Soda Cake

I know we have all heard of 7-Up cake, well this is a different kind of soda cake and it is to die for. Here are all the ingredients you need:

One box of your favorite box cake (I use Betty Crocker chocolate butter cake mix)

12 ounces of soda (if you are make a chocolate cake you will use dark soda and for white cakes clear soda) . I prefer to us Diet Dr. Pepper Chocolate Cherry soda it taste good and it is only 1 Weight Watcher point per serving this way. (This is a good thing)

All you do is put the cake mix and the soda in a bowl and mix (leave out all the other ingredients the cake mix calls for i.e. eggs, oil and water).

Then bake according to the instructions given on the box for your cake pan.

Your done. This is an easy desert and it taste great. Plus when you use the diet soda, you don't feel guilty for eating bigger portions. Let me know how it works for you!!

With the upcoming election, I thought it would be cool to create a list of the top ten things mom's would change if they ruled the world.

1. Breastfeeding in public would not be an issue, in fact there would be nursing lounges everywhere.

2. There would be a government salary for stay at home moms

3. We would have four-day work weeks. Fridays would be for family time, shopping and pedicures.

4. Mandatory off days after OGBYN and Mammogram appointments followed by spa days.

5. Gas prices wouldn't be so high. We would have had hybrids years ago.

6. All jobs would offer on site day care services.

7. The Lifetime Network would premiere new movies during Monday night football and Superbowl (something for us to watch).

8. Dad's would be required to attempt to be Momma for one day a week (my husband came up with that one).

9. The 10 o'clock news wouldn't be so depressing. It would start off with healthy recipe ideas and shopping tips.

10. All models would be required to give birth to a child before they could rock the runway.

What would be you change if you ruled the world?

Guilt-Free Motherhood

I am not sure when it happened, but at some point being a playmate was added to the mommy-to-do list. Some days between cooking, cleaning and/or working outside the home, we don't feel like another Dora Song or episode of Hanna Montana. All moms have those times when they just don't feel like playing with their children. When we do take the time to get in the floor and play, our minds on all the other things we have to get done.

First we have to learn to give ourselves a break. No one expects us, including our children, to be their only form of entertainment 24/7. They need down time just like we do. When we do take time to play with our children, focus only playing. Giving that time our undivided attention, that way when we are ready to move on to something else we don't feel guilty. Who knows we may even have fun!!!!

Halle Berry & baby Nahla Ariela

This is my first celebrity mom feature and I thought I would start it out with classic favorite, Halle. This pic is a month old but I just love how peaceful both mom and baby look. Isn't Nahla Ariela adorable. Look how Halle is glowing, motherhood brings out our inner beauty.

They are enjoying a fun day at the zoo.

Think Pink

Mommas as we begin the month of October, I just wanted to send out a reminder that it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Early detection can save your life. So I have made a list of links that talk about self-exams and what steps we can take to say health. This is something we have to make time for. Don't forget to wear pink, support research by buying pink cancer support products this month too.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month site

http://nbcam.org/

Self Exams

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/self_exam/bse_steps.jsp

www.komen.org/bse/

women.webmd.com/healthtool-self-breast-exam

Cancer support

Pink Ribbon Store http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

Think Pink http://www.lucy.com/

www.pinkribbonshop.com/

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15051954/

#1
With everything else we do as mothers, we also have to provide balanced meals for ourselves and our families. So I thought that it would be cool to post recipes on Friday that are fun. By fun I mean easily prepared (so can be made in one pot) and delicious. I don't know about you but that is my kind of meal.

Chicken with Black-Eyed Peas and Yellow Rice
(Patti LaBelle's Lite Cuisine)
Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves (minced or chopped, I use the Walmart brand that comes in a jar)
1 1/2 lbs skinless chicken tenders
1/2 t poultry seasoning
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t salt
3/4 cup uncooked yellow rice (I buy the kind in the bag that is already seasoned)
One 14.5 oz can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 T chopped fresh thyme

T= tablespoon, t= teaspoon

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and chicken and cook until the chicken is browned on both sides.

Stir in the broth, poultry seasoning, black pepper, red pepper flakes and salt. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat.

Stir in rice. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is almost tender about 10 minutes.

Stir in black-eyed peas and thyme. Cover and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Per serving 300 calories, 32 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 3 g dietary fiber, 610 mg sodium

#1
The responses for the Toddler Top Ten for Potty Training 101 were so good I thought I would start a weekly Thursday Top Ten. This week's topic:

The Top Ten Things I Should Do During Nap Time

1. Take a nap

2. Catch up on TIVO/DVR

3. Read a book

4. Delete emails (my inbox is at 480)

5. Call a girlfriend and catch up

6. Exercise

7. Blog

8. Study my Bible or an article (this should have been first)

9. Take a nap......this needed to be said twice

10. Start dinner (yeah right).......

Procrastination Power

Why is it as mothers when we hear the word procrastination we cringe? We often become embarrassed if we have once again waited to the last minute to wash our child's uniform or we didn't remember to go by the store on the way home. I don't know about you, but I don't remember being handed a superwoman cape when I left the hospital with my child. So why don't we give ourselves the same breaks that we give other people?

Here are three solutions I have come up with and you may have some of your own you'd like to share. First when we are faced with procrastination and feel overwhelmed let's agree to JUST GET IT DONE. So what if it has taken you longer than you originally thought it would. Take control and get it done, you didn't finish the laundry yesterday, give yourself some slack and don't focus on mistakes.

Second, when it comes to other areas we have procrastinated in, we have to learn to GET OVER IT. We aren't going to always get everything right and done on time, but it is not the end of the world. Tomorrow will bring new challenges, responsibilities and hope.

Lastly we need to learn to TURN IT OVER. This simply means turning it over to someone else. Often this means giving it over to God but we also have to give some of the mom-to-do list to our spouses, extended family or even someone who can just give a helping hand. The most important part of this solution is when you release it, don't pick it back up. If you prayed about it don't worry about it. If you gave to someone else to do, don't feel you have to supervise them (I do that all the time). We have to learn to completely turn it over.