Christmas Creep: tips on getting ready for Christmas before December

Start NOW to check off the Christmas To Do lists!

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year minus that mom's work load/chore list doubled, if not tripled.  Here are some tips to start now. which will give you more family time in December; not to mention alleviating the stress level at least a bit.

• Stock up on freezer meals now or ingredients for your favorite crock pot meals

• Buy and wrap stocking stuffers.  

• Change guest room bedding and towel and give a good deep cleaning

• If not already started, start and finish all the homemade gifts; like my annual grandma calendars gift or photo books.  

• Take the family Christmas picture and write the yearly Christmas letter (great way to do an annual family history)

• Give the family a deadline for their Christmas wish list, mine is November 15

• Make and freeze Christmas foods and treats that can be frozen. *

• Make the neighbor/friend/teacher gift list; research and decide what to give them; make ahead including adding gift tags etc.

• Calendar now all the important Christmas activities including deadline: Cookie Exchange Party, Caroling, Delivering gifts, Santa visit, Christmas Tree outing, shipping Christmas gifts, cousins Gingerbread House making party, ...

• Polish Silver

• Put up Outdoor Christmas light (before the weather turns frigid), just wait until after Thanksgiving or acceptable time for you to turn them on.

• Make any important reservations or pre-orders NOW.

• Make a menu list for the big meals and parties

• Watch the weekly sales and buy whatever is on any of your lists; don't look for just food sales, also remember your gift list and any decorations you are in need of.

• When Turkey goes on sale in November buy 2;one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas (if you serve Turkey for Christmas).

* For example this year I made a double batch of sugar cookies.  Half the batch we used Halloween/fall cookie cutters and the other half Christmas.  We put the un-frosted Christmas cookies into the freezer, all ready to decorate in December.  Another Example I make a Praline Yams that is more like a dessert than a side but hey its the holidays right?  I again double this, one for Thanksgiving and tuck the other pan into the freezer for Christmas (Eve at our house) Dinner.

If this list is overwhelming, just do one thing everyday to prepare for Christmas.  Perhaps today all you have time for is to wash to guest room sheets.  Then every time you go grocery shopping grab one things for stocking stuffers and one extra crock pot meal.

I have the stocking stuffers but have not wrapped them yet.  I decided that my husband gets that job this year, since it was his idea in the first place to wrap them.  The nights he stays up watching his favorite shows I am going to bring out those stuffers.

Good luck and here's to a sane and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Litlle girls hairstyles: The Triple Braid Pony with a Bow

Last week I went out of town and left dad in charge.  I won't lie it was a wonderful break.

Yesterday when I dropped my sweetie off at school my friend told me a funny story.  She said one of the teachers asked her if I was out of town.  My friend said "Yes" and asked how the teacher knew.  The teacher said that my sweetie's hair was the give away.  I was reassured that she was clean and her hair combed but it did not have the flair it usually did.  It made both my husband and me laugh.

Here is a style I did after a week of not doing my sweetie's hair...

Here is how I did it...

First I had to tame the mane with water and detangler.

Then you make a part on one of the far sides.  I chose her right because of her self given hair cut she did on the left side of her head.  The rubber bands need to be closest to the spot where the hair is the shortest. 

Then you need to make a part from the side part all along the top of the head down to the back of the ear.

I grabbed all the hair not in the portion I  parted off and  pulled it into a temporary pony.  To keep it out of the way.

Next I divided the parted portion into three sections.  The section on top being the largest.  Each section is neatly combed into a pony and rubber band.

.

Each pony is then braided to the very end of the hair.  It is especially important to braid the hair near the ear as far as you possibly can.

With the three braids out of the way take the temporary pony out and comb the hair into an offset pony.  It is not on the side of the head.  It is on the back but to the far side of the back of the head.  I hope that makes sense.  Add the three braids and rubber band them all into one pony tail.  It looks like I needed to braid the second braid longer... oops!  At this point I remove the rubberbands that were holding the braids in place.  Obviously I did not remove the second braid rubberband.

Now it is time to make the bow.  I used only long strands of hair.  I left the braided ends out since they are short.  I also grabbed strands from the top of the pony.

I twist the two strands, one in each hand twisting away from me.  I was not able to hold each strand and take the picture but you can see the hair that I had twisted.

I twist them until they make loops.  Then I grab the ends and add them to the original pony

I rubber band them in just under the bow as pictured.

I think it is such a cute pony tail.  My sweetie has naturally curly hair (I'm so jealous, mine is straighter than the straightest 70s style) and so it automatically curls right up.  I think it would be cute straight or with curls though. 

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}