Reston Mom

our littlest monkey

It's hard to believe she'll soon be 4 months old!  And it's hard to believe that Hope was once that small. The time flies and we're having fun!

strategies at home: family points

We're trying something new.  Every once in a while parenting calls for being a bit creative.  So we've started something called "family points" for our girls for a little while.  The basic idea is to teach them that being in a family is being part of a team and we all need to work together and think beyond just ourselves.

I have a running tally of points on our kitchen chalkboard.  The girls earn points by actions that benefit an orderly and peaceful home, likewise they lose points by actions that result in chaos or offense.  The reward of our "teamwork" (the goal right now being 25 pts.) is something fun for the family to do together - specifically, we get to go choose a board game to purchase and spend time playing together.

Some examples of ways the girls are earning points right now are clearing their dishes from the table after meals (something they already know they are supposed to do but occasionally still forget), tidying their areas (bedroom and playroom), resolving arguments peaceably, being helpful during outings (such as to the grocery store), helping each other and other family members, speaking with nice tones and politeness, etc...

I deduct points for failing in the areas I mentioned above and things like screaming, calling to me from all the way across the house, being rude, or when I have to clean up after them, etc.

So far so good.  We haven't reached our goal yet...the points go up and the points go down.  Might not work for everyone, but for us it seems to actually be helping the girls clue in on family as a team and seeing a bigger picture than just themselves.  

I'll let you know how it goes and when we get that new game!

Print your canvas

I love this site, printyourcanvas.com- where you can send in a photo and have them print it on canvas in one of a variety of styles.  If I could afford it right now, I'd totally do one of each of my kids - though I'd have difficulty deciding between Opie and Che styles (both of which I think my girls would look totally cute in!) - though I do also like the Obama and for more traditional tastes there is also the option of a nice hand-done oil painting (among others). I think it would be really fun and very unique to do a wedding portrait in one of the contemporary styles too. 

Welcome to the party, Kim!

Kim has joined our little Recipe Party here ( I hope you will "join the yum" too - we're having great fun! ) and she has tried one of YOUR recipes - this is what makes this so great!  Here is what she had to say:

 "So I finally had a chance to jump into the recipe party and what a wonderful treat I found! Beth's sausage and potato soup was so creamy and comforting - I just made a giant pot full this evening and am already looking forward to the leftovers - yum!"

 

Kim has sent me a recipe for a raspberry ripple cake that already has my mouth watering! So keep an eye out for that recipe coming soon - but remember there are plenty of great ones here to try and we'd love your own opinions about them or even your own tips on how to improve them! 

Alexandra's carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

When Alexandra joined this summer's Recipe Party and sent me a recipe for carrot cake, I'm sure she had no idea that my husband loves carrot cake or that I was on the hunt for a good recipe.  This recipe fulfills both needs - tasty and easy.  Alexandra claimed that for her family, this was the best carrot cake recipe out there.  I think the things that make this a really delightful recipe are that there is nothing really fancy about it - no pineapple or coconut or frills or lace, just straightforward carrot cake that still somehow manages to be super moist and delicious. 

We made cupcakes (makes a little more than 24) instead of a large cake and they were still super moist and tender.  However, we left out the walnuts (though I would have enjoyed them, but my kids don't like them), and we also used butter instead of margarine in the frosting.  Thanks Alexandra for a great recipe!

WHAT YOU NEED:

CAKE -

4 eggs

1 1/4 C vegetable oil

2 C white sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 C all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

3 cups grated carrot (just run a 1 lb bag of baby carrots through the shredding disc of your food processor - it will equal a little over 3 C, and you don't have to peel carrots)

1 C chopped walnuts

ICING-

1 stick margarine - softened

1 8oz brick cream cheese - softened

1 1lb bag/box of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

extra walnuts to sprinkle on top of cake

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9x13 in. pan

Mix together wet ingredients plus sugar

Mix together dry ingredients

MIx wet and dry ingredients together

pour into pan and bake for approx. 55 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

cool cake completely in pan

With an electric mixer, beat the icing ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Frost the cooled cake and sprinkle with extra walnuts. 

cuddle bug kids

A long time friend of mine has opened an Etsy shop - Cuddle Bug Kids - featuring her beautiful products designed especially to provide structure and sensory support to kids with ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome, PPD-NOS, and Sensory Integration Disorder.  

Her weighted stuffed animals and lap blankets are not only beautifully homemade but totally cute!  You'll also find great reading pillows and hand toys/fidgets. 

Also, you can purchase neat visual schedules for home and school.  

Beth's recipe for Sausage and Potato Soup

I love soup!  I was excited when Beth sent me this recipe for our Recipe Party.  I made it for dinner yesterday when I wasn't feeling well.  It really hit the spot!  You can't help but love a recipe that is easy to make, uses regular household ingredients and turns out so yummy!  A bowl of this and maybe some nice bread would make a satisfying meal anytime.

I'm really enjoying adding some great new recipes to my repertoire - I know you will too, so don't forget to join the recipe party if you haven't already, or go ahead and join again!

WHAT YOU NEED:

3 italian sausages (sweet or spicy), removed from casing

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 carrots, sliced or chopped

2 cans chicken broth

2-3 potatoes, cubed

1 C milk (2% or whole for best results)

2 C baby spinach (or kale)

Italian cheese

WHAT TO DO:

Brown sausage in a stock pot.  Add and saute onion, garlic, and carrots.  Drain fat if necessary.  Add chicken broth.  Bring to a boil.  Add potatoes and simmer until tender, 15-20 min.  Mash potatoes in soup briefly with a potato masher to break down.  Add milk and spinach and simmer for 5-10 min. until spinach has wilted down.  Top individual bowls with cheese if desired.

determination

It is fun to discover how each of my children are uniquely made - they are all so different.  I'm constantly trying to clue in to them as individuals so that I can do my best to parent each of them.  Even at 3 months, Ami is starting to reveal little things about her own personality. Look how determined she is! Check out her little cross-eyed stare, and the pursed lips (she sucks on her own tongue when she is focused like this) - I can't help but cheer her on! (she did eventually get the toy) - oh, and sorry about that noise in the background, not sure what it is - must have had the dishwasher on or something.

baby bangs - hair + headband

We never had this problem, all of our girls were born with a ton of hair.  Still, I find these baby bangs hilarious.  I guess I'm not supposed to, obviously the inventor means business here and maybe some parents would really be into this - but I think bald babies are cute, even if unobservant people sometimes mistake your little girl for a baby boy.  Is it just me or is it ridiculous for a small child to have an artificial hair piece?  Something akin to those crazy pagent moms or not?  What do you think?  

I have to admit, it really does make me smile and chuckle - the kids are so cute.  I guess it's not much more weird than the ways we dress them up for pictures and holidays and Halloween, now is it?  

(please visit the site for photos, they are strongly copyrighted and I didn't want to infringe, but you must see them!!!!!!)

Carnitine

After Ami's birth, the usual heel prick was taken to run all of the  various metabolic tests.  One test came back abnormal - her carnitine levels were slightly low.  Huh?  Apparently, carnitine - present in nearly all cells of the body, is critical for energy production. 

We had her tested a second time - levels still slightly low, so she was put on a carnitine supplement and we made an appointment to see a geneticist at Children's Hospital in D.C. to do further testing to rule out or diagnose a rare Carnitine Uptake Disorder.

It turns out, as it does most often, that the mother (that's me) has low levels of carnitine - and being a nursing mother, my baby is solely dependent upon me for nutrition - thus her own low levels.  Now I'm the one taking the supplement.  The doctor said that frequently the mom doesn't realize her own symptoms and so never really knows until something like having a baby reveals it.  

"Do you frequently feel tired?" she asks me - "um, yeah, I'm tired all the time - but I have three little kids!"

The funny thing about carnitine is that, though I will be taking pharmaceutical grade supplements, it can be bought over the counter at places like GNC and is found in various 'energy" foods.  Carnitine is often promoted as an aid for weight loss, to improve exercise performance, and to enhance a sense of well-being - although it hasn't proven highly successful in any one of these areas.  

I never really gave thought to the importance of that heel prick before - but after seeing the run down of possible metabolic issues, I sure am glad that they do that kind of testing.  And luckily, the issue was a very simple one for us and the baby is perfectly healthy.  And who knows? maybe, just maybe, I'll find out that correcting this deficiency will lend me a little tiny boost of energy - and what mother wouldn't be interested in that?