Saturday, June 30, 2012

parenting 101

So if you're on Facebook, you know that I signed up for a "Parenting Workshop" at church.  Natalie immediately implied that I didn't need it because I was "a great parent!" (her words).  Sarah, on the other hand, said I had done a "good job" signing up for the class. 

Ironically, it's Natalie who demonstrates why it might be a good idea for me to take the class. 

Wednesday I dropped the girls off in the child care and went off to my classroom.  I know all the child care workers; they're a lovely bunch.  No worries at all.

After class, I returned to the kids' area to retrieve my children (Nelson is taking a "Faith and Politics" class, and it always tends to run long; I end up being the one to get the girls since I get finished first.  Go figure).  Sarah was hanging out in the nursery.  She claims the "big kids" room is too loud, and she says she likes helping "make the babies smile."  So upon fetching her from the baby room, I headed to "big kid land" for Natalie.

Only she wasn't there. 

The child care workers had taken the kids outside for part of the time and had apparently just gotten back in.  In the shuffle of coming in from outdoors and other parents arriving to get their children, Natalie had managed to slip away. 

A friend of mine immediately offered to walk around the building to see if Natalie was still outside.  I began looking around inside.

Where was she?  With the food, of course.

We have a brief time for everyone to hang out, chat, and eat dessert once the classes are done.  Natalie was at the dessert table, declaring to anyone who would listen that she was hungry and could someone please get her a snack.  I guess I should be glad she wasn't just diving right in and eating straight from the dessert table. 

Of course, all's well that ends well.  Natalie was safe and sound, and we have talked (and will continue to talk) about the importance of staying with the child care workers until Mommy or Daddy comes to get you!!!  But looking back on it, it's kind of funny now, even though it wasn't so much at the time.
 
See why I need a parenting class?  I have an imp for a child!  :-p 

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

if at first you don't succeed....

...just give up and make something else!  :)

I can't make tortillas.  I'm in good company as far as not making them from scratch goes, but the fact remains that I can't. Make. Tortillas.

It's kind of sad, really.  Sandwich bread and buns and rolls and pizza dough?  No problem.  I can do all those.  But I can't. Make. Tortillas.

So my fabulous SIL recommended once that I try fry bread instead.

Yay!  I can make fry bread!

Actually, I remember Nelson's aunt making fry bread tacos once several years back.  Everyone liked them.  So I gave it a whirl.

Sarah is crazy about fry bread, let me just say.  She loves it.  After we have our fry bread tacos, she likes to butter a piece and top with honey and cinnamon for dessert (kind of like a sopapilla).

The recipe says the fry bread is also good with stew or chili, if you prefer that to tacos.

This very silly, pointless post has been brought to you by my rather insane need to soothe my battered ego after failure.  :)  We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.  

Thursday, June 14, 2012

DIY and frugal flop

Making your own and doing it yourself are mainstays of any frugal lifestyle.  Money Saving Mom frequently posts DIY projects she has attempted and their results.  I already make several cleaners and do a lot of cooking from scratch.  Still, there's always room for growth and improvement, for trying new things. 

So...being the list-making nerd that I am, I have a list of things I want to try to do/make myself.  Sourdough bread was on that list, and I have to say I'm very proud of my efforts in this department.  We gone through multiple batches of bread in the last few months.  Within the next couple of weeks, I want to try making yogurt (I've put this off waaaaay too long).  And on and on goes the list.

Today I decided to try something that wasn't on the list.  Maybe the spontaneity of it was my first mistake; I don't know.  Maybe it was just a stupid project to start with; I'll let you decide.

You know those disinfectant wipes they sell in stores?  Sort of wet wipes for cleaning.  They're overpriced, they're wasteful, they create too much garbage...but they're awfully darn convenient.  Sometimes when you just want to do a quick wipe down of the bathroom sink or the toilet, they come in handy.  I rarely buy them (because let's face it, a cloth and spray bottle work just as well, without all the drawbacks). 

But I do like them.  I had an empty container lying around from the last time I had bought them and I thought, "Why not make my own..." 

Paper towels are another things I rarely purchase.  I read somewhere that the average family goes through two rolls of paper towels a week.  Even back in my heavy paper towel usage days, I never went through more than a roll in a month.  But several months ago, I just quit buying paper towels altogether and started just using cloths.  Other than when microwaving bacon, I found that I didn't miss them. 

I can't remember what prompted me to buy a roll of paper towels a few weeks ago.  I'm so out of the habit of using them though, that almost the full roll is still on the holder.  Still, they're nice paper towels--the thick Viva ones.  They would make good cleaning wipes, right? 

Um...maybe not. 

Everything went wrong with this little experiment.  The towels are so wonderfully think that they won't go through the opening of the wipes container.  I didn't make the solution right.  It's too soapy, so when I try to wipe down the counter or whatever, I end up having to follow up with a cloth anyway to clear off the soapy mess.  That sort of defeat the purpose.  And the towels themselves are kind of falling into tatters.  Gross--and not helpful at all. 

I know there is a way to make your own cleaning wipes--I've seen blog posts reference it.  But at this point, I'm so frustrated with the whole thing that I doubt I'll bother.  A cloth and a spray bottle are looking pretty good at the moment.  :-p