Need Some Alternatives to Easter Candy?

Every year moms try to decide what to give their kids for Easter. No doubt the kids would prefer candy and chocolate, but if you're feeling that the kids are getting too much of a bad thing on a daily or weekly basis, there are some other alternatives to put in Easter baskets this year.

Fill their baskets with some of these:

• Fruits and cookies
• Mini boxes of raisins and low fat candies
• Hand puppets - they can make their own play!
• Stuffed bunny rabbits and jelly beans (no fat and low in calories)
• Brightly colored plastic eggs with coins inside each egg (kids love money!)
• Coloring books and crayons
• Small toys from the dollar store
• Bubbles
• Books (all ages love these)
• Puzzles
• Scrapbooking kit and disposable camera
• Snack size packages of Goldfish crackers
• Play-Doh (brings back memories, doesn't it?)
• Sugarfree gum for the older ones
• Packages of baseball cards (or in my house Yu-Gi-Oh! cards)

There are lots of alternatives to filling the baskets high with unhealthy candy...be creative and use your imagination!

Does Your Family Have a First Aid Kit?

Whether it’s the recent rash of violent storms which have plagued our country, or unavoidable accidents in the home; having a first aid kit is essential to treat anyone in your family at a moment’s notice.

Does your family have a first aid kit? If not, you can either buy a kit already equipped for home use or take a little time to put one together. Here are some items you will need:

• Bandages of different sizes, including triangular
• Tape, preferably adhesive
• Alcohol wipes (which you can buy by the box)
• Antibiotic ointment or creams (Neosporin)
• Disposable Ice Packs
• Disposal latex gloves
• Gauze pads of various sizes (including a roll of self-adhesive gauze)
• Tylenol, Advil and Aspirin
• Ipecac
• Antihistamine
• Epinephrine
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Safety Pins

While you may have most of these supplies in your medicine cabinet, it is a safety measure to be able to access these items if they were in one container. If there was an emergency, such as the recent rash of snowstorms and hurricanes in the U.S., this would be the first item you would need to grab as you exit your home. Perhaps your child fell off his bike and is badly hurt, having this kit immediately available can same him a great deal of pain until you rush him to a hospital or clinic.

You can also add to the kit any items you feel necessary. Maybe some things you didn’t have in the past when confronted with a home accident, sudden illness, or child injury. If your local community offers a one day course on first aid, which also includes CPR training, it would be a good idea for the entire family to participate. When faced with any life threatening situation at home, at least you will be prepared and have whatever you need to assist your loved ones.

Inexpensive Easter Gift Ideas for Kids

As kids, we loved Easter, right? It was especially fun not only coloring Easter eggs but hunting for them in the morning. Mom always found neat places to hide them.

We used to have baskets every year - the Easter Bunny would hide them and we would have a ball trying to figure out where they were hidden.

Easter has come a long way since we were kids! Everything seems to be large and very expensive! It doesn't have to be that way. You can still provide a really good time for the kids without breaking the bank. I've put together 7 inexpensive ideas that will bring a smile to the little ones' faces on Easter morning:

1. For your younger children, you can put together an Easter basket filled with homemade cookies; Easter coloring books and crayons; and, of course, a small and inexpensive chocolate Easter Bunny.

2. Another favorite treat for kids is the very popular marshmallow chicks. These have been around since we were kids, and these are sure to be a hit with yours, too! You can add these to a small basket; take different colored tissue paper and cut them into strips to make a nest; line the basket; add the chicks along with a small bag of jelly beans, and some chocolate Easter eggs.

3. If you want to cut down on the number of sweets your child eats, you can buy an Easter basket and some straw, and fill it with little toys from the dollar store. You may even want to include a few kids’ books as well.

4. How about an Easter basket filled with cookies shaped like eggs and bunnies. You can use different color icing to decorate the eggs and bunnies. This is one gift your kids will love!

5. How about making a bunny cake! Have the entire family participate in molding, shaping and icing the bunny. Let your imagination run wild with this fun activity. Or you could make girl and boy bunny cakes for the kids and present it to them on Easter morning. What a surprise that would be!

6. String up jelly bean necklaces and bracelets for your kids to wear. Tell your kids there is an island where visitors are greeted with jellybean jewelry.

7. You can purchase inexpensive bunny ears for your kids to wear. They can hop around the house while hunting for those Easter eggs. Make a game of it.

Okay, I've started with the first 7 ideas - now it's YOUR turn. Leave some comments and let's build this list to help all moms out this Easter!

This is all lots of fun, but please remember to share the REAL REASON why we celebrate Easter!

What is Your Filing Status?

In my tax-paying lifetime, I've been just about every category of filing status as you can be. It CAN be very confusing to determine what your status might be. To begin with, your income tax filing status is based upon whether or not you are single, married, or widowed. It is important as it pertains to the correct amount of tax being deducted from your paycheck. Let’s go over each filing status to give you a clear picture of your options.

According to the Internal Revenue Service:
* A single person can claim single status if unmarried, divorced or legally separated.
* If you are married, you and your spouse may file a joint return.
* If you are married, but wish to file a separate return, you can.
* To claim head of household, you must be unmarried and pay more than half the cost of maintaining the home for you and a qualified person.
* If you are a widow or widower, and if your spouse died in 2006, you can use married jointly as your filing status for 2006. Note: The year of death is the last year for which you can file jointly with your deceased spouse.

While there are new tax changes every year, the filing status seems to be the same. To determine what type of filing status is best for you, talk to your tax professional or visit the IRS site online here. However, it should be noted that the information supplied by the IRS may take quite a bit of time to read and digest.

It's true what they say, “there are only two things you can count on in life; death and taxes.”

Get a jump on filing your taxes by gathering all of your papers and make an appointment with your tax professional today!

St. Patrick's Day is Coming! Can You Get Your Kids to Eat Their Greens??

Brought to you by Kid Approved Meals

Take time this St. Patrick's Day to get some green foods into your kids (and, no, I'm not talking about cupcakes with green frosting). ;) Create an entire "green" meal for your kids, in honor of the leprechauns.

Here are some ideas:

• Broccoli with Ranch dressing (or Green dressing)
• Sliced Kiwi
• Avocados
• Asparagus
• Green apple slices
• Green grapes
• Cucumber slices
• Peas or Snow Pea Pods
• Green Beans

Have fun with it, come up with some other "green" ideas and forward them on to me...I'd love to add to the list!

Be proud of your kids for trying new foods, especially if they are normally picky eaters.

We hope you enjoy your green meal!
(And, thank you, again, to Kid Approved Meals for giving us the ideas!)

Thumbs Up Thursday - Busy Mama's Guides

This week's Thumbs Up Thursday goes out to Kristy Shreve Powers - she's definitely a Busy Mama! She provides Busy Mama Guides as blog posts. They come in small increments so they can be read and digested easily and quickly - before the baby has time to pull that lamp down on top of himself!

One particular post that caught my eye was this one:
Kristy Shreve Powers: Busy Mama's Survey Question: Do Your Kids Watch TV?
Thought provoking stuff - check it out and also check out the comments left by quite a few people.

You want my take on TV for kids? Well - I grew up watching TV. Sesame Street had just come out...Mr. Rogers was very popular...and who can forget the ever-popular Electric Company? Love Morgan Freeman to this day! All of these shows I mentioned are educational shows too. I think there can be fair balance between the good stuff and the crap on TV.

We limit our older 2 kids to one hour per day on their own - they usually make choices like That's So Raven, Digimon and the like. The rest of their TV time is spent with us as a family. We'll watch American Idol, Survivor or some other popular Reality Show.

The younger one takes delight in watching Sesame Street (love it!), Dora and Barney. When she was 2-1/2 years old, she started counting to me in Spanish. We're not a bi-lingual household, so I know she learned it from Dora. That's pretty cool! I can appreciate the things that she learns from these educational shows - like counting (in English and Spanish), colors, letters, songs and some good solid values. A lot of us are not fans of Barney, but you've gotta admit he does teach a lot of great stuff!

Let me know your thoughts on TV watching - I'm curious to know what you do in your house!

p.s. - I'm still up on the Top Momma site - thanks to all of you who have been voting for me :)

Day 2 - Top Momma!

Alright! My goal was to last a day and I did...baby steps, right?

If you don't know what I'm talking about, go HERE and see my pic on the front page of the Top Momma website. You stay on this front page by people clicking on your pic. Check it out and vote for me :)

Okay - next goal...you got it, stay up there for today!

Please Vote for Me!

I'm a Top Momma!

Click Here and click on my picture to vote for me.

The goal is to stay on the front page for as long as possible. I'm shooting for a day :)

This Toy is My Nemesis!

Does anybody have this game - 20 Questions???



This thing is amazing - think of anything and it will guess it in 20 questions. It's really FREAKY!

Y'all May Think I'm Crazy...

I think my previous post needs a little explanation. I was just playing around with "Mobile Blogging." This is pretty cool...I take a pic with my cell phone camera, type some text and send it to post on my blog...neat, huh?

So, you may be seeing some "mobile" stuff from me here in the near future. A way to get a little more up close and personal...

breakfast of champions

Gotta get that caffeine

Heads Up - ALL Entries Due Tomorrow

Just wanted to give you a heads up - all entries for the Mom's Niche Recipe Challenge are due TOMORROW, March 12th!!

If you've got a favorite entree or dessert - get it in to share with the rest of us.

Top Entrees will be listed in the 3/14 Mom's Niche News for everyone to try. The desserts will follow in the 3/28 issue. All GRAND PRIZE winners and their winning entry will be featured in our special Easter issue of Mom's Niche News on April 11th.

Creamy Homemade Au Gratin Potatoes

What better comfort food this time of year than potatoes? Try this recipe and let me know what you think...

Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, sliced into rings
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Boil the potatoes for 5 minutes, just until slightly tender (do not over boil). Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly butter a casserole dish and place half of the potatoes in the dish. Top with the onion slices and the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Mix the flour and salt in a separate bowl and add the milk, stir together until smooth. Then add the milk mixture to the butter and cook until mixture starts to thicken. Stir in cheese and quickly stir until melted. Pour cheese over potatoes, cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil.

Bake approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour until golden and bubbly.

Easy Crafts for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is March 17th!!

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here ( a week from Saturday to be exact). Want to have some fun with your kids?

Here are some easy St. Patrick’s Day crafts for you to try:

1. Buy green construction paper and trace shamrocks from either a coloring book or a template online, and make a string of shamrocks to hang in your home.

2. You can’t celebrate the day without hats! You can easily make St. Patrick’s Day hats by using construction paper. While there are tons of templates available online, you can accomplish this task easily. Take two pieces of green construction paper and tape them together forming about a 14” long piece. Fold it into a circle and tape one side to the other. Take another piece of green construction paper to make the top of the hat by using a paper plate to trace a circle. Cut it out and use clear tape to attach it to the top of the hat.

Next, you’ll need to make the brim of the hat. Again, using green construction paper; cut out a larger circle and apply glue so that the hat will attach itself to the brim. Finally, you need the buckle to place just above the brim of the hat. For this you can use brown construction paper and cut a wide strip and glue or tape it to the hat.

3. In addition, you may want to assist your kids in making a rainbow Jello mold. You can even make a pot of gold using yellow apples! Or how about the old standby; cupcakes with green icing, with a shamrock cookie on top! (You could also go the easier route and make the Pillsbury already cut and bake style with the shamrock - just as much fun with the kids...and the cookies ROCK!)

There is no end to the many creative and imaginative ideas you can incorporate when engaging in a fun activity such as decorations for St. Patrick’s Day. Put on some of your favorite festive music, dance around and have a great time!

Ever Had Caffeine Withdrawal? Learn to Recognize It!

Millions of people worldwide use caffeine every morning to give themselves that extra boost they need to start their day. In fact, caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world, even more than alcohol. I, for one am guilty. I started drinking coffee actually pretty late in life (I was about 25), but now I'm hooked! The only times that I cut off my caffeine intake were the 3 times that I was pregnant. Right after the baby was born - right back to it.

The problem is, too much caffeine can not only leave you feeling buzzed; it can cloud your mind when it starts to wear off and may cause permanent physical damage by increasing your heart rate. While the healthiest option is to stop using caffeine altogether, cutting off your supply can cause a host of withdrawal symptoms.

Caffeine is a stimulant, it wakes you up and helps keep your mind sharp. This means that if your body is used to caffeine and stops getting its daily dose, you’ll likely be tired and find it difficult to concentrate. Many people who abruptly stop caffeine find themselves barely able to stay awake and even harder to stay on track. They often make more mistakes at work.

Caffeine withdrawal can cover a wide variety of physical and emotional symptoms such as:

Physical Withdrawal Symptoms
* Loss of concentration or focus
* Headaches - usually a dull, generalized pain rather than anything sharp and focused.
* Muscle soreness or stiffness
* Chills
* Hot spells.

Emotional Withdrawal Symptoms
* Irritability
* Restlessness
* Depression
* Feeling of anxiousness

Everyone’s response to caffeine withdrawal is different. It depends on your own personal physiology as well as how much caffeine you were consuming per day. Symptoms can range from annoying to debilitating. If your symptoms are mild, you may be able to quit cold turkey. For those with a severe addiction, suddenly stopping caffeine intake may be unbearable.

The best way to avoid these withdrawal symptoms is to slowly cut down on caffeine instead of quitting cold turkey. While pain killers may take care of some of the problems, there is no magic pill or any other cure for withdrawal symptoms besides time. If your symptoms are minor, you may be able to quit all at once, but it your symptoms are severe, you should decrease slowly for your own safety.

Taxes - Should I Hire Someone?

It's that time of year again...

I'm sure you've seen the commercials touting tax preparation software. In fact, have you seen the commercial promoting the do-it-yourself tax software wherein the husband says, “Uh Oh…?” Apparently he runs into a problem, and his wife picks up the software box and says, “Hello, can you help us?” Funny; but true. All too often, we think we can save money by preparing our own taxes, but then the “Uh Oh” factor rears its ugly head.

So the question is: Do I need to hire a tax professional?

The answer is: it depends.

Check out some of the reasons why you would hire a tax professional:
* If you are not fully familiar with how to prepare taxes.
* If you do not understand the tax code in your state.
* If you have to itemize your deductions.
* If you do not want to deal with the IRS one on one.
* If you own a business.
* If you don’t understand the questions on the tax form.
* If you have stocks, bonds or other mutual funds.
* If you’re retired and are unsure of your tax status.
* If you’ve researched online, but are more confused by the answers than ever.

There are so many things you may not be aware of that can save you time, money and a headache that won’t quit by hiring a tax professional. Perhaps you’ve always had your taxes done by a professional who knows you, the state of your finances, and who is better equipped to handle your taxes. Quite frankly, if this is case, you are better off.

With tax laws constantly changing, isn’t it better to put yourself in the hands of someone who is knowledgeable in this area, than stressing over what and how to do it yourself?

While some people have the innate ability to use the tax software available successfully, there is an old adage that says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

On a personal note: I hire a tax professional. Why?
1. I answered "yes" to almost every one of the factors listed above.
2. It saves me time and headache.
3. The money is WELL SPENT!

What are some of the reasons that you use (or don't use) a tax professional?

The "Bootie-Shakin' Trash Can"

THIS is what happens when you have a 3-yr old in the same house with a 9 and 11-yr old...

A couple of months ago I was shopping in Costco with my mom-in-law and Little Livvie. We walked down one aisle past a trash can and it opened up by itself. COOL! We sat and looked at it (and played with it) for a few minutes...it was stainless steel and around $40. It was JUST what I needed since the older kids had broken the other stainless steel trash can that cost me $70 about 6 months before.

This is the coolest trash can - it has a sensor (an "eye") that knows when you are approaching and want to throw something away.

We got the trash can home, put the batteries in and began to test. When the older kids came home from school, Livvie just had to show them this new invention that was going to change our world. In fact, we became the talk of the neighborhood with this trash can. We realized that most times when the taller people just walk by, the can opened up. (Side note - my Little Livvie loves to dance around the room to music and shake her BOOTIE.) She began walking up to the trash can, turning around and shaking her bootie. Being 3, she's a little short to reach the sensor, so we would wave our hand in front of it and she thought she was opening up the trash can by herself.

One evening, a couple of nights after purchasing, our neighbor came over to check out what all of the buzz was about. We had to show her this wonderful new addition to our lives. As she was walking out the door...Livvie in all of her 3-yr old wisdom said "Hey Carla, look, it's the Bootie-Shakin' Trash Can."

:)

Thumbs Up Thursday - Play Library

It's Thursday - time for another "Thumbs Up." This week's nod goes to Play Library.

Play Library is written by Kerri Aldrich and Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei. They write about everything and anything that might be fun to do with your kids, or that your children might find entertaining, as well as share bits of news and information that might be helpful for parents and caregivers to know. Play Library : Two mommies chatting about kids’ toys, games, books, and just fun stuff to do.

Here are some of cool posts from Play Library that you must check out!

Strawberry Shortcake Dance Dance Revolution - this is the ultrapopular interactive video game - throw Strawberry Shortcake into the mix and your young ones will have as much fun as the older ones do!
How to Make Balloon Animals - Cool video!

Also - Some great categories - I couldn't even choose a particular post:
Nostalgia Toys
Baby Things
Board Games and Other Games for Kids

Lots of great information...check it out!

Potty Training - Open to Suggestions

Potty training...anybody have any good suggestions? You would think since I've been down this road two times before, that I would know what to do...WRONG!

My youngest just turned three last week. She has always been very verbal and able to communicate. We never went through that frustrating time with trying to find words and throwing tantrums when said words couldn't be found. So, I'm thinking..."life has been a breeze with her for the first three years, why would potty training be any different?"

HAHA, was I in for a RUDE AWAKENING!

She has been using Pull-Ups, and pretty successfully, for the last year or so. We've been talking about becoming a "big girl" with this birthday and even got some Dora underwear in the stocking from Santa.

This past Friday, I decided it was time. She was home with me for the day and we would have a 3-day weekend to work on it. We traded in the Pull-Ups for Dora. I quickly became aware that my little angel's halo was slipping and she was going to put me to the test. All of a sudden she became defiant - I would tell her to go sit on the potty..."No, I don't want to" - EVERY time I put her on the potty this happens. We go through a HUGE power struggle and I'm trying like hell not to let her win.

This is the kicker right here...she goes to a private babysitter 3-4 days during the week. This babysitter has been taking care of her since she was about 10 months old. She's awesome. Livvie loves her and everything is hunky dory.

I'm getting to my point...the babysitter tells her to go sit on the potty...AND SHE GOES AND SITS ON THE POTTY. She even pulls her own pants down, does her thing, pulls her pants back up, washes her hands and BOOM, she's successfully gone to the bathroom by herself.

Of course, I'm thinking I'm the biggest failure of a mom who ever lived. This shouldn't be that tough..I'm smart, educated...and for God's sakes - I'm 36 years older than this child!

Okay mommies out there - this is an official cry for help.

I'm looking for some great advice...don't let me down now.

Update: it's now two days later and we've had TWO DRY DAYS!! All day long...even through nap time. Maybe I was wrong...maybe I AM a genius after all :)

Update - 8 days later: Okay - I want to thank everyone for the kind words and advice, but I really think we have this thing licked! She has had 1 accident since this past Saturday. She is still wearing the Pull-Up for nighttime (and she's been dry all night a couple of times), but she's "big girl underwear" all during the daylight hours. WOOHOO!!

Appetizers Being Featured Today!

If you want to keep up with the Mom's Niche Recipe Challenge, sign up in the right column of this blog for our free newsletter. This week's issue will feature our 3 semifinalists in the Appetizer category. Sign up here -------------------->

What else can Mom's Niche News offer you? Glad you asked :) Every two weeks you will get info on:
* featured recipes
* crafts/hobbies
* articles on hot parenting topics
* organizational tips
* product reviews
* ways to help you relax and be YOU
All of this delivered right to your Inbox!

Sign up now and get a free bonus report - You Deserve A Break! 15 great ways for you to relax and take a break.

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Kids CAN Help Out With Chores!

It’s never too early to ask your kids to help you with chores around the house. You can even start as early as two years old. While children mature at different rates, you can still determine what age appropriate chores are best suited for toddlers, kids, tweens and teens. Here's a little guide to help you:

Toddlers - These little balls of fire can certainly help you around the house. Start by giving them some of these simple tasks: making the bed; picking up their toys; feeding the family pet; helping you put laundry into the basket; or cleaning up split milk on the kitchen floor. These chores would be most suited to two and three year olds. You can teach your toddlers to do their chores by making a game out of it or singing a song while completing each task. It will give them a sense of pride and accomplishment. Yes, even at that young age.

4's and 5's - You can ask them to help you: set the table; dust around the house; help make cookies; help you carry grocery bags (as long as you make it light for them).

6 thru 8's - This age can really dig into the chores by: taking care of the pet they’ve always wanted; helping you vacuum the floor; taking out the trash or folding the laundry. You can even ask them to help you prepare meals. Think of the experience they are getting at this early age.

Tweens (9-12) - This age group really has their work cut out for them. Some of the more vigorous chores can be relegated to outside work: rake the leaves; wash the car; help clean out the garage. If you need help inside the house, they can certainly help you prepare meals; dust and vacuum the house; wash dishes or clean the bathroom. Certainly they would be old enough to make their beds; clear their room of debris; organize their toys, etc...

Teens - These 13's and up tend to pose a different problem altogether. Sometimes they are willing to help, and other times not. It depends on how you’ve raised them. If they have been helping out since they were two, you won’t have a problem. In fact, they can do almost anything you ask of them. Be sure they can manage whatever task you assign, however. If you’ve taught them well, they have the ability to prepare meals; clean the kitchen; wash windows; do the laundry; just about any indoor and outdoor chore you need.

It's important to build your child's self-esteem and self-worth by teaching them to be independent at a very young age. This can be accomplished with the assignments of age-appropriate chores and LOTS of guidance :)

Don't Forget...Mom's Niche Recipe Challenge!

Don't forget to post your favorite recipe on the Mom's Niche Recipe site.

The deadline for appetizers is this Monday...Feb. 26th.

Just follow the rules HERE!

Product Review - Crayola Color Wonder

Product: Crayola Color Wonder products

Rating: 12 out of 10!

Review: Have you seen this stuff? I swear, this is the best invention since Velcro sneakers!

My daughter received some of the Crayola Color Wonder markers, finger paints, themed coloring books (Little Mermaid and Backyardigans) and drawing paper for her birthday yesterday. This stuff is SO COOL! You can color and paint without making a mess. She is just infatuated with the MAGIC and I'm excited about the clean hands. These fingerpaints are really cool too. You just dip your fingertip in and color the page - magically, the color appears on the paper.

I don't know how it works, but I LOVE IT!

Thumbs Up Thursday - The Serious Shopper

This week's "thumbs up" goes to Robyn at The Serious Shopper. She is very enlightened in the shopping arena. She's got some great advice for shopping with a fun and easy-to-read style of writing!

One particular post that caught my eye was how to best Maximize Your Credit Card Points. I like my reward-air-miles-from-my-Visa-card as much as the next person, but after reading this post, I found there are other ways that I could be cashing in on the reward points. She suggests using one card to pay your monthly bills and another card for regular purchases during the month. This is GENIUS...why didn't I think of this before?

She made her point a couple of times and I would say you need to HEED THIS ADVICE. If you're going to start paying your regular bills with a credit card - PAY IT OFF EVERY MONTH so you don't accrue interest. Otherwise, you'll be negating the reason why you're doing it in the first place.

The Serious Shopper is informative and fun - it's worth a second look...and a third...and a fourth :)

Now, I'm off to earn money to pay off my credit cards so I can begin maximizing my reward points...

Happy Birthday!

My baby is turning 3 years old today. At this time, three years ago, my water had broken and I was on my way to the hospital. She came three weeks early, but I was glad because she was already 8 lbs, 6 oz and she really didn't need to be any bigger! She was an easy pregnancy, an easy delivery and has been a joy to have around ever since.

Happy Birthday Livvie...we love you!

Chocolate Banana Mousse

We're due for another recipe...

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons low-fat milk
4 teaspoons sugar
1 medium banana, cut into quarters
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
Banana slices for garnishing

Instructions:
Place the milk, vanilla, sugar, cocoa powder and banana quarters in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and gently mix in the yogurt. Chill until set. Spoon mixture into serving bowls and top with banana slices.

If this looks good, check out our other recipes at Mom's Niche Recipes. Don't forget to enter our recipe challenge!

10 Easy Steps to Organizing Your Garage

The weekend is here and now you can dedicate the time that you want to organize the garage. You've even enlisted the aid of your entire family to help you. You and your husband gather the children, open the garage door and are pleasantly surprised. It's actually in pretty good shape...at least one of the cars still fits. Here are some quick garage organizing tips which may help you fit that other one in there!

What you'll need:
Large boxes
Large garbage bags
Duct tape
Cord or twine
Hooks and shelving

Steps:
1. Take everything out of the garage (including the car)!

2. Set up three areas in your driveway
a. items to keep
b. items to throw away (or give away to charity)
c. items to sell

3. As you remove each item from the garage, place it in one of the three areas.

4. After you have decided what to keep, place the items back in the garage using the hooks for hanging and the shelves for storing.

5. Clean the inside of the garage as much as possible - clearing away debris, dirt and dust.

6. For those items you wish to sell, pack them neatly in the boxes and tie them with cord. Mark the box or boxes "For Sale."

7. Put all of the items you are throwing away into the garbage bags. Be sure to double up on the bags, and separate the items according to your local Sanitation Department's recycling policies.

8. If you have any clothes in the throw-away pile, put them in the garbage bags and call your local Goodwill center or church for pick-up.

9. Place the "For Sale" boxes back in the garage off to the side. Prepare to hold a garage sale the following weekend if you can.

10. Pull the other car back in - after all...it IS a 2 car garage!
---------------------------------
What you have just read is an excerpt from the new book "Organize Your Home...Organize Your Life!" from MomsNiche.com. You'll find helpful tips on how to organize every room in your house...AND you'll get a special bonus with cleaning tips too! This book will bring a new meaning to SPRING CLEANING!

The book is set to be released in March. I'll keep you posted!

Enjoy Them While They're Young

I had the joy of taking my almost 3-yr-old to the Children's Museum this morning. We were lucky to have a little one-on-one time to ourselves.

We had a blast painting, picking apples, shopping in the pretend grocery store, catching butterflies with our shadows, sending blocks down a water slide, putting puzzles together and marching in a parade with the resident red dinosaur, Seymour!

I just loved watching her face and having a conversation with her through our whole trip.

The moments are fleeting...and FAST! I hope you are enjoying yours as much I am mine :)

Mom's Niche Recipe Challenge

We are looking for some good recipes...no, we're looking for some GREAT recipes.

Mom's Niche Recipes is looking for your FAVORITE recipes in the categories of:
Appetizers
Entrees
Desserts

Entering is SO easy...follow the 4 steps below and you're on your way!

1. Go to the NEW Mom's Niche Recipe website

2. Register your name and email address to become a user on the site (we will NEVER share or sell your personal information)

3. Submit your favorite recipe in one of the 3 categories - you can submit in all 3 categories if you like!

4. In the "Description" section - be sure to type "Mom's Niche Recipe Challenge"

That's it. Three semifinalists in each category will have their recipes published in the Mom's Niche Newsletter for all of the subscribers to make and try for themselves. The subscriber's will VOTE on the best recipe in each category and the winning recipes will be published again in the Easter issue of Mom's Niche News! Each of the winners in the three categories will receive a great Mom's Niche Prize Pack filled with goodies!!

Please see all of the official rules below:

DEADLINE FOR ENTRY:
Appetizers: February 26. 2007 - 11:59pm EST
Entrees: March 5, 2007 - 11:59pm EST
Desserts: March 12, 2007 - 11:59pm EST

ELIGIBILITY:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID IN PUERTO RICO AND WHERE PROHIBITED by law.. Contest is offered to residents of the United States and District of Columbia ("U.S."), 18 and over at time of entry.

HOW TO ENTER:
Contest will begin on Friday, February 16, 2007 and have three distinct deadline dates per category (see above).

Entries can be made only through the Mom's Niche Recipes website. Entrants must register as a user on the site to be able to submit a recipe for consideration. (MomsNiche.com has a STRICT policy never to share or sell personal information - i.e. name and email address.) Entrants are eligible to submit an entry in each category if they so desire.

NOTE: in the "Description" section - entrant must type "Mom's Niche Recipe Challenge" to be considered for entry.

JUDGING:
Initial semi-finalists in each category will be judged by MomsNiche.com. However, the final winners in each category will be determined by subscriber's popular vote.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:
By participating in this contest you agree to and are bound by these rules. In entering, you give MomsNiche.com permission to publish your entry in the Mom's Niche News biweekly newsletter and on the website. By participating, entrants agree: (1) to the Official Rules and the decisions of the judges and popular vote, which shall be final in all respects; (2) if a winner, grant MomsNiche.com all right, title and interest in and to the entry, worldwide, and to the use of entry and winner's name and/or likeness for advertising, promotional, and publicity purposes in any media without compensation, or right of review or notification, and agree upon request, to provide documentation in writing to confirm the foregoing; and (3) if a winner, to grant MomsNiche.com the right to post name and entry as a winner in the Mom's Niche News newsletter and on the website.

WINNER NOTIFICATION:
Winners will be be notified via email and in the Mom's Niche News newsletter. We will also send the winning list out to our mailing list. All winners must provide a U.S. mailing address to be able to receive the Mom's Niche Prize Pack. Shipping costs will be incurred by MomsNiche.com.

Play with Your Child - it Benefits Them AND You!

In our busy hectic lives, it can be hard to work in play time with our children. To properly grow and learn, children need to actively play. By playing with our children, we can make sure they gain everything they need from play.

Physical activity
While you want to let your child choose what they do and how they do it during play time, you can help encourage them to choose healthy physical activities. If they want to play a game, suggest hide and seek, tag, or anything else that will get them up and moving. Play also helps to support physical development. If a child sits in front of a T.V. all day, they’ll never develop their hand eye coordination, balance, or other physical abilities as well as they should.

Important bonding time with parents
There is nothing more important in building a child’s self-esteem and feeling of safety than bonding with a parent. If a child knows that their parent is there for them, they’ll grow up to feel safer and more secure in the world around them. You may think it’s just talking and spending time with your child, but to them it’s the feeling of being loved and protected.

Getting more personalized help with issues
If allowed to direct their own play, a child will re-enact situations that he or she finds important. They may also use play time to vent emotional frustrations that they probably can’t describe verbally yet. By paying attention to your child’s behavior during play, you can determine what their concerns and frustrations are. Once you know the problem, it’s a lot easier to deal with and fix.

While playing with your child is obviously beneficial to them, it can also help you out as well.

Get to know your children
Many parents of teenagers say that they know little or nothing about their child. A good way to know them is to start while they’re still young and work to keep it as they grow. Playing regularly with your children now may actually help you worry less about them when they’re older.

Helps you relax
When children play, they create imaginary worlds and situations. If you are actively involved in your child’s imaginary worlds, it can help you forget the stress of the real world.

Promotes physical activity
We all know how hard it is to stay active when there are deadlines to meet, bills to pay, and everything else to do. If we strive to keep our children active through play, we will end up being active with them.

Playing with your child is as simple as setting aside a block of time everyday. It may be difficult to rearrange your schedule, but it will be well worth it for you and your child.

YOU Could Be the Next American MOM Idol!

My friend, Amanda, over at contestformoms.com is having a singing contest in the fashion of American Idol. She is a HUGE American Idol fan and thought this would be a fun contest to run for moms all across America.

It runs for a month and just started yesterday, so you have plenty of time to enter. All you have to do is make a video or a sound bite of yourself singing your favorite song. She'll be giving away prizes for the best AND worst singers and also some random prizes will be drawn too!

Check out all of the official rules here...and have some fun!!

Valentine's Day Cake

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Are you looking for that special dessert to make this evening for your family? Here's a great recipe, light and fruity and fun!!

Ingredients:
1 package white cake mix
1 package strawberry gelatine
4 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
1 cup fresh sliced strawberries
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 8-inch square baking pans. Combine cake mix and gelatin in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, oil, water and half of the strawberries. Beat on for a few minutes until well blended.

Divide batter evenly and pour batter into baking pans. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until golden and baked through. Cool for 5 minutes in pans before turning over to wire racks to cool completely.

Top with remaining sliced strawberries and dust with powdered sugar.

Have a Romantic Evening With Your Spouse on Valentine's Day

Do you want to put the "spark" back in your romance? What better place to start this Valentine's Day than the bedroom?

Let's take a look at a few easy steps to set the romantic mood in the place where we spend 1/3 of our lives!


Step #1 - (my husband would KILL me for writing this)...Get rid of the TV!...or at least hide the remote for the evening. Unplug the telephone and rid the room of anything that may distract you and your spouse. Put away anything that’s out of place.

Step #2 - Buy some romantic decor...buy a red comforter and/or red satin sheets. Pick up some soft plush pillows also. Buy some scented aromatherapy candles in different scents.

Step #3 - Get some other fun essentials! Pick up some strawberries and chocolate and some whipped cream while you're out. One more thing...if you can pick up some rose petals, add those to your shopping cart.

Step #4 - Set the mood. Make some chocolate fondue for later. Place the scented candles around the room. Turn down the comforter, and place rose petals on the pillows. Either soften the lights or turn them off. Ensure there are no sounds coming into the room via the windows by closing them shut. Set up a bottle of wine near the bed. Put your favorite music on nice and low. Lay out your favorite night wear for you and your spouse.

Now stand by the door, and take a look! Is this a romantic bedroom or what? No matter what mood your husband comes home in, once he sees the bedroom his mood will quickly change. While these are some decorating tips, you may come up with your own imaginative style. Whatever you choose, the key to keeping your bedroom romantic and inviting is to get rid of all the distractions which would interfere with maintaining the ambience and mood of the room.
You can be certain that one night spent in this romantic setting will help the two of you remember why you married each other in the first place ;)

Whew! Live TV Wasn't So Bad

I wouldn't want to do it every day, but it wasn't so bad! Thanks to all of you who were sending me positive vibes through my first appearance on TV...in my bathrobe no less! Well, at least I was comfortable :)

I'll be getting a dvd here soon and I'll post the link so y'all can take a gander and see for yourselves.

Heart Cookies for Valentine's Day

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:
In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla and mix well. Mix in the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Mix until smooth. Divide dough into three equal pieces.

Work with one dough piece at a time. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. Using cookie cutters cut out two equal sized heart shapes for each cookie. Then using a smaller heart shaped cookie cutter cut out another heart in the center of one of the heart shaped cookies. Spread the solid heart cookie with a little strawberry jam/jelly and place on cookie sheet, top with the second cookie (the one with the heart-shaped center cut out). The center of each cookie will reveal a red jelly heart.

Repeat process until all dough is used. Bake cookies at 350F for approximately 8 minutes or until golden and baked through.

Product Review - Burt's Bees Facial Cleanser

Product Name: Burt's Bees Lemon Poppy Seed Facial Cleanser

Submitted by: Carrie Lauth; Atlanta, GA

Rating: 7

Where to Buy: Amazon.com

Description: This product is a creamy cleanser great for removing makeup and cleansing dry or normal skin. It contains poppy seeds for a mild exfoliating effect. It's made from 98% natural ingredients and smells heavenly, good enough to eat!

Criticism: While the product has a nice texture and left my face feeling smooth and well cleansed without drying, I probably won't be purchasing it again. You can't use it around the eye area which is inconvenient since if you wear eye makeup, you must use a separate cleanser. If you don't use eye makeup however, then this might be a nice cleanser for you.

The facial cleanser is applied to the face and removed with a warm washcloth. Splashing with water doesn't remove the cleanser well despite what the packaging says.

I'm going to be on TV!!

I first talked about my upcoming TV spot here. Now I have all of the details.

I'm going to be on Channel 6 (local Richmond, VA station) on Virginia this Morning at 10am IN MY BATHROBE! This is going to be so much fun. You see, Monday, February 12th is International Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day and I'm going to be interviewed in my bathrobe on a live show talking about the wonderful benefits of working from home!

If you're in the Richmond area, please try to watch...if not I'll try to get the spot in digital form up on my website in the very near future.

Wish me luck!

Thumbs Up Thursday - Bath Body Junky

Today's "Thumbs Up" goes to Jenny at the Bath Body Junky Blog. This blog is all about creating an affordable at home spa retreat by pampering the mind, body and soul. It’s a useful bath and body blog that provides great articles consisting of data on research on the topic of key benefits related with specific bath and body ingredients.

One particular post caught my eye and I wanted to share it with you. We all suffer from time to time of the "puffy eye syndrome." Here, Jenny gives us 5 great tips to help reduce them.

Jenny focuses the blog’s articles on how to care for skin, how to look younger and how to create the home spa retreat that all women deserve.

Here's to the Bath Body Junky!

Be the Mom You Always Dreamed Of

**Another freebie from MomsNiche.com**

Are you exactly the mom you dreamed you’d be?

Remember day-dreaming about her before you had kids? She was always having fun with her kids and looking great. Her home was clean and tidy. Her meals were healthy and delicious and she was never too tired to smile at the end of her day.

I know for many of us, that mom is still just a dream and that’s why I’m so excited to tell you about a great free teleseminar coming up!

Crystal Misener of Happy Mommy Newsletters & Resources is being interviewed by none other than Alice Seba of internetbasedmoms.com on February 13th at 1pm EST.

The teleseminar is called “Becoming The Mom Of Your Dreams” and will be more than an hour long - they are even opening the call up for questions at the end! Crystal’s going to cover an assortment of changes and strategies you can use to fulfill that dream you’ve had for years.

Space is very limited! Only 100 people will be allowed on the call. Don’t worry though, those who sign up for the call will also receive notification when the transcript and audio of the call are available. So even if you can’t make the call, do sign up so you’ll still get all the great info.!

Here’s to being the mom we dreamed of!

Sweetheart Cake

Make this yummy cake for your sweetheart next Wednesday!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
1 large bar baking chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt1 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. In a large bowl beat butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Gradually stir in the milk, mixing well after each addition. Fold in coarsely chopped chocolate.

Pour batter into pan and bake for approximately 30 to 35 minutes or until golden and baked through. Decorate the cake with Hershey kisses.

Maintaining a Positive Relationship with Your Ex

Unfortunately, the statistics for divorce are high. If you are divorced, or in the process of getting one, the people most affected are your children. The importance of keeping a positive relationship with your ex, and how single parents’ attitudes towards one another affect the children should be of utmost concern. Here are some tips to help you cope.

Never use the children as pawns in your battle
Keep your relationship as positive as possible when dealing with the divorce proceedings. If joint custody is awarded, never talk unkindly about your spouse. Never ask questions about any activities your spouse may be involved in. Putting your children in the middle will only cause them more emotional pain. Remember, they are trying to understand why this happened, but more importantly need to be reassured it’s not their fault.

Keep the negative thoughts to yourself
Don't whine around the children or talk about your spouse begrudgingly to your friends. You are more than likely having negative thoughts and feelings. If you need an outlet, join a support group (like a divorce recovery workshop at your church) or seek help from a counselor.

Keep the lines of communication open...
with your kids and your ex. Keeping a dialogue open with the children will show them that you aren't hiding anything and help to reassure them they are loved by both parents and that the break-up has absolutely nothing to do with them. Be as honest and open as you can - AND GIVE THEM AGE-APPROPRIATE ANSWERS! They will no doubt have a lot of questions - just be there for them. Keep an open and positive communication line open with your ex as well. Remember, it's not about YOU...it's about THE KIDS!

Give them time
You may notice some acting out or inward reflection by your children. This is their way of dealing with the situation. Give them time; don’t push it. If they need you, they will come. There are usually great resources to help your kids in their school system. Ours had a nice group session with the counselor called "divorced kids" in the elementary school. Both of our kids really opened up in this group setting.

Give yourself some time
Give yourself a break, too. You are certainly under a lot of stress. Adding guilt to the mix will not help either you or your children. Take it one day at a time. Rid yourself of undue pressure. It’s hard, but definitely necessary. If the children need you for any reason and you are unable to cope or help, you’ll cause more harm.

Keep as positive an outlook as you can. While some divorces can be messy, you do have some control over the situation. Remember, what you do directly affects your children. Use caution.

Family Night

This term is no longer part of our everyday vocabulary. "Family time" is becoming less and less of an activity these days with both parents working, kids involved in numerous activities and no time leftover to have FUN as a family. It's time for a change. Certainly, there is one night out of the week that you can dedicate to spending with your family. Pick a night, any night and stick to it! Here are some ideas to get you started:

Play a board game
Scrabble, Monopoly or Clue would be a fun time had by all. Kids love to beat their parents at these games! If your kids aren't quite old enough for these advanced board games, the Leap Frog games are great starting at the toddler age. I've talked about them here before.

Go fly a kite!
...or some other fun activity. Windy days are great for flying kites. Rainy days are great for building a fort in the living room. Prepare hotdogs on a stick; then toast the old marshmallows; tell stories, and have a great time. If the family is into sports, get out the basketball and play a few games of HORSE. Or for exercise; why don’t you and your family go out for a bike ride in the neighborhood.

Bake some cookies
Take a vote on what they would like and assign everyone one job. For example; mom could make the dough; the kids could use cookie cutters to cut them out; dad could do the baking. Then everyone can get together and help decorate!

Other Ideas:

• Play Charades
• Instead of regular dinner - have a picnic in the back yard!!
• Frisbee
• Touch Football (girls against the guys)
• Scrapbooking - get out those holiday pictures that you haven't done anything with yet. Everyone will enjoy reminiscing and will love to help find cropping and decorating the pages!
• Have Dinner TOGETHER as a family!!

Whatever you come up with, ideas for family night activities can be fun and bring everyone closer together. That’s the whole point, isn’t it? With everyone going off in different directions, think of how wonderful it will be to enjoy each other's company once again!

Valentine Pancakes

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be treating you with some great ideas and recipes for Valentine's Day. Try this one on a Saturday or lazy Sunday morning right before...

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Powder sugar for dusting
3 inch metal heart shaped cookie cutters

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Gently fold in the chocolate chips. In a separate bowl combine the milk, eggs, oil and brown sugar and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (do not over mix).

Heat the griddle or skillet over low to medium heat. Brush the heart-shaped cookie cutters with a little oil and place in griddle. Pour ¼ cup batter into cookie cutters and cook until pancake starts to bubble. Remove the cookie cutters then turn and cook for another minute on the other side or until slightly golden.

Sprinkle with dusting sugar and serve.

Save Some Money this Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Candy, flowers and cards can be so expensive these days - especially after many of us are still reeling from the holidays.

Wouldn’t you rather save some money this Valentine's Day? Make some homemade valentines! Here's how you can have a little fun and save a little money too.

Valentine Cards
Do you have a computer? That's the first step. You can make professional looking cards using Photoshop or other card-making software. Is not only fun, but easy to use. You can make scores of valentine cards in a short amount of time.

Valentine Wreath
Make a valentine wreath for your door! Find some red fabric of different textures and make heart shapes. Then stuff them with newspaper to give them fullness. You can make several hearts and sew them together to form a larger heart which you can then add to a round piece of wire.

Baked Valentines
How about a valentine basket? Fill the basket with homemade heart shaped cookies. Be sure to use red icing; or even red food coloring would suffice. Add some Hershey chocolate kisses in red foil and set it out on your table for your family to enjoy. Use your baking skills to prepare a homemade valentine cake. You can even shape it into a heart. Surprise your family after dinner!

Valentine Heart
Make a valentine heart for your loved one. All you need is some red or pink construction paper and glue. Write your heartfelt sentiment on it, then sprinkle colored sparkles on the glue and hang it so that your spouse can see it as soon as he walks in the door. You can even cut out tiny hearts with red construction paper and stream it across a wall in your home. Write notes of love on each one!

It doesn’t take much to make homemade valentines. Just a little imagination and a few items can really make a splash without having to spend a fortune. It’s the thought that counts!

Want some other great articles and ideas for Valentine's Day? Click here for more!

Thumbs Up Thursday - Mommy, Inc.

Today's "thumbs up" goes to Shannon at the Mommy, Inc. blog. She a "mompreneur" with twin girls who just turned 1 this past week (Happy Birthday Girls). Shannon shares what she calls 'survival tips' for other moms who work at home and try to balance it all, including frugal ideas, make-ahead meals, business promotion ideas and success secrets from other moms. Here's something that she posted on Monday for the Thrifty Mom:

* Thrifty Mom: Child's Play
What's the best way to save money on children? Well, some people will simply tell you not to have them. But guess what? Raising kids doesn't have to be expensive. Just take the kid's-eye view of the challenge and use you imagination instead of always reaching for your wallet. During the month of January, I'm sharing secrets to save while enjoying your children.

Ways to have fun with kids, while on a budget
1) The library has more than books. Don't forget about all the videos and books on tape. Plus some libraries even have free passes to museums!
2) Grab an empty appliance box and let the kids decorate their own play house, club house or secret fort. (We actually did this 2 summers ago for the little Livvie - I put the older kids to work painting and decorating a huge box. We put it in her room and she got a TON of mileage out of it!)
3) When they're stuck inside, how about bringing the outdoors in and having a Teddy Bear Picnic n their bedroom?
4) Need some clothes for dress up? Now you can finally get rid of all those ugly bridesmaid dresses. (Kids don't care they're too big.) Think also about old uniforms, costume jewelry and hats.

Every day Shannon has something pertinent to a mom's life...make sure you check her out!

Are You the Parent of a Teen? Check Out This Free Teleseminar!

You know I always like to let you know about FREE stuff that comes my way...here's a free teleseminar to help you help your teen:

If you’re like most parents of teens, you want to do everything you can to help your teenager be successful in high school. But do you sometimes feel frustrated because you aren’t sure how you can help? You want to help with homework, but don’t remember algebra?

Linda Hinkle, a veteran high school teacher, is hosting a free teleseminar in which she will discuss various strategies parents can use to help keep abreast of their teen’s academic progress. You will also receive her free report “The High School Journey: What to Expect From Freshman to Senior” as soon as you sign up for the teleseminar. You can sign up and see all the details at http://www.parentsguidetohighschool.com

Check it out and let me know how it goes...

Confidence and Self Esteem Go Hand In Hand

Confidence is a crucial part of our lives - both as children and as adults. Without it, we are left with: low self-esteem; feelings of unworthiness; and we are vulnerable to the pitfalls life sometimes doles out. Confident moms = confident children and this, above all else, is the very foundation which will determine the future success or failure of your children. Here are some tips on how you can increase your child’s confidence:

Be a role model for your child. If your self-esteem is high, your child will pick up on that part of you and absorb it. Keep a positive attitude in everything you do. Think back to the happiest memories from your childhood, and use it as a catalyst in your own life. If you become worried or frustrated, avoid outwardly expressing it. Negativity in the home is unhealthy, especially for children.

Counteract their exposure to the unpleasant things in life by having frequent talks invoking the positive aspects. Help build your children’s self-esteem by giving them certain responsibilities around the home, and rewarding them for a job well done. Give them the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. Encourage them in anything they wish to achieve, utilizing a positive tone.

Be open to their thoughts and feelings. If they have been confronted with a particular situation, listen and be attentive and comforting. However, try not to tell them what to do but allow them to work it through in their own mind. This will give them the tools they need to learn how to interact with others. It is a crucial step in their development. Allowing them to solve their own problems will boost their confidence immeasurably and give them the independence that they need as they grow toward adulthood.

Be sensitive to their needs; don’t brush aside what may seem trivial to you. Remember when you were going through the same phase; be always mindful of it.

Children mirror what they see in their home lives and day to day activities. If you exude confidence, they will pick up on it and begin to display the same confidence in their own lives!

Mother/Daughter Relationships

Do you have a good relationship with your daughter? Do you wish it could be better? Here's a great resource for you to take advantage of...whether you don't know where to start or are trying to mend a broken relationship, this is the book for you.

A good colleague and friend, Sandy Heinz of Good 2ba Girl, put out this ebook - 4 Blocks to Building a Lifelong Relationship with Your Daughter - in 2006 and it is available to you for free!

In the book, Sandy describes in detail 4 essential blocks that help build the relationship you've been wanting between you and your daughter:

1. Trust
2. Communication
3. Effective Listening
4. Letting Go

Click here to get your free copy.

This book is among many "freebies" that Mom's Niche has to offer. We have newsletters and ecourses, ebooks and reports...all for free. Check out the other FREEBIES available at MomsNiche.com!

Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

This is great for a cold winter's day!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless round steak (cubed )
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 small onion (diced)
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Directions:
Combine beef, mushrooms, onion, broth and teriyaki sauce in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Approximately 45 minutes before serving dissolve cornstarch in 2 tablespoons cold water. Add water/cornstarch mixture and broccoli to crock pot. Cover and cook a further 45 minutes.

Serve over rice and you've got a great meal!!

Ways to Improve Your Memory

As we get older, we tend to forget things more and more. Sure, you don’t really need to remember the name of your third grade teacher, but it would be nice to know where you left your keys when you got home last night. If you feel like your memory is slipping away from you, here are a few tips to help you remember.

Prevention is the best cure. If you’re starting to forget things, you can take simple steps to improve your brain power. This can not only help you remember things, but also keep your from losing more information.

• Give your brain a workout. Your brain is just like your body; to work properly, it needs regular exercise. Take a short time every day to do a cross-word puzzle, play a quick game of sudoku, or learn a new skill. It only takes a few minutes, but it will make a world of difference.
• Stay in shape. Your brain is an organ just like any other. If you keep yourself in good physical condition, it will help improve brain function. You don’t need tons of exercise, a daily walk is enough.
• Reduce your stress. Stress causes our bodies to produce more cortisol which has been shown to impair your ability to remember. Relax by taking baths or trying yoga. You should also get plenty of rest; sleep deprivation also increases cortisol levels.
• Get emotional. Hiding or obscuring your emotions takes constant mental energy. If you express what you’re feeling, you have more brain power available to devote to memory.
• Believe in yourself. If you doubt the fact you’ll remember something, you’re more likely to forget it. Instead of immediately thinking that you’re going to forget something, have confidence that you’ll remember it.

These actions can help improve your overall memory capabilities, but what about remembering things your need to know now? Here are a few techniques you can use to keep yourself from forgetting specific things.

1. Pay attention. Most memory problems are caused by not paying attention in the first place. Make a conscious effort to get information into your head. Instead of just throwing your keys down, tell yourself “I put my keys on the kitchen counter” as you do it.
2. Make up a song. When I was a little girl in Sunday School, the teachers taught us a song to remember all of the books of the bible. Try putting things you need to remember, like phone numbers, to a tune you already know (867-5309). And who can forget the great SchoolHouse Rock songs? "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill" run through my head on occasion and also help me to help my kids learn about history and grammar... You’ll find these songs you make up will tend to stick in your mind longer make things a lot easier to remember.
3. Connect what you don’t know to stuff you do. For example, use your body to remember lists. Associate the first item to your feet (I’m kicking my way through laundry detergent), then the next item to your knee (cantaloupe is shaped like my knee) and work your way up the body. Another method of this is by using the first letters of things you need to remember to make a word or sentence. For example: The name ROY G. BIV helps us remember the colors of the rainbow in order (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Indigo and Violet).
4. Write a story. Find a way to connect things you need to remember in your head. You can come up with a funny story, or just make a picture in your head involving what you need to remember.

These simple tips can help our aging brains get back in shape and hopefully stay there!

15 Steps to a Great Pedicure at Home

Sometimes, it’s the simple pleasures in life that make us happy. Pampering, even for just an hour, can make all the difference. If you’ve never had a pedicure, or it’s been ages since the last one; you’ll agree it is the most soothing and relaxing hour you’ll probably ever spend in a salon. However, you can also derive the same pleasure at home. Wait until the kids have gone to bed; and proceed to your bathroom. Then, follow these home pedicure tips for moms.

1. Light an aromatherapy candle, and place it on the countertop in your bathroom.
2. Fill your tub with warm water. Add either Epsom salt or your favorite bath salt.
3. Using cotton balls, remove old polish from your toenails with nail polish remover.
4. Soak your feet for ten to fifteen minutes.
5. Using a pumice stone to rub the heels and balls of your feet to remove dead skin. If you have a soft brush, you can use that as well.
6. Dry your feet thoroughly.
7. Cut your toenails.
8. Using your favorite moisturizer, massage your cuticles and both feet.
9. Gently push back your cuticles with an orange stick, and remove the excess cuticles.
10. Massage your legs with the moisturizer as well.
11. One foot at a time, apply clear nail hardener.
12. Apply your favorite color nail polish.
13. Apply a second coat of nail hardener.
14. Add cotton balls in between toes until nails are dry.
15. Use flip-flops if you need to walk around, or simply relax in your scented bathroom until nails are dry.

Wasn’t that a wonderful experience? Do you feel relaxed? Home pedicures can be just as soothing as going to a spa or salon; the only difference is it doesn’t cost anything except the price of a small bottle of nail polish.

Want to learn some more easy beauty secrets? We've got 1001 Beauty Tips for you right here! Great beauty treatments give your mind, body and soul a complete makeover!

Thumbs Up Thursday - Little Fun; Little Learning

It's Thursday...time for another Thumbs Up! This week's prize goes to Revka at Little Fun; Little Learning. Appropriately named because it is focused on the "littles" in the family - age 0-5. There are activities and other terrific resources for that age group.

I'm particularly intrigued because of my almost-3-yr-old. She keeps us hopping and this blog has some great resources!

I particularly liked Revka's entry on Board Games - check it out here. She makes some great suggestions for the "littles" age group. Our family loves to play board games and now little Livvie is getting her feet wet with a new set of games she got for Christmas made by Leap Frog. The games include: memory mate (the pictures match, one card has the word in English, the other in Spanish); dominoes (see picture); and two card games - Alphabet Go Fish and Math Rummy.

This dominoes game is a very cool learning tool! Her set came with about 6 different sets of domino games including colors, animals and even regular colored dots like real dominoes. There's one set that includes pictures of objects with rhyming words underneath. We played not only matching up the pics, but also rhyming "cat" with "hat" and "bug" with "rug." She caught on quickly and will surprise her older brother and sister today after school with her new skills!

Play some games with your kids - it can be a lot of fun and YOU might even learn a thing or two :)

Is Your Preschooler Ready?

If you're like me, you want to do what you can to get your kids prepared for kindergarten. My youngest turns 3 next month and this is definitely on my mind on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, there just aren't a lot of fun and easy learning materials out there. You have to sort through a bunch in order to find some really great stuff.

Until now.

There's a new program called KidsActivityCalendar.com.

Each week you will receive coloring sheets and worksheets in your email along with craft and activity suggestions and even a snack list that incorporates the letter of the week.
This is the perfect solution for stay-at-home moms, daycare providers, homeschoolers, or any mom who just wants to give her child a boost in language development.
Here is a sample page for you to check out. Enjoy the letter "A" free -- Kids Activity Calendar Sample Page

I hope you enjoy it!

Winter Vegetable Soup

Nothing is better than soup this time of year!

Note: This is a chunky vegetable soup and you can omit or add vegetables to suit your taste. You can replace the potatoes for sweet potatoes for a sweeter tasting soup. Leeks and winter cabbage also work well.

Ingredients:
1 medium cabbage cut into quarters
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
7 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 zucchinis, diced
2 cups of cauliflower florets
2 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
Salt and black pepper
Fresh chopped parsley to garnish

Instructions:
Slice the cabbage quarters into thin strips. Heat the oil in a large soup pan and add the cabbage, carrots, celery and parsnips cook over low heat for approximately 10 minutes, stir often so vegetables don’t stick to pan. (you may need to add a tablespoon of stock).

Stir in the stock and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, zucchinis, cauliflower and tomatoes with a little chopped fresh parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Serve into warm soup bowls and garnish with a little chopped fresh parsley.

The Beauty of the 2-Hour Delay

What does a 2-hour delay from school mean to you? Get a little more sleep, right? Apparently, not in my house.

My oldest gets up very early to catch her bus at 7:00am. So...I instructed her last night on which web site to pull up to check the school closings. I figure if I arm her with the right tools, she can do it herself and I won't have to get up - right? She comes in my room at 5:45 - she's having trouble finding the website...

I get up, trod downstairs to help her out - BONUS...school is delayed for 2 hours - COOL, let's go back to bed! I decide to set up camp on the couch downstairs.

"BEEP, BEEP"

Exactly 10 minutes later, the youngest starts crying - bad dream.

After I settle down the little one and leave her room, the oldest one's light is on..."What are you doing? You have the chance...go back to bed."...she says, "I can't go back to sleep." I tell her to take advantage of this time and try to go back to sleep. She shuffles back in her room.

Back to the couch...aaahhhhh.

The phone rings - apparently, I'm on an automated call list to let me know that there is a 2 hour delay...THANKS

AAAhhhhhh.

"BEEP, BEEP"

Now I'm hearing heavy footsteps upstairs...trip to the bathroom, back to the bedroom, a little more ruckus and then TROMP, TROMP, TROMP down the stairs. My son. He does nothing quietly. I inform him that they have a 2 hour delay..."go back to bed." TROMP, TROMP, TROMP back up the stairs.

"BEEP, BEEP"...what is that infernal beeping?

The phone rings again - apparently, they feel the need to call us twice on the automated list.

TROMP, TROMP, TROMP..."I can't sleep."

"BEEP, BEEP"

Now all hopes of any more sleep for the morning are completely down the drain.

"BEEP, BEEP" - WHAT IS THAT?

Ah, we find the culprit...the littlest angel was playing with the walkie talkies and left one on last night.

So how's your morning?

Chamomile - What is It?

We've all had the opportunity at one time or another to drink a cup of chamomile tea. It tastes good and is soothing, but do you really know what chamomile is? File this under "I learned something new today."

This herb has been effective in treating insomnia, and also soothes and calms at the same time.

Chamomilla, the plant that spawns the chamomile flower is found throughout North America and Europe. The oil that gives chamomile its medicinal qualities is called chamazulene alpha-bisabol. The strain of chamomile with the highest concentration of this oil is the German chamomole, called matricaria recuitita. Chamomile tea is specifically made from this oil.

Chamomile is used primarily to treat stomach cramping and pains, including menstrual cramping and diarrhea. Aside from the treatment of aches and pains, doctors and researchers have found that chamomile can be used effectively to treat skin and eye problems, mood disorders, and the flu.

For stomach pains, take one ounce of chamomile, two-thirds ounce of peppermint, one ounce caraway seeds, and two-thirds ounce of angelica. Mix together, and add one teaspoon of mixture to one cup of hot water. Steep this for ten minutes; then strain and drink. This mixture soothes the gastrointestinal tract.

For skin conditions, take one ounce chamomile, one ounce dandelion, and two-thirds ounce of fennel. Mix together; add one teaspoon to one cup hot water. Steep this for five to ten minutes then strain and drink. This stimulates the metabolic activity in healing skin conditions.

Chamomile is mild enough for everyday use, and almost everyone can enjoy it. The only people who shouldn’t use it are those who suffer from ragweed allergies.

Now, sit back and enjoy...

Clear Off Your Desk Day!

Today is Clear Off Your Desk Day! I suppose it's on a Saturday because they didn't want to disturb you on a regular work day AND you have absolutely nothing else to do with you day :)

At my house, today is Clear Out All Of the Rooms Day. We're doing a top to bottom cleaning...clearing out the rest of the Christmas decoration remnants, re-organizing toys and making sure all of the rooms are clean.

So, just take a moment today to honor "Desk Day" and clear off something!!!

Have fun!

5 Tips for Dealing with Unsolicited Parenting Advice

It happens to all of us. It comes from grandparents, neighbors, friends, siblings, and even strangers...the unsolicited advice we get regarding our parenting skills. We dread it...we hate it...but yet, it still comes in droves.

How can you deal with it?

Here are some tips to help you out!

Tip #1: Smile
Some parents thrive on creating competitions between their child and yours. “My little Billy took his first steps at six-months. You should try to make your baby walk. What’s wrong with him?” In situations like these, it’s best to simply smile and walk away.

Tip #2: Avoid contact
Overbearing people tend to offer their parenting advice every time they see you. This often leads to frustration on your part. Avoid contact with these people as much as you possibly can. If family is among the worst to give you their unwanted advice, limit your visits with them to thirty minutes.

Tip #3: “This works best for us.”
Sometimes you will receive odd looks or negative comments on your parenting style. When you encounter someone who thinks they know a better way for you to parent your child, look them directly in the eye and say, “I’m glad that method works for you. This works best for us.”

Tip #4: Let it roll
Another way to avoid conflict with well-meaning people is to recognize that their intentions are well-meant. Family members are often among the worst to offer unwarranted parenting advice. Remind yourself that this person means well, even though their advice is unasked for and let it flow in one ear and out the other, like water off a duck’s back.

Tip #5: Be kind, but direct
You will no doubt grow irritated at some point. Remember to breathe, count to ten and smile. Be kind in your response, but be firm and direct. Reply in a way that will let the person know that you appreciate their concern, but that you are more than able to care for your child.

Now it's your turn - let's add to these tips...any good ideas?

Thumbs Up Thursday - Keeping the Castle

This week's Thumbs Up Thursday recipient is Maricar at Keeping the Castle.

Keeping the Castle is a blog about...what else?...housekeeping and homemaking. This blog is great for organizational and housecleaning tips. This info isn't just for the full time housekeeper. It's also a great resource for all of us who struggle to keep a good balance in our work and home lives.

Maricar recently posted about this really cool cutting board with different color inserts - check it out here. I think she does a great job of honing in on ways to help make our lives a little bit easier.

Here's to you Maricar!

Homemade Hummus and Roasted Vegetable Wrap

Try this one tonight!

Homemade Hummus and Roasted Vegetable Wrap

Hummus:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons Greek natural yogurt
Juice of one lemon
Pinch of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Place the chickpeas, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice and paprika in the blender or food processor and mix on high until smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Roasted Vegetables:
1 Eggplant, sliced
2 zucchinis, cut into matchstick strips
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil

Flour tortillas

To serve:
Place all the vegetables in a non stick roasting tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for approximately 45 minutes or until tender and roasted.

Warm the tortilla wraps according to package instructions, then spread with hummus and fill with roasted vegetables, wrap and serve.

National Nothing Day

Today, January 16th is National Nothing Day. I thought I would commemorate this wonderful holiday with a special blog post.










...Happy Nothing Day :)