Greetings from Looney Land

Looking back on this week, this last two months, actually, I realized a common theme: I feel that I'm slowly losing my mind.

All kidding aside, I've always been one to keep things "up top". Sure I've tried the Day Timer planner and I've got my calendar plugged into my i-Phone, but truly I'm generally always able to remember things just from, well, remembering them. But since having this 4th baby, I'm slowly forgetting everything.

This past Monday I completely bombed on dialing in to a conference call.  WHAT??  This has never happened to me; I NEVER forget a meeting/appointment. But I did. Thank goodness my counterparts were understanding.

Then on Wednesday, I was rushing (story of my life). I had pumped and fed the baby and had 90 minutes to load all 4 kids up, head to get gas (I was on empty), hit the Teeter and get my eldest to gymnastics for her 6 p.m. class. I gunned it out of the garage ... and totally creamed my side view mirror. This wouldn't have been a big deal had I not backed into (and left hanging) a mailbox 7 weeks prior to. W.T.H.

These things are just not like me. I am slacking on checking my first grader's folder and I can barely remember a conversation from yesterday. I'd like to think things will get better once my 10-week-old gets older and starts sleeping through the night - but honestly I think it's a result of having too much on my plate. Or 4 kids ... or hormones ... or the fact that I'm 35. Or, maybe I just need to chill out a bit. Yeah, that sounds like a good theory. I think I'll stick with that one for now.  Now what was I supposed to do next?!!

Have a great weekend!

Totally Tuned In

If you're familiar with the product reviews I do on www.momscharlotte.com, you already know that I'm a fan of the Kidz Bop CD's. My husband, on one hand, will straight up turn on 95.1 or other related stations with the kids in the car. I'm not opposed to this, but kids will only be kids for so long ... why not let them do the kid things?

Kidz Bop CD's are great because they're a win-win; you get to sing along with tunes that you like and your kids get a more "friendly" version of them.

So this past weekend I was sent a copy of their new Monster Ballads CD. One look at the playlist and I was sold. Seriously; who wouldn't want to rock out to Every Rose Has Its Thorn, The Flame or the famed Don't Know What You Got Till Its Gone?! It was a true walk down memory lane. Before popping it in, I had to warn my kids that they wouldn't know any of the tunes - they needed to give them a chance. But after playing the CD twice, they were also sold!

Now: I've got a free copy I want to send to one of you. If you want to enter, here's what to do:

1. Comment here with the name of your favorite monster ballad.  

OR

2. Go to our facebook page (www.facebook.com/littleonesmag) and post a comment on our wall - simply name your favorite monster ballad there.

Want a list to choose from? 

Go to: http://www.kidzbop.com/music/kidz-bop-collections/Monster-Ballads for a list or find a few more at www.amazon.com/Monster-Ballads-Platinum-Disc-Set/dp/tracks/B0009XTXE2/ref=dp_tracks_all_1#disc_1.

Don't leave me hanging here; I know I'm not the only one who loved lots of these songs!! :)

"That's disgusting ..."

My middle daughter has been so disrespectful lately. It seems that every time I serve her any type of food, I get some type of complaint. Either "ewww", "awwww" or "that's disgusting" is what she'll tell me when I bring her food over.

 It's been going on for a good week or two, and I've warned her. And this morning, we had it.  She asked for strawberries for a snack. As we were getting in the car, she got her baggie of strawberries - cut and washed ... and guess who was not happy? Actually it was her - but as a result, neither was I.

She didn't get her strawberries, and she didn't get anything else for the next two hours until lunchtime. At the grocery store, she wasn't allowed to have any of the snacks that were out for sampling. I felt horrible; she kept saying she was starving. But each time I reminded her that she should not disrespect the food that she is served. A woman in the store over heard our conversation and gave me the thumbs up. And I still feel strongly about what I did. Now the question is - will she remember this in the future? Or will she still complain?

And when it comes to you - how do you handle food complaints?  I know I'm not the only lucky one to encounter them!

A healthy snack your little ones will LOVE

Homemade Granola Bars

This is super easy and my kids absolutely LOVE them.  Adjust quantities as desired; if you like more peanut butter, add it. Want more raisins or chocolate chips? Throw them in!  You really can't go wrong with these! Enjoy them! :)

Ingredients

• 2 cups oats
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil OR applesauce (I make mine with applesauce)
• 1 mashed ripe banana
• 1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional - my kids love them!)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and raisins/fruit. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey, egg, oil/applesauce; mix in the banana and nut butter. Mix well and fold in the chocolate chips. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes; cut into bars while still warm. If you allow the bars to cool completely, they'll be too hard to cut.
4. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. 

Stress-free = a Happy Birthday for ME! (actually for my daughter) ...

So I had mentioned my party plans for this past weekend - I just had to recap and say I'm so proud of myself for (just this once) doing as little as possible.  Literally. I booked the date, sent out invites (though a friend told me I should've done an e-vite) and ordered a cake. That's it!

Brian at Noah's Art called to confirm a few days before and to get a head count. He told me to remember three things - the cake, the candles and the drinks.  Now that I could handle.

My daughter (Deja - turning 5) wanted a butterfly cake.  I found this super cute one at Decadent Designs Bakery (www.decadentdesignsbakery.com/) . We did a chocolate cake (hel-lo, what other flavors are there?!) with chocolate mousse and vanilla pastry cream. It was delish!

It went perfectly with the "Garden" theme that we chose.

One of the things I liked best about Noah's Art (aside from them doing everything) is that the format. The kids came in and played first (perfect to break the ice and let everyone arrived) and then gathered for a story. Brian (the owner) is so good with the kids; he had them engaged and laughing within minutes. For the next hour, they did various parts of a flower pot activitiy intertwined with play time break-outs (about 5 minutes each).  This seemed to keep the kids' attention and everything flowed perfectly.

Here are a few shots of the soiree. But before I post them, I do have to say again that I didn't lift a finger. In fact, I tried to help clean up at the party to which I was told, if you are helping, we did something wrong. I love it! They even did those darned goody bags which I always stress over and the kids all took them home along with their finished product. Success!

The little things

I know some people have a specific idea of what they want (and don't want) for holidays such as Mother's Day.  Sometimes I have something in mind, but often times I don't. This was the case last week.  I hadn't an idea of anything specific that I wanted, but now I do. 

Here is my list of what I'd truly be the most grateful for; I'm sure most of you moms can agree. Oh, and let me preface by saying that I love my children dearly and am most thankful for them ... but sometimes I just want a little peace.  

Here goes:

*I'd like to have a whine-free 15 minutes. Heck, 10 minutes would suffice. I don't think we go longer than 10 seconds around here.

*I'd like to be able to go to the bathroom alone.  That hasn't happened in 7 years.

*I'd like to sit through a meal. And trust me - ever since having kids, I can eat FAST. 5-7 minutes of uninterrupted dinner or lunch time would be a real treat.

*A conversation (ok, 3-4 sentences) without being interrupted would be a nice change.

*A lunch packer. I'm too much of a health nut/control freak to have my kids buy lunch, I pack it every night. A healthy lunch-packer would be great.

*And on that note, a lunch un-packer would also make my day. Darn those dishes and cups!

*Cell phone coverage in my house. It's really not a lot to ask these days, right?

I could go on, but I'll end with this one. 

What else am I missing from this list? A woman can dream, right?!  Share your wishes!

Time ...

Where does it go?

I was up at 6 a.m. this morning. Well, actually I was up from 1:40 - 2:50 a.m., but I know that doesn't count.

Anyhow, back to 6 a.m. I was up 3 hours in advance of when I needed to leave for preschool drop off. How in the world could I possibly be late when I had so much time to prepare?

Somehow I always find myself fumbling in the last few minutes of countdown to leaving. I always say it's so tough to get out of the house, but it's me who makes it tough. Now granted, in those 3 hours I pumped twice, changed a 2-year-old and the baby, fed the baby, cleaned the table, got my first grader off on the bus, put the finishing touches on two lunches, ate, changed, packed backpacks, wrote a product review and (sigh) who knows what else.

As I am leaving the house - late, mind you, I had missed carpool because I was a few minutes late - I had to run back 3 times to grab things. Then I get to the end of my driveway and think that I forgot my phone.  I run back inside (number 4) to get it only to find out it was in my purse.

Now it's 9:15 and I'm wondering again ... where in the world does time go?!  I need to go back to bed!

Birthdays

Tomorrow is my 2nd baby's birthday!  I can hardly believe it ... 5 years has absolutely FLOWN by. Where does time go?

I just put the finishing touches on what looks to be a heavenly chocolate cake (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Candy-Bar-Cake/Detail.aspx) - didn't do the frosting but instead did this perfectly peanut butter (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Butter-Frosting/Detail.aspx) topping. O.M.G. Seriously this is going to be death by peanut butter.

Her party is set for Saturday (Noah's Art is going to take care of the details - with a 7 week old, hosting 15 5-year-olds at my house is NOT what I'm looking to do!) and her cake is coming from Decadent Designs.

I'm always amazed at how much work goes into a birthday even when you attempt to do it as "easy as possible".  What gives?

Have you had any success with hosting a low-frills party?  And by this I just mean one that didn't require a lot of work from you?  Share your thoughts with the rest of us - including me!

Welcome!

YAY!  So we finally have our blog set up.  I'm so excited!

Now, I truly need another something to do (ie this blog) like I need a hole in my head ... with 4 kids, ages 7, almost 5, 2.5 and 7 weeks, I'm generally running around like a crazy woman.  Let this be your warning!  Posts may be at all hours of the day, may contain swear words and may make me seem looney (I swear I'm not - well, maybe just a tad).  ANYHOW, I'm so looking forward to staying in touch with you more than just every 3 months.  And I hope to hear from you!

Happy Friday!! :)

Kiran

Welcome to the NEW Little Ones Magazine blog!