Naptime Blog

I was reading in line at the store the other day and the article was very interesting. Here are a few of the things that I learned and thought were helpful: 

1. When cooking put a thin layer of butter around the rim of the pan to keep the water from boiling over (which makes a huge mess depending on what you are cooking). 
2. If you run out of eggs you can substitute in two tablespoons of real mayonnaise for one egg (I have not tried it yet but I think it’s quite interesting). 
3. A common mistake people make when cooking meats is salting the meat before you cook it. This actually pulls the moisture out of the meat as it cooks, making it dryer. 

My new favorite cake to take places is:

DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE

• 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 1/4 c. boiling water
• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 c. cocoa powder
• 10 T. butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 t. vanilla

1. Grease three 8-inch cake pans and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk boiling water, chocolate, and cocoa until smooth. 
3. Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. 
4. On low, bet in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Beat in half of the chocolate mixture. Repeat wth half of the remaining flour mixture, then the remaining chocolate mixture, and finally the remaining flour mixture. 
5. Give the batter one final stir using a rubber spatula. Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake 15-20 minutes. 6. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Flip onto wire rack, flip capes upright, and let cool completely before frosting, 1-2 hours.

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened
• 1 1/3 c. creamy peanut butter (don’t substitute chunky)
• 3 T. heavy cream
• 2 1/2 t. vanilla
• 2 1/4 c. confectioners’ sugar

1. Beat butter, peanut butter, cream, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl on medium high speed with an electric mixer until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
2. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, and beat until incorporated and smooth, 4-6 minutes. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 5-10 minutes.

This recipe is straight from The America’s Test Kitchen Baking Book. Let me know what you think!

-Chrystal

As I have talked about before, my son is very opinionated and now tries to explain himself in baby talk. When I try to cut his nails he kicks and screams then just repeats his same noises as if he’s telling me why it’s a bad time to cut his nails or explaining his general thoughts on the situation. When he stops babbling I start to talk and tell him it’s okay and that everyone needs their nails cut. Sure he cannot understand what I am saying but talking to him calmly and telling him what’s going on seems to work. Well, at least half the time it works. The other half he is completely dedicated to the fact that he does not want them cut and that’s that. End of story. He chooses what he wants to eat, before he would eat everything you put out there, veggies and all. Now he’s very particular about what veggies he eats and it has to be on his watch. He still loves his green beans, sweet potatoes and peas but now he seems hesitant on carrots, corn, and broccoli. I hope it is a phase for him but we still praise him and eat veggies along with him so that he knows we enjoy it…which is actually not the case haha!  As he gets older he just voices his thoughts more and more, and I know he gets frustrated because we can’t understand him or can’t figure out what the ONE item in a huge toy box he’s pointing to saying “This? this? this?” But one day I’ll get it, kid! I promise. How have you learned to communicate better with your toddler?

-Krystle

This morning, my husband kissed us goodbye as he left for his annual business trip to Reno.  He is running a conference from Tuesday through Saturday and is expected back on Sunday.  So for almost a full week, I will be manning this ship by myself.  Luckily I will have a lot of help, so I will not be alone, but I still have been dreading this week for some time. 

This morning, my cousin, who is off from school until later this month for winter break, came to stay with us for a few days.  I will have another adult with me at night with the kids, and her being here will make things much easier on me.  My parents only live two blocks away, and my mom comes every afternoon for about an hour to help with the kids while I start dinner.  They will be around whenever I need them.  My Dad even suggested we spend the week at their place, but I just can’t see uprooting all four kids, their clothes, toys, special foods, etc., so I declined.  On Wednesday, my mother-in-law will come for dinner and spend the night.  She is also a big help.  Then on Thursday my two aunts and another cousin is coming.  My cousin will spend the night with us.  She is actually a NICU nurse and is so good with all the kids… she is a pro at changing diapers and giving medicine!  And then my mother-in-law will be back on Friday afternoon and stay until Sunday.  As I said, I will have help around the clock.  But I won’t have my husband!

We have a system in the morning and at night.  He gets my daughter up every morning and helps her get ready for school.  He then helps me get the other three babies changed and gives them bottles while I am in the shower.  He takes my daughter to the bus on his way to work.  When he returns from work, we sit down for dinner, he helps me with the dirty dishes, then we hang out a little bit, then take the kids up and get them ready for bed.  He usually puts their pajamas on.  If I hadn’t already bathed them, he helps bathe the babies before bed.  Then we sit together chat about the day’s events.  We might even either watch TV together or I will do some writing on my laptop while he reads.  However we spend our time together is quality time, and I truly enjoy his company and his companionship.  So not having him for a week will be rough.

I know we’ll be fine, and with four kids, a full time job and a ton of other responsibilities, I know the week will fly.  I just miss him already!

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (4 months)www.nevaland.com

It’s that time of the school year again, “Science Project” time. I have to say as a mother, I dread this time of the school year. As a teacher, you would think this would be a piece of cake, NOT!

My son usually comes home clueless about he needs to do. His instructions are very vague and the topics are out of this world for 4th graders. I have a hard time with the kids not getting much guidance on what is required and the kids are allowed to pick ANYTHING they want off of a list of 100 various project.

We are doing something with “light bulbs”, not sure what, but “light bulbs”. If our project comes together nicely, I will share pictures later.

 Moms, please pray my strength and patience on this one…

~Shanta

We just got home a couple hours ago from a weekend out of town. It was a nice weekend spent visiting my parents, sister and her husband, and friends. The boys had a fun time and were totally spoiled by their family and friends and loved experiencing different scenery.

My oldest son (he’ll be three in late April) really loves the farm my sister lives on. He wanted to spend the entire day outside today. It has been raining a lot over the last few days and he had cabin fever. He kept leading me around, showing me different things. He would eventually end up at the big area where the dogs were outside playing. He would stand at the fence for the longest time, just watching the dogs. I had to stand there too. If I walked away to the nearby carport to sit down, he would turn around quickly and walk the 30 or so steps (actually he almost ran) to get me. Once he fetched me, he would take me back and put me in my place. It’s funny because he struggles so much with his walking, but if he REALLY wants something, he can do really well. I think he over thinks it sometimes (as we all do in life).

He would also take his little Thomas and Percy trains that he hauls everywhere and line them up at the fence, facing the dogs so they could “watch” his furry friends as well. Once, I picked his dear trains up to put them away and he got frustrated and put them back, carefully arranging them, faced towards the fence.

At one point, I tried to take a nap while my family was awake to watch the boys, but my sweet son woke from his nap and I was awakened with the ear piece of my eyeglasses poking me in the eye. He was trying to put my glasses on me while I slept. Once he got them on, he grabbed my finger and took me right back where I belonged… outside (and fully awake). At least he was thoughtful enough to get my glasses for me so I could fully enjoy the scenery. My youngest son was content watching football with daddy and rearranging his aunt’s house.

I sure will miss these days when they’re all grown up.

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

Since I’ve been laid off longer than we anticipated we’ve made a few changes. I pulled Tristan from day care so he’s home with me. Once a week we go on play dates so he still gets some interaction. The bottle is gone but he still gets formula at night. I know he’s eating rounded meals but he can be super picky sometimes. At least I know the parents choice stage two formula will get him essential vitamins.

I’m also buying in bulk when I can. I wish that the stage two formula came in bulk at sams club. We love Sam’s. I can buy 204 size 3 diapers for $35. We also buy a huge case of wipes and that saves more money. Sams club also sells his instant oatmeal, bananas and other staples of his diet that a sure thing when he’s being picky. Some things I won’t buy at Sams since I don’t use large amounts of it, such as eggs or cheese.

My husband and I also changed to almost 100% store brand of everything. I’m in love with Wal-Marts great value brand. Instead of buying baby juice I buy regular juice and dilute it with water. Staples like sugar, flour, butter, and spices are also a great price compared to national brands. I added up the saving on my last trip by going to giant online and I saved $53.

The only thing I can’t get at my local Wal-Mart is meat. For that I drive 45 miles once a month. That same trip is when I stock up on our parents choice toddler meals since they have a bigger selection. Tristan eats what we have for dinner but for lunch he eats the toddler meals.

Being home with Tristan has strengthened our bond. He’s inseparable from me. It only gets a little crazy when he won’t let Daddy do things like bath time or feed him. I guess it’s all a learning curve. I need to make him more independent but I don’t know how.

-Chrystal

Hubby and I decided to spend New Year’s Eve at home this year. We were
out and about last year but opted to stay in. It’s different being a
parent because you consider a lot more factors before doing things and
going place. Sure, we could go out and be responsible adults, and decide
who will be designated driver, but then we think about the people who go
out and party but aren’t responsible when it comes to transportation and
decide to get behind the wheel therefore putting all others at risk. I’m
not saying that we’re going to avoid night outings but maybe ones that
are known to associate more with drinking. Reading stories about car
crashes involving drunk driving or any other substance that impair
judgement is heart breaking, especially when it also involves an
innocent person or worst, an entire family. The only thing we can all
ask of anyone is to just be responsible and think of all the lives you
would affect by making a wrong judgement. I didn’t want to sit here and
write a depressing blog, so sorry! I do hope that all who read this had
a wonderful evening and have a great year ahead of you all. If you made
any resolutions to better yourself, good luck!

Krystle Hayes

I looked forward to my day at the spa for MONTHS! I went with some friends last April and ranted and raved over the whole experience. They have indoor pools and outdoor heated pools (swim in the winter!), saunas, Jacuzzis, massages, mani/pedis, ahhh… HEAVEN! My mother-in-law got me a gift certificate for a full body massage, but I wanted to wait until after the baby was born so I could truly enjoy it. I invited some friends, made my appointment for my massage, and off we went!

We checked in to the spa at 2:00 pm. After getting to our lockers and getting changed, we decided to have lunch first. After getting our food, we sat down to eat. We were just about to get up and go in the pool, when one of my friends, who was facing the window, jumped up and screamed… then the power went out. Outside, we could see wires on fire. The power went back on after about two minutes, but then we saw more sparks outside on the lines and the power went dead again. This happened one more time, and we really started to get nervous.
Someone had said that lightning struck the power lines, someone else said the telephone wire fell onto the power line and that caused the problem, but whatever the problem was, we were advised it would take a minimum of two hours for the power to come back on. Firefighters arrived, the power company arrived, and we went to the locker room and got dressed again in the dark. I cancelled my massage appointment and we got on the line to check out.

Everyone had flooded the desk to get refunds and demand money. People were yelling and screaming, pushing through those of us on line, demanding to be heard. I felt bad for myself, who truly deserved a day of relaxation at the spa, but also felt bad for these workers, as it was not their fault that they lost power. Luckily, after withstanding the line for about a half hour, I was able to get a free pass to return again and home I went.  I need to figure out another day where I have either a babysitter or my husband is available to watch the kids when we do not have any plans.  With four kids and a hectic work schedule, that will not be an easy task.  But trust me; I will make time for it.  I NEED my day at the spa!

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (4 months)

I can’t believe that he is ONE already. Time sure flies when you’re having fun! I have been dreading his 1 yr. well check. I knew they were going to fill him up with more shots. For the most part the well check visit went well. His weight is in the 50% percentile, head circumference and height all are within the 50th percentile.

When it came time to discuss the vaccines, I must admit I became a little defensive. As a public school teacher I see a wide range of illness and disabilities. I guess you can say, I have become a bit paranoid! I am fine with him being vaccinated; I just disagree with so many different shots at one time. The doctor attempted to go back and forward with me about my decision to stretch them out.

He saw he wasn’t going to win the fight, so he dropped it. Jayce left with 2 vaccines that day and I will pop in a few weeks from now to get the remainder.

~Shanta

For Christmas, we wanted to get the boys some Thomas the Train pieces, but we are on a tight budget. I decided to try Ebay (which is my version of a garage sale… I just don’t have to wake up super early to get in on the deals).

I was pleased that I was able to buy the boys a bunch of very gently used train pieces. We won so many auctions that I put some back for their birthdays. For what I spent for these used pieces, I would’ve only gotten 3 or 4 pieces brand new. I think with kid’s toys this can be a good idea, especially with well-made, wooden pieces like these. I have also bought brand new clothing, shoes and bedding for the boys at a fraction of the price.

Another place I look when I am in the market for toys, books, clothing or other items for my kiddos, is a local community Yahoo group. People who live in my subdivision will post items for sale (and sometimes for free) that their children no longer need. You can also put out a wanted email. This is great for those times that you need an item soon and can’t wait until an Ebay auction ends. I have scored a nice outdoor playset for the boys this way as well as a train table for $25.

My point is this… if you need or want something in this economy, it’s still possible to get it and save a lot of money. These days, for many people, new isn’t always an option with pricier items. Gently used can help both you and the seller. I have sold items we no longer need and used the money for diapers or other things we do need. I made a little money and helped someone else save money and gain a nice item.

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/