Typical Day

So I figured that it's my blog & I can vent, complain or rattle on about whatever I want every so often. As opposed to just writing helpful, infromative things all the time. So, today I am just going to run thru what my day was like & it's actually a fairly typical day for me.
This morning I had to work at the church where I work almost part-time as a child care provider. I work providing child care for various church programs about 3 times a week for a few hrs. each time. This particular morning is the only time that one of my kids currently goes with me. My husband took Cameron to school this morning while 1 yr old Emily went w/me. She gets to be in the same room w/me which is for 10-17 mo. old babies. Today, there were 8 of them & there is one other lady who works in there w/me & we stay pretty busy all morning until 12:15. I had to push some cranky babies in a big quadruple stroller (that's right, quadruple!) and the stroller is heavy even w/out four 20 something pound kids in it! I was willing to do whatever it took to get them all to stop crying so, needless to say, I was already feeling wiped out when I left there. After I picked Cameron up from school at 12:30, I let him play outside a little while & then I made lunch for myself & both kids. Then, I played w/both kids until I put Emily down for a nap. I let Cameron watch some PBS kids shows on TV because I was just so tired. I sat on the couch falling asleep until I realized he's watched enough TV & I had to do something else w/him. I wanted to practice his letter writing with him (as in ABCs)& he had actually said earlier that he wanted to do it. Now, he didn't seem so keen on it so, I said we could do it outside. Still, no, he didn't want to. Then I said we could get his tent out & do it there. He said "Yes! Let's do that!" He has a pop-up dinosaur tent that we play in sometimes. I think there's a picture of it on one of my older posts. So I brought a small tray & he some markers & stuff & paper and out we went. I popped open the tent & he did a little of the letter stuff & then just wanted to play. Then I checked inside & Emily was up (talking to herself in the crib) & then I brought her out to play too. My husband was home at this point & I took Emily inside to change her stinky diaper & told Cameron I'd be right back. In the meantime, he decided to break a branch off of his favorite tree (formerly known as "The Happy Tree") -don't ask how he broke it off but, it took some major force. Now the tree will be named the "stay the hell away from me, kid! tree" Anyway, my DH & I were trying to decide if we should go get something to eat or not because it was Friday night & I had nothing planned for dinner. We settled for leftovers at home because it just seemed like too much trouble to go out at this point. I told Cameron that we could take a walk after dinner & he asked if we could walk to the playground in our neighborhood. Like a dummy, I said yes. He was so happy. He didn't want to walk so, I loaded up Emily in my Sit-in-Stand stroller & Cameron climbed on & off we went down the street (just me & the 2 kids)- me once again pushing some kids in a stroller. I should probably mention that I have this re-ocurring pain in my foot that has gotten kind of bad again recently as well as bad neck & shoulder pain. Yes, I know, play your violins. After pushing them in the swings & catching Emily at the bottom of the slide etc, we headed back home. Thankfully, it was now 7PM & time to start getting ready for bed. I took care of Emily & my DH took care of getting Cameron to bed (which is his usual task). I was finally able to settle into my couch for some much needed down time watching Chef Ramsey's "Kitchen Nightmares". The I heard Emily crying out -"Please God, say it isn't so". I waited a couple of minutes & she settled herself back to sleep -yes! Then, I swear, 2 minutes later I hear "Mommy, Mommy" pause "Mommy, Mommy" I go upstairs into Cameron's room & he says "will you sit with me?", which is something he hasn't said in a long time. I said yes & sat on his bed for a few minuutes & told him good night etc. and finally, it was back to "Me" time. By this time, I'm so exhausted that I can't even enjoy it. After Chef Ramsey, I turned off the TV & got on the computer. The next thing I know, I'm writing this post. Now I'm going to bed. Is this really my life? Yep.

Easy Egg Sandwich

If your kids (or you) like eggs, you can make them for more than just breakfast. Sometimes for lunch I make my 4 yr old an egg type of sandwich. I call it an "egg in the nest". Sometimes I'll use an Enlish muffin for the bread but, if I don't have that, I'll use the bottom half of a hamburger bun or even a piece of bread cut into a round shape. Cameron seems to except it more if it's round (like a nest). I toast the bread & at the same time I make the egg in the microwave. I use a ceramic ramekin dish or a small bowl & spray it w/cooking spray first. Then, I crack an egg in it & pierce it w/a fork & stir it just a little (keeps the egg from exploding in the microwave). Then, I microwave the egg on high for 35-45 seconds (depending on your microwave) and place it on the buttered bread (the egg is just like the one in an egg Mc-muffin). I sprinkle a little salt & pepper on it and melt a slice of cheese on top. Cameron really likes this & it's easy to eat. You get a good serving of protein & grains. You can add meat & a top bun or English muffin if you want but, for a little kid, it's usually enough the way it is. With some fruit on the side, it's a really healthy lunch. I make these for myself sometimes too!

Great Magnet Activity for Car Trips

I'm always looking for things to keep the kids occupied on car trips. Sometimes I create my own travel toys. One of my ideas that went over well with my son when he was about 3 1/2 yrs. old was a magnetic activity. He loves animals & loves to play zoo & things like that. I found a set of wooden animal magnets in the toy section at TJ Maxx/Home Goods (they also sell them other places for more $$). Later, I decided to get a magnetic write-on/wipe-off board that he could use as a tray to put the animals on & play with them without them falling all over the place since they're magnetic. They also make other sets of magnets like vehicles & dinosaurs, etc. I figured maybe later I would get him a different set to change things up every now & then. The other bonus is, once you get to your destination, your child can play with them on the fridge too. Cameron really liked them & we have taken them on more than one trip. I keep a bag of travel activities in our hall closet that we only take out when we're going on trips or someplace special. This way, the toys don't lose their novelty. I'll post some more travel ideas later.

Cute Lamp for Girl's Room

So, I was looking for a way to sort of "cuten-up" (yeah, so what, I make up my own expressions) this dumb lamp that I had in my daughter's room. This room is a confusing room because it used to be our guest room & still partly is but, our guests don't actually sleep in there even though there's a double bed in there along with my baby's crib. Well, whatever it's a whole nother story. Anyway, the lamp that was on the bedside table (which, by the way, the bedside table was a cute find from a antique/used furniture place.) was something from my Mother-in-laws house that she didn't need anymore so, my husband brought it home (we've gotten some great things from her -I could do a whole other post on that topic). The lamp base was okay, even though it's painted a sort-of silvery color but, I really didn't like the lampshade. It's okay but, just not right for the room. The room is a Shabby-chic/cottage style kind of room & the lamp style is a little too formal. Well, as luck would have it, I found a real cute lamp shade at a consignment sale for $1.50. I thought it would be so great for Emily's room. When I got it home & tried it out, I realized that it was not the right size for the tall skinny lamp that I was going to put it on. About a week later, I stop at a garage sale & what should a find?..... a cute, white wooden lamp base for $4.00. I put them together & couldn't be happier. The 2 pics reflect the before & after.