Mom Gone Crazy Therapy- Tips to Relax and Relieve

The past week or so I've been getting these NASTY headaches every evening.  I have no idea where they came from.  I just kind of brushed them aside until my sister (who lives nearly two states away) called me the other day complaining of the SAME THING.  She thought it might be stress.  I thought it was about time to do something about it. 
Try these tips.  If you don't like one, just keep reading.  #1 is the answer to all your problems. (ok, maybe not, but it sure as heck helps!)

5. EAT HEALTHY- For goodness sake, there's nothing wrong with a sweet treat every now and again, but if you want energy, please eat right!  It's not too hard.  Base your meals around a variety of fruits and vegetables, and add the bread and meat on the side.  Drink lots of water, not pop.  Also, avoid processed foods when you can (though don't feel guilty about heating up some corndogs for lunch on a rainy day).

4. GET OUT- Both with the kids and without.  Everyone needs some fresh air and excercise, and there's no better way to drive yourself crazy than to stay cooped up all day with a bunch of dramaqueens and zoo monkeys (whom you love very much, of course)!  I'm sure there are many things you can do at home, but I promise, so many more things await you outside.  Need a few ideas to change it up?  Try a tour of the town (dress up as tourists and visit local or nearby attractions), a peaceful nature hike (try searching for parks and hikes in your area online), visit a new museum (especially on free museum day) or just visit the library and sign up for the summer reading program (an excellent way to entertain the kids all summer... depending on the kid)

OR

STAY IN- I know, I know, now I'm just being contradictory!  Seriously, though.  Sometimes the problem is that you're trying to do too much.  Take a day off.  Stay in your pajamas.  Let the kids play lego's and watch movies all day and then order pizza (or Chinese) for dinner.  Just don't do it TOO often.

3. MEDITATE-  You have a million things to do or think about, and they're all spinning and swirling around that rush-hour spaghetti-bowl brain of yours.  Take at least 10 minutes each day to close your eyes, breath slowly and deeply, and clear your mind.  You'll find it gives a considerable boost to your stamina. 

2. LAUGH- You may have heard about the numerous health benefits of laughing.  Have a quick look at this article on laugher and health, and then have a quick (or long) look at My Life Is Average. So when the baby is screaming and your 2-year-old comes in covered with flour and corn syrup...  It's funny.  Laugh. 

and FINALLY...

1. SELF-MASSAGE-  You may not have expected this to me #1... but trust me, it's HUGE.  I could tell you about it, but try reading some tips on this WebMD article.  Read it.  Try it.  You won't regret it, especially if you've been like my sister and I the past few days!

I hope these tips help... I can tell you they definitely make MY life quite a bit more easy-going!

Thanks for reading!  C-ya!

Pure and Simple Baby Banana Griddle Cakes

I bet you're wondering what I'm doing writing about banana cakes at 2 in the morning!  Ok, so maybe you're not (I kind of am, though.  Especially since Clyde has been determined to wake up and stay awake at 7:30AM each day.), but in any case I'll tell you.  Ryan has been working the night shift and has a couple nights off.  He has to keep up his schedule, though, so he's staying up late creating his boardgame... and I'm staying up with him.  I figured it gives me a good time to rant about breakfast. ;)
This morning (Well, I suppose it was YESTERDAY morning now) I was thinking about hw much I wanted pancakes when my mom texted me asking for a gluten-free pancake recipe.  That made it final.  

I whipped up some pretty awesome ones, but I'll tell you about that in a minute.  

First, while I was making them Clyde was "helping."  He started getting kinda cranky.  I knew he was hungry, too, and wanted him to share in the pancake fun.  I had some banana baby food that needed finishing off, so I added a few ingredients and threw it on the griddle. 
 

Pure and Simple Baby Banana Griddle Cakes

~1 Tbsp banana puree
~1 tsp brown rice flour

~1/8 tsp baking powder

A very teeny-tiny amount of salt (optional)

This makes enough for 2 half-dollar sized pancakes.  Or one slightly bigger one.  They cook pretty fast, so whatch them.  They'll be kind of sticky in the middle (since they're mostly banana).
They actually turned out very tasty (yes, of course I tasted them)!

 

Clyde loved them!  He only ate about half of one, though... he was more interested in playing with them.

I bet you could make these with pretty much any flavor of puree/baby food.  In fact, why reserve them for just baby (I'll take the sweet potatos!)?  Seriously, they're THAT good.

Now for our pancakes.  I added blueberries, shredded zucchini, and flax seed meal.  They were incredible if I do say so myself!  Oh, and Ryan said so, too.  :P

Gluten-Free, Baby Banana, Wheat

I bet you can't tell which is the gluten-free one.

By the time we were done making, eating, and cleaning up (yikes!), it was a little past nap time...

Making breakfast is hard work!

...and he was plum tuckered-out!