I have a confession to make.
I use box mix for brownies. It’s true.
…BUT IT IS SO GOOD!!!!!
Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix
I’ve made a lottttt of batches of brownies from scratch, but once I gave Ghirardelli’s Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix
The brownies are moist and chewy and chocolatey with that thin crackly layer on the top. There are big chunks of chocolate, and the edges are satisfyingly edgy, for you edge-lovers out there. They’re pretty much perfect, and at $10/6-pack from Costco… you can’t really ask for more from boxed goods…
Golden Coin Almond Jello Mix
…Unless if you’re making almond jello, in which case Golden Coin’s almond jello
cake jello.
I once observed a teacher leading a large class of students. I could tell she didn’t have much experience teaching for a number of reasons, but one of the most obvious was that she kept getting derailed. A lot. She would be mid-sentence when a kid would suddenly shoot their hand in the air. It caught her off-guard with the urgency of a text message, and she took the bait every time. Even if she was working toward a main point, she allowed the hand to slice her words mid-sentence as she responded, “–Yes?”
The urgent hand waving in the air won her attention, and eventually, everyone else’s. After a series of similar interruptions, she soon lost the interest of all of the students and spent the rest of the lesson struggling to get it back (unsuccessfully). It was a disaster.
So the test said POSITIVE and you’ve finished that terrible first trimester of “morning” sickness (total misnomer– the nausea can be constant!). Now you are into what most women find to be an enjoyable second trimester, and you’re ready to start getting that nursery ready!
You are not alone. I have a whole lot of friends right around that stage as I type. I literally have TEN close friends who are expecting in 2015– and that’s only getting us up to September! (And those are just the ones who have told me– I know there are more of you out there…!) Well, friends, here are some things you will want to think about before your baby comes. Some are to help you as you prepare the nursery and gear up, while others are just things you’ll probably wish you had thought about before you were constantly sleep-deprived and bleary-minded.
I was working through some of my old teaching stuff and came across some books I used to LOVE reading to my students (ages 8-11). These were the ones I knew would make them sit on the edge of their seats, hanging on to my every word. These were the ones I couldn’t WAIT to start reading to them, and the ones that made them howl in protest whenever I stopped for the day and inserted my bookmark. These were the ones that gave us fodder for rich and deep discussion on real-world topics– the stories they remembered years later. There are millions of wonderful chapter and picture books out there, but here are some of my favorites!
Note: My post does contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, you won’t pay a penny more, but I’ll get a small commission. Thanks!
Chapter books
School Story
(9-10 yrs)
While Frindle
I made him cards. They were creative and thoughtful and full of mushy sentiment. I spent a lot of time perfecting the details, and couldn’t wait to hear the love in his voice when he received it.
He hugged me. Fierce and tight, to the point where I had to push him away sometimes, “UUF… too tight!! Whyyy why do you hug me so tightly?!” I said, half-jokingly… half-annoyed.
I planned dates for us. Outings where we could spend time together and make memories and just be together.
He took my car for an oil change and filled the car up with gas.
Although I appreciated the sentiment behind the hugs and the conveniences with the car, I still had complaints. The kind of complaints I kept to myself, because voicing them would make any ensuing response seem less special: Why doesn’t he write me mushy cards? Why doesn’t he plan romantic dates?
Now, nearly a decade later, I know that his methods were “not wrong– just different,” to quote Mr. Eggerichs (whose DVD series on marriage, btw, is FANTASTIC). Ben’s way of communicating love and care to me involved hugs and acts of service, while my sentiments came in the form of encouraging words and quality time. On the surface, these may seem like stereotypical gender differences (which they aren’t), but there’s a lot more to unpack about each one.
This will be my last post about quiet books for a while! Thanks for your patience, friends. I know you’re not all rearing little ones, but… yanno… it was a big project for me so I’m still excited about it :D. But really. Last one. For a long time.
So I made 16 sets of this page. They are felt chain links that can be snapped together to form a rainbow chain. Kids can (quietly) practice their rainbow colors while getting some fine-motor skill practice in! Nice, right? The most annoying part was learning how to apply the snaps. It wasn’t hard to do, but I had to do some research to figure out the easiest and least expensive way to apply the button snaps, since I had (16 x 8 x 2) = 256 of them to do!!
Although it took a lot of time, I had fun making these pages!
I walked in from the garage, groceries weighing down my shoulders. He grabbed the bags and helped put the milk in the fridge while I took out the frozen fruit. We continued putting things away while our baby girl crawled around us until finally, everything was put away. I turned to get some water when I saw him shoot a sidelong glance and something between a smirk and disappointment flashed across his face.
“What?” I said, reaching for the water faucet.
“…Nothing,” he said, turning away from me.
I sighed. After eight years of marriage, I knew exactly what he was looking for.
He wanted me to appreciate him.
Earlier this week, I shared about the quiet book I made with some friends. (Er, the fourteen quiet books we made together.) It was a fun and very satisfying project! If you have a baby or young child to care for, consider organizing some other crafty mama friends to make your own! It will be a treasured item for the years to come, and a must-bring item when you head for a plane ride, car ride, church service, or visit to grandma’s!
Parents, have you ever heard of a Quiet Book? Also known as a Busy Book? It is a cloth book filled with fun activities that your child can play with… quietly!
My baby girl LOVES her quiet book!
BRILLIANT isn’t it? From making different Mr. Potato Head combinations to counting cupcake sprinkles to buttoning buttons to building sandcastles, quiet books help children hone their fine motor skills, review educational concepts, and encourages creative thinking all while keeping your child busy and quiet.
Um. Yes, please. (Go HERE to make your own!)
We haven’t set up too many traditions in our family yet, but here’s one that has been going eight years strong: COOKIES ON RAINY DAYS. I am strong believer in fresh-baked cookies on rainy days, and have had plenty of opportunities to continue the tradition here in rainy California the last couple of weeks. Speaking of rain, I just want to say: California teachers, I felt for you on those wet days. I really did. I do not miss those rainy weeks of cabin-fevered children and indoor recesses. I wish you many cookies and hot baths when you get home!
Back to cookies. So a few months ago, one of my favorite people in the world sent me this request: “Would you be willing to post your recipe for your coffee toffee chocolate chip cookies? [Someone] made your lemon bars last week so I remembered my absolute favorite of your desserts…” How could I say no to that? So I emailed her the recipe, and have been waiting for rainy days to come so it would be juuust the right time to share it with you all, too!
These are also my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookies of all time. If I were a recipe hoarder, this is one I would hoard. I’ve tried maybe 15-20 different chocolate chip cookie recipes in my lifetime (including these and these and these and these), but the one I am about to share continues to be my all-time favorite. Hands-down. As a matter of fact, it’s probably one of my all-time favorite recipes of all time, chocolate or not. Yeah. Really. 
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