Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi

I love Sushi. Unfortunately my family does not. My seven year old daughter likes the idea of sushi, but like her father, is not a fan of much fish. So this is a fun easy way for her to enjoy "sushi".

I live in Virginia. As many of you may know, we recently had a very large winter storm. This has resulted in over a week off from school so far. Since there is only so much playing in the snow you can do, we have been getting creative in looking for fun things to do, and when creativity starts to run out, she had chores. During these snow days, she learned to do laundry, work the microwave, and now has a new fun recipe she can make herself for lunch.

I used a whole grain tortilla, and spread peanut butter and jelly on it,

Than I simply rolled them up, and sliced them, placing them on a paper plate in a way that slightly (but enough to be fun and pretend!) resembles a couple rolls of sushi!












All you need is a pair of chopsticks (though your fingers work just fine too) and an appetite!

Dear women of my generation-

This is something that I've wanted to write about for a while.  I fear that it won't make me many friends, as it's not a popular opinion.  I am old-fashioned, and no one will ever say that I am a feminist, but ladies, I think we need to take a few minutes to think about something.

I think a story might be the best introduction.

There's a girl that I am friends with on Facebook.  I have known her for quite some time, and during another part of my life, we were actually quite close friends.  She is now someone that I rarely talk to, and all I know of her life is what I see on Facebook.  She managed to catch my attention as I was scrolling through my newsfeed this morning.  She wrote a post about how she wasn't interested in using social media to date or find men, and that she didn't know why people would even think to message and address her as having such interests.  Scrolling on, and she had posted a picture, a selfie, with her kissing toward the camera and pulling open the top of her shirt.

We want respect from men, we want for them to want us for our minds, and personalities, but how can we possibly expect that when the first part of us that they see is our body? If you ponder nothing else about this post, ponder that.  If they shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, perhaps we could use a bit more of a cover, with a real story inside.

Ponder for a moment, what kind of man you would like to attract (if you're single, of course.  If you are already attached, there is a whole other list of reasons why you should not be sharing these things!).  If you are attracting a man with only your body, you are attracting a man who may not have eyes only for you.  If he's looking only for a nice body, he will always have more to choose from.

Let's go back to a time when they were peeling back layers of our personalities before we ever let them peel back our clothes.  If you want respect from men, this is a great place to start.  People are only going to see you in the light that you present yourself.  As a woman, it saddens me to see women showing their bodies as if that's what they have to offer to the world.  Put your best foot forward.  Right now, for a lot of ladies, they give the impression that the best they have to offer is the skin their clothes should be covering.  I know this isn't true ladies.  All of us have so, so much more to offer.  Let's show off our nurturing nature, our strength, our intelligence.  Let's let the world see more of those things, and less of the things that are only intended to ever be shared with someone you plan to spend your life with.

Before you let this make you mad, take a minute to think, and I mean really think, about whether things would be a little different for you if you took this to heart.  Because I have a feeling that the people who take the most offense, are going to be the ones who could most benefit from taking this to heart.

Is there anything that you'd add to this?  Do you agree?  If any men read this, I'd love for you to chime in also.

Minecraft - Story Mode!

Over the summer, my seven year old daughter spent a lot of time with a friend of mine, and her two teenage children while I was working.  My friend also watched a few younger children.  She loved when the younger kids were napping, because she got to go play Minecraft on the Xbox with the teenagers. When I picked her up, I heard stories almost every day about what she built and what they did while she was playing.

As a result, when I found out that they were coming out with Episode 1 of Minecraft: Story Mode, I was excited to get this for her for Christmas. You see, my daughter really likes Minecraft, and my husband enjoys role playing/story games, so I got this for his playstation 4 (you can also get it for Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, and coming soon to Wii U).   I try each Christmas, to include at least one item that's for both of them to do together and I think this is that item this year.  You can see in the trailer below, how it will be perfect for my father/daughter duo to play together.

This series starts in the world of Minecraft, while introducing you to new characters and themes, while also including things that you are familiar with and look forward to when playing Minecraft.  You're building your empire, while navigating your way through, and deciding how your story plays out, based on the decisions you make in the game.

Think of it like a television show starring a character named Jesse.  In this particular case, YOU are Jesse.  You're the star of the show.  You're also the director. The story is based on the decisions you make, you decide how it plays out and how it ends.  After deciding Jesse's appearance (including Jesse's gender.), you are tasked with saving the world.    

With the upcoming Christmas holiday coming up, this would make a great gift!  It's versatile and available for almost any device that can be used for gaming.  It's now available in stores, but you can also buy it here, as a digital download directly from Telltale for only $24.99.  I am also really excited, because I have, in my possession, a pc code for a free download for one lucky The Mom Show reader!  Make sure to share this post, to let everyone know that this weekend, I will be holding a giveaway for this special free game code!      

                                                                      

Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.

Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is just over a week away (can you believe it?!)!  A week from tomorrow, there will be children walking up and down the streets in cute and scary costumes acquiring goodies that will have them trading candy riding that sugar high late into the night (Halloween does fall on a Saturday this year, after all!), and sharing stories with their friends at school into the next week.

Naturally, as always, keeping our kids safe is always a number one priority for all of us, so I have compiled a few tips for making sure that the only scariness you or your children see this Halloween are costumes and decorations.

- Trick or treating is a really fun tradition, but my family has actually skipped it for a few years now, and instead visiting "trunk or treats" and our church's Annual Fall Festival instead. Using this as an example, it's mostly indoors, they have potluck dinner and we bring home just as much candy as we would roaming the streets.  This is a great option.

- You can easily and creatively add reflective tape or strips to almost any costume to make them safer when out in the dark at night.  This will help cars, and other trick or treaters see them coming and going! A flashlight or glow-stick will be helpful in making sure they can see where they're going also. Make sure that any costume is well-fitting to avoid any tripping or other possible hazards. Make sure any sword, knife or similar props are the flexible kind.

- Make sure you and your children are watching where they're going. You wouldn't have them thumbing through their new-found treasures while walking down the street on any other day.

-Walk with your kids!  Again, especially if you wouldn't let them roam the streets alone on any other night.  If they're young enough to get excited to dress up and go, than they're probably young enough to need you there.  (I know this is most likely a given, but I remember being allowed to go by myself with friends at a far younger age than I'd let my own.)

- Make sure, if you're driving that night, that you're extra cautious of little people in the streets.  Preach this to your teenage drivers as well!

-If your child has autism or another sensory processing disorder, check out this post from Richmond Mom for some costume tips!


Did I miss anything?  What are some tips you would share to keep our kids safe this Halloween?

Most importantly, have a safe, fun and Happy Halloween, however you celebrate!

Closet Organization Tips for Independent Kids -- Guest Post

Closet Organization Tips for Independent Kids




Kaitlin Krull




Every parent wants their child to grow up to be confident and independent. Giving children small, manageable self-care tasks on a regular basis helps foster independence while freeing you up to do other things. Getting dressed in the morning is an important step on your child’s journey to self
sufficiency, and this particular step begins at the bedroom closet. Here are some clever tips from Modernize to help you create a child friendly, accessible kids’ closet.




Separate!




The first step to an organized closet is, you guessed it, organization! Work with your child to sort out clothes into different drawers and onto different hangers according to item (dresses on one rail, dress shirts on another, jeans in one drawer, etc.). If your child knows where each item belongs, then she
will spend less time finding clothes and more time getting herself dressed and ready to go.

via Modernize




Make it accessible




By setting up your child’s closet at eye level, you can let her keep her independence when choosing outfits without sacrificing safety. Choose kid-sized plastic hangers and teach your little one how to use them, and keep the clothes rail at child height. If you’re worried about little fingers in drawers,
consider using open baskets or bins instead. This not only eliminates pinching risks but also helps your child to see exactly what is kept where.

via Modernize




Plan ahead




Designate a space in your child’s closet for daily outfits and encourage her to plan ahead. Hang a shoe rack on the closet door and label each slot with a day of the week, encouraging her to pick out outfits a few days in advance. This will help her to think ahead independently and will save you outfit
planning time in the morning.

via Modernize




Limit choices




Instead of keeping every single item of clothing in the closet, put away out-of-season items and rarely worn clothes to eliminate physical and emotional clutter. If your child has too many clothes (and whose child doesn’t?), rotate items occasionally to save space and make the most of everything you have.

via Modernize




Keep it tidy




A tidy closet is a happy closet, so encourage your little one to clean up any messes she might make during the dressing up process. Label your storage bins and drawers with picture labels if your child needs the occasional reminder as to where items belong. If your child is independently dressing
herself and clearing away when she’s finished, you shouldn’t need to intervene too much here. Just make sure to remove damaged clothes and items your child has outgrown occasionally to keep her closet neat and tidy.

via Modernize




Once you’ve set up your child’s closet, they will be all ready to go.

Just be prepared for more than a few interesting outfit choices!


Disclaimer:  This was a guest post written for Modernize.  The Mom Show does not hold responsibility for the thoughts reflected in this article, nor do we claim ownership over it.