Mommy's Wish List

Armadillo Potatoes recipe.

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 19:41:00 +0000

Armadillo Potatoes.

Need an easy and delicious potato recipe? Make an Armadillo Potato. You can grill them or bake them.

Last night, inspired by this pin, I took plain ol' potatoes and made them pretty. The bonus turned out to be more than just reduced cooking time. These easy delicious potatoes were crispy on the edges, easy to eat with fingers one slice at a time (eating with fingers = more appetizing to 6-yr-olds), and amazing dipped in a mixture of sour cream and queso.

I named them Armadillo Potatoes, because, well, look at them, aren't they cute? And I live in Texas so armadillos are cool. I can see these being one of my Superbowl party food items, can't you? With queso and sour cream on the side. Kinda looks like a football come to think of it. Check out my ever growing Superbowl Food pinterest board here.

Armadillo Potatoes
Ingredients:
Potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Seasoned Salt
Olive Oil
Spray Butter or Margarine (like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray)

Directions:
Wash your potatoes, one per person. Slice the potatoes carefully almost to the bottom, but don't cut all the way thru.

Drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and seasoned salt all over them, trying to get it in between each slice if possible.

If you like butter like me, use your Spray Butter and give it a spray on top and in between layers to your desired buttery goodness. (I even sprayed again about halfway thru the cooking time.)

Bake at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. Or, if you're grilling meat, just wrap these in foil and throw them on the grill for an hour.

Serve alongside your meat main dish as is, or with sour cream/queso dip either on the side or drizzled all over. The family has already asked me to make this again. And I feel like a creative genius. Win win.

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List and see what other creative stuff my family eats like Spanikopita for Thanksgiving.

New Year's Revolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 20:21:00 +0000

New Year's Resolutions. We make them. We break them. And I am not surprised.

I've always thought "resolution" sounded a lot like another word for "rule". And why would one on-purpose impose more stupid rules upon oneself? Don't others already do that for us, thank you very much?

Also? Resolutions seem to be things we work toward a little bit at a time. Doing something a little it at a time doesn't work for me. It feels non-commital. Passive. And easily given-up on.

This year instead I will have New Year's Revolutions.

"Revolution" sounds like the opposite of rules. It sounds like freedom from rules. It sounds like difference-making, and different-thinking. A state-of-mind. All-or-nothing. It sounds more like what we think of when we think "I'm going to make this year different", doesn't it?

And while I continue to struggle with tangible goals like getting a job, revolutions are not necessarily about tangible goals. Revolutions are about changing perspective, living ideals, and fighting for something. A revolution is bigger than a goal. It screams. It refuses to give up. It is so big it is a force to be reckoned with.

I'm going to fight for myself this year.

My New Year's Revolution then begins like this:
Do more happy things.
Go somewhere. A lot.
See the world thru other people's eyes.
Be around people who add rather than subtract.
Be brave.
Be present.
Reconnect.
Be communal not competitive.
Do something that surprises yourself and others.
Don't follow rules that don't make sense.
Create.

It's a one-letter difference from everyone else: Revolution not resolution.

And sometimes one letter different is enough.

How to carve a Halloween pumpkin the easy way.

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

I watch Martha Stewart frost cookies, swirl ribbon, and carve magnificent jack-o-lanterns and I think WHY NOT ME? She's so cool. And I drool. In the past, I've left pumpkin carving to the manly man in my house, the one with the big knife. Daddy. I must be a big ol' wimp because I have always had the hardest time, physically, carving a pumpkin. BUT, yesterday I took a stand and decided not to let the pumpkin beat me. I learned from the carving pro Matthew McIntosh a few simple steps that made pumpkin carving as easy as Martha Stewart makes it look. Really. And these pictures? Yes, I actually carved this pumpkin.

My Martha Stewart Pumpkin Carving Tricks
First, remember that when you cut the top of your pumpkin off to make a lid, cut at an angle so that the lid does not fall into the pumpkin. Stop laughing, this was not a no-brainer to me. Then, seriously, invest in a Pumpkin Masters Pumpkin Carving Kit. This pumpkin tool box makes all the difference. I will never go back to using spoons and sharp knives.

Scrape out the inside of the pumpkin. Since I just carving a design into the skin of my pumpkin, not cutting it all the way thru, I want to scrape the inside of the pumpkin on the side the design will be on, down to about 1/2 inch thick. (That way when I put a light inside, my design will glow where there is no outer skin.) The scraping spatula makes this waaaaay easier than using a spoon.

Find a Halloween stencil or template that you'd like to become the design on your pumpkin, print it out, and tape it to the outside of the pumpkin. (The Pumpkin Masters Kit comes with pages and pages of stencils by the way)

Take the sharp pointy tool from your kit, (or something like a toothpick or icepick) and poke tiny holes along the design. This will transfer the pattern to cut onto your pumpkin skin. Then take off your stencil.

Rub white flour into the surface of the pumpkin. You will see the flour will fill the tiny holes and illuminate them, making your stencil pattern look like a connect-the-dots pattern. Feelin' like Martha yet? I sure was at this point.

Use the sharp edge of a knife or the X-Acto looking tool to basically connect the dots, cutting a line from dot-to-dot to cut out your picture. Then, use the pointed, chiseled, X-Acto knife in the tool kit to scrape off the dark orange pumpkin skin in the negative areas on the pattern a bit at a time, revealing the light pumpkin flesh underneath. (One of those wood carving curved scooper tools works ok for this too. I remember using that in art school. Then I remember going to the emergency room.)

Now, mix up a little cup of bleach-water and paint it on to all the revealed surfaces of pumpkin flesh. This will kill the bacteria that causes your pumpkin to mold so fast. And finally, rub Vaseline onto all the exposed surfaces as this will lock in the moisture that prevents your pumpkin from drying up and shriveling so fast. Doing both of these steps will net you another 3-5 days of perfect pumpkin after carving. Are those Martha tricks or what?

Finally, put a Sylvania LED DOT-it Light inside the pumpkin to light it. Then, you don't have to worry about catching your pumpkin on fire (did it) or turning it black with candle smoke (also did it). There, don't you feel all superior now? Take that, Martha Stewart.

How to celebrate the 4th of July in the 70s.

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 21:27:00 +0000

We were so patriotic, we even lived in a house that started with a "76"

Can I just say that man, I wish I had even one dress as cool as the one my mother wore on the Fourth of July in 1970? Of course, I'm not lookin' too shabby with my matchy-matchy shoes and purse.

As we pause to celebrate our nation's birthday next week at either Kaboom Town in Addison, or Fair Park Fourth downtown, I am reminded of my childhood patriotism. My neighborhood knew how to celebrate a nation's birthday, I'll tell you what.

Top Five Ways to Celebrate the 4th of July in the 70s.
1. Play Reveille on your front porch at 6am. What. Your mother didn't do this?

2. Shoot off a real cannon. After the reveille. Duh.

3. Roast an entire pig in your backyard. What. You mean your ex-marine neighbor across the street didn't roast an entire pig in his smoker, after shooting off the cannon in sync with your mother's reveille, for the whole block to eat on the 4th of July, scaring all the little kids half to death by chasing them around with a pig's head?

4. Blow up tennis balls. And soda cans. And Matchbox cars. And Barbies. One word: M80.

5. Play Poker. The great American past-time, at least from my perspective. I learned how to play 21 and Between the Sheets when I was five. For money. While eating a roasted pig, yo.

All those Fourth of July Pinterest Boards seem so passive. However, they do seem a tad safer than your little brother seeing if he can hit your head with a Roman Candle from up the block. (And, yes, he can.)

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List if you want. I'll keep writing it anyway.

Peppermint Fudge Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 22:58:00 +0000

One of my favorite things to make during the holidays is peppermint fudge. Every year, I use my friend Shane's excellent fudge recipe. He is a fudge genius. It's quick and easy, and pretty flexible to let me use whatever kind of chips/candy I can get my hands on. Seems to always come out just fine.

This peppermint fudge is something easy to put into little gift bags and give to coworkers, teachers, or friends for Christmas gifts. Yahoo! DIY, who sponsored this post, has quite a few neato holiday things you can make yourself and share with others like DIY Christmas Cards to make in 5 minutes and DIY Party Host Gifts to Make and Bring.

Peppermint Fudge Recipe
Ingredients and Materials:
8x8 disposable foil pan
white sugar
stick of butter
can of evaporated milk
jar of marshmallow fluff
bag of Hershey's chocolate mint kisses or Andes mints, or Andes mint baking chips
bag of chocolate chips
peppermint extract (Don't spend a mint on mint extract, make it yourself)
a few peppermints or a candy cane to crush
2 little ziploc bags
hammer

Instructions:
To make this process smoother, butter your disposable foil pan ahead of time. Also, unwrap your Hershey’s kisses or other candy that comes in a wrapper ahead of time and have it ready.

Start with:
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• (5oz.) evaporated milk
• 1 (7oz.) jar of marshmallow cream
Combine above ingredients in a heavy, larger size sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly. Once boiling, continue to stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately add the following:
• 2 bags of Hershey’s Chocolate Mint kisses unwrapped, (or one bag of kisses and one bag of just TollHouse Chocolate Chips)
• 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
Once combined, immediately pour into the buttered 8 x 8 disposable foil pan.

Double bag your peppermints or candy cane and hammer them into dust. (Luka calls this game CANDY CRUSH) Take out the peppermint candy dust and sprinkle on top of the warm fudge. Use a small piece of wax paper to lay on top and press the dust into the fudge a little.

Let set in refrigerator for a few hours. Take out, set on counter for 30 minutes. Cut the foil pan off of the fudge, and then slice into squares.

Yahoo is the kind sponsor of my blog this month, and of this conversation. Check out all the DIY tutorials they have to offer. You can find Yahoo DIY on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List by email for tips on strategic shopping, open-minded parenting, being creative and other important things like fudge and making a quick dinner when you hate cooking.

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: Thank you Yahoo! for sponsoring this post. While this was a sponsored opportunity from Yahoo!, all content and opinions expressed here are my own.

DIY Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe.

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 17:35:00 +0000

I am so addicted to the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. I actually *scream* in the store like a teenage girl at a Robert Pattinson sighting when I get one of those register receipts that lets me go take a survey and be rewarded with a free tall beverage of my choice. My choice? There is no choice. Pumpkin Spice Latte.

This past week I became obsessed with duplicating *to the best of my ability* the Pumpkin Spice Latte at home, so I could have one all day every day! Wheee! After sweetly asking my barista if I could read the label ingredients on the special Pumpkin Spice Latte Sauce (it is really a sauce, not a syrup), I discovered a few things that sent me off in the right direction. Key to that creamy pie flavor is actually using real pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, and Torani Pumpkin Pie or Pumpkin Spice Syrup. Warning: We are NOT counting calories on this drink, people. Focus on the fact that it has pumpkin in it. A superfood. A superfood with lots of vitamins!

My finished product after hours of experimenting did take the form of a sauce, which I shall keep in a bottle in my refrigerator. This bottle of sauce should last me a LOT of lattes, and make me a super happy mommy from now until Christmas.

DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe (The Secret Sauce)
1 can 15oz of pumpkin
1 can 14oz of sweetened condensed milk
6 teaspoons of Torani Pumpkin Pie syrup
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract or Vanilla

Dump all this in your blender and make sure it's all mixed up good. Put it in a bottle, and keep it in your fridge. This is your Secret Sauce for your Pumpkin Spice Latte.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte (One Serving)
1 tablespoon espresso grind coffee (I like to even use Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee which you can usually get at World Market! Espresso grind is like powder, and it makes for extra strong coffee in a regular coffee maker. If you have a grinder, put regular grind coffee in there and pulverize it until it is powder.)

10oz water (this will make your coffee stronger than a typical 12oz portion of water)

Brew your coffee using the above proportions. Pour it into a BIG coffee cup. Add 6 Tablespoons of Secret Sauce. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk. Stir together. Done! Now you're in Pumpkin Spice Latte Heaven. And it didn't cost you $4.50 a cup. You can, of course, put some whipped cream on top.

Find Torani for yourself at these places:

World Market
Walmart
Most major grocery stores
Amazon

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List while I go drink my coffee.

How I'm Sending My Baby Off to College

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 12:14:00 +0000

Quinn and his friends are just about to leave the nest. They're all going to be headed off to fantastic math nerd colleges very soon. It's been an amazing thing to watch these kids turn into adults. Through math boot camps, UIL competitions, National Honor Society, non-profit junior boards, standardized tests, presentations, papers, and grades they've grown into responsible human beings.

With the help of a few people. Ok, very few people. Really, these kids are kinda self-sufficient. But, because they are very smart, they readily recognize when something is out of their realm, and are quick to ask an expert for help.

It Takes a Village to Get Rid of a Kid
There have been dedicated parents, friends, teachers, mentors and neighbors who have helped Quinn and his friends along the way. This year, their senior year, the kids are tackling a huge project that to me seems really daunting – applying to top tier colleges in hopes of getting a full scholarship.

They do this in their spare time, after their Nuclear Physics homework (Not kidding. Nuclear Physics.) and all their volunteer work. It's so exciting to hear where each one is planning on applying, and what they'll study, and what their career plan is. Quinn's high school – The Science & Engineering Magnet at Townview – is always among the top ten public high schools in America, on the Newsweek and US News & World Report best school lists. This year they even made the Daily Beast list of Top High Schools Doing The Most With The Least.

These kids are heavily recruited by the Ivy League, and every top tier math and science university in America. They are probably some of the brightest and most motivated kids in the nation. And this is a public school y'all, a good number of them do not have resources. Many of them will be the first one in their family to go to college. Many have parents who don't speak English.

The School Counselor of his public high school, Ms Kashyap, has helped Quinn (and me) the most with this enormous task of applying to colleges. That lady knows so much, and every year handles getting about 100 kids (most of whom are on the free lunch program) into top tier colleges pretty much single-handedly. Without her experience and dedication, their wouldn't be a Gates Millennium Scholarship winner every year from Quinn's school. Or kids at MIT and Stanford on full-ride.

Getting Quinn off to College
Just this week, Quinn found out he was accepted into the Columbia University (in NYC) fly-in program. Basically, they pay to bring him to Columbia for a weekend, and VIP him to try to convince him to pick their college. I thought colleges only did that for football players!

He has nine colleges that he is applying for on his big white board in his room. The board is gridded off into squares, with checklists of each thing he needs to do for each college application. How he has organized all this information and is just handling it all himself just amazes me!

All I do is provide a credit card for sending test scores, or sending in applications.

He is applying to: Stanford, USC, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Northeastern, Columbia, NYU, and UT Austin (his "safety school" because if you're in the top 10% of your graduating class you are automatically accepted).

I don't think the boy needs a safety school though. He has a perfect ACT score. Ms Kashyap came thru again last spring getting all the kids signed up for the SAT, the ACT, AP tests, SAT subject matter tests...whatever each one needed based on their desired college career path. She's a college genius I tell you. And she teaches them how to take care of their own business, asking for help when they need it.

So, Ms Kashyap, here's to you and the confidence you give to our kids to ensure they all have a positive outcome to their college application process.

My Best Parenting Advice
Teach your child to be independent and handle their own business at an early age. I stopped looking over Quinn's homework in third grade, apres long-division. So he became responsible for getting it done, and getting it done right. Turning it in. Time management is the skill to teach them. Breaking big things into small parts. Keeping a calendar. Marking things off a to-do list. We can't just assume they'll know how to do those things, we have to teach them. Then, they have the foundation to take responsibility for setting and reaching their goals on their own. Or, know when to ask an expert for advice.

State Farm is the kind sponsor of this blog this month, and of this conversation. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. You can find State Farm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List by email for tips on strategic shopping, open-minded parenting, being creative and other important things like making a quick dinner when you hate cooking.

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: Compensation was provided by State Farm via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of State Farm.

Easy Lunch Box Ideas for back to school.

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 21:32:00 +0000

I pack three lunches every morning. None of them are mine.

The people who eat these lunches all have their issues: My husband wants more cookies than cookie monster in his lunch. Quinn is not allowed to have a real lunch bag because he WILL lose it (He is 0 for 6 since 4th grade). And Luka is sandwich-averse. That is the hardest one of all to work around.

Why? Because everybody likes sandwiches don't they? PB&J. Ham & Cheese. Grilled Cheese. Bologna. Everybody but Luka. Kids can even have cute sandwiches like animals and puzzle pieces. Luka is still unimpressed. Won't even eat a bun on his hamburger. We tell people he's doing Atkins.

Only my friend Mary has been able to get Luka to eat anything between two slices of bread. And that was just jelly. And for awhile (shhh) I made him a jelly sandwich and told him Mary had come over and made it for him. Until he figured out I was making that up. And now Mary has moved to Philadelphia, so the jelly sandwich eating is over.

The plan: breadth, depth, variety.
So, I'm making a new snack pact this year. Lunch, I promise, will be tasty and fun. My lunch box plan for Luka for 2nd grade will be the Garanimals approach. I have figured out a list of possible proteins, breads, and fruit & veggies, and will keep them all on-hand in pantry and refrigerator. Then I will let Luka pick one or two of each, for each lunch of the week. I'll add a juice box and his favorite dessert (usually a Snack Pack pudding cup or a Girl Scout Thin Mint if I have them) and voila, it's a lunch he likes.

Now that I have pictures of his choices up on the refrigerator, it makes it easy to point and choose every morning.

NEW ADDITION: Everyone keeps asking me where I got all the cute little containers I used in this post. The Amazon links to those exact items are on my blog's Facebook page right here y'all!

I use babyfood ice cube trays as lunch bento boxes.

Protein choices in lunches that are not sandwiches.
Pack non-sandwich proteins in tiny containers or lunch baggies (depending on if you have a child that will or will not bring home containers.) Since I am not a make-from-scratch mom but a convenience-food mom, I like to find things already made, chopped, sliced, and I especially love things in tiny single-serve packages. But if I keep the following around, I can easily add a protein to a lunchbox: cubed ham, peanuts, fish crackers (these have protein!), cubed cheddar, pepperoni, hummus, granola, string cheese, sunflower seeds.

Other easy protein finger foods to have on hand are bags of pre-cooked sliced chicken breast or steak (like you'd use in fajitas), turkey meatballs, canadian bacon rounds, and sliced up hot dogs.

Luka says pretzels shaped like footballs are awesome.

Bread, but not bread.
In lieu of the bread in a sandwich, Luka will eat wheat crackers, saltines, cheese puffs, pretzels, fish crackers, and even croutons. Especially croutons. He is surprised these are not located in the chip aisle at the grocery store. I haven't eaten a crouton on a salad at a restaurant in years because guess who picks them all off my salad and eats them for me.

I explained to him that croutons are made out of bread. Like a sandwich. And yet he will not eat a sandwich.

Veggie Ideas for the Veggie Averse.
There are tons and tons of veggie and fruit things that come in tiny pieces and tiny packages. Freeze dried things are the best for me, because they are shelf-stable! We pack fruits and veggies like freeze-dried strawberry slices, freeze dried corn kernels, freeze dried peas, raisins, yogurt-covered raisins, popcorn – especially cheddar popcorn, grapes – green and red, dried banana chips, and blueberries.

If your kid is more akin to real live fruits and veggies (not like mine) you can pack little bags or containers of tiny carrots, steamed fresh green beans, cherry tomatoes in all the colors, edamame, celery, cucumber slices, strawberries, raspberries, apple slices, peach slices, those little Cutie Oranges, cut-up cantaloupe, or a banana. (We have those tiny bananas at our Mexican grocery which are super cute.)

Tiny food = food Luka wants to eat.
One of the keys I've found to getting a kid to eat something is to show it to them in tiny form. That's why these little containers of tiny food work so well for Luka. Plus, he eats all the little bits til he's full and stops. Whatever's left, he just brings home, or eats in after-school. No need for silverware, and most of it is mobile.

Since Luka can never get enough dairy, I will also add a tiny yogurt in some form (drinkable, tiny cup, or squeeze tube) which I keep all in the freezer. If I put a frozen yogurt of some sort in a lunch bag, it is thawed by lunchtime, and acts as a cooler for the rest of the lunch.

Add Snack Pack Pudding to make your easy lunches more fun.
Luka is totally in love with Lemon Snack Pack Pudding. And Strawberry flavor is not too far behind. I can get a 4-cup pack of Snack Pack Pudding at Walmart for one dollar, and there are quite a few more flavors we found: Lemon Meringue Pie, Apple Pie a la Mode, Chocolate Cupcake, and of course the old stand-bys Vanilla, Chocolate, and Butterscotch.

You can print this Snack Pack Pudding $1 off 3 coupon, so you'll get 3 packs for just $2 total. Just a little over .20¢ a cup to add a little more fun to Luka's lunch. The coupon expires 10/31/13, so you have plenty of time to use it. This is an exclusive coupon you'll only find on my blog!

Up the fun with a Lunch Box love note.
One of the other lunch box traditions at my house is adding a first day of school Good Luck love note. Ok, I also put them in on test days, or holidays, or sometimes for no reason at all. I'm sure I am totally embarrassing Quinn in high school with my notes. But that's my job. Snack Pack has made it easy for everyone who is not a graphic designer to put fancy notes in their kids' lunches this year. You can download these lunch box notes and print them out all you want.

Embarrass your kids too. Go ahead. Tell them I said it's ok.

Snack Pack Pudding Twitter Party Alert!
Want even more lunch box meal ideas from expert mom bloggers? Join me for a twitter chat with my friends Andrea of @savinglifestyle and Briana of @bargainbriana on Thursday, Sept 5th, at 1pm ET. Follow them and me @mommyswishlist and use the hashtag #SnackPak to follow along and add to the conversation.

Then, follow our group Lunch Box Ideas Pinterest board, where we'll all be pinning all the great lunch box inspiration we find for you this year! And go check out my Facebook page where readers have been adding more lunchbox ideas all day here.

Find other lunch box menu idea posts on my friends' blogs: Hoosier Homemade, $5 Dinners, Eat at Home Cooks, Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, Life as Mom, Mommy Hates Cooking, and The Happy Housewife.

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List for more insider information and shopping intelligence.

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Snack Pack Pudding thru Savings.com Connect. All opinions are my own.

10 Extraordinary Kids' Books

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 14:00:00 +0000

A slew of new interesting kids' book is out in bookstores and online, and we couldn't be happier to share our favorite selections with parents. Here's a list of 10 books great for elementary and middle school kids. From sci-fi and science to humor and creativity, there are fun stories for even the pickiest little readers.

Star Wars: Jedi Academy, Return of the Padawan (Book 2)
This is the second book in the Star Wars Academy series. Read about more middle school galaxy adventures as the characters face new challenges and lots of robots!

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up: Tales from Deckawoo Drive, Volume One
Leroy Ninker has everything to be a cowboy - minus the horse. This story shares how he finds his destined horse and all their wild adventures together.

Comics Squad: Recess! (Comic Squad)
Your favorite recess group is back for another playful story that will keep your children dreaming of fun adventures.

The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher
Follow along a historical fiction novel as 11-year-old Becky finds mischief but learns to build a positive path in life.

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor: Book One
Get ready for a brainy and funny story that'll make learning science so fun! This is by one of my favorite children's book authors: Jon Scieszka (of infamous Stinky Cheese Man fame)

The School for Good and Evil
A New York Times bestseller, this book mixes a sci-fi journey with a fairy tale.

Spy School
8th grader Ben Riley is ready to start his career as a secret agent. Ben gets into some misadventures as a spy while learning more about science and experiments along the way.

Ungifted
A middle schooler's life changes when he accidentally switches from a troublemaker to a gifted and talented student in this lovable and funny book.

The Mysterious Benedict Society
The importance of friendship is put to the test in this educational and creative story.

The Ability
Expand your child's imagination with a fast-paced spy novel leaving them wanting to read more.

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10 holiday gifts for boys

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Have you began Christmas shopping yet? I haven't quite started, but it's been on my mind. There are a few kiddos on my "nice list" this year, so I need to find them the perfect gift. With the help of the holiday toy lists from Amazon and Toys R Us, I found a handful of idea for my little Santa's helpers (as I call the kids in my life this season).

The list below includes 10 gift ideas for boys, and showcases both new and bestselling toys this holiday season.

SmartLab Toy Stars and Planets Kit
This kit helps kids explore the universe and unlock the mysterious within outer space. Included in the kit is a tour of planets, stars and space exploration. $16.09

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Skateboard
The timeless TMNT brand is still very popular today. As the turtles say "kowabunga dude! $23.74

Plan Toys Crane Train
You can never go wrong with wheels. Here's a fun toy for the littlest of boys. $24.68

Hot Wheels 16'' Slider
This ultra-cool bike is perfect for the little man who wants to ride around like the big boys. $85.49

Franklin Sports Air Tech Baseball Glove
Here's one for the little athlete in your life. Play catch with the innovative air tech baseball glove. It's adjustable and comes in blue, red and silver. $23.74

LeapFrog LeapsterGS Explorer
LeapsterGS Explorer puts children in control of the educational games with a motion-based play and built-in camera. More than 300 apps are included to teach kids math, science, reading, social studies and more. $49.99

Simon Swipe
Another classic game that's still hot on the market is Simon Swipe. Start easy with level 1, and build up your speed and concentration up to 16 levels.Choose from four games and even challenge your friends. $17.99

Web Slinging Spiderman
Spidey is back in this new toy and is loaded with a can of web fluid (silly string) to fight off the enemies. You can also blast the bad guys with water. $19.99

Supernova Battle Rover
With a kid-activated control panel, the Supernova Battle Rover is the perfect machine to blast aliens. The vehicle comes with a scanner, lifting cranes, storage space, projectile launchers, 19 lights and more than 200 sound effects. $104.99

Air Hogs AtmoSphere
Soar to new heights with this the AtmoSphere, which is controlled by the palm of your hand! No remote control is required, and the product smoothly bounces off the walls. $25.99

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10 holiday gifts for girls

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Let your little girl's imagination lead the way this season. We've rounded up 10 items that are at the top of the popular lists this year, that will make great gifts for young girls.

Olaf the Snowman
Bring Olaf the snowman to life - just like in the movie Frozen! Olaf changes his facial expressions, pops his head off and his arms fall apart, just so you can assemble him back together. $15.99

Elsa Singing Doll
Enjoy the sweet tunes of Elsa from Frozen right beside you! $39.95

Just Dance 2014
The world is a dance floor! Enjoy new beats, themes and dance moves with Just Dance 2014 for Wii and other game consoles. $39.99

Hello Kitty Boombox
Let your girl jam out in style with the Hello Kitty stereo CD boombox. The boombox is light and portable, so she can take it from room to room. $47.99

Disney Princess Baby Bell
Your favorite Disney princesses as cute baby dolls! Each one is dressed in a sparkly tiara and signature-colored romper. Choose from the following princesses: Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Ariel or Tiana. $14.99

Barbie Glam Convertible Doll
The new Barbie car and doll are a classic and fun gift for any girl. The rolling wheels, steering wheel, flashing lights and seat belts add realism to every day play. $24.99

Just Kidz Doll House
This mini doll house includes furniture and family figures. It'll be a blast to play with, and the kids can use the biggest imagination. $20

Expressions - Who's That Girl 7-Piece Beauty Kit
The young girl can have their own makeup kit just like Mom's! The kit includes eye shadow, two lip gloss tubes and three bottles of nail polish. $6.99

Sew Cool
Teach your girls how to sew in a safe and creative way with Sew Cool. This threadless machine is great for a first-time sewer. Create purses, pencil bags, pillows and more. $39.99

Lalaloopsy Baking Oven
Bake your favorite sweets in this two-in-one oven that's safe for kids. The product comes with baking mixers, pans, sprinkles, pan pusher and a recipe booklet, as well as one cookie and one cake mix. $39.99

This post contains affiliate links that support this site at no additional cost to you.

13 Mint and Chocolate Holiday Treat Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 23:10:00 +0000

Is everyone ready for holiday cookie baking? I sure am. Can't wait til next Saturday morning...I'm going to make oodles of cookies to nosh on over the holiday break. My kids are so excited to help me in the kitchen.

Since one of their favorite flavors of ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip, I thought I'd research how many different kinds of holiday cookies, bars, fudges, candies, etc that one could make for the holidays. So here's the result of that research!

Have fun with your kiddos making and eating all these mint chocolate yummies. You can find more fun ideas like these on my Pinterest Board called The Cookie Exchange. This is a board I have with 15 of my mom blogger friends, and we've put all our favorite cookies in there for you.

This Collection of Mint and Chocolate Holiday Treats was made using Foodie.com, which is a unique recipe collecting platform, kind of like Pinterest. They are sponsoring this post and this collection that I'm sharing with you. You can sign up for Foodie.com and follow me as I build interesting recipe collections. I'll follow you back if you do!

This collection of 13 mint and chocolate holiday treat ideas includes:
Cookies with Candy Cane Buttercream

Peppermint Crunch Drops

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Dipped Creme de Menthe Marshmallows

White Trash Candy

Candy Cane Oreo Peppermint Bark

Toasted Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Cookies

Low Carb Gluten Free Thin Mints

Double Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies

Flourless Fudge Chunk Cookies

Peppermint Kisses Cookies

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

About Foodie
I hope you have fun making holiday treats with your kids, with one of these interesting recipes. If you've got a neato cookie recipe that your kids love, please leave a link in the comments, so we can all share! Download the Foodie app here and you can find lots of interesting recipes collected by bloggers like me, and the Foodie editors!

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List by email for other unusual recipes, tips on strategic shopping, creative parenting, being artsy, and other important things like making a lovely dinner when you secretly hate cooking.

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Foodie.com via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Foodie.com.

A Christmas Story, the musical, is more fun than 24 hours of the movie!

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 21:08:00 +0000

This week, I went with my blogger friends to the new show – A Christmas Story – at the Fair Park Music Hall, as part of the Dallas Summer Musicals on-going season. If you think 24 hours of the movie "A Christmas Story" is the greatest part of the holiday season (like I do) then you have got to see it live. With songs. And dances. And the real live LEG LAMP.

Yep, in the lobby of the Fair Park Music Hall, they have the original leg lamp from the movie, encased in glass, in all it's glory.

But wait til you see the leg lamp starring in it's own Rockette-style dance number en masse. There are at least a dozen leg lamps acting as the third leg of a chorus line cast of dancers. Probably one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen in musical theater.

This is definitely a fantastic way to kick off the holiday season!

This broadway-style musical show is not only true to the story line of the movie, it one-ups the movie with amazing musical numbers like "The Genius of Cleveland Street" sung by good ol' dad as he solves the puzzle that eventually garners him the coveted leg lamp. This production even has real dogs (remember the dogs who eat the turkey?) and a tongue stuck to a light pole.

You can see a preview of the show here.

Tickets for A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is playing at the Music Hall in Fair Park thru December 14th. You can get tickets for A Christmas Story here. Tickets range from $15 to $100 depending on where you choose to sit. I've seen many, many performances at the Music Hall in Fair Park, and even the balcony is a good seat. This show is recommended for all ages, and it is so much fun.

I hope you enjoy A Christmas Story as much I did. I'm definitely looking forward to the next Dallas Summer Musicals season!

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: I am honored to have been a guest of Dallas Summer Musicals at a performance of this show, so that I would be able to tell you all about it.

10 Great Titles for Book Clubs

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 13:36:00 +0000

Are you a part of a book club or call yourself a book worm (like me and Nelli)? Joining a book club is a great way to share the love of literature, learn about books you normally wouldn't read and to meet new people. I've been in a few book clubs over the years, and have always enjoyed discussing a book I'm reading with the others in the group.

We've rounded up 10 titles that are great for book clubs, including a few New York Bestsellers, that are definitely worth the read. The books include a mix of romance, thrillers and life lessons to learn from. Take your pick! Thanks to all my book club friends for the suggestions and recommendations.

10 Great Book Club Books

The Gravity of Birds: Tracy Guzeman

The Perfume Collector: Kathleen Tessaro

The Greenhouse: Audur Ava Olafsdottir

Delicious!: Ruth Reichl

All the Light We Cannot See: Anthony Doerr

Gone Girl: Gillian Flynn

Eat, Pray, Love: Elizabeth Gilbert

The Apple Orchard: Susan Wiggs

The Ten-Year Nap

The Ten-Year Nap: Meg Wolitzer

We'd love to know what you're currently reading too! Let us know in the comments section below.

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Fashionable Accessories Make Wardrobes Stretch Year Round.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 13:46:00 +0000

Sometimes the easiest way to transition your wardrobe from one season to the next is to just add a few accessories. Scarves are my all-time favorite way to turn a summer outfit into a fall outfit. Here in Texas, we really don't have seasonal clothing so much as a layering system. I wear most of my clothes year-round and count on accessories and layers to make the same clothes seem new every season.

5 ways to turn a summer outfit into a fall outfit
1. Add a scarf
2. Wear boots instead of flats with that outfit
3. Add a cardigan to that short sleeve shirt
4. Add a long sleeve t-shirt under that short sleeve shirt
5. Wear tights with that skirt or dress instead of having bare legs

We've rounded up a list of lovely accessories for fall that you'll find in stores and on-line, and with bold colors and styles, you'll definitely find some items to love. Mix and match these treasures to add new staples to your closet.

Open Weave Window Pane Scarf, $14.99

Women's Woven Fringed Scarf, $10.99

Marc by Marc Jacobs Rosegold watch, $275

Supersoft Leggings, $14.98

Betsey Johnson Pink Floral Necklace, $47.99

Cocktail Ring by Sofia Vergara, $2.74

Classic Club Sunglasses, $14

Brixton Hat, $17.99

Cobalt Blue Bag, $39.99

Gold Bracelet, $41.99

What are some of your favorite accessories to wear during the cooler months? Email readers, click here to see the roundup.

This post contains affiliate links that support this site at no additional cost to you.

Nice Work If You Can Get It kicks off national tour in Dallas.

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Fri, 05 Sep 2014 12:41:00 +0000

Ever been to a broadway show where you knew the words to just about every song, but had no idea that they all came from one musical? That just happened to me last night.

This week, Gershwin's Nice Work If You Can Get It, the classic musical, opened in Dallas as a part of the Dallas Summer Musical series. Dallas Summer Musicals brings traveling companies of Broadway Shows to Dallas, as a part of a national tour. Nice Work If You Can Get It is kicking off it's national tour in Dallas. You can see some great behind-the-scenes video at that link.

This is easily the funniest musical I have ever seen. It takes place during Prohibition, so it's chock full of gangsters, bootleggers, flappers, prohibitionists and playboys. It features songs that I know you know, like "Someone to Watch Over Me", "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off", and I've Got a Crush on You. Even the political jokes from the 20s that were in the show still held true in 2014, much to the delight of the audience. Republicans and Democrats alike were bashed.

The show-stealer though, I thought, was "I'm Delishious" in which Eileen (played by actress Rachael Scarr), "the world's foremost authority on modern dance" or some such hilariously exaggerated lofty title, sings from the bathtub, while gazing at herself in a series of handheld mirrors. When suddenly a gaggle of bubble-clad bathing beauties and men in pink tights emerge from the bathtub to leap and frolic thru the bathroom. I died laughing when they popped up out of nowhere from the bathtub in which Eileen was sitting, and proceeded to wrap her in the world's largest pink towel. She is one of the most hysterical characters I've seen on stage.

This is an unlikely love story though, in case you are unfamiliar with the plot, between a rich playboy, Jimmy, about to marry his fourth wife, and a tomboy bootlegger, Billie, who thinks he's just a mark. At first. There are so many great jokes, fantastic word-play, and of course classic memorable songs in this show. I was really sad when it was over.

Tickets for Nice Work If You Can Get It
Dallas Readers: Nice Work If You Can Get It is playing at the Music Hall in Fair Park thru September 14th. You can get tickets for Nice Work If You Can Get It. Tickets range from $15 to $80 depending on where you choose to sit. I've seen many, many performances at the Music Hall in Fair Park, and even the balcony is a good seat. I'd recommend this show for tweens on up – it is light-hearted, very funny, but has a few adult themes (hello flappers in stockings).

National Readers: The tour goes next to Fort Worth, then Salt Lake City, St. Louis, St. Paul, Dayton, and many other cities thru next March. Find your city and get tickets for Nice Work If You Can Get It here.

I hope you enjoy Nice Work If You Can Get It as much as I did. I'm looking forward to the rest of the Dallas Summer Musicals season!

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: I am honored to have been a guest of Dallas Summer Musicals at the opening night of this show, so that I would be able to tell you all about it.

14 After School Snacks {That Look Like Little Creatures}

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 19:53:00 +0000

After school snacks are a huge struggle. What I've figured out this this: the cuter the snacks are, the better chance I have of Luka eating them. What little boy wouldn't want to eat food that looks like bugs and other tiny creatures?

These ideas use most things that you already probably have on-hand in your kitchen, like hot dogs, raisins, carrots, and peanut butter. Have fun with your kiddos making and eating these creatures. You can find more fun ideas like these on my Pinterest Board called Kids Eat This.

I wanted to make a collection of easy ideas to refer to for the school year, which started last week. Easy things. Cute things. Things that Luka might actually eat after school.

This Collection of After School Snacks That Look Like Little Creatures was made using Foodie.com, which is a unique recipe collecting platform, kind of like Pinterest. They are sponsoring this post and this collection that I'm sharing with you. You can sign up for Foodie.com and follow me as I build interesting recipe collections. I'll follow you back if you do!

This collection of 14 little creature after school snacks ideas includes:
Cheese Wedge Mouse: A fun new way to eat your Happy Cow cheese wedges.

Creepy Corndog Centipedes: Add legs to your mini corn dogs and watch 'em walk off the plate.

Garden Octopus: A veggie and dip combo that will get lots of giggles.

Apple and Celery Tasty Bugs: Turn peanut butter celery into bugs and snails.

Swimming Fishies: Sandwich snack time has never gone so swimmingly.

Green-eyed Kitty Sandwich: Meow! This cat's where it's at.

Clementine Chicks: Peel and Peep!

Fruit & Cheese Butterfly: Even little fingers can fill these wings.

Crabby Crabwich: Cutest croissant sandwich ever made.

Penguin Appetizers: What's black and white and delicious after school?

Hotdog Caterpillar: Turn a hot dog into a bug? Absolutely.

Chickie Eggs: The cutest hard-boiled egg your kids will ever eat.

Cheese Mice: A few simple ingredients and you'll have a cute little mouse in your house.

Ladybug Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes make perfect little ladies.

About Foodie
I hope you have fun making school night dinners with your kids, with one of these interesting recipes. If you've got a neato recipe that your kids love, please leave a link in the comments, so we can all share! Download the Foodie app here and you can find lots of interesting recipes collected by bloggers like me, and the Foodie editors!

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List by email for other unusual recipes, tips on strategic shopping, creative parenting, being artsy, and other important things like making a lovely dinner when you secretly hate cooking.

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Foodie.com via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Foodie.com.

Our Top 5 Favorite Cheese Boards

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 17:51:00 +0000

If you've been following along with #indefinitecheeseboards on Instagram, my friends and I do a cheeseboard every Monday night. We are the Council of Indefinite Cheeseboards. At that link you can see some of the cheese boards from restaurants around town, in case you are also cheese board lovers like we are, and want to see what "IN" on cheeseboards these days. It's named "Indefinite" because Elysa set up a calendar invite for every Monday from now until eternity. They're that good.

We've been to a whole lot of places in Dallas trying to discern what exactly should be on the perfect cheeseboard. We've seen everything from quail eggs to pickled carrots. And lots and lots of cheese.

Cheeseboards are the new "IT" appetizer.
In case you haven't noticed it yet, let me point out that every restaurant I go to seems to have a cheeseboard on the menu now. You can add some pizzazz to your next party at home with a fun cheese board. This appetizer idea would be great for many occasions such as house parties, BBQs and picnics, or even just a girls night in.

Our Indefinite Cheeseboard Council will be having a girls night in soon, and an unbelievable Brisket Cheesecake will be the main attraction. I KNOW! Brisket. And cheesecake. Together.

What Makes a Good Cheeseboard
Cheese of course. Three is a good number. Have a creamy one like a triple cream brie, a hard one like a manchego, and a wild card like a bleu cheese.

Fruit is an excellent companion to cheese. Slice an apple, add dried apricots and cranberries. Strawberries or raspberries. Even fig jam is great with cheese.

Veggies like carrot sticks, sliced cucumbers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and those cute little pickles called cornichons are favorites of ours. Heck, pickled vegetables of any kind are delicious with a cheeseboard.

Crackers, tiny toast, fried bread...you need something to pair with your cheese. And how many times do we fuss about the cheese/cracker ratio? Almost every time. It rarely works out just perfect.

Little extras like a dollop of grainy French mustard or tiny pickled quail eggs, even some charcuterie like prosciutto, pepperoni or some such fancy meat with make your cheeseboard a stunner.

And please don't forget the wine.

The perfect Cheeseboard Starts With the Perfect Board
What we think is that the perfect cheeseboard should start with the perfect board first, right? Here's a few lovely ones we've discovered. I would secretly like to have a slice-of-tree cheeseboard as my own personal cheeseboard, but am making do with this one until I can hire a Boy Scout group to make me one.

Consider adding a cheese board to your gift list during the holidays, either for yourself or for the cheese connoisseur in your life. Viva les fromages!

Hip Vintage Piggy Cheese Board, $50.76 - Oink oink! This little piggy awaits your next cheese-tasting party. It's made from marble and granite, so the heavy dish is perfect for outdoor parties and won't flip over from any wind interference. No supplies included here, but this board is a novelty!

Gourmet Wine & Cheese Board, $49.50 - If you're looking for a package that includes the combo of wine and cheese (and the cheese board of course) look no further. We found a delicious assortment of savory edibles in addition to an attractive board and cheese knife.

Pear-Shaped Cheese Board, $44.95 - This swivel-style board in the shape of a pear comes with two knives, one cheese fork and a wine stopper (that'll come in handy!).

Dallas Cowboys Circo Cheese Board, $32.49 - Root for your hometown football team with a cheese board dedicated to them. Obviously you'll need some BLEU Cheese on this one. The Dallas Cowboys board will make a great addition to your watching parties this fall. The board is compact and made with eco-friendly rubberwood. Four utensils are included.

Picnic Time Mariner Cheese Board, $30 - Land ho! Here's an excuse to plan a fun sailor-themed party. The four utensils included can be stored within the board, and you can spin it like a Lazy Susan.

This post contains affiliate links that support this site at no additional cost to you.

8 Clever Supplies for Your Office Desk

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 20:12:00 +0000

"I want your job to be your refuge from your life."

My CEO said that to me recently. I took that to mean that I should dig out all my Animaniacs toys from the early 90s and decorate my desk. I dunno, I feel especially motivated by tiny critters that say "HELLOOOOO, NURSE!" and "NARF!" don't you?

Also, I like to pin all my "meeting notes" on my wall.

Jazz up your office desk with unique and inspiring items, and I promise you'll feel happier when your favorite, colorful items surround you.

How to Accumulate Just The Right Office Decor
1. When your personal favorite cartoon is licensed to McDonald's for Happy Meals, eat a happy meal for lunch every day til you have the whole collection. (How do you think I got the Animanics toys, y'all?)

2. Go check out Tuesday Morning or Michael's. I have found some pretty darn cute patterned office supplies for fairly cheap at both of those stores. Nothin' like a matchy-matchy paisley stapler and file folders, eh?

3. Go retro: visit vintage stores, garage sales, heck, even your parent's attic and find some amazing treasures to glam out your office, vintage style. Take a page from the book that is my friend Melody's office, er, classroom. She's the queen of kitch…she even had her office radiator sweater bombed.

4. Pick a team, and go all-out. Sure, I went to art school. We have no team. We don't even have colors. But, my office mate Valerie has decided that I should adopt the Baylor Bears, her alma mater, as my team. She even went so far as to drive me to Baylor so I could see THE BEAR. They have a bear on campus, people. A real live bear.

5. Here are eight clever products we rounded up that can help you create a functional and stylish work space. Feel free to customize these items with your favorite colors, patterns and sports teams.

Get-Spotted Note Card from Michaels, $47.99

Fashion Pencil Cup from Staples, $5.99

Gumball Desk Lamp from Urban Outfitters, $69.99

WallPops 4-Piece Calendar Set from Staples, $22.99

Teal Appeal Notepad from BooksAMillion, $3.14

Bridgette Business Card Holder from The Pflatzgraff Co, $16.99

Baudville Hardcover Journal with Pen from Staples, $14.49

Memorex EB60 In Ear EarBuds from Staples, $17.99

Email readers, click here to see the roundup.

This post contains affiliate links that support this site at no additional cost to you.

How to Teach a Kid to Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 13:35:00 +0000

The past 17 years, I've been watching this boy grow up. Just yesterday he was in the back seat telling me stories...turning classical instrumental music from the radio into an hilarious narrative by describing what he was hearing. Telling me what the shape of the bird poop on the window reminded him of. Now he's in the front seat, driving me around. Driving his little brother around. Driving, y'all. DRIVING.

It does seem like the last big pragmatic thing I've got to teach him about how to take care of himself. It's both a sad and a proud moment.

And he's more than just driving his car now, he's driving his own life. Without me.

It's freeing but at the same time there's the empty feeling of not being needed anymore. It was the one last thing he needed me for, and now he doesn't seem to need me at all. I've had to teach him all the things he needs to know to be independent – and now he is, dang it.

It Takes a Village
Being the parent of an almost-gone child leaves me feeling a bit unnecessary. I am still a mother, but not in the caretaker sense of the word anymore. It's more of just a figurehead title now, instead of a description of what I do. I rely on my good friends Sheri, Melody, and Chris to talk me off the ledge every weekend at coffee. They help me try to come to terms with my old new self.

It not only takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to teach the child's mother that they have purpose beyond just being a mother.

I don't know what I'd do without their advice, their group problem-solving on my behalf, and their support. What I've learned from my best friends and other lovely Oak Cliff neighbors is that it's perfectly normal to feel unnecessary when you have such a responsible teenager. It stinks, but, it's normal.

We discuss this big life changes and more every weekend at our neighborhood coffee shop. If you have a problem that needs solving, you know to just show up for the "Housewives of Oak Cliff" coffee on Saturdays and Sundays at Bolsa Mercado.

Teaching Quinn to Drive
So this past year, I taught Quinn how to drive a car. Really, mostly he did it himself, and I just sat back and watched. He researched how to get a learner's permit on-line, and figured the whole process out. He scheduled his own appointment at the gigantic driver's supercenter in Garland to take the written test. It's one of the last things I had to drive him to. He took care of getting his transcript and all the other necessary paperwork, and even paid the fee on site in cash using his own money.

After securing his learner's permit, he printed out a schedule of what he needed to learn based on the actual driving test. Then, we methodically tackled each driving task, practicing until he mastered it (which as I was not surprised) did not take him very long at all. This seemingly Herculean task included parallel parking. My friends suggested I set up trashcans a car length apart in front of my house and have Quinn parallel park in that space between pretend cars. And that worked very well.

Turns out Quinn drives like he does everything else...methodically, unemotionally, rationally, intelligently. And quickly. I don't mean he drives quickly, I mean he quickly figures out the best way to drive, the safest methods, the best routes, the strategies for defensive driving. My friends have known Quinn since he was a preschooler and Melody was confident he'd be just like that. She was right.

Over the course of his junior year, last year, we drove every weekend. I'd ask Sheri about the different things she taught her son when he was learning to drive, so I wouldn't forget anything: highways, at night, in the rain… all three of those at the same time. I was trying to cover every possible driving scenario, so he'd have experience in every situation.

My Best Parenting Advice
When you slowly teach a child to do something big and important and take the time to let them master it over and over until they feel comfortable, they will always succeed. It's when we just throw them into the deep end of the pool and say "sink or swim" that we set them up to fail. Taking the extra time to teach them and help them become an expert themselves is worth it for both of us.

State Farm is the kind sponsor of this blog this month, and of this conversation. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. You can find State Farm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List by email for tips on strategic shopping, open-minded parenting, being creative and other important things like making a quick dinner when you hate cooking.

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: Compensation was provided by State Farm via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of State Farm.

10 Cute Backpacks for Boys and Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 20:55:00 +0000

Dinosaurs, kitties, Ninja Turtles. Send your little kiddos back to school this year with a backpack they'll love. We've rounded up 10 adorable backpacks that will delight the little ones as they prepare for a new school year. Because as you know, it's more than just a bag to hold your books…it's your personality and status symbol!

School Backpack Tips:
Go through your kid's backpack looking for homework assignments, notes from the school, stray crayons that could melt in there (yep, that happens here in Texas) as soon as they come home from school (not the morning before they run out the door). This will reduce your stress in the morning!

Add a luggage tag to your kid's backpack, so that if it gets separated from your kid in after school activities or left at the bus stop, everyone will know who to return it to. You can put their school and teacher's name on the tag, instead of their home address to protect their personal information.

Have a place by the front door (a bench, a chair, a hook) to keep your kid's backpack. Hang it there when they get home. Hang it back up there when they finish their homework. Make sure it's hanging there when they go to bed so there's no searching for it in the morning.

Girls Backpacks

High Sierra Access, $51

Boys Backpacks
Pokemon, $9.74

Transformers backpack with lunch box, $18

Batman, $20

Beatrix Big Kid Robert, $52

OshKosh Navy, $21

This post contains affiliate links that support this site at no additional cost to you.

5 Back-to-School Books for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Hi readers! Let me introduce you to my new writer, Nelli. She's going to be adding lots of good stuff to Mommy's Wish List. Here's her first post, with a little help from Luka.

Grab some fun and educational books while you're out back-to-school shopping for the kids this month. Surprise your children with inspiring books that will boost their morale and make learning fun!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Box of Books 1- 4, $40.32: The collectible box set of Diary of a Wimpy Kid comes with all four entertaining books.

Captain Awesome and the New Kid, $3.95: Catch up with Captain Awesome in this book series. The novel will keep kids' imaginations going!

101 School Jokes for Kids, $5.49: These friendly jokes will keep the kids in high spirits.

Little Penguin Finger Puppet Book, $14.55: Little Penguin and friends play hide-and-seek on the ice, and invite the smallest readers to play, too.

Storybook Stew: Cooking with Books Kids Love: This book features easy-to-follow recipes and activities. It's a great read for group parties and sleepovers, too.

You'll also find 5 books that Luka recommends for 5-7 year olds here.

This post contains affiliate links.

Old Navy Uniforms are my kid's favorite

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:43:00 +0000

Every year, the first week of August, I make my life easy by ordering the entire year of Dallas ISD school uniforms for Luka all at once from Old Navy. He likes the Old Navy uniforms. I like the Old Navy uniforms. The pants and shorts even come in both husky and slim sizes, which again, makes things a lot easier to find quickly. And the uniforms come in every color you can think of, so they're sure to have your school's required colors.

They are also cheap. Which means if he destroys a pair of pants playing dodgeball, I'm only out $10. If he "accidentally" cuts a hole in his shirt with his new school scissors, I'm only out $5.

And now is the time to grab your jacket (which kids will need in a month or two) in the exact color of their school's polos. At our school, you can wear your coat or jacket in class if you're cold, but only if it's the color of the polos. Old Navy makes this easy.

This year, the Old Navy website has uniforms all sectioned out by color, which made finding Luka's Navy ones a snap to find. Same with the khaki pants and shirts. So, I ordered:
2 Navy Polos (they are $5 each)
1 4-pack of Navy Polos (4-packs are $20)
5 Long-Sleeve Navy Polos (they are $7 each)
5 Khaki Shorts (they are $8 each)
5 Khaki Pants (they are $10 each)
1 Navy Fleece Jacket (these are $12)

My total was only $167 plus tax, and shipping was free, since my total was over $100. I call that a bargain and a huge convenience. It only took me 10 minutes start to finish. And that is the most important thing to me right now, as I do not have time to run around and get uniforms because I'm working full-time. I'll pass on the uniform pieces that Luka has outgrown (but not destroyed) to a younger kid in my neighborhood!

Where's your favorite place to get good-quality, cheap school uniforms?

This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase school uniforms thru these links you support this site at no additional cost to you.

12 Easy School Night Dinner Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Fri, 01 Aug 2014 14:15:00 +0000

What's for dinner mom? You hear it over and over again during the school year. And it's hard to keep answering that question without rolling your eyes. At least it is for me. After working all day the last thing I want to do is make dinner. And usually everybody's ready to pass out from a hard day of learning.

I wanted to make a collection of easy ideas to refer to for the upcoming school year. Easy things. Cute things. Things that Luka might actually eat.

This Collection of Easy School Night Dinner Ideas was made using Foodie.com, which is a unique recipe collecting platform, kind of like Pinterest. They are sponsoring this post and this collection that I'm sharing with you. You can sign up for Foodie.com and follow me as I build interesting recipe collections. I'll follow you back if you do!

This collection of 12 school night dinner recipes includes:
Bacon and Egg Cups: Who says breakfast can't be for dinner?

Barbecue Beef Cups: Tastes like a sandwich, looks like a cupcake!

Mini Polenta Pizzas: A delicious alternative to regular pizza crust.

Mini Sombrero Taco Salads: Tiny taco salads in a "cone".

Mini Meatball Sliders: So easy your kids can make it themselves.

Crockpot BLTs: Your favorite sandwich in crockpot form.

Mini Meatloaf Muffins with Mashed Potato Frosting: Looks like a cupcake, tastes like dinner.

Macaroni & Cheese Cupcakes: Make these ahead of time and freeze them for a quick dinner.

Cheesy Burrito Casserole: Covered in gooey cheese, a new version of burritos.

Mini Quiche: Again with the tiny cupcake versions of dinner favorites.

Walking Tacos: Eating out of a chip bag, it doesn't get any better than that for an 8-yr-old boy.

Grilled Cheese Roll-ups: A burrito version of grilled cheese…easy to walk around the house while you eat.

About Foodie
I hope you have fun making school night dinners with your kids, with one of these interesting recipes. If you've got a neato recipe that your kids love, please leave a link in the comments, so we can all share! Download the Foodie app here and you can find lots of interesting recipes collected by bloggers like me, and the Foodie editors!

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Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Foodie.com via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Foodie.com.

How to make a little boy smile. An ode of joy to McDonald's.

noreply@blogger.com (Mommy's Wish List) — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 12:30:00 +0000

When it rains, he cries unexpectedly. When he's had a late night baseball practice, he's kinda cranky the next day. And although he has memorized the stats of every football, baseball, and basketball player in the universe – and I have memorized Pantone colors – we do have one thing in common:

A love affair with Chicken McNuggets.

"Luka what's wrong?"

Pout. Tears. Sad face.

"Sweet boy, I have these two McDonald's gift cards I need to use up. How about we go have some Chicken McNuggets?"

"Really mommy?"

"Yes, really."

Getting this complicated little boy to smile is sometimes a feat of Sisyphean proportions. But just say the word "McDonald's" and the sun begins to break through the clouds on his face.

McDonalds is pure enjoyment for Luka
This past weekend, I *think* I learned how to play golf. From a pro. One of Luka's favorite things to do at McDonald's (besides dunk his Chicken McNuggets in his drink) is to play the computer games at the table. He is crazy-amazing at golf. I'm sure he was exasperated at my failure to sink a putt. But he was surprisingly patient, and even complimentary when I did get one in occasionally.

It's like he's a different person at McDonald's. It's like he's been extracted from his everyday, rough and stubborn little boy self, and magically turned into a sweet, talkative, engaged companion.

Whatever it is, I'll take it.

His other favorite of the computer games is Brain Quest. You get to pick what "grade" in school you want questions from, and he like to start at least in 5th grade, although he's only a 2nd grader. Competitive, much? Of course I'm an glaringly an idiot in this game, having *cough* 40 years between me and 2nd grade, and he wins every time.

Which makes him smile really big.

It's more than just a meal for him
Boy can eat. A double cheeseburger and Chicken McNuggets are his usual. Yes, both. And the little apple slices are his favorite thing to save-the-best-for-last. I always add a crisp side salad to either a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, or Chicken McNuggets. This weekend, we decided we'd share a big box of nuggets, and try ALL the dipping sauces.

Every time Luka explained another golf term I stole one of his stash of Chicken McNuggets when he wasn't looking. (Shhh. Don't tell him.)

Do you have 15 years worth of McDonald's Happy Meal Toys at your house? I do. This make-a-little-boy-smile trick worked on Quinn too when he was little. Luka still plays with Quinn's Happy Meal toys, books, and gadgets, as well as his own.

My own local McDonald's of North Texas franchise group even donated a huge box of their custom written and designed children's books, that they produced with Reading Is Fundamental as Happy Meal inclusions this year, to the little Pre-K kids at Luka's elementary school. Our Pre-K is a HeadStart preschool, and getting books in the hands and homes of preschoolers is top of the list in our neighborhood. Thanks, y'all.

Talk about fun
One of the best parts of hanging out in our neighborhood McDonald's is seeing people we know. I don't think we've ever been there without seeing Luis, Ishmael, Phillipe, Bianca, Xavier, Benjamin, or one of our other little school, baseball, or neighborhood friends. And of course, Luka can make friends with anyone in about five seconds, so he's completely surrounded by chaos and laughter at McDonalds.

Once he gets into the giant play area climbing structure, I know it's gonna be squeals and giggles for at least an hour. I have a hard time getting him outta there once he's in.

So, my dear McDonald's, thank you for giving us a place to play when it's raining, a place to hang out with all our school friends, a place to learn the finer points of chipping and putting, a place to find out that no I am really not smarter than a fifth grader, and a place to share Chicken McNuggets and a laugh.

Subscribe to Mommy's Wish List by email for tips on strategic shopping, creative parenting, and making a quick dinner when you hate cooking.

Mommy's Wish List Disclosure: Compensation was provided by McDonald's via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of McDonald's. McDonald's asked me to write about my adventures with Luka at their place, because they knew that we go there all the time, and consider it one of our happy places.

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