Sharing recipes, crafts and frugal living, the challenges and triumphs of parenting a neurotypical child and a child on the Autism Spectrum. Yoga Instructor said goodbye to her nightly glass of Chardonnay to give up habits that were not serving her purpose in life! The CocktailMom name remains, however with a new focus on healthy and authentic living.

4/16/2013

Routine


Cultivating patience is hard work.

4/15/2013

Girls Night Out- Painting!




Are you looking for a fun activity to do with your girlfriends? Tired of going out to bars or nightclubs where it's too loud and you leave with a sore throat from shouting to have a conversation?

In Hyattsville, MD Wet Your Palettes recently opened. Shortly after opening they offered a Groupon. I am a sucker for Groupons, this time it proved to be worth it.

You can bring a bottle of wine to enjoy while learning step by step instructions from a local artist. Every person in the class makes the same painting. On the website you can reserve your space based on the painting that will be completed.

My friend and I had a wonderful time. We spent 2 hours, laughing, talking while enjoying being creative and we walked away with a beautiful picture to remind ourselves of the evening. I'll definitely do this again for a fun girls night out! This would also make a great gift for a friend that already has everything, an evening out with while experiencing something different and creative.

4/12/2013

Valentine's Card: worst craft ever continued....


Oh remember that horrible craft project I was telling you about with the melted crayons?
Yeah well I forgot to tell you WHY I made them. 

Valentine's day treats for each of my son's classes, oh yes that's right.... 51 of those time-sucking-trippy-crayons.

Remember DO NOT attempt this craft. It sucks!

But the bags I made to go with them were pretty cute. I used The Long Thread's free valentine's printable. 

4/09/2013

Routine


In every ordinary moment.... I am thankful for my family.
For the joy and the messes they create.

4/08/2013

Melted Crayons- worst craft ever!


Have you ever made one of those crafts and half way through the production you ask yourself "why am I doing this?". If you are an avid crafter, I know this has happened to you!

Or maybe afterwards you total up your receipts and discover that you could have purchased the exact item you just made for half the price?

I am not going to tell you how to make these crayons because I don't want you to make the same mistake I made. Oh sure they are cute and the kids love the trippy colors...but it's not worth your time or the money!

I spent $14 dollars on plastic molds that I now can never use for anything else. This project ate up an entire afternoon of just baking, several evenings were spent tearing the paper from each broken crayon to the point that my thumb nail was separating from the nail bed- ouch!

Do not try this at home. Just buy your kids a 64 count box of Crayola crayons and call it a day.



4/03/2013

New Responsibilities



We have two dogs, one large and one medium hound type dogs. 
Our dogs are horrible and I mean horrible walkers. They pull you in opposite directions or will both go charging for a squirrel which results in your shoulder feeling like it's been pulled out of it's socket.

When our nine year old son, Logan, started asking if he could walk the dogs we were really hesitant. 

Every evening we take the dogs for a walk, typically the boys are on their scooters way ahead of us but lately Logan has been interested in walking and requesting to hold a leash.

So we tried it, what's the worse that could happen - right?

Well it was as if our eldest and larger dog knew that he had to be gentle, he didn't pull Logan and walked better for him than he does for my wife or I. Logan takes great pride in this new responsibility and I think really enjoys having a more mature chore around our house.
 

4/02/2013

Routine

Every week I sit down at our dining room table with my spiral notebook and I make my week to-do list.
It helps me to feel less anxious.
As I write them down my mind feels free to focus on dreams.

4/01/2013

Greenbelt Patch: Blood is Thicker Than Water



Growing up my mom would often tell my sister and I to "watch out for each other". 
When the two of us were on our own, without her parent supervision, she would enforce this rule for us to stick together. As children going to a sleepover at my cousin’s house these were the words she would say as we opened the car doors, it continued into our preteen and teen years when she would drop us off at the mall to hang out with friends or go to a party. 
I’m sure if you psychoanalyzed the situation it had a lot to do with her own upbringing, my mom and her sister often had to count on each other during their not so grand childhood. Or maybe it was because we grew up in a rough neighborhood, full of boys who sadly saw the back of a police car several times before their eighteenth birthday.
My mother has a collection of stockpile phrases that she continues to use to this day, typical phrases that leave her lips include “she’s the only sister you’ll ever have”, “blood is thicker than water”, “sisters need to stick together”. Often we would roll our eyes and say “yeah mom, whatever.” 
There were many years when my sister and I didn’t want to stick together. We spent most of our teen years mumbling, “I hate you” or slamming doors in each other’s face.
And then we became adults.

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