Major Multi-tasking!

On a typical weekday morning, you can find me running on the treadmill while instructing my 3 year old daughter on an arts and crafts project. Having a task for her to do, keeps her occupied and allows me to run longer. However, today brought a whole new meaning to my multi-tasking mornings. As soon as I started running this morning, she decided that she didn’t want to do art today. She wanted to have a picnic. I tried to explain to her (as I’m huffing), that I would have a picnic after I was done. She said, “No problem mommy, you can have one while you’re running. It’s only pretend food,” So she proceeded to ask me a hundred questions about what I wanted to eat, what I wanted to drink, what seasonings I wanted on my food, etc… Finally, she had the food prepared and it was time to eat (don’t forget, I’m still running). She happily handed me my food, one piece at a time and asked how I enjoyed it. Who knew that it would be so difficult to run, eat play food, and hold a conversation with a three year old, all at the same time? Once the picnic was over, I tried regain my focus and control my breathing. My little one had other plans though. She told me she needed to take her baby for a walk, but the stroller was broken. I told her she could just carry the baby until I was done. “But mommy,” she said, “that’s not how mommies do it. I have to be a good mommy.” So began my attempt to fix a stroller, while running. Thankfully for the baby, I was successful. Unfortunately for me, the baby was wearing the wrong clothes for riding in a stroller. So for the next five minutes I fumbled around with the doll’s clothes (while awkwardly running) until she was properly dressed for her walk. I’m not sure if my workout was successful, but at least I learned that I am one coordinated mama!  Do you often find yourself multi-tasking?  Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Tricky Trivia

Human babies are born with ________ bones.  Human adults have _______ bones.

Take a guess in the comments below.

Two Giveaways Ending Tonight!

Don't miss your chance to win a free bracelet from the Charm Factory.  Giveaway ends tonight at 10pm.  Enter here.

Also don't miss a chance to win a free book from Second Hand Saturday!  Enter here.

Good luck to all that enter!

Fabulous Food Friday with Faith’s Firm Foundation

Welcome to Fabulous Food Friday! While exploring the blogosphere, I realized that there were many great recipes to share. So every Friday, I am going to try to feature an awesome blogger with their great recipe! Today’s feature blogger is Wendy from Faith’s Firm Foundation. When you get a chance, swing by Wendy’s lovely blog. You’ll love her fun, educational, and inspirational posts. Today I will be featuring her Mandarin Chicken Salad.

Here’s a little blurb from Wendy herself:

“I'm a Homeschooling stay-at-home wife and mom. I have a Godly husband, Jerry, and 2 wonderful, still-at-home, kids: Dane, 24, and Kelsey, 20. I love to write and my passion is encouraging women to be the wives and moms God has called them to be, and encouraging daughters in their special role, as well. So, blogging is my way of doing both! I love to meet people and share what God's taught me about marriage in thirty-two years, (I'm still learning!) and through raising my children to adulthood and Homeschooling them from start to finish.  My favorite blog topics are Marriage Tips, Child-training, Homeschooling, Hospitality, and Recipes! Please come and visit me!  A big thank you to Kelly for featuring me today! I hope you enjoy this recipe!"

 And her is here yummy recipe:

"This recipe has been in my Favorites File since I was a new bride 32 years ago. I've served it at Family Picnics, Ladies' Luncheons, Bridal Showers, and Women's Gatherings. I've shared it at potlucks and when I wanted to bless a new mom with a meal. And I've prepared it as a simple supper when we've been just the family eating at the kitchen table. Make it soon and have a copy of the recipe handy, because everyone who tastes Mandarin Chicken Salad wants the recipe!

Mandarin Chicken Salad
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, cut in medium chunks
1 tsp minced onion
1 tsp salt
1 cup green grapes
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup (medium can) mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup macaroni rings
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup whipped cream

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to directions. Cool. Combine chicken, onion, and salt. Add grapes, celery, oranges, cooled macaroni, and mayonnaise to chicken mixture. Mix together and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Don't over stir.) Just before serving, fold in the prepared whipped cream. Sprinkle salted cashews on top.

This recipe is delicious and refreshing and it always gets rave reviews! I love its versatility. It is special enough for a "company" meal, or to serve at a bridal or baby shower, yet it serves well for a picnic supper or evening when you don't want to fuss. Be ready to make this Keep cooked, chunked chicken in the freezer so you can whip this up on the spur of the moment for a delightful summer supper! (If you want to pare down the calories, you can leave out the whipped cream and cashews--and add additional salt and salad dressing to taste.)
Enjoy!

Wired Whimsy

                                      

Are you looking for some beautiful, yet unique jewelry? Christy, from the Etsy shop Wired Whimsy, offers a great variety of necklaces, earring, rings, and other great products. Her handmade jewelry has a vintage feel that you will love. Not only is her selection great, but she loves custom orders. If you see something you like, but would rather a different color or chain length, don’t hesitate to ask her.

Stop on over at Wired Whimsy and check out Christy’s selection. If you fall in love with her jewelry, like I did, don’t forget to join her on her blog, Twitter, and Facebook. You never know when a special discount may come up!

Tricky Trivia

A male moth can smell a female moth from _________________ away.

Take a guess in the comments below.

We Have A Winner!

Congratulations to Glogirl for winning the YOYO Lip Gloss giveaway!  She won with comment number 152 (Tweeted: http://twitter.com/glogirl3/status/14379916939).  Glogirl has been contacted and has 48 hours to accept her prize before I redraw for a new winner.  Thanks to all who entered and keep reading Between the Lines!

Stop, Take a Deep Breath, and Relax

Although motherhood is considered to be the most rewarding gift in life, it can also be one of the most stressful. Most women tend to neglect their own needs upon becoming mothers. While caring for another’s life, we tend to ignore the little warning signs our bodies give us until it too late. As a mother, I feel that it is important to not forget my own needs. I will be the first to admit it took me a long time to understand this, and even a longer time to implement it. However, now that I do remember to take care of myself from time to time, I am a calmer and more patient mother and wife.

Writing in a journal every day is an easy way to relax. By allowing yourself 10-15 minutes of alone time to write will do more than you think. Not only does this give you a moment to sit and breathe, but it also allows you to address your frustrations or joys of the day. I usually tend to write in that order because I finish on a good note and go back to my kids in a better mood.

I also find that daily exercise helps my stress level tremendously. The days I can’t manage to fit in a full workout, I run races with my kids or have an in-house dance party. Just getting your blood moving will help calm your body and decrease muscle tension. The days where my “old” body can’t get moving, the sluggish feeling really weighs me down. Singing is also a great way to release stress. Sing alone or even with your kids. When we sing together, it usually ends in laughter. And as the old saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine”.

The foods you eat can also have an effect on your stress level. I am always hearing mom’s say that they didn’t have time to eat or they just grabbed the quickest thing from the pantry. Not eating or eating too much sugary and fatty food can lower our energy level and add to our stress. I find that it is more beneficial for me to make a meal plan for a week at a time. Not only does this make daily life easier, but it also eliminates unnecessary trips to the grocery stores (which are stressful with kids).

There are so many little ways that we can make our lives less stressful. Go for a walk, get some sun, play a game, take a nap, go out with the girls, etc…. What do you do to keep your stress level in check? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: Country Bob’s Chip Dip

Yesterday, the postman delivered me a great surprise. The generous people from Country Bob’s sent me a cook book with all their best recipes. There are so many great sounding recipes and I can’t wait to try them all. With Memorial Day weekend coming up, we will be grilling our Country Bob burgers (see Country Bob giveaway for recipe) and trying out this new Country Bob recipe. I’ll let you know how it turns out, but if can’t wait to try it, you can get your own Country Bob sauce at your local Super Wal-Mart. Enjoy.

Ingredients

- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped onion
- Salt to taste
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce

Directions

- Cook the ground beef, green peppers, and onions in a skillet until brown and crumbly.
- Drain ground beef mixture and return to skillet
- Season with salt
- Chop the cream cheese into pieces and add to skillet with Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce
- Heat over low heat until the cream cheese melts, stirring frequently.
- Serve hot with favorite sturdy chips

Tricky Trivia

Emus and Kangaroos cannot walk ____________________?

Take a guess in the comments below.

We Have A Winner!

I have another lucky winner to announce!   Comment #41 from mauralynne is the winner!  mauralynne has been contacted and has 48 hours to accept her awesome prize before I redraw for another winner.  Thanks to everyone who entered and I hope you keep reading Between the Lines!

Giggle Junction Review and Giveaway

I-Spy is a staple in our household. You can find us playing it every day, if not every hour. So when the generous people at Giggle Junction sent us a Spy bag to review, my kids were on cloud nine.

The Spy Bags are made from “soft high quality flannel, sewn inside then turned and top stitched with a heavy duty utility stitch for added durability.” My girls were lucky enough to review to princess bag seen above. Outside the bag, they found a plastic card with all 30 hidden objects. Finding 30 miniature objects surrounded completely by non-toxic plastic pellets takes a long time. The two of them sit for at least 30 minutes at a time challenging each other to find the hidden treasures. Of course they have to make sure they shake the pellets around before allowing the other to try!

Giggle Junction’s Spy bags are also useful when going on a car trip, waiting for an appointment, or for dragging your 4 year old through the grocery store. Just stick your toddler in the shopping cart, hand them a Spy Bag, and shop in peace!

Giggle Junction has a great variety of bags to choose from. Not only do they have suitable themes for boys and girls, but their bags have different size windows to match various ages. Younger children, of course will find greater success by using a bag with a larger window. Older kids will get a greater challenge with the smaller windows.

The generous folks from Giggle Junction have offered one lucky reader from Between the Lines to choose their very own Spy Bag! With so many wonderful choices, I’m sure you will find one that suits your child perfectly.


Mandatory Entry: Visit Giggle Junction and tell me which bag you would choose if you won.
Extras: (Remember each entry must have a separate comment and an email address is needed to contact winner.)
~Follow Between the Lines (3)
~ Subscribe to my email (5)
~ Grab my button and leave a link of where it’s displayed (5)
~Add me to your Blogroll and leave a link (5)
~Follow me on Twitter (2)
~Heart Giggle Junction’s Etsy Shop (1)
~Tweet this giveaway leaving me your link. (3x a day not back to back) (1 entry each)
~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link (10)
~Make a purchase from Giggle Junction (10)

This giveaway will end on June 12th@ 10p.m Eastern

*This giveaway is open to US only. Winner will be chosen randomly. An email notification will be sent to the email address provided by the winner. The winner must respond within 48 hours. Failure to do so will result in being disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

 Disclaimer: I received a complimentary Spy Bag in exchange for my honest review. The opinions & thoughts expressed are my own. I received no other compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review.

Recipe Corner: Sugar Cookie Icing

I know this is not one of my typical recipes, but I was so excited to find this, that I had to share. This icing helps make your cookies look professional. When it dries, it is shiny and hard. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
• assorted food coloring

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Movie Quotes Trivia

Can you guess what movie this quote is from?  Bonus if you guess the characters!

"I feel the need...the need for speed!"

Take a guess in the comments below.

Sibling Rivalry

I know I can’t be the only mom out there who has suffered from headaches due to sibling rivalry. There is just something about the high pitched whining sound that causes damage to my poor little head. Luckily, I am able to find comfort in the fact that my girls absolutely, 100% love each other. Although they are bickering like enemies one second, the very next one they are giggling and hugging one another. I’m sure I will never understand sibling rivalry, but perhaps I can find a few ways that will help my girls avoid unnecessary squabbling. Usually, I try to let them figure it out on their own. I feel that this teaches them to communicate with each other (they must do in a calm voice) and to develop problem solving skills. My hope is that if they learn better communication skills, there will be less yelling matches (am I being too hopeful?). I’ve also learned that it does no good to raise your voice at your children when they are fighting. This shows them that when you are angry, raising your voice is the way to communicate. I still reserve my right to yell, but I save it for situations when they are endangering themselves or another.

Every parent needs to discover what is important to their children. My approval is very important to my girls. After discovering this, now I know that I can simply look at them with a sad face and inform them that I am so disappointed in their choices. They immediately stop what they are doing and apologize. The rest of the day they are usually asking me, “Are you proud of me Mommy?” Of course, I’m always a proud mama, but it doesn’t hurt to have them strive to make better choices. Does it? It is very cute to watch two little ones who were just fighting, whispering and working together to make Mommy happy. I know that it is inevitable that siblings will fight, but what do you do to try to create some peace within your household? Grab a latte, put up your feet, and join the discussion!

Recipe Corner: Black Bean Burgers

Are you looking for a healthy substitute for the typical beef burger? If you like black beans, you are going to love these nutritional patties. It may seem a bit different, but give it a shot. You’ll enjoy it!

Ingredients
• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions
1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Movie Quotes Trivia

Do you know which movie this quote this is from?  Bonus if you guess the character?

"When do I get my own flashy-little-memory-messier-upper-thing?"

Take a guess in the comments below.

Clutch That

Are you looking for a new clutch? One with style? Rosemary, from the Etsy shop Clutch That, is sure to have something for you. All of Rosemary’s beautifully unique clutches are hand made out of the highest quality material. Rosemary specializes in “Peacock Clutch purses, brides and bridesmaids clutch purses, evening bags and many other clutch bag styles”. Each bag she creates are done with the greatest care and “attention to detail”. On orders of 3 or more, Rosemary offers complimentary embroidered personalization. Include a monogram or even a special date.

When you have a chance, take a minute to check out this lovely Etsy Shop. Your new bag may be waiting for you there!

Eco Friendly Lunch Box Giveaway

Are you looking to save a little time and money on the many lunches you pack every week? Thanks to Kelly Lester, and ingenious mom of three, you can! Kelly Lester is the creator and CEO of the Easy Lunch Box system. Easy Lunch Boxes are convenient, affordable, and eco-friendly. If you are looking to live a frugal, healthy green life style, you’ve found a great place to start.

The Easy Lunch Box system contains two parts: a cooler bag and a storage container. The cooler bag comes in five great colors and is a great deal at only $7.95. The storage containers comes in sets of 4 and are only $13.95. “Supporting the waste-free lunch movement, EasyLunchBoxes.com offers a reusable, superior solution at a much lower price than other companies.”

These Eco Friendly lunch boxes are not only good for the environment, but for our families as well. They are FDA approved and contain no BPA, phthalates, lead, vinyl, or PVC. They are also dishwasher and microwave safe. The company advises against washing the containers on the bottom rack of the dishwasher, but we wanted to test it out anyway. The product remained unharmed in any way. Of course, I’m not suggesting you do this, but I feel that this proves just how durable these containers truly are.

My daughter loves taking her new lunch box to school. She no longer has to raise her hand in the cafeteria and wait for a teacher to come help her open little container that she can’t budge. With the Easy Lunch Box system, she can easily do it herself without spilling a drop. Although the company warns the containers are not leak proof, we have not had any spilling with yogurt or applesauce! I also love that the cooler bag is large enough to hold two containers. My children are very picky eaters and don’t like ordering food when we go out. With our new Easy Lunch Box system, I can pack them each a meal and carry only one lunch box. The three separate compartments make it so easy to pack, since our foods cannot touch each other!

Do you want your own Easy Lunch Box system? Go here to order today!

Want to win one? Thanks to the generosity of Easy Lunch Boxes, one lucky reader of Between the Lines will win a cooler bag of their choice and one set of storage containers!

Mandatory: Go to Easy Lunch Boxes’ website and tell me something you learned that I did not tell you above.
Extras: (Remember each entry must have a separate comment and an email address is needed to contact winner.)
~Follow Between the Lines (3)
~ Subscribe to my email (5)
~ Grab my button and leave a link of where it’s displayed (5)
~Add me to your Blogroll and leave a link (5)
~Follow me on Twitter (2)
~Follow Easy Lunch Boxes on Twitter (2)
~ “Like” Easy Lunch Boxes on Facebook (2)
~Tweet this giveaway leaving me your link. (3x a day not back to back) (1 entry each)
~Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link (10)
~Make a purchase from Easy Lunch Boxes (10)

This giveaway will end on June 11th@ 10p.m Eastern

*This giveaway is open to US and Canada only. Winner will be chosen randomly. An email notification will be sent to the email address provided by the winner. The winner must respond within 48 hours. Failure to do so will result in being disqualified and a new winner will be chosen.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary lunch box system in exchange for my honest review. The opinions & thoughts expressed are my own. I received no other compensation for my review nor was I under any obligation to give a positive review.

Summer Learning Series

Every child loves summer. Summer is a time for playing outside, swimming in the pool, and hanging out with your friends. Unfortunately, summer is also a time when kids lose a lot of what they learned during the previous year of school. As an elementary school teacher, it was frustrating to watch my students struggle at the beginning of each year with objectives that they had mastered the previous year. As a parent, I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to my children. This summer, I will be setting aside a little time each day for some fun learning activities for my kids. Starting in June, check in each Wednesday if you are looking for some activities for your kids. I will be posting a few things we did the previous week to share. Also if you are interested in doing the same thing, I would love to link up with all you creative moms out there! Just shoot me an email and let me know you are interested. (betweenthelines-kam@hotmail.com ) Let’s work together to help our children have a fun, but educational summer!

Movie Quotes Trivia

Can you guess which movie this quote is from? Bonus if you guess the character!

"Since i've met you, i've nearly been incinerated, drowned, shot at and chopped into fish bait. We're caught in middle of something sinister here, my guess is Dad found out more he was looking for, and until I'm sure, I'm going to continue to do things the way I think they should be done."

Take a guess in the comments below.

Silent Sunday

Look what we made this week!

Disney Fairies!