The Mommy Who MOMS would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  We will be taking a little break to spend time with family and enjoy a few days “off”.  (When you have kids are you really ever off?!) 

If you have time and want to leave a funny Santa story involving your little ones, feel free to leave us a comment! 

HO-HO-HO!

Aimee & Candice

In case you need one more reminder…Christmas is just 9 days away!  Here are a few last minute tips to insure you have a non-stressful, Happy Holiday:

• Declutter NOW!  (Do the following BEFORE Christmas to make room for new stuff) This week I took about 1 hour and decluttered my daughters room.  I took out all the clothes she was no longer wearing, organized the clothes she will be wearing soon and cleaned out her toy box!  It didn’t take long at all.  I had a TOSS pile for things that were broken and just need to be thrown away, a DONATE pile for clothes and/or toys that we could give to friends or charity, then a KEEP pile, obviously for toys and clothes I was not ready to let go of.  For now all my items to KEEP are in large, see through, plastic storage bins waiting to be put in the attic until the next little one arrives. (which is not anytime soon!)
• Christmas Cards  If you aren’t sending out Christmas cards this year you won’t be getting a lecture from me!  Not many of us moms have the time or money to send out cards.  If you haven’t sent out cards and still want to, why not consider sending an E-Card this year?  I know a card via e-mail isn’t quite as personal as a hand written one, but this will save you tons of time and of course money and is just a different way of letting someone know you are thinking of them this Holiday Season. 

Follow these simple steps: 

1. Log onto to www.evite.com and set up an account (super quick and easy).
2. Search for “Christmas Cards.
3. Select the card that you like best, with so many cute ones to choose from, they even have animated cards!
4. Fill in a personalized message, and type in e-mail addresses.  Save even more time by sending the same card to each person! (I won’t tell anyone)

• Shopping  Thankfully I am all done with my shopping!  I did a lot of shopping on-line this year and saved valuable time and money.  If there are a few more people on your list that you haven’t bought for, consider these gift buying alternatives:

REALLY GIVE!  Make a donation in honor of a friend, or family member to a local charity or international cause.  A few great ones to choose from: your towns local homeless shelter and/or soup kitchen, International Justice Mission (check out their Freedom Holiday Catalog), Wine to Water (help provide clean water to needy people around the world), Birthday Wishes(this is a great organization I just came across that provides birthday parties for homeless children).  The opportunities to help others are endless!

TIME!  Give the gift of time to a friend or relative you may not see too often.  Surprise them at work by bringing them lunch on their break, or organize a Sunday afternoon to invite them to your home for popcorn and a movie.  Have your mom over one night and paint her finger nails and make her her favorite dessert to enjoy.  Get creative and personal!

SERVICE!  Do you have a special knack for taking great photographs?  Offer to take some family photos for a friend.  Do you love to cook?  Make dinner for a family member a few weeks after Christmas when all the running around has died down.  Or maybe you are great at sewing?  Take an afternoon with a friend and hit all the local thrift shops in hunt for old fabric you could make into some funky pillows for their bedroom or living room.  You would be surprised how much these little personal touches could  mean to someone.

Hope these tips helped!  We would love to hear your tips for keeping your Holiday fun and stress free! 

Congratulations to the following Christmas Giveaway Contest Winners!

Abby B.:  winner of the Chalkboard Placemat

Robin P.:  winner of 2 Pacie Clips

Nichole P.  :  winner of Crayon Roll-Up

Christy S.  :  winner of Boo-Boo Bag

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions over the past 2 weeks.  Please e-mail us your addresses at aimee@mommywho.com or candice@mommywho.com so that we can send you your prizes before Christmas! 

Special thanks again to Niki’s Knacks for providing the giveaway goodies!

Thank you to a friend, to wonderful friend of mine. 

Thank you for your phone calls when I need them most. 

Thank you for stopping by every now and then to catch up. 

Thank you for suggesting we devour Sonic Java Chillers at 11:00 at night. 

Thank your for listening, talking, laughing and praying for me over the years. 

Thanks for reminding me to never take life too seriously. 

Thanks for making room for me, for organizing your schedule to make me feel important. 

Thanks for capturing my gorgeous child in countless, wonderful ways. 

Thanks for showing me what motherhood can look like, what it should look like, and what it really is! 

 I appreciate your friendship and generosity more than you know.

With Much Love,  Candice

Set aside some time today to thank someone you haven’t thanked in a while…someone that means a lot to you and your family!

Don’t forget THIS Saturday, December 13th is the last day to leave your comments for our CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY CONTEST.  Click here for all the details.

is one of my favorite things!  On these chilly mornings there is nothing I enjoy more than a hot cup of coffee flavored ever so perfectly with a few drops of Dulce de Leche creamer.  (okay, so more than a few drops)  Not only do I appreciate flavored creamer in my coffee, but here recently I have been adding it to other dishes as well.  Just thought I’d share…

Dulce de Leche French Toast 

My personal twist on french toast. 

1. Heat a griddle or large pan over medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a dish mix 3 eggs, 1/3 cup flavored creamer, (I obviously use Dulce de Leche, but you could use Hazelnut, Caramel, or even Vanilla flavored creamer), dash of salt, dash of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. 
3. Dip bread slices in egg mixture and cook until brown.
4. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar and/or honey or syrup.

SWEET Potato Pie/Casserole

This recipe has a custard like texture so it could be prepared as a pie, or side dish at your next Holiday gathering.

1. If you are going to make a pie preheat your oven to 425 and roll out prepacked pastry dough.  Use dough to line a 9-inch pie plate.  Line pie shell with foil and fill with dry beans.  Bake shell 15 minutes.  Remove beans and foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until golden brown.
2. You can use (2) fresh sweet potatoes or 2 cans sweet potatoes, drained.  If using fresh potatoes, rinse potatoes then slice into quarters (with peel on).  Place in a saucepan and cover with water.  Heat water to boiling and simmer about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Drain potatoes and when cool enough to handle peel, which should be very easy.  Place canned or fresh potatoes in a large bowl along with a dash of nutmeg, 2 dashes of cinnamon, pinch of salt, 3 eggs, 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of flavored creamer.  Beat all these ingredients together until well blended.
4. Add mixture to pie shell, or casserole dish/bowl.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until knife inserted 1-inch from edge comes out clean.
5. If making a casserole you have the option of topping your sweet potato mixture with mini marshmallow, then place it back in the oven for a few minutes to let the marshmallow brown up a bit…so YUMMY!

That’s right my little walking baby girl is about to be 1 in just a few days.  I have to say I am looking forward to her party, but not looking forward to her age. There is a bit of a sense of dread when I consider that very soon when people come up to me and ask “OH, how old is your daughter?” (and yes they will finally be able to tell she is a girl because she FINALLY has enough hair to start sporting bows!) Instead of telling them her age in months, it will forever be in years. 

I feel as though this first year has absolutely flown by!  Can you relate?  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital (which took FOREVER because we couldn’t figure out how to strap our kid in her car seat…and yet they let us leave with her!)  We’ve been through the blob stage when I was so anxious to get a smile out of her, a laugh, anything!  Then she discovered her fingers and toes, such a magical time!  Not long after that it was crawling, which turned to pulling up which has now quickly progressed to well…let face it, a full on sprint!  All in a year.  And so as I am busying myself with party decorations and last minute details I am also reflecting on this past year with such gratitude.  That I have been so fortunate to live life with such an amazing little lady.  

What was your child’s first B-Day experience like?  I am curious to know if I am the only one feeling a little sad!  I would welcome advice, stories and perhaps a little sympathy!

With the economy in the pits I am sure most of your budgets are a bit tighter these days.  With that in mind, how would you like some FREE gifts for your kids this Christmas?  A few months ago during our Mommy Who FOX 8 News debute, we showed you some ideas for items to place in an Activity Bag (a bag just for your child filled with special toys that would keep them occupied when it came time for road trips or long doctors office visits).  If you haven’t gotten together an Activity Bag for your child yet…what are you waiting for?  How about a little help from us. 

During the next 2 weeks each time you leave us a comment, send us an e-mail with a question, suggestion, recipe, etc. your name will be entered in our Giveway Contest drawing.  It’s that simple!  There are 4 prizes to choose from and will be given to the 4 lucky moms we draw! There is no limit to how many times you name can be entered.

Check out Niki’s Knacks to see what you are playing for!  (Pacie Clip, Boo Boo Bag, Chalk board Placemat and Crayon Roll up.)  These are the cutest handmade items.  Plus, Niki has tons of new stuff as well.

Good Luck!  Contest starts…NOW!

Perhaps you woke up a bit more tired this morning from all the turkey, or maybe you woke up really early to get a jump start on your Christmas shopping?  NOT ME!  I have a wonderful husband that let me sleep in til almost 9:00 this morning.  I could get used to that Thanksgiving tradition!  Speaking of traditions I really want to start traditions with our family now that we have a little one…especially when she gets a bit older and can start to look forward to special occasions. 

So, I’ve been thinking and thinking of various ideas that I could make stick each year.  Like maybe making homemade pizza together on Thanksgiving night, or drawing a picture of what we are thankful for and someday making a book out of the pictures, we could stay up late and watch Christmas movies…lots of ideas to consider.  Then, I suppose some traditions just start because.  They might not really have a rhyme or reason, they just sort of occur.  Maybe we will wait for that…

I am curious as to how many moms out there have traditions built into your families already?  Leave us a comment and let us know.

Today I’ve posted a few new articles for your weekend reading pleasure.  Hope they are helpful!

FOOD KRAFT recipe for Cranberry Pineapple Minis

GREEN  Green Leftovers!

ORGANIZE  Don’t wrap your Christmas presents until you read THIS!

TOMORROW!  Get all the details to our Christmas Giveway Contest, a chance for you to score some FREE stuff for your kids this Christmas!

With Thanksgiving just a few short hours away and Christmas following close behind, we wanted to check back in with all our Mommy Who supporters out there.  We hope everyone will enjoy spending time with family, eating yummy food and perhaps sneaking in a nap or two over the long weekend! 

Be thinking about your favorite Holiday traditions, recipes and memories.  Is there a dish you just can’t live without at Christmas?  Or maybe you have a funny story about a decorating disaster?  We want to hear about it!  So, leave us a comment or two in the days to come and we will enter your name in our Christmas Giveaway Contest.  What are the prizes….?  You’ll have to stay tuned for more details!

In the meatime, go defrost those turkeys, finish preparing your house for company and enjoy some family time with those you love the most!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from the Mommy Who MOMS Candice & Aimee!

Check out our FOOD page to see a dish I am making for Thanksgiving.

This recipe courtesy of Nichole Potts and KRAFT foods

My husband and I had the pleasure of enjoying this meal with the Potts family.  This is a recipe you MUST try!

CHICKEN PARMESAN BUNDLES

Ingredients:
4oz (1/2 of 8oz pkg) cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. (10 oz) chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1-1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
6 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lbs.) pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
1 egg
10 ritz crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated (I use entire jar)
toothpicks

1.  Preheat oven to 375. Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1cup of the mozzarella cheese, and 3 tbsp. of the parmesan until well blended.  Spread evenly into chicken breasts.  Starting at one of the short ends of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with toothpicks.

2.  Beat egg in bowl or shallow dish. Mix remaining parmesan cheese and the cracker crumbs in seperate dish. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then in crumb mixture. lay seam side down in a 13×9 in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3.  Bake 30 minutes or until center is no longer pink.  Remove from oven and discard toothpicks. Cover with heated spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese.