Wordless Wednesday - Maryland Barns

Hershey Pretzel Treats

Looking for something easy to make for the holidays? Here's a quick and easy treat.

Hershey Pretzel Treats

Yield: About 8 dozen

- Bag of small square pretzels (commonly called snaps)

- Two bags of Hershey Kisses

- One bag of M&Ms

1. Heat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Arrange pretzels on cookie sheet. Place one Hershey Kiss on top each pretzel.

3. Place in oven for approximately 5-6 minutes or until Kisses are soft but not melting.

4. Remove from oven and push one M&M into each Hershey Kiss.

5. Allow to cool for about six hours before storing.

The stink of caribou...

Disclaimer: This post is not commentary on the current political climate in America or my personal feelings on Sarah Palin.

Yes, I watch Sarah Palin's Alaska. I am fascinated by Alaska and for sh!ts and giggles I plan my dream vacation there in my spare time. In this week's episode, Palin and her father hunt for caribou in the northern most part of the state. As you can imagine, the internet has been ablaze with anti-hunting comments regarding the episode. I have no problem with hunting, I feel it is a necessity to keep wildlife populations in check, especially in my area where whitetail deer have no natural enemies unless you count the front bumper of my pickup truck. My husband and I hunt, our children will hunt, and hopefully their children will hunt. Every fall we fill our freezer with meat and eat every bit we put in there.

With all that said, I was appalled by this week's episode of Sarah Palin's Alaska. Not because they were hunting, but because of Palin's obvious lack of hunting experience. Supposedly she's been hunting for over 20 years, but here are some things that make me question that:

1. She goes into noted bear country to hunt caribou without her own gun.


2. When a caribou is spotted and within range, she asks her father if the rifle kicks.


3. She doesn't cycle the bolt herself after each missed shot.


4. When handed a new gun and told the safety is off, she immediately puts her finger on the trigger before getting set.


5. She didn't field dress the kill herself.

I know, I know, some of this could be due to editing. But the fact that Palin has stated she has final say in what is shown, I find it far more likely that editing was done to make it appear she shot the cow herself. I have no problem with novice hunters, but even the most green hunter should know basic firearm safety. I think most viewers would have found it much more endearing if she had admitted this was one of her first hunts.

Wordless Wednesday - Gettysburg

With a Purpose

In my first post, I referenced a comment I received about being a stay at home mom that finally prompted me to start a blog. It happened at a local establishment in the middle of a week day from an acquaintance of an acquaintance. It was the basic generalization that stay at home moms sit around all day eating bon bons and watching soaps. But what really stung was the inference that I was setting feminism back by not honoring those that came before by remaining in the work force. My response? "Thank you for making grossly incorrect assumptions about my life. Now if you'll excuse me, I must make it back to my office before my lunch break is over." I turned on my heal with my 9 month old on my hip, diaper bag slung over the other shoulder, and returned to my office.

For those that know me, I often refer to myself as a part time stay at home mom. I have been incredibly blessed with the opportunity to work from home part time for the same company I've worked for since I graduated college. I do this while also caring for my infant daughter and I couldn't be more happy. But it's comments like the one above that just get under my skin. First, why do people assume that a woman out in the middle of a week day is a stay at home mom? It is possible that the woman is a doctor, fire fighter, nurse, line worker, or any other number of careers that require shift work. Second, stay at home moms are not doing a dishonor to those that came before. In this great nation, we are blessed with the right of choice. We are also guaranteed the right to our own beliefs. To me, nothing is more important to me than my family. It is my choice to fulfill my belief of family by being a stay at home mom, just as it was the choice of women before me to fight for rights like equal pay and employment opportunities. However, in the end, we are all honoring our forefathers (and mothers) by exercising our God given rights.

Review Monday

When my daughter was 5 months old, it became obvious she was going to need some help learning to sleep. No one ever told me some babies need a little help learning to fall asleep. In fact, most of the baby books I read made it sound like infants would naturally consolidate their newborn sleep time into routine naps and solid all night sleep. Well, that was a bunch of bull. At 4 months, my daughter went through the dreaded 4 month sleep regression. She was up almost every hour after midnight. She wouldn't nap for longer than 30 minutes, and that was after 45 minutes of soothing to get her to sleep. Needless to day, mama started looking like the walking dead. After much research, I found Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. I devoured the book in one night and was convinced by the end that this guy was a total nut job. I really enjoyed the medical explanations of health sleep and baby sleep cycles. I was not on board with extinction (crying it out) and early bed times, which would never allow my child to see her daddy during the week. I was convinced the 3 day training schedule would not work for us.

With much reluctance, I started the extinction method on a Thursday with nap time. After 30 minutes of wailing, my daughter fell asleep for three naps. On Friday, the crying time was down to 10 minutes and naps were stretching out to at least 45 minutes. By Saturday, we were down to no crying and I actually got a 2 hour nap out of her. Then came Saturday night. I put her down for bed at 6pm. At 7am I woke up in a panic. I desperately grabbed the video monitor, convinced my child had been kidnapped in the night. But there she was, peacefully snoozing in her crib. She had finally slept through the night! The 3 day training schedule worked and I felt fantastic!

It's now four months later and I still have a wonderful sleeper. Except for teething times, she still sleeps through the night and naps at least three times a day. Looking back, she was a miserable baby before learning this new skill. This book is now my go to gift for all new moms!

Give Thanks

I'm thankful for...

• A happy, healthy, and beautiful daughter that amazes me and makes me smile every day.
• A wonderful husband who is my best friend.
• My warm home that serves as shelter and escape.
• My wonderful and supportive family that guarantees a good laugh at any get together.
• The time and resources to pursue all my hobbies and interests.

Wordless Wednesday

I know it's suppose to be wordless, but I just wanted to give credit for this fabulous post idea to the wonderful blog Strawberries in Paris.

Monday Review

A few weeks ago I purchased the Promist mop by O-Cedar at Wal-Mart. I've been a die hard Swiffer Wet Jet user for three years, but I always seem to run out of pads or juice when my floors are their dirtiest. Due to the power of the green movement, a lot of companies have come out with spray mops that have washable pads and bottles that hold your own homemade cleaning solution. Since no one in the greater Baltimore or Southern Pennsylvania areas seem to carry Libman or Rubbermaid, I went with the Promist.

I first tried it out this past week on my vinyl kitchen floor (oh vinyl how I loathe you, one day I will replace you with ceramic tile). First let me just say, my husband and I manage to spill every imaginable liquid and drag every piece of dirt across this floor. Second, the vinyl has grooves where the "grout" lines are, which traps all manner of aforementioned spills and dirt. The Swiffer pad was never able to penetrate these grooves, thus my white "grout" turned in to gray "grout" which eventually turned into black "grout" when I refused to scrub it by hand. The Promist has a slightly thicker microfiber pad which removes this gunk with a little bit of elbow grease. That is a big improvement to me having to scrub it by hand. Plus, the pads clean easily in the washer. Just be sure not to use fabric softener, it causes the pad to lose it's ability to absorb. Plus, the refillable bottle means you'll never run out of solution. I've included my recipe below.

Overall, the Promist is a good choice if you want a more eco-friendly spray mop to use every day or for quick clean up. However, nothing can replace the good old fashioned bucket and scrub brush. Except for maybe a maid :-).

Floor cleaning solution

- 1 cup bleach

- 1 cup Krud Kutter (available at Home Depot, you can use any other solution, just be sure it doesn't contain ammonia)

- 14 cups of water

Combine all ingredients in a gallon jug and store.

Motherhood

I came across this on a pregnancy site and thought I'd share. Author is unknown.

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?" "It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations." But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper ; without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub.

That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop her best crystal without a moment's hesitation. I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right. I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish his or hers. I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would not now find very romantic. I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war,prejudice, and drunk driving. I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts. My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Modern Homemaker! This is a no apologies blog for doing what I love best - all things family and homey! I've wanted to write a blog for a long time, but could never put my finger on the one topic I wanted to write about. I've always been all over the place with interests and hobbies, but then one day it hit me that everything I enjoy ultimately ties back to my family and home. It was also a recent snarky comment I received at being a stay at home mom (which I'm not 100%) that prompted me to take to the blog world (more on this in a later post). So sit back, relax, and enjoy!