Date Night

The kids have been fighting with each other all day, no naps, public meltdowns in Target, the Hubby has to work late again, you feel like you have been yelling all week… and it's only Tuesday! Yikes, you need a date night! 

But sometimes even getting to date night, a night that is supposed to help refresh you, allow you to talk about something other than the potty and super heros and bring you closer to your love can be stressful. It shouldn't be but it is.  All the planning that has to be done is just another thing to add to the long list of to do's. Finding a babysitter, making a reservation, and finding a cute outfit that does not have stains on it and for some of us, finding an outfit for the other half of the date.  But once that is done, date night is SO on! And it is so enjoyable to share a meal and a glass of wine or two and an adult conversation with the one that helped you create the chaotic life you love. 

It all comes full circle!

The Stink Eye

We were at an indoor kids play area the other day, I won't mention which one… My boys were having a great time, and playing really nicely together. Watching them made me smile!  We had been there for a while and then some slightly older kids came in and the whole dynamic changed. They were routy and playing with each other kinda rough. While their mothers sat on the other side of the room chatting, clueless about how their children were acting. I asked my children to try to stay away from them, as did a few other moms.

A few minutes later my 4 year old came over to me and said "I have a secret to tell you mommy", I leaned down and he whispered in my ear, "That boy in the black shirt (one of the routy ones) just called me stupid!"  I was pissed! Are you kidding me? Who is raising this child to say such mean things to a stranger, to another kid? I quickly pulled myself together and asked my son, "what did you say to the mean boy?"  "I told him I was not stupid and walked away!" my son told me.  YES! I thought, perfect!  He did not let it bother him, sticks and stones!  But it DID bother me!

I did not see it happen and it's probably a good thing I didn't because I know my son has to learn how to handle things like this, it is a part of life unfortunately and I can not fight his battles even though I REALLY want to.  

But you better believe I made sure that little boy knew I was watching him, I gave him the Stink eye for the rest of the time we were there.

I am not saying I am a perfect mom, I am far from it. But there are certain things I try to stress to my children. Always say please and thank you and to be kind. I do not think it is all that difficult or asking too much of them.  As parents I think we need to consider what values we want to instill in our children.  Are compassion and consideration two values that has been forgotten?  I sure hope not!

GREAT morning

As I was waking up the other morning, clearing the sand out of my eyes, and starting to think about what we have planned for the day. Which lets be honest, I am doing all night long instead of really sleeping, I hear my youngest's door creek open and not far behind is my oldest. Next thing I know, we are all cuddling in my bed. It was so awesome! I felt bad that my hard working husband had already left for work and was missing it.  Normally, because I am such a pushy and impatient person I would have rushed them downstairs to have breakfast but I realized that we had nothing important to do that morning. I just embraced the moment knowing this would not last forever! There may come a day where they will not even want me to hug them :(

Eventually we do get up. We go downstairs (still in PJ's) and I make them breakfast and put on a cartoon. Normally I would be organizing my bag and making a list of things to do, not this morning, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and relaxed (sort of). In my head I was thinking, take advantage of this and get to cleaning… so I did.

I used to have someone come to the house to clean but I kinda felt like a slug. I am home most of the day so I should be able to find time to do my own cleaning.  And I honestly do not mind cleaning.   Anyway, the boys have now moved into the office and are playing a Disney Jr. game on the computer and I am working hard in the kitchen. I can hear them laughing and having a conversation about the game, it's really cute. Just one of the reasons we wanted to have more than once child! 

Back in the kitchen I am done with the counters, dishwasher is loaded, I move to the bathroom, then sweep the floors.  And I am thinking I can not believe they have not asked for a snack yet. Let me keep going!! I move onto vacuuming and dusting and there it is… "We want Cheezits" Let me remind you it is now only 8:00am. Cheezits is not happening, I bring them some grapes. After I give them the grapes I wonder, do I take a chance and start mopping?  I just know once I start there are going to be little feet walking right through. I decide to roll the dice! 

I even got through writing this blog!  I didn't feel guilty because they were keeping each other entertained, and now we could start our day! It's only 9:50am! 

Like I said, GREAT morning!

Are We Ready:

The preparation leading up to kindergarden is a lot of fun...picking out book bags and first day of school outfits. But in reality it's a day that I am completely dreading.

The idea of sending my son off to kindergarden feels like I am sending him off to the wolf den. All these thoughts have been racing through my mind.

Have I prepared my son for every challenge he may face?

Bullies- will he be strong enough not to let words hurt him or strong enough to actually hold his own if he needs to? Or better yet to walk away and tell an adult?

Will he be confident enough to be his own person and not be a follower? 

Have I taught him to respect his teachers and not be the class clown?

Will he be outgoing enough to speak up and make new friends. Friends who will like him for him!

And then there are the crazy thoughts... I mean really crazy...I wot go there!

But the truth is from here on out its out of my hands. He will now be influenced by, well lets face it ...strangers. bus drivers, teachers and schoolmates. People I don't know. 

All I can do is pray I've done my job as a parent and leave the rest up to him. And Hope I'm sending him off with all the necessary tools he will need.

And on that day I'll wait nervously all day till he gets home to hear how it was.  I'll be excited and proud of him, and ill be confident in what a smart intelligent little man I'm raising!

Whats For Dinner?

Too often I struggle to figure Out what to make for dinner.

Let me start by saying I am by no means a good cook. In fact I am

a Pretty dreadful cook. Added with the lack of interest and 2 boys constantly hanging on my leggs equals a recipe for disaster.

More often then not one kid is annoying the other causing me to step in and referee and solve the problem....30 minutes later the thin sliced chicken breast is well over cooked. But problem with the boys solved! One point for mom!!

So after feeling completely horrible that my poor hard working husband comes home from work, time and again to a lousy meal I started to look at my options...cooking classes; these are usually costly and alot of the ones i found were very specific, 'learn to cook authentic Italian' i need every day cooking!

I also looked into having pre-made meals delivered; Again costly and I just didn't see this as a fix all. I wasn't going to have food delivered forever. In the end i knew i had to refer to the big guns! Veteran moms and wives who have lived to tell.

What I needed were a few TIPS and some SIMPLE & QUICK recipes i can make my go to meals. Here is what we came up with:

Shake n bake is a girls best friend. It's really so easy and you can keep it as simple as 'shake n Bake' or you can make it a bit more interesting by adding marinara sauce, mozzarella and oregano... voila!! oven-baked Chicken Parm!!!

Have a few good spices on hand...McCormick's Roasted Garlic & Bell Pepper is great and even has a few simple recipes on the label! Bonus!!

Meatloaf is easier then you think. Make it turkey meatloaf for an even healthier choice. Add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup bread crumbs and bake for an hour. Add a jar of gravy and you are good to go!

Now this one is one of mine...If you can get your hubby to eat tofu a quick an easy meal consists if boiling rice, sautéing cubed tofu in olive oil. Add a bag of frozen mixed veggies and the cooked rice. Throw in Sun-Bird Stir-Fry seasoning mix and done! It really is delish!

And lastly if you have a crockpot...USE IT! If you don't have one you might want to consider investing in one. You can literally throw anything in there let it cook for hours and it's virtually impossible to overcook! 

Remember to Set the timer!

And lastly when the smoke detector goes off, wave a dish towel at it and order out!

I Know you can Relate to This

I may be a mom, I may be 30...3!  But I am by no means over the hill or out of touch!  So when someone says to me "you look good for being a mom" frankly i get offended! I look good period!

When I am out to dinner with my family an I order a 23oz beer instead of the pint glass don't be shocked. 

I could still party like when I was in college… If I wanted to!  It just might take me a week to recoup.

And I still listen to Rihanna and Usher, it just might be the kids bob version! 

So just because I am a mom don't assume I am a minivan driving (although extremely practical), mom jean wearing, June Cleaver! Do however assume, I will give my kids everything they need and do anything for them!

Got Nothing to Wear?

I always hear people saying, I have nothing to wear to work out, I feel the same way, so I did a little informal poll to find out what people are loving for workout gear. I polled all women, some were moms, some were workout-ahoholics, and some women who just casually work out. For the most part the answers that I got were similar to my own tastes. But I was also happily informed about some cool new brands and tips. 

I found that for the most part we don't really like to spend too much money on workout gear, I get it... Why bother when we are only going to sweat in it and we found out the other day that we all really want to spend our money on shoes and bags!  It is, however, difficult to find inexpensive things that are still cute. And let's face it, looking cute counts!

Here's a tip, try TJ Maxx or Marshals. What a great place to find name brand tops and pants for less. You can find, Nike, Under Armor, Adidas, Champion, New Balance and Puma, many of which were top fave's of the women I polled.  

I often turn to Gap or Old Navy, for cuteness and price. Gap sends out coupons practically every week…. Score! Other brands to check out are Altheta, Marika, and Lululemon. These shops are great for the cuteness factor, not so much for the budget. Keep an eye out for sales.

Other must haves for working out according to these ladies are IPhone or IPod armbands and a great playlist, Pump it by the Black Eyed Peas gets me motivated every time!  The Nike plus adapter for running is a great way to keep on track of your milage.  And don't forget those weight lifting gloves to avoid calluses!

Now, not having anything to wear is no longer an excuse to not workout!