Snapshot Storytelling - Volume 1: Banana Cake

Once upon a time, not long ago,
Two playful sisters, sought to learn and grow.
Heads filled with intrigue, radiating with glee.
It's the little things they treasure, just wait and see...

THE END.

BANANA CAKE RECIPE

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Melt 1 cup butter in a saucepan.  Add 1 cup hot water.  Mash 2 very ripe bananas and add to butter and hot water.

Mixing with a whisk, add:

2 Cups sugar

2 Cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

Butter the bottom of a pan and dust with flour.  

Add cake mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean

Remove from oven and let it cool, top with frosting when cool.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

16oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup heavy cream, cold.

Beat the cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream to nearly stiff peaks, then fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture and stir until combined. Do not over stir. Frost cake when cooled!

People Who Inspire Me: Chef Kayla from Parsley & Pepper

     My dear friend Kayla is often told that she is an amazing cook.  When I was pregnant, she was such a sweetheart and brought dinner to my family when I wasn't feeling well.  We were able to get an idea of her skills, and everyone enjoyed it!  We had told her many times that she should start a blog and share her recipes and secrets.  I am excited to share her brand new website/blog! Parsley & Pepper.

     Kayla is sweet, talented, and humble.  She is a devoted wife and mother of three young adorable kids.  She is a supportive and helpful friend.  It is through her encouraging words, that I have started actually cooking for my family.  She has inspired me to improve my homemaking skills without stress.  

     You see...I DON'T cook!  We live off cereal, pb&j, frozen chicken tenders and frozen pizza.  No joke.  My family is lucky if I decide to make spaghetti, using jarred sauce.  I just don't have the patience and all the ingredients intimidate me.  I have often looked at the meals some moms prepare for their families and felt envious and inadequate as a mom.  However, by following Kayla's instagram account @parsleyandpepper and pinning some of her recipes from her new site, I felt empowered to give this cooking thing a try. This is how it went...

Fiesta Lime Pork

     This recipe is so awesome.  Only THREE ingredients! Yay!  Easiest thing I've ever cooked and I felt so fancy watching the spices and meat cook on my stove. ;)  It only took about 15 minutes to cook.  The guacamole is an awesome addition to the Fiesta Lime taste and that was also super easy to whip up.  My husband and I were excited to get some home cooked protein in our meal for a change. And huge bonus...my kids enjoyed it!  They ate every bite I gave them and my little one asked for more.  Victory!  I was even able to use the leftover meat for lunch the next day.  I just sautéed a few tomatoes added the diced up meat and salt & pepper.  I served it over white rice and again, my family liked it!  Definitely will be making this again.

Gruyere Mac & Cheese and Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

     My kids are big fans of macaroni and cheese.  I was excited to try to make it from scratch for the first time.  I had no clue how easy mac and cheese is to cook until I read Kayla's recipe.  I thought, "Hey, I can totally do this!"  And I did.  I wasn't a fan of the smell of Gruyere, so I'll probably use a different kind of cheese next time, but this recipe is incredibly easy and fast.  My family was so impressed that we had a home cooked meal for dinner.  I am a huge fan of the Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts!  This was so easy and delicious.  I love sweet things and bacon...don't even get me started on my love for bacon. ;)  Not a big fan of Brussels Sprouts but somehow Kayla put together a recipe that made me want more. Yay.  Thumbs up!  

Condensed Soup-Free Chicken & Rice Casserole
     This one was my absolute favorite! When Kayla recommended me to try this recipe, she warned that it wasn't her easiest recipe, because there were a lot of steps, but she was confident that I would be happy with it.  For sure! There are a lot of ingredients and prep for this casserole.  I worked hard on this one and I was so proud of myself when I placed the baking dish in the oven.  It looked fabulous when I took it out, to place it in my broiler.  Warning: I never used my broiler before this, so I was not aware that placing glassware in a broiler is a sensitive issue.  This is how unexperienced I am with cooking ;) Haha.  Well, when I was taking the dish out of the broiler, it shattered in my hands and the casserole was everywhere. :(  I should have taken a picture of the mess (it's funny now looking back), but I was so sad.  I apologized to my family and expressed that it broke my heart because of all the work I put into the casserole.  We were able to salvage about 1/4 of the casserole, to taste some of it for dinner.  Let me tell you...it was SO incredibly delicious.  My kids asked for more.  This picture of Marley laughing is because daddy was teasing her about eating all her dinner...she is my picky eater, but she loved this meal.  My husband and I enjoyed it so much that we went back and picked through the broken glass for a few more bites. Hahaha!  This recipe was a lot of work, but this was the most delicious and the healthiest casserole I've ever made.  My husband asked me to make it again in the future.  But obviously, beware the broiler. ;)

     I have been able to provide nutritious meals for my babies and grocery shopping was not random chaos like usual, because I went with a set list for my planned meals. And since I have learned some basic techniques from Kayla's recipes, I am much more confident in trying out my own recipes or throwing in some extra ingredients.
     PARENTAL NOTE: I have also noticed that my children have been behaving much better!  The evening tantrums have diminished, and the crankiness has disappeared.  I am almost certain that the more substantial meals (in place of junk food and processed food) has had a direct affect on their behavior.  We have all been feeling good and more peaceful. Amazing!!  Um, this is awesome! Hopefully I can keep it up. ;)
     I am so impressed with the quality of Kayla's recipes.  She makes an effort to use natural ingredients to cook healthy wholesome meals.  They turn out delicious and beautiful.  I spoke with her several times telling her, "No really, I am not good at cooking."  She kept encouraging me and assuring me that her recipes are very easy and that anyone can be successful at cooking when they keep it simple and practice.  She has helped me take my first steps in improving my cooking and my family has benefited from my efforts in just the past week.  I am lucky enough to be good friends with Kayla, so I can text her with last minute questions.  But if you comment and ask questions on her blog, she responds as soon as she can.  Kayla is very happy to help and she loves to hear success stories.

      Thank you Thank you Kayla! xoxo

Visit ParsleyAndPepper.com and follow on Instagram @ParsleyAndPepper.

Pants Refashioned to Lace Trim Shorts

   
     What do you do when your little girl is so active that she thrashes her clothes?  Throw them away...or make them work.  Today I attempted to make them work.

     These grey pants from Old Navy had gnarly holes at the knees, so I cut right above the holes and hemmed them to be shorts.  When I put them on Marley, she asked if they were boy shorts, haha!  I said, "No, they are girl shorts, but we can make them look more like girl shorts."  I rummaged through my sewing supplies and found some cute lace trim.  Perfect!  I just added the lace trim to the ends and it made all the difference.  Marley loves her new shorts.  Her response was, "Oooh, these are so cute!"  Such a girl!

 

 So we ended up having a lesson on being resourceful and creative with clothes.  It was a nice project I could do beside my daughter for Home Ec this week. ;)

Homeschool Sick Day Lesson Plan

     My babies are sick. :(
     Coughs and colds and fevers are circulating our home and it's time to take a day off.  We had lots of plans today, but now the only plan is to rest and recover.  Marley reminded me of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood where he sang "When You're Sick Rest Is Best."  The episode is available here on Youtube and is called Daniel Gets A Cold Mom Tiger Is Sick.  I laughed and realized she had gotten a little bit of wisdom from that show.  TV can certainly be educational sometimes. ;)
     Today we cuddled up on the couch with some juice and watched some fairy tales.  Luckily I had stocked up on some fun picture books at the library yesterday.  We read lots of books and I let the girls play My Little Ponies most of the day.  We didn't do much homeschool or educational activities, but I did sneak in a sensory/cooking activity by teaching my girls how to make play dough (<great play dough recipe I found).  Marley helped with measuring and adding ingredients.  I even added a few drops of peppermint essential oil to the play dough, which is said to help reduce fever (Two birds, one stone!).  It was a nice quiet low key activity and the girls practiced working as a team by taking turns kneading the dough.  But the real lesson of the day was learning how to take care of ourselves when we are sick.  It's tougher than it sounds.  It's not so easy making a toddler and a 4 year old relax.  Seriously though, where do they get the energy?? Meanwhile, mommy is dying for a nap.  Haha!

Random Act of Cookie Kindness - A Back To School Treat

     While assessing my goals for homeschooling, it hit me that I want to start every school year with a service project.

     Learning the joy of serving others is an important part of educating our family.  I myself have struggled with finding the motivation to serve.  If it isn't convenient or easy, I rarely find myself looking for opportunities to serve others.  I want it to be different for my children.  I want service and acts of kindness to be a regular part of living for them. And I figure through teaching my children the importance of thinking of others, I can slowly help myself progress in that area.  My children have certainly inspired me to become a better person. <3

"Through service to others, we develop a Christlike love and we experience joy. Service teaches patience and long-suffering as well as gentleness, goodness, and faith." - Merrill J. Bateman

     Marley and I planned to bake cookies together and pass them out to some of her friends. I explained that we wanted to start out our school year by doing something nice for others.  She liked the idea.

     The first part of the project was actually baking the cookies.  Baking is always fun for kids.  I let her do a lot of the pouring and mixing.  And when the cookies were done, she was more than happy to taste test. ;)  We used this recipe: Best Chocolate Chip Cookies, and they turned out very delicious!

     We put the cookies in ziploc bags and packaged the cookies in white paper bags and attached cute little tags on the bags.  I designed these tags myself and printed them out on card stock.  Simple and effective to make the bags look pretty. To use this image, click on the image to enlarge, then right click on the large image and click "Save Image As." Or download here.

     I told Marley that we would leave them on her friends' doorsteps.  I said she could knock on the door and run away so that it was a little surprise waiting for them.  The knocking and running away was her absolute favorite part!  I watched her tiptoe up to the doors, leave the bag of treats, knock loudly, and then quickly run away.  Marley was ecstatic when she actually saw someone answer the door and pick up the bag of treats.  She turned to me with the biggest smile and said "They found the cookies Mommy!" It was such a precious experience to see her getting joy out of doing nice things for her friends.   Our first project of the school year was a huge success!

    

  

Starting A Daily Checklist

     CONFESSION: I am addicted to watching tv. Not watching cable or basic television, but I am addicted to having the tv on throughout the day and re-watching movies and shows that I own.  I have been that way my whole life.  My mother was trying to learn English when I was a small child and the fastest way she learned was by watching movies and television shows.  So that's pretty much all we did.  I liked to read at a young age but I rarely remember the tv being off.  So now when I'm at home I automatically think about what I want to watch.  Sad isn't it?  I really don't think it harmed my intellect; in fact I think I gained so much knowledge from becoming an entertainment enthusiast.  However, it caused me to acquire this awful habit.  4 years ago, shortly after the birth of my first daughter, I decided I wanted to change.  I have struggled for years trying to figure out a way to kick the tv habit.  I still struggle. But getting out of the house has been the best way to keep my eyes off the tv.

     Recently I was reading through a Facebook homeschoolers group to get some ideas to on how to limit electronics.  I don't remember who mentioned it, but one mom said she does not allow any tv time until her kids have completed their school assignments and chores for the day.  I figured something like that might work for me...

     I also realized that it would help my family start off a more productive day.  I made up a simple morning checklist for my daughters (4 years old and almost 2).

     One might ask why I placed clean house before eat breakfast.  Well, my girls have a tendency to make a huge mess in their room at night.  Makes me wonder if they sleep at all. ;) I was so tired of seeing the mess in the morning and battling them to clean it up, so now my rule is: No one eats breakfast until their room is clean and they are dressed and ready for the day. Same rule applies to my husband and me.  The first time I told my husband, "Nope. No breakfast until you have helped me make the bed." Haha! His reaction was great.  He said "Huh?" and then he realized it was a new family routine.  He smiled and joined in.
     We have been doing this for 3 weeks now and it has changed our lives! We all start out more productive, knowing what is expected of us in the morning.  And Marley (my 4 year old) just loves checking off those boxes once things are complete.  She thrives on routines, checklists, and incentives.    

     And the BEST part, I haven't even thought about turning on the tv until the morning routine has been completed! I'm making progress!!

     It worked out so well, that I made up a bedtime routine checklist as well.  Again, great results! Once in a while the girls just play and are not motivated to do the routine (especially bedtime), but we explain to them it is as simple as "If & Then." IF you don't do this, THEN you don't get that.  My husband has enforced that if M refuses to do any of her bedtime expectations without complaining, she will lose the privilege of song and story before bed.  So far, it has been effective.

     Side note: At Dylan's age (22 months) I would have never thought to expect her to follow a written out routine, but since Marley is participating, Dylan has been following her example so nicely.  She quickly sits with Marley to listen to her song and story and folds her arms for a prayer and she even tries to mumble her own prayer sometimes.  It is so precious! The benefits of having an older sibling are becoming apparent.   

Victory.  A shout out to the mom who shared her method of limiting tv. Whoever you are, thank you.  

I whole heartedly believe that regardless of where you are in life, if you continue to makes efforts to improve yourself (even little things), you are doing a fabulous job! Keep a positive attitude and press forward.

Very First Sewing Lesson!

I am finding that my best homeschool lessons are last minute activities prompted by interest or questions.  Taking my cues from what M wants to learn or is interested in, is part of what makes homeschooling so awesome.

The other day I was fixing a pair of pants. As I sat at my machine, measuring, marking, cutting, etc., M came up and started watching me asking "What are you doing?" "Why are you cutting that mommy?" My first reaction was to tell her I was busy and she should go play. She remained quiet and stayed watching me attentively.  I stopped and noticed her curious eyes.  After mentally slapping myself on the wrist for ignoring such an obvious teaching opportunity, I smiled and asked her if she would like to learn how to sew.  Her smile was so big while she nodded profusely.

I grabbed some extra fabric and decided to walk her through the steps of sewing a Simple Drawstring Bag.  I really don't know too much about sewing, just the basics, but I know enough to teach some beginner projects.  I knew she would be most impressed with something simple and quick.  The drawstring bag was perfect.  I talked her through all the steps and asked her to help me with as much as possible. Note: Don't be afraid to let kids handle scissors or needles. Monitor closely. And let them experience things for themselves. Being very involved will help them advance quickly and they will remember the activities with great appreciation. 
I sat her in my lap and showed her how to position her hands on the fabric to guide it through the machine.  She was so quiet and careful.  Her little hands were so carefully placed that it was the most precious view ever! (My instant thought: Quick! Grab the camera!)
M couldn't reach the peddle of course, so I told her to tell me when I should start. She said "Go!" and I pressed the peddle and guided the fabric through her hands and fingers.

She loved the experience so much and was incredibly proud of the final product.  Showing her bag to daddy was a special moment.

At this rate, she will know more about sewing than I do by the time she is a teen. I'm sure she will be teaching me soon enough. :D

Catching Up #2: Cooking with a 3 Year Old

     About a month ago we had our first cooking lesson.  We had gone over our scripture of the week and reviewed our letters and we were done. I was looking around for an activity to do.  I noticed we happened to have 4 overly ripe bananas and the day was delightfully gloomy and cold.  So of course, I asked my daughter if she wanted to bake banana bread with me. She was very excited and gave a gitty laugh as I sat her on the counter.  I gave her the fun job of mashing up the bananas as I gathered up the other ingredients.  This is the recipe we used.  

Best Ever Banana Bread Recipe

A little trick to great recipes: Google "Best recipe for..." when doing your online search. So far, I have had great results. ;)

I didn't have buttermilk, so I used the substitute for buttermilk (1 cup of regular milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice).  It still turned out very tasty!

M wanted to touch everything! So I had to keep reminding her what she could and couldn't touch. It was a little exhausting for me but she was SO happy to be so involved in the process.

     I made sure to dab her nose and cheeks with flour and told her a proper baker always gets a little messy. She thought it was hilarious. I'll never forget the smile on my husband's face when he came home and she touched his nose with flour and she said, "Daddy, you're a baker!" 

We had so much fun cooking together, I want to try to do one cooking project each week with her . We shall see if I remember to do that. Haha.