Sanitizing Toys after Sickness

The dog wasn't sick, he was just extremely sympathetic.

The plague has finally left our household. I was a casualty, struck down eating popsicles and drinking gingerale for days. Once my cement-filled head could process complex thoughts and my hands were no longer permanently needed to hold a snot filled tissue my first deep thought was: this cannot happen again. It wasn't "cleaning" that needed to take place in our house it was sanitizing. Hard core sanitizing. If those germs thought they were going to hang out on a piece of plastic bacon and hitch a ride into the babies mouth the next time she felt like gnawing on something - they were wrong. We were not going on this roller coaster ride of fun again.

One roll of Dollar Store shelf liner does the trick.

I separated the toys between two laundry baskets. Those that could be washed went in one and those that couldn't went in another. I've learned over the years that soaking toys in bleach solution sanitizes them but also can penetrate tiny little holes you didn't know existed in play food and leave bits of water behind. I want to sanitize the toys not leave small stores of bleach water for the kids to find so I devised a solution that works for us and I hope for you too!

I take some plastic mesh cabinet/drawer liner from the dollar store and cut it to fit my dishwasher. Press it down over the tiny little sticky up-y things in the dishwasher. The holes will help hold it into place. Pour all the little toys that would have fallen through onto it. Add bleach where you would have put soap in the dishwasher and splash a little extra in the bottom. Run the dishwasher. Make sure you adjust the heat setting if you have "meltables" in the mix. While the dishwasher runs wipe down all of the other toys with bleach wipes. I also wipe down the outside of books (which the baby likes to "eat") and our sofas (hooray for leather). When the dishwasher is done running I dump all of the toys from it into a freshly bleach-wiped laundry basket. They usually don't dry completely during the cycle so I can shake them around in the laundry basket near our woodstove to finish them off.

And hopefully we won't see the plague again until next year.

Corn Fritters AKA Pancakes for Dinner

Toddlers. One day they amaze you by hoovering everything in sight. The next day nothing will get them to eat. Fun times in our house.

We've been super frugal lately and my husband went a few months working overnights. This meant that I spent a couple of months alone with the kiddos for dinner and bedtime. (Sidenote: sarcastic "Yay") This meant that we ate pancakes for dinner. A lot. I'd strap the baby to my back and serve the toddler pancakes one by one as they came off the skillet. Pancakes are an awesome dinner because:

- They're cheap.
- They're fast.
- If I put fruit in them and use whole wheat flour they're healthy.
- Great excuse to use the amazing Grade B maple syrup a client of mine makes.
- Watching me cook them qualifies as dinner and a show to the toddler.

Now here's where we figure out if my mom reads my blog. She used to make "corn fritters" when I was little. I HATED them. I was never a big corn fan, she thought I was nuts. Basically she was serving pancakes for dinner and I was turning up my nose at them. Now I am an adult and I get it. It was an easy dinner for her to make and at the end of some days pancakes are about all I have the energy to make. So the other day I (gasp) made corn fritters. And you know what? They've grown on me.

Corn Fritters
(Serves 4)

1 cup masa harina (you could use cornmeal but the masa harina is finer and cornmeal and less likely to break apart)
1 cup frozen corn (if you use canned add a little extra flour)
1 egg
1 cup millk
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp coconut oil

1. In a bowl, beat the egg. Add the milk and masa harina. Stir until blended. Add the baking powder and salt. Mix.

2. In a skillet, melt the coconut oil. Dump it into the batter. I love coconut oil because just the residue from that little bit melted was enough to cook the entire batch of pancakes in.

3. Add corn kernels and stir.

4. Make circles of batter on the skillet and cook over medium. Flip after 1-2 minutes and try to achieve a golden brown color.

Serve warm with real maple syrup (please don't defile them with anything that didn't bleed out of a maple tree). 

Dish Soap & Underpant Helmets

One of the challenges of having two young kiddos who are only 20 months apart is the dreaded "schedule". I'm not a fan of being locked into a schedule but have found that designated nap times are a must follow in order to keep the baby from turning into a growling ball of fury.

And so with the baby quietly sleeping upstairs I attempt to keep the toddler busy. It goes something like this.

Toddler: Ayayayayayaya. (at this point I notice she has pulled underwear out of the folded clothes and is wearing them on her head)

Me: What are you doing?

Toddler: Is my helmet.

Me: Stay still I want a picture.

Toddler: (running) Hehehehehehee. Mommy, chase me. (takes underpants off of head) Your turn.

Me: Really?

Toddler: Yup. (I put them on.) Now you run Mommy. I chase you and take picture.

At this point I accept defeat and go back to my coffee.

So now I've started planning little activities to do during nap. While on Pinterest I came across a dish soap foam sensory activity. YouPinspireMe made it look easy, and it was. I've seen it repinned since then with different colors of foam courtesy of food coloring but I don't dig on green toddlers so we go dye-free here. Since I knew the toddler would immerse herself in the foam I made sure to use Seventh Generation dishsoap figuring it would be gentler on her skin.

All you need to do is put about 1 TBS of dish soap in your food processor and add 1/2 cup of warm water. Turn it on and let it spin away. The froth will grow filling the whole processor and you can dump it into the bathtub or into a container for the kids to play in. We've done both and it buys me some quiet underpants-on my head- free time.

Happy bubbles!

Pinterest Savvy: How to Become the Queen of Pinterest with A Free Book

Pinterest and I are tight. I'm fairly open with the fact that I would rather sit, wine in hand, and pin pictures about cleaning and organizing than actually clean and organize. At this point 50% of my blog traffic is coming from Pinterest so I convince myself it is a wise investment of time. (Then I pin time management ideas to balance out my delusions.) Occasionally, I look at folks who have millions of followers and I ask myself- How the heck did they get there? Because I want to be there, I dream of being there!

I was lucky enough to be introduced to Melissa Taylor, who runs ImaginationSoup.net and happens to be an award winning educator and writer. I'm not sure if I've shared this before but I was all signed up for education classes when I went off to college until a relative (who was a teacher) sat me down and talked me out of it. And that folks is how I ended up as PR/Marketing major. Melissa obviously did not have any disgruntled relatives to talk her out of educating so she went on to become a famous face on Pinterest (obviously this is the root of my problems). Melissa joined Pinterest and in less than a year had well over a million followers. And she has great hair, life just isn't fair sometimes.

Today marks the launch of Melissa's book on how you too can become a Pinterest goddess. The book, Pinterest Savvy How I Got 1 Million + Followers, is available free on Kindle for today 2/7/13 only. After that it will be $4.97. With the purchase of the book you have access to free worksheets. I adore worksheets. There is something satisfying about having instructions laid out for you and checking things off.

Melissa's book is packed full of all sorts of handy tips and tricks. Having used Pinterest for awhile I was surprised by how much I didn't know I didn't know! It is written in a conversational and easy to read style. I read the entire thing in one sitting and keep going back to re-read the sections I'm currently working on.

I've prettied up my boards, streamlined my description, and seen an increase in re-pins.

Do you want to learn more about:

* How to attract more Pinterest followers?
* How to achieve marketing & sales goals online (Did you know that average Pinterest users spend $80 vs. Facebook users $45? And that's not all in washing soda and glycerin so they can make their own detergent and body wash!)
* Success stories & tactics

Then head on over to Amazon and get Pinterest Savvy FREE today! 

As if that all isn't enough Melissa is giving away a Kindle Fire over on her site. Check out the details and enter to win here.

I challenge you to use Melissa's tips and report back. I'm starting dedicated Pinterest time today and I plan on reporting back on how my follower growth is in a month! Will you beat me?


* I was given access to Pinterest Savvy ahead of it's release date for the purposes of a review. My opinion is always my own as I am very bad at pretending to like things that I don't. I don't like Pinterest Savvy- I freaking LOVE it and hope to begin my slow takeover of Pinterest as soon as the kids go down for their naps!

Pee is a Part of My Life

Ahhhh motherhood. So many wonderful moments. Tiny hands cupping the breast while you nurse, going in at night to check on a sleeping baby, big hugs from little people, holding hands with sticky fingered toddlers and sharing a snack and a snuggle. And then it happens- you get peed on. Whether it was a boy diaper change that didn't happen quickly enough or a misaligned diaper getting peed on is jarring. Getting peed on while babywearing? Just plain old gross.

Yesterday I was off to the roasters for the day to work. My husband is just finishing up a stretch of several months where he was working nights. He is readjusting to daytime so I figured I'd bring one of the kids in with me for a short bit while he got up and got ready. The toddler insisted on "staying with Daddy" so the baby won the coffee trainee lottery. The timing was excellent. Naptime was afoot. I strapped her into her Ergo on my back and went about my business. Brewed coffee, scooped beans, filled web orders. Customers commented on how cute and peaceful she was.

Five minutes before my husband showed up my back felt warm.... and then I noticed a puddle on the floor. It was under me but I didn't make it. "Ga-ga- GA." Great. She woke herself up peeing on me. I wiped the floor up with a paper towel under the adorable Sanita clogs I had gotten on clearance (flash back to this post about pee on the post office floor), helped a few more customers and enlisted the help of my now present husband to remove the baby. He produced the only item of clothing he found in our cars that would fit me. A pair of his long underwear that he wore on nights he was on the mountain. They came up to my nipples. The clogs looked ridiculous so I switched to a pair of knit boot slippers my father in law sent me that I had in my car. I swear one of the Kardashian's may steal this rocking look:

On the good side of the battle of bodily fluids the toddler is doing quite well with potty training. She goes in cycles. Treats were getting too complicated (I'd forget them when we went out). Stickers were getting too messy. I refuse to scrape anymore Mater stickers off of various shoe soles and remove goo from items that have gone stickered through the wash. We're not motivated enough to stick to a chart nicely so I took the lazy/I love Sharpies approach. Smiley faces. Directly on the pullup (we were using cloth but she wasn't able to differentiate between her and the baby and kept getting angry about wearing "baby diapers"). This way she gets instant gratification, I get to see how many times she's used the pullup and Daddy can praise her when he sees the smilies. Plus a sharpie is lots easier to remember to bring! She gets a smiley face drawn on whenever she gets to the bathroom dry and goes in the potty.

Win, win. Less pee on me and more in the potty!

I Love Reading

I love to read. If there was a fragrance called "Library" I would be in line to buy it. I dream about having a card catalog in my house. When I was younger I devoured books, reading program champion here. I'd fill up the whole summer program reading sheet in one week. When I was a little older I read one of the mystery novels my mom had checked out. I was so quick with it that my mom decided I was just skimming not "reading" so she quizzed me. Problem was I remembered more than her and had to keep checking details.

Now my children also love to read. My son proudly signed his first library card days after turning four and being old enough to have his own. My middle child reads quietly to herself (or at times the dog).

In an effort to spend a little extra time with the toddler I let her stay up a little late tonight. Nostalgia washed over me as she cuddled up close. My mom used to pick out chapter books when I was growing up. Her, my sister and I read through James & the Giant Peach, The Borrowers, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and so many more.

And then I started reading Mrs. Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. Suddenly I was sitting in the back of a Toyota station wagon driving through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In the story Miss Rumphius makes the world a more beautiful place by spreading lupine seeds. On our annual family vacations areas of New Hampshire would be covered with them and my mom would always point out the window and bring up Miss Rumphius. What a wonderful concept- Making the world a more beautiful place!

Yasmina sat in rapt attention through the story. It's wordy and not standard toddler material. She pointed to the flowers and called them pretty. I cannot wait to see what beauty my little jasmine-flower namesake will bring to the world.


FYI- We read these books off of a website through Penguin Books  that offers free web based books to read. (You will need to register).

Nutella Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar (and Eggnog!)

 

 Nutella makes me happy. 

I love licking the knife off after making my daughter a 'tella wrap or dipping pretzels in it (best snack ever!).

Around the holidays eggnog also enters our house. My husband hates it so there is usually extra. I used our leftover eggnog to make these spiced delicious muffins with a Nutella surprise in them. I also made them using regular milk and it works just as well. This reminds me of a Good Housekeeping recipe my mom made when I was little. The muffins were dipped in cinnamon sugar and it always felt like we had been extra good to get something so sugar-y for breakfast. To balance out the topping on this muffin the batter is actually relatively healthy. I use a small amount of brown sugar, applesauce replaces any butter or oil and by switching out the egg & milk for available substitutes these could easily be vegan-friendly.

Perfect for breakfast when it looks like this out:

Nutella Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar
(makes 12) These taste best eaten warm when the filling is gooey so I don't usually make extra for later.

1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk or eggnog
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
Nutella (roughly 1/2-1 tsp per muffin- 12 total)

For topping:
2 TBS butter
3 TBS sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400. These muffins are going to bake for 5 minutes at 400 and 10 more at 350. I know it's a pain but it creates a nice crust around the muffin and keeps the Nutella soft. I experimented with one temperature but it causes the Nutella to cook into the batter which I didn't want.

2. Mix together applesauce and brown sugar. Add egg, spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Once blended add flour and stir just until it's worked in. Don't overmix as this is already a dense batter.

3. Spray a muffin tin and scoop one spoonful of batter into the bottom of each tin to cover it. Go through and add a small spoon of Nutella to each right in the middle. Then top with an additional spoonful of batter dropped right onto the Nutella. It will ooze down and cover the Nutella. The batter will yield just enough to make 12 muffins so make sure not to overfill!

4. Bake for 5 minutes at 400. Turn the oven down to 350 and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and turn out the muffins to cool. Let them sit for 5 minutes.

5. Melt the butter in the microwave in a small bowl. Realistically you only need 1 TBS but then it's really hard to dip the muffins. In another small bowl mix the cinnamon and sugar. Once the muffins have cooled dip the tops first into the melted butter, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately and with lots of napkins for the kids! Enjoy :)

Remembering to Say "I Love You"

I have rewritten this over and over.

I am sorry that parents lost their children. Sisters and brothers lost their playmates and grandparents lost their pride and joy.

Quick Eggplant "Quiche"

Eggplant is hot right now. Not just the vegetable (although I have seen assorted "arty" eggplant pics everywhere) but the color. Last week I picked up two eggplants and they've been on the counter looking at me as I deliberated on what to do with them. Last night they became.... delicious. I made a quick and easy "quiche".

'Twas Midway Through December

'Twas a night in December, the month half complete
All the children were sleeping, a quite major feat;
The stockings were still stored up in the attic,
Decorating with tiny children had proven problematic;

A New Nursing Tool - Premama Vitamins

Breastfeeding isn't easy. I thought it would just happen but that serene cameo never happened with my first two babies. With my son he arrived in a quick and frantic hour, 5 weeks early. After he was rushed off to NICU he was given formula before I saw him. They continued to give him formula and at 22 and two thousand miles from my family I didn't know my rights. He never adapted to breastfeeding and after pumping for a bit to supplement the formula and a round of mastitis that hospitalized me we stopped trying. Years later I gave birth to my lovely little Yasmina. She was a feisty one (and still is) and breastfeeding her was similar to trying to hold a feral cat still. Yet we somehow made it to 3 months at which point in time I went back to my travel job and had to wean her. When Yasmina turned a year old we found out we were pregnant with our Hurricane baby, Sohayla. I've now been able to experience happy cuddly nursing moments. She cuddles and has a hearty (yet gentle) appetite even now at six months. It's important to me to model a good nursing relationship to my kids in the hopes that when they're older they will also try breastfeeding with their kids.

Turkey and Babies and Truck Stops- Oh My!

This last 10 days has been a whirlwind of fur, cleaning & driving. We had the "untraditional" Thanksgiving this year. To make a long story short my father-in-law is going in for a transplant and we flew down Thanksgiving Eve to see him, introduce him to the baby, and drive his dogs back up to Vermont so we can care for them during his recovery period.