For instance, my kitchen counter/bar is by far the worst flat surface I have in my house. Look for yourself ~This is a continual problem, which sometimes causes heated discussions in my family. Life, being as busy as it is, tends to hinder me from taking the extra step and put away whatever I have in my hand. As, I still have Bubbaloo, I still put things “up” so the baby can’t get to it. You know, out of sight, out of mind. Well, most of the time, this is the norm.

And because my kiddos are my kiddos, they follow suit. Time for school? Clean off the kitchen table and everything goes to the bar. Time to eat dinner? Clean off the table and everything migrates to the bar. A small toy on the floor, move it to the bar. It’s off of the floor and now it won’t get broken…..the list goes on and on and on….

Let’s look at the above picture….school papers that should be completed (but I’m not sure!), glass cleaner in a spray can, a baby bib (Bubbaloo hasn’t worn a bib in forever!) and the banana hanger thrown in for fun!

Or this one ~ a battery, a water worn reading book, MORE school papers (again, I don’t remember if they are done!), hand lotion, glue stick, coupons, container lid, my decorative candles (they kinda get lost in the mess), a pen, a cassette tape, the baby bib (again), baby doll hat, purple building block,  nightlight and torn envelope….

This is the rest of the bar….the big basket on the end, that is my attempt to help My Main Man keep his stuff contained, it works, most of the time. See the paper laying beside the basket, that would be his. My Scentsy warmer, a note pad and tape.

Now, the crazy thing is, I can clean this kitchen bar off and no lie, within 20 minutes someone puts something up there that doesn’t go there!

So my question to you is, do you have this issue at your house too? Or is it just me? I know that I have conflicting temperaments….”I’ll do it the correct/perfect way when I can find the time” that battles constantly with, “I’ll do it in a minute”, but I MUST know if you have similar goings on at your house.

My honey is on my case about all of the storage bins that are full to over flowing with clothes….so I just added a gigantic lot to eBay for ALL GIRL CLOTHES ~ ALL SEASONS ~ ALL GYMBOREE ~ ALL NEW WITH TAGS

Help me out and take a peek at the listing. If you aren’t ready to replenish your inventory, please pass along the listing so someone else can take a gander at what I have for sale.

You can view the lot via this link: http://tinyurl.com/396amos

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to help me out….I am swamped and need some help digging my way out from under all of these bins!

Here are a few pictures of the clothes I have available ~

Thank you!

Frequently, though, parents stop reading aloud to their children once they can read well on their own. Parents often don’t recognize the value in continuing to read aloud to their children.

However, it’s important to read aloud to older children and teenagers, even once they can read well on their own. Being read to helps older children and teenagers continue to learn and understand language, recognize patterns, and is entertaining.

Build Your Children’s Vocabulary

First of all, reading aloud to older children and teenagers can help improve their vocabulary and writing skills. Choosing to read more advanced books than students would read on their own not only keeps their attention during story time, but it also introduces new vocabulary.

For example, most elementary school children wouldn’t use words such as “scrupulous” and “paltry” in their own writing, but after hearing them used in Pride and Prejudice, they may be willing to try. They’ll also hear and learn more advanced ways to put words and sentences together in their own writing.

Improve Oral Reading Skills

Reading aloud to older children and teenagers can also help improve their own oral reading skills. When you read aloud to older children, read with expression and give the characters unique voices when they speak.

If you’re a woman, it may feel silly to give The Three Musketeers’ D’Artagnan an arrogant male voice, or if you’re a man, equally foolish to give life to Kitty’s exclamations of devotion, but you will certainly keep your listeners’ attention.

Giving each character a unique voice also helps listeners keep track of who is speaking in complex conversations. Most importantly, you will be teaching your children how to use expression in their own reading.

Reading Together Can Become Quality Family Time

If you make story time a regular part of your regular routine, it can become enjoyable family time. When children are older, it’s hard to find time to enjoy being together as a family. Kids are often too busy with homework or their friends to spend time talking to their parents. Story time can become a favorite part of the day that everyone looks forward to.

To keep story time interesting, choose books your listeners will enjoy. If you have a child who is an animal lover, try novels like White Fang, The Call of the Wild, or a book by Farley Mowat. A science fiction lover will enjoy almost anything by Jules Verne.

Story time can also become an opportunity to teach history, discuss issues, and share your values with your children. Children and teenagers can learn about the Civil War in The Red Badge of Courage, racism in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the French Revolution in The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Celebrate completing a difficult novel by watching the movie or attending the play based on the novel. It may not be the giggles you shared over Green Eggs and Ham, but it’s fun just the same.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Denise Willms is a homeschooling mom of two and owner of an article directory just for moms, WAHM Articles. Submit your best articles for women at WAHM Articles and they’ll be read by hundreds of mothers and home business owners, and could be published in their websites, newsletters and blogs.

You can make meatloaf with ground beef or ground turkey. Ground turkey is a healthier, lowfat alternative to ground beef. Meatloaf is also a great way to use ground meat you pick up on sale.

Several meatloaves can be made at one time. You can freeze them either before or after they are baked. To bake a frozen, uncooked meatloaf, bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 1/2 hours (do not thaw out first). To bake a frozen, cooked meatloaf, bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool completely before freezing.

Basic Meatloaf Recipe

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3 slices bread
1 large egg
1 c. milk
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. sage
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 c. catsup OR barbeque sauce OR chili sauce
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all the ingredients except the catsup together. Spread the meat mixture into an ungreased loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3-inches or shape into a loaf in an ungreased baking pan. Spoon catsup onto the loaf and bake, uncovered, for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until done. Drain off the excess fat and serve sliced on a heated platter.

Olive Meatloaf

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 c. chopped onions
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 bacon slices, halved
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. each: basil, oregano and salt
1 can (6 oz.) pitted black olives, drained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

In large bowl, mix all ingredients except olives, tomato sauce and bacon. Mix in olives, reserving 5 for garnish. In a 9×12-inch baking pan, shape mixture into a 4×12-inch rounded loaf. Pour tomato sauce over loaf. Lay bacon slices across loaf. Bake in 350 degree oven 1 hour and 15 minutes. Garnish with reserved olives.

Turkey Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground turkey
1 env. Lipton onion soup mix
1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 c. bread crumbs
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 c. ketchup

Mix first 4 ingredients. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Divide the meat loaf in half. Place half in the pan and put grated mozzarella cheese on top of the mixture. Place the rest of mixture on top of cheese and seal edges. Spread 1/2 cup ketchup over the top. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until done.

Italian Style Meatloaf

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 (6 oz.) hot Italian sausage or spicy bulk sausage
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 c. fresh bread crumbs
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 egg, beaten

Combine all ingredients; mix well. Place in loaf pan (4 1/2x 8-inch). Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour; drain.

Crock Pot Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 lb. sausage
2 med. onions, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 c. bread or cracker crumbs
1 1/2 c. milk

Soak bread or cracker crumbs in milk. Mix meat, seasonings, and soaked crumbs thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream and mushroom soup. Make meat mixture into loaf and pour the sour cream-soup mixture over top. Bake in crock pot 10 to 12 hours on low.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at www.creativehomemaking.com.

Grandma’s Apple Cobbler Crumb Pie

Pie Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie crust (9 to 10 inch)
lemon juice
6 cups sliced, peeled apples (I use Gala)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Peel, core and slice your apples down and place slices in a large bowl. Sprinkle the slices with a little lemon juice and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Pour this sugar mixture over top of the apple slices and gently stir to coat the slices. Spoon the mixture into a 9 or 10 inch unbaked pie crust. Dot the top with some butter or margarine.

Cobbler Crumb Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Combine all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl except for the butter. Once they are combined, cut in the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Drop mixture on top of the pie filling by the teaspoonful until its completely covered by the topping.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the apples are soft and the pie is lightly browned.

Serving Suggestions: You can serve your pie warm or cold. We like to serve ours with vanilla ice cream, vanilla yogurt or with some whipped topping.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Shelly Hill is a mother and grandmother living in South Central Pennsylvania who enjoys cooking and baking for her family and friends. You can visit Shelly online at my.tupperware.com/Ravish30 or her recipe blog at wahmshelly.blogspot.com for additional free recipes.

Well, it is again summer time and Regal Theaters has just announced their summer Free Family Film Festival!

Yep, you read right, FREE MOVIES! Now, don’t get your hopes too high, nothing like Twilight: Eclipse or Karate Kid…these are pretty much kid movies…but again, FREE!!!

Cold a/c, a bit of candy and a drink and you have yourself a pretty cheap babysitter for an hour and a half of your time. You even get to watch a movie on the big screen…and honestly, when was the last time you got to go to the movies? Uh, huh…I thought so, me too…it has been way too long for me too.

So, I will be “convinced” at least once or twice this summer to drive and sit through a FREE movie.

You can find out if this is in your area by clicking here.

Enjoy your time at the movies, on Regal’s dime…gotta love that!

Safe to say, the overwhelming majority of those polled most likely have a fairly good relationship with their mothers. So, why would they think that they are “better” at mothering? One reason is that people form their own ideals, regardless of what others around them believe. While you may be influenced heavily by your familial norms and roll models, you also have a network outside of your family. These people also play a part in how you form your personal belief system. So, in essence, some things that you believe were not, necessarily, believed or taught to you by your mother. The exact opposite may actually be true. Your beliefs may be completely counter to your mother’s.

Another factor in our overall parental skills is how we perceived our parents. If you believed that your mother was “perfect”, then chances are, she may still be perfect in your eyes and you may feel that you will never measure up. This is completely normal. For those people, their mother may be their hero, and her beliefs regarding child-rearing take precedent. For me it was my grandmother, the one that I learned the most from on loving and caring for a family.

Then, there is a group that loves their mother, but may only follow her lead on certain things. Of times, opting for a “best practices” approach. They may not consider themselves “better”, and would not even consider the competitiveness involved with making that type of classification.

There are many reasons why some may feel that they are better. Many have had better educational opportunities than their mother. Many have been afforded advantages that their mother could only have dreamed about at their age. Some just believe that their mother could never be as “cool” as they are or as they feel they are perceived by their children. They may feel that they “understand” children better. There may be some truth to that; however, your mother may not have wanted to have that type of “friendly” relationship with you. Maybe she just wanted to be your mother, and not your friend.

Who is to really say who is better? At the end of the day, those who think that they are better should absolutely think about this…You could not have been better if you never existed. Love your mother. For better or for worse, that wonderful woman helped to make you who you are today. With Mothers day coming upon us, remember the mothers and women that have influence you in your life and honor them for their efforts and love in trying to be the best they could be in your life.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P. is a Certified Open Adoption Practitioner, an award winning author of 2 adoption books Adopting Online and Adoption: Your Step-by-Step Guide. Mardie is also the talk show host of Let’s Talk Adoption.com with Mardie Caldwell and the founder of Lifetime Adoption in 1986. She travels and speaks nationwide on adoption topics, family topics, infertility and writing. She has been quoted in and consulted for Parenting and Adoption magazines and has appeared on CNN, CBS, ABC, BBC, NBC, and Fox. Featured in Parade Magazine, Caldwell is an adoptive mother living in Northern California.

I wanted to drop by quickly and tell you about the newest items I have listed on the site. I am proud to announce that I have found a great outlet for John Deere products!

Can you say John Deere Green?

I have a lot more to list but here are a few that I have listed already ~

http://bubbaandtoots.com/item_159/John-Deere-Pink-11oz-Relief-Mug.htm

http://bubbaandtoots.com/item_158/John-Deere-Lidded-Stein-28oz.htm

http://bubbaandtoots.com/item_154/John-Deere-1959-Model-B-Wall-Plaque-Garden-Stone.htm

These are but a few that I have available for immediate purchase. All of the above items are ready for shipping. So if you know someone that is all about John Deere, then make sure you take time to stop in and see everything now!

Oh, yeah, make sure to come back in a day or so to find out about the upcoming Mother’s Day sale!

Talk soon…

I didn’t own a cell phone until I was eighteen years of age, and even then my parents had me on a very limited plan. I had thirty minutes a month on my plan. Yes, you read that right, a month. The plan was to use my cell phone to call them when I arrived at college each week. It was only for safety and emergency purposes. You can probably guess I went over my minutes quite frequently. There was no such thing at that point as text messaging though so I didn’t have that to help me run up my bill.

Besides running up my bill, there was not much that I could do on the cell phone. It had no camera capabilities nor did it have the Internet. It was ancient compared to the cell phones of today. Today children as young as preschool are carrying cell phones, and not just any cell phone but smart phones, with not only cameras, but text messaging capabilities and an Internet connection.

Why is this scary to me? It is scary because of the power that they hold in their hands. Cell phones keep no secrets, the connections that can be made and the harm that can be done from them is mind blowing. Cell phones can now take pictures of just about anything and the pictures can be sent instantly to others. Kids are taking pictures of private areas of their bodies and multimedia messaging the pictures to each other. It doesn’t stop there, the kids that receive the photo message are then forwarding the photo on to other kids, or worse uploading the photos to the Internet. Literally in minutes your kids private picture could be spread around the world.

If this isn’t enough, the connections that can be made once they go online are even scarier. Child pornographers are out there lurking just waiting to pounce on an innocent child, or even one that knows a little more and is naïve enough to fall for some of their ploys. According to Newsweek, “One in five children ages 10-17 have received a sexual solicitation over the Internet.”

The power that our children have in their hands is frightening, and we as parents are the only ones that can do something about it. What will you allow to happen to your child today, or will you be proactive about the security of your child?

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Alyssa Avant is the founder and creator of Pro-tech the Kids.com. She created this site to help educate parents about the dangers of the internet and other technology and how they can be proactive about protecting their tech generation kids. Visit the site at pro-techthekids.com

Happy Birthday to my wonderful, strong, smart and lively young man….stay little for as long as you can, please? I love you and I pray that God will continue to bless you and be an important part of who you are.

Here are a few snap shots of the small birthday celebration we had to ring in one more year.

Nine candles…does he have enough breath?

It appears that he does!

Tradition in my house, birthday person gets the first bite, no matter who you are!

It is hard to believe that I have been blessed with such a wonderful boy such as Bubba. God sure knew that I needed a strong, yet sensitive young man in my life. A young man that will continue to grow in the Lord and become a better man because of it.

I blinked and the years flew by. I try not to dwell on the “what ifs” or “what should haves”, because for me there are never enough memories that could have been created along the way.

I strive to remember that each day is a blessing, regardless if it was a birth day or not. So many times we get caught up in “how we should be” instead of relishing “how sweet it has been”…

A brief reminder that you must make the most of the days we are given, because we are not even guaranteed tomorrow.

Talk soon…