Mommy Has to Work

How To Always Remember A Late Loved One In A Positive Way

March 30, 2023 By Anne

Death is an extremely normal and significant part of life. It can be very sad as we end up missing somebody a lot and grief can be quite difficult to overcome. One of the best ways to overcome the loss of a loved one is to look back at them in a positive light. Think about the amazing times as opposed to the fact that they are no longer here. This is something that might take a while, but it’s a very good way of thinking about things.

During their final years, you may have been a wonderful caregiver. This kind of thought may put you in a sad state of mind as you might only think about negative connotations. The absolute best way of dealing with this is to only think about their optimistic and positive side. If you can manage to always look back at somebody with this kind of outlook, everybody will be in a much better place. There are lots of ways we can look back and remember a late loved one in a positive way – here are a few ideas:

Give Them A Wonderful And Cheerful Send-Off

In the immediate aftermath of losing somebody, it’s understandable that you’ll likely be all over the place in terms of your emotions. You have just lost them and you have to figure out how to go on with them not around anymore. The funeral will be soon and it’s a case of also making sure that you give them a good send-off. If you really want everybody to be in a positive mood and to feel less miserable about everything, perhaps putting a positive spin on the funeral could help things. This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea as they may not be in the mood, but it’s a good suggestion. It is likely what your loved one will have wanted in the first place. Investing time and effort into the funeral and providing a wonderful service with Funeral Flags and wonderful decorations could really help out the mood. While there may be a lot of tears, do your best to try and provoke plenty of laughter, too. A positive and optimistic time at a funeral could just be yet another way of remembering somebody positively.

Always Think About The Amazing Things They Did For Others And For Themselves

This is a pretty obvious point to make, but do whatever you can to see the good in what they did. Everybody makes mistakes and everybody has negative times, but it’s time to put those on the back burner. Always consider what made them wonderful and what made you happy. You will always be able to see the good in them if you try, so make sure everyone sees it.

Patch Up Any Issues Or Problems Before They Depart

Of people in this world who do not get to say goodbye to somebody on good terms. If there are a few issues you might have with this person, it’s best to bite the bullet and bury the hatchet. If you can patch up problems before you lose somebody, you will never have to live with regret.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

How to Get Into the Habit of Cooking for Your Family

March 26, 2023 By Anne

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Home cooking is one of those things that most people want to get into, but struggle to make the leap. Cooking is a valuable skill that can save you money and help you to eat more healthily if you’re able to put in the effort. True, it’s always tempting to order takeout or kick up a ready meal and call it a day, but this can be a bad habit to get into if you do it every night.

Unfortunately, cooking is easier said than done. Parents are busier than ever, which is why we fall back on bad habits. However, once you start to develop your skills and fall into a routine, it does get easier and you will see the benefits.

Why It Matters

One of the things that hold people back from achieving their goals is a lack of motivation. If you don’t see the point of doing something, then you’re far less likely to make the effort needed to reach your goals. This principle is true when it comes to education, fitness, work, and learning any skill, including cooking.

You might argue that cooking for yourself is pointless because the restaurant and takeout food is convenient and tasty. Ready meals are another option, as you can have a meal in minutes. At the end of a busy day, these options are very tempting.

However, takeout and restaurant meals are so tasty because the people who cook them aren’t considering your long-term health. They taste good because they are loaded with fat, salt, and sugar. This means that they’re a great treat on occasion, but not a good idea to eat for every meal, especially if you’re trying to be healthy. Ready meals aren’t much better, as they are similarly full of fat, salt, and sugar to make them palatable.

Health considerations aside, these meals all cost a lot more money than it would take to make the same meal at home. In some cases, you don’t even save that much time. In the time that you wait for a takeout to arrive, you might have been able to put together a cheap, healthy meal that is perfectly tasty. The trick is knowing how.

Find Recipes That Work

One of the easiest mistakes to fall into when it comes to home cooking is choosing recipes that are too complicated or take too long to cook. When you’re just getting started with any skill, you want to start simple. The same applies to cooking, choose recipes that are quick and easy, so that you can get it on the table and ready to eat.

You should also cook things that you and your family actually want to eat. This sounds obvious, but you can be so focused on choosing something that is as healthy as possible that you end up cooking bland or boring food.

Healthy doesn’t mean bland. Use spices and fresh ingredients to make healthy food delicious again. An air fryer is a great tool for any busy family, as you can quickly cook tasty meals without too much fat.

You can even use your air fryer to cook treats. For example, this easy air fryer chocolate chip cookies recipe is ideal for beginners and children to tackle. Even better, you have some amazing fresh cookies to enjoy.

Get Your Kids Involved

One way to kill two birds with one stone is to get your children involved in cooking. This way, you get some home-cooked meals and you can spend more quality time with your children. It’s important for parents to bond with their kids and teaching valuable life skills is a great way to do it.

Teaching your children how to cook is important because it helps them to grow up to become responsible, independent adults. As well as teaching them the skill of cooking, you can integrate other skills and teach them how to apply what they learn in school in their lives.

If your children need to measure ingredients, then they need to know how to add and subtract, as well as convert different measurements. They might need to multiply or divide to scale a recipe up. They need to know how to read and follow directions. Once they’re old enough to handle a knife, they learn fine motor skills. They can flex their creative muscles in the kitchen.

Finally, your children can learn the responsibility of planning and cooking a meal. Even better, once they can handle the cooking once a week or so, that’s one less chore for mom and dad.

Anne

Functional Food: The 3 Best Family Meals You Can Batch-Cook

March 6, 2023 By Anne

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Ensuring we provide tasty nutritious meals for our families when we lead such a busy life is taxing. When there’s work to do, extracurricular activities to manage, and the less-than-easy task of looking after your home, you may find it hard to get everything in balance, especially when it comes to the right meals, but this is where batch cooking comes to the rescue! Batch cooking is, very simply, cooking a larger portion of your favorite foods that you can store for future use, either in freezers or in the fridge for later in the week. Here are some of the best batch-cooked meals out there you can cook.

Sloppy Joes

One of the old-fashioned staples for most kids growing up, Sloppy Joes are easily freezable and when you create such a massive amount, a lot of people are concerned when they bring something out of the freezer that it either loses its texture and goes all runny, but this is nothing to be concerned about when it comes to Sloppy Joes because they are already sloppy in nature! If you feel they are too runny after you take them out of the freezer, just brown them off in the frying pan to reduce the liquid!

Casseroles

The great thing about having a slow cooker is that you can make meals with minimum effort. Another great benefit is that most of these meals can be portioned up and frozen. A little trick if you want to maximize freezer space is to not portion up less solid meals into Tupperware boxes, but instead, put them in freezer bags. This means that you may have to cut up the meat into smaller portions for it to maintain that liquidy consistency, but when you have more freezer space, you can get into the habit of batch-cooking a meal whenever you have some time spare. The great thing about batch-cooked meals is that they last at least up to six months in the freezer. Just make sure you put the date the meal was cooked on the Tupperware box or freezer bag!

Lasagna

One of those dishes that tastes amazing, in or out of the freezer. Lasagna is an amazing way for you to not just create a filling family staple, but is the perfect opportunity to load this dish with lots of vegetables. Your children may very well turn their noses up at the sight of vegetables, which is why you can benefit from making your own tomato sauce that has a wide variety of onions, carrots, zucchinis, peppers, and almost anything to create this amazing base. The benefit of this type of tomato sauce is that you can also freeze it, making short work of pasta dishes beyond lasagna, but spaghetti bolognese and even chili!

Ensuring we have an idea of the best batch-cooked meals we can portion up is critical because it means we’re not just working more effectively within the time constraints, but we’ve also got more opportunities to do the things that we want!

Anne

Create Delicious Dishes With Fresh Ingredients: A Step-by-Step Guide

March 6, 2023 By Anne

Do you ever feel like you’re in a cooking rut? You want to make something delicious, but you can’t seem to come up with an idea. Maybe you resort to eating out more often than you’d like or ordering takeout. Well, fresh ingredients are not only healthier and tastier, but they’re also easier to work with than dried herbs and spices. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to use fresh ingredients to create delicious dishes that will wow your taste buds!

via Pexels

Start with a tasty base

One of the best ways to start a delicious recipe is with a tasty base. This is where you will build the flavors and structure of your dish, so it’s important to choose ingredients that will complement the other flavors you’ll be adding. Start by selecting a quality protein such as lean ground beef or chicken, shrimp, pork, or even tofu. Once you have chosen your protein, pick out fresh vegetables like onions, peppers, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms for flavor and texture. Finally, add some grains such as quinoa or brown rice for extra nutrition. These ingredients form the foundation of your dish and provide essential nutrients as well as taste.

Boost the flavor

Once you have a tasty base for your dish, it is time to boost the flavor. The best way to do this is by adding sauces and marinades. This can give your meals an extra kick of flavor and help to balance out the ingredients. For example, if you are making a stir-fry or curry with vegetables, try adding some soy sauce or fish sauce for umami notes. For Mexican dishes, add salsa or pico de gallo for some zesty acidity. And for Mediterranean dishes, try using olive oil and vinegar as a marinade for meats. These sauces can add depth and complexity of flavor that will take your dish from ordinary to extraordinary!

Another great way to enhance flavors is through herbs and spices. Fresh herbs can all be used in The Butter Half’s tabouli salad, as well as different combinations to create unique flavor nuances in your dishes. You can also use dried herbs and spices such as paprika, cumin, coriander powder, or chili powder, depending on what kind of cuisine you are trying to achieve. By experimenting with different combinations of these ingredients, you can create layers upon layers of flavor in your dish!

Use fresh ingredients

Fresh ingredients can make a huge difference in the flavor and quality of any dish. By using fresh ingredients, you can ensure that your dish will be bursting with vibrant flavors and nutrients. Fresh vegetables like onions, peppers, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms not only add flavor and texture to dishes but also provide essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

In conclusion, there are many different ways to create a flavorful and nutritious dish. By using the right combination of ingredients and techniques, such as adding sauces, marinades, herbs, and spices, you can create delicious dishes with layers of flavor that will impress even the toughest critics. Don’t forget to use fresh ingredients for maximum nutrition and taste! With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to creating mouth-watering meals in no time!

Anne

Create a Flavor Explosion: Arranging a Surprise 50th Birthday Party

March 5, 2023 By Anne

Your parents have done a lot for you. They’ve been there through thick and thin, always offering their support. So it’s time to return the favor and throw them an incredible 50th birthday party! But how do you make sure it’s a surprise? Here are some tips for preparing that special dinner to arrange the best party.

1) Choose a Suitable Location:

Choose the location for your party with discretion. You don’t want to alert your parents of the surprise by having them see decorations or people around their house. Instead, try to find a venue that is close enough and suitable for all guests, such as a restaurant or banquet hall. In addition, make sure there is enough space to accommodate everyone.

2) Food Options:

When it comes to food options, you want to choose something exciting and special. Get the siblings all involved, to help prepare this special dinner. Consider a buffet-style dinner made up of dishes that your parents like. Offer a variety of flavors such as Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese and more. You could also put together specialized bars like sushi or a taco bar. It would be extra meaningful if you could get a favorite family recipe to serve as one of the dishes, such as dad’s simple steak seasoning recipe for a BBQ on the side.

3) Decorate Strategically:

When it comes to decorations, carefully plan your decor. If the location allows you, create a theme for your parent’s 50th birthday that is special to them – maybe a beach-side celebration or an entertainment-themed party. Choose decorations accordingly and use colors that will be eye-catching but not too flashy. You can also add some personal touches, like pictures of your parents during their younger years and make sure to include lots of balloons!

4) Music and Entertainment:

Once you’ve done the decorating, set the mood with some music:

Curate a playlist of old and new songs that have meaning to them or will get everyone dancing.
Consider adding some interactive activities like karaoke and trivia games that will keep everyone entertained throughout the night.
Ensure ample seating is available for those who might need a break from all the fun!

5) Photos and memories:

Create an area at the party where people can take photos to capture all the memorable moments. Have a professional photographer on hand or set up a photo booth with props and silly accessories. You can also arrange for friends, family members and colleagues to give speeches about your parents and share stories from days gone by. This will make for a truly special event that your parents won’t soon forget.

Via Pexels

6) Cake:

No birthday party is complete without cake! Choose one that reflects their personality – maybe you could even recreate a childhood favorite like banana bread pudding. Make sure to order it ahead of time and keep it in hiding until the big moment! As for presentation, go all out with vibrant colors and tasty toppings like strawberries, cream cheese frosting or chocolate ganache.

7) Gifts:

The final element of throwing a surprise 50th birthday party is finding the perfect gifts for your parents. If budget permits, you could get them something special, like jewelry or tickets to their favorite show. Alternatively, you could make it more sentimental by creating a scrapbook full of pictures from their younger days.

In conclusion, throwing a surprise 50th birthday party takes time and dedication. However, with the right planning and preparation, you can create an unforgettable event that your parents will cherish for years to come.