Cairo's 11th Birthday is Celebrated in Royal Style

Cairo's Birthday fell on Easter this year. Since we were celebrating in Salt Lake and Orem with family we postponed her party until the following weekend. That weekend happened to be the wedding event of 2011. The Royal wedding of Will and Kate.
I remember staying up all night to watch the wedding of Charles and Diana hmhm...30 years ago (before the benefits of DVR and TiVo). It is still such a great memory and really takes a girl back to the days when she dreamed of the prince that would someday come along and make her a princess. Cairo invited a few friends to watch the event which I had recorded at 4am that morning. The girls spoke in English accents and made fascinator hats to wear in honor of Kate having made them so popular. When the girls finally got see Kate get out of the car they screamed and began snapping photos of the TV with their cell phone cameras. It was such a laugh. Some of the girls spent the night and awoke to English scones and juice for breakfast.

I had downloaded some official photos of the wedding and had them printed at a 1 hour photo shop and decorated the walls with them. They turned out to be the highlight of the party. Each girl wanted to take a few home. They also were sent home with an English Tea cup that had a cupcake (wedding cake) inside to enjoy later that day.
My hope is that Cairo and her friends will always remember watching this wedding with friends and celebrating, laughing, and screaming together at the beauty of the bride and the tradition of the monarchy in England. It was really memorable.

Cairo as Sally Ride in the Wax Museum

Every year the 5th Grade does a Wax Museum where the students portray an individual who has impacted history. Cairo was Sally Ride. After a week of preparation we finally were able to enjoy the exhibit. The process was that when you went up to a "wax figure" you would snap or clap your hands and they would come alive and speak as that individual.

Cairo Performs...Always...But Officially in the School Play

Remember those Saturday morning shows we all loved to watch..I'm Just a Bill sitting here on Capital Hill...
They were little vignettes that were shown between cartoons. Learning about the use of nouns, verbs and punctuation was part of my Saturday morning TV.
The South Elementary School did a musical this week that was called School House Rock. They covered many of those old time favorites.
Cairo was part of the cast and did a fabulous job.

FAT TUESDAY DINNER

Our Fat Tuesday dinner menu...for info on how to create these fun, chalkboard place mats check out www.dollar3eighty.com

Teaching Responsibility...????

Lately I've struggled with helping our children learn responsibility. Specifically, when they forget something they need at school and call me asking me to bring it to them. A dear friend of mine from Provo used to let her kids (high school age) walk to school if they missed the bus, or she would charge them $5 for a ride. I've thought of her often lately, admiring her strength as she must have given her kids a hug and sent them out the door to walk (quite a distance) to school..Rain or shine.
I considered how to teach Cairo responsibility and organization when she forgot the valentines for her classmates on February 14th and then on Friday, February 18th forgot some homework and both times called from school to request my delivery of such items.
I'm a stay at home mom. I struggle with what part of "Mom" means I deliver forgotten items to school. If I were a Mother who worked outside the home, it's likely I wouldn't be able to break away to drive home, collect the items and deliver them. As all stay at home moms know, I WORK...AT HOME...all day long.
In the case of Cairo's valentines I said, "I'll see if I have any errands down that way today and if I happen to be in that part of town I'll bring them." Seriously, we live in a town where everything is about a 5 minute drive from home. So, that sounded mean as I said it. I COULD make time to take the valentines to school but I wanted to teach her a lesson..Tough lesson, ON VALENTINE'S DAY.
I ended up taking the valentines and letting her know I happened to be in the area and it was lucky I could bring them..
When, later that week, she called again, I thought I truly must have failed on Monday because she made the same mistake right in the same week.
I gave her the same line about not knowing if I could bring them because I have a busy day and that wasn't in my schedule...
When I took the homework I also spoke to her about how, if a friend or neighbor called and was in a bind I would likely find a way to help them. But, I'm not her friend OR her neighbor. If, said neighbor did request a favor and I was able to help, certainly that person would feel gratitude and likely send a thank you in some way.
Today, Sam came into my room about 40 minutes prior to leaving for school and let me know he needed a shoe box for school today...
I don't keep such things around but Charlie recently got a new pair of shoes and was keeping some things in the box. I asked Sam to ask Charlie if he could have the box. Of course Charlie said yes because Charlie would give anyone anything, always.
About 10 minutes after Sam left for school he called and let me know he left the shoe box home..hmmmm. What to do??? I do go right past his school on my way to the gym but how will I teach him to be more conscious of his responsibilities?
I gave him the same story I gave Cairo about not knowing if my schedule would allow it and if I had errands that took me that way, I would try to find time to drop it off.
Sam is 12. I decided when I delivered the box that perhaps his lesson would have more impact if there was a slight embarrassment associated with it..Not a lot, but a little.
When I arrived at his class he came to the door to retrieve the box. As he walked away I said, "Wait, I need a really special thank you for going out of my way to help you today. How about a big kiss and a thanks in front of your class?" (I would not have done this if the teacher was in the middle of a lecture, but the class was working independently and had already been totally interrupted.) So, Sam gave me a kiss on the cheek and a big thank you to the cheers of his classmates.
We will see how that lesson works.
Any suggestions for future issues?

"Homemade" Salsa

I put quotation marks around the homemade part because the tomatoes used are from a can...But, I do make it at home and at least 2 times a week. It appeals to all, even my sweet sister-in-law (who is living with us) that never has liked salsa before..
Ingredients:
1 Can Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes
1 Anaheim pepper
1 Serrano pepper
1 Bunch fresh cilantro
1 tsp. Cumin
1 Tbl. Brown Sugar
1 Tbl. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 clove fresh garlic
1 green onion
Recipe:
In a food processor, mix the following:
1 can Mexican style tomatoes
1" Anaheim pepper (the seeds add heat so I leave them out)
1/2" Serrano pepper (same info on seeds)
2 Tbl fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 Clove fresh garlic..(If you don't have this on hand just add a sprinkle of dried or leave it out...)
1" lower part of green onion
1 Tbl. Brown Sugar..(White will work too...I just always use brown when cooking with tomatoes)
1 Tbl. Apple Cider Vinegar
Pulse until desired consistency is achieved. I prefer it less chunky.
The results are delish!

Smoky Chicken Chili Rellenos

These are simply divine! I've made them twice in the past week. The family has decided they prefer non-fat plain Greek yogurt to sour cream as a topping. Of course meals like this are always served with homemade salsa which is a breeze! Recipe tomorrow!

Smoky Chicken Chili Rellenos

Ingredients:
4-5 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 limes
Bunch of fresh cilantro
1 35 oz. bottle La Sobrozita tomatillo sauce (found in Mexican food section of grocery store)
1 sm can diced mild green chilis
Olive Oil
Cinnamon
Cumin
Liquid Smoke
1 round Queso Fresco Cheese
1 round Smoked Gouda Cheese
3 eggs
1 C. Cream or Milk

4-5 Chicken Breasts trimmed and tenderized with meat mallet

Using ¾ of the following sauce, marinade the chicken breasts in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Sauce/Marinade:
Juice of 2 limes
2 Tbl fresh cilantro coarsely snipped into pieces
3 C Tomatillo Sauce
½ small can green chilis
2 Tbl. Olive oil
¼ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cumin
1 tsp. liquid smoke

Reserve ¼ of the sauce to mix with the following cheeses, grated.
1 round of Queso Fresco
1 round of Smoked Gouda
(Reserve about ½ C grated cheese to sprinkle on top of rellenos before baking.)

After 30 minutes in refrigerator bake chicken and marinade sauce in preheated oven at 350° for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is baking, open pablano peppers and remove seeds. Over gas range or on grill, roast the peppers until tender.

Put cooked chicken in zip lock bag and use a tenderizer or a rolling pin to break the chicken into small pieces. Add to remaining sauce and cheeses and mix into a thick stuffing.

Fill the grilled peppers with chicken stuffing and lay in casserole pan.
Lightly beat 3 eggs with 1 C cream and 1 C tomatillo sauce. Pour over the stuffed peppers.
Sprinkle cheese on top of each pepper and bake at 350° until cheese is golden and bubbling.

Top with salsa and non-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream.

The dish tastes great with sweet corn bread.

A Few of My Favorite Things

A few people have recently asked me what make-up I use. So, I decided to do a few little segments of the blog and dedicate them to my drugstore make-up regimen.
We are all getting older...especially me! I've always had a love for beauty secrets, make-up and my own glam that is still simple enough for a busy mother. Also, I pride myself on shopping for "drugstore" items to make my regular treatments...Nothing special or expensive. (I save that money for Botox and other future upkeep)
The above pictured items are 2 of my favorite things that I swear by for the base of my daily make-up regimen.
The Neutrogena moisturizer can be found in any drugstore. I combine it with the Bioderma, tinted moisturizer which, unfortunately, I get from Abu Dhabi. I haven't tried to buy it here but I'm sure it can be found on the internet if not in stores. It can be substituted with any tinted moisturizer but I recommend using a darker shade than you would normally use because the Neutrogena will lighten the color of it.
Using just a drop of each covers my entire face (including eye-lids) for an even, all-over tone. The two of them together offer great sunscreen, alpha-hydroxy as well as coverage of any blotches or blemishes...OH NO...None of us like to admit to having those but the occasional spot does appear. There is something fundamentally wrong with a pimple in a wrinkle!
None-the-less, this is how I start my morning, or mid-day, or even 3pm make-up (whenever I get to it)..More later on the next step..It's all affordable and seems to work for me.

Max the Dog

My dear friend Megan came to visit last Sunday and brought 2 of her three daughters, leaving out her hubby Andrew, son Luke and other daughter Morgan (we missed them but we will take what we can get!). It was so great to visit with her and catch up. We have one of those friendships that picks up like no time has passed and we laugh and carry on like it was just yesterday.
While she was here, the subject of Max the Dog came up. She couldn't believe we have a dog. Neither can we when we really think about it.
I decided since I failed to take any photos of the darling Clark family while they were here that I would insert a pic of Max. He also is rarely recognized on the blog and he is, after all, part of the family!

Jello Playdough

Hey, I found something really great to do with Jello besides adding carrots and whipped cream and calling it a side dish. It's a MUCH better use.
Yummy smelling, soft and workable PLAYDOUGH!




1 cup white flour
1/2 cup salt
2 T. cream of tartar
...2 T. Vegetable oil
1 c. warm water
1 three oz. pkg. jello (any flavor)

Combine ingredients and cook over medium heat until it thickens and pulls away from the sides of pot and becomes dull. * Note: it burns easily so don't put over too high a heat and keep stirring. Mold and knead until cool enough to touch. Store in a closed plastic bag.
The Jello gives it the color and yummy fruit scent. Try it today...