Stay at Home-ista

Easy Hostess Gift

2013-05-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Ellie (who can be seen in this post about my daughter's rainbow birthday party), recently invited us over for a kid-free dinner, yay!

She has lovely, eclectic taste, so I just popped a few flowers together in a rinsed-out can, and attached a small paper tag. So simple, and yet bright and colorful, and totally her:)

I wish I could say that I picked these from my garden, but my attempts at gardening just aren't that far along yet!

Jessica

Stacking Books on the Coffee Table

2013-05-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

You all know that I'm not really one for styling spaces, but even I couldn't help but notice that my gorgeous, giant burlwood coffee table in my living room, just wasn't living up to expectations. I do believe that a room without books is a little soul-less, so enter a happy accident when I discovered this post from Oh Happy Day.

The thing is a massive 6 feet long, and the one little tray (that I got from Joss and Main), just wasn't filling the space, or making it feel homey. You can check out my new art additions here.

Thankfully, by adding four neat stacks of books to the table, the space is filled, and I'm actually encouraged to look at these coffee table books!

My favorite books can be found in this post of the gifts I bought myself.

Better, right?

Plus, with 3 kids under 6, there is no way I'm styling this sucker with anything breakable or precious:) Even those flowers were only a there-for-the-photos kind of thing.

Jessica

Gardening on a Deck

2013-05-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

This year, my attempts at gardening are more realistic. Last year, we brought up 2 enormous blue planters and planted bright pink bougainvillea,

built our own DIY planter (for the never-to-bloom veggie garden, this year you can see herbs and flowers),

and overall spruced up our deck.

This year, I just wanted to add some color to the bougainvillea pots (amazingly we didn't kill it over the winter!), and let the kids have a place to "garden" on their own. This year we are testing out a theory I found on Pinterest, that if you put a raw egg in the hole with the flowers, they will grow better!

You can see what happens when I let a 3 year old boy garden here:)

Oh, plus I grabbed a few $2 green pots at Ikea and filled them with this super soft grassy stuff that I picked up at Home Depot. The goal was to keep it alive long enough to use as centerpieces at my daughter's school gala, mission accomplished:)

Anything else you are craving this spring? It feels like each year I downsize my resolutions, and try to focus on what really matters. This spring planting season, that just means I want a few hits of color, and to be able to relax with my family.

Jessica

Using Groovebook to take my photos off the iphone

2013-05-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Like most of us, I take a ton of photos on my iPhone and then just leave them there to rot. Or be deleted by an overly tech-savvy 18 month old:)

Not anymore! I downloaded the Groovebook app (free), and now I order a little photo book each month with up to 100 picture sin it, all right from my phone!

Wait, now I sound like an infomercial, but I wanted to share how I get the photos *out*, so i can add them to our photo albums or give them out to others. The photos are perforated, so you can easily tear them out, and they even say when and where you took the photo, score!

It's $2.99 a month for a book for 100, which is a great deal, since 30 cents a photo including shipping totally rocks, and it's easy, with no annoying transferring of photos.

If you want to download the Groovebook app, put in my promo code GROOVEISTA and you'll get your first book free!

You can get the app from the apple app store, by going to groovebook.com. Plus you can check out this video for a quick demo.

Let me know what you think, it's my favorite thing, and if for some inexplicable reason I don't take 100 photos one month, then I plan on making cute little books for family members!

Jessica

If you enter my code, I'll get a small amount back, but you'll be getting a free book of photos, so I think it's a win-win! Plus, I won't ever endorse something I don't already use (and love)!

Dishwashing the Tub Toys

2013-05-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

Did you now you could do this?

I mean, I'm pretty sure I've read it in a bout a zillion magazines, and I think I hand-washed each toy after a bath when our first was a baby, but with three kids, somethings have to slide.

And, apparently, washing out bath toys was just one of those things:)

Until...

We were giving all three kiddos a bath in *our* tub, when the baby decided she had yet to make use of a tub as a giant diaper. You know what I mean?

Yep, so, so, so disgusting!

Not helped by the screams of the older two, "DISGUSTING"!

So after actually cleaning the kids (in the shower), and cleaning the tub itself, it was time to seriously disinfect the tub toys.

Man, this was easy. Pop in upper rack of dishwasher on "sanitize". Done.

If I had adventurous resolutions (which I do not, I like do-able resolutions) I'd resolve to wash the tub toys each week. Instead, I'm settling for every few months, or when we have hazmat level conditions:)

Jessica

A Sleep Number Pillow

2013-05-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Some mornings I wake up with a crik in my neck.

Or a "crick"? Creek?

Anyway, you know that feeling that you just haven't slept well, but you know for sure you aren't pregnant so there isn't something obvious to blame it on? (Also, no small children in my bed, so *no* good excuse).

After a few too many nights of this, I received an email from Sleep Number asking if I'd like a free pillow to try out. Heck ya! Who doesn't want a free pillow?

Especially if I get to take a special quiz to find just the right pillow for me! I mean, a quiz? It's like my birthday all over again.- Yes, I know, I'm a total nerd. But that nerdiness did take me to Harvard where I met my husband, so I'm allowed to get over excited about a pillow quiz:)

So, I went online, took the quiz and was sent the perfect pillow for me. Or for the me that took the quiz.

Turns out that while I am very good at knowing that I get hot (so I need a cool comfort pillow), that I like memory foam (that mattress saved me when pregnant with #2), and that I sleep in a Cal King bed, I don't actually know what position I sleep in.

I *thought* I was a back and side sleeper. So the pillow I received is perfect for that! It's all contoured and lovely and cradles your neck and head and when I'm laying on my back in bed it's super relaxing and lovely. Except- and this is the part where you know I'm telling you like it really is- I apparently sleep on my stomach. All those years of side-sleeping due to pregnancy and nursing while I sleep are over, and now I start on my side, then slip onto my stomach. So the lovely contoured pillow that is supposed to cradle the back of my neck winds up half-choking me by hitting my throat.

So... I'm keeping the pillow for my attempts at meditating, full-body relaxing and maybe my guest room:) And when I need a new pillow for actual sleeping, I know who to go to (plus I'll get to take the quiz all over again, yipee)!

Jessica

I was offered a free pillow from Sleep Number for me to try, but my opinions and words are all my own.

Cherry Blossom Flowers: an Egg Carton Craft

2013-05-08T05:30:00.001-07:00

Sometimes my kids are begging for a quick and easy craft. Something they can do in the 30 minutes between finishing breakfast and leaving for school. (You can check out my morning launch pad that helps smooth this process, and my tricks to save 10 hours a week, so I actually have time for crafting with the kiddos.)

Yesterday, my almost-4-year-old, wanted a "special" craft, so I looked into my craft box (my craft supplies are not as organized as they once were, but I still have a to-do box), found an egg carton, and looked on Pinterest to find inspiration.

Enter this pin, originally from Snapguide. It's an easy to follow picture tutorial, but the basic rundown is: cut out the egg "cups", slice each one 4 times and trim to create "petals", paint.

We chose pink, orange and red, so at least the colors go together well.

I might have time for another baby food jar craft, like last year's mother's day vases, or teacher appreciation pencil vases.

Jessica

Linking up to the Spring Pinterest Challenge with Young House Love, Bower Power, Sparkle Meets Pop and Red Bird Blue

New Living Room Art

2013-05-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

To start at the end- I'm in love with Joss and Main, and my new artwork, tada!!!

Now, back to the beginning:)

First, there was this.

Then, we added this art.

So it looked like this...

Pretty, but then zoom out to the entire room.

Not so balanced, right?

Even though I love the texture and raised feel of the art (which we got from Crate and Barrel), I thought the other side was too dark and needed something else light, and white.

Enter, my beloved flash sale site, Joss and Main.

I adore a ton of their things, but this art print, by a California surfer artist had all the right colors, and looks just right in the room!

Any other home decor sites you are loving?

Jessica

Linking up this week:

Crayons plus Craft Paper equals a Kid-friendly Tablecloth

2013-05-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

Easiest table setting I ever did.

Who knew I had so many different types of crayons?

Run a stripe of brown paper down the center of the table.

Add crayons and children.

Done!

I also (later) added candles, food, other people, dishes, etc.

Oh! And my 5 year old wrote people's names above their place settings so it worked as a place card too!

The kids loved getting to draw on the "tablecloth" during dinner, and it certainly kept them occupied longer than usual so we could have a wee bit more adult conversation before they needed our help.

Jessica

I can feel it in the air...

2013-05-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming.

Want to know how I know?

It's the biking,

the gardening,

the mess,

the sun hats,

and the overall outdoor goodness!

We;ve been sprucing up the outside of our house, so lots more pics and info to follow!

Jessica

Personalized Jessica iphone4 cover

2013-04-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

Because I am always losing my cell phone in the depths of my purse, and the baby likes to drop things on purpose, I decided to order a special cover from an adorable vendor on Etsy, CreateItYourWay.

Because I was slightly sleep-deprived from 3 sick children, I ordered a cover for the wrong type of phone!

Thankfully, I got a discount on the new (correct) order when I sent a bashful email to the seller explaining my mistake. My new cover is on the left, the too small one on the right.

So.... now I have a "Jessica" cover for an iphone4. The first person who wants it, can have it. I'm happy to mail it anywhere in the U.S. As is, it's just mocking me on my kitchen counter:)

Jessica

Party Inspiration: Red, Pink and Grey

2013-04-26T05:30:00.001-07:00

A sweet friend asked me to help her with the decor for her daughter's upcoming bat mitzvah luncheon and being the Pinterest addict that I am, I happily agreed!

She has a vision for red, pink and grey, something inexpensive, but impactful. No one wants their "fancy" friends or relatives to think you just bought a lot of schlock to fill the space, it needs to feel intentional.

These are my main ideas, hope to share "after" pics in June!

I'm totally in love with these giant balloons. So pretty and bold and modern.

Who doesn't love, love, love paper straws? They make anything seem special.

And that anything drink should be rosemary lemonade. Or even a lemonade "station" with different flavored ice cubes, peach, strawberry, mint, rosemary etc.

I love the look of a beautiful dessert table, plus the baby's breath is so sweet and appropriate for a 13 year old girl:)

Or a donut hole tower. Because, seriously? How can this go wrong?

All of these were from my Celebrations board on Pinterest. Head over to follow all of my Pinterest boards, I'd love to share my inspirations (or pinspirations) with you!

Jessica

Letting Kids Paint Their Own Pottery (a continuation on my journey of letting go)

2013-04-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

Remember a few weeks back when I shared my attempt to let go and just allow my kids, mostly my baby, to develop at her own pace?

Wel, I might have harbored a secret hope that once I blogged about it, she would instantly start walking, just to show me.

That did not happen.

So I'm back sharing my take on crafting and kids.

First- They are KIDS. Let them just do it for Peet's sake! Oh so often I see moms trying to "fix" their kids craft projects, spruce up their art, just make tiny adjustments to make it look better. Let it be. Let them color outside the lines, choose their own paint colors, glue something to the table.

This is an area where I think I excel.

About a month ago we did paint your own pottery, and I shared a 3-piece bowl with my 3 year old, and let my daughter do a bowl of her own. Then she made a penguin, I made another bowl, and my son made a mug, which is not pictured because it has turned into his "morning milk" mug at the breakfast table.

Notice how her bowl and mine are almost the same? Totally not on purpose, and I think hers (with purple on the outside) might even be better:)

I let my son do the insides of the 3-piece bowl and I tried to Kate Spade it up with the polka dots on the outside.

I love these things. It captures my kids' skills at a moment in time (and my skills as well!), and it just wouldn't be the same if I doctored them all up to make them perfect.

What do you think? Should we "help" our kids create more aesthetically pleasing crafts?

Jessica

Chia Pudding

2013-04-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my post on poached pears, I am trying to be healthier this spring, so I was looking for a quick and easy dessert that also had plenty of protein in it.

Enter Chia Pudding!

The chia seed is making a huge fuss on all the store shelves and in magazines and heatlh literature. Mayeb it's the new power food. It's the secret from the Amazon tribes. Pretty much it's having it's heyday right now so I decided to jump on the bandwagon. Plus, who doesn't love a gluten-free, dairy-free dessert? (Usually me, but I'm branching out!)

Chia Pudding:

1/2 cup Chia seeds

1-2* cups milk (regular, or coconut, it works with either one)

zest of 1 clementine (or other citrus, to give it a little depth)

optional: 1 tablespoon of sweetener (sugar, honey, etc.)

* For some unknown reason my Trader Joe's chia seeds like a 1:2 ratio of seeds to liquid, but most online recipes call for 1:4, go figure!

Mix all ingredients together in a covered container and refrigerate for 10-12 hours or overnight.

Done!

I garnished mine with some clementine slices to punch it up a little. My kids loved this, and you dont' have to tell them it's healthy, just that it's a new dessert you are trying!

Jessica

Homemade Chopped Liver

2013-04-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

For some reason chopped liver gets a bad rap, but it's one of my husband's favorite foods, and I love it too.

If you are a bit squeamish, you might not want to keep scrolling down, since the image of chicken livers isn't necessarily calming for your tummy:)

I use my mother in law's recipe (she of the fluffy matzoh ball fame).

Chopped Liver:

1 pound chicken livers (I got them at the butcher, but Safeway has them frozen too)
2 hard-boiled eggs or 4 hard-boiled egg whites
1/2 an onion
4 tablespoons Schmaltz

Let me stop right here to say that I don't keep schmaltz on hand (it's rendered chicken fat). So when I knew I was going to make this, I made a batch of my Engagement Chicken, then just poured the juices out into a ball jar (my favorite for packing school lunches) and popped it in the fridge.

Start by sautéing the onion in 2 tablespoons of schmaltz.

Once the onion is soft and translucent, pour the whole thing into your food processor.

Next, sauté the chicken livers (defrosted in the fridge if needed) in the remaining schmaltz for about 10 minutes until cooked through.

Add that to the food processor, with the eggs, onion, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Whir it around a bit and you are done.

I like to leave a little bit of texture in mine, otherwise it's like eating chicken liver baby food which is the most disgusting thing I've ever typed or even thought of:)

No "after" pic, since it was devoured before I even had a chance:)

Jessica

Why Keep Blogging?

2013-04-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

I've been asking myself this question ever since my whole family got sick in January and it took us 5 weeks to fully recover (we were sick in sequence, so it took forever)!

I started this blog last year as a way to document my family life, what I was doing with the kids, decorating our then-new home, and as a way to connect with relatives and friends who aren't close by.I had a newborn, which meant a *ton* of time on the couch nursing, like 8-12 hours a day of that, which gave me plenty of time to blog and visit and comment.

Over a year later, I discovered that blogging is a whole new world. It even has a name, the blogosphere. I've made blog-friends who I now reference in conversation with my husband, having to explain to him, that in many ways, blog-friends are more "real" than facebook-friends. I might have known a facebook-friend at one point in my life in person, but I know my blog-friends *now*. I'm even going to a blog conference, Haven, in August to have fun and meet them in person!

At first I was addicted to watching my numbers. How many people visited each day, how many new followers I got, how many comments, how many features... Then it started to turn into work. And not fun, I'm going to music class and being a mommy work, but I'm-obligated-to-visit-and-comment work. Yuck, not what I thought it was going to be.

Plus, our house is now not-so-new, and it's 95% done. A few minor tweaks here and there, a new poster, apparently constant dining room rug swapping, my attempts to style things, but pretty much done.

I'm still cooking 3 meals a day so this could easily turn into a cooking blog (which you might have noticed it's emphasized these last few weeks). I think I'll just continue to use it to record the NEW recipes I make, and celebrations we have (although this year it's a fireman birthday party not the construction machine birthday party, that is the focus of my attention). I used to keep a food journal where I wrote down what we served our friends at various dinner parties so that I wouldn't repeat the same meal over again. The blog can take over that Type-A part of me.

I still love sharing photos of my kids, and remembering what they are doing at this exact moment, because so quickly, these moments are gone. We are already past my 5 year old's first day of kindergarten, and I'm so glad I had a chance to write about it here.

In short, I'm going to keep blogging for ME. Not for readers, for blog-friends, for numbers or stats, or even for family. Just for me.

Keep reading and we can all see where I take this. I think it might have moments of more parenting, cooking, and even a few design projects in the future, but I'm going to stop spray painting things just so I can link up to a link party:)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on blogging. Mommy-blogs, blog-reading, DIY blogs, pretty much anything and everything!

Jessica

Why My New House Rocks! #StartFreshBuyNew #CGC

2013-04-15T05:30:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, we built our house from scratch, which means that everything inside is new.

I can't even begin to tell you how much *less* work this is for us.

-All of the appliances actually work!

-There are no leaks!

-I can set a temperature on the thermostat and the house will actually be that temperature!
This one is totally life changing for us, since w had lived with some variation of space heaters and fans for years, and were never totally sure that the babies were comfortable or frozen or sweating...Now, I know that it will never be less than 68 at night and no more than 74, so cotton footie pajamas with no blanket are just right in the crib.

-I can control the temperature of the water in the shower and tub!
Also life changing. Previously we had a little ring that floated in the tub and was suposed to change colors to let us know that the water temperature was safe for babies. Well, it was never right, so I'd often bail cold water in from the bathroom sink to adjust, which was just a crazy-pants way to live:)

-The house is SO energy efficient!
Even with a larger home (maybe 4 times larger than our last one) our gas bill (read: heat) is about the same.

The walls and floors and ceilings are super insulated. We even insulated the garage!
We have reflective plywood sheeting under the roof to deflect the sun's rays.
All of the (new!) windows are double-paned and low-e, which means super efficient.
We installed UV-blocking sun shades inside to block out even more sun in the afternoon.

If you are looking for more information on new homes (you don't have to build it yourself like we did!), head over to BHI’s Start Fresh Buy New website.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The secret to fluffy matzoh balls

2013-04-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, now that Passover is over, I can share my secret (really my mother in law's secret) to fluffy matzoh balls in your soup.

Ready?

Are you sure?

Because this is seriously life changing. You will never have hard-as-a-puck matzoh balls again.

OK, here goes.

After you make the batter, and chill it in the fridge.... Wait, you knew to chill it, right?

Chill it for 15 minutes to overnight.

OK, so once it's chilled and you drop the balls into water...... Yes, water, don't cook them in the broth, or they will soak up everything!

So, after they have cooked, about 10 minutes, you take them out and COOL THEM OFF IN A MUFFIN PAN.

Genius, right?

I have no idea why this works. Maybe it's the cooling off individually, maybe the muffin pan creates perfect matzoh ball resting spots, who knows? But after lengthy experimentation, this is guaranteed to give you fluffy matzoh balls.

If you want to eat right away, just pop them into the soup/broth. If not, you can freeze them. Just lay them out on wax paper on a baking sheet, freeze, then transfer them to ziploc baggies once frozen.

Oh, and here we are (minus the baby), just before our first night seder:)

Any other secrets that work for your family?

Jessica

Managing Expectations around Baby Milestones

2013-04-10T05:30:00.000-07:00

Each time I get to this point, and with each kid I always start to freak out. She isn't walking yet? What can be wrong? Why doesn't he annunciate his "l"s and "r"s better? Why isn't she going on sleepovers like the other kids?

OK, the last two are my current issues with the 3 and 5 year olds, but I'm sure, if you are a parent, you know what I'm talking about.

That insidious fear that your baby isn't following some magical baby checklist and skipping straight down the path to toddlerhood.

Because there is no straight path. It's long and winding, and even does some loop-de-loops, which is very impressive for the first two years of life:)

Unless there are actual issues, when a baby starts to talk, or walk, or wave, or do cartwheels, have no bearing on the person they will be when they grow up. Not only no bearing on how smart they will be, but certainly no bearing on if they will be a kind person, generous to others, loving, motivated, confident, the whole host of qualities that we want for our children.

So right now I'm going to sit back and enjoy what my 17 month old CAN do, and relish the fact that as annoying as it is that she can't walk yet, that also means that she can't efficiently move toys from one room to another yet either:)

Physical:

She can crawl, cruise, climb up and down stairs, walk while holding one or two hands, stand for 10 seconds, take 2-7 steps on her own.

(Sidenote- my older two started walking at 16 months and 15 months, so I'm sure #3 is just taking her time too)

She can also climb up onto our play table:)

Words:

Up, down, go, woof-woof, roar (lion sound), big sister"s name, big brother's name, mama, papa, abba, baba, ema, apple, pacha (milk), banana, agua, pop, wow

Other:

She can point to objects on a page when asked (various foods, animals, body parts)

Points to her own body parts when asked.

Snuggles a lot.

Gives open-mouthes "kisses"

Still naps twice a day, at 8am and noon for about 1-2 hours each.

Sleeps through the night from 6pm-6am.

Eats almost everything put in front of her.

Scribbles with crayons and tries to imitate her older siblings.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my favorite third baby, think I'll keep her:)

Jessica

Poached Pears

2013-04-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

As spring comes, I always get the desire to start eating healthier foods, and try to shed some of those winter pounds that inevitably creep on when sweaters and fires and s'mores and cider and baking are part of my day to day life.

Last week we had my parents over to dinner and I decided to bring back an old favorite, poached pears. I thought the lack of baked good or ice cream might make my kids refuse to accept this as a dessert, but they loved it so much they asked for it again as "breakfast dessert" the next morning!

Start by creating your poaching liquid. In my case I used:

1 cup dessert wine (you can use Sake, apple juice, pretty much anything sweet-ish)
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Let these come to a gentle boil in a pot on the stove.

Meanwhile, I took 4 red pears (you just want them to be pretty firm so they don't fall apart), peeled them, halved them, then scooped out the seeds. You can also leave them peeled and whole, I love how the stems look once you are done.

Place pears in poaching liquid and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

I served it straight from there, but if you want, take out the pears, and continue to simmer the liquid until it reduces down to a syrup to pour over top.

Any other spring desserts I should think about?

Jessica

Bloglovin

2013-04-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

Since Google Reader is going away, I thought I might try out Bloglovin. Especially if my efficient blog reading method, the next button, is going away.

Anyone have a good idea for blog following?

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Superbowl Party pics- it's never too late

2013-03-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

The Superbowl? When was that, a hundred days ago?

I know, but if part of my goal in having this blog is to use it in lieu of a scrapbook, then I better remember to write about our parties. Pay no attention to the fact that we just had a St Patrick's day party with an insane amount of corned beef, and I took *no* pictures. Total blogger fail, but I was a very relaxed hostess. Ahh, sometimes it's tough tp balance real life and blog life:)

Back to the Superbowl.

I made 150 various types of hot dogs and we had 4 left over, so I think that was a great success. I followed my Superbowl meal plan pretty closely, and even added my green bean, fennel and grapefruit salad at the suggestion of my friend Jessica, who thought I needed more green things:)

The Margarita Cake was phenomenal and 2 different friends brought cookies to supplement the dessert side of the table.

Huge success all around, and I'm going to do it again next year.

Of course, we were sad with the final game result, but at least it was fun:)

Jessica

My Favorite Passover Snacks

2013-03-25T05:30:00.000-07:00

With the Jewish holiday of Passover starting tonight, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite snacks.

I love to make my own homemade coconut macaroons. These are light and fluffy and taste almost nothing like the ones you buy in a can, delicious!

I also plan on making these cookies this year. Instead of using peanut butter, I'll use almond butter. How can you go wrong with a 3 ingredient cookie?

Thankfully the kids are off of school, but I might whip up a batch of Knockoff LaraBar Muffins, for them to snack on during the day.

Of course I'm making brisket as well, although no beer in it, I'll use wine or homemade chicken broth instead.

Anything you are making special this week?

Jessica

How to Enjoy your Birthday as a Mom

2013-03-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday!!!!

I know, I said that with way more excitement than I actually feel, since birthdays when you are a parent inevitably suck.

One year I got a kidney stone, the next my daughter was super sick, on my 30th birthday, I had the flu so badly I had to go to the emergency room due to dehydration. This year I have 2 or 3 sick kids (hard to tell since I'm pretty sure the 3rd one is just pretending to be sick so he can watch TV). The universe conspires to make birthdays pretty awful for parens so we can instead focus on our children's birthdays, planning elaborate construction birthday parties and the like.

So here are my top tips for how to enjoy your birthday when you are a mom.

1. Plan multiple celebrations. Dinner with your parents, a different night out with your spouse, lunch with girlfriends, cake decorating with your kids. You get the idea. And if one of them goes off without a hitch, then declare that your birthday celebration and move on.

2. Throw a kid-free party. I did this last year and it's really refreshing to have a party with no children attending. Since we usually gather our friends with children for the aforemetioned birthday parties, 4th of July, etc. it's nice to relax without having your conversation interrupted a million times.

3. Lower your expectations. I mean really low. No one throws up? That's amazing! Your husband remembered your birthday anytime before dinner? Great. Homemade card from your kids that they insist on keeping to themselves? A total win.

4. Find some "me" time. Even if that means going to school pickup early and reading a book in the car for 15 minutes. Ideally, I have time for myself a bit each day, but on my birthday, I make sure to schedule it in.

What do you do on your birthday?

Jessica

Sick in Springtime (Round 2)

2013-03-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

The baby has a cold with awful green snot coming out of her nose and she's given it to me. It's one of those killer colds where you can't move off the couch, and just want to lay in one spot and moan.

Since my head isn't capable of forming complete thoughts right now, I thought I'd share a post about how I dealt with sickness in our house last year. I was WAY more prepared, and totally on top of things. For some reason, being sick at the end of March just feels so WRONG...

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If I put the medicine on a silver tray will that make them better faster?

Here is how this day came to be.

Day 1: My daughter's "neck" (read:throat) hurts
Day 2: sniffles start
Day 3: She is incapacitated on the couch with a massive cold, cough, and fever
Day 4: Stays home from school, but feels good enough to re-organize the baby's room
Day 5: Back at school
Day 6: My son gets a little sniffly
Day 7: He has a cough
Day 8: He is incapacitated on the couch with a cold, cough and fever
Day 9: Slightly better, but he is still sick
Day 10: The baby gets the sniffles
Day 11: Baby and boy are both sick
Day 12: Today. He is home from school, on the tail end of the cold, the baby is sick, and my older daughter wants medicine because her brother is getting it. She is the only one who will tolerate saline drops in her nose, so that's what she is getting.

If there was ever a universal cure for the common cold, it's chicken soup. My family's version comes from my German grandmother, Clunky Soup. I has a much longer, German name, clunkersomethingsomething, but we can't remember it, and Clunky sounds better to a sick kid. It's basically dumplings; or matzoh ball soup without the matzoh:)

The recipe can be expanded to accommodate more children, or adults, I generally go with 1 egg per person.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 cup flour (possibly more)
1 quart chicken broth

Directions:
Bring broth to a boil.
Beat eggs (I do this with a fork)
Add in flour, a bit at a time. You want to achieve a pretty thick consistency.

Spoon mix a teaspoon at a time into the boiling broth.
*Tip- I dip the spoon into the broth each time, it helps the sticky mixture come off the spoon.

Cook 3 minutes.

Serve.