A Tale of 2 WAHMs

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I really shouldn’t complain. The kids going back to school means I have time to work. Much needed quiet time without hearing “MOOOOOM! Make him STOP!” or any pointless arguments. I’ve really had enough of the daily battles, and I hate to say it, but I’m looking at the school as a really cheap babysitter that I can’t wait to dump my kids on.

One thing that still bothers me though is how early the kids are going back to school. They went so far last May as to extend the school day to make up for all the snow days we missed (and it was a HORRIBLE winter - I think in all we ended up with 7 or 8 snow days). A half hour total tacked on every day for the last month or so, just so they could get out of school by the end of May. Which would have seemed great to me when I was in school, except I knew that we didn’t have to go back until the very last week of August.

This year our kids go back the 18th, but I’ve heard others saying they are already back. Are you SERIOUS? August is still summer in every sense of the term. Here in Iowa it’s hot as hell, humid, and no comfortable activities except swimming can be done during the month of August. Yet here we are, going back with two weeks left in the month.

The thing that makes the least amount of sense to me is how a lot of the schools around here still lack air conditioning. Because of that fact, they end up letting school out 2 hours early the first 2 or 3 weeks. Yet in June it’s not that hot at all, but they push so hard to get them out. In fact ,the first week or two of June it’s not even warm enough to swim!

So why are they doing this? It’s no wonder our school our failing - we are seriously shortening the amount of time they are going to school AND the amount of time they can actually learn. Trust me on this one, I went to an elementary school without air, and after noon recess the only thing you could think about was trying to keep cool. You don’t learn a thing when you are hot and uncomfortable.

It just doesn’t make any sense to me in the least. If they absolutely must give our kids a measly 10 weeks of summer vacation, let’s start it in mid-June and run to September. Or better yet, let’s ditch the 180 day rule all together with. Did you know the state only requires a child be in a school setting for 148 days? So where did we pick up the extra 32? Dang, that’s more than a month we are sending our kids to school without the law requiring it.

I think what bothers me the most is the fact we have all these “extra” days off school. At least once a month there’s a “teacher’s workshop”, then all the pointless holidays you can think of. That puts the working parent in a serious tough spot when they have to make other arrangements for daycare. Unlike the summer when they can actually plan for weeks ahead of time, having random days in the middle of the school year can be a serious problem.
I just don’t get it, and it makes me mad. I feel like summer is being robbed from my kids and they are getting days off in the middle of the winter where they can’t do anything outside. The nation has put this big emphasis on getting kids outside to play, yet then we turn around and force them inside. HUH? Please someone explain it to me!

Sadly I think I’m the only one asking this question to myself right now. I don’t think too many are looking for me, except earlier this summer during the Iowa floods when a few had to email me to make sure I still had a home. Our area, thank goodness, was not effected. I can’t say the same for 10 miles north, but that’s another story.

No, I think I’ve been hiding for so long that no one seems to worry when I’m in hide-mode for a month or two. In fact, some may be saying “oh, there were TWO that were posting on this blog? Huh! Go figure!”.

Yeah I know, I’ve become quite the unknown person online.

== End Self Pity Section ==

The reason for this post wasn’t to wine that no one misses me….nah, I’m a big girl. I don’t care that much. Can’t be missed if you are never around in the first place! HA!

What I did want to talk about though, just in case anyone was keeping track, where I’ve been…..

First off, it’s been a very crazy summer.  In between endless running and “stuff to do”, I’ve barely been by the computer. Not to say I haven’t been here every day (I think I’d freak out completely if I had no computer for even one full day). I just haven’t had a lot of time to actually “work” (you know, the thing you do with your time that MAKES you money).

But when I have been around, I’ve been doing something a bit unexpected. I haven’t been building websites or marketing my businesses. I’ve been writing. No, not articles. BOOKS. Come on you remember - those paper things we had before the internet. Come to find out, people still read them. And I couldn’t come up with one good reason not to write one. I mean, I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a kid, so why not now?

It was really time for a change for me. I didn’t exactly enjoy what I was doing as much as I should have, and I’m no where near I thought I would be financially. Not to say I don’t make money online, just not as much as I’d like. The drive is just - gone - and I have no desire to force myself to do anything anymore. Yeah, it was time for a big change, and becoming an author was it.

So I’m happy to say that in the 2-3 months I’ve been pretty much MIA, I’ve managed to actually write a teen novel. Yes an entire novel is complete, and is now in the editing stage. Next comes finding an agent which will probably be as much work as it took to write it, possibly more. That’s alright though, I’m chasing my dream 100% for once in my life, and I couldn’t be happier. I actually have another book in the works that I’ve got a plot for, with a few other ideas (one for a children’s series that I’m rather hopeful about….they don’t call me the Idea Queen for nothing!).

So just in case you were wondering where I’ve been, there’s your answer. I’ve been working to become a successful author.

The other night I was digging in boxes of stuff that my parents have been dumping on me ever since we moved into this house over 7 years ago. Some boxes had old kids books, some had things I’d saved from jr high and high school.

Seeing one particular box with folders and papers from when I was about 12 or 13, I suddenly remembered one of the things I wanted to be “when I grow up”. It had been completely forgotten years ago, but there it was staring me in the face - I had wanted to write books since I was able to print my name.

One of my short stories - something about a super hero cat - was neatly printed and tucked away in a folder with other things. I thought I was going to get a chuckle out of it, which I did, but I also realized it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We were probably forced to write it as assignment and had been learning about certain styles of writing, but still it read as if an adult had wrote it.
I thought back and remembered all the other stories I use to write on a whim, wishing I knew where they all were. Somewhere in a box I’m sure, but I haven’t dug much deeper. I also tried to remember why I had stopped writing, and I couldn’t come up with a solid explanation. I’m sure it was as soon as I entered high school and had better things to do. I remember writing a lot of poetry in high school though, taking it more seriously after my kids were born. Nothing ever became of it though, since being a professional poet is a hard market to crack. So somewhere along the road my writing changed from fantasy world to business world, my true dreams somehow forgotten.

Although I can’t help but think WHY the dream morphed into what it did. When I was a kid I never dreamed I’d write about websites, search engines, and marketing. I dreamed of writing REAL books, or becoming a vet, or a storm chaser, or even a professional singer.

Why did the original dreams fade away?

Granted some dreams just aren’t meant to come true, and we all need a dose of reality to realize that. The singing dream ended in high school because it was something which required talent - which I had for an elite high school choir, but not professionally.

But other dreams, such as certain professions that need to be learned…….where do they go? Is it laziness? Discouragement? Or maybe both?

Funny I went to college for awhile before my kids were born to become an accountant, but quickly realized how much I hated accounting and dropped out. Really I was doing it because it was a “safe” job and all adults are suppose to have “real jobs”. Maybe all that college prep my senior year in high school got me stuck in that “real job” mindset, making me forget all those “crazy dreams” of being something more interesting.

So why can’t we be what we want to be? I find myself lacking motivation often, and I now know why. My main motivator is money and taking care of my family. Sure I weave some of my hobbies and things I enjoy into my websites which keeps me motivated short term. But I lack real motivation because I’m not REALLY doing what I want to do.

I’m not singing, writing, watching storms, or taking care of animals. All of which, I’ve found, tend to distract me when I’m trying to “work”. And yes, my cats DO tend to distract me. I tend to follow them when they walk by so I can play with them. Silly eh? But not really because it goes back to my original interests as a child. Songs distract me sometimes, too, especially when I get one in particular in my head and have to listen to it, belting out the notes while no one is around. Storms I can hardly ever work through, and I have to hop on local weather sites to track which way the storms are going.

I’m starting to ramble. Guess it’s the writer in me, he he.

My main point here is what happened to our childhood dreams, and why aren’t we following them? We all struggle daily to make ends meet, thinking we’ve taken the safe route in life. But did we? Do we all have an easy life because of the profession we’ve chosen for the sake of having a safe “real job”?

Something to think about…….especially if you are at a crossroads in your life. Starting a new path may not be as hard as continuing on the path you are currently on.

Mom, when was the last time you actually took time for yourself?  Just a few extra minutes for mom pampering?  I know I’m so bad at this.  Gee, I feel guilty taking longer in the tub than what it takes to shave my legs

That’s one of the reasons I like the blog Mom’s Indulgence. I’m trying to teach myself that first of all, it’s okay to do this from time to time and secondly how to do it.

Oh and if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy a particular blog post called Taking time for you. It’ll remind you to take a little time for you AND shows you why you don’t need to feel guilty.

According to Mom’s Indulgence, believe it not, taking time for you can be good for your family too. (yay! I can take time for me for everyone else! How cool is that!?!)Ergocalciferol
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I just came across this today and I had to share.  Did you know you could have personalized fruit rollup made?  You can enter you own message and/or add pictures.  How cool is that?  Or am I the only nut who’s excited over this?  LOL!  Looks like it works out to be about $1 per rollup.  Eh, not the cheapest I guess but what a cool way to send out thank you notes for a child’s birthday presents or you could make the invitations out of these.  You could even use these to promote your business.  That’d stand out anyway.  Hmm … graduation gifts and I seen one that was design to ask someone to marry them!  Now that’s an interesting thing to do.  I’d have to give the person the whole box and see how long it took them to realize what they rollups were saying.

Anyway, I thought I’d share this with you. 
Customize your own fruit rollups

Oh boy are we having a hard time finding a way to organize which child does what when and how much they can earn.  Right now we don’t have anything “set in stone”.  Each child basically know their individual chores and what is expected of them.  However, these are very, very few.  Other than those I’m always asking each child to “do me a favor” and offering a money reward.  I am so tired of all that, lol!

I want something that’s “set in stone” - something like a chore chart.  We’re not sure if we want to give each individual chore a value.  If it’s done, they get paid for it, if it isn’t they don’t.  OR  Should we just make a list of chores.  If they’re all done, they get paid, if they’re not - they don’t.  I’m not sure if the latter is quite fair to the children however, it does give them more of an incentive of getting them done.

Mom is tired of constantly telling each child what to do, reminding them over and over again to get it done and all that good stuff!  Mom wants something a bit more organized!  (Yes, I’m yelling and venting, rofl!)

 My daughter is 11 and my son is 7. 

How do you handle it?  I’m assuming most combine allowances and chores?  Do you do this?  What do you pay?  What chores are your children responsible for and how old are they?

Yeah, I have a ton of questions … I would just love to hear how other handle the “Chores & Allowances” issue.

 So, spill the beans … what do you do?

Hopefully you already know that Easter comes two weeks earlier this week … if not, here’s your official warning … Easter this year comes on March 23rd.  To me, it feels as though Easter keeps coming earlier and earlier every year.  During my search this morning, I found a couple of interesting facts. 

• Easter Sunday can fall anywhere from March 22nd to April 25th.
• The last time Easter fell on a date as early as this year was in 1913 and the next time it will be this early again will be in 2160.
• Seeing Easter fall on the earliest date possible (March 22nd)  has not and will not be seen by anyone alive today.  The last time was in 1818 and the next time will be in 2285.
• Your chances of seeing a late Easter are much higher.  The last time it fell on April 25th was in 1943 and will happen again in 2038.
• The actual date of Easter Sunday is supposed be calculated by astronomical observations (such as the moon).  However, since there is so many variables in these, the date is actually calculated by tables.

So, there’s your list of what are probably useless pieces of information for the day. 

And now onto my search for the perfect class snack for my son …
I often forget exactly how versatile the average cupcake is.  Apparently cupcakes are an easy choice for a school class snack and it’s even more apparent, they’re quite the easy choice for an Easter Snack for your child’s class snack.

The hard part is choosing which one you will create and serve!  Here are a few of my favorites.  Maybe you can vote for which one you like the best and help me with my decision!

Easter Peeps Cupcakes

Ingredients
cake mix or scratch cake ingredients (your choice)
white frosting
grated coconut
green food coloring
Marshmallow Peeps® (yellow, pink, white, blue or lavender)
jelly beans

Bake & frost cupcakes using the directions on the cake mix box. (Who has time to make cupcakes from scratch anymore?  I know I don’t!)

Sprinkle colored coconut on top of frosted cupcakes and place a Peep® in the center. Add a few jelly beans around the Peeps®, so they look like eggs.

Another option is to pipe a “nest” of green icing to encircle the top and place a Peep® in the center. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles for a finishing touch.

This recipe was found at Fabulous Foods and was submitted by a 7 year old boy!

Easter Basket Cupcakes
I edited this recipe myself.  This recipe include the ingredients & directions to make the cupcakes from scratch.  As I mentioned above - I don’t have time to create anything from scratch!  However, if you have more time than me and are a rising Betty Crocker (more power to you!) - you can find the full recipe at AllRecipes.com

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) can creamy vanilla ready-to-spread frosting
3 3/4 cups MOUNDS® Sweetened Coconut Flakes, (tinted)
Assorted HERSHEY’s Easter Candies:
JOLLY RANCHER® Jelly Beans
CADBURY® Mini Eggs Candy
HERSHEY®’S Candy-Coated Milk Chocolate Eggs
HERSHEY®’S KISSES® Milk Chocolates
33 TWIZZLERS® Strawberry Licorice Twists

Bake & frost cupcakes using the directions on the cake mix box.

Immediately make ‘nest’ on top of each cupcake with tinted coconut; place assorted candy in nests.

For handle, insert wooden pick in each end of strawberry twists; press down into each side of each cupcake, bending to form handle.

Sidenote:  To tint coconut, combine several drops green food color with 3/4 teaspoon water; add to 1-1/2 cups coconut. Stir until evenly tinted. Repeat using blue, pink or yellow food color.

Cadbury Marshmallow Creme “Egg” Cupcakes
This one has to win the most unique prize!  Besides, for me … next to the famous Peeps - Cadbury Eggs are my favorite Easter candy!  Again, I edited this recipe to start with your own favorite cake mix.  For the full recipe, visit IHeartCuppyCakes.Wordpress.com

Ingredients
(For the marshmallow creme “egg”)
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/8 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup marshmallow creme
2 drops yellow food coloring
1 drops red food coloring
(She also notes that next time she’ll probably use 2 cups of powdered sugar or reduce the amount of marshmallow creme because this way, it was a runny and hard to work with.)

Combine the corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Beat well with an electric mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing by hand after each addition. Mix well until creamy. Then add marshmallow creme. Mix until well combined.

Remove about 1/3 of the mixture and place it into a small bowl. Add the yellow and red food coloring to the 1/3 mixture. Adjust food coloring to your desired “yolk” shade. Cover both mixtures and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm. (She thinks overnight is better.)

Prepare a well greased or parchment lined baking sheet. When the mixtures are firm, take about 1/2 tsp of white filling and place on the baking sheet. Using your fingers spread the filling out to the desired “egg” shape. (Its helpful to have a little bowl of warm water nearby to dip your spreading finger in to keep your finger from sticking.) Then take about 1/4 tsp orange filling and dollop in the middle for the “yolk” of the white filling. Repeat process. Makes 12-14 “sunny side up eggs”. Freeze for 2-4 hours until set.

———-
Be sure to click each of the links above to share the thanks for these great recipes!  And here’s a couple of blogs I found that show exactly how versitile cupcakes really are!
CupCakesTakeTheCake.Blogspot.com
IHeartCuppyCakes.wordpress.com

And it wouldn’t be a post about Easter goodies from me without more of a mention about Peeps!  These are my absolute favorite Easter goodie!  I found a recipe to make homemade marshmallow peeps.  I also found a page about the marshmallow peeps maker  (Yes, I am a true mashmallow peeps lover!  I DO own one of those!  lol!) 

Although, I have to admit - they’re not that expensive at all … it’s so much easier to rush out and pick up a box at your favorite grocery store 0r heck, you can pick them up at your local service mart or gas station too!  But yeah, there’s nothing like getting all sticky and messy when making them yourself!)

And I almost forgot … don’t forget to let me know what your favorite cupcake is above!

Congratulations Ladies!

I’m a little ashamed to say that I didn’t even know this day existed! But I think it’s important that we celebrate it.
Hey, it’s important to celebrate anything if you ask me!

Come celebrate with us:
http://mommyshelpercommunity.com/phpBB2/about10351.html
(And no worries … it’s never to celebrate!)

Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company is offering a beta test for bloggers.  Simply put, once you sign up, they’ll send you a sample of their Jamaican Me Crazy flavored coffee for you to test and then you write a review on your blog.  Not only do you get a sample of their coffee but they’ll also put a link to your blog on their website - nice little added benefit.

So, if you’re a Coffee Loving Blogger … or maybe you’re a … Coffee Driven Blogger  :lol:  You might wanna check this out!
Joffrey’s Java Beta

Oh and I almost forgot … the coffee does sound delicious.  It’s described as Caramel, Vanilla and Coffee Liqueur.  Mmm … sounds good to me, lol!