Applesauce

Applesauce in a house with a 3 year old is like a staple food. If you don't have applesauce on hand you might as well be prepped for a melt down. Because when a strong willed preschooler is asking for applesauce that means he wants applesauce and he wants it NOW.
Of course this happened to me the other day. For some reason when I went to the grocery store I walked right by the applesauce. Even though Zack saw it and was asking for it I was convinced we had some at home. So like any good mother would say to calm a tantrum "Zack mama has applesauce at home, I promise you will get some as soon as we get back." This calmed Zack and he then focused his energy on his brothers giraffe while Eli slept in my Boba. Anyway we get home I put all the groceries away, change Elis diaper, make Zack go pee pee, feed Eli, and finally put him down for a nap. I remember I made a promise to Zack to give him applesauce for snack time so since it was almost 3pm I figured I would get it for him. Well I open the cabinet it's not there, of course! Steven must have put it in the fridge like he usually does....nope not there either. Oh geez....I quickly squat down hoping he hasn't seen me rummaging through the kitchen. I can still hear his leap pad playing in the living room. Slowly I creep to gate hoping to sneak out and pretend I never made such a promise and just have Steven pick it up on his way home. I slowly lift my head to check around the corner and look who is standing right there in front of me with a very confused look on his face. I swear he was thinking "she has really gone crazy this time. I have finally made her go crazy." I smile awkwardly into that face and say "Hi Zack...peekaboo!" He gets a big smile on his face and I swear he knows just by the menacing look in his eye he says

"Mama, I want applesauce. You promise."

Okay now to start thinking in stealth mode here. I remember for a moment that we have apples. "Hey Zack you want an apple?"

"No Mama I want applesauce. You promise"

There has to be something...anything "Hey Zack you want yogurt?" (It's worth a shot right)

"No mama! I WANT APPLESAUCE! PROMISE!"

Think think think Lina.....Think! LIGHT BULB! I bought a bag of apples today. I will make him some homemade applesauce.

And I did. Here is the recipe below it came out super good and made a lot! I think we are going to just make big batches from now on.

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. (Make sure you use a good cooking apple like Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh, or Gravenstein.)
• 4 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths
• Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp
• 3 inches of cinnamon stick
• 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
• up to 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

 Directions:

1 Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

2 Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher.

You can serve it either hot or cold. It tastes awesome over ice cream! Almost like an apple pie. Not to mention your house will smell great all day. 

You can also freeze it for up to a year. Sounds perfect to me!

The original recipe was found at...
http://simplyrecipes.com
I made the applesauce word for word from the site.

Ch-ch-ch-changes.

I apologize for the rapid amount of changes I have made recently. As you can probably tell our blog has been renamed once again. No real reason except for it's an available domain name and I found out mama keeps dancing was bought. The other changes are the different pages at the top of the blog. We have
-Parenting
-Food
-For the Home
-Daddys Corner
-Supermoms
Yes Steven is going to start putting in his two cents. The others are pretty self explanatory they are pretty much an easy way to organize my posts for easy findings on your part. Then there's the supermoms tab. This one makes me really excited! I already have a few Moms in line to interview for this one. I am just showcasing other Supermoms that I know and I feel their stories should be heard. So keep your eyes peeled for the first one.


Now here's the big one....Japan. It's like literally right around the corner and I am secretly freaking out on the inside. I don't think the reality has totally hit me yet. I don't think it will until we are flying over the pacific ocean, halfway there that I will really realize that we are going to be in Japan for 3 years. On a brighter note we will be visiting New Mexico really soon. The boys and I actually leave on February 15th for this adventure and we will be there for about 2 months. I am mostly excited that I finally get to meet my brothers fiance (future best sister ever) and will get to see them get married. I love my big brother and I am very excited to see him marry such a wonderful person.

So yes so many changes in the coming months but we are very excited to enjoy the journey of it all.

Boys-Compare

I have been having a whole lot of fun with my camera lately. Of course when I decide to get back  into the whole thing my favorite editing site decides to shut down. So I have until April 19th to find something better or somewhat similar. I honestly don't think anything can top picnik unless I want to spend a lot of money for photoshop or aperture. I am just not ready for that investment quite yet.

I was just browsing at old posts and I realized...Eli needs more pictures so yesterday I pulled out my black background and took some great shots of the little man. Then of course I had way too much fun editing them in picnik.

Then it dawned on me how similar my boys are or were. Well Eli looks a lot like Zack when he was a baby in a lot of ways. But they also look really different. Yeah confusing...I know but I see a lot of Steven in Eli and Zack looks a lot like me. So I dug up some pictures of Zack from when he was about Eli's age. I think Zack was about 4 months in these pictures.

 













And this is my Zack now....

They grow way too fast don't they?

Review-Glee

Recently I have found a new love for a wonderful show on Fox called Glee. Maybe you have heard of it? If not let me fill you in. The shows follows the Glee Club students of McKinley High School. They for one have amazing talent. I mean Rachel Berry played by Lea Michele is just flawless. When she sings you will literally get goosebumps. It's not just the voices that stand out to me it's the positive outlook the show provides. They show these kids getting bullied and hated on all the time but they always find a way to pick themselves back up and go back to being fabulous. They are accepting of everyone whether they are gay, disabled, fat, and even the bad singers. It's just very inspiring for me.

I used to be in choir and theater and was always a very open and out going person. After getting married and having kids my mind kind of wandered away from my true personality. I became shy and uncertain of myself. I felt awkward in most situations because all I knew was changing diapers and playing peek-a-boo. I heard of Glee and didn't think much of it until recently I watched the first episode and I was hooked. I don't really get into too many shows. Steven and I love Dexter and Walking Dead but that's about it. So for me to actually sit and watch the first 2 seasons in one week is kind of a big deal. I feel that I am back to normal again that having this show has given me the confidence to step out of myself and well....be me again.

Every Mom needs her own Glee. Whether it be in books, a new hobby, tv show, etc. We all deserve a little something for ourselves. Something that can fully make us happy and feel good. I am sure you love your kiddos more than Jelly loves Peanut Butter but we can all agree that we need time away every once in awhile. Luckily for me I enjoy a nice hot bath with a glass of wine and my tablet watching one of my shows or even reading a great book. The video below is teaser for the next episode which airs next Tuesday. It is dedicated to the great Michael Jackson.

Brothers

The boys are still very young but they are already best friends. It's just so cute seeing them interact with each other. Eli isn't really mobile but loves just being around hi big brother. Zack will lay on the floor with him and read him a book or when Eli is in his jumperoo Zack will jump in front of him or sing to him. Eli thinks all this is absolutely hilarious. I have never heard him laugh so hard when Zack is making him laugh. I can just picture their futures together driving me crazy but all in all just having fun.

Dr. Mom/ Boogers

Boogers.

What can I honestly say about boogers? I guess you can say they are like pringles, because "once you pop the fun won't stop." Except boogers are not fun, they're not even close being remotely fun. They are goopy and runny. Then just when you think they couldn't get worse than goopy and runny they dry quick. Like quicker than quick. If I could compare quick dry cement to boogers on which one dries the quickest...boogers would win.

This week we were infested with a case of the boogies. Everyone had it and 2 of us still do. The 2 that are still blowing snot bubbles is of course Zack and Eli. Now boogies don't bother me if let's say I have them or even Steven. It's when the kids have them that those little nasty goopy and runny things really get to me.
1. Kids don't know what to do about them.
2. Their first inclination is to pick them out and EAT THEM! Yuck!
3. They can't blow their nose and if their like Zack, who is still learning the art of blowing his nose, will breathe in or make a big farting noise with his mouth.
4. By the time you get to them armed with kleenex the boogies are already all over their hands, hair, and face. One time I even found some on Zacks foot. Seriously...was your foot the best place to wipe a booger?

Like I said we were all having congestion issues this week. Zack and Eli were full of nasty boogers and all we could do was go through 4 boxes of kleenex to prevent and rashes from forming on their upper lips. Of course all the wiping still caused some redness and irritation. To help with this irritation we are applying desitin clear to the spot and it's working like magic. It's just a thinner less abrasive vaseline for sensitive skin with the desitin brand name on it. All that matters to me is it works.

Next time you're plagued with the terrible boogers here's some tips.
-Dab don't wipe

-For babies, suck the boogers out before they become an issue. Use the bulb syringe you got at the hospital.
-Change your air filter it could be bad air affecting your nose.
-Stock up on saline is the most important tip. It just really helps with keeping your nose clear.

Hope this season you all stay booger free but if you're a mom like me we all that is impossible. 

All my love,

Lina

xoxo

Christmas Eve!

This year Zack has had an obsession with Busch Gardens. He loves that place so much that when we head to Williamsburg we can't take the short route because he can see the roller coasters from the road. Then of course we are stuck dealing with a heartbroken 3 year old who just wanted to go to Busch Gardens but can't because it's now closed for the season. Being a kid is so hard these days. Anyway, every year they do a thing called Christmastown where it pretty much gets transformed into a Christmastown. Lights are everywhere, Santa's workshop is open for visitors, and if you want to stand in line you can even visit some penguins behind a glass. It's actually very beautiful and fun. We really wanted to take Zack and this year we did. So for Christmas Eve we all got packed up and went to see Santa at work. When we got there I think an elf took the place of my husband because we even splurged on 3 tickets to Santa's Fireside Feast. Normally when we do Busch Gardens we get some yummy greased up fast food right afterwards. Nope not this time we were going to eat with Santa and have Cookies with Mrs. Claus. I have no idea where they find the time to entertain all those kids while getting ready to deliver gifts and hanging out in every mall in the country. They are for sure the best multitaskers I have ever seen.

We had a great time walking around and sipping on some hot cocoa. The whole park was filled with the sounds of Christmas music and they had some snow (bubbles) going as well. Right before out feast with Santa we even treated our train connoisseur (Zack) to a train ride around the park. At the dinner they had a huge buffet of child friendly foods like mac and cheese, hot dogs, mashed potatoes, turkey, mozzarella sticks and for the adults an amazing beef stew. Mrs. Claus walked around and visited with all the children, Santa's elves sold overpriced T-shirts and mugs, and Zack fell out of his chair. When St. Nick entered the room I'm not going to lie I think every kid felt the magic of his presence. He read "Twas The Night Before Christmas" by the fireplace. Then each kid could have a few minutes with him. This was the part that was just so adorable and my mommy hormones wanted to cry. Eli didn't get to meet the Claus this year as he slept through the whole thing but Zack was in complete awe of it all. He had a good 5 minute conversation with Santa and gave him a big hug before we left.

Leaving the park was even more magical. When we went in to eat it was light out but by the time we came out it was dark and the whole park was filled with lights. We got to see a bagpiper and Zack got his picture with some carolers. We left the park feeling full of Christmas spirit and ready to tackle present wrapping when we got home. Zack crashed out on the car ride home so putting him to bed was easy as pie. He got a bath and we read to him and as soon as I said "Santa won't come if you're awake" he was in bed and asleep. Steven and I wrapped all his gifts and exchanged ours then we finally were free to go to bed.....It was a great Christmas Eve and we will remember it forever.

Christmas Fun!

Oh the Holidays....they came and went before I could even sing the first verse of Jingle Bells. This season was a very fun and eventful one. This was the first year that I think really think Z understood what was going on. So that made much more enjoyable for everyone.

As you all know Z goes to preschool. They had a Christmas program for the parents and it was so cute and fun. Z and his class sang a cute little song called "Dancing Snow" and it was by far the cutest thing ever. I don't have pictures from the program because it was just me that night since Steven had duty so I had to make the tough decision on whether to take pictures or make a video. I chose a video here it is below for your viewing pleasure. 

I am stepping into a new territory with Zacks school. I was so used to him being home with me all day. Now we have to have everything ready for the next day. I lay out his and mines clothes, pack him a healthy snack, and get him to bed on time. The mornings haven't been hectic at all since he has started that's mainly because my mini alarm clock (Eli) wakes me up at around 6am. So I usually feed him and he falls back to sleep this enables me to have 2 hours to get dressed and ready. I can even take a shower, blow dry my hair and GASP! Put on some make-up. That's not something a Mom of 2 should have time to do. That's actually unheard of in the world of a stay at home mom, it's just complete blasphemy. Ok...Ok I am sure you get the point back to his school. I am getting used to volunteering for his class and even making gifts for his teachers. It's a lot of fun but it does add more to my plate. I am happy to do it though. There's nothing better than being able to help in his class and see how he acts around his classmates and teachers. He is learning so much at school I am sometimes amazed at what his wonderful teachers have accomplished in just 4 months. So lucky to have a good husband who works hard to allow me to stay home with the boys.