It's not you, it's me

I would like to start off by stating, for the record, that I am fully aware that I am the type of person who learns best from her mistakes, from doing something and then seeing if it works and if not, reflecting and tweaking from there. I see this whole process play out in my day job, other pursuits, and my parenting.

I am a big advocate for kids having chores, i.e., responsibility. I think we've always had Dylan help with chores but I wanted to make a more organized system for him. Being a list-maker, I sought out to create a carefully-thought-out and planned but what ended up being a not-quite-effective system for him to do so. I even have the laminated chore chart to prove it:

The system seemed okay, with my original intent to teach self-monitoring (re: checking off what he had done) and delayed gratification (re: receiving reinforcement a.k.a. allowance at the end of the week). However, we everyone else realized quickly that this was not going to work. It took me awhile to come to this conclusion, being the stubborn "LET'S JUST KEEP TRYING" person I am, and a little bit of ego over the whole "LOOK HOW CAREFULLY PLANNED OUT THIS SYSTEM WAS!" Wow there's a lot of self-disclosure and introspection going on in this discussion. Anyway,  the process of checking off each day's worth of chores and waiting the entire week for money was not teaching my intended lessons, and leaving everyone frustrated when I was nagging reminding Dylan to do chores, and checking them off, and then he would forget and end the week with an empty chore chart and of course be frustrated that he didn't earn his allowance DESPITE DOING HIS CHORES. Which is SO not the intended lesson here.

I wanted to do something much simpler, that would actually motivate Dylan to do chores and help out without me nagging reminding him, and would not require a complicated system of checking-off and completing 3 chores from the above column while also completing everyday chores (as I'm typing this out, I'm hearing myself and how complicated I made it.. geeze).

 We talked to Dylan and decided on having him complete his expected chores everyday, without any type of allowance or reward, because they were expected as part of our family and helping out with household chores. These 'everyday chores' are pretty straightforward- making his bed and feeding the cats. He must do them before going out to play with friends, and if not, he will lose 30 minutes of his weekend video-game time (he has a timer and allotted time for videogames on weekends... a system which has actually worked very well for us).

Additionally, I post tasks and chores around the house that he can complete, along with the money he will earn for completing, on post-its on the fridge. These have included, cleaning his room, vacuuming the rug in the living room, dusting shelves, cleaning the bathroom mirrors or windows in the living room, and so on. Dylan can take a post-it with the chore, complete it, hand it to me and instantly receive his money. These come and go- for instance, the other day I had 'vacuum the rug' posted, which he chose not to do, and I decided to vacuum the whole apartment myself so I took that one down. There's no arguing, fighting, or nagging anymore, which I like. Dylan has chosen to do a few of the chores, and skipped others, but I suspect he will be more motivated once his holiday cash runs out.


Lesson learned: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. BUT IF IT IS FACT BROKE, by all means fix it. 

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta- Dylan's favorite dish

Whew. It has been a hectic week getting back into the 'normal' schedule after break, and break itself was a whirlwind. So, yeah, busy! But not complaining.

I wanted to wish ya'll a happy new year with one of my go-to dinners, which is Dylan's personal favorite and not only his most-requested dish but also what he asked for his birthday dinner. Yes, I am truly blessed with a child with good taste.

This dish is something I make so often I kinda sorta don't remember the exact measurements, so play around with it to your liking (particularly the spices). I've made it with lemon-garlic seasoning, adding garlic powder, and so on and it always comes out delicious.

First, start off by boiling some water and throwing 1/4 box of angel hair pasta in there until done, about 8-9 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in 2 cloves chopped garlic, and sauté until fragrant. Then, add 1 tsp. of red Chile pepper flakes.

Add 1 lb. deveined and de-shelled (is that a term?) shrimp (if using frozen, make sure it is thawed, and I like to leave the tails on).

Cook until the shrimp is pink.

Add in drained, cooked pasta and mix together. Turn off heat, then squeeze the juice of one lemon over the pasta and shrimp.

Serve! I typically will garnish with fresh chopped parsley but forgot to pick some up from the store.

So, you caught me: the pictures were taken at Christmastime. OR did I not yet put away my Christmas stuff? Bwahaha you'll never know!

A very simple yet crave-worthy dish. I like to enjoy with some white zinfandel. Not that I'm a wine pairing expert or anything... I just like white zin and would recommend it with everything (burgers? WHITE ZIN). I digress...

Lemon-garlic shrimp pasta
Recipe from: I can't remember...
Serves: 3

1/4 of 1 box angel hair pasta (I use whole wheat)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon red Chile pepper flakes
1 pound shrimp, deveined and thawed, with tails on
1 lemon
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Boil water and cook pasta until done, about 8-9 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and saute until fragrant. Sprinkle garlic with red Chile pepper flakes and add in shrimp. Cook until shrimp is pink.

Add cooked and drained pasta to pan, and stir together for a few moments. Turn heat off, and squeeze the juice from one lemon over pasta and shrimp.

Serve, garnished with fresh parsley.

Our Elf on the Shelf: A Cautionary Tale

Merry Christmas Eve! So I'm sure you've heard of the The Elf on the Shelf*, a tradition that was started in our home back in 2008. Dylan is so eager to find the Elf each morning (ours is named Blooper) and is so enchanted with him. I catch Dylan talking to him, telling him the good things he's done and updating him on his wish list.

If you're not familiar, the elf visits from the North Pole and changes location each night after returning to Santa to update him on your child's behaviors. A story book with the Elf outlines the details and reminds your child to never touch the Elf or he will lose his magic.

Cue mistake on our end.

A babysitter came to watch Dylan one evening (while we attended the SMASHING PUMPKINS in concert OMG it was fantastic, hearing Billy [yes of course we're on a first name basis] play 'Bullet with Butterfly Wings' and 'Disarm' AND an awesome 'Space Oddity' cover live was a.maze.ing., I digress)... So a babysitter came and was unfamiliar with the 'rules' surrounding the Elf and we overlooked letting her know. Dylan woke up the next morning to get ready for school and was upset, telling me that the babysitter didn't know and moved the Elf, and he didn't move and now his magic is gone! (Again, completely our fault for not sharing this information re: not touching the Elf).

So, I did what any parent would do on 4 hours of sleep (did I mention I was out rocking to the Smashing Pumpkins live late into the night before?) and googled: What to do if someone touches your elf on the shelf. Surprisingly G-rated and appropriate results came up.

Thanks to Southern Disposition, I was able to act fast. We quickly e-mailed Santa himself, asking what to do, and about 15 minutes later (MAN he's fast for such a busy person), we received our response:

Forgive the grammatical errors... I (ahem, er I mean Santa) was on 4 hours of sleep here.

Dylan. was. thrilled! He went off to school, and when he returned home, the following was waiting in our mailbox, magically:

"Mailed via Reindeer Express; Caution: Magic Elf Dust enclosed"

We sprinkled the Magic Elf Dust on Blooper, and he returned to the North Pole that evening and ended up in a different spot the next morning. Dylan still excitedly talks to him and continues to jump out of bed to look for him each morning.

Belief in Santa Claus: saved. Cue: self high-five.





Merry, merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!



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We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas...

Like I said, I get really excited about Christmas. So, here is part 3 (I think the final portion but I make no guarantees) of my holiday decorations. This portion of the tour takes you to: my kitchen.

On top of my cabinet (that stores candle-making supplies and candles) we have a frosted cranberry tree, and two plates that I made with Dylan when he was itty-bitty. The left plate is his hand prints in wreath-form from 2005 (zomg, so little!) when he was 2, and the right is a reindeer made from his hand- and footprint in 2004 when he was 1.

On top of the cabinets sits our Santa (can you see the theme here, we love the guy is all I can say) with his sleigh and reindeer.

I added jingle bells and a red candle to my candle vase.

And the grand finale, my centerpiece tray to which I added jingle bells and small glittery ornaments to surround 3 of my holiday-scented candles.

Please excuse the mess of bags/containers in the background, our 'treat table' is currently overflowing (but not for long bwahahah)

I am enjoying the festive look around here and all the warm candlelights and tree lights add a warm, comforting glow in the evening.

We've been hosting a 'hot cocoa bar' nightly for ourselves, accruing our beverages with our choice of Christmas-tree shaped Peeps, mint M & M's, candy canes, and whipped cream covered in cinnamon or sprinkles. We've been sipping these delectable creations while watching our Christmas classics DVDs. Tonight we'll be renting 'Arthur Christmas.' Before bed, we read one of our favorite Christmas stories, so far we've covered Bear Stays Up for Christmas, The Polar Express, The Christmas Magic, The Wild Christmas Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Bad Kitty Christmas and more. We save "The Muppets Christmas Carol" movie and The Night Before Christmas (illustrated by Jan Brett) for our Christmas eve tradition.

I try to emphasize to Dylan that Christmas is a time to spend with family, friends and loved ones and enjoy their company. I hope we are conveying that through all of our traditions.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

After a busy week, I'm back to share more of my holiday decorations. I previously shared my Pinterest-inspired ones, and here are the ones in the living room and outside on the porch...

We added a Dylan-made wreath to the mirror with ribbon, and a few of our favorite Christmas classics (Frosty and the Grinch with Max) to the bench. On top of the shoe organizer sits a little holiday vignette:

Gold and red ornaments round out the previously pumpkin-filled vase, and poinsettias replace my fall mums. The little nutcracker is from CVS, and one of my holiday-scented Mason jar candles adds warm candlelight at night.

These are our beautiful hand-knit stockings, made by my mom. She made Dylan's extra-large so Santa would spoil him!

On top of the TV armoire sits another one of my candles, surrounded by a wreath. The Santa rustic wood piece was a new purchase this year, Justin saw it in Cost Plus World Market and we both loved it.

On the bookshelves, we have our Dylan-made Christmas town.

And a garland that matches our Christmas tree. The large ornament was a gift from Santa last year, filled with candy. The Peace sign comes from World Market as well.

Out on the porch, Santa left us his sack one year. We also added a glittery white reindeer that lights up at night.

And finally (for today, forgive the picture-heavy posts!) are our Christmas lights attached to the railing.

Although you can't see them, there are jingle bells attached to the ribbons that make a lovely sound whenever the wind blows.

We are excitedly awaiting Santa's (and Nana's!) arrival. Off to cook and clean some more in preparation...