Baking with Baby

I must admit, I kinda laughed at myself for putting"baby" in the title, because Aria is definitely not a baby anymore! *sniff sniff* Getting ready for Christmas has always meant lots of baking and cooking for our family, and this year it's been weird for me to be the one in the kitchen instead of my mom. I started out slow - ranch dill oyster crackers and Golden Club Crackers. These have always been some of my favorites since I was little, so I though Aria and I could start her young on these Christmas staples. While Aria isn't a great help right now, as I've said before, the earlier you get your kids at least comfortable in the kitchen, the more comfortable they'll be helping you bake and cook, which will in turn expand their palette and make them less picky eaters. Aria loves trying things I'm working on when she's sitting there if for no other reason than to just be involved. Today was no exception, so she got to snack on a few oyster crackers, club crackers, almonds and coconut while I worked on putting those ingredients together to make "tasty treats," as they are called in our house. Hopefully, after nap time, we'll get some sugar cookies baked up as well :)

Stirring up the butter and sugar mixture for the Golden Club Crackers

Mixing up the dill dressing for the oyster crackers. We're working on keeping
 the whisk down instead of flinging it (and the contents of the bowl)
all through the air.

Christmas Tree Wonder

Aria's a little obsessed with our Christmas tree, and I can't say that I blame her - what toddler wouldn't like a large object loaded with lights and "toys" just sitting in their living room? So far, she's been really good about only touching, and not pulling on, the ornaments. She just loves "poking" the ornaments to watch them swing and sparkle. Nighttime with the lights on and music playing... memories that make Christmas seem magical.

Josh reading to Aria by the tree

Gently touching the ornaments

Did you know?

Here are a few money saving, innovative tips and ideas that I've found while browsing the web. Enjoy!

1. Stuffing a dryer sheet in your back pocket will repel mosquitoes.
2. You can buy beadboard wallpaper.

3. You can freeze cupcake batter for future use.

4. You can paint upholstery.

5. You can run a paper bag through your printer.

6. You can also print directly onto fabric.

7. Dry erase markers work on most desk tops.

8. You can mail anything that weighs less than 13oz without a box. 

9. If you break your blender jar (which I have,) you can replace it with a mason jar.
10. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

11. Store opened chucks of cheese in aluminum foil - it won't mold!

12. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps are firmer and better for cooking.

13. If you buy cake frosting from the store, whip it up in your stand mixer - it will double in size. More to go around and less sugar and calories!

14. To keep squirrels away from plants, sprinkle cayenne pepper on them.

15. Clip a safety pin at the bottom of your skirt/slip/pants to prevent static cling.

16. Cornmeal kills ants.
17. Place panty hose at the end of your vacuum cleaner to find something small that you dropped.

18. Rubbing a walnut over scratches on furniture will make them disappear. 

19. Baby powder will make getting the sand off your feet much easier.

20. Add a velcro strip to your kid's walls to store soft toys and puppets.

21. Put a magnetic strip in your vanity door to store bobby pins and safety pins.

22. Put your shoes in a shower cap when packing to keep the dirt from your shoes from getting all over your clothes.

23. Install a tension rod in your closet to hang cleaner bottles.

24. Freeze aloe vera in ice cube trays for the summer burns.

Good Reminders

Sometimes we all need a little reminder about why we do what we do. After all, being a mother isn't the most lauded job out there. Here's a couple great parenting quotes out there that will hopefully make you smile and/or give you some inspiration today. We can't have all good days, afterall.

“We are apt to forget that children watch examples better than they listen to preaching.”
- Roy L. Smith

“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” 
- Robert Fulghum

“To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today”
- Anonymous

“The best inheritance a parent can give his children is a few minutes of his time each day.” 
- O. A. Battista

“Kids spell love T-I-M-E.” 

- John Crudele

“If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.” 
- Haim Ginott

“Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation.” 
- C. Everett Koop

“You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back.”
- William D. Tammeus

Coming soon ...

I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging this month, due to all the craziness that Christmas brings. I love this season, but we all know there's not a ton of downtime between family gatherings, baking and cooking for said gatherings and attempting to wrap that strangely shaped present for your hubby before he discovers it sitting in the closet... oh wait, that's just me? Well, I'm sure you have your own difficulties with this season, and hopefully I'm not the only one that views wrapping as a definitely difficulty.

Anyways... I wanted to announce a couple exciting events that will be coming in January on the blog! More details will definitely be following, so please pretend that my little teasers are actually building momentum and excitement in your internet life :) First off, I'm excited to announce the first ever "Mommy's Day Off Giveaway Week!" Yes, you read right - a WHOLE week! Again, more details to come, but they're coming soon! :)

Something else I'm planning on doing for the first time ever is participating in a giveaways blog hop. This one will be by Green Resolutions and will focus on getting your family green for the holidays. Since it's a blog hop, it will obviously be a part of a much larger event which I invite all of you to participate in. There will be lots of mom blogs getting involved and it will be fun for all!

Lastly, Adventures with Aria is now on Facebook! You can find me by clicking right here! Since we're just getting started, there's not much there, but hopefully there will be discussions, photos, links to other great blogs and reviews on some of my favorite products from (you guessed it!) small business owners :) Please feel free to join or create a conversation to get this page up and running :)

Well, that's all for right now, but stay tuned and more info will be coming soon :) Hopefully, as will a more interesting post. 

Mommy's Winter Survival Kit

I was recently reading a friend's blog, and she had made a list of things that make surviving through the winter months more manageable. I decided to do the same. Winter can be dark and dreary, in addition to cold and dry, especially up here in Michigan. We all need a few little things to perk us up or to keep us from shriveling away. So here's my Winter survival kit for mommies.

Good music is always a must, but especially during the winter. It doesn't
have to be on an iPod, obviously. You can break out some favorite CD's for some
Christmas fun with your family or maybe some silly songs to dance around the house
with the kids. Anything to break out of the winter blues.

I love my Scentsy. I really can't say enough about them. This is just
1 or 3 currently in my home. Having to keep all the windows closed up
during the winter, plus all the dry heat can make for some stuffy, smelly conditions.
With Scentsy, I just just throw some scented wax in the warmer, flip on the lovely
glowing light, and it automatically feels homier. 

I have incredibly dry, but acne-prone skin. Winter just wreaks havoc all
over my face. I love the Almay eye make-up remover, because it works VERY
well, but doesn't dry out skin. It's also made for sensitive skin, so I can even
use it with my contacts in. I also love Garnier's Skin Renew moisturizer. Doesn't clog
pores, doesn't stay greasy on your skin. It's velvety smooth and absorbs very fast.
It also helps my make-up go on a lot smoother in the winter months.

You just can't go through a cold winter without a big, soft blanket.
This is mine right here. Big, chunky knit red blankey. I bought it at Meijer,
seriously. I'm in love with cable knit right now, so it's really hitting the spot :)

Books, in general are a must for winter, but ESPECIALLY these books.
I have never been disappointed by a Lillian Jackson Braun "The Cat Who"
book. There's about 30 in this marvelous series, and I just can't get enough of them.
Mystery, comedy and a little Upper Michigan history and trivia. It doesn't get
better than these books. Seriously, try them out.

I just got my Keurig as an early Christmas present and I already
can't live without it. It makes tea, coffee and hot chocolate
by pressing one button. Super easy for movie night to whip up
some hot cocoa for the fam or a morning coffee for you. 

Chocolate is always a necessity, but something about winter warrants
for dark chocolate especially. Or maybe it's me. I'm in love with Hershey's Bliss
right now because it's good chocolate and rather cheap. Yum. And hot cocoa is just
a necessity. Whether your kids like the little marshmellows or you're indulging
in some dark chocolate after they're in bed, there's a flavor for everyone :) 

What's on your Winter Survival Kit list? 

But I don't wanna...

Let's face it. We all have those moments where we just don't wanna. We don't wanna cook dinner (I'm currently in denial about this right now myself,) we don't wanna wash up the dishes for the 15th time this week. We don't wanna clean up that mess in the bathroom. We don't wanna finish folding the laundry. We don't wanna dust. We just wanna lay on the couch with a good book, or laze around on Pinterest pretending to be creative, or maybe we just wanna sleep. Me, personally? I like sleep. A lot.

So today, I'm being straight up honest here. I don't want to finish the dishes. I don't want to start dinner. I really, REALLY don't want to have to clean up the mess Aria made this morning in the living room with my spice bottles, old milk cartons and a few discarded remotes for the 5th time today. But.... I will probably end up making dinner, due to the gnawing hunger I'm currently experiencing and the look I'll get from Josh if I tell him he's on his own for food tonight. I may finish the dishes... I may not. At last check, we had plenty of spoons and bowls. That's all that matters, right? I have no plans to clean up Aria's mess again. Nope. Today Aria and I will play peek-a-boo, tag, I'll probably give her a bath, and we'll both stay in our PJ's all day. Hope I didn't just get too real on ya'.

Let's Talk About Music...and Sports...and Balance.

Maybe, she'll be a pianist..

As a musician, I have big dreams and probably slightly larger than life aspirations for when and what instruments we're going to start lessons for with Aria. For us, piano lessons are a given, and while I'm a singer and find value in teaching someone to sing properly, I also realize from personal experience that there's little value in teaching a 4 year old proper singing technique. Should I have her take violin and force myself to endure the squeaky shrieks of the first several years? Or maybe the clarinet and... well, no. That's just not going to happen. I took flute for many years and still have mine, so that's a possibility, but will her tiny little hands be able to reach? How long will it take her to make a noise, and by that time will she be too discouraged to keep playing? I could have Josh teach her the guitar, but most serious piano teachers aren't in favor of their students developing the callouses that go along with guitar. What other options do we have that won't cost an arm and a leg?

And these are just a few of the thoughts constantly running through my head.

...or maybe a chef...

We also want her to be balanced, so we both feel we should at least give her a shot at playing sports, although if she's anything like me, she'll do much better managing a team than actually playing on it. (I do hope for her that's not the case, but I did enjoy travelling with the teams, keeping the score books and learning more about sports. I can't play worth beans, but I can have intelligent conversations with my hubby and dad about football, basketball and baseball.) I'm kinda hoping she'll take after her dad in that department. For her sake.


There's something to be said for giving your child as many opportunities as you possibly can to find things they're interested in. Everyone wants a well-balanced child. However, usually with all the juggling going on in today's families, the home life tends to lose out. Between running to ballet, soccer practice, piano recitals and youth group scavenger hunts, today's kids know more about everything else in this world than their own family. My parents did an excellent job with this, I feel. We all took music lessons, sang in choir, played sports, (I met the bare minimum, for reasons mentioned above, but I did it!) worked hard on schoolwork, and always had dinner as a family. Note: not all of these activities happened in the same day. I don't know how my mom did it, but it happened.

...or maybe even a ballerina!

In the midst of all the craziness that is childhood nowadays (especially now as we're in the middle of the busiest time of year) it's hard - but important - to remember that kids still need a place to relax, a home filled with love and stability, and time to just be a kid. They need time to bond with family, and be able to talk to them. In the middle of all the carpooling and recital-sitting-through, don't forget to talk to your kids. There's more to who they are as a person than just the activities they're involved in - get to know that amazing kid of yours! There's more to a "well-balanced kid" than sports and music. Teach them what it means to be a family, too.

Books, book and more books!

As I have mentioned many times on the blog, Aria LOVES to read. Her books are her favorite toys (save my spice rack, currently) and story time is usually one of the only times she's still and quiet at the same time. As her collection of books grows, I would really like to get books that grow up with her, say like Dr. Seuss etc. Books that she'll enjoy reading for years, not just till she realizes there's no story involved (enter farm animals and counting books.) Some other series I've really enjoyed for her are Harold and the Purple Crayon (shoutout to good friend, Janie, here!) and Sandra Boyton books. What are some good books/series that you and your kids have enjoyed reading? Any and all recommendations appreciated :)

Parent's Night Off

A few months ago, I blogged about the importance of parents being able to get away and spend quality time with each other. I mentioned that this was important because happy parents equal a happy home (it goes both ways as well... if you're stressed out with your spouse or just in general, it's going to affect your kids, no matter how young they are.) Recently, it's been getting increasingly harder for Josh and I to get away due to everyone's busy schedule - including all possible babysitters. However, last night, some friends offered us a couple extra tickets to go enjoy a Mannheim Steamrollers' concert in Detroit at my favorite theater, the Fox. Josh and I had a blast and really enjoyed the concert, even with it's odd choice of graphic themes.

With all the craziness of the Christmas holiday coming up and the kids being home from school, make sure you and your spouse have some time to get away from it all and really enjoy each other this season. It will pay off, I guarantee it.

Josh was not a fan of the bright flash

Baby see, Baby do.

As I've mentioned before, Aria cracks us up on a regular basis. She does the funniest things, has the most hilarious facial expressions and responds to us in beyond memorable ways. Living with her is constantly entertaining. Her little personality is what makes me so excited to get up every morning. "What is Aria going to do today?"

She has figured out the vocal inflection that goes with questions, and understands that we're asking her something. Whenever we use that "upward inflection" to indicate a question, she just shrugs and jabbers something that sounds very much like "I don't know." She's really very much an imitator, which she demonstrated with gusto for the family during Thanksgiving vacation. Can you guess who she's imitating in this picture?

She has recently figured out the whole "pointing" thing. Something we as adults take for granted is pointing towards something we want, or perhaps where we want it placed. It's a normal activity that takes little to no thought. Not so for toddlers. While Aria mastered the pointing motion months ago, she was having a hard time figuring out how to use it. But then last week, my mom and I were at Ikea eating lunch and Aria decided she wanted some of my fries. Instead of whining, she simply pointed to my fries, then to the spot on the table right in front of her. She followed that up with rubbing her belly and saying "Mmmm." Might have been the funniest thing I've seen. Well, her "food dance" is a close second. But that's another post for another time.

Looking at a Jewelry catalog just like mommy!

Another thing we've been working on is not opening a dresser drawer and pulling everything out of it. There are still some bumps in the road (I still have a whole mess of baby blankets to clean up from this morning's adventure after she wakes up from nap) but overall, she's gotten much better at it. In fact, she enjoys closing drawers so much, that she now walks into our bedroom to open and consequently close Josh's dresser drawers. She will go to the kitchen to open and close the cabinet doors and often tries with the TV cabinet (although we removed the  knobs months ago, so she has thus far been unsuccessful.)

As adorable as all this imitation is, it's also a good reminder to us as parents that everything you do is being watched. Every word you say, everything that comes on TV - they're paying attention. They're depending on you to teach them how to live life. You need to be the kind of person you want them to be. Our kids may be the future, but the way you act now will be their future. Don't let them down.

Bronner's Trip 2011 Videos

Christmas Traditions

We all know that repetition aids memory, so for me, making and continuing family traditions is a given for creating good memories for your children. Christmas memories are some of my favorites, and I can't wait to continue some of them for Aria and make new ones as our family grows and gets older.

Every year since I was little, my parents would take us to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland and we could all pick out an ornament and sit on Santa's lap. I loved walking into the gigantic, sparkling store and gazing in awe at all the toys they had on the walls, on shelves and hanging from the ceiling. For a kid, it's truly like landing at the North Pole.

We took Aria again this year to see Santa and pick out a couple ornaments this past weekend. She was dazzled by the lights and was slightly overwhelmed at all the toys sitting around within arm shot. :) We took some fun pictures and waited for her group to be called to see Santa. We didn't know how she'd react this year, since last year she was too young to understand what was going on. This year, she loved Santa....until we put her on his pal. I then received the "oh no, you are NOT going to leave me here with him" look, and it was downhill from there. We got a couple pictures, but neither her nor Santa will exceptionally thrilled about the experience. Oh well, we'll just try again next year :)

What are some of your family's Christmas traditions?

Christmas Card 2011

In lieu of Christmas cards this year, we're sending out a Family Greeting online. (It's much cheaper this way.) Thank you all for being a part of my and my family's life! Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Better Than You Could Ever Know

Recently, I was taken back by a very passive-aggressive Facebook status directed towards me. Now, I normally avoid controversy on my FB page at all costs, because it's just not something I'm comfortable with or deal well with. I tend to keep my page free from political references and provocative or controversial religious statements, but rather use it for communication with family and friends. But here was something pointed at me. I was hurt that someone who considered themselves my "friend" would do something like that, but more hurt because what she said wasn't really true or relevant to anyone's life. I'm sure very few people knew she was referring to me, but it was hurtful nonetheless. (For the record, we are no longer FB "friends" and it is quite doubtful she will ever read this.)

All this got me thinking (and probably worried me far more than I ever should have let it.) People will criticize your life, your decisions and your choices your whole life. Maybe they're close friends trying to help you out, or maybe they're spiteful people just trying to be hurtful, and you need to remove them from your life. But no one, no matter how hurtful, "powerful," or malicious their actions can take away the true happiness that you have found in Christ and that you have created in your family. Your happiness is not theirs to take. Your contentment is not up for grabs. Your peace of mind should never be given away because of a hateful comment someone makes.

I love my life. I have a fabulous husband who I love and who loves me dearly. I have a wonderful, beautiful daughter who makes my day just by smiling at me. I have some truly fantastic friends who are loyal and who love me for all my quirks and weirdness. I have a forever-patient Jesus, who always has His arms open, ready to take me in and hear my cries. No one can take that from me. These things I listed, they cannot be purchased, just like they can't be stolen.

This may seem random and rambling, but here's what I'm trying to say: Don't let someone who really knows nothing about you or your family effect your outlook on life. Don't let them get into your head and make you anxious or doubtful. This can so easily happen as parents, I think (or maybe it's just me.) Someone just makes a brief (maybe seeming innocuous) comment about your kid, your parenting or your family, and it sends you reeling. It did me. But I had to sit down and remind myself that God has given me this great life and these great people in my life. My God is bigger than a rude comment. His love is bigger than a stupid mistake. His mercies are new every morning. He is faithful. People will fail. People will be stupid. Love God, and raise your family how He will have you. It's no one else's business anyways. Your life is probably better than they will ever know.

How could I not be happy when this much happiness greets me every morning?
I wish I had this kind of excitement for life!