Christina's Top 10 Decorating Tips for the Holidays

Ho, ho, ho, the Christmas season is upon us! Are you in the holiday mode yet? Currently, I am attempting to create the perfect Christmas card, complete all of my Christmas shopping and I am DECORATING!

Here are 10 fun and easy ideas for decorating your house this holiday season.

1. Fill a huge clear vase with silver Hershey’s kisses

2. Check out these cool chalk board place mats : http://www.thestoragestore.com/search.html?q=chalk+board+place+mat

3. On a budget? Purchase holiday-themed 12x12 scrapbook paper and use for the kid’s place mats

4. Spray paint branches or leaves with white or gold/silver metallic spray paint for a beautiful centerpiece

5. Purchase plaint white ceramic mugs and markers that are safe for ceramics and have guests decorate their own mugs. www.markersupply.com

6. If you purchase a real Christmas tree, ask the guys that cut off the bottom to include the extra branches. Then, cut them up and use them for mantle decoration.

7. Fill a shallow dish with lemons, limes, and Clementine oranges. Add small pine branches and mini ornaments for a bright and happy centerpiece.

8. Buy a simple wall frame in a large size (like 8x10), then put a piece of vintage inspired scrapbook paper as the mat and put your favorite holiday photo on top of the paper (even better if the photo is B&W!)

9. Hang ornaments from your dining room chandelier. Use the same ornaments for a glamorous feel or different colorful ornaments for a casual feel.

10. Want to have more than one tree? Purchase a small faux tree (I bought a 2-3 foot tree at Target for $8.) Decorate in all one color. For example, spray paint faux pears and apples in gold or silver. Or, purchase inexpensive snowflake ornaments (Hobby Lobby has great sales) and spray paint them all one color. Or, buy gold leaf and use on real pine cones from your yard.

Hopefully these ideas will get your holiday decorating juices flowing and help get you in the Christmas spirit! Happy Holidays everyone!

To read other blogs by Christina Ramon, founder of Mommy Wisdom, please visit http://mommywisdomblog.blogspot.com/

Christina's Take on Turkey (Day)

I love tradition, party planning and holidays, but Thanksgiving is probably my fourth favorite holiday. It’s not that I dislike it, because of course I love getting together with family to give thanks, eating green bean casserole and having a “holiday weekend,” but it ranks below Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Why is that? Maybe because I don’t like the color brown. Or maybe because I am not a fan of pumpkin pie.

So when writing this article, I decided to look back into history and see how the tradition of Thanksgiving dinner began. In the back of my mind, I remembered hearing that the Pilgrims and Indians didn’t actually eat turkey, cranberries and sweet potatoes. What’s the deal then? I need to be accurate in my knowledge before my 4-year old starts asking questions.

The first Thanksgiving was actual called a “harvest celebration” and was between the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag. Although wild turkey was in their diet, there was never any mention of it in history, when referring to the “big day.” And there also would have been cranberries in both the settlers and the Wampanoag’s meal, but certainly not as sauce with added sugar. Spices (sugar included) were very expensive at this time in England, so the odds that a settler would have access to it would be slim to none. I could continue to explain how both white and sweet potatoes were also not introduced at that time, but I think you get the picture.

I naturally then wondered how we all came to eat the exact same meal the last Thursday in November every year? It is agreed by historians that the term “Thanksgiving” came to be 200 years after that 1621 celebration. The day refers to the Separatists of colonial New England that celebrated three holy days, one of which was a feast of thanks. This was celebrated after continued hardships were solved (like not receiving supplies from England for many months.) It actually would have been a day with lengthy church services and a day of fasting!

Over the years, as new colonists and new faiths came to America, the holiday became more secular and eventually was established by the government. Surely this must have been when the menu was created?

I searched high and low and I found very little that explains the origin of our current Thanksgiving menu. It is generally agreed that turkey is served as a nod to the Pilgrims – who ate wild turkey. Otherwise, it is believed that the side dishes were chosen around the same time that Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every Thanksgiving, in 1863. And finally, it makes sense to believe that the menu was chosen to go with the Autumn season and the coming Christmas holiday.

But who created my favorite – the green bean casserole? It remains a mystery, at least to me. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

To read other blogs by Christina Ramon, founder of Mommy Wisdom, please visit http://mommywisdomblog.blogspot.com/

Tara's Tips!

Plyometrics add Strength

Adding plyometrics to your workout is a great way to add strength and power. Plyometrics are exercises designed to produce fast, powerful movements. They are primarily meant to improve performance in athletes and add speed in sports. But aren’t we all athletes? We each can use a small change to our routine and add some power!! Try adding these following exercises to your workout.

Plyo Lunges

Stand with legs in lunge position, knees over ankles, abs tight. Jump in the air and switch feet. Continue for either 30 seconds or 10-15 reps.

Medicine Ball Pushups

Start with one hand on the floor in pushup position, the other on top of a medicine ball. Walk hands over the ball, switching position side to side after each pushup. Moving quickly, complete 10-15 pushups.

Box Jack

Start straddling an aerobic step or small bench. Jump up on top of the step in jumping jack form and back down to floor. Do the jumps with light feet and move quickly up and down. Continue for 30 seconds or 10-15 reps.

Similarities between golf and motherhood...

There are few places I'd rather be than on a golf course playing a round with Chris. I love it for a variety of reasons; the scenery, the relaxed atmosphere, the hours of uninterrupted adult conversation (possibly with a beer or two) and then of course, there is the actual game. Now mind you, if you know me, I say I can enjoy golf still because I am not that good. I put no pressure on myself other than to enjoy the round. I can also enjoy it because it hardly ever happens anymore; since kids, I think I've played once, maybe twice a year.

That is the big picture of why I like it; however, in a round of golf there are frustrating aspects, I do not like every shot I take, there are few times that I feel 100% confident in my swing but overall, I love it. This is why I think it is a lot like being a mom. I do not feel confident in 100% of the things I do with my kids, I wish I could take mulligans on a daily (if not hourly) basis; but overall, I LOVE what I do.

This metaphor is what "drives" this story home. My family was sitting around the dinner table tonight and I felt like I had just hit a great shot (the kind that kind of makes me want to pack it in, because I know there isn't going to be another one like it for a while :). I had told the older kids earlier this week that they had to give me ideas for dinner that didn't come out of a box or a bag. We're attempting to eat a little healthier in our house and this was idea one for me. Anyway, they did; Ryan picked swordfish and Ainsley picked salmon (be careful what you ask for I guess -- when they said they wanted lobster, I did decline that one). Well, I found simple recipes and they each "cooked" dinner for the family. Tonight I also made them put lettuce on their plates and had a tray of "toppings" (fruit, veggies, cheese), they each had to pile it on to make their own salads. Well, it worked, everyone had a really healthy meal and really enjoyed it. There was no whining, no complaining, no nothing. On top of that, we had great family dinner conversation (probably because we could because of the lack of whining and complaining).

So, I share this story with you for two reasons: 1. it could be an interesting way to engage your kids in your menu/meal planning and 2. know that I will probably be asking for a mulligan before 8 am tomorrow. That was my great shot for the round!

Lindsay's Latest Contribution

Are you making your kid fat?

A lot of moms (without realizing it) enable poor eating habits that can plague their children for a lifetime. As the research is now teaching us, we can influence our children’s weight as early as the first 9 months of their life – in the womb! We can do this by being over-weight to start with, overeating during pregnancy or by getting too many of our calories from junk food during pregnancy. All of these things can influence our child’s genetic predisposition toward obesity. In addition, multiple studies now show a link between over-feeding infants and obesity. According to a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, children fed enriched formulas develop about 30% more body fat than their breastfed counterparts and babies fed standard formula. While chubby babies are certainly cute, a baby weighing in near or above 100 percentile on the weight chart should probably elicit more concern than praise. As a result of this and other studies, most doctors are now reversing recommendations to supplement with nutrient-rich formula for any baby who is not premature. As the doctor said to me when my son came in at just under 30 percentile on the chart, “he certainly looks okay to me.” It’s sounds simple, but you can use common sense (and your eyes) to see if your child is eating enough, too little or too much. You don’t need a chart to tell you whether or not he or she is healthy.

Many parents are also guilty of overfeeding their children by demanding a clean plate, an especially grievous offense when these parents are serving portions too large for small tummies. I have seen parents offer their children ridiculously huge portions of spaghetti or mac & cheese and then insist they clean their plates despite protests from the child that he or she is full. It is also critical not to offer dessert as a reward for cleaning one’s plate. Studies show that because we have different taste buds for salty and sweet foods, we can actually magically open up more room for dessert even when we are truly full. So by insisting your child eat a large plate of food in order to then consume a load of empty calories is doubly irresponsible. It is critical to remember that unlike most adults, young children do not eat emotionally. They know when they are hungry and when they are full. Of course some kids fib about being full to avoid eating unappealing foods, but again, you just have to use common sense. If they eat some and then stop, they are probably genuinely not hungry. And since you can’t actually give their leftovers to a starving child in Africa, try not to bring moral dilemmas to the dinner table.

It is also important that as mothers we do not encourage our children to either fear food or worship it as a panacea for all ills. I have certainly done this and I am not proud of it, but we should not offer sweets or junk food as a reward for good behavior or as cure for tears. Try not to make too many references to “good” and “bad” foods; rather explain that some foods are better to eat every day and as much as possible whereas others are better to have as treats or on special occasions because some foods make you stronger and give you energy while others just taste good.

Of course, the best way to encourage your children to have a healthy relationship with food is to lead by example. Try to let your children see you enjoying food and spending time on it (shopping for it, cooking it and eating it), and try not to let them see you eat mindlessly (like snacking on candy in the carpool line). Studies show that cultures (like France) where food is more respected, prepared more lovingly and consumed more leisurely actually have much lower rates of obesity. Most of all, don’t stress it too much. As any of us have ever been on a strict diet know, the thing that will make you want to overeat the most is being too strict with yourself. In this respect, kids are no different. The less food and weight are discussed, the less they are likely to become big problems.

Lindsay Hill is a nutrition counselor and board-certified health coach. To find out more about private health coaching, visit www.inhabithealth.com or to learn more about Lindsay’s personal nutrition philosophy, visit her blog http://inhabithealth.blogspot.com.

Halloween Inspiration

This post from Christina Ramon has something for everyone this Halloween season!!!

Some people like Fourth of July, others love Christmas. But ever since I can remember, Halloween has been my holiday of choice. As a kid, I would BEG my mom to take me to look for Halloween costumes – in June. She usually gave in by July or August. The selection was sparse in the middle of summer, but I still couldn’t resist.

Now 25 years ago, we didn’t have multiple warehouse Halloween stores. If you wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, you bought ballet flats at Payless, sprayed painted them red and glued red glitter on them. My grandma went to every department store to find a stuffed dog that looked like Toto. These days, the costume store has an entire Dorothy aisle!!

That aside, I still get a huge thrill checking out each Halloween store with my son. We browse every aisle and try on the funny masks or scare each other with gruesome fingers. We do tons of Halloween crafts, go to the local pumpkin patch, and this year, I am going to attempt to make kid’s Halloween soup, served in a pumpkin!

I am also very, very fortunate that my almost 4-year old is, and I am not kidding, as obsessed with Halloween as me. And I promise, it is not my doing - I think it is genetic! He has loved it since his second Halloween, when we went as the Addams Family. He was the baby, Pubert, from the movie. About a month after that Halloween, he asked to be a pink cat whenever Halloween rolled around again. Luckily, we were able to convince him to be a black cat with a pink belly.

About a month after last Halloween, he committed to being a Medusa jellyfish. And yes, he insists that my husband and I also go as different types of jellyfish. He wants my husband to be a Lion’s Mane jelly, and me to be an Upside-Down jellyfish. I explained that the logistics behind mommy walking on her hands all night would be just too much, so he is settling for me being a Moon jellyfish. And if you are wondering, they don’t sell jellyfish costumes! We are making them from scratch, starting with umbrella hats covered in iridescent fabric.

I relish in the challenge of making costumes, soup in a pumpkin and skeleton noodles (skeleton what?!) Maybe this article will inspire you to create a Halloween craft with your kids! Here are a few ides.

FOR THE NOVICE:

Paper Plate Jack-o-Lantern – buy orange paper plates or have your kids color/paint white paper plates. Use black felt, foam or paper to cut out eyes, a nose and a mouth. Create a green pipe cleaner stem and leaf )or just use green construction paper. Hang around your house and enjoy!

FOR THE CRAFT DABBLER:

Noodle Skeleton – buy different noodle shapes such as wheels, penne, macaroni and shells. Glue noodles in skull or skeleton shape on black construction paper.

FOR THE PROS:

Clothespin Bats – use a pencil to draw a bat outline on black foam, felt or construction paper. You can find templates through Google Images (free coloring pages are a good route.) Cut the form out (you will need two bat forms for each clothespin.) Glue googly eyes to the bat, or use colorful construction paper, paint, etc. to make eyes.

Meanwhile, paint clothespins black (spray paint is easiest). Once dry, glue a bat form to either side of the clothespin. Glue the tips of the wings together. Hang around your house with the clothespin clip!

Have fun and be safe this Halloween! And if you never get around to one of these craft projects, at least enjoy decorating some of the coloring pages, free from Google.

Apples, apples and more apples

Taking the kids apple picking is one of my favorite things in the world to do. There is a farm near us that is wonderful, hay rides, easy ladders for them to climb on and DELICIOUS apple cider donuts! We get their early, grab a cup of coffee and donuts and then meander through all the different trees.

However, when we get home I am always trying to figure out what to do with the seeming bottomless bag of apples. I do have an apple corer/slicer/peeler thing that is great! Here are some quick and EASY things that we do with them:

1. Baked Apples -

Simply core the apples, leaving the skin on and pop in 1/2 stick of cinnamon, a teaspoon (or so) of brown sugar and butter and then bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes. It is a great dessert alternative and the kids can do it themselves for the most part. If I have it on hand I make some whip cream and put the sauce from the bottom of the pan on top.

2. Apple Sauce

I like this because it cooks in the slow cooker and again, the kids can do this themselves for the most part.

10 McIntosh, Granny smith or Macoun apples (cored and chopped)

4 Peaches (pitted and chopped)

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

Plop it all right in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours and then on low for 2.

3. Apple Crisp -- This is Ina Garten's recipe that I LOVE (though I must admit, I don't always go with the "fresh" oj and lemon juice -- I just use whatever I have on hand, even if it is in a carton.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• For the topping:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

Selling online, social media style

Sue Zimmerman is focused again! Here is some of what she learned this summer on the Cape, I thought it was a great read for those of you who might be interested in mom related businesses!

Remember when the must-have for every small biz was a web site? You weren’t a legitimate business if you couldn’t also be found on the Web. Well, today you gotta have a fan page if you have a business. And, curiously, once you do – and you successfully cultivate an active fan base like Sueb.do’s – you’ll find that you’ve come full circle again to also really needing that web page that allows you to sell products and services online.

And that’s right where Sueb.do sits, Sueb.do’s doors on the Cape are closed for the season. I’m busy planning the launch of a new Sueb.do online store this Winter.

What’s interesting is that I’m finding my Facebook fan page allows me to have conversations with customers before, during and after sales. Furthermore, it has actually created the need for adding an online store to the sales mix. Making customer conversations transparent to everyone via social media is proving to be an effective way to create demand for products that are best fulfilled through an online store.

So I’m formulating the 2011 Sueb.do sales and marketing plan a’la social media. And to help me implement it, all summer I’ve been:

• Asking each customer for their email address as a routine part of the payment and checkout process
• Maintaining separate email databases for each different Cape sales location to be used in future targeted email marketing campaigns
• Telling customers about the Sueb.do Facebook fan page; asking if they are on Facebook; and, if so, getting their exact Facebook handle so that I can follow up with them on Facebook
• Taking photos showcasing customers wearing and purchasing products and then posting them for all to see and talk about on Facebook
• Creating videos from my Flip
• Using the Facebook fan page link to and activate a new, soon-to-come Sueb.do online store!

BACK in action by Tara Downie

Our resident fitness guru has some more tidbits to share. Stay tuned next week for our next business entry.

We can be so focused on getting a flat, tight tummy that we crunch, crunch, and crunch all the time! Focusing on only your abdominals can put your back at risk. Strengthening the back- particularly the lower back- will help you prevent injury, perform everyday tasks without pain and age gracefully. There are many exercises out there for strengthening the lower back. To list them all for you would be an overdose of information. Therefore, I have listed my three favorites. See below.

Also remember….another key element to protect and strengthen your back is to work all the supporting muscles as well. These include the lats, upper back, abdominals and transverse abs (obliques). Exercises like dumbbell rows, reverse fly’s and pullovers work the supporting back muscles.

1. Begin on your hands and knees. Simultaneously raise your right arm and left leg until they are parallel to the ground. Hold for 2 seconds and come slowly back to starting position. Repeat with left arm and right leg, alternating 10 times.

2. Lie facedown; arms extended overhead, palms on floor. Simultaneously raise arms and legs a few inches off the floor. Hold for 10 seconds and return to start. Repeat 10 times.

3. Lie flat on your back. Hug your knees to your chest and at the same time, bring your chin to your chest. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10 times.

Strong lower back muscles and abdominals work together to maintain a pain-free and healthy back. Theses exercises will help strengthen the muscles of the lower back. It is important to start slowly and increase levels gradually.

Welcome to our nutrition expert - Lindsay Hill.

Welcome to our newest contributor, Lindsay Hill. We went to college together and I am super excited to collaborate with her. She wonderful mother and is also a nutrition counselor and board-certified health coach. I have been following her blog and it has a ton of great recipes - be sure to check it out (http://inhabithealth.blogspot.com)!

Your Kid Might Not Eat This, But He Just Might Eat That

I am pretty sure that the powers that be punished me with a child who throws vegetables on the floor just to remind me that I can’t control the universe’s eating habits no matter how educated I become about nutrition. While I am not a total health nut, I do eat things like kale and quinoa, and I have just been certified as a holistic health-coach so you can imagine my horror when my son throws his peas to the dogs every time. Admittedly, perhaps having a son who savors the non-flavor of refined carbohydrates is a healthy thing for my brain, even if it’s not actually healthy for his body because it has forced me to a) relax a little and b) be more creative (a trait that can suffer under the duress of repeated episodes of Thomas The Train).

The best thing you can do is start with the healthiest version of a food when you introduce it. For example, do not assume that your child won’t eat multi-grain bread or seed crackers and offer him the Sunbeam and Saltines from a young age. And don’t introduce an Oreo as a cookie (just don’t introduce an Oreo period!) when for all you know the kind from the famers market made with molasses and arrowroot might make her just as happy (or she may associate cookies with something mediocre and not develop a taste for them). Remember, your child has not tasted Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia so he or she might think low fat, organic frozen yogurt topped with berries is heaven in a cup.

It is also important that you not inflict your own tastes and preferences onto a child. Just because you deem homemade oatmeal raisin cookies to pale in comparison to the double chocolate chunk variety, does not mean that your child will feel the same way. Just because you think whole-grain flaxseed pancakes are for hippies, doesn’t mean your child might not prefer the heartier, nuttier taste. So, put your child’s needs before your own tastes or assumptions. Start with the healthiest version of a food (even if it’s something you do not like) and work backwards if necessary.

So while my son still eschews most forms of protein and won’t even look at a vegetable, by following the two rules above, I have gotten him to eat some surprisingly healthy things. He will eat Lara bars (made only of nuts and dates), gluten-free seed crackers (Mary’s Gone Crackers is our favorite brand), and ginger snaps I found at Whole Foods made from spelt, olive oil and just a touch of raw honey. He will also eat Ezekiel bread (made from a variety of grains and beans and really high in protein) as long as it has a touch of nice butter and jam on it. To him, these are just bars, bread, crackers and cookies – he doesn’t know they are loaded with healthy ingredients, and he also doesn’t know that unhealthy versions of these foods lurk around every corner. I may not be able to control what he gets his hands on in the future, but I can at least help him develop good taste buds so that hopefully he will one day find Wonderbread as appetizing as cardboard (which is also its nutritional equivalent).

As far as getting the vegetables in, you may have to go the route of deception. Most of you are probably familiar with Jerry Seinfeld’s wife’s book about making purees to sneak into her homemade breads and pastas so that her kids get vegetables in their daily diet. Well, those of us not married to Jerry Seinfeld might need a timesaving alternative. With young kids, try sneaking organic pre-made baby food into some of their favorites. It always helps if the color is similar. The frozen purees you can find in most health food stores (Yummy Spoonfuls and Happy Baby are both popular brands) are preferable to the kind in jars, but a jar will do in a pinch. I am certainly not discouraging you from making your own purees if you have the time, but using prepared organic baby food is a quick and easy alternative. I sneak pureed butternut squash or sweet potato into his macaroni and cheese. I also puree or mash avocado and mix that in banana yogurt (trust me, it tastes kind of good). My son is a fruit lover but if your child is not, almost any fruit puree, purchased or homemade, disguises nicely into yogurt or oatmeal.

Feel free to post some of your own ideas for getting kids to eat healthy foods. As mom, we can always use the friendly advice!

To find out more about private health coaching, visit www.inhabithealth.com or to learn more about Lindsay’s personal nutrition philosophy, visit her blog http://inhabithealth.blogspot.com.

Introducing Christina!

Here is a customer of mine who has some great advice to share! If you or anyone else would like to join the BabyKeyes "team," let me know!

With Labor Day behind us, summer is officially over. The kids are back in school and maybe you’re even experiencing some cooler temperatures. How do you feel? Happy to be back to a routine? Or are you having a hard getting the kids off to school every morning? Maybe you’re anxious about getting dinner on the table every night? If you are anything like me, the thought of fall is stressful because that means snow is not too far off!

But whatever anxiety I feel as the sky begins to darken earlier and earlier, I try to re-establish some of the tried and true rules in my house – at least a few days a week! More balanced dinners during the week, the same bedtime every night, and less trips to our neighborhood ice cream parlor.

Experts say consistency is very important for kids. They learn best through repeated exposure. I am sure you have heard that if you put broccoli in front of your kids enough times, eventually they’ll eat it? I am still hoping for that!

What about routine? Experts say that establishing a routine for children will help create peace around the house and a sense of security in the child’s mind. Establishing a good bedtime routine for infants will help when the child is three and can suddenly manipulate you into staying up later. And not always buying your kids something at Target will teach them important rules about earning things, whether they save their money, or help out around the house for that new toy.

As I write this, I feel overwhelmed already! But then I tell myself, baby steps. Not every parent can be a perfect parent every minute of every day. Try out a new recipe once per week – that’s a realistic goal. And with that said, here is my easy, go-to dinner. I make it regularly for my family, as well as for my “new mom” friends. Dinner is the best gift after having a new baby.

Turkey Tacos

½ onion, chopped

1 pound ground turkey breast

1 tsp. cumin

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 small jar prepared salsa (I like to get a chunky mild salsa)

Chopped veggies such as red pepper or mushrooms (or whatever your kids will eat!)

Brown onions in non-stick sauté pan with a tbsp. of oil or cooking spray. Add turkey and cook until no longer pink (about 8-10 minutes). Add cumin and chili powder and mix well. Add salsa and mix well. I often will then add a few tablespoons of water and mix well. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes, mixing a couple of times. Add any chopped veggies you want and cook thoroughly, about 10-15 minutes. Serve with soft or hard taco shells and any sides – shredded lettuce, cheese, black olives, sour cream or guacamole.

If I have time, I like to make this about 2pm, and simmer on very low, mixing every 30 minutes until dinner time. This allows the meat to really soak up the flavors.

And if you wondering, this recipe doesn’t taste as good with ground beef!

Enjoy and Happy almost Fall!

Christina Ramon

Mommy Wisdom

www.mommywisdom.net

We're BAAAACK

So, this summer I decided to take a break from "work" and enjoy spending time with my kiddos. I must say, with one back in school last week and two off next week, I am going to miss summer. That being said there is a season for everything. I feel so lucky to have my own business with such great and understanding customers with slightly delayed orders and am excited to ramp back up this fall. I've got a couple great new contributors and am excited to share their articles with you.

Happy fall and all that brings -- football, school, apples and much much more!

Ruth

Mom Fitness

Kudos to my friend Tara Downie, the mother and trainer who contributes to my "Mom Fitness" pieces, she ran the Boston Marathon today. I am so psyched for her and hope you'll all join me in congratulating her. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate (at least in the blogger world) than to post her second installment to the BabyKeyes blog.

ABS-olutely Fabluous

The number one area that women wish they could tone is their abdominals. You can crunch for hours, but it’s necessary to change things up in your routine and give those muscles a wake up call! Try these three No Crunch moves. They are a great alternative to mat based ab exercise. So stand up and tone that tummy!

What you’ll need: One 3-5 lb hand weight

Move 1

The Figure 8.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold weight in both hands in front of your body, elbows bent. With core tight, slowly bring the weight up to your head and down to your hips creating a figure 8 pattern. Keep the torso still. Try 10-12 rotations clockwise, then another 10-12 counter clockwise.

Move 2

Oblique Bends

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold weight in both hands just above your head, elbows bent. Hold core tight. Slowly bring weight down towards the left shoulder, elbow slides down to left hip. Now bring weight back up, then down towards the right shoulder, elbow slides down to the right hip. Keep the torso still. Once you have the hang of it, keep the weight moving side to side like a rainbow over your head. Do 20 side to sides.

Move 3

Standing Overhead crunch

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold weight in both hands in front of your body, elbows bent. With core tight, slowly bring the weight up over your head and pull it back down to the waist crunching forward and contracting the abs holding the contraction for a 2 second count. Continue the upward/crunching movement in a slow and controlled way for 15 reps.

Mom Business

This is from a new friend of mine, Susan Zimmerman, who really gets the "buzz" relating to Facebook for small businesses. She has her own direct to consumer business which will be showcased this summer on the Cape at the Popponesset Marketplace at New Seabury in Mashpee. She also does small business consulting and works closely with Bungalow Scout (hence the wonderful addition to the BabyKeyes line).

Getting-to-Know-You a ‘la Facebook

I’m passionate about selling! I love meeting prospective customers in person and, more recently, online. In less than two months, I grew Sueb.do’s Facebook fan base to over 760 fans. The goal I’ve set for myself is to attract one thousand Facebook fans by the end of May. Why, you ask? That nice round number is in part inspired by aNovember ‘09 Techcrunch article reporting that 77% of all Facebook fan pages have fewer than 1000 fans. I see no reason why Suebo’s fan page can’t be included in the top 23%! But there’s also a good business purpose to my quest for fans. My Sueb.do Facebook fan page, Twitter-feed, as well as this blog, play a key role in helping me introduce the Sueb.do brand to the Cape community before I even open the doors of my new Sueb.do store at the end of May.

Everyone’s talking about social media these days, but I’ve yet to meet very many small business owners who are successful at harnessing its power. It’s the ease of forming new relationships that wows me. Here are four tips to help you get started connecting via Facebook and creating buzz.

1) Identify your target customer. In my case, finding prospective customers for my new Cape-based store means Googling all things Cape Cod and The Islands. I scan web sites, Facebook groups and fan pages, looking carefully at the community gathered in each of these locations. Next, I drill down and look for individuals with large networks and a clear connection to the Cape or The Islands. I also search for mommy bloggers who write with passion and embrace entrepreneurism like me.

2) Reach out individually to the people who match your target profile. Once you find that ideal customer or potential biz partner, don’t be shy about inviting them to join your fan page. Yes, this one-by-one approach takes time, but the potential payoffs are huge.

Case in point: I ‘met’ Kerry from Cape Cod Lollicakes on the Cape Cod fan page by introducing myself via Facebook direct messaging. I actively look for Cape Cod fans like Kerry who are small business owners like me. Kerry and I traded info about each of our Cape-based biz and shared advice. Our online exchanges accelerated our getting-to-know-you’s and helped us quickly identify biz synergies. To make a long story short, Kerry will be handing out Cape Cod Lollicakes at Sueb.do’s grand opening!

Later, after observing interactions on the Cape Cod fan page for a bit, I posted Sueb.do product photos. This time, I was the one approached by another fan. Justin from Cape Cod Beach Chair liked the style and usefulness of the Scout bags and reached out to me. In fact, we are in the process of discussing opening a second Sueb.do store within his store this summer.

3) Continuously interact by asking questions. Fans stay engaged and you begin to build relationships through conversation. Recently I queried fans under a photo of Sueb.do custom signs: “What saying do you like best for a custom sign on Cape Cod or The Islands?” The suggestions generated an order for a sign that said “On Island Time”.

4) Create a rhythm to your interactions. Instituting ‘rituals’ allows me to regularly showcase products, collect valuable feedback and create an informal schedule for my postings. For example, every Monday I post a product photo and encourage comments from fans. Once a week my blog posts allow me to share biz stories and tips in more depth. And randomly as life happens, I insert family photos and personal updates so my fans get to know me better, too.

What amazes me is how naturally the getting-to-know-you process translates to the online world. Bottom line: when you’re open and authentic (which I’m finding easy to be online), people are receptive to forming relationships. I can’t wait to open the doors of my new store on the Cape to welcome all my new friends! And, I love learning about social media. Got any tips to share with me?

Mom Travel

In just a few short hours my family will be boarding a flight to Florida for Easter! I am so excited, but the idea of traveling with four kiddos 6 and under can be daunting - especially for those sitting near us on the plane. We're that family that everyone stares at and hopes doesn't sit near them. However, I must say, I think my kids are pretty well behaved though our 18 month old is a bit of a wild card. Admittedly, I am biased about their behavior; however, I do a lot to prepare, gone are the days where all I needed was a book, trashy magazine and my id!!

Here are the top 5 tips that I've put in place over the past couple of years:

1. Every kid is responsible for their own carry-on. I am not carrying anyone else's stuff. They pack it with a couple books, special treats and ear phones (we LOVE jetBlue). Again, they can't overpack -- if it is too heavy I remove items. Caroline is the exception, but at 2 years old even Peyton had her own bag.

2. I hit the dollar store and get each kid one or two "presents" for the trip, they don't get these unless we're on the plane and they've made it through security "on their best behavior."

3. I've got a couple sippy cups for the younger girls so I don't have to worry about them spilling the drinks that the flight attendants distribute.

4. I also pack a little plastic grocery bag to put some of our trash in -- the ex-flight attendant in me wants to make the effort to not leave our row looking like a trash can.

5. Security -- this is the worst part of traveling I think... I make sure my id and tickets are on the outside pocket of my carry-on. Just think ahead -- shoes that are easy to remove, coats off and in the carry ons and put medicine/liquids in bags on the top of your carry-on so that they're easy to take out. I've also traveled alone with the kids and most airlines will give Chris a pass to go through security to help out which is nice. He says the looks he gets when he leaves us at the gate are priceless :).

I'd take pictures to illustrate during our trip, but I pack my camera in our checked luggage - one less thing to hassle with during the flight and I still haven't gotten around to getting my iPhone :).

Happy travels and happy Easter.

Mom Humor

This is from a great friend of mine Keri Boyle. She is a wonderful mother of three who in her "spare time" trains for iron man triathlons. She also coaches athletes for triathlons and marathons. This piece comes from a creative writing class that Keri took at Harvard this past fall and I couldn't resist asking her if I could post it.

Blog: Confessions of a Not-So-Perfect Mom

How to Lie Without Lying

While I often want to huck a pie at her, on some level, we all want to be Martha Stewart, right? Or at least in the eyes of our family members. So here it is. The not-so-perfect mom’s advice for convincing your husband that the prepared meal from Stop & Shop is home-cooked—without actually lying! Drum roll, please…

Time is short and you must take action. In only 30 minutes, the garage door will rumble, announcing the arrival of your husband. Now, don’t completely panic, you’ll still have approximately 3.8 minutes to set your controlled chaos into motion. He will sit in the car until his call ends. Then, he will gather all his belongings—Blackberry, pager, crumpled up tissues, several broken golf tees, wadded up ten dollar bills, a leaky pen and an empty but drippy Dunkin Donuts coffee cup. (Why the hell don’t men use purses?)

He will then get out, stretch his arms over his head, yawn loudly, and pretend to shoot an imaginary basketball into the real hoop on the side of your driveway. (Yes—he will do this still carrying the aforementioned items from his car, although at least one item will be dropped, which he’ll bend down to get thus spilling three more items. Repeat scenario one to two more times.)

Now, this extra time is important. Use it to do a final check of the kitchen. Are the kids frenzied enough? No? Tell them the daddy monster is home and let the running and screaming commence. Is the baby is crying? Great. Even better. Have you spilled enough sauce on the stove? Are there enough dicing knives on the counter? Definitely prop a clean pot in the drying rack. Anything in the drying rack is hard to refute. Okay, the scene is set.

Your husband will come into the kitchen, sniff the air, and promptly drop a Blackberry, pager, crumpled up tissues, several broken golf tees, wadded up ten dollar bills and a leaky pen on the meticulously set kitchen table. The empty but drippy coffee cup was at least discarded in the garage. He will then kiss you hello while eyeing the bubbling baked ziti sitting on the cooling rack. He will walk over, sniff again and ask the question you’ve been waiting for. The one you’ve trained so hard for. “Wow, smells good! Did you make this?”

Now pay attention! This moment is of paramount importance. Philosophers call this a lie of omission. The White House Press Secretary calls it rejecting the premise of the question. Any decent publicist calls it answering the question you wished you’d been asked in the first place. You must think of it as a constructive red herring. This is how you avoid lying.

Cue the basil you actually did chop (more on that later) and say, “Smell this fresh basil I’ve been chopping all day! It really gives the sauce so much flavor, don’t you think?” And while he ponders this, make great work of returning the spices and garlic to their rightful places in the cabinet. Watch his mouth carefully out of the corner of your eye. When it starts to open, even in the slightest bit, bellow, “Girls! Girls! Come see daddy and then wash up for dinner!” They will have been hiding from the kid-eating daddy monster during this exchange, while still screaming. And, being a man with a rumbling belly, your husband will cease and desist, having lost his train of thought in all the commotion. Really. It can be that simple.

Now that you know how the actual moment of the misleading is executed, be careful not to neglect proper preparation. If you expect to pull off a perfect misleading without much forethought, you flirt with disaster. And don’t forget that one disaster—just one—will forever call suspicion to anything coming out of your kitchen.

Consider this checklist:

1. Carefully pick which day you serve the store-prepared meal. It must be close enough to your weekend grocery-shopping trip in order for him to assume you had fresh ingredients. However, if you wait until too late in the week, he will be suspicious since you generally give up cooking by then and start ordering pizza. I would recommend a Tuesday.

2. On misleading day, make sure no one else is in the kitchen for at least 20 minutes (see below for ideas on reining in and squashing little tattletales). Then, take out your best baking dish and gently, smoothly, slide the baked ziti from the plastic take-home container into the baking dish. Sprinkle on the fresh basil you did actually chop (just not all day).

3. Don’t underestimate the kids. They are worthy adversaries dying to rat you out. They must be neutralized. Just don’t make the rookie mistake of choosing a Dora the Explorer they’ve never seen in an effort to keep their attention more fully on the TV. This will backfire. Kids like only the shows they’ve had ample time to memorize. Anything less, and your four-year-old will be following you around like a puppy asking why Dora has such a big head and why the ziti you are making comes in plastic with a huge price tag on it. Give them what they know and they’ll generally leave you alone.

4. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a complicated meal involving “give away” ingredients. Your husband knows you consider microwaved Grape Nuts a meal. Anything involving items never before found in your home (such as ginger root, coriander or chicken bouillon cubes) will only lead to suspicion. I highly suggest baked ziti. It’s not out of your wheelhouse, so it’s believable. But still, you will get brownie points for a dish involving several steps to prepare.

5. Proper disposal of store containers is crucial. All your hard work can be destroyed when the “Take-Home Meal—$3.49 Family Size” label detaches and sticks to your backside. If you use clear, see-through trash bags, wrap everything in an old newspaper so that you are not betrayed next to mushy brown banana peels and coffee grounds. Better yet, tie up that trash bag and take it to the garage in advance.

Finally, be sure you don’t go fishing for compliments—that too will arouse suspicion. And, when he finally burps and says, “Thanks for making dinner!” just smile sweetly and remind him of his dentist appointment the next day.

Easy Cheesy Meatloaf

Well, like a lot of other people, we're watching what we eat around our house. One of our favorite meals, believe it or not, is meatloaf. So, I went in search of a turkey meatloaf that would please everyone, and I think I've got it. I still doctor it with the sauce from our original meatloaf recipe (from Cook's Illustrated), but the turkey significantly cuts down on the fat.

Normally I make the mix and form 2 meatloafs - I freeze one (not cooked) and cook the other. Half of the recipe below feeds the 2 adults and 4 kiddos at our table.

Here's the recipe (which my kids say tastes like cheeseburgers - I don't quite agree, but if they'll eat it, who cares!!)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine and form into loafs:

2 pounds of ground turkey

1 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs (if I just have the plain, I add some dried oregano, basil and garlic)

1 cup of milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

8 to 16 oz. of shredded Colby Jack cheese (just plain Colby cheese is great too, I imagine Monterey jack would be good too)

Baste with half of the brown sugar ketchup glaze and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the internal temperature is 180 degrees.

The star of this is the brown sugar ketchup glaze (from Cook's Illustrated):

1/2 cup of ketchup or chili sauce

4 Tablespoons of brown sugar

4 Teaspoons of cider or white vinegar

The pic is from a playdate that we just had where all the kids ate this for dinner.

So, to make this blog a little more interesting for everyone, I've asked a group of friends to contribute who are experts in their respective fields. If you know of anyone who would like to contribute, please feel free to let me know, the more the merrier! Kudos to Tara who answered the call first. She is a trainer here in Wellesley - bio is coming - and if I didn't have so many kids in tow at all times, I know I would be going to her boot-camps more (especially on a gorgeous day like today!) Enjoy!

Spring Workout!

Outdoor Workout Inspiration

Are the birds singing your name? Have you had it with the gym? Well it’s time to set your sites to an invigorating outdoor workout. Now that hints of spring are in the air, everyone gets anxious to get outdoors. The sights, smells and sounds of spring can give you an extra kick in your step. But before you jump outdoors, there are a few important things to consider. First is clothing. Temperatures can still be chilly and you will want to dress in lighter layers. A nice lightweight, water resistant jacket is a perfect top layer. Secondly, don’t get in over your head too quickly. Warm, fresh air can make you feel like you want to run for miles and miles! But if you have been in the gym –running or not- the great outdoors take a bit of adjustment. Pavement is a less forgiving surface and injuries can occur if you take off too fast. So slow down and smell the flowers for your first couple times out on the road.

Check out this inspiring and invigorating outdoor workout.

Find yourself some outdoor stairs or stadium steps. Usually your local college or high school will have them at the track. Run the steps two times, then do these interval exercises in between sets. Do 10-15 repetitions of each exercise and repeat the whole thing 3 times.

Tricep dips on a step.

Pushups

Jumping jacks

Sit-ups or crunches

Walking lunges

Plank (30-60 seconds)

These exercises will keep you moving, tone your legs and arms and prepare you for tank top and shorts weather!

Be inspired by the spring, your able body and your willpower. Strength is within you.

Special thanks to Tara Downie for contributing this piece for me! She is a wonderful personal trainer in Wellesley who is the mother of 2 of my favorite kids. If you'd like to get in touch with her, just let me know!

Ok - so a little over two hours with my kitchen folio and believe it or not, the random drawer is empty and the bookshelves are clean. Literally, start to finish, 2.5 hours. That included the cleaning out, putting stuff in and printing off the info from the downloaded sheets on their website. I officially love it. I talked to them today about coming up with an app for their calendar stuff too; fingers crossed that will happen :). Here are the after shots of the shelves and drawer as well as the actual folio and the business card insert I used.

Now... if only I could find something to help me organize all my recipes; ripped from magazines, written on post it notes from friends, photocopies my mom has given me.... any ideas???