Tag: mom blog

Grief and Loss: When you miss someone…

kswemba

I started off today thinking I was going to write about Fall finally arriving. I sat outside on my patio, felt the cool breeze, looked up to the sky and felt the warm sun on my face. I closed my eyes, with my face tilted to the sky….and that’s when it happened.

My Grandpa used to sit like that. He loved feeling the sun on his face. He’d sit in his chair outside and say, “Oh, it feels good,” and a smile would spread across his face.

My Grandpa passed away from a very quick battle against pancreatic cancer 10 years ago. He was diagnosed late, and within 3 months he was gone. His cancer progressed rapidly, and his physical abilities decreased just as fast. He was confined to a bed, but my Grandma was his angel, he said so himself.

Missing someone is a strange thing. I’ve grieved, it’s been plenty of time, and then boom, out of the blue I find myself tearing up and talking to him, telling him I love him and miss him. We had a special bond; both my parents worked and my grandparents were there for us after school, for sports, for everything. Our family changed when he died, and I am forever grateful for all of the love he showed me.

Is there someone that you miss? Do they ever enter your mind randomly and unexpectedly? I’d love to hear from anyone who wants to share. If not, know that missing someone also helps your remember how wonderful they were. Til next time….

The best cake box cookie you’ll ever eat

kswemba

This cookie will not disappoint, and it’s from a box!!!! I know! It’s not exactly cheating, just semi homemade. It’s a box cake mix that require s just a few extras to make the best cookie in the world. Well, my family and I think so, and everyone else who has tried it…so basically it’s the world right? The cookies come out with a slight crisp on top, chewy but not mushy, soft but not goopy, light and cakey but more like a brownie. It’s amazing.

I adapted this recipe from 2sisters2cities.com

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook time 10 minutes
Mix everything together
1. One box devils food cake
2. 1 tsp. baking powder
3. Add two eggs
4. 1/3 cup canola oil
5. 1 cup white chocolate chips

I like to roll each cookie into a nice ball. It makes a prettier cookie with a smooth top. You don’t have to do that, because the dough is very sticky and messy. You can spoon drop it on.

Be prepared for lots of praise over this cookie. OH, and you can also adapt this with other mixes, red velvet, white yellow. The 2sisters website adds vanilla for the yellow or white cake. Great creative, you seriously can’t go wrong!

Wash and Rejuvenate Your Soul

kswemba

Ever need a day to yourself? No schedule, no list of things needing crossed off, no places you have to be. I see some of you nodding yes. Maybe some are rolling their eyes saying that could never happen. Ok, let’s scale back. Not an entire day, what about afternoon, or a few hours, or an hour? Could you dedicate one hour to yourself completely?

Tricky question I know. I cannot dedicate an entire day to myself, or to the act of doing nothing but what I want. It actually stresses me out! Which is funny because it’s supposed to have the exact opposite effect and I should feel relaxed. But I stress and digress!

Today, however, I found that if the window was made a bit smaller, I could relax, calm down, and do whatever it is I wanted to do. I was able to sit on my back patio, write, and enjoy the amazing fall breeze. I slowed my breathing, felt the air completely fill my lungs before I exhaled. And then I felt something else……calm.

Our lives are very busy, whether your single, involved, having kids, without kids, working, job hunting and so forth. It’s busy. How about trying a short meditation exercise? Sit in a comfortable chair with your feet on the ground. Close your eyes, and breathe in and out. Listen to your breath, feel the air entering your lungs, filling them, and feel your heart beating. Then exhale. Feel your shoulders roll down, your back relax, the air exiting your lungs. Imagine your body becoming calmer, quieter, relaxed. Just be present for one minute. Then, open your eyes with your new found state of calmness and get ready to tackle whatever comes your way.

Meatless Monday…..Easy and delicious Chinese

kswemba

Looking for an easy dish that will definitely please the crowds!? Then this is the dish for you. I’ve made it numerous times, and am continually surprised but how impressed everyone one is with it! My secret weapon….it’s all about the sauce. Wait, don’t go yet, it’s STORE BOUGHT! (Annie Chun’s Thai-Style Peanut Sauce) Yes, I know! I literally tell everyone that but they completely over look it and congratulate me on my cooking, like I’m a culinary master…ha, which I’m not, at all. Another wow factors is that I top it with roasted sea salt cashews. Also seems to add to the fancy of this dish. The other thing about this recipe is you can add whatever veggies you want! Do have something or don’t like it, sub it! No big deal! That’s how I roll.

Okay, so let’s begin. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook time 20 minutes . Towards the end of cooking, microwave 2 bags of brown rice.

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Asparagus – break off bottoms, lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (EEVO) and sprinkle with sea salt
2. Dice 4 Roma Tomatoes – drizzle with EEVO and 1/2 tsp garlic salt
3. Chop 2 Bell Peppers (any will do, but to make it colorful spring for yellow, orange or red) drizzle with EEVO and 1/2 tsp garlic salt and onion powder . Place in the oven. Now, you can add chopped broccoli, onions, celery or whatever else sounds good. You can’t do wrong in this dish!

Pour 1 tsp of EEVO into a large frying pan and heat on low. This is just to mix everything together and coat in sauce. Take your rice, all of your veggies (make sure to cut the asparagus into small pieces) and place them in the pan. Add cashews and drizzle with Peanut sauce. Start with a small amount, and add more if desired. That’s it!


Free Fall Activities

kswemba
Leaf kite

If you’re like me, you look forward to the weekend. But after about an hour with children you think, what are we going to do all day?!?! My kids are at their best when they are outside. They’re still young, almost 7 and 4.5, so are easily occupied by simple things.

A couple of fall things that we have done every year are free, fun, and simple.

  1. Leaf gathering – I give them each a paper bag and we go for a walk in the neighborhood,gathering different colors of leaves. You can also go to a park to increase the excitement
  2. Leaf etching – take a couple of leaves, place underneath a paper, and use a crayon to etch over
  3. Leaf kite – all it takes is a leaf and a string. Then you can have your kids run through the yard flying their kite, or tie it to their trike
  4. Fall scavenger hunt – see pinterest kcedventures.com
  5. Leaf shadow tracing – place leaves on a paper and let kids trace their shapes
  6. Egg carton fall collection – give kids each an egg carton and have them fill it with fall treasures from around the yard.
  7. Use corn on the cob or pine cones to paint
  8. Draw a tree using markers and let the kids use finger paint to add colorful fall leaves

That’s it! I hope you find time to enjoy the outdoors today!

Friday Faves: Ellie by Mike Wu

kswemba
Ellie by Mike Wu

Happy Friday everyone! Today I want to highlight Ellie, written and illustrated by Mike Wu. This book is such a cute story and the illustrations are sure to delight your little ones. Ellie is an elephant who lives in a dull, gray zoo that is about to close. Ellie and her animal friends try to improve the zoo, but Ellie isn’t sure how she can help. She finds a unique tool and starts using it, and we watch her discover her love, and extreme talent for painting. Can her talent be enough to save the day? Spoiler alert, it has a happy ending! I highly recommend this cute gentle story, it won’t disappoint!

Nacho average snack

kswemba
Yes, this is happening

Sometimes you just need to induldge. And when I think of snacky food perfection, I think of nachos (at least that’s the flavor of the day!) These delicious crispies are just melted cheddar topped with…..wait for it….PRE-MADE Pico de Gallo!!! What you ask? No cutting or chopping or straining tomatoes so your nachos don’t get mushy!? No zip, zilch! I scored the mini mix from Aldi. Do you have an Aldi? Or I bet trader Joe’s would have something…don’t quote me though, I haven’t scoped it out.

So go ahead friends, indulge in something today. Sometimes it can really change your day and head it in a better direction. I also got myself some new pocket sanitizers from Bath & Body works so look out world, here I come!

Friday Faves: My Shape Is Sam by Amanda Jackson, Illustrated by Lydia Nichols

kswemba

My Shape Is Sam by Amanda Jackson, Illustrated by Lydia Nichols

Happy Friday everyone! I have SUCH a special treat to share with you today! I am so excited! My Shape Is Sam by Amanda Jackson is a truly wonderful book. Sam is a square who lives in a place where each shape has a job. He’s a sturdy stacker, but longs to roll like the circles. One day he rolls and continues to roll til his edges smooth out. (There is so much detail that went into this book, even the corners of the pages are rounded!) He loves it, but the other shapes aren’t sure what to think. He follows his heart and when asked what his shape is, he says my “Shape is Sam”. It’s a book about being different and wanting to follow your heart and true self. With wonderful illustrations by Lydia Nichols, this book teaches kids about shapes and shows them that being different is okay. What a great lesson that can be applied to many different aspects of life! I finished reading this to my kids and they immediately asked for me to read it again. It’s new to the shelves so please check it out! Happy reading everyone!

Apprehension and the Unknown

kswemba

As parents, we try to make the best decisions for our family. We research, ask around, and follow our instincts that tell us what will work best. But, we don’t always know how it will work out. I’m in one of those positions today. My son is attending his second year of preschool, but because of our family’s schedule, he’ll be in the afternoon class. As I sit here I’m wondering if this was the best choice. Will he have the energy he needs? Will he meet new friends, since everyone else stayed in the morning classes? I know I’m worrying unnecessarily, but it’s what I do!

Life is like that. Nothing is certain or comes with directions when raising kids. Yes, there are valuable books out there, but nothing that pertains to your exact situation, or the personality of your child. We just need to trust ourselves that we’re doing our best, and the best for our children. So to all of those parents who are wondering and worrying, I’m right there with you. What are you worried about?