Tips:
Cover your skillet while cooking the first side, so maximum melting of cheese can take place.
Use cheddar cheese not american cheese
Use good quality white bread, I find Sara Lee Brand to be wonderful
Use plenty of butter on both sides of the bread before throwing in the skillet
Use a cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet
Grilled cheese + Tomato soup...need I say more! YUMMY!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Little Things that make Life a Little Cuter...
I do alot of little cute things for my one year, MacKenzie like make laminate pictures of her friends so she can thumb thru them at any time and see her little friends and yes even some of her wonderful family too! Also, I put pictures in magnetic frames on the fridge down low on the fridge for her to move around and look at too. I'm about to make her a little photo box to hold her photos so she can place them in there when she's done looking at them and she knows just where to find them when she wants to see a friend.
Another "cute" project I've been working on for her is making miniature boxes and bottles etc. into toys for her kitchen center or for her shopping activities. Basically I just recycle boxes like the miniature cereal boxes and mini soda bottles but I also went out of my way to ask for a small pizza box at the local Papa Johns Pizza and to my surprise they gladly handed it over free of charge! (Now I just got to make a felt pizza to put in that box!)
Another "cute" project I've been working on for her is making miniature boxes and bottles etc. into toys for her kitchen center or for her shopping activities. Basically I just recycle boxes like the miniature cereal boxes and mini soda bottles but I also went out of my way to ask for a small pizza box at the local Papa Johns Pizza and to my surprise they gladly handed it over free of charge! (Now I just got to make a felt pizza to put in that box!)
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| The can of green beans is just so you can see the size, the can of green beans is a regular size so you can see how tiny the other items are. |
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| MacKenzie now has a well stocked pantry! |
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Rudeness
I recently had a conversation with a friend about how rude people were to me all in one day while my baby was sick. I know I was going thru alot with her being sick with a virus and I may had been more sensitive than usual but these people were really rude. I have experienced alot of rudeness lately, whether it be because an adult didn't get their way (childish) or maybe the rude person themselves was having a bad day it just isn't proper to be rude to people for no "good" reason! I have had people even being passive aggressive lately (which in my book, that is the worst kind of rudeness!). I'm a pretty tolerant person and I like it when people just say what they mean and mean what they say. People who say things in a passive aggressive way want to hurt another person but don't want to take the responsibility for it, now that is just plain rude! I feel like I give alot to other people and I try to please every person that comes along so when people act this way toward me I guess I just am utterly confused. I have to consider these people that act this way may be selfish and think everything is just about them.
A book I've been thinking about reading since I happened to randomly see it online a while back actually is on the subject of rudeness, want to check it out go to this website for a review: click here
Now for a lighter subject:Photography
I've not been taking many portraits of my daughter like I was when she was an infant but I'm trying to get back into it...I miss seeing new portraits of her around the house. I kinda gave up when she got to be a toddler because it is so much harder. I think I will just have to challenge myself. I also have a friend that is into photography and I think I will have to enlist her help and hopefully I can be of help to her taking pictures of her daughter (also a toddler) as well.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
To all of you moms out there...
Dear Fellow Moms,
If you haven't heard it lately then I will tell you, thank you and good job! You are the one who holds your child late at night when they are sick, you are the one who does laundry until 2 am because if it gets any more behind you won't be able to see your laundry room, you are the one who does the chores no one else wants to do, you are the one who researches whats best for your child whether it be what they eat or what medications to take, you are the one that must suffer thru awkward moments at playgroups where your ideas of parenting well just isn't the same as another moms ideas, you are the one that carried your child for those long 9 months or in my case 9.5 months, you are the one who gave birth and in my case was in active labor for 36 hours, you are the one who stays with your child day in and day out and whethers toddlers tantrums on maybe just 4-5 hours sleep...well and there is alot more I could list because mothers are the jack of all trades...they do everything no one else wants to do...whether it be cleaning up a messy spill from dinner or administering medicine to a toddler who lets just say doesn't exactly react well to icky medicines...
Why this letter? Well I guess I realized that myself and many other mothers can just be tired, very tired and very overwhelmed at times and maybe even feel unappreciated. Well look at it this way when your tired, run down, and feel like you can't possibly fold another piece of laundry,...just don't, take a break! Who cares if everything is not done right away...it can wait, get your rest and do it when you get time...if someone doesn't understand then let them be in your shoes for awhile then they may just very well get it...until I was a mother I would had never understood just how much work it can really be. Although I really LOVE it, I also am the most exhausted I have ever been and that is saying alot because I worked 3 jobs at once before and kept a perfectly clean home as well...now my home isn't perfect but it's tidy enough and clean...and well I have no job that brings in a paycheck but I have a job that gives me a smile most every day!
If you haven't heard it lately then I will tell you, thank you and good job! You are the one who holds your child late at night when they are sick, you are the one who does laundry until 2 am because if it gets any more behind you won't be able to see your laundry room, you are the one who does the chores no one else wants to do, you are the one who researches whats best for your child whether it be what they eat or what medications to take, you are the one that must suffer thru awkward moments at playgroups where your ideas of parenting well just isn't the same as another moms ideas, you are the one that carried your child for those long 9 months or in my case 9.5 months, you are the one who gave birth and in my case was in active labor for 36 hours, you are the one who stays with your child day in and day out and whethers toddlers tantrums on maybe just 4-5 hours sleep...well and there is alot more I could list because mothers are the jack of all trades...they do everything no one else wants to do...whether it be cleaning up a messy spill from dinner or administering medicine to a toddler who lets just say doesn't exactly react well to icky medicines...
Why this letter? Well I guess I realized that myself and many other mothers can just be tired, very tired and very overwhelmed at times and maybe even feel unappreciated. Well look at it this way when your tired, run down, and feel like you can't possibly fold another piece of laundry,...just don't, take a break! Who cares if everything is not done right away...it can wait, get your rest and do it when you get time...if someone doesn't understand then let them be in your shoes for awhile then they may just very well get it...until I was a mother I would had never understood just how much work it can really be. Although I really LOVE it, I also am the most exhausted I have ever been and that is saying alot because I worked 3 jobs at once before and kept a perfectly clean home as well...now my home isn't perfect but it's tidy enough and clean...and well I have no job that brings in a paycheck but I have a job that gives me a smile most every day!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Being a stay at home mom...
Being a stay at home mom makes some people think you have EXTRA time on your hands when in fact it's the exact opposite. I get comments like I know you have time to call me and talk on the phone because your home all day. Well lets see...even if I was infact home all day this is how my day goes:
7:45am -MacKenzie wakes up...(sometimes screaming because shes hungry)
7:45-8am - MacKenzie eats (guess who makes her breakfast? yes that is right this stay at home mom who has so much time to make phone calls all day long)
8:30- We clean up from breakfast (do dishes, clean MacKenzie's face & hands, clean high chair and floor- this takes maybe 30 minutes sometimes) - during those 30 minutes MacKenzie does free play but mostly lately she's clingy and pulls on my leg while I clean...(do I want to talk on the phone during all of this "NO!"
9:00-Circle Time - Do we have to do this? No but sometime of the day we need to have quality time together and circle time is one way we do that (I focus on MacKenzie and we talk about things and explore activities from her lesson plans) - Would I talk on the phone during this time -OBVIOUSLY NOT!
9:20 - Outside Play - Well now I could talk on the phone during this time but I don't want to be one of those moms who talks on the phone the entire time their kids play outside, yes that's right I actually enjoy watching her play and playing with her and I don't want her to get hurt because I'm not paying attention either.
10:00am - This is snack time - I prepare MacKenzie a snack now if we are home I normally cut her up a fresh piece of fruit and then she takes about 15-20 minutes to eat it then we do the clean up process.
10:30am- During this time we do Table Activities or Art (I have to guide her during these activities so not a great time for a phone convo.)
11:30- Stories and songs with MacKenzie
11:45am-Time to make MacKenzie's lunch and mine too...
12:00-12:15 - Time for Lunch
12:15-12:30- Clean up from Lunch, then after she goes down for nap the rest of clean up takes place...
12:30- Nap time for MacKenzie (if she goes down on time, and then I clean up a little and if I have time left I may actually get some rest for myself or time to work on a project I need to work on- Could I make a phone call during this time? Yes, of course! Do I always want to? NO! I have less than 2 hours a day to myself whether it be to rest, watch tv, read a book, do laundry it's MY TIME! I'm lucky to even get it some days!
2:30 - Snack Time
3:00 - Outside Play
4:00- Music & Movement Time for MacKenzie
7:45am -MacKenzie wakes up...(sometimes screaming because shes hungry)
7:45-8am - MacKenzie eats (guess who makes her breakfast? yes that is right this stay at home mom who has so much time to make phone calls all day long)
8:30- We clean up from breakfast (do dishes, clean MacKenzie's face & hands, clean high chair and floor- this takes maybe 30 minutes sometimes) - during those 30 minutes MacKenzie does free play but mostly lately she's clingy and pulls on my leg while I clean...(do I want to talk on the phone during all of this "NO!"
9:00-Circle Time - Do we have to do this? No but sometime of the day we need to have quality time together and circle time is one way we do that (I focus on MacKenzie and we talk about things and explore activities from her lesson plans) - Would I talk on the phone during this time -OBVIOUSLY NOT!
9:20 - Outside Play - Well now I could talk on the phone during this time but I don't want to be one of those moms who talks on the phone the entire time their kids play outside, yes that's right I actually enjoy watching her play and playing with her and I don't want her to get hurt because I'm not paying attention either.
10:00am - This is snack time - I prepare MacKenzie a snack now if we are home I normally cut her up a fresh piece of fruit and then she takes about 15-20 minutes to eat it then we do the clean up process.
10:30am- During this time we do Table Activities or Art (I have to guide her during these activities so not a great time for a phone convo.)
11:30- Stories and songs with MacKenzie
11:45am-Time to make MacKenzie's lunch and mine too...
12:00-12:15 - Time for Lunch
12:15-12:30- Clean up from Lunch, then after she goes down for nap the rest of clean up takes place...
12:30- Nap time for MacKenzie (if she goes down on time, and then I clean up a little and if I have time left I may actually get some rest for myself or time to work on a project I need to work on- Could I make a phone call during this time? Yes, of course! Do I always want to? NO! I have less than 2 hours a day to myself whether it be to rest, watch tv, read a book, do laundry it's MY TIME! I'm lucky to even get it some days!
2:30 - Snack Time
3:00 - Outside Play
4:00- Music & Movement Time for MacKenzie
Okay now when it's 4pm here it's already 10pm on the East Coast so I do not need to explain the rest of my day...once it comes to a close there isn't time to make phone calls to family and friends since their days are over.
This post isn't about me not wanting to talk to family or friends but it's about the comments I've received from people. I will call when I have time I WANT TO SPARE but often I don't. I enjoy getting phone calls periodically from friends and family to catch up and shoot the breeze but I don't enjoy getting tons of RUDE messages about me not answering the phone again... I wonder how many stay at home moms experience stuff like this.
So from all that I posted here Do you think I have time to talk for over an hour every other day to anyone? Nope, sure don't...now skype is a different story, that is much easier to use with a toddler running around...I can actually have her involved in the conversation and she loves it too! She gets to talk to her grandparents that way all the time and we love it!
Briefly this is the rest of Kenzie's day:4:30 Storytime/floor activities/table toys-art
5:30 Free Play
6:00 Dinner
6:30 Bath
6:45 Free Play
7:30 Story Time/ Cuddle time with Mommy and Daddy
8:00 Bedtime
From 8pm-10pm I catch up on chores, relax if I can, and I blog sometimes...oh and I go to bed early if MacKenzie has been sick and may be waking up during the night etc. (this isn't a rare thing...)
I know for some of you reading this you must be thinking wow she's upset at someone but after months and months of staying home with your child and hearing stuff like this it just starts to make you a little more than irritated!
I know for some of you reading this you must be thinking wow she's upset at someone but after months and months of staying home with your child and hearing stuff like this it just starts to make you a little more than irritated!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Strange Invitations...
So I thought today this would be a great facebook status for me:
(Name Here)...thinks it's weird to have a party for your birthday and have someone selling stuff at the party where your guest feel like they have to buy something in order to attend your birthday party...strange...either it's a birthday party (where you already get gifts) or your trying to make money which is it????
Why would this be my status you ask?
Well because in the last month I've been invited to an acquaintances birthday party (where she was using someones home business to make money during her party) then not more than a month later she invited me to her husbands party that was the same theme (another person would be there selling stuff)!
Why am I so put off by this?
#1 - Don't invite everyone on your facebook to your birthday party (that is strange to begin with)
Isn't your birthday party just for close friends and family? I wouldn't want all my acquaintances to feel pressured into coming to my birthday party especially if I met them under business pretenses (which was me in this case)
#2 - Having more than one of the same type of home party to make money for yourself it tacky! I've heard of people having like 5-10 different parties a month and paying their mortgage by just selling so much product to their friends and family members who just wanted to support them or felt pressured to buy.
#3 - If your having a birthday party graciously except gifts your friends and family give you and let that be enough, I mean really do you need to hit their wallet for even more than they already paid for your gift you know they will be bringing since it's a "Birthday Party".
Okay, so normally my blog is about crafting/homemaking and not my opinion like this blog but I needed a place to vent and I wanted to see if anyone else felt this way about this? Isn't this what a blogs for anyways?
(Name Here)...thinks it's weird to have a party for your birthday and have someone selling stuff at the party where your guest feel like they have to buy something in order to attend your birthday party...strange...either it's a birthday party (where you already get gifts) or your trying to make money which is it????
Why would this be my status you ask?
Well because in the last month I've been invited to an acquaintances birthday party (where she was using someones home business to make money during her party) then not more than a month later she invited me to her husbands party that was the same theme (another person would be there selling stuff)!
Why am I so put off by this?
#1 - Don't invite everyone on your facebook to your birthday party (that is strange to begin with)
Isn't your birthday party just for close friends and family? I wouldn't want all my acquaintances to feel pressured into coming to my birthday party especially if I met them under business pretenses (which was me in this case)
#2 - Having more than one of the same type of home party to make money for yourself it tacky! I've heard of people having like 5-10 different parties a month and paying their mortgage by just selling so much product to their friends and family members who just wanted to support them or felt pressured to buy.
#3 - If your having a birthday party graciously except gifts your friends and family give you and let that be enough, I mean really do you need to hit their wallet for even more than they already paid for your gift you know they will be bringing since it's a "Birthday Party".
Okay, so normally my blog is about crafting/homemaking and not my opinion like this blog but I needed a place to vent and I wanted to see if anyone else felt this way about this? Isn't this what a blogs for anyways?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
New Crafty Projects for MacKenzie II -first project
Felt Food First Attempts:
Overall, I think these pieces of felt food were pretty easy and a great way to start this craft. I just need to make the bread and I'll have a whole felt sandwich for my daughter to play with!
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