County Fair Birthday

Our baby girl just turned two. Can I say that again? Our baby girl turned TWO! Ahh where does the time go?

I had this whole grand idea for a County Fair theme, to be held outside in our yard. It was going to be perfect. And then Mother Nature said, I think not. And it rained. And rained. And rained. For three days straight it rained. So much for outside.

Plan ... Z. Because let's be honest who really wants 14 children and 32 adults crammed into their house. I don't care what size home you have.

It went very well however, and I think everyone had a great time. Here's a few pics of the decor if you'd like any ideas of our own.


The cake - A farm scene completed with ducks.

 

The flowers. Anyone who knows me knows that no party is complete without flowers. And we had lots of them. Petite, pink and white flowers. 

And the food. 

The Menu:

Tator tots

Corn on the Cob

Smoked Wings

Veggie and Fruit Platters

Popcorn

Animal Crackers

All things that remind of the the fair

The activities:

Bucket fishing 

Bean Bag Toss

Face Painting

Destroying the Play Room - or maybe that was just an added bonus. *Wink*

Oh yea, and don't forget singing in the rain.

 Some additional decor.

And the party favors. Squash seedlings.

Tag reads:

"Thank you for celebrating year TWO with me!

I'm so small today,

but time passes so quick.

With sunshine, water, and room to grow,

I'll be as big as you before you know."

Anyway, We had a great time! Now to plan for next year.

What theme are you doing for this years birthday?

Oh Miley. Sigh.

The 'Miley Cyrus Incident' has creeped its way back into my newsfeed somehow. {I really thought it was dead and gone. Sigh.} And a few insightful posts had me thinking today.

As the mother of a young daughter I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want for her in the future. Not the woman I want her to be, because quite frankly I want her to choose the woman she wants to be, but the experiences and foundation I want her to have to build upon.

So what would I want her to understand about the 'Miley Cyrus Incident'? Well let's back up to what I want her to understand about sex.

Sex is a taboo subject, to be hidden away in skanky sex shops and never to be talked about and certainly not to be seen. Of course I'm not saying we should have public orgies, but the outrage that has been expressed over various 'sexual' acts {oops I see a nipple, anyone? Not to mention a little NIP (Nursing In Public)} is totally out of proportion. Be upset, sure, I don't know why, honestly, but be upset. But use that opportunity as a teaching point for our children.

But wait, back to M and what I want her to understand about sex. {Sorry, ADD kicked in.} I don't want it to be a taboo subject. No, I don't EVER want to hear the details, but I want her to understand that sex is a healthy part of a mature relationship. That one day when she meets the right man {at the age of 40} and they mutually decide to take their relationship to the next level, it's something she should be proud of, a moment to be excited over. And one I want her to be comfortable sharing with her parents mother. {Let's be honest, Dad NEVER wants to know.}

If we perpetuate the idea that sex is dirty and shameful than we never really teach our children healthy sexual relationships. We can't continue to stick our heads in the dirt and hope that someone else takes responsibility. The Miley Cyrus' of the world, no matter how hopeful we are they will be great role models, are not going to take responsibility to teach our children. That's our job as parents.

So let's talk about our job as parents for a second. It's a tricky subject these days. I believe the biggest issue that creates this precarious "I hope I don't offend you" attitude comes from a simple misunderstanding. The definition between 'want' and 'need'. A definition that our society struggles with as a whole, not just the parents. Our job as a parent is to meet our child's needs, and needs alone, and then allow them to safely navigate, explore, and obtain knowledge in our world and determine their wants.

So what does this look like? Your child from birth has basic needs: nutrition, sleep, comfort. These truly never change. The appearance of the needs changes: breastmilk to solid foods, short naps to long nights, holding and closeness to support in the tricky turbulence of emotions. These needs must be met but a parent, but anything else should be guidance. And we have to guide our children, we cannot expect them to learn on their own. Just a child left to cry does not learn to regulate their emotions, only to shut down and withdraw, a teen left to navigate the waters of interpersonal relationships and sexuality will inevitably fail.

So back to Miley Cyrus. This was a prime chance for guidance of our youth. Ask them what they thought of the situation. Use their response to guide them into an appropriate perception. Take responsibility.

So be outraged if it makes you feel better, but don't stick your head in the sand and hope someone else will make it go away. We need to give our youth the chance to succeed and fail, but we should never stop being parents.

Oh yea, almost forgot. Here's your daily baby cuteness. *Smile* The little one I love to guide. 

Baked Eggplant {Surpize}

I made dinner for family last night; grilled bbq chicken drumsticks, tater tots, and baked eggplant. When told the menu, each of them separately told me they didn't like eggplant. I encouraged them to try it before they made a decision.

                                                                         And then the eggplant was the first to go. 

So I thought I'd share the recipe with you guys {since its been slightly modified from anything I found online}. 

BAKED EGGPLANT SLICES

2lb eggplant (give or take) 

Sea Salt

3 eggs

1c flour

2c Panko flakes

Seasoning* {See below}

Olive Oil

Prepping the eggplant
                                        is crucial.

If you change anything, it can't be this part. 

Slice the eggplant in approx 1/4 inch slices.

Layer on a paper towel generously sprinkling salt between the layers {no worries, this will be rinsed off, don't be greasy with the salt}.

Place a paper towel on top of the layers and cover with another plate or item heavy enough to slightly squish the eggplant. The goal is to draw the moisture {and subsequently bitterness} out of the plant. Let this sit for at least 30 mins.

Then rinse the eggplant slices well and pat dry.

Prepping for cooking

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using three bowls {or plates} fill one with flour, one with whisked eggs, and the third with panko and seasoning.

Cover the slices with flour, then egg, and finally panko mix. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Immediately prior to placing in the oven, drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 30 mins {or until golden brown} flipping them once half way though.

Tip: For the third bowl, I used 1 tbl seasoning* to every 1 c panko. I suggest using a cup at a time because it tends to get clumpy once you put the egg covered pieces in it. When it's gotten to clumpy to use, add the additional Panko and seasoning.

*You can use just about any seasoning you'd like. We used a Herb & Salt mix from Village Garden we purchased at the South of the James Farmers Market. Old Bay would also work, or any of your favorite seasonings. Get creative.*

Seriously delish. I didn't like eggplant before either.
                                                                               Now I'm so glad we planted 5 eggplant plants. 

{Mommy} Time

"My child is my life"

It's a quote I've run upon a lot recently in my bedtime routine blog perusing. It's a quote that both rings true and confuses me. I've spoken these words myself, but now it's making me think.

     What's the real meaning of this quote?

          How should we be using it?

I also recently broke out the glitter and paints.

                                                                         And that's when it all come together.

My child IS my life, she's my everything. This doesn't have to mean I put my entire life on hold while I teach her to be amazing. In fact, how can I teach her to be amazing if I'm not?

Along with reading, writing, and arithmetic, I want my child to learn to be inquisitive and take chances; to be strong and independent, yet compassionate and giving; to know herself, her limits and to test them often; I want her to learn to be herself, and be proud of herself. These are not lessons she can read or hear and learn, these are lessons you can only learn through experience and observation.

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them." 

                                                                 - James A Baldwin

I have learned {there she goes teaching her mom lessons again} that I have to continue to be me. And this is where my glitter and paints came in. I LOVE to craft, and I mean LOVE. I've been called Martha a time or two {minus the jail time}. And in the last few days, these small projects have been completed. {Sorry for the bad pictures}.

I need to continue these things to show Madison the woman she can be. The things she can do, and how to live a fulfilling life. I can't tell her that, I have to show her.

Does this mean that I'm going to start taking a girls night every month or more away time without her? No. Because quite frankly that was never me. It beyond frustrates me when people tell me I need more time away from her. I don't, I just need more time to do what makes my heart sing. And that's create.

With her, without her. Doesn't matter. I just need to remember to be me. So she can learn to be her.

What do you do to make sure your children see you being you?

Learning our {Body Parts}

I discovered by accident a great activity a few days ago.

My 16 month old is big on learning body parts these days. She gets very excited to be able to point a new place on herself. I was playing with the camera the other day and she wanted to 'help' as she always does. So I started showing her pictures of herself, this sent her to the moon. She was so excited to see herself on the tiny screen so we took it a little further {and she was entertained for a while!}.

And looked at her toes ...

                         
                                                                                                     And her ears ...

                                        

                                                Hair ... 

Her cute little belly ... 

Those engaging eyes ... 

             And button nose ... 

And those perfect fingers ... 

This continued on for a while. She loved it. And we've done it a few more times adding parts as we go {shoulder, knee, ... }. She gets to learn her body parts {even the ones she can't see} and pose for the camera in the process {another favorite}.

{Piggy Paint} Natural Nail Polish Review

My daughter was watching me put eyeshadow on the other day {A SUPER rare occurrence in this house.} and wanted some of her own. I had some obvious reservations about putting makeup on her face, but there was a bottle of nail polish on the counter so I thought 'what the heck?' and began to paint her nails.

She sat there patiently as I put a tiny drop on each of her adorable little nails. Never wiggled or got bored. Enthralled in the idea that her fingers were now a pretty pale pink. When I was done she immediately went to show daddy, proud of her new look. 

A few days later I returned home from work to a toddler with that same pretty pink color on her hands and arms. Daddy had tried to paint her nails. {Insert 'awww' here, I know, I know.} 

Since then she's brought me the bottle a few times, but I'm super hesitant to continue this because of the strong odor nail polish has. It just can not be good for you, and certainly isn't good for a young developing set of lungs and brain. 

So the hunt began. We went shopping, and you would be amazed at the looks I got when I asked in store after store if they sold a natural or low odor nail polish. You would have thought I had asked for a paper free greeting card. Seriously. 

We ended up at Wal-Mart ... the least likely place, or so I thought. And that's where we found it ... 

                      Piggy Paint. 

  The slogan reads "As natural as mud."

                                                                                         I love this stuff {so far}. 

It smells natural, almost like mud, more accurately like clay, there's no harshness or offensiveness to it. The colors are super cute, vibrant pinks and purples {or that's what Wal-Mart carried}. The first ingredient listed is water. Plain. Simple. Water. It's non-toxic, eco friendly, and hypoallergenic. Makes me feel alot better about my daughter putting her fingers in her mouth {to eat dirt} after they're painted. 

So how does it work? It only took two coats to get a smooth perfect finish that dries to the touch in less than 60 seconds {two rounds of the ABC song per the website. Hee hee} and I cleaned the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher just minutes after it dried without a chip or scratch to be found. Amazing if you ask me. 

I bought these for my daughter, but you better believe I will be using them as well. We'll see how it holds up to the hand sanitizers at work. {That's the true test.}

And what is more adorable than a little girls pink fingernails?

{Visit their website here.}

We also purchased the polish remover. I love that the main ingredient is corn alcohol, nothing too awful AND it too doesn't have an offensive odor. It works great, especially to get the excess polish off the skin from the wiggles. I used a Q-tip to do this.

All in all, so far, great product!! So glad I found it!

What I've learned from George Zimmerman & Trayvon Martin

I'm sorry but I'm so over the Zimmerman/Martin thing. 

First, I {and I assume many of you} haven't combed the evidence or listened word for word to the trial and obviously weren't there so I feel we really have no say or valid opinion in the matter {that's why we have a jury and lawyers} but more importantly the idea that he was judged by his skin color or dress or actions is not a novel idea. It's been happening since the dawn of day. Is it sad, yes. But honestly it's a matter of survival. 
                           You don't go with the funny looking man offering you candy. 

                                                                    He might be an upstanding citizen, you don't do it. 

What I have taken away from this and what I will teach my daughter is that you should be cautious, after all it's a different world out there, but be cautious about your caution. And for heavens sake leave the situation if you can. Let people be {unless they're carrying a machine gun and yelling at the neighbors of course, and then just call 911 and walk the other way}.

Have frank conversations with your children. You will be judged by your color, no matter what color you are. I'm sorry, but there's a reason I take my African American friends with me to some restaurants, I they know this. The fact that they are okay with it solidifies my beliefs that when I walk in the majority of the patrons are going to think "what is that white woman doing here?" It's okay, I am aware of the situation, I still want the good food so I bring a friend. 

You will be judged by your clothes, no matter what they are. Dress preppy and you're a rich prick who doesn't know what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck. Holes in your clothes, you don't have enough money to buy new. Pants sagging, clearly you don't abide by the law. The list goes on. 

You will be judged by your actions. Give the homeless man a few bucks and you think you're better than him, don't give it to him and your stingy. 

But above all teach them to think before they judge. 

You're children are going to judge their playmates, their family, the patrons at the grocery store. That's okay. They should, again it's a matter of survival to form opinions about those around you. Teach them to think it through. You think the woman in line in front of you is friendly or mean, why? Is it because of what she's wearing? Why? Because of something she said or did? How did it make you feel?

Teach your children to be insightful. Ask them what their first opinion of strangers is and then ask them 'why?'. 

I equate it to teaching teens abstinence. It's not enough to simply say 'dont have sex'. They're going to, teach them to be safe, the emotions that come along with the actions, and the consquensces. 

They're going to judge, teach them to judge with thought, with reason, with solid foundations. Not because someone else thinks so. 

Teach your children to think. This is what's going to change how we treat each other.