A Father’s Role on Mother’s Day
A Father’s Role on Mother’s Day
On Mother’s Day, most people will obviously be talking about how great their moms are, or coming up with crafts that kids can make and give to their moms.
All of this is so important.
However, so is the role of fathers on Mother’s Day.
Here’s a story my friend told me. She was excited about being a first time mom and celebrating her first Mother’s Day. You can imagine her surprise and disappointment when on the morning of, her husband rolls over and says, “I didn’t get you anything for Mother’s Day, so don’t get me anything for Father’s Day.” But of course she did. How could she not?
The following year it was, “you’re not my mother, so I don’t need to get you anything.”
This went on for a few years. Had it not been for the odd craft that the kids made in preschool, she would have received nothing.
This happened until the wife had had enough. “If you don’t do something for me for Mother’s Day this year, I am posting it on Facebook with your email address.”
Needless to say, he finally anted up.
It wasn’t the fact that she wanted or needed a present. It was more the acknowledgement of the day. Even a bouquet of hand picked flowers or her favourite chocolate bar. A handmade card would have been nice. Not diamond earrings and expensive clothing. Just acknowledgement and appreciation.
What this story comes down to is a father’s role in Mother’s Day (or at least what it should be in a two-parent household).
A father’s role is to teach his children to appreciate mom. He should model this behaviour and encourage the kids to think of something special to do. A father needs to be the driving force behind this, especially when kids are little. What an opportunity to set a great example!
So, to all you fathers out there, find a way (and it doesn’t have to be expensive) to help your kids honour and appreciate their mom on Mother’s Day! And, while you’re at it, phone your own mom!
Math and Science Shows for Kids
Science and Math Shows for Kids
We don’t have a TV. It’s not a moral decision; we just don’t have a lot of time to watch it! That is not to say that my kids don’t watch programs. Everything we watch at home is on YouTube.
It’s easy for the kids to go astray on YouTube, so be sure to set up some safety measures. See my earlier post here
My kids easily get sucked into watching other people play video games. That’s when I shout,
“No more! You have to watch something with some redeeming value and that’s educational!”
This is my quick go-to guide for math and science based shows (because that’s what they are in to) that the kids like to watch and can all be found on YouTube. There are lots of great literary shows, too. But that’s a story for another time.
The age guidelines are based on my opinion, and the description are from the shows’ websites.
Science
Animals
Go, Diego, Go! is an Latino-American animated educational television program where an 8-year-old Latino boy whose adventures frequently involve rescuing animals and protecting their environment.
Octonauts – (4+) Go on missions to rescue sea creatures by joining Captain Barnacles and crew as they explore the ocean.
Wild Kratts – (5+) Join the adventures of Chris and Martin Kratt as they encounter incredible wild animals, combining science education with fun and adventure, while traveling to animal habitats around the globe.
WotWots – (age 2+) an enchanting pre-school series that follows the adventures of two adorable siblings from outer space, SpottyWot and DottyWot. This delightful pair of enquiring minds have come to Earth to explore and to marvel at the extraordinary diversity of life on the blue planet.
Zoboomafoo – (4+) with the Kratt Brothers, is the first wildlife program specifically designed for preschoolers. This features the Kratt Brothers and is a pre-curser to Wild Kratts.
General Science
Bill Nye the Science Guy – (elementary to pre-teen) is a live action educational television program. The show aims to teach a specific topic in a natural science to a preteen audience.
Grossology – (elementary) Ty and Abby are a teen brother and sister crime-fighting team who report to the Bureau of Grossology, a secret government facility whose job is to protect the city from disgusting villains and their gross crimes. Each episode of the series follows the pair on adventures based on real scientific facts.
Nova: Making Stuff… (6+) these are a series produced by PBS and are appropriate for children to learn about making stuff: colder, wilder, faster, etc.
Sci Girls – (elementary) It’s an educational outreach program for elementary and middle-school children based on proven best practices for science, technology, engineering and math education for girls. The boys love it, too!
Math
Math Monsters – (Pre school to grade 2) Math Monsters is an amusing and enlightening video and book series that introduces young readers to mathematical concepts through the humorous antics of Addison, Mina, Multiplex, Split and their friends.
Mathnet – (6+) Mathnet is a segment on the children’s television show Square One Television, of which five seasons were produced (1987–92). This parody of Dragnet featured mathematician/detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department who solved mysteries using their mathematical skills.
Number Jacks – (preschool) A British series where the mission to learn is an exciting and entertaining world where children become engaged with and learn mathematics through a unique mix of games, video, audio, images and interactivity.
What other suggestions do you have that I can add to the list?
Monster Cupcakes with Chef’n
Monster Cupcakes by Chef’n with Monstrous Results!
This is not a sponsored post. These opinions are our own.
Always up for an adventure and willing to try something new, I found some products by Chef’n that looked cute and fun.
The two products that I chose were the Chef’n Cake Creature 3D Mold and Pastry Pen.
On the box, it promises that you will be able to easily create cupcake monsters and bring them to life! How hard can it be?
I mixed up my cake mix and used the pastry pen to suction out the batter to put them in the cake mold. Although the syringe supposedly holds ¼ cup, there was not enough suction to fill it. I had to lay the bowl on it side so that the syringe was parallel to the counter so that it would even somewhat fill.
The best part about the pen was the fancy clip that you put on the side of the bowl to wipe off excess or to hold the pen while not in use.
Then it came time to make the monsters!
Because I only had one mold, I had to bake the monsters one at a time. The box indicated that some batter might come out during baking. Some??
To get them out of the molds was a bit like Goldilocks. You couldn’t take them out too soon or they would break, and you couldn’t leave them to get too cool, or they would stick. I ended up with a lot of broken monsters!
Then, came time to ice them. I used the pastry pen to suck up the frosting. Or tried to. It wouldn’t fill. I tried heating the icing so it was runny. Still didn’t work. I managed to get a bit of icing in the pen, but when I went to decorate the monster, the icing came out with a big “farting” noise because of all the air trapped inside. The icing splashed on to the cupcake in a big mess.
This is what the company said my monsters should look like.
This is what mine looked like. In the words of Pinterest, NAILED IT!
By the end of the process I was in a heap of tears at the table. I should mention that in our household, I bake the cakes and my husband decorates them. It works better that way! I get too frustrated and have no patience.
So, my husband suggested that I call in a professional. That’s when I asked my friend Janice, who loves decorating cakes and is a pro at it, if she would help me out.
I asked her to write about her experiences. Here’s what she had to say:
My initial thoughts were that the pastry pen looked hopeful but I had some doubts about the 3D cake mold. I would call myself an “at home” experienced baker. I have taken some Wilton cake decorating classes, I always make home-made birthday cakes and on the weekends my oven is usually always on!
First, the 3D Cake Mold. After the 6th attempt, I was able to get the cake out of the mold in one piece.
It was a long process having only a single mold and meant preparing the mold, baking, waiting, and being disappointed over a 5 hour period. Each bake yielded exactly one broken monster!
The preparation of the mold required cooking spray and flour and if you missed one spot, it was all over at that point.
With the removal, the mold was hot to the touch even after the recommended cooling off period and did not give clear instructions on how to open the mold (standing up? on its back?). Even at the end when my family cheered in excitement at the opening of an unbroken little monster, it barely had any detail and was very blob like.
I followed the directions exactly every time but I have to be honest; I think you just had to get lucky!
Lastly, the Pastry Pen. We gave up trying to fill the cake mix into the pen, there just wasn’t enough suction. We ended up filling the pen from the top with the plunger.
This was the same with the icing. The control on the icing was limited as you really need to push the plunger to get the icing out. My husband said the result was like a caulking gun that kept flowing… frustrating.
The one bright side was that this pen did work excellent in injecting pudding or (seed free) jam into a cupcake.
Overall, I would not recommend either one of these products. The mold was hard to use and I didn’t find the shape to be very detailed or unique. The pastry pen was even worse and I would gladly use a sandwich bag to decorate with any day over the pastry pen.
However, having said all that, Janice’s end results were much better than mine! I told you she was a professional!
So, what do I think of the Chef’n Monster Cake Mold and pastry pen? Let’s replace the word chef’n!
Magic Squares
Magic Squares
My husband called me on his way home from work and said that we would be having guests pop in to visit after supper and that we should probably serve them something.
Armed with only a few minutes and what was in my pantry, I immediately thought of the classic Magic Squares!
These squares are quick and easy to make and a big hit with all ages!
1 Cup graham cracker crumbs
1//4 Melted butter
1 Can sweetened condensed milk
Chocolate chips
Coconut
Nuts
Sprinkles
Melt butter in the microwave (about 30 seconds).
Add graham cracker crumbs. Mix until the texture resembles damp sand.
Press into a 9×9 sprayed pan.
Pour a can of sweetened condensed milk over top.
Throw on whatever is in your cupboard: chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, sprinkles. There is no exact science here. Just well cover the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Bake until it is bubbly and golden brown.
Enjoy! They won’t last long!
The Truth about Blogs
The Truth about Blogging
Over the past month, I have had several conversations with friends.
“You do so much with your kids!”
“You make me feel like an inadequate mom when I see all you do.”
“How do you have time to do all that?”
“Can’t your kids just watch TV and eat Kraft dinner?”
This is when I say to them:
“The problem with things like Facebook and blogs is that you only show people the side of things that you want them to see!”
One doesn’t post pictures of getting frustrated with your kids, yelling at your husband, the cake that flops, or the family trip that is a disaster.
When I tell my friends what happens behind the scenes, they laugh and say, “now, that makes me feel better!”
They have encouraged me to, in my blogs, tell some of the funnier or behind-the-scene moments.
The problem with having a blog is that your life becomes an open book. My issue is that my husband and kids did not sign up for their lives to be displayed like this, and I don’t want to embarrass any of them. It’s finding the right balance in telling the real story.
I read a great article by blogger Jennifer Warman where she bares the truth about mommy moments, and encourages others to do so, too! Based on this article, and my conversation with friends, I’m going to start making some adjustments to my blog posts. Wait and see!
Let me lay out a few truths for you.
1. You don’t have to do it all!
“I feel like I should do all these things with my kids, too, but I don’t enjoy it”. I hear this a lot. Find your own groove as a mom. Not someone else’s.
A couple of things about me.
- I am an organizer and event planner. From the days on the playground, to planning high school parties, and now fundraising events – I love to plan and organize events. I even went to school and got a public relations degree just so I could do more of it.
- I used to teach. I was a Girl Guide Brownie leader for years, and then taught English in Japan for three years. I am used to putting together lesson plans and doing activities with objectives, and I enjoy it!
2. My kids beg me to stay home.
I love adventure and I love being on the go. I always want to be doing something. Sometimes my kids beg me, “no more adventures mom! I just want to stay home and play!”
3. My kids are not easy.
I love them to death, and they are my pride and joy, but these boys (6 and 7 – when I wrote this, now 9, 11) are not easy. They are extremely active. If you think you have active kids, please trade with me for a week – a day or even an hour (everyone except for LG – you know who you are).
It wasn’t until about a year ago that I could actually take the kids by myself in public, with confidence. One would always run away, run ahead, or get into mischief and I couldn’t physically handle them both at once.
About my older son, people say – “does he ever stop moving?” No, he doesn’t. Not even when he is sleeping. You should see his bed in the morning. I used to dress them constantly in shirts with hoods so I would have something to grab.
I had to keep busy with them, or I would lose my ever-loving mind!
They are not so crazy now, but still incredibly active, and now confident with no sense of fear. I’m in trouble.
4. My kids aren’t perfect.
Besides being active, they get into trouble like many little boys. They have been in the principal’s office countless times. The best advice I received, and that I follow is to volunteer a lot at the school (to not only make up for the behaviour, but to also know the principal and teachers) and to give your child’s teacher a really nice gift at the end of the year!
5. My kids are rough.
They are rough and tumbly boys, and they have both put each other in the emergency room at the hospital. One nearly had a broken leg and the other with a concussion. I expect we will be spending a lot of time there over the next few years. The emergency room doctor suggested we put him on speed dial.
6. My kids watch a lot of TV and they eat sugar and not enough vegetables. Sometimes it just makes for less of a fight.
7. When the kids were younger and we were out at a playgroup or a playdate and a child cried, my first reaction was always… not, is my child ok, but, did my child do it??
8. I often have to threaten the kids to take NICE pictures so I can post them on the blog or Facebook.
9. I swear a lot. Sometimes in front of the kids. I drink a lot of wine. I spend lots of hours commiserating with my girlfriends. My house is a mess. My kids say I spend too much time on the computer. I argue with my husband – a lot. I constantly feel mommy guilt.
There is my life in a nutshell. Open book. Life as a mom of two active boys is not easy sometimes, but it is always fun and you never know what you’re going to get.
I am not a super mom, but I am a super mom for these boys.
What are your true confessions?
In-Home Spa Parties
In Home Spa Party – Best Girls’ Day Ever!
I am lucky to boast that I have the best group of girlfriends, ever. We are an eclectic group with various backgrounds and life situations, which makes for ever-exciting and fun times together.
This year, for each others’ birthdays, we decided to do something together rather than buy each other presents.
With my birthday being this week, it was my turn to choose.
That’s when Kathy Gammon from O’Natural Spa Treatment in Port Williams came to mind. Kathy is an esthetician with a shop in her home (with the most incredible massage chairs in the world!).
One time when I was having a treatment, Kathy told me about how she takes her shop on the road for in-home appointments and parties. I was hooked on the idea!
My friend Jennifer graciously agreed to host. We set up a buffet of nibblies, wine and punch and we were ready to start.
Kathy brought her traveling esthetician kit and set up in the living room. We had a roster where we all signed up for our appointment, and moved through the list like an assembly line. While one person was having their toes painted, the next person was doing their pre-soak.
With eight girls, at half-an-hour each, it took about 4 hours for us all to have a pedicure. It was one of the most relaxing afternoons I’ve had in a long time, and a great way to catch up with friends. To top it off, Kathy only charges $25 each!
If you’re looking for an idea for a girls’ birthday party, this would be a great one, too!
For anyone in the Wolfville-Berwick area, Kathy Gammon’s O’Natural Spa Treatment can be reached at 902-698-1600 or at 3tupper@ns.sympatico.ca.
For everyone else, try contacting some local estheticians to see if someone would be willing to come do an in-home spa party.
I highly recommend it for an afternoon of relaxing and enjoying the company of friends!
What fun activities do you do with your friends?
