Stephanie's Mommy Brain

My Child Colored Himself with Marker, Oh yes he did!

2012-06-01T01:00:00.000-04:00

Hi! My name is Sam and I am 3 years old. My mom and dad left me in the living room with a blue Crayola marker. Even though I know better, I decided to write on myself. How do you like the stripe down my forehead and tongue?

O! But that's not all I did!!

I also colored one hand completely and was working on the other hand when Daddy walked in the room and stopped me.

See? That hand is COMPLETELY colored! The other one would have been, too, except Daddy had to spoil my fun.

Through this we learned a funny thing about washable markers - if your sweaty hand is coated in marker and you touch something (say the couch, wall, or sink) then you will leave a hand print.

Mama didn't think this was a very fun discovery! She scrubbed my hands with soap and water and still didn't get it all off. Eventually I got to play in the shower for awhile and most of it washed away.

Playing with a marker is a lot of fun until you get caught. Have you ever colored on yourself with a marker?

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I'm a Coppertone® Water Mom

2012-05-31T01:00:00.000-04:00

Fair skin, light brown hair, blue eyes, freckles. A description of my appearance reads like a check-list for skin cancer. Throw in "lived down South from birth to 22" and it's almost a given.

So it came as no surprise in the spring of 2008 when a dermatologist declared the sore that refused to heal in my hairline was actually basal cell carcinoma.

Skin cancer. But not the scary kind.

Basal cell rarely spreads and can be treated by cutting it out. Today I have a pretty cross-shaped scar in my hairline and down the middle of my forehead. And a lesson to be diligent in wearing sunscreen so I avoid sunburns (and skin cancer).

That last part is why I agreed to be a Coppertone® Water Mom. I don't want my children (or anyone else's children) to have a completely preventable scar. So I try to be diligent in applying sunscreen to my kids.

To help me spread the word about Coppertone® and their products they sent me a box filled with great stuff! A beach bag, beach ball, water bottle, 2 full-sized bottles of sunscreen and a ton of sample-sized bottles, as well as coupons.

I'm all for gifting my friends with a free sample of a product that will help protect kids from the harmful UV rays! If you see me, be sure to ask for a sample!

What is your favorite form of sunscreen: stick, lotion, spray, or foam?

Disclosure: As a member of the Coppertone® Water MOMS group, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience.

A Diet Book for Organic Lovers

2012-05-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

O.K. I admit it. I'm a bit of a sucker for diet books. I guess I keep hoping each book is going to tell me I can eat whatever I want, when I want and I'll look slim and beautiful.

We both know any book that told me that would be lying!

My latest diet book is S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim: Conquer cravings, drop pounds, and lose inches by Cynthia Sass. It's... well... predictable.

It begins with a 5-Day, 5-Food Fast Forward. Basically for 5 days you eat spinach, raspberries, almonds, organic eggs, nonfat plain organic yogurt, and some seasonings. The author promises that eating these foods in various combinations will cause you to lose "up to 8 pounds."

I don't doubt this is true. It's called "water weight" and generally happens no matter what diet you go on. Frankly, after eating only those foods for 5 days I'd throw the diet out the window and binge on a hamburger and fries!

After finishing the 5 Day, 5 Food Fast Forward you begin the real diet. This plan calls for you to eat 4 times a day (breakfast, lunch, snack, supper) every 3-5 hours. Makes sense.

Every meal/snack should include: produce, whole grain, lean protein, plant-based fat, and SASS (seasonings). In other words, eat the food pyramid/plate according to correct serving sizes.

Overall I think S.A.S.S. is very basic and a common sense approach to dieting and nutrition. My frustration come from the menus she includes and her insistence on organic foods. She quotes a ton of "studies" to support her claims for organic food and different food combinations.

Warning: I'm climbing on a soapbox.

Folks, just because there is a study does not mean it is scientifically reliable.

If 25, 50 or 100 people were in the study THAT IS NOT A LARGE ENOUGH SAMPLE TO BE RELIABLE. It just isn't. Also, you need to read a study and see what the variables were in it. How did the researcher arrive at her conclusions?

For example, a couple of weeks ago our local news station shared a story from a nearby university in which there were 2 cages of pregnant lab mice. One cage had a turned off cell phone placed on top. The other cage had a turned on cell phone placed on top. After the baby mice were born they were observed for an undisclosed amount of time. The conclusion was that the mice in the cage with the cell phone ON were more hyper and ADD because of the magnetic radiation given off by the cell phone. The hypothesis was then made that if pregnant women spend a lot of time on their cell phones or with their phones on and near their bellies then their babies may be hyperactive.

The above example is terrible science! It didn't tell the distance from the phone to the mice, how the mice were observed or how it was determined that they were hyper. It also didn't test what happened when you used different sized/styles/brands of cell phones. Yet a conclusion was drawn from 2 cages of lab mice.

Most of the studies presented in diet books (and on Facebook!) are also terrible science, just like the cell phone-lab mice study. Be careful to read the studies your nutritional gurus are quoting.

Climbing off soapbox.

So, what's my conclusion about S.A.S.S.?

If you enjoy eating organic, non-mainstream food (and your family does as well), then this is the diet plan for you. If you don't enjoy that kind of food, then I recommend you stick with the Food Plate, eat correct serving sizes and exercise. You won't drop the pounds overnight but you're more likely to keep them off long term.

What's your favorite diet/nutrition plan?

Disclosure: Thank you to the One2One Network for providing a copy of S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim to aid in my review. The above review is solely my opinion and was not influenced by anyone.

Mother - Daughter Matching Skirt and Dress from Fresh Produce Clothes

2012-05-29T01:00:00.000-04:00

"Mommy, can we match our clothes today?"

When you are a five year old girlie you LOVE to match your clothes to someone else. When you are a five year old girlie with three brothers you love to match your clothes to Mama.

Our matching winter outfit was easy - camel suede skirts, brown sweaters, brown boots. But with summer coming up we didn't have anything that matched.

Then Fresh Produce a women's sportswear clothing manufacturer and retailer emailed to ask if I would review one of their products. As I looked over the Fresh Produce clothing website (they have brick and mortar stores but none in Rhode Island) I discovered that they sell not only women's clothes but also girl's clothes.

So I replied asking if Ellie and I could review a matching travel skirt and sundress. Obviously from the pictures they said yes!

We selected a Girl's Surplice Dress in Augustine and a Jersey Tiered Skirt in Augustine both peri colored. Both are 100% knit cotton and SO comfortable!

I think their sizes run a little large. I'm wearing a small, which fits perfectly.

Ellie is wearing a medium, which fits a bit big. She should get at least 2 summers of wear out of this dress, possibly a third summer with a pair of leggings. She is 5 years old and in the 30-50% range of the growth charts, if that helps you with sizing.

I love how modest most of their clothes are! I especially love that the little girl clothes LOOK like little girls. They are modest, colorful, and stylish.

My one complaint is that the peri color looks blueish on my computer but in real life is purple. This of course is one of the hazards of ordering clothing on line. Everyone's computer colors are set differently.

I like the purple color (although I'm not usually a purple kind of girl) and Ellie LOVES that her dress is purple. Over all it's a minor complaint.

If you are looking for a beach dress, a casual dress, or mommy and me outfits for summer I highly recommend you check out Fresh Produce!

Disclosure: I received products from the brand to aid in my review. The opinions above are solely mine and were not influenced by the brand.

Menu Plan Monday :: May 28, 2012

2012-05-28T01:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Memorial Day!!

This week's menu includes:

Grilled Hamburgers/Hot Dogs, Potato Chips, Fruit

Ice Cream and leftover Birthday Cake

Roasted Chicken and Garden Salad

Grilled Steaks, Baked Potatoes, Garden Salad

BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Fruit

Homemade Pizza and Pineapples

Leftovers

Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Scrambled Eggs

What are you eating this week?

Recent menu plans:

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Honoring the Military with our Cub Scouts

2012-05-27T19:47:00.000-04:00

One of the things I love about Cub Scouts is the way they honor service, especially service in the military. As a way to honor our past military members, for Memorial Day we "planted" American flags on all of the graves at the Rhode Island Veteran's Cemetary with our Cub Scout Pack.

As we worked, we talked about the importance of honoring those who serve our country. Joel and I shared stories of our grandfathers who served in the Army during World War II: my grandpa stepped on a land mine in France and lost part of his leg, while Joel's grandfather served as a doctor at a fort in the States.

Today my family thanks the men and women of the United States military for your service and efforts to keep us safe and free. We also thank the families who equally sacrifice while their loved ones are deployed.

Specifically we thank our friends:

Dan in the Navy (and Alicia, Timothy, Samantha, and Hannah)
Doug in the Navy (and Heather, Vivian, Evan, and Nathan)
Pete in the Army (and Barbie, Morgan, and Warren)
Victor in the Army (and Sarah, Richard, and Luke)

If you are active or former military we also thank you!!!

15 Years and Counting!

2012-05-24T11:24:00.000-04:00

Fifteen years ago I wore a beautiful white dress and said, "I do" to a handsome young man in a black tux. It's been a crazy 15 years! But then we started off kinda crazy!

Our courtship lasted 9 months. We had been friends for 3 years, hung out together during summer school before our senior year in college, started dating in August, talking about marriage over Thanksgiving vacation, engaged in January, and married in May.

We were so young!!! (And our photographer was so terrible!)

Lots of great college memories represented in this picture!

Still love these girls! Wish we lived closer!!

Joel and Stephanie, May 2012

I can't believe it's been 15 years! 3 apartments. 1 house. 1 chronic disease. 4 c-sections. 3 employers but 1 job. 2 trips to Malaysia. And too many "I love yous" to count.

I can't imagine doing life with anyone else!

Just a Mom or an Entrepreneur?

2012-05-22T23:19:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm back in school writing an essay on "What I did during summer vacation" only my essay could be titled "What I learned at Bloggy Boot Camp."

After listening to 10 speakers in 8 hours my notebook is FULL of quotes and tips for making Stephanie's Mommy Brain better! Tips like: set office hours for myself; focus on one main purpose; and work towards one goal at a time. And my favorite quote of the day, "Blogging has to serve your family." (Tiffany Romero)

Out of all those pages and pages of notes my biggest take-away is this: think and act like an entrepreneur.

An entrepreneur is "a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk."

I have blogged for almost 5 years, but I haven't thought of myself as a businesswoman or an entrepreneur. Instead, I've been "just a mom with a blog about my family and what we do." Not that there is anything wrong with that kind of thinking, if your blog only serves as a creative outlet and hobby.

But, I want more from my social media activities. I want to partner with brands to meet the needs of moms and families so I can meet some of the financial needs of my own family.

In order to reach my goal I'm changing how I think of myself and my blog. I'm not "just a mom" with a quirky little hobby. I'm a business woman with marketable skills and abilities to help moms and brands meet each other's needs. I'm an entrepreneur.

That's what I learned on my Bloggy Boot Camp vacation. What have you learned lately?

Music on the Hill Concert Ticket Giveaway

2012-05-21T22:34:00.001-04:00

Music On the Hill: Concert Series in

East Greenwich, RI

Music On the Hill is an experience the entire family can enjoy right here in Little Rhody!

Listening to classical music is not only enjoyable for adults but for kids as well. That's why Baby Einstein DVDs are packed with classical music. Studies have been conducted to show a link between classical music and brain activity. This type of music releases neurons in the brain which helps the body to relax, and once it's relaxed it can absorb and learn. Attending a concert together as a family is a great way to get kids interested, involved, and to appreciate this genre of music.

About Music On the Hill (from their website): "Music on the Hill hosts an annual Festival Series of featuring prominent musicians who have come from, or currently live in Rhode Island during the first two weeks of June. Music on the Hill uses St. Luke’s Episcopal Church as a home base and offer concerts at other venues throughout the state. The Festival offers an enriched musical experience by incorporating “culinary concerts” that include a wine tasting, tantalizing appetizers and an assortment of desserts. Performers enhance the audience experience by sharing some history of the music and composers."

The concerts for 2012 are as follows:

Thursday, June 7, 10:30 am
Sextet-Set First Baptist Church, Wickford, RI

Friday, June 8, 7:00 pm
St. Gregory the Great Church, Warwick, RI

Sunday, June 10, 7:00 pm
Beethoven, Borodin & Beyond featuring the Apple Hill String Quartet St. Bernard Catholic Church, North Kingstown, RI

Thursday, June 14, 10:30 am
Dance & Romance
Westminster Unitarian Church, East Greenwich, RI

Friday, June 15, 7:00 pm 6:30 pm wine & appetizers German Giants SS Rose & Clement Catholic Church, Warwick, RI

Saturday, June 16, 7:00 pm
European Hopscotch
Westminster Unitarian Church, East Greenwich, RI

John Mark Pellegrino, artistic director
Tickets for each concert are
$15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Students are FREE

Cut-off for advance ticket sales is June 1, 2012.
For more information, visit
www.musiconthehillri.com
or email 1MOTHri@gmail.com

Tickets can be purchased online or at The Savory Grape Wine Shop in East Greenwich (Dave's Plaza on Division St)

To WIN a 4-Pack of Tickets to Music On the Hill simply fill out the Rafflecopter below. Winner has a choice to attend any of the above concerts.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Help me pick which shoes to wear!!

2012-05-16T17:37:00.000-04:00

I'm going to Bloggy Boot Camp in Philly on Friday and I need your help selecting my shoes!!!

On Friday afternoon I'm attending a welcome reception at the hotel for the #2012BBC attendees. Then in the evening I'm walking a few blocks to a cocktail party/networking event at a restaurant.

Here's the outfit I'm wearing: navy, green and cream floral skirt (falls below my knees); navy knit top; denim jacket; silver jewelry.

If the weather turns cool or rainy I'll wear brown boots. BUT if the weather is warm I need to choose between the 4 pairs of shoes you see in the picture.

What do you think?

Here's a close up of the shoes. The pewter ones also have a texture to them. The cream shoes have a small heel while the other 3 are wedges.

On Saturday I'll attend the actual conference from 9-5. Lots of sitting with a little moving around between sessions. At 5:30 there will be another cocktail party/networking event at the hotel. It's all kinda dressy casual.

Here's the outfit I'm wearing: floral skirt (falls below my knees); green sweater set; silver jewelry; I may exchange the green sweater for the denim jacket if I get cold.

So which shoes?

Here's a close up.

I'm not really a fashion person so please leave a comment with your opinion about which shoes to wear with the blue-green skirt and which to wear with the floral skirt. THANKS!!

Moms Need Business Cards, Too!

2012-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Has this ever happened to you?

You just met a mom at the playground and spent the last hour talking while your kids ran around burning off energy.

The two of you really clicked. She loves chocolate, you love chocolate. She has a 5 year old, you have a 5 year old. She runs marathons, you run ... well, you walk around the neighborhood briskly on sunny days.

You'd like to get together again. Who knows? She might be your next BFF. But before you can exchange phone numbers or email addresses you've got hot sweaty children climbing all over you asking for snacks and drinks and whining about having sand in their shoes.

What's a mom to do? You could decide the friendship just isn't meant to be, say "nice chatting with you," and walk off to your minivan. OR you could do like my friend, Jen, does.

Mommy Cards

Jen buys "mommy cards." Mommy cards are business cards for moms. On a mommy card you can put your phone number, address, email address, Facebook profile, Twitter profile, the names of your kids, photos of your kids; whatever information you want to hand to someone quickly.

I think Jen's mommy cards are an awesome idea and I've totally used it! Now you can use the idea, too!

Giveaway

I have partnered with UPrinting to give one lucky mom her very own "mommy cards" (or blog business cards for those lucky enough to be headed to Blogher, Bloggy Boot Camp, or Allume!).

Giveaway entries:

Visit UPrinting Business Cards Page and leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite business card die-cut shape and your email address.

Restrictions:

This giveaway is open to US residents only, 18 years old and above.
No prize substitutions allowed.
Winners are allowed to win once over a six-month period.
Only email addresses used for the giveaway will be eligible to claim the prize.

I will randomly ~~select a winner the morning of Friday, May 4th~~. Congratulations Mama Luvs Books! The winner will receive:

250pcs Customizable Die-cut Business Cards for one winner
2x3.5" Rounded Corners, 2x2" Rounded Corners, 1.75x3.5" Rounded Corners, 2x3.5" Leaf, 2x3.5 Rounded one corner, 2x3.5" Half Circle Side, 2x3.5" Oval, 2.5" Circle
14pt Cardstock Gloss / Matte / High Gloss (UV), or 13pt Cardstock Uncoated
6 Business Days Turnaround time
Free US shipping only

I'm really excited that I can give away such a great prize to one of my readers! Don't forget to include you email address so I can notify you if you win!!

Disclosure: You should assume that the owner of this blog will receive free print products in exchange for the post. Any and all reviews posted are based solely on my own experience and may be atypical. Please practice due diligence in making any related purchase decisions.

Menu Plan Monday :: April 30, 2012

2012-04-30T00:24:00.000-04:00

I just pulled up last week's Menu Plan Monday post to get the link and realized this week's plan is almost identical to last week's! Completely unintentional, honest!

My husband raved about the roast all week (hello, roast beef sandwich for lunch!) so I decided to cook another one this week. We're also celebrating his birthday on Saturday so that will be an eat-out night.

Last week's kielbasa stir-fry was DE-licious! I'll share my thrown together recipe soon.

What are we eating this week?

Pot Roast, Easy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots, Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

Homemade Pizza and Fruit

Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Scrambled Eggs

Ham, Broccoli and Carrots, Fruit

Leftover Roast Beef

Curried Chicken and Apple Wrap

What are you eating this week?

Recent menu plans:

Linked to:

Am I REALLY hungry?

2012-04-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

As I write it's about an hour before supper. And I want to eat. No, that's not entirely accurate. I want to binge. I'd like nothing better than to mindlessly eat and eat.

But, I'm choosing not to eat.

Instead, I asked myself, "Am I REALLY hungry? Or are my emotions driving me to eat?"

It's been a long day. My big boys chose to take all day to do their school work instead of the single hour that it should have taken. My 3 year old refused to nap. Finally, while grocery shopping my kids kept wrestling and acting silly with each other. Taking 4 kids into a store always attracts attention, let them act like normal kids and then I really receive stares and "the looks."

So, I'm tired, frustrated, and embarrassed. All those emotions make me want to eat.

But, I'm choosing not to eat.

Instead, I'm naming my emotions, writing this post, and sipping a cup of blueberry herbal tea (without sugar). Hopefully, I'll react like this the next time I feel like eating when I'm not really hungry.

Are you also an emotional eater? How do you resist mindlessly eating?

Son Starts a Rumor, or Not.

2012-04-25T10:38:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Sam tried to start rumors about our family. Can't you just see the mischief in that sweet three year old face?!

The Back Story

A couple of weeks ago I switched the kids' winter/summer clothes. For Sam, that meant pulling out all of the 3T clothes I'd saved from Will and Ben. Mixed in with the t-shirts was a Spiderman tank top.

Sam immediately snatched up the shirt and declared that he can now do gymnastics with The Brothers and Ellie. Since September I've encouraged him to participate in the preschool gymnastics class and he has resisted.

Apparently all he needed was a tank top!

Yesterday as the kids dressed for gymnastics Sam couldn't find his tank top. We finally located it, in serious need of washing, at the bottom of a pile of dirty clothes. Poor Sam threw himself on his bed sobbing buckets of tears and declared he couldn't do gymnastics.

No amount of assurances that a regular t-shirt is fine would change his mind!

The Rumor

So I hunted for another tank top that would fit him. I could only find one.

Yeah. Can you just hear the pregnancy rumors flying if Sam showed up at gymnastics in this shirt?! I'd rather not deal with that so I grabbed a sharpie and wrote "NOT" on the shirt.

The little stinker enjoyed gymnastics and believes his new tank top is awesome. Me? I'm afraid someone won't see the "NOT" and boy will Facebook be talking!!

Have your kids ever (innocently) started rumors about you?

Grandma Struggled with Weight Issues, Too

2012-04-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to someone very important to me. See the young woman above? That's my Grandma Maxine at about 20 years of age, right around the beginning of World War II.

I love these photographs for several reasons. First, she looks adorable in her pleated skirt and bobby socks! Second, she's flirting with the camera in the second picture. I'm not sure if my grandpa snapped this picture or if she posed for it to send to him in Europe; either way I smile just thinking about her flirting with him!

Most of all, I appreciate the insight into my Grandma that these pictures give. See, I don't remember a time in the 22 years that I knew her that Grandma Maxine wasn't on a diet.

Diet Pepsi and Weight Watchers branded foods filled her pantry. Calorie counting and fad diet books lined her shelves.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with those products, except maybe the fad diet books, but despite using them for 22+ years Grandma never won her weight battle.

Seeing these photographs of her as a young woman helps me understand Grandma always had issues with weight. Even as a young woman she was short (not even 5 feet tall) and chubby.

Grandma Maxine passed a lot of things down to me. Love for reading. Love for cooking shows. Love for collecting cookbooks. And a struggle with weight.

Part of that comes from barely reaching five feet tall. When you are that short every extra pound is obvious.

What Grandma didn't give me was the solution to our mutual battle to keep off the pounds. I'm discovering that all on my own. It's not been fun. And doesn't look pretty. But slowly I'm starting to win the fight. I just wish I could go back in time and share the lessons I'm learning with my Grandma.

Do you struggle with your weight? I'd love to talk about weight issues in the comments!

Menu Plan Monday :: April 23, 2012

2012-04-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

What are we eating this week?

Pot Roast, Easy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots, Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

Homemade Pizza and Fruit

Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Scrambled Eggs

Kielbasa Stir-fry and Rice

Ham, Broccoli and Carrots, Fruit

Leftover Roast Beef

What are you eating this week?

Recent menu plans:

Linked to:

How to Cook Pot Roast Recipe and Tutorial

2012-04-17T15:31:00.000-04:00

The aroma of browning roast beef woke me up almost every Sunday of my childhood. No, my mom didn't cook roast beef for breakfast. She woke up before the rest of the family, browned the meat, added vegetables, and set the whole thing to simmer while we worshiped at church.

We usually enjoyed our pot roast cooked to perfection, but occasionally the preacher got a little long-winded and our roast got a little overdone. Since the preacher (my dad) had to eat the results of his wordiness, our lunch didn't burn often.

Because teenagers seldom get out of bed before the last possible moment, and my mom started cooking the pot roast EARLY, I didn't learn how to cook roast beef until after I married. I've made up for lost time and these days my husband LOVES my pot roast!

An easy guide to make the perfect pot roast:

In a dutch oven or skillet with a lid, brown the roast:

Pour 1-3 tablespoons of oil in the pot, let oil get hot but not smoking.

Place meat in the pot and almost burn. Turn the meat over and brown on that side. Repeat until the meat is browned on most sides.

Important: do NOT put the lid on while browning the meat.

Browning is where all the delicious flavor comes from.

Trust me, let the beef sit without moving it for several minutes.

When you smell that it's almost burning is when you turn it over.

Important: the yummy stuck on bits are going to become awesome gravy!

Add enough water to almost cover the meat.

The amount of water will depend on the size of your pot and amount of meat.

Put the lid on the pot. When the water is boiling (you'll hear it), turn the heat down to simmer - not the lowest setting but almost.

Check every 30-60 minutes to make sure your water hasn't boiled out. If the water is almost gone, add more. Leave the meat to cook for at least 2 hours, but 3-4 hours will make your roast melt in your mouth tender.

Important: you can use this method with any cut of roast. The only way to 'overcook' roast is to burn it. The longer you cook it, the more tender it becomes.

I love to serve pot roast with homemade biscuits and gravy. To make the gravy, boil down the reserved liquid used to cook the roast until you have about 1-2 cups. As the water reduces, scrape the bottom of the pan to get up those yummy bits of flavor. The darker the liquid the more flavor you will have.

In a small cup stir together about half a cup of water and 2 tablespoons of floor. Slowly pour flour mixture into boiling reserved liquid. I recommend pouring only a little at a time to see how quickly the gravy thickens up. Stir constantly and let boil until gravy is your desired consistency.

Important: the more flour you use, the thicker your gravy will be. If you eat gluten free you can replace flour for cornstarch.

Mmm... know I'm craving pot roast!

How do you cook roast beef?

Linked to:

Works for Me Wednesday at wearethatfamily.com

Menu Plan Monday :: April 16, 2012

2012-04-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

My head is spinning!! Our family busy season officially began last week with the first baseball practice of the year. From now until the middle of June we have gymnastics, Cub Scouts, baseball practice, and at least one baseball game EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

All of these activities make cooking a challenge. Add in my quest to lose 15 pounds and cooking REALLY becomes a challenge!

So, what are we eating this week?

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Pot Roast, Roasted Potatoes and Carrots, Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

Curried Chicken and Apple Wraps, Fruit Salad

Lemon Pepper Salmon, Steamed Broccoli and Carrots, Rice

Roast Beef leftovers

Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Salad, Fruit

Roasted Chicken, Salad, Fruit

Friday night is Cub Scout night at the Paw Sox (our local minor league team connected to the Red Sox)! We may eat an early supper of sandwiches and just enjoy a few warm, powdered sugar covered Dough Boys at the stadium. YUM!!

What are you eating this week?

Recent menu plans:

Linked to:

By the Light of the Silvery Moon by Tricia Goyer

2012-04-10T15:31:00.000-04:00

"Amelia Gladstone's hopes are tied up in the Titanic--hopes for a reunion with her sister and an introduction to an admirer. But when she offers a spare ticket to a down-and-out young man, her fate is about to change.

Quentin Walpole is stunned when a sweet lady secures his passage to America--and even more surprised to find his wealthy father and older brother on board the ship. Suddenly Amelia finds herself caught between the attentions of two men, but who should she entrust her heart to? As the fateful night arrives, will Amelia lose everything to the icy waters?"

- from the back of By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Long time readers of Stephanie's Mommy Brain will know that I'm not a huge fan of Christian romance fiction. I find most works in this genre are poorly written and force the "Christian" aspect into an otherwise secular story. I've also found intimate scenes in "Christian" romance to be far steamier than my Grandma's old Harlequin romance novels!

Given the above opinion you may wonder why I accepted By the Light of the Silvery Moon to review.

I've read several of Goyer's books and I've found them all very clean and well written, so I trust her as an author. I also have a fondness for historical fiction (that's the history major coming out in me).

I describe this book as a Prodigal Son story with a romantic twist. All set on the Titanic. By the Light of the Silvery Moon fits the bill for a weekend of lighthearted reading.

If you enjoy interacting with authors, Tricia will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from her website) tonight (Tuesday, 4/10) and giving away books, gift certificates and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club). During the live chat Tricia will have a *special guest* join her.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book to review. As always the above opinions are mine.

Homemade Pizza Recipe and Tutorial

2012-03-27T20:13:00.000-04:00

Every Friday afternoon the yeasty smell of homemade dough fills my kitchen. As the aroma travels down our hallway one or more of my children come running to the kitchen. "Can I help make the pizza?," they always ask.

My kids have learned Fridays mean pizza and a video. Sometimes they help me stir the dough or roll out the crust or put the toppings on. Sometimes I do it all myself. Either way we all look forward to our Friday night pizza tradition.

Just in case you'd like to start a pizza tradition of your own, here's my home made pizza crust recipe.

Wheat Pizza Crust Recipe

1 cup warm water
2 tsp yeast or 1 pkg of yeast
1 cup white flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour (or use white if you prefer)

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over the top of warm water. Yeast should get foamy. That's how you know it's working.


1 jar of Fleishmann's yeast lasts me about 3 months.

Stir in 1 cup of white flour to the yeast mixture. There may be lumps but that's OK. Also add salt and oil. Stir until the oil is well combined with the flour-yeast mixture.

Yeast-flour mixture is about consistency of wet glue.

Add wheat flour to yeast mixture and combine. Depending on the humidity you may need to add more flour. The mixture should be sticky but not look wet. Turn out onto a floured counter and knead until dough is no longer sticky.

Dough ready to knead.

There are a couple of options at this point.

Option A: In a hurry.

Roll out dough and place on pizza pan. Dough will be pretty thin. Turn oven on at 350* and let dough bake for 5-10 minutes. As the oven heats up the dough will rise slightly. Bake just long enough for the dough to set up but not be fully cooked.

Remove from oven and put toppings on. Turn oven up to 400* and bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Makes 1 thin crust.

Option B: Plenty of time.

Place dough back in bowl. Put the bowl in the oven and let dough rise until doubled. If your kitchen is cold then you may need to heat your oven briefly but don't get it too hot or the dough will bake.

After dough doubles in size, remove from oven and roll out on floured surface. Place on pizza pan and put back in oven. Let double again then bake at 350* for 5-10 minutes. Just until dough is set but not completely cooked.

Remove from oven and put toppings on. Turn oven up to 400* and bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Makes 1 thick crust or 2 thin crusts.

Pizza Sauce Recipe

8 oz can tomato sauce
6 oz can tomato paste
2 tbsp Italian seasoning mix
2 tbsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients. Spread on pizza crust. Makes enough for 2-3 pizzas depending on how thick you like your sauce.

What toppings do you put on homemade pizza?

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Works for Me Wednesday at wearethatfamily.com

Menu Plan Monday :: March 26, 2012

2012-03-26T12:00:00.002-04:00

What are we eating this week?

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Homemade Pizza, Salad

Chicken and Bean Quesadilla

Ham, Steamed Carrots and Broccoli

Kielbasa Stirfry Rice

BBQ Chicken, Baked Potato, Salad

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

What are you eating this week?

Recent menu plans:

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What are your passions?

2012-03-24T21:50:00.000-04:00

Passions - topics, ideas, or activities that you could participate in or discuss over and over again.

On Day 12 of the 31 Days to Become a Better Writer series at Allume.com, the author challenged readers to write a list of 10 passions and then to share the reasons behind one of those passions.

Here are a few of my passions in no particular order:

Family time.
Traveling with my kids.
Getting fit and healthy.
Organizing my home and home management.
Homeschooling.
Cub Scouts.
Rheumatoid arthritis and Enbrel.
Compassion International.
Children's books and curriculum.
History.

Next time I'll share a little history behind one of my passions.

What are 10 topics or activities that you could do or talk about for hours?

Do the Right Thing, Even When It's Hard

2012-03-20T22:10:00.000-04:00

Honesty, integrity, trustworthiness: 3 values I'm trying to instill in my children.

Around our house we lump those values into one big pot called "doing the right thing."

Do the right thing.

"Do the right thing even when you won't be rewarded for it."

"Do the right thing even when you will be laughed at."

"Do the right thing even when it will cost you."

It's easy for me to tell my children those principles. It's difficult for me to model them.

I want to win.

I've entered a contest to become one of 10 bloggers for Wyndham Worldwide's Women on Their Way. The 10 winners will receive 200,000 Wyndham Rewards points, $800, and a Flip camera. They will also write about their travels for the Women on Their Way blog.

To say I want to win this contest is an understatement! It combines 3 of my passions: traveling with my children, writing about our travels, and sharing tips with other moms.

Let me repeat, I WANT TO WIN.

But not that way.

According to Wyndham's official rules, "Each vote may be submitted once each day." It has been brought to my attention that Wyndham's voting system makes it possible to vote more than once a day. You can vote on multiple computers. You can vote on your computer and smart phone. And if you are computer savvy enough, you can figure out a way to vote from one computer as many times a day as you want.

One person, multiple votes a day.

I could bend the rule and say it's unclear what "each vote" means. Is it each computer? Each household? Each person?

I could also say other people are doing it so why shouldn't I? And if there's any doubt that others are voting multiple times, let me assure you, I have been majorly working my social network. My friends are asking their friends who are asking their friends to vote. And I'm still at about #18, despite being in the top 10 in a similar contest last year.

I could justify my social network voting multiple times, but when it comes down to it, I don't want to win that way.

Win with integrity.

I want to win with integrity. I want to be a role model for my kids that when doing the right thing might cost you something you really, really, really want - you still do the right thing.

So I'm asking my friends and family to only vote once a day per person until March 31.

If you've been voting for me multiple times a day, please understand that I appreciate your support! I am very grateful for your help! I do not mean to sound ungrateful or unappreciative!! I know that not all of my friends or family have a problem with this gray ethical area but I ask that you honor one vote per person per day.

Then, if I win, we know it's because I deserved to win, not because we found a loophole in the system.

One day I'll tell my kids the story about how their mom wanted to win a really awesome contest but chose doing the right thing over winning. It wasn't an easy. And it wasn't fair, but no one ever said life would be easy or fair. Hopefully my kids will understand my choice and also choose the painful road of integrity.

Have you ever had to choose doing the right thing over something you really wanted?

Ps. By the way, I'd love it if you voted for me once a day until March 31! Thanks!!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes Recipe and Tutorial

2012-03-20T21:45:00.000-04:00

Every Sunday night my husband cooks Chocolate Chip Pancakes for our supper. It's a family tradition inspired by fond memories of HIS dad cooking waffles on Saturday mornings.

This is the recipe he uses, with a little help from our kids.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
1 c. milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
chocolate chips to taste (optional)

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl. In separate bowl combine egg, milk, and vegetable oil. Slowly pour into dry ingredients using a whisk to combine.

Add about 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Be aware that the chips will sink to the bottom. Also, add more chips after scooping out batter to pour onto the griddle. Adding gradually helps control the amount of chips in each pancake.

Using a 1/2 cup scoop to pour the pancakes on the griddle cuts down on the mess and gives uniform sized pancakes. Maybe not uniformed shaped though.

When the tops of the pancakes are dotted and almost dry it's time to flip them over. By the way, this picture contains chocolate chip free pancakes for Daddy who's not a huge fan of the chips.

Add your favorite syrup and enjoy!!

Breakfast food for supper. You gotta love it!! Or are we the only ones who do that?

Notes:

My husband TRIPLES this recipe for our family of 6. Each person eats about 4-6 pancakes. The pancakes in the above picture are sitting on a dinner plate to give you an idea of the size.

My griddle is a double burner griddle being used on a gas stove. The griddle is from Pampered Chef and pretty expensive but was worth every penny!! My friend, Amanda Towne, is a Pampered Chef consultant and can hook you up with one of these nonstick wonders!!

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Menu Plan Monday :: March 19, 2012

2012-03-19T16:47:00.000-04:00

What are we eating this week?

Homemade Pizza, Salad, Pineapples

Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs

Leftover Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Lemon Pepper Salmon, Broccoli and Carrots, Rice

Roasted BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Salad

Taco Bar

Eating Out: Field Trip/ Play date with friends.

What's on your menu?

Recent menu plans:

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