Nothin says lovin' like somethin' from the oven!

.............Or in my case, nothin says emotional like something from the oven.  Doesn't quite have the same ring to it though.  These past few weeks I've been baking up a storm; cookies, cakes, scones, truffle stuffed cake balls, more cookies, more cookies, more cookies! It's getting a little rediculous!  All these yummies mixed with my new passion for sauteing and breading and sauces makes for supreme self sabotage when it comes to my weight loss plans! 
  The past few months have been a roller-coaster.  Actually, it's more like this past year.  The hubby went to work in Alaska for 3-4 months last April.  When he returned home we decided to make the move across 2 states. We were moved by Halloween and in our own place by Thanksgiving.  Talk about a whirlwind!  It seems the dust is finally starting to settle, settle right into spring fever unfortunately.  Now that I have kind of found a routine with the little people and almost feel moved in to our house I am starting to realize how much I miss our 'old life'.  Funny when I reliaze it was the day in-day out monotany (that I so loathed at the time), that I find myself wishing for!  I miss our pot-hole minefield of a driveway, my too-small kitchen, lack of decent radio stations, and living so far from anything that resembled a real city.  And of course, my family and dear friends.  Being able to 'stop-in' for a quick visit, a cup of coffee or for no reason at all other than we were in the neighborhood. 
  Most people would come to the conclusion that since emotions have caused me to make all sorts of sugary sweet treats that I must be an emotional eater.  But I don't think so-I am an emotional baker!  It's not so much the desire to devour these tidbits of goodness, it's just MAKING them.  I think it's a bit of my controlling nature coming to the surface, the sweet, sugary, calorie-filled surface.  I like baking, borderline on love baking.  It's fun, creative, makes my house smell good, and I can CONTROL every aspect of it.  I get to decide what to make, how to make it, if I want to change things in the recipe-or go all out and try something completely on the fly.  And then, I control the speed at which things get mixed up(something I so wish I had control of in my everyday life!)  When all is mixed I get to decide the size and/or shape of what I am creating.  And then the pay-off!  You may think I am referring to eating the finished product, and as much of a benefit as that is, it's not the big pay-off I am referring to.  I mean the completion of a project.  Start to finish, in my time-frame.  That. Is. Huge. 
  We have dreams, this little family of ours, and they are not the small time 'normal' dreams.  We're not talking owning a home with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids(since we already have 3, that part just wouldn't work anyway!).  Our dreams aren't the kind you can save up for and purchase.  They are the kind where all has to be in place by divine order and timing.  The kind where you sacrifice the 'normal' for the small chance of the extraordinary.  Giving all and then some to try for the seemingly unobtainable.  All that being said, our dreams are not like cookies.  So in my life of uncertain outcomes, cookies(and baking in general) give me a sense of power and control.  I made my kids, but I can't control them, I'm trying to make a life here, but I can't control it, I made a routine, but it tries to control me!  But cookies...I can control them, mwa-ha-ha-ha!!!!  I am the Cookie Dictator!!!  And if I'm really feeling the need, I can even control how many I will consume..........but letting go of control sometimes is a good thing, right?  That's what I've always been told!

Reusable shopping bags into fun library book bags!

Last week we finally took the munchkins to the local library and signed them up for their very own library cards.  Who would have thought that such a simple thing could bring so much excitement.  You'd think we had given them a freebie pass to Disneyland!  They rushed into the kids area and began collecting books with me trailing behind.  Seeing as the library has no limit to the number of books they are allowed to check out, they were determined to get as many as their little hearts desired.  I had visions of armloads of books being dropped into puddles, misplaced or ruined books and library fees coming in the mail on a weekly basis.  I quickly realized limits must be enforced.  My first offer was 5 books each, but I'm pretty sure by the time the words left my mouth I was already holding more than 10 books.  I stuck to my guns with the 10 book each limit however.  Even then , 20 books is a lot to carry!  The library recycles grocery sacks to carry your treasures out the door, but seriously?-a flimsy plastic grocery sack?!  No, not a good long term solution. 

Of course, my thoughts began to wander and as we were later walking through the grocery store it settled...right on the rack of reusable grocery bags.  Perfect! Nice and big, square bottom, and the best part: less than $1 each!  (of course I have multitudes of these bags in various places in our home already-but these needed to match, and not have dried who knows what already spilled on/in them!)  I told the kids at the store what they would be used for and once again, they were very excited-new books and a new bag!! All in one day-best.day.ever!  Now these nondescript plain old bags would have worked just fine.  I could have just tied a colored ribbon to each one to identify which bag belonged to which munchkin.  But, no-that's not how this Momma rolls.  If I'm going to do something I may as well do it right...or at least do it crafty.  A few days passed and my thoughts on how to customize these bags 
culminated.  I wanted to make them easily identifiable and cute-of course!  And seeing as the kids' library cards were going to become just one more thing for me to try to keep track of and would most likely be misplaced or lost in the bottom of the diaper bag, I wanted a special pocket to keep them.  I sketched out a general idea for each of them:  A dino for the Cub, and a lady bug for the Bug.  I realized as I began that I would be covering both sides of the bag, not just one-way to make the task twice as long....oh well. 

So, over the past few years felt has become my craft medium of choice.  Its so versatile and colorful, and to be honest-cheap!  I dug out my various boxes of random felt pieces and began piecing my bag-patched together.  As I snipped and figured out the layout, the kids had a blast taking all the scraps and making little 'pictures' out of them, I had to be watchful or they would snag the pieces i was actually needing!  I decided that if I was making a bag to carry stories, maybe the bag should tall a story too!  For Bug's lady bug, the front has the little lady on a leaf, on the back, no bug, and a bite out of the leaf!  (not sure if lady bugs eat leaves or not, but whatever!)

  Cub's dino was the design I had come up with first actually.  The front has the volcano, and the dino, the back has no dino and smoke coming out of the volcano...hee hee, kind of cute I think!  I had to get the designs approved by the little first, and they had all kinds of suggestions-like a frog onn the dino's back and some birds, and more flowers, etc.  I get veto power though-so there! ha!

  Putting it all together went pretty quickly actually, felt is so easy to work with!  Once The main background was sewn I had to figure out how to make the dino and ladybug the card pockets.  The easiest way I found was to lay the actual card on the shape and sew around it.  I wanted it to be a tight fit, but still a fit!  It worked pretty well.  :-)  Probably the most difficult part of the entire project was sewing the patches onto the bags.  Trying to keep them straight and not lumpy proved to be a little interesting when the bulk of the bag was all scrunched up in the machine.
 
When all was said and done however, I have to say I am pretty happy with the results.  The cards fit well, the bags are easily identified and the kids love them!  Happy Day!

The fronts.  Bug's card is tucked away under the ladybug's wings, Cub's card is behind the dino's back! Yay!

The backs.  :-)

Happy kids with a bag full-o-books!  

  Now we have happy munchkins with custom book bags, and a happy Momma who won't have to worry about losing library cards!  And since they like their bags so much the books stay in them any time they aren't being read-woo hoo!!  I see many trips to the library in our future.

           

Fudgey Truffle Stuffed Cake Balls..........no seriously.

    So, it was that time again.  Time to make something tasty, chocolatey and completely indulgent.  Well honestly, it's always that time!  I just like to have an excuse to give in.  The birthday of a friend is the perfect excuse!
    Like everyone else out there, I've seen a lot of cake pops and variations of them.  They are cute and wonderfully bite-sized, well....at least they are supposed to be.  But if something is worth one bite, shouldn't there be at least two? I think yes.  Whenever I do anything I always tend to do it a little bigger and a little different.  My cakes end up larger than expected, my projects undeniably take at least twice as much time as I think they should, etc.  So why would my cake balls be any different?  Well, they weren't
   I've been wanting to try cake balls/pops for some time now, but this was my first.  But why do plain old cake balls, why not mix things up a bit.  What could I add to something so yummy and tasty ad small-well something else yummy and tasty and small-truffles!  ((confession: I have never before made truffles either))

mmmm, look at that chocolatey naughtiness!

First time for everything right?!  And while I'm in the mood to try out new concoctions, why not introduce the two together to create the ultimate Frankenstein of decadence!!  dun--dun--DUN, may I introduce to you for the first time ever:  Truffle stuffed cake balls!!!!
   So I miscalculated the amount of chocolate I would need to cover these little bites (not surprising seeing as it was my first time) and that is why these are 'drizzled' rather than 'dunked'.-Still yummy though!

red velvety goodness

  This really is just the combination of two treats, making one ultimate morsel.  I will say this though-these seriously took me ALL DAY to do.  Not only were there many steps and quite a bit of waiting time between steps, but the three littles kept interrupting and needing me for one thing or another-sheesh, have they no respect for the creative baking process?!?  ;-)  Well, that and they knew there was chocolate to be tasted in different forms through out the day!
  Ok then, lets get to this shall we?  You kind of need to start from the outside and work your way in, then back out.  Start with the basic cake pop, which is just a cake mix.  I went with the classic red velvet (if I ever attempt these again I will opt for ultimate fudge or some such nonsense-just because).  Bake your cake as directed on the box and let it cool completely.
      While your cake is cooling its a good idea to make your truffle filling, seeing as it has to set up in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 
                          Basic Truffle Recipe
                         8-10oz dark chocolate chips/chunks   
                         8-10oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
                         1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz)
                         flavored extract of your choice---optional

  Put your chocolates and condensed milk into a double boiler and stir that gooey yumminess!
  Once its all melted and smooth you can add a few drops of whatever flavored extract you choose.  I just couldn't decide so I split the batch between two bowls and did both orange extract and vanilla butter nut.....yum!  Cover the bowl ad put it in the fridge to set-at least two hours. 

  Now comes that waiting time I was telling you about.  Be productive, fold laundry, plan meals, vacuum...Or not.  I drank coffee and checked my facebook.  Then, being the ultimate of lazy-heated up some mini raviolis for lunch for the munchkins, they were happy and it was easy-yay for Saturdays!
  Ok, back to the project.  Once your truffle filling has set up, take small spoonfuls and roll them into little balls, lots and lots of little balls.  ((another confession:I forgot I had two bowls of filling and only rolled one into balls!!  It's yummy eaten by itself too though!))  So once you have neat little rows of balls you'll need to melt your chocolate covering-I chose white baker's chocolate, it looks pretty. 
  Once again, heat your chocolate using a double boiler and then remove from the heat to keep it from scorching!  Pour it into a bowl or cup for easy dunking.  Drop each ball in the chocolate and roll it around a bit to coat the whole thing.  If you use a fork, the extra chocolate will just drip right though back into your dunking bowl.  Lay the covered balls onto waxed paper to harden/dry. 
   While these little gems set up lets get back to the cake!  By now it hopefully will have cooled.  Rip chunks of that cake and crumble it to smithereens!  It's really quite satisfying.  If I had been feeling braver today I may have even let the kids in on the fun, but I was making a big enough mess o my own!  Once your whole cake is crumbled dump a tub of frosting in the bowl. Any kind will do.  Mix, stir, smoosh it all together until the contents of your bowl resemble a cake paste.  It is sticky, remember that.

left over truffles!

   Now comes the messy part.  Make sure your truffles have set up completely before this next step(you may want to put them in the fridge/freezer for a short time if they are not.)  Take a blob of cakey paste in the palm of your hand and flatten it a little, place one truffle in the middle and begin to form the cake around the truffle, continue to roll it into a ball.  Thats it!  The basic truffle stuffed cake ball!  Continue until all your cake goo is used up.  Once you have formed your cake balls set them in the freezer for about 20 minutes-ish, until they feel firm to the touch.  Meanwhile begin to melt more chocolate coating.-once again, in the double boiler.  The same way you covered the truffles, do so to the cake balls.  They are larger and softer so be gentle and don't rough them up too much!  Like I mentioned earlier, I miscalculated the chocolate to cover these, so I really can't say how much you'd need for an entire batch....or even how large a batch turns out to be!  I ended up with 22 cake balls from one cake mix, but I had twice as many truffles-and that was only using half the batch of filling!  I kind of feel like the mis-matched hot dog vs hot dog bun problem.  Always more of one than the other, but hey-truffles are good without being hugged by cake, and truffle filling is good without being made into balls...so I say, who cares!  experiment, maybe you'll come up with some amazing and weird use for the extra yummies!

mmm, truffle-stuffed cake ball and a hot cuppa tea!

  So, if anyone else out there decides to attempt this insanity please post pictures of your creations!  And any improvements as well!  It will most likely be quite some time before I undertake such a task again, but if I do, I will plan ahead and make the truffles the day before to give them more time to set up......and more time for me to devour them. 

Sweet Little Somethings....the chocolate cookie saga

   I love cookies.  Especially chocolate cookies, and especially if they look as good as they taste.  This year for Valentine's Day I decided I would make cookies for all those special people in my life.  And since many of those people are out of state, I decided to make them in advance and send out little packages of goodness to spread the love around.  Well, the Queen of good intention strikes again.  I rule over a land of well thought out plans and half executed projects.  (good thing I'm not responsible for real executions!--ewww)  

How could I resist??  Look how cute and tasty.  And they were all whispering sweet nothings to me!

  Anyway, on a sweeter note......  It all started out well enough.  I perused the internet for a great new recipe-which I found here.  Amazing yummy chocolate sugar cookies-YUM!  The only change I made was to use dark chocolate cocoa powder rather than regular.  I'm a sucker for anything dark chocolate!  I admit though-I am not a fan of royal icing.  It takes weird ingredients and I never have them.  At Christmastime I found a recipe for a sugar glaze icing, I call it my 'non-royal icing'...maybe that would make it a 'peasant icing'?  I dunno, but it works well for the Queen of good intentions.  So here is the link for the icing that I love!! It's easy, yummy, and takes no weird ingredients!  Happy Day!

The kid's cookies, I think they did a pretty good job!

  So I whipped up a batch of oh so yummy chocolate sugar cookies and some of my non-royal icing and went to town decorating! Not sure how I managed it, but I was able to get the majority of the cookies decorated before the kids realized what was happening in the kitchen-it was amazing!  Of course I set a few aside for each of them to decorate.  They love the cookie process as much as I do.

Cub-performing his own little taste test!

   The house smelled wonderful and the cookies looked beautiful!  I set a couple aside for our own personal consumption and the rest were for all those special people out there......or so I thought.  I really should have known better.  There they sat, awaiting packaging and shipping, slowly dwindling in number.  .....just one more with my afternoon tea.....and one after dinner........and one for a pre-bedtime snack.......oh look-it's midnight, time for a cookie!  It's pathetic.  But they were so pretty and yummy, I couldn't help myself!  I felt like Alice in Wonderland every time she came across a little cookie that said 'eat me'.  She should have known better-good never came of such things!!  But alas, there were but a few lonely stragglers remaining (one of which I am putting out of it's misery right at this very moment! It goes so well with coffee!!)

mmmm-so yummy!!

    But what of my friends out there who have missed out on such yummies due to my lack of self control?  I apologize, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart shaped cookie.  However, there are two ways you could look at this:  1. You could think of it as a charitable gift on your behalf-given to me for my enjoyment-in that regards, I thank you!  I did thoroughly enjoy them!  or 2. I have given you the links to the recipes so you can relive this saga in your very own kitchen!  Yay!!  It's stretching it, I know.  But even if I made another batch and shipped them out today, it would be after Valentine's Day when they were received, and well, that's just tacky!  Maybe I'll try again for St. Patrick's Day......little green shamrocks could be quite cute..........and tasty........with my coffee.............


Just because I am so sweet (goodness knows I should be with all these cookies in me!)  here are those links again-and a big 'Thank You to the original websites for sharing with myself ad other sugar addicts!
     Chocolate sugar cookies
     Glace icing aka 'Non-Royal-Icing'


                                            Happy Valentine's Day!

Woo tried to resist their power.......

........but it was too strong!!  She too gave in to their sweetness!!

Finding routine in our chaos-The Chore Chart and Chore Store

  My kids are still relatively young, well ok, they are still very young.  At four, three and 13 months the world around us doesn't expect too terribly much from them.  But as their loving and slightly controlling Momma-I do.  I am in the group of people who believe that we get a few short years early in their lives to 'train' them.  From there, their little characters are in motion. Of course they continue learning, but the basic foundation will have been put in place.  I feel that basic manners, respect, and self control are huge!  Another biggie is responsibility.  I am a firm believer that kids, even young ones, need to be given a chance to be responsible.  So often in our over-compensating, and unbalanced society everything is done for kids, and no emphasis is put on them actually learning to do things for themselves, which in turn, takes away the chance for them to experience the amazing feeling of accomplishment and pride in a job well done.

  Over the past few months I've been working with my littles on these very things.  ( Except for Woo, she's still a wee bit too small for a lot-BUT she is already learning from the example of her older siblings!-yay!)  We've tried both positive reinforcement such as, 'If you get such and such done, we'll go do something or another'.  And also the negative reinforcement, such as 'If you don't get such and such done, we will NOT be doing something or another'.  Well, to be honest it was getting tedious and tiring and didn't seem to be working
 very well.  I felt like I was bribing or threatening, neither of which I like.  I realized, that like me, my kids need visual stimulation to learn things-eve character building things.  Enter into the scene 'The Chore Chart'!
  I did a little research, found some cute ideas on Pinterest and in a few stores, but I wanted something that was specified for my kids at their level of learning.  Homework and taking out the garbage don't quite apply just yet.......although the thought of my Cub and Bug trying to lug our big metal garbage can to curb is really quite amusing!!  And knowing them, they would figure out a way to do it, maybe I should let them try!
     Anyway, sorry I get easily distracted!
Ok, so being my crafty, over-complicating type self I decided to make my own-or their own-Chore Chart.  As I did, the rest of the pieces of the plan fell into place.
  Knowing their age and their limitations, I didn't want it to be too complicated or too tedious, they would lose interest.  I picked a few tasks that I know we do-or should do-everyday, and knew that they could accomplish own their own.

  I made the chart as colorful and fun looking as I could-gotta make it like a game right?  The chores I chose for them turned out to be: get dressed, put jammies away(in the clothes hamper), make your bed, brush your teeth, quiet/book time, and put toys away.  I wanted to make it in way that they would get to check off their own tasks.  Stickers were out-I have peeled off far too many misplaced stickers from furniture, windows, my own skin.  And markers-well that was a no-brainer!  So clothespins were the natural, no-mess choice.  I put their first initial on their pins so they each had their own set.  When they complete a task they put a pin next to the picture of that task-easy!  The happy face and winking star are for extra good behavior.  The happy face is for sharing, being courteous or basic good manners without being asked.  The star is for EXTRA good behavior, doing things before they are asked, things of that nature.  I am the one that gets to put those pins on though, otherwise they would always being giving themselves extra pins! 
   So, just what keeps them motivated to do these chores??  The 'Chore Store'!!  And what kind of currency does the Chore Store accept??  'Kid Cash'!!

'Momma's Money'-safely stashed on top of the fridge!  It sure would be nice to find some real money in there once in a while!  *hint hint* to the Hubby!  ;-)

 

  We have denominations of 1's and 5's.  Each task earns them one kid buck.  Their first four tasks they can earn right away during the morning.  All of a sudden they have instant gratification and I have a few bargaining chips...or bucks.  Throughout the day they are given opportunity to earn more kid cash, but also are in danger of having to pay-literally.  Bad behavior, disobedience, whining, yelling, you know- those types of things, and they have to pay me a buck or two.  In a way its still the positive and negative reinforcement, but in a tangible and visual way.  They LOVE earning bucks, but hate having to pay!
  Once a week we have the 'Chore Store', something they have learned to look forward to all week long.  Sunday night they get to bring their stash(which is collected in an envelope taped to the fridge) to the chore store and make some 'purchases'.

The 'Chore Store'.  Edible/sugary items have a higher 'cost' than others-they have to REALLY want them!

  Most items have prices ranging from $3-$15.  Some things, like a McDonald's date is more around $25.  This is also helping them learn to prioritize what they want, and then also saving up, for more desirable items!  So far it's working great!
   I'm also learning about my kids' personalities through this.  When it's time to 'buy', Cub really takes his time, weighing out the possibilities and figuring out how to get the most for his bucks.  Bug on the other hand, steps right up and makes a very swift choice, never looking twice or looking back-she knows what she wants and doesn't waiver!  It's been a small peek into their personality types and I think the Hubby and I look forward to the weekly chore store as much as the kids do, just to watch!

Bug making her selection.

Cub, weighing out his options.

  It's been a few weeks and so far we're still going strong!  I've upped the ante a bit for the first couple of chores-if they can have them completed before I get out of bed in the morning-they earn double!  This gives me a few extra minutes knowing that they aren't getting in trouble-veeeeeerrrry nice!
  Oh, and one last thing-right before they get into bed, they brush their teeth and replace all their pins on the bottom of the chart so that it's cleared and ready for the new day!  So fabulous!
    I'm pretty proud of the munchkins, and of myself for keeping up on the routine.  The next order of business is a calendar so they can see how may days until the chore store.....everyday it's become a countdown, a calendar would be helpful for my sanity!

The culture shocks of parenting...aka Two worlds colliding.

  As I was lying in my bed the other morning I was reminiscing about earlier years, experiences I've had, and multitudes of memories.  I realized I've done quite a bit with this life already.  I've lived in multiple states, road-tripped across the country with friends, backpacked through Europe-staying in hostels and meeting weird people, gone to school abroad, had my own apartment in Istanbul, fallen in love(stayed in love), experienced childbirth 3 times(2 at home), and then there's the adventure of being a mom! 
   I really miss traveling, it's a part of me that has had to be dormant for a while.  I love the feeling of new places and new experiences.  The mornings of unknown adventures to be had, endless possibilities. New smells, and different foods, the languages-oh its just fabulous!   Anyway, as I lay there pondering such things I had a moment of revelation.  It was one of those 'the clouds open and the angels sing' type things.  It was bizarre and enlightening, and yet borderline frightening as well.  Are you curious yet?!??  Well, I'll share with you.  Here it goes.  Being a parent can be closely likened to world travel-except you never really have to go anywhere.  No really-I'll show you!
  Just like while traveling, most mornings I wake up wondering what the day will hold.  Will it be a good adventure or one for the 'worst day ever' list?  I wander out with high hopes, facing my fate.  I am usually asked a multitude of questions, such as 'what's for breakfast?', 'where are we going', 'Where's Papa?'.  When traveling I was always faced with questions in the mornings also, 'Where are you getting breakfast?', 'Where are you going today?'.  Venturing out into the world with kids is similar to backpacking.  You have to prep your pack, make sure you have absolutely everything you may possibly need for any given situation.  Emergency snacks-check.  Extra cash-check.  Water bottles-check.  Wipes-check.  Diapers-double check!!  Extra clothes-check. Kids-oh right, where are the kids anyway? There they are-check.  And into the van we go!  That is a whole other thing!  The transportation.  Who knows what odd music will end up being played for the little natives of MyMunchkintopia.  Sometimes the songs are vaguely familiar, but when sang along to by the little people, the words all seem to change, seemingly to an entire new language.  And getting everyone in or out of the van reminds me of the overcrowded insanity of buses or subways.  It's chaotic, unorganized and sometimes feels life threatening!  Once the transportation part has been completed it's on to the destination!  I remember quite clearly walking through crowded markets and streets while traveling, and the looks from the others around me.  Looks that would question my reason for being there, obviously not a native.  Peculiar side glances and always a few snickers and an occasional point and laugh.  Not so oddly enough, I get many of those same reactions when going to the store these days.  Looks questioning if those are all my kids, glances that say 'how is she going to manage getting all the food and the kids into the car?'.  And my own personal favorite-the snickers and point and laughs regarding the chosen garb of my little people. (at least I like to think that they are laughing at them....but it may be me-random food wiped on my clothes, crazy hair stuffed under a hat, and no makeup.  Nah-who cares!) Anyway, there is often a wig or tutu on Bug, a tie on Cub, and Woo....well, she just gets the points and laughs cause she's so stinkin cute! ;-)  But yes, the snickering and laughing is always present.
  So then there's the thing of the new smells.  When walking through markets overseas there would amazing aromas in the air-spices, exotic foods cooking, it was glorious!  Well, walking through the store with kids, there are also unexpected and interesting smells.  Unfortunately I think we all know which one I am referring to.....the unpleasant, unexpected and dreaded trip to the changing table smell.  :-(  Going right along with the smells, is the food.  New and interesting flavor combinations.  And I don't mean the baby food, although apples and chicken puree is a little on the 'ewww, gross' side of things.  I'm talking more of the combinations they come up with on their own, and then expect you to partake and enjoy.  Things such as, a chocolate covered cookie stuffed inside a cheese quesadilla,  or mustard, ketchup, and BBQ sauce on teriyaki chicken.
  The adventure changes on a day by day basis.  And unfortunately there is no map that fully shows how to get from point A to point Z...or even where those point are, or if they even exist!  There are a multitude of guide books out there, but their spectrum is as wide as the ocean, and yet each one is for a particular 'type' of child or situation.  I used to dream about having a travel show of my own, getting to 'write my own guide' in a way.  So that is how I am taking on this adventure of being a parent-it's a learn as you go, trial and error type thing.  Oh and on the subject of dreams-that's the final similarity I will touch on-sleep.  When traveling, often it is unknown at the beginning of the day where you will be sleeping at the end of the day,  or even who you may be sharing a room with.  This is a scenario that is all too familiar.  I never know if I will be in my bed, snuggling with the Hubby, or in one of the bunk beds with one of the littles....or if there will be sleep at all!

   There is one aspect of this adventure that is vastly different from my previous ones however.  This adventure doesn't come to an end.  Sure it will change throughout the years, but I will always be a mom, and hopefully someday (waaaaaaay down the road) a grandmom.  The souvenirs from this crazy trip called parenthood I will keep close to my heart for my entire life.

Confessions of a Wanna-Be Over-Achiever.

Ok, so what is an over-achiever really?  Someone who goes above and beyond the necessary, someone who does things that just blow your mind, and someone we all seem to want to be but grumble about the ones who actually seem to have reached that goal....'ooooo, look at her, she's got it all together, what a little over-achiever', or 'sheesh, what a show off'.  You know the types, and we all know the feeling of envy mixed with disgust about them too!  And yet, we still want to be in that group.
  Well, I'm wondering if they actually do exist, I mean for real over-achievers.  At my house my 'necessaries' are laundry (ugh), cleaning (whine), breaking up preschooler brawls, oh, and remembering to feed the aforementioned  preschoolers ( I have noticed that hunger tends to make the brawls worse-another hint to me that children are, in fact, very much like wild animals).  So in order for me to be an over-achiever I would have to keep up on all the necessities and then also achieve some other goal, such as a cool project, a well thought out diner, or even a complete sentence that doesn't sound like something from Dr Seuss.  It just doesn't seem realistic, to ever have it all together like that!  I see blogs of 'super-crafty-cute-mom', or 'I'm-just-amazing-at-life-in-general-mom',  or 'I-have-such-wonderful-kids-I-have-more-free-time-than-I-know-what-to-do-with-mom', and I have to wonder.  How?  I'm lucky to have clean underwear for everyone in the family, let me tell you, that is an achievement!  Sure, I love doing crafty things and I often succumb to the urge to let everything else fall to the side and do a project of some sort.  But I don't think it can count as an over-achievement.  In all honesty, if I have completed a project it's usually because I have under-achieved for the day!  The dishes pile up, the laundry gets forgotten (and sometimes sour-ewwww), and lunch often doesn't happen until after 2pm(hows that for a confession of bad parenting).  Then I end up scrambling like a maniac trying to make up for the hours not spent on upkeep, adding in the mess I have created by my under-achievement project.  So, in regards to the over-achievers out there, I think maybe some confessions on their part would be helpful, either that or how about a tutorial on how to accomplish everything and then some?  Instead of 'how to make amazing museum quality artwork from food labels and sandwich baggies'(by the way, I'll be working on this one! haha!), I want to see 'how to juggle multiple moody preschoolers and a teething baby, all while preparing edible nourishment and looking half-way human'.  Yeah, that's one I would definitely  take note of!  My guess on how they accomplish all that: 'The Merry Maid Service' and Chinese Take-Out on speed dial!!