Webland probably know this already, but for those that don't, I'll share.

I learned this method from my sister-in-law a while ago and now it's become a handy method to get my kids something quick and decent to eat in the morning. And it sure beats a Pop Tart.

Crack an egg into a bowl and mix.

Stick that bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds (+/- depending on the micro).

Cut up the egg and add any seasonings, if desired.

So. Easy.

Finally!

2013-07-10T22:13:00.001-06:00

I win, Internet!

But that took way too long.

Internet Technology

2013-07-10T20:37:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I think I'm pretty alright when it comes to technology, but...I don't know...I can't figure this ping thing out.

For all intents and purposes, this post is only a test. I hope I pass...

From the Pot

2013-07-10T16:50:00.001-06:00

I hear The Girl's voice yelling, "Momma! Will you close the door? MOMMA! WILL YOU CLOSE THE DOOR PLEASE!"

So I close the door.

Then I hear grunting.

"Momma! Will you come wipe my butt?"

My life.

It rocks.

Chemical Popcorn Anyone?

2013-07-08T22:41:00.001-06:00

So, a couple of years ago, the big popcorn companies have stated that they have banned the chemical ingredient added to give microwaveable popcorn that buttery taste, which ended up giving some factory workers and a two-bag-a-day popcorn enthusiast a disease called "popcorn lung." No joke. Google it. However, they have replaced it with another chemical that may cause symptoms of "popcorn lung." There is also concern about a chemical used in the bag itself to make it sticky-proof.

Here are a couple if links, if you'd like to read more about it:

Microwave Popcorn's Health Problem: It's In The Bag

The Chemical Marketplace: Popcorn Lung -- The Perils of Microwave Popcorn Return

Why bother? Here's an easy (and budget friendly - yay!) way to microwave popcorn without all the hazard:

Grab a good old brown paper lunch bag and throw in 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels. Fold the top of the bag over two times. Microwave, but stand by to listen closely to when the popping slows, then stop the microwave. When I first started, I set the microwave to 3 minutes until I learned that it takes 1 1/2 minutes to pop corn in my microwave. When it's done, butter, salt, and/or season to your liking.

There's another method that involves pouring the kernels into a glass bowl with some oil and covering it with a glass dinner plate, but after 6 1/2 minutes of sporadic popping, I had enough. I lack patience nowadays. And the popcorn...not very fluffy and the popcorn that popped at 2 minutes were burned by the time the rest of the popcorn started to come around at the 6ish minute mark. I'm not going to stop you if you want to try it. It just didn't work for me.

Custom Vibrations

2013-01-12T09:56:00.001-07:00

It's not what you're thinking.

At one time or another, we have had to put our iPhones on vibrate. At said time, coincidentally, the phone vibrates, but we can't look to see who's calling. Who was that?!

Luckily, Apple has given us the ability to create custom vibration patterns and to assign these patterns to our contacts. (There are also vibration patterns pre-loaded on our phones, if you would rather use those.) It's not a bad idea to assign vibration patterns to important people, that way you know who is trying to get in touch with you, even if you can't look at your phone.

If you are running iOS 5 or iOS 6 on your iPhone, you can create a custom vibration. Here's how:

1. Go to your Contacts and open.

2. Click on edit, top right.

3. Vibration is set to default; let's change that. Click on Vibration.

4. It is showing you that Example Contact is set to the default vibration "Shave & A Haircut." Under the Default is a list of the Standard, pre-loaded vibration patterns. You can choose one if these, or create your own. Lets make our own pattern.

5. Scroll down and select Create New Vibration.

6. Tap out a funky rhythm on the screen.

7. The longer you hold your finger on the screen, the longer the vibration. Quick taps will create short vibrations. When done, you can play it back to review.

8. Name your new vibration pattern and select.

When everything is satisfactory, click Done on the top right to save the changes you made to your contact. And there you have it.

(Click on the pictures for greater clarity and enlargement.)