Easy chocolate pudding recipe

Our 3 year old insisted on making chocolate pudding for Santa instead of cookies this year. I found an easy, delicious recipe for Chocolate Cornstarch Pudding on AllRecipes.com. I highly recommend it!

I love easy recipes I can quickly make from scratch with ingredients I always have on hand!

The 'baby illusion'

My younger son is 4 months old today. I remember when I first saw our older son after the baby was born. He looked huge! I attributed it to the fact that the baby made him look big but there is some research that suggests there is more to it.

In this Today Mom article, they reference a study from the journal Current Biology. Based on their findings, it seems that moms are actually estimating their youngest (or only) child to be smaller than he/she really is. Estimates of older children are more accurate.

I thought this was very interesting. What do you think?

Seeing the world through 3 year old eyes - the first snow

I love 3 year olds. They're old enough to have great conversations but young enough that they don't yet care what others think of them.

We recently attended the kick off to our town's Festival of Lights. They lit the town Christmas tree and decorations and Santa visited. This event happened to be the evening of our first significant snow fall this winter.

My 3 year old and I bundled up and trudged through the snow. Well, I trudged, he bounded. He couldn't have been happier. What is better than playing in snow for the first time in months under the glow of lights while Christmas music is being played over speakers for everyone to enjoy? Not much, unless you're 3. Then snow angels make all of that even better. 

When you're 3 and you have endless amounts of untouched snow, you must fall backward every chance you get. After all, enjoying the lights while looking up from under a tree is something most people don't have the creativity to try. It's been years and years since I threw myself backward into a pile of fresh snow and looked up to enjoy the view.

Not one person walked past my son without smiling that night. He couldn't contain his excitement. I have no idea how many snow angels were left behind when we headed home. It was a lot, though.

I picture people walking through and smiling at all of the snow angels. I know I did. What a wonderful reminder to enjoy the beauty of everyday things and take the opportunity to have fun without caring about who's watching.

Sick time

The dreaded stomach flu is ravaging our child care center. Children and staff are out sick in huge numbers. 

I would love to keep my kids home with me until it passes but I do not have a lot of time off left after being on maternity leave. At this point, they've already been exposed so all I can do is wait snd hope they can avoid getting sick. 

It's so difficult to be in this situation. Every time my phone rings during the day I panic, worried it's the dreaded, "come get your kid because he just puked" call. 

I know that they'll be sick a lot less when they reach elementary school because they're exposed to it now, but it's still frustrating. It leaves me feeling terribly guilty to drop them off each day, knowing that many of the people around them have been sick. 

I guess we'll just have to keep washing our hands and sanitizing everything. 

I'm sure this won't be the last such instance of illness going through the school, I just hope I have more sick time saved before the next one. 

Tator Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (separated)
• 1 bag tator tots

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Brown the ground beef. Drain and set aside.
3. Melt the butter over medium low heat.
4. Add the flour to the butter and stir until a paste is formed.
5. Add milk and stir until blended. Cook until the sauce is thickened. Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
6. Mix the ground beef and cheese mixture and spread into the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan.
7. Spread the remaining cup of cheese over the meat.
8. Arrange the tator tots across the top of the cheese.
9. Bake 25-30 minutes or until tator tots are crisp and cheese is melted and bubbly.

I don't have all the answers but I can tell you what works for me

Most people who spend much time with me have probably noticed that I'm a little "type A" and a little granola. These two personality traits are an interesting combination that helps me to (try to) stay organized while embracing the chaos of my life.

I've been told that I run a "tight ship" around the house, although you couldn't tell by looking at it most days.

Here are some of the things that work for me.

1. Make a weekly menu and make sure you buy everything you need to make those items through the week. I actually write down the menu and post it on the refrigerator. That way, my husband can start cooking if I'm busy and he can't say he didn't know what to make. I schedule some foods that would go right from the freezer to the oven/crock pot. That way, nothing goes to waste if we have an unplanned dinner out - it just stays in the freezer.
2. Two words: Crock Pot. Nothing makes me happier than throwing in a few ingredients in the morning and coming home to a cooked meal. (It feels a little like you have a personal chef.)
3. If you're cooking anything that can be frozen, double it and freeze half. I cook most things from scratch so this saves me time on nights that are a little more hectic. You do have to plan ahead and thaw the food in the refrigerator the night before. That's another reason the menu comes in handy.
4. Do what you can to get ready for the next day the night before. I like to sit down and eat breakfast with my 3 year old and I'm not good at rushing. That means I need to be organized in the morning. (Because I don't want to get up any earlier than I already do!)
5. Let your children help you. Many times you'll find my 3 year old cleaning/cooking with me while I wear the baby in my Boba wrap. It might take me a little longer, but I'm actually killing two birds with one stone - getting some necessary tasks done while spending quality time with the kids. I've also taught my 3 year old how to sort laundry. Another chance to spend time together while reinforcing colors, etc. (I'm pretty proud of that one.)
6. Use the tv to your advantage. If you know me, you know I have a child development background. Before my second son was born, I was not a big fan of tv for children. Before my first was born, I swore my children would not watch tv. Things change... I allow my 3 year old to watch age appropriate shows while I'm busy doing other things. He doesn't watch them all day and it keeps him occupied (a.k.a. keeps him out of trouble). I enjoy watching tv once in awhile, too. It's really not the worst thing in the world. (Trust me, I've read many studies on it.) 
7. Tackle laundry one load at a time. If you do one load each night, you'll never spend an entire day chained to the washer and dryer. I also have a system in the laundry room to keep me organized. Everyone has a basket where their folded clothes go. I also have a double bar where I hang clothes. I fold or hang the clothes as I pull them out of the dryer so they never sit in a basket getting wrinkly only to be thrown in the dryer again later. I do have to admit, our laundry room looks like a closet because I don't have time to carry the clothes upstairs very often, but at least they're clean and organized.
8. Make sure things are where you need them and everything has a place. Here are some examples - I have two diaper changing areas set up in my house: one upstairs, one downstairs. Our living room end tables have doors: one has books, one has toys. Our son can play there but once things are put away it still looks like an adult space.
9. Make lists. My husband and I have an app on our phones that allows us to create shopping lists that can be accessed by either of us. We also keep a running list of things we need. If we use the last of something, it goes on the list right away. That way, we're not trying to remember everything once we get to the store.
10. Keep a calendar. The app I mentioned above also has a calendar feature. You can even color code appointments for different people (which I love). We can set up reminders that come as texts and emails. I also share our appointments so they can be saved on our work calendars. That way, we never forget to take time off when we need to.

Basically, I've tried to create a system for major tasks that need to be completed. I am not rigid about sticking to it everyday but I think that is why it works for me.

Feel free to share what works for you. I'm always looking new for ways to stay organized.

Staying connected during the day

I am very lucky. Not only do I work from home, I live a mile from our child care center. Most days, I am able to stop by on my lunch break to feed the baby and then sit with our preschooler while he eats.

This isn't the case for everyone, so here's an article from www.ivillage.com with some ideas, Feeling the Working Mom Guilt? Here's How to Stay Connected to Your Kid During the Day.