This past Saturday marked the first day of spring. For those of us in North America, this typically ushers in a milder climate with warmer temperatures and seasonal rains that bring forth a whole host of activity. The natural world seems to literally come alive, waking from the peaceful slumber of hibernation, and leaving behind the much chillier shades of gray. Buzzing and chirping abounds as new plant growth shoots upward, providing food for insects which attract birds. Other small animals begin to emerge and look for food providing prey for larger ones. The phrase ‘busy little bee,’ is not just a line Commodus used in Gladiator to intimidate his sister. A colony of bees is full of activity by the queen, workers and drones to ensure the hive’s survival. We learned all about bees during our spring homeschool unit last year. It was fascinating and fun, so look for that post in April and I will share our entire week of activities for you to take advantage of should you want to. I personally love the bumble bees. They are bigger, fuzzier and I just feel like they are overall less threatening. Am I right? Stay tuned and find out what we learned during our springtastic week of learning. We did notice an injured bumblebee struggling to fly last year in our back yard. Somehow Fuzzball (yes, we named him), injured himself and he eventually just hopped over the grass until he stopped moving. Sadly, he died right there. My little ones who have great big sensitive hearts were sad, so we took a few minutes and buried Fuzzball underneath the tree right outside the back door next to the pool. We got through it and overall, it was a fun, educational week. Back to the changing of the season. Spring typically inspires us to get moving. The name alone is a call to action. We have more motivation with the warmer weather and days that are lighter, longer. There’s a spring in our step. I picture Tigger bouncing through the 100-Acre Wood. Hopefully, everyone has some time for spring-breaking in the midst of springing forward, spring-fevering and spring cleaning. As I gear up for some projects, I thought it might be good to pause and just do a post sharing some things that might be helpful to all the hardworking moms out there. After all, we all have our hands full. Things may get even more chaotic with sports practice or dance classes. Even if your mom speed is constant all year round, a little help is always appreciated, right? Keep reading for some tips and recommendations that might save you some time, money and drama.
What’s For Dinner?
Don’t you love that question. I know I do. Truthfully, though I usually have an answer these days because I started making my list and doing my meal planning on Saturday morning. It is such a time saver as I have mentioned in previous posts because trying to come up with meals on the fly might mean extra trips to the store that nobody really has time for. The meal planning itself takes some time, but it is worth it. I am sharing a week’s worth of meals, and just like that, one more thing is taken off your plate and you can get on with some fun spring activities. As you read through this section, there are a couple of things to remember. First, this is not a food blog so there are not any mouth watering pictures of food like you see as you scroll through Pinterest. I am cutting to the chase to provide you with a menu including a week’s worth of meals. Second, I am also not a chef, so I give credit where credit is due. If something sounds good, click the link and go straight to the site I have pinned for the recipe. These recipes are some I have tried with my family and have come back to over and over. I have some very picky eaters and this menu includes something for everyone. Pasta, pork, chicken and beef. Italian, Mexican and good ole’ fashioned grilling make this menu well-rounded. I have made my own meatballs for years and have a recipe I like that has a little kick to it. However, I also have the one below that is a good, basic meatball recipe with sauce that the kids prefer. Just know that I included these particular recipes because they are not super complicated, full of flavor and kid approved. Mom for the win.
Delicious Testimonial Menu with bonus PEP (Picky Eater Plug)!
- Meal #1-Pork Tenderloin, Carrots, Salad and Rolls
Sweet and Spicy Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Slow Cooker Honey Cinnamon Carrots
Summer Salad-Berries, Goat Cheese and Spinach
Add some Sister Schubert’s Parker House Style yeast rolls!
- Meal #2-Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs, Jasmine rice, and Fresh Fruit
Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs Recipe
Jasmine Rice:
1 ½ cups of Jasmine rice
3 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
¼ yellow onion diced
1 tsp vegetable oil
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil and sauté onion over medium-high heat. Add rice and chicken broth and raise heat to high. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and add lime juice, salt and pepper. Done! Add some fresh fruit to the plate to round this meal out. I usually cut up some strawberries and add some grapes, blueberries and raspberries based on my crew’s preference.
- Meal #3-Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad, Sourdough Garlic Bread
Add a salad and some yummy sourdough garlic bread and dinner is served!
- Meal #4-Fajita Quesadillas, Mexican Corn Cake, Chips and Queso
Serve with Sweet Corn Cake (pick up Chi-Chi’s sweet corn cake mix) Add the mix, ¼ melted butter, ¼ water, and a can of cream style corn in a bowl and mix until blended. Pour in a greased loaf pan or 8×8 and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. This is one of my absolute favorite sides for any Mexican dish. Throw in your favorite chips and queso and everyone will be happy.
- Meal #5- Burgers (or alternative turkey burgers), Corn on the Cob, and Baked Beans
Traditional Burgers:
Grab ground beef of choice, form into patties and season with salt, pepper and a little Worcestershire sauce. Grill to desired level of doneness or at least 160 degrees. We all eat burgers differently at my house. My opinion is the best burger has lettuce, tomato, cheese, and mayo. Yum! You craft your burger to your desired perfection.
Alternative Turkey Burgers:
I will say, I follow her recipe except for the poultry seasoning. To me, it was an overpowering flavor, so I just seasoned with salt and pepper and followed all of her other instructions.
We add some corn on the cob and baked beans for a great hearty meal. I boil the corm on the cob in a pot on the stove for about 8 minutes or so. Then I take some Bush’s original baked beans, drain them and return them to a saucepan. They cook over medium heat and I add several tablespoons of Corky’s BBQ sauce until desired flavor reached.
A Tangled Web
No, I am not about to launch into a topic about deception. The tangled web I’m referring to is my child’s hair. First, it happens. To all kids. Probably more frequently to girls (and boys) with longer hair. Graham had a little rat’s nest in the back of his hair for a good part of last year. Naturally, that is hard to deal with under the best of circumstances. Enter the tender-headed child and now, post bath time can be super fun, for all. The solution we discovered at our house which has been immensely helpful is a combination of the two products below. I can’t say enough about the Osensia brush. It is so much easier on the scalp and the flexible design means very little tug on your child’s head. We use it daily. The spray is great for working out those really big, tangled messes. It was the ultimate cause of death for Graham’s rat nest so I can tell you, it works!
Amazon.com: Wet Brush Time Release Detangler Kids
Best Hair Detangler Brush: Flexi Brush – Osensia
Are We There Yet?
No. We only got in the car 20 minutes ago and have approximately 6 more hours of driving. I’ve had these exact conversations. Previously, when the kids were little, I implemented the ‘introduce something new every so often so they don’t get bored’ strategy which usually worked pretty well. You can go to the dollar store or Walmart and grab some little things and pull them out at a well-timed moment during the trip. Now that they are older, they have their devices, so entertainment has not been as much of an issue, whereas sleeping has been. On our trip to Florida last week, we purchased a neck pillow for both boys at target. I will say, my oldest I think preferred the regular pillow but Graham loved it. He slept for so long and the funniest part is he and his neck pillow have been inseparable since. He wears it while watching T.V. on the couch. He wore it to bed. He loves it! I just gently slip it off when he falls asleep the same way you remove the Lego toys they insist on taking to bed. It is adorable, but more importantly, a lifesaver. I know you may have some trips planned for summer so it is definitely worth considering. Link below.
Memory Foam Travel Neck Pillow
The Sneaky Smoothie
I know your kids probably come home from school requesting a snack comprised of carrot sticks and broccoli but mine have a different idea. It can be a battle to get healthy things like vegetables in my kids. You must know The Art of War, by Sun Tzu in order to go head to with my 5-year-old at dinner. He’s a formidable opponent. Fortunately, they both love fruit. I mean really love it. So, we tried making some smoothies and adding some healthier items they wouldn’t ordinarily get in their diet. The one that my oldest loves is pretty basic. Recipe below. To it we add the two powerhouse foods below and our unsuspecting 8-year-old ends up drinking a snack packed with healthy goodness. My little one loves oranges and has asked me to create an orange smoothie. I have attempted to make an Orange Julius and got him to try it but it’s harder to mask the green superfoods because they tend to change the color a bit whereas they go unnoticed in the berry smoothie. I am working on it though and will post if we hit on a winner for the orange lovers. The Peach flavored ones were a hit too. Two other kitchen items that are great for smoothie making and blending in general are a Ninja blender and a Magic Bullet. I use the Ninja blender routinely for various recipes, not just smoothies. Shakes, the bacon paste for my bourbon bacon kabobs or blending the burrito sauce to perfect consistency. You get the point. The Magic Bullet is great for all sorts of things too as it has other functions, but it is ideal for the single serving smoothie. There you go. If your kids could use a little boost in the nutrition department, this is certainly worth a shot.
Berry Smoothie
A cup of frozen strawberries
A cup of frozen blueberries
A few frozen cherries
Add some pomegranate juice to desired consistency
We add a scoop of the super greens and a teaspoon or 2 of chia seeds.
Super Greens | #1 Green Superfood Powder
Spectrum Essentials Organic Chia Seed, Omega-3 & Fiber
Ninja BL610 Professional 1000W Total Crushing Blender
Strawberry Fields Forever
If you know me and my love for music, you are probably thinking I am about to launch into a discussion about the Beatles. I could. In fact, if you have not seen the documentary The Beatles: Eight Days a Week, you should. Ron Howard directed it. I watched it on a plane and thought it was really good. Great footage and facts. Did you know, for instance, that Ringo hated performing live because the fans were so loud, he couldn’t hear the beat? He had to watch Jon, Paul and George’s moves to the music to guide his drumming. Anyway, the title of this section has more to do with the fruit I mentioned in the earlier section. One day, we will plant some of our own but until that day comes, we buy a lot of fruit, especially strawberries. Some weeks the boys go through our entire stock by Tuesday. Other weeks, we have some leftover. Most of the time, we buy a lot and still run out because, as I said, they love fruit. The picture below is the face Wood made when I told him we were out of strawberries one day. OK, it was actually the face he made after we explained the concept of taxes to him, but it’s really the same face he made about the strawberries. As you can imagine it becomes hard to judge what to buy in terms of quantity. And if we are off, we end up either running back to the store for more or throwing rotten fruit away. I just see dollar signs going into the trash. I’m not alone in these fruit swings, am I? What we have discovered is a couple of things that make the strawberries, for example, last much longer. Put them in a bowl with a 4:1 ratio of water and white vinegar and keep them fully submerged for around 20 minutes or so. You will see how much better this cleans the fruit and then you can put them in a container like the Freshworks produce saver in the link below. Rinse them in water after soaking prior to storing. Then, simply layer them on top of each other with a paper towel in between and store them in the fridge. No, they don’t last forever, but with a little help from my Freshworks, I’m throwing away a lot less, and you will be too.
Rubbermaid FreshWorks Produce Saver
All the Feels
I am not a very particular person for the most part. I tend to roll with things. I am not a picky eater and growing up, I don’t remember being very persnickety about clothes either. I think we all went through the brand thing for a bit. My friends and I liked our Guess jeans and there were other trends of course but I feel like everyone had their trend favorites. As a mom, what is new to me, is little people who don’t eat certain things. Not only can I not relate, but it limits what I can make for dinners. I have to get creative. I was also not prepared for the texture tantrum. “Wait, what? Why do you not like that shirt?” The answers I got included, “it’s scratchy,” or, “these pants are not very soft,” or, “this shirt is too itchy.” I have had to remove tags because they are bothersome. Sometimes it would turn into a thing because in my mind, yeah there are tags and no, not every shirt is going to feel like you just crawled into bed, but just deal with it. My oldest, is very sensitive, though and he persisted that it was very uncomfortable, so we had to search out alternatives. For example, he has only worn jeans a few times in life and I had to bribe him to do it then. His favorite pants right now are the athletic pants. He wears some by Adidas and Jumping Beans. He has tried a bunch and these are the ones that he likes the best so far. The shirts have been an even bigger struggle. Thank goodness we stumbled on Patagonia’s capilene clothing. These shirts are super soft and are his favorite. You can find the capilene items at other stores that carry Patagonia too, like Backcountry. I also have found some on eBay. As a little bonus for all the moms, probably my favorite purchase last year were my Vuori joggers. I saw an add pop up on Facebook and I clicked on the link and read about them. I decided to give them a try and I am so glad I did. These are very soft and a thin material. Perfect for a spring jogger. They have pockets but the fabric lays flat so it’s just a better fit overall. I have found (because I, like many of you, adopted a more casual style in 2020), that some joggers are more flattering than others. The side pockets can stick out a bit sometimes making you look like your hips have wings. The Vuori ones do not do that. They fit well, are really comfortable and I love them so much I am writing about them in a blog post so, that should tell you something. I also live in my Athleta pants. They offer so many casual styles. You can check out both at the links below. Stretchy, super soft and pockets. The trifecta of casual wear. Visual of trifecta below.
Womens Joggers | Vuori Clothing
So you may be wondering why the title of this post is ‘Sprang,’ instead of ‘Spring.’ I’m not from Arkansas so I didn’t spell it like I pronounce it or anything. Sorry, Arkansas. Meh, sorry, not sorry. I read about Sprang online. It is a very old textile technique that predates knitting. I watched a video of a woman in Denmark doing a demonstration. She explained that you need two fixed points, one on top and one on bottom with a thread in between. The process, called “warping the chain,” involves taking the fabric and moving it under the bottom point, over the middle string, and under the top point. Then, take it back over the top, under the middle and over the bottom. You keep going with the over-under technique and be sure to complete patterns in even numbers, which I am sure she demonstrates in lesson two. I can relate to the over-under piece. As a mom, sometimes I’m over. I’m overreacting, overprotective, or overanalyzing. I’m also over the moon for my two boys, overjoyed to be their mom and overflowing with love. Sometimes I’m under. I hear the Queen song, “Under Pressure,” in my head. I feel underprepared and sometimes I underestimate my kids. I clearly underestimate our weekly strawberry consumption. Some days, however, I undertake exactly what I should, and I’m understanding and patient with my boys. I undergo much needed growth that is good and I underline the important things. Tom Petty says it better in the song, “Walls,”
“Some days are diamonds, Some days are rocks
Some doors are open, Some roads are blocked.”
Matt Chandler, lead pastor at The Village Church, started a series on Revelation back in February. In the second sermon, titled, “Victory in Doubt,” he reminds us that as we go through life we should seek the Spirit of God to use the Word of God to shape and mold every aspect of our lives. As I warp the chain of life moving through the many over-under moments, these are my two fixed points. You can click the link below and access the resources in the menu, click on series and select Revelation if you are interested.
I read that the Pantone colors for 2021 were Illuminating and Ultimate Gray. Interesting. Illuminating is a bright sunny yellow, so that’s cheery enough I guess. Ultimate Gray though? Really? After the year we all had in 2020, you come out and say one of the two colors of 2021 is Ultimate Gray? They do have a top ten list that includes some much better pops of color like Raspberry Sorbet, French Blue and Amethyst Orchid. Apparently, Illuminating and Ultimate Gray are the colors of the year, though. The explanation is that it is a combination of practicality, strength and optimism. Sure, whatever. I think I’ll span out a bit and aim for the fun optimism expressed in, well just about every other color.
I hope your spring is buzzing and hopping with all sorts of fun things and I hope you have found at least a few of these tips helpful.
Remember the fixed points, get some stretchy clothes, ditch the gray, and keep bouncing in a way that would make Tigger proud.
You never know who’s watching you to keep the beat.
Thanks for visiting Mockingbirdmom.com!
Fun reading!! Thx for menus; I hate planning food for the week so may go with yours instead! Recipes included….what an extra bonus! Love it when Mockingbird Mom has new post!👍
Thank you so much!