Spring Forward

This past week, we got a quick glimpse of what spring looks like. While I’m not ready just yet to put the storm windows up (no jinxing the weather here!), it’s definitely time to start thinking about our spring/summer wardrobes. My three year old likes the frilly and sparkly. I prefer the simple and basic. Guess what? I win.

Recently, I discovered that H&M carries a Kids line. H&M isn’t a store that I usually shop in. To be honest, it gives me a little bit of anxiety and once I got stuck in a dress while trying it on. So how did I end up in H&M? I was on a hunt for the impossible…t-shirts for a 10 month old in February. I had struck out at all of the usual suspects, so I looked at the mall directory for suggestions, hence, H&M. I was pleasantly surprised.

H&M Kid's range is separated into three different categories: babies (0-18 months), children (18 months -8 years), and H&M Young (9-14 years). When I was trying to come up with a way to describe the clothes, I looked at H&M’s website. I think they pretty much summed it up in two sentences: the line “combines fashion, colour, graphics and design with comfort and functionality. The clothes must be fashionable, practical and hard-wearing”. Amen.

Although we are almost out of the baby sizes, I had to do a lap just to see if there was anything that I could still stuff Roman in to. I wish I could have a do-over for his newborn wardrobe. I loved the simplicity of the clothes and that most of the line is made with organic cotton. It’s also very affordable, a word that doesn’t usually goes with organic. I didn’t fully understand when I had my first baby that boy’s clothes are much harder to find than girls. I may have rolled my eyes a few times, but now I take it all back. Since having a boy, I totally get it. Please forgive me. I actually had to put some things back since he’s only 1 and he doesn’t need a different button down shirt for the office each day.

Next stop, children’s clothes. Since I still buy all of Stella’s clothes, her style is my style (if I have one.) I only buy clothes for her that I love because if I don’t like it, I’ll try my very hardest for her to never wear it. If you see her in a sparkly shirt with rhinestones, a character, and a saying, it was a gift and her dad was in charge that morning. While H&M does carry some of these things (I think it’s Hello Kitty, but I steered clear), they carry the everyday basics. The clothes and accessories are very age appropriate, something that you would think would be commonplace, right?

So what did I buy?

The blue and orange polo was on sale for $3 (originally $7.90). The two nautical striped long sleeve shirts were $9.95 each. The white shirt was the bargain price of $5 (originally $12.90). That scarf? $1. Yes, $1. It was originally $6.95. It’s way too big for Stella now, but for that price, it went into the bin for later. Not pictured is a pair of ballet slippers for $5.95 and the butterfly wings and wand for $6.95. (Happy Birthday, Stella.)

Not all of the H&M stores carry the Kid’s line, so make sure to check here before you go. Also, select H&M stores carry their maternity line, "Mama".

PS - Did you know that H&M stands for "Hennes & Mauritz"? Me, neither.

Shop For The Environment

Every day, my inbox is flooded with emails from all of the “sale” websites that seem to multiply exponentially. Of course, this is my own fault. I signed up for each of these websites because mama doesn’t want to miss a deal. Yet, I find myself deleting the sale announcements without even reading them or going to the website. I can’t bring myself to unsubscribe, because well, what if I miss the deal of the century, so I continue with the barrage of emails.

This week, one of the emails caught my eye. All week, Totsy will feature “green” products. One of the things you should know about me is that I strive to be environmentally conscious (within reason, of course). Alyssa will tell you that I used to go through her trash and fish out the recycling. Since my interest was piqued, I decided to participate in their Twitter party to learn more about their upcoming sales.

I was pleased to see one of my favorite brands, Kate Quinn Organics featured this week. Besides their stylish, yet simple organic clothing, I swear by their organic wash cloths. They are the best size for my two young kids to use and you can’t beat the price.

I am really excited for the Hellolulu sale. I had never heard of this company before, but now that I have, I can’t wait to see what they offer at the sale. You cannot have enough shopping bags, but the Double Decker Basket will definitely be part of my collection. I’m getting ready for a month long trip, so I find myself needing every travel accessory they have. I would love to pack entirely in their cases. Organization relieves my anxiety and makes me much more pleasant to be around.

Besides the clearly handpicked brands Totsy features, I really like the company’s ethos. With every purchase, Totsy will plant one tree in the Amazon highlands in to help reduce the effects of deforestation. They are also the first private company to take on sustainable and socially responsible initiatives in all areas of business. I wish more companies would take on this challenge.

Membership is by invitation or request only, so make sure to sign up soon. You won't want to miss upcoming sales including Hape Toys, French Baby Organics, Natural Mat, and Little Green Star.

Have Your Cake and Eat Your Cone, too!

Alyssa whipped up these tasty and fun treats recently for Z's third birthday. Maybe it was my insistence on having a white sheet cake with pink and blue butter cream roses for every birthday when I was younger, but I still can’t figure out how I have never heard of ice cream cone cupcakes until Z’s birthday. Although I am not a huge cake fan, I will confess that I ate two (and then took a few more home to "share"). What's there not to like? Cake? Check. Frosting? Check. Cone? Check. Finish off with a glass of milk and I think I may have found my new favorite treat.

Here's how to make these delicious little devils:

INGREDIENTS

cupcake batter (we used a box mix)

frosting

12 flat bottom ice cream cones*

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place cones in a muffin pan.

Spoon cupcake batter into cones, filling about 1/2 - 2/3 full.

Bake 20 minutes or until done. The batter will puff up and look like ice cream.

Let cupcakes cool (or at least try to) before frosting. If you want to get really fancy, you can put the frosting in a piping bag and make the frosting look like soft serve.

*I decided that next time, I wanted to try using sugar cones. I did a little investigative work and wouldn't you know that Martha tried it and well, I don't think that it turned out so well...apparently sugar cones melt when baked. If anyone has had better results, I would love to hear about it.

Saving the World One Crayon at a Time

When dining out now (which is rare since eating in a restaurant with an almost three year old and a ten month old isn’t the most fun thing), the first question, sadly, is no longer, “can I get you a drink?”, it’s “would she like some crayons?”. Of course, the answer is always “yes” and out comes the pack of three or four new crayons wrapped in plastic.


While unwrapping the crayons so Stella can draw and let us have a few peaceful moments, I am always consumed with guilt. I really, really hate unnecessary waste. Although we are thankful for the crayons, I always wonder what to do with them when we are finished. Do I leave them on the table so the restaurant can re-use them? Do we take them with us? It seems like the days of the glass of used crayons accompanying the kids menu is long gone, so I end up with barely used broken crayons in the pockets of every bag.

Then, the other day, while accepting yet another plastic wrapped package of crayons, I remembered that I had a bag FULL of crayons, and declined the new crayons. Unfortunately, my daughter wasn’t impressed with the crayons I brought out. Apparently, broken crayons “don’t work”. So, I needed to come up with a way to keep them organized and in one piece.

While reading the Container Store catalog, I had an idea. What about a travel soap container to hold these crayons? Yes, more plastic, but once I calculated the number of times we will eat out (plus travel, etc.) in the next, say, TEN years, I decided that the environment would be ok with this plastic purchase.

At the Container Store, I found a 100% recycled plastic soap dish for $1.29. I hadn’t planned on the 100% recycled part, so it made even easier to justify buying one for each bag. You can fit about 20 crayons in the container and it's compact enough to fit in any bag. Added bonus, I don't have to constantly crawl under the table to get the crayons that have fallen on the floor because they are now contained, even while in use.

About Wholly Mothers

Born exactly one month and 71 ½ miles apart, we did not meet until we both moved across the country to Boston and were expecting our first babies who ended up being born two days short of one month apart and 10 ¾ miles apart. After a chance encounter at our local pub, or library as others may call it, our friendship developed over long walks to Starbucks, hours of pushing swings at the playground, and fast lunches at restaurants within a five mile radius of our houses. We reminisced about summer reading programs that gave tickets to the Oakland A’s and coupons to Round Table Pizza, building replicas of California missions out of sugar cubes, and mint chocolate It’s Its . We bonded over the art of the thank you note, how not to dress your baby like a baby, and the fact that we were both not allowed to watch Dirty Dancing.

Wholly Mothers is an extension of our everyday conversations. We call, email, text, and see each other every day. Sometimes we try to do all four at once. It will tell you about what we have learned the easy way and about things that we have shed many tears over. It will hopefully make you laugh and maybe even teach you a thing or two. Despite rumors to the contrary, we really don’t know everything so we hope to learn a few things along the way from you.

They say you can’t pick your own family, but that’s not entirely true. You might not get a say in your relatives, but you certainly can make your own family. That’s what we are, a family of friends.

Looking for a Way to Warm Up?

What do I miss most about California? You would think that after four consecutive days of snow, the obvious answer would be weather. I will admit that there are days that I am a little envious of my southern California friends who update their Facebook status with “great beach day” and “it’s freeeeezing here, it’s 65 ”. But, honestly, what I miss the most is Mexican food.

When I saw the weather forecast earlier in the week, I knew immediately what I needed to keep me warm: Mexican food. I turned to one of my top food blogs, My Kitchen Café. Melanie’s recipes are always easy, child friendly, and tasty. These are musts in our house, but I’m thinking they are requirements in her house, too, because she has four boys ages five and under. No, that’s not a typo. I’m in awe of her. Not only does she prepare all of these delicious recipes and maintain a blog, she remembers to take pretty pictures while cooking.

The Chicken Enchilada Pasta piqued my interest because it's enchiladas AND pasta. Both my husband and I loved it and enjoyed the leftovers over the next few days. Unfortunately, it was too spicy for my almost 3 year old. This was my fault. I think I used medium instead of mild ingredients.

Here's what you need:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded (I cheated and used a roasted chicken)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced (I used the frozen cubes)

1 medium onion, diced (I used a cup of frozen diced onions)

1 red pepper, diced

4-ounce can diced green chilies

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 10 oz cans green chili enchilada sauce

2/3 cup red enchilada sauce

1 can large black olives, cut in half

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

16 oz penne pasta

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don't boil!). Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips.

As you might be able to tell, I had a little "help" with the cheese. Make sure to check out Melanie's picture. I think she might secretly be a food stylist and a professional photographer....in all of her spare time.

IN CASE YOUR GIFTS DON'T FIT ON THE SLEIGH

Twenty one. That's the number of minutes I waited in line yesterday at the post office to purchase stamps. It's also close to the number of times Alyssa cursed the USPS yesterday for losing a box of gifts she had sent to her family. Rumor has it, it's also the game that Frederick Smith played in Las Vegas hoping to win enough money to cover the expenses of his struggling start up. The world now affectionately calls his little company "FedEx".

According to a survey by MomCentral, 49% of moms are like us, guilty of waiting until less than two weeks before the holidays to ship your gifts. Apparently 51% of moms are smarter than us because MomCentral also reports that given the choice between FedEx and three other leading carriers, they chose FedEx when under time constraints. Between us, I am always under time constraints.

In honor of their busiest time of the year, I thought I would share some tips for shipping this holiday season.

• Check the weight limit on the bottom of the box you plan to use. This will tell you how much the box can safely hold. I guess I won't be stuffing the box until it bulges, like I normally do.


• Put an additional label inside your box just in case your box and label lose each other. I know Alyssa would have liked to have known this great tip last week.


• If you are shipping an item that includes batteries, remove the batteries and tape them to the item. The bomb squad thanks you in advance as they have been known to show up for a toy alarm clock.


• Use those pesky extra four digit codes at the end of the zip code. It helps your package arrive sooner and more directly.


• Sign up for a FedEx account. It's free and actually saves you money (and time!). When you print your labels at home using your account, you get a better rate than walking into a store.
  

If all of the above have not yet convinced you to give FedEx a try, I have one more tidbit about FedEx. THEY DON'T USE PACKING PEANUTS. 'Nuff said.

I wrote this review after attending an event on behalf of FedEx. I received a holiday food item and complimentary FedEx shipping for it to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me note cards and a store credit to thank me for taking the time to participate. I did not receive any further compensation for my review. All reviews reflect my honest opinions.

Image credit: photographer: Cubbie_n_Vegas on everystockphoto.com