How to Get the Kids to Eat Their Veggies....

I don't know.  Don't ask me!

I struggle getting my kids to eat fruit and vegetables.  I really do try hard to make well balanced diets for them.  They just refuse to eat it.  I have tried the "let them make it, then they will eat it" bit.  No, no they don't.  They still know they don't like it and they don't want to eat it whether they make it or not.

I never wanted to resort to trickery, so I have had to resort to ingenuity instead.  I found this yummy recipe on the Rachael Ray Show.  I have tweaked it just a little so it isn't spicy and the kids will eat it.

Behold the yummy kid approved Cauliflower Mac and Cheese with Bacon.  (This rates as a favorite 6/6 in our family.)

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese with Bacon
Olive Oil
Pre-cooked Bacon
Head of Cauliflower - trimmed and cut into florets
Salt and Pepper
4 TBSP butter
3 TBSP Flour
3 CUPS Milk
Nutmeg (to taste)
1/2 Pound Macaroni Noodles
3 Cups shredded Colby/Monterey Jack Cheese
Parsley (to sprinkle)

Boil a large pot of water
Meanwhile heat a drizzle of Olive Oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon and crisp for 1-2 minutes.  Drain into a paper towel-lined bowl.
Cook cauliflower florets for 5 minutes.  Remove with a strainer and put into a colander.  Replace the pot on the heat and cook pasta noodles.  Cook noodles for 9-10 minutes.
Meanwhile in a medium sized pot melt butter and whisk in flour.  Cook 1 minute then whisk in milk and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  It takes about 10 minutes to thicken.  Whisk every  minute or so.  When it is thickened add the cheese.  Whisk to combine.  Then add the bacon to the cheese sauce.
Drain pasta over the cauliflower to reheat - place pasta and florets in a baking dish - pour the cheese/bacon sauce on top.  Top with parsley (I used the dry bottled kind and just add to taste.).
Place under a broiler to brown the top (500 degrees for only about 5 minutes or so.)

Yes, your kids will eat their cauliflower.  :)

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese w/ Bacon...
I was in a hurry and forgot to put the parsley on before
I took the picture.  Oops.  Please forgive my error.  :)

Yard Sale Pick Up!

Had a yard sale pick up over the weekend.  I go through the local newspaper and send little flyers to all the houses that are having yard sales.  I offer to pick up all the unwanted "junk" or "treasure" that they do not want anymore.  I tell them that I haul it away for free.  I also give most of what I pick up to a local charity.  However, I do keep a few things to sell.  I do this so I can continue to offer the service, and also to help out our family income.  Here is a recent yard sale pick up I did.  Remember I got all of this for free!  Included in this score was a chair, a bridal gown, all sorts of collectibles, and two big bags of clothing.  I love selling clothing on eBay.  It is one of the easiest things to sell.  Also, again, donated about 75% to charity.  I thought it was pretty good for about 1 hour worth of work.  Yard sale pick ups!  Do it!  Start today!

Money Matters

My husband is a hard working contractor/carpenter.  He is self-employed... so therefore it is feast or famine for us.  Usually we don't have much extra money to go around, especially with a larger family.  I am a stay-at-home-mom and a homeschooling mom.  I'm sure all you moms out there can understand that it is difficult to get school work done, chores, laundry, cooking, cleaning, doctoring etc etc, let alone have a job.  The truth of the matter is, though, that unless I make a little extra money somehow, that it would prove to be difficult to buy a few essentials and also a few extra.

The next difficulty comes in finding a way to make extra money.  Here is just one way that I do it.  I try and find all un-used things in our house and host yard sales every spring.  Beyond that anything that has more value than what I would get at a yard sale I list on eBay.  eBay is a pretty simple process once you do it a few times and you can actually generate a good amount of money.  Of course you can save all that money up and send yourself a check; however, I generally end up finding used clothing for my chickadees on eBay - and just spending my money.  In the long run this does save us money.  Buy used and save the difference!  An example of this is a used pair of Children's Place plaid pants that I found for my daughter.  I paid $3.00 shipped to me for these pants.  They were in perfect condition.  I've bought suits for my sons and tons of dresses for my daughter at a fraction of the cost.  And if you are a label lover like Gymboree or Children's Place - than eBay is a great way to find almost brand new clothing - for a much better price.  

I've also bought lots of my clothing, household goods, games, toys, and even school supplies on eBay.  But I digress...

Where else do I find my merchandise?  A couple of years ago I was an avid yard sale hunter (I still am!).  But now I have discovered that most people just want that "junk" gone.  After yard sales I would see people loading up their trucks and heading off to the landfill.  So I go around to all local yard sales and offer to cart away all those unwanted things - for free.  I do give 99% of those objects to a charity in town:  a woman who saves up all donations for an entire year and then gives them all away for free in December.  Sometimes I find a jewel in that "junk."  Not only does selling those "jewels" on eBay help put gas in my van so that I can continue to offer my service (and avoid filling up the local landfill) but they also can help me make a nice profit!  Please be aware - this is not for everyone - I call myself a Junker - and I love it.  

Some of my "scores" from yard sale pick-ups were an old reel-to-reel transistor recorder... it sold for $46.00.  Another of my favorites was an old Super Nintendo Mario game in perfect working order.  It sold for $26.00.  

It's easy to get started.  Step #1 - go through your house and find anything you do not need or want.  If it is something nice that YOU would most likely buy and be happy to get in the mail - continue to Step #2 - list it on eBay!  When your item sells - Step #3 - Package it up nice and neat.  I like putting it in a plastic protective covering, and shipping it in brown parcel packages.  It has a nice vintage feel to it.  Step #4 (invest in an electronic scale) weigh your package and print out a mailing label.  Step #5 - Stick it in your mailbox.  

You never even had to leave your house and you just made money you Super Stay-At-Home-Mom!!  :)