Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Been Sooooo Sick! But I'm back!

Happy Mom Goal

Time to take a night off! I got to have dinner with
some friends the other night, and let me tell you; it was much needed! A night with no cooking or kids whining cannot be beat! If you don't have the funds to eat out right not (which I totally get!) Then just go to a friend's for a visit some night--- minus the kiddos!


Happy Kid Goal


It's St. Patty's Day! Our family always has a little fun on this day. Here are a few ideas for you!

1. Make green Jell-O for dinner. Or make green Jell-O Jigglers cut into shamrocks for a snack.

2. Decorate cupcakes with foil-wrapped coins and rainbow sprinkles.

3. Put white carnations with freshly-cut stems in a vase with water mixed with green food coloring. Pretty soon, you'll have green flowers.

4. Put green streaks in everyone's hair with hair mascara or temporary hair spray.

5. Make braids in your girls' hair using a green ribbon as one of the strands.

6. Paint a small shamrock on your kids' cheek with face paint or a green eye pencil.

7. Make quick green bracelets by cutting thin strips of craft foam, wrapping them around your wrist and securing the ends with a brad.

8. Add some green food coloring to pancake batter, milk, mashed potatoes, or whatever else you think you can stomach green.

9. Go to the library and read aloud some St. Patrick's Day-themed picture books.

10. Make green paper chains to decorate around the house. Cut out shamrocks from green paper and tape them on the walls.

11. Cut a bunch of shamrocks out of green paper and hide them around the house. Send your kids on a hunt to find them. Reward them with candy coins.

12. If the weather allows, go to the park and search for four-leaf clovers.

13. Pick up some Irish soda bread at the bakery and serve it with your dinner. Serve corned beef, too (although this is more American than Irish).

14. Make small greeting cards for elderly neighbors wishing them the luck of the Irish, or bring them a treat.

15. Wear green and be sure to pinch (gently) people who don't!


Happy Husband Goal


Lots of kisses this week! "I may not be Irish, but you can kiss me anyway!"


Happy House Goal


It's time to start the spring cleaning! After an entire winter of kids playing in their rooms and play areas all the time, it's bound to be a bit cluttered. Take some time (when your kids aren't looking!) and go through all the little things they don't play with anymore. You know, junk from birthday party goody bags, broken projects from school, etc; Get it all in the trash and make sure there's nothing lurking in corners or under beds!

Dinner TonightAs mentioned before, it's fun to have a "Green Dinner" on St. Patrick's Day. It's something my mom always did, and my kids love it! This year's menu for our little family is:

Cheese Tortellini in green alfredo sauce (colored with a few drops of food coloring)
Green jell-o (I love it with sliced bananas in it!)
Peas
Green Kool-aid
Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream for dessert!

Easy enough! You can do this with almost anything-- as long as you can handle the look of it! I try to use as many food items as I can that are already naturally green. It goes down easier! Get creative, Moms!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Dinner Tonight

Easy Honey Mozzarella Chicken



4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup prepared mustard
4 slices bacon, cut in half
3/4 cup honey
lemon pepper to taste
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken breast halves in a baking dish and drizzle evenly with honey and mustard. Sprinkle with lemon pepper. Bake chicken 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Top each breast half with 2 bacon slices halves, and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Continue baking 10 minutes or until chicken juices run clear, bacon is crisp, and cheese is bubbly.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

I'm Baaa-aaack!

Happy Mom Goal

Join a book club and schedule time to actually read the book. Joining a club will force you to have the book finished by a deadline and the book club meeting will get you out of the house to socialize!


Happy Kid Goal

Write stories together! It's so much fun to help expand your child's imagination... or have them help you expand yours! Ask them to tell you a story, write it down for them, and then have them draw illustrations. If they're older, have them write it or type it up and then print it and put it in a binder for them. Get them out occasionally and read them as a family. So fun!


Happy Husband Goal

Lately, my husband and I have gotten into a thrilling TV series. After the kids go to bed each night, we sit together on the couch, cuddle up, and watch an episode or two of our show. LOST is our current favorite, so we're watching all the seasons available on NetFlix. What a great invention!


Happy House Goal

Pick a closet, any closet. Man, is it just me, or is winter time the absolute messiest season of them all? Everything just gets shoved or stashed into closets (even I do it!) Take an hour or so sometime this week to stack your board games, sort through coats and gloves, go through long-forgotten boxes, or organize your craft supplies. If you stick to it for a bit, it won't take long and it's so refreshing after it's done.

Dinner Tonight

This is my favorite thing to serve with a country-type dinner. It's not really a secret, but I get an awful lot of compliments on it any time I serve it!

Easy Sweet Cornbread

1 small box cornbread mix (I use Jiffy)
1 yellow cake mix (Duncan Hines is the yummiest)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix boxes together according to directions on back of each box. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake approximately 25-35 minutes, or until done.

Serve with honey butter!


Pep Talk!

Well, it's been an awfully long time since I've done this! Perhaps no one will even read this blog anymore, but I decided that it is definitely time for me to be a Happy Mom again. I've been having my own personal struggles; financial, physical, emotional, spiritual... and of course kid struggles! That's just part of the life of a mom. I need to regain my inner strength, and while I strive to do that, I may as well blog about it. My oldest child is a beautiful, intelligent, and fun-loving little girl. So much fun most of the time. But man, oh man! Sometimes that strong-willed side of her creeps to the surface and I am in a constant struggle for power in my own home. She's had a tough life. She's been through divorce, relocation several times, and many other things few adults have even been through. I know that all plays a part in it, but her greatest influence is me. I have to remember that daily. If I forget to be a good example to her and show nothing but love all the time, things get out of hand. I feel very alone sometimes and like I'm failing in my duties as a mother. But I'm not. There are millions of mommies out there who have felt the same thing I'm feeling. We've all been there. And the greatest thing we need to remember is that we are the greatest influence on our children. And what can we do to help them the best. Love them. Wholly and completely. Every second of every day. And let them see just how much we do. That is what will raise them to be the best they can be. And that is how we get ourselves through each day

Welcome Ladies!

This is our Happy Moms Club! If you're here, it's because you want to become a happier wife and mother....something we strive to help you do! Check this blog each week for your daily goals, pep talk and advice(More info on the SIDEBAR.) There are several units of the HMC, but each group is encouraged to have Happy Mom's Happy Hour every other week, complete with non-alcholic drinks and chatting time! Also, once a month you should have Guilty Pleasure Day, which will be a few hours out to lunch or a movie or something, without your kids. That's right, you heard me, KID FREE! So start saving your pennies! Leave a comment to let us know if you would like to be part of our club! It's free to join, all you do is leave a comment and log on each week to get your goals and peptalk. Also, feel free to leave comments with any suggestions, advice, or something to make us giggle a bit!

*Disclaimer*

I do not own many of the pictures posted on The Happy Moms Club Blog. I do not make any money from them or this site.