Let your 4 year old make YOU dinner :P
by Phaedra on January 9th, 2008
One of Liana’s favorite dinners is one that she makes us! She loves to assemble all of the ingredients for mini pizza’s and is enthusiastic about eating them when they have finished baking. As any mom with a four year old knows, it’s not easy to get the little ones to sit down and actually eat their dinner, especially if it has vegetables on it! Give it a go:
You will need:
English muffins
Easy squeeze pizza sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Sliced olives
Pepperoni slices
(And if you like: bell pepper, sausage crumble, onions, or any other pizza topping!)
Make it:
Prepare the ingredients for easy access, I place each ingredient in a different bowl and put everything out on the kitchen table. Have your little one(s) place the english muffin halves on a baking sheet lined with foil to save yourself lots of scrubbing later. Next they will squeeze (or spoon, if you choose to use a canned sauce) pizza sauce on the english muffin halves. Then comes the cheese, and plenty of it. Last your little ones will add the other available ingredients.
Once all of the mini-pizza’s are assembled, simply broil them for a few minutes (usually takes about 3-5 minutes to cook, if your oven is warmed up). Do keep a careful watch the first time to make sure they don’t burn.
Enjoy 
my favorite photo for ‘07
by brandy on January 8th, 2008
This is my favorite Cade picture. This is so him…no shirt, on his bike, getting dirty, and smiling the whole time.
Happiness in 2008
by Emily on January 6th, 2008
Today at church we had a guest speaker. I have not been into the sanctuary, besides at Christmas, for the last five weeks. Either the girls have been sick or I have been volunteering else where in the building. Low and behold, they are both still sick this week. But Ernie and I both were wanting to go regardless. We start feeling a little mushy when we miss church.
So we had the girls both sitting with us instead of spreading illness to other children in their classes. I only heard bits and pieces of what our guest speaker had to say. He was saying how a good majority (he had a percent, didn’t catch that) of the religious population are some of the most depressed and unsatisfied people. He wasn’t sure he agreed with it, but he came up with five points as to why that might be so.
The one that I heard amongest sticker books, friut snacks, and look n’ finds, stuck with me. It was a point that would hold true to anyone, regardless if you are religious or not. He started with a quote (don’t know by whom) “All men will surely die, but not all men will truly live”. His point that followed was- Stop pushing your happiness into the future.
It starts when you are 15. You can’t wait to have a car. You’ll be so happy once you get that car. Then the car ain’t so great. Ok. I know I’ll be happy once I finish school and have a good job. You accomplish that, but still don’t feel happy. Maybe if I fall in love and get married, yeah, then I will be happy. Maybe when I can change my spouse to be more like me, then I will be happy. If we have kids, ok, then we will be happy. When we get that dream house; when we pay off that house, maybe then. Or I know, when the kids are finally grown and out of the house, then we’ll be happy. Maybe, once my kids get married and have kids. Having grandkids will be great. Then I will be happy. On and on until eventually you’ve pushed off happiness too far and you lose the chance to be happy.
Isn’t that so true? Why can’t we just be happy and grateful with what we have and who we are right now? Try and make 2008 a year of happiness.
The easiest fudge recipe on the planet!
by Phaedra on December 16th, 2007
You will need:
- 12 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped nuts, if you please
Make it:
- Melt the chocolate on low in a double boiler or a saucepan.
- Add in the vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk.
- Stir gently.
- Fold in nuts if you want, gently (no stirring or whipping, this changes the consistancy of your fudge!)
- Pour mixture into small pan to set-up. Put in freezer to harden quicker, or refridgerate for about an hour. It’s ready to cut!
Tip:
Line your pan carefully with plastic wrap (trying to avoid wrinkles) before pouring in your fudge to make it super easy to remove and keep your pan clean.
That’s it! Enjoy 
Liana is four too!
by Phaedra on December 16th, 2007
Happy Birthday Funny Bunny! (I just can’t believe our babies are FOUR! Happy Birthday to all our Winter Wonders!)
And so he’s four…
by Jayme on December 14th, 2007
One of the things I am most grateful for in my life has been the chance to really know my children. It seems like every generation of moms takes not only a greater interest in their child’s development, but also appreciates the child’s absolute worth. It wasn’t that long ago that children were born and raised to work in fields, or raised in a time when children were expected to be seen but not heard. I know my friends, I know my parents, I know my husband. But I know my children in the most honest and complete way that I can imagine knowing another human being. From the minute I was aware that each child was growing in my womb, I waited for the flutters, counted the kicks and marked each day by the wakes and stillnesses within me. As each child was born, I reveled in their perfection. That someone as perfect as they are could come from someone as imperfect as me, still stops my heart for just a beat.
Each day spent with these little miracles reminds me that regardless of how tidy my home is, how much sleep I’ve lost, how many wars rage around the world, that our children represent the purest kind of hope. My hope is that I can help them to navigate this big scary world and show them that the world is a better place simply because they exist within it. I know someday I will have to help them nurse a heartbreak, or heal from a loss, but at this very moment all I can think is that I would do anything to keep them as innocent as they are now.
And so another year passes, where he has come 365 days closer to the day when he will leave my safe nest. It’s been a year of frustration, a year of absolute wonder and joy and a year where he has discovered more of who he really is. It’s an incredible thing to witness a child discover everything from his favorite food to the way books and language “work”, to mastering part of his own body. I am so thankful to be a mom… his mom, and look forward to another wonderous year. Happy Birthday my child. You are most loved.
Jayme
My favorite photo of 2007
by Linda on December 13th, 2007
this was hard but I really liked this one because it shows her 2 different sides. She was just playing by herself when i called her name and got this shot…
My favorite WW photo of 2007
by amber on December 4th, 2007
One of the greatest joys of being a mother so far has been watching the relationship of my two daughters blossom into an incredible friendship. Abby is the natural oldest-child mother-hen to her younger sister, Emma, and this picture optimizes that part of their relationship. One of their favorite games to play is mother and baby, where Abby pretends to feed Emma bottles and burp her and put her to sleep in the make-believe crib of blankets and pillows. Abby is the protector and leader…Emma is the follower. I love watching their friendship grow more than I ever thought I would, and I look forward to watching it over the next few years.
My favorite photo of 2007
by skye on December 4th, 2007
I have a ton of favorite pictures of Carys from this past year. A lot of serious faces, silly faces, and faces that melt my heart. But now, given everything that has changed for us in the last few weeks, I have to say that this is may favorite picture. We took it the morning she started preschool and she was so excited about magically becoming a big girl. She had no worries, didn’t know what it meant to be away from her parents for so long, and didn’t even ask why? when Daddy was home.
We shelter tham as much as we can, and love them as much as our hearts allow. We can’t always keep things from hurting them, or breaking their little fragile hearts. But I love this little girl more fiercely than I ever thought I could love someone. And this picture just reminds me that love & laughter are all that really matter.
My Favorite WW photo of 2007
by Emily on December 4th, 2007
I love this one. I love that Brooklyn really got into dress up this year. I love the tiny sweet smile on her face, one I don’t see too often : ) I love that this was taken in my grandma’s gardening shed. I am a repeat of my grandma, two generations down. My grandma means a lot to me. I love that she has a glass door knob in her dirty shed; a little fancy in with the hardworking gardener. I love that Brooklyn can enjoy being fancy and love getting down and dirty too.