Family — Page 19

Back to School Life Hacks

August 11, 2015 by amushro

Sometimes I lie in bed in the morning and calmly think “It might not seem like it now, but we’re already late.” And within twenty minutes, I’m throwing shoes and socks at kids while I bark orders like “Did you brush your teeth? Come breathe on me so I can check.” But not this year, friends. This year this mom is embracing all the sanity savers and parenting hacks to protect my precious sanity and shave a few minutes off our hectic day. Back to school is serious stuff. Just ask these two.

Here’s a few parenting hacks to make the school year start a little smoother.

Breakfast Hacks

Easily cook a dozen eggs for breakfast sandwiches by baking eggs in a muffin tin. Using a lightly greased muffin tin, crack one egg into each cup and bake for 15 minutes on 350 degrees. Build your sandwich with English muffins, cheese and ham. Freeze the sandwiches and wrap in foil for later or heat and enjoy.

Cut down on breakfast mess by mixing pancake mix for the week and putting it into several freezer bags and store in the fridge. Be sure to leave room for the batter to expand. When ready to make, cut a bottom corner of the freezer bag and squeeze the mix into a hot pan.

Have a breakfast smoothie any morning by chopping up and freezing all the ingredients for a smoothie in a individual sandwich bags. When you’re ready, grab a bag and throw the ingredients into a blender and enjoy!

Serve yummy oats and not cook a thing! Mix equal parts milk, yogurt and rolled oats with a banana and some cinnamon. Place in the fridge overnight and in the morning, add fruit or nuts and serve.

Lunchbox Hacks

Never run out of ice packs for lunch boxes again! Grab kitchen sponges from the dollar store, soak in water, place in sandwich bag, and freeze for effective and cheap ice packs.

Never worry food in a thermos isn’t still hot at lunchtime. Fill the thermos or can with almost boiling water and put the lid on. Let it sit while you pack lunches or serve breakfast. Heat the food hotter than you would normally serve it. Dump out the hot water and add the food. Now you have hot food stored in a warm thermos. Perfect for a hot lunch!

Use that thermos for food other than soup. Heat chicken nuggets in the microwave and store in a hot thermos. They will be warm and yummy when your kids are ready for lunch. Just don’t forget the ketchup.

Keep apples from turning brown by using a knife or apple corer/slicer to cut around the core. Put the apple back together and wrap a rubberband around the apple. The apple will still be fresh at lunch.

Clothing Hacks

Choose outfits for the entire week and store each outfit in a section of a hanging sweater organizer. Be sure to include socks, underwear, and hair accessories to make the morning even easier. Write out the days of the week and post on each section for extra site word practice!

Loop a soda can tab on a hanger and attach another hanger to the other side of the tab to create a double hanger. For after-school activities, hang all uniforms pieces and practice clothes on these hangers to save closet space and stay organized.

Bathroom Hacks

Cut an over the door shoe organizer to fit inside a door of a bathroom cabinet. Give each child a row on the organizer to store all their hair brushes, hair products, hair accessories, tooth brushes,tooth paste, or anything else they use to get ready in the morning.

Affix a magnetic strip to the inside of the cupboard door and attach bobby pins and hair bows to the strip to save space and help with organization.

Never lose a hair elastic again by using a caribbeaner clips to store hair elastics and ribbons.

At the Door Hacks

A decorative silverware organizer is perfect to leave by the door so each family member can always grab what they need before heading out the door: phone, keys, ID tags, headphones, wallet, and even a stain remover stick

Change the locked picture on your phone to a written note with your kid’s schedules, pickup times, and drop-off times for a quick reference at the beginning of the year.

Use command hooks or decorative towel hooks inside a closet or on a wall to create a backpack nook. This gives kids the perfect place to hang their backpacks

Create a “last minute” station using milk crates near the door. Using shoeboxes or plastic containers, store socks, hair accessories, change, and quick grab snacks like applesauce pouches or granola bars for those last minute needs.

Homework Hacks

Create a portable homework station for each kid by filling binders or shower caddy with with everything they need to complete homework: pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, and paper. This is great for younger siblings that want “homework” too.

If you don’t have a desk for homework time, use an inexpensive shoe rack to create shelf space on a table

Create a “Mom Command Center” in your kitchen so everything you need to stay organized is in one place: start with a large dry erase board or chalk board paint to create a calendar, folders for all school forms going in and out, places to store kid’s art work, a place to menu plan, and a docking station for your phones, tablets and computers.

Cover all your bases by setting the bookmark on your phone or tablet to all those important sites you’ll visit every day like the school website, Today Show for news and Wake Up with Al for weather.

So here’s to a new school year, never missing the bus, and not having to ask your kids to brush their teeth five times!

This post was originally featured on The Today Show Parenting Team-– check out all of my posts on The Today Show!

Tips for Caring for Curly Haired Kids

August 5, 2015 by amushro

The 80’s and early 90’s weren’t kind to a young gal with curly hair like me. There were lots of bad perms, Christmas tree shaped haircuts, fluffy poodle mullets, and years of school pictures that will never see the light of day. So years later when the Curly Hair Gods smiled down upon me and gave unto me a little curly haired girl, I was thrilled when every single day she woke up like this:

I’m totally kidding! Most days this is how she wakes up. Yikes! Pass the coffee and the leave in conditioner!

On these mornings, her hair looks exactly how I feel, but I was determined to figure out the best and easiest way to style her hair so that my girl would always love her wild and fabulous curls. So here’s what we’ve learned:

Just say NO to shampoo– For curly kids you need lots of moisture in their hair. We only wash my daughter’s hair every 2-3 days, and when she is due for a wash, we only use a moisturizing conditioner and skip the shampoo. Try shampooing just once a week for bouncy, fun curls.

Throw in the Towel- Wrap your kiddos up in a fluffy towel when they get out of the tub, but keep that towel away from curly hair! Since curly hair is so fragile, a regular towel is too heavy for curls and can cause a lot of frizz. Instead, grab and old t-shirt and lightly dry their hair with the t-shirt.

Tools of the trade– Detangling after bath time used to take forever and there were lots of tantrums and tears (mostly that was just me). Now we use the Wet Brush or a wide tooth comb and detangling is no big deal. Do you have a brush? Get rid of it. Seriously, brushes and curly hair do not mix. Don’t believe me? Don’t make me show you my second grade school picture. *shivers*

Bottoms Up- Detangle from the bottom and don’t start at the roots! This causes damage and frizz plus it just hurts! Instead, pile the hair on top of your child’s hair with a clip and work in smalls sections. Working an inch or two from the bottom of the hair near the neck, detangle with your fingers or the Wet Brush. Then move up a few inches and so on. As you finish each section, wrap the hair around your finger to help the curl bounce back.

Morning Bounce Back- My girl’s hair always looks best right after a bath, but who has time for all that work in the morning? Not us! So we’ve created a new system to freshen up her curls. Using a spray bottle with water and conditioner wet the hair. Use your fingers or Wet Brush on hair that is tangled or fizzy. Grab small sections and wrap the hair in a spiral motion. This helps hair to bounce back and regain it’s shape. Air dry wet hair as much as possible, but if you’re in a hurry or for a little extra volume, flip hair upside down, use a hairdryer with a diffuser attachment (never without!) until hair is 80% dry. Too much heat is a no-no for curly hair.

Coiled Care- Deep condition once a week but there’s no need to spend a fortune on expensive treatments. We just lather up the conditioner, put a fancy shower cap on, and let my curly kid play in the tub while those curls get the much needed moisture.

Up Do Safety– Only use ribbon elastics for ponytails and braids. These will cause minimal damage and won’t get tangled in curly hair like regular hair elastics and rubber bands.

Style Tips- When it’s time for a haircut, find a stylist that is comfortable and experienced with curly hair. This makes a HUGE difference, and I usually ask the salon manager for their recommendation. Also sometimes finding the right product takes a lot of trial and error, but stick to sulfate free shampoos and conditioners and think less is more when it comes to hair products. Right now we are using a light weight foam cream that is working well with her hair.

I love her curls. I want her to love her curls. And I promise, no fluffy poodle mullets for either of us. Ever.

Making Birthday Mornings Super Special

July 31, 2015 by amushro

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BDayOnBudget #CollectiveBias

I am a firm believer that if you Momma doesn’t make a big fuss over your birthday, then who will? So around here we do birthdays BIG! We start those super special birthdays off right with a few birthday mornings traditions that Aaron and Lyla absolutely love. We’ve had the same birthday morning traditions since we celebrated their first birthdays, and their excitement over their birthday mornings makes me the happiest mom around. But here’s part of my secret planning, we don’t need to spend big bucks just to make their birthday morning super special.

The night before their birthday, I tuck them in and usually start weeping. I know, I’m ridiculous, but I’m super emotional and Aaron and Lyla’s birthdays really bring out All. The. Feelings. Once they’ve fallen asleep, I get to work decorating their door. This year my son has a slight obsessions with Star Wars Rebels, and I was able to grab a bunch of inexpensive decorations from Walmart that were perfect for the door decorating. As silly as this sounds, this is both of my children’s favorite part of their birthday–even with cake, a party with friends and family, and all the presents–they LOVE waking up to their door completely decorated.

I love it because early in the morning when I hear my birthday boy beginning to wake up, I cannot wait to see this little face seeing his door for the first time!

And then I get this face! Seriously, is there anything better than THIS face?

But the birthday morning celebration isn’t over yet! The birthday boy and his sister race downstairs because they know a special sweet treat is waiting for them. While most mornings their bellies are full from the usual breakfast fare, on birthdays, we have cupcakes for breakfast! Yes, cupcakes! I set out the yummy cupcakes (which I grabbed at the Walmart bakery) and laid out the Star Wars Rebels plates, napkins, and cups to continue the birthday boy’s theme. Cupcakes for breakfast may see like a bit much, but they love it and I love it! I fully plan on having birthday breakfast cupcakes for them when they are grown adults and they don’t live with me anymore. Wahhhhhh

And if it’s your birthday, your mom might even let you eat your cupcakes like this:

Don’t forget the milk and fruit (Hey, I’m a mom. I just can’t help but sneak healthy foods into our birthday celebration)

I grabbed everything for Aaron’s super special birthday morning in the Celebrate aisle at Walmart. The American Greetings decorations are really reasonably priced and they carry tons of party products with all of the characters your children love!

I really love making every part of my children’s birthdays super special and their birthday mornings are my absolute favorite days of the year. What special traditions do you have for your children’s birthdays?

Sunshine and Mac and Cheese

July 24, 2015 by amushro

“Sunshine and mac and cheese.” That was my response to a friend that hasn’t seen my son in a few months and was shocked to see how he’s recently shot up in height. All I could say is “It must be sunshine and mac and cheese because that’s all this kid needs to grow.” The truth is, my boy should be a shade of orange because his diet consists mainly of orange colored food: mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and cheese sticks. I’ve never really considered Aaron a picky eater because when given the foods he likes, he eats really well, is super healthy, and he is a so tall. However, when his little sister came along and was willing to eat anything we put in front of her, I realized this guy is a little tougher at meal time than I realized.

Is there anything that makes a Mamma’s heart sing more than seeing her kids eat well? No one wants to fight with their kids every single mealtime. Ugh, no thank. My mission this summer is to get creative, keep the peace, get this boy to try some new foods, and to show him a veggie will kill him.

With our free schedules during this easy breezy summer and tons of fresh fruits and veggies available right now, it was time to change the way we eat. Here’s what were are doing in this house to get a little more adventurous with our eating.

Try It Tuesday and New Food Friday- Everyone gets something new on their plates on these days and we have to try at least three bites. Even Mom and Dad. We make it a game and then celebrate when we all take at least three bites.
Small scoops- When we’re trying new foods, we start with tiny bites. So rather than dumping a pile of peas on his plate, I give him two or three. Imagine being a kid and your mom is making you try new food and there is a mountain of green stuff that looks and smells sketchy. However, two or three green things, not so bad.
Hide It- You think that’s just pizza right? (Insert Evil Laugh) I added pureded spinach! I have to be creative and sneaky and this does take a lot more planning, but the blender is getting lots of use and I feel better knowing there is zucchini in his blueberry muffins.
Smoothie Season- The kids think they’re getting a sweet treat, but this mom has packed a smoothie full of greens he would turn up his nose too. All he tastes is his favorite fruit, blueberries!
Week By Week- My pediatrician gave me this tip when I was feeling like my attempts to get my boy to eat new foods and veggies was failing. She suggested rather than look at every meal, every single day, look at the week and pat yourself on the back for trying new foods and veggies a few times a week.

Vitamins are essential for good health through every stage of life. Our bodies require a broad variety of vitamins and minerals to function properly, yet it can be challenging to get all the nutrients we need from food alone. And believe it or not, a kid can not survive alone on sunshine and mac and cheese.

We all strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle for our entire family. We know the importance of a balanced diet and exercise but for many of us, we can continue to rely on vitamins and minerals to fill nutritional gaps and enhance health.

Did you know that kids tend to gain MORE weight in the summer months? Considering my kids seem to be busy every single minute of a summer day, this statistic shocked me; however, check out this graphic from Know Your OTCS to see why this is true.

Looking for more information about dietary supplements for you and your family? Know Your OTCs created a really helpful site that can answer a lot of your questions.

What are your tips or tricks to dealing with picky eaters?

Up & Away and Shoving

June 18, 2015 by amushro

Friends, I have a confession to make. It’s a bit shameful and embarrassing, but we’re all friends here so I feel like I can share this with you with zero judgement, right?OK, I probably deserve a little judgement.

Here it goes: I am a shover. Not familiar with this term? Let me explain. Basically in order to keep my house appearing to be neat and tidy but having a zero time to make this house neat and tidy, I shove. I shove things into closets. I shove things into drawers. I shove things into boxes and then shove them into closets and drawers. So at first glance, my house looks organized and nothing is misplaced. However, if you open a closet, watch out. You’re likely to be buried under an avalanche of “stuff”. Until now, my shoving really didn’t bother me (it drives my husband crazy, but whatever, the house is clean, man), but I’ve realized my little shoving habit is actually really dangerous (and I don’t mean falling boots or flying books). It has to do with medicine and my kids.

Since June is National Home Safety Month, I decided I need to get control of every place I have shoved medicine because the statistics from Up&Away of where and how young kids are finding medicine is enough to shake this shover up.

For the most part, medicine in this house is stored up but not necessarily away.

So I grabbed a plastic container and starting filling it with all of the medicine I had up but not away, and started looking for a safer place to store the newly locked medicine because these numbers just scare me

Just when I started thinking about safe storage for over the counter medicines, I realized this isn’t just prescriptions that are pills or liquid or even the kids’ over the counter pain relievers, but also things like eye drops and different medicated creams and lotions that could really harm a child. That’s when I headed to my ultimate shoving place: under the sink. Deep breathes, this picture is the epitome of my shoving.

Yes, hiding behind makeup bags, hair products, and hair brushes I have long since forgotten was a lot of over the counter medicine I had shoved under the sink in an effort to clean quickly.

After clearing out the cupboard, this is what I found:

That is a lot of medicine I didn’t even realize we had in this house. The scariest part was the random one or two pills that weren’t in a box and were just scattered in old makeup bags. I couldn’t even tell you what type of pill they were and the expiration date? Forget it. Everything else, up and away

So now I consider myself a reformed shover. Alright, I am a reformed shover when it comes to keeping all medicine up and away from my kids. But I am still a shower when it comes to all of the other closets and drawers in this house. Baby steps, friends. Baby steps.

This post was sponsored by KnowYourOTCs but all opinions and ideas are 100% my own

Visit Consumer Healthcare Products Association's profile on Pinterest.

Dad is Rad! Dad is Rad! My Today Show #ParentingTeam Post

June 16, 2015 by amushro

Ties, grilling gear, fishing rods–these seem like the usual suspects for Father’s Day gifts, right? It’s funny how we struggle to find gifts for the fathers in our lives on their special day considering those really amazing Dads are are anything but typical, right? So while I still can’t find the perfect gift for him, I can tell you why he is the perfect dad for our family. Here’s my Today Show Parenting Team post all about my sweet hubby and why he is such a rad dad that makes our life so much sweeter. Click here to read! If you like the post, leave a comment over there or click the vote button!

My Today Show’s #ParentingTeam Post– Mom Lessons!

April 21, 2015 by amushro

How fitting that during my Today Show whirlwind appearance, I had my mom by my side and now this month’s Today Show’s Parenting Team Challenge is all about sharing your mom’s best life lessons. It’s funny how moms are always willing to hand out advice, but we aren’t always willing to take it. Then years pass and we realize “dang, she DID know what she was talking about!” But don’t tell my mom I said that!

So hop on over to the Today #ParentingTeam site and check out my post. Leave me a little comment and click the vote button! Maybe I’ll get the chance to go back on the Today Show and share a little of my sweet Mamma’s wisdom! Click Right Here To Be Magically Transported!

Also, how sweet is this pic of my mom, kiddos, and me in the hospital after my Lyla was born? Wahhhh look how little my kids were!

Yes, I’m the Mom Crying at Kindergarten Orientation

March 18, 2015 by amushro

I already know that I wear my heart on my sleeve; I just wasn’t aware that I also wear every single emotion on my face too.

“How are you doing?” seems like a simple pleasantry between two people. But this was a loaded “How are you doing?” and not in the Joey from Friends “How you doin’?” kinda way, but in a “Are you OK?”

In the fall, my boy will be headed off to kindergarten and today I’m at kindergarten orientation registering him as a new student. I thought I had my emotions in check, but I caught the eye of the principal mere moments of entering the school.

“How are you doing?” she cautiously asked.

“Me? I’m……..”

I consider giving the polite answer of “I’m fine, wonderful, excited, thrilled!” but in that moment, when she and I are eye to eye, I know she’s on to me.

“I’m…” I continue, “I’m going to try to keep it together today.”

“But they haven’t even gotten to school yet! You’ll be fine.”

In my attempts to hold back a sob, I answered with a too forced “Sure.”

So what was it that gave me away, Mrs. Principal?

Was it my eyes? Did they defy me with the telltale signs that I was crying in the shower this morning?

Could you sense that I had been punched in the stomach when I pulled up to your lovely little school?

Could you see on my face that even though I’m standing in a school that parents and students love, that is surrounded by a neighborhood that people flock to simply to attend your school, a school that has artwork and student achievements wallpapering the walls, that I’m searching hard to find something I don’t like.

Could you sense the dull pain in my chest? The pain from realizing that in a few short months I will be putting my heart on a big, yellow bus and I’ll wave and wave until I can’t see him and just like that, he’s off to school.

Let me assure you, Mrs. Principal that my boy, he will be fine. He will walk the halls of your big school and he will show everyone how smart, kind, funny and sweet he is. He’s so sweet he’ll rot your teeth and he’s so funny, he’ll make every teacher laugh. He’ll make friends and he’ll be JUST FINE, more than fine. So really all of this, this face I must be carrying today, it’s really about me.

It’s about me all excited and wistful and scared all in one at kindergarten orientation. It’s me chiding myself for being so emotional and knowing my Mom friends will have a field day with me when I recount this ridiculous interaction between you and me.

But I just can’t help it and apparently, can’t hide it either. So I will watch your presentation, be befuddled by the carpool, nod quietly when you show us the playground, and try my best to not make an audible sounds of distaste when I see the “kindergarten hall”

Because, after all, Mrs. Principal, in a few months you and I will see each other in the hallways for parties and PTA meetings, and I can assure you I won’t be crying then. And maybe in a few years, when I make this kindergarten orientation trip for my daughter, I won’t be crying. Probably, I will probably be crying.

So you and I might be right back here, and you can assure me it will all be OK and I’ll believe you.

Helping Duchess Kate Survive Two Under Two

January 22, 2015 by amushro

On a rare occasion I was grocery shopping sans kids, I opted for the longest line while checking out so I could spend a few minutes catching up on all the celebrity gossip in the rag magazines. Don’t you dare judge me. It’s my guilty pleasure.

Through the dozens of celebrity divorce rumors and Kardashian family splashed pages was an article that literally made me laugh out loud :“How will Duchess Kate handle two under two?”

While I absolutely adore Duchess Kate and her little royal family, surviving the trials and tribulations of two under two is really no skin off her back and probably won’t even ruffle that perfectly coifed mane.

For the rest of us common folk, a palace full of nannies, chefs, maids, and assistants will not be at our beck and call during this daunting time. But just for giggles, let’s pretend the Duchess is one of our gal pals and share what really happens when you have two kids in two years, shall we?

Tears- lots of them. Some from your newborn and some from your toddler, but a whole lot will be from you. With a mixture of pregnancy hormones, exhaustion, and a dash of the terrible twos, it can be a real shit storm.
Just like Elsa, you need to Let it Go because, honey, there is no perfect mom and there will be chaos for quite some time. Laugh at it and be like the rest of us and start a Mommy Blog.
He or she that cries the loudest will get Mommy first. It’s very Darwin but then again, we are in survival mode.
Expect a HUGE decline in personal hygiene. Embrace it. After a particularly long spell of not showering I thought “Why the hell would I go DAYS without showering with just ONE kid?” Flip side, our water bill went down significantly.
Exhaustion is inevitable. A newborn that is up most of the night and a toddler ready to play at 7 AM on constant repeat. Coffee and Diet Coke during the day, wine at night—the Mom’s holy trinity.
Get yourself some help! I was that mother that would never think of leaving her first born with a babysitter, but three months into two under two, and I basically tackled a babysitter on the playground and dragged her back to my house to watch my kids just so I could shower or maybe visit heaven alone Target alone
Did you get both kids dressed, fed, out the door and to a doctor’s appointment all before 11 AM? Well then, high five yourself, Mamma! Even if it took three hours and six outfit changes, you celebrate these wins no matter how small!

But don’t be too scared because now that I’m on the other side of those early years, I sort of feel like Gloria Estefan singing “Coming out of the dark…. I can finally see the light and it’s shining on me…

At 3 and 5, my kids are getting, dare I say, a little easier. Both kids are very independent and I don’t feel like I’m doing 100% for them day in and day out. Plus I feel like an expert in some aspects of parenting because once I wrap up one phase with the first kid, it’s quickly time for the other to start into that phase.

But more importantly, they really, really love each other. I love listening to their sweet conversations of nonsense and watching them snuggle on the couch while they watch Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs for the 400^th time. When my son is at school, my girl misses her big bro, and when they are reunited, they hug like it’s been ages since they were together.

So even though those early days were touch and go for me, I’m glad my kids are so close in age. Would I do it all again? ………………………………………Oh, sorry I think I just blacked out for a second reliving those first few years. No, no, absolutely not.