18 Yummy Dip Recipes!
Check out my Pinterest Everything Dip board for even more!
Check out my Pinterest Everything Dip board for even more!
Monthly Archives: August 2012
Dear Lady In The Black SUV,
Dear Lady In The Black SUV,
Shame on you! Do you not see those signs that clearly mark that you’re in a school zone and the big number 15. Let me bring you up to speed in case you’ve forgotten what those means. It means you’re in a school zone were small children are present, cars are coming and going and those numbers mean the speed at which your car should be traveling.
I realize that the police department has completely stopped patrolling the school zone and that makes you think its okay to once again fly through there going 30 mph. Just because there are no cops here to write you a ticket there are still kids present! My kid, my friends kids! Watching you fly by the school and nearly running the crossing guard over makes me cringe. I understand you have places to go but if you want to speed maybe you should consider taking a route where there are no crossing guards or kids present. Is you’re being on time really worth a child’s life?!
If you have kids of you’re own then you would understand that as parents we suffer from some major anxiety! Major! Witnessing you nearly run over a man holding a stop sign in the middle of a cross walk as children cross the street does nothing to help mine. It makes it worse! So please unless you want me to start praying that the Karma Fairy slaps you in you’re face please consider that our children are present in those marked areas and that there is a reason those signs are there!
Sincerely, A Concerned Mom.
My Child Does Not Have A Relationship With His Father
My son hasn’t seen his father since he was a year and a half old and maybe its wrong but I’m fine with that. Before you judge me please let me explain a few things. First I want to say that I tried, I really tried but at some point I realized that enough was enough already. Somewhere between the sporadic supervised visits in wich he would just stand there and refuse to interact with his child and the second time that he went six months without having any contact with him that I decided I was done. I’d given enough chances and I was not going to be that parent who allowed the other parent to come in and out of their child’s life. I wasn’t willing to turn my sons heart into a revolving door that he was free to come in and out of as he pleased. Yeah he was young and didn’t understand what was going on but I knew that if it was happening then that it would continue to happen. I kindly told him how I felt and he hung up on me and didn’t contact me again for nearly six months at that time i once again reminded him of the previous conversation.
After I moved to Florida, Hunters father once again decided that he wanted to be a part of his life. Hunter by then was three years old and in my eyes old enough to have a better understanding of what was going on. He saw someone and he remembered seeing them. I felt like it was a little bit late for him to decide that he wanted to be apart of Hunters life but I also didn’t want Hunter to grow up and think I had kept his father from him. My mother offered to let him stay with her for a few days and i reluctantly agreed.
He never came because he never had honest intentions to. Instead he began threatening me on a daily basis saying things like “You better be nice to him or its going to get expensive for you and you won’t ever see him again”. At the time when he said those things it terrified me. Not because I was a bad parent or I neglected my child but because Hunter was my whole world and the thought that I could ever loose him terrified me. He would write nasty comments on Hunters photos on Facebook about him having a pacifier or about me sometimes letting him sleep in my bed. He told me I let him sleep in my bed because i was too lazy to put him back to bed at night. He had something to say about anything and everything. Never once did he say anything positive or nice. I began to dread the sound of incoming text messages or a Facebook notification.
Yet I allowed him to call Hunter and chat with him on the phone. Around the time he started saying he would call and then didn’t which was pretty quick I decided yet again that enough was enough. I continued posting photos for him to see and he continued with his negative comments.
He began demanding that I pay for him to fly to Florida yet he hadn’t paid child support in two years. I could barely afford to put gas in the car to take Hunter to school and here he was telling me I had to pay for him to fly to Florida. Yet there he was bragging about going for a massage, buying a new car and YES smoking marijuana.
The final straw was another comment on a photo i had posted on Facebook something about me raising a sissy. I deleted the Facebook account and lost his phone number; I was tired of the constant bullying. It was like having a weight lifted from my shoulder and i was finally able to breath again.
Now when I look back at the times that he said things like “when Is it going to be my turn. You’ve had him for three years” I wish I had replied with “Parenting isn’t about taking turns. Its not just about having fun. Its about being there in the middle of the night after they’ve had a nightmare and doing whatever you have to to calm them down even if it means letting them sleep in your bed. Its about holding their hand and holding back your own tears when they wake up from surgery screaming. Its about making sure they’ve had breakfast, lunch and dinner and doing whatever you have to to provide it. Its about being there for them through everything not just when you feel like it”. Its about putting someone besides yourself first! It would have been a waste of air to say these things though because they would have gone in one ear and out the other.
If he were to threaten me now with taking me to court I would probably laugh because I know that he won’t and I’ve been very meticulous about documenting all communication and trust me when I say that some of it has not been pretty.
Hunter is five now and has no relationship with his father yet he continues to thrive without one. As he grows older I know that he will have more and more questions and I am prepared to answer them. I also know at some point he may want to have a relationship with his father and it will be his chose then but for now I am doing what I feel is best for him.
First Day Of Kindergarten Photo
Hunters Photo From His First Day Of Kindergarten
.jpg)
Another Car Seat Rant
As you may recall I recently wrote a post about why my five year old is still in a car seat and if you didn’t you can find it here. I wanted to come up with a list of tips for car seat safety. Honestly its a topic that I can at times get very angry over because i am constantly seeing and hearing about peoples utter lack of concern for their children in cars. It takes 30 seconds to properly buckle your child into a car seat yet so few people do it.
Here in Florida I can’t count the times I’ve seen parent’s drive by with their five year old in the front seat or there two year old bouncing around in the backseat as they drive by me doing 80 mph on the highway swerving in and out of traffic. Its a daily occurrence and one that i dread seeing.
(Hunter in his Nautilus. Comment below if you know what is wrong with this picture)
Two of the biggest problems I think for the lack of concern so many people have when car seats is involved is the lack of education and the lack of laws in regards to car seats. When you leave the hospital for the first time with your child you have to show that you can buckle him or her in and they might give you a few tips but that’s about it! As for the laws according to a 2010 article written by NTSB Florida has the Nation’s WORST child safety laws. THE WORST! Florida law pretty much only covers children up to the age of three but it seems as though even that is rarely enforced. In my book not properly restraining your child no matter how old or young they are should be considered child endangerment
A lot of people feel like once their kid reaches two or three that they no longer need to be in a car seat or use the excuse they are too big. That’s not the case. Car seats have come a long way in the past few years and the height and weight limits on many are at 65 lbs. For the people who just don’t think their kids need to be in one maybe one of these articles will help you change your mind! California Family Survives Being Trapped In Car, Joels Story, Anne’s Crash. An unrestrained child in a car accident travels like a missile! In a 30 mph crash, studies have shown, an unrestrained child will hit the dashboard or windshield with a force equal to falling off a three-story building a THREE story building and that’s only at 30 mph.
Then there are the parents who DO put their kids in car seats and as much as I love to see this it breaks my heart each time i see a child who is not properly buckled into the seat. If you’re going to put them in one please please please learn how to not only properly install it but use it as well. Yes, there are wrong ways of using a car seat!
The thing I have the hardest time understanding though is why wouldn’t you put your child in a car seat or make sure their properly buckled? We love and want to protect our kids but so many can’t be bothered to take 30 seconds to make sure their buckled or to buckle them. Its another step to insure our child’s safety one we have control over when we know we have no control over the other drivers on the road and as a nation we are failing miserably at it.
I can promise you this more then likely will not be my final car seat safety rant. I’ve been considering taking the course to become a Child Passenger Safety Tech so that I can help educate others on proper car seat usage.
Far From Perfect
Its time I admit something that has been a long time coming. Alright so here it goes; I am NOT perfect and neither is my son! Yup you read that right. I just admitted I am not perfect and I do not have the perfect child. I know I probably had you fooled thinking that I was but I just can’t let you go on thinking that so I have a few things I have to admit right now.
Here it goes…….
My son’s clothes don’t match half the time, his hands are usually filthy and you can bet there is dirt under his nails.
But guess what I don’t care. I can’t help it that he was outside sitting in a pile of dirt digging a tunnel to China or that he dressed himself this morning.
Yup I’m guilty because…
Sometimes I feed him hot dogs for dinner!
Don’t worry I make sure they’re turkey dogs but still! Hot dogs?! I know!
Sometimes I even let him drink chocolate milk.
Its still milk though, right?!
When we cook brownies I let him lick the spoon!
You know what else…..
The tires on his bike are flat…..
Guess what? He doesn’t care he rides it anyways!
(Yeah thats a PINK bike he’s riding!)
I’m a neat freak but guess what? The laundry is over flowing, the tub needs scrubbing and the dishes are all dirty.
And I don’t care.
There’s a pile of stuff in the middle of the living room floor….
That is just my kids fort that i don’t feel like picking up just so he can drag it out again in five minutes.
Sometimes he gets grumpy and cries when he doesn’t get his way.
What five year old doesn’t?
You can bet that if its raining my son is outside playing in it.
Don’t worry he won’t melt
Yup, theres a TV in his room!
That he’s only allowed to watch on Friday nights.
You know what else? when his friend Bella comes over i let them fill up the tub and play in it together….
In their bathing suits
And!! They have coed sleepovers!
I let him eat lucky charms for breakfast
At least he’s eating something
You know what else?
I didn’t breastfeed him!
Sue me.
I let him sleep in on the weekends…
Cause i like sleeping in.
I’m three months late in taking him to his orthopedic doctor for his one year check up.
Because I’m scared as hell they are going to tell me he has to have surgery again.
(You see that cast on his foot….that was life for three years!)
I let him go in the pool without a life jacket or floaties on……
And I don’t even hold him!
So while your sitting there silently judging me…
Let me tell you that he can probably swim better then most ten year olds.
(Yup, pink goggles)
Sometimes i let him sleep in my bed!
AND
Sometimes I’m so tired by bedtime i don’t make him brush his teeth.
Take a deep breath so you don’t faint cause this next part is big like rock your world big.
Sometimes I loose my temper and I yell!
Worst parent ever.
I might not be perfect, he may not be perfect, but at least we’re having fun!
Pottery Barn Mackenzie Blue Plane Backpack Review
One of the first things I did this year to prepare Hunter for school aside from registration was to find him a backpack. The backpacks I’ve purchased for him in the past have usually been a cheap Wal Mart selection that lacked pockets, weren’t durable, only lasted through so many spilled drinks and were small. I knew I wanted something that he would not only be able to use this year but the next year as well, it needed to be durable, fun and big enough to carry all his stuff.
I ended up going online to Pottery Barn and looking around for something that would fit my criteria and ended up stumbling upon the Mackenzie Blue Plane Backpack. Hunter absolutly loves planes, he was a pilot last year for Halloween and has a large collection of metal ones in his room so the Mackenzie Blue Plane Backpack would be perfect. It comes in three sizes; preschool, small and large. I ended up having my stepmother order a large keeping in mind that I wanted him to be able to use it the following school year as well.
When it arrived I was happy to see that it matched the description online perfectly, the colors were vibrant and the planes playful. It was roomy enough for him to put an extra change of clothes, lunch box and school papers and books in it. It has one large pocket and then a couple smaller ones along with an area designed to hold an mp3 player with a cutout for headphones. It has contoured straps for comfortable carrying on days when its packed to the brim and exterior straps so that you can strap your lunch box directly to the backpack. The best part though was that its made from water resistant material and lets be honest with Floridas unpredictable weather that was deffinitly a must.Hunter’s been using it now for about a month(he broke it in on his flight home) and it seems to be working out great for him. He doesn’t complain that its heavy and loves using the strap that goes around his chest. The material its made with seems really durable so it should take plenty of abuse from him without a problem. Now if I could just get him to stop leaving it on the school bus!
August 30th Is National Toasted Marshmallow Day – 34 Recipes
So today is National Toasted Marshmallow’s Day and lets just say I love me some marshmallows! Even more though I love s’mores! So in honor of National Toasted Marshmallow day I’ve gathered up some great recipes that include marshmallows. Like always, enjoy!
DIY Duvet Cover
So when I moved to Florida a couple years ago I had pretty a few suitcases and boxes of Hunters stuff that my sister had mailed to me. I had no bedding, pots and pans or anything to actually furnish a house. Somehow though I managed to acquire a lot of stuff but my room was on the pretty lame side and I wanted to do something to warm it up a little. So I made a Duvet cover from fabric and a flat sheet that was super easy to make so even the worst sewer could handle it!
Directions
1. Go online and browse through the fabric or at the fabric store to get an idea of what kind of fabric you would like to use.
2. Purchase a flat sheet. Keep in mind you will need to purchase one that is one size bigger then your bed.
3. Go to the fabric store and purchase the fabric. You will need enough yards to cover the whole flat sheet.
4. Once home you will need to cut your fabric into length that will cover the sheet.
5. Sew the fabric lengths together.
6. Take the sheet and your fabric lengths and match them up corner to corner make sure that the design on the fabric is face down against the sheets front.
7. Starting with the top of the sheet sew the two sides together.
8. Sew the corners closed.
9. Attach buttons to the bottom and cut small holes for them.
10. Turn it so that its no longer inside out.
11. Stuff with a down comforter and you are done!!!
How Much Is Too Much? – Are Kids Birthday Parties Becoming Too Outrageous
Caterers, Bounce Houses, Live Entertainment, professional photographers, elaborate rental locations are becoming the norm for children’s birthday parties. From first birthdays to sweet sixteens parents are spending more money now then ever on their kids birthday parties that are at times both lavish and outrageous and leave us with our jaws hanging. Parties that compare to those featured on shows like MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen and TLC’s Outrageous Kids Parties.
As more and more parents hold birthday parties the size of a wedding that compare in cost I have to wonder how much is too much? Is it necessary for a five year old to have an event planner or a five tier birthday cake that they probably won’t even appreciate or remember for that matter. Is it necessary to book expensive hotel reception rooms and spend thousands of dollars on caterers and decorations? Are we throwing these parties for our kids or ourselves in an effort to keep up with the Jones’.
What happened to cake from the grocery store bakery and scooping out your kids favorite ice cream onto plates decorated with their favorite TV or movie character? Birthday parties are supposed to be special not outrageous events thrown by parents in an attempt to out do, out spend and out shine the competition. Yeah, I’m sure the kids enjoy the parties but down the road are they really going to remember whether or not their parents spent five hundred dollars on a cake or whether or not their food came from the trendiest place in town? No! By throwing these lavish parties we are teaching our kids to be materialistic to expect more and more and more. Nearly all of the kids featured on my Super Sweet Sixteen acted like spoiled materialistic brats who didn’t know the meaning of no because they had been overindulged by their parents for so long!
Sitting here I’m thinking back to my own sweet sixteen party that looks pretty bleak in comparison to the parties featured on My Super Sweet Sixteen but you know what we probably had just as much fun and made just as many memories! My parents got the key to the high school gym, decorated it themselves, bought a cake, some food and hired a “DJ”(family friend) for a night of dancing and fun. It was nothing lavish or outrageous but it still left me with a ton of great memories and you know what they probably only spent $150 on it. I got a Canon Rebel camera which was expensive as my gift but it was a birthday/Christmas gift and my parents split the cost between them and you know what I still have it and use it!
Now as a parent even I could afford to shell out ten or fifteen thousand dollars on an over the top birthday party I wouldn’t! I would rather put the money towards my sons education or into savings. Why would I waste the money on a party planner when I have the best party planning tool at my fingertips; the Internet. I refuse to spend hundreds of dollars on some specialty cake when my son will love the one from the Publix bakery just as much. I don’t need to hire entertainment because he has friends and they’ll be too busy making memories to care!
Just The Two Of Us 