Snow Day

Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer is collecting snow day haiku today. As I read the comments from her readers, I started fantasizing about the happy days ahead for Baby.

Eating ice cream for the first time.

Falling asleep on Mommy’s lap.

Using his new lunch box for the first time on his first day of Kindergarten.

Hoping for snow days.

Waiting for Santa to arrive on Christmas Eve.

Going on his first train ride.

Counting the days until his next birthday.

Pretending to be a pirate or a dinosaur or a fireman.

Watching all six Star Wars movies with Daddy in one day.

Swimming in the big kid pool during hot summer days.

It’s great to be a kid, but it’s even better to be a Mom because you have an opportunity to really appreciate the beauty of these moments and cherish the memories they create.

Thank God

I was searching the internet this morning for some graphics that I need for a report at work. I googled the term "world health" for images and found a picture that brought tears to my eyes. The photo showed a small baby, bare-chested, ribs clearly visible, a bloated belly, and a mouth wide open in a cry of agony.

I immediately said a prayer begging God to end this child's pain and thanking him for the health of my son. I'm thankful that we can provide for his basic needs. He has food, clothing and shelter through the grace of God. I am thankful that I don't know the pain of watching my child suffer, the pain endured by the mother of the child in the photograph.

It's so easy to take for granted the blessings God has given me. I get so busy worrying about our hectic schedule, household chores, bills, and projects at work that I forget to take time to thank God for the many wonderful things he has done in my life.

If you're as guilty as I am, this is your reminder to say a little prayer today.

WFMW: Bargain Shopping for Baby Online

For this week’s edition of Works For Me Wednesday, sponsored by Rocks in My Dryer, I’d like to share my obsession with bargain hunting. Like many women I know, I have a gene that prohibits me from paying full price for anything. I spend more than a reasonable amount of time surfing the internet in search of the best deals.

It’s no secret that many folks find online shopping more convenient than shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. That certainly isn’t my WFMW tip of the week.

What I do need to share is a website that I stumbled upon this week that is every bargain hunter’s dream. Many online retailers offer a price protection guarantee that allows you to get a refund if any item that you buy drops in price within 30 days of your purchase. The only problem is that you don’t automatically get a refund when the price drops. You are responsible for monitoring the price and you must contact the retailer to request a refund.

That doesn’t seem like it would be worth the hassle, but the Price Protectr website does the hard work for you. When you purchase an item online, you simply register your purchase at this website. For the next 30 days, Price Protector monitors the item you purchased and notifies you via email if the retailer drops the price within 30 days of your purchase. You then have an opportunity to contact the online retailer and request a refund.

I was skeptical at first, but I am now a believer. I am convinced that my 9 month old son NEEDS the Hasbro Tonka Scoot-N-Scoop 3-in-1 Ride On Toy for Christmas. I looked everywhere for this item and most retailers are selling it for $39.99. The best prices I found online were $34.99 at Walmart with free site to store shipping or $34.99 at Amazon with free shipping. I waited for weeks to order this item because saving $5 online didn’t feel good enough to me. I was convinced that this item would go on sale before Christmas, but I started to get nervous when the price didn’t drop. I needed to order in time for delivery before Christmas Day, so I decided to bite the bullet and order at Amazon. I decided the free shipping was a bonus because I didn’t have to drive to the store and I was still saving $5 compared to other prices I had found.

Just for amusement, I registered my purchase at Price Protector. One week later, I got an email that the price had dropped to $20.99. I sent an email to Amazon and they refunded $14 to my credit card within one hour. Hurray!

The next day, I got another email from Price Protector. The price dropped again to $17.50. I sent another email to Amazon and got an additional refund of $3.49.

So, I was able to get a total refund of $17.49 and I saved $11 on shipping because the original purchase price was high enough to qualify for Amazon’s free shipping offer. I saved a total of $28.49 on this toy.

Now, that’s the kind of shopping that makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over.

That’s What Works For Me!

Quote of the Day: Titanic Achievements

A ship in harbor is safe,

but that is not what

ships are built for.

~William Shedd

WFMW:WDIFE Part II

While I was hanging out at Rocks In My Dryer reading all the Works For Me Wednesday posts, I remembered a super-fast recipe that my family loves that I forgot to share. I stole this idea from a recipe card that I received in the mail with one of the zillion free baby stuff packages that we got in those blurry days right after Baby's birth.

Ingredients:

2 cups Chicken, cooked and diced

1 jar Salsa

2 cups Rice

1. Heat chicken and salsa in skillet.

2. Serve over rice.

3. Top with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream (optional)

This dish is so easy, fast, and yummy. How did I let this one slip my mind?

Enjoy!

WFMW:WDIFE

For this week’s edition of Works For Me Wednesday, sponsored by Rocks in My Dryer, I’d like to share my last-minute cooking tips. Be warned, I’m not sharing because I am a culinary master, I’m simply sharing because this is Works-For-Me Wednesday: The What-Do-I-Fix? Edition.

It's 5:15 pm, the kids are hungry, I have a headache, hubby is almost home, and the pantry has three things in it. What do I make?

Honestly, my first choice is to pick up take-out from Kuhar’s Restaurant down the street. Their specialty is homestyle European cooking, including favorites such as Hungarian Ghoulash, Viener Schnitzel, Chicken Paprikash, and Stuffed Cabbage, just to name a few. Since all their dinners average $7 per person and include a veggie, side dish, salad and bread, I’m wondering why we cook at all.

If that’s not an option, Hubby has a recipe that he throws together when we’re short on time and starving. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Germany and Austria during World War II, so he ate European style foods growing up. As a child, he remembers visiting his Oma in Austria and eating this dish.

Chris’ Famous Knockwurst
Ingredients:

4 Knockwurst

½ Medium White Onion, finely chopped

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

4 Tbsp White Vinegar

1. Remove the skin from the Knockwurst and slice as thinly as humanly possible
2. Layer slices of Knockwurst on a platter
3. Top with finely chopped onion
4. Drizzle with equal parts olive oil and white vinegar
5. Serve

We eat this with European style seedless rye bread. Dip the bread into the olive oil and vinegar, and scoop knockwurst onto the bread. Repeat until the button pops off your pants.

I also like this dish with any type of mustard. We typically serve this with a side of mac-n-cheese and green beans.

It took me a while to grow fond of this new dish, but now That’s What Works For Me!

You Are What You Eat

I was driving to work this morning when I heard the results of a recent study on the radio news. Research has determined that a child is more likely to eat healthy vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, if the child’s mother ate those same vegetables during her pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

I was so excited by this news that I nearly drove through a red light. OK, I admit that I nearly drove through the red light because I was late for work, but I was also excited by the study.

For a couple of minutes, I gloated with pride over the mounds of vegetables that I happily ate during my pregnancy. We won’t discuss my post-pregnancy eating habits here, but I can honestly say that I make it a habit to eat my fruits and vegetables everyday while I’m breastfeeding. Maybe I just don’t eat as much of them as I should…

My glee was short-lived, however, when I contemplated the whole picture. Because there is always more to the story than the results of the research suggests.

Consider this:

If a mother eats broccoli and cauliflower during her pregnancy, it is likely that her normal diet may include a healthy helping of fruits and vegetables. This mother is probably more likely to offer broccoli and cauliflower to her young child than the mother that dined exclusively on Pepsi and Cheetos during her pregnancy.

DUH.

Another fine example of research dollars wasted.

Aren’t we still looking for a cure for cancer?