Ingredients:

2 pounds red potatoes
1 Tablespoon roasted garlic
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
Sea salt and black pepper
2 medium red onions, sliced thin
1/3 cup fresh chopped herbs (parsley, tarragon, and thyme)
2 bunches watercress

Instructions:

To roast garlic rub one garlic head with olive oil and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

To prepare the dressing, whisk together garlic, Dijon mustard and vinegar. Next whisk olive oil into mixture slowly. Season mixture with salt and pepper, mix and add mustard seeds. After cleaning potatoes dice into bite sized pieces and boil until tender.

While potatoes are still warm, add potatoes to dressing and toss. Chill for minimum of 2 hours. When ready to serve add onions, herbs and watercress to potatoes and dressing.

You can find hundreds more salad recipes in the Ultimate Salad Cookbook.

“Brooke is Boring” should be the title of this show. This is a spinoff from the once popular, Hogan Knows Best. Terry “Hulk” Hogan and wife Linda have called it quits, little brother, Nick, is in jail, leaving big sis Brooke with a lot of free time.

She has a male (gay, on a scale of one to ten – he’s pretty far up the scale – according to a conversation that he had with Brooke’s dad who asked the question “on a scale from one to ten, how gay are you?” Classy) roommate who lives with her. On the first episode they were discussing getting a 3rd roommate (hinted that it might be Hulk himself, if Brooke would allow it).

The banter between father and daughter seems very fake and unbelievable, couple that with the fact that Brooke’s “singing career” has never really taken off (if you’ve heard her sing, you know why). This just makes for a show with a lot of yawning coming from your end of the couch while your husband flips through the t.v. guide for something else to watch.

“My dad can beat up your dad!” Oh yeah? “Well my dad is cooler than your dad!”

One thing about most kids, they’re loyal to their dads. It doesn’t matter how much he’s working or how he may not be able to throw a ball or ride bikes because he’s working on Mom’s honey-do list, most children think their dad is pretty wonderful.

Often the room parents and those parents who are available to help out at school are the moms. Many dads would love to help out at school if their schedules were a little more flexible. Imagine the excitement on your child’s face if Dear old Dad was one of the chaperones on the next field trip.

Dads may not have the flexibility that the stay-at-home-moms do to help out at school, but most dads I know are entitled to a lunch each day as well as some vacation days each year.
If logistics permit it, dads should schedule their lunch break at the school a couple times a month. They could help out in the school store, in the classroom or media center. Your child will be proud as a peacock!

A sad reality is that there are more and more single parent households. Some children don’t see their dad nearly as often as they would like. I remember one field trip to an apple orchard. Dad rearranged his schedule so he could attend and help rally the children. While sitting on the hay ride you would have thought he was a local celebrity. Kids were fighting over who could sit next to “The Dad”.

It’s good for children to see dads participate with school activities. Dads are cool when they help out at school. Don’t negate the possibility helping just because dad works when school is in session. Maintenance man Mr. Bob would love a hand setting up for the school carnival. Do you realize how many tables and stations need to be set up?

The next time you overhear a group of children trying to one-up each other where their dads are concerned, perhaps you’ll hear one bragging, “Oh yeah? Well MY dad helps out at school!” Do you know any cool dads?

I really dig scrapbooking. I like designing page layouts and cropping photos and coming up with witty captions. The thing I like the most about scrapbooking, though, is the sense of accomplishment that comes from having my photos all organized and orderly. Unfortunately, many mamas don’t have the time to devote to scrapbooking that they did once upon a time.

Funny how now that you have the best reason to scrapbook, you also have the least amount of time to do so.

Shortly after BabyHacks made her arrival, I accidentally found a great solution. While perusing the clearance bin at Baby Depot (they have some great clearance items at Baby Depot, by the way), I came across the coolest pop-up scrapbook. Every page was pre-decorated with room for up to eight photos per two-page spread.

Sure, I’m kind of bummed that I don’t get to do my own creative layout, BUT the reality is that I can actually get this kind of scrapbook done before the baby goes off to her Senior prom. I can always create a scrapbook from scratch later on, but in the meantime, the pre-decorated ones mean that I’ll totally look like I had my act together and got some photos scrapped.

Assuming I ever actually get the pictures printed and placed in the book, that is.

(Mama Hack: n. A tip or technique that reduces the chaos in a mama’s life and makes it easier to manage or more convenient. Because no one looks back and says, “I just didn’t think to take pictures of my first baby.”)

Remember how June Cleaver always had fresh cookies that just came out of the oven when Wally and Beaver arrived home from school? (If you don’t remember that, you might be able to catch some reruns of Leave it to Beaver on Nick at Night or TVLand!)

Anyway, who doesn’t like fresh cookies just out of the oven? However, even if you don’t fancy yourself a June Cleaver, you can still make easy afternoon snacks that your kids will love. By the time they get off the bus or walk in the door they’re so hungry they could eat dirt. You’re probably familiar with the well-known picture of your children standing in front of the refrigerator, door wide open, staring inside for something delightful to jump out.

Of course they’d probably love to grab an ice cream sandwich, instead of an apple; a bag of chips over a bag of rice cakes. Give them a snack that’s quick, nutritional and something they’ll want. Here are a few suggestions:

Freeze bite size chunks of fruit. Watermelon, pineapple and apple slices tossed into a bag and then into the freezer make a refreshing, crunchy snack. The trick is that you want to have something convenient. They’re hungry – you don’t (and neither do they) want to have to make something after school. Have it ready to pop into their mouth.

You can make a variety of kabobs. Adults usually like some meat chunks, with a little onion, green pepper and pineapple on their skewer, then onto the grill. Kids want something different. Marshmallows, cheese, grapes, apple wedges, pineapple, banana slices, pretzels, and slices of rolled up ham or turkey are choice ingredients to stack your kabobs. Have those waiting in the refrigerator when the kids get home and you’ll hear no whines of “There’s nothing to eeeeeeeeeat!”

If you’re totally at a loss for creativity, then use some fun bowls, plates or cups. Serve fresh fruit in a margarita glass. Put Goldfish crackers in a goldfish bowl and use a fish net to scoop out the yummy aquatic crackers. Use a new net, of course… not the one you use for Gill!

Imagine the look on your kids’ face when they come home to find an ice cream cone stuffed with Waldorf salad: Carrots, celery, apple, walnuts, and raisins with a touch of mayonnaise and lemon juice. You’ve heard that variety is the spice of life. Your kids will concur. You don’t want the same old – same old, and neither do they.

Anyone heard of this? e.l.f. stand for “eyes lips face” and I was quite shocked one day while at the local supermarket (not a large chain store, just an average size local spartan stores grocery) to discover an entire wall of this product.

My eyes wandered the wall in disbelief as I saw everything from “Super Glossy Lip Shine with SPF 15″ to a “foundation applicator brush” and even a “dual ended eyeliner and eyeshadow in one” gadget.

I was gawking, not because I haven’t seen products like these before, but they were only $1.00! That’s right, $1.00. They weren’t some gunked up leftovers in the bottom of a 99 cent clearance bin either. They had simple packaging and were neat and clean. The everyday price was $1.00.

I bought a lipstick (was moist and wonderful) a lip gloss (was kind of sticky but isn’t that what lip gloss does anyway?) and the foundation applicator (nice brush, is holding up nicely). So all in all, if you’re counting your pennies or want to buy some “grown up” makeup for a teenager, then e.l.f. is the product to go for.

Has anyone seen this item at your local market?

Another game show proving that you can make a show out of just about anything. This T.V. show is a copycat show of the popular Japan version where contestants line up (they are usually not athletic or some are even severely obese) to run an obstacle course as two commentators on the sideline voice their opinions and observations about how said person is fairing on the course.

At its root, it sounds mean but it is actually quite riveting t.v. Large red rubber balls protruding from muddy water greet contestants…meanwhile back at home, we wonder if we would look that fat on t.v. or worse. We shake our heads and wonder why anyone would sign up for this? The course is nearly impossible to beat (has more than one “level” to get through as well).

There is a monetary prize for completing all levels…which is obviously the motivating factor for contestants on the show. Every time it’s on, I want to turn it off because I am embarrassed for these people who are making quite a spectacle of themselves on t.v.

In the end, it’s funny when people fall (these people aren’t getting hurt) and really – who doesn’t like to watch a chubby person huff and puff their way through a pool of foam or trying to jump monkey barrels that are being thrown at them? This show was a hit in Japan and I bet it will be a hit here too

Ingredients:

1 large bulb fennel, core and stems removed, fronds reserved
3 navel oranges, peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups baby spinach, stems removed, rinsed well and patted dry
20 oil-cured black olives
2 ounces Parmesan, thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler

Instructions:

Remove core and stems from fennel bulb. Keep fronds. Cut fennel into halves and slice. Next, slice oranges over a cup or bowl to preserve juice.

Using the bowl with the orange juice, add shallots, oil, salt and pepper and whisk together. Add in orange segments, spinach and fennel, tossing to coat well.

Divide salad and top with olives, cheese and fennel fronds. Serve immediately.

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“What do you mean you forgot to do that?” I told you last night before you went to bed. Well you better hurry or you’re going to miss the bus.”

How smoothly your bedtime routine goes will determine how smoothly your morning goes. It’s important to have routines for bedtime as well as in the morning. The best way to keep track of needed tasks is to use a chart.

If you leave it to your memory or that of your children, something will slip through the cracks. In this fast paced world we live in, and with children’s developing brains, someone will forget. I don’t know about you, but if something simple at night can make my mornings run smoother, I’m all for it.

There are a couple different options you can use with regard to charts. One method would be to list each item that needs to be completed in a separate line on the chart. You could list tasks such as homework completed, lunch made, backpack packed, clothes picked out, showered, teeth brushed. Whereas the morning chart would be dressed, lunch out of refrigerator, teeth brushed, and dog fed. Each task could get a check mark or a sticker – depending on the age of the children.

Another option would be to list all that needs to be accomplished on a separate piece of paper or chart. Leave that on the refrigerator or some accessible location. Then once the children have completed all their assigned tasks, one gold star, sticker or check mark could be placed on the calendar.

It doesn’t really matter what system you use – as long as it works for your family. You may get some resistance when you introduce it. Or you may be pleasantly surprised and the kids will look forward to not only completing their assignments but seeing the acknowledgement for a job well done.

There may be a transition time necessary for both parents and children. That is to be expected anytime a new routine is introduced. Hold each other accountable. Allow them to remind you if you get “too busy” to follow through with the chart.

Make sure you catch them doing something right. You entire family will benefit from well organized bedtime and morning routines!

I am in love with my digital camera. I’m a new mom, so how could I not be completely addicted to it? My poor daughter thinks she’s Brittney Spears or Paris Hilton with the way the flashbulbs pop everywhere she goes. I affectionately refer to myself as “the Mama-razi.” (My husband is, of course, the Papa-razi.)

At any given time, my camera has pictures of BabyHacks in no less than a dozen different outfits, generally doing almost exactly the same thing. “See how she’s waving ‘hello’ in this one and ‘goodbye” in the next one?”

It’s great how the picture review feature on our digital cameras literally allow us to start reminiscing an event before it’s actually over. “Do you remember 30 seconds ago when you did that cool thing…”

While I get to enjoy the photos over and over, there is a real downside to the digital age: I never have to get my film developed. I am instantly gratified by seeing the image on my camera’s screen. I might even get as far as uploading it to my laptop so I can post it on my LiveJournal, Facebook, or Flickr accounts. These options are great, but they don’t do much for my parents and grandparents who aren’t online. It’s also put a major crimp in my scrapbooking plans.

We recently discovered how to solve this problem without even making an extra trip out of the house. It turns out that various retailers now allow you to upload or email your digital photos to them, and they’ll get them all printed out for you. We like to send ours to Costco because they can even get them printed in an hour. So, if we know we’re going to go do some shopping, we can send a few files in before leaving home, and just pick them up when we check out.

The best part, though, is that you can send pictures to stores all over the world and have other people pick them up. We live in the Northwest but were able to have our digital photos printed out in Florida at my grandparents’ local Walgreens. I chose to pay for them online, but they could have also paid when they picked the photos up. I’ve heard that for an extra few bucks, you can even have them delivered.

So, without even licking an envelope, I can now ensure that GreatGrandmaHacks gets to see her progeny’s progeny’s progeny in dozens of different outfits waving both “hello” and “goodbye.”

(Mama Hack: n. A tip or technique that reduces the chaos in a mama’s life and makes it easier to manage or more convenient. Because no one looks back and says, “I really needed to run more errands.”)