The School Morning Checklist

I'm not sure about you all, but our school mornings always seem hectic.  It could be that every inhabitant of my home is going in a direction and they don't have a map.  The biggest culprit of wandering around aimlessly is our school-ager.  What ever happened to being born with certain in-bred tendencies of taking care of one's self...oh, yeah.  That's right...we humans didn't come with that installed.  If you are like me, and totally envious that the local birds all seem to have an uncanny ability to build their own nest, eat their meals without the need for another hunter and travel without directions...here is an idea that I came up with:

 

The School Morning Checklist

 

A check in every circle would be every mom's dream...

 

 

I started this project out with a list of all the things that our child could do on his own (and to date chooses not to).  Let me just say, this evolved...and became descriptive to a fault.  From there I opened up Word and realized that the average size page wasn't going to work for us so it got bumped up to Legal.  I laid out the list with a means to check-off whether the item had been done or not and found a really cool backdrop for it all.  Hit print, will laminate it later and hang on the fridge.  Now if only, I'll be so lucky as to have someone follow the instructions. :)

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Wine Turkey Brine

Over the years, I've tried many methods of cooking a turkey.  Some have resulted in a better bird than others.  The one recipe that seems to have made more appearances at our table is the following.  Hope you have just as good results as we have!  Gobble!  Gobble!

Wine Turkey Brine (This recipe is for a 16lb. bird)

Ingredients:
r 8 – 375mL bottles white cooking wine (or the equivalent)
r 1 c. sugar
r 8 tsp. white peppercorns
r 24 bay leaves
r 1 c. kosher salt
r 4 celery stalks, remove butt and cut into thirds
r 2 onions, quarter
r 40 cloves of garlic, peeled
r 12 parsley stems
r 4 sprigs of thyme
r 1 g. water (this measurement is not exact/can fluctuate depending)


Directions:
1. In a large stock pot, add all ingredients with the exception of the water.  Bring to a boil.  (I suggest a lid as the peppercorns can put off a very strong odor.)
2. Once the celery and onions appear translucent, remove from stove top and allow to cool.
3. On day/night of brine-ing, add the water and submerge your turkey.  Allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Tips:
-I have used a large stockpot to soak our bird.  However, a heavy duty bag can also do the trick.  They key is to get as much of the bird covered in liquid as possible.  We've even gone as far as lining a laundry basket with double trash bags (unscented, of course), you'd just need to be able to fit it into a refrigerator.
-Prepare this recipe in advance, you'll need it to cool before using.  I will often make it on Tuesday night for soaking overnight on Wednesday.
-After the bird has soaked, remove it from the brine and cook.  As a bonus, you can pour off the liquid by lining a colander with a cheese cloth and using it to catch the solids.  If you are not stuffing your bird with dressing, you can tie off the cheese cloth into a ball and pack it into the neck cavity for additional flavor.
-We roast our bird breast down for the first hour and then flip it right side up for the remainder of time.
-We also put wine/broth in the pan (for basting) and elevate the bird.

2014 End of Year Teacher Gift

Since last year's end of the year teacher/care provider gift was such a hit I thought to share again...
I wanted to come up with something imaginative that could also be modified to give you all a few ways to use the same idea at different price points and here it is:

You will need: (for each individual gift)
gallon zipper bag
pencils (5)
gift card to bookstore
(or a paperback/light summer read)
puzzle piece keychain
(I had them stamped with the school year "2013-2014" and "Thanks!"; or a small puzzle, crossword puzzle book or trinket puzzle)
Post-It Notes
(I labeled the countdown days using clear return address labels after I checked the school calendar and counted from the last day to next year's first day; you could also give them a calendar printout of the summer months)
curling ribbon
clear packing tape
scissors
color printer
(if you are using the cards as offered)

In total, I spent $10 for the items, not including the giftcard.


I assembled the gift items and arranged them inside the bag so that as much of each item could show.  Personally, I wasn't happy with the giftcard choices (was really hoping for one that looked like a book, but couldn't find one) so I printed out a book from clipart and taped it to the outside of the cardboard sleeve...
Depending on the contents, you may need to alter the bag.  I myself slit one of the sides to make it more narrow and then used packing tape to close it off.  At the end I tied off the top and added curling ribbon as decoration, using one of the strands to attach the card.

The card's wording is:
No more pencils,
No more books,
No more students' puzzled looks.
Now the countdown down does begin,
82 days 'til Summer's end.

 

As you can see, the items inside the bag are a play off of the bolded words.   I really had fun coming up with this idea and think it'll be a big hit...will keep you updated.

If you like this idea, be sure to like my facebook page at:
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A Cure For The "Selfish" Mom

I now have a picture in my phone that at first glance most people would hit delete thinking it was a mis-take.  I’m keeping it there and will probably, forever.  When YOU look at it, there is darkness and shadows – mostly hazy - abstractly, one might say it is a picture that captured a moment of sadness.  No, not even close.

Last night, like many of the nights before, I got the baby ready for bed, fed him and laid him down for the night…althewhile my 9 year old son was downstairs keeping himself busy without complaint.  Having been exhausted from many nights of interrupted sleep and fighting off a sore throat and impending illness, instead of going back downstairs I laid in bed for about 30 minutes to rest.  I felt selfish.  Thoughts of how I wasn’t paying attention to him, just because he wasn’t complaining, went through my mind.  How it wasn’t really ''fair."  10 minutes in, he came up the steps and asked if I was coming back down…I said no, that I REALLY just needed to rest.  I could tell he was disappointed by the look that appeared on his face for a split second, before it disappeared and he said, “Okay.”  He left me to my solace.

When it was time for him to go to bed, I called down for him to brush his teeth.  He did it without complaint.  He then got changed and laid in bed with a book (like he always does while I take a bath).  I ran the tub, immersed myself in it and took in the warmth.  After about 30 minutes, I pulled the plug and let the water drain.  Dried myself off and looked down the hall, his light had been turned out.  I thought he’d called it a night when I faintly heard, “Mom, wanna come snuggle?”  How could I not?  I held him in my arms knowing this kind of moment doesn’t last forever and probably would be few and far between in years to come.  I snapped a photo with my phone, knowing it wouldn’t come out “perfect,” that didn't matter.  It was a memory, just the same that needed to be captured.

 

I’ll never forget last night, there will always be this treasure.  It was a nice reminder that even when (to me) it felt like I was being a selfish mom, I wasn’t.  It really is about the collective time, not the singular moments and kids remember that…they really do.

End of Year Teacher Gift

With the end of the school year approaching, it's time to start thinking about what you can do for your child's teacher, room mom, and care provider.  This is a cute little idea for someone who you think has been "SWEET" all year and deserves a personalized gift.

 

 

What You'll Need: (for each individual bag)

 

medium cellophane gift bag (can also use a gallon freezer zipper bag)

curly gift ribbon

scissors

computer & color printer (if you are printing out the suggested card)

Good & Plenty (4oz. pkg.)

Skittles (4oz.  pkg.)

Riesen (5.5oz. pkg)

Lifesavers (1.14oz. roll)

Snickers (1.86oz. bar)

Take5 (1.5oz. bar)

Whatchamacallit (1.6oz. bar)

Extra (16 piece pkg.)

 

*The candy sizes are what I used in the picture.  Feel free to vary that depending on what you can get in the stores.  The most difficult to find for me were the Take5 and Whatchamacallit (wound up getting them both at the pharmacy).  The cost of the candy was about $10.*

I placed the candy into the bag with all the names going in the same direction and from smallest to biggest.  While working with it, I tried to get as many names visible as possible and then tied the bag off with the curling ribbon.  Once the bag was closed I attached the card to the ribbon and added a few extra before curling with the scissors.

 

Here is a picture of the card that gives you the wording I used:

 

Everyone who received this from us went on and on about how much they loved it, I'm sure you will hear the same!  :)

 

If you like this idea, be sure to checkout and like my Facebook page at:

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Turkey Caprese Loaf

Gluten/Wheat, Dairy and Egg Free

Feeds 2

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 c. dairy-free cream cheese alternative*1/4 c. dairy-free parmesan cheese alternative*
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion salt
6 large fresh basil leaves

Kitchen tools:

measuring cups & spoons

rolling pin
parchment paper

baking pan

spatula
spoon

knife

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Layout a piece of parchment paper about 12 inches long.
3. Flip ground turkey out of packaging onto parchment paper.
4. Using rolling pin, flatten ground turke until it is about 3/4 in. thick and in the shape of a rectangle (about 6 in. x 12 in.).
5. With a spoon, spread cream cheese alternative over ground turkey (like you are buttering bread).
6. Sprinkle parmesan cheese alternative, garlic powder and onion salt over the cream cheese alternative.
7. Place basil leaves on top of the sprinkling but only on bottom 2/3 of ground turkey.
8. Using the parchment paper as a tool, begin rolling loaf onto itself. [HINT: Touching the ground turkey with your hands gets sticky and may lead to it falling apart.]
9. Once loaf has been rolled, place in a baking dish.
10. Drizzle 1/4 c. tomato sauce onto the loaf.
11. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
12. When cooked, remove loaf from the oven and cut. [HINT: Using an electric knife casues less breakage.]
13. Before serving drizzle loaf with remaining tomato sauce or serve sauce for dipping.

*I used GO Veggie! but another brand
as well as dairy can be used, depending on allergy
or need for avoidance.

Book / Bible Party Favors

We have a party coming up and I needed to figure out a personal but inexpensive idea. I went in search on the ever-popular craft site and came upon something cute but couldn't find directions or an indication regarding price...even so, my back was up against the wall because of time and I just decided to take the plunge and documented along the way - figuring someone else might benefit from the experience.

What you'll need: (For 50 Favors)

3 Classic Sized Bags of Hershey's Nuggets (I used the plain milk chocolate.)
3 Avery 8253 Shipping Labels (They are the 2" x 4" ones.)
Standard Tape
Double Sided Tape
Ruler
Scissors
Pencil
1/8" wide ribbon (7 yards; however, I had 1/4" wide and cut it in half down the middle of each strip.)
Cardstock
Hole Punch (optional)

I found that making the parts first was easiest, rather than doing one favor at a time. More like an assembly line...

Create your "pages" using Word and the label function.
As you can see, I got two sets of "pages" per label.
I suggest that the pages (the middle where a normal book would be bound) be separated by at least a 1/4" to afford room for the "book marker."
You’ll need to cut the labels in half so that the finished "pages" are 1" x 4."

Cut your "book marks" into 5" lengths. I had thicker ribbon on hand so just cut it down the middle to create the correct 1/8" thickness. It was an extra step but saved me from spending more.

You’ll need to cut your “cover” out of the cardstock into 2 ¼” x 1 ½” pieces.  I then added the half hole-punch to the bottom and top so when assembled it appears the book has a binding.

Begin assembling the individual favors by taking two nuggets and wrapping them side by side with a label.  Don’t worry that the label (looking from the back) is not evenly wrapped.  

Your main focus of this step is to get the “pages” centered on each nugget.

Take a “book mark” and hold it to the back of the book.

Wrap the “book mark” around the center of the book and ensure that approximately 1/2” hangs from the bottom of the book like a tail.  Secure the “book mark” with standard tape.  [TIP: I did not perfectly overlap the “book mark” with itself, it was slightly askew so that the tape would contact both surfaces and would be less likely to slip later.]

 

Then take a piece of double-sided tape that is about 1 1/2” long and place it on the back of the book and sandwich the cover to the “book.”

Finished product should look like this:

 

All in all, I estimate the final cost of each favor as less than 50¢.  Not too shabby!
Also, the personalization is endless…I’ve even considered this for use at my next hosting of a book club!!!