Questionable Choices in Parenting

Laughing at life as a parent so they don't commit me

Amanda on The Rachael Ray Show!

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Take look around my kitchen and you’ll see that I LOVE Rachael Ray. I have her pots and pans, her knives, her cookbooks, and I even have her fancy little EVOO thingy (I think that’s its official name). Last fall I was over-the-moon excited to make a pumpkin hacks video that was featured on her show. So recently when I was asked to come on the show with Rachael to share more of my favorite pumpkin hacks and to demo one of my hacks,  I basically SQUEEEEEED, and then calmly said “Oh sure, I can do that.”  Real cool, Amanda.

So if you missed my appearance, here it is! I had a blast on the show. Rachael’s staff and crew were beyond amazing and kind, and I was honored to be on the show with Rachael and Bob Harper. Hope you enjoy the segment as much as I enjoyed making it!

 

 

 

A Slumber Party with Kathie Lee, Hoda and Me! Amanda on The Today Show with KLG &Hoda

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When I was a little girl and I found myself home from school because I was sick, there was nothing that made me feel better than snuggling up on the couch next to my beloved grandma and watching Regis and Kathie Lee with her. My grandmother LOVED Kathie Lee– she loved her hair, her music, her jewelry, and because Kathie Lee had a dog named Chardonnay, my grandmother needed a dog named Chardonnay. Now my grandmother’s Chardonnay was a sheppard for the devil, but that’s a whole other story.

I really cherish those precious memories with my sweet grandmother and because she adored Kathie Lee so much, I have always had a special place in my heart for Kathie Lee as well. During my other Today Show appearances, I always hoped I would run into her in the halls and I even practiced what I would say to her. But every time I was lucky enough to be on the show, I would just see Kathie Lee as she came whisking in and out of the Orange Room and basically, I was a big chicken and afraid to present her with my practiced speech. So when I got the call from a producer that wanted me to tape a segment with Kathie Lee and Hoda, I couldn’t squeal YES fast enough!klg

When I finally met Kathie Lee, she was just as lovely, kind, and funny as I had hoped and I just know my grandmother was smiling down (OK probably more than just smiling down) from heaven during this segment. Pretty awesome, right?

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So check me out on the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda where I’m sharing the best ways to throw an amazing slumber party! This is my favorite Today segment yet!

Maybe it’s because I went to college in the late 90s and my entire dorm room was glow-in-the-dark but I was a little too excited over all the glow-in-the-dark activities. And those walking tacos? SO YUMMY!

What’s your favorite slumber party activity?

Great Day Washington– My First Appearance!

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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…

Great Day WashThe 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!!!

Back on The Today Show with my Beach and Pool Hacks

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Friends, I have a happy dance that I reserve for really, really special occasions and let me tell you, I am full on happy, tap dancing, cartwheels, turn-turn-turn-kick-ball-change-jazz hands when I ‘m asked to come back to the Today Show. It gets real fancy up in here. After I finished bustin’ a move, I hopped a plane to NYC to be a part of another Parenting Team segment and I really think you will love this one. I’m sharing some of my best pool and beach parenting hacks.

P.S. Some of my readers were worried about the little girls that helped with the sunblock train and I’m telling you they were fine! They were outside for less than 2 minutes, honestly! They were so cute and their parents were so nice! So simmer down!

Also, I sorta love this clip because it literally makes me laugh out loud AND my hair and makeup looks fabulous and I would love for the Today Show hair and makeup team to just follow me around all day long.

Hey do me a favor, when I die, play this clip on repeat because it’s hilarious and fabulous. Deal?

A video posted by QuestionableChoicesInParenting (@questionablecip) on

Sanity Savers For When Your Kids Are Sick!

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I’m so excited to announce my new series for the blog called Can You Hack Motherhood? Since my Sanity Savers For When Kids Are Sick was such a hit on the Today Show, I knew these great tips needed to be a shared as a weekly series! So here is the post that started it all and a clip of my Today Show appearance! Keep a lookout for a new set of life hacks and sanity savers every Thursday and if you have any great tips for hacking motherhood, send them to me!

As a mom, I’ve got all kinds of super hero powers, like my kisses can fix boo boos and I can make lunch, kick a soccer ball, talk to my mom on the phone, and nurse a baby at the same time! But even when it seems like I’m just flying through life with my super hero cape on, nothing can send me into a stress induced tizzy like my kids getting sick. Everyone is miserable, no one is sleeping, and I’m looking around wondering “Who’s next?”

I’m not a doctor, but I do watch A LOT of Grey’s Anatomy and have two kids that like to barf in my hair at 3 AM and often get sick at the most inopportune times, like on trips to Disney. So here are my parenting life hacks when your kids are sick:

Sanity Savers When Your Kids Are Sick

Making Medicine Less Yucky

When your kiddos are sick and they need to take medicine, the last thing you want is an all-out battle to get them to take their doses. But to be fair, a lot of medicine tastes pretty awful so here’s how we hide that yucky taste and start feeling better:

  • Put a few mini chocolate morsels on their tongue and when the chocolate melts, it coats their tongue so you can sneak the medicine in minus the bad taste. See chocolate really does fix everything!
  • For serious negotiations, I turn to a currency my kids understand, lollipops. Dip the lollipop in the medicine and let your kid lick the medicine each time you dip. When they finish all the medicine, they get to eat the lollipop (get yourself one too — you’ve earned it).The Skinny on Soothing SkinIt’s not just the flu or a cold that can have your favorite patients feeling awful, but don’t worry; you’ve got a bag of tricks to fix anything when they have issues with their skin
  • Itchy dry skin is no match for you! Put your little one in a lukewarm bath with a cup or two of white vinegar and skip the soap and shampoo. Cover their skin with Vaseline or coconut oil—yes coconut oil. They won’t be itchy and will smell like a yummy pina colda.
  • Sunburns are so painful, but you can come to the rescue with a cool fix of freezing aloe vera in ice cube trays.
  • My kids are anti-shoes in the summer which leads to a lot of splinters. So this Mamma mixes up a paste of baking soda and water to coat the splinter. Add a band-aid and let the paste sit for an hour. The splinter works itself out of the skin, you can easily pull it with tweezers, and your babe’s feet will stay pain free.Sanity Through ExhaustionYou’re probably a little rusty when it comes to all-nighters. So do a few things to keep sane when you only have one eye open at 3AM.
  • Be prepared for a night of tummy trouble by pulling out your old towels and sheets for your kid’s bed. Just like lasagna, make layers of sheets and towels. When you need to make late night clean ups, you can strip off a layer and the bed is already made and ready for the next round, sigh
  • You may already suffer from Mommy-Brain AND you’re exhausted, now you have to remember the last time your kids took their medicine—not happening. Grab a marker and create a small chart on the side of their medicine bottle for doses and the number of days they need to take medicine.
  • Earaches are so painful and keep everyone awake, but if you take an all white sock, add coarse sea salt and a few drops of lavender, and warm it up in the microwave or a skillet, you have a soothing heating pad to place on a painful ear. Sweet dreams!
  • Hydration is key when they’re sick, but if they’re lying down or napping, you can fully expect spills on their bed and your couch—but not anymore! Grab a cup with a lid and put a crazy straw in upside down. Even if the cup falls over, it won’t spill! Hallelujah! I might do this every day!Sweet Pain Relievers
  • Got a sore throat? Try a few mini marshmallows. Why does it work? I have no idea, but it does and it’s yummy.
  • Popsicles make everyone feel better so add Jell-o to homemade popsicles-it won’t melt as fast—genius– and if you add some fruit, you get a something healthy into you’re a sick kiddo with zero appetite.

These parenting life hacks can fix a lot and get your family back to normal…..

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Or as normal as your family can be.