Enterprising Mama

Martha Moment

2008-05-22T11:29:00.000-04:00

At this point I have determined that teething is going to last until Short Stuff is about 16, but that is another story. This is a recipe for a great teething stick that they can eat even after they are teething. It doesn't turn into a gooey mess that hardens to a concrete like substance and the hands on time is pretty minimal.

Banana Sticks
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil ( I use olive oil but canola works too)
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 3/4 cups flour ( white, wheat or a mix)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix together and bake in a loaf pan at 350° for about 1 hr or until toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool slightly and then turn out onto cooling rack until completely cool.
Cut into bite size sticks. Bake at 200° for 1.5 hours until dry. The original recipe says 1 hour but that didn't even come close. I sometimes leave the in for up to 3 hrs.

Martha Moment

2008-05-16T11:15:00.002-04:00

I am bad, and I mean really bad, about sending cards to people. I miss Birthdays, Thank Yous, just about everything.

A few years ago I decided I would fix the issue by buying all the cards I needed for the entire year in January, signing, address and putting a stamp on them and then putting a reminder in my calendar.

That worked great until I moved, lost my calendar and had a kid.

Now I am in trouble all over again but I have found a solution ( I should say Littlest Sister found it). Jack Cards.

This is so great. You do still have to organize things a bit but after that, they take care of everything, even if postage goes up or you don't look at your personal calendar for a week or two.

Splitting Time

2008-05-10T11:51:00.003-04:00

Blah. I just erased everything I wrote. It got all preachy and that is the last thing you need to read.

I am calling these sections "Splitting Time' because I really feel like that is what I have had to do. All through school and the first 7 years of my business, I just worked liked crazy. I would push deadlines to the last second, stay up all night for days to get something done and then crash, work at night or weekends. I even did it when Short Stuff was first born.

I took her on a plane and flew to Arizona when she was 9 weeks old to go to a business retreat. And you know what, I am not sorry I did that. I couldn't do it know, but it worked for me then.

As time has passed I realized that I had to make some changes. I used to sit Short Stuff on my lap while writing e-mails for a National Board I sit on. She somehow magically hit a couple of buttons one day and rearranged my entire e-mail, added some random letters and sent it before I even knew she had touched the keys.

Now I break up my day. I don't even try to work when she is home or awake. This is only possible through the magic of a great daycare and husband. I actually get a lot more done now than I used to because I am focused on the task at hand.

Hi "Suzy's Mom"

2008-05-09T11:10:00.000-04:00

As you know, I didn't always want to have kids and this is one of the reasons. I had been me, Amy, for over 30 years and didn't want to lose who I was.

I few years before I decided I wanted kids I was in a Costco and witnessed one grown woman go up to another grown woman and say "Hi, Suzy's Mom" and the other woman replied "Hi, Jack's Mom". I almost lost my lunch.

I wanted to yell, you both have names you know, since when did you lose them?!!!

I can see how it can happen. Kids suck you in (in a good way) and you do change, but that doesn't mean you lose who you are or were, it just means you add to it. One day Short Stuff will move out and where will I be if I spend 18 years (fingers crossed) as "Short Stuff's Mom". I choose to be Amy, mom of Short Stuff, it has a longer and I believe healthier shelf life.

Martha Moment

2008-05-08T10:25:00.004-04:00

Ever since I can remember I have made fun of my mother for making my baby food. I have even gone so far as to blame my fairly encompassing hatred of vegetables on her giving me such healthy food as a child. She even baked bread from scratch and made a lot of our clothes! I mean, really.

Well, it is her turn to make fun now. I realized pretty fast that baby food was going to cost a fortune and it didn't seem that appealing to me anyway. So, gasp, I decided to make my own.

My mother is never going to let this one go. I hear about it every time I see her but the money saved is worth it.

Here's the deal. You don't need special kits or equipment. You just need a steaming rack, a food processor, ice cube trays and freezer bags. I already have everything but the ice cube trays and bags. The trays I got for $1 each (get as many as you can stack in your freezer, it makes it go faster) and I bought freezer bags from a bulk store. The quart size are perfect and get a good brand or freezer burn will get ya.

I just set aside one a every 3 months. Steam up a bunch of veggies, cook some different meats and starches and start blending away. If you put each blended ingredient in its own bowl, you can mix and match to your hearts content, add spices if you want and come up with all sorts of cool meals.

Then you just spoon food into ice cube trays, freeze and place in labeled bags. Each cube is about an ounce of food so you just zap as many as you need in the microwave and, voila', food is served.

I have been able to feed Short Stuff organic foods, whole grains and even some cool spices for so much less money than the individual jars of food.

Don't get me wrong, I still buy jars sometimes and I don't make handmade Cheerios, but this has been a money saver and also kinda fun.

P.S. This is a day that hubby watches the kids. Another bonus.

Great Gear

2008-04-22T15:47:00.000-04:00

Diaper Bags.

It took me three tries to find one I like and I know I am not alone.

I finally spent about 2 hours looking at all the bags I could find on the Internet and then found the best site Ebags.com. The prices are great and so is the customer service.

I finally settled on a bag by Baby Kaed - Devani Nylon Diaper Bag (Tan w/Chocolate). It was more than I originally wanted to spend but when I added up the cost of the other two, I would have saved a lot by just getting what I wanted in the first place. ( That doesn't just go for diaper bags.0

I am not a frilly girl, so a lot of the bags kinds made me say "eewww". I also realized I needed to keep the darn thing from sliding off my shoulder while I carried Short Stuff. This can be worn like a purse or a messenger bag and stays put both ways.

I like it so much, I have used it as a carry-on on flights and have even used it as a soft briefcase for board meetings. I get complements on my "great bag" all the time, not my "great diaper bag".

Splitting Time

2008-04-21T15:20:00.000-04:00

As you know I was in WI recently. My other little sister ( I'll have to come up with cool nicknames for them or something) stayed a few days longer with me and we decided to take Short Stuff to the zoo. I actually think my sister wanted to go more than anyone (she also has an obsession with Disney World, I mean it, an obsession).

I just got a new cool phone so I can check e-mail and such while away from home. In addition to painting murals, I coach people with creative businesses and I was waiting for a call from a coachie. Next thing I knew, I was pushing a stroller and talking about websites while walking through the zoo.

What was I doing! I tell my clients to make personal time and I wasn't even listening to my own advice. I rescheduled the call for later that day and went on to have a great time at the zoo. It wasn't a big deal for my client, she could wait a few hours. It was a big deal for me, I would have missed part of Short Stuff's first visit to a zoo.

Vacation?

2008-04-19T15:08:00.005-04:00

I was in WI visiting GG ( my Grandmother and Short Stuff's Great-Grandmother). I am pretty sure it was supposed to be a vacation but getting a 16 month old on and off a plane, keeping her quiet, adapting her to the time change and having her meet family members she hasn't seen in months... Vacation? Not so much.

That's OK. I love my family and GG has been bugging me to have kids since I was about 14. (Having a baby at 14 would have actually horrified her but I am pretty sure she didn't want to wait until I was in my 30's.) I have the very first great-grandkid since one of my younger sisters had her baby 13 days after me. Whew, I just slid in under the wire there.

My sister was there too and I found myself comparing Short Stuff to her kid. Silly but true. Why do we do this to ourselves? It is like kids give us a whole new way to beat ourselves up about our lives.

Great Gear

2008-04-07T20:10:00.003-04:00

Anti-Icky-Poo

This is a product I discovered while trying to clean up after my dog with separation anxiety (a topic unto itself). Nothing could actually get the urine smell out my carpets until I found this. It even gets the smell out of wood.

Kids have all kinds of "accidents" and this stuff gets out the smell. It will break down any organically caused smell and there are plenty of those with kids. I even use it to wipe down my diaper pail periodically.

Bonus: you can still use it for pet accidents, it will even remove skunk spray!

My Body, Oh God No

2008-04-06T20:27:00.003-04:00

This is not going to be a love yourself post. I am not really a rah, rah person. I just need to write something about body image.

First, I must make a confession. The picture you see to the right is pre-baby. I probably need new publicity shots and I have been "getting ready" to make an instructional video for months.

I just can't get over how much my body has changed and I have now realized that is it affecting my business. I need to make that video before I start going out and teaching at the conventions this summer. I think I am just going to have to bite the bullet and get over myself, but that is easier said than done.

Ya, ya, I know. If I diet and exercise I can lose weight and look better but... come on! I spend all my time running my company, helping my husband run his, and taking care of short stuff. I even have an extremely helpful husband and this is hard.

It doesn't help that whenever you see someone famous, they seem to get skinny right away and credit it to nursing. Bull, it is because they have baby nurses, nannies, personal trainers and a host of other help and they can often work out up to 2-3 hours a day. I would look great too.

This was not a consequence I even considered when I decided to have kids and it is not just a personal consequence, it has become a professional one as well.

Great Gear

2008-04-05T18:04:00.005-04:00

These look great. I won't even buy socks without non-slip for Short Stuff anymore. Thanks to workingmomsblog.com.

Product Review - Grippies

by Amy W.

Corrie Wilder and Yelena Mogelefsky bonded on the Long Island Railroad while sharing the same story: their kids were slipping all over the place. Not all socks have non-skid bottoms, nor do tights. And the ones that do have non-skid bottoms, they seem to never be in the right place.

So the idea for Grippies was born. And instant, easy and economical way to add traction to the bottom of tights or socks.

I was sent a package of the Iron-On Grippies as well as the Stick-On Grippies. My entire first floor is hard wood. And both of my kids love to run circles around through the kitchen, into the dining room and back through the family room. Often times they are chasing the dog or each other. Most of their socks have non-skid bottoms, but they still tend to slip. And none of the tights I have for either girl have non-skid bottoms. To say these Grippies come in handy is an understatement.

I used both, the Iron-On ones and the Stick-On ones on socks and tights. And both worked beautifully. The stars are cute, and the girls love saying they are "stepping on stars".

But there are other uses too - not only socks and tights, but gloves and heck, socks and tights for me as well. Not that I run through the kitchen chasing the dog, but I tend to be clumsy and coming down our all wood stairs is often an accident waiting to happen. And they are helpful for keeping my feet from sliding in my shoes when I have stockings on.

Check them out for yourselves, not only are they economical, but I am sure you can find more uses for them than I could think of.

I Hate Snot

2008-04-02T23:15:00.004-04:00

I mean it. I really do hate snot. I can handle a diaper, or pee, or vomit better. At least they stop or can be thrown away or caught or something.

The snot just keeps coming.

My daughter is home this week because she has the B strain of the flu. After the slight panic of her first really high fever (103.3) I am now just in "get better already mode". I am getting nothing done except during her naps and I feel like all I do is wipe snot off her face.

She just got over a cold! I thought it was over but it is just never ending. They don't tell you about this in the baby books (of course they skip a lot in those books, I think they don't want to scare you away).

So that's it. My first post is about snot. Maybe not lifechanging but true none the less.