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Their Characteristics Unify Us as a Family

May 24, 2012 By Momstart Leave a Comment

While watching the movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green (which I loved by the way), I started thinking about all the different characteristics and qualities we have as a family and what’s displayed in my children and how much I love them. You know, when you become a parent you look at your child and think you have the most precious gift in the world; because well you do. As they grow older that love for them deepens and you carry those feeling to their school, your place of work and everywhere you go. You say, or at least in my case, “my children are so smart. They are smarter than the average child.” “My son is hilarious, adorable, handsome……” “My daughter lights up a room with her smile” To me, no child comes close to my child. Everyone thinks their child is special or uniquely better than every other child, I’m not saying my child is better than yours except that I am (because we all do it)

When I think about my own children and their unique qualities, I was actually surprised at how different each one of them are and how uniquely they display different characteristics of my husband and I the good ones and the bad ones

My son

no attention to detail like me
loves to eat like me
social, outgoing, and loud. You can’t *not* notice him… we’re not sure where this came from
smart like his dad
musical like me
naturally funny like his dad
stubborn I want to say like his dad but perhaps both of us
negotiator like me

My daughter

quiet and shy like me and her dad
notices everything like her dad
smart like me
not an athlete like her dad
honest to a fault like her dad
beautiful like me
smile to die for like me
beautiful singing voice like me
goofy as all get out like me

And with all of these characteristics they bring complete joy and magic to my life. My daughter’s most magical moment for me was that she was born with her amazing smile, I adore her smile. They say children don’t smile until they are a few months old, she was smiling from the first second. My son’s magical moment happens every time someone walks up to me and says, my child loves Miles. He wins people over and his amazing ability give me great joy. For our family the absolute most special magic and joy they brought into my life was how they influence my husband to be the father I always knew he could be.

Of course they drive me crazy and I make mistakes yelling at them. I’m not perfect, they’re not perfect, parenting is not perfect, but we’re a family and love each other and support each other and learn from each other no matter what.

I saw the movie The Life of Timothy Green at an early screening thanks to Disney

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: Family, parenting, the odd life of timothy green

Photography: Rough & Tough Rhino

May 24, 2012 By Momstart 3 Comments

This photo was taken at Animal Kingdom on the Wild African Trek By Someone from Walt Disney World. I have permission to use this photo. You should consider taking the Wild African Trek next time you go to Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom.

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: animals, nature, photography, photos, rhino

Photography: Pretty Pretty Blue Bird

May 23, 2012 By Momstart 10 Comments

This photo was taken at Animal Kingdom on the Wild African Trek By Someone from Walt Disney World. I have permission to use this photo. You would consider taking the Wild African Trek next time you go to Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom.

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: Animal Kingdom, animals, blue bird, Disney, nature, photos

Lawry’s Dinnertisement: Santa Fe Chili Marinade Recipe #LawrysMoms

May 23, 2012 By Momstart 15 Comments

You may already know that Lawry’s makes marinades and spice mixes. I grew up with Lawry’s spaghetti spices, for a very long time it was the only seasoning packet my stepdad would use. So much so that when they moved from Texas to Florida and could no longer find Lawry’s he special ordered it on-line. When I started cooking for my own family I knew it was good so I would use it to marinade my meet.

I took my kids to the grocery store to pick out some vegetables and while we were there the red cabbage (we call it purple in our house) caught my eye. I asked my daughter if she wanted me to buy it, so I did. We used it with our Santa Fe Chili Marinade Recipe. Letting your kids participate in the shopping experience makes it more likely that they will eat what you make. It also helps to let them help in the kitchen (not my best quality but we try to cook together).Lawry’s took the fun in the kitchen one step further. You can create a dinnertisement video. Now, What is a dinnertisement you might ask? I had to ask myself the same question. Dinnertising is all about making meals interactive and fun for kids. You pick a recipe, add your name and Lawry’s creates a fun video for you to share with your family and friends. You could be features on Rachel Ray.

Our actual dinner was created with pork chops. I cut them into cubes marinated it for 30 minutes and then cooked it on the stove top.

Pork Santa Fe Chili Marinade On Bed of Cabbage Recipe:

Ingredients:

Two large Pork Chops
half a bottle of Lawry’s Santa Fe Chili Marinade
Sliced Cabbage
Ponzu sauce

Directions:

Cut up the pork
Marinate for at least 30 minutes no longer than 24 hours
Cook until pork is done
Serve over a bed of cabbage

If desired use Ponzu sauce to enhance flavor (not that it’s needed) or as a dressing for the cabbage. Now if you go and make your own video like we did

You could be featured on Rachel Ray and win the following:

Enter to Win:

Rachael Ray Lasagna Lover Stoneware
2 Zak Designs Serving Spoons: Either happy or surprise spoons
Lawry’s NEW Marinades and Spice Blends: Mediterranean Herb Seasoned Salt, Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic, Roasted Garlic Salt, Santa Fe Chili Marinade and Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade

To Enter:

You need to create your own dinnertisement leave the link below. You could be featured on Rachel Ray

Filed Under: giveaway, recipe Tagged With: giveaway, lawry's, Lawry’s NEW Marinades and Spice Blends, marinade, recipe, Santa Fe Chili Marinade Recipe, spices

Check Out These PBS Educational Apps

May 23, 2012 By Momstart 11 Comments

PBS KIDS’ fun, educational apps, based off of several of their popular series, are a great way to help curb the “Summer Slide” and keep kids learning all summer long on convenient mobile devices.

Your kids want to have fun, and you want them to learn…PBS has the best of both worlds with PBS KIDS apps! Here are some of their top apps for kids this summer.

Science fanatic? Try Sid’s Science Fair ($2.99 – iPhone & iPod Touch), the app encourages kids 3 to 6 to explore and experience science.

Augmented reality makes FETCH! Lunch Rush (Free – iPhone & iPod Touch) super cool. Based off of the web-series Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman, it teaches kids ages 6 to 8 math skills while blending a virtual world right on top of the real one.

Healthy eating can be fun too! Everyone’s favorite aardvark ARTHUR helps kids ages 4 – 6 learn healthy eating habits on the go with D.W.’s Unicorn Adventure ($1.99 – iPhone & iPod Touch)

Dinosaurs? Trains? It doesn’t get better than that! Dinosaur Train Camera Catch! ($1.99 – iPhone) is the latest PBS KIDS app to utilize virtual reality. Kids “catch” the dinosaurs with their phone’s camera function in a designated pattern, building patterning skills. Dinosaur photos will be stored in a child’s private gallery.

Continue the Jurassic fun on the iPad with All Aboard the Dinosaur Train! ($1.99 – iPad) The Dinosaur Train is getting ready to leave and needs passengers! Players need to match the passengers with the right train cars, challenging them to problem-solve by estimating dinosaur sizes and comparing them with the train cars’ capacity.

You can find these and all of PBS KIDS’ apps here: http://pbskids.org/mobile/

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: children's educational apps, PBS, tech

Children’s Book One Special Day a book for Big Brothers & Big Sisters

May 23, 2012 By Momstart 8 Comments

By Summer:

What has been that one special day in your life? Can you at least pinpoint the top three? How about for your child? I can tell you one such day for my 5YO was when his brother’s birth almost 3 years ago. For Spencer, it’s the same!

Everyday Spencer is boy who is as strong as a bear and as funny as a monkey, among other things. BUT his parents have left him with grandma and have returned soon making Spencer something he has never been before … a brother! This One Special Day is a great book for soon-to-be big brother and sisters. My sons (even the younger one) love to read this book over and over. My older can even read it to my younger; and to me it’s just sweet that they’re sharing THIS book in particular.

One Special Day: A Story For Big Brothers & Sisters is all about the specialness of your “bigger” child. The specialness is even echoed in the book’s inner cover starts with Spencer alone doing activities and if you flip to the back Spencer is with his younger sibling riding in a wheelbarrow, banging on pots, mimicking, eating popsicles, playing in the garden, and hugging. If you aren’t captivated yet, you soon will be …

This book is an interactive book giving your child a chance to “read” the book with you as not all of the text is provided. When Spencer is as strong as a bear he is really, “as strong as a” with a picture of a bear; your child is drawn to complete the sentence and read with you. As you can tell from the cover, Spencer is like a bear, horse, giraffe, elephant, monkey, tiger, pig, and bird until one special day!

I just can’t say enough about this book. This is a must own in any children’s library and especially those of soon-to-be siblings, but beyond that it’s a keeper! Just to get your children excited and reading on their own. Not only is One Special Day: A Story For Big Brothers & Sisters cute, it’s very original which is why it will survive the purge of other sibling books from your at-home library. As I said before, it’s a keeper!

One Special Day: A Story For Big Brothers & Sisters is available now at your favorite bookstore or on Amazon. Get it for yourself or add it to your baby registry for the big brother or big sister in your house.

My Mom Start Review Grade of the One Special Day: A Story For Big Brothers & Sisters Book: A+++++

In addition to this review, I’d also like to thank the distributor, Disney, for the extra copy which was donated to an under privileged school in my community.

DISCLAIMER: A book was provided for review, but all thoughts in this post are my own and not influenced by the author, publisher, or distributor.

About Summer:

Summer is very active in our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living while cooking up a storm.

Filed Under: book review, Summer Tagged With: big brothers, big sisters, Book, book review, Children's book, one special day, Summer

Hats Roses & A Honey-Roasted Ham Biscuits Recipe #HormelFamily

May 22, 2012 By Momstart 8 Comments

Looks like the Kentucky Derby was May 5th but that’s no reason not to continue with the southern goodness of baking and eating Kentucky Derby themed food, but before we get to the great recipe today I thought I would share with you a few hats found on pinterest perfect for the Kentucky Derby.

Source: rufflemint.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: roses-and-teacups.com via Melinda on Pinterest

Source: modeofgrace.blogspot.com via Melinda on Pinterest

· The Derby is frequently referred to as "The Run for the Roses" because a garland of red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The horse’s garland is made up of 554 roses, but you’ll only need a few to set the pace. Show off a dozen long-stemmed beauties in a treasured vase, or cut your roses short, in the French style, to keep a low profile among your food presentation. Carry out the theme with red napkins, candles, or paper party ware.

Hats with roses

Source: blog.zap2it.com via Lena on Pinterest

Source: womenxone.com via Melinda on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Dana on Pinterest

Honey-Roasted Ham Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough
2 cups Hormel® Cure 81® diced ham
1/2 cup honey mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped honey-roasted peanuts, divided

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F.
Separate biscuits. Place in muffin pans, pressing gently into bottom and up sides of pan.
In bowl, combine ham, mustard and 2 tablespoons peanuts; mix well. Spoon ham mixture evenly into biscuit cups. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons peanuts.
Bake biscuits 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown

This post is part of the campaign with Hormel Family.

Filed Under: fashion, recipe Tagged With: fashion, hats, Honey-Roasted Ham Biscuits Recipe, Hormel, hormelfamily, recipe

Photography: Necking Giraffes

May 22, 2012 By Momstart 8 Comments

This photo was taken at Animal Kingdom on the Wild African Trek By Someone from Walt Disney World. I have permission to use this photo.

Filed Under: photos Tagged With: animals, giraffes, photography

Animals In Their Habitat Animal Kingdom Wild Africa Trek

May 21, 2012 By Momstart 9 Comments

I love looking at animals. Going to the zoo is so much fun it’s something that I’ve loved since I was a little girl. When I was in college I started a tradition of going to the zoo for my birthday every year and once I had kids we continued that tradition. This year we went to Northwest Trek as a family. It’s a wildlife preserve where you go into the animals’ natural habitat on a tram and watch them. Which is similar to Animal Kingdom’s Wild Africa Trek, only the Wild Africa Trek is African animals in their habitat and on a much grander scale. I went to Wild Africa Trek a few months ago and it was AMAZING……..

You ride in a caravan after you hike for about 30 minutes and it’s full of adventure.

Maybe I should start at the beginning. First thing is you have to get all dressed up in your hiking gear along with your harness for the chord that keeps you safe as you hang over crocodiles and hungry hippos. I felt like Indiana Jones as I courageously crossed the rickety bridge with missing planks.

I’m trying to think about what my favorite part was and I’m torn between watching the Hippo play in the water or if it was eating the amazing food. The food was outstanding, like eating at a 5 star restaurant, as if I’ve ever done that before (I haven’t by the way, but the food was AMAZING). There was smoked salmon, shrimp, fruit, pita and hummus. I’m getting hungry again just thinking about all this good food.

The food was good and hanging out with friends is always the best.

What animals will you see? You’ll see Lions, Cheetahs, Giraffes, Hippos, Alligators, Monkeys, Ostriches, Flamingos, Elephants, and Antelopes. You will have a great time, I did. I love doing adventurous things. I always thought I was shy and scared, but I’m finding that I am a thrill seeker that loves doing things. I love going outside and just living life to the fullest. This was an amazing adventure and I’ve seen animals closer than I ever thought I would. Enjoy these photos taken by Disney.