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Parenting teens: the school project infographic.

So, last week, I created a little infographic to help reinforce a more realistic homework ritual to help save other parents (especially, those with younger kids) a few headaches.

This week? I was inspired by my friend Beth (a.k.a. Life in the BAT Cave) to create an infographic to help your child complete school projects — which, at second glance, could pretty much be used as another homework infographic — because I am also really good at multi-tasking, for you, like that.

**passes bottle of [insert favorite brand of wine or beverage of choice, because I’m easy, here]**

You’re welcome.

©2003 -2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!

January 31, 2014
Help teens get a great start in the morning, for real!

As a Kellogg’s KChamps partner, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting with U.S. Olympic legends (that’s me over there, standing with 1980 Olympic Hockey Gold Medalist…Jim Craig…seriously?!?) and athlete hopefuls representing Team USA to help kick-off the 100 day countdown to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

I know, who ever thought a dork like me would EVER be able to say that, out loud, RIGHT?!?

Kellogg’s is also an official sponsor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams and, now that we are just a few days away from the opening ceremonies for the winter games (February 7th, whoot!!!), I am super-excited to join the Kellogg’s Team USA athletes in kicking-off the Great Starts Program for 2014 AND help share in their Olympic journey!

This month, they’ve challenged me…personally…to share tips to help other families with teens get the best possible start to their mornings: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!

Aaaaand, if you know me…personally and/or virtually…then you know how I like to keep it real AND snarky.

So, I decided to try my hand at creating an animated short (it’s my first!) to help illustrate what morning at our house looks like, in my head, because some of us tend to work much better with visual aids (ahem):

Not for nothing, but raising kids is hard, I am a firm believer in appreciating each morning as a fresh new start (or do-over, if you will) and acknowledging the challenges of parenthood with a little bit of humor, along with an awesomely easy and totally free animation software program, really does go a long way.

Especially, when raising teens.

Here’s a quick review of my favorite ways of helping my teens get started in the morning, because it also happens to be mid-terms week, yo:

Also, getting your kids REAL excited about having breakfast for dinner…as if you were allowing them to break a rule, or something…helps…A LOT! Feel free to visit with us at the Kellogg’s Tips for a Great Start program and check out how my fellow KChamps and Team USA athletes are preparing for Sochi 2014.

You’ll also find some really great recipes for healthy snacks, lots of breakfast ideas and other fun mealtime suggestions and such. It’s really cool, promise.

© 2003 – 2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook and everything!

Disclosure: As a Champion of #GreatStarts blogger, I am honored to partner with Kellogg’s in helping families (like mine) achieve great starts to their days. I am being compensated for my services for the length of the program. As always, the words and opinions expressed here are mine.

January 29, 2014
Confession: I’m almost 50 and I’m okay wit-it.

Contrary to popular opinion, raising older kids (i.e. can quantify their age(s) using more than two hands) does have its perks: I don’t worry so much about having age-appropriate conversations.

Because, as most parents of older kids already know, I consider myself pretty gosh-darned lucky whenever my teens DO decide to talk to me, AT ALL.

Son: Madonna needs to retire.
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January 27, 2014
Parenting teens: the homework infographic.

NO! I am NOT and have NEVER claimed to be an expert, at anything — other than my insanely awesome ability of leaping tall piles of laundry in a single bound, while listening to 4 different conversations, at once.

However, I can’t help but sometimes feel this incredible need to share a few insights on raising kids.

For example: parenting under the influence of teenagers can make even the smartest of people…sound stoopid…most especially, to teenagers.

So, to save other parents (especially, those with younger kids) a few headaches, I have created this little infographic to help you reinforce a more realistic homework ritual:

**passes bottle of [insert favorite brand of pain reliever, here]**

You’re welcome.

©2003 -2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!

January 24, 2014
Sure, I like snow: just not so wet, cold and snowy.

As a family of Jersey girls and boys — my husband, Garth (not his real name), the kids and I were ALL born and raised here — we’ve grown accustomed to snow. It’s the wintertime. We live on the East coast. It snows on the East coast, especially in wintertime, sometimes it even snows A LOT.

Our oldest was not digging, helping me dig out of #Janus.

Yesterday was no exception, although when the forecast called for “a major snow event” we immediately split into two camps: there is team “I hope we get dumped on!” and the other half of us are all…I HOPE [enter name of next major snow storm, here] BLOWS OUT OVER THE FRIGGIN’ OCEAN, THE JERK.

Guess which one I’m on?!? G’head, I’ll wait.

We’ve had winter storms that start off with a BANG (or BAH-TAH-BING, if you’re from Jersey) and then sort of just fizzle out, but then OTHER times they really do turn into major snow events, THE JERKS.

Winter storm Janus (rhymes with hanus, I know it’s really spelled heinous, just not as funny) turned out to be a BIG FAT JERK!

To save on snow days (our kids get out in late June, when the rest of the nation’s summer vacation is almost already over, as it is) our schools decided to call an early dismissal. Which is GREAT! Unless your kid attends a school that is 25 miles away from home (approx. 30 mins. on the Parkway, on a good day, if you’re from Jersey), like one of mine does.

This dude, right here, deserves a nice hot cup of coffee (or cawfee, if you’re from Jersey) and then maybe even a medal.

It took Heather’s bus driver 2 hours to get home and I spent almost ALL of those TWO HOURS staring out our front door (it’s okay, the neighbors who live directly across the street from us weren’t home and they don’t really like us, anyway) giving the stink eye to the cars who whizzed on by…not realizing (or caring) that…you know…IT’S SNOWING…SIDEWAYS…SO SLOW DOWN, YOU JERK!!!

Don’t even get me started on having kids old enough to drive in the snow…their ownselves…UGH!!!

I mean, I used to like the snow. Especially, when my kids were little-er, but a little more willing to, you know, actually go outside AND walk in it.

So, after lamenting how I would like snow EVEN MORE if it wasn’t so wet, cold and snowy, my friend Beth was kind enough to help me to realize that perhaps I just wish it resembled beach sand…a little more…okay, A LOT!

She also happens to be a Jersey girl, YO!

©2003 -2013 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!

January 22, 2014

Chocolate Chip, Pear and Banana Bread

I have played around with many different types of banana bread recipes over the years, swapping out ingredients for whatever I happen to have available in the house (or not) and then perhaps combining them with some cool new baking tips or techniques I’ve either seen, heard or read about.

Which also means that my banana breads never really taste quite the same and, well, baking IS an exact science…DANGIT!!!…and not very conducive to spur-of-the-moment…wonder what happens when I do THIS?!?…sort of recipe mash-ups, either.

Oh and, around here, bananas usually don’t last long enough to over-ripen.

Yesterday, we had one and I’m all…what am I going to do with one over-ripe banana?!?…while staring at the two very ripe pears sitting right next to it just BEGGING to be mashed-up…and then I remembered we almost NEVER run out of any chocolate chips, either.

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January 17, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: January Thaw

Walking around in a bit of a fog, more than usual, this morning.

Linky Love Bytes: Wordless Wednesday HQ, 5 Minutes for Mom

January 15, 2014

Open mouth, insert foot, antagonize a phlebotomist.

I am NOT a big fan of needles and I absolutely HATED taking my kids for their shots…EVEN MORE…as fellow needle phobia sufferers (a.k.a. trypanophibia) can well imagine, yes?

If no, it’s okay, it simply means I closed my eyes, counted one alligator, two alligators and then cried, right along wit-em.

My son is on a specific type of medication, that requires a monthly blood test, which means I have to take him to a lab and have his blood drawn or…as he refers to as…the place where he bleeds, on purpose…every month.

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January 13, 2014

Asshats have not yet completely taken over the world!

I shared an update on Facebook, praising a good Samaritan for stopping to check if I was alright after having negotiated some very icy roads, earlier this morning. I then added to the comments:

Long-time blog readers will understand EXACTLY how very proud I am, of myself, for NOT losing my sh*t.

I feel the need to expand on this morning’s discussion (which is EXACTLY why I love Facebook, btw!), because I am extremely lucky to have been introduced to lots of brand new online friends over my eleventy years of blogging — someone once called me the “grandmother of blogging”, but let’s not open THAT wound, m’kay?!? — and it’s sort of awesome to able to share something nice, with you.

Especially, living (and driving) ova here in Jersey.

You might want to grab a warm beverage (or a cold one, if it suits you, I’m easy!), because I’m going to tell you a little story about how I know…FOR A FACT…that asshats have NOT yet completely taken over the world!

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January 10, 2014

The Friendship Bracelet

I’m NOT very good at asking for help. Oh, I ask the kids to feed the dog, change the cat litter, pick up the wet towels or take out the garbage…which becomes more of a DEMAND…especially, after asking for the 3rd or 4th time…DAMMIT!

Asking someone (especially, another mom) to do me a solid, not so much (a.k.a. a favor, do me a solid is a phrase I first heard in 1991 on an episode of Seinfeld called “The Jacket”, look it up youngins!).

Long story, short (because, this WAS supposed to be a Wordless Wednesday post and, well, since you’re already here and everything): yesterday was a bad day and I was feeling more than just a lee-tull overwhelmed with worry…more than usual, what with living in a houseful of teens, I mean…about ALL the things.

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January 8, 2014