Fancy That!

This is so quick and easy and healthy!!

1 can V8 juice

1 can tomato soup

1/2 bag frozen vegetable medley

optional:

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cut up potato or white rice or egg noodles


Enjoy with crackers or a grilled cheese sandwich! Yummy!

Looking to each day I see that the best thing I can do as a Mom is to have a routine and stick with it. A video I watched during a parenting class said that the best-made families have routines for morning and bedtimes. Children can thrive and live in a routine because they know what is expected of them and the rhythm of the home. They may not be able to tell time, but their bodies have an inner clock that wakes them up in the morning. Daily, I remind my little guy that he must be dressed head to toe, and then he can have breakfast. If he cannot dress himself, it takes away from my time to give him breakfast before school because I am too distracted with getting all of us ready to go out the door. I have forgotten to grab him a granola bar. Don't worry, he just ate more for morning snack that day. Routines allow kids to know there are priveleges they can earn with following rules and helping around the house.

Bedtime routines help children to take responsibility getting themselves ready for bed. Usually stacking things they might not like doing with an activity they really enjoy following it, will give them the incentive to complete things better. If they hate brushing their teeth, they will most likely do it if they know it must be accomplished first before you read them a story and have special one-on-one time that they crave soooo very much. The way this can be reinforced is to tell them you will NOT read them a story if they don't brush their teeth, and then follow through on that promise. Over time, this will be the easiest routine ever invented because the child will know what to expect, and what they have to do to get your undivided attention and affections.

I was eating lunch with a friend yesterday who told me this very thing. She said she was tired of trying to get him to stay at the table. There are a couple of things you can do to get this to happen. First, tell children two yrs and up when you sit down to eat that they are to remain in their seat during dinner. If they stay in their seat then they can . . . have dessert? go outside to play? get a sticker? - You pick the incentive that will suit them and can be an immediate reward for their good behavior. Then during dinner when they are in fact, sitting in their seat verbally praise them for sitting in their seat. Praise your husband or other child for sitting in their seat also. This is the behavior you want to see happen, and praise is the key for them to know what good things they can do to get your attention.

If they remained in their seat during dinner - give them what you promised. Get out the dessert, lollipop, sticker or whatever. If they didn't stay in their seat, say, "You didn't sit in your seat during dinner - so you do not get ____". It may take them Not earning the reward once to get the idea. Don't give in and give it to them if they didn't earn it. Tell them they will have another chance at the next meal to earn it. As with any new lesson, sometimes failures are the best teacher. Stay strong, and know that it make take a week or two of this in order for results to happen.

When you are ready to take the plunge into a new area of creativity - what happens? Do you decide to make a craft, change your style and go shopping, redecorate the house, or to bake a recipe with a new ingredient? Expect that there are days when you will try to schedule yourself to ____ and NOT feel like it when the day comes. RRRgh!! This can frustrate me to no end. The BLAh's have a way of dampening creative juices like no other.

Solution Tool Kit

1.) Turn on Your favorite music. Whatever moves you can inspire you. Get it on!

2.) Light a scented candle. Get the senses going. If you are lost without a scented candle and the landlord won't let you light a flame, get out a pot of water and throw in some apple juice and cinnamon sticks. Spray some perfume. Take a bath with scented bubblebath.

3.) Change your clothes. Yes, wearing an outfit that makes you feel good can really help. Wear a color that you adore.

4.) Go for a walk.

5.) Spend time reading the word.

I hope you can take some time for yourself. There's nothing better than enjoying something you fashioned in your own unique way.

RRRRR! After many years on stage, I know what singers go through dealing with the shakey microphone, forgetting words, knocking knees, and that racing heartbeat. Stage fright is so hard to get over unless you keep going back on stage over and over again and becoming familiar with being in front of people weekly, if you can. For a singer, this is one of the biggest problems. Most churches have singing groups that may require an audition, and that's a good place to find a support system of like-minded people. Singing in a small group can give you the feeling that you aren't alone up there on stage. It builds confidence.

Volunteer for church related productions. If you are good with children and your church has a childrens' program, this would be a great place to start. Children aren't judgemental, and they want you to do well and help them have fun. They aren't going to keep score or even remember if you messed up.

When you do have to go on stage alone, preparation at home is the key. Practice till the walls in your house know all the words to the song; at least until you can recite every verse and disect the song by verse and bridge. Then, begin to envision your performance being an inspiration to others. This is a technique used by athletes before the big game. They imagine themselves making the shot that wins the game. Even if you have to let yourself fall asleep with this in mind, it will help you on the day of the performance. Your mind will have already been there, done that - perfectly!! So, no sweat. If you can arrange a practice time in the actual sanctuary or stadium, it will help to familiarize yourself with how many people will actually be there when it's full. Later, it may not be so shocking when you step out on stage seeing how huge and full it can be.

On the day of the performance, don't be late. Give yourself plenty of time to get up and warm up your instrument. Nothing is worse than stacking stress on top of stress. If you are waiting on your turn and minutes are counting down, focus on deep breaths. If your heart is racing - hold your breath for 3 seconds and breathe. Holding your breath for a little bit will slow your heart rate down. If you are someone who has trouble remembering the first few words of the song, write them on a piece of paper or your palm. If you've noticed your hand shaking the microphone while you are singing, change the microphone to the other hand for a while. If you've noticed your knees are knocking, try standing with one foot a little in front of the other with knees slightly bent. Walk around the stage to the other side.

If you've ever watched the movie Center Stage, there's a part where the prima ballerina says to her partner how her nerves are getting to her. He says, "Use it! Dance it!" That's the best thing I can recommend. Use the nervous energy as a positive force to push your performance further. Use it to give yourself the edge over all of it. Use it to distinguish yourself as the performer you always dreamed you could be.

As a busy Mommy what can you possibly do in between cleaning and laundry and dishes and dinner? That's the trouble when you want to work out. I've found a few places to squeeze in a little time for small workouts during lunch. My gym is very close to the office, so I grab a Luna Bar and head to the gym with my bottled water and a gym bag. No, I usually don't get that sweaty, but just in case, there are some toiletries for that in my bag too!! One of my co-workers in the past brought her workout ball into the office for slow times. I'll bet she was hiding some weights in the closet! She'd go to the rest stop off the interstate near the lake and run during lunch. Wow!! That's Hard Core!

Another suggestion is to pack the stroller and sunscreen and bottled water in the car. After work, pick the kids up from school and go walking in the park. My son really needs the extra energy burn just like I do! It's a great learning experience for the kids. Yesterday, my son had picked up a pine cone and a woolly caterpillar and saw a dead black snake. He was very excited! We got a great walk, and he was more than ready for dinner, bath, and bedtime! I have an MP3 player with a speaker, so I can put the volume on low and play it softly in the stroller tray to keep pace.

I signed up for a Stroller Strides class once. It was a 30 minute drive just to meet up with the coach, but it was really fun! Unfortunately, it's only a weekday morning class which didn't fit my schedule. There was a great route for walking, and we loaded up our strollers with the kids and resistance bands. We did interval training. There were stations where we stopped to do upper body exercises, and then long stretches for lateral squats and then lunges while pushing or pulling the strollers. It was great! Some of the kids even fell asleep! The pregnant moms even enjoyed this workout.

Dealing with the guilt that goes along with working out and still having Mommy duties is something everyone battles. The risks for not taking the time to give yourself the gift of exercise can mount over time. The body can become borderline or even diabetic with high blood pressure or high cholesterol. If you don't keep moving, the joints become stiff and muscle can fade away. Getting fresh air can help improve well-being so much and relieve stress. Every day can build to a better day. If you are a beginner, start slow and progress a little more each week. Endurance takes time, but once you start to feel better and see results it will translate into every area of your life. Your smile will be brighter, and people will notice. So even allowing for a small workout several times a week can add up to big rewards for success.

Sometimes I have tried to put on FitTV, the satellite channel to do a workout with my 4 yr. old while the baby is sleeping. That has gone ok, but watching my son try to keep up tickles me. It's like watching a frog in a blender!

It's easy to give up, but there's no sacrifice that's worth making that costs you nothing. That's a lesson, in itself.

Featured in my MP3 list in the sidebar, is my absolute FAVORITE song for this summer. Paradise by Aaron Sledge. It's one of those top down, windows open, speakers thumping songs you cruise down the highway smiling - songs of summer. I stumbled across it last week after I'd downloaded the album. This track puts me in mind of some old school Miami Vice numbers; talkin' about going to the Bahamas and relaxing at the beach. Then the lyrics in the last verse talk about going to Paradise "walk the streets made of gold, live stories Grandma told".

http://aaronsledge.emigospel.com/biography/

We've all been there. Gotta have that Chocolate, and for me - it's every morning!!! I'm settling for a Skinny Mocha at Starbucks w/ lowfat milk and no whipped cream. I know it's not the greatest for me, but it gets me through the day.

When I'm really in a fix, I've got to get to Abundant Living where Diana has a stash of Carob covered peanuts or raisens in her refrigerated section. They are so addicting!! What is Carob? Jenny Matthau would define it as "the leguminous pods of the locust tree indigenous to the Mediterranean. Carob powder a healthier alternative to cocoa powder is made from roasted and ground carob pods. It is a very rich source of calcium and potassium and unlike cocoa is naturally sweet and contains no caffeine or oxalic acid." So ok, what good is that to ya? If you are working out every day and you are getting muscle soreness the calcium and potassium will help them heal faster along with drinking water to flush out the toxins. No, you won't get the caffeine, but if you've already had enough for the day, skip it. It only brings on anxiety and can cause palpitations anyway. Eating carob flavored snack will help your body process food better and won't make you feel bloated or sluggish.

One more little secret of mine? I have a stash of Luna Bars in the cabinet. My favorite flavors are Peanut Butter, White Chocolate Macadamia, and Chocolate Peppermint Stick. They are low in calories and have 140 mg of Potassium to help with water weight and muscle soreness. They taste soooo good, but will melt in the car or even your purse, so carry with care.

Do you ever think this while you are in the heat of that race to put in crazy hours during the week? Becoming so driven to stack up the cash, can lead you to volunteer for extra hours, take call for your week and someone elses too, or rearrange your schedule to cover someone's vacation and your own gig at the same time. Write yourself a little note on a piece of paper and put it in a jar. Write a list of things you wish you had time to do. Keep track of those things and then when your work starts to loosen up and you get bored - pull out a few slips of paper or your list and make plans.

My personal list can look something like this:

Call a friend and schedule a play date.
Go to the state park's beach w/ the kids.
Put up different curtains in the living room.
Change the bedroom furniture around.
Shop for scrapbooking stuff.
Develop pictures.
Make picture album.
Plant flowers in pots for deck.

Keep a small notepad with you everywhere. Keep one in the bathroom, on the fridge, in your purse, in your Bible. You never know when you'll remember something you need to do. Responsibilities are endless as a Mom, and the more things you can bring together, the more you will feel in control. Be intentional!

I get so excited every Sunday night!! It's on! Ok, so for all you fans out there, it was TIME for Dzintra to go home. I'm sure that she would be a wealth of knowlege, but could she lasso all those ideas and secure her center?

Brianna, honey what is up? I'm thinking Brianna is afraid to get out there. What is holding her back? Girl, get it on! I think she will get there, but we are short on episodes.

My favorite right now is Aarti. I'll come to your Party ANYDAY, Girl! She's fun and I'm ready to get some of her recipes to try. I think she will be the winner. The thing that intrigues me about her is the reviews by the selection committee that praise her flavors. I've never been to a restaurant that cooks that kind of food; so for me as a home cook, I've got to get my kitchen stocked and do it for the family. Aarti, keep that smile on, and don't peak too soon.

Aria, is one of the front runners too, and I'm interested about how she could incorporate her family life into her show. As a mom with toddlers, it would be great to see a show where you could see kids in the kitchen too. Is that Aria's niche? I'm wishing she could give more kiddie dishes or ideas of make ahead dishes or 3-4 different dishes from one meat that you buy on sale. Aria, equip me!

The guys aren't getting my vote this time. Darrell, you have got the look but not the flair to keep my attention. Brad, show me something more than the monotone narrative. I'd fall asleep in class if you were teaching.

Herb, you are right there where I need a kickstart to eating right to reach my fitness goals, but the previews show you falling apart NEXT WEEK. Aaahhh!! Couldn't you talk more about portions and eating right and what to eat for a flat stomach? Don't let me down and leave the show yet!!!

I'm tuning in next week to find out who will continue.
Leave a comment, let's talk!!