Random Thoughts This Morning

This morning I have found myself pondering lots of important things like....

1.  If you give a kid a mud puddle he/she will jump in it until the puddle is all splashed out and empty.

2.  Bees are buzzzzzzzzy all of the time.  Rain or shine they are at work!  Fascinating.

3.  I used to read 2 or 3 books a week.  I am down to 2 or 3 pages a night before the ol' eyelids slam shut....parenting tires a girl out!

4.  Strawberries, sour cream, and brown sugar are one of the most incredible taste sensations out there.

5.  I ordered caterpillars for our butterfly kit and the day they were received my daughter's caterpillar, ,caught in our very own backyard, turned itself into a chrysalis....a bit ironic I thought!

6.  I am ridiculously excited about the new series Girl Meets World.  It premiered last night and my daughter and I have a popcorn/ice cream date scheduled tonight to watch it.  Last summer we watched Boy Meets World and loved it.

7.  My daughter has caught the same slug 3 different times....3 different times it has escaped and then been found.  Everytime the slug is rediscovered I imagine it is screaming "Noooooooo" as it is being put back into it's habitat.  Don't feel too sorry for Spot the slug though.....it has a habitat set up that I envy!

8.  This morning I am having left over chile rellenos for breakfast.  I LOVE LEFTOVERS for breakfast!

9.  I am channeling Annie and singing "The sun will come out tomorrow......"  Really.....the sun will come out tomorrow....right?  I am feeling a little soggy!

10.  A child's project involving flour in cake pans requires intense supervision.  Otherwise clouds of said flour will erupt all over the house and footprints comprised of flour will be found on the couch.  Ask me how I know this! :)

And that is it. I am thunk out for the day....Happy Saturday everyone!

Chicken In The Freezer

We decided to raise hens for eggs three years ago and I haven't regretted the decision for a second.  We loved our girls and they were amazing egg layers.  Our hens were getting older and their egg production was starting to decline so this year we decided to get new chicks.  We live in a small town on a large lot but how many chickens we are allowed to keep is ordained by the city. We can only have so many chickens.  For this reason we decided to put our older hens in the freezer as crock pet hens, and start off fresh with our new chicks.

Our older hens were treated like the little rulers of the roost that they were.  Treats in the form of garden weeds and kitchen scraps were hand delivered every day.  They had lots of room to run, scratch, dig, and play.  They were given excellent chicken food and their water was always kept fresh and plentiful.  Our girls had great lives, but at the end of the day they were raised for their eggs and meat.  I am sad and already miss the ladies (though the new chicks keep us hopping) but AM happy that I know exactly how well they were treated and what went into their bodies.  I know the meat provided by one of our chickens will be healthy and ethical.  As I don't plan to give up eating chicken, I am glad that some of the chicken we consume came directly from our little backyard "farm".

The Birth Of A Chicken Coop...... Alternatively Titled....... My Husband Rocks! I Think I'll Keep Him.

Before

Helping Dad

Last week was a busy one for our family.  We put hens in the freezer (our first time butchering chickens) and built a chicken coop.....or I should say my husband......with help from our son......built a chicken coop.  A lot of thought went into this coop.  We purchased a chicken coop kit a few years ago and it worked great, but this year we purchased more chicks so we need a bigger coop.  Things like laying boxes, easy cleaning accessibility, roosts, and where to put the food and water were all things that needed to be considered.  My husband drew up a blue print and he and my son went to work.  I love how it turned out!  It is a two story coop with SO much room for our new girls.  Cleaning and gathering eggs is easy and changing the food and water is a breeze.  Thanks hon!

Interior Shot

Done!

Paint Chip Chore Charts

5 people living in a 1000 sq foot home means being vigilant chore wise or our home will be overtaken by unopened mail, toys, and crafts. I do not claim to be a housekeeping saint by any means, but I do like a relatively clean and clutter free house (not including my to do boxes....those are overflowing and very cluttery!  They don't count , do they?)  My kids are ages 9, 5, and 4.  They are old enough to do chores and honestly they help me out a LOT.

I devised a paint chip chore chart system that seems to work very well for our  kids.  They have learned (or are learning) their chores and have gotten quite good at them.  Needless to say this takes a little off of my plate which I am thankful for.  Here is how it works:  each child gets a paint chip made up of several shades of their favorite color.  In each shade of the paint chip I write one or two chores until the paint chip is filled up.  My oldest daughter, at age 9,  has the most chores and my 4 and 5 year olds have less.  I adjust periodically and switch chores around between the kids. There are also daily things like picking up toys and putting dirty clothes in the hamper that are expected, but aren't included on the charts.   My goal is that everyone knows how to do all of the chores necessary to run a home.  I want to send my kids out into the world knowing how to cook, do dishes, run a washing machine, etc.  This chore system works well for us because it is visual, uncomplicated,  and easy to change as necessary.

I think chores are important because it teaches kids how a household is run.  It gives the kids a sense of confidence when they have mastered a chore, and honestly having some of the daily load taken off of my and my husband's shoulders is much appreciated.  We stress that our home is a place that takes a team to take care of it.  Each chore that the kids do is important and completing that chore successfully means a lot to the household running smoothly.  Kids enjoy being an important cog in the wheel of household maintenance.....even if they don't feel it or admit it at the time.  They may grumble at times, but it is worth it to follow through and keep the chore chain gang going.....even if it is sometimes easier to do everything myself!  Kids will appreciate it sooner rather than later.

Taming The Laundry Monster For Good

Laundry is not my favorite task....specifically folding laundry is not my favorite thing to do.  It is usually last on my to do list and I have been known to have 4 loads at a time waiting to be folded. However, now that I have 5 people in my family and my husband is no longer doing a job that requires a uniform (which was professionally dry cleaned), I know I need to work a little harder on laundry before it OVERTAKES my life.

I am trying the following strategies:

1.  Wash a load every day.  Dry a load every day.  Fold a load every day.---it takes minutes to start a load and switch the load into the dryer.  The task of folding laundry takes a little longer but folding one load takes significantly less time than folding 4 or 5 loads.

2.  Enlist your kids' help.---Kids as young as 4 or 5 are excellent folders and can put their own clothes away.  Younger kids can sort socks, fold washcloths, etc.  Put your kids to work taming the laundry monster with you.  They are great company and many hands make light work!

3.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.---This popular phrase applies to laundry too!  Does any child NEED 45 items of clothing?  That is how many shirts I counted in my sons drawer.  I reduced the amount he had (donate or pass down outgrown clothes to your own younger kids or friends with younger children, sell at a consignment store, etc.)  This helps in two ways...less clothes to launder and now it is far easier for clothes to be put away.  The drawer opens and closes a lot easier!

I am sure I will slip at times and end up with several loads of laundry to fold, but I am going to do my best to keep things on track laundry wise!  I would love to hear other tips for keeping laundry on track!

Tub Fun Tuesday-Foam Shapes In The Bathtub

Today's idea involves a package of craft foam, some scissors, and a little creativity.  My tub fun idea today is all about making foam shapes that your child can wet and then hang on the bath or shower wall.  My favorite things to make are clothing outfits (pants and shirts, skirts and blouses, dresses) and flowers/landscape scenes.  However, the possibilities are endless....ABC's, numbers, shapes, rainbows......Your kids can hang the shapes on the tub wall and then use bath tub crayons to complete their wall art.  You don't have to be an artist to create these fun foam scenes either.  Kids have fun regardless of your Picasso quotient.  Older children enjoy creating their own shapes as well.  It is also fun to hang your foam shapes on windows.  I can see this being a fun activity for my preschoolers when it is nasty outside!

Use Up Those Easter Jelly Beans With Jelly Bean Math

All kids need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.  Knowing these skills is essential for moving on to higher math, and these basic math skills will be used daily for their entire lives.  However, some kids find learning math to be a chore rather than a fun learning experience.  I have one of those kids so I am always on the lookout for ways to make learning math appealing, and when I came across using jelly beans for math equations I was sold.  Jelly beans are tasty, economical, and usually plentiful after Easter.  This makes using jelly beans fun for kids and practical for their teachers.   I am including links to pages that have great jelly bean ideas for beginning math problems. Thank you to the blogs Feels Like Home and Kids Activities Blog for some great ideas.   Enjoy!

Simple Math Using Jelly Beans

and 

Multiplying And Dividing With Jelly Beans

Thar's Gold In Them Thar Hills.....OK Sandbox!

I had some "gems" (floral arrangement beads) and "gold" (rocks from our yard that we spray painted gold) left over from a library program.  I decided to add them to our sandbox and let the kids discover the treasure while they were playing.  They loved panning for gold in the sandbox and the two youngest each gathered quite a collection.  After a while, my oldest daughter asked her younger siblings if they wanted to play store and purchase some items that she had available (rocks, leaves, sticks, etc.) They said YES!  This proves to me that even
imitation money can burn a hole in your pocket and further proves to me that my oldest is going to be in sales some how, some way,  some day!

Cloud Dough

Cloud dough is silky, moldable, and all ages find it fun to play with.  You can make pretend cakes, build castles, play with toy figurines in it, make a snow village out of it, and I could go on and on as the pretend play is limitless.  Two ingredients make up this recipe so it couldn't be simpler to create!  You can make an edible version for younger children that may still be putting things in their mouths....just replace the baby oil with vegetable oil.   Thank you to my friend Sherri for sharing this recipe from Happy Hooligans with me.  My oldest daughter made this recipe yesterday as part of her "real life" school work and my two youngest played with it non stop for a good hour.  Very fun!  Here is the link to find the recipe.  http://happyhooligans.ca/cloud-dough/

Felt Pictures...A Quiet Activity Perfect For Little Hands!

I am always on the look out for quiet and fun activities for my little guy.  I made felt pictures for him when he was one and was desperate for something (anything lol) to quietly keep his attention at church.  At the time, these felt pictures were way to advanced for him and he wanted nothing to do with them.  Fast forward 3 years and he loves them.  He pulled them out of my church bag the other day and started to play with them.  He was so excited to be able to put the pictures together himself with no help from anyone.  I have 3 sets made (a snowman, a Christmas tree, and a turkey) but I am making more now that I see how much he likes them.  I am guessing our 5 year old will like them as well!

Making these felt pictures is simple.  You need one piece of felt that will be your base (a piece that is about 8 1/2 x 11) and pieces of felt in different colors that you cut out to form shapes for your pictures.  For my snowman felt picture, I simply cut out 3 circles of white felt and laid them on a blue background.  I cut out white cloud shapes.  Then I added arms made out of brown felt, and a green tree.  For my Christmas tree, I cut out a large green triangle, a small rectangle out of brown, and several small circles out of a variety of colors for decorations.  I then cut out a yellow star for the top of my tree.  I laid all of these on piece of blue felt.  For my turkey, I cut several feather shapes out of a variety of colors, a larger brown circle for the body, and a smaller brown circle for the head.  Then I cut out a yellow beak, a red waddle, and yellow legs.  I laid all of these down on a tan piece of felt.

These pictures are great for hand/eye work and really inspire creativity.  Kids will come up with lots of different ways that the pictures can be put together.  They are quiet activities that will keep a little one's attention at church or at restaurants.  I am not sure what my next felt pictures will be....but I will be making more soon.

Chicken Birthday Party

My oldest daughter's 9th birthday was last weekend.  We do birthdays big around here and this year my daughter chose to throw a chicken themed birthday party.   This little girl has kept me hopping with the various themes she has chosen over the years.  We have done dinosaurs, butterflies, rubber duckies, horses, stuffed animals, and a Huss (her name for her blankie) themed party.  Truthfully, planning her parties always brings me a lot of joy and stretches my creative spirit.  I love celebrating the day of her birth with a party that characterizes her individual spirit.  This year's chicken themed party was a lot of fun to plan.  Below are the favor bags, treats, games, and decorations we used.

DECORATIONS:

1.  We decided to make a paper plate chicken face banner to hang on the mantle above our woodstove.  This project was very easy and ended up looking very cute.  We used white and yellow dessert plates, drew on eyes with a sharpie and taped on orange construction paper triangles for beaks and red construction paper for combs.  We taped these chicken faces along with yellow crepe paper to our mantle and voila'  our party's decorative focal point was born.

2.  We also decided to make chickens out of balloons.  We blew up yellow balloons and drew eyes on them with a sharpie, taped our construction paper beaks and combs on and added construction paper feet to the bottom of each balloon.  Then, we taped the balloon chickens above our wood stove and along our living room window sills.

FAVOR BAGS:

1.  We used brown paper lunch sacks and cut them down to about half size, then we drew on eyes and glued on our construction paper beaks and combs.  We filled them with plush rubber chickens,  chicken bouncy balls, candy corn, and baby chicks.


GAMES AND ACTIVITIES:

1.  Hatch The Egg:  We (and by we I mean my hubby) blew up white balloons and filled them with cute chicken domino markers and chicken/egg bracelets.

2.  Egg Toss:  We hard boiled eggs obtained from our backyard chickens and used those for the toss.  Some of the kids were amazed by the different colors and size of the different eggs. 

3.  Search For The Favor Bags:  We used candy corns to create a trail that led from our driveway to the kids' play house where the party favor bags were hidden. 

4.  Feeding Clover To Our Backyard Chickens:  My daughter took her friends down and showed them how to pick clover and feed it to our hens.  The kids loved this!


BIRTHDAY GOODIES:

1.  Brownie Bird Nests:   Make your brownie batter (from scratch or use a boxed mix).  Scoop the batter into well greased muffin tins and bake.  Cool the brownies in the pan for about 5 minutes.  Then take them out and gently press the middles down to make bird nest shapes.  After the brownies have cooled completely add jelly bean eggs.

2.  Donut Hole Chicks:  Coat donut holes with melted frosting and roll in yellow tinted coconut (combine  yellow gel food coloring in a plastic bag with shredded coconut and knead until the coconut is the desired yellow).  Dip mini chocolate chips into frosting and "glue" onto the donut holes for chick eyes, cut up orange jelly beans and do the same "gluing" procedure to add as beaks. 

This was a fun party to plan and my daughter, her siblings, and friends really enjoyed themselves!

Random Thoughts

As I go about my day, random thoughts flow in and out and today in celebration of the first day of Spring (WooHoo!), I thought I would share a few. Disclaimer:  These thoughts may or may not have anything to do with Spring!


1.  No matter how unsettled or grumpy I may feel,  seeing my little boy kick and spin his way across our living room always makes me smile.  He can make me laugh out loud when he says things like "Stand back everyone, I am training to be a ninja!"


2.  It is sunny, now it is cloudy, oooh sunny again, and..............cloudy!  I could do this all day LONG since I live on the Central Oregon Coast.  And uh-hum it is now Spring. 


3.  I should be folding the two loads of clothes on our bed (placed there so they get FOLDED before I can get into said bed), or sweeping the floors, or changing sheets on the  kids' beds, or making a dozen bracelets for my daughter's birthday party game, or getting library books ready to return, or......but no, I am writing this post about random thoughts because I would much rather be writing than doing any of the above! :)  The other stuff will all get done.....it always does!


4.  My oldest daughter is about to turn nine and I am amazed at how often she says something to me that really makes me stop and think!  When did she get so grown up and articulate????!?!?! 


5.  My seed order shipped today, my seed order shipped today, my seed order shipped today.....can't wait to plant!!!


6.  Wait!  My little girl is about to turn 9 which means she is halfway to 18 which means we are halfway through her growing up years here at home which means this mommy could potentially be a bit teary eyed for a minute!


7.  My daughter just proclaimed that a spider we saw on a walk was CUTE!!!  How can a daughter of mine think anything belonging to the arachnid species is cute!?!?!  One thing for sure, I have grown to know and even appreciate more about creepy crawlies in the last several years than I ever thought possible.  Thanks kids!


8.  How does my husband go to sleep the minute his head hits the pillow.  I need to learn how to do that! 


9.  I am really enjoying my daughter's Story of the World history curriculum.  Today if the weather holds we get to make a brick! 


10.  OK now I am laughing because of how excited I am to do a science experiment that involves us making a brick!  It is like I am in 3rd grade all over again!


Happy Spring everyone!

It's Like Christmas!! or could also be titled What I Found Under the Couch This Morning....

Today I vacuumed under the couch and it has been a while!!!......I don't want to sound like a complete slob but I will admit to about 2 -3 weeks since I have moved the couch to vacuum.  And when you have hardwood floors like we do it is amazing what you can find under there when you finally do move it!  Seriously, it was like the kids suddenly got new toys...lost match box cars, a ball, a missing part to a construction set all of this amidst some serious dust bunnies, a couple raisins and a few chocolate cheerios.  My take a way for the day.....don't move the couch every time you vacuum and in a few weeks your kids will love you for it when they have "brand new" toys to play with!  Have a great Friday!

An Epiphany!

Today I woke up with a load off my shoulders...you see, last night (o.k. early morning) I had a conversation with God. I am one of those people (and there are a lot of us) that has a very hard time going back to sleep once awake No MATTER WHAT TIME THEY ARE AWOKEN.   5am is doable....2am not as much.  Early morning tends to be my time to feel any anxiety if I am worried about something.  I have had a few of these conversations with God over the years.  In fact,  I can count 5 of them right off the top of my head.  Sometimes before I feel the peace I am seeking there are great, gulping tears and lots of hair pulling (ok maybe I am exaggerating a little here....maybe!) and I ask big questions like "Why me?" or "What now?"  and I usually end up exhausted and just whisper "Please help."   And sometimes I have felt this instant clarity and the knowledge re: what to do is just there.   Every time I have had one  of these conversations with God and the resulting epiphany, things have turned out ok. In fact they have turned out better than ok.  I have learned over the years to trust these feelings because they are real and I am so grateful that I have been able to experience them in my times of self-doubt or anger or_____(insert negative emotion here). I have had worries resolved (like last night's conversation), I have had feelings of anger released with forgiveness taking it's place, I have suddenly just known that I was going to have a baby (after years of struggling, with the resulting anguish, to have one.).  I know everyone has their struggles and a lot, if not most, of the time no one but the person struggling is aware of their private dilemma.  I am curious as to what other people have felt. What journey have you taken to get to the place in your heart where you are at peace with a situation that has been causing you heartfelt stress?  If you feel comfortable with doing so please share.  I love hearing about other people's journeys and their growth experiences.  They are a source of inspiration to myself and others.

Fun With Food---Take One

 

Here is my first attempt at making fun faces with food...I won't be winning awards any time soon for my food art buuuuuut I made my kids smile!  I will keep at this because the food art out there is so amazing and I want to get better......hope my kids are up to my experiments :) 

Save Time and Money With Monthly Meal Planning

Our monthly meal plan...it's not pretty but it works!

I will start out by saying that monthly meal planning does take some work but it will save you TIME and MONEY.  The saving money part is because the less time you physically spend in a grocery store each month equals less money you will spend at said grocery store.  Following your plan will also cut down on the food you end up throwing away and wasting. The time part is because after you complete your monthly meal plan you will no longer face the "What's for breakfast, lunch, dinner?" dilemma!  We have been planning our meals using a monthly system for several years now and I have streamlined our planning to fit our family. Here are some ideas that you can use to start creating a plan for your own family.

My favorite tips:

Designate a night each week for a certain dish that you will enjoy each week.  For example, every Tuesday is pasta night, every Wednesday is soup night and every Friday is pizza night.  This may sound kind of ho hum for meal planning but think of all of the different pastas, soups and pizzas that you can create....plus your family will come to expect certain dishes on certain nights and there can be comfort in the routine.

The crock pot is your friend.  Cook a whole chicken in it for a delicious meal one night and use left overs for tacquitos the next night.  Cook a pot roast one night and wa-laa with left overs you have the beginning of shephard's pie the next night.  Nothing makes coming home after a busy day away than the welcoming smell of a meal prepared in a crock pot.  This makes for easy clean up too!!!

Create a master grocery list.  Put items that you always buy on it and leave a little room for misc. items that are special to that months meals.  Print one out at the beginning of each month and start circling or highlighting items that you will need to purchase at your next big grocery visit.  This is the beginning of your monthly grocery list.

Each weekend look ahead at your meal plan and see what perishables (fruits, vegetables, dairy) that you will need for that week's meals.  This will make your trip to the grocery a dash in and dash out kind of  trip and sometimes you may not need to go at all...you may be able to rely on canned or frozen produce depending on what meals you have planned and how stocked your pantry is. 

I happen to love magazines and I subscribe to a few foodie ones....they give me ideas for meals that are fun and new to try.  This keeps my recipe rotation exciting for my family to enjoy.  My favorite magazines are Taste of Home and Taste of Home Simple and Delicious.  I also love going to different websites and checking out recipes when I have time.  I really enjoy The Pioneer Woman's website at  www.thepioneerwoman.com and All Recipes at www.allrecipes.com   

Include your kids in your meal planning when you can.  I usually ask my kids what their favorite breakfast is (pancakes!) and always include what they say somewhere in the month's meals.  They enjoy having input and I figure it is step one in teaching them how to plan for their own families someday.

Five Fun, Inexpensive (or FREE) Things to do on the Central Oregon Coast!

Fish Food!..Alsea River Fish Hatchery

Oregon Coast Hatchery and Research Center at Fall Creek-28 miles E on Hwy 34 Turn left (if you are heading E on 34) on Fall Cr. Rd. This is a beautiful place to visit anytime of year but especially pretty during the fall months.  You can purchase a handful of fish food for 25 cents and feed the fish.  I love watching the feeding frenzy when you throw a handful of food in!  There is also a small visitor center which is fun to wander through.

 Big Spruce Trail at Cape Perpetua

Alsea River Fish Hatchery----This hatchery is located 43 miles E on How 34.   Turn left (if you are heading E on 34) on Fish Hatchery Rd.  This is a fun place to visit.  The hatchery raises trout that will be used to stock local lakes.  You can purchase a handful of fish food for 25cents and feed the fish....again it is fun to watch all the flipping and tail slapping that occurs as the fish rush to eat the food at the surface!  There is a tank which holds sturgeon and an enclosure that houses different varieties of pheasant. 

Cape Perpetua--Fee area $5.00 per day. Cape Perpetua is a beautiful recreation area just a few short miles South of Yachats.  There are a lot of trail heads that begin at the Visitor Center.  You can take a 2 mile trek and go visit a 400 year old Spruce tree, a 1 mile hike down to the tide pools (paved and stroller accessible the whole way) and others.  Make sure to go during low tide for tide pool accessibility.  Otherwise at high tide you can observe water spouts and splashing waves!

Yaquina Head Lighthouse--Fee area $5.00 per day.  This is a beautiful place to visit.  There is a wonderful interpretive center.  There are games for the kids to play, coloring for them to do and it is fun to tour around looking at all of the lighthouse history.  The drive out to the light house offers an incredible view and the tide pools are wonderful (make sure to go during low tide for best accessibility).  There is an area that is accessible for wheel chairs so all can enjoy being close to the ocean and tide pools.  One caveat is that the non-handicap accessible walk down to the tidepools is a bit of a hike.  There are many stairs and then when you reach the bottom you will be walking among small round rocks that are difficult to walk on.  Be careful!   The lighthouse can be toured during summer months.  This is also a great place to whale watch!

Agate Beach Recreation Site--beach access and a trail head for the Ocean to Bay Trail.  The trail head is located on the East side of the parking lot.  This trail is a beautiful one filled with lots of greenery, wooden bridges and is protected from the wind.  Bike accessible....but inexperienced bicyclists may need assistance in loose gravel.

It's Not to Early to Plan for Christmas Gifts Series..a Couple of Ideas

Family Conversation Night---how about a twist on the movie basket idea (you know the basket where you put popcorn, candy, pop, and a movie in a basket for a family to enjoy) and instead of a movie replace with a conversation game.  Here is a link to Amazon.com with some examples  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=family+conversation+games

Gift of the Month Club---You gift someone with a gift that comes monthly. These usually go for periods of 3, 6, 9, or 12 months.  There are candle of the month, dinner of the month, beer of the month, etc. clubs that you can purchase.  Here is a link with some gift of the month club ideas  www.flyingnoodle.com  orrrrrr you can do your own gift of the month club.  You could make a dozen cookies or muffins and deliver them each month to your giftee.  Who doesn't like to receive a gift every month??!!?  I have purchased gifts of the month from Flying Noodle and I have gifted homemade gifts of the month as well.  I have enjoyed doing both!

Big Grins, Bouncing on Beds and A Little Guy Reminding His Mama to Slooooow Down

Today I was changing RJ's diaper on the bed right before we had to leave to go to the post office.  There was a package there waiting to be picked up.  We had a half hour before the post office closed for the day and a ten minute drive to get there.  I was feeling a bit rushed so I hurried thru the diaper change while talking to my little guy.  After I finished his changing he stood up.  I was holding his hands and needed him to let go of my fingers so I could help him pull up his pants.  He held tight to my fingers and started to laugh.  Then he started to bounce on the bed.  He has figured out that if he holds onto my hands and bounces on the bed he can go really high.  I sighed to myself and was just about to tell him to stop bouncing because we needed to GO when I looked at his little face.  His eyes were sparkling and his grin was so wide that it seemed to be stretched from ear  to ear.  He was bouncing really high and kept laughing and saying "more".   He is a little guy who loves to jump!!  So what did I do....I let him bounce and I started to laugh too.   What did it matter if we got to the post office 5 minutes later than I planned.  What did it matter if I didn't pick up the package today at all and ended up picking it up tomorrow.  What did matter was that Rj was feeling the joy that only a child can feel...a kind of joy that says he has entered fully into the moment and that he is enjoying doing what he is doing right now with no other thoughts or worries pressing at him.  I needed to enter that moment with him.  I needed to feel the joy he was feeling and laugh with him.  He will never remember that moment on the bed when he was bouncing as high as his little legs could carry him and laughing with two year old abandon, but I will.  I will remember his happiness much longer than I would remember what was in the package I was in such a hurry to pick up.  So he jumped and I laughed until he stopped saying "More!".  And guess what we still ended up getting to the post office and picked up my package. But I would have been completely content for my little guy to keep bouncing and laughing and for us to pick up the package tomorrow!

My Go To Breakfasts

I find that having breakfast be a no brainer is a great timesaver in the morning.  Here are my top 10 items that are ready to slide onto a plate or pour into a bowl right away. 

1.  Muffins---so many good recipes out there.  They can be baked the night before, they are portable and kids love them.  Check out www.allrecipes.com for some amazing recipes.

2.  Breakfast Burritos---make your scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage and fried potatos or hashbrowns the night before.  The next morning pour your ingredients (I usually do scrambled eggs, fried potatos, cheese and bacon) into a microwave safe bowl and reheat.  Then add a dollop of your egg mixture onto a warmed tortilla, fold one end up, then roll and they are ready to eat! 

3.  Fruit, Granola and Yogurt Parfaits---Preslice your choice of fruit the night before. We like strawberries and blueberries.   Keep yogurt and granola on hand.  Here is a link to my easy granola recipe.  http://happymommy-happymommy.blogspot.com/2012/07/granola-for-breakfast-easy-recipe.html  The next morning let your kids make yogurt parfaits out of the available ingredients.  Serve in fun bowls for extra smiles!

4.   Bullseyes--Make toast using your toasters light setting then cut out the middle with a fun shaped cookie cutter (I usually use a heart unless there is a holiday then I use a seasonal cookie cutter), butter your toast on both sides, then place in a pan that is heated.  Break an egg  and pour into the cutout center of your toast.  Cook until firm enough to flip over and then turn the toast/egg over and cook the other side until done. 

5.  Scrambles---The night before break eggs and place in a bowl along with your families fave ingredients. (We like cheese, bacon, fried potatos, diced tomatos and diced green onion).  The next morning pour into a heated pan, cook and stir and you have a yummy scramble for your family to eat!

6.  Hot Cereal----my kids love Malt o Meal and really love adding different toppings to it.  Their favorites are brown sugar and seasonal sprinkles.  Oat meal is fun to add different toppings to as well.

7.  Cold Cereal---they don't get this to often so it is a special treat when it is served and they LOVE it!  If we have to get into the car right away in the morning I add diced dried fruit to their cereal and serve in baggies or disposable cups.  Finger food!

8.  Whipped Cream--kids love to dip their pancakes, waffles, french toast sticks, etc. into a dollop of whipped cream.  Make it a really fun breakfast and sprinkle some colored sugar or sprinkles (you can use seasonal sprinkles or if they are into sports you can use sprinkles that are their favorite teams colors) onto the whipping cream!

9.  Smoothies--cut up your favorite fruit the night before (strawberries here please!).  The next morning combine your cut up fruit, yogurt and a splash of milk (I like a bit of crushed ice too) into a blender and serve!  Kids love these for two reasons 1.  Kids just naturally love smoothies! and 2.  they like choosing what ingredients go into their smoothies.  I find that the more they help me make meals and the more input I allow them to give me the more interested my kids are in eating their meals!

10.  Buttered Cinnamon and Sugar Toast---what could be easier than toasting your bread, slathering it with butter and sprinkling it with cinnamon and sugar.  If you want to be creative you can cut the toast into strips or use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes.  Yum!