It is no secret that I am a huge Kate Gosselin fan. I have loved watching her children grow from the very first season of Jon and Kate Plus 8, I devoured her book Multiple Blessings, can watch old episodes in marathon form, and felt like I needed to reach out to her, like I would a good friend, when the couple split. I have never been able to understand the amount of hatred the mom of eight has seemed to stir up in the blogging world, and I have no intention of going there, so let's not even think about it, okay?
To be honest, however, I went threw a "cooling off" period and couldn't bring myself to watch the show for awhile and I was mad that her book Eight Little Faces was pretty much ruined for me because of the drama playing out in the media, so I never bothered to read it, or her book I Just Want You To Know. That is until I saw it on a library shelf last week and decided to pick it up.
Once I started to read it, I couldn't put it down. Kate tells stories about the kids and how they survived those toddler years with six 2-year-olds and 2 six-year-olds--which is right when the show took off and I loved it! The most beautiful part of the book, however, is the letters she has written to her children. I really thought that part of the book would be boring, but I found myself getting misty eyed while reading them. It touched me so much, that I have decided to write my own letters to my own children.
I think it would be a great idea to write letters to my kids at different stages in their lives--like how Jonathan has started school and how Tyler is learning to crawl. Kate tells each child their birth story and how she felt when she brought them home--which is something I don't think I have shared with my oldest son yet. I am sure he would love to hear that story!
I have no idea whether or not my boys will be interested in reading them when they get older, but I know I'll read them over and over. Not to mention, I think it would be great therapy for me! The letters came from Kate's journal, which is something that has never occurred to me to do as an adult. I know, duh. I used to journal all the time when I was younger, why hasn't it ever occurred to me to do it as a mother? I could certainly use some time for myself and it would be a great tool to help me sort through my thoughts. So I have declared to journal about my kids at least once a week, starting today!
Dear Jonathan,
Yesterday your baby brother and I decided to wait for your school bus outside. It was such a beautiful October day--it was almost 80 degrees! You were so cute running off the bus to greet us! I love how you look in your little uniform and how you look so grown up carrying your backpack. You decided to eat the apple that you didn't have time to eat at lunch and plopped yourself down in the grass under the tree in our front yard. Tyler was so excited to see you that he crawled through the grass to get to you and you giggled with delight. You are such a great big brother! I love you so much!
Mommy
Dear Tyler,
You are really getting mobile little one! You always know exactly what you are not supposed to get into and you head right for it. Just before you reach for it, however, you turn back to look at me and wait for me to say, "no, no" and then you turn around, with a little smile, and bolt right for it! Jonathan's backpack is your favorite thing to get ahold of--and any shoe you can find. You are such a happy baby and are quick with a smile. I love you so much!
Mommy
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Military Mail Call
Martin's, a local grocery store chain, has a wonderful program aimed at making sure our troops receive letters from home called Military Mail Call. The store has partnered with Camouflage Kids and Blue Star Mothers for the drive's second year of operation. Camouflage Kids was founded by former Notre Dame basketball coach, Jeff Nix, and supports the children of military parents while Blue Star Mothers is a support group for parents who have a son or daughter in the military.
Dave Mayfield, the store's advertising manger, told me that the whole program started when the supermarket decided to change its marketing material, which left old signs that could no longer be used in the store. Not wanting them to go to waste, Mayfield hit the pavement to visit area schools to see if students would be willing to use the signs as cards to send to troops. The program was off and running and over 28,000 cards were collected! The effort was so successful that it grabbed the attention of Washington D.C.'s Smithsonian Institution, whose researchers have asked for materials to include in a future exhibit planned for a National Postal Museum.
Blank cards are currently available in all of Martin's stores as well as a collection box marked Military Mail Call. Everyone is encouraged to take part and if you are part of an organization that would like to participate, you can contact your nearest store for a supply of blank cards. Since it takes so long for the mail to travel, however, all cards must be turned in by October 15th. That's so troops will be ensured to get something for the upcoming holidays.
photo taken from WNDU.com
Dave Mayfield, the store's advertising manger, told me that the whole program started when the supermarket decided to change its marketing material, which left old signs that could no longer be used in the store. Not wanting them to go to waste, Mayfield hit the pavement to visit area schools to see if students would be willing to use the signs as cards to send to troops. The program was off and running and over 28,000 cards were collected! The effort was so successful that it grabbed the attention of Washington D.C.'s Smithsonian Institution, whose researchers have asked for materials to include in a future exhibit planned for a National Postal Museum.
Blank cards are currently available in all of Martin's stores as well as a collection box marked Military Mail Call. Everyone is encouraged to take part and if you are part of an organization that would like to participate, you can contact your nearest store for a supply of blank cards. Since it takes so long for the mail to travel, however, all cards must be turned in by October 15th. That's so troops will be ensured to get something for the upcoming holidays.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Put Me In Coach!
Perhaps I am the most naive person in the world, or the most oblivious, but I really did not expect to have issues with my precious son in Kindergarten. He has been in daycare since he was 8-months-old--right when he got a little too active for me to be taking him to work with me on a daily basis, because that's what I did for months. Once he turned 2, I starting working only part-time so that I could be home with him more and try to nurture his little personality and mind. He still went to daycare, though for half the day and when he turned 3, I made sure I enrolled him in an educationally focused center. I kept hearing about how important it was to socialize him before he reached Kindergarten, so I thought daycare was a good option for both him and for me.
We had a blast those preschool years! I even subbed for the daycare and would often go to work there when getting off the air. I got to know everyone that worked there and all the kids in his classroom. I thought I had a pretty good handle on my son's social skills, educational abilities, and behavioral aptitude and how he compared to the other students. (Isn't that a natural thing for a mother to do?). I thought my youngster was above average educationally, made friends easily, listened to and respected his teacher, and even though an occasional time-out was needed, be behaved pretty well.
You can imagine my surprise, or shear astonishment, when my son started bringing home notes from school. Every week since school has started, he has brought home at least one note per week--sometimes two. His offenses?
Talking to the kid behind him during "centers," playing in the restroom, talking in line, making noise during "rest" time, and talking during circle time. "Really?" I thought. "They send notes home for this stuff?" Yep.
I guess we had that socializing thing down!
Now, I will be the first to admit my kiddo is not perfect, whose is? And I agree that my husband and I needed to be notified when he tried to cut a little girl's hair with his scissors. Turns out she was bugging him and he decided to take matters into his own hands--and I was devastated.
In fact, I have been so taken aback by all of this, that I decided it was time to meet with the teacher to see exactly what was going on. When I told her that I was rather surprised by all of this because "he behaved really well in preschool," her response to me was, "Well, this is a whole new ballgame!"
Now, since my husband is a teacher, I know the pressures teachers face to get through the curriculum they are expected to by the end of the year, but I had no idea that Kindergarten would be so stressful! Or, just how fast my 5-year-old was expected to "grow up" and expected to sit still all the time and never utter a word while working on his worksheets in class. I had trouble with that myself (shocker, I know! I only talk for a living!) when I was in junior high!
This all just seems a little too fast too soon. I really don't know what else to do, but to once again make my presence know in his classroom. It seemed to work in preschool...so today is my first day being a room mom. If this is a "whole new ballgame," I say, "put me in coach, I'm ready to play!"
We had a blast those preschool years! I even subbed for the daycare and would often go to work there when getting off the air. I got to know everyone that worked there and all the kids in his classroom. I thought I had a pretty good handle on my son's social skills, educational abilities, and behavioral aptitude and how he compared to the other students. (Isn't that a natural thing for a mother to do?). I thought my youngster was above average educationally, made friends easily, listened to and respected his teacher, and even though an occasional time-out was needed, be behaved pretty well.
You can imagine my surprise, or shear astonishment, when my son started bringing home notes from school. Every week since school has started, he has brought home at least one note per week--sometimes two. His offenses?
Talking to the kid behind him during "centers," playing in the restroom, talking in line, making noise during "rest" time, and talking during circle time. "Really?" I thought. "They send notes home for this stuff?" Yep.
I guess we had that socializing thing down!
Now, I will be the first to admit my kiddo is not perfect, whose is? And I agree that my husband and I needed to be notified when he tried to cut a little girl's hair with his scissors. Turns out she was bugging him and he decided to take matters into his own hands--and I was devastated.
In fact, I have been so taken aback by all of this, that I decided it was time to meet with the teacher to see exactly what was going on. When I told her that I was rather surprised by all of this because "he behaved really well in preschool," her response to me was, "Well, this is a whole new ballgame!"
Now, since my husband is a teacher, I know the pressures teachers face to get through the curriculum they are expected to by the end of the year, but I had no idea that Kindergarten would be so stressful! Or, just how fast my 5-year-old was expected to "grow up" and expected to sit still all the time and never utter a word while working on his worksheets in class. I had trouble with that myself (shocker, I know! I only talk for a living!) when I was in junior high!
This all just seems a little too fast too soon. I really don't know what else to do, but to once again make my presence know in his classroom. It seemed to work in preschool...so today is my first day being a room mom. If this is a "whole new ballgame," I say, "put me in coach, I'm ready to play!"
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tori's Cabbage Rolls
Last week I posted how I found the most gorgeous head of cabbage at the farmer's market that I just had to buy. After it sat on my table for awhile I got to thinking about what I could cook with it. I love cabbage, but the hubby and kiddo do not really share my taste, so I often overlook cooking with cabbage.
I know that my mom can make a mean stuffed cabbage meal, but I have never attempted to make it on my own. After sharing this info with a co-worker, she shared a wonderful recipe with me that I just had to try! Let's call it "Tori's Cabbage Rolls" and here is the recipe.
1 head of cabbage
2 packages of Kielbasa sausage (I used smoked sausage because I know the clan with eat that).
2 cans of sauerkraut
1 large can of V8 or vegetable juice
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup of rice
1 egg
Fill a pot with water to boil. Peel the cabbage leaves from the head of cabbage and rinse them well. Once the pot of water is boiling, add the cabbage leaves 2 at a time and let them boil for 5 minutes each. Remove them and allow them to dry on paper towels.
While the cabbage leaves are drying, mix the raw hamburger with the rice and egg. Next, place one package of the sausage on the bottom of a 9X12 baking dish. Once the cabbage leaves have dried, place a large spoonful of the meat mixture in the center of a cabbage leaf and tuck in the ends of the leaf, then roll it. Repeat with the other cabbage leaves.
I know that my mom can make a mean stuffed cabbage meal, but I have never attempted to make it on my own. After sharing this info with a co-worker, she shared a wonderful recipe with me that I just had to try! Let's call it "Tori's Cabbage Rolls" and here is the recipe.
1 head of cabbage
2 packages of Kielbasa sausage (I used smoked sausage because I know the clan with eat that).
2 cans of sauerkraut
1 large can of V8 or vegetable juice
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup of rice
1 egg
Fill a pot with water to boil. Peel the cabbage leaves from the head of cabbage and rinse them well. Once the pot of water is boiling, add the cabbage leaves 2 at a time and let them boil for 5 minutes each. Remove them and allow them to dry on paper towels.
While the cabbage leaves are drying, mix the raw hamburger with the rice and egg. Next, place one package of the sausage on the bottom of a 9X12 baking dish. Once the cabbage leaves have dried, place a large spoonful of the meat mixture in the center of a cabbage leaf and tuck in the ends of the leaf, then roll it. Repeat with the other cabbage leaves.
Once all of the leaves are rolled, start placing them on top of the sausage laid out in the pan. Cover the cabbage rolls with sauerkraut. Then, do another layer of sausage, rolls, and sauerkraut. Next, pour the V8 juice over the whole dish.
Bake, covered, at 325 for about 3-4 hours.
This was a wonderful fall meal that was gobbled up by not only me, but my husand and son, who were less than excited about me making this for dinner. I think I might have turned them on to cabbage! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Tori!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Postmarked 1984
I had the most delightful surprise while cleaning my basement recently. I have been trying to get ready for a garage sale and to get rid of some of the things that have been thrown downstairs because I didn't know what else to do with them. I found things I hadn't used in years, or things that I have had for years and never used. I found some really great things to put into a garage sale...and something else.
I found this postcard from my childhood neighbor who was such a great friend.
Now, before you start thinking that I have moved this postcard from one radio gig to another--radio people move a lot--I should let you know that my mom and given me a box of my stuff that she had been hanging onto in my parents' attic.
Can you believe that this postcard is post marked July 31, 1984? My friend had gone on a family vacation and had sent me back this postcard. This would have been the summer before I went into 5th grade and she went into 7th grade. We always hated it when family vacation time rolled around because we knew that would be a week out of our summer that we wouldn't be able to ride bikes together, have picnic lunches, play fashion designers, or work one of the various "clubs" we had created.
I remember one time our 10-speed handle bars got stuck together when we were goofing around while we were bike riding. I think we were trying to see how close we could get our bikes when we ended up locked tight. Talk about panicking! I ended up slamming on my brakes to get unstuck and I flew over the handle bars and landed smack dab on the road. That was before anyone even thought about putting on a bike helmet.
The club part of the postcard cracked me up! Seems as if we were always creating a club just so that we could be the president. When we would get tired of being the president, it was the other person' s turn to think of a club idea and be its president. It usually meant we sat around and played with stickers or made a "hideout" to have our meetings.
Such great memories! Now that social media has allowed us to stay connected to so many people, I was able to share my find with her and she was able to reminisce about our childhood adventures too. It is so great to now share photos of our children and stories of our lives. And old postcards from the past.
I found this postcard from my childhood neighbor who was such a great friend.
Now, before you start thinking that I have moved this postcard from one radio gig to another--radio people move a lot--I should let you know that my mom and given me a box of my stuff that she had been hanging onto in my parents' attic.
Can you believe that this postcard is post marked July 31, 1984? My friend had gone on a family vacation and had sent me back this postcard. This would have been the summer before I went into 5th grade and she went into 7th grade. We always hated it when family vacation time rolled around because we knew that would be a week out of our summer that we wouldn't be able to ride bikes together, have picnic lunches, play fashion designers, or work one of the various "clubs" we had created.
I remember one time our 10-speed handle bars got stuck together when we were goofing around while we were bike riding. I think we were trying to see how close we could get our bikes when we ended up locked tight. Talk about panicking! I ended up slamming on my brakes to get unstuck and I flew over the handle bars and landed smack dab on the road. That was before anyone even thought about putting on a bike helmet.
The club part of the postcard cracked me up! Seems as if we were always creating a club just so that we could be the president. When we would get tired of being the president, it was the other person' s turn to think of a club idea and be its president. It usually meant we sat around and played with stickers or made a "hideout" to have our meetings.
Such great memories! Now that social media has allowed us to stay connected to so many people, I was able to share my find with her and she was able to reminisce about our childhood adventures too. It is so great to now share photos of our children and stories of our lives. And old postcards from the past.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Starting October With A Pumpkin Project
A couple of years ago, my son's preschool teacher came up with a great idea for the school's Halloween party. I was inspired to recreate the marshmallow pumpkin centerpiece for a Halloween party my son and I attended later that year. I thought that I would share the idea again, because many of us are gearing up for those Halloween parties.
It is such a great snack for little ones! They can simple grab a marshmallow and eat it off the stick to avoid sticky hands--something younger children don't like and moms don't like to clean. Of course, all of this is done under adult supervision. We are talking about sticks here!
It is really easy to do and makes a great statement! I simply bought a bag of large marshmallows and dipped them in melted chocolate. I did that by melting some baking chips in the microwave. Once the marshmallows were dipped (with some help from my little guy) they were placed on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. That's when Jonathan went to town with the sprinkles! We then placed the cookie sheet in the fridge for a few minutes to let the chocolate set. Once the candy had hardened we were ready to get out the skewers.
We poked the marshmallows to the flat end of the skewer then speared the skewers into the pumpkin. Around we went and before you knew it we were done! The kids had a ball pulling out the sticks with a tasty treat on the other end. This was also a blast to make with my then preschooler! He really enjoys it any time he gets to help out in the kitchen.
When the party was over, we decided to let Daddy in on the fun and gut out the pumpkin in order to hammer in more holes to turn into a great jack-o-lantern!
It was great to re purpose the pumpkin and it lit up beautifully on our front porch!
It is such a great snack for little ones! They can simple grab a marshmallow and eat it off the stick to avoid sticky hands--something younger children don't like and moms don't like to clean. Of course, all of this is done under adult supervision. We are talking about sticks here!
It is really easy to do and makes a great statement! I simply bought a bag of large marshmallows and dipped them in melted chocolate. I did that by melting some baking chips in the microwave. Once the marshmallows were dipped (with some help from my little guy) they were placed on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. That's when Jonathan went to town with the sprinkles! We then placed the cookie sheet in the fridge for a few minutes to let the chocolate set. Once the candy had hardened we were ready to get out the skewers.
We poked the marshmallows to the flat end of the skewer then speared the skewers into the pumpkin. Around we went and before you knew it we were done! The kids had a ball pulling out the sticks with a tasty treat on the other end. This was also a blast to make with my then preschooler! He really enjoys it any time he gets to help out in the kitchen.
When the party was over, we decided to let Daddy in on the fun and gut out the pumpkin in order to hammer in more holes to turn into a great jack-o-lantern!
It was great to re purpose the pumpkin and it lit up beautifully on our front porch!
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