Witch Lady at Home
About Me
Ding Dong - this witch is raising two spirited girls - a scary smart Virgo and a surprise red headed Leo! I do my best to make magic and meaningful memories for the entire family. Our life is full of hard work, laughter, lots of travel, and tons of cooking. Hope to share some of the fun and my survival skills with you!
My Blog
We were getting outside every witching hour to run and burn energy and keep from going crazy and then it started raining. So we switched our mindset to getting organized indoors. We identified a couple pain points we needed to solve: 1. WFH husband would come out of office for a coffee or a quick break and we'd all think he had more time and would ask for help with things he really could not address right then. See Spreadsheet solution below. 2. It felt like I was in a continual cycle of make food, clean kitchen, make more food, meals were happening haphazardly. As were some bouts of 'hanger'. See Spreadsheet solution below. 3. We had always had a shared family calendar but it was too cluttered. I did not understand the jargon enough to know what was interruptible and what was not on husband's work calendar. And my calendar was filled with things I haven't yet deleted and things like "post blog" that really don't have to get done at a specific time. See Spreadsheet solution below. 4. The pantry and refrigerator were a mess of unlabeled unknowns that only I was tracking, so the cheese I'd planned to use for part of dinner got eaten for a snack and so on. We set aside 2 hours when the toddler naps for the rest of us to take everything out of pantry and refrigerator, sort it, and put away neatly or dispose of old stuff. I'll work on labels later! We LOVE spreadsheets. So we sat down and created a daily schedule and are focusing on home organization. The girls are helping by organizing their toys too. The best solution has been the simplicity of Work Red and Work Green . I had read one #WFHWK tip about using a red sign when on a conference call and kids should not interrupt unless emergency and a green sign for when it was ok to barge in about a lego catastrophe or slow internet. We adapted that advice and it's been very helpful! It's a Google Doc so we can keep it updated realtime as things change. Maybe you can adapt it for the needs of your house. See below and message me if you want the template.
Decided to start a little series to report on what we do during that wonderful witching hour. You know that 4ish - 6ish time before dinner when everyone needs some fresh air and to burn off some energy. I have other working titles for this time of day: Wine Decision Time, Why The Hell Did We Have Kids Over 40?, Wish I Was Working Not Witching, etc. We live in town and don't have our own yard but we do have a couple good friends in our neighborhood with kids. So we often meet outside if we can to chat and just run around. This loose tradition has now taken on a bit more meaning. Collectively we have a 5 year old, a 4 year old, a 3 year old, a 1 year old, a 3 month old, 1 big dog, 1 handsome devil medium size poodle puppy ( my new baby), and 1 small dog. So during this evolving time I am hoping to meet more frequently and share activity ideas. Thought I'd try to pass that information along as we go through this tough time. Day 1: Red Light Green Light So we played a loose game of redlight/greenlight. There was no straight line or winner we just all ran around yelling on the somewhat muddy patch of grass in the neighborhood open space. Later, I looked up some things and realized we weren't playing by the rules, not even close. Here are those: Playworks red light green light and a very cool section of their website I've bookmarked now! Playworks Game Library We retreated to our homes for a potty break, to console one shy/cranky kid(mine) and get some chalk. Day 1: Sidewalk Chalk So we tried to teach them hopscotch. But that quickly dissolved into just doing sidewalk art, practicing writing names and letters, and the toddler just picking up chalk and walking around with it. Either way I did some research: Again the Playworks game library succinctly spells it out the Hopscotch rules. Found some very interesting history of Hopscotch, started a separate post on that. We are big on Disney's Frozen around here (who isn't these days, they are everywhere, amiright?). These chalk holders, so far, are working wonderfully. Disney Frozen 2 Kids Sidewalk Chalk Jumbo Chalks Set with Holders And my friend mentioned the glitter chalk is great, we'll try these soon. Crayola Outdoor Chalk, Glitter Sidewalk Chalk, Summer Toys, 5 Count Next, go to Google Images Search and search for - sidewalk chalk photos kids - amazing ideas in the results . We plan to try some of all that, so look out for a future post of our fun fails or some amazing kid chalk art! Could go either way. Hope this series is useful and that you come back.
Most Sunday's I cook a leisurely breakfast for the family. And Sunday is also clean out the fridge day (our city garbage and recycling pick-up is on Monday's). So we are trying to use up the food we have, it presents a nice challenge but also forces us to try some new combinations. We had leftover sweet potato tater tots from Saturday's take out meal and a small amount of refried beans from the night before that. Oh and there was one slice of deli ham left from the previous week's lunches. This one turned out great. The hint of bean flavor with just a bit of sweet potato combined with the yummy warmth of egg and cheese makes this recipe a winner in our house. So voila', here is the recipe from last Sunday. Hope you enjoy!
I've been told by a couple teachers they refer to me as the "sandwich lunch lady" at school. My two tricks: Toast the bread and invest in cookie cutters! We use Dave's Killer Bread, thin sliced for all of these. And they are simple enough you should be able to get a couple weeks worth of lunches out of one shopping round. These get eaten, consistently. Oh you bet I still try to add in some variety of wraps and other types of sandwiches but they usually come back home in the school bag. Little cute picky --tches ;-) Cucumber and Cream Cheese 1. Toast bread 2. Cream cheese on both sides 3. Add thin sliced cucumbers 4. Cut off edges, cookie cutter shape or into triangles Avocado, Cream Cheese, and Cheddar 1. Toast bread 2. Cream cheese on once piece of bread 3. Slightly mashed avocado on other piece of bread. About 3 slices of avocado. 4. 2 slices sharp cheddar cheese in middle 5. Cookie cutter of cut into triangles Turkey or Ham, Cheese, Spinach Mayonnaise 1. Toast bread 2. Chop up 3-4 pieces of fresh spinach, mix into mayonaise 3. Knife mixture of spinach and mayonnaise onto one piece of bread 4. Add a slice of deli cut ham or turkey 5. Add a slice of a favorite cheese(we use sharp cheddar typically) 6. Cookie cutter of cut in half Tuna and Avocado Oil Mayonnaise, Avocado 1. Toast bread 2. Mix avocado oil mayonnaise with canned tuna 3. Spoon mixture onto one slice of bread 4. Add slightly mashed avocado on other piece of bread. About 3 slices of avocado. 5. Cookie cutter shape or into triangles Marinara Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Turkey or Ham 1. Toast bread 2. Add a spoonful of marinara sauce to each side of bread 3. Add a slice of mozzarella cheese 4. Add a deli slice of ham or turkey 5. Cookie cutter shape or into triangles Have other ideas? Please share. Moms need a lot of options!
Since working in marketing, we are now on so many, so many many MANY, direct mail lists - it's ridiculous. But each year these 5 Holiday catalogs arrive and bring me a smile. Shinesty Holiday Catalog 2019 Laugh out loud and order audacious gifts. These are some funny people! World Wildlife Catalog Where else can I get my kids a stuffed Okapi or a Three-Toed Sloth . uncommongoods So many amazing things. We are keen on the pottery items. Like this Egg on a Bagel Maker and the Berry Buddy® . In the Company of Dogs This Christmas we are without a dog in the house :-( But we so enjoy the diversity of dogs in their photos and I might have to have the Fringed Alpaca Poncho or the Merry Christmoose for a future furbaby! Harry & David Harvest 2019 The smile this one brings is nostalgic as I grew up in Southern Oregon amidst their orchids . And it feels so good to send a wholesome healthy gift. I recommend a Pear Crate anytime. Hope your shopping and end of the decade holidays are going well!
We travel a lot. And I've traveled alone with the baby in the past, but this was my first-time flying solo with both kids. Thankfully we were on a direct flight that was 3.5 hours long. These are 10 things that helped me get everyone safely (and mostly happy and mostly clean) to and from, keep my sanity, and I hope made the people around us more comfortable: 1. Umbrella Stroller - We love the Yo Yo Stroller We love this stroller! I was able to put a kid in it when we were in busy airports, fold it down when she wanted to walk - it has a shoulder strap to carry like a bag - and finally gate check it. 2. Cosco Car Seat Before I became a blogger, I read an informative blog years ago before my first trip with the baby. Hope I can find it again to give her credit! They recommended this Cosco car seat as it only weighs 5 lbs and is inexpensive. They could roll it on as it is also narrow and claimed it would fit in the aisles. I have ended up carrying it down the plane aisle with the baby strapped in, still the lightweight makes this possible. On the downside it is not that comfortable for the baby - so see also #7 puffy coat below. 3. Go Go Babyz Roller This easily clips on to the Cosco Car Seat and folds down to lay flat in an overhead bin. 4. Pull Ups Since these strong willed, spirited children all things need to be their brilliant ideas.... I start the " we need to wear a pull-up" negotiation early. We go to the restroom before security and they put them on. The Disney branded ones help with this initiative. After we landed and were waiting to deplane, she yelled out the oh so familiar "MOOOOOMMmmmmy, I have to POTTY". I reminded her of the pull-up, she proceeded to tell the nice people around us that she went pee pee in a baby diaper, sigh. 5. Snacks & Water Bottles We don't do snack pouches, a whole other personal preference topic for another post. I'd imagine they'd be handy on a flight although not sure if security allows them through. Here's what worked for us: Kid Larabars, Made Good granola balls, we went to the free water bottle fill up stations after security. And also purchased some string cheese/cheese snack packs on the way to the gate. Finally, we ask for the cheese crackers if offered on the plane. 6. Baby wipes Does any new parent leave home without them? My traveling suggestion, stash them in multiple accessible places. I carry a Huggies clutch, fill the container in my purse, and stick a full back-up set or two in the checked bags. 7. Puffy Jacket So that car seat is not very comfy. One miserable flight with baby #1 not sleeping led to that conclusion. I take a puffy jacket the kind that scrunches up and fits in a bag. I wear it on/or have in the purse bag and then fluff and stuff it in between the seat cover and seat when I strap the seat into the airplane seat. 8. Headphones Noise cancelling ones for the toddler in hopes of sleep, a favorite over ear pair for the kid to watch TV and a pair for me in case the youngest sleeps and I can actually watch along a Kid movie, yeah! 9. Buckle or busy -no noise-soft toy Having a toy that is engaging and does not make noise is key for us on takeoff and when descending. I rotate between toy, snacks, water bottle as soon as the captain comes on the intercom. I've tried many different toys and currently having the best luck with this one. I guess we have Buckle Toy - Bella Square. 10. Soho Collections purse Another pre-blogging recommendation I came across years ago while searching for the best purse for having 2 under 2. It truly has been key when traveling and I need to carry a lot and have easy access to it all. There are compartments for the water bottles to be accessible, wipes on the outside, and a large inside with pockets for organizing the other essentials. And two built in Velcro straps make it easy to attach to the stroller. Even with the best preparation and these items it was a long day. By the time we got the seats in the rental car and got to Grandma's I was ready for a nice glass of wine. Happy traveling this holiday season!
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We were getting outside every witching hour to run and burn energy and keep from going crazy and then it started raining. So we switched our mindset to getting organized indoors. We identified a couple pain points we needed to solve: 1. WFH husband would come out of office for a coffee or a quick break and we'd all think he had more time and would ask for help with things he really could not address right then. See Spreadsheet solution below. 2. It felt like I was in a continual cycle of make food, clean kitchen, make more food, meals were happening haphazardly. As were some bouts of 'hanger'. See Spreadsheet solution below. 3. We had always had a shared family calendar but it was too cluttered. I did not understand the jargon enough to know what was interruptible and what was not on husband's work calendar. And my calendar was filled with things I haven't yet deleted and things like "post blog" that really don't have to get done at a specific time. See Spreadsheet solution below. 4. The pantry and refrigerator were a mess of unlabeled unknowns that only I was tracking, so the cheese I'd planned to use for part of dinner got eaten for a snack and so on. We set aside 2 hours when the toddler naps for the rest of us to take everything out of pantry and refrigerator, sort it, and put away neatly or dispose of old stuff. I'll work on labels later! We LOVE spreadsheets. So we sat down and created a daily schedule and are focusing on home organization. The girls are helping by organizing their toys too. The best solution has been the simplicity of Work Red and Work Green . I had read one #WFHWK tip about using a red sign when on a conference call and kids should not interrupt unless emergency and a green sign for when it was ok to barge in about a lego catastrophe or slow internet. We adapted that advice and it's been very helpful! It's a Google Doc so we can keep it updated realtime as things change. Maybe you can adapt it for the needs of your house. See below and message me if you want the template.
Decided to start a little series to report on what we do during that wonderful witching hour. You know that 4ish - 6ish time before dinner when everyone needs some fresh air and to burn off some energy. I have other working titles for this time of day: Wine Decision Time, Why The Hell Did We Have Kids Over 40?, Wish I Was Working Not Witching, etc. We live in town and don't have our own yard but we do have a couple good friends in our neighborhood with kids. So we often meet outside if we can to chat and just run around. This loose tradition has now taken on a bit more meaning. Collectively we have a 5 year old, a 4 year old, a 3 year old, a 1 year old, a 3 month old, 1 big dog, 1 handsome devil medium size poodle puppy ( my new baby), and 1 small dog. So during this evolving time I am hoping to meet more frequently and share activity ideas. Thought I'd try to pass that information along as we go through this tough time. Day 1: Red Light Green Light So we played a loose game of redlight/greenlight. There was no straight line or winner we just all ran around yelling on the somewhat muddy patch of grass in the neighborhood open space. Later, I looked up some things and realized we weren't playing by the rules, not even close. Here are those: Playworks red light green light and a very cool section of their website I've bookmarked now! Playworks Game Library We retreated to our homes for a potty break, to console one shy/cranky kid(mine) and get some chalk. Day 1: Sidewalk Chalk So we tried to teach them hopscotch. But that quickly dissolved into just doing sidewalk art, practicing writing names and letters, and the toddler just picking up chalk and walking around with it. Either way I did some research: Again the Playworks game library succinctly spells it out the Hopscotch rules. Found some very interesting history of Hopscotch, started a separate post on that. We are big on Disney's Frozen around here (who isn't these days, they are everywhere, amiright?). These chalk holders, so far, are working wonderfully. Disney Frozen 2 Kids Sidewalk Chalk Jumbo Chalks Set with Holders And my friend mentioned the glitter chalk is great, we'll try these soon. Crayola Outdoor Chalk, Glitter Sidewalk Chalk, Summer Toys, 5 Count Next, go to Google Images Search and search for - sidewalk chalk photos kids - amazing ideas in the results . We plan to try some of all that, so look out for a future post of our fun fails or some amazing kid chalk art! Could go either way. Hope this series is useful and that you come back.
Most Sunday's I cook a leisurely breakfast for the family. And Sunday is also clean out the fridge day (our city garbage and recycling pick-up is on Monday's). So we are trying to use up the food we have, it presents a nice challenge but also forces us to try some new combinations. We had leftover sweet potato tater tots from Saturday's take out meal and a small amount of refried beans from the night before that. Oh and there was one slice of deli ham left from the previous week's lunches. This one turned out great. The hint of bean flavor with just a bit of sweet potato combined with the yummy warmth of egg and cheese makes this recipe a winner in our house. So voila', here is the recipe from last Sunday. Hope you enjoy!