Photo Recreation for Mother's/Father's Day

Very few things can make you appreciate the loving lengths your parents went through than having a baby (or two) of your own.

As a sentimental idea for Mother's Day and Father's Day, I thought I would recreate some of my favorite parent and child photos from my days of all that free food, love and protection.

You don't have to match the clothes or setting exactly. What's more important is trying to get a similar camera angle and composition and to capture some of that sweet sentiment between parent and child.


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Mom and me, 1986(ish); Winry and me, April 2018

What I love most about the photo with my mom and me was the look of wonder and enthusiasm my mom had for whatever it was that was capturing my attention. She has always been a source of encouragement and support that I hope to live up to for my daughter and son.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Dad and me, 1984; Henry and me, April 2018

I may only be a baby in the photo with my dad compared to my toddler son with me, but the sentiment of comfort and love is still there. My dad has always looked out for me and been available as a guide whenever needed. I hope my children always feel as loved and protected as they do in a moment of couch snuggles.

Me with my hands full at the State Botanical Gardens, April 2018

My twins are toddlers now, and the most common response I receive from others is some variation of "Wow—you must have your hands full."

Yes—yes, I do. But I like to describe parenthood as such: it is the best thing you'd ever be willing to be so exhausted for.

I just hope my parents were happy to be so exhausted for my brother and me because I'm sure no baby, toddler or kid has ever made it easy for their parents and has always taken it for granted.

So thank you, Mom and Dad. I love you.

Apple Cinnamon Spinach Smoothie Pops

This recipe makes for an excellent smoothie for anyone and a yummy, frozen treat for little ones. And since it can be tricky to get toddlers to eat vegetables, this is an ideal way to sneak some in.

The original recipe was from a Kroger flyer and was called the Antioxidant Power Smoothie. I altered the recipe a little and decided to name it after the taste and ingredients: Apple Cinnamon Spinach Smoothie (Pops).

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1 ripe banana, broken into pieces
• 1 apple, cored and coarsely chopped
• ½ cup frozen blueberries*
• ½ cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-½ cups unsweetened almond milk**

*Frozen mixed berries or pitted cherries can be used as an alternative to blueberries.

**The original recipe calls for water or canned coconut water. I prefer unsweetened almond milk.

INSTRUCTIONS

Blend all ingredients together. Pour into a frozen pop container. Freeze. Enjoy.

Or keep it out of the freezer, and sip on a delicious smoothie.

And here are those smoothie pop faces I love so much:

Winry, April 2018

DIY Egg Shakers: A Post-Easter Shake-Up

What do you do with your plastic eggs once Easter is over?

I typically reuse mine. But I have a couple of trouble-maker eggs that won't stay shut and would otherwise have been thrown away.

Thanks to a suggestion from an online parenting group, I am turning them into egg shakers for the kids.

Supplies

What you’ll need:

• Plastic Easter eggs
• Dried, uncooked rice and/or beans
• Super glue*

*Due to its super adhesive properties, this should only be used by the adults.

• Mod Podge
• A sponge cut in strips
• A bunch of colorful tissue paper

What you’ll do:

Fill each egg with about 1 tablespoon of the rice and/or beans. I used white rice for one and lentils for the other.

ADULTS ONLY: use the super glue to seal the eggs, wipe off the excess glue, and follow the glue's instructions for how long to let them sit until glue is set.

Add glue at egg's seam.

While you wait, tear up small pieces of tissue paper in as many colors as you like.

Once the eggs are ready, use the sponges to dab Mod Podge onto part of the egg.

Apply the tissue paper, dabbing back over with the Mod Podge when necessary. This will probably take several layers of tissue paper, and I suggest letting eggs sit to dry after covering about half of it so the tissue paper doesn't start sticking all over your fingers as you go.

Mod Podge is a sealer as well as an adhesive, so once your egg is completely covered and dried, apply one last coat of Mod Podge. Let dry.

Shake it up!

Henry explains the fun of the shake.

Winry prefers to shake with her egg.

Winry and Henry shaking eggs, April 2018