Little Girl's Hairdos

There is a fine line between vanity and, for lack of a better words, letting yourself go, just not caring, frumpy, laziness (all these latter terms I am guilty of more often than not btw).  I believe that girls need to know they are beautiful and not in a vain way.

 It breaks my heart when I see a mom with everything in place... hair, make-up, clothing, jewelry... and her little girl didn't even get her hair combed.  I don't know, but I can not help wonder if the message we are giving our girls in this situation is that they are not important.  Little (and big) girls need to know they are beautiful and vitally important to us.

I know there are insane days where there isn't time to get everyone dolled up but...  let me say it this way.  A few months ago I was at the library and I saw a little girl with her hair darling.  I complimented the mom.  Embarrassed she said "Just don't look at me.  I put a hat on to hide my undone hair." I told her that I admire her for doing her little girl's hair before her own.  If a person only has time to do one, I much prefer to see the child's hair done and the mom's in a hat.

Please forgive the soapbox.  Yes, I can not judge I do not know the full story.  I just feel sad that is all.

Needless to say doing my little girl hair is a HUGE priority for me.  It may be because I had 3 boys first and for a long time did not think I would ever have a chance to dress up a little girl.  It may be because she has the hair I always wanted.  It may be because I am, and have always been, a girly girl (I am finally not ashamed to admit that).  All the above are true but most of all I want her to know she is precious and beautiful to me.

Now that I have made a short post LONG.  I want to share with you from time to time hair styles I do/create on my sweetie (she refers to herself and all children as that, it works for me).

Here are the "tools" I usedThe white bottle with the green label is detangler.  I really like Johnson & Johnson's brand or good old Equate.  Other brands make my Sweetie's hair look greasy. The green bottle is hair gel, this is particular for curly hair.  The tall spray bottle is water, I use water every time I do her hair.

Here are pictures that show how I did it...

 People ask me ALL the time, how I get her to sit still.  Did you notice the computer screen?  Yea, it is called Netflix, YouTube, pbskids.org, and so forth.  I am surprised people think it is so hard.  Every morning my Sweetie asks me, "Can I watch Daniel Tiger and you do my hair?"

Treating PINK EYE {home remedy}

Pink eye is also called CONJUNCTIVITIS and can affect everyone from 0-whatever. It's that yellow, dried-up gooey, crusty substances that glues your eyes shut and makes your eyes red. If you've ever had it, it's miserable, and you want it gone quick!

Instead of drops to get rid of it, I usually use a 50/50 mixture of warm water and Johnson & Johnson's No Tears Baby Shampoo. I rinse out the eyes about 3 times a day for 3-4 days depending on the severity and it clears it right up! I learned this trick from a neighbor of mine. There is an ingredient in the shampoo that kills the bacteria that causes pick eye. The wonderful part about it is that I can put right on the eye area without stinging or screaming from my little baby.

*For infants, I would recommend dipping cotton balls into the solution and wiping baby's eye areas. Use only one cotton ball per wipe since you don't want to re-infect the area.

However, please keep in mind, I'm not a doctor, so if you try this and it doesn't work, there may be something else that is causing the pink eye and you need to go in for a check.

Happy Motherhood!
DeeDee

Smokey Mesquite BBQ Mearball Sliders

I love good food. Who doesn't really?  My opinion is if it not worth the calories, I don’t eat it.  To my kid's chagrin, I do not give them the same luxury.

I prefer to make food from scratch.  It tastes better and it's healthier.  Unfortunately I do not always have the time to cook from scratch.  In fact when my fourth child was born I had to give myself permission to use a box or previously prepared food.   The food snob had a taste of humble pie.

As I search for quick-fix meals, I don't find many worth the calories; such a food snob.  When I do find a good recipe, it is worth its weight in gold.  I believe I'm not alone in this pursuit and want to share with you my discoveries…

I found this recipe and these pictures from Food Family Finds.

Smokey Mesquite BBQ Meatball Sliders 

Her recipe is…

1 pound ground beef

1 Kraft Fresh Take Smokey Mesquite BBQ variety package

1 egg

1/3 pound bacon, chopped

¼ c Kraft Hickory BBQ sauce

3 slices Kraft Big Slice cheddar cheese

12 Hawaiian Rolls

I made a tweak or two that makes this recipe an even QUICKER fix. 

The original recipe requires that you make the meatballs yourself; which is delicious but using store bought prepared meatballs really simplifies and makes this a quick-fix dinner.  On soccer/ scouts/ballet or whatever night this is what I'd do. 

Here's how to make dinner in a flash…

Ingredients

• 24 pre-made meatballs
• Favorite Hickory BBQ sauce
• 1/3 pound bacon, chopped or bacon bits (actually I'd do the whole package*)
• ½ medium onion, sliced 
• Sliced medium cheddar cheese
• 12 dinner rolls/Hamburger buns

Directions

1. Preheat oven according to meatball directions or 375 degrees.  Line a lipped cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and use non-stick spray.
2. Cook according to directions.  My meatballs cook only for 14-16 minutes.
3. While meatballs bake,if not using bacon bits cook bacon. For a quick method I use my Indoor barbecue, like a George Foreman.  I like mine crispy, cook each side 5 minutes. Crumble bacon. 
4. Use a little drippings from the bacon to saute the onions in.  If using bacon bits saute onions in 1 TBSP olive oil.  Saute on medium until translucent. 
5. Slice rolls like a hamburger bun in half horizontally. Add 2 meatballs and drizzle BBQ sauce over top to completely cover meatballs.
6. Over BBQ sauce add sliced cheese, crumbled bacon, and sauteed onions.  Switch oven to Broil and return meatball sliders, without top bun, to the oven about 6-8 inches under broiler. Broil until cheese melts about 2-3 minutes.  (This is a nice touch but if time is OUT you can skip it entirely).
7. Top sliders with the remaining roll tops and ENJOY!

These tips will cut the start to finish time by half, from 40 minutes down to 20.

A few extra thoughts and tips...

• Amounts in this recipe are arbitrary.   When using prepared items you can use 12 meatballs as easily as 24.  Prepare according to family's needs.
• To make this more of a dinner than appetizer, I use hamburger buns.  About 3 to 4 meatballs fit onto a bun. 
• *I would cook a whole package of bacon.  Why make such a mess for only 1/3 cup of bacon. Leftovers can be eaten in sandwiches, on salads, for breakfast or however you fancy. 
• Another super easy way to cook bacon is to bake it.  If you choose to bake bacon, I would put it in the oven first, even before the meatballs. Bake at 400 degrees (here is a dilemma, either you have to bake the bacon at a lower temperature or the meatballs higher or go somewhere in between) for 15 to 20 minutes.  Line the lipped cookie sheet with generous amounts of aluminum foil.  
• If you want a quick side, try tater tots, french fries or similar products cook along with meatballs (this is why I cook the bacon on an indoor BBQ).
• On evenings when dinner is almost ready and you did not get the fries into the oven early enough, You can broil them.  Set oven to broil, place under broiler 6-8 inches and stir every 3-4 minutes.  It cooks them FAST!  I use this tip often.
• If you like the taste of the BBQ sauce a bit caramelized, you can broil the meatballs after you drizzle BBQ sauce onto them but before you add the cheese, bacon and onions.  You won't need to broil them a second time.  The cheese will melt great if you add it right away after broiling the meatballs and BBQ sauce.
• There may be spots on the rolls that do not have meat, cutting the meatballs can help cover more circumference. That can be timely and tedious if you use a knife.  Use scissors and don't worry about them being perfectly cut in half.  No one will see if your meatballss are actually 1/3 and 2/3s, get those scissors out and cut like mad!
• If you're REALLY pressed for time try broiling the meat balls instead of baking.  Check and stir the meatballs every 3-4 minutes and 1-2 minutes as they get closer to being done.

The real magic with this recipe is that everyone in my family likes it, an almost unheard of accomplishment.

Halloween Movies! {G to PG-13}

So, Halloween has to be one of, if not the most, favorite holidays of the year. Starting off the season, my family and I usually make a list of must-see movies to get us in the Halloween spirit.

Consequently, we do this for Christmas as well but do more of a daily countdown to Christmas just like an advent calendar. {I need to reserve that idea for another post!!}

Here are some that SCREAM Halloween! As with anything for your children, please read about it or even watch it yourself before showing it to them. Everyone has different parenting styles and you want to make sure the media you feed them is in line with what you have as a parent. 

31 Halloween Ideas {Simply Creative}

1. Pumpkin Favor Pouches {MarthaStewart}
2. CandyCorn Candles {HGTV}
3. Paper Plate Skeleton {PickUpSomeCreativity}
4. Pumpkin Treat Bags {MarthaStewart}
5. Spider Suckers {iheartnaptime}
6. Skeleton Rocks {HappyHooligans}
7. Haunted Candles {CountryLiving}
8. Halloween Countdown Calendar & Activities {KikiComin}
9. Halloween Wall Vinyls {PrettyHandyGirl}
10. Airhead Monster Cookies {iheartnaptime}
11. Scary Messages {MarthaStewart}
12. Boo-tastic Fabric Wrapped Letters {MakeAndTakes}
13. Halloween Magnetic Board {iheartnaptime}
14. Hanging Ghosts {HGTV}
15. Kids Halloween Garland {iKatBag}
16. Halloween Dropper Prints {Jennwa}
17. Halloween Wreath {CraftaholicsAnonymous}
18. Scare Mail {BowerPowerBlog}
19. Halloween Spider Garland {MarthaStewart}
20. Halloween Salt Dough Magnets {ChildhoodBeckons}
21. Haunted Houses {LittleLovely}
22. Spooky Spoons {CraftBits}
23. Creepy Drapes {HGTV}
24. Flying Bats {DanaMadeIt}
25. Halloween Candy Wrappers {iheartnaptime}
26. Jack-o-Lantern Candles {CountryLiving}
27. Creepy Candy Containers {Martha Stewart}
28. Spooky Porch Skulls {HGTV}
29. Pumpkin Bandits {AllYou}
30. Homemade Feather Epaulets {CountryLiving}
31. Halloween Grass Stencils {KidSpot}