Making Bananas Last Longer

I recently learned that you can make a bunch of bananas last longer but separating them after you buy them. After I buy them, I break them off the bunch and place them all in a bowl on the kitchen counter. It seems to work...they won't last for a month or anything like that but they don't seem to brown as quickly. That's what works for me!

The kids and I went strawberry picking today. None of us had ever done that before...we had a great time! The weather was beautiful and the strawberries looked delicious. Now I need to think of what to do with the fruits of our labor! I will definitely use some in a fruit salad and we'll be making smoothies and popsicles. I told my husband that he better be hungry for strawberries because we have enough to feed a small country!

Need Road Trip Entertainment Ideas Please!

We are going on a very long road trip this summer. We will definitely be bringing along plenty of movies for the kids (ages 9, 7, and 3), books, travel games. etc. But I'm looking for some fresh, new ideas for road trip entertainment.

Help me out folks....PLEASE! Do you have any road trip boredom busters that you've heard about or used yourself? What works for you?

Easy and Quick Craftiness

Here is a quick and easy craft you can do...even if you aren't very crafty. I got all of the supplies from Michaels Arts and Crafts. The letter "T" was $1.19, the frame was $9.99, and the scrapbook paper was $0.79.

First, spray paint or use a wood safe paint pen to color your letter...I obviously chose black. After it dried, I sanded the edges of the letter a little bit to give it an aged look.

Next, take the glass out of the frame...you won't need it for this project. Cut your scrapbook paper to the size of the frame and glue to the removable part of the frame. I used regular Elmer's Glue for this.

To glue the letter onto the paper, I used super glue.

That's it! It is very easy and only took me about 10-15 minutes. ENJOY!!!

Avoiding Disaster

This lovely piece of Lego architecture is what my 6 year old son wanted to take to school for show and tell today. This is the same kid that freaks out when one little brick falls off of his wonders of engineering. I'm not sure how he thought this thing would survive 2 bus rides and a full day at school with 23 other sets of hands wanting to touch this Star Wars Lego creation.

I calmly told him that he couldn't take it to school because it was sure to get broken...and there is no way I would be able to know how to fix the 500 piece marvel. It must be really rough to be 6 because, if the V19 Torrent couldn't be taken to school, there would be NOTHING to share. Oh the humanity. I guess the other 1000 toys we own just wouldn't due. Of course, this all took place just minutes before the bus was to arrive for pickup.

He finally settled on taking a Bakugan to school. But I'm sure all he'll talk about is the V19 Torrent he wanted to bring but his mean, unreasonable mother wouldn't let him.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

My kids often say things that move me, make me double over in laughter, or just make me stop and think. I plan to use this blog to attempt to keep track of some of my favorite things they say!

One day, I put a baseball hat on in the morning because I was going to workout after I got the kids to school. My oldest son (9 years old) looked at me very sincerely and said, "You know mom...a hat really makes you look younger...like a teenager". I thanked him and was very flattered!

I got the kids to school and decided to skip my workout. Instead, I went out and bought all sorts of baseball hats. I plan to wear them daily. I may not be able to fight wrinkles, slow metabolism, sagging breasts, or stretch marks but I sure as heck can put a hat on my head everyday! And think of all the money I'll save on hair products and accessories!

Back on Track

I am officially back on track today with how I eat. I let it go for too long and bathing suit season has motivated me to get back in the saddle (and, yes...I do feel like that elephant!). I hope to occasionally post some yummy recipes on here to share. Hopefully you'll like them as much as I do.

Have a great day!

More Pics

Don't say I didn't warn you! You may get very tired of looking at all of these!

Look Out Martha Stewart

For Christmas, I asked for a sewing machine. I've always wanted to learn how to sew...even though I have zero patience. Luckily, my husband knows his way around a sewing machine after watching his mom sew for years and years. He's a great help!

Today I started on my first project...making new pillow covers for the pillows on our couches. I have to say I'm quite pleased with the result. It's not perfect but it's quite good and definitely cheaper than buying 7 new pillows from a store (I will never understand why a single pillow costs $20 or more).

One down, six to go!

Happy Mother's Day

I would just like to wish all of my friends and those of you I don't personally know a very Happy Mother's Day!


A MOTHER'S PRAYER

Give me patience when little hands
tug at me with ceaseless small demands;
Give me gentle words for smiling eyes,
and keep my lips from hasty, sharp replies;
Let me not in weariness, confusion, or noise
obscure my vision from life's fleeting joys
That when in years to come my house is still,
beautiful memories its rooms may fill.

I REALLY like to take pics of things in nature. It's my attempt at being a good photographer I guess. And it's easier than trying to get my 3 kids to sit still and smile at the same time! Don't get me wrong...I take a ton of pics of my kids. But 1 out of every 75 of those turn out great. Taking pics of things that can't move causes so much less frustration!

Here I go again!

So this is probably my 3rd attempt at blogging. I go gung-ho for awhile and then I just get burnt out and quit. I think that, rather than rushing to shut down my blog because I'm feeling uninspired, I will just allow myself to take a break...even if it's for a few months.

What you'll find on this blog are just random thoughts and observations from my life as a wife, mother, daughter, and friend. I'll post the occasional recipe, share observations about books I'm reading/authors I like, and talk about the funny things my kids say/do.

I hope you enjoy and I look forward to getting to know you!