Bluesy

My Little Monkey came home from church the other day looking a little melancholy.  Usually, he's optimistic and happy, kind of mischievous and always looking to get a laugh out of you.  But this time his shoulders slumped a little and he was very quiet.

Worried, I asked him if anything had happened at church -- Did anyone hurt your feelings?  Did you get into trouble?  No, no, he assured me.  Nothing like that.  He just felt a little bluesy for no good reason.

Citrus Bliss

What do you do when your go-to guy for cheering people up needs cheering himself?  My hugs and hovering weren't helping.  I remembered that citrus oils are helpful for lifting your mood.  I'd used them a few times myself during my down days.  They rank right up there with chocolate.

So, I got one of my little plastic inhalers and added a few drops of Citrus Bliss blend essential oil to it.  I gave it to him, and told him that whenever he felt kind of sad, he could twist the cap and take a whiff of it to feel better.  He tried it, and gave me his lovey smile, then slipped it into his pocket.

I noticed him pulling it out of his pocket and sniffing throughout the rest of the day.  I don't know if it was the oil that helped, or just having a small talisman reminding him that his mother loves him, but his spirits did seem to lift little by little.  Soon, he was playing videos games and laughing with his brother, just like normal.  He gave me a hug before bed and said thanks.

"Can I take some of this to school?" he asked.

Of course.  I can't be there to shield him from every disappointment, bump and bruise throughout his days.  But with Citrus Bliss in his pocket, a little part of me can.

*****

E-mail me for a free sample of Wild Orange essential oil today.

Flops

I get ambitious sometimes.  I'll see a great idea on the internet and think, hey, my kids would love that!  I'll give it a try, and sometimes it works out great.  I'm a hero.  Sometimes, however, it doesn't turn out exactly the way I'd like it to.

Hershey's Kisses Acorns

For example, I saw a really cute snack idea in a Family Fun magazine.  Hersheys' Kisses acorns.  Like this: 

See?  It doesn't look that hard, does it?  Hershey's Kisses, mini vanilla wafers, and a little chocolate frosting.  What could go wrong?  Well, my Man Child went shopping for me, and he couldn't find the mini vanilla wafers, so he got the regular-sized. 

OK, I thought, maybe we could substitute mini Ritz crackers instead.  He brought some home, and they were still too big.  I tried it anyway, and asked my Little Fashionista what she thought they were.  She gave me her best dumb blonde look and a big, "Huh?"

Likewise, I had great plans for my blog post today.  I was going to make homemade peppermint patties, taking pictures step-by-step, and then wow you with my cleverness. 

It sounds easy enough.  You take some coconut butter, add a little Stevia or powdered sugar and a couple of drops of peppermint essential oil.  Make patties and cool in the fridge while melting the chocolate.  Dip, cool, and done.

Peppermint Patties

Yeah.  But I couldn't find coconut butter and decided to make my own.  Supposedly, you put coconut chips in a blender for ten minutes and it magically turns into coconut butter.  Unless, I discovered, your blender isn't powerful enough.  Then, the motor starts to smoke and you find little flecks of melted plastic in your ground coconut.

I'm not giving up yet.  I just need to find some coconut butter.  Or buy a really good blender.

****

Do you have any good after-school snack recipes to share?

Comments Fixed

Thank you to all my new followers!  And I've been notified that my comments weren't working; I have them fixed now.  Now you'll be able to share your own adventures with me.  And I have no more excuses for the crickets chirping. :)

The Best Motivation Video

It's OK to let our kids fail sometimes.

Friday Funnies

Shoot Straight, Son

Little Shooter

Potty training a boy is different than potty training a girl. For obvious reasons, but also because the stakes are higher. Face it, you're the one who is going to have to clean the bathroom, and it's been a pretty easy job up to now.

Every mother beginning to potty train her son believes that this is it, that she is going to be the first mother in history to train a perfect shooter. We put Cheerios in the toilet bowl and reward our little guy with Skittles for every correct shot. Soon, he's going through a bag a day, and we're feeling pretty good about ourselves.

But it's like when my mom told me that when I lost a tooth, if I didn't stick my tongue in the hole, I'd grow a gold tooth. Sure, it's theoretically possible, but who has that kind of discipline?

And so it is with little boys. You take away the Cheerios and the Skittles, and they grow lazy. Heck, even my husband thinks he can shoot in the dark sometimes. Accuracy ebbs until you're praying for 50-50.

What do you do about cleaning the bathroom now? You could create a chore chart and never set foot in the bathroom for a year (which I *may* or *may not* have personally done). Cross your fingers and hope the smell never wafts into the living room.

Thankfully, I've found the remedy for boys. A lovely little blend of essential oils called Purify is strong enough that they use it for odor control in hospitals. I put about 10 drops in a spray bottle filled with water, and voila! If you came to my house, you'd think I had perfect shooters.

If you'd like a free sample of Purify blend essential oil, e-mail me at SuperMomEO@gmail.com