Holler for a Dollar (Tree)

I spent $15 at the Dollar Tree.  It. Was. Amazing.  The best part?  I tried a new one (new to me) on 31st and Harvard.  It was so big and nice!  Like a Dollar Tree multi-plex.  Heaven for a broke teacher (who loves Ulta, HA!)  Anyway.  Next time you are in the Tulsa area, it's seriously worth a shot at visiting!  :)

PS- Buying a one year old maracas is a 'not very well thought out' idea.  Not only are they annoyingly loud, they become extremely obnoxious, dangerous missiles when thrown...  Just sayin...

Ulta-embarassing!

I went Ulta a few days ago.  Ulta is my favorite makeup store.  After my experience there a few days ago, I don't think I'll be going back.  Here's what was 'observed'.

A woman enters the store and immediately puts her daughter down.  She couldn't find a shopping cart so she calmly tells the little girl she can walk but she needs to stay near mommy.  Had the mother paid close attention, she would have seen a fellow shopper roll her eyes as if to say 'good luck'!

The little girl promptly screams at the top of her lungs in excitement, which, I assure you, could be heard by everyone in the store, despite the blaring too-early Christmas music.  The toddler wriggles out of her arms and takes off for the first fragile display she can get her hands on before the frazzled mother can even re-adjust her purse or grab a shopping bag.

The highlight of this mother's shopping trip could be several things.  Her amazingly talented child managed to single handedly destroy an entire body wash display which, according to the store clerk picking up the 'after shock' of it all declared, took hours to construct.  Or maybe it was when the toddler grabbed a handful of lip gloss and chucked it enthusiastically into her mother's purse.  An innocent shop lift (which was immediately caught and 'fixed' by the appalled and now exhausted mother).  I'll bet it was the elephant sized fit the kiddo threw right there in the check out line, struggling to remove herself from her mother's death grip.  Sadly, by this time, the mommy was drenched in sweat, toddler boogers, and a weird smell from a bottle of lotion the 'precious' girl had managed to open and squeeze all over her mother's shoulder.  The pathetic woman was near tears and had never prayed so hard for a Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak.  Or a toddler leash.

Thinking her journey was almost over  (hey, she was almost next in the cashier's line), she relaxed a little and tried calmly reasoning with her banshee screaming girl.  By now the pair had cleared an unnatural path towards the exit door and an elderly woman turned to her friend next to her and loudly says "back in my day, when a child acted like that, we stopped what we were doing, swatted them, and took them HOME."  (The whole time shooting the shaking mother a nasty look.)  What horror!  Luckily, the mommy was the next in line and was able to check out.  After prying her daughter off the counter, where, while checking out, the girl attempted to eat a container of 'impulse buy' nail files, hair ties, and candy cane shaped body washes, she fled to her car and resisted sobs as she strapped her little girl into the car.

The little girl stopped her wailing, smiled, and she blew her mommy a kiss.  Who knew such terror could be so sweet?  Who knew that little girl was mine?  Who knew walking meant independence in a one year old's world?  Man, I have got a lot to learn about toddlers.

Hoping the other two Ultas in Tulsa haven't heard of us yet, 

xoxo Summer

Friday Five

1.  This stuff is awesome!  And cheap!  I am shedding post-baby hair and when I bought this a few weeks ago, I fell in love!  And it's only a buck at Target!  :)  SCORE.  (Lint rollers are a different story...I'm going to have to start buying them in bulk...stupid 'after baby after effect'!)

2.  Old Navy.  $8.50 RIGHT now. Enough said.

3.  

Let me explain.  My daughter LOVES bubble baths and I get frustrated trying to get the bath...frothy...Then I was making an omelet one morning and it hit me.  Use a whisk in the bath water!  It works like a charm.  

4.  Let me explain this picture... no wait.  Can you tell what's wrong with it?  That's right.  One of my closest friends and colleague is a SPED teacher at my school.  She failed to notice the opened tab of the cookies...and decimated the package by opening it at it's end.  Fail, dearest Annie.  Fail.  (I laughed so hard I choked on my cookie.  Karma is ironic.)

5.  My sweet angels at school did a great job wrapping up our ocean unit this week!  Don't you love their creativity?  This illustration makes my heart sing.  My aide had a great belly laugh when she tried to guess what animal was what.  :)  

Praise Jesus it's Friday!

Summer

Bass Babies...sickly edition

Coughing. Snot bubbles. Diarrhea. My idea of a good time! (said no one ever). My kiddos are sick and they are too little for Triaminic or Mucinex. Luckily, through amazing advice from loved ones and fellow Mommies, we have got our sickly snot routines down pat.

I wish they gave out Emmys or Nobel Peace Prizes for Mommy advice. If I won, it would be a great conversation piece on my coffee table... Right next to a spit up rag and questionable sippy cup of presumably unexpired milk. (I'm a good mom, I promise. However, it's survival of the fittest at our house sometimes. Just sayin...)

Anyway. Here is what I have come up with. I hope this helps all new mommies with the upcoming nasty cold weather and flu season!

1. Saline nasal spray. LIFE saver. It's a gentle spray of saline which is natural, harmless, and surprisingly effective at declogging boogers (GAG). I recommend the 'baby' version-which is the one I have- and can be bought in the infant aisle of Walgreens.

2. The nasal aspirator we got to take home from the hospital. I have never bought one... I figured if the doctor trusts it enough to initiate breathing in my newborn, it's good enough to suck out snot. My close friend, Candace, however, swears by a battery operated one. I think you can find them at Target for under $20.

3. Vicks humidifier. Ah-mazing. No more said. Normally removes any congestion and cough through the night. I always place it on the floor next to the crib so the warm air goes up directly into the air the baby breathes. Also, the Vicks humidifier has a little dish you can pour vapors into to help breathing. We have purchased both the humidifier and Vicks vapors at Walmart in the pharmacy section. (these vapors are not the same as the ones you get to rub on the chest.)

4. Vapor rub. Works like a charm. Also, I read on Pinterest if you rub it in their feet and put socks on them right before bed it clears coughs. I tried it and it works! But Bee is going through a FUN stage where socks and shoes are 'optional'. Like I said people, survival of the fittest!

5. Reli-on thermometer. Cheap. Recommended by both my doctor and pharmacist. It can be used under arm, rectally (awkward...), or orally. And it reads in under 9 seconds. Score!  (PS- Thank you to my amazing Mommy for researching and purchasing ours!)

6. Vapor bath. This sweet investment was $1.97 at Target and I do not regret it!!!

I combine all of these things.  Every now and then we have to down a dose of Tylenol as well...but the less 'drugs' in their systems, the better :)

Dreaming of a phlem free world....
xoxo Summer

Ginger SNAP

I love a good cookie. Heck, you could call me the cookie monster. I am picky, however. So when a good friend and teacher brought these to our last staff meeting I was skeptical. Until I crammed one in my mouth.

Whole Foods gets ginger snaps. Their cookies are spicy, sweet, and a groovy combination of crunchy yet chewy. It was hard not to make some awkward, inappropriate noise... After all, we WERE in a staff meeting...

Keeping life snappy,
Summer

Friday Five

TGIF, ya'll!  This week was exhausting!  I learned a valuable lesson...I will never give my children Halloween candy and then send them to school.  It's cruel and unusual punishment!!!

1.  I am going to attempt and follow through with posting each day of November one thing I am thankful for.  Today it is my ah-mazing Daddy.  He is the most caring, intelligent, sweet man.  I have learned so much from him.  :)


2.  I have started jogging again, hoping to get back into running full time!  A teacher friend told me about this fantastic app on her iPhone that has really helped me get started.  It's perfect for people like me who haven't 'worked out' in forever! (2 years...).

•  It's a 5K marathon trainer but it is so easy...it's free until you get to the 5th or 6th week but I have enjoyed the app so much I ended up buying the whole thing for only $1.99 (WORTH it!)  
• It even tracks on a satellite map where I ran! 
• It talks to you ('walk' 'jog' 'warm up', etc...) through your headphones...it also links up to your iTunes so you can listen to your music at the same time.  Isn't that super cool beans?
• Here's the first week of workouts...
• 

3.  My birthday was about two weeks ago.  My amazing Hubby surprised me with something that touched my heart.  He knows my Grandmother had bought me several Brighton pieces throughout the years and I cherish them so much, especially now that she has passed away.  He found the most beautiful necklace and earrings set!  

I love love LOVE the colors!

4.  SCENTSY!  Since returning to work, I have been able to use my cute Zebra Scentsy burner in my classroom (burning the wax made me so nauseous when I was pregnant).  I just ordered some new wax, I'm so excited to get it and start burnin! (Coconut Lemongrass; Pink Pepper, Peppermint Dreams).

5.  Saw this on the Ellen Show yesterday.  Hysterical!Pretty sure my husband and I are going to try this in a couple of years!

Happy Friday, Ya'll!

xoxo Summer

Ghost Poop and Rat Droppings!

Happy Halloween!  In Pre-K today, we created a ghastly snack!  (I baked orange cookies, bought vanilla icing, and chocolate sprinkles...)



I told the children they were going to decorate pumpkins with ghost poop.  They LOVED it!

Then I passed out 'rat droppings' for them to sprinkle on. 



Needless to say, we have had hyper friends all afternoon!  Hallelujah for nap time in Pre-K!

Someone woke up early to wait on the Great Pumpkin! HA!

Happy Haunting!

Summer

Pre-K Halloween

     My favorite time of year in the classroom is the fall, namely Halloween!  Here's what we did this week, mind you, we only had a four day week and I couldn't cram any 'fun' literacy things in our days because our school literally adapted the Scott Foresman Pre-K Literacy program two weeks ago and my principal is pretty die hard about it.  (I despise the program, but that's another blog, another day...)

Did I mention it was also Red Ribbon Week, so my FAVORITE all time day ever was jammie day.  I live for that day, people.  The name "jammie day" explains itself.  Hallelujah. 

     I hope you enjoy our creations:

Glue Ghosts!

• Kiddos pour globs of white (Elmer's) glue on parchment paper, hold up paper so glue 'slides' down to resemble ghost. 
• Sprinkle on glitter, press in googly eyes.  Let dry for 24 hours.  Wa-lah!

Itsy Bitsy Spiders (Haunted Houses)

• These are so neat because they 1. teach the nursery rhyme, 2. excite the kiddos 3. small form of small motor skill
• 1.  color and cut out Haunted House
• 2. Staple bottom of plastic straw to one side (it's a 'drain pipe') on the house
• 3.  Slip on spider ring through the straw (available at Walmart for cheeeeeap in Halloween aisles)
• 4.  Staple other end of straw to secure ring.
• 5.  Kiddos can sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider Song and act it out with the houses!

We displayed these outside my room.  (Once completed, this one was 'Darth Vader'.)  I LOVE how imaginative they are!!

Simple Skeletons using Stick People!  They LOVED this one!

Rotating this wasn't an option...stupid computer...anyways.  It is a simple counting spider book, you could make it in five minutes using Word and spider clip art.  We wrote the numbers in during small group math time, put the books together as a class, and read them as a class.  Their 'homework' was to read them to their parents.  :)

That's all I have for now, I forgot to take pictures of some of the things we did, and good ol' (roll eyes) Scott Foresman sure did take up most of our time this week.  Happy Halloween ya'll!  If you want copies of any of these things, let me know and I can email you them!  :)

Wondering when Scott Foresman will be fun,

Summer

Chicken and Noodles Upgrade

Best comfort food during cold weather?  You guessed it!  (Or maybe you didn't, whatever....)  HA!  Ok, seriously, chicken and noodles are my go to every time.  But there are so many steps.  It it's time consuming. And my normal recipe could feed the Duggar Family...you know, the family that just keeeeeps on growing?!

Then I discovered something on Pinterest.  Normally I am skeptical about recipes I find on there because they might look good, but they end up being weird or gross or just NOT what I thought they would be.  Not this one!  Here's the link to it.  Now here's what I did...

Chicken and Noodle Happiness

Oven: 350 degrees

9 X 13 Casserole Dish

- 1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken (Walmart, deli section); deboned and shredded

-1 package egg noodles (found in pasta aisle, next to regular pasta)

-2 cans cream of chicken soup

-1 bag of shredded cheese (2 cups)...I used sharp cheddar

-1 small can of carrots-drained

-1 cup milk

-1/4 c Ritz crackers- crushed

-dash of hot sauce, salt, pepper, whatever you like..maybe oregano?

1.  Boil pasta- only takes about 6 minutes.  Debone chicken while it's cooking...don't forget, oven at 350...

2.  Combine 1 1/2 cups cheese, chicken, soup, cooked noodles, milk, and spices.  Dump in casserole dish...maybe not dump...pour?

3. Sprinkle cracker crumbs all over.

4.   Cook for 20 minutes covered.  Take off foil, top with remaining cheese, cook another 5-10 minutes or until bubbly.

YUMMO!

Peace, Love, Chicken

Summer

Honey Boo...Boo :(

Since school has started for me again, I have had crazy days at work and tiresome nights with my poor sick babies.  

The good news, Mr. Z had a great checkup at his 2 month check...weighing in at a whopping 12 pounds.  I mean, come on!  He is already in size TWO diapers.  TWO...  Good golly!  Anyway, now that my initial shock factor has worn off, here we are with the ah-mazing Dr. Ross!  

He is such a wonderful man!  BEST. DOCTOR. EVER.  I'm so blessed to have him deliver both of my children and also be their pediatrician.  

The point of this post, however, is to share with you the complete fantastic-ness of honey.  Who knew it was so much more than a sweetener or delish stuffing in biscuits?  My dearest friend Candace told me if you heat up a tablespoon or more of it and dispense it to your child, it takes away their cough.  I thought she was joking until my second day back to work...Poor Bee was up all night coughing.  The next night I was prepared!

I heat a small amount of honey in the dish (like 4 seconds in the microwave..seriously, I did 10 secs the first time and it was so hot I had to shove it in the freezer for ten minutes to cool it down!).  Then I suck it up in the syringe and slowly squirt it in kiddo's mouth before bed.  She loves it and it truly does calm her cough all night.  HA!  I knew there was a reason we called her BEE!  :)  

I hope this helps all you mommies out there with sick babies.  It really does break your heart when they don't feel good!

Thankful God gave us Bees (and honey!),
Summer

***DISCLAIMER:  Never give honey to infants younger than 1 year. Honey is a known source of bacterial spores that produce the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium makes a toxin that can cause infant botulism. This rare but serious form of food poisoning affects a baby's nervous system and can result in death. Unlike adults, infants haven't developed beneficial bacteria in their digestive tracts that can control botulism spores and prevent growth of the bacterium and production of its toxin.

Botulism spores are also found in uncooked food. For this reason, feeding an infant any undercooked food is risky as well.
Source(s):
http://www.mayoclinic.com

Friday Five

OH MY!  This week has been so full of exciting things!  I hardly know where to begin!  I suppose a Friday Five is in order:
1.  My precious baby nephew was born on Tuesday.
  
Welcome to the world, Jett Michael!

2.  I met all my sweeties on Monday!  I had literally a day and a half to assess them and get to know them before parent-teacher conferences (YIKES!).

  But they were troopers and I am so happy that they are so bright and eager to learn!  (I am so so so happy that I can wear normal clothes again!!)

3.  I heard this song on the Christian Radio Station the other day...It was so moving!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGlTzH9xkXQ  Phil Wickham is an amazing artist!!!!

4.  Little Man is out of 0-3 month jammies!  We are moving on to 3-6 month!  A small part of me wants to panic knowing my 'baby' is growing so fast!  
Needless to say, I am cherishing every moment with him.  :)

5.  I am hooked on Breaking Amish on TLC...I don't know how much of it is actually reality and how much of it is directors telling the kids to do something for ratings...but it is fascinating!  Check it out!

So glad to be back on the Pre-K bandwagon,
Summer

Cheesie chunkies!

In lieu of Saturday Football, our good friends came over and we feasted on homemade wings and these beauties. They are super easy and pretty tasty.

Here's the low down:
-1 pkg string cheese
-1 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian).
-1/2 cup milk

1. Put milk in a bowl.
2. Put breadcrumbs in a plate.
3. Cut each string cheese into four pieces.
4. Dip in milk, toss in crumbs.
5. Oven 425 for 8-10 minutes. Yummo!

Friday Five!

This is my last Friday Five of Maternity Leave.  I'm struggling with being excited about going back to work and being with littles all day and sad because I am closing another chapter of my life (no more babies!).  Luckily, my own children have an ah-mazing nanny who loves them as much as my Hubby and I do.  :)  SO blessed!

Ok, here goes nothing:

1.  I was poking around one of my favorite stores, Mardel, and I found this little gem in the back on clearance.  It was SIXTY CENTS!  Isn't it sweet?  I finally took down my husband's tacky OU ornament...(Ironically, I went to OSU!)

 

 

2.  My dear, sweet friend from college bought a beautiful house and moved her little family even farther away from me!  So we made the 60 minute road trip south to see her.  Bee had a BLAST playing with friends her own size and only got a 45 minute nap the whole day without shedding a tear.  YAY for Bee! (Candace, I love your new abode, I promise we won't wait this long to see each other again! xoxo)



3.  I am big on moisture and soft skin.  My momma found this luxurious body wash at WalMart.  It made my skin so soft I didn't need post shower lotion and one of my friends actually thought I shaved my arms, my skin was so smooth.  (No, I don't, that sorta freaks me out...gross...)

 

 

 

4.  I found a fun teacher blog!  She is a first grade teacher with great ideas, precious classroom, and fun pictures!  :)  Visit her here.

 

5.  My cream cheese icing recipe I promised you from Bee's birthday.  (To see that post, click here).  I found the recipe on Foodnetwork.com, but added my own touches.  It's so easy, spreadable, and delish!

 

Cream Cheese Icing

- 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened (I left mine out on the counter overnight)

- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (ditto)

-2 cups powdered sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1/4 c cold milk

*if you want to flavor your icing use jam.  (i.e. I wanted strawberry icing for Bee's cupcakes, so I added a couple tablespoons of good ol' strawberry jam.  It gave the icing a beautiful color and a great flavor).

 

1.  Carefully combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until completely combined.  If you use a mixer, which I recommend, start on the lowest setting so you don't get powdered sugar on your ceiling.

2.  To pipe icing, spoon into one side of a freezer bag, push to corner of bag, snip of end of bag, and carefully squeeze onto cupcakes. 

 

 

Happy Friday, Ya'll!

xoxo Summer

Chiliti

Chiliti.  Delish.  (pronounced 'shell-eh-ti).  My Momma came across the recipe in the 60's and cooked the wonderful dish while camping in Alaska.  It was that easy and that good!

Here's what you need:

 **(PLUS 1 pound ground beef)

- brown meat in a skillet, add beans and spaghetti. 

-bring to a boil

-pour chips, scoop on the meaty goodness, add cheese.  BAM!  enjoy :)

Happy Camping my friends!

Summer

Smashed Potato Cakes

I made these tonight alongside meatloaf and salad.  They were life-changingly good! 

(NOTE:  They need to be thin when you form the cakes otherwise they will fall apart when you flip them when they are frying.)

 

Smashed Potato Cake

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

 

Ingredients

• 6 cups cubed (1-inch) Yukon gold potatoes
• 3 1/2 cups panko, divided
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
• 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, combine potatoes and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and mash.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 2 cups panko, egg, cheese, bacon, onion, butter, sour cream, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form potatoes into 3-inch patties; dredge in remaining panko.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add potato patties, and cook, 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

Enjoy the potato goodness!
xoxo Summer

Guardian Angel Grandmother

My Grandmother passed away a year and a half ago.  I loved her very, very much.  She had so many grandchildren and she loved each and everyone of us with all her heart-- she always said her family was her biggest accomplishment. 

A woman so amazing is not easily forgotten... 

Then once our family gets together and starts talking, we realize she is still in our lives.  When I had Rylie, I heard her voice in my ear encouraging me through the final intense pushes.  When my sister was cooking one day, she knew my Grandmother was in her kitchen smiling at her attempt to create something (Sarah isn't the most domestic sister...bless her heart).  One time, my father heard her talking to him and it woke him up out of a deep sleep (trust me, when he sleeps he is OUT-- not even his loud snoring phases him! Ha!)

 Then there was the time Rylie was so constipated and sick I was afraid we were going to have to go to the hospital.  I prayed and prayed to God, dealing with my poor baby screaming in pain for hours with my Aunt Sharla.  (We were visiting my parents).  We tried everything to help her.  Giving up, we both asked Grandmother to comfort her and to help her poop.  Not ten seconds later, Rylie was calm and quiet.  Her screaming stopped and she sighed.  We could feel my Grandmother was with us and she had helped Rylie.  (And I had one GIANT poopy diaper to clean!) 

Then this happened...

This past Friday, my cousin was driving home on a road he was not familiar with and accidentally ran a red light.  He hit someone and totalled his car.  When the police showed up, they expected the accident to be a fatality...When they were looking for my cousins' licence and insurance documents on the road (they had been 'smashed' from the car), they found them on the side of the street.  Next to the papers there was a picture of my Grandmother he had put in his car a long time ago.  My cousin walked away from the accident without a scratch.  (The other driver was also ok, praise Jesus!)  My Grandmother, a woman who never had a driver's licence or driving experience, was Cousin's saving grace.

When my Momma called me today and told me what had happened, the power of his story brought me to my knees.  It shook me to the core.  It made me realize there is so much of life and God that we do not understand, but if we trust him and put our faith and heart in him, just like my Grandmother did, then we will be alright.  He will take care of us and help us, just like his angels do.  Just like my Grandmother.

I love you, Grandmother.  (And yes, I promise to stop swearing and being so judgemental).  :)

Humbled beyond words,
Summer

My first post ever, and tribute to my Grandmother

Friday Five...on a Saturday

Bass Bunch Update:
  Well things are moving fast here on the home front!  I go back to work in 9 days.  Ugh.  Here is my Friday Five that I didn't have time for yesterday because my poor sweet Bee has been sick.  We had to wait for my Hubby to get home from work so I could take her to the doctor.  (I'm not about to wrangle TWO children under the age of 2 into a waiting room full of sick kids...)  Luckily, poor girl just has a cold.

Saddest face ever!

 

Friday Five:

 

1.  Tulsa Pediatric Urgent Care, Tulsa, OK.  These guys were great!  We only had to wait 5 minutes to see a doctor and they were so sweet to poor Bee.  She even got a sticker when it was time to go home.

Waiting on the doctor.

 

2.  Beth Moore!  I ordered one of her books (finally!), and I'm so excited to read it!  I love that she reaches out to women and her Bible Studies are so easy to relate to and make you feel good.

The best part?  I found it on Amazon.com and bought it used for UNDER $4.  Score!

 

3.  Colic Calm Gripe Water.  Two words:  Life. Saver!  This stuff gets rid of hiccups, gas, upset stomach, and even occasional constipation in little babies.  We lived for it when Rylie was colicky and we broke down and bought the $20.00 bottle again for little Zacharia.  (IT'S WORTH THE MONEY!)  It's all organic and natural so you can administer it as much as needed, however it is a black liquid-crazy right?!- so it can stain clothes if you don't spot treat spills and baby will poop black which is strange but completely normal!  We can only buy it at CVS Pharmacy around here...check out their website for more info.  We call it Black Gold!!  HA!

 

 

4.  New hair options...  It's down to two contenders...

 

1.

2. 

 

5.  My new BCBG shoes!  From the clearance aisle of Marhalls for under $40.  Yes, Ma'am!

 

Wondering how to slow down time next week...

xoxo Summer