Easy Dairy-Free Ice Cream

Ice cream is a big comfort food for me, and unfortunately with baby's reflux I can't have it. My husband who loves me found a recipe for dairy free ice cream on the internet. Then I improved it. I have to say this stuff is pretty darn good. It doesn't give you the "full" feeling that a bowl of ice cream and chocolate give you, but it sure tastes like ice cream, which is good enough for me. It is also significantly better for you than regular ice cream, but you do have to plan for it at least a few hours ahead of time.

Dairy-Free Banana Ice Cream
Ingredients:
1 banana
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
cashews (optional)
caramel (optional)

1. Select a ripe, but firm banana. Peel it and break into thirds. 2. Freeze chunks until solid (at least three hours). 3. Puree bananas and vanilla until creamy. You need a pretty good blender for this. Usually I blend them into a chunky mush and then I have to scrape the size of the blender to get the much all back and the bottom and then I blend again until I get the desired product. 4. Top with caramel and cashew if desired. (Honestly you can top it with anything that you please, but those are just some of the few things that don't bother and infant with reflux, so I take it.) Makes one serving

I'm taking a break for the next few weeks. We've got family stuff going on, Christmas, birthdays and I studying to become a Certified Pediatric Nurse. But rest assured that I have many more things to say.

Favorite Things About Being A Mother

1. Everyday my kids say something that makes me laugh out loud.
2. I am often endowed with super powers. Not only can I do all the things that are part of being Mom, last week my daughter told me that if I touched the sides of the trampoline I would get wet powers so I "can save the earf".
3. My kids are always ready to give me kisses on the cheek.
4. I get to and am expected to play with toys on a regular basis.
5. When my kids are sad, they still like to snuggle and I love it.
6. I can and must purchase fruit snacks.
7. Every day holds a new discovery, something to learn or share.
8. My kisses have magical healing powers.
9. If the laundry doesn't get folded, I'm the only one who even remotely cares.
10. My kids have such soft kissable cheeks.
11. I totally have an excuse to buy all my favorite movies and cartoons from when I was a kid. Ducktales Whoo-ooh!
12. When I'm looking less than fabulous (which is the vast majority of the time) the people who really matter, really don't care. And it makes me smile when my daughter compliments an outfit that may be embellished with boogers and/or ketchup because it happens to be her favorite color.
13. My Heavenly Father has trusted me with this great responsibility and blessing because He loves me and my little family.

13 Simple Secrets for Mommy

It seems like as a mom there are always more things to do than there is time to do them. And it's very easy for "me-time" to dissipate, especially when your kids are small. Here are a list of little things that you can do that make yourself feel better, even when "me-time" is scarce. (Confession: This is list is a reminder for myself as much as anything.)

• Exercise- Normally I am of the camp who doesn't pay for gym memberships, they are over-priced and I can exercise on my own for free. The problem is I usually don't. However I had a coupon for free membership at a local gym for a month and I may be hooked. The kids love to play with "new" toys and other kids for an hour and I get to exercise and sometimes read a book at the same time. I have more energy, I feel better, and it's good for me. Even if you don't want to pay for a membership try to squeeze some exercise somewhere. Running around with your kids at the park is a way that is fun and free.
• Use lotion- It's a simple thing, takes 30 seconds, but when I don't, I notice. If you wash your hands a lot (like myself) and don't lotion you can get cracks in your skin that can lead to infection, not to mention they are uncomfortable even if they don't get that bad. Plus it smells good.
• Eat healthy foods- I know when you're tired it's easier to open a box of instant whatever, however it's so much healthier to prepare things from scratch. And if you plan ahead of time it doesn't have to be very time consuming.
• Pray- "And all things, ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive" Matt 21:22 I think this is especially true if we pray for strength to fulfill our responsibilities.
• Drink water- My husband makes fun of me because it doesn't matter what his complaint is I ask him if he has been drinking enough water. Being dehydrated can make you tired, cause headaches and make any other problem you have worse. (Unless you're on dialysis.) Your body needs water to facilitate all processes in your body. However, when you're busy it's easy to forget your 8 glasses a day.
• Take time for your friends- Your friends can help brainstorm solutions, give encouragement, new ideas and they need you as much as you need them!
• Swap kids- I have a neighbor with kids of the same age and corresponding gender as my own. Every so often either her kids come over here or mine go over there. It is a great win-win situation. The kids have a great time and each of us get an hour and a half of quiet "me-time".
• Listen to music- Listening to music can give you energy and it makes mundane chores so much more bearable.
• Prioritize- Decide what is really important to get done and take things one at a time.
• Be grateful- I know that I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. You don't have to look far to remember that things could be worse.
• Don't compare yourself to others.- Focus on what you are accomplishing, not on what you haven't. Yes, the ironing never gets done, but my kids are happy, healthy and read to. And really that's far more important to me.
• Take a cold shower.- Or at least turn the water to cold for the last 10 seconds of your shower. It's great for your skin and can give you a quick boost of energy without caffeine.
• Get enough sleep- I know this is easier said than done, but as one who has put in her time on the night shift, I can say from experience that you will be a better mom and get more done if you are not sleep deprived.

Recipe Blog Hop

Today I came across a great idea started by Trying Our Best: a recipe blog hop. Go check out the great recipes that people are sharing by clicking on the link above.  So much happiness and yumminess. Plus there is a giveaway involved.

"Engagement" Lemon Bars

 

Random story about my mother-in-law and myself: When we were in high school my husband's house was the place to hang out. I think a part of this was because my mother-in-law is a such a cookie queen. (Slightly related secret: If you want to know what your kids are doing, provide food. The teenagers will show up and sometimes they'll even talk to you.) It certainly wasn't because their house was centrally located. Usually she made chocolate chip cookies and brownies, which aren't so much my thing. Then one day she made these amazing lemon bars. I told her that I would almost marry her son for the recipe. We weren't even dating at the time. She gave me the recipe and made me a batch of them for my birthday every year until I did marry her son. (Now she makes cheesecake for my birthday which is even better.) I heart my mother-in-law.
 I can not count how many times I have made these. It has become a tradition that whenever my best friend and I have a girl's night we make these. They are also my go-to thank you gift for anyone who has helped me move. They are so yummy, especially if you are of the persuasion who craves lemon over chocolate, like myself. When I make them I cut down the butter and white sugar from the original recipe. What you see is the lowest amount of butter you can get away with without changing the results. I also took out a 1/2 cup of white flour and substituted oat flour. It seems to work better. If you want your lemon topping to a slight crunch to it, substitute one tablespoon of wheat flour for one of the tablespoons of white flour (Don't worry you won't lose its characteristic yummy gooeyness, it will just have thin crunchy layer on top.)


Engagement Lemon Bars

Crust:
1 1/2 c all purpose white flour
1/2 cup oat flour
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt


Lemon Topping:
Juice and rind of one lemon
4 Tablespoons all purpose white flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder


powdered sugar for dusting


1. Spray 9x13" pan with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit 2.Mix together crust and press into pan with a fork. 3. Bake for 8 minutes. (Crust won't be completely done, but it will cook more later.) 4. While crust is baking beat lemon topping ingredients with a hand mixer.5. When crust is done pour lemon topping over it and return to the oven for 30 minutes. 6. Once cooled dust with powdered sugar. Served best chilled.

Someone Who Inspires Me

Whether or not you are LDS, it's hard not to feel inspired by Stephanie Nielson and her story. Every mother should watch this video. It will remind you of what's really important. If you're interested her blog is http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

Book Review: The Hiding Place

Several times in my life people have recommended The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, and for some unknown reason I haven't read it until last week. It's the story of two sisters. They're old maids living with their elderly father in Holland during World War II. One day Jews just start showing up on their doorstep. So they start hiding them and smuggling them away to other hiding places. Eventually they are caught and sent first to prison, then a work camp in Holland and finally an extermination camp in Germany. What makes this book remarkable is this woman's amazing attitude. Despite all that she went through, this woman manages to have a positive attitude and truly learns to love her enemies. I'm not going to spoil the whole story, but here are a few great lessons that are well illustrated in this book.

• Whatever in our life is hardest to bear, love can transform into beauty.
• Even when life is the most difficult, we are richer than we think.
• What feeds the soul matters as much as what feeds the body.
• Whenever we can not love in the old human way, God can give us a perfect way.
• God gives us experiences that will strengthen and prepare us for the future.
• Gratitude can improve even the worst of situations.
• Love and forgiveness can heal the wounded soul.
• There is no problem so great that the power of Christ is not greater still.

Book Review: The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy Families

The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy Families: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use it by David Niven, Ph.D. takes research findings and breaks them down into helpful tips for the average family. Each secret is accompanied by a short story about a different family or individual, some famous, some average and a related research finding. Some of the secrets seemed profound and others seemed more obvious, but it depends on you, your family and your experience. I really enjoyed this book. I think it has a little something for everyone and it's a quick read. Here were some of my favourite secrets:

1. Forgiveness Depends on More than An Apology. Recieving forgiveness from your family has more to do with how you treat them before the offence than how you try to make it up to them.
2. Fatigue is a Family Enemy. Make sure you leave some energy for you family.
3. Encourage Persistence Not Desperation. Valuing efforts and not results gives reason to continue.
4. Family Life Teaches Us About Relationships. The example we give our children in how we treat others is one that they will remember throughout their lives.
5. Show Up on Time. Being punctual sends a message that you do what you say you will.
6. Cherish Traditions. Traditions help children learn who they are and how they are connected with each other.
7. Encourage, but Don't Require, Activities.  Activities encourage development, but if it's something they're not interested in it becomes a job.
8. What You Send Out Comes Back to You. To feel more support you need to give it.
9. Illness Can Have Multiple Victims. When one member of the family is sick, it effects everyone.
10. Self-Doubt Magnifies Family Problems. Seeing the good in yourself will help you to see the good in your family.
11. Low Expectations Are Not A Family Solution. Lowering your standards is not going to make you happier.
12. Emotions Last Longer Than Events. Your kids will remember being upset long after they've forgotten what caused it. Isn't this true of many adults too?
13. Distress Is Contagious. When you are upset or angry it makes your family feel vulnerable and afraid, even if the problem has nothing to do with them.
14. Family Affects All Aspects of Our Lives. Children who come from families where their needs are met are more likely to be healthy, satisfied with life, feel good about themselves and have confidence in their abilities.
15. Can You Do It? Ask Yourself. You can do what you think you can do.

Steering Clear of the Brink...

The other day I was talking with my husband. He was telling me about one of his students who has a tough situation at home and can't wait to graduate and get away. The biggest reason is that his mom is crazy, unreasonable and really makes his life miserable. (And we all know moms like her, or at least we know children like her son.) I thought 'How very sad'. It also made me think, 'how does this happen?' I'm assuming that at one point, perhaps a long time ago, she was a caring mother who her children enjoyed being around. She was the one that they went to when they needed comfort.  What happened things so her children can't stand to be around her? That's hard to say. I don't even know this woman. And as Tolstoy said "All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." There are great many things that can drive a person to unhappiness. (Perhaps I'm assuming wrong, perhaps she was always crazy.) But my guess is that it was stress in some form or another. Stress can drive you crazy, weaken your immune system and make you unhappy if you let it. But then you hear stories of people who go through horrifying experiences and come out even stronger. I think the key is learning to cope. One way of coping may work for one person and not another. Find what works best for you. Here are some of the things that I do to cope with stress.

1. Deep clean the kitchen. Sometimes things are beyond my control. So I take my frustration out in a productive way with a scrubbing pad. By the time my kitchen is spotless I usually am too tired to be angry.
2. Exercise Yeah, don't do that one nearly as much as I used to or as I should, but it does work.
3. Think of the things that I'm grateful for.
4. Play with the kids. Their laughter and smiles are infectious.
5. Talk with someone.
6. Get away. Take a walk. Take a vacation.
7. Pray.
8. Read a good book.
9. Go shopping. This one can be dangerous.
10. Listen to good music. Tchaikovsky always makes me feel more relaxed.
11. Get more sleep.  Drink some tea or take a sleeping pill if you absolutely have to. Being sleep deprived can intensify all stress.
12. Do something creative. Play some music. Paint. Bake. Whatever does it for you.
13. Choose to be happy. Choose to see the positive.

Hopefully by the time my kids are teenagers I won't be crazy and can still be a positive influence in their lives.

Appreciation Can Save Your Sanity

I've talked about appreciation and gratitude before, and when I was in college I studied a little about its health benefits, but recently I found this great concise and convincing list. (I found this list in What Happy Working Mothers Know, and they referenced the info from What Happy Companies Know by Dan Baker & Cathy Greenberg and The HeartMath Institute)

• Positive attitudes in heart patients increase survival by 20% after 11 years.
• Positive talk between couples reduces stress by 15%, negative talk increases stress by 48%
• Appreciation reduces physical symptoms and medications, improves hormone balance, and increases production of antibodies.
• Appreciation syncs heart and mind, improves auditory discrimination, spatial awareness, and short and long-term memory.
• Thoughts and even subtle emotions influence the activity and balance of the nervous system, which interact with our digestive, cardiovascular, immune and hormonal systems.
• Negative reactions like panic and anger create disorder and imbalance in the nervous system.
• Positive feelings like gratitude create increased order and balance in the nervous system, which results in overall increased body and brain balance and function.

So the next time you're feeling stressed about something, think about something you're grateful for. It's better for your body, your overall well-being and it will help you to think more clearly.

Book Review- What Happy Working Mothers Know

I don't agree with every point in this book, but man I wish that I had read it years ago when I was trying to balance working full-time, as well as being a good wife and mom. What Happy Working Mothers Know by Cathy L. Greenberg, Ph.D and Barrett S. Avigdor J.D. offers a lot of insight whether you stay home full-time with your kids or you're a work-a-holic.
 This book talks about how happiness is not a luxury, it's a necessity. I believe this is true, it's just that sometimes we're so busy trying to get everything done that we forget this. People who are happy do a better job, are more efficient and take fewer sick days, thus being happy increases the bottom-line. (I really wish more employers would realize this.) The book talks a lot about finding a balance and making sure that you take time for your family. It also goes in depth on the idea that if you can find a career that you find to be fulfilling, that makes you a better mom. Being a mom gives you management skills that make you a better employee.  And don't let other people tell you what you need to do to be happy. (I really can get behind that idea. When I worked full-time, a good portion of my shifts were on a few Mother-Baby units. I was always so irritated when people would give me flack for working and not being at home more. If women, like myself, aren't the ones teaching post-partum mom's how to breastfeed, then who would it be? Do they really want men to come and teach them how to breastfeed?)

 Throughout the book there are happiness tips, given below:

1. Love yourself as much as you love your friends and family
2. Life happens. What you choose to focus on becomes your experience. Choose to focus on the positive.
3. Forgive yourself and others.
4. Happiness comes from a full, balanced life that includes hard work, time with family and friends, exercise, celebration, and even solitude. Withhold any of these ingredients and your recipe for happiness will fall flat.
5. Half the battle in life is finding something that you love to do. The other half is rejoicing over your successes along the way.
6. Realize that you're not perfect and allow yourself a few mistakes.
7. Set the same expectations for yourself that you give to your loved ones. Don't be too hard on yourself.
8. Know when to say "no" and learn to do it without feeling guilty. It will increase your satisfaction with life.
9. Life may not turn out exactly the way that you planned, but the detours are worth it because we learn more from our failures than our successes.
10. Happiness starts when you realize that you are loved and appreciated for who you are, not what you do.

I would recommend this book to every working mom out there (which really is every mom, even if you are at home seven days a week you still have a very important job) and anyone else who is trying to have a little more happiness and balance in their lives.