New Year’s Eve for Kids

Spending this New Year’s Eve at home with the family? Ringing in the New Year with your precious gems is a great way to spend the holiday. Not sure what to do till the stroke of 12? SharpMoms has you covered!

• After a family dinner your kids will be eager for some finger foods to munch on while waiting on the ball to drop. Keep it simple with popcorn, fruit cups, and everyone’s favorite flavor of ice cream.
• Sparkling cider in goblets will also make your little ones feel extra special while Mom and Dad sip on champagne.
• Next up, party favors. Don’t waste your money on fancy 2010 hats. Buy some plain gold and silver paper party hats and bust out the craft box. Your kids will have way more fun donning their own party creations!
• Don’t forget dancing! Every New Year’s Eve there are programs on with lots of music and entertainment acts. Watch them with your kids and encourage them to dance the night away!

Make this New Year’s Eve one to Remember!

Hosting a party? We’re all about making your planning a little easier. Here are some SharpMom tips for party success!

1. If you’re hosting a dinner party, make your life easier by cooking one pot meals (see soup recipe below) or an easy casserole. You might want to try our Ham and Bean Bake. Doing an easy main dish will not only save you time, but save your sanity as well!

2. Let your guests make their own drinks and a do it yourself cocktail bar. If you don’t have a bar area already, set up a small card table with a nice tablecloth-Voila! Instant bar! Set out some champagne cocktail and bloody mary supplies. Don’t forget a fun party tub full of your favorite brews as well as a few bottles of Merlot for those non-champagne drinkers.

3. Don’t get rid of all your wreaths and garland just yet! Use that holiday decor for wishing posts. Fill a hurricaine candle holder with slips of white paper and pens and let your guests fill in their wishes for the coming year. Clip them to the wreaths for all the party guests to read throughout the evening!

4. Don’t forget the finger foods! What is a New Year’s Eve party without a table full of appetizers? Order up some sushi from your favorite sushi bar in town and don’t forget the cheese and veggie trays! For more appetizer ideas click here.

ONE POT RECIPE: Black-Eyed Pea Soup

This is a one pot meal that is sure to please the party goers (or your family, if you are spending a low-key New Year’s at home)!

What you need:

Fix it fast:

New Year’s Resolutions Just for SharpMoms

Having trouble with good resolutions for coming year? Look no farther! We have a list of doable resolutions for 2010 that will help you focus on your family and add to your SharpMom capabilites!

1. I will embrace the fact that I’m not perfect. No one is, but as a Mom you most likely feel the constant need to be perfect at everything you do-cooking, housekeeping, work, kids…The list could go on and on. You don’t have to bake everything from scratch, make Halloween costumes out of scraps lying around the house, or coach the soccer team. Children don’t need you to be perfect. What they do need is lots of hugs and love and attention. So forget the idea of being the next Angelina Jolie and focus on your family and spending time together.

2. I will get down on the floor and play with my child every day. Whether you have an infant or school age children, no matter the age, all children need some one-on-one face time with Mom (and Dad). For Moms who work outside the home making time for your kids can be an extra hard challenge. Set some time aside each day to read a bedtime story, help with homework, or participate in tummy time. Not only will your child enjoy it, but it will give you a few minutes to leave the stresses of day behind.

3. I will take care of my body. Time for yourself? Unheard of! Not really and you should think about making some time to eat better and workout in the coming year. You don’t have to be a diet queen, but try some new heathly recipes for your family. It will benefit you all! Not all Moms are workout divas, but just 30 minutes a day, or every other day, can really help boost your mood and help you shed those few extra holiday pounds you just put on because of that yummy Christmas dinner you indulged in.

4. I will learn to love the chaos. Having a family means loads of laundry, lots of contagious diseases, messy faces, muddy shoes, and so much more! As comedienne Phyllis Diller once said: “Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.”

5. I will make the family dinner a priority. Sure, it’s easier to grab pizza and eat in front of the TV than to arrange a meal at the dinner table. But remember: it’s not about the food (so don’t worry if you’re not the next Rachel Ray!), it’s your family that should be the focus.Sitting down for a meal at the end of the day gives everyone in the house a chance to reconnect and talk about what happened during their day. And, an added bonus, research has found that kids who regularly have dinner with their parents are more likely to do well in school and stay out of trouble.

6. I will focus a little more on my marriage. Marriage is a living thing that needs to be watered, fed, and nurtured. Raising a family takes up SO much time and energy that you most likely see less of your husband than you did when you were dating in college. Try to make time for a monthly date night, partake in the household chores together, or catch your favorite primetime show on TIVO after the kids are in bed.

7. I will make time for my friends. When you become a Mom everything changes. You may not see your girlfriends as much as you used to. Don’t let your friendships fade. Take a minute to send out an email or make a phone call. Schedule a monthly “Girl’s Night Out”. Spending time with your girlfriends will not only liven your mood, but also lower your blood pressure!

8. I will remind myself daily that time with my children is precious. Motherhood never ends — but childhood does. You have your first baby, you wake up one day and their 3 years old and you’re expecting #2. Do not neglect your children. These are moments you will never get back. Spend time with them when you can, take lots of pictures and make time for special activities that will create lasting memories.

Ham and Bean Bake

Put your holiday left overs to good use with this delicious ham and bean recipe.

What you need:

2 cups diced cooked ham

1 cup barbeque sauce

1 meduim onion, chopped

1 can, 15 oz, great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 can, 15 oz, dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can, 15 oz, black beans, drained and rinsed

2 pouches (6.5 oz each) cornbread/muffin mix

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

2 eggs

Fix it fast:

1. Heat over to 400 and spray a 13×9 glass cooking dish.

2. In a sauce pan heat ham, barbeque sauce, onion and beans, stirring occassionaly until fully heated. Pour into baking dish.

Serves abvout 8, Prep time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes

New Mom Challenges

If you are a new mom, you are probably thinking your newborn is as perfect as they come. All new moms want to do the best for their baby, but you should always go into knowing that their will be struggles and mistakes made along the way. Here are some of the things you may be coping with if you are a new mom. No worries-it will all come together as you get into the swing of things!

• You Struggle with Breastfeeding: If breastfeeding isn’t going as well as you thought it would, do not suffer alone. Use your resources. Many labor and delivery wards offer lacatation consultants.These are trained professionals who will be happy to evaluate the things you are struggling with. Often times they will even do home visits so they can see firsthand the things you are struggling with. Give yourself a goal of sticking it out for a least a month, but if at the end of four weeks you are still struggling consider switching to formula. Formula fed babies do just as well in the real world!
• Your Husband Becomes Your Worst Enemy: Okay, so you thought having a baby would bring you closer together, but instead you are ready to hit him with a bat and divorce has crossed your mind more than once. The first thing to do is realize that your spouse is doing the best they can. Most men feel an immediate need to become the absolute best provider financially for their family when baby comes. To relieve some of the stress, get hubby involved with the little one. Let him take a night feeding duty so you can catch up on sleep or ask him to do the laundry once a week. Taking over small tasks around the house can make all the difference.
• You Feel Fat: You may not be shedding the left over baby weight quickly and that’s okay. Most of the extra padding and fat is needed to give you some energy for breastfeeding, so that is a good thing. Hitting your old workout routine is not recommended until after 6 weeks post partum, 8 weeks if you had a c-section. So until you can return to your old workout schedule, enjoy the first few weeks with your newborn.
• You Feel the Need to be Perfect: All moms feel pressure to do their very best, but especially new moms, but the idea that your house should be spotless, your kids should always be happy and you should be showered and ready for an outing at any moment is just not realistic. Don’t feel guilty about popping the baby in his bouncy seat for an hour or two so you eat lunch, take a shower, or check your email.

Rainy or Snowy Day Crafting

When rainy or snowy weather has you indoors and the kids start going stir crazy, you may begin to wonder what to do. Filling a box with craft supplies is a great way to liven up these boring days. If you’re not sure where to start, check out this craft starter kit by Land of Nod. It’s great for ages 3 and up and is sure to get your child’s imagination going!

Product Recall: Evenflo, ExerSaucer,1-2-3 Tea for Me, Active Learning Center, Cake Toy

A new recall has been issued for the Evenflo Exersaucer, 1-2-3 Tea for Me, Activity Learning Center.

Model number 6161834

The toy flame at the top of the cake toy can detach, posing a choking hazard to children. To receive a free replacement toy, call Evenflo’s toll-free number at:

Photo Wreath Craft

Take your pictures out the box and create a fun holiday decoration. The wonderful thing about this craft is that it can be themed to any holiday season. All you have to do is change up the craft decor for an instant personal and seasonal wreath!

What You’ll Need
12- or 14-inch Styrofoam wreath form
Colored card stock
3-inch circle template
Pencil
Scissors
Glue stick
Decorative-edge scissors
4-x-6-inch black-and-white photos
Craft glue
Ribbon
Jingle bells
2 T-pins

Make It
Use circle template to cut circles from card stock; cut faces from black-and-white photos into slightly smaller circles. Use a glue stick to attach the photo cutouts to card stock, then trim the card stock with decorative-edge scissors. Glue the photos to the surface of the Styrofoam wreath form with edges overlapping. Thread ribbon through jingle bells and tie bows. Glue the bells in between the photos as desired. Attach a loop of ribbon to the back of the wreath with T-pins and hang.

Easy Advent Calendar

Make a tree by stacking 25 decorated envelopes to a corkboard — a month full of surprises! Get creative with your kids and decorate each envelope with scraps of colorful paper, ribbon and other easily applied craft decor. To make the tree you will need to line up the envelopes in this order: Top row-2 envelopes, next row-3 envelopes, middle row-5 envelopes, next row-6 envelopes, bottom row of tree-7 envelopes, last row (bark)-2 evelopes.

H1N1 Vaccine Recalled!

It seems as though some of the H1N1 vaccines administered are not potent enough to fight the virus. It is not a safety recall, but over 800,000 vaccines from Sanofi-Pastuer have been distributed and administered already. For more information please click here.