Letting Go. or something.

I was all set to write a big long thing about Spring Cleaning today. My kids have another week of school, then they’re home for a week for Spring Break. And then there’s Easter. It looks like we’re not really going to host anything, except maybe we’ll throw some plastic eggs in the backyard for our friend, Baby Max (he’s Jewish so he looks for eggs with us, and he’ll always be known as Baby Max, even when he’s 6 ft. tall).

And then I was going to get started on my list—probably with wiping down the blinds in the kitchen. Or maybe by hosing off the front porch.

But.

I can’t.

I just dropped my 4-year-old off at preschool and now I’m a sappy, weepy, crumbly mess. She’s going on a field trip today. To the firehouse. Without me.

One of the reasons I picked this preschool is because it’s about 1/4 of a mile away, and it’s only 9-12 hours a week (the extra 3 hours is for “Lunch Buddies”). And I like the teachers. I trust them, and I like that they are real grownups instead of college-aged kids. I used to run centers, and because of that I am very picky. SUPER picky.

anyhow. When I asked if I could come along for the field trip today, the head teacher (LOVE her) asked quietly if me coming along was “for me” or “for her” (meaning my daughter). I answered that I always go on field trips—-that was one of the reasons I work from home, blah blah blah. She told me that they already had enough parent volunteers, but that I was more then welcome to meet them at the firehouse, or to meet them someplace along the way and wave.

The firehouse is through the park, and down some steps. It is NOT far away. This was the teacher’s very kind and very supportive way of letting me know that it was time.

Time for me to chill.

I don’t know what it is, but ever since becoming a parent I’ve had a new heightened awareness of All. Things. Evil. I try my hardest to keep my neurosis to myself, and I don’t usually share out loud what I’m feeling/thinking. I know that I’m not supposed to project my anxiety to the kids, and when I take a deep breath the moment passes and I begin to relax. I know this, so for the most part that’s just what I do. I keep it in.

I don’t tell anyone that when I’m in a movie theater I plan escape routes. Or that I look for the defilibrator machine at the mall. Or that I hold my breath in elevators. Or that when we’re on the second floor of anything I’m aware which windows open and which do not. I don’t like stair cases that have open-air risers. Or when one side of a staircase is open instead of being walled-in. I don’t care for balconies, unless they are really wide. I hate it when the kids push on railings of any kind—– my stomach ends up in my throat and my heart flip flops.

I also don’t like fast driving, fast amusement park rides, airplanes, large bodies of water, or anything where I am not in complete and total control.

whoops. did I say that outloud?

Because I know that my thoughts are bat shit crazy irrational, I usually keep them to myself. It’s selfish of me to not allow the kids to venture off and make new memories and have new experiences. I know this. But I still have those fleeting thoughts where I want to wrap them in bubble wrap and shove them back inside.

I used to think that I was alone in these weird hallucinations about THE UNKNOWN, but most of my friends have reported similar thoughts. My friend Jenny has vertigo after having kids, and my friend Carol plans the same sort of escape routes in her head when in crowded places with her children. So when we’re together in a crowd we compare notes.

but we don’t tell our husbands. they’d think we were nuts.

And (completely unrelated, but maybe not). Do yourself a favor and DO NOT google “how many calories in a margarita?”

sigh.

I guess I should go hose off the porch. Maybe the kids will walk by!

How to Company Clean–in 30 minutes or less

I love parties, and I like having people over. We seem to entertain in some way a few times a month—-nothing fancy, just dinner or brunch with friends and family on the weekend.

It’s a lot more fun to entertain when your house is clean.

If you’ve been using the Daily 7 everyday, or pretty-much-everyday, your house is already clean. There will be incidental clutter here and there, but the house will not be in chaos, and you can feel comfortable having guests in your home.

I don’t really like pop-ins. They occur here and there, but for the most part, I prefer a head’s up before company arrives. I’m going to share what I do right before company arrives.

Occupy the Children/Pets.

Put on a DVD. Shove them in the yard. Give them a tub of frosting and plop them in the highchair. Something. Anything. Keep them away from you while you quickly move from room to room tidying. If they are old enough to help, let them, but don’t waste time micromanaging.

Hide Stuff.

Yes. This isn’t cheating, this is practical, and the better you get at the Daily 7 and with PROMing, the less you will have to hide. Grab an empty laundry basket or storage bin, and start at the front door. Toss in random papers that have congregated on the side table and the floor: the umbrella, the one pink rainboot, the string cheese wrapper, and the IPod headphones (or whatever happens to be in your front entry. These are the things in mine at the moment…) Continue putting things into the basket or bin as you walk through the front entry and into the house. Keep the basket/bin out while you quickly tidy up the front room. Fold throw blankets, fluff the couch cushions, clear off the coffee table, and put any scattered toys or strewed items into the basket. Put this container into the master bedroom closet, or similar hiding spot that is off-limits to guests. Do yourself a favor and attend to this basket/bin promptly—-the last thing you want is a stack of “hidden” item containers!

Guest Bathroom.

This is the only place where your guest(s) will be alone. If you are up to speed with the Daily 7, you’ve been wiping down the bathroom daily, so you’re in phenomenal shape. If you haven’t been keeping up with this, it’s okay. Run some hot water in the sink, and use a hand towel to wipe up the sink bowl and surrounding surfaces. It’s okay to splash and get the floor wet. Put away bath toys. Use the wet handtowel to wipe out the bathtub and the ledges. Close the shower curtain or sliding doors. Re-wet the towel if need-be, and use it to quickly mop up the floor, taking care to get the dust bunnies out from behind the bathroom door. Remember that your guest is in the bathroom with the door shut, and if he/she is, um, sitting, the floor is on display.  If the toilet needs cleaning, do so now. Wipe or Windex off any large and noticeable splotches on the mirror or faucet. Change the towels.

Kitchen.

People end up in the kitchen. You can try to keep them out, but they’ll find a way to get in there anyhow. Put away the random stuff on the countertop (hide paperwork, bills, anything personal you don’t want on display) and wipe it down with a disinfectent wipe or spray. If you have dirty dishes in the sink, load up the dishwasher and turn it on. If you don’t have a dishwasher, handwash the dishes if you have enough time, or hide them. Seriously. It’s okay, I won’t tell. Put them in a box in the garage, or in the oven (remember to take them out before preheating!!!!). Wet a dishtowel and quickly mop up any noticeable crumbs from the flooring.

Toys.

Do not attempt to clean the play room, or the kids’ bedrooms unless you have time to do so. Kids make messes, it’s part of their job, and if you’re inviting more kids into your home, it’s pretty much a waste of valuable time and energy to tidy before they arrive. The best thing to do is to let them loose then have a 10-Minute Tidy before they leave. The parents won’t know who made what mess and your toy room will actually be in better shape then it was before the company came. If you have little kids on the way over, it’s always a good idea to make sure the marble games and other small-piece games are put up high and are out of reach.

Make the House Smell Good.

This is the last thing to do before company arrives. Light a smelly candle (I like vanilla, apple, cinnamon, or similar food-smells) or Windex something. The smell of Windex smells like clean. Vinegar works just as well to clean windows and smudges off of doorknobs and light switches, but Windex will create a powerful punch in the air, and your guests will think you’ve spent HOURS cleaning. This is a trick that realtors do right before showing a house that’s not in the best-of-shape. They Windex the front doorknob or the lightswitch right by the front door, so the second people arrive to tour the home they get a whif of “clean”—that smell triggers something psychologically and visitors feel/believe that even if the home is in disrepair, it’s clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There’s a school of thought that believes (and rightfully so!) that a good friend will not care what condition your home is in, the friend is there just to see you, and to enjoy your company. This is true. But you will be more comfortable, and will entertain more often if your home is put-together and ready for guests. You won’t have a sinking feeling in your stomach when you run into an old friend shopping and she wants to get together for coffee to catch up. You’ll invite the neighborhood kids in for a snack rather than watching from the window as they destroy your newly-sprouted bulbs. You won’t fly off the handle when your husband calls to say he’s invited his co-workers over for dinner. You’ll offer to host the next book club meeting.

A good friend will appreciate everything you do to make her feel comfortable, and will offer to help clear dishes at the end of a fun night and will make an effort to get the kids to help clean up. And then she’ll invite you to her house.

related:

• The Daily 7 For a Highly Successful Household
• How to Clean Less and Play More
• It’s PROM Time!
• Time Management and Social Media: An Oxymoron?
• Meal Planning for Dummies (or for normal people. whatever.)

Book Update

Good morning!

I woke up last week to an email from my publisher at Running Press. She outlined some changes they are working on with the Totally Together book.

The big one is that it is no longer going to be marketed as a journal/planner, but as a book. And the title has changed.

This is a good thing.

When I proposed the book, I pitched it as a daily/weekly interactive planner for moms. Since I pitched it as a planner, it was developed as one.

But.

A planner is housed in the stationary part of a bookstore with the calendars, and not with the housekeeping books. And while I imagine the book to be used as a daily/weekly planner, it has an awful lot of information packed in—-it’s not a blank planner/journal/notebook the way the others are that live in the stationary and calendar section.

So the title changed. My book is now called: Totally Together: Simplify Your Busy Household Day by Day.

and the cover will change. As soon as I get a PDF of the confirmed cover, I’ll post it.

The timeline has changed, too. Amazon sent out emails last night to everyone who has pre-ordered with a new shipping date: May 28.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding—–

it’s taken 7 1/2 years for this book to come to be, and in the big scheme of things, what’s another few months?

since the cover is changing a bit, this site will change a bit, too (probably just graphically). I need to get in touch with Jennette. The URL will stay totallytogetherjournal, because I bought it already. And I’m cheap.

I’d like to start compiling a list of email addresses for a possible Book Blog Tour. If you are interested, please email me at totallytogether AT gmail DOT com, and I’ll pass along your info.

You all rock.

RAWCK!

oh! and it’s my mom and dad’s anniversary today.  36 years. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Home Made Gluten-Free “Lemon Chalet” Girl Scout Cookies

I’m making my way through the girl scout cookies, slowly but surely. Just like the Thin Mints, and the Trefoils, these cookies are gluten free, egg free, and nut free. But they taste amazing. I used a box of instant pudding mix to flavor the dough, and some prepared frosting from a tub.

If the idea of using prepared frosting freaks you out, go ahead and make your own, but be aware that it needs to be quite thick.

The Ingredients:

“Lemon Chalets”—lemon sandwich cookies

yields 30 sandwich cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 (15-ounce) package Gluten Free Pantry Cake & Cookie Mix

1 (3.4) ounce package instant lemon pudding mix

1/4 cup milk (can use soy)

1/2 cup prepared lemon frosting (read labels carefully; some brands list wheat starch instead of corn starch)

The Directions:

Combine butter, cookie mix, pudding mix, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir well with a fork until dough forms. Roll dough out 1/4-inch thick between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a very small cookie-cutter (or an empty film canister) to press out circles. Place circles on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Use the blunt end of a wooden skewer to poke some holes in each cookie. Bake for 8-14 minutes in a 350° oven. Let sit for a few minutes before removing from sheet. When cool, spread a thin layer of frosting on half of the cookies, then top with remaining cookies to create sandwiches.

related:

Gluten Free “Thin Mints”

Gluten Free “Trefoils”

Teeny Tiny Thoughts

since I don’t twitter.

• I was IMing with Laura this morning and she told me that the season finale for John and Kate Plus 8 is this Monday. I haven’t been keeping up at all because we down-graded our cable package. She thinks they aren’t doing well (marriage-wise. their health is fine)? And has anyone ever seen this blog? Oh my.
• we have colds. Or allergies. I’m not sure what, but if I can ever get through the night without choking on my own phlegm, I will do a happy dance. Maybe two.
• I got up at 2:15 this morning. I went back to bed at 3:26. I really don’t know what I did for that hour and eleven minutes.
• I’m very very very very tired
• I’m meeting moms at the school at 10:00 am to make copies. COPIES. We need to have a committee to make copies?
• they better bring me a double mocha. non-fat. with whip.
• softball season has started. I love being outside and watching the kids run around. My little one is too little, but she has a  pair of cleats that are just too precious for words.
• I think I want a vegetable garden.
• and a gardener to attend to it.
• do you think it’s because Kate made Jon get hair plugs?
• I crockpotted yesterday. It was good—a chile verde. I really should write about it.
• I want to attempt a chile relleno this weekend.
• the kids are fighting.
• over yogurt varieties.
• I bought the kind with high fructose corn syrup because it was on sale.
• and it makes them happy.
• but I still feel like I did something wrong for buying it.
• ugh.
• I need to get off the computer.
• my letter “P” sticks.
• I wonder why.
• I should have used a question mark there.
• it’s already 7:15 and I’m not dressed. or showered. the kids aren’t ready either.
• but they’ve each eaten 3 yogurts.
• the spell-a-thon is today.
• I didn’t write a check.
• I don’t really want to.
• how come free public education costs so much?
• Adam wants to get a puppy.
• we have a really small house, so if we do, it should be small
• but not yappy.
• and not shed.
• and not pee everywhere.
• maybe a kitten instead?
• now I really need to turn off the computer.
• I’ve been getting a lot of spam email lately.
• my nose is itchy.
• do you really think Jon and Kate will break up?
• and why do I care so  much?
• okay. computer off.
• for reals.
• yes.

this is why I probably shouldn’t twitter.

Happy Friday!

Pipe Cleaner and Pony Bead People

I’ve had both kids home with me in the afternoons for about a week due to parent-teacher conferences.

So we made Pony Bead People. And a rainbow and some cats.

It was a much more pleasant way to spend the afternoon than watching the kids play the “I’m-getting-awfully-close,-but-I’m-not- actually-touching-you” game.

These are super easy to assemble, and what’s nice about beading with pipe cleaners is that there is a built-in needle that stays stiff, and is easy for chubby little fingers to maneuver.

I used a plain wooden craft bead for the head, and the kids drew faces on with Sharpie pens.

We were going to limit our creations to leprechauns, but got inspired to make other stuff.

Have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!

And? If that naughty little leprechaun made a mess last night and overturned the couch cushions, now is  the perfect opportunity to vaccuum up the crumbs. ;-)

Time Management and Social Media: An Oxymoron?

I wrote a bit about time management and moms in the book, and how I battle my biggest time waster: The Internet.

I’ve found that if I’m not careful I can whittle away hours of precious time following link after link or by playing with the Instant Messenger feature. Since I do the bulk of my professional work on the computer, it’s very easy to succumb to “playing” while I work, and before I know it hours have passed and I really haven’t accomplished anything.

I hate to admit how often this happens.

it’s kind of a lot.

There is no perfect work/life/family balance that fits all. There just isn’t, and anyone who tries to sell you otherwise is a liar and probably has really bad karma. You’ve got to figure out a system that works for you. Some people allow themselves a break every hour or two from work (and yes, running a house and caring for children is work) to check and answer personal email. Some people refuse to go to certain internet sites until all of the day’s work is done. I sort of do a mixture of the two. I usually get up pretty early in the morning (4 or 5 am, it’s nutty, I know) to get my work-work done so then I can do other stuff (which I usually masquerade as work when the kids or Adam ask what I’m doing) that I want to do. It’s not a perfect system, but so far it’s working out okay. Especially when I take a nap at 2pm.

I do not have an IPhone. Or a Blackberry. I also am not on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn. This is a personal choice that I have decided that for right now(*) just isn’t a good fit for me or our family.

(* my version of a disclaimer in case I ever change my mind and venture over to the dark side…and let’s be honest, it’s probably inevitable…)

edited 10/09: I have started a twitter account, @stephanieodea on the advice of my publicist. I’m a very sporadic user, and still don’t really understand it—doesn’t it seem kind of ego centric? So there you go. I’ve succumbed to the dark side… (insert evil Darth Vaderish laugh).

I would love an iPhone—I think they’re neat, and I think I’d have an awful lot of fun with one. But I know myself, and I know that I’d be checking it constantly, and not be fully attentive when I should be. I also get annoyed when I’m speaking to someone and they interrupt the conversation to answer an email, or they respond to a question by saying “oh, let me google that,” and then they go ahead and give me a computer-generated instead of a person-generated response.

I was at a playdate yesterday, and the dad works at Apple. I asked if employees played on their iPhones during meetings. He said, “No. That would be rude.” Yes. Yes it would be. Yet I’m sure we all could rattle off instances where we’ve seen phones being used in such a way.

As for Twitter? I used to just not get it. Now I think I do, but I’m just not that into sharing my every little thought with the world. I’m not that interesting. And lots of my thoughts lately have to do with the annoyance I have with the little white dog from around the corner who keeps peeing on our front lawn. And some of my thoughts about that aren’t legal, so I should probably keep them inside. And since I don’t have an IPhone or a Blackberry I have to text in the old way where you scroll through the letters and I have very little patience. I’d rather just place the call.

Facebook. So many of my in-real-life friends keep telling me to join Facebook so I can “keep in touch.” But I’m on the PHONE with them when they tell me this! We’re obviously IN TOUCH. So I don’t get it. And I think if I signed up I’d get sucked in. And while highschool had some good qualities (I met Adam!), I’m not ready quite yet to revive friendships. I’ve heard the virtual scrabble is really cool, though.

One of the biggest concerns about the being plugged in thing for me is the message that I/we/you/the universe are sending to children. I am from the school of thought that it’s okay to be bored. It’s okay to be alone with your thoughts. It’s okay to have quiet and not have bells and whistles sounding off all the time (hey, did I ever tell you that I applied to work for Leap Frog when they were a start-up and during the pre-interview I filled out a form saying that I believed (I was 23 at the time, so I knew EVERYTHING) toys should be open-ended and not require batteries and so they never called me back. And in a twist of irony the kids’ favorite toys are the singing ABC magnetic letters?).

It’s hard to be alone with your thoughts if you’re constantly being entertained. Some of my best ideas come from long runs (no iPod) or when I unplug for a few days. I find the kids are better behaved when the TV is off and I put away the DSes (is that the plural for DS?).

You Can Run But You Can’t Hide

The conundrum for me is that I do work for a social media company: BlogHerads. And I love it. If I didn’t do work for them, I wouldn’t have started the CrockPot blog, I wouldn’t be working on a CrockPot book, and I wouldn’t be in touch with thousands of wonderful women (and a few men. Hi Mexican Rick!) from all over the world. And I like you guys. I like getting emails saying that I am of some help in meal planning and that I helped break the chicken nuggets and pizza cycle, or that I inspired someone to streamline their bed linen and now the bed is made and that little boost was the boost needed to clean out the closet. It makes me feel good. I like helping people, and I like hearing back from them.

I’m very interested in the Mommy Blogging Panel that’s going to happen at BlogHer ’09: “Balance” is a Big, Fat, Lying, McLiar LIE for Moms who Blog (and the rest of us too) (I’m sure it will be live-blogged and live-twittered, for those who can’t make it, and the fact that I just typed that makes me laugh, yet there you go). I’m glad that the title of this panel is tongue-in-cheek. It’s got to be, right? The idea of never being able to achieve balance is such a depressing thought—-  Women need to help women. It is very helpful to be honest and say that there are days that spiral out of control and the kids climb into the pantry and dump out the cereal boxes. We’ve all been there. We know how that happens. But we also need to have a glimmer of hope that it is possible to do find a way to juggle the balls. Just a glimmer. Just a teeny tiny sparkle. something. anything. I look forward to hearing ideas about what does work, along with the fun stories about what doesn’t.

I’ve collected a few articles I’ll share below (LOVE the John Stewart video). It’s ironic that what was developed as a way to save time and make time more efficient has turned (for some) into such a sucking vaccuum. I think that the important lesson is to know where your time goes, and to be honest about the difference between work and play. I am definitely more proud of myself at the end of the day if I have a long list of accomplishments than I am when I have virtually (HA! virtually!) nothing to show for it.

Help! I’m Addicted To Facebook!

Time Management in the Age of Social Media

How to Stop Social Media Taking Over Your Day

Defining Social Media Time Management

John Stewart on Twitter

related:

• How to Company Clean–in 30 Minutes or Less
• The Daily 7 for a Highly Successful Household
• Clean Less, Play More
• It’s PROM Time!

Homemade Gluten Free “Trefoils” Girl Scout Cookies

More Girl Scout cookies! yay!

I hadn’t had the traditional Trefoil cookies before this year. I bought one box of every kind of cookies so I could try to recreate them gluten-free. These don’t taste exactly the same if you are doing a side-by-side comparison, but they taste pretty darn close. And if you’re gluten-free you can’t really do a side-by-side comparison, anyway, so you’re just going to have to take my word for it.

These cookies are gluten, nut, and egg free. I’d assume you could make them dairy free by using rice or soy milk. The butter is tricky—the secret to yummy shortbread is the obscene amount of butter. I haven’t experimented with dairy butter alternatives, but if you do and find something that has worked in the past, I’d love to know!

The Ingredients.

“Trefoils”—simple shortbread cookies

yields 60 cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 (15-ounce) package Gluten Free Pantry Cake & Cookie Mix

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup milk (can use soy)

The Directions.

Combine butter, cookie mix, vanilla, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir well with a fork until dough forms. Roll dough out 1/4-inch thick between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a very small cookie-cutter (or an empty film canister)* to press out circles. Place circles on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Use the blunt end of a wooden skewer to poke some holes in each cookie. Bake for 8-14 minutes in a 350° oven. Let sit for a few minutes before removing from sheet.

* the small cookie cutter or film canister is important if you want small “trefoil” style cookies. The cookies spread quite a bit due to the high butter content. I would imagine the lid from a traditional water bottle would work, too.

The Verdict.

I took these to our girl scout meeting last week and shared. The 8 girls all ate and enjoyed these, minus one who called them “boring” (she doesn’t have allergies, and I shouldn’t really say anything else ).

I tried freezing the dough and baking a second batch with the dough. It didn’t go well, because of the high amount of butter. The cookies all ran together into a big glob. I was able to salvage the globbyness by cutting the cookies into squares, but they really didn’t look very good, so I wouldn’t recommend freezing the dough. As a contrast, the Thin Mint dough froze extraordinarily well.

related: Homemade Gluten-Free “Thin Mint” Girl Scout Cookies

Managing Children’s Art

Kids create a lot of art. An AWFUL lot. I don’t save everything—in fact, I toss practically everything that is produced on a daily basis—but I do save and display some of the most decorative items, and the ones that show new milestones (faces with eyelashes, people with fingers, etc.).

Seasonal art is stored in the garage along with the other seasonal decorative items. It’s fun to pull out 6-year’s-worth of orange construction paper jack-o-lanterns each Halloween and hang them together.

I do keep the “newest” art on the refrigerator, but try to limit it to one or two items at a time. I prefer to use the fridge as a place to stick important papers and lists, and if it’s buried in artwork, my papers get lost.

The above picture is of a strip of corkboard surrounded by 1/4 inch round that hangs in our hallway. I put this up all by myself a year or so after we moved in, and I love it. The cork is thin, cheapy cork I got at the hardware store that was already cut in 1-foot squares. I used scissors to cut the cork 4 inches wide, and carefully nailed (with tiny finishing nails) it to the wall (use a level! seriously, use it). I trimmed up the quarter round with a hack saw (the kids were totally impressed) and nailed it on each side with more finishing nails. I then used a tiny bit of putty to fill in the holes. When the putty dried, I sanded it down and painted the wood trim white with leftover semi-gloss paint we had in the gargage. Any gaps between the wall and the quarter round were smoothed out with some beads of Kwik Seal (I love that stuff).

If this sounds too complicated (it’s kind of sounding that way to me this morning, and I did it), just stick up the 1-foot square cork board tiles instead. We have these in the play room over the kids’ desks, and I love them. They are easy to install using the little foamy stickers they come with (use a level), but you will need to use finishing nails in the top corners after a while; the foamies dry out, and the cork falls with the weight of too much art stuck to it. It’s up to you if you would like the cork accessible to children, or up high. My kids are good about not fussing with tacks and have fun taking the art on and off themselves, but I did install it high enough that they need assistance, and high enough to not lure  toddler visitors.

Another super easy place to hang additional art is the back of the garage door. We have an art area set up out there with messy crafts—painting, playdough, etc.—and I stick on the day’s work with tape. It brings a bit of life to an otherwise ugly garage door, and gives the children a sense of pride to see their work displayed.

Many decorating magazines suggest framing children’s work and displaying in matching or coordinating frames. We’ve done that, too. I love the look, but wish I was better at switching it out. These exact frames with the exact inserted art have been moved 3 times, and the art is about 4 years old. But I like it, and it is a cute arrangement on the bedroom wall.

There are lots of opportunities to recycle kid art: turn it into greeting cards, wrap presents, or send it off to grandparents. I have seen talented women scan in favorite drawings and print out the work onto fabric for an heirloom quilt.

Do not feel guilty for chucking little drawings and notes that come in daily. Save the important ones, and recycle the rest. If you kept it all, you’d be buried in paper.

What are your favorite ways to store/display kid art?

related: It’s PROM Time!

Homemade Gluten Free “Thin Mint” Girl Scout Cookies

Imagine you are a seven-year-old girl, and are chomping at the bit to participate in your troop’s yearly Girl Scout Cookie sales. Now imagine that you have severe allergies and cannot eat-not even a taste-a single cookie you sell. We have a little one in our troop with wheat, egg, and nut allergies. Since I was already going to make them gluten free for our family, I omitted the egg, too. No problem. These cookies will wow anyone.

If you are one of the 12 million Americans who suffer from food allergies, you too can recreate these seasonal favorites using store-bought mixes in your own home kitchen.

“Thin Mints” are the top seller each year—the thin minty chocolate wafer topped with a thin layer of mint chocolate is amazing, and I can see why people stock up. If you are not gluten free and would still like to make them, use a traditional chocolate cake or fudge brownie mix.

“Thin Mints”-mint chocolate wafer cookies dipped in chocolate

yields 36 cookies

for wafer:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 (16-ounce) package gluten-free brownie or chocolate cake mix

5 tablespoons milk (can use soy)

1/4 teaspoon mint extract

for chocolate coating:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon mint extract

1-3 tablespoons water

Combine butter, brownie or cake mix, milk, and mint extract in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a fork until a ball of dough forms; it will be quite crumbly. Roll dough out 1/4-inch thick between two pieces of parchment paper. Use a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter (or the lid from a spice container) to cut out circles of dough. Place circles on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Use the blunt end of a skewer to poke 5 holes in each cookie. Bake at 350° for 8-12 minutes. Let sit on sheet for a few minutes before moving.

When cookies have cooled, combine chocolate chips, butter, mint extract and 1 tablespoon of water. Heat in a double-boiler or in a slow cooker (I used a 4 quart crockpot) until liquidy. Stir well, and drop wafers in, one at a time, and ladle chocolate over the top. Lift coated cookie out with a fork, and chill in the refrigerator until set. If your chocolate begins to harden, reheat as needed, and add a bit more water.

The Verdict

I brought these to share at our last girl scout meeting. 7 out of the 8 girls liked them, and the little one with allergies was overjoyed. She ended up with chocolate all over her face; it was quite cute. The first time I made the cookies, I used the Bob’s Red Mill chocolate cake mix. The cookies worked, but I just can’t get over the aftertaste from Bob’s products. I love how they are readily available, but I’m just not a fan of the garbanzo bean powder. The second time I made them, I used the Pamela’s fudge brownie mix, and strained out the chocolate chunks. Those cookies were much better, and still got a nice crisp crunch after baking.

These cookies melt in  your hands. Have wipies close by, and store in the fridge.

related: Gluten-Free “Trefoils”

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