Guest Post: Camille from Camille's Casa

We have a fun guest blog today: Camille from Camille's Casa. I first discovered her blog because she made these adorable decorations out of coffee filters a few months ago. They were seriously so cute and I spent more than an hour today searching her blog for them and can't find them.... so maybe I'm dillusional. Anyway, Camille has los of fabulous things on her blog, like Sharing Time ideas/plans, quiet book patterns, notebook cozy tutorial, tons of aprons, and lots of fabulous recipes. She is both creative and practical, which are important to me. Go check it out!
I asked Camille to post today about her 30 day menu plan because I think it's the best idea ever. I've been doing it this month and have loved it! We're down to the end of the month and I'm trying SO hard not to go shopping again, so even if I run out of diapers at least I know I've got all the ingredients I need for dinner! :)
Hi!! I'm Camille from Camille's Casa and I'm delighted to be posting here today for Laurie. I'm a high school home-ec. teacher turned stay-at-home mom I am going to share my menu solution, the one that's going to save you the agony of realizing everybody's hungry and you have nothing to serve for dinner. You don't need to be reminded about our responsibility to feed our kids well, but your hubby deserves a good dinner too right? One of THE best feelings ever is plating some delicious dinner, having a house that smells like home cookin' and having your husband thank you with a kiss. Am I right?

I plan my menus one month at a time. At the beginning of the month I create a list of 30 meals. If you count in eating out, parties, events and family events and occasional lunches, I generally cook 30 meals per month. So, for the first few meals I write down any freezer meals I have that I need to use, for example a pizza braid or baked ziti I made last month or leftover shredded turkey. Next, I go through the fridge and see what items I need to use, like spinach, mushrooms, or a half-eaten bag of tortilla chips. Then, I'll ask my husband what meals he's craving. (He always wants something with alfredo and some type of steak.) I write down things I'm craving, I always throw in a deep dish pizza or Calzones. Then, I'll browse through cookbooks or online recipes that sound like something fun and new to try. Don't forget to add in your favorites, like we always have tacos and spaghetti at least once a month.

Have you got your 30 meals yet? Good! Now, hang it on your fridge. Next step, I make a shopping list. I get all of the non-perishables (like canned tomatoes or pasta) and store them in the pantry. For your meats, I get them at a sale price during the month and portion and freeze. For produce, I get as much as I can that won't go bad, like onions are carrots are usually fine, but I might have to make a second trip for tomatoes or cucumber. Easy right?

So now, on my fridge I have a list of 30 meals. They are well-planned, well-loved and nutritious. There's a few new recipes to try and some comfort food classics. When it's time to start cooking, I can look at my list and choose whichever one I want, knowing I have all the ingredients. Lots of people assign days, but I don't bother. Sometimes a day gets so busy that I don't have time for complicated chicken cordon bleu, but I can whip out a Taco Salad or Chicken Quesadillas in less than 15 minutes. I like the freedom of cooking whatever sounds good that night, but knowing I've got the ingredients. This helps me keep my grocery budget in check, since I won't be running to the store every night and paying full price for one silly ingredient.

Now, here's the best part of my 30 day method. Give it a try for a year, save your menus, and guess what!? You have a year-long menu, of foods you love, with no extra effort! Sa-weet! In the summer months my menus have lots of grilling, in the winter I use my crockpot a lot, it's perfect.

Want to give it a try? Jump over to my blog and view my recipe index, browse my menus and pick out something good to eat.
Love you for reading - Camille

Guest Post: Jessica Lee Parsons

Today's guest post is from a good friend of mine, Jessica Lee Parsons. She has a cute blog where you can see some ideas of how to re-use some of your common household items. She's also a fabulous mom who encourages creativity in her children-- she actually wants to get out the paints and let them have at it! What I love about going to Jess's house is that it's bright-- lots of happy colors that make you feel playful and fun. I'd love to grow up in a house like that. Jess has inspired me as a mother in many ways-- helping me to challenge my braniac, to accept the natural limitations of a 5 year old, and to respond with a patient, calm voice in the midst of a crisis. She's awesome! The other thing you should know about Jessica is that she is an author-- one day her books will be on the store shelves where they belong. Thanks for writing for us today!

Finding Food Under the Couch and Other Discoveries of Motherhood

by Jessica Lee Parsons

At some point my mom became less of a parent and more of a best friend. It happened somewhere between that first ultrasound of a human jelly bean and breaking up a three kid brawl in the living room. I realized I owed my mother an apology. For exactly what, I couldn't immediately recall, but I knew that years ago it was me that was wearing her down to paper-thin patience and making her worry, fume, and boil. I even felt the need to ask her forgiveness for the good times, because I had no idea that the joy of falling in love with your own children could be so intense it actually hurt. I made her heart ache in good ways and bad and I never understood it.
I still don't. I've yet to experience the fear of handing keys to an individual I once had to toilet-train and watching him drive away. I haven't even experienced a day when all of my children board the school bus and I'm left to dance around in my quiet, clean house like a whirling dervish, chanting "Woohoo!" Or maybe I'll just burst into tears because I miss them all more than I thought I would.
I've nibbled just the edges of the parenthood pie, I've yet to taste a full slice of Motherhood, and already I've been changed profoundly. Being "Mom" has exposed faults I never knew I had.
For example, I thought I was so patient until I caught my kids making "snow" with the bean bag filling. I thought I was logical until I banishd the kids to the backyard and could only come up with "because" for a reason. I thought I was a cute pregnant lady until I hit the third trimester and my ankle bones disappeared under swollen, purple sausage legs and I got the worst bout of acne I'd had since ninth grade. I thought I was humble until I caught myself boasting inwardly about my amazing parenting skills, right before my child threw a prolific tantrum in the grocery store. And I thought I would be a perfect parent until I found out I couldn't.
One by one I discovered my strengths weren't all that strong. But that's the funny thing about parenting; I didn't know how strong I was until I gave birth. I didn't know how funny I was until I made my daughter laugh so hard she snorted. I didn't know how smart I was until I figured out a way to get a three year old boy to eat veggie soup. I didn't know how comforting I was until I kissed it better and I didn't know how much my mom meant to me until I became "Mom" myself.

So, when I wonder what that smell is, coming from under the couch, and I find a sippy-cup of rotten milk or that sandwich The Boy said he threw in the garbage, I am so glad my mom discovered how forgiving she was, so that even after all I did, we can still be the best of friends.

Guest Post: Kristin from Shabby to Sweet

I'm so excited to share today's guest post with you. It's my pal Kristin from Shabby 2 Sweet. Kristin is a friend in my ward who is so crafty and cute. Her house and yard always look amazing. Her daughters' hair is always perfect, and always adorned with a darling bow Kristin made. She is our Activity Days leader and the girls idolize her for all the fun things she comes up with for them to do. 

Go check out her blog, here are some of the fun things she's been up to:

Adorable new pillows for her master bedroom.

Refinishing furniture. Kristin is such a genious at finding awesome peices at yard sales or thrift stores and fixing them up. How cute is this little desk?

Old windows. She is so clever with using antique windows. She created this little flower box for her baby's room. Isn't it adorable?

Lego Wall Art. How cute is that? Her boy LOVES Legos and she figured out a way to hang some up on his wall.

Kristin is a super star. We're so lucky to have her with us today!

Hello Friends of Small and Simple!! I am really excited to be featured for Laurie's "Thankful to be a Mother" series. Today I am going to show you a fun craft you can do with your kiddies. First off, I asked my babes what kind of craft they thought we should do for this post and they said, "Make a Turkey !" Alrighty then, we will make a turkey, good thing Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

I decided to use supplies we already had in the house. I did not purchase one item we used.

For this project you will need the following:

Crystal Lite containers (we buy generic brands) just use what you have

Paper of all colors and patterns

Glue (can be glue sticks, elmers, hot glue-with adult supervision of course, glue dots)

Scissors

Googly eyes

Feathers

And any other materials that you choose: we also used yarn and ribbon

Step 1. Take the paper label off your container and measure it on the paper your child chooses and cut it to fit.

2. Wrap & glue the paper around the container.

3. Trace the lid of your container two times onto some orange cardstock. These will be your turkey's feet.

4. Trace your child's hands onto 3 different colors of paper. Cut them out.

5. Glue feathers onto the cut out hands.

6. Glue the feathered hands onto the back of the turkey.

7. Glue the feet onto the bottom.

8. Glue on the googly eyes, beak and wattle (the red thingy by his beak)

9. Glue yarn onto the lid of the container for hair. Or you can use more feathers.

10. Have fun with your turkey! Be creative. I mean, come on Turkeys have 3 eyes and fangs right?!

Now, go show these Gobblers off!!

The fun thing about this craft is that the lid comes off the container. The kids can put money in them, they can write a note to someone and give this as a gift, they can fill it with candy or their own personal little treasures. My babes have decided to write things they are thankful for and put them in their containers. Also, wouldn't these look cute as snowmen for Christmas?!

The most important part of crafting with your child is to let your child be creative and have fun. Your child will remember these moments and as a parent we get to treasure the crafts they make!

Thanks again Laurie, I had a great time crafting with my babes!

Guest Post: Paige from It's Easier to Clean Someone Else's House

A couple of months ago I was feeling motivated and posted on Facebook that I was looking for organizing tips. Much to my surprise, my friend Paige replied, telling me to look at her blog, It's Easier to Clean Someone Else's House. Now, I knew Paige looked like a supermodel, was great at floral design and decorating, and was an awesome mom, but I did not realize she blogged about cleaning. It's an awesome blog for organizing/cleaning ideas because she is so easy going about things. You don't feel like a failure if you haven's Shined Your Sink lately. Check out her blog; I especially needed the post about setting up a schedule!
So I asked Paige for a guest post and I love what she came up with. Thanks Paige!

Being a mother is not always easy and not always fun. I can honestly say though that I absolutely LOVE being a mother. One of my biggest challenges is keeping up with everything that I expect out of myself and staying sane in the process. I can drive myself crazy because I tend to set my expectations at an unrealistic level. Because I am lucky enough to be a stay at home mom I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking I should have time to do everything and do it all perfectly. The problem is that I am not perfect, I get tired and sometimes doing everything is really not what is most important.

My husband goes to work and he works hard, goes to school, volunteers to coach our kids teams, etc, etc, etc. So needless to say he has a very busy schedule. It's lonely sometimes being home with no adult interaction but I have found a few things make my days a lot more enjoyable and organized. I am very grateful that even though I am home all day my sweet hubby really doesn't expect me to do everything. Often, it takes his reminding me again and again before I remember that as long as the kids are taken care of and happy, everything else will be fine. To date I have never sent any member of my family out of the house with no clothes on - so I have to remember not to let something like staying 100% caught up with the laundry rule my life. It always gets done, eventually.
So on to my list of things that help me enjoy life, stay sane and keep my life reasonably organized. I include being organized with enjoying life and being sane because for me when life is chaotic it is hard to enjoy much of anything. I need order and my kids need order.
1) Have realistic expectations.
Mantra #1: We live in our house. Duh, right?!? Why then whenever I go visiting teaching or to a Pampered Chef Party everything in my friends house's are clean and perfect and blissful? It seems like everyone else lives in what looks like a model home. I want my house to look like a model home. There is a reason why a model home looks 100% presentable at all times - NO ONE LIVES THERE! There is also a reason why when you go visiting teaching it seems perfect - they knew you were coming. I have learned to accept the fact that kids play with toys, cooking dinner creates a mess in the kitchen and spills happen. If someone stops by and there are dishes on the table and food in my baby's hair - it's fine. That's what real life looks like and we are real people. I believe if a room can be made to look decent in 15 minutes then it isn't really messy.

2) Keep it simple.
We've all heard the saying 'a place for everything and everything in it's place.' I love this but for me I have to keep it simple. Sorting is my friend and I am in love with baskets! When we clean up at our house it usually consists of finding a basket and throwing our toys, shoes, mail, etc inside. If you keep your organizing so simple that a 2 year old can understand the system, guess what happens? A two year old can clean up. It's amazing. I've had many extended family members ask me how I taught my boys to clean up so well? It wasn't that hard - I showed them what I expect and worked with them until they understood. Now, when we are getting ready to leave Grandma's house they know what to do and they don't complain about doing it.
My favorite organizing set up is in my boys' room. They have a designated basket for cars, guns, dress ups, balls, and one for games. When it comes time to clean up I don't have to worry things will get lost or shoved under the bed in one big mysterious heap. They know where things go and it is so easy for them to do it right that it always looks perfect when they are done. Even though their room doesn't always look clean it only takes 15 minutes to have it looking great so I say it isn't really that messy. Fool proof system, love it! Plus did I mention that I think baskets are super cute? The other thing I love about baskets is that if you say it's time to sort your toys it doesn't sound as scary as saying "go clean your room." Sorting is fun, not a chore.

3) Have a plan.
Mantra #2: Make a list. I love to write stuff down. It's therapeutic for me. If I write something down I know I won't forget. Even if it takes me a month to get to a certain task, it will be checked off at some point in time. Making a list also helps me to know what to expect. You can call it goals setting, a "to do list", a chore chart, whatever. I don't care what you call it but the key for me is to write stuff down. I usually have a list in my planner, one by each phone and one on the fridge. It might seem excessive but if something I should be doing isn't on a list somewhere I can pretty much guarantee you that I will forget. Lists save my life. My kids need to know what to expect as well. They LOVE it when I make them a list of "chores" that they can check off. Really, who doesn't love putting a big check mark next to something that you won't have to think about again for a long time? Check lists are my fave.

4) Get in a rhythm.
I need consistency. I hear all the time that children need consistency and routine in their lives. It's how they learn responsibility. Well I must still be a child at heart because as much as my kids need a routine to life so do I. This can become as detailed or as simple as you like. The key is finding a routine that works for you and stick to it. Rather than routine sometimes I think of it as a rhythm. We don't necessarily eat lunch everyday at 12:00 noon but sometime between 11:30-1:00 when my baby is up from her morning nap we have lunch. I just need to know what comes next. When I have a rhythm to my day it is easy to know when to schedule Dr. visits, run to the grocery store, etc without messing up naps, meals and chores. We all know that tired or hungry kids are gRuMpY kids!
I have tried so many schedules in my life. I've done the kind where you plan out every minute and have a to do list 2 pages long single spaced for one day (yes I type out my to do lists - I'm nerdy like that) to the very vague, Monday I will do some laundry and Tuesday I will clean a toilet or two... Currently I'm somewhere in the middle. I don't plan every second but I like to have a few specifics mapped out for myself.

5) Refresh yourself.
Whenever I feel a case of the crazies creeping in I can usually pinpoint one of two things that I'm neglecting. First, I have to feed myself spiritually or I get worn out. Making time to study the scriptures/Ensign helps me be more prepared to deal with the challenges of being a mom and it recharges my battery. Second, I have to exercise. Going to the gym sometimes feels selfish but if I don't do it I get grumpy and that doesn't help anyone. I know I will never be Miss Fitness USA and honestly that isn't my goal but I have to take care of my body and make the time to work out. Finding what I love has helped. I can't set fitness goals or regimens according to what other people do or like. I love yoga so I do yoga. It isn't trendy but it's my me time so it's about ME. Lots of girls keep inviting me to Zumba - I'm sure it's great if you are coordinated and spunky - but I'm not. Zumba isn't for me and I don't have time in my life right now to do things just to please other people. Find what you love and do something that's all for you. If it works out that it is something you can do with friends, great!

6) Play.
Mantra #3: Have fun with your family. The best part of being a mom is being able to spend time giggling with my kids. As much as I love having a clean house and an organized life none of that compares with having fun with my family. Kids grow up way to fast. I know I take for granted how much time I have with my children because my husband who sometimes goes days without seeing them at all has to remind me. It won't be long before my boys don't want to play Candyland with their mom so I have to take what I can get. I try to spend quality time just playing with my kids everyday. I cherish our time together. For example, this morning I spent an hour playing with a balloon and reading a book with my baby. It was so simple and I can pretty much guarantee you that it will be the best hour of my day no matter how much I get accomplished from here on out. I think it is so important for our kids to see us let loose and have fun. I know I am the mom - it's my job to teach and to discipline but it's also my job to love them. I want to make sure that my kids have memories of their childhood they can look back on and know that mom loved them because she played with them.

I am so grateful to be a mother. It is the biggest blessing in my life. No matter how big my children grow or how smart they become they will always need me to be there for them because I am their mom. I hope and pray I can be the kind of mother that they need.

Low Tone, Low Emotion, and Listen

I'm going to admit something to you-- I am not a perfect mother. Sometimes I am not even sure if I am an adequate mother. Last night when I sat down to write the post for today, it was after an hour of my oldest tantrumming about not wanting to go to bed. And after battling with my four year old to eat some of the dinner I'd spent 45 minutes preparing. And after my toddler had stuffed all the freshly folded laundry into her play kitchen.
Bottom line, I could not find it in me to write about being thankful to be a mother. It was more like I was thankful that they were out of my hair for the next few hours.
Then I checked my email and I had received this guest post from one of my favorite people ever, Megan. She was my next door neighbor 5 years ago. We both had little kids and daddies that were MIA with school and work and we got to be good friends. Megan has always been an inspiration of a mother to me. She is excruciatingly patient. She has 3 kids, and her oldest has Prader-Willi Syndrome, which has presented social, speech, and physical challenges. Yet I've never heard Megan raise her voice with her kids. She is amazing. She also is super organized, has a strong testimony, serves others, eats healthy meals, etc. She's awesome and I am so glad she sent in this guest post!

Three Simple Things a Mother Can Do:

Low tone, low emotion & listen!

". . . get down and weep with them if necessary, and get them to shed tears with you if possible. Soften their hearts; get them to feel tenderly towards you. Use no lash and no violence, but . . . approach them with reason, with persuasion and love unfeigned." (Joseph F. Smith)

When I read this, I have this image of our family that I’d like to make happen way more than it does. I’d love for this image to be of me and Justin tenderly on our knees teaching our Sarah, Spencer, or Alli when there’s a moment presented to us each day.
So, as mothers how do we do this? It’s a human instinct to raise our voice, come up with some absurd discipline measure that our kids won’t even learn from and then continue to be angry—oh, probably the rest of the day. This gets us nowhere. Sound familiar? Or, maybe not; maybe this only happens at our house.
Justin and I are often at Prader-Willi Conferences' due to our oldest daughters special needs. We are constantly being taught that one of the best ways to get through to children with Prader-Willi Syndrome is "low tone, low emotion." I have to admit that whenever we hold true to a low voice, an unemotional face, and try our hardest to align our feelings inside that the most amazing transformation happens. The image mentioned above starts to pop up in real life!!!!
Wanna know a secret? It happens with our “normal” children too. If the kids don't see us stressed, over excited, or anxious-- they're not either. We have also always been firm believers in discipline with love, but sometimes in the heat of the moment it's not so lovely!
I love the moments of complete calm when a child has been struggling, tears running down their cheeks, sitting on the stool—hating being there and we have a break through moment when they feel like they're being listened to, I feel like I'm getting my love through and we've all actually learned something where the Spirit is present!
So, I guess the other part to using a low emotion voice (described as a soft spoken voice) and showing low emotion (described as pretending to not care or effect us) is being a good listener.
Have any of you ever felt like they were just being preached to or told how to solve a problem when all you really wanted was to be able to rant and rave for a minute to someone and have them listen? Usually, when I have a good listener present, in all my ranting and raving/talking I find my own conclusion anyway.
I think we can be a better mother, a better parent, by being that listener we wish we had. When are children come to us, we need to stop and just be silent. Really listen. Try avoid questioning, lecturing, pitying, advising. We need to observe their feelings; the words they are saying are usually never as important as the feelings they’re trying to express. Confirm their feelings. When we think we know how their feelings, ask them. My kids always keep talking if I’m right on.
Remember how we feel when we need a listener? Remember the part where we talk out our own conclusion? If we are patient and quiet then our kids feel we care and we begin to teach them how to solve their own problems. I even prompt them on what they think they could do or say, etc.
We teach our children values and ethics every day in what we do. Actions speak louder, and truer, than words. The time for words is never during a crisis. In quiet moments of love and caring, our children listen to what we say. I think that is why low tone, low emotion, and listening is soooo powerful! We’re showing what to do in moments of crisis—whether big or small. We’re abiding by Brigham Young’s words:
“Bring up your children in the love and fear of the Lord...never allowing yourself to correct them in the heat of passion.”
So, when do we do the talking, teaching, advising? Ever heard of Family Home Evening? This is the perfect time for our family to go over things we’d like to teach. Also, how about early morning scripture study—perfect for lessons straight from the best books!
“Regular reading of and talking about the Book of Mormon invites the power to resist temptation and to produce feelings of love within our families…and discussions about the doctrines and principles in the Book of Mormon provide opportunities for parents to observe their children, to listen to them, to learn from them, and to teach them…. Youth of all ages, even infants, can and do respond to the distinctive spirit of the Book of Mormon…. Importantly, such conversations can help parents to discern what their children are learning, thinking, and feeling about the truths contained in this sacred volume of scripture, as well as the difficulties they may be facing.” (David A. Bednar, Watching With All Perseverance, 2010)
“We have the greatest opportunity with the young. The best time to teach true doctrine is early, while children are still immune to the temptations of their mortal enemy, and long before the words of truth may be harder for them to hear in the noise of their personal struggles.” (Henry B. Eyring ,The Power of Teaching Doctrine 1999)
How about a one on one date when we take our kids out to make just them feel special? Maybe while we’re working on something side by side. What about Family council? Family Dinner each night? While your preparing your next meal with some help? How about when you’re in the car again?
“Parents should be vigilant and spiritually attentive to spontaneously occurring opportunities to bear testimony to their children… the less regimented such testimony sharing is, the greater the likelihood for edification and lasting impact.” (David A. Bednar, Watching With All Perseverance, 2010)
When we stand back and look at a two year old spilling milk on the floor, Bobby running out in the street, red lipstick covering our brand new white bed spread, Suzy hitting the baby in the head with a bat, Sarah telling me her room is clean when I find that a tornado exploded in there magically afterwards, etc….really the child knows and feels more than we think. Our low emotion/tone of voice is the start to a great solution. A listening ear and maybe even a humorous reaction softens hearts all around quicker than anything we can do. Once again that image that was described in the beginning can be “real life” to all of us.
So, thanks Laurie for letting me add one little thought or two to your “Small and Simple Ways” here on this blog. I feel so strongly as well that as we take little simple steps each day, great things will come! We are able to teach our children daily how to be much better listeners and have much softer hearts than we can even have!!!!

--Megan Kroff, Nov. 2010