Puppy wuppy wuppy.......

Meet the newest addition to our family- LACIE

Isn't she cute!  She's 3 months old....and I've had a few moments (my husbands had more than a few) that I thought I may have lost my mind getting a puppy.  My kids are 8 (almost 9) and 6, so getting a puppy, is almost like having another baby. (minus the 9 month pregnancy, weight gain (well..anyway), labor & delivery)  

It brings me back to when my kids were toddlers and I had to know where they were every minute or they just may be sticking my car keys into a light socket or playing with their bath toys in the toilet..because all water is fresh clean fun play water when you're a toddler.  

So the Puppy Trainer came to our house because the last time we had a puppy we didn't have an 8 and 6 year old so the nipping at the heels..and puppy nipping phase wasn't a big deal to endure.  My children, who love dogs..were a bit apprehensive around lil Lacie because she would nip quite a bit wanting to play and interact with them.   Can't have the kiddos afraid or nervous in their own

               home so  we called in the PROFESSIONALS from

        Specialty Pet Training
(Just had to give a shout out to my new fav puppy trainer!)

The lovely trainer, Anne, came to our home and wow...a PLETHORA...no other word will do...of information that we could put to use right away.   We've seen a lot of improvement since she spent time with our family and our dogs.  I loved being able to ask so many questions.  Since she came to our home...it was a very personalized (and super convenient!) training session.    My favorite tip- (well, it's my favorite because our puppy Lacie loved it so much) was to use a Water bottle to put treats in...let the dog roll it around and work to get the treats.  Now of course they are going to crush the water bottle, so this isn't an activity you should let them do when you're not going to be around to recycle that bottle when they are finished. But..as Anne shared with me...you can go to a dollar store and pick up some of the bigger, heavy duty water bottles and they'll last a little longer.

  Lacie spent a lot of time working that treat slot machine....score....wrestle the bottle... Score....she was in puppy heaven...I on the other hand was able to empty and load the dishwasher without a puppy trying to climb in and pee in the dishwasher.  Woo hoo.  Successful puppy parenting day!  

Mother's Day Give Aways..2010

Well..CHECK IT OUT MOM's...easy as commenting on a post to enter for some fun Mother's Day give aways....

Has anyone seen my Mommy GENE...it's Missing!!

 

There are days..I sit amazed..that I'm the Mom of 2 beautiful children...

God trusted them to me?..

.to train?

and guide them ??

into all He would have them to be.???

How about 
..a lil history...

Once upon a time...(it's a blog people...it's not suppose to be short and sweet!)...    I  never felt I was cut from that "mommy" cloth..I was missing the Mommy GENE.  (not "missing" as in...oh I'm so sad I've lost it.... missing as in..didn't have it ...Mommy GENE is NOT Present...not misplaced..it was never here!)  Never dreamed about being a mom (not that I recall anyway..so if I don't remember it, it didn't happen and yes that carries over into all aspect of my world if you happen to live in it!..just sayin...)  So.....  ...seeing babies didn't make me want one of my own... I absolutely ADORED (and still do)  my nieces and nephews but the whole desire for motherhood ...I got nothing...nada...zero..zilch.  You get the idea.

So I meet a great guy...He wants 3 kids...   .we negotiated...1 with an option for 2 if I survive and I'm not talking just physically..emotionally and the WHOLE ENCHILADA!!.  Deal is accepted...we get married.  (I know..you are speechless at how romantically I just communicated our love story...I'll give you a moment ..............)    

.Once pregnant with #1 I proceed to read every internet article and parenting book possible... Gleaning only those portions of my reading I deemed worthy to retain and disregarding the rest. (that's just how I roll..I'll read..doesn't mean it's worthy of retention.)   This was how I  prepared for parenting, since I was missing the "Mommy DNA"...the "Mommy Dream"...the "whatever you call it!".   I found some pretty good stuff..(too bad I wasn't blogging back then...I could have totally condensed tons of information into one blogpost!..yet I digress as always...)     Baby #1...success.  Lived the overprotective Stay At Home Mom life... Well..the fact that I was having a child...pretty much sent shockwaves through my entire family...and then I go and do the Stay At Home Mom thing too...I just jumped right in to this Mommydom... vrooooom vroom we're off... ...Baby #2 a few years later....TADAH...I'm still here..oh yes I am..

So, here I am  today (see that wasn't such a long story now was it!)  as I ponder in my Kitchen about Mothers Day.... hmmm....I'm a Mom.   .... whoever says it comes naturally...well..can I just say...WHATEV! not here, not me uhuh.   But I wouldn't trade it, I've loved every minute of being a mommy....(okay except...WAIT NO...every minute!)  What a precious gift I've been given...these precious lives, that I'm responsible for helping to arrive into adulthood successfully and well equipped. .WOW have  I  seen myself more clearly...(that's actually pretty scary and funny and well usually embarrassing too.)

Mom's and Parents...regardless of whether you've dreamed about being a mom since birth, it was thrust upon you before you were ready,  or you were a late bloomer. (like moi)..whatever journey brought you to motherhood..there are some commonalities that most of us share...

• The ability to wake out of a dead sleep because you thought you heard your child cry...
• The value of making yourself look silly, ridiculous and downright goofy just to see someone else smile.
• the capacity to love unconditionally(whether you did before or not)
• the ability to remain calm in scary situations ..because it's not about us
• the capacity to function at a higher level and with less sleep than any other time in our life...
• the ability to see that a bad choice doesn't equal a bad person.  
• The ability to be interested in something because it's important to the person we're listening too...(IE.  mommy look at this leaf, rock, bug, dust bunny, )
• The importance of being consistent
• The value of speaking the truth in love
• The value of being a soft place to land  and a safe person to talk to about anything.

Parents don't have a corner on the market on any of these things.  But being a parent, a Mom..helped me realize, I could do more, be there more, be more vulnerable, more available not just to my children, but to all those in my life.  

Happy Mother's Day all you Mom's...(I know..I'm a bit early)....and may all that makes you a wonderful Mom...overflow into all your relationships....

Okay...gotta finish up and decide on a gift for my Mom.....

Blessings to you and yours.

Cool Mother's Day Idea!

I saw this   FREE  Mother's Day offer from Canvas People over at:

 

Click the link below for details!  

Fabulessly frugal- Mother's Day Gift Idea

Meal Planning Part DEUX. How to prevent your kids from turning into a chicken nugget.

   
Meal Planning Part DEUX

Most of us would like to eat out less 

because that usually equals a healthier diet 

and a little more cash in our pockets never hurts either.

So, If you're not a spreadsheet kinda girl where do you plan your meals.

Scratch paper? 

Legal Pad?  

On your family calendar somewhere?  

Here's an option I'm quite fond of.....   The Eat Sheet.

I found this meal planner about a year ago and just love it.  I put mine in a 3 Ring Binder. You can print enough for the whole year..one week at a time..whatever gets your fancy. (there's no right or wrong here ladies..you're planning meals ahead for goodness sakes!)  


I found The Eat Sheet   at

 

Mommy Tracked

(They have alot of other cool downloads, 

hints and tips as well..so check them out! )

Personally, I write my meal plan in pencil...because I tend to swap things around. You could also place these in Sheet Protectors or laminate and use a dry erase marker if you'd rather reuse the same sheets. You could also keep your laminated sheet on a clipboard or put it on the fridge. I plan for Pizza nights, leftover nights etc...  On my Eat Sheet-- in Each Day of the week box ...I put  the letters  B(breakfast), L(Lunch) D (Dinner).  Now I don't always plan out all 3 meals...but doing this does tend to help alot with grocery shopping (which my sweet husband does! He rocks!) and my husband likes to look ahead to see what culinary adventures I have in store for him. 

Things that have proven to be true for me regarding meal planning:

1. Meal time is less stressful.  

 One less thing I have to think about everyday.  Whether you plan ahead by week or month or quarter...I think you'll be amazed at how much more you eat at home.  If you're juggling Soccer, Dance, Gymnastics, Homework, Work, Volunteering, Music, Art and who knows what else...it's nice to  look at the list before you go to bed..lay out what you are having for dinner, jot down any items you may need to pick up while you're out the next day and not worry again.  Stress (regarding mealtime anyway!) has left the building in the mealtime category.

2. Grocery Bill reduced.. 

We simply eat out less when I have a meal plan in place.  You can save even more if you plan your meals around whatever meats/main course items are on sale.   One of my favorite purchases was a vacuum sealer.  We can buy meat, chicken etc on sale in bulk and freeze without freezer burn worries.  A mealplan, a vacuum sealer and lots of freezer space can save you $$$.

 

3. I try more new things.  

 When I put it in writing and realized we were having, spaghetti, tacos, lasagna, chicken,  in the same rotation because it was easy to do last minute...it was a little embarrassing.  So..as i wrote things out...I began to fill in with recipes I'd been wanting to try....and somehow...our standbys become less and less frequent.

4.  The family starts looking forward to dinner. (instead of looking LIKE dinner)

My kids have tried so many new things...not that I haven't seen a few wrinkled noses or whiney tones of "what's that".... but for the most part..they enjoy the variety and I no longer feel like their going to turn into a Chicken nugget.

5. It tends to snowball into other things..first you're planning meals..feeling all disciplined and feeling less stressed at night.  Next thing you know..you're alphabetizing spices, hanging things in your closet according to the color wheel, fitting 2 cars in your 2 car garage ....(okay...maybe I'm exaggerating a bit.)  But the energy you save not sweating dinner plans...will be put to good use doing something you enjoy like reading, spending a few more minutes with the kiddos before bedtime, ..etc.

6. Healthier- we eat healthier...more of a variety and smaller portions.  It is astonishing how out of wack restaurant portions are these days.  THEY ARE HUGE!  We eat less at home...bottomline. 

There are definitely alot of perks to meal planning!   And..this list is certainly not all inclusive.   The reality is..we all, usually, fall off the organizational wagon in more ways than one at various times in our life, (okay I know some of you were never on it, that doesn't mean you can't hitch a ride now!).         IF you're not planning meals at all...challenge yourself to schedule 2 days in advance for this week.  Next week..challenge yourself to plan the whole week.  Then go for the gold and plan the whole month!  

 

I'd love to hear your comments on what works for you.  Finding the solution that fits your lifestyle and personality will make all the difference in whether you stick with it or not. So as you look at different ideas...I encourage you to customize them and make them your own..then share your ideas with other wives and moms.    Happy Meal Planning...(couldn't resist!)

Weekly Meal Plans

Well, I've talked about meal planning before. It is one of those things you do very well...or you just suck at it.  Some "intend" to get a meal plan together and never do. Some like the idea but have given up hope of it actually happening.  Others..well.have a spreadsheet that they update every Monday at 9:01 am for the entire  week.   For those that are a little more "challenged" with the meal planning concept I'm sharing some great sites to help you conquer this beast.

Meal plans:
livinglocurto.com

thisweekfordinner.com

Great recipe ideas!

The Pioneer Woman
I love the cooking portion of her blog. Lots of pictures..good step by step instructions.
Check out the brisket and her FAVORITE Salad..so yummy.

Food Network

All Recipes

On your mark, get set,  COOK!

Sharpen Dull Knives....Featuring a Post from DIY LIFE

 Useful information here..It'd just be unkind to keep it all to myself.   It wasn't until about a month ago that I had a sharpening steel in my Kitchen. (And I love to cook!)  Who knew knives could be so sharp....and cut my worktime in half!!  Please...don't cut with dull knives or scissors...for the sake of time doing something you enjoy much more...make sure they are sharp. 

 Check this out..for handy info...


The Daily Fix: Sharpen Dull Knives (Scissors and Can Openers, Too!) - DIY Life

TARGET COUPONS- Woohoo

For those of you who like TARGET-
Check out these great coupons- not sure how long they'll be available so print the ones you want right away.

TARGET COUPONS

And remember- target coupons can be stacked with Manufacturer coupons for even more savings!!  

How do you do that? I want to learn to.....???

I have my moments... of craftiness.  It's usually of the digital kind but. ...As my husband likes to say...I'm a computer geek. (he says it in the most loving way I assure you...maybe even a little envious..but I digress)

I have a handy dandy Cricut machine that I LOVE to get out and use to make homemade cards or crafts.  I have a sewing machine that rarely gets used..(I have guilt).    I need ideas and inspiration to get me going...

Because I'm not one of those- "naturally" crafty people..you know the ones who Go to Canton Trade Days or Hobby Lobby and see a cool thing they want in their house then go home and recreate it for less than 1/2 the cost.  Yeah..I'm not one of those people.  I need a pattern, I need step by step instructions.  I don't mind taking the time to make something homemade...I enjoy it actually...but GIVE ME INSTRUCTIONS!  I can't create these things out of thin air...it's just not in my DNA..it's not..I'm most certainly lacking the "create things from thin air" gene when it comes to crafts.  (now cooking that's a different ballgame!) 

Instead- I peruse the internet...researching looking for cool crafty creatively inspiring websites.   And..since it's not my nature to be selfish...well not without cool crafty creatively inspiring websites anyway!  I thought I'd share some that are my favorites , right here...on Mommily Ever After..I'm also including some great websites that give fun ideas for hosting parties and get togethers...I JUST LOVE THIS STUFF....it's a website -sharing- orama ...Here you go:

click picture to go to website

click Picture to go to website

 The Party Dress 

 

The Polkadot Chair

   Sweet Designs

Tip Nut

Hostess With The Mostess

Create My Event

I would absolutely love to hear what websites you find useful.  For ideas on Birthday crafts, gift crafts, home decor, teacher appreciation etc... Please do tell!!

Copying, Pasting, Forwarding to inform and warn via email and Facebook...

Can we talk...  you see...it seems as if some folks ....  do not realize that just because someone sends you an email or posts a message on facebook warning you that:

You will not be allowed to pray over your meal in public or you'll be arrested right here in the good ole USA starting June 15th at 6:21 am and not a minute before...

Maybe....just thinking out loud here..it'd be good to verify this information before forwarding it to everyone you've ever sent or received an email from since the internet was invented.  And MAYBE it'd be good not to post it on your facebook profile until you've verified that what you're posting is actually fact and not fiction.

If you get a kick out of posting this stuff and getting all riled up about stuff regardless of whether it's true or not...well who am I to spoil this new source of entertainment.    I can't stop you..but I can post that on my list of pet peeves...this is 179ish.   Please...if you don't have time to verify the info..do not hit forward.. do not hit copy and paste.  Because once you do..and you're in my little realm of email and facebook..then I feel obligated to do the homework..and 97% of the time...it's just not true.  You all are wearing me out! Get that scowl off you're face...it's not like I just told your firstborn there's no Santa before they were ready.... you'll be okay.   Here's a sight to help you check your facts before you start a Facebook or email riot that gets out of hand only to find it was all based on a false statement to begin with....

www.snopes.com

Bookmark this page...use it often...

Homeschool Highlights

Today on the agenda was:
1. Learning how to blow a bubblegum bubble
and
2. Learning how to tear a worksheet out of  a workbook in one piece

Of Course we covered, Math, History, Bible,Grammar and writing as well..but those are soooooo  predictable...COME ON!  I don't  homeschool to be predictable.

My son REALLY stresses out when his worksheets are not torn out properly....IF HE's the one who's tearing it out.  You can tear his worksheet out..his friends  can tear them out and they can be torn in shreds..that's okay.. but it is a serious matter of contention if he does not tear his worksheet out flawlessly.   So..we had "How to tear our own worksheet out in one piece" training today.  I have one proud student on my hands..He is now qualified to help himself and those within his circle of influence should a worksheet need to be torn out of a book.

Sara on the other hand..REALLY wanted to blow a bubble with her bubble gum.  This child..really loves her bubble gum.  Mostly because it's pink, I think.   So, as she is nearing the age of 7, it's not enough for her anymore, to simply CHEW the gum..oh no no no... there's got to be more.  So, after math...we studied the subject of bubblegum bubbles- how to ....  Serious fun, serious learning...that's what we're all about here .......

   Who knows..maybe tomorrow we'll study How to keep an ice cream cone from dripping all over you when the temp is 105 .....as it often is in Texas.

Julie n Julia?? Robin and well..we'll see

I love to cook. (i.e. experiment with food in the kitchen resulting in extremely messy counters, floors, dishes and some usually yummy food creation.)   I was on a Rachel Ray 30 min thing for a while..about 30 minutes to be exact...loved her show on foodnetwork..thought it was so clever to toss a meal together in 30 minutes.  Then there was (and still kind of is) the Semi-homemade stint..ah yes another food network starlet..Sandra Lee.  There's a lot to be said for "dressing up" "doctoring up" storebought goods to make them "semi-homemade"..it's quick it's easy it's convenient and most of the time pretty yummy.

But..for a foodie type person like me...and a country girl from Missouri such as I...I love love love love..yep that's right..love..making things completely homemade...mess and all...things you need an apron for cuz it'll be messy.  I like the freshness, the challenge, the time it takes to create a nice mouthwatering juicy brisket, or bread or mashed potatoes that aren't from a box...that I peeled and boiled myself.  Guacamole that I didn't squeeze from a vacuum sealed bag,   salsa that's not from a jar.  Herbs I grew in my back yard...

I don't always have time to "create" in the kitchen..but if I had the time every day..I would...and this year..I'm being more proactive about making the time.  Why...because I watched the dvd FOOD INC...aaaahhhhh...a lil tramatizing..and then theirs Jamie's Food Revolution...I'm not much of an activist..but once you know something..you know it.....so here we are ...getting smart about food and what's in it...

So..Mastering the Art of French Cooking..and becoming besties with Julia Child's cookbook is on my to do list...what fun...no really ...I'm looking forward to it...watch out culinary world..here I come.