Staying Balanced as a MOM

If you are a stay at home mom (SAHM) or working mom, then its important to not loose yourself in the kid tide. Being a taxi for your 'lil ones and folding underwear is in the job description, but you need to find balance and not loose who you are as a WOMEN! Staying balance isn't the easiest thing to do, but its super important. Finding a hobby or something you can do just for yourself, once a day or week will help so you don't feel lost in the shuffle.

                                     

                                

A happy mom is a happy home! Or is it....IF Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy? lol

                                                         
I love being a SAHM, but it has taking time to find myself as a person and know when I need me time. I can now tell when I am feeling not balance and that's when I say hold up, wait, I need to get in check. You are not helping anyone around you if you are not balanced and all tense and about to LOOSE IT!!! When mom is unbalanced, stressed or burnt out, everyone suffers. Kids can feel tension from mom and tend to start acting out, so its a loose~loose situation.

If you take an hour or two just for YOU, for whatever makes you happy or relaxed, the rest of the day (or week) will be easier and more fun for everyone. Your husband and kids will enjoy having an energetic and refreshed mom to play with them and have a full filled day. Lets get down to it by saying, that by paying attention to your own needs as a MOM even if your a SAHM or working mom, you’ll actually be better at meeting everyone else’s needs.

 Here are some ideas to stay balanced:

1-Exercise!!!! Even if its only taking a walk, do it!!!! Clear your head!  It releases so much stress and tension. If you can do it alone, great, if you can head to the gym and be surrounded by others who are soaking in the exercise euphoria, great. Just find a way to do it. TRUST me on this one.
                                   


2- Spend time with other moms! Playdates are not just for the kids! Set up regular time to visit with other moms to just vent and chat. Its best to find other moms you actually LIKE hanging out with. Don't just set up playdates bc the kids are friends, set up playdates with YOUR friends! I think its funny when moms feel obligated to do playdates with a child's friend and you don't enjoy it as a parent. We have little time as it is, choose to surround yourself with people and other parents that you enjoy. Laughing and smiling is the best medicine! Funny friends make for a happy heart. Need some time to yourself, then do a trade with another parent! Even having an hour to yourself to go shopping, get a pedicure, massage, is just enough time to unwind and get your head straight. Lets be honest, going to the grocery store by yourself sometime feels like a mini vacay!

                                     

3-Meet with a girlfriend for coffee or tea. If you have to bring the kids, bring a bag with snacks and activities to keep them busy so you can chat with your gal pal. If you can get away and do it without the kids then all the better. Time without them to drink your coffee without having to make sure they are happy and not getting into stuff is nice to do too.
                                                     
4- Fill the tub with warm water, turn some relaxing music on (literally-type in relaxation music on pandora! its great), bubbles, sea salt to relax those muscles and then...........this is key .......................................LOCK the DOOR!!!! Close your eyes and just take time to relax. Let hubby take care of the kids and just take time for yourself. Don't worry that they are probably making a mess, just clear your mind and breathe. Taking time to breathe really deeply in general will not only relax you but provides your body with extra O2 to energize you for the remainder of the day.

                                               

5- Lock yourself in your bathroom and give yourself a facial and do your nails! Do some SLOOOOW beauty~dry brush your skin, oil treatment for your hair, anything that keeps focus on yourself. Cleaning the tub does not count!
6- DON'T, I repeat, DONT skip on sleep!!! Not only is a tired mom a grumpy mom, but sleep deprivation releases cortisol into your bloodstream that makes you well, lets get real, FAT! And that will make you feel grumpy for sure, gaining weight or lugging around extra lbs. So instead of staying up late to try to be a super hero, pinteresting kinda mom, think again and go to BED!! Also, if your child is napping, take that time for yourself to unwind or curl up and nap with them. I know you probably feel that you get so much done when they are sleeping, but you know what? It will still be there tomorrow and the next day. Take that time for yourself, not to mop the floor.         
                                                 

7-The one thing that I have been told by moms with grown children that sticks in my head is: don't worry about having a clean house all the time. Take that time to spend playing with your kids. Before you know it, they will be gone and your house will be sparkling clean. I'm not saying let it get gross and smelly, just don't put so much pressure on yourself to have a perfectly clean house. I mean really, you clean it and its messy 20 minutes later anyway.
                                    

Take time to play, because it sometimes gets skipped over after all the errands and taxing around. Play with your kids, your husband, your friends!

                                    


                                                 
8- Meditate! Do it in the bath, yoga class, in bed at night, wherever you can. Stop and clear your mind of all that needs to be done. All distractions ignored and just close your eyes and breathe.

                                         
                                                Some advice on how to meditate.

9- You don't have to do it all, all the time. Your family is capable of doing things too! I know, its a shocker right? They might not do it exactly the way you would or want, but really, who cares? The kids can do the dishes, pick out their clothes and brush their teeth. They don't need mom for everything and the hovering as well as the need to feel needed isn't as important as raising self sufficient children and a balanced happy mom.

Are you saying to yourself right now,

"I ain't got time for that! who's got time for that? Aint nobody got time for dat!" (oh sweet brown-lol, got to love youtube)

                              

Well, do you ever watch TV? One program is at least 30 minutes??? Ditch the fluff and do something for yourself instead. Ever since I turned my cable off, I get so much more done and more time to myself. For some reason and tips to get started check out our post Join the NO TV Movement. You don't have to turn your cable off, just choose NOT to turn it on, even if its background noise and see what HAPPENS......

I like to use music to set my mood and help with stress that may come my way. So~Turn on some music and DANCE!!! It really works and your kids, the dog, neighbors love to join in,  and your exercising too (*bonus, cha ching)! Music really helps to set any mood, and if I am at home, the music is on. So stop by for a dance party or relax session, it could be either at any time :)

 

 LIVE! Play! LOVE! That will keep you balanced, your family happy and a full filled life. You only get one, make it the best you can.

Take care of yourself so you can take care of your family.
Namaste~Brandi

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Join the No TV Movement

What? Seriously? You may ask. Why would I want to do that, it entertains me and babysits my kids when I need 20 minutes to do the dishes!!!!

 Heather hasn't had cable for over 10 years and inspired me to do the same. For me it has been one of the best decisions I made for my family.  My hubby has been a 'lil sad without his ESPN, but he can still get all the info he needs through apps on his phone and Internet without spending all the time watching it on the TELLIE. I decided to turn off our cable bc I felt like it was becoming such a distraction to my kids. It got to a point that they would just automatically turn it on as soon as they walked into the door or woke up! I was at fault too. I would record all these shows then feel the pressure to keep up on them. That's when I said ENOUGH!

They recommend that you only watch 2 hours a day, but really 2 hours??? Think about what you and your family could do with that time?? I feel like people are really missing out on the finer things in life and filling it with TV time. I mean really, I don't think the TV is the devil or is going to ruin your life if you are watching it, but really, what else could you do or would do if its not on??

 Read a book? Play a board game with kiddos? Learn to play an instrument? Do crafts? Paint? Shoot hoops? Bike ride? PLAY? PLAY? PLAY??

                                                 
The average American watches 81 hours of TV per month (under 3 hours a day), that's 972 hours per year!! =That's 40 days a year just watching TV! Say your kids start at age 2, by the time they are 80years old, they would have waisted almost 9 years of their life watching TV!! ek


Why not give it a shot??? Try it! Do a no TV week and see what happens? What could it hurt? Not like you aren't recording it all anyway!! ;) Teach your kids that there is better things to do with their time and their LIFE!


Not only does it save you time, but it also saves you  The Cheese, The dinero , PESOS, lets get it straight~ MONEY!!$$$$$!!! And really lets be honest, who doesn't like saving that! If Heather was paying just $50 for cable a month , for
10 years , that's  $6,000! And that's just basic cable, which we all know that is not what everyone has. 

The average price that is paid for cable is $75, if you invested that money each month (with inflation of cable prices), with lets say a return level of 4%, after 56 years you could of saved over 600k!!!!!No lie!! That's a lot of GREEN!

I have found that my kids play together more, read books, listen to music and together we are enjoying LIFE!
                                          

Here are some of Heathers tricks she uses to get her boys ELECTRONIC urges under control:

 
     Even without cable my boys would spend every spare moment on an electronic device
 if we let them. After many exhausting conversations with them about finding other things to do we decided to make a "NO ELECTRONICS" rule Monday thru Friday afternoon and it is working great!  My middle son has a very hard time concentrating and so far we have seen great improvements with him coming home and getting his work done. I also feel like I have my boys back during the week.  They are back to making forts, playing Lego's, drawing, playing games, and just hanging out together.  The house is messier, my boys are laughing more, and I am much happier not having to be on them about how long they have been plugged in. 

                                                
~I think the best thing to do is have set rules and stick to them. Working together with your husband or wife is VERY important because it shows the kids that you are on the same team.  Not on the same team against your children but working together for your children.

           ~Having three boys all different ages makes it a little harder to have the same set rules for all of them.  What might be good for my 5 year old isn't as great for my 12 year old and vice versa. Sometimes the younger ones will complain that its not fair, but I just try and remind them that they will be older one day also.

-One of the rules we have made for our 12 year old is that he is allowed to be on his ipod from 8-9 if all of his homework, reading and chores are done. The younger ones are in bed so we don't even have to mention it to them.  It has worked out great for me because if he is being mean to his brothers or not listening then I can take him aside and let him know that if it continues the hour will be taken away.  His attitude changes real fast.
                                           

~Sometimes we have to change it up, but as long as we establish a new rule and stick with it, then it works out fine. One we have added is they may have 1 Spongebob at bedtime. This was put in effect to keep me from going grey at the young age of 31.  For some reason my boys always get the wildest right at bedtime!  Instead of yelling at them or getting upset I give them 5 minutes to get jammies on and get into bed if they want to watch a show.  If they get out of bed after the show then they lose the show for the next night.  We still have a few nights of chaos but 90% of the time its easy sailing.

         ~My kids are not the only ones who have "NO ELECTRONICS" during the week.  My husband and I decided that we would stay off  when we are with the kids until they go to bed.  My husband compared it to being a drug addict going thru withdrawals.  It was hard at first but the rewards make it all worth it.  Soon the kids will be all moved out and we will have all the time in the world to play and watch mindless electronics.    
                                                        
~My kids really enjoy watching movies, playing games and apps on their iPods, playing Xbox, watching funny YouTube videos and just about anything else that is electronic and now they can enjoy them without me nagging them to get off......... on the WEEKENDS!  We both win! ~
                                                       
                                                      

We here at Sparkly Polliwog want you and your families to spend as much time together as possible. You never know if you will have another day together, so why waste it watching TV!?  LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE <3

                                 
With love,
Heather & Brandi  

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McMomald's- Healthy Fast Food

Do your kids LOVE to eat out?  Do you love the quickness and ease of fast food, but don't go very often because of how unhealthy it is?  Do you skip the drive-thru because you and your family are vegetarians?
My answers are YES, YES, and YES!

I used to LOVE hearing my boys get so excited after telling them we were going out to eat. They would all load up in the car with their smiling faces and then fill their little bellies with greasy, delicious, processed, who-knows-what-is-in-there kind of food.  Then to top off the wonderful, "Let's not worry about our health night," they would all bring home every germ from the play area that you could think of.  Not only did we get to buy over-priced junk food with very little nutritional value, but we also got a trip to the doctor's office!  YAY!

Now that we are much more conscious of what we are eating, those days don't happen very often.  After hearing many "Can we please go out to eat mom?" from three boys (whom I have a hard time saying no to), I came up with a new idea......

How awesome is McMOMALD'S?!?!?

My boys asked, "What's for dinner?"  I replied, "McMomald's!"  They all looked at me like I was the weirdest mom in the world.  I just smiled because I knew they were going to LOVE my new fast food restaurant.

To make it fun, I took their dinner order ahead of time.

Do you want a 4 or 6 piece nugget meal?
I used meatless and soy- free Quorn nuggets.  They are made from fungi and oh so delicious!  Definitely the BEST vegetarian nuggets we have had.

What sauce would you like? 
I went to McDonald's and bought dipping sauce for the nuggets for $.25 each.  The first ingredient in the sweet and sour sauce is HFCS, so you might want to make your own.  If you have time, you could try making this recipe: topsecretrecipes.com

Do you want fries with that?
Organic, oven cooked, no salt, GMO free, yummy fries.

You don't have to choose between fries and apples at McMomald's! Organic, fresh, bag-free apples are mandatory with every meal.

Would you like milk, water, juice, or ginger ale? 
I found the cutest mini Hansen's Ginger Ale cans at Whole Foods!  I think the boys' favorite part of going out to eat is always the drinks!  These were very fun and the boys LOVED them. You can buy them online HERE for less than $.50 each! 

For here or to go? 
You could pack it in a bag with the McMomald's logo on the front, or serve it on a tray.  I don't remember where we got our trays, but I found some great ones on Amazon: Silver Tray, Green Tray, 6 Pack, 6 Compartment Tray

There are no cheap plastic toys at McMomald's, but every meal comes with a pack of Glee Gum!  My boys can NEVER get enough gum! Glee Gum has no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners.  You can find it here online. 

They loved putting in their order and I LOVED how fun and easy dinner was!

When I was all done filling up the trays (no one wanted their meal "to go"), my middle son yelled out, "Can we have McMomald's EVERY night?"  We wont be having fast food every night, but I think this will be a fun weekly tradition for our family!

We also had a showing of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs at McMomald's tonight!
These are the little things the kids will remember forever. :)
xoxoxoxoxoxxoox
-Polliwog

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Making your own Fish Crackers

Ok so lets talk about these lil fish shaped crackers. They are everywhere! Snack day, preschools, sporting events, bday parties! If there is an event with kids there, the go to snack choice to satisfy the masses is usually that lil salty, cheesy fish! I have to admit, they are pretty tasty and go well with coffee! Weird, I know, started when I was pregnant. Lol. Then I got smart and started reading labels! Understanding how bad processed foods are and that 75% of processed foods contain GMO's, I thought.....Lets just make those lil crackers ourselves ORGANIC and know whats in them! I found a genius mom on Smitten Kitchen who came up with a recipe to make her own! They only have 4-5 ingredients and are rather tasty!!!!

                                            

I didn't have a fish cracker cookie cutter, but you can order online or I heard of people making their own out of an aluminum can. I haven't gotten that far and that is why mine look like CHICKEN NUGGETS! Lol I was hesitant of sharing the picture bc of it!! HA HA Mine was a santa cutter, but apparently his head is the shape of processed chicken!

Ingredients:
makes~ 100 1 1/2"

• 6 oz (1 1/2 C Grated) sharp cheddar
• 4 tbs butter cold, grated
• 1/2 C whole wheat Flour
• 1/4 C all purpose flour
• 1/8-1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp onion powder (optional)

Lets DO IT:

1. Preheat Oven 350*. Combine all ingredients in food processor or by hand until dough forms into a ball.

                                            

2. If it feels too warm, put into fridge for half hour which will make it easier to transfer shapes to pan. On lightly floured surface and pin-Roll out the dough.

3. Form shape using cookie cutter and transfer on ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper.

                               *see santa head shape? ;) lol

4. Bake ~12-15 minutes on middle rack or until barely brown around edges.

5. Remove and cool on rack.

                                           

Heathers batch-looks more like cheez its :)

                                        Then enjoy!!! Hope you like them! We sure do!

Happy Snacking my fishy friends!

Written by Brandi

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Thrift Store Shopping For A YEAR!

Trying to save the planet has put a huge damper on my wardrobe.

  

Before going "Green" I used to LOVE going shopping and getting new clothes! Now I can't pick something new off the rack without these thoughts running through my head:


- How many pesticides were sprayed to make this?  Did you know that cotton is considered the world's dirtiest crop due to its heavy use of insecticides, the most hazardous pesticide to human and animal health? 

-  How much water did it take to make this?  Did you know that it takes about 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair of regular ol' blue jeans?

globaldimension.org

-  Did kids and/or adults have to endure hours of work in a sweat shop to make this?  Did you know that according to laborrights.org, the official inductees of the 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame were: Abercrombie and Fitch, Gymboree, Hanes, Ikea, Kohl’s, LL Bean, Pier 1 Imports, Propper International, and Walmart?

waronwant

-  Were animals hurt to make this?  You might already know about the abuse animals have to go through to make fur and leather, but do you know about the animals who suffer so you can have wool, cashmere, angora, silk and down?  You can read about it here: Global Action Network

www.happycow.net

Let's just say that my shopping trips never end with me buying much.  Good for the earth, animals and my wallet, not so good for my wardrobe.  After years of empty shopping bags and a closet full of organic t-shirts from Whole Foods, I have decided to try something new.  

This year I am determined to look as good on the outside as I feel on the inside without buying any "NEW" clothes.  It's time for me to stop putting a label on what I think a "GREEN" person should look like. 

How am I going to dress up my life without buying any new clothes for a whole year?  

The thrift store!

Did you know:

-  The Salvation Army is a non-governmental relief agency and is usually among the first to arrive with help after natural or man-made disasters.

-  Goodwill's numbers for 2011:

• People served through employment and training programs:  4.2 million
• Mission services provided: 107 million
• People who earned a job with Goodwill’s help :  189,000
• Estimated total earnings of people who earned a job with Goodwill’s help: $2.95 billion
• Personal and family support services provided: 10 million
• Total revenue generated by Goodwill organizations: $4.43 billion
• Total revenue spent directly on programs: 82 percent
• Total number of donors (includes repeat donations): 79 million
• Total number of retail stores: Over 2,650 and an online auction site, 

-  Retail sales for Goodwill in 2011: $2.59 billion!  That's a lot of money to help people in need!

-  The Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Centers are 100% funded from the proceeds of the Family Stores, allowing them to be self-sustaining.

-  The Salvation Army is deeply committed to the modern-day fight against human trafficking (for sexual and labor purposes) and forms of commercial sexual exploitation innately linked to sexual trafficking.

-  The Salvation Army provides Group homes, emergency shelters, and transitional living centers for people in need.

-  The Salvation Army's red Kettle at Christmas brings in millions of dollars each year to aid needy families, seniors, and the homeless.

 Go to their websites to read more about all the good they do:

  Salvation Army 

Goodwill 

 

Shopping at the Salvation Army or Goodwill helps a lot more than just the environment. After doing research on thrift store shopping, I was in total awe by the amount of people they help.  I love the idea of not buying anything new, giving to people in need, saving money and stocking up my wardrobe all at the same time!    

After telling my husband about my idea of not buying anything new for a year, the first thing he said was, "What about all the people that NEED the clothes?  Aren't you just taking from the poor?"  My response to that is.......... I have NEVER seen a thrift store that was out of clothes!  Usually the racks are so packed its hard to look at what is there.  I also always bring any clothes or furniture we don't want or need back to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.  It's like I am paying to borrow it for awhile. :) 

You might be thinking, "Isn't shopping at the thrift store dirty?"

Do you remember the bed bug outbreak at Juicy, Hollister, Abercrombie, and Victoria's Secret?
Do you wash your new clothes when you get home?
I always come home from the thrift store and throw all the clothes into the washer and dryer before wearing them.  The dryer will kill any bedbugs or other living creatures that may be lurking in the clothes.  If the clothing item is dry clean only, you can get Dryel bags that can be put in the dryer before you wear them.

* There are a few items I won't be buying at the thrift store this year:  underwear, bra's, bathing suits, socks and shoes.

I hope this has inspired you to shop more, save more, give more, and WASTE LESS.  Don't be "green" for yourself.......be green for your kids, and their kids, and their kids, and their kids.  We only have one Earth, let's not wait for someone else to clean it up. 

My year of not buying any new clothes began on Feb. 14th, 2013.  I will keep you updated with my awesome finds!  Please join me in my year of shopping, giving, sharing, saving and loving. 

Alone we are weak, together we are strong!

 xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

             

Here are some pictures of Brandi rocking her awesome thrift store buys!

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Granola Bar Recipe

My kids like to snack, so I try to provide them with heathier, non processed options. I make them these granola bars often but they never end up the same bc I always add new things.This is one of the ways we like it, feel free to add what you and your family likes to the mix.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 C packed brown sugar
• 1/2 C wheat germ or ground flax seed
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 C all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C chips-chocolate, peanut butter, butterscoth,white chocalate  (choose your fav or do all)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 C health bar morsels (optional)
• 1/2 C honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1.                       Preheat the oven 350*. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2.                       In a large bowl, mix together: oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, chocolate chips, health bar and salt. Mix in honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands if need be until well blending. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3.                       Bake for 30-35 mins until golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Thats it! You can add raisins, nuts or anything really to this recipe. Its a base recipe that I throw together and add whatever I have in the cupboard. I really like to add toasted coconut into the mix! So yummy!! Hope you and your family ENJOYS!!

                     Happy Snacking!!!

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Kids Masterpieces in the TRASH

With my first born I kept EVERYTHING! No one picture or craft project was not saved. By the second child I started to keep my favorites. Even then the papers and sparkly craft projects were taking OVER!  I then started just writing their names and age on it then taking a picture. I allow the masterpieces to stay on the fridge so the kids can feel proud of them before

                                 I THROW THEM AWAY!!

                                    

Sounds like a horrible mom, but in fact it saves me from being a crazy hoarder living in piles of piles of paper, glitter, pine cones and popsicle sticks!

                                                 


Here's what I do:
After the work of art (if hangable) graces us with its awesomeness on the fridge, I have the child hold the artwork and I take a picture! This way you can see the age that they made it. I also just take a picture of the art in case I want to put it in rotation on digital frame. It looks like framed art! That way we can enjoy it all the time without having to hang 100 pictures a month. You can also use the pictures to make a photo book of your child's finest work or written letters on an online program like shutterfly or snap fish.. I love reading the kids work and seeing how their handwriting has changed as well as their spelling. I still save a select few, but not many.








 My Two Cuties Briarlyn & Jalen










That's it! A clutter free life just minutes away. Its better to live in the now anyway and really what are you really going to do with all those papers?? Would you really want bins full of your old work growing up as a child? Maybe to see it, but really what would you do with it?? So, take my advice and snap shot it and MOVE ON!! Be careful though, because at first when your child sees you throwing away an art project...... they may get a 'lil hysterical, so make sure you explain it to them first or do it when they are not looking! HAPPY DECLUTTERING!!



written by Brandi

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