Unforgettable Childhood

Yesterday as I was cleaning inside of the house my girls put up the tent in the backyard. They kept talking about how they were going to sleep in it last night. I laughed. For one thing it was a school night. Not to mention, it wasn’t exactly hot out last night. So I thought they would just play in there and then we would come back inside to our nice comfy beds.

The girls somehow convinced their dad that it would be fun to sleep outside, even though they had school today. So we all bundled up and headed outside. The girls each told us a story before bed. It was hilarious. I should have had the video camera out.

We actually went to sleep a lot earlier than we usually do. Somehow the girls ended up on the air mattress and Chad and I were on the ground. He lasted outside until about 2:30 am and then he told me he had to go into the house. Nadia lasted until about 4:00am. The older girls had to be woke up to get ready for school.

I guess this was just another one of our adventures. I only had one question for my hubby. Why didn’t we do our backyard campout in the summertime when it was warm out and the girls didn’t have school the next day. . .

AND THE WINNER IS. . .I almost forgot to post the winner of the ECOstore USA Shampoo and Conditioner. The winner is #7 The McCormick’s.
McCormick’s said…
I tried using fancy salon shampoo and conditioner a few weeks ago. Liked the shampoo but my scalp got super itchy and flaky. The conditioner didn’t work at all. Would love to try the eco-friendly stuff since you like it!

I will send you an email and get your address to send off your prize.

Last night before bed I mixed up some Bran Muffins. This morning I put a pan in the oven for a fresh yummy breakfast. I wanted to share the recipe with you. This is something I love to have in the fridge so that I can make them whenever we need something a little different for breakfast. The batter can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.

1 cup Bran Buds
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp soda
2 cups Bran Flakes

Pour 1 cup boiling water over bran buds and set aside. Mix shortening and sugar. Mix in eggs then buttermilk. Add dry ingredients. Add Bran Buds and mix. Fold in Bran Flakes.

Bake muffins for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Enjoy!

I am reading an amazing book right now by Ann Kroeker called Not So Fast – Slow Down Solutions for Frenzied Families.

This book has inspired me to slow down with my kids. So Sunday afternoon we had an afternoon art adventure. My oldest was at the river with some friends so the younger two and I gathered up our paint, markers, crayons and colored pencils and we had so much fun.

First we laid out a tablecloth on the front porch and we painted. They thought it would be fun to splatter paint. They filled their brushes with paint and hit the handle to make speckles all over their papers.

After our painting fun we loaded our picnic blanket, sketch books and drawing supplies into the stroller. Madi jumped on her bike and Nadia climbed into the stroller and we were off. We walked to City park and created.

Not long after we were there we had a little visitor. This little bird really wanted to get onto our blanket.

Nadia said, “He wants to be my friend.”

I just have to share a few pictures from Nadia’s first day of preschool. I just picked her up and she had a great afternoon. There are only two other little girls in her class so she will get a lot of attention (like she doesn’t already get a lot of that at home).

You can join the party fun on this site, or over at SnazL.com. Don’t forget 3pm EST today!

Want to win a prize pack of books for your family? Stop by and chat with us.

I am so excited to chat with all of you tomorrow at my SnazL party. I wanted to share with you a few things ahead of time that you can look forward to at the party.

Healthy Snack alternatives from WAT-AAH!

Are you wondering which activities you should involve your children in? Check out this new book from Ann Kroeker.

Are you interested in a new way to communicate with your children’s teachers?

Aparna Vashisht-Rota, the founding Mom of Parentella.com will be sharing a great way to get involved in your child’s education. Below she shares her tips for Back to School. Come to the party and you can chat with Aparna.

It is back to school time! My son starts middle school tomorrow. We went shopping as he has outgrown his clothes, shoes, and backpack. He was very patient while we picked out his clothes and shoes.

He is really excited to go back to school and meet his friends and get back into the routine. It reminds me of my own eagerness and anticipation for a new school year. I used to love the new school year, so much excitement, new books, new notebooks, pencils, etc. I really enjoyed it.

As happy as I am for my son to embark on a new transition, I also feel sad. He is no longer a baby. He is older but I am also happy that he is grown into such a wonderful, loving, and kind person. I am very proud of him. I have heard that as they get older, it gets a little bit harder. I really want to get to know the other parents and make sure that the transition is as smooth as possible.

I am going to connect with other parents on Parentella. Parental involvement is the most important thing in a child’s education. You’d have thought it is the latest and the greatest but it boils down to parents being involved. Parentella is one such tool that helps parents stay connected, informed, involved, and on top of it.

10 reasons I am going to be on Parentella:

1. It is free.

2. It is only for parents and teachers.

3. It is private, safe, and secure.

4. It is simple, easy to use, site.

5. It allows busy moms to keep all information regarding the kids in one place. I am so done reading through the stack of paper they send us! If we are all online, it is money saved for school as no more paper is needed.

6. Parentella sends you automated reminders for events, never forget the movie night again!

7. Ask other parents that difficult question in Algebra. One time, my son got homework and it was tough! I wasn’t sure really what we were supposed to do and I’d have loved to ask another parent.

8. Get context rich information! Ask a mom in your child’s class regarding videogames, allowance, cellphone usage, etc. We are in it together, so might as well help each other.

9. You can archive information for the entire year when you leave the class to join the next grade, you still have access to the information. All the content you created, stays with you.

10. Organize online signups for potlucks, book fairs, staff luncheon, class parties.

Get Parentella, get involved. It is a MUST HAVE for back to school.

This post is written by Aparna Vashisht-Rota, the founding Mom of Parentella.com. Thank you for reading this post and please feel free to write her at aparna (at) parentella dot com.

Before I became a mom I thought I had motherhood all figured out. I thought that adding children to our little twosome would be a piece of cake. I thought I would just keep working, always have a clean house, cook and bake all while raising my children to have excellent manners.

And then. . .I had kids. I realized that I do not have a Super Woman cape hiding under my clothing. I do not have super human strength and lightning fast speed.
I tried to be Super Mom, but it just was not possible. I want to be a great mom to my kids. But by whose definition?

I am learning that I cannot say “Yes” to everyone and everything. I have learned that some days if I decide to have an afternoon art adventure with my girls. . .the house may stay a mess.

I am going to start making a few changes with this blog and I can’t wait to share them with you.

This blog is my journey to helping my children have an unforgettable childhood. If I was trying to be Super Mom I don’t think that is the experience that they would have. I think by being a “good enough” mom, we can embark on an amazing adventure.

Stay tuned to some changes around here and don’t forget to join my SnazL party on Wednesday afternoon at 3pm EST/2pm CST. It should be a fun time for us to get to know each other better.

Have a great week!