The Practical Mom Guide

Who Wants a Shot?

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 14:50:00 +0000

No, I am not talking about a shot of tequila. Of course, that would probably make taking three kids 5 and under to the doctors or dentist's office much easier.

Luckily, both our doctor and dentist's office have less than 5 minute wait times to see the doctor which in my view helps endlessly.

Since Ry and Maddie's birthdays are only one day apart, they both got to visit the doctor for their well visits at the same time.

Maddie, now 4 is more fretful about new situations and has never been a fan of the doctor's office. She usually would thrash and cry when she got shots. Who could blame her? I used to get light-headed up until I was in my twenties anytime anyone even came near me with a needle.

Yesterday, in the waiting room, she announced "I hope I get a shot."

I just looked at her. I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Possible responses running through my head ranged from "Wow, you're so brave" to "Why in God's name would you want a SHOT?!?!"

I never even thought to ask in a calm voice "Why, sweetie?"

At that point we were called back, thank heavens, and I was saved from responding.

I decided to avoid that minefield and pray that we made it through without any major meltdowns.

Maddie got her height and weight checked in this little room where they also did her vision exam and her hearing exam. Then, off to the exam room we went. As soon as we stepped inside, Ry started to pucker his lips and fret. My normally easy going little 2 year-old knew darn well what was going to happen in that room. Just a few months ago he got several shots in a room just like it. Someone was going to get a shot and he hoped to hell it wasn't him.

Maddie patted his hand and offered to hold his hand during his exam. He settled down after seeing how calm the girls were.

By the end of their exams, the doctor said she had to leave the room for a minute and that she would be right back to finish discussing what we needed to discuss. Madison started pouting and asked in a whiny voice, "But, Moommmmmy, what about my shhooot?"

I patted her on the back and said that the doctor would be right back with her shot and that was what the doctor was going to get when she left the room. The doctor looked at me like I had lost my mind. I seem to get that look a lot.

I explained to the doctor that they have doctor scrubs and a patient gown (from when Maddie got rushed to the hospital with a febrile seizure) so they love to play doctor. They also have a little doctor kit with band-aids, a blood pressure cuff, a pretend needle to give shots, and the other doctor related accoutrements that came with it.

She nodded but she still had a look of disbelief on her face. Apparently, when Emmy was younger, we saw this particular doctor's partner more often in the practice. Em rarely if ever cried when she got shots. It was the weirdest thing. I would almost be in tears and she would just flinch. She loved, loved, loved the band-aids. Who wouldn't? A Snoopy band-aid cures everything.

Maddie sat on my lap and got four shots. Not a peep out of her for any of them. She looked at me and said, "Mommy, wasn't I brave?"

Weird, just plain weird. Apparently, my children do not only NOT look like me, they also don't act like me either, the coward that I am, when it comes to needles.

Things to Do in the Lehigh Valley: 2013 Lehigh Valley Summer Bucket List

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:15:00 +0000

I couldn’t wait until my two oldest were out of pre-k and there were no more dance classes, karate classes, or swim classes. It felt like we were constantly rushing somewhere. This summer I decided to have a quiet summer at home with the three kids.

Yes, you heard right. An entire summer with my kids! So what is there to do? It turns out that there is lots! There is so much to do in the Lehigh Valley this summer and some of it is even free!

LEHIGH VALLEY 2013 SUMMER BUCKET LIST

	grow a garden or herbs in containers on the porch
	pick fruit at a local farm (our favorite spots are Seiples and Schmidt Berry Farm)
	visit the farmer’s markets (Steelstacks, Allentown, Easton, Nazareth, Emmaus, Saucon Valley, and Quakertown all have free markets on different days)
	reading adventures (storytimes @ the local Barnes & Noble and storytimes & crafts through local libraries)
	summer reading program at the local library (earn prizes for books read)
	movies outside (local drive-ins such as Shankweilers and Becky’s), some towns have free movie nights at the park, and ArtsQuest is showing free kids movies select evenings this summer)
	attend an Iron Pigs Baseball game (on Sundays kids can run the bases after the game)
	backyard water fun (run through the sprinklers, throw water balloons and sponge bombs, and make a river out of aluminum foil and a hose to float small toys or bottle caps)
	hiking (Hawk Mountain, Bushkill Falls, Jacobsburg Park, and other spots in our area) I recently stumbled upon this post about 5 popular places to hike in the LV that may make a nice mom and dad date outing!
	Dutch Springs, local pools, or the pop jets at the promenade shops (free)
	visit a local farm like Quiet Valley or Klein Farms
	visit the Lehigh Valley Zoo or the Philly Zoo
	Make tie-dye t-shirts (preferably w/ friends to give a stained t-shirt a new life)
	Visit a museum such as the Allentown Art Museum, Museum of Indian Culture, DaVinci Science Center, Crayola Factory, or the Please Touch Museum in Philly (on the first Wednesday of the month from 4-7pm it is only $2 a person which is a steal)
	Do a playground tour and make a passport of the playgrounds you want to visit A year or two ago there was a list of playgrounds in the newspaper and here are some that my kids want to check out: Cedar Beach Park at Hamilton & Ott Streets in Allentown (a destination playground), Buck Boyle Spray Park at 10 Pump Place in Allentown (mini water playground open from noon-7pm in the summer), and Panther Playground at 600 W. Mill St in Quakertown (wooden playground resembling castle). We also have a listing of local parks and pools provided by our local moms club.
	local fairs (click here for a list of local fairs in the Lehigh Valley this summer)
	miniature golfing (Two T's Miniature golf in Easton and Putt U in Center Valley are just 2)
	bowling (kids can play 2 games free daily at participating centers through kidsbowlfree.com and this includes Town 'n Country Lanes in Bethlehem and Playdrome Rose Bowl in Allentown)
	Peas & Q's kids concerts on Saturday mornings at 11:30 at Steelstacks-TD Community Stage starting June 22nd
	decorate sidewalks with chalk
	host a family and friends barbeque
	fly kites
	bubbles (need I say more?)
	grab the umbrellas and put on your rainboots and go dance in the rain and go puddle-jumping
	flashlight tag and stargaze
	put up a tent in the yard and have a camp-out
	make s'mores (you can't camp without s'mores)
	bike ride
	go fishing
	make and eat homemade popsicles
	backyard theatre (act out your favorite story complete with costumes)
	walk in the Nazareth Kazoo Parade
	go swimming
	have a picnic
	go to the beach
	Daddy and child date one Saturday morning for either a Lowe's Build & Grow clinic or a Home Depot Kids Workshop
	geocaching
	go to the theatre to see a movie (Regal has $1 kids movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 am and the Carmike at the Promenade Shoppes every Thursday at 10am has a kids movie, popcorn, drink, and candy for $4)
	do a service project (make cards for servicemen or the elderly, donate food to a local animal shelter, donate food to a local food bank, drop off cookies at the library or the local police station for the workers)
	visit the Allentown or Bethlehem Rose Gardens

	let the kids stay up and watch the sunset
	road trip
	lay on our backs in the yard and watch the clouds and guess what shapes they are
	make ice cream
	make mud pies
	have a pen pal

	make a summer fun book (have kids take pics and then mom and dad can write descriptions as told by each child)
	visit Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary
	catch fireflies
	get ice cream at The Inside Scoop, the Ice Cream Lab, or Emily’s
	yoga outside with the kids one morning

visit an amusement park (Dorney, Hershey, Land of Make Believe, Knoebels, Sesame Place, or Dutch Wonderland)

The Elf on the Shelf and His Japanese Grandfather

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 06:12:00 +0000

Yes, I know it has been awhile...

Once little man got mobile, 3 kids became well 3 kids and two really exhausted parents! A friend back at the beginning of the year had joked how she got pregnant with number 3 after we made it seem so easy with 3 little ones four and under. That was only because he started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. She also brought up how she remembered me saying that 3 was really no more work than 2. Yeah, well that was before little man got mobile and then things got really interesting around here. I should probably mention said friend also mentioned she was going to hate me if I had lied. I hadn't lied when I said but it isn't exactly true now.

For anyone who knows me, they know I enjoy the past and that I was a history teacher in my former life (aka B.K. Before Kids). That said it seems natural that I should love vintage anything and antiques.

I have been in love with the Elf on the Shelf since I first heard about it. In fact, he/she was on my Christmas List this year.

Last year we had a little figurine who was a faux Elf on the Shelf. Yes, Virginia, I am to cheap to spend $30 for the real Elf on the Shelf unless of course he is a gift and that is a whole other story. And, no, for those of your who are wondering, he didn't do "cool" things. He basically sat, well, on the shelf. Occasionally he moved around the room.

Remember the saying, imitation is the best form of flattery.

Photo Credit: Ebay

All over eBay are these little knee hugger elves that were manufactured in Japan from the 1960s and 1970s. Look familiar? These little guys have totally ruined my obsession with the Elf on the Shelf doll. Mind you, I love the story behind it but now I want one of these vintage dolls more than the modern version. How could I not want the grandfather of the modern Elf on the Shelf?

Now don't go over to eBay and start bidding crazy moms, because you might be bidding against me and that just won't do!

A Messy House From a Man's Point of View

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:11:00 +0000

While I was a control freak after my second child's birth and a bit after my third child's birth I am finding that with three kids, being a control freak just isn't possible if I want to keep my sanity. I think I've had these moments of clarity before and yet I still somehow manage to find those old tendencies come back after awhile.

Since our little man is cruising and into EVERYTHING, I am finding it difficult to get anything done. Mr. Explorer's favorite thing to do in the office is to turn off the computer tower which sits on the floor or open the filing cabinet and start pulling out our old tax returns and showering their contents onto the floor. Of course this gets giggles from him every time. The girls are normally trying to open a childproofed bathroom cabinet to get band-aids for invisible boo-boos. Hence, why I am writing this while all three kiddos are sleeping soundly.

My husband and I were having a conversation the one night while the kids were sleeping (since this is when most of our conversations happen). As much as I would love for him to be a neat freak and pick up his clothes (or actually put them in the laundry) and put his dirty glasses in the dishwasher, he doesn't. If he starts a project, usually I am the one who cleans it up. For the first time I was glad he wasn't a neat freak after seeing things through his eyes.

"You are so not going to like what I have to say but you need to hear it." This is how our conversation started.

"Do I EVER get on you when there are dirty dishes in the sink," he asked.

"No."

"Do I ever get on you about the mountain of laundry at the foot of our bed to be folded which I often have to move off the bed to the floor to sleep?"

"No," I replied, "I'll get to it. At least you have clean underwear."

"Will you listen!" And yes, he did roll his eyes at me which I promptly pointed out to him since he HATES when I do that. "Do I ever get on you if the entire first floor of the house is strewn with toys or if there are dirty dishes in the sink?"

"Uh, no and why is that? Doesn't it ever bother you?" I can tell you it drives me crazy and why when the kids are in bed I sluggishly move through the house trying to restore order even though I want nothing more than to curl up in bed. In truth, lately, I have been laying on the couch with the "I'll do it in a few minutes excuse" and I fall asleep on the couch within minutes.

"It isn't important."

"Easy for you to say. I just feel if someone saw our house in the messy state it normally is in they would think 'What does she do all day'? I know you help but it drives me crazy how you grumble when I ask you to do things."

"Do I do them?"

"Yes."

"Exactly. DO I smile while I take out the trash. No! You are never going to hear me say I like to do those things but I do them." He has a point. "These things are all in your mind. You are running around with three kids all day taking them to swim class, changing diapers, cooking, and everything else. They would understand and if they didn't, who cares. These things are not important. Spending time together, talking, these things are important. Whether the dishes are done, is not. Are our kids happy and taken care of? Of course. This is what is important."

"Why didn't we have this conversation before?"

Another eye roll. "We have! You don't listen."

"You get grumpy at night when your to-do list isn't done but your to-do list is never realistic," he finishes.

He's right. About it all. It was difficult to hear but something I needed to hear. I was putting my to-do list above my husband and the chance to relax and recharge and we were all suffering for it.

Maybe I can have him stop calling me Grumpy Mommy now.

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And yes, I did end up doing the dishes right after this conversation since he had mentioned them twice. He helped load the dishwasher though!

We've Been Egged & One Use For Leftover Easter Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:41:00 +0000

We were egged. Not the messy, stinky egged by little hoodlums but the basket on the doorstep filled with treat filled eggs "egged" (in other words, the good kind of egged).

The girls opened the door Easter morning to find a paper egg reading "You've Been Egged" taped to the door along with a paper bunny rabbit flapping in the wind. A colorful bucket filled with plastic eggs filled with all kinds of goodies including Reese's peanut butter eggs, little smiley face maracas, (did I mention the Reese's Peanut butter eggs?!?!) sat on the doorstep.

It seemed someone (definitely not me) had actually done their Easter goody shopping more than a day before Easter when nary a pack of Reese's peanut butter filled eggs could be found on store shelves. Whoever egged us, I love you.

From the front doorstep, the girls were off grabbing the eggs the "Easter Bunny" *wink, wink* had hidden throughout the first floor. The egg trail led to the family room where the kids' Easter baskets sat in front of a plate of nibbled carrots that the Easter Bunny never finished. Each kid got a book, a small toy, a small game, a video (the girls got Barbie videos and Ry got a Dr. Seuss one), and a chocolate bunny. Of course the eggs had candy in them to.

An action shot:

We always let the kids have three pieces of candy if they are mini pieces or one big piece before breakfast. Maybe that sugar high could explain the field of grass that was sown by two mischievous little devils after breakfast.

Of course, you know I love Peep art. You can see some our past creations here and here. This year thanks to a nasty little virus, the week leading up to Easter was a bit anticlimactic in our house since the baby was sick and then me (thanks to drool boy who shared his germs with me). Our Peep fun was today. We took all of the leftover Peeps and made works of art with them using paper shaped like an egg, glue, and jelly beans. This was a good way to use up some of the candy that will usually end up in the garbage anyway. Our designs were supposed to look like flowers.

How did you celebrate Easter?

My Offline Life: To Many Hobbies To Little Time

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:30:00 +0000

In the last month and a half after the craziness of the holidays, I've suddenly developed this insatiable urge to take up new hobbies. Maybe it is because I've tried to detach myself somewhat from this online world in which I was spending to much time and needed something to do besides cleaning. Who doesn't have something better to do than cleaning? If you have been reading for awhile you have probably realized I have a love, hate relationship with cleaning. Sometimes I find it therapeutic and other times, I try to avoid it all costs.

Last year if anyone had asked me what my hobby was, I would say blogging. Suddenly I've been inundated with messages about Blogger Friend Connect going away for non-Blogger blogs and Pinterest (which I haven't even let myself delve into because hello new online addiction) and I've realized how way behind on the latest news I really am.

Suddenly, I've developed a crafting streak. Barrettes, photography, handmade bracelets, sewing...things I never made time for before, I'm suddenly making time for.

My writing has gotten a bit more sporadic, my house isn't as clean as I normally try to keep it, and projects get started and get left laying around for days at a time but I am slowly becoming a bit more mellower with the chaos. I was so excited to get my organic muslin for produce bags that I tore open the package while I was still in the driveway. Note to our houseguests this weekend: please don't be offended by the boxes of kiddie toys and clothes waiting to find homes sitting in the hallway. I needed to clear out the guest room so you had a place to sleep.

Did I mention my husband has agreed to remodel our kitchen? What had started as a painting project has turned into a complete remodel. Stacks of granite samples are sitting on the counter. We even had flooring samples strewn on the floor at one point as we tried to imagine what the finished product would look like. My file folder is about two inches thick with quotes and ideas of what "I" want.

Apparently my husband has been feeling the need for a project to. Originally, we were hiring people to do the whole project. Now, my husband is thinking about installing a tile floor and backsplash himself.

At least I've found lots of new material to write about!

Have you found yourself taking up new hobbies?

PEEPS Fest

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:51:00 +0000

The title sounds a little risque but I assure you this is a family friendly post.

We had lots of options for New Year's Eve-see a giant Peeps chicken drop or a crayon. Not many people could say that.

When I lived in Pottsville (yes, the birthplace of Yuengling beer) they had a ball drop at the square. Actually, I don't remember if it was a ball or if it was something else. According to Wikipedia, they drop a bottle of Yuengling beer. I guess that's better than a 100-pound stick of Lebanon bologna like in Lebanon, PA. My first apartment was right below the square so I hosted a New Year's party for my family one year. That was the only time I ever braved the cold to see any type of countdown. Like most people, I do have embarrassing photos from New Year's parties I've attended. As you've probably guessed that was BK (before kids) and yes, there was usually alcohol involved.

I usually find New Year's anticlimactic anyway, at least that is how I've felt the last few years. Maybe it is a sign that I am starting to accept what is and am not worrying so much about everything.

Since my sister-in-law was in town we decided to check out Peeps Fest with the kids. What kid wouldn't want to see a big yellow fiberglass chicken drop from the sky? The Peep drop was also at 6:15 pm so it wasn't past any of our bedtimes. Why were they dropping a Peep? Just Born, the maker of Peeps is based in Bethlehem.

There was something oddly beautiful about being amid the old rusting former Bethlehem Steel plant where SteelStacks (the arts & cultural campus) is located.

We were to late to see any of the free events inside. We didn't want to arrive to early since we had 5 kids to corral and if they had gotten to restless we would have had to leave. We did get to walk around inside the ArtsQuest building though. This was no easy feat with a sit-n-stand stroller that isn't the most maneuverable thing to begin with amidst all of the people milling around.

People were looking at me a little odd when I climbed up on the small ladder to take a picture of the chalk drawing (the center pic). I assumed that was why it was there since the picture looked three-dimensional from the top. The PEEPS tree looked good enough to eat (even though I am not a fan of the confection that tree almost convinced me to try one again).

According to Emmy, the best part of the PEEPS drop was getting a pack of marshmallow trees after the PEEPs chicken dropped.

Oh, and we did attempt to stay up anyway. We managed, barely. The kids didn't make it of course. We did have a dance party in the basement until bedtime though.

As far as embarrassing New Year's photos, there is one of me dancing with Emmy wiggling our butts doing one of the songs from Just Dance For Kids on the Wii. Some things never change...

How did you ring in the New Year?

New Year's Resolutions and Motherhood

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:59:00 +0000

When you are pregnant, people will tell you how you will worry about everything regarding your children but they omit the part about how much you will worry about yourself to.

I can't think of anything worse than my children not having the one thing they need. Me. I know what it is like to lose a parent. My father died when I was 13.

I was a worrier as a child. I would worry that the tickle in my throat was something more sinister when in fact it was just that-a tickle. When my father was diagnosed with cancer when I was 12, I worried that I would be stricken with the disease.

Eventually, I seemed to outgrow my hypochondria. I went to college, and for the first time became totally independent. After college, between substituting two days a week, working in a clothing store full-time, searching for a full-time teaching job, and attempting to have what resembled a social life, I didn't have time to worry about my health. I wasn't dependent on anyone and no one was dependent on me. Maybe that was why I stopped worrying so much.

Then, I met my husband. He was always worried about his health and I would even tease him about it. Then we had children.

All those worries came back in full force for me to. We do try to eat healthy, exercise (well I at least try to) but there are no guarantees in this world. Is everything we do enough?

Have you ever heard the song "If I Die Young"?

The first time I heard the lyrics I thought what if?

We would all like our words and whatever wisdom we have to live on. This blog has become my journal of sorts since I stink at actually keeping a journal. Remember my last New Year's resolution? I wanted to write 34 words a day in my journal. How did I do? I made it to the middle of January and the rest of the journal is blank. Defeated by 34 words.

I know I am a good mom. I screw up a lot (like the one night when I took Emmy to dance class on the wrong night) but I love my children fiercely. I want them to know that through their memories but also through my own words. We can't always control what fate has in store for us.

How often do we reflect on our lives and how we live them? Having children makes us do that every day. I want them to know that they have changed me for the better.

There are no guarantees.

My New Year's resolution this year? Not to make a resolution. Every day is a chance to start over.

I know a little bit of worry is good and I may even make another attempt at writing in my journal. I'm going to continue blogging of course.

Tomorrow Bob goes back to work after being on vacation for almost two weeks and back to the gym I go. Out of the pantry will go all of the goodies that we stocked over the holidays for entertaining except for the cookies I just made. Hey, a little indulgence is good, remember.

Did you make a New Year's resolution? If so, I'd love to know what your resolution is!

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Lala-WHOOPSY

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:29:00 +0000

Whenever Emmy would see something on TV she would say how she wanted it for Christmas, those AS SEEN ON TV items especially...like Stompeez which are a blog post by themselves.

I figured she would constantly be changing her mind about what she wanted for Christmas like every other year. She is only four.

Hmphf...shows how much I know.

Every time she has seen Santa since the beginning of December she has told him she wants a Lalaloopsy Silly Hair doll. That's all she wants...well that and a Barbie Puppy Wash (or the Barbie Puppy Water Park as it is really called). Of course, she wanted the two things I didn't get her.

I had seen the dolls before in passing but had never really paid much attention to them. But, then I actually looked at them after Emmy started asking for one. They are an updated concept on the rag doll and are actually kind of cute in a vintagey (yes, I know that isn't a word) kind of way. I know for a fact Emmy never played with the Raggedy Ann doll I had bought her but I could see her playing with this.

So I started shopping for that Lalaloopsy Silly Hair doll after Black Friday. Of course it had to be one of the hottest toys of the season. The doll was sold out except on Amazon and eBay which were asking more than the retail price of the doll.

I was smart enough to call around to Kmart, Walmart, and a whole host of other stores before venturing out. They basically laughed at me when I asked if they had it. Then, I called Toys R Us as a last resort. I figured they would not have them since they are a toy store and the first place people go for hard to buy items is toy stores.

They had it! I packed the kids up in the car and told them we were picking up the doll for their godparents who wanted it for a Christmas present. I got there and told them I was there for the doll. They looked at me like I was crazy and explained that they hadn't had that doll for awhile.

So we headed over to Babies R Us on the off chance that was who I had called. It turns out it was, thank heavens. Apparently around the holidays, Babies R Us often gets the hotter toys to. I got the Jewel Sparkles (who is in pink) doll because well, I thought she was cuter than Sugar Crumb (who is dressed in yellow). All Emily could talk about was how she wanted that doll for Christmas the entire way home.

I even went as far with my ruse as to pack the doll in a box, label it, and pretend to mail it.

Then, Emmy saw the yellow one and decided that she just had to have the yellow one named Sugar Crumb. Needless, to say I was cursing myself in my head for overlooking the fact that my daughter's favorite color is yellow so of course she would want that one.

One day, when I was sans the kids, I made another trek to Babies R Us to exchange the doll. Only days later, Emmy decided she wanted the pink one instead. At that point common sense prevailed.

I was doing the one thing I swore up and down I wouldn't do!

It was a good thing to since Babies R Us are officially sold out of them (or were the other week when I was in) because I just had to check.

So Emmy is getting the yellow Lalaloopsy doll and a note from Santa (which is a tradition in our house). According to Santa, even though the doll isn't the one Emmy necessarily wanted she needed a good home and since Emmy has such a big heart he thought Sugar Crumb would have a good home with her.

Sheesh, I could write a book about the lies I tell my kids...

Easy Kid's Christmas Craft: Ribbon Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:54:00 +0000

In the past, I usually didn't put Christmas decorations in the kids' rooms mainly because they were to young and I worried a) about their safety and b)that they would destroy them. I can see my 2 year old pulling Christmas lights out of their socket and so on.

The girls love to get into my ribbon and at the start of Emmy's pre-k this year they were emphasizing small, medium, and large so we did a Christmas tree craft with ribbon and we reinforced this concept and had fun getting sticky fingers with glue.

I don't know where I got the idea. I think I saw something similar in a magazine or online and just adapted it to my kids' abilities and what I had in the house. They may have used paper rather than ribbon. I cut different pieces of ribbon and then let the girls glue them to paper starting with the longest pieces of ribbon to the smallest to form a tree shape. We glued them on construction paper and then I cut two triangles of ribbon to form a diamond shape at the top of the tree. We tried to make a star with several triangle shapes but it didn't look right so we went with the diamond shape. For the trunk, we used a different piece of ribbon.

Here is what they looked like:

You could cut out the tree then when they dried and punch a hole in the top to make an ornament for the tree. I used yarn to make the loop to use to hang the new ornament. Don't forget to write the date on the back so you can remember when it was made for future Christmases as you reminisce!

I wanted to put something in the girls' room to add some Christmas cheer so while they were making their's I made one to.

I used an artist canvas that I had picked up brand new at a yard sale for less than a dollar and used ribbon that coordinated with the colors in their bedroom for the tree. I also made it look like a present by adding a bow.

Here is how mine turned out:

I brought some Christmas into the girls' room but I don't have to worry if they destroy it since it cost less than two dollars to make.

What kind of homemade goodness have you made for your tree or to decorate your house?

Christmas Gives Me Writer's Cramp

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:57:00 +0000

While the girls are busy playing doctor-or I should say a Rapunzel and rock star are playing doctor and Ry is sleeping, I snuck away to write a quick post. The kids are within ear shot and my line of sight so I can be there in seconds if anything goes awry in my living room/doctor's office.

I used to write lists of presents I needed to buy, who gots tins filled with cookies, what I needed to do and places we planned to go, not to mention the christmas cards that needed to be signed, the envelopes that needed to be addressed, and the tags on the presents that needed to be written from us and "Santa". All these things gave me a severe case of writer's cramp.

I still do the lists just so I think my life has some semblance of organization before it all goes down the tubes by 8:30 am.

One Christmas in recent years I started using address labels so I just need to update my list of addresses each year. Of course last year when I ran out of labels, I shouldn't have thrown the packaging away because I have no idea what kind of labels I used. Hence, this is why my Christmas cards (which I've had before Thanksgiving) are still not sent out. Today, I'm heading to Staples with the crew (3 kids ages 4, 2, and 5 months). God help me.

Since we've had kids, I figure everyone wants to see how ~~cute the kids are~~ much the kids have grown so we just do photo cards with a short message. No more signing cards makes Mommy sing hallelujah.

That only left the gift tags to give me a mild case of writer's cramp. To bad Em can't write much more than her name (and that endeavor would take up the entire gift tag) or I would give that task to her. Only children would find pleasure in tasks that I hate doing (like using a dust pan and brush to clean up the mess on the floor from every single meal). I always sign all of our names on gift tags to family and friends since I feel weirdly formal writing "From so-and-so Family".

I had a Vistaprint livingsocial deal to use up about a month ago and I figured I could do something with business cards so I could get out this task to. I made gift tags with the "To" part blank and then signed all of our names in the "From" part. Next year I'll make ones from Santa since Em will probably be old enough to be even more aware of all the technicalities of Santa's visit. I don't want her to realize there isn't a Santa because she recognizes my handwriting. After writing a few gift tags, I can see me getting sloppy and forgetting to "disguise" my handwriting.

Here is how they turned out:

So now all of the annoying little things are much simpler until next year when I am bombarded with questions about how does Santa do this and that (thank goodness we haven't had to deal to much with that yet) and I have to make up lie after lie on the spot which I stink at. I know I will forget my own lies and I'll be found out. I can't even remember to find our generic "elf on the shelf" a new home each morning so remembering what fibs I've told the previous day isn't going to happen.

How do you make the holiday season easier on yourself while still keeping up with family traditions?

Mom's Night Out

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:53:00 +0000

I sometimes get jealous when my husband goes out with his friends.

I admit it.

Even though he tells me to make plans with my girlfriends, I rarely do because we all have little ones and finding nights where our husband's are home and the kids aren't sick and we actually have any energy to leave the house...

It sometimes is just to much effort.

Until Breaking Dawn came out. I sent a message to a friend asking if she wanted to go. She had agreed weeks ago to be my "date" when it came out since my hubby wouldn't be caught dead watching it even though he went to see Bridesmaids with his buddies which was mildly concerning (he claims it was the only thing in that they hadn't already seen, which was probably true...probably). She even watched all the previous movies to prepare for our night out.

We were wild.

We went to the 9:50pm showing AND ate popcorn, ate candy, and drank sugary beverages. We both made it through the movie without a bathroom break which was a miracle in and of itself. She is several months pregnant and my bladder isn't what is used to be before three kids.

Then, my friend asked if I needed anything from Walmart or Wegman's since both were still open and their shining lights were beckoning. I said no but when she asked if I was sure...

"Well, just because we don't need anything doesn't mean we can't walk around," I replied

We browsed the toys and Christmas decorations in Walmart and ended up needing a cart for all the goodies we found. We busted a move in the one aisle while wearing the animated/singing Christmas tree hat (me) and the sock monkey hat (her).

Like I said, we were pretty wild.

And when we left, we even went through the door marked "Enter" rather than the "Exit".

It was after one when I got home-several hours after my normal bedtime which is usually around eighty-thirty or nine.

Wild mommies, that's us...

My First Experience as an Extreme Couponer

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:51:00 +0000

My sister-in-law came for Thanksgiving at our house prepared for her annual CVS run. She even had a spreadsheet of all of their deals and how to make the most of her money.

She asked me if I wanted to come along? Of course!

We deviated along the way...how could we resist mint chocolate M&Ms (and at 4/$6 when you counted the ECB rewards)?

At the end we kind of winged it since they were out of a few things but for $29.97 with $16 in ECB that I still need to spend (so technically I spent $13.97, right?) we got a good deal. I only bought things that we would use to so there will be no stockpiling in our basement. My theory is if I keep using the rest of my ECBs to buy things that earn ECBs, I'll keep getting my money to work for me.

My sister-in-law was right, you do get a rush doing this! It was actually fun but of course my sister-in-law was the one who did all the work. She said she spent hours this week working out the best deals and how to group the transactions. I'm not sure I could spend hours taking the time to do this weekly. Actually, I am not sure my husband would tolerate me spending that kind of time. No doubt about it, it is a lot of work.

It also helped that we had an awesome cashier who was very good-humored about the whole thing and didn't mind us doing several transactions.

While we were out shopping, my mother-in-law was finishing the meal prep along with the guys who were watching the kids and being good sports about our little adventure.

Now I'm off to make Chex Mix with the yummy Chex cereal we bought even though it is only 7:30 am!

Our score

Explaining Being Thankful to a Preschooler & A Thanksgiving Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:12:00 +0000

I wanted a craft to do with the girls but that wasn't to labor intensive since their attention span is pretty limited. I love countdown projects to help teach numbers so that is what I decided to do. I cut out 7 leaves using a template (printed on cardstock) that I found online. If you need help finding one just google leaf template under images and you'll find a bunch of templates from which to choose.

I let the girls choose the colors of scrapbook paper that they wanted and then I traced the leaves and cut them out while they played pre-k and pretended to read Thanksgiving books that we've been reading together.

They put the stickers on the leaves and then we talked about what it meant to be thankful. That is not an easy concept to explain to a 4 and 2 year old. It took me days to come up with the right words. Why is it that the simplest explanation is sometimes the hardest? Last month Emmy's preschool collected food for the local food bank and I had talked with the girls about why we were collecting food and I had introduced the topic then. I've tried to keep it simple. We had talked about basic needs and what we need to live. I explained to them that we have lots of things that we should be thankful for, things that make us feel good and even safe. Emmy's pre-k was scheduled to have a trike-a-thon to benefit St. Jude's so we've also talked about how being healthy is something we should feel thankful for also.

When we did this craft, I asked them what things made them happy. I used some prompts to such as things they liked to do or things they liked to play with or people that they liked to be around.

On the back of the leaves I wrote the girls' responses. Some of their responses were:

Mommy and Daddy and Ryan (of course)
Grammy and all of their friends and Alex and Thomas (their cousins)
being able to dance (Madison said somersaults, not surprising for the little monkey that she is)
food especially marshmallows and cocoa (which I am not sure count as a food group)
their dolls
Emmy said her teachers (how long will that last, I wonder???)
playing tag
their house and their room
playing in the leaves
scarves and gloves (which are even more fun to play dress-up with)
blowing bubbles
bicycles and cars

And then they lost interest and wanted to hang the leaves. I just used some ribbon I had laying around, clothespins, and removable hooks which I had in a drawer on which to attach the ribbon.

Here is the finished product:

Each day we're taking down a leaf and reading what they are thankful for. For Thanksgiving, we'll either hang them all back up or make them into napkin rings by making a ring with a strip of paper to put around a napkin and then gluing a leaf on each ring.

How have you explained thankfulness to your child? What do you have to be thankful for this holiday season?

"Look Mom, I Can Write My Name"

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:54:00 +0000

Emily started learning how to write her name over the summer. She would scrawl haphazard letters that were sometimes almost indecipherable on the paper in front of her.

After lots of practice at home and preschool, she has gotten quite good at writing her name. She shows how proud she is of her "new" accomplishment by writing her name on papers, cards, and even the newspaper. She has also started drawing pictures that are recognizable (such as her stick figures that do somewhat resemble people). Notice I say usually since her recent drawing of rocket ships also kind of resembled potato people.

Since she has been really good about only writing on paper, if I am doing laundry or some other task while her siblings are napping and she asks for paper so she can draw at the table or practice writing her letters, I usually say okay.

I hand her paper and always remind her to only write on the paper and nothing else unless Mommy says it is okay. I recently stopped reminding her to only write on the paper because I assumed she "got it" after I have repeated it at least a hundred times and because she hasn't written on the table or any other surface in months.

My mistake.

After walking into the kitchen after walking through the downstairs collecting stray pieces of clothing since my children love to play dress-up about ten times a day, I walked into the kitchen to find marker, washable mind you, on most surfaces in my kitchen.

How much havoc can a toddler wreak in five minutes?

Her name was written on the fridge, the polka dots that decorated her rocket ships in the card she had been working on for her dad also had been drawn on my kitchen stools, and she had scribbles on her booster seat and even her brother's high chair.

After me explaining that the proper place to write was on paper, I handed her a wet cloth and had her wipe down everything on which she had drawn.

I was reminded yet again that no matter how responsible and helpful she can be for a four year old, she is still only four years old.

Just like I am thankful for magic erasers and hand sanitizer, I am also thankful for washable markers!

Do As I Say Not As I Do

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:32:00 +0000

I realized recently how often I inadvertently use the "do as I say and not as I do" on my children without speaking a word.

Take for instance, the abundance of Halloween candy in my house. It took up two large plastic seasonal bowls with ghosts and pumpkins while anything inedible went into a small basket.

My kids kept trying to sneak candy off the counter. The 2 year old even went as far as to use her talking grill (which is THE most annoying toy we have had since her talking vacuum was escorted from our house after Emmy started using his phrases to critique my cleaning skills) to stand on to try to reach the candy bowls.

Then, it was put away into the pantry but not forgotten by my children who are like little pitbulls. They were allowed one piece a day (two if you count the pretzels or fruit snacks that I let them have for a morning snack).

Of course, my husband and I were like dogs with bones, digging for the best pieces. I scored Peppermint Patties and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups while he would take the Skittles and Mike and Ikes. We had more than one or two-triple or quadruple what we allowed the kids before dinner. My hour at the gym three times a week probably didn't even make up for the calories I've consumed.

And then I got busted by my oldest who wanted to know why Mommy was eating a piece of candy when she couldn't as a morning snack (it was 11 am and right before lunch). Here I thought I was being stealthy. Then, she asked if it was like soda where only mommies and daddies could have it. I just nodded my head. Yes, it is just like that.

Then the mommy guilt set in as I realized I wasn't living up the example I wanted to set.

Finally, the candy had to go. Not only was the guilt eating at me since I have no self control and was foolish to think I would but I was getting sick of the candy. We made up bags for family and friends' children who didn't get to go trick-or-treating because of the snowstorm that disrupted Halloween plans or because of sickness.

The rest of the hard candy in addition to the two bags of candy that I had picked up for 50% off (just because it was on sale) after Halloween went to Operation Gratitude. A friend graciously collected everyone's candy and dropped it off at a local dentist who planned to send it to the troops. She collected over 8 1/2 pounds of candy-probably from parents who were feeling like I was.

So while I taught my children all about the "do as I say not as I do" or the "when you're older and a mommy or daddy you can do it to", I also taught them about sharing and not just with mommy and daddy (or that's what I'm telling myself). It's called the glass half full philosphy of parenting.

A Favorite Family Photo

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:45:00 +0000

Every year around this time, I try to get a picture of the kids to use for our holiday cards. I usually have already picked out our card design on Shutterfly since I like Shutterfly's selection for our Christmas cards and I am if not anything else, a creature of habit (or as I like to say a person who just likes traditions). On my side of the family, someone usually gets some kind of photo gifts also and Shutterfly has a large selection of items that would appeal to any grandparent or aunt or uncle. One year I got a photo jigsaw puzzle for my grandfather and magnets for other family members.

This is usually the best I can do:

After trying for a few days (never in a row since I would go crazier than I already am), I usually admit defeat and we find ourselves sitting in some studio somewhere waiting amid other families in their holiday best to get their family portraits done. My attempts in recent years to just get the girls' pictures turns into a family portrait by then.

This summer after finding out that an acquaintance who I got to know through our local mom's group (before her family moved to Florida) was coming up and doing mini photo sessions, I immediately booked a mini session. She is immensely talented and her photos are stunning. She is the owner of Maria Felton Photography. I was hoping and praying that Ryan would have arrived by then (it was about two weeks before I was due) but alas he didn't arrive until almost a week after he was due (of course).

(I need a new frame that doesn't cut off so much of my husband's head!)

One thing I learned on this day was that the best picture isn't always the one where everyone is looking at the camera and sitting perfectly still. This picture totally captured Maddie's personality and Emmy's silly smile which is why we fell in love with it and why it is now on our mantel. Madison has a thing for monkeys which isn't a surprise to anyone who sees this photo since she is practically upside down.

This photo session was also fun since it was about capturing our family naturally outside. We were in the alley behind the Crayola Factory (one of the girls' favorite places) in Easton where The Purple Cow Creamery is located. Music was playing from the School of Rock on the corner and amazingly, there were no tears for once. It seems someone always has a meltdown when we get our pictures done in a studio. Emily also loved that Maria had her singing and being silly (which she is quite good at)! They were also able to move around instead of being cooped up inside. It probably didn't hurt that we bribed the kids with ice cream from the Creamery afterwards either.

What is your favorite family photo?

This month Shutterfly is planning "Family Photo Days" to help families capture the perfect holiday picture to use in creating their holiday cards. It is also to help make consumers aware of Shutterfly's line of holiday cards. Some of the activities they have planned include helping people host Family Photo Days, a downloadable toolkit with lots of creative tips on capturing the perfect holiday picture, and you can even enter their Holiday Photo Contest and receive 5 free cards just for entering (if you win you get a year's worth of free cards).

This week I am going to try again using some of the tips Shutterfly provided in their toolbox to try to get a holiday card worthy picture all on my own. I even bought Santa hats for all three kids and I am going to try to take a pinwheel shot with all three kids lying down and looking up outside since it is so warm out this week. Hopefully, I'll be able to have the patience to try to get the perfect shot.

Have you started your holiday cards yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

I was compensated with 50 cards from Shutterfly for participating in their "Family Photo Days" promotion. All opinions are my own.

Betty Crocker Review & Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:36:00 +0000

Need something to go with a warm glass of cocoa? What about a way to use up some of that extra Halloween candy?

With busy schedules, we can't always bake from scratch and for those of us not baking extraordinaires and maybe somewhat cooking challenged, we rely on box mixes. New Milk Chocolate Traditional Brownie Mix from Betty Crocker© can help you whip up a treat in no time at all.

I made these brownies last weekend just in time for the snowstorm that buried the east coast in snow. My family loves to make "loaded" brownies with whatever I have on hand. I added peanut butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter with a pretzel crust. The kids (and adults) loved them. With all the Halloween chocolate that we now have in the pantry I can put some of my children's favorite chocolate bars in the food processor, chop them up, and then add them to my next batch of brownie mix.

For some original recipe ideas using a boxed brownie mix, check out the Betty Crocker website.

To help you whip up some chocolatey goodess in your kitchen, Betty Crocker and MyBlogSpark have teamed up and one lucky TPMG reader will win a Betty Crocker Prize Pack containing a brownie pan, a mixing spoon, a Betty Crocker apron, and a box of Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Traditional Brownie Mix.

Enter to win a Betty Crocker Prize Pack (a brownie pan, a mixing spoon, a Betty Crocker apron, and a box of Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Traditional Brownie Mix)

Mandatory Entry (Must be completed for all other entries to be valid): For whom do you plan on baking Betty Crocker Milk Chocolate Traditional Brownies?

To receive additional entries:

*Become a follower of TPMG (if you already follow just leave a comment that you do) (1 entry)

*Become a fan of Betty Crocker and/or TPMG on Facebook and leave a comment here that you have done so (1 entry each)

*Follow Betty Crocker and/or TPMG on twitter and leave a comment here that you have done so (1 entry each)

*Tweet (maximum of once daily) about this giveaway and don't forget to leave your twitter name

Copy and paste: Win a Betty Crocker Prize Pack Giveaway at #TPMG (ends 11/20) http://bit.ly/vzuBAC (1 entry per tweet)

*Add The Practical Mom Guide to your blogroll or display the blog button (5 entries)

*Post about this giveaway on your blog (5 entries)

This giveaway will end on Sunday, November 20, 2011. I will announce the winner on November 21st here at The Practical Mom Guide. All winners are chosen randomly. If I am unable to contact the winner or they do not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

Contest only open to U.S. residents.

Good luck and thank you for participating!

*Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark provided TPMG with a prize pack to review and a prize pack to use in the giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Weekly Deal Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:11:00 +0000

Many people this holiday season are being budget conscious including myself. Normally, I list the week's roundup of deals found online on the Freebies page under the "Savings" tab but I figured I would also include it on the main page this week. There are several freebies that include personalized Christmas cards and personalized photo gifts. I know now is the time I start thinking about Christmas gifts and cards to send to family and friends so I always appreciate these deals. What grandparent wouldn't love a desk calendar of their grandkids in their stocking? You could even use the 100 free postcards from Staples as Christmas cards since you can upload your own images and include a family message on the back. Just think of how much you would save by mailing postcards since it only costs $.29 each to mail them!

Weekly Deal Roundup

25 free prints at Walgreens with code FREE4X6 and a free desktop calendar FREE4U (only good Friday, November 4th & Saturday, November 5th)

10 free photo cards from MyPublisher with the code HAPPY10FREE (includes free shipping)

100 free postcards from Staples with coupon (if ordering online just use this link but you will have to pay for shipping)

Free Dinosaur Train Toolkit and poster for educators

Free Sid the Science Kid Poster for educators

Sam's Club members can get a free sample of Simply Right Underwear , Huggies GoodNites, or Dove Daily Moisture. You will need to provide your membership number.

Free recording of Santa reading For Christmas Day for your child (perfect for Xmas morning)

Free sample of Post-It Nessorize accessories

You can still get your free Potty Training Success DVD from Huggies

Free Water For Elephants Audiobook from Audible.com

Free sample of Oscar de la Renta Live in Love perfume

25% off your entire purchase at Jo-Ann's Fabrics stores coupon (valid 11/4-11/6)

B1G1 free coupon for Baskin Robbins Flavor of the Month (expires 11/5)

"Like" Hallmark on Facebook and get a coupon for $5 off your $10 purchase (expires 11/ 15)

10 free Pampers Gifts to Grow points with each of the codes CABRANDSVRNOV11 and FAC1011PR46DYHD

These promos are still going on:

Free waffle coupon for Waffle House (Expires 11/11)

Send an email to 5 friends about Shutterfly's "Tell a Friend" deal (75 free prints for them) and you will get 75 free prints to.

Get a free holiday card for someone in the military from Tiny Prints(Expires 11/15/11)

Free Debt-Free Holiday Handbook

Free Joyce Meyer Ministries 2012 calendar

Arm & Hammer Simply Saline Neti Pot Rebate ($14.99 value) (Expires 7/31/2013)

Try out InkGarden for free. Pick one of their products (up to $13 value) and use the code ForFREE but you will need to pay shipping charges (Expires 12/31)

Free Lakeshore Learning educational apps for iphones, iPads, etc.such as Phonics Tic-Tac-Toe (ages 6-8), Letter of the Day Interactive Activities (4-6), and Beginning Sounds Interactive Game (4-7). They can be downloaded for free until December 30th!

$10 off a $25 Yankee Candle purchase coupon (expires 11/27)

$5 off Leapster Crayola Art Game coupon (Expires 11/30)

"Like" AST Enzymes and get a free sample of AST Enzymes Gluten Relief

"Like" NeilMed Sinus on Facebook and get a free NeilMed Sinus Rinse Bottle and 2 packets

Saving Cents With Sense has a list of freebies for Veterans Day

Tim Horton's is offering veterans and active duty military a free star spangled vanilla dipped donut at their U.S. locations

The Richness of Fall

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:48:00 +0000

I love fall and since having children this time of year has a richness that I had never fully appreciated before. This year though it felt like winter had muscled its way in and had overtaken fall with this weekend's snowstorm that dumped 6-12 inches of snow on us. And now all of the Christmas decorations up in the stores and Christmas music being piped through the speakers doesn't help.

I had to remind myself that it is still fall.

Fall is...

...trips to the apple orchard to pick apples for crockpot apple butter.

...trips to the pumpkin patch for hayrides with straw tickling our noses and the search for the perfect pumpkin to make a jack-o-lantern.

...trick-or-treating or trick-or-trunking.

...hiking through a local state park with the leaves crunching and crackling underfoot.

Before having kids, apples came from the grocery store not an orchard and forget about carving pumpkins which would just result in one big mess. Leaves just meant work raking them up into piles just for a big gust of wind to blow them around the yard again. Now we bring them inside for leaf rubbings or leave the kids jump in them.

What is your favorite part of this time of year? And it is okay to say a day off of work for the Thanksgiving holiday!

The Frog in Our Mailbox

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:58:00 +0000

There is nothing quite like opening your mailbox and finding a frog.

...Not a real one of course but a fake one. I only wish the giant spider that I found in my mailbox the other day was as fake *shudder*.

A few days later we found a pink dog in our mailbox. Our local mailman, a family friend ruined the surprise for my husband though when he sent a text message and a picture of it to my husband. Apparently the people in the mailroom at our local post office got just as much of a kick out of it as the girls did.

Meet Hoppo and Pinkie

The girls thought they were the funniest things.

So did my sister-in-law who sent them for the girls after Ry was born.

Who knew you could send toys without packaging?

I have a stand of flamingos in my garage that I bought as a practical joke that may be on their way to a new home...

Late Night Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:27:00 +0000

When Ry turned two months last month, we transitioned him to his crib. Our nightly ritual is the same. All three kids go to bed around the same time. Bob takes the two girls and I take the baby. We all troop upstairs together between 7:15 and 7:30 pm.

Bath time, jammie time, story time, hug and kiss time, and then at last it is bed time.

The only piece of electronics in the kids' rooms is a radio. Every night that is the last thing that gets dealt with before the lights go out. We put their radios on. Ironically, its the same station that plays in both rooms. That was accidental. It was the only station we could get clearly in the girls' room that didn't play rap or a lot of upbeat dance music which I didn't think was good nighttime music especially since Emmy and Maddie like to dance. I pictured them dancing around the room that they've started sharing in recent months. Whatever Emmy does, Maddie does to. It is really the only station that comes in in Ry's room. The second night Ry slept in his room, I noticed it was the same station playing in both rooms.

What do they listen to? A syndicated radio show with Delilah. She plays love songs and soft contemporary rock-the perfect music to fall asleep to in my opinion.

Since I sit in the rocker and nurse Ry before putting him in his crib for the night, I have actually started listening to the radio and not just tuning it out as background noise. I've started looking forward to this quiet time.

Each night once the girls are in bed, I sit in the rocker listening to Delilah choosing the perfect song for the dedications of callers who are looking for a song to say what is in their heart or answering a listeners letter as they ask for advice or help. As I listen to her giving advice, I wonder where does that kind of wisdom come from? It seems she always has the perfect answer.

Is it age? Life experience? Personality and an inner ability to empathize? I am in my 30's with three young kids and I still feel so young and inexperienced in so many ways.

My husband was joking the other day that we're really not that young any more. He's right. Middle age is shortly upon us. Yet, I don't feel older, wiser, or more experienced.

How do you find the right words when your children come to you with their growing pains? You can't say "hold on a minute, let me ask someone else" or "let me google that". What do you say when your child is the one left out, or when they get their heart broken, or heaven forbid, they face tragedy like the loss of a friend? What do you say when they start asking the "hard" questions? What do you say to help make it better?

And I thought Emmy and Madison's "why?" stage was tough. It will get tougher, I am realizing.

Those "what to say worries" kept me up last night. How do you find the right words?

I know I can listen. I can be there. I can let them know I love them. Maybe I can play devil's advocate, maybe I can see where they are coming from based on my own experiences, maybe, maybe, maybe...

I'm sure I will probably say the wrong thing more often than not. Will me letting them know I love them more than anything else in this world, be enough?

I'm sure I will be be going through my own growing pains as a mom just as they are going through their growing pains as teens and young adults.

*After I hit publish, I realized 8 pm is not late for most people but since I became a mom, my bedtime is usually right after the kids' so for me it is late!

Pumpkin Timeline

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:34:00 +0000

Ever since I was a little girl, trick or treating involved dressing up and having my mom drive us door to door to family and friends' homes since we lived outside of town. We usually had our trusty plastic pumpkins to carry our loot.

For Emmy's first Halloween I was almost lured by fabric bags with pumpkins and sayings and the cutesie metal pails. In the end I went to Wal-mart and bought her her very own plastic pumpkin for about a $1.99. Those plastic pumpkins just bring back so many memories of my own childhood Halloweens. That bright orange pumpkin has been her loot "bag" ever since. Last year we bought Maddie her own and next year Ry will have his very own.

On the girls' pumpkins, I wrote with a black Sharpie what they have dressed up as for Halloween every year since they were born.

And this year?

I guess you'll have to wait and see!

I've Been Hacked

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 01:55:00 +0000

My husband called me from work last week to inform me that my personal email had been hacked.

How did he know before me?

An old coworker of his (whose address was in my contact list because we had invited him to a pool party we threw several years ago) had emailed him that my email was hacked.

A few seconds later a friend of ours also emailed my husband at work to let him know that my email had been hacked.

That prompted a call to me to inform me that every single person in my contact list (we're talking almost 200 people) had been spammed by me. I haven't cleaned my contact list out in...well, I don't remember.

Those people who were spammed included former coworkers of mine and my husbands, our minister, our lawyer, the moms in the moms club I belong to, our travel agent who planned our honeymoon, and a myriad number of people who I hadn't spoken to in years.

I was mortified.

Apparently, I knew Max's secret, how to quit smoking, how to have fun, how to get rid of pain, and a site to get rid of your problems.

Needless to say I immediately went in and changed my passwords...

...and updated my contact list.

Have you ever been hacked?

It Never Compares to Mom's

noreply@blogger.com (Joy@TPMG) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:24:00 +0000

My husband has a mom who is a good cook. Even those of you who don't cook probably have one or two things you can make and take to parties or gatherings. You know those things that you are known for bringing. When you RSVP, it is that dish that the host automatically replies with "can you bring your..."

Me, I make a mean veggie pasta salad.

With my MIL it's not one thing, it's several dishes that she is known for that are absolutely delicious. She makes a mean spinach dip, bean dip, and ranch pretzels (dubbed "Grammy's pretzels" and which my children could polish off in one sitting). After our hurricane party (it was supposed to be a pool party), she is also kown for the BEST ribs ever. Our guests polished off 8 or so pounds of ribs in no time. The recipe called for margarita mix. Anything with margarita mix is bound to be yummy.

She's also the one who is in charge of the Thanksgiving turkey and which turns out amazing year after year even though she doesn't measure the ingredients. According to her, its just a little of this and a little of that based on whatever is in our cupboard. If I did that it would turn into some nasty science experiment gone wrong. These are the people I envy since I am not a natural cook. I need a recipe and a little luck on my side when I cook.

My MIL is also known by her family for her hamburger gravy. Sausage gravy seems to be the norm here where we live and in the south but in the midwest where my husband's family is from, it is hamburger gravy. We occasionally gather at her place for breakfast when the whole family is together.

After Family Fun Magazine featured a recipe for biscuits and sausage gravy that looked almost exactly like my MIL's hamburger gravy, I decided to tackle this dish myself. My husband has been saying forever about how I need to learn how to make his mom's hamburger gravy. How hard could it be? (Asks the woman who still has issues using her bread maker). I had low expectations so I figured I wouldn't be disappointed when it didn't turn out well since I was deviating from the recipe.

When my husband saw the finished product, he gave me THE LOOK.

It was the dubious look that asks, "will this kill me if I eat it?" Actually, it was the "I have REALLY high expectations and this is so not going to live up to them" look since I have never sickened nor killed anyone with the food I've made. Of course there was that one time I mistakenly used cups instead of teaspoons of salt and instead of baking powder I used baking soda (or was it vice versa). I was making peanut butter cookies and they came out looking like bad tasting pancakes...Hey, I was only about 8 at the time. Yes, I was using a stove at that age. Of course, only when my dad was watching us.

I had been worried especially after my husband asked me if I wanted the truth or if I wanted him to be nice. Anyway, it came out good. Okay, at least the gravy did. My husband said I nailed it or at least came really close. *Insert me grinning wildly* I even have my grandparents as witnesses.

The biscuits were another matter. They were small. Apparently they were supposed to be large enough to break in half. The recipe said it would make 10. I had 12. On top of that they were a little "funky". They were dry. Some were flatter than others and some had multiple ring marks since I had some little hands helping roll and cut the biscuits with a glass. The girls had fun and really got into twisting the glass to cut out the biscuits. And if I'm truthful, I hate rolling dough so that could account for the different size biscuits since I rolled most of the dough. When I talked to my MIL and told her about my foray into cooking her signature family dish, she laughed and said she probably only gets about 5 or 6 biscuits out of a regular recipe.

My little helper & the finished product

I can never make my mom's casseroles taste just like her's either. So the lesson I learned is this: it will never live up to his mom's. Just like my casseroles and cookies will never taste quite like the casseroles my mom used to make and the cookies my grandmother used to make. And that is the way it is supposed to be. Maybe its because they put a little bit of their heart and soul, a little bit of them, into what they cook.

What is your signature dish?