Works for Me Wednesday - peace at the dinner table... FINALLY

Here's a breakdown of how dinner used to go at our house:

I would make dinner and serve everyone's plates in the kitchen.  If it was something the kids like (macaroni and cheese or pizza), we'd have a happy meal time.

However, the 99% of the time that I got all crazy and made something like chicken and yellow rice with lima beans... look out!  

Oh, the tears and angst.

Because I'm so mean.

* I should note here that if I believed in karma, this would absolutely qualify since I was an impossible eater when I was a child.  At the very least it is payback.  And my mother is so pleased.

PB and I had a rule that you don't get a bedtime snack unless you eat a "decent" dinner. Typically decent was defined by a sliding scale based on how much we liked the dinner ourselves.

So not a lot of consistency.

And not a lot of peace.

Enter the spoons.

The rules are simple.  Everyone begins with an empty plate, but you must serve yourself a portion of each item on the table.  The difference is that you get to pick the serving spoon.  It's absolutely okay to choose the small spoon, but you must eat at least that much if you want a bedtime snack.

This has been working at our house for a couple of months now.  The kids are trying foods that they used to give me a hard time about and even (occasionally) asking for seconds.

The best part?

No more tears.

And the kids have stopped crying too:)

Works for Me Wednesday has moved.  You can now find it hosted by Kristin at We are THAT Family.

Works for Me Wednesday

Healthy and EASY Breakfast

Ellie Krieger's Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

Okay.  I have to begin with a disclaimer on this one.  Breakfast is very easy for me because PB cooks breakfast for the kids while I'm out on my morning walk.  He does in fact rock.  This pancake recipe  is one he uses often, but I sometimes make these pancakes for dinner (I love me some brinner!).  (Follow this link to the Food Network website to get the recipe.  I don't feel comfortable posting someone else's recipe.)

The healthy part is that the pancakes are made with whole wheat flour instead of white.  Don't let that freak you out - the pancakes are yummy.  The easy part is that we:

1. make a huge batch ahead of time
   
2. let them cool completely
   
3. place them on a cookie sheet (separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper) and freeze them overnight
   
4. transfer the frozen pancakes to freezer safe ziploc bags
   

It's a little bit of work on the front end, but it's worth it when all we have to is heat them up in the microwave when we're ready to eat them.  Think store bought frozen pancakes, but without all the preservatives and other mystery ingredients.

You can find more tips over at Rocks in My Dryer.

Works for Me Wednesday - No Stress Chess

So I mentioned Monday that our family is learning how to play chess.  PB and I have wanted to learn how for a long time because he enjoys strategy games and I've always wanted an excuse to by a fancy chess board. (Totally valid reason I think.)

Because chess isn't something you pick up in an evening (and since Doc Brown is giving us every indication that he shares the same wiring as his father) we got off our fannies and bought No Stress Chess.  

I have terrible short term memory so I assumed there would be no way I would remember what all the pieces do and where they go.  But seriously, a monkey could learn how to play chess using this system.  I am learning how to play chess using this system.

The chess board is two sided so you start out playing on a marked side that tells you exactly where to put the pieces.  You also get cards with pictures of all the pieces that tell you what they can and cannot do.  We've officially moved to the unmarked side and no longer use the reference cards.  Actually, our kids were ready to graduate before we were.  They were very proud of us when we flipped the board.  Truthfully, we flipped the board and the kids set it up for us.  After that it was every man for himself.

I got cocky on the airplane Saturday and decided to play chess against the onboard computer.  I got creamed.  Many times.  I take solace in the fact that at least the computer had to "think" a couple of times before reaching checkmate.  I take my victories anywhere I can find them.

The point is I'm learning - we're all learning.  Even my four year old is getting into it.

There's all sorts of information out there about how good chess is for developing memory, organizational and reasoning skills.  That's all fine, but we're just enjoying family time on the floor with the TV turned off.  

If it helps me remember where I left my car keys, then that's great too.

Works For Me Wednesday is hosted every week over at Rocks in My Dryer. 

Works for Me Wednesday - Car Emergency Kit

Here's what's NOT in my car emergency kit:  flares, snake bite medicine or a compass.  That's because my kit is not for life threatening emergencies.  Because I have priorities.

It's for olfactory emergencies.

You know, the ones that stink so bad it could become a life threatening emergency if you have to drive with your head out the window to avoid the smell.

I had such an encounter four years ago when Doc Brown hurled (sorry!) all over himself in the car on the way home from the mall.  He was two at that time so we're not just talking about baby spit up. It's hard to be a sympathetic mom when you're trying not to gag from the stink.

Later that day I put together my don't let the van stink kit (stale french fry smell doesn't count).

Here's what's in it:

paper towels

plastic grocery bags

wet wipes

a spray bottle of my water and vinegar mix

I threw it all in a small plastic tote that sits in the back of the van.

That's it.  You can all do your collective "duh" now, but it works for me.  Many times.

You can find much smarter tips, including a list of things I never knew you can stick in the dishwasher over at Rocks in My Dryer.

Oh! And another thing...

I can't believe I didn't mention this in the "Works for Me" post...

Because the vinegar and water mix is non-toxic, your children can clean with it. 

Now what's better than that?

Works for Me Wednesday

Cheap, Chemical-Free Household Cleaner

This is one a lot of mom's probably know already, but in case you haven't heard about this...

I'm attempting to get as much of the chemical garbage out of our house as possible because I read and hear so much these days about the potential hazards chemicals present, especially to our kids.  

The first and easiest product for me to tackle has been my household cleaners.  You can buy some really good natural stuff at the store, but they come with a hefty price tag.  Here's a recipe for a cheap surface cleaner that won't leave a residue:

8 oz distilled white vinegar

8 oz water

3-4 drops of lemongrass oil

(this leaves a nice, clean, lemony scent to cover the vinegar and can be purchased at your local health food store)

We're not a crunchy, granola family (not by a long shot), but I'm just trying to tackle some of the little things because I figure a little bit is better than nothing.

You can find more "Works for Me Wednesday" household and parenting tips over at Rocks in My Dryer.  Today she's tackling cheap Halloween costumes.

Have a great day!