big changes

It appears that my home will be going through some major transformations this fall and I am in the process of getting Braxton prepared for it.  We found out in February that we will be adding a new son or daughter to our home, this is going to be quite a change for my 4 yr old who is used to being the one and only.  So far he seems to understand and is taking it pretty well, he kisses my tummy, and tells me he can hear the baby.  We let him go to an ultrasound so he could see the baby and he really likes that.

However I am still not 100% sure how the whole thing will affect him, he will be starting 4K about the same time the baby comes so he will have 2 changes at one time, and i am praying for that to all go well.  I also have to rearrange his bedroom as we have a small house and the kids will be sharing a room, I am very excited, but need to start getting some stuff done now, so that it's not all thrown on me in August, and I get too overwhelmed.  Wish us luck.

Sickness

Winter in WI tends to bring on a variety of illness and in true fashion of being advanced for his age my 3 (almost 4 yr old) has decided that a simple cold would not be enough, No he has to have a Full blown sinus infection. 

For a child that rarely gets ill this winter has really taken it's toll, we have had colds, been on antibiotics twice and had a 24 hour stomach bug that resulted in puke everywhere.  Right now his poor little nose is so red, and I have gone through a box of tissues, which I have been repeatedly informed are NOT tissues, but indeed PUFFS PLUS MADE WITH LOTION, a can of Lysol and a tub of Clorox wipes.

I am thankful that he takes his medicine well, and allows me to wipe his nose every 10 seconds.  Don't get me wrong his shirt is crusty from him wiping his nose on it, and his attitude is generally horrible due to lack of sleep and nor being allowed outside for more that 1 minute at a time.

I am also thankful that I get to stay home to take care of him and not be missing work for it, and I am tankful that he Loves me enough to SHARE!

Cooking with kids

My winter blues have gotten the best of me so cooking is what I have been doing to fill the time.  Since Braxton loves to help me cook I decided today was a good day to make something just for him.

Braxton and I made Chicken nuggets today by hand. Even though he had eaten already so we froze them for a later date.



4 pieces of whole wheat bread that I dried on the counter overnight
1 chicken breast (about 3/4 lb)
2 TBLS of Italian seasoning
2 TBLS of Kraft grated Parmesan cheese

 I started with 1 chicken breast because I was experimenting, Next time i will do a few more. which will call for upping all of the ingredients of coarse
I took the 4 pieces of bread ran them through the food processor to turn them into fine crumbs, I added the Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese an mixed it all together.
Cut the chicken into whatever size pieces you choose and soak in milk for 5 min I put the bread crumbs in a bag then added the chicken so Braxton could shake it up. Baked at 400* for about 15 min. Let them cool for about 15min then stuck the whole pan in the freezer. Once they are frozen I will put them in a bag.
I ended up with probably 20 chicken nuggets in a bite size pieces.

I can't wait to see how they turn out when I reheat them for a meal.

I also let Braxton rip the bread into pieces and put it in the food processor. Once the bread was in there I plugged it in and let him push the buttons, he loves to have jobs to do. I think anytime you cook as long as you are not by a hot stove you should find something for the kids to do. Since I make 90% of my meals from scratch I can always find something.  even the simple things like adding the cut up veggies to a slow cooker makes them feel like they helped cook.  I think it gives them a chance to feel like they are contributing plus it helps to give them a love for healthy food.

I know many people are busy but I really hope that everyone takes the time to make just 1 home cooked meal a week and that you let the kids get involved, once you see how much they love it you will probably find yourself doing it more often.

Happy Cooking!

Winter time blues

They have officially set in.  Snow, cold, sicknesses, Yuck how I hate Winter in Wisconsin.

     So I have some kind of nasty Cold/sinus infection which doesn't bode well for trying to keep a 3 almost 4 yr old happy.  He has WAY too much energy for me right now, I love to play in the snow and that is usually one of our fun things to do but lately just getting up in the morning is a task.  I contemplated how too keep our house a little more active in the winter since extended time outside isn't always possible when it is 0 degrees plus a wind chill on top of it. 

     What did I do you ask?  I broke down and bought a Wii!  I know I hate the thoughts of keeping active through gaming but it really seemed to be the only way I could get my Hubby and son up off the couch.  We do play regular games and we do crafts and learning time, but very little physical movement on these cold blowing days.  Our house is small and doesn't give us alot of room to move so a Wii seemed like the logical answer.  So far my son likes to sword fight and Box which are two of the most physical games so at least he is moving.  As soon as I get feeling better we will be going back outside for at least1/2 hour a day to get fresh air but in the mean time this gives us some physical movement. 

   I can't wait for winter to be over!