From A Mother To A Child

Thought I would share this ... I read it on my friend Kate's Facebook page recently and was really touched by it. I don't know who wrote it or where it came from.

Letter from a Mother to her child: 

"My dear child, the day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. 

If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don’t interrupt to say: “You said the same thing a minute ago”... Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep. 

When I don’t want to take a bath, don’t be mad and don’t embarrass me. Remember when I had to run after you making excuses and trying to get you to take a shower when you were just a child? 

When you see how ignorant I am when it comes to new technology, give me the time to learn and don’t look at me that way... remember, sweetheart, I patiently taught you how to do many things like eating appropriately, getting dressed, combing your hair and dealing with life’s issues every day.

The day you see I’m getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I’m going through. If I occasionaly lose track of what we’re talking about, give me the time to remember, and if I can’t, don’t be nervous, impatient or arrogant. Just know in your heart that the most important thing for me is to be with you. 

And when my old, tired legs don’t let me move as quickly as before, give me your hand the same way that I offered mine to you when you first walked. 

When those days come, don’t feel sad... just be with me, and understand me while I get to the end of my life with love. I’ll cherish and thank you for the gift of time and joy we shared. With a big smile and the huge love I’ve always had for you, I just want to say, I love you... my wonderful child. "

Happy Mother's Day!

Having had a parent who was ill and slowed down sooner than they would have liked, I can tell you that having patience and perspective with ageing parents makes a world of difference and transforms those frustrating moments into tender bonding moments.

(it was originally a letter from Mother to daughter but I changed it to be to a child as I have two boys and thought it applied equally to both genders.)

A Nice Mother's Day Gift

I was recently enjoying a rare and peaceful moment to myself while at an indoor play park was looking through a recent Today's Parent issue. The page I turned to included stories from readers of their best mother's day gifts.  This one caught my eye so I thought I would share because it was so different, but sounded just great:

"On Saturday I check into my Jacuzzi suite at a hotel for a night alone.  I take books and bubble bath and leave my cellphone, worries and stress behind. I get 19 hours of uninterrupted quiet me-time. On Mother's Day, I meet my hubby, kids and mom for a wonderful brunch where I get homemade cards - and someone else does the dishes! Buffy LaBonte-Sias, Whitehorse"


It's sometimes hard to ask for or find the time just for us as individuals. Or we get the time and then, much to our own fault, fill it with laundry, other chores or things that "can't wait."  Kind of a nice idea to have the tradition built into Mother's Day.

My birthday is the same week as Mother's Day so I get the royal treatment two weekends in a row! I've had my birthday waffles and homemade birthday card so this weekend can only get better and better.

What are your Mother's Day traditions?

Enjoy ladies!

My Fall To-Do List

We all have a love/hate relationship with lists, but sometimes when the piles in the house are reproducing like fruit flies and the "little" projects that you would like to get to are never getting done a line must be drawn in the sand, a master list created and a covert mission launched.

In one month - minus six days - I am co-hosting my book club ladies in my home. And being one of the newest members, not many have been to my home before, hence probably requiring a full-home tour (i.e. can't perfect and tidy just one room, but the ENTIRE HOUSE needs to be view-friendly!).

Thus my sped up quest and mission to get a few things done around the house.

Really, not sure why I'm sharing this with you. Not thinking that you REALLY want to know or care what is on my list, but maybe some feeling of relief knowing that I am not the only one with a really long virtually unachievable list would be nice, or maybe some wisdom on various tasks thrown my way.


The Wish List

• clean out "that" drawer in my kitchen
• get control of the paper pile on my kitchen counter that never goes away, even when I try to make it disappear (thank you scholastic book orders!)
• paint the kids' sandbox
• paint touch ups around the house
• sew kids Luke Skywalker and Yoda costumes (did I mention I'm not that great of a sewer)

The Office:

• unpack/organize office (we got our wall-unit 14 months ago, it's about time)
• make pillows for the office chairs
• hang four silver pictures in office
• paint wall with magnet paint in office

Kids Room:

• build shelves in both son's closets
• clean out and get rid of little bits and pieces i.e. silly bandz, lego heads and my son's "collection" (scrap pieces of paper and garbage he insists on storing in his room !?!

Living Room:

• "arrange" book shelf to make it look pretty and not just like a place to throw stuff
• arrange fireplace mantle
• sew the piping that has popped out of my couch cushions

Christmas Prep:

• make Christmas bags to put presents in 
• embroider our names on our new (2 years old) Christmas stockings

Sun Room:

• summer/winter switch
• make shoe rack ... or do something to contain the mess that IS
• paint captain's chairs

Our Room:

• hang pictures
• clean off my dresser (it's very scary up there)
• find new main light
• clean out closets
• get rid of crap and those 20 books in my bedside table that I will never read

... oh and the countless other things that I will add to as I come across through my adventures.

So what is #1 on your list? Or is your home perfectly kept with no piles or to dos?

Friday's Fabulous Mom: Laura Lueloff

This Friday's Fabulous Mom is Laura Lueloff. For you long time readers out there, you will recognize Laura's name as she has been a guest blogger in the past sharing fitness information and survival tips for Disney world. Laura is a friend of mine who is an absolutely wonderful Mom and filled with so much zest for what she does.  I know you will love learning more about her today!

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I’m Laura – the household CEO, mother of 2 awesome kids, an entrepreneur, master planner, fitness guru, and wife of almost 10 years to Jeff.  We have lived in Aurora, Ont. for almost 8 years now and never want to leave – we were meant to live in this town.  Our son Owen just turned 6 and our daughter Taylor is just over 3 and I could not be any prouder of them both.  We are an active and busy family and are always on the go.  I run my own business called Transition Fitness – I offer personal training and teach Stroller Fitness classes in York Region.  Fitness & well being has always been my passion and when I left my corporate sales career in the big city I decided to turn my passion into my new career.  My outlook on life these days is all about balance, perspective and making the most of each day.

Fabulous Mom Laura with husband Jeff
and kids - Owen & Taylor

How does a day start for you and what’s being served for breakfast?

 My day starts EARLY.  I am usually up between 5:30-6am (weekends too!).  I actually really like waking up early as this gives me a little extra time to get a few things accomplished before the kids wake up – a workout, business stuff, cleaning etc.  I make the most of this “quiet” time.  Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day and I try to encourage the kids to eat a complete and wholesome meal at this time too.  We love smoothies (frozen blueberries, yogurt, banana, soy milk).  We might have this with some healthy cereal, whole grain toast or homemade oatmeal.

Favorite bedtime story(ies) currently on the must-read list for your little ones?

For Owen – Brady Brady by Mary Shaw – this series is outstanding as it combines the humour of a boy obsessed with hockey with some really great and meaningful messages.  High interest for boys and perfect for sharing some laughs together.  We also like to read science based books about cool & interesting animals too!

For Taylor – we have just graduated from Dora and moved on to authors such as Phoebe Gilman – (Jillian Jiggs series) or Victoria Kaan (Pinkalicious).  Great rhymes, silly stories and cute characters – I have read them so many times I have them memorized!

Tip or Trick for getting those daily vegetable servings in

I really try to introduce the kids to a variety of vegetables just to see what else they might like other than just mini carrots!  I have had some luck and they do happen to love broccoli & asparagus (what a relief!). I find making homemade soups, casseroles, chili and pastas are a great way to “sneak” veggies in without really hiding them.  Veggies such as cauliflower, zucchini and carrots are also very easy to hide in muffins, loaves or even cookies. 
 
Any words of advice for keeping all the clutter and toys from overtaking?

BLITZ…..this is what I call it when mom gets “Clutter Cranky Syndrome.”  I find about once every two months I will go through the house and create three piles: garbage (mostly toy bits, loose or random pieces), piles to reorganize into our multiple types of storage bins, and items to donate.  Now that the kids are a little older we are encouraging them to keep a lot of their toys in their rooms and we do keep one specific room as the designated “playroom.”  It works well as it really is their space decorated with their artwork and has become the local headquarters for all things Star Wars and Princess.  Perfect for play dates as well as the kids can rummage through the room, the bins and the closet for toys to play with.

If you had an entire afternoon to yourself, what would you do?

If this was an afternoon completely by myself it would start off with a leisurely run through Fairy Lake in Newmarket, then maybe some shopping at stores that seem impossible to bring the kids with me (ie HomeSense or Lemonberry).  I would love to end it off meeting a friend for a coffee or if there is time maybe head to a spa.  I guess that is a lot in an afternoon – might need a day!

How do you squeeze in the ever-so-important time for just you and your husband?

There is no doubt that having young kids (especially close in age) really takes its toll on quality couple time.  We have recently found a fantastic babysitter who is the first person we have ever left the kids with other than grandparents.  This is a big step for us, but it has been great.  Our Monday – Friday is so busy (since I work most evenings) that Saturdays are really our night to actually get caught up.  When we do not have a sitter, we do try and put the kids to bed and then make our own dinner or order in a little later.  This gives us uninterrupted time to actually talk.  We’re hoping to have a real “leave the house date” soon and the plan is to play golf and go for dinner.

Your go-to family meal that you know will be loved by all, eaten by all and serve some nutrients too!
I polled my family for this one ...  hands down winner:  my homemade lasagna. Always a hit, perfect for a family meal with lots of leftovers and I also love serving it to a crowd.  I use extra lean ground beef, ricotta, spinach and zucchini as the primary ingredients.  I try to keep it healthy and make enough that I can freeze it for weeknights when you are out of quick ideas.  The runner up meal would be my burgers.  I cannot justify ever buying the frozen ones when it is so easy and MUCH more healthy to make your own.  My secret to keeping the burgers moist is to use a combination of beef and pork (lean meat of course!)

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Now you can understand why after I visit with Laura I am always inspired and filled with all sorts of ideas on family time, organization, fitness and food.  Thanks Laura for sharing all these great tips and sharing with us your daily routine.

Break up the Monotony with Spaghetti

Okay, so school is out, now what?

Days upon days with hours upon hours to fill with activities can be a bit daunting.

Or even if you are at home all of the time with younger kids, the park and the splash pad must be getting a bit old.

Well, the other day I was feeling the same way and decided to flip open one of the books I have that are packed with activities for kids.

This was the inspired result:

Yep, it cost all of about $1.49 for a super large bag of Catelli spaghetti noodles, boiled them up, cooled them off, and then dumped them in our kiddie pool. I then let the kids put a couple of buckets of water in with the spaghetti and they had a blast.

It turned a bit ugly at the end when I was trying to put an end to the activity when my eldest decided it would be fun to dump spaghetti all over my youngest's head ... but all in all, they had a great time - no injuries, lots of fun and totally occupied.

Notes:  I decided to do it on my patio because any spaghetti that did "escape" the pool would be dried out and easily swept the next day. I used a colander to gather up most of the noodles and then dumped the pool with the remaining noodles into one of my gardens in the back yard (do not let them put too much water in the pool or you won't be able to move it and you can't very well let out the water with all of the noodles floating around).

And lastly, yes those are circa 1980s WWF Wrestlers that you see in the pictures ... thank you to my in-laws for holding onto them all these years and graciously passing them down.  Nothing like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man and Andre the Giant to add some excitement to a kiddie pool filled with spaghetti!

Enjoy!

You're Stuck With Me

So instead of being introduced to this week's Fabulous Mom ... you're stuck with me. I messed up on my scheduling a bit so you'll have to wait until next week to meet our next Mom. But, in the mean time, I thought since you tune into this blog, it's only fair that you know a bit more about me so I have answered a few of the questions I would normally pose to the other Moms.
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My name is Tracy and I have a wonderful husband and two sweet sons. I am a stay-at-home Mom and although it is the most challenging job I have ever had, would not change it for the world. I am  really enjoying watching my children and family grow and find the integral role I play in their lives and the support I can provide to them so rewarding.

I started this blog approximately a year ago and find it a great way to vent share a lot of what I am going through as a Mom and a woman - the ups and downs, the funny, the frustrating, the new, etc. I have always enjoyed writing so it has been an experiment in that as well.  Being a parent of two young kids, there are periods when there isn't a lot of time for anything but kids... this blog has been my 30 minutes here and there for me.

How does a day start for you and what’s being served for breakfast?

Typically one of my little ones wake up at six or just before. Husband and I take turns getting up. We usually venture to the couch in our living room for a show, then breakfast around 6:30 or 7. At some point showers and getting ready happen, but it's all sort of a blurrrrr. Breakfast is usually cereal and fruit, except on the weekend when we step things up a notch with waffles/pancakes/eggs.

Favorite bedtime story(ies) currently on the must-read list for your little ones?

With my eldest son, the Frog and Toad series was a hit for awhile and right now it is a unique selection of books from our trip to the library last week. My youngest loves anything with animals, and flaps to open (rip).

What’s on your bedside table right now?

Nothing ... I am waiting for a delivery from Chapters with the 2nd and 3rd books in the Hunger Games series.

Tip or Trick for getting those daily vegetable servings in:

Wish I had one. We insist that the kids always have to try the food that is on their plate and if they don't, there is no dessert if we are having any or seconds of their favourites.  During the winter when I cook more casseroles I mash up cauliflower (or another vegetable) in a lot of things as it virtually disappears. Another trick is pureeing a lot of sauces and stews so the kids don't become fixated on the chunks of "stuff."  I don't believe in catering the meals to my kids so I'm hoping that with time and persistence, they will become a bit more adventurous.

Something you do as a Mom that June Cleaver would approve of …. And something she would raise her eyebrow at?

I don't think June Cleaver would like the fact that sometimes I clip my kids nails in their rooms (hey, you have to do what you have to do), but she would definitely approve of me hanging three loads of laundry on my clothesline yesterday.

Any words of advice for keeping all the clutter and toys from overtaking?
No secret. Constant tidying up. Trying to enforce the "clean up one toy before starting with the next" rule and baskets, baskets, baskets!  This way things can be sorted and put away and look somewhat tidy even if they're not. Oh and constantly going through and removing toys/giving away/handing down that are not being used or are no longer suitable. And of course, don't buy so much! (Kids don't need it).

Something special unique thing that you do for your family that you hope they remember fondly in the future

On each of our son's first birthdays we made them a time capsule to be opened on their 16th birthdays. We have a huge family and a lot of people came to the first birthday parties so in lieu of gifts we asked that everyone bring something for their time capsule - picture, story, family information, card, etc.  Everyone participated and it will (hopefully) be a wonderful gift and memory for them when they are older.

Also, being a stay-at-home Mom is something that means a lot to me and my husband. I hope that the kids remember a lot of the things we got to do together and at some point appreciate the choices we made so that I could stay home and why we made them.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Practical & Cute Snack Bags

I recently happened upon these super cute snack bags/pouches made by Greenalicious Bags.

Greenalicious Bags

Greenalicious Bags

I was struck by these bags because of their really cute designs. After speaking to Laurie-Ann, the woman behind Greenalicous bags, I learned that they are all made out of reused kids clothes (hence the cute designs, jean pockets and zippers) and lined with organic cotton. They are ideal for holding food in lunch bags, snack pouches in back packs or as I do for myself, as a wallet.  And they are VERY reasonably priced.

I bought three - one for each of my sons and one for ... me! :

It always bring a bit of peace of mind when I know a product is made by a Mom who is concerned with health - both for her family and the Earth.  Greenalicious Bags was created because of Laurie-Ann's concern with all of the synthetic materials that our kids (and the Earth) are exposed to and her desire to have a more healthy way to transport snacks.  I love her tagline:

Greenalicious Bags - made by a mom, endorsed by Mother Nature!

And the best part ... Laurie-Ann has agreed to give away TWO! Greenalicious Bags to two lucky C&CS readers this week. So here is your chance. All you have to do is subscribe to C&CS as a follower or via email AND leave a comment here this week telling us what or who you would use your new Greenalicous bag for. The giveaway will end on Sunday at noon.

Wow Him With Your Carrot Cake

This carrot cake is the absolute best. Got the recipe from a family member and it is to die for. Put it to the test this weekend and got the MIL and the FIL approval on it. It was so good that their was only the below picture left when all was said and done after a dinner serving and a breakfast! serving. What?

Put it this way .... June Cleaver would have died to get her hands on this recipe so she could serve it at all of her important ladies' functions.

Might be a good time to try it out this weekend for Father's Day.  ENJOY!

 

Elsie's (AWESOME) Carrot Cake

CAKE:

3 cups of grated carrots

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup of oil

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

I 1/4 tsp baking powder
I 1/4 tsp baking soda
I 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Beat eggs and add sugar and oil. Sift flour and mix with baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold dry mixture into liquid mixture, add carrots and mix well.  Bake in greased angel food cake bundt pan for one hour at 300F.

ICING:

4 oz cream cheese room temperature (1/2 package of 250g container)

2 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup butter melted
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs lemon juice
I cup grated toasted coconut (optional, I don't usually use)

Cream cheese well, add sugar and beat well to blend mixture. Add
melted butter, vanilla and lemon juice. Spread on cake. Sprinkle with coconut.

**when I did this recipe I used low fat cream cheese. Still tastes great and works fine, but the icing is a bit more runny so if you're looking for a thicker icing, stick with the regular version. I also did not use walnuts or coconut for personal preference.

Friday's Fabulous Mom: Laurel MacDougall from Ducks in a Row

Cashmere & Carrot Sticks fabulous Mom for this week is Laurel MacDougall. Laurel has a wonderful blog - Ducks in a Row - that is a "must visit" for all of you out there.

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I am Laurel MacDougall.  I have 3 darling children - my oldest daughter will be 9 next month, my son is the middle child and he is 6 and my youngest daughter is 3.  I've been married to Tom, a geo technical engineer for 12 years and we live in Colorado.  Tom works very hard and I am a stay-at-home mom.  I teach piano lessons out of our home to 12 students, plus my own kids.  I love to blog, run and exercise, read, make my home a special place, organize and de-clutter everything, and try to keep us all healthy and active.



Our fabulous Mom Laurel and her family



How does a day start for you and what’s being served for breakfast?

I just wrote a post about our breakfast routines, click here to view it.  A typical day for me usually starts between 5 - 5:30 am and goes something like this.

Favorite bedtime story(ies) currently on the must-read list for your little ones?

I am not sure we have must-reads.  We visit the library about once a week and we fill up a basket of books.  I also organize our books by month.  This helps us rotate through all the books we have.  My oldest usually reads on her own and she is into Harry Potter right now.  My middle son is just starting to be an independent reader and my youngest loves any book.  We usually do have some Dora ones from the library that she loves to check out.

What’s on your bedside table right now?

Oy, I have way too many books on my nightstand.  I just finished Mindless Eating and found it fascinating.  I've been trying to get through the Chronicles of Narnia all year.  I always read my scriptures.

Tip or Trick for getting those daily vegetable servings in

I think if there was a tip that was always successful, someone would be a millionaire!  My first piece of advice is to be an example.  I eat salads almost every day for lunch and my kids see that.  I always serve vegetables, usually a salad, at dinner.  It's not really an option - they have to eat it.  They usually wait for me to say "eat your veggies" but they don't usually complain and know they have to eat them and why.  I also make sure there are veggies that I know they like.  I.'s favorite is lettuce, G. likes beets and cucumbers and broccoli, M. likes carrots.  I asked my kids what advice they have and my oldest say "drench them in ranch - they're way better that way."  We don't do that, but I guess that might work.

Any words of advice for keeping all the clutter and toys from overtaking?

My biggest piece of advice is to not have so much!  My kiddos have their favorites, but getting something new is a VERY special occasion!  Second, have a place for everythingand make sure you put the toys away together several times to teach them where they go.  If there isn't a specific place (it helps if it is labeled) then they are going to end up all over the house on the floor - guaranteed!

Something special unique thing that you do for your family that you hope they remember fondly in the future

Most of what they do, I hope they will remember.  Building memories is a big motivator for me.  Our favorite times are Family Movie Nights on Friday nights.  We make pizza together and watch a movie.  We also have Family Night every Monday night.  I am not sure how unique those are though.  I have found that my kids are just as happy, if not more, when we spend time together.  They love going to the park, playing in our back yard, building Legos - probably more than going to a movie theater, going out to eat, or spending a lot of money.  They do talk fondly, though, of our Disney world trip that we took last year.

Your go-to family meal that you know will be loved by all, eaten by all and serve some nutrients too!

Tacos - everyone customizes how they want it.  My youngest has a ton of allergies and tacos allow her to eat gluten, egg and peanut free.  My son loves meat, but not cheese - so that's how he makes his.  My oldest thinks tacos are "awesome."  My husband eats them with everything on them and I eat them more as a salad.   They're always served with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black beans, ground turkey or chicken, cheese, sour cream and tortillas.  They are quick and everyone eats them.  In fact, we are having them for dinner tonight! 

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Thank you so much Laurel for being one of our Fabulous Moms - it's a well-deserved title.  Please do take the time to check out Laurel's blog - Ducks in a Row - where you will learn even more amazing stuff about this woman and her family.

Reminder to everyone that the giveaway for this week ends today at noon with winners being announced either this afternoon or on Monday (depending on my schedule :)). Click here to learn more about the giveaways and here for information on how to enter - hurry!

A Band Aid for Blankie

We had a bit of a mishap yesterday morning with one of eldest son's three treasured blankies. Each one is originally named: Scratch (he likes to scratch the satin on this one), Bluey (this one is blue) and Whitey (you guessed it, this one is white ... or used to be rather).

While we were all getting ready, my son requested to play with one of the "machines" in my bathroom basket. He was referring to the ever-exciting hair dryer. Well, a little too much hair dryer later combined with the "warm" setting and Whitey the blankie had a bit of a scorch in him.  My son was traumatized and came screaming into the kitchen where I was (my husband was with him with the dryer ... he was not alone if you were wondering).

My son was saying he didn't love his blankie any more because of the new burn :(

After much consoling, we agreed that we would try and fix Whitey and give him a bit of a patch. This is the result:

Whitey with a homemade patch

I used one of my son's favourite Tshirt's pockets. I am no sewer, but I think June would be proud. I only hope the patch will allow Whitey to find himself back in my son's arms and bed this evening.  I am waiting to see his reaction as he is napping right now and I told him I would fix it for when he woke up.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

GIVEAWAY REMINDER:  Only a couple of more days to enter to win a $40 gift certificate to Buy Green Skin Care. 

All you have to do is be a follower/email subscriber of this blog AND

1) send your favourite C&CS post to a friend (and copy me on it) OR

2) post http://www.cashmereandcarrotsticks.blogspot.com/ to your facebook or twitter and tell me about it OR

3) visit http://www.buygreenskincare.com/ and leave a comment back here telling us what you would use the gift certificate for

Friday's Fabulous Mom: Erin Wahba

Cashmere & Carrot Stick's Fabulous Mom for this week is Erin Wahba! 

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My name is Erin Wahba and my husband Jonathan and I are the proud parents of Ethan (4), Sophie (2) and expecting baby #3 at the beginning of July.  Our unofficial first baby is our 5-year-old cocker spaniel named Reilly, who we all adore but who at times, can be just as much work as the kids!

Our fabulous Mom, Erin, her kids, Ethan and Sophie, and dog, Reilly

Prior to having Ethan I was an elementary school teacher, but ever since having Ethan I have been a full time stay-at-home mom.  While being a stay-at-home mom has definitely been the most challenging job I have ever had, I wouldn't change it for the world. I treasure these early years with my kids and know that they go by far too quickly. That being said, there are the times when I'm quite envious of my husband's business trips where he is guaranteed both a full night's sleep (or two)  and some adult conversation.
  
What’s on your bedside table right now?
My Kobo! I love to read but life with kids just doesn't seem to allow me to get into books as much as I would like, or I do get into them and then with every spare second that I have, I'm jumping for my reader. If you are looking for two very different but equally good reads, I would highly recommend, "Room" by Emma Donoghue and "Secret Daughter" by Shilpi Gowda.  I managed to polish them off thanks to a four-day trip my husband and I were able to take (just the two of us!) about a month ago and I enjoyed every second of these two books.

Tip/Trick for getting those daily vegetable servings in:
Through trial and error, I have noticed that my kids tend to eat many more vegetables when they are not served with a meal.  Both my kids prefer raw veggies to cooked ones so I started serving the veggies as snacks and appetizers.  I'm not too sure why but veggies will be devoured as an appetizer while they will be picked at as a side!?  Yet another mystery of the toddler/preschoolers psyche!

Something you do as a Mom that June Cleaver would approve of …. And something she would raise her eyebrows at?
June Cleaver would be very proud of the fact that I make my bed every day and insist that my children also do so. Truth be told, when they are out of sight, the perfectionist in me can't help but straighten their sheets and pillows though. Something about a bed made first thing in the morning just sets the tone for starting the day off right.  Mrs. Cleaver however, might raise her eyebrows at the fact that if we are at the park or in the backyard and my son has to pee, I don't mind letting him go in a bush. Given that he sees this as a thrill and he often waits until the very last second when playing, it works for both of us.

Any words of advice for keeping all the clutter and toys from overtaking?
One of my biggest clutter challenges as a mom was what do with the artwork that my children bring home from both nursery school and Junior Kindergarten.  While I didn't want to part with all this treasured artwork of their early years I also knew that the anti-hoarder in me didn't want piles and piles of artwork in scrapbooks.  As a solution, I decided to take pictures of all my children's artwork.  I then print the pictures and put them in a photo album where I write the title of the work, the date they did it and where they did it.  I have found it to be a really neat way and clutter free way, to watch their progress.  The kids frequently pull our their artwork albums and LOVE looking through a book compiled of their creations. Of course, I do still keep a few favourite or sentimental cards or pictures and either frame them for our toy/play room or keep them in a memory box :)

How do you squeeze in the ever-so-important time for just you and your husband?
My husband and I have always enjoyed going out to dinner together - it's one of our guilty pleasures! However, with two kids, busy schedules and finding a babysitter, it really doesn't happen as much as we would like. Our solution to this problem is to frequently have in-house date nights on Saturdays where once the kids are in bed, we are able to enjoy some wine and cook a nice, slow dinner and even better, enjoy it without eating at the warp speed that usually occurs when the kids are around. We love this time together even if we do end up talking about the kids for most of the evening ;)!


Something special/unique that you do for your family that you hope they remember fondly in the future:
Something I do for my kids that I know they don't appreciate yet but hopefully will in the future is that I write them each a letter on their birthdays.  When I was pregnant with both of them and now with number three, I often wrote them short letters telling them how I was feeling and how excited I was to meet them.  Feeling overwhelmed with emotion and disbelief as my first born's first birthday approached I decided to write him a letter which included all the amazing things he had learned/done in his first year and expressed the emotions that I felt over that year as well as him turning one.  From that grew a tradition and each child now has a sealed letter for each of their birthdays which are stored in their memory boxes.  My hope is that they will enjoy reading them when they are old enough and that they will be kept as treasure of who they are, where they came from and just how much they were and are loved on the anniversaries of their births.
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As you can see just from these questions, Erin is a sweet and thoughtful Mom and has a wonderful family. Thank you Erin for sharing with all of us, some of the special things you do for your family and how you make a difference every day!

Fabulous Moms

What is a Mom? 

If you look it up in the dictionary you will find some generic, bland sentence involving "giving birth to a child" or "one's Mother" but we all know the definition goes far beyond that.  I guess anyone can be a Mom by the dictionary's definition, but to really be someone's Mom, day in and day out, giving 100%, never giving up, believing, loving, disciplining, guiding, learning and growing every instant of the day is a whole different ballgame. This is what it means to truly be a Mom.

During "the month of June," Cashmere and Carrot Sticks will be featuring a fabulous Mom every Friday. Some really special Moms have agreed to take part in this Fabulous Mom feature and I hope you enjoy hearing what they have to say as much as I have.  I provided each of them with a series of Mom-related questions and asked them to choose a few they would like to answer.  The result is informative, insightful and inspiring.

Go Moms!

The Month Of June

Welcome to:

The Month of June

Being a stay-at-home Mom, there is one iconic Mom who sets the bar for all others - the one and only June Cleaver. A woman dedicated to her family in every way - cooking, cleaning, comforting - and she did it all while dressed impeccably well with perfect hair, a welcoming smile and a sweet-as-honey demeanor.

Ahhhh ... to be June.   To be anything even remotely close to June actually.  Can't say my daily wardrobe is resembling her classy chicness in any way shape or form nor my demeanor when husband gets home (more like tart as a lemon [versus sweet as honey]) and the cleaning and cooking, well, there's a bit to be desired in those departments too (I think there are dirty dishes sitting in my kitchen sink right now that I have no intention on cleaning before I go to bed). BUT, when I compare the domestic skills and likeness to June of yours truly current day versus five years ago, this gal has come a long way. (I think/hope my mother in law who reads this is agreeing when she reads this :).)

Although a lot of things have changed since June's time at home with her kids during the 50s and 60s, I think if we all look closely, the basics haven't changed that much at all.  When you have a home and are raising a young family, life is busy  but there are still meals to cook, beds to make, floors to sweep, laundry to do, hugs and kisses to give, bedtime stories to read, school events to attend and money to be made. It doesn't matter if you organize by note pad or iPad, talk via rotary or Skype, sweep with an actual broom or an electronic Swiffer, the challenges are the same and the desired outcomes identical.

During this month - the month of June - there will be a lot of posts relating to life as a Mom, a woman and "homemaker."  To celebrate this important profession and role, there will be a lot of fun things going on, including a feature on some really special Moms out there and lots of free giveaways.

So sit back, relax, and tighten up your apron strings.  We have now entered:

P.S. If you want to be a part of the giveaways, and I promise there will be multiple and they are good, be sure to subscribe via email or become a follower if you haven't already. This will ensure you can be a part of all of the fun!  Want a sneak peak of one of the company's who will be giving something away, click here

Friday's Controversial Read: A Follow Up

For those of you who read this article posted on Friday about the family raising a "genderless" baby, below is a link to a letter that the Mom wrote to the media in response to all of the attention she and her family were receiving.  Thought I would share:

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/998960--genderless-baby-s-mother-responds-to-media-frenzy?bn=1

Help & Food Are On The Way

How many of you have heard of Grocery Gateway?









Grocery Gateway is a grocery-delivery service. Yup, you order the goods online and magically, some guy is kindly dropping off those same goods at your door the next day.

For some this may seem a bit lazy. I mean although grocery shopping is not the favourite activity, it's not that bad. But for others, say those carting a newborn baby in one of those bucket seats that weighs way too much as well as a toddler in the rain or snow, this service is a life saver, stress saver, and all around God send.

How it works?  You log onto the Grocery Gateway website, sign up and then shop til you drop.  It takes a bit to get used to how they list their foods and the quantities that are shown, but there are all sorts of tools to help you out so that you can, for example, save lists of foods that you order all of the time so that you can just add them to your cart each time without having to search for them again.  Once you're all done, you review your list, tell them how you'd like to pay, pick a delivery time any time from 6 a.m. till later in the evening (two hour windows so that's not so bad) and then you are good to go.  You can even go back in and edit your order up until a specified cut off time.

Your groceries are delivered by a big truck, friendly person and in cardboard boxes. If you are lucky enough to have "Robbie" as your delivery person, you will be overwhelmed by his zest and friendly service. My son looked forward to his visits.

If, after the fact, you find anything wrong with your order, simply call their customer service line and they will help out - they have always been super helpful to me.

I found the prices to be reasonable. The delivery fee was only $10 (I think it has gone up since), but they often sent out coupons for $5 off delivery which helped out and made the extra cost minimal.

Just because you're stressed and juggling, doesn't mean you have to go hungry!  If you find yourself overwhelmed and utterly freaked out by the thought of braving the grocery store, I urge you to give it a try ...especially during bad weather and the winter.  I think I am now past my stage of needing grocery gateway on a regular basis but I found it incredibly helpful during the extreme juggling stages.


(Sorry to those of you outside of the GTA, this post may not apply, but I'm sure there are similar services of another name in your area that can be found.)

Not My Favourite Chore

Attempting to sweep soggy rice krispies, cheerios or corn flakes off the floor after breakfast is definitely not my favourite chore, that is for sure.  Dried cheerios that never met the milk - easy peasy - but damp, soggy, cereal clinging to the hardwood floor for dear life and not responding to my desperate sweeping strokes of the broom - gross. And then if you're too aggressive they start to somewhat disintegrate and break apart and well, now you're rubbing your floor with a new cornflake polish.  Another challenge exists when the cheerios harden onto the floor and require you to actually pick them off with your fingernails, or via my lazy way using the opposite end of the broom handle (sometimes I would rather attempt my lazy way with the broom, taking ten times as long than having to crouch down and scratch at the cereal).

I also don't enjoy stepping in abandoned cereal pieces throughout the day as I navigate past my kitchen table (gasp! no, I don't usually sweep after breakfast).  It's also really nice (insert sarcasm) when you feel the crunch under foot as you walk on the family room carpet and realize that you have just pulverized a cheerio (that had been tossed aside from a snack cup) into a thousand little crumbs ... and then I usually take another step and bull's eye, step on another few before making a successful exit.  errrrr!

This is where all you families with dogs can have the last laugh (I have mine while I'm out walking and don't have to carry that blasted poop bag with me)!

Thinking about switching to eggs this morning? They are absolutely no better.  Maybe we'll smoothie it :)

Happy Friday!

P.S. In regards to the Lead in Your Lipstick posts earlier this week, if there are any specific types of beauty produces i.e. mascara, deodorant, baby powder, that you are interested in learning more about, let me know and I can share some info from the book.

I Survived

Today, I survived three hours of the science centre ...

... on the first day of March Break
... with two kids under four
... with no stroller
... by myself
.... on the interactive "run all over the place" level 4
... and two bathroom visits fitting all three of us in a single stall (thankfully I'm not a complete germ phobe)
... without any melt downs, discipline issues or momentary fear of losing someone.

Woo hoo!

Dishwasher Challenges

Am I the only person whose dishwasher seems a bit challenged in getting peanut butter off of cutlery? or yogurt on anything? or balsamic vinegar and banana?

I know, I know, dishes are supposed to be rinsed and I do usually do a quick rinse, but my dishwasher seems to be a bit temperamental these days.

And don't even get me started on the hard water spots on the glasses (that's really nice when you have anyone other than immediate family over).

And what about just plain ol' tea or coffee on my mugs or hot chocolate? If I need to scrub everything down with baking soda and an SOS pad before I put it in this "time-saving" device, what the hell is the point of even using it.

I do have to admit though that unloading the dishwasher is the one chore that I have gotten used to. I remember as a teenager and young person loathing the task and in fact, doing everything in my power to avoid having to do it. Now, I still don't love discovering that its full and "yeah!" it looks like I'll be unloading it again, but if I'm honest with myself, it really only takes about five minutes and unless my one-year-old is trying to help, is really quite easy.

Here's hoping your dishwasher is empty and hard working today!

Just In Case It Gets Hairy... An Afternoon Activity

It's Friday, we're all anxious for spouses to arrive home from work (if you are at home with your kids) and for the weekend to officially begin.

Any day can be hairy when the kids' energy levels are high and they're literally bouncing off the walls (or their siblings) and sometimes you just can't come up with anything to do ... especially when it's the end of February and you've  been inside for four months.

Here's an activity I did with both my sons a couple of weeks ago and it bought me at least a half an hour if not more and it was easy and cheap.

AFTERNOON ACTIVITY
Find a roll of tape, preferably masking tap (or perhaps painter's tape) and simply create a road made out of tape on one of your carpets. The one I made went under a stool, did a loop and had a dead end.  Once the road is finished, tell the kids that they have to drive all their cars on the road, line them up or race.  If you have any extra props from other games - stop lights, trees, pedestrians, etc - pull them out and place them around your new street.  Have fun and here's hoping I just bought you thirty minutes and a cup of tea!

FYI - I left the tape on for a few days and no harm was done, but I would recommend testing ahead of time and removing sooner than later if you're worried.

"The Toddler's BUSY BOOK" by Trish Kuffner (p. 28)

Who Needs A Workout After A Morning Like This?

Okay so it's snowing when I get up this morning.

Gut reaction:  so pretty, but let's put on the sweats and cuddle up.

Reality check: the temperature is finally warmer, must go outside or kids will go stir crazy (again).

So I bravely attempt to tape up a few packages for Canada Post, put on three snow suits (me included), three hats, three pairs of mitts, three pairs of boots, explain to my three-year-old that I can't carry him, get two kids situated in a double outdoor stroller and we're off to the post office.

I have to admit, pretty nice out, beautiful really, proud of myself for going for it and getting out and also some exercise (do you know how hard it is to push a double stroller through a few inches of fresh snow with very large Sorel boots on while carrying a pretty heavy bag that wouldn't fit in my stroller?).

So I'm almost there, about 300 metres to go, waiting at a set of lights when it dawned on me ... I forgot my wallet.  I'm not sure, but the last time I checked, Canada Post did  not allow packages to be mailed on hand shakes.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! There goes my proud moment, replaced with exasperated moment.  Change of plans kids.

"Mommy, why are we turning around?"

So we went home and I took them toboganning instead.** Well actually, one slept while the other slowly slid down a ten foot hill. He loved it and I had fun too.

Then ... we go home, switch out of our snowsuits and into our winter jackets(waaay easier said/typed than done in real life ... insert 10 minutes) . Get into the car, remember my wallet and package and head off for the post office.  After this stop, I was ready to call it quits, but my three-year-old reminds me that we should go to the doctors for my youngest's "needle". Off we go to the walk-in and wait 25 minutes for the 2nd half of my son's flu shot (he didn't even cry - bonus!) Then we go home, eat lunch and off to naps.  That is when I sat down and enjoyed these.

When they woke up they wanted to play?!  I felt like saying/shouting, "are you kidding me? I gave you everything I had before 11 a.m."

And to think there are some who still think us stay-at-home moms just sit around and watch soaps ?!

**Note that my extra motivation for going for a winter walk and toboggan may have been because I had just read through today's first post by Laura Lueloff.

P.S. Last chance (only a few hours left) to enter in this week's Glitzy Blitz prize giveaway from Sephora and Starbucks . Click here to learn more ... and if we reach 25 followers - come on we can do it! - I'll throw in a couple extra prizes. Thanks to Amy, Lauren, Goodpass and Laura who qualified yesterday for the draw.