Blanket Training

The basic idea of blanket training is to train your baby to sit quietly in a small space with a few toys.  This keeps him out of trouble and happier when mom is busy, both at home and out and about.  You can get a task done or enjoy a quick visit, and baby can play instead of cry and whine and act out!


The training turned out to be even easier than I thought it would be!  It has transformed our morning Bible time, and has also been great at church and other places.  (I started when Tyler was around 13-14 months old, but you could definitely start earlier.)

Here are my tips:


- Have a positive attitude.  You aren't sitting baby down here as a punishment or a time out.  It is a fun thing to look forward to.  Use a cheerful voice and a familiar phrase.  "Yay! It's Blanket Time!"


- Obedience is a must. Give simple instructions and insist on strict obedience, especially at first. For example, "Sit down." Do not allow baby to stand on the blanket. He must sit.  If he tries to stand, use whatever form of discipline you use at other times to convince him he wants to stay seated.  We use a swat on the bottom. (All you non-spankers are cringing, aren't you?)


- Reserve a special set of toys.  We have a shoebox full of colorful blocks that only come out for Blanket Time.  And really, they only come out for Blanket Time in the mornings when we are having Bible.  If Tyler is awake for our read-aloud in the afternoon, I pull out a set of puzzles for the variety.  For a work-day at church recently I brought our blanket and the Blanket Time blocks.


- Be patient.  I first began blanket training for us to be able to have our morning Bible time without me constantly interrupting myself correcting Tyler.  However, I had to allow time at first for even more interruptions for correcting and training.  For the first week or two, I moved from my place in my rocking chair to sitting in the floor next to Tyler's blanket.  In the end, the extra interruptions paid off, and now I only have to offer a word here and there for him to sit back down.  Also, don't start out expecting your baby to sit contentedly for an hour at a time.  We started with 10-15 minutes.  Tyler can now do up to 20-30 very well.  I expect as he gets older that time will increase.


- Enforce.  Now that we have "made it" and Tyler does well on a blanket, I don't want to relax and lose what we have gained.  So although I can often correct him with just a word and not a bottom-swat, I am still careful to make sure he is staying in-bounds.  Literally.  I do allow him to roll and waller, but not with the better portion of his body hanging off the blanket.  Over half his body must be on the blanket.  No, I haven't explained or even stated that rule to him, but believe me, he knows when he is pushing his limits.  We also do not allow the throwing of toys.


- Celebrate.  When we are done with whatever activity called for Tyler's blanket time, I turn my full attention to him and proclaim, "All done!"  I love on him and praise him for a job well-done.  Then he helps me put away his blocks and I send him on his merry way while I put up the blanket and toys.


- Be creative.  There are plenty of opportunities to grab a blanket, a bath towel, a folded sheet, small rug, or any other definite floor space and plop down a baby, toddler, or preschooler.  In a pinch, anything safe can be a good diversion: measuring cups & spoons, board books, paper and crayons (as long as your kid won't eat them, like mine does)... the sky is the limit.  Well, that and whatever you have available.  Blanket time is helpful at church, home, or anytime you find yourself in a not-so-child-friendly or child-proofed place.

I am fairly certain almost every one of these ideas came from the Duggar's book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting! (Amazon Associate link), but I have seen blanket training on quite a few blogs, too.  Since it has been so great for us, it is now on this blog as well. ;)  (If I am wrong about the Duggar thing, would someone please remind me where all this came from?)

Have you tried blanket training?  What helpful hints do you have?

This post is linking up to Works-for-me_Wednesday @ We Are That Family.

The Coffee Can ... Can

My house is looking better and staying neater than it has in months.

My boys are participating in clean-up time, having fun doing it, and it's taking us less time than ever before.

I think I'm on to something.

I wrote back in December how we were dividing our time into color-coded "zones".  Yellow meant it was school time, blue for rest time, green for play time, and red for cleaning up.  

It had gotten to where all we were using was the Red Zone, and even then we never really finished the list of things to do during that time.  

Enter... The Coffee Can.

It all started one day when company was coming and I wanted the boys' help getting ready.  Instead of chasing them around handing out assignments, I decided to write all the things that needed to be done on little strips of paper and let them draw for them.

It worked so well, I reused the same strips the next day.  And the next.  And the next.

By that time I knew we had a winning system.  Pretty soon I found an empty coffee can, spray painted it -what else?- red!, fine tuned a couple of the paper strips, and made it official.  

Ideally, we empty the can three times a day (immediately following each meal).  It has 12-14 jobs in it.  Some of them only need to be done once a day (make bed), other areas desperately need to be addressed all three times.  If someone draws a job that doesn't need to be repeated, we skip it and move on to the next thing.  Even if we only get to the can once a day, it still makes a huge difference.  

I learned from experience and taped a note to the top: before we even open the can, we make sure the dishwasher has been emptied if it is clean, and everyone makes a trip to the potty.  Work time seems to bring on the urge for some folks, and if everyone is freshly pottied when we begin, then we know they can wait until we're done to go again.  We avoid potty shirkers that way. :)

Sometimes the boys take turns drawing for jobs and we all work together.  I can get more detailed work done this way (like wiping out the microwave).  Sometimes they each draw their own at the same time and I work with whoever needs to most help.  This spreads me thinner, but gets the can emptied faster. 

Another thing that has turned out to be helpful is the way I divided up the kitchen work.  Instead of "put away all dirty dishes" or "put away all food / leftovers", the kitchen is divided into sections.  We clean off one area at a time instead of like things from all over.  Does that make sense?  For whatever reason, that is working much better for us.  Less overwhelming, maybe.

And because I like to know the specifics when I read 'chore chart' type posts from others, I'm going to list the jobs in our can.  Of course, we both know your jobs would be different.  But still, here goes:

Remember, we pull these out in random order, so we end up working back and forth in different areas of the house, and the order is different every day.

To get the kitchen clean:

Clean off silverware counter

Clean off stove counter

Clean off sink counter

Clean off table

Kitchen floor job. Sweep. Quick mop on Tuesday & Friday

Pick up / put away type jobs:

Living room floor job. Vacuum Mon, Wed, Fri.

Put away 12 things living room (not floor)

Boys' rooms floor job. Vacuum Friday

Put away 12 things boys room

Hallway.  Vacuum Monday, Friday

Put away clean laundry

5 minutes laundry room

Other:

Make Beds

Clean bathroom.  Scrub potty Mon, Thur.

A few notes:

A "floor job" means to put away all the shoes, toys, etc that may be sitting out in the floor.

12 is just a random number.  Sometimes there are 24 things to be put away.  Sometimes there are 2. 

Our laundry room is also the entry from the carport and the backyard.  It is also where our trashcan resides.  A lot of traffic (plus a trashcan) means stuff needs to be tended to.

Mondays and Thursdays are The. Best. Days. if you are a boy in our house.  Some while back Greg bought some of those clorox cleaning wand things to clean the toilet with.  You know... with the disposable heads?  The boys think they are great.  They starting arguing over whose turn it was to clean the potty, so I assigned days.  Yes, even my immunosuppressed one 'gets' to clean the potty.  We just wash up good afterward.  So all week, you can hear things to the tune of: "Thursday is my potty day!"  "Tomorrow is my potty day!"  "Today is my potty day!"  I think it really must be the highlight of their week.  I'm going to ride it as long as it lasts. :)

So anyway... six chapters later, now you know how we are keeping house these days.  It takes us anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to get through the can.  It is a very consistent, yet highly flexible system, all at the same time.  I love it.  I'm hoping it works for a good, long time!

This post is linking to:

And: Kathi @ A Mother's Prayers.

Sunshine... on my laundry... makes me VERY happy!

How in the world it has taken until my 3rd baby for me to learn this I'll never know.  I wish I could tell you how incredibly thrilled I was the day I discovered this.  Seriously... made my day.


You know those terribly awful stubborn breastfed baby poop stains?


I know how to get them out!  
(If you already knew this please be nice and just play along, okay?  Okay. Thanks.)


After a run through the washing machine, don't dry, but put the item out in the sun.


I laid out three hearty yellow stains recently, to come back only TWO HOURS later and find them GONE.  


Gone.


Laundry duty will never be the same!

This post is linking to Works for Me Wednesday.

Thankfulness Tree

It seems important to me to remember in this time of turkeys and pilgrims, pumpkins and indian corn, to remind ourselves and our little ones that the whole idea behind THANKSgiving is thankfulness.


For us, a daily add-on crafty-type activity helps accomplish that best.


For the last three years, Dale and I have made a turkey, adding a tail feather a day with something he is thankful for written on it.  On really creative years the tail feathers have come from a paper chain counting down the days until Thanksgiving.  

(Complete instructions and pictures for one of our Thankful Turkeys can be found here.)  


Since Alan is old enough to understand thankfulness this year I decided to go with one activity they could share.  Ok, so they could have shared a turkey, but I was itching for something different.


So we are making a thankful tree!


First, I cut two identical tree shapes from a tall cardboard cereal box.  Free-handed the first one and traced it for the second.  Now that I have made one, I know that as long as the bottoms halves are identical, there can be some variation in the tops.  Oh well - identical works too.

Next, I cut straight down from the middle fork of the top to about halfway down one tree, and straight up the bottom about halfway up the other tree.

Then I painted both sides of each piece with brown acrylic.  I had help for this step.  :)

I gave the shiny side two coats and what had been the inside of the box only one coat.  Some of the lettering still shows through a little, but it gives it character.  :)  And I didn't want to soak my cardboard!


Once both pieces were completely dry, I slid them together using the slits I cut earlier.  We now had a 3-d tree!


For the thankful part, each boy names one thing each day he is thankful for.  We stop where we are and pray, thanking God for that blessing, then write it on a leaf and glue it to the tree.  

I also write who said what, since it is fun to go back and look at previous years' blessings from your kids' perspectives.  Our first two leaves were green, but the rest will be red, orange, and yellow.  By the time Thanksgiving day rolls around, we will have a pretty fall tree for a centerpiece, and a host of blessings we have taken a moment to be thankful for!


Click here for more Works-For-Me Wednesday tips.

WFMW - My 6 yr old does my laundry! Well.... almost.

Most of Dale's household chores don't come on regular days or regular times, but as we see the need and hand out the assignment. Someday I'd like to move on to a more predictable system, but for now this is working for us.

One of the 'assignments' we hand out is laundry. I would never have thought of having a child so young run the washing machine (he was 5 when we started) but got the inspiration from one of my first blog friends, Keri Mae. If her little boy was doing laundry, then mine could too!

And I'm so glad we did, because it is one of his favorite jobs, almost always met with a 'yay!' instead of a whine. (Must be a guy/machinery thing.)

Here's how we do it:

I have the laundry presorted and ask Dale to wash a specific load. He can take it from there with the numbered instructions I have posted over the washing machine:

1. Get soap.

2. Push in knob.

3. Turn to 'Light'.

4. Pull knob out.

5. Pour in soap.

6. Put in clothes.

7. Close lid.

Of course, your instructions might be different based on your machine and how you like to do your laundry. Me? I'm not picky. I just want clean clothes!

We did the first several loads together, with me walking him through the process, and showing him how much soap to get and how to load the clothes. And I still check in periodically to make sure things are going as they should, although I'm usually not very far away anyway.

If asked, Dale can also empty the clothes from the washer (with the help of a stool) and into the dryer, though I usually do this step with him or by myself.

There are a few things (towels, socks, etc) that he is sometimes asked to sort, fold, and put away. But that isn't nearly as much fun as running that machine that is bigger than he is. Yeah... definitely must be a guy thing!

It has been beyond helpful to have another person in the house that can be so much help to us with such a big job, and that Works for Me!

Feelin' crafty

Several months ago the ladies of our church hosted a baby shower. When responsibilities were being divided up, Mom and I volunteered to come up with a centerpiece for the refreshment table.

We searched the internet and decided to make a diaper cake. It turned out to be fun to do, cute to look at, and a real hit with our fellow hostesses and even the mom-to-be.

SO..... when plans for a wedding shower started being discussed a few weeks ago, Mom and I were "assigned" the centerpiece, based on the diaper cake success.

Well, being a wedding shower, another diaper cake wouldn't do.

So we turned to the trusty internet again for some ideas and then headed to Hobby Lobby.

This is what we came up with:

That is a glass pedestal cake stand, topped with a mirror, an assortment of candles, and some glorious gems. The cake stand we already had, along with some odds and ends glass lids, boxes, and candle holders to vary our candle heights. Everything else was bought just for the shower. The pink gems were in the bride's wedding colors.

A different view:

This turned out to be fun to put together and was again well-received by other ladies at the shower.

Which is all well and good, except for we just may have earned ourselves a permanent position as center-piece makers.

You know what we said to each other?

"If you notice, no one ever asks for our cookie recipes."

I guess we'll stick with what we know, hmm?

To see what works for others, visit We Are That Family!

WFMW - Freezing meat

For frugality and other various other reasons I will often not use a whole package of meat for a meal, especially things that are packaged as individual pieces, like chicken and pork chops.

Instead, I pull out a few pieces and freeze them. This is great, as long as you don't end up with a freezer full of mystery meat!

I like to layer each piece between wax paper for easier thawing, making sure the wax paper covers the outside pieces as well, and then wrap the whole package in foil, sealed tightly all around. In case you haven't experienced it yourself, foil sticks to frozen meat. Not fun.

But here is the kicker: after wrapping your pre-left-overs, and before sticking them in the freezer, grab a sharpie or marks-a-lot and label that little puppy:

I like to be specific. Because once it enters my freezer I can be certain that is the last I will ever remember my encounter with that particular meat.

I love opening my freezer and having extra meat hidden back and ready to go!

Go to Rocks In My Dryer for other WFMW tips.

WFMW - Tablecloths & Kids

Our kitchen table is our central headquarters for school, meal & snack-times, and pretty much everything else.

Sometimes I like to keep a tablecloth and centerpiece on it, but then it ends up folded back on itself a lot to keep it clean.

Lately though, I've discovered using our kid card-table. For breakfast and lunch when it's just me and the boys, they can eat at that table, and I eat "on-the-go". (A.K.A "standing up")
While not ideal long term, it works great for me, especially since we always all sit down together (at the 'real' table) for supper.

This arrangement is also good for coloring and gluing stuff. Keeps them nearby while I'm working in the kitchen (and out of trouble elsewhere) and I still have a pretty table to look at while I work.

Works for me! Especially during the holidays. Be sure and visit Rocks in my Dryer to see what is working for others. :)

WFMW - Kids don't have to be entertained to sit still and quiet!

Ever tried to get a little boy to sit still in church... without the use of toys, crayons, and other entertaining things that are both silent and small?

Yeah, me too.

Not so easy, at least in my experience.

But through trial, error, and much blog reading, we have found something that Works for Us!

Dale will be 5 in August and is already reading very well. To help him
1 - keep busy during the sermon
and
2 - hear what is being said during the sermon,

I came up with this form for him to fill in:

I listed a few words that I felt were most likely and commonly used, and then left blanks for several more words. I print one every Sunday morning before we leave. (I suppose I could *gasp* plan ahead! and have several printed up and waiting to go... but hey. One thing at a time here.)
When the pastor gets started and I get the gist of what he's going to be teaching on, I fill in the blank spaces with other likely-to-be-used words. Since these change from week to week they keep the 'game' interesting. (For the record, Greg did the 'filling in' this week, and that is his handwriting above.) ;)

Dale then puts one check mark each time he hears one of the listed words mentioned. He has caught on and does really great most weeks. It doesn't always hold his attention for a full 25 minute sermon, but it does get him a good bit of the way through it. And I love seeing him light up at what is being said, and I know that he is listening and hearing!

And THAT (and the being still and quiet... or mostly still and quiet) Works for Me! Be sure and click the link to head over to Rocks in my Dryer to see lots of helpful hints from all sorts of bloggers! :)

WFMW - The 5 ingredients or less edition

For Works-for-me-Wednesday this week Shannon has requested recipes with 5 or fewer ingredients.

This has been a favorite of ours for a while:

Cheesy Crockpot Chicken
1 pkg boneless, skinless breasts OR thighs
1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cheese soup

Place chicken in crockpot. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder as desired. Combine soups. Pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours.
*Sometimes I add some frozen broccoli for the last half hour or so.
Serve over rice or noodles (we prefer noodles!)

More easy crockpot goodness:

CP Pork Chops
4- pork chops
1 can cream mushroom soup

1 Ramen noodle seasoning packet

Place pork chops in pot. Combine coup and seasoning packet. Pour over chops. (You can add water, but I find it makes it too thin for a good gravy.) Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve with Ramen noodles.

Another one:

CP BBQ Pork
1 pork roast
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup cola
1 bottle barbecue sauce, divided

Combine onion, cola, and 3/4 cup bbq sauce. Pour over roast in crock pot. Cook all day, until very tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Shred pork. Moisten with desired amount of liquid from crockpot. For stronger bbq flavor, pour in bottled sauce. Serve with buns for sandwiches.

Can you tell I love my crockpot? :)
For lots of other 5 ingredients or less recipes be sure to visit Rocks In My Dryer!

Re-run

Here's my Works-for-me-Wednesday post for today.

Regular readers of my blog will have seen this before, but that's ok. :)

CLICK HERE!

WFMW - My new favorite children's book

If you have young children, you must get this book:

The Jesus Storybook Bible - Every story whispers his name

I borrowed it recently from our Library, and I love it so much I will be buying a copy to keep for our kids forever and ever.

It is not a substitute for the Bible, but a wonderful extra to have. It contains 44 Bible stories, retold in beautifully descriptive, yet simple language, and vividly illustrated. Woven into each story is God's plan to rescue his people through Jesus.

Some excerpts:

From the introduction -

"There are lots of stories in the bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them....
at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture"

From the time God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac -

"Many years later, another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on his back. Like Isaac, he would trust his Father and do what his father asked. He wouldn't struggle or run away. Who was he? God's Son, his only Son - the Son he loved. The Lamb of God."

From when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments -

"But they (the Israelites) were wrong. They couldn't do it. No matter how hard they tried, they could never keep God's rules all the time. God knew they couldn't. And he wanted them to know it, too. Only one Person could keep all the rules. And many years later God would send him - to stand in their place and be perfect for them. Because the rules couldn't save them. Only God could save them."

EVERY story is like this. Every story points to Jesus and our need for him. Our Rescuer. The chapters on the crucifixion and Resurrection do this beautifully. Simple language, but very well-said.

Again, there is no substitute for the Bible, even for kids, but to reinforce Bible stories and to help give your kids the Big Picture of the Bible, this book is wonderful!!

Be sure and go see What Works for others!

(P.S. Yes, this was originally posted in March... but in March I did it incorrectly and it never made the WFMW lineup. Oops! So I'm trying again!) ;)

Works For Me Wednesday - Germ control

Even though we are getting to the end of cold & flu season, there are always plenty of germs floating around. Who hasn't had a "summer cold", or been bitten by a nasty stomach virus at any time of year?

We decided to eliminate the hand-towel from our bathroom. Even changing it as often as once a day, it can still get loaded with little germs from little (or big) hands that didn't get as clean as they should while washing.

Paper towels were a good replacement at first, but thy were bulky and seemed wasteful.

So here's what we do instead:

I bought a cheap-o pack of 30 washcloths for $5. One hand-drying per washcloth ensures no sharing germs. I bought white so they can be bleached every other wash or so.

Dale (4) folds them after they've been washed (which works double for me - it's a great chore for him, and one less job for me!) and we keep them stacked in a basket on the bathroom counter. 30 washcloths for the 3 of us that wash our hands in the bathroom last about 3 or 4 days. There is usually a need for a whites load by then anyway, so this doesn't even cost me an extra load of laundry!

A simple solution for less germ spreadage works for me!

Visit here for more WFMW tips. :)

WFMW - corraling toy cars

We don't have a large set of standing rules at our house. We may... down the line... but for now we are able to keep things pretty simple and just expect obedience with small instructions as needed.

However, there has been one rule that we aquired early on and has stuck with us for 3+ years now:

- Cars go on the floor.

You see - Dale was pushing toy cars around making motor noises before he could even crawl. He loves them! And they go everywhere with him.

So it has come in handy for saving tabletops, piano benches, pianos, faces and innumerable other surfaces at our house AND when we are visitors somewhere else from scratches, injury, and other abuse.

It is a simple rule, easy to enforce without exception, and for little ones to remember ("Where do cars go? That's right.... on the floor.").

And that has worked great for us for many, many Wednesdays! ;)
For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, be sure to visit Rocks in my Dryer.

Works for Me Wednesday - What to Fix!?

Today is a themed WFMW:

It's 5:15 pm, the kids are hungry, you have a headache, hubby is almost home, and the pantry has three things in it. What is your BEST last-minute meal recipe? Share with everybody this week. We'll call it Works-For-Me Wednesday: The What-Do-I-Fix? Edition.

My best creativity sometimes comes from situations like these. Of course, when asked to remember those recipes later, either to make again or for purposes such as today's blog, I can never remember exactly what it was I pulled from a hat.

But, after some thinking, I can at least share these two:

Spaghetti Bolognese - The first time I tried this recipe, I looked at what went into it and looked at the finished product and felt very skeptical. It looked like plain ol' spaghetti to me! But at first taste, I knew it was different. It tasted like "real food" and not something out of a can! And I have actually made it more than one time. Quite a statement, coming from me! :)

Spaghetti Bolognese

8 oz. spaghetti
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
4 Tbsp. tomato paste
4 Tbsp. Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, combine meat, onions and garlic in large nonstick skillet; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until onions are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and dressing. Bring to boil; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta; place in large serving bowl. Add meat sauce; mix lightly. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Okay, okay, I know - that is way more than 3 ingredients. But I have never put in the tomato paste, because I never keep tomato paste on hand. And I even made it without the beef one night because I didn't have any. SO - this recipe is flexible, and most of what it calls for are pantry staples.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos - another recipe that had me raising my eyebrows, but I tried it anyway and it has turned into one of our favorites!

Bake a couple of sweet potatoes in the microwave (I suppose a can of well-drained sweet potatoes would work as well, I've just never tried it). Drain a can of black beans. Combine beans and potatoes in large skillet and mash together. Add a cup or so of salsa and some cumin to taste. Heat through and spread on flour tortillas. Good with Monterrey Jack cheese or cilantro, but only if you have them on hand. ;)

For more quick-fix, few ingredient, last-minute recipes, head over to Rocks in my Dryer!

Edited to add:
There is also our other favorite last minute meal: Breakfast for supper! Pancakes or waffles are our favorites. Scramble some eggs, and you've got a meal! :)

Works For Me Wednesday - Thanksgiving Countdown

Last year, around the last week of October, not coincidentally just as Christmas decorations began to edge in on all the Halloween stuff on store shelves, my then-3-year old began talking about how ready he was for Christmas. Not wanting to spend the next 8 weeks telling him "not yet" I began to explain that first we had to have Thanksgiving, and T-giving was still a while away itself. So, to break down the wait, and to encourage some thankfulness, we made this little activity. First we made a paper chain with a link for each day remaining until Thanksgiving. Then I cut out a gourd/upside-down light bulb shape out of brown construction paper for a turkey-body. I added eyes & a beak, and wrote across his belly, "Dale says: 'Thank you God, for...."
Then, each day we would unfasten a link, write something he was thankful for on it, and then glue it behind the turkey for his tail. (I also put a little symbol on each link as a help - stick person for a person, house for a place, and dot for a 'thing'). Each time the turkey got a new feather we would kneel right then and there and thank God for whatever it was that day. Along with all the usual stuff, you get some interesting things, like soup. And insects. You never know what a preschooler is going to be thankful for! But there is a good lesson for all of us in that. :)

This Worked So Well for us last year, that on November 1st we were ready to go again with a new turkey. This year, Dale cut him out and drew on his eyes himself. And for some reason, he is liking keeping the feathers sorted by color. But hey. It's his turkey. And he's learning (slowly) a sense of time. And he's thanking the Giver of all good gifts. And that Works for Me! :)
Fore more great WFMW tips, be sure and head over to Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW - Backwards Day!

Okay bloggy world friends.... I have 2 questions.

1. I am looking for some sort of Bible study / devotion material for a group of 4-5 ladies once or twice a month. I would prefer something that didn't require preparation and reading ahead of time for the whole group. Just a simple lesson or devotion I can give for us to discuss.
I will not be using Beth Moore.
Right now I am considering I'll Bring the Chocolate, by Karen Porter. Is anyone familiar with this? Have you used it in a group setting?

Any suggestions?

2. I can't figure out how to make a picture on my sidebar a hyperlink. I can put in pictures and text, but unless there is a hyperlink button in the window when you add it, I can't get it to be a link. Help! :)

I can't wait to go read everyone else's questions.... you always learn so much! If you are bursting with great ideas, maybe you can help someone out by heading over to Rocks in My Dryer for this month's backwards edition of Works for Me Wednesday! :)

Works For Me Wednesday - Pancake Shapes

4/2/08 - Edited to add: I am re-posting this today as part of WFMW Greatest Hits edition. I am amazed at how often I get blog hits from a google search "pancake shapes". I also get tons for "cake mix cookies" so you might want to check out that post too. :) And then go to Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW Greatest Hits!

You know, sometimes you bust out in some cool parenting tricks just for the fun of it. Other times there is some mom-guilt involved. Yesterday was one of those inner "you're a great kid and I need to ease my conscious" times. (Please tell me I'm not the only one who ever gets those?) More blogging to come on those thoughts later. There is obviously a lot to blog about... it being a WEEK since my last post and all.
Anyway... Dale loves trains, so for his extra-treat breakfast yesterday I made him train-shaped pancakes! Sooo easy, and I am not an artist! (although I do have some experience drawing trains... I'm sure you have some experience drawing your child's passion as well) ;)
Simply make a nice, thin, pancake batter and pour it into a clean, empty mustard bottle. Ta-Da! Edible numbers, letters & shapes, in an instant!

Whew. I feel better. And that Works for Me! :) To find great ideas that work for YOU, (and links to tons of free stuff!) be sure and visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer!

Works For Me Wednesday - Cookies!

One day last week Dale asked to make chocolate chip cookies, and I instantly spotted the opportunity to give myself some major mom-points by #1 - being spontaneous, and #2 - making cookies while simultaneously avoiding doing the stuff that I should be doing, but isn't nearly as much fun as making cookies.

But, being me, I felt the need to be creative, while still taking the easy route, and throw in some frugality (using whatcha got) for good measure. In August I bought a tub of chocolate sprinkles for the Dale's checkered-flag birthday cake. It didn't take nearly as many as I had thought. I had nearly the whole tub-full leftover!

Chocolate sprinkle-chips anyone?

I have not been impressed with cake-mix cookies in the past, but for some reason (using whatcha got) I decided to try again. I am so glad I did! These cookies were so good! Here is the recipe:

Easy, Yummy Cake Mix Cookies
1 box white cake mix
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
chocolate chips

Mix oil, eggs, & vanilla. Add cake mix. Add chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes.

I didn't even use a mixer! These cookies were SO easy, and VERY good, and they used up some things that were just sitting around my pantry. And that Works for Me! For more WFMW tips, visit Shannon @ Rocks in My Dryer! :)

By the way.... I've already made these cookies again using a lemon cake mix. Omitted the chocolate chips and drizzled the baked cookies with a lemon/powdered sugar glaze. Yum!

Works For Me Wednesday - Keys

At least half the time we go anywhere, I inevitably only get half-way down the driveway and remember something I left in the house. I'm lucky if I even get that far. But this little 'aha' moment usually only comes after I have started the van. I find it very helpful to have my house keys on a separate ring that I can easily remove from the others so I don't have to turn off the van to run back in. This is also useful for very hot or cold days when I need to start the van ahead of leaving time. The housekeys are the ones on the chain. I just unclip it from the rest and get what I need. When I get back in the van, I loop the chain through the main ring and then clip it to itself so it doesn't dangle way far down from the other keys. This Works for Me several times a week! Be sure and head over to Rocks in My Dryer where Shannon is hosting Works For Me Wednesday! :)