Rainbow cupcakes

This week I was inspired by a recipe I found about rainbow cake. I still want to make one but just haven't had the time. In the meantime, the girls and I have been having fun making rainbow cupcakes. Somehow, plain white cake seems to taste so much yummier as rainbow cake. Even my husband, who doesn't like cake, has eaten a few of these this week. Albiet messy and time consuming (both times I've made them have taken me 1.5 hours with clean up!) they are so worth it! Our first try was with green, blue and red and today we made purple, orange, green and red cupcakes. Since my camera has been missing for a while (I know it's here somewhere but haven't figured out where I put it in a couple months!) I've borrowed a pic from someone else's post. The original recipe calls for making the batter from scratch but we've had great success with white cake mix and food coloring. They are a great way to brighten up a cold winter day!

Socks

Anytime I tell someone about my three year olds sock "thing" the reply is usually "oh yeah, I did the same when I was a kid" or "my niece does that" or "my child hates socks too." It's always nice to know that you aren't alone in your challenges as a parent. My three year old hates the seams on socks - hates them. It's always an argument to get her to put them on and then she yells "owwwww, they're hurtinnnn." Then when boots or shoes are put on it compounds the situation and there is crying, squirming, whining and writhing on the floor. She hates the way the socks feel on her feet. As soon as she gets home she takes them off (and most of her clothes as well for that matter!). This morning I rubbed her feet after putting the socks on and that seemed to help a little. Needless to say, I've been on the lookout for seamless socks and even though I'm not sure it will help - I'm willing to try. Anyone else with this little drama?

How clean would you like your house to be?

I don't want it to seem like I don't get out much - but I do have two kids - and quite honestly, when I'm at home, I'm cleaning. I don't enjoy cleaning, but it's one of those things you can do while also playing with your kids, watching tv or listening to the radio. So I guess I don't mind it but when I get home in the evening, in four hours I cram in lots of cleaning and preparing. It is the only thing I can do if I'm going to get any alone time a few times a week. Tonight I've emptied the garbage, cleaned out M's lunch bag, made dinner, emptied the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher, run the dishwasher, wiped the counter, washed snowpants and mittens, bathed both children, made a game out of paper fish - an old fishing rod, string, paperclips and a magnet, and played video games. And bedtime is another story. So I've decided that I'm going to make the most of it and at least try to get to the gym a few times a week. Which leads me to wonder how clean I would like my house to be. More clean than I am fit? The dishes can wait.

I remember when my oldest daughter was a toddler and just learning to speak. I couldn't wait for her to learn to say Momma or Mommy. I wanted her to speak her needs to me, to say "Mommy, may I please have a cookie?" and I would say "Certainly my darling angel, here you go." Ahhh what a fantasy world I lived in - a world of diapers, bottles, nap times and maternity leave. So finally that wonderful day came and I remember my heart filling with joy at hearing her address me as her parent. With the second born I remember withing the same thing. But last night, I was overwhelmed with the word. At one point i thought I would count how many times "Mommy" was said but lost count at four because I was so distracted by their requests! I could easily guess that on any given evening between 5:30 and 8:30 pm, the word "Mommy" is said at least 30 times. At least. Before my youngest could talk, I asked my oldest daughter to call me "Your Highness" in stead of Mommy on some days where I was feeling especially saucy. Some days I tell them to ask Daddy but most of the time their requests fall onto me, the momma of two wonderful little girls who have learned the value of the word "Mommy."

Thoughts while cleaning the tub

While I was cleaning the tub tonight with baking soda, I was delighted yet again by the amazing cleaning power of this stuff! Using a sponge it easily scours away grime and soap scum - without the chemical smell and without having to wait for it to soak in. I don't even buy cleaners for my tub anymore because they just simply don't work as well. I use it on the sinks too, anywhere that grime accumulates. Besides cleaning with baking soda, I realized that there are so many other things our family does to reduce our waste and help the environment, for example:
We are helping our school to produce less waste with "litter-less lunches."
We compost all of our discarded food.
We compost our grass clippings/leaves/dead plants.
We recycle.
We grow some of our own vegetable's and buy local vegetable's/fruits.
We only own one vehicle for our four person family.
We donate our good used clothing to second hand stores.
We observe Earth Day and turn off lights etc. when we leave a room.
I think a lot of people are probably doing these same things in their communities (and more!) and yet we are told it's still not enough. Well I say congratulations to us! We are trying to make a difference! What natural cleaning products do you use?

Happy New Year 2010!

It's almost hard to believe that 10 years ago we were worried about all the computers crashing and various other disasters and here we are - 2010! It's amazing when I think back to how much I've done in the last 9 years. We bought our house in 2000, got married in 2002, had a baby in 2003, had another baby in 2006, bought a mini-van, and I changed where I worked in January 2008.
There have been so many other things but those were the major ones. And here I sit today with a six year old and a three year old (who is currently fighting bed time at 9:47 pm!) and I think I may finally have some time and be organized enough to begin a new phase of my life. At 35 I feel like I'm entering middle age and I'm realizing there is so much I still want to do. I think it's also the beginning of a new year that has me motivated to start some new routines and a healthier lifestyle. Last year I created my own "bucket list" of things I want to achieve...before I'm too old too. I keep reminding myself that I can still learn new things even at 40..afterall...it's the new 20 doncha know. I want to write a book, learn to downhill ski, make exercise part of my daily routine, spend less, work less, visit another country, volunteer more in my community..so many things and so little time to myself. Do you have any New Years resolutions? Any new routines you want to start?