Getting Rid of the Pacifier

Paci, binky, plug, nuk, and pappy are all ways to name a pacifier. No matter what you call it, getting rid of it can be a daunting task. For Misses, the pappy was her security item. She never had a special blanket or toy that she loved as much as her pappy. Not to mention, she has lived in four places, and she just turned four years old. Her pappy was there through it all bringing comfort.
We tried many times to get rid of her pappy, but nothing worked. Finally, on her fourth birthday we were able to be rid of it for good. This is how we made that happen with very few tears and not a single sleepless night.

1. At two years of age, the pappy was only allowed in her bedroom.
2. We set a date of disposal.
3. We used the pappy fairy as our means of disposal.
4. One year prior to the disposal date, we began talking about
    why the pappy fairy needed her pappies.
5. We contiued to talk about when the pappy fairy would come
    and why she needed the pappies.
6. On the disposal day, the pappy fairy left a personal message
    thanking Misses for her pappies.
7. The pappy is no longer needed!

I know four years old may sound like a long time for a child to have a pacifier, but every home and child is different. Some children throw it away on their own. Others lose it and are fine. Some kids replace it with something else. In my opinion, it doesn't matter how the child gives it up as long as the process is peaceful, supportive, and works for the home they live in. This process worked for us. Maybe something like this will work for you too. Good luck!

Make ahead Shamcakes

Today, Misses wanted pancakes for lunch. I think lunch is a silly meal, so we eat all kinds of things for lunch. She not only wanted pancakes, but she wanted purple pancakes. I color most of her food, when she asks, because she eats more that way. Anyway, I did not have the red to make purple because I had dropped it in the purple soup she requested last week. I began to make the pancakes and thought, I can make them green and use a shamrock cookie cutter. Ooh! Idea! I can make the entire batch, cut them out, and freeze them. This way I won't have to worry about making them on St. Patrick's Day.

What you need
* Bisquick or pancake mix
* green food coloring
* cookie cutter


How to

Make the batter per the package instructions and add a few drops of green food coloring.

Poor some batter into a hot skillet and cook through on both sides.

Then remove from skillet and use a shamrock cookie cutter to cut out the shape.

Bubba and I the scraps for lunch, that way none were wasted.

Check out those mad cookie cutter skills.  

Bubba really liked them!

Serve on a plate with your favorite pancake topping.

We like syrup . . . a lot!

If you are making ahead of time . . .

let them cool on a plate.

Put them in a baggie or baggies and place in the freezer till you want to eat.

To warm them, remove from bag, place on microwave safe plate, and heat for 30 sec. or till warm.

Top with toppings and ENJOY!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

40 Days

In honor of Lent I will not log on to Facebook.
I will not, I will not, I will not log in.
No I am not a practicing Catholic, but giving something up allows me to take time to reflect on my life and actions and move forward. Not to mention, I have fond memories of fast food fish on Friday growing up. So this year, I am giving up Facebook. Anyone who is a Facebook friend, knows that I am on it a lot. I don't always post, but I am constantly logging in and Facebook stalking everyone else. It helps me fill my time. You know because I have so much of it. It keeps me connected with those I can't speak with on a regular basis, and its just plain entertaining to me. This is not going to be easy. I mean this is just the first day, and I have already caught myself trying to click the link on my Yahoo homepage. Ahhh, how ever will I make it 40 whole days.
I know many people practice the act of sacrifice in honor of Lent. If you are giving something up or promising to do something daily, please feel free to share in the comment section.  

Crispy Southwestern Chicken Wraps

Whatever did I do before Pinterest? I'm telling you, I love this site! When I feel like I'm in a rut with dinner, I turn to the visually stimulating pin board of "Favorite Recipes".

This week, I have tried to turn over a new leaf and create a dinner menu. I do this on occasion knowing I should do it every week, but my procrastinator nature prohibits it most of the time.
Monday I made . . .

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

from melskitchencafe.com

 How Mel's turned out.

*Makes 6 wraps*
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
Sour cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas
DIRECTIONS:
Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Optional: on some of the wraps, I dotted the cheese with about 1-2 tablespoons of reduced fat sour cream before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it made the wraps delightfully creamy.) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.
Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.


My Review and Steps

I will be making this on a regular basis. My family loved it! The best part about it is that I was able to prepare it all ahead of time(during naptime) and assemble to cook.
To start, I steamed the rice and cooked the chicken in the crockpot. While that was cooking, I chopped everthing and got the beans ready. I didn't use the lime juice and cilantro because I forgot them at the store while shopping with two hungry kids. Oh and I didn't have sour cream either which was good for my diet until the kids went to bed  . . .

Insides of wrap all mixed

Sorry I wasn't able to take pics. of the wraps before they hit the pan due to Bubba demanding food.

Wraps cooking. Oops! I got distracted. I like to call this cajun.

Did I mention before that I had soft shell taco shells instead of burrito wraps.

Misses' plate. This makes her smile and eat more.

There were only 3 soft taco shells, so I had to use hard too.

My dinner doesn't quite look like Mel's but it tasted yummy anyway!

Eye Surgery

Eye Surgery . . . If we ever get there.

Misses was diagnosed with Strabismus alittle less than two years ago. Since the initial call to the pediatrician, we were referred to an eye Dr. who has monitored her progress and educated us on her condition.
"Strabismus is a visual problem in which the eyes are not aligned properly and point in different directions. One eye may look straight ahead, while the other eye turns inward, outward, upward, or downward. The eye turn may be consistent, or it may come and go. Which eye is straight (and which is misaligned) may switch or alternate." geteyesmart.com
Initially we had her surgery scheduled for Dec. 2011, but last Fall and Winter we were plagued with ear infections and colds. When we went for her pre-op. appointment, she had a fever so the surgery was cancelled. Now, the surgery has been rescheduled for this Thursday. All went well during the pre-op appointment, but today she was tired after school. She is never tired, at least not enough to admit it to me. I took her temperature and it was low at 100.5. I will call them tomorrow, but I am not sure it we will get to keep the appointment. I'm starting to think maybe this isn't suppose to happen right now.
The surgery was CANCELLED. Misses has Strep. So the surgery was rescheduled, yet again for March 1st.

Bzz Agent

      

Smarterer.com

Is a site that I recently evaluated as a Bzz Agent. As an agent I am asked to try out new products or websites and give my opinion on them through various forums. Anyone can become a Bzz Agent and be chosen to try out new products.

Smarterer.com is a quiz website. As a Bzz Agent I was asked to take the Bzz Agent quiz and report my status. On this quiz I earned the expert level! I guess I know what I'm doing as a Bzz Agent. I was also asked to participate in several other quizzes and report my score. This is how I measure up.

I certainly do not feel like I have mastered the Blogger site, especially when I am working on my blog. According to Smarterer, I am a Master at understanding the rules and regulations of Blogger. I just wish I could apply them.    

As much time as I spend on Facebook, one would think that I would get a perfect score, but that is not the case. Check out Smarterer.com and see how you measure up!


I need to work on my '80's Trivia. Maybe I'd do better with '90's Trivia.





This site is pretty fun! I know many people who like to take quizzes like this and compare their scores with friends. The quizzes are based on all kinds of topics.
Also, anyone can create their own quiz for people to take. This could be a fun and interesting way to boost moral or make connections in the workplace.

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/smarterer.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=1691886995&Campaign=0348978528&Uid=1116234&token=8cd21d1a4a97e18b56f0175a84346506" alt=""/>

From Our Table to Yours

Best Oatmeal Cookies

Let me start by saying, I do not like oatmeal cookies, except these. These cookies are so soft and flavorful. There is just enough glaze on top to add that taste of sweetness we all crave.

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
raisins or nuts (optional)  < I do not put any of that nonsense in them.

DIRECTIONS1. In a medium bowl, cream together white sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, and then stir in vanilla.

2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. If you are using nuts or raisins, mix into dough, combining well. Cover and chill dough for at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

4. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 36 - 60 cookies, depending on how large or small you make them.

Brown Butter Frosting
3/4 stick real butter
2 cups powdered sugar
milk for spreading consistency


Brown (melt) butter over medium-low heat until it starts to foam and you see brown flecks. Heat for 10 - 15 seconds more and take off heat.

Add powdered sugar and then add milk until of spreading consistency.

(I frosted each cookie lightly.)

Thanks for the recipe, Judy.

Be Mine

Valentine's Day
has never been a very important holiday to me. Since I've had children, every holiday seems to be alittle more important. Not to mention a heck of a lot of fun! So this Valentine's Day, I decided I would get my butt in gear and plan some fun for my little girl.
Let me give you some background on Misses . . . she is a dress wearing, hair bow toting, twirling princess every single day. She could definitely give Fancy Nancy a run for her money. So Valentine's Day with all the frills and flowers is right up her alley.
As I am not too creative, I have been trying hard to channel Martha Stewart through all this, and this is how it all went . . .

A few weeks ago we made some decorations.

This is a re-purposed Pinterest Christmas pin. The hearts and circles are cut out of Gymboree gift boxes using a cookie cutter as a guide. They are hung from an old curtain rod with tulle and twine that we had on hand. Oh and Misses added some fancy jewels to them too. Martha wouldn't find it too fancy, but it was a fun craft that Misses and I did together. Not to mention, I can leave it up and switch out the hearts for shamrocks next month and then Easter eggs in April. This way I don't have to try too terribly hard or spend a lot of money to decorate for the holidays.

For breakfast I tried to create yet another Pinterest pin (originally from Martha Stewart).



Original Picture from Pinterest

This is what it is suppose to look like.

My efforts to create this breakfast . . .

Everything started off great. I made the toast and cut out the center with the heart-shaped cookie cutter.

I put the toast in the skillet inserted the cookie cutter and put egg in the middle. Seemed simple enough.

This is how one of them turned out. It doesn't quite look like the original.

But it still tasted good.

I tried covering the pan this time and the result looks somewhat better, but the underside of that toast is BLACK! Thankfully Misses isn't picky and ate it anyway.

Misses enjoying her Heart-shaped breakfast.

Oh and if you are wondering it is low cal too!

300 calories total

Lunch was much easier because I have mad cookie cutter skills.

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Heart-shaped PB&J sandwiches with Heart-shaped apples and chips.

Dinner was awesome and easy thanks to Papa Johns for having a heart-shaped pizza and delivery!