Mar 25

Easter Egg Hunt Fun Is As Easy As 1-2-3

Tried and True Thursdays No Comments »

Want to have an Easter Egg Hunt this year in your neighborhood? Not sure you’re up for planning a big activity? No worries. Here are three simple steps to hosting your own Easter Egg Hunt.

1.       Pick a time and a place.

Whether you decide to host it on a Saturday or a Sunday morning, at a park or in your yard, pick a time and place that will work for the majority of folks you plan to invite.

2.       Make up a flyer to announce the plans.

On your invitation you should encourage each family that wants to participate to bring a dozen eggs for each child that will hunt eggs. The eggs should be taped shut and filled with individually wrapped candy. Have the participating families drop off the eggs to you the night before the big hunt so you can hide them before everyone shows up. Or you can have everyone bring the eggs on the day of the fun and you can hide the eggs in a designated area of the park while the kids play on the playground. (Older children make great helpers when it comes to the hiding.)

3.       Enjoy a picnic afterwards.

Invite everyone to stay after the festivities for a picnic. You can invite folks to BYOF (bring your own food) or have families bring a side dish or salad to share.

On Another Note: Need an easy but cute hairstyle to go with your daughter’s Easter dress? Check out this post for hair-do helps for little girls.

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Mar 17

Fun St. Patrick’s Day Games

Wildcard Wednesdays No Comments »

Need something to do after your corned beef and cabbage dinner? Click HERE for fun St. Patty’s Day games.

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Mar 17

Deal of the Week: Two Ways To Save On Easter Shoes

Deal of the Week, Wildcard Wednesdays No Comments »

Payless is having a great Easter sale on kids shoes — starting at $9.99. You can maximize your savings two ways with a coupon for an extra 15% off you next in-store purchase or $10 off your $50 online purchase.

Click HERE to print your coupon. Both deals are good until April 4, 2010.

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Feb 11

Tornado of Love

Tried and True Thursdays 4 Comments »

One Valentine’s Day many years ago my husband and I were caught in a tornado.

Luckily the only major damage we experienced was to our plans for the night. The entire area lost power and every restaurant and grocery store was closed. When we got home from work and pondered our “romantic” night ahead, I was optimistic we could salvage our night. My optimism quickly faded, however, when I realized the power outage would mean we would be eating cold food out of a can and freezing our behinds off in our small two-bedroom apartment since our heater was electrically powered.

Because we were powerless in every way to turn our pathetic Valentine’s Day into anything more than a very long, very cold night, we vowed to never have a bad Valentine’s Day again in the years to come. So, here are three tried-and-true ways to celebrate Feb. 14 so you don’t end up huddled around a candy cane-scented candle leftover from Christmas pondering its ability to heat a room.

1. Go out on Feb. 13.
Once we started shelling out the big bucks for a babysitter my husband and I decided that crowded restaurants and long lines only added up to an expensive night. We discovered that going out a day early meant empty theatres and no need for reservations.

2. Celebrate with the kids, too.
I usually make a “red” and “pink” meal and we eat from festive plates with our young romantics. Start with a shrimp appetizer, dive into spaghetti and meatballs (Lady and the Tramp-style) and then wash it all down with cherry 7-Up.

3. Nothing beats a great movie.
After dinner gather everyone on the couch and watch a kid-friendly romance like “Enchanted” or “Little Manhattan.” After the kids are tucked away, flip on the classic chick-flick “The Notebook” or the guy-friendly “First Knight.”

Question: What’s your favorite romantic movie?

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Jan 01

Goodbye to 2009! Life’s Good Again in 2010?

Tried and True Thursdays No Comments »

Progress.

That’s the word I’d use to describe 2009.

Not just for me personally, but for many others who found 2009 to be a less-than-easy year. You can always look back through a difficult patch in retrospect and see how much you’ve really progressed, even though it felt like you were hardly putting a dent in the path laid out before you while you went through it.

Sure, the road was marred with pit holes and steep inclines at times, but the future from where I stand has wide vistas revealing several paths that look promising, full of adventure and opportunity. Last year on New Year’s Day I tried to put an optimistic twist on all of the realities that weighed on me. I, like many others, felt that 2008 had been a truly trying year, but I had “hope” (a word I now have a greater understanding of) that things could turn out OK.

In the end there were no great miracles in 2009. There were no fairy godmothers to wave their wands and make all of the tough stuff disappear. The only way things could get better was for me to take control of the situations that plagued me and my family and turn things around. Some things are dramatically better, others turned out better than I could’ve imagined, and others are still in process of improvement. Or in other words, it’s progressing.

I find New Year’s Eve to be very cathartic and rejuvenating. I’m not one who likes to dwell on the past and I probably enjoy thinking about the possibilities of the future more than I should. New Year’s is a great time to reflect on where we’ve been, where we want to go, what has worked well and what still stands in need of improvement.

Ironically, I’m not a fan of making New Year’s resolutions. I’m a goal-oriented person, but I’ve learned that making goals that are unattainable or immeasurable just sets one up to fail. Instead, my tried-and-true way to make progress (there’s that word again) in my goals in to set out a plan. Imagine yourself embarking on a great hike as you start your goals for the year.

1. Before you can climb the mountain you must pick the hike you want to take to get you to your destination. I pick one area of my life and work from there. For example, last year I worked on my personal health. I’d been plagued with issues after giving birth to my youngest child and was in a bit of denial that my medical theory of “time heals all things” was in fact not working out so well. Since my daughter was 3 ½ and I still had some major issues plaguing me I figured I better try another route.

2. Chart the course and evaluate how long the hike will be, where dangerous situations may arise, and where possible side routes lie to shorten the journey and make you a safe and smart hiker. I make a plan. I begin to write down all of the problems that go into making this a big issue and then identify possible solutions to those problems. For me this meant writing down all of the health problems I was facing from my failing gall bladder to my achy tooth.

3. Before you embark you gather supplies, double check your supplies, ensure you have enough water and snacks, lace up your boots, and then head out. A good checklist does the same for us in helping us reach our goals. After looking at all of the possible solutions I make an action list of things I can put on a “to-do list” that will get me closer to a solution. In my case, I began prioritizing which issues were most important and what doctors I needed to consult and what changes I need to make to take control of my health.

4. To get to the top of the mountain every hiker begins the same way – by putting one foot in front of the next. Finally, I began chipping away at the to-do list so I can reach my solution. While that meant going through lots of doctors visits, dead ends, testing, and other misery it was worth it in the end. I’m now in amazing health. I feel better than ever and I’m able to move on to other areas to focus on. Consistency and diligence, although not synonymous, are equally important, like our two legs are in carrying us through the hurdles we face. These are often our sorest and our strongest muscles at the end of an exhausting journey.

Question: What is your goal for 2010? What was your goal last year?

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Dec 31

Essential for New Year’s Eve

Tried and True Thursdays 1 Comment »


Here’s a few things you need for a great New Year’s Eve.

1. Words to the classic song, “Auld Lang Syne.” (See below)
2. Good friends and food. (Recipe for an easy dip — a can of chili, mixed with a package of cream cheese, heated and served with corn chips.)
3. Lip gloss for the big midnight smooch to ring in 2010.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

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Dec 28

The Truth About Santa

Mommy Monday 3 Comments »

It kills me that my daughter is such a smarty pants.

I’ve spent years using my best undercover secrets to keep the idea of Santa Claus sacred for my girls. I see the end of a belief in Santa as a sort of coming of age or loss of innocence. Over the years I’ve bought special wrapping paper, which I keep in a secured location, that only Santa would use. I’d stash gifts at other’s homes. I’d go to great lengths to elongate their childhood holiday fantasies.

But the day came, and it does for all parents, when one smarty pants asks one detailed question too many, and you can see in their eyes that they’re ready for the truth. My day came a few weeks ago when my oldest began asking questions that if answered would require responses that ranked high on the scale of gigantic whoppers vs. white lies.

It’s one thing to perpetuate the worldwide folklore that all parents, in all countries, pass down to their progenitors, but quite another to elaborate in great detail about the inner workings of the North Pole and Santa. Besides, she’s my overly logical child who can see through semi-complex plot twists in PG movies. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep up my game face so I asked her, “What do you think?”

To my deep disappointment she replied in a matter-of-fact jeopardy-like tone, “I think it’s you and Dad.” Ouch. Well there it was – the cat. It wasn’t just out of the bag it was snuggled up on the fireplace hearth after running around the room for a bit and dining on a five-course meal. I flatly said, “Yep,” and then threatened her with life if she told her younger sisters. As I looked at her ear-to-ear grin I realized she’d known the cold, hard facts about Santa for longer than I’d previously acknowledged and she was finally free to give up the act she’d been putting on for our sake.

I asked her if the kids at school spoiled the idea of Santa for her. “No,” she said. “It’s just pretty easy to figure out it’s you and Dad. I mean it’s pretty obvious.” Well, excuse me, Ms-I-Know-Everything-About- Life, I thought to myself. What other wonders were in the fantastic brain of hers? Then I decided that’s a can of worms I wasn’t ready for and put that can on the shelf in the back of the pantry for another day.

I appointed her my special elf and to my great surprise my disappointment quickly faded into enthusiasm and relief. I finally had a helper. I had an accomplice to my crimes of Christmas. My husband bless his heart is NOT a good Santa. He doesn’t shop, he isn’t jolly and fat, and he doesn’t even like cookies. (Gasp! Who doesn’t like cookies?) The other day I compared him to the grumpy elf from the Santa Clause triology who is lazy and just drinks hot cocoa. He really didn’t have much of a defense and owned up to the bad rap I was dishing out. He’s an excellent father but NOT a great Christmas elf. If it was up to him he’d follow my brother’s theory of gift wrap and cards which is that both of those are optional. (Naked presents! That’s blasphemous.)

So, it wasn’t long before my middle daughter started snooping around and found my super secret stash of gifts. (She’s my street smart child who has Go-Go-Gadget Gift Radar.) Since she’s only a year younger and because I don’t trust the two older girls not to talk I convinced my husband that we should break the news to her as well. She’d already seen the “Santa” gifts and I could just imagine her on Christmas morning in front of her younger sister saying something like, “These can’t be from Santa. I saw them in your room on the 12th of December at 3 p.m. when I said I was doing my homework at your desk.”

When the truth was told she looked puzzled, not relieved. She continued to ask me question after question about Santa, such as his whereabouts on Dec. 24,, 2008, and my associations with him. I felt like I was taking a polygraph under police interrogation as I continued to answer her in my broken record reply of, “He’s not real. I’m Santa.” I thought with time and perspective it would all add up and she’d draw the lines to connect the dots, but in her non-linear way of thinking she connected her dot-to-dot pattern which spelled out the word, “Believe.”

She not only didn’t believe me she continued to embellish in her beliefs about Santa. (I’m not sure what a therapist would say about my relationship with her. I’m sure in some psychology book this means I’m not grounding her to reality or that she doesn’t have faith in me.) As we looked for Santa in the skyline on Christmas Eve this year, she was every bit as enthusiastic and whimsical about the white bearded figment of our imaginations as she’s ever been. I guess passion wins over logic in her heart.

I always thought my brother was cruel for sharing “the truth” with me before I thought I was ready to hear it, but apparently we accept truth once we’re ready to let it penetrate us. Innocence isn’t really lost when we find truth, it’s just revealing something that was always there but we just weren’t ready to see.

Question: How old were you when you discovered the truth about Santa? How did you find out?

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Dec 24

Tracking Santa

Tried and True Thursdays 1 Comment »

If your kids love Where’s Waldo then they’re sure to love these great “Where’s Santa?” websites.

http://www.santa-t.com/

http://www.noradsanta.org/

Kids can keep tabs on Santa all day long as he begins delivering gifts to all the good boys and girls worldwide. You can use Google Earth maps to see where he’s been and where he’s headed next. Mobile updates can even be sent to you on your cell phone and through Facebook and Twitter accounts.

You can also send Santa a text message and kids can sign up to receive emails from Santa. As an added bonus, these sites have coloring pages you can print out. They provide a great outlet for all of that excited energy on the most exhilarating eve of the year.

Enjoy!

Question: What do you do on Christmas Eve?

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Dec 15

Connect With Your Inner Cleaning Machine

Tidy Up Tuesdays No Comments »

Two days before Thanksgiving my friend (whose children are all grown) posted this on Facebook: “Just spent two hours cleaning the house as I get ready for Thursday.”

I had to think to myself, When will the time come that I can clean my house two days before company comes and I can expect that it will stay clean? In fact, I had to wonder, When was the last time I cleaned my house in the morning and it was still clean by 11:30 a.m.? I realize I catch myself fantasizing about clean house far more often than it is actually clean. I know, it’s not my stage of life to not trip on 10 things when I enter a room in the moonlight, or to not use my stairs as a human obstacle course as I bob and weave through Barbies, dress-up shoes, and half-eaten granola bars.

We used to have a landlord that would make unannounced “visits” around 3-ish on weekdays to check-in on his house. Those were of course the days when my children would decide to take every toy they owned out of their rooms and play with them in the entry way and living room area. I could hardly open the front door to greet the man because the toys were like a protective blockade from intruders. (I found out later from a neighbor that he was shocked at how clean the house was when moved out since the landlord believed I was such a terrible housekeeper. I took major offense to this since I actually am a clean freak who simultaneously is a mom to young, happy children.)

So, in the midst of the craziness of the holidays, I say, “Let the dirty dishes soak a little longer. Let the laundry pile up more inches high than you are tall.” If anyone accuses you of being a terrible housekeeper you can sit tight and relax because you’ll know it’s all part of the plan.

Since the machine that cleans your whole house only lives in my cleaning fantasies, you are that human machine that does most (or all) of the cleaning. (BTW, in my dreams it’s called a house-ba, like a Roomba or Scooba on steroids.) Chances are you’ve neglected your typical household chores as you’ve been frantically checking items off your Santa list. Don’t be afraid. There’s still a way to make all of this chaos work in your favor.

With Christmas less than two weeks away, now is the time to settle in for a little deep cleaning. I know it sounds crazy to let other things pile up and instead do a little deep cleaning, but it’s true. Now is the best time to tackle those closets, clean the carpets, wipe down baseboards, or prep your pantry.

Here’s my theory on why this works. You know you’ll change the sheets and clean the bathroom before company comes. You know you’ll stock the fridge with snacks and pick up kid’s dirty socks from the living room floor before Grandma comes to visit. But will you really have it left in you to do all of the regular clean up stuff AND reorganize your guest room, or dust your bookshelves? Probably not. When you’re under the gun—and let’s face it, the closer we get to the Big Day the more we feel the pressure—we’ll cut corners at the last minute. That is the kind of stress and chaos that can make a person have a meltdown minutes before company arrives.

I always think that having company stay with you, or a holiday to celebrate, gives you an excuse to knock out things you’ve been postponing. Let that laundry linger longer, eat off paper plates for a few days, and decide now if there’s a big project looming over you to tackle before out of town relatives arrive on your porch.

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Dec 14

Mommy Mondays: ’Twas the Pug Before Christmas

Mommy Monday 4 Comments »

Our pug, Aggie, is far from normal. Most pugs are a bit eccentric but ours inherited an extra dose of personality.

For example, she has quite a vocabulary. She recognizes more words than most toddlers and she can even speak a few words. (She is able to “say” the phrase “I love you,” and she is working on mastering “happy birthday.”)

She even watches TV – golf is her favorite. She tilts her head at the whispering and then sits up on the edge of her seat to watch with anticipation where the little white ball ends up. The recent “Tigergate” scandle hasn’t seemed to impact her love of the game. She does become hysterical when images of animals appear on TV (even dinosaurs in cartoon format). A brief glimpse of Michael Jackson on TV causes her to bark frantically.

But her recent communication with us was too incredible to not share it in my holiday rhyme below.

‘Twas just weeks before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not our pug (or even a mouse).
The stockings were hung, Charlie Brown Christmas was on the flat screen,
The house was adorned in perfection – it was quite the holiday scene.

The children were upstairs playing in their room,
Except just one who snuggled up with me as if she missed the womb.
In our moment of bliss between she and me,
I turned to her and said, “Plug in the tree.”

When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter.
As Aggie leaped off the couch as if something was the matter.
She turned to give us quite the glare,
Her giant pug eyes wide, not a blink in her stare.

Between anxious spins and puggy yaps
She used her paw to give us pesky taps.
Faster spinning and jumps so lively and quick,
We thought maybe she had seen a glance of good ol’ St. Nick.

My daughter and I looked at one another in awe.
What had we done to create such hoopla?
Then the answer came from the one so young and sweet:
“Mom, instead of ‘Plug in the tree,’ she thought you said, ’Pug gets a treat.’”

Question: Do you believe my canine tale? Cast your vote in the comments section.

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