As moms, we’re super busy and on top of everything our kids need–snacks, that lost shoe they simply can’t find, the toy they MUST have to sleep every night. But sometimes, we let other things slide, like maintaining our cars. I’m not just talking about getting it washed and vacuumed once in a blue moon. So keep your precious cargo safe and your wallet intact by using my grandfather’s words of wisdom, and I’ll show you how to make your life easier while. Click here to find me over at Thompson Mazda sharing my Guide for Caring for your Car!
Archives for October 2015
Super Easy, Last Minute Halloween Treats
My kids have known for months what they were going to be for Halloween (a doctor and Super Girl–seriously their costumes are so stinking cute) and we’ve had spiders, ghosts and those silly cotton cobwebs all over our house and front yard since October 1, but somehow Halloween has snuck up on me AGAIN! In an attempt to get in touch with the Pinteresty- Mom I so long to be, sigh, and the reality that I have zero time, I’ve got five super easy, last minute Halloween treats that anyone can make.
Crazy Candy People-
Want to make a treat for your kid’s class that looks like you spent a ton of time, but is secretly super easy? Then Crazy Candy People are perfect. With a little hot glue or tape attach a lollipop to a tiny candy bar, use Smarties as arms and legs, draw a scary face with a black sharpie on the lollipop, and these treats will be the hit of the party!
Spooky Graveyard Pudding Cups
I love this treat because kids can help you assemble them while at their classroom Halloween party or at home! If you are sending this treat in, you could put everything in small baggies and give the kids instructions on how to assemble or put this snack together as a class. All you need is pudding cups, crushed Oreos, marshmallow ghost, candy pumpkins. What an easy, spooky, sweet treat.
Silly Spider Cookies-
Everything is cuter with edible eyes! Everything! Using your own sugar cookie recipe or the store bought from the tube, follow directions to bake the cookies When done, add a tiny peanut butter cup upside down and use a small amount of melted chocolate to as clue to attach candy eyes (you can find these at your craft store’s baking section). Dip a toothpick into the melted chocolate and draw on the legs. How cute are these cookies?
Mummy Juice Box or Squeeze Applesauce Pouch
Wrap white tape or crape paper around a juice box, applesauce pouch, or even a small water bottle and add googly eyes with a little bit off glue and you have an easy and adorable mummy!I LOVE these and my kids think they are hilarious!
Boo-nana
For this easy treat, cut a banana in half and put a popsicle stick in the bottom. Dip the banana in melted white chocolate, add tiny chocolate morsels for eyes and put in the freezer for 15 -20 minutes. Now you have a spooky ghost banana. Easy and yummy!
Happy Halloween! And remember, as a mom, you get half of all their candy and treats. It’s a rule. I swear!
Oh you know, just me on The Rachel Ray Show!
In addition to loving a good life hack, I LOVE Rachael Ray–LOVE Her. Check my kitchen, I have her pots and pans, her knives, her adorable EVOO drizzle thingy (obvi that’s not the correct name), and ton of her cookbooks and magazines. I’ve bought her dog food for Suggie and I’ve eaten at a dozen restaurants based on her recommendations. Basically, I think she is just rad so when I was asked to film one of my life hacks for her show… I basically squealed like a little girl, forced myself to be cool..be cool, and plotted a way to make Rachael my newest BFF. Here’s the clip of my appearance on her show and a great hack for this time of year! As always, my kids are the scene stealers and I swear, my house always looks this clean (just don’t look behind the camera because that’s where we stashed everything.)
Dexing and Skittling– Do you know what this means?
I’ve recently realized that I am quite out of touch when it comes to the newest lingo teenagers are using. When I was teaching in a high school I’d see all the latest fashions paraded in my classroom, know all about the musicians my students were obsessed with, and I’d hear their teenage slang in the hallways and see it written in their English essays–that one was painful, I’ll admit. Since I’m no longer teaching in a classroom and my kids are very young, what’s cool, new, and in-the-now with teens is quite a mystery to me. What about you? Would you know what your teen was talking about if they said kids were “Dexing”? How about “Skittling?”
Naively I would think they are talking about a new dance move, but I would be so very wrong. Because these two phrases are actually terms teens use to talk about abusing over-the-counter medicines that contain dextromethorphan (DXM). Feeling out of touch right now? Me too.
Since October is National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month, now is the time to empower yourself with the knowledge to help your kids (even if they are really young) to know the dangers and for you as a parent to spot the warning signs of OTC abuse of DXM
Some DXM Facts:
- Approximately 1 in 30 teens have abused cough medicine to get high, and one in three teens in grades 9-12 knows someone who has abused cough medicine to get high.
- In 2010, 65 percent of teens agreed that DXM was “very/fairly easy to get.” That number has since gone down to 41 percent.
- Taken in excessive doses, DXM has intoxicating, dissociative, and psychoactive properties. Teens report taking up to 25 times or more of the recommended dose of cough medicine to get high. Side effects from abuse include nausea and vomiting, distortions of color and sound, hallucinations, and loss of motor control. When combined with other substances (drugs and alcohol), it can be very dangerous and even lethal.
But the one fact that stuck out to me the most: Teens who learn a lot about the risks of drugs from their parents are 50 percent less likely to use drugs. According to StopMedicineAbuse.org when teens want to know more about drugs, it’s not their parents they turn to. Teenagers are almost three times as likely to trust their friends as a source of information than their family (this means sibbling too). They also turn to their most trusted source, a good old Goolge search. Here’s what parents need to know.
- Online search for DXM peaks during two times of year, aligning with back-to-school time: September/October and January/February.
- Teens look to YouTube, social media, and online discussion forums like Erowid.com to get info.
- Teens are more themselves on their mobile device and on platforms away from their parents. They use different channels to manage their online reputation and to keep some privacy. Say gooodbye to the days of the journal hidden in their room.
- 26% of teens agree strongly/somewhat that taking non-prescription cough/cold medicine to get high is something cool kids do, down from 29 percent in 2011. an overwhelming majority of teens have hidden online activities from parents (79 %).
The kids seeking out this info are referred to as “fence sitters.” They are very curious, want to know more, but they haven’t tried dexing yet. What are they finding online is actually going to surpirse you. Thanks to the amazing efforts of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) and StopMedicineAbuse.org, teens will find the award-winning effort WhatisDXM.com and not the regular websites that talk about how to use the drugs.
Fence sitters will find real-life testimonials, games, apps, and bait-and-switch videos interrupt teens’ searches and change their perceptions of cough medicine abuse. Pretty amazing, right? Today, teen abuse of OTC cough medicine is at an all-time low and it’s because of CHPA and StopMedicineAbuse.org efforts. Because this generation of teens worries so much about image to peers and social media is like breathing to them, WhatisDXM.com shows the awful side of cough medicine abuse: sloppy teenagers annoying their friends by acting stupid, saying dumb things, and even throwing up on themselves. No teen with a fragile ego wants that sort of embarrassment in front of their friends or posted online.
WhatisDXM.com uses the negative perception of DXM abuse and teens’ fear of social disapproval to make DXM more undesirable and it’s really reaching these teens:
- Teens have directly engaged with this content online (viewed, shared, clicked, commented) more than 21 million times, visited the website one million times, and the apps have been downloaded almost 300,000 times.
Parents, need a way to talk to your kids? Want more info? Here’s a list of amazing resources to help you get those conversations started.
Resources:
Stop Medicine Abuse on Pinterest
Stop Medicine Abuse on Facebook
Stop Medicine Abuse on Twitter @StopMedAbuse #StopMedAbuse
Main website: http://www.whatisdxm.com/
YouTube channel with all videos – including teen perspective:https://www.youtube.com/user/DXMstrs
Facebook app (2.5 minute experience that scrapes your Facebook page for a simulated real-world experience, must log in via your Facebook page):http://sipitup.me/
Trailer for mobile app DXM Labworks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-boIyNwaV-Q
This post is sponsored by the CHPA educational foundation,KnowYourOTCs.org but all opinions are my own.
Easy Ways Every Mom Can Keep Her Car Clean
My car is super clean…..bahahahaha. Let me try to say that again with a straight face. My car…. is ….super…. OK, I just can’t tell you such a lie. Come on, I’m a mom with young kids, and try as I might, my car is a mess. Don’t worry, my car doesn’t looks like an episode of hoarders, but we do have random school papers floating around, a few empty water bottles, and a a lot of rouge snacks that my dog hasn’t nibbled on when she comes for a ride. But, I’ve got some easy ways that we can keep our car a little cleaner and I’m sharing them over at Thompson Chrysler’s website. Click here to be magically transported!
Entertaining Kids on Long Car Rides
With the holidays just around the corner (seriously, it’s not even Halloween and there are already Christmas decorations out in the stores), you might have some long car rides planned for your family. Keeping kids entertained in the car can be tricky, but I’ve got some fun, inexpensive, and EASY ideas to keep everyone in your car happy until you arrive! Click here to be magically transported to my post!
Great Day Washington– My First Appearance!
I don’t want to brag, but when I was fresh out of college, I was a TV news reporter in a tiny, little town in West Virginia and I covered ALL the hard hitting news like county fairs, beauty pageants, and lots of ribbon cutting ceremonies. Hard Hitting News, right? But alas, I left that glamorous life to become a teacher, then a stay at home, then a mommy blogger and somehow that all turned into me getting the chance to share my life hacks on TV shows. So sorta full circle, right?
This week I was thrilled to be on Great Day Washington here in Washington, D.C. to share my sanity savers when your kids are sick, and I am always surprised how fast, fast, fast daytime TV is. Phew…
The hosts, Chris and Marquette, were so nice and so funny. And Marquette is ridiculously beautiful and that dress, love! I mean, how cute is she?
Since cold and flu season is going to be hitting us soon, hopefully some of these tips will help you and your kiddos. Check out my appearance!
So much fun! Hopefully I’ll be back on Great Day Washington soon (hint, hint!!) and I’ll remember to talk faster!!!
How to Create Simple Lunchbox and Snacks Stations
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HorizonLunch #CollectiveBias
“I’m hungry. Can we have a snack?” These are the very first words I hear from my son EVERY SINGLE DAY when he hops off the bus. Kindergarten is hard work, and when he gets home from a long day of serious kindergarten business, the man is HUNGRY! The problem is if I leave him and his sister to their own food scavenger hunt after school, they will both dive head first into the pantry, eat a bag of chips, and plop onto the couch in a carb comma until dinner. So I created a snack system that carried over into the kids helping to pack their own lunches in the morning. Now I know they are getting yummy and proportioned snacks after school and the dreaded task of packing lunches, has gotten so much easier. In fact, our new lunchbox making station has actually saved us time and the kids love being independent and making their own choices
Create a Lunchbox Making Station
Depending on the storage space in your kitchen,use either small, plastic stackable drawers in the pantry or baskets to organize each menu item. While I’m packing their “main course,” the kids are choosing what else will go in their lunchbox based on the numbers listed outside the drawers or baskets. You can use chalkboard paint or a sharpie to write the number on the outside of the container. The rule in this house is they don’t have to take everything, but they need a variety and cannot take more than the actual number (unless it’s a fruit or veggie, then take as much as you want—a mother can dream, right?)
In the Pantry
Drinks (in addition to water) My kids love Horizon® Chocolate Milk Boxes so that is always their go-to drink for lunch: 1
Salty, Crunchy snacks and crackers (individual bags that I proportioned or the lunch size) Lately they’ve only wanted Horizon® Sandwich Crackers both the peanut butter and the cheddar:1
Apple sauce, fruit cups: 2
Special Treats like fruit gummies or a piece of chocolate: 1
In the fridge
Different cheeses: 1
Yogurt and yogurt drinks: 1
Fruits and Veggies: 2
Create a Snack Station
Use small plastic storage containers as your designated snack bin (I got mine at the dollar store)—have one for the fridge and one for the pantry.
For the fridge, pack the container full of snacks your kids love: yogurt, cheese, cut up fruit in sandwich bags, fruit cups, veggies and dippers like hummus, peanut butter or ranch (use small to-go condiment containers for the dips), small portions of meats in sandwich bags, Horizon® milk boxes and small bottles of water are just a few ideas.
This system allows them to make choices about what they want to take and they are being responsible by packing their own lunches. Since I’ve portioned out the food, I don’t have to worry they are eating too much.
Since this Snack and Lunchbox Station is such a hit in this house, I am always adding more Horizon® products into the mix. They make perfect drinks boxes for my kids. The chocolate milk is flavored with organic cocoa and it has no high fructose corn syrup. Plus they are shelf-stable so they are easy to toss in their lunchboxes or grab when we are running out the door and need a drink on the go. Also Horizon® Sandwich Crackers are stuffed with organic yummy cheese or peanut butter (and usually I’m snacking on them too). So even if we are rushing around packing lunches during our hectic morning or grabbing a quick snack before we head out the basketball or dance class, I know that I’m giving my kids food with good ingredients and it’s super yummy.
Of course I grabbed all of the Horizon® drinks and snacks while I was at Walmart buying 5,387 other things
Right now a lot of the Horizon® products feature the characters for The Peanuts movie! We are so stinking excited for this movie! Here’s a sneak peak of the trailer!
Of course my husband and I love Snoopy and the gang but my kids think Charlie Brown is hilarious! Come on, he is, right? So any snacks with Snoopy or Charlie Brown on the are winners in our book.
What are you lunchbox packing and snack secrets? Got any great tips for us?