Thrifty Thursday - Try before you buy

Don't you just hate it when you spend a goodly amount of money on a DVD that seems so promising from the previews only to find that it is a dud?  Or, how about you hear about a great book but you aren't sure it's good enough to buy?  Luckily for us, there are ways to try out the latest DVD or video game without spending little more than a dollar.  I'm talking about Redbox.  And most communities have libraries that not only have books but other resources as well.

If you haven't tried Redbox and there is one close by, you will be surprised by the large selection and ease of use.  You can reserve movies from home and then just go pick them up.  Or stop by their kiosk and browse.  At only $1.20 + tax per day, there is no reason to ever buy another movie unless you really, really like it and want to have it in your collection.  Also, they have regular specials where you can rent movies free.  We have definitely saved money since discovering Redbox. 

A great way to spend a cold winter afternoon!

And the library...I have always loved libraries and probably always will.  Thousands of books just waiting for you to check out and take home.  And most also have audio books  and movies and games and classes and story hours and more.  I love finding a treasure of a book and then going home and looking it up on Amazon or some other online bookseller and buying it really cheap.  Again, this way I only have the books I really want and use in my collection.  Even with the popularity of ebooks and iPads, I can't imagine them replacing a good old hardcover book.

I hope your children are well acquainted with your local library!

What's cooking? Wednesday - Soft sugar cookies

Super easy soft sugar cookies!

Chuck and Lilly helped me make cookies today!  We chose a real simple recipe that used white cake mix and we used canned frosting to top them.  Here's the super easy recipe...hope you like it!

Soft sugar cookies

1 package white cake mix
2/3 c. flour
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
2 T. sour cream or plain greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In bowl, combine the cake mix and flour.  Add the oil, eggs and sour cream.  Mix well.  Mixture will be stiff.  Drop by spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Cool.  When cool, top with frosting and sprinkles.  Enjoy!

Tidy Tuesday - A room a month

I read about a great way to keep track of home projects that need to be done in a blog entitled Clover Lane (www.memoriesoncloverlane.com).  Sarah keeps a small notebook that is divided into each room of her house.  She takes a critical look at each room and writes in her notebook the repairs that need to be made and the purchases she wants to make.  Measurements are jotted down as they are needed for each project.  Then when she goes to the store, she can see exactly what size (whatever) she needs and how much of (whatever) she should buy.  What a wonderful way to organize house projects.

I am taking her idea and working on one room per month.  In my notebook, I also taped a sample of fabric, carpeting and paint colors for each room so I can get the right color to match the room.  Some rooms are in pretty good shape right now and others have some work to do.  Some projects have been put off for too many years than I care to admit.

I figure that there is no project that will take longer than a month, even if I have to learn how to learn a new skill to complete it.  As Sarah said, there are numerous resources available to help learn how to do just about anything.   Yay for youtube and how-to blogs and super-awesome sons-in-law!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

During a Primary class, my 6 year old daughter's teacher asked each child what they wanted to be when they grew up.  There were the usual answers of teacher, mommy, fireman...and then my daughter answered.  She said she wanted to be ruler of the world.  :)  That's my daughter!  The same one later wanted to be a flagger (you know, the person at a construction site who flags cars through the construction zone) and then an Olympic figure skater!

The world is full of endless possibilities for our children.  One day they want to be an astronaut and the next day it's a ballerina.  Let them dream.  Encourage exploration of their hopes and dreams (that is, unless what they want to be is illegal!)

Someday they will grow up and hopefully, choose a profession that will be fulfilling and challenging.  Maybe they will become something they always wanted to be or maybe it will be something completely different. Only time will tell...

My future ruler of the world is now an ICU nurse and an amazingly confident woman.  I'm so proud of her!

What did YOU want to be when you grew up?

The Arsenic Hour

Between the nap and the twilight
When blood sugar is becoming lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Arsenic Hour.
   -Marguerite Kelly and Elia Parsons,  The Mother's Almanac 1, 1975

Although the above "poem" is a play on "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,  the sentiment is real.  For some reason, the hours between approximately 4 pm and 7 pm are usually the hardest time of day for both parents and children.  Kids are hungry, cranky and restless and parents are ...well, hungry, cranky and restless. 

So, what's a mom to do?  Feed the cranky kids a good, healthy snack.  Find an outlet for their energy (physical activity like a walk or trip to the park).  Don't bring up potential explosive issues.  Remember that your tolerance level is probably pretty low at this time too (along with the chaos of crabby kids, there is dinner to get ready and who knows what else is calling for your attention!).

If you are worried that by giving your kids a snack, they will spoil their dinner, consider planning for that snack to be part of the dinner.  A little more at snack time and a little less at dinner time might work better than a big dinner served to your famished family later in the evening.

You are not alone if the worst part of your day is the late afternoon and early evening.  You are experiencing that universally known phenomenon called the Arsenic Hour.

"How do you get the kids to go to bed earlier?"

Nothing sweeter than a sleeping child  :)

The question was asked, "How do you get the kids to go to bed earlier?"  Isn't that the mother's dream?  Well, it IS possible but it won't happen overnight (no pun intended).

Let's face it - there's a lot going on in the evening.  There are shows on TV,  Dad is home from work, and of course, homework to complete.  If you can reduce the number of distractions in the evening, you will have more success in establishing an earlier bedtime.

Making the hours after dinner a winding down time rather than an active (or hyperactive) time will also help transition from activity to sleep.  Reading scriptures and saying prayers together after dinner followed by bathtime and more quiet reading is very relaxing.  If possible, make the hours after dinner and before bedtime a TV or game free time.

The one things mom's hate to do when establishing an early bedtime is waking the kids up earlier in the morning.  Sure it would be nice if they slept in and went to bed early but I think that's asking too much  :)  If a child (age 5-12) needs 10-12 hours of sleep each night, that translates into a 7 am to 7 pm wake time or 7 am to 9 pm.  Anything shorter than that isn't healthy to their growing bodies.

Being consistent is the key to all successful endeavors.  Sit down with the kids and tell them your plans for a new bedtime and getting up time.  Explain why you are doing this but don't go into too much detail.  You are doing this because it is good for them and good for you and your sanity (but you don't need to tell them that!)

One Year!!!

Today I'm celebrating!  One year ago, I wrote my first blog post on Momcoach!  I had hoped to hit 10,000 pageviews by my first anniversary but I actually have over 10,400 and counting!  Thank you everyone for your support and suggestions.  There are many things I'd like to do for this next year, including increasing my "followers" and organizing and indexing my posts.  Is there anything else I can do to make this blog more readable?

I haven't been aggressive about soliciting followers but if you read this fairly often, I would love it if you became an official follower.  Just hit the "join this site" box on the right side of the blog and follow the instructions.  If you have a google or yahoo account, it's really easy.  I promise not to use your name for anything!

As far as organizing the posts into categories, I will get on that this week.  Hopefully, my super awesome son-in-law can help me with that.  Please, super awesome son-in-law???  :)