Something i love to hear: 'There you are Mommy!' with a giggle when i step into the room. Or 'hug hug!' with her arms out. I adore being a Mom!

We got quite a bit done today. We were able to able up some Christmas lights outside. On the one side of the porch there is lattice and we used red lights and made a Christmas tree shape with them, on both sides so people driving from both directions can see it. It looks pretty, simple but pretty. My hands are all cut up from weaving the lights in and out of the lattice…. glad that’s over!

We are slowly adding more decorations around the house. I have a mini tree that i think we are going to put in Anabel’s room and it will be her night light ^_^ i think she will like that.

I’ve stocked up on white lights from after Christmas sales so i plan on stringing a lot around the house. Although we need to get the living room painted before i can fully decorate.

I’m excited because on Thanksgiving we will be at the in-laws and we plan on cutting down a tree then and bringing it back home on Friday, so that weekend we will be putting it up. Also we hope to get the paint for the living room that day too, so hopefully we can start getting it painted!

We still have to figure out what this years ornaments are going to be that we make. I think we figured that this year we are going to trace Anabel’s hand and Daddy is going to cut it out of wood, sand it good and stain it, and that will be her decoration for the year. I suggested that Bob wood burns her name on one side and the year on the other.

 

1. Styling my girls hair
2. Baby talk
3. Christmas music
4. My handy Hubby
5. Sweet Ice Tea

Stay-at-home moms are an essential part of the workforce, providing child care, cleaning, catering and organizational services to salaried workers. Job descriptions vary from workplace to workplace, but differ more in their complexity than basic qualifications and responsibilities. Stay-at-home moms are not hired, but enter into a contractual agreement with a wage earner to provide services. According to WebMD, stay-at-home moms are on the rise, as more women forgo the workplace in order to raise their children.

Qualifications

1. An effective stay-at-home mom will have basic reading and math skills, be a skilled baker and cook and be proficient at removing stains. Patience is important as well, as children will test it.
   Physical qualifications ideally include the ability to lift 50 pounds, carry a small child and a load of laundry simultaneously and stay alert during late-night feedings and illnesses. Lots of bending is required, and stamina is a must.

   Responsibilities

2. Stay-at-home moms are responsible for making sure the children are fed, cleaned, clothed and loved. A stay-at-home mom should read to her children to ensure they gain literacy skills. She should monitor children’s media consumption closely. She ensures that children have developmentally appropriate playthings that are safe and stimulating.
   Stay-at-home moms must have exceptional organizational skills, as they are responsible for coordinating children’s sports and extracurricular activities, play dates and doctor’s appointments. They need to be able to plan effectively, as the popularity of the children’s birthday parties will depend on this skill. Money management skills are a must in order to keep the family’s finances in order.
   Stay-at-home moms plan menus, shop economically and prepare healthy meals. Stay-at-home moms need to have the skills to prepare meals from scratch unless the family is wealthy. Baking cookies is not required, but is a step on the career path to “stay-at-home supermom.”
   Stay-at-home moms are usually responsible for the cleanliness of the house and the family’s laundry. They must have the ability to spot and throw away old produce, socks with holes and yogurt that is past its due date. They must be able to maintain clean kitchen and bathroom surfaces while toddlers smear peanut butter on the cabinets. Vacuuming, dusting and scrubbing are other cleaning duties.

   Special Knowledge and Skills

3. Stay-at-home moms must have a variety of skills in order to have clean, obedient children and successfully maintain an orderly home.
   Stay-at-home moms should be able to give children “the eye.” “The eye” prevents a wide variety of misbehavior. Moms who stay at home should also have some psychic abilities, otherwise known as “having eyes in the back of the head.” These abilities can help mothers to determine when a child is eating the soap versus simply using the restroom.
   Stay-at-home moms are often family historians, organizing photos online and sending updates to relatives in addition to maintaining photo scrapbooks. The ability to operate a digital camera and photo-editing software is desirable.
   Stay-at-home moms should also be able to recognize when a child is ill and intuit when a doctor’s visit is necessary.

   Hours

4. Hours are worked during the time the stay-at-home mom’s spouse is at work, although unpaid overtime is frequently required. Weeks exceeding 80 hours are not unusual, especially during times of illness, holidays and family visits.

   Salary and Benefits

5. A mom with one preschooler and one school-aged child earns a median hypothetical salary of $117,850, according to Salary.com. Most moms are not financially compensated for their work, choosing to accept payment in the form of housing, meals, clothing and other amenities. Benefits vary widely in this job sector, with some stay-at-home moms receiving full medical and dental coverage, although many do not. According to many moms, the primary benefit of being a stay-at-home mom is the opportunity to raise their children themselves, according to their own values.

Read more: Stay at Home Mom Job Description | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6671817_stay-home-mom-job-description.html#ixzz15ZCx8lrJ

 

What mothers are really worth

"People might think that stay-at-home moms are sitting around eating bon-bons and watching soaps, when in reality, we're working several jobs at once. And, we're doing it 24/7 with no vacation days, holidays or even sick days," said Jen Singer, creator of www.MommaSaid.net, a Forbes Best of the Web site for at-home mothers. Singer added, "many stay-at-home moms are on the job upwards of 100 hours a week. That would be a whole lot of overtime if we got paid."

Stay-at-home mothers wear many hats. They're the family CEO, the day care provider, accountant, chauffeur, counselor, chef, nurse, laundress, entertainer, personal stylist, and educator. Based on a 100-hour work week, Salary.com has estimated that a fair wage for the typical stay-at-home mom would be $131,471 for executing all of her daily tasks.

"Mothers are responsible for the mental and physical well being of the family - putting a price on that isn't easy," said Lena Bottos, compensation market analyst for Salary.com. "But we looked at it as what you would have to pay other people to do the same work if the mom weren't there."

Even if these mothers were getting paid what they'd be worth on the market, Bottos added that they still wouldn't be adequately compensated. "When you take into account that it represents a 100-hour work-week, and doesn't even begin to factor in that they are on call 24 hours a day, it's not so large. Plus, stay-at-home moms get no benefits in terms of pension or 401(k)."

Hope you enjoy the recipes!

• Butter Chicken
• Cheese Potato Puff
• Corn
• Cloverleaf Rolls

For Dessert:

• Double chocolate chip brownies with caramel sauce

Recipes:

• Butter Chicken:

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup crushed buttery round cracker crumbs

½  teaspoon garlic salt

ground black pepper to taste

(i added salt and parsley.. feel free to make it your own!!!!)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

½  cup butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate shallow bowls.

2. Mix cracker crumbs with garlic salt and pepper.

3. Dip chicken in the eggs, and then dredge in the crumb mixture to coat.

4. Arrange coated chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

5. Place pieces of butter around the chicken.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear

 

• Cheese Potato Puff:

You make mashed potatoes like you normally do. I use sour cream, butter and garlic in mine.

Then for every 6 potatoes you used in your mashed potatoes add 1 C shredded cheddar cheese and 1 eggs… so for 12 potatoes you would double the cheese and eggs.

Mix together.

Spread in a baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350’ for 25-30 min. Sprinkle some more cheese on top when you pull it out, and serve.

 

• Cloverleaf Rolls

Ingredients

1-1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon warm water (110 degrees F to 115 degrees F)

1 cup and 3 tablespoons warm milk (110 to 115 degrees F)

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 egg

3 tablespoons and 1/2 teaspoon shortening

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

4-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Beat in milk, sugar, egg, shortening and salt and 2 cups of flour until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Roll into 90 balls; place three balls each in greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

 

• Easy Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels,divided

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, cut into pieces

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
MELT 1 cup morsels and butter in large, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs. Stir in flour, sugar, vanilla extract and baking soda. Stir in remaining morsels and nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.
BAKE for 18 to 22 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

What a busy day i have today! I’m trying not to stress. I’m planning on leaving at nap time to go up to my Mom and Dad in-laws. I have a dentist appointment on Thursday in KC but i go up the day before so i don’t have to travel 3.5 hours in the car in the early mornings. And this way the girls get some Grandma and Grandpa time :) But it’s the 2-2.5 hour drive that stresses me out. Hopefully since i’m going at nap time things will go good!

That also means i have to pack a crap load of stuff all by myself, which i don’t like. But i will make it. Soon i will be done with this whole braces thing, yay!

But i’ve got a crap load to do so i need to go :)

Anabel gave her a doll while she was in her bouncer. She also put the straw of her sippy cup in Abby’s mouth, i wonder if Abby got any, LOL

   

Daddy and his girls!

I think we should ponder what God has done for us in this year. I know Thanksgiving is on the 25th but even on that day how much of it is spent in reflecting all of our blessings? Be honest, most of the time we take time in praying a nice prayer over the Thanksgiving meal but we get so caught up in family and preparations of the holiday that that is about it.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

—Psalm 9:1

Let us take some time to reflect. Can you list some things you count as blessings? Like i was told on Sunday, blessings are not just the thing we consider ‘good’… God can bless us through giving us hard times… those things that mold and shape us into a better stronger person.

Some things God has blessed me in:

• Bob got a job right out of college. It is awesome. And with that we have made some friends, which is great… you can never have to many of those!
• We had another beautiful baby girl, Abigail. Her smiles just make my day sooo much better! Anabel is growing and getting bigger all the time. She is so funny to watch and play with. Each day she does something new and adorable. I love my girls and watching them grow!
• We were blessed to buy a new home. Oh how sweet that has been! I love having a home to call my very own, to paint and decorate how ever we want! Hehe. God gave us this big home for a reason, i can’t wait to see what he has in store for us.
• Recently we had a hard financial time where we didn’t know what we were going to do. Then God showed us a way and we are so thankful! Things aren’t perfect financially but at least He showed us the way! I think it has helped my faith, although i need more!
• I also am thankful for my family. I have been given a great family that has seen me through hard times and good.

Would you take time and write some things that God has done for you this year? I would love to hear it!

This morning i went to a few thrift stores. The Salvation Army had all their craft items priced at $.05 per item so i was thrilled! All for a dollar i got crochet hooks, yarn, ribbon and two bags full of fabric along with a few other things. ^_^ Yays!

I also found a rocking candle holder and a glass bread pan. Then at Goodwill i found two shutters for $2.99 for both of them. I have several ideas for those!

So i need to get crafting!

We got home in time for lunch and then naps! I’m hoping to get some trim painted while the Littles are asleep!

Wow so i am so happy with what we managed to get done this week end. We got a couple projects finished and started another (painting our living room) We managed to get the whole living room primed in like 3.5 hours… i thought it was going to take a lot longer then that! I just hope we can keep this up and get the living finished by next week end.

Also i cam up with an awesome idea and i can’t wait for Bob to do it. The idea is for him to take the wood from the entertainment center we have now and build us a custom built in cabinet/entertainment center to match the room. One day when we have the money for it we will be installing white crown molding and base boards and possibly a car rail. So i’m excited. I can’t wait to get the yellow paint up on the wall. I think it will make everything pop, that and it makes the room feel way bigger then it is!

I can’t wait for the holidays! I think the yellow paint will be awesome. It goes good with all seasons and the Christmas tree will look great up against it.

Oh and Bob finally agreed that he will let me have free rain in our bedroom and that i can make it Asian themed, i’m so excited! He has already cut the bamboo curtain rods that we already had and made them fit our windows in the bedroom and he is making custom curtain rod hooks that look really cool. We still haven’t decided what color to paint the walls…. kinda tough there.

Wow today has been great!

What we got done: Living room prepped for primer, bathroom base boards scrubbed, photo album cover finished. I also rearranged the book shelf in the office to contain our other tv and vcr for kid movies. Thought it would be good when we have family over. The kids will be able to have a room to play and if the parents so choose, watch a movie.

Today's Projects

Tonight me and Bob made that pasta we came up with again. Although this time we didn’t have frozen corn so we used peas instead… we will see how it tastes, also we used half the bacon to make it a little less fattening.

Yummy Pasta Recipe

Tomorrow is church and i am looking forward to it. We plan to try and get the living room primed tomorrow, cross your fingers for us!

Last night i made homemade pizza. At first i was going to make them in to loaded bread sticks but i decided not to. It’s a long time since i made pizza, i use to do it fairly often and i forgot how easy it was! Especially with a stand mixer, it does the kneading for you and that is soooo nice!

Dough:

Finished Product

I never thought i would say this but breakfast sausage YUM! Just one of the things that has changed since I've been married, lol I use to hate and gag at sausage, now i really like it. So weird!

Ok me and my hubby last night worked together and made a pasta. Here is what we did:

 

Ingredience:

• 2 TBLS Butter
• 2 TBLS Flour
• 2 C Milk
• 1/2 Package Cream Cheese
• Dash of Red Pepper Flakes
• Dash of Salt and Pepper
• Dash of Oregano
• 2 TBLS Olive Oil
• 1/2 Small Onion (chopped)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (chopped)
• 1 1/2 Roma Tomato (chopped)
• 1 C Frozen Corn
• 1 Pound Bacon
• 3 C Pasta

 

In a sauce pan melt 2 TBLS Butter & 2 TBLS Flour together in a sauce pan. Wisk in 2 C Milk & 1/2 Package Cream Cheese together. Add Pepper flakes, salt & pepper.

Fry bacon until quite crispy.

In another sauce pan sauté garlic and onion, add in the tomato, corn and crunched bacon.

Boil pasta, drain, add sauce to noodles and boom! Yumminess!

       

More pics of the day @ stilltidbits.blogspot.com

Abby has a cough and a runny nose, poor little thing. Boy am i glad she nurses though. I don’t have to really worry because i know every time she eats she is getting just what she needs to fight off this cold, unlike Anabel… i did stress over Anabel when she was sick. Thank goodness Anabel feels good now!

 

Yesterday was Halloween as everyone knows. The day went pretty well. Bob made homemade spaghetti and for dinner he made barbeque ribs and french bread, i made mashed potatoes and corn. Sadly thought the ribs had so much fat on them and hardly any meat that you couldn’t really chew it. I still enjoyed the meal though.

Coaches wife had let me borrow a little bee’s outfit so we dress Anabel up in it and got some pictures. Then we took her over to a couple’s house that we met through the school. A very sweet couple. They had bought Anabel some healthy snacks and a Cinderella sippy cup, and Abby a teething ring. It was so nice of them to think of my girls :) Anabel loved being the center of attention at their house. Anabel loved her little bee’s outfit, she didn’t want to take it off. Soon i will have the pictures of her in it uploaded but i left the camera in the van… so it will be later today.

We went to church also yesterday morning and it was a really good service. I really enjoy the church we have been going to.

…… Anabel just climbed up into her high chair so that is my sign she is hungry… i better go feed her :)

Don’t forget my Tidbits blog (http://stilltidbits.blogspot.com/) It’s my picture blog and i update it often.

Recently posted the final pictures of our professional photo shoot. Go check me out!