Making an Emergency Sub Folder

Like all teachers, I mentally cringe at the thought of having to call in sick. The foremost thought in my mind is, "But I still need to make copies for ___________!" Enter the emergency sub folder.

Substitutes love to come in for me-they like the organization! My regular teaching time is patterned. I start with a research based curriculum and work through it, making adjustments as needed. So, the work for this is written in my weekly plan book and the materials are sitting out on my desk. But, just in case the substitute has issues with any of that, there is a backup-the emergency sub folder.

This contains a list of my daily schedule and student rosters. Then, each period has it's own stack of copies. (I update this periodically to prevent the copies from being WAY too easy for the students.) I include some fun stickers for students, making sure to communicate my expectations for student performance. But the special thing about this folder is the pocket with notecards. Each one lists 'sponge' activities that fill extra time with constructive, learning work! Be sure to include this in your folder and have plenty of resources at the sub's fingertips. You just might find it easier to obtain a good substitute.

Appreciate Teachers-Especially if They are Moms

Any working mother realizes that she is missing part of her child's life. But teachers and other moms working with children feel this loss more deeply.

As I greet students with a smile, my mind fills with the remembrance of chubby arms around my neck and cries of "Mama!" as my baby protests my leaving.

While I comfort a hesitant Kindergartner on his first day, someone else is comforting my baby.

As I listen to a child read their first words from a book, I'm missing my baby's first words.

When I'm teaching long division, someone else is teaching my baby to walk.

As I wave to my students standing in lunch line, my baby is trying new foods for the first time.

When I praise a student for mastering a new skill, I'm missing praising my baby for her first steps.

As I read aloud to my students, someone else is reading my baby her favorite book.

While I'm teaching students to count to 100, someone else is counting the ounces of milk my baby drank.

Every milestone I help someone else's child reach is in exchange for one I missed in my own child-and my heart mourns the loss. 

Mini Breakfast Pizzas

Convenience foods are great, but they can also break a grocery budget. So, I have a 'rule of thumb' for purchasing refrigerated crescent rolls and biscuits.

$1 or less: Stock Up.
$1.25: Get What I Need
More than $1.25: Leave It

Well, I had stocked biscuits. They are great plain, but it takes forever to eat the leftovers. They just taste best fresh and flaky from the oven. So, I brainstormed ways to use them in our main dish. For some reason, breakfast pizza came to mind.

After rolling each biscuit into approximately 6" by 6", I pre-baked them for about 5 minutes to prevent doughy centers. While they were cooking I fried some chopped bacon, green pepper, and mushrooms. Then I scrambled about 4 eggs in the bacon grease. The biscuit crust was topped with this mixture and some cheddar cheese. I popped it back into the oven for about 15 minutes...and we enjoyed them for the next several breakfasts.

Bonus-This recipe is toddler tested and approved!

Toddler Snacks-Feeding a Picky (Selective) Eater

Little K would try anything from six to nine months of age. Everyone exclaimed over how well she ate. "It's wonderful that she likes vegetables already." Hmmm.....maybe they jinxed us.

Now mealtimes are filled with Little K systemically clearing her tray by picking up each food and throwing it on the floor. Ugh. But she needs to EAT!!!! So....I feed her when she's hungry (which is all the time) with healthy foods that she can carry around with her. Toddlers require constant supervision anyway, but be extra vigilant when your little one is snacking. You don't want him to choke. 

For some reason, toddlers seem to have this insane urge to be in constant motion.  Dr. Sears in The Baby Book suggests using a tray with a variety of healthy snacks to provide toddlers with on-the-go options. Little K would just dump that all over the floor! But, I did take his advice to offer snacks. Sometimes I put yogurt melts/cheerios/puffs in her toy cup, other times I pull off a few strings of cheese or break off a cracker. 

Little K also loves to sample my cooking ingredients! A strip of green pepper or a few shreds of cheese keep her busy long enough for me to mix up a quick meal.

Here is a quick list of ideas:

Pretty in Pink-Baby Girl's 1st Birthday!

Part of being a Pinterest addict means I get too many creative ideas about food and decor to ever have an ordinary party! After seeing pink cupcakes arranged in the shape of a 1, I pinned a strawberry frosting recipe....and a strawberry cake recipe....and tissue paper pom-poms...and tulle decorations for staircases....and crepe paper flowers....and pink or funfetti snacks....Well, let's just say there were multiple touches of pink for our special celebration!

At the front door, the foyer was decked with tissue pom-poms, crepe paper, tulle, and photos!








We treated our guests to pink punch with matching princess napkins and plates....






...and decorated the mantel with family pictures, pink ribbon, a few flowers, and a matching birthday banner. The hubs hung the banner for me-I told him it was a manly job-using our stocking hangers!

 The snack table included pink deviled eggs, funfetti snack mix, strawberry fruit dip, funfetti cheese ball, and strawberry cupcakes! 

The cupcakes were arranged in the shape of a 1, then I frosted them in a rose style. (The server needed a few pink crepe paper flowers to beautify it, too.)

The baby had a rosette frosted smash cake!

Like all kids, her favorite part was opening her new toys! I guess I didn't need to stress over the rest of the party-wrapping paper fixes all worries!

Baby Led Weaning at Daycare

Little K has enjoyed Baby Led Weaning from the time she could suck the juices from peaches and tomatoes. She savored my mom's summer garden crop of tomatoes! But then, who doesn't like home grown tomatoes?

The daycare we send Little K to requires us to provide baby food, although lunch is served for toddlers. Since we are BLW, I was tempted to say, "Just give her whatever you are having for lunch." But there were two problems with that:
1. The food might not be suitable. Prepackaged foods high in sodium, deli meat with unnatural additives, sweetened fruits, grapes, hot dogs, and cherry tomatoes immediately come to mind. 
2. The provider might not feel comfortable allowing Little K to self feed.

So, we send a mix of traditional baby purees and non-traditional finger foods. If the purees are homemade, I try to keep them thick enough for Little K to self feed if she wants.

Here are some of Little K's favorites:

Apple Cider Beef Stew (I shred the chunks of beef and mash the veggies with a fork.)
Roast Beef and Gravy (Shred the beef and serve over rice or mashed potatoes)
Chunks of fresh pineapple
Steamed broccoli
Deviled egg
Roasted Pear and Banana Puree

October Freezer Meals-Choosing the Recipes

This is my third month of freezer meals with a good friend. Our babies are 7 months apart and we both appreciate a healthy, ready-to-eat meal. After working (in or out of the home) all day, it's so wonderful to dig into a hot meal from the slow cooker or a casserole steaming from the oven. We met once a month with the ingredients for us each to make 6 recipes. Then, we go home with half of each recipe for a total of a dozen freezer meals!

Last month I had a lot of dump and go meals. These were mostly slow cooker meals, but I did have a casserole and a batch of white chili. This time I was drooling over some other more labor intensive recipes, so I decided to invest some additional prep time.

First, I went through my Pinterest board for freezer meals and analyzed my recipes for similarities. For instance, if I need shredded chicken for one recipe, I might as well shred a bunch of chicken and use it for multiple recipes. I chose to use shredded chicken in my recipes because my friend made this AWESOME hot chicken salad a couple of months ago. Little K and I especially savored it. It called for shredded chicken, so....I collected shredded chicken recipes.

Hot Chicken Salad from Add a Pinch

The second recipe I chose was Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. One of my co-workers was raving about the dish...so I had to put it on the list.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole from Tasty Kitchen

Keeping with the cooked shredded chicken, I decided on Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole. The recipe starts with shredded chicken and cooked rice, so.....

Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole from Jo Cooks

...I thought I would do Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole.

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli & Rice Casserole from Mom on Time Out

Now that I'm cooking broccoli, I decided to try this super simple recipe for Jumbo Pasta Shells.

Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells with Alfredo Sauce by Eat at Home Cooks

Well, I ran out of shredded chicken recipes. About that time, I came across this delicious comfort food recipe for Oven-Baked Frito Pie. So, it finished my half dozen recipes.

Oven-Baked Frito Pie from My Family Meal Plan

I will post my shopping list and make-ahead prep after our cooking day! Until then, I'm drooling over the pictures.