50 Book Challenge

Lucas finished first grade below grade level in reading. Not only was he behind, but by last school year, he had decided that he hated reading and that he couldn't read.

For someone who literally can't remember a time when I didn't love, love, love reading, this has been a real struggle for me as a parent.

He got special attention and time with the reading intervention specialist at school and we took him to weekly tutoring with a neighbor who is pretty amazing at what she does. And he made great strides, but still, professed his hate for reading and that he'd never be able to do it.

We knew we needed to make sure he read over the summer. He'd made great progress the last few months of school and I knew it would be so easy for him to loose all that momentum. June was incredibly busy and by the end of the month, he'd only read a handful of books. So in July I decided to set a summer challenge for Lucas: to read 50 books before school started.

We have a giant mirror in our dining room and I used teacher bulletin board letters to write "Lucas 50 Book Challenge" across the top of the mirror. Each book = a paper ring to give him a visual of success.

There were some tears, lots of frustrations, lots of cajoling and some yelling, from all of us. But, all that was forgotten when Lucas read his 50th book yesterday and we all savored his triumph and success. Abel and I are so incredibly proud of Lucas and -- even better -- he's really proud of himself.

He might still profess that he hates reading, but now we have tangible evidence to show him when he tells us that he can't read. Because all know that after reading 50 books, he definitely can read!


Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!

So much

San Augustin, El Salvador; Photo by Abel

I wonder if it slipped right past you that I mentioned that I was taking advantage of having the house to myself to host a girls night...in fact, I had an entire week at home alone. Every mama's dream, right? It was luxurious but I also put in a pretty good amount of work cleaning, organizing and purging (and actually working at my job!). The organizing part (toys and bedrooms, at least) lasted for about five minutes after the kids got home, but it was great to purge several large bags of old toys and ephemera and to give all the upstairs rooms a really deep clean. (Even the baseboards, folks!)

The cause of my time alone was that Abel went on a week-long work and community-building trip with our church to visit our sister parish in a very, very rural town in El Salvador. And the boys were at my parents' house for their annual week of Camp Grammy and Grampy.

They all had an incredible week, for different reasons, of course. And Abel came home with lots and lots of stories to share.

One of the most poignant was that he was talking with a young girl (Abel is fluent in Spanish, which was a huge help to him and the group!) and was answering her many, many questions about life in the US. He got out his phone and used the WiFi* to show her some Google Earth pictures of our town and she asked about the rows of small buildings just outside of town. Well, that's the local storage unit facility. How do you explain such excess to a young girl living in such poverty? He told her that in the US some people have so much stuff that they buy extra space away from their house to store it. Her eyes opened in amazement.

When he told me that story, I don't think I've ever been so grateful that we live in a relatively (for the US, but of course luxurious by so many standards) small home and that we definitely do not have a storage unit!

I was thinking a lot about this story and about the young girl this past weekend when Lucas was begging to buy something (er, have something bought for him!) nearly every single second. So much about parenthood is so hard, but I definitely find that one of my biggest challenges with Lucas, especially, is this constant desire for things. Even silly small things that may only cost 50 cents or $1 that he begs for desperately then forgets about they day after he gets them. It is so much easier to give in and buy something for him (or let him buy it) but in the long-run that is not the solution, and not the lesson I want to teach him. Neither Abel or I give in all the time, but I still think that we do give in too often. This is definitely an area that I need to work on as a parent.


*He had limited access to WiFi in parts of the town and yet for a few days there was no running water. Crazy.


Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!

Inside Out BREs

I know this has been on Pinterest and craft/design blogs before, but I thought I'd share my own creation here.

Lots of business reply envelopes have really cool patterns inside -- for security purposes. I get business reply envelopes from one business with this very cool pattern inside. I decided to deconstruct them and turn them inside out.

The final product is a really cool-looking design.

Hopefully the recipient will enjoy receiving this quick note inside a cool envelope as much as I enjoyed creating it!

When was the last time you mailed a card, note or letter to someone? Do it! It will make your day and theirs, promise!




Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!

Pear and Goat Cheese Crostini

I took advantage of having the house to myself last night and hosted an amazing, incredible and awesome evening with about 20 friends. It was so easy and casual and I loved every minute.

I asked everyone to bring something to drink or something to eat, but to not let lack or time to do either to stop them from coming. I did worry a bit that the ratios wouldn't work out, but it all ended up perfectly -- with an abundance of food and drink, even though a few people did indeed come empty-handed. (I was SO glad they just came!)

I, myself, didn't have time to get to the liquor store so offered up some wonderfully cold water that had been marinating (?) with sliced cucumbers for the day. (One of my favorite things about going to a spa is the wonderful cucumber water--why had I never done this at home before?) I also had time to put together a quick and delicious appetizer.

I had pears, goat cheese, honey and olive oil on hand. On my way from work to the Metro I stopped by a bakery and picked up a baguette. (Then spent my Metro ride wondering where that amazing smell was coming from! Silly me.)

It was easy and delicious. By the end of the evening, the pears were turning a bit brown, so this isn't really something you can put together in advance but it only took me about 20 minutes start to finish, including about seven minutes in the oven.

Pear and Goat Cheese Crostini
Slice baguette, place slices on a cookie sheet.
Brush or drizzle slices with olive oil.
Toast in oven until warm and a bit crunchy.
Move to serving plate, top with goat cheese, then a thin slice of pear.
Drizzle with honey.

Absolutely delicious!

Well beyond the yummy food and drink, I was so grateful to have a houseful of awesome women I'm lucky enough to call friends -- and to meet a few new ones! Good for the soul.


Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!

REAL® Seal Challenge: Creamsicle Float

Isn't it funny how sometimes things from your childhood which loom so large as the best thing ever don't live up to your expectations as an adult? Take creamsicles for example -- orange popsicles filled with ice cream (or perhaps an ice cream-like substance?!) just aren't the same as they used to be.

So when REAL® Seal asked me to participate in a recipe challenge using REAL® Seal ingredients, and offered me a gift card to pay for them, and then Lucas suggested ice cream floats, I wondered if I could recreate -- and perhaps even improve on -- my fond memories of creamsicles.

And oh my goodness, I sure did!

These creamsicle floats have been the begged-for dessert in our house over the past week. They are delicious and the perfect treat for the oppressive heat wave we've been experiencing in Maryland.

I bought a six-pack of those adorable mini cans of soda, in orange flavor, of course. Then I scoured the ice cream section for a brand with the REAL® Seal.

Here's the quick and easy recipe:

Smiling Mama's Creamsicle Floats

Scoop one scoop of ice cream into a glass.

Add a few ounces of orange soda.

Top with another small scoop of ice cream.

Add straw and spoon and enjoy!

We eat a lot of dairy in our house. Our milk is delivered fresh from a local farm in throw-back glass bottles. But we buy our yogurt, cheese and ice cream from the grocery store. I know my kids are getting delicious, healthy milk and I want to make sure that the rest of their dairy is high quality as well. When Lucas was a toddler, I used to think that he subsided on cheese and yogurt alone. Now Nathaniel is the picky one who eats yogurt daily -- and often multiple times a day.

I never knew that the REAL® Seal is a really easy way for me to know that products we buy are from 100% US cow milk. Products bearing the seal must must meet specific guidelines and be certified by their dairy processing or food manufacturing companies.

And I'll be honest, as a full-time work-outside-the-home mama to two crazy boys, uber-involved community member and blogger, I don't have a lot of time to put together fancy, complicated desserts. I mean, we're lucky to get a well-rounded dinner on the table every night. And because dairy is such a huge part of our diet, I'm grateful to know that the REAL® Seal gives me assurance at a quick glance in the grocery store.

So, here are a few things I love about these creamsicle floats:

• I can feel good about the quality of the REAL® Seal ice cream.
• Even though I just used a few ounces of orange soda, the boys feel like it's the most exciting thing ever because they are getting soda.
• They can be put together in just a few minutes.
• They're amazingly refreshing and, of course, delicious.
• Any excuse to use jelly jars and paper straws to make them feel extra-special is a WIN for me!
• And, finally, it's such a treat to see my kids enjoy something similar to such a strong childhood memory for me.

This is one satisfied customer!

Thanks, REAL® Seal for helping this busy mama feel good about our family's dairy choices and for funding this recipe challenge which was a fun trip down memory lane for me and hopefully is helping to build some fun childhood memories for my kiddos, too.

Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!

Cascarones on The Daily Buzz!!

Many thanks to my good friend in Nashville for pointing this out...

http://www.thedailybuzz.com.au/2013/03/15-easter-crafts-foods-activities/

 

 

 

 And then scroll down to #15...

What's that? A link to my 2008 Cascarones tutorial! Awesome!!

And, crazy! How did they ever find it?

I really hate to admit that this is the one year since 2008 that I actually haven't saved eggs for Cascarones. Ugh! Total slacker! We live in a fairly heavy Hispanic area and found some pretty great pre-made ones at Shoppers Food Warehouse last year. So, we're counting on that again this year. Next year, though, I'll be back on my game. And I'm vowing now to write a new tutorial with better pictures. Here's a slightly better post I wrote for The DC Moms last year!

Happy cracking!

Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!

Sending you elsewhere...

1. I'm over at The DC Moms with a suggestion for getting through a cold or allergy season.

2. I adore this article from the New York Times. Truly. And considering the fact that Lucas likes to tell everyone about his great great great great great great grandfather (# of greats varies every time, and also, it's more like some sort of distant uncle) who fought in the Civil War, I think we're doing a decent job of this already!

3. If you only click on one of these links, THIS is the one. So beautiful.

 


Original post by Smiling Mama. Thanks for reading!