a spoonful of sugumama

Just had to share...

2011-08-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know who came up with this one (I stole it from a friend's FB status update), but I thought I'd share it here. Gave me a little laugh, hope it does the same for you!

P.S. I really am getting the itch to write again, so don't quote me, but I may just be posting a few times this week ;)

"A real man is a woman's best friend. He will never let her down. He will comfort her after a bad day. He will inspire her to do things she never thought she could do. He will enable her to express her deepest emotions. He will enable her to be confident, sexy, seductive and invincible ...No, wait. Sorry. I'm thinking of wine. It's wine that does all that. Never mind."

Time Flies...

2011-01-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

yeah so...I haven't blogged in forever, as you can see. Our family has gone through some heavy transition times, new endeavors and of course just the normal family business around these parts.

So, I figured I would write a short entry about what's been going on with us, and then try and get back on schedule with blogging, since things seems to have settled now that we're in the new year.

I now officially have two middle-schoolers, one of which is about to be a bonafide teenager in a couple of weeks! That has been interesting, but nothing like what I dreaded it might be! My boys are even more fun now; we have similar senses of humor and have a great time together. We have even all started writing music together, which has been tons of fun.

The twins are great; my daughter just recently got her first pair of glasses that she pretty much wears all the time now. She's so cute! I thought it would be a pain, but so far so good. Now, maybe ask in a few months and we will see if that holds true. :) Her twin brother is having a great year at school; last year was tough for him and somehow this year he seems to have adjusted a little better. He's always challenging me and keeping me on my toes, but man do we love hard ;)

And the babe - he's now a full-blown toddler, learning new words every day, making his older siblings crack up or saw "eew" whenever he gets the chance, and just my buddy.

So, as is the case with motherhood, we are always adjusting and moving forward onto the next phase each of them goes through.

Anyway, I have a few ideas for entries, so I am going to try and do some updates soon. Thanks for still reading!

Give thanks for your healthy little ones by helping the ones who aren't...

2010-05-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

I love that line (or something close to that) that comes form the St. Jude's Children's Hospital commercials.
I know I've been remiss in updating my blog - I've been in the midst of getting my small business up and running, learning from and working for my amazing friend and boss at Landau Design as well as contributing from time to time to their spectacular blog. I knew I'd get back to you guys, but I think my brain has been on computer overload!

This story compelled me to write, though. A woman who I met at the wonderful Co-op preschool my twins went to when he daughter attended as well has been through a very difficult and heart-wrenching journey. Her daughter, Claire, recently celebrated her 13th birthday in the hospital, fighting her Cystic Fibrosis. Claire, as you can see if you follow her Facebook Fan Page, Claire is a spirited and talented girl, beautiful and full of love for her little sister and her mom and dad.
I hope you'll take a moment to check out her site, and consider making a donation to help this family stay afloat during this difficult time. We all need help sometimes and in some capacity, and I hope others would do the same for each of us.
Hold your loved ones tight tonight!

Is It Ok To Cheat? Errr...I mean, Tweet?

2010-02-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

Ok so this contest I'm taking part in...I gotta talk about it again. I promise I will get back into my "normal" blog routine, but I have to vent a little here.
So to win this particular contest from www.Karikuy.org, one of the easiest ways to get points is to "Tweet" random facts about Peru, followed by two particular hashtags (#Karikuy & #travel) and the link to their contest (http://ow.ly/YOgN). Cool. Well, I've done a boatload of those, though I was doing it sort of sporadically and apologetically so as not to completely overwhelm my followers (though to some I'm sure it was too much). I gained a #1 position in the rankings of this contest, which was cool and encouraging - especially considering that I'd entered the contest by accident when I was writing for another blog!
Well, today I'm not number one, which is ok. Except...what bothers me about the person in the number one position is that it's abundantly clear that they created this particular Twitter account - today - solely for the purpose of Twittering entries in this contest. My guess is that they have a "real" Twitter account but chose not to use it to Tweet so they didn't risk losing any followers (since in 1/2 a day they posted 242 Tweets).
I mean, the whole point of entries gaining you points in these contests is to help the company giving away the prize by essentially marketing for them! You post their link and info they want out there, and they hope that generates buzz for them from your followers. Cool and smart, right? Well if this person created their Twitter account only for this contest, they had no followers to begin with! Certainly they've gained a few in the days since signing up, but to me it totally defeats the marketing purpose. It's not against the rules, certainly, but my guess is that next year when this contest is run, the people at Karikuy.org will have to think about how to avoid those kinds of entries.
I guess it's a learning and growing community over at Twitter, and certainly I'm learning a lot for the contests I run. Though I'm pretty certain I won't be giving away any big trips to Machu Picchu anytime soon!
Anyway, good luck to all (!), and to all good luck. Or whatever.

How I'd love to win a trip!

2010-01-31T21:20:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about how much I need a vacation. It's been awhile. You read about how important it is to take care of yourself as a parent, making time for adult conversation (for sanity), and time with your significant other away from the kids, and sometimes we just need a change of pace to regroup.
Well, in this economy, with a large family such as mine, it's not always clear how something like that can happen. Money that would normaly be set aside for a treat or trip has to be put to better use around the house; there is always someone in need of a new pair of cleats, an appliance that needs repair, or bills to be paid.
Well last week I wrote a blog entry about blog contests and the benefits of running one on your blog. During my search for contests that are currently running, I found this trip they're giving away on www.karikuy.org...to Machu Picchu!
So hey...a girl can dream, right? A trip to one of the most beautiful places in the world, and a free trip to boot!
I guess there are always opportunities out there; sometimes it's about finding them, and sometimes it's about making them!

Seriously The Best Chicken Casserole Of All Time

2010-01-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

When my two oldest children were just little things back in the early 2000's, my mom's friend Gretchen gave me this recipe for a chicken casserole that I've been making pretty consistently ever since. I wasn't much for casseroles prior to this; to me they seemed a little old fashioned and matronly (to my 22 year old brain). Well heck, after trying this casserole, I didn't care! Fancy it's not, but even on nights when we have guests for dinner, I know that this meal aims to please, and I'm always asked for the recipe within a week. I've seen variations of this online, but here is the one I've been using for a dacade. (Please note that I double this recipe for my family, #1 because we are a big family, but #2 because everyone wants seconds, and if we're lucky enough to have leftovers, it's great the next day too!)

Chicken Casserole
4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & diced (I boil them for approx. 20 min., and sometimes I shred them instead of dicing them - it depends on the texture you and your family prefer)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 roll of Ritz Crackers, crushed
1/4-1/2 cup butter, melted
poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, mix the diced chicken, soup and sour cream until well combined. spread mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish. Sprinkle the crushed crackers over the top, drizzle melted butter all over. Lightly sprinkle the poppy seed on top. Bake at 350 degree for 30 minutes.

If you like hot sauce, I highly recommend Marie Sharp's Habanero Hot Sauce as a really nice (but spicy) compliment to this dish!

For variation, try replacing the cream of chicken soup with cream of mushroom soup. I've also tried mixing in some steamed broccoli to the casserole, which was yummy, too.

Enjoy!

Help Haiti & Bake Gourmet!

2010-01-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Wondering what you can do to help families in Haiti? Certainly by now, we've all seen the disheartening photos of the destruction and damage from the earthquakes that have rocked Haiti over the past week. It's hard to know exactly what we can do to contribute, and the number of organizations asking for donations can be overwhelming.
If you live in the Los Angeles area, Clemence De Lutz Gossett of Gourmandise Desserts has a very sweet way to help you to contribute to the relief efforts.
Clemence is an exquisite baker whose creations are heavily influenced by her French-American roots and her sweet spirit. Upon hearing about the devastating earthquakes happening in Haiti, Clemence quickly added a Gourmet Cupcake Baking Class to her fantastic lineup of deliciously simple and elegant baking classes, in order to specifically and quickly get help to rebuild the Heartline Orphanage in Haiti.
A message from Clemence De Lutz Gossett, and Gourmandise Desserts:

"As relief efforts continue, please consider attending our Cupcake Class Fundraiser to benefit the Heartline organization. $65 for unlimited cupcake baking and a world of good! $800 has been raised thus far with 100% of donations going directly to rebuild a childrens' home."

Gourmet Cupcakes- Haiti Benefit
Date: Tuesday 26, January 2010
Time: 6 to 9pm
Cost: $65
Please visit Clemence's site today to register, and to see a full class description.

Wait to tell them...everything!

2010-01-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

One of the best tips I can give you as a parent to a child over age 2 and under age 12: Do not tell them in advance about playdates, special trips, future gifts, and so on!
I can't tell you how many tears have been saved by my ability to "keep a secret" from my kids about a special playdate we had planned that ended up being canceled. When you have kids this age you have to be flexible! The other child could get sick, the mother could've double booked her schedule and forgot until just before the playdate was to happen, it's raining and you aren't able to take them to the outdoor amusement park like you'd wanted...any number of things can happen.
Don't feel guilty about withholding this information; when your kids squeal with delight when you pull up to a friend's house for an unexpected playdate, it just adds a fun element to the day. And if that playdate never happens? No tears, no whining (out of the ordinary, that is!), no begging and pleading.
You lose the ability to "threaten" that they lose that playdate, trip to the park, or weekend at Grandma's, but I find that leveraging with that kind of stuff doesn't work much anyway. That's a whole other discussion!

Winner of the subscription to TheDailyHug.com

2010-01-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all of the ReTweets, comments and support!
The winner of this month's giveaway, a year subscription to TheDailyHug.com is Laura Plummer! I'll be emailing the details to Laura, and stay tuned for my next giveaway.

This Month's Giveaway!

2010-01-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

This week, I'll be choosing a winner who will receive a subscription to "The Daily Hug" for a whole year! I previously mentioned a little bit about the Daily Hug service, but here is what they're about, in their own words:

" Get Daily Inspirational Text Messages

(or email if you prefer)

The Daily Hug is brief and powerful.
A spot of light wisdom every day.
A daily, felicitous thought.
A short message of cheerful wisdom.
A kick-drum to the heartbeat of your magnificent, soul-soundtrack.
(Well, by now you get the picture...) :)

Studies show that 75% of a person's thoughts EVERY, SINGLE DAY are NEGATIVE. And experts say that POSITIVE thinking can HEAL you. So, Change your THINKING and you change your LIFE. Your beautiful life is NOW and you deserve to get The Daily Hug! "

TO ENTER:

Simply make a new comment on any of my postings. If you have Twitter account, Tweet about the contest, then comment back on my blog to let me know when you tweet about it, and include your Twitter ID. Be sure to include a valid email address, that's where I'll send the signup information and coupon code.

Good luck!

Dynamic Photo Frames (perfect for moms!)

2009-12-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

I love photos. I love to take them, I love to look at them, I love to display them! I have photo frames all over my house ( I even have a frame up in my hallway that has no photos in it...I know, sick). When my photos go in said frames, though, I don't tend to change them out. Sometimes the photos get stuck to the glass inside the fames, other times I want to display a new photo but can't bear to remove the older ones...so my walls become a little more cluttered. Well, I came across a blog entry by the fabulous Elizabeth, whose blog is a great source for reviews and opinions pertaining in particular to motherhood and making the journey easier. Elizabeth's review of the Dynamic Photo Frame caught my attention because - hello - this is PERFECT for me! She goes into more detail in her entry, but basically the frame looks like a regular photo frame, but holds photos and kids' artwork just like a photo album! You open the front of the frame, put the masterpiece into the photo area, close the frame and you can display your kid's latest work of art that they threw together in their preschool art time. Best part is, when you're ready to replace that picture with another, you don't have to take the previous picture out in order to display the next; the dynamic frame has a spring-loaded storage space inside that will hold various photos. Check out Elizabeth's blog entry to receive a special 10% discount when ordering your Dynamic Photo Frame.

Easy and filling Split Pea Soup

2009-12-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

Like I said before, we love to eat! So this time of year, big pots of comfort food like soups, stews, chilis, all seem to satisfying to cook and enjoy with the family. Today I am making a big pot of Split Pea Soup, and I thought I'd share with you my recipe.

Split Pea Soup

1lb bag of dry split peas, rinsed and drained
water
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced (I add this because I love potato in almost anything!)
water
ham hocks (bone in - today I am using a package from the grocery store that came with 4 large ones; I've used as many as 6 small hocks or as few as 2 large ones. Just be careful, as this will determine how salty the soup is.)

At the bottom of a large stock pot, drizzle oil (enough to cover the bottom) and warm a bit. Then add the onion, carrots and potatoes and sauté until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add 2 quarts of water and the ham hocks; bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1- 1 and 1/2 hours. Remove ham hocks and let them cool. Add peas to the pot. Once the ham hocks have cooled enough to touch, I like to pull them apart with my hands and find some good little pockets of the meat and toss them in the pot. The leftovers go to my hungry dog (and make me feel a little less guilty about how little attention she gets around here...but thats another story)! Simmer the whole pot another 2-3 hours, or until the peas have become that yummy pea mush.
As my 6 year old son says, "It looks so gross, so I thought I didn't like it, but then I tried it and its my favorite!" Enjoy!

Cuz my wallet is a little empty this time of year...

2009-12-22T17:12:00.000-08:00

Shopping for the kids this holiday season, I've come across quite a few things that I coveted for myelf (just a little!!). Well when I was on Amazon.com - which I accessed through my cousin's blog link so that Amazon will donate 4% of my purchases to his work in the Dominican Republic - I (of course) HAD to add a few things to my "wish list" for future purchases. Maybe I am a little late on this, but did you know that Amazon has a universal wish list? Well, I didn't. Basically, you can add any item you find, even from other websites, to your wish list, and Amazon will keep track of it. The button appears in your web browser's toolbar and all you have to do is click "add to wish list", and a little pop up window from Amazon appears, confirming that you want to add this item to your list. For me, invaluable. I can barely keep my brain straight trying to remember what I need at the grocery store, much less a random product I find through a link or quickly look up after I "happen" to catch an infomercial! I know. I'm a little too excited about a wish list that will contain items that I probably won't end up getting anyway. But a girl can dream, can't she? I mean, Mother's Day comes around once a year...

That's not what you said, Mom.

2009-12-21T22:52:00.000-08:00

I feel a sense of security when I ask my kids to do something and they proceed to get up, get moving, and actually start to do what they've been asked to do. I get those moments of seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, like maybe if they keep it up, the house might actually stay somewhat picked up. Why do I fool myself so? I should know by now - things are never as they seem! Earlier today, my 6 year olds finally set out to put away their roller hockey gear that had been sitting in the middle of the living room floor for two days. I've started to resolve to really make all of the older kids more responsible for themselves and their own messes; I remind them that if each of them would just clean a little as they go, the mess would be so much less and wouldn't seem like such a chore. So when I returned to the living room and saw that the roller gear was actually gone, I was quite pleased. Well...I just stepped out to the garage to switch off the Christmas lights for the night and grab myself a soda from the fridge out there, but I found these things to be quite difficult because just inside the doorway to the garage were 2 helmets, 2 sets of skates, 4 elbow pads, shin guards, padded shirts, bulky girdles and whatever else I'm forgetting. I know I often have to be a little more specific with these two. My bad.

Sports Commentary

2009-12-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's roller hockey season for us. Thank goodness this is, decidedly, our last season of this stuff, though. Tying all of those skates so tight (and never, ever tight enough), keeping all those pads organized and together, smelling that gross hockey smell. I wanted the twins to have the opportunity to try a season like their brothers have, but seriously, sometimes I have to realize my limitations and know that it's not always necessary to kill myself in order for my kids to have a happy, healthy childhood.
But, I did sign them up and we're all in at this point, so we might as well make the best of it. The games are -admittedly- fun (though the schedule is probably the least predictable of all the sports my kids play), and at AJ's age, his division games will probably be pretty exciting. But oh...the way they SWEAT in this sport!
Can I ask when it became the norm for the practices to be so late on school nights, though? Soccer practices this Fall were twice a week from 7:30-9pm. By the time they get home, they HAVE to shower (the sweating isn't exclusive to roller hockey, it's just a different kind of STANK), they're hungry and need hydration, and they just have to wind down in general before they can get in bed and settle in to sleep. Not to mention that for me, I don't have anyone at home in the evenings to stay with the younger kids while they sleep while I pick up the older boys from practice. Keeping them up proves to be a little difficult but the most effective, rather than trying to get them to bed, then carry them to the car asleep to do the pick up, and again from the car to the beds when we get home. So everyone is up past bedtime!
Speaking of soccer, looks like the playoffs are bleeding into the roller hockey season, so again with the two-sport schedule! We've been juggling practices for a few weeks; two soccer practices for AJ and Noah's team, on practice each for their roller hockey teams. Yes, unfortunatey we fell into the divisions in such a way that they aren't on the same team. For the most part, every other year the boys are split up, no matter the sport. I thought since the twins are the same age that we'd luck out at least for a few years and have them on the same teams. Little did I know that soccer splits them up by sex from early on. What?? So while the boys were able to be on the same soccer team this season, Colin and Sadie were split up and we had three teams. At least it wasn't four!
I've met so many great people and fun families, and who doesn't love to look back at funny pictures of themselves in various sports uniforms? Creating memories, people! I know some of the things the sports allow my kids to experience are in valuable and they're creating some relationships they'll never forget. I know I'll miss this when the kids are all grown and these days of chaos are far behind me. Or at least that's what I tell myself :)

We like to eat....

2009-11-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd throw in a few recipes here and there, just for fun and I know for me it's always nice to hear what works for other moms! I'll probably post most recipes as they're written, but as those of you with large families know, most times you'll be doubling the recipe to accommodate those extras kidlets, and of course you MUST have leftovers! Better too much than too little, I always say (When it comes to food...kids...shopping...LOL).
I received this from my friend Jessica:

BAKED CHICKEN WITH STUFFING

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
8-12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix
Milk
Butter

Butter the bottom of a 13"x9" baking dish. Lay uncooked chicken breasts on the bottom of the dish. Mix soup with 1/3 can milk. Pour over chicken, sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Make stuffing according to package directions. Place on top of cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.

Give Us This Day, Our Daily Hug....

2009-11-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

My oldest son, the middle-schooler, has always been the definition of a sweet boy. He is helpful, notices things about the people he interacts with and their lives, and takes special care of the feelings of those around him. Well, except maybe his 10 year old brother.
Though I know my son has these great qualities, he still never ceases to amaze me from time to time. This morning, my mother dropped the kids off at school for me while I got ready for work and finished feeding the baby. When she came back, she told me she'd gotten a "Daily Hug" from my son. I wasn't quite sure what she meant, so she explained.

A friend of ours has launched a new website and cool service called "The Daily Hug" - you can sign up to receive daily text messages that are designed to be insightful, encouraging, and heart-warming. My son has noticed that every morning, both my mom and myself receive texts from the Daily Hug, and I guess sometimes my mother will read the texts to the kids.
Well, this morning my 6 year old son had asked my mom why she wasn't living with "Papa" (my step-father). My mom and step-dad have been going through a very difficult divorce, and recently my mom has been staying with me and the kids. So my mom talked to the kids a bit about what was going on, dropped the kids off and came home. When she got home, she received a text from my oldest son. He said it was his "Daily Hug" for her. I can't remember exactly how it had gone, but it was along the lines of "You don't have to worry about being lonely. Every morning, you get hugs and kisses from your grandkids who love you".
Isn't it great when you're reminded of what cool people your kids are turning out to be?

Introduction

2009-11-12T13:28:00.000-08:00

I'm the Matriarch of a large family here in Southern California. I have 4 boys and 1 girl, ranging in age from 11 years old down to 3 months old. I constantly am asked, "How do you do it?" and to that, my answer is...I just do! Mothering a large family is similar in many ways to mothering a small family; you deal with what comes, when it comes. One of the major differences is that I expect my kids to help one another out. I've fostered my kids' independance (whether on purpose or just a selfish accident, I'll never tell!), and it makes everyone's day run more smoothly. The older ones look out for the younger ones, the younger ones tell me when the older ones are out of line! I actually had my first 4 kids in pairs - the first pair are 15 months apart, the second pair are twins - so we'll see how my youngest fairs, being "all alone".
I happen to be considered a "young mother"; I had my first child just after turning 20, then my second at age 21, the twins at at 25, and now my youngest was just born and I'm 31. I work part time as a web designer; sometimes out of an office and sometimes from home, depending on the job.
I hope that I can provide for you some stories about my experiences in raising a large family, give you some tips that have helped me to get through the rough days, maybe some easy recipes and certainly share with you my love for my kids!