Last Week of Summer

I feel like this is really the first time we are on a school schedule and DS1 hasn’t even started yet! Both boys have off this week and there was a lot of coordination that went on to make sure they were well taken care of (and that I didn’t have to take off the entire week). In a perfect world, DH and I would’ve split the time at home, but of course, this is the week DH had a work-related conference to go to, which basically left me on my own with the kids.

Even though we are huge fans of daycare, I am starting to realize why having an in-home nanny is what many people choose. Perhaps something to consider for the future, but for now, we just have to plan, plan, plan. And also ask our loved ones for lots and lots of favors.

I’m not really sure how other working parents cope with school schedules, because right now it just seems like it’s going to be an up-hill battle. I won’t be able to use my vacation days as I please and I might even have to work on Chol Hamoed, which I haven’t had to do in recent years.

For now I’m still trying to get used to being off of work with the rest of the world- when everywhere you go is super crowded. Good thing that the only place I had to go this week was to buy the kids new shoes. That was a must and I’m glad to say that we already got that one out of the way.

The rest of the week will just be doctor’s appointments and outdoor fun. Wow, I’m totally turning into a school mom- I even have the week-before-school doctor’s appointment to prove it!

August 2012 KosherOAMC Menu Plan- Chicken

My neighbor and I recently decided to split a case of chicken cutlets, so of course I saw this as a great opportunity for a KOAMC day! This day didn’t involve any actual cooking, rather, just time to assemble and freeze chicken meals. I used about 1/3 of the cutlets for these recipes and just froze the rest divided into sandwich bags. That's 10 meals already prepped and ready to cook!!

Here’s what I made:

• Honey Chicken
• Savory Chicken (slow-cooker meal)
• Teriyaki Chicken (slow-cooker meal)
• Italian Chicken (my very own “recipe”!)
• Pecan Crusted Chicken

Each recipe made 2 bags, each with 4 cutlets in them.

Here's a link to the Complete Plan (shopping list, recipes, freezer inventory)
And of course, no plan would be complete without the matching labels. 

Since there is no cooking involved in this plan, it's set up is a bit different from the previous ones I've put together.  In the complete plan are the directions for assembly of each bag and on the labels are the instructions for the cooking day.  Please read and print out both before beginning. 

My meals all ready for the freezer

To learn more about KOAMC, read here:

• Kosher Once a Month Cooking
• KOAMC Complete Plans
• KOAMC101- Tips for getting started
• Gadgets

Shabbos Menu Plan: P' Shoftim (Aug 24-25)

Happy Friday everyone! I'm glad it's almost Shabbos.  Working full-time has really been taking a toll on me and I'm just looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.  Luckily, we don't have any plans for this weekend, so we can just wing it and do whatever we feel like doing.

Next week the kids will be on vacation, so I've got to plan what we're going to do in terms of childcare.  It will be a combination of Bubby's house, afternoon babysitter, Auntie Z and me working from home.  A lot of juggling when all I want is to just take off the week, but for now I really want to save my vacation days so I can take off for the entire Succos.  Stay tuned and see what happens!

So, onto the menu-

Friday Night:

• Gefilte fish
• Stuffed cabbage (store-bought)
• Rice
• Broccoli kugel (freezer)

Shabbos Lunch:

• Gefilte fish
• Italian chicken (broiled chicken, zucchini and mushrooms with Italian dressing marinade)
• Sweet noodle kugel (freezer)
• Broccoli kugel (from Friday night)

Have a great Shabbos!

We’re Not In Kansas Anymore

This past Shabbos and Sunday was Rosh Chodesh Elul. Gosh, life changes when you’re not in school anymore! I don’t have a teacher standing in front of me everyday to remind what a special time of year this is. And believe it or not, I miss that. Ok, I don’t ever want to go back to high school, but there’s really something motivating about being in a religious environment where you can work on being a better person together with others.

Now, I’m the lone Jew everyday.  I have to make resolutions, follow-through with them and keep up with the pertinent halachos of the upcoming holidays all on my own. It’s waaayyy harder than it sounds. The day-to-day rush just takes over and everything else is usually pushed off until I light the candles on Rosh Hashana night.

I’m hoping that over time these things will change- maybe when I start making yom tov at home or even once DS1 starts yeshiva (in 2 weeks!). It’s no fun feeling unprepared, so this year, I really want to try and make a real effort to be on top of what's going on.

How do you stay on top of the upcoming Jewish holidays?  Can you recommend resources online that review the basic halachos of each holiday or send out a holiday reminder?

Check Out My New Look!

I like change and wanted a new blog template (check it out here - for those reading this post through a blog reader and didn't already see it). One that was unique to only my blog. So, I set out to figure out a way to get it done.  I had three criteria for this change: 1. it had to be for free (or really close to free), 2. It had to be pleasant to look at and 3. It had to be better than (or just as nice as) my old template.

The main challenge was in the first criteria. Most of the blogs I love to visit have custom templates that could cost anywhere from $50 to who knows how much. My blog is just a hobby for me and since it doesn’t generate any real income (yet- I’m still hopeful ;), I couldn’t justify spending so much money on it. That’s also one of the reasons I use Blogger, not Wordpress.

So, I set out to create my blog template for free. There was a lot of time, trial and error that went into it. It’s not the perfect template and I’m definitely no graphic designer, but I like it much more than what I had. And I learned a whole lot doing it!

Here are the steps I took:

1. Research other blogs- When reading other blogs I made sure to note the features I did and did not like. Then I set out to find out how to implement the ones I liked. The blogs I found most insightful were the ones in the same genre as mine.
2. Find a free template- I did a search for free templates- Google was my friend. Some of the free templates online are so professional looking that I figured I can download it and then customize it. When I compared the free templates I saw with the custom ones on some of the blogs I frequented, they didn't seem all that different. I think the main difference were the custom pictures and logos. My thinking was that it's cheaper to pay for a logo (if it came to that) than for an entire custom template.
3. Testing my template- Once I had the template, I created a fake blog to test it out in and modify it in. Before moving the template to my site I wanted it to be absolutely perfect! Well, it's not perfect yet, but it has all the key elements I wanted it to have. And they all work.
4. Customizing the template- This step wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I have a limited knowledge of HTML, so I was able to stumble my way through to make the changes I wanted. Some changes I made were- fonts, link colors, image borders, line spacing, and other small aesthetic changes that may not have mattered, but definitely made me happier :)
5. Add in the extras- the logo, slide show and the signature. The logo was important because that's the first thing people see when they come to your site. The slide show was in the template, so I decided to use it... I may remove it later. The signature wasn't really necessary, but was a feature I really liked in the other blogs I read, so I needed one too! I think it makes each post a little more personal.
6. Recipe index- I would never call this a recipe/cooking blog, but when I first started blogging, I decided to add in some easy recipes so I‘d have a place to look them up. My sister had already typed up a bunch of them, so I just added them in. One thing I absolutely love is when any blog with recipes has an up to date index. Knowing myself, I didn’t think I’d be very good at maintaining a page with links on an ongoing basis. After a lot of research I finally found a super easy way to automatically index only my recipe posts. Again, it’s not perfect, but I think it’s pretty darn good. Let me know what you think!

After completely re-doing my blog template I noticed that I don't even go to blog websites anymore. I use Google Reader and the template doesn't shine through to the reader... so were all my efforts made in vain? I'm going to answer that question with a question- does it really matter if they were?  I enjoyed the process and like the results, so that’s what counts. Who knows, maybe one day my blog will be so popular I’ll have a whole staff of graphic designers out there to help me, but for now, I’ll just do what I can on my own.

So, I want to know what you think! Which features do you like, dislike or don’t care about? Do you pay attention to a blogs layout? How much does design impact your decision to follow a blog?

Shabbos Menu Plan: P' Re'eh (Aug 17-18)

This Shabbos is Rosh Chodesh Elul- I can't believe summer is almost over!  DH came up with this really awesome menu and I'm so glad he'll be cooking for Shabbos! 

Friday Night:

• Moussaka (Kosher by Design Entertains)
• Roasted veggies
• Couscous

Shabbos Lunch:

• Salmon
• Warm Chicken Salad
• Broccoli kugel

Not sure yet what we'll be having for dessert.  So far we haven't bought anything, so maybe we'll make a quick batch of brownies before Shabbos begins.  Guess we'll see how the rest of the day goes.  Even though Shabbos starts late, the time just flies by and before you know it, we're rushing because it's the last 5 minutes before Shabbos begins.  Sound familiar?

A Day at the Beach

This past weekend we went to our annual family fun day at my aunt’s house. She lives near the beach and we were fortunate to have amazing weather. Of course we packed up half our house to go- we couldn’t forget the towels, sun screen, water bottles, beach toys, change of clothes, kite, and of course the potty. By the time we got there it was 2:30pm and everyone was asking why we were so late. Apparently all my cousins got there in the morning, spent the day at the beach, had lunch and went back to the beach for more fun.

Well, my plan for the day was a little different. We spent the morning relaxing at home, fed the kids their lunch and then packed them into the car just in time for their naps. We had just enough time at the beach (both boys were petrified of the ocean, so they just spent an hour digging in the sand), we flew our kite for a bit and then headed back to the house for an awesome BBQ. That was perfect for us! Kinda reminds me of the other time I didn’t do exactly what everyone expected. In the end it worked for me, so I didn’t really care what everyone else thought.

Since it was a family get-together I got to spend some time with cousins who are also working moms. In the end I don’t think it really matters what industry you work in- we all had similar experiences. When I told them how much I couldn’t stand my new commute (I just couldn’t be super positive about it), they wondered why I didn’t start looking for a new job. Then I told them the reasons I love my job and they completely understood. Turns out they are in their current jobs for most of the same reasons! Who knew?

Having a career, kids, and tuition obligations all at the same time provides a unique situation and everyone deals with it differently. For most of us (I think), we just try our hardest to make the best of a tough situation. Let’s hope that Wednesday’s Power Ball drawing ($305MM) changes things!

5 Reservations About Daycare

A parenting forum that I frequently visit had a post asking 5 questions about sending kids to daycare full-time.  The poster was nervous about sending her children for the first time and I totally understood her fears.  I had some of the same reservations myself!  Since we've been sending our children to daycare full-time for about 3 years, I thought posting my own answers to these concerns might be calming for some of you who are reluctant to send to daycare or already do, but don't want to feel alone.

The topics that were questioned are in black and my replies are in purple:

My kids are in daycare from 7:45am to 6pm every day. This is my experience:

1. Having a close relationship with your child

I was nervous about this, but my kids know who their mommy is. They are very attached to me, sometimes even too attached. They always come to me when they get a boo-boo and need me to put them to bed.

2. Expressing sadness that mommy isn't spending all day with them

My kids sometimes get sad when I drop them off in the morning, but they have a great time at daycare and once they start playing with all the toys, it's just their normal day. They are used to this schedule and have a great time with their friends who are also there full days.

3. Experience with toddler in daycare for 32+ hours a week

We love daycare. As soon as my kids were old enough to play with toys, listen to books and sing songs they always did it with a group. I think they are socially better off- they are always interacting with other kids and have a routine to their day. They know the rules of the classroom and are learning so much!

4. Missing milestones

I have no idea whether or not my kids took their first steps at daycare. I do however know that I was the first one to see them take their first steps Their daycare providers never told me about any milestones, I always told them, so there was no feeling of missing out. Even if I did miss a milestone, I was there for the process and I don't think it would really bother me too much.

5. Chinuch at home vs. at school 

My kids know the rules at home. I'm not super strict, but I do discipline them. I make sure to tell them when they behave and when they don't. I try my best not to contradict the rules a teacher has set in place because I don't want to confuse them. I've never really had this problem of a major difference in rules, but for example, my son came home singing a song that I didn't particularly like, so I told him that I'd prefer if he didn't sing it at home. Then I suggested another song he can sing and he was fine with that.

My kids aren't in a Jewish daycare, but there is still so much time I have to teach them. They make brachos on food while at home, we daven on the way to school and say Shema at night. I also try to sing them songs for upcoming holidays and we play Jewish music in the car. It's truly amazing how quickly kids can learn these things and how much they can retain.

What's your experience with your childcare arrangements?

Shabbos Menu Plan: P' Eikev (Aug 10-11)

It's been a hectic week to say the least, but I'm glad I finally made it to Friday.  I did a small shopping last night for some basics, but when I think about it, barely any of what I bought was for our Shabbos meals.  Yay for a stocked freezer!

Friday Night:

• Gefilte fish
• Stuffed cabbage (store bought)
• Onion kugel (freezer)
• Rice

Shabbos Lunch:

• Gefilte fish- same as last night
• Honey chicken- not on a kabob, just broiled in the oven
• Zucchini kugel (freezer)
• Cous cous

In the past I've made the honey chicken on the skewer (read my tricks for cooking with honey), but it always took so much time to thread them!  This time I'm trying it without doing all that work.  Originally I was only going to make the chicken with the marinade and leave out the veggies, but we happened to have one small red pepper and two small onions waiting to be used up, which is perfect since I halved the recipe!  Funny how things work out sometimes.

What yummy food are you having this Shabbos?  Anything you can recommend for next week that freezes well?

Business Travels- Preparing at Home

Yesterday I posted about my second business trip. Although the trip was successful, it didn't happen on its own. Having two young children can make it super hard to take advantage of these types of opportunities, so I knew that I had to have everyone on board before booking my ticket. And by everyone I mean my very wonderful DH. Luckily he's always been supportive of my career and understood that this was an amazing opportunity, so he helped make it happen.

Before I left, I had to make sure the kids had enough clean clothes for the next few days. Not as easy as it sounds, since we had a busy weekend- one in which there was no laundry involved. I ended up throwing in a load of laundry the night before my trip. In the morning, I fished out an outfit and pajamas for each child. Their lunches were packed and ready to go the night before, as well as their dinner for that night.

I think the hardest part about leaving for so long was that DH had to put the boys to bed. Never an easy thing to do, so while I was glad I got the night off, I did feel a little bad about giving him the hardest job of all. In the end, they were still awake when I got home, so I didn't really have the night off. At least he didn't have to give them baths- our wonderful afternoon babysitter took care of that. She also made the boys sandwiches for the next day.

Although I do have the "mom guilt" about going away, not taking my kids to school and not seeing them for most of the day, I'm still glad I went. It was great exposure for me and my overall feeling is that if I have to be at work, I might as well make the most of it and do the best job I can do.

Chicken Slow-Cooker "Dump" Recipes (links)

Two weeks ago I mentioned how hard it is for me to prepare meals for neighbors in need, but then came up with the idea of providing a raw meal that can be cooked in the slow-cooker or frozen for later. 

Commenter Amanda asked me to post a few recipes.  Since I'm not a cook by any means, I don't have any of my own recipes to post, but found a whole bunch online.  There are so many more, but here are a few for all of us to get started:

Blogs I found with too many recipes to link to each one: 

• Ring Around the Rosies- Freezer Cooking
• Melissa Fallis Test Kitchen- Freezer Cooking Slow Cooker Meals
• Mama and Baby Love- Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes

Some specific chicken recipes I thought looked yummy:

• Honey Sesame Chicken- Fabulessly Frugal
• Bourbon Chicken- Once a Month Mom
• Italian Chicken- Cully’s Kitchen

I can't wait to try these recipes.  They look so easy to prepare and served with some rice on the side (which can also be made in advance and frozen, by the way), you have a complete meal!

Please comment below if you've tried any.  I'd love your feedback!

Disclaimer:  I haven't personally tried any of these recipes.  Recipes on blogs may not all be kosher.  Use your own discretion.