WFMW: Tired of Snacking on Smashed Up Granola Bars?

I always find other moms using something in a different way then it is meant, but still making life easier for them, and think "Wow how creative and clever!"

I walk away wishing I had thought of that myself!

Well now it is my turn!! Even my husband has been pretty proud of me!

My problem: I throw granola bars, the soft kind, into my purse or the diaper bag, for a quick snack later. Sometimes later is a matter of days, sometimes weeks even, but I like to carry some with me for that moment when I need an extra pick me up, or the kids are getting hungry as I sit in traffic. BUT no matter how recently I added them to my bag, they get smashed by the ten million other things I 'need' to carry with me as well!
My solution: While cleaning up a few weeks ago, I picked up my husbands glasses case. It is one of the hard kind that snap shut. I looked at it more closely as a light just went on inside my head! It was the perfect size for my granola bars! I can even fit two of the kid's bars inside one, so I only have to carry around one to two of the cases (the extra for my own snack). I am quite pleased now to be able to pull out a bar for the kids and not have to carefully peel the sticky goop that used to be a granola bar off of the wrapper! YAY!!

Try it and tell me what you think! Do you have any other tips or tricks for totting snacks around for the tots without them getting smashed or demolishing them into crumbs?

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

Six Word Saturday

CLEANING, COOKING, AND CONFUSION FOR DESSERT!

What a day! All week I have been working towards a little 'fall' cleaning. Maybe I shouldn't even call it that, since most people probably regularly mop their floors, but I don't. I just sweep and spot wash. But not this week! I have been dusting, mopping, tidying, and laundering everything I could think of!! Today was my big day of it because not only was my husband home to deal with the kids, but we had guests coming over for dinner...or so I thought!
I had talked with a friend of mine on Wednesday, but she needed to talk with her husband before confirming anything for the weekend. We have been trying to do dinner since around late June!! Something always comes up, something at church, or Jon's work, or just the craziness of life with toddlers! But she messaged me on Facebook Thursday evening to confirm, and I replied...I did reply, I swear it, I remember distinctly what I wrote and hitting reply, and feeling confident we were set, nothing was going to come up this time!!! Well Saturday is here, I made a cheesecake last night, and I made my meatballs for spaghetti and meatballs, YUM! 10 minutes to the time we had discussed Wednesday, I begin looking for my phone just in case they forgot which unit we were in. I find it in the depths of my purse...OFF. Uh-oh! I quickly plug it in and turn it on to find a message from my friend asking if we were on left at lunchtime!! I called her but didn't get through. I checked Facebook to discover my reply was not on the message she had sent me as it usually shows up! Luckily they hadn't made dinner yet or other plans and we did reach them, but what a crazy evening!! I don't know what I would've done if they hadn't come...I have a LOT of meatballs cooking for just us, even with leftovers!!
It was a great time of fellowship though as we ate dinner and watched the kids play. Well worth any 'drama' or confusion that may have come up if you ask me.

This is linked to

Hold the Flavor Please!

I just must share my daughter's most recent 'Kid's say the darnedest things' moment.

This is actually a picture of her from the Fourth of July, but you get the idea, the girl loves her corn on the cob!!

Jon had decided to grill our corn on the cob for dinner. Natalie is a huge fan of corn on the cob, so though she wasn't sharing in our grilled steaks I had made sure to get her some corn to share with us. As Jon brings in the slightly charred cobs of sunny deliciousness, Natalie scrunches up her nose in disgust and says "Can you take the brown off mine?"
Jon and I chuckle a little and he replies, "That's called flavor! It's what makes it good!"
After a few moments of deep thought, Natalie looks up again at Jon and asks very sweetly and innocently, "Can you take the flavor off mine?"
At this point Jon and I are laughing pretty heartily as Jon says "Sorry, but no kiddo!"
And Natalie refused to eat her flavorful corn that night! But I sure did enjoy mine, poor girl didn't know what she was missing out on!

Linked to

So You Think You're Starving?

Any given day, I may be sitting on the couch reading a good book, or preparing dinner in the kitchen, when Natalie will walk over to me and announce, "I'm starving!" This is a phrase my husband has gotten into the habit of using, and since passed it on to our daughter. I don't ever remember feeling the irritation towards him for the use of that word, but now as my daughter uses it unsparingly, I find it to be quite disturbing.
It is not an uncommon part of our day to day lives to hear someone, or find ourselves, saying "I'm starving," to indicate our 'level' of hunger. We aren't simply craving a snack, we want something truly filling and hardy because we feel empty. Even in the dictionary the term 'starve' has been defined as 'to be extremely hungry' as its secondary meaning. But lets not neglect the primary meaning of the word. Starve: to weaken, waste, or die from lack of food.
In our country there are few who truly fall into that category. Most of us, certainly those with access to a computer and the internet who are able to read this, do not suffer from starvation in its truest meaning. We are not likely to die from lack of food, and in fact we probably have very little idea of how weakened we can become from no food for more then a day. I have gone a full day without one meal or even a snack. It wasn't on purpose, it was simply because other things happening that day kept me from getting to eating. Even then I was not starving. I had no lack of food, in fact it was abundantly available to me when I was ready for it. And even if my own kitchen were not conveinent, I had a number of fast food establishments and grocery stores accessible to me. So even then when I may have been slightly weakened from not eating, I could still not claim an actual lack of food.
In our own household we have made the word 'starving' a bad word. Occasionally my husband will slip up from habit, but we are making it a point to remind ourselves and our children what true starvation is. There really are many people, children and babies, who are literally starving in other countries. Starvation is a real and tragic sadness in our world today, so lets not become numb to the true meaning of starvation. Remember you are blessed to live in a country where it would indeed be difficult to find nothing to eat. As you sit down to your overly large second helping of dinner tonight, say a prayer for those who are dying somewhere in the world right now, from a lack of any food at all. And the next time you feel the pains of hunger, think twice before uttering the phrase "I'm starving!", and realize you have no idea how starvation actually feels.

Coffee Desired, Tea Inspired

What is it about the Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino or the Caramel Macchiato that have me longing to like coffee? I wish I could find a comfy spot lounging in a dim but cozy coffee house, ordering a fancy sounding cup of coffee to sip as I read a classic piece of literature on my day off. This has actually been a fantasy of mine since I was young. Coffee was a sophisticated drink that only the older and mature people drank. It seemed a symbol of age and wisdom which I foolishly longed for ahead of my years. I wanted to be the moody poet whose inspiration struck in the intimate low lighted corners of some posh coffee shop while surrounded by other melodramatic writers huddled over their own laptops and miniature cups of steaming espresso.
I don't really remember when I first tried a sip of the coffee flavored water my mother would brew every morning. But even her weak and creamer diluted version of the coffee I so admired and aspired towards, left me with a bitter taste in my mouth, literally! I discovered I couldn't stand the dark stuff in even its weakest form. Despite my utter disgust at the taste, I still considered it a status symbol for many years. I was jealous of my sisters who did develop a liking towards it, and I too wished to make my rounds through the local Starbucks ordering vastly overpriced and fancied up vente lattes or frappuccinos.
At some point I just had to except that coffee would not make me more sophisticated or a more mature and wise adult. I have now embraced tea as my new beverage of choice, particularly the green variety. And while I don't think it makes me any wiser- unless you count the added health benefits it may provide over coffee- or mature- unless you count the years it has taken me to discover this alternative beverage- it does somehow make me feel more sophisticated as I sit and sip it from my over sized Tinkerbell mug, in my well lit living room, surrounded by piles of toys and playful children. Here, with my tea, I now find all the inspiration I need.

Trying Something New

As part of our celebration for this Independence Day, our church did a big picnic, with carnival games and activities. It was so much fun. I was listening to them announce they were hoping to get a woman to join the watermelon eating contest Jon was already a part of. The thought ran through my head- sounds like fun, but I would be so embarrassed! I would make a mess and no way could I compete against the men! But as the time drew near I realized I really wanted to try. It was something new to me, and I could compete against Jon- the only one in my mind I really wanted to beat. So I just did it! I shed the fear of embarrassment, of getting too messy and just my general self-consciousness and decided I wanted to live life and have fun no matter what that means, even if it's a mess all over my face in front of people!
I usually prefer to go the safer route. Do whats familiar and avoid trying new things. In our time here on Guam though, I really feel like I am beginning to overcome that crutch that once held me back. I feel so much more alive here somehow. I want to get out and go snorkeling (which I have done), I want to take scuba diving lessons (which we still hope to do), as well as windsurfing lessons (again, its on my list!) and Jon and I hope to go para sailing before the end of the year. Growing up though I never had these desires. They looked good from far away but fear of the unknown held me back.
I think there is just something about being on a tropical island and having all these new things to do and try right within my grasp that is making me want to shout "YES!" Instead of sitting back while Jon has all the fun! I am learning so much here, about God, and about myself! No wonder I am happy about extending and having just a little more time to experience this adventurous chapter of our life.
It's also about wanting Natalie & Zachary to be brave and daring and willing to try new things. I don't want them to feel scared of life as they grow. I want them to grow to love God and love the life He has given them. I want them to experience life and not hold back. Dive in head first with all their hearts! And that I believe will make their lives unforgettable and 'unregrettable'!

*Note to self: Eating contests are much harder then they look! But if you are going head first into one, watermelon eating is a good first timers contest!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

No More Chef Boyardee for Me!

No more Chef Boyardee for me! I am disowning this once beloved brand name for once and all. * Important note: If you still ignorantly enjoy Chef Boyardee, and prefer to keep things that way, I recommend you read no further!*
Just a few weeks ago, while munching on one of my childhood favorites- the mini ravioli- I discovered what looked like the leg of some sort of creepy crawly creature tucked away inside the little pocket of pasta. Even though I was only half way through my bowl, that was the end of my meal. I lost all interest in not only the ravioli, but in any food I might have eaten for a little while following. I was one hundred percent grossed out, though I wondered if my imagination had gotten the better of me and saw something that wasn't necessarily what I had deemed it to be.
A few days later, I headed out to the commissary, list in hand. I browsed through the usual aisles, grabbing the foods my family loves as I went. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of a towering shelf packed with a variety of Chef Boyardee canned convenience. I cringed as I thought back to the trauma the last purchase of this product had resulted in. But in the end I decided everyone, and everything, deserved a second chance, so I reluctantly added a few cans to the growing collection in my cart, and continued my shopping.
The days passed, as most in my life do, with me awakening to a crying kiddo, calling out for mommy before the sun has even gotten out of bed. I make a simple breakfast and get on about our morning routine. But on one particular day, before I realized it, I was staring at lunch time feeling as drained as if it were bedtime! I quickly called on the old reliables for my kids, a recent favorite, Eggos with honey and some canned fruit. Now I don't much care for that particular meal so I decided to take the plunge and dive into a bowl of Chef Boyardee ravioli once again. I popped the bowl into the microwave with a sigh escaping my mouth and a grumble rumbling from my stomach.
I cautiously examined my first bite. That's when I saw it. What looked to be another leg of some sort poking its way through the sides of the pasta. I began to investigate further, I pulled apart the top and bottom layers of pasta and I followed the leg as it trailed further into the 'meat' of the ravioli. With my fork, I prodded around inside it until I found what appeared to be a ball like body attached to the stingy leg!! At this point I could go no further. My decision was made and absolutely final: Goodbye Chef Boyardee, I will no longer be able to enjoy the tomato drenched morsels from your quick and easy meals. While others may find spiders, cockroaches, or any other many legged miniature beasts to be beneficial and full of protein, I personally prefer the flavors of steak and chicken to fulfill that particular part of my nutrition.