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Valentine’s Day is upon us!  Children exchange cards and eat cookies with classmates during school parties.  Husbands and boyfriends bestow flowers and candy as tokens of love.  Mothers and fathers receive adorable handmade cards from their children. Here are a few charming ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day in the Woodlands, family style.  

Happy Valentine’s Day from Woodlandsmommy.com!   

Write a Letter.  Instead of buying a grocery store card, pick out pretty stationary or blank cards.  Write a heartfelt letter to your child and significant other describing their best qualities. (Teachers also enjoy receiving personal letters from students!) 

Play a Favorite Game or Sport Together.  Playing a game or sport together creates stronger family ties.  When the game ends, yell out “group hug” for the entire family. Don't forget to include the family pets! 

Take A Hike!  With miles of hike and bike trails, The Woodlands is a fantastic place for a family hike or bike ride together.  Pick a new trail you've never explored together and set out on a new adventure! South Shore Park pavilion in Panther Creek is a beautiful spot to view the sunset on Lake Woodlands. If an urban hike is your preference, begin your walk at the Pavilion and stroll toward Waterway Square.  The water and light show on Waterway Square begins at 6 pm and includes the songs Every Breath You Take and Unchained Melody. 

Pay It Forward.  Did you know that someone is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis each day?  On February 14, you and your loved ones can pay it forward by joining the fight against MS.  Chick-Fil-A is sponsoring Team Audrey’s Heroes, and registration is still open!

http://www.cfarestaurant.com/2920-kuykendahl/home

2 Sweet 2 B Forgotten!  Some people appreciate quality time or loving words of affirmation.  For others, a one of a kind, thoughtful gift conveys love in a truly special way.  Make a special meal your family loves or let them choose a favorite restaurant.  Share a favorite dessert.   Short on ideas for that Valentine's dinner? Check out Kraft Foods’ Valentine’s Day site, 2 Sweet 2 B Forgotten:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-entertaining/holidays/valentines-day/valentinesdaydesserts.aspx

My youngest son is in Kindergarten so every day he comes home with some new masterpiece that he has created.  Of course, he and I want to keep them all.  He's a bigger pack rat that I am.  I finally found a way that allows us to keep his artwork without my husband fussing that we are creating a fire hazard by adding more paper to everything we have saved over the years.  He's probably right, but I am working on shrinking that fire hazard.  Slowly but surely I am working on preserving all of my kiddos' art work and school work that they have done over the years.  Keep in mind that I  have a 14 year old so I have a lot to preserve.  In order to preserve everything you need a scanner.  It's a must!  A scanner is a must have in organization, preservation and time saving.  I am asked all the time, what do I do with all the paper's my children bring home from school, including artwork?  Like I said before I don't want to throw it away, besides that my son would pull it out the trash can and come to me with big ol' tears in his eyes asking why I tossed his latest masterpiece.  My advice.  Put one or two items on the refrigerator for a couple of days then scan it and toss it in the recycle bin.  I had to explain this to my little guy, because he did not like seeing his hard work going to the recycle bin.  What I did was show him how the scanning process works, I showed him where I saved his projects in the computer and that was the end of the questions about why his projects were in the recycle bin.  Now, I have gotten better, and I do not scan every single thing, but I scan the most special artwork and the most special school work.  I let my little guy help pick out what we are going to save.  A few tips when scanning.  You should create a file folder for each child.  You may want to create files for each year or grade level and dump your scanned projects in their respective folders.  Scan the projects as they come in.  Don't let them pile up or you will never want to tackle the pile.  Don't put off until tomorrow what you can start today.  Don't worry about the years of scanning that need to be done.  Start today so it's less you have to do tomorrow.  Another option is to create a "TO SCAN" folder and put it by your scanner and schedule one day a week do all your scanning and filing.  Don't forget to back up your scans so that you may have them forever.  That way you can preserve all those special memories without all the paper.  Make sure to recycle once you have scanned.  One day far far far away from now I plan on giving my boys' all of their projects that I have scanned over the years so that they can share with their children.

With Spring Break just around the corner I am sure many of you Moms are wondering what to do to keep your family busy during the week of Spring Break.  In the past I have heard of family's taking staycations, which is where you take a mini vacation right in your back yard.  Please don't take me literally.  I don't mean tents and stuff in your back yard.  Although for some this could be a really great idea of something to do for Spring Break.  For you more adventurous Moms you need to jot that idea down.  Tents and camping...well, that's definitely not for me, because my idea of roughing it is a hotel without a coffee pot or a Keurig machine.  Well this past weekend my husband and I decided to take the family on a mini staycation.  We told the boys about it on Thursday night, and they were about as excited as if I had told them I made liver for dinner.  My boys' idea of vacationing has to do with passports, planes, beaches and room service.  They can't help it; they are a product of their Mom, and there is nothing wrong with that, but I wanted them to see that we can have fun right here in the Houston area.  We packed our little overnight bags and traveled down to Sugarland to spend the weekend at the Marriott in Sugarland Town Square, which is very much like Market Street in The Woodlands.  There are lots of great places to shop and dine, and that is sure to keep you busy for the weekend.  There is also a Whole Foods Store just around the corner.  You really don't have to leave Town Square, because there are so many places to eat.  Across from Town Square is First Colony Mall and other shopping sources.  On our way home we decided to be a little more adventurous, and we went go-kart racing at Go-Kart Raceway in Houston.  What a fun time!  Much to my surprise the entire family had a great weekend, and we are already thinking about our next staycation in the Houston area.  We planned this little trip on a whim so just keep that in mind when you are trying to find something to do with the kids during Spring Break.  You can always sneak away locally for a night or two and still have tons of fun!

A couple of ideas you may want to consider for Spring Break:

*  Plan an overnight trip to Brenham, and take the family to visit Blue Bell.  Make sure to take the time to linger in the Bluebonnets.  Don't forget your camera!

*  Plan a night at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine.  Pack a picnic and head over to Lake Grapevine for the afternoon.  Take a trip on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, and make a stop at LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Grapevine Mills Mall.

*Take a drive to Fredericksburg in the Texas hill country.  Check out Lady Bird Johnson Park.  The kids would love the bird feeding area and the butterfly habitat.  If the kids need to burn off some energy take them to Markplatz Playground.  There is no admission fee and there are many different types of climbing, balance and swinging devices.

Whether you take an exotic vacation or a staycation for Spring Break just remember to enjoy the time with your family!

Let's face it. Making lunch for our children every day is a chore.  Yes, it's fun to put sweet notes in their lunch kits, and it's fun making heart-shaped sandwiches, but that's where the fun ends.  Making lunches in my house became the dreaded chore.  My husband and I would play paper-rock-scissors to figure out who was going to make lunches or we negotiated other chores in lieu of making lunches.  Can you believe we would rather vacuum than make lunches?

I found a way to make the process easier, and I want to share it with my faithful readers.  Unfortunately, I have not found a magic fairy to do the chore for me, but I have a few tips that make it much less painful.

How many kids do you make lunches for?  For me, it's two.  I purchased 2 inexpensive plastic baskets, and put each child's name on the front of each basket with my p-touch label maker.  Everyone should have one of those.  It makes organizing easy.  I keep the baskets in my pantry.  You can keep them in the kitchen wherever it may be convenient for you.

Each day after the kids leave for school I fill their baskets with the items I am going to put in their lunch kits for the next day.  The basket is for the goods that do not have to be refrigerated, like fruit roll ups, goldfish, pretzels, animal crackers, etc.

I also have a small plastic basket in the refrigerator, and it is labeled "For Lunch".  My kids know that they can not take things out of this little basket.  Everything else is fair game.   I established the rule right away.  In the basket I put their drinks for the next day, i.e. Capri Sun, juice boxes, etc.  I also put their fruit that I have pre-packaged in Ziploc bags, i.e. grapes, sliced oranges, sliced apples, etc.

On Sunday, I take out my snack size Ziploc bags and my cutting board, and I get busy packaging snacks for the week. I wash and cut fruit and put it in snack size Ziploc bags.  I package the dry snacks for the week too.    I don't always pack for all five days.  Most of the time I pack up things for Monday - Wednesday, and I repeat my Sunday washing, cutting and packaging process again Wednesday night for Thursday and Friday. 

If you get ahead of the game the only thing you have to do in the morning is make sandwiches, wraps, heat up soup, etc.  You can even try making their sandwiches and wraps at night, after the kids go to bed.  That way in the morning you just grab your dry things out the bins in the pantry, the refrigerated things out of the bin in the refrigerator, stuff them in their lunch kits and send your kiddos on their merry way. 

Make sure you give yourself a break at least once a month, and let the kids eat on the lunch line.  They love pizza Fridays, and I do too, because I don't have to worry about packing anything.

Getting Organized in the New Year

Happy New Year!  Most of you have made your resolutions (and some of you may have already broken them...that's why I don't  make them), taken down your Christmas trees and Christmas decorations, and some of you have even begun gearing up for spring cleaning and tax season.  There is no better time than right now to get yourself and your family organized.  New Year.  Clean Slate.  Over the next few months I plan to bring you tips to help you get organized and stay organized.  Hopefully these tips will help you get well on your way to an organized lifestyle in 2013 or at the very least you can say you had the best of intentions when you were reading about it.  :)

Organize Your Recipes Electronically

I have so many cook books, recipe cards and pages torn out of magazines with recipes on them.  I have hand-written recipes on the back of napkins and post-it notes.  My intention has always been to type them up all nice and neat on recipe cards and file them in a pretty recipe box.  That never happened.  Even the most organized people tend to procrastinate.  Lucky for me I found a quicker and easier method to my madness.  I wanted to keep all my recipes (even the ones on napkins), but I didn't want all the paper taking up space and looking disorganized.  It's that time of year when I am feeling claustrophobic and I feel the need to do early spring cleaning and de-cluttering around my house.  In order to do all that de-cluttering and cleaning I have found that over the  years it is best to tackle one project at a time and see it through to completion.  That is what I did, and I am going to share this simple organizing project with you. 

I started with my computer.  I created a file in My Documents called Recipes.  From their I created subfolders.  You can create as many or as few as you like to suit your preference.  Below are some ideas to help you get started.

Subfolders:

Appetizers/Snacks

Breads/Muffins/Pastries

Cakes/Cookies/Desserts

Drinks & Frozen Treats

Entrees

Family Recipes

Kids and Holidays

Healthy Choices

Salad Dressings

Salads

Sauces

Side Dishes

Soups & Chowders

From there I gathered up all my slips of paper, torn out magazine pages, hand-written recipes, my recipe box, and cook books, and I headed to my scanner.  I scanned until I was tired of scanning and then I scanned some more.  If you have a lot to scan I highly recommend you break it up over a few sessions, and do it when the kids are napping or when you have some down time (Yeah right!...I know I am being optimistic when I say the words down time.  When do Moms have free time?)

After you have everything scanned to your computer or on your jump drive take all the files and start moving them into the appropriate subfolders you created.  Make sure to give everything a recipe title so when you venture into the subfolders it is easy to find what you are looking for.

Voila!  There you have it.  An electronic recipe file.  To keep up with your organized recipe filing system make sure you scan all the recipes that you obtain once the system is in place.  Make sure when you clip recipes out of magazines or write them down on napkins that you take them to the scanner and toss the paper in the recycling bin once you have filed them in your electronic file.  If you keep up with the scanning and filing project as you go you will never have the inundating task of a big project again. 

And now, as motivation to get you started I am going to share one of my family recipes with you electronically.  Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and I will send you one of my favorite recipes so that you can save it in your new electronic recipe filing system.

One last thing...DO NOT FORGET TO BACKUP YOUR RECIPES ON A DISC.  You do not want to lose one of those favorite family recipes.

You read it correctly!  No weight loss resolutions for me. Instead of vowing to lose ten pounds in 2013, I'm making New Year's aspirations! I'm searching my heart for those faded dreams I postponed and finding courage to dream new ones. 

Each week, carve out some quiet time to dream and reflect in a gratitude journal. As a mother, shifting priorities and multitasking come naturally. In the face of dirty laundry, school homework and work deadlines, it is tempting to abandon those long held aspirations. Ask the tough questions. Are those old dreams still relevant? How can I make them happen? If not, what next? Not only will it relax the mind, it will recharge the soul.  

Start the new year with gratitude and a sense of wonder.  Believe in your aspirations and allow them to take flight. They will make your heart sing a beautiful song. Happy 2013!

With 14 days until Christmas here are a few tips to help you get to the end of the year without pulling your hair out.

If you have not found the time to send Christmas cards yet this year don't worry there is still time to get them out. Send e-cards. Snap a picture of the family in front of the Christmas tree, and send an e-mail blast to family and friends. Save it in your drafts, and blast it out on December 22nd before the holiday rush takes place. This will save you time, money on stamps, and is environmentally friendly as there will be less envelopes going in the trash.

If you are mailing presents get them wrapped and put in the mail before the end of the week to make sure they arrive by Christmas.

Start wrapping a few gifts each night while your children are asleep so that you are not doing it all on Christmas Eve. That way, once the kids nestled snug in their bed Mom and Dad can kick back and relax and wait for the big guy to come down the chimney.

Make sure you check toys to see if they need batteries, and purchase them now. If at all possible add the batteries before wrapping. If the gift requires a charge it is a good time to charge now, before you wrap so that it will be ready to be played with Christmas morning. There is nothing more heart-breaking to a child on Christmas day who gets the present he or she has been anticipating all year only to find out it has to charge over night before it can be played with.

Get your home ready for holiday guests. Next week wash linens and make guest beds. Pick up any clutter around the house that takes away from your Christmas decorations and festive holiday spirit.

This weekend would be a great time to make and freeze a dish to serve your family for Christmas day brunch. Don't forget to take it out on Christmas Eve and let it thaw in the refrigerator.

Charge your digital camera and download or delete pictures so there is plenty storage to capture all your holiday memories.

Start making your New Year's Eve plans now. Line up a sitter, and have a kid-free night with your hubby and close friends.

Select and outfit for New Year's Eve now so you are not running around like a chicken with its head cut off the day before or worse the day of the celebration.

Most important, don't forget to take some time for yourself. Moms are always trying to pull it all together for the big day. Shopping, cooking, wrapping, and cleaning it can all be a bit over-whelming. Schedule 30 minutes here and there to relax, read a book, take a hot bath with candles. Whatever you do just make sure you take care of yourself too!

Merry Christmas!

We all love the shopping, baking, cheer and smells of Christmas, and it is easy to get caught up in swiping that card with a big smile on your face. However, as fast as those smiles show up on your face from buying, buying and more buying the frowns will come around in January when you open your mail and the dreaded post-Christmas credit card bills come flying in. You can run, but you can't hide from them. They will show up in your mailbox in January, and you can close the mail box or hide them in a drawer, but they will not disappear. Do yourself a favor this year, and give yourself the gift of a Christmas budget and stick to the budget. Your present may not come in a pretty box with bows on it, and you may not reap the rewards of that gift today, but you will be thankful for that gift in the new year.

I bet I’m not the only one with this family memory:  Mom cooking up great smells in the kitchen preparing for a family dinner on Thanksgiving morning while you sit in front of the TV in your PJ’s watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.

It’s been a tradition in our house for as long as I can remember and it’s something that has been on my bucket list for just as long!  But, with small kids and many miles between me and NYC, it’s just not in the cards for our family in the near future.  Luckily for us Houstonians, all is not lost!

Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, now called The Annual Holiday Parade, is a 63-year-old holiday tradition in Houston.  It showcases large floats featuring live entertainment, giant helium-filled balloons, thousands of musicians in marching bands, drill teams, dancers, cheerleaders and clowns to more than 400,000 parade-goers who line the streets of downtown Houston. 

Seeing how I am a lover of parades and we are junkies for anything new, our family decided to venture down to Houston last Thanksgiving morning to see what our hometown parade was all about. 

I will admit, it’s a fun experience, but not without its challenges!  Here’s a bit of advice: 

The parade starts at 9, so make sure you get to the city with plenty of time to park and find yourself a viewing spot along the street.  For us, parking was easy to find for a small fee.  Make sure you study the parade route (www.ifest.org/2012-holiday-parade-route) so you can plan where to park without much of a walk while still giving yourselves an easy departure. 

Once parked, we basically followed the crowd and scoped out what we thought was a good spot to sit – unfolded the chairs, laid out the blanket, handed out the snacks and waited.  It was a little tight and there were a couple of people in front of us who were standing just behind a rope we thought had been placed up to keep the crowds back.  I was a decent spot considering the crowd and we were happy.

About 5 minutes before the parade was to start, a police officer made his way down the street and removed the rope that was keeping the first line of spectators at bay.  When that happened, everyone flooded forward to the street and we were left pretty far behind the sidewalk with about 3 layers of people between us.  So, the lesson here is – stake out a spot, but don’t get too comfy in it just yet.  Mingle around a bit and wait for the “barrier” to be released so you can move forward and get a nice spot close to the street and the action.

 So, we learned our lesson there, but it didn’t hamper the spirit!  It was a brisk day so we packed our hot chocolate and coffee, got the kids on the shoulders and enjoyed what we could.  Because there are so many floats and helium balloons, there was plenty to see and listen to and enjoy and it definitely got us into the Holiday spirit.

Remember I mentioned coffee and hot chocolate . . . about 45 minutes or so later, we all started to feel the effects of our warm little treats.  My husband went on a mission to find the nearest port-o-potty and even tracked down an officer or two before we realized all of the restrooms were on the opposite side of the street which meant crossing the parade route now in full-effect.  If we had made it across, it was still quite a trek from there, so it started to become quite clear we didn’t have many options. 

So, our parade experience ended with us all packing at the speed of light, racing down the street to the car and hunting frantically for the nearest McDonald’s. 

When I asked the boys if they wanted to do the parade again this year, the only thing they remembered was how bad they had to go to the restroom and that they got to have french fries for the ride home from McDonald's.  But, what I remember was a fun morning spent outside with the family and thousands of other Texans enjoying some rare, brisk air, excitement of the season, goose bumps from the wonderful high school bands from all over our area and a Papa Smurf balloon that seemed to touch the tallest skyscraper.

If you are up for an adventure this Thanksgiving, I would recommend heading down for the parade – just make sure you are near a potty and you are dressed warm.  If not, stay in your jammies on the couch and watch it on TV, I guarantee you’ll have fun either way!

For more information on the parade, visit the website at: http://www.ifest.org/2012-parade-info/.