Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend we celebrated Blake's baptism. Ironically Caleb was also baptized on Memorial Day Weekend, so the service was very similar to Caleb's with a patriotic message (some people were having deja vu!). It was very nice and meaningful for us as parents. What a responsibility we have!After the service we had a reception at my parents house. Not too many people came because of the holiday weekend. It was very nice though. No drama, which is my idea of a perfect family gathering. Blake's cake was gorgeous!

Today we are spending a day at home. We are catching up on chores, getting ready for a short week of work, and organizing. I spent 2 hours this morning just switching Blake's clothing from 0-3 months to 3-6 months. He has so many clothes for this summer! I am beginning to understand more and more every day as to why God blessed us with another boy!

On a silly side note, I am DYING to watch Jon & Kate Plus 8 tonight. Those of you who know me well know this show has been one of my guilty pleasures for years. With all of the controversy lately I can't wait to hear their side of the story. Part of me wants to believe that it's all a lie, but part of me knows that it has to be somewhat of a scam! Last summer Jason drove me to Pennsylvania to hear them speak at a church event. They spoke about the biblical principals they follow as parents and in their marriage. I hung on every word. Then I paid twenty dollars to get their autograph. That should have been the moment I knew it was a scam! Here is a picture from the autograph line.

Baptism Preparations!

Tomorrow is Blake's baptism at St. Matthew's. I have a million things to do and yet I am sitting here blogging. I am trying to be fair and do everything for Blake's baptism that I did for Caleb's.

Last night I made favors. This was my second frustrating experience with a Wilton brand favor kit. The paper that they provide is not flat and jammed 3 different printers that I tried! Not all of the favors have tags due to technical difficulties, but it's the thought that counts!

I also made chocolates from molds. Since you can microwave the wafers to melt them they are insanely easy! Give it a try!

My favorite mold is the bible with cross. The picture doesn't do it justice! I also did praying hands, doves, and crosses with flowers.

Fingerpainting Adventure

I have been unsure of whether or not to allow Caleb fingerpaint yet. I hate messes! Today we tried it for the first time and it actually went quite well. We bought the Crayola washable fingerpaints. Surprisingly Caleb stuck to painting the paper and didn't get a drop of it on the table, floor, or his clothing.

Yesterday we took Caleb and Blake to Storyville at the Rosedale Library. It was Blake's first visit of many. Storyville is a lot like Port Discovery in Baltimore City. It has tons of things for kids under the age of 5 to do from grocery shopping to "Toddler Bay." There is even an area called the"Baby Garden" for babies that cannot walk yet. Blake enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror, listening to the rainmaker toys, and even interacting with some other babies. The best part is that this gem is FREE! Visit their website at http://www.bcplstoryville.org/storyville_home.html, even if it's a little out of the way for you it is definitely worth the trip.

Golden Graham S'mores

Jason has fallen in love with the new Golden Graham S'mores bars, but at $1.25 a piece from the snack machine at his work they are a little pricey. I went on cooks.com and found an awesome recipe, they turned out very tasty and I highly recommend them!

Golden Graham S'mores

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3 tablespoons butter

1 package milk chocolate morsels

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 package Golden graham cereal (9 cups)

3 cups miniature marshmallows

Grease 13x9 inch pan. Heat syrup, butter, and morsels to boiling stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal in bowl, toss until coated. Fold in marshmallows 1 cup at a time. Press into pan with buttered back of spoon. Let stand 1 hour. Cut into 2 inch squares. Store at room temperature.

It Brightened My Day

Have you ever had a lousy day and then someone did something that made it all better? This describes my day. I had one of those days where a bunch of little things went wrong. My head hurt, I forgot to copy something I needed for a Science lesson, etc. etc. etc. At the end of the day one of my student's parents brought me a vase of beautiful, bright pink flowers. I have never received flowers from any student before. They are on my dining room table and I am really enjoying them.
I am going to keep the good feeling going and try to do something nice for someone else soon!

Pancake Casserole

Tonight we had breakfast for dinner, one of our favorites! Instead of making pancakes as usual, I made pancake casserole. Every non pay day at work we have "poor Friday." Different groups of people take turn making breakfast for the rest of the school. This casserole was very tasty and has become one of our favorites.

Pancake Casserole

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup margarine or butter

1/2 cup maple-flavored syrup

1 and 1/2 cups Bisquick Original baking mix

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Maple syrup if desired (we tend not to add extra syrup)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1/2 cup brown sugar, the margarine and syrup in 1 quart sauce pan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Pour into ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.

2. Beat remaining ingredient in medium bowl, using wire whisk or fork, until blended. Carefully pour over syrup mixture.

3. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until top springs back when touched in center. Cut into 3-inch squares; turn each square upside down onto plate. Serve immediately, with maple-flavored syrup (again, we tend not to add extra syrup, it would be wayyyy too much).

Enjoy! Let me know if you try it!

I decided to experiment in the kitchen and make my own chicken alfredo lasagna recipe tonight. It turned out pretty good!

Chicken Alfredo Lasagna

1 package precooked lasagna noodles

1 lb cooked, cubed chicken

2 jars alfredo sauce

Shredded mozzarella to taste

1 small bag of peas and carrots

Start with a layer of alfredo sauce, chicken, veggies, and mozzarella in a 9 x9 pan. Cover with lasagna noodles. Repeat twice (top layer should be sauce, chicken, veggies, and mozzarella). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes with foil and then 15 minutes without foil. Allow lasagna to cool for 10 minutes so that it can set.

As I thought of ideas to make this better I thought adding shrimp and a small amount of ricotta cheese might help!

Mother's Day 2009

Today was a great day of family. I spent my morning relaxing with Caleb and Blake. Then, we headed over to the nursing home to visit my Grandmom. It's very difficult for me to visit her and I feel guilty that I don't go more often. A stroke has left her unable to speak and move the right side of her body. She is still there mentally though and you know there is so much that she wants to say but can't. You can tell she truly enjoys Caleb and Blake's visits. Her eyes light up and she can't stop kissing both of them.

After visiting Grandmom Weidinger we headed to a linner (lunch and dinner) with Jason's family. Caleb had a nice time doing sidewalk chalk with his cousin Hanna. He did have a hard time sharing chalk with her though. He's in for it in a few months when his little brother starts getting into his things!

Right now I am baking chicken in the oven for tomorrow night's dinner. I am making chicken alfredo lasagna. I don't have a recipe for it (all of the ones on the internet suggest using cream of mushroom soup, which my husband hates) and so I am winging it. We'll have to see! If it turns out I'll put the recipe up here. Have a great week!

Caleb, Mommy, and Blake in my "Best Mom" nightgown that my Mom gave me for Mother's Day.

Visiting great grandmom Weidinger.

Fun Day :)

Today has been fun and eventful! Caleb and I made Miss Helen's Sugar cookies, my absolute favorite. He put decorative sprinkles on all of the cookies and pressed them with a fork. Here is the recipe:

Miss Helen's Sugar Cookies
½ lb Butter
2 Cups of Flour
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 tsp. Baking Soda

Mix butter, sugar, and baking soda. Beat in egg. Separately mix flour, cream of tartar, and vanilla extract. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture. Make ball and press w/fork. Add festive sprinkles if you like. Bake @ 375 degrees for 10 minutes.


These have always been a family favorite for us! Believe it or not, mixing the ingredients separately is important though!


After cookie making fun Caleb planted his "Veggie Tales" cactus garden. I hope they grow for him! He's so excited about them! I will have to update you on this one. If they don't grow maybe some cacti will "magically" appear one night. ;)

Finally, Caleb went with Mom Mom Ament for new shoes. When he got back home he was surprised to find a new sand/water table on the deck. I can't afford to give him the vacation I would like to give him, so I figured I'd give him something fun. The red top has a ramp for cars to run down. It also has a place to pour water down. He loves it, he spent two hours outside.

On a funny note, I'm having Caleb wear "big boy underpants" whenever he is not at daycare. Apparently he peed himself at the shoe store. Mrs. Linda didn't know until a lady started laughing because his pants were around his ankles and he was crying that "it went down my legs." Oh my!

Green or Black Thumb?

I just put this year's garden in. I was on a limited budget, but I still think it's pretty. I did some research on plants that do well in the shade since the front of our house gets little to no shade. Azaleas and annuals topped the list. The pink azalea to the far right was from my great aunt's funeral two years ago, it's beautiful. I decided to try two more pink azaleas this year, hopefully they won't die like the ones I put out last year! I also put down some red mulch.

I decided to change the name of my blog to 1,440 minutes after listening to WRBS (christian radio station in Baltimore). The deejay asked, "We have 1,440 minutes in every day, how are you using yours?" For some reason it stuck with me.

17 hours and 37 minutes until the official start of Mother's Day Weekend!

This week has been dragging by slower than a tortoise. Jason and I just played "Diego 1, 2, 3" with Caleb, fun stuff.

I'm waiting for my Mom to call me with the recipe for Ms. Helen's sugar cookies. I will post the recipe here soon, they are delicious!

Happy Birthday to You, cha cha cha

Last night we celebrated my sister's 21st birthday at my parents house. I had steamed crabs for the first time in 2 years! Last summer I was following the pregnancy rules and didn't eat any shellfish. They were tasty, but I was reminded of how much work is required when eating crabs (a lot of work for not a lot of food). I enjoy the novelty of eating crabs but could never be one of the Baltimorons (no offense, I'm one too) that could eat them every week.

I made a yellow cake with chocolate frosting for last night's festivities. I used a Wilton cake gun to edge the cake. One day when I have time for myself I would love to take a cake decorating class. I love the look of fondant but haven't the slightest clue how to use it. I feel like it's too expensive to just by and play with. Here is the cake (Sara will probably be mad at me for posting this picture... I was going to put a smiley face picture over hers but I don't think I have the photo editing software on my computer... Sara just learn to laugh at yourself, I laugh at myself all the time... like when I slipped on my butt this morning in front of 29 8 year olds):

Here is a cute picture of Jason and Blake from two nights ago:

He's such a joy lately... I love all of these first smiles and laughs. I am so sad that I have to work full time, I feel like I'm missing out on so much. But alas, if we want a roof over our heads and food on the table, I have no choice. Two more days until the weekend!

VOTE OR DIE

Okay, so maybe the title of this blog is a little dramatic. I love American Idol, in fact I am borderline OCD when it comes to this show. It's my one guilty pleasure that I can't let go of no matter how busy my life gets (and trust me I have given up a lot of guilty pleasures in the last year).

Last week I was shocked when Adam Lambert was in the bottom 3. I think he's incredibly unique, much better than the other contestants and their sob stories or young age. Usually I vote 5 times for my favorite every week. Last week I did not do this, so maybe its my fault? (:::Sarcasm:::) Any way, pick up your phone tomorrow night and vote! I am personally going to vote 10 times to compensate for last week's laziness (or exhaustion which resulted in my falling asleep and having to watch the majority of the show on TIVO the next day... even OCD can't fix the exhaustion of working full time, being a full time mom that has to wake up in the middle of the night to feed a newborn, trying to keep a clean house, etc., etc). VOTE FOR ADAM.

"That's what I love about Sunday"

Oh what a day! We got the kids dressed nicely and ready for church only to find out that the road into the area where church is was closed! Apparently there was some type of major accident that caused power lines to fall on the road. I'm not complaining too much though, at least I wasn't the person in the accident!

After we turned around we headed to the Michael's craft store in White Marsh. I had two 40% off coupons that I wanted to use to get favors for Blake's baptism. Once at the register I found out that the favors were already on sale and I couldn't use the coupons. Even though they were on sale, they were a lot more expensive than they would be with the coupon. I'll try again next weekend.

I'm always looking for ways to save time since I don't have enough of it. One positive about having two boys is that it's okay to throw them into the bathtub together. Last night we tried this for the first time:

It went pretty well and I think we will make this part of our daily routine. I hope everyone has a blessed week!

Gadgets that every Mom should have!

#1: The Shark vacuum! It vacuums hard floors and carpets. It picks up dust, dirt, and even wet vegetables that your three year old drops on the floor from his dinner. The dirt tray easily clicks out and you empty the dirt in the trash. There is a side sweeper to get edges.


The handle also bends so that you can get the vacuum in pesky spots like under beds and dressers.#2: The Shark steam mop! This steam mop quickly cleans wood floors and ceramic floors. It cleans up nasty, sticky messes (or masterpieces that your toddler decides to draw on the floor with crayons). It is so much easier than dragging around a nasty mop and bucket. It also dries in just a minute or so. The cleaning pads are also reusable. You just throw them in with a load of laundry.
#3: The Fisher Price Portable Kid Tough DVD player! Want to watch a movie or the episode of "Private Practice" that you had to tivo because you were too exhausted to stay up until ten o'clock but your toddler wants to watch the same pirate episode of "Backyardigans" for the millionth time? This is your saving grace then! It also is good for long car rides. It is honestly a bit pricey ($150) but I'm hoping that I will get years out of it. I honestly suggest springing for the headphone and car charger sets too!






#4: A baby monitor with television screen! This was given to us at Blake's baby shower a few months ago. At first I thought it would be great to peek in on my newborn while he was sleeping without having to go in his room. Then, Caleb decided to start climbing in his window (ripping down his curtain and expensive room darkening blind) to wave at cars and people going down the street instead of napping. We quickly moved it to his room. Baby monitor set $100, the look on your toddler's face when you barge in the room busting him for being naughty... PRICELESS.

Haven't you heard three is the new two???

I always kept a diary as a teenager but just haven't had the time as an adult. I figured I would try to keep a blog so that one day I can look back at this period and laugh.

Some times I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry as a Mom to a crazy toddler and newborn baby. Caleb has been completely nutty lately. My Mom just laughs and says that it is payback for all of the things I apparently did when I was two and three years old! (Emptying a giant container of powder in my room, knocking a lamp through a window on the day they were moving, etc.)

This week's biggest toddler event was when Caleb went to wash his hands in the bathroom and decided to shove as much toilet paper in the drain and piping as possible! I only took my eyes off of him for thirty seconds, I promise! Jason had to go buy a special tool and take the pipes apart to get it all out. Caleb had the most mischevious face ever when I caught him!

Last weekend we took the boys to Strasburg, PA, for a ride on the train. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. Caleb kept shouting, "All aboard!" After wards we had a nice picnic. I love that area of the world. If I ever can I would love to move to amish country!

This weekend I am spending a quiet weekend at home with the kids. It's nice to hold Blake for a few hours, watch television, and play on the computer. I've beeng getting things together for Blake's baptism that is on Memorial Day weekend. His invitations are ready for the mail and I've started a picnic fare menu.

Well I must go... Caleb is supposed to be napping but I just heard something crash in his room! Not good! I hope everyone else is having a great weekend too!

Me and the boys at the Strasburg Railroad.