What Moms Want To Know

Top 5 Posts For 2008

Although this blog is still in its infancy (it's almost 3 months old) I have had some posts which received a good bit of attention.  The top five...

Keep Your Toddler Entertained While Running Errands

Beanless Chili Recipe

Cold Lunches/Finger Foods For Toddlers

A More Agreeable Toddler

6 Ways To Save Money

Simple Quiche...Delicious

I used to hear the word quiche and run for cover.  Just the name makes me think of Martha Stewart and slaving away for hours in the kitchen.  But I have discovered that is simply not the case.  This quiche recipe is delicious and simple to make. 

Also, I am not a fan of dishes with tons of ingredients, and it seems as though many quiche recipes have just that, but not this one.  It truly is simple. 

I always make this ahead.  I make it and bake it the day before and just stick in the oven about 15 minutes to warm it up before serving it the next morning.

Prep Time: About 20 minutes (frying the bacon takes the most time)
Cook Time: 50 minutes 

Ingredients:
10-12 slices of bacon (fry and crumble) (You could substitute ham or sausage if you prefer, I just like bacon.)
1/3 c. chopped onion (finely chopped)
1 c. Swiss Cheese (If you like the sharper taste of cheddar, feel free to use that.)
2 c. milk
1/2 c. Bisquick
4 eggs
1/ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

1) Grease a 9 inch pan and cover pan with the bacon, cheese, and onion

2) Blend milk, Bisquick, eggs, salt, and pepper in blender for 45 seconds-1 minute

3) Pour mixture over bacon, cheese, and eggs

4) Bake @ 350 until golden brown (about 50 minutes)

5) Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting

6) Enjoy! 

Menu Plan Monday Dec. 29

Monday: Chicken Spaghetti

Tuesday: Grilled Trout, Rice, Green Beans

Wednesday: Dinner Out

Thursday: New Years Brunch
Simple Quiche (recipe coming tomorrow and it's a good one!)
Pistachio Bread
Fruit
Monkey Bread

Friday: BBQ Chicken Pizza W/Homemade Pizza Crust

Thanks for stopping by, and for more menu plans, head back on over to MPM!

My Toddler's Journey To Independent Play, Part 1

When I gave birth for the first time, almost twenty-two months ago, I was utterly and completely enamored with my brand new baby boy.  And I stayed that way for some time.  In all honesty, I am still rather enamored with him, but in a different way.  (Toddlers are just different.)  Well, that enamoration(is that a word?) led me to play with him constantly. I knew I should be teaching him to play on his own, but I would look down at that little roly-poly baby and have to be right next to him.  I just couldn't help it.  I was like an addict needing a fix.  I had to kiss his smooth little cheeks and hold his chubby little hands.

Fast-forward several months.... That roly-poly baby is now a cat-like toddler, darting here and there and sinking his claws into Mommy every chance he gets.  And I do mean every chance he gets... while Mommy is trying to fix her hair in the mornings, while Mommy is trying to prepare dinner at night, while Mommy is trying to do almost anything that does not directly involve him.  And Mommy is starting to realize what a colassal mistake Mommy made when she did not teach Baby how to play on his own.  (Okay, I will stop talking about myself in the third person now.)  So now Mommy is on a journey (last time, I swear) to rectify the situation she herself created.

I plan on writing several posts over the next few weeks documenting our journey to independent play.  He is quickly approaching two years, so I know that he is at the right developmental stage for more independent play, he just needs guidance from me (since I'm the one that messed him up in the first place) to be successful. 

Nine Patch Quilt.... A Little Productivity

I have finally gotten back to work on my nine-patch quilt.  (See the first post here.) Since taking up blogging and trying to learn everything there is to learn about it (which is a HUGE undertaking, I have discovered) this quilting hobby of mine has been virtually ignored as of late. (Not to mention the fact that I am also busily growing another human while chasing his 22 month-old brother around, but anyway....)   

I finally pulled out the fabric I bought a month ago and cut several 3.5 inch blocks.  I love the colors...except for this block.  It's not as obvious in this picture, but it's the pink is pretty bright, compared to my other colors.  The orangy color blends well, but I think I'm going to have to get rid of this fabric and save it for another quilt. 

 

Can you tell what I mean?  It really is not as obvious in the picture, but the pink clashes, I think.  And I hate that because I really like that fabric.  Oh well...

 

So for now I'm going these fabrics:

 

And it's looking like another trip to buy some more fabric is in order.  I'll need a couple more patterns, I believe. I'm planning on using the background fabric (the brown with the little stars) you see as the border and I am debating whether or not to use it in the patches as well.

Chocolate Pie Recipe

This one's a good one for Christmas dessert!

Time Involved:  About 15 minutes

Ingredients:
graham cracker (or chocolate graham cracker) pie crust
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
2 c. milk (skim to save a few calories, whole for deliciousness)
2 Packages (3.9 ounces) chocolate pudding
8 ounces whipped cream

1) Melt Chocolate

 

2) Mix chocolate with condensed milk

3) Pour chocolate and condensed milk mixture into pie crust and top with walnuts

4) Combine milk and pudding mix and beat with whisk

5) Spoon half of mixture over walnuts

6) Stir in half of the whipped cream into remaining pudding mixture

7) Spread over whipped cream and pudding mixture over pudding that's in the pie crust 

8) Top with remaining whipped cream

9) Refrigerate over night and enjoy.

Menu Plan Monday December 22

 

Christmas Eve Dinner:

Dare I say it?  I think we're going to order pizza.  That might sound strange for Christmas Eve, but I figure we'll have so much good food tomorrow that it will be fun.  (And easy.....)

Christmas Day Brunch:

Simple Quiche
Pistachio Bread
Fruit
Monkey Bread
Almond Bread
 
Christmas Day Dinner:

Turkey
Dressing
Sweet Potato Casserole  (sooooo good)
Green Beans
Corn and Rice Casserole
Congealed Salad
Cranberry Sauce
Chocolate Pie
Cobbler

For more menu plans, head back on over to MPM!

Nine Patch Quilt

Since I've completed the quilt top for my Yellow Brick Road Quilt (see the pattern here) that I'm going to give to my little boy, I've decided to start a Nine Patch Quilt for me.  I love the colors.

Here's the fabric I've bought.

   

I'm hoping for a "cottagey" (is that a word?) feel. 

Does Mommy Really Need To Wear Makeup Every Day?

My little boy goes to a Mom's Day Out program at a local church a few days a week.  I say it's so he can learn social skills, which he is learning, but if I'm 100% honest with myself, it's really all about me getting in a little Mommy Time during the week.  (I admit it... think what you will.) That being said, I've noticed a strange phenomenon amongst me and the other moms.

Last year, when our little ones were babies and we were new moms, when we'd drop our babies off, we'd all be dressed nicely, with hair fixed, and makeup on.  This year, as moms of Big Kid Toddlers, most of us show up in sweats, slept-on hair, and au natural faces.

I didn't even take notice of this development until recently.  I knew I had really been slacking off, but hey, I'm pregnant and chasing a toddler all day, so of course I'm slacking off.  But, after I started looking around at the other mothers, I realized that they too, were slacking just a little bit.  I realized that I was not the only one in a uniform of fleece pants and an oversized sweatshirt every morning.  The other mothers were doing it too!  

I think there must be some kind of cosmic time line involved.  One that says, "Mothers of babies 12 months and younger must dress daily, fix their hair, and apply makeup.  After the first birthday passes, forget about it."  Whatever the reason, we all seem to be following that guideline, and we certainly did not do so last year.

And whatever the reason, it is incredibly freeing to just show up, drop off your kid, and have a couple hours to yourself.  Hours not spent wasted in front of a mirror with a brush in one hand and a straightener in the other.  This is a phenomenon I'm pretty certain will continue for at least few more years, at least until our babies can play by themselves for longer periods of time, and I, for one, plan on enjoying it.  I mean my 21 month-old could care less if Mommy has on make-up (unless he gets to apply it) so what' the big deal?  And, apparently, others agree. 

     

What You Don't Need At The Hospital

I was incredibly over-prepared prepared for my hospital stay the last time I gave birth.  I had everything I could possibly need in my suitcase.... and used about one fourth of it.  (It really looked like we were moving in to Labor and Delivery; I just have a thing about being under-prepared when away from home.)

So, from the lessons I learned last time around, here are my suggestions for some things that are not worth worrying about taking with you to the hospital.

1) Lots of Baby Clothes
One picture outfit and a going home outfit are the only infant clothes I am taking with me this time.   My son stayed in the little hospital T and swaddled in the hospital blankets the entire time we were there.  I was too exhausted to even think about changing his clothes and there was no reason to anyway.

2) Baby Blankets
I will bring one for pictures but otherwise I'm going to let him stay in the hospital-provided blankets.  Out of all the blankets that I bought and were given to me, those were honestly my favorites for my son's first few months.  They were the perfect size for swaddling and very soft.  

3) Makeup
I wore none the entire time I was in the hospital.  Sure, I might have scared some people, but I was too exhausted from giving birth and excited about my son to even think about applying makeup.  That being said, it might just be too much to handle to actually leave it at home, even knowing I will probably not use it.

4) Books
I'm going to bring some magazines (that I probably will not even read) but I know there is absolutley no use in bringing a book, even for a book addict such as myself.  One, I will be too tired to read. Two, I will not have time to read. Three, I will have no interest in reading.  

5) A Nice Robe
I definitely recommend taking a robe, but I recommend taking an old ratty one.  If you plan on breastfeeding, you will probably use lanolin cream, which stains and will ruin your clothes.  I found this out after I ruined the brand new robe I bought just for the hospital.