‘Diet Coke’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Weekend Photos in Review

March 18, 2012 · Narrative

A generous boss gave out six packs of cupcakes from a local bakery, green bagels, and Shamrock shakes for St. Patrick’s Day. A fun start to the weekend.

The kids were slightly horrified to see this car in a local parking lot. Then we discussed the reasons why someone’s car might look like this. I’ll turn anything into a teaching moment if I can. ;)

I gave the kids $25 each on Friday and took them to the bank to open up their own passbook savings accounts. I wanted them to have an account that they could control, adding and subtracting to it as they want; this way they could see their money grow, and when Mom says “no” about buying something they deem a “must-have,” they can choose to spend their own money on it. We made a few rules (for example, when they get money, they have to put half of it in another account I have for them, and the other half goes in these new accounts), and they are more than a little excited to have this bit of extra control. Although it’s old-fashioned, I am super partial to the passbook savings account because it’s an easy way for them to see their balance grow (or not) as the case might be.

Both kids start the spring soccer season in a few weeks. We took advantage of a local shoe store’s sale — a 20% discount if you bring them an old pair of shoes (that they will, in turn, donate). Love Mom & Pop’s!

The kids went to a movie with Mystic’s daughter on Friday night, and while they were there, I ran a few errands. I love J. Crew’s new window display. The pinwheels are made up of folded magazine pages.

First time having a Skinny Caramel Macchiato. I’m a few days shy of being a month of Diet Coke-free, and it hasn’t gotten any easier. I liked the Macchiato, but too much milk for me. I still prefer the iced coffees and frappuccinos.

The kids took over the the camera for Friday’s sunset. You know, ’cause I was driving….

Weekend Photos in Review

February 26, 2012 · Narrative

Small iced coffee on sale at Dunkin Donuts for 0.99 for a limited time. Today is Day 6 of no Diet Coke, and iced coffee is my drug of choice.

A year or two ago, my Mom got me into the Green Tea at Panera. Slightly sweet, it’s another good, pretty infrequent Diet Coke replacement….

Feeling Safe: How to Do It Without Losing Your Mind

February 23, 2012 · Narrative

A few weeks ago, we came home to find our double-locked basement door open and our dog Maxwell gone. It appeared someone tried to break into our house. The police department came and did their thing, animal control found our dog, and life resumed. Or did it?

While the police department isn’t too sure what happened (we’re all fine and nothing was taken), my kids were understandably more than a little freaked out. What’s a mom to do?

The officers gave a few implausible explanations, mostly to make the kids feel better, but that isn’t enough.

What’s left is that rather unsettling period of feeling unsafe and uneasy in your own home. And even more so for the kids. As the three police officers searched the house, and then came back to our living room to talk, I asked if they could direct some of their conversation to the kids. Kids who were now more than a little apprehensive.

The officers assured the kids that no one was in the house now. That everything would be fine. That there was no reason to be scared. And lastly, that they wouldn’t let us stay in the house if they thought there was any reason to be concerned. That certainly helped. A little. But that night, understandably, my bed was extra full. Although we don’t (and likely won’t) know the specifics of what happened, it is one of the worst feelings when your kids don’t feel safe.

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Kid Conversations

October 10, 2011 · Narrative

I love listening in on the conversations Nick and Maddie have in the backseat of the car.

Madeline: “Nick, can I have more cookies?”

Nick: “I gave you one. Here’s one more. That’s it.”

Madeline: “That’s not fair!”

Nick: “Life isn’t fair. Get over it.”

Ouch.

* * * * *

Awhile back, we picked up my Mom and head to Target. She opened the passenger door, put her purse on the floor of the car and started to get in, at which point I started the car.

“Wait, Mommy, Mimi (grandma) needs to get in the car!”

Apparently I seem to have picked up a mistaken reputation for driving off when people are only halfway in the car.

* * * * *

“Peace out, homies.”

I gotta say, I was a little surprised to hear that little gem come out of Madeline’s mouth the first time over a year ago. Not sure where it came from, but it makes still me giggle a little to hear her say it now.

* * * * *

“Nick, can you run these two containers of food over to the neighbors?”

What is it?

“Spinach Cheese Squares and Chocolate Sin Cookies.”

We always have enough food to give to somebody else.

I loved that he said that. And he’s right. In more ways than one.

* * * * *…

Coca-Cola’s Wendy Clark: Balance is a False Goal

June 27, 2011 · Narrative

People seem to come into your life at just the right moment. Exactly when you need them. Or their message. Such is the case with Wendy Clark. I had the pleasure of meeting Wendy last week, while at the Conversations with Coca-Cola conference. One of the segments of the conference featured a panel of women leaders at Coca-Cola. The company has a women’s leadership group of sixteen, and we were lucky enough to hear from four of them. The leadership program was born from a need to have women represented in key leadership positions at Coca-Cola, and each of the women we met were down-to-earth, congenial, crazy smart, empowering and inspiring. Wendy was one of them.

One of the things I struggle with most is balance. To have enough of ME to give to my work, my kids, my home, and still manage to have a little bit left over to give back to myself. I feel like I am constantly juggling balls and not giving myself completely, enough, to anything. It’s a matter of keeping the balls all up in the air, letting nothing crash to the ground. It’s an impossible feat. And the process can make you crazy. As part of our morning program at the conference, we had to create a vision board that briefly highlighted where we were in our lives, what we were trying to achieve and how we were going to get there. Our morning quickly turned into something that resembled a Kindergarten craft time session, as the invited bloggers clipped photos from magazines, and taped and colored our way to our own personal masterpieces. The left part of my board depicted a frazzled mom and the words “fed up.” The right side of the board featured pictures of a serene, simple and content life. As I got up to speak in front of everyone, I talked about how I felt like I was always juggling and that I felt like I wasn’t devoting enough attention to any one thing at the right time. You know, the classic being pulled in all directions scenario that most women struggle with. After all the bloggers presented their boards and accompanying thoughts,we heard from the women’s leadership panel. And Wendy’s words were the most important that I would hear during that conference.

Wendy Clark, Senior VP, Integrated Marketing and Communications at Coca-Cola, might have possibly changed my life on Monday. At the very least, how I operate within it. She said “Balance is a false goal. I will not let the family I love be in a tug of war with the job I love. I won’t pit them against each other. You need to divide your life into little slices … work, family, home, spouse … and give yourself completely to that slice at that moment. If you’re at work, you give it 100% when you’re there. When you’re with your family, they get 100% of you.” Of course, she went on to say that there will be the occasional interruption or fire that needs to be taken care of. That’s life. But the idea of giving up on trying to balance everything, trying to juggle everything at the same time … that was exactly what I needed to hear. Right then.

The Coca-Cola conference was designed to talk to us about what they’re doing as a company (did you know they voluntarily pulled all their vending machines out of elementary and middle schools?), how they’re giving back (like their Sprite Sparks Parks initiative), and some of their partnerships (McDonald’s anyone?), but they gave me, and the rest of the bloggers, so much more. Everything is suddenly much more clear. Of course, life is still not without its challenges. What life would it be otherwise? But I learned that the biggest and best way for me to be committed to anyone, to anything, is to give of them fully and completely in that moment. If I’m with my kids, I’m with my kids. If I’m working, I’m working. There will surely be overlap here and there; it’s unavoidable sometimes. I will continue to go in ten different directions. That’s my life. But I will focus on one direction at a time.

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The Message? Live Positively

June 9, 2011 · Narrative

“Be like a duck and let it roll off you.”

When a drop of water hits a duck’s feathers, it’s like a little bead and rolls right off them. The mantra “be like a duck and let it roll of you” is something we refer to in our family (and extensions thereof). I introduced the kids’ old babysitter, Jamie, to the credo early last year, when she was having problems with her roommates. There was a lot of quacking going on for a few months for her, but it all worked out. She moved in with us for the summer, and distanced herself from the trouble. Girls that really weren’t her friends. For me, it’s akin to “don’t sweat the small things.” Will this problem still haunt you five years from now? Next week even? No? Then move the heck on. Most problems in life are like that. Little annoyances that pop in and threaten to ruin an otherwise good day.

A nap-free three-year-old who is having a pre-dinner meltdown? I could get aggravated by it, but the easiest (and best) solution for all was to scoop everyone up, pack up a quick picnic dinner and head to the park for the kids to blow off some of their steam and unbridled energy.

An 8-year-old who frets about a friendship? Explain that we don’t have to be friends with everyone, but we do have to be kind. It was a lesson we talked a bit about again last week.

Nick’s school had “Olympic Day,” which is like their version of an end-of-year field day. As one of the Class Moms, I had to be there for a large portion of the day (note to self: wear sunblock next time to avoid farmer’s tan). Midway through the morning, I caught sight of one of Nick’s classmates, Dan, sitting down on the grass in tears. There’s nothing like seeing a boy at that age cry, whether he’s mine or not. It does nothing shy of break my heart. They’re supposed to be all tough and macho and muddy, full of rough and tumble. When they crumple, I do too. He was being picked on by another classmate.

“He keeps calling me names. He’s not being nice. And it’s my birthday!”

I felt terrible. His eyes welling up again as he was trying to tell me what happened. He was trying to fight back the tears. Nick had wedged himself in the middle, literally and figuratively, and was taking sides with Dan. My kid, who weighs all of 63 lbs soaking wet, was sticking up to the bully-of-the-day for his friend. Man, I love that kid.

“Do you know what I tell Nick all the time? Be like a duck and let it roll off you. Ignore what the other kid is saying to you. Walk away. Go hang out with your friends and forget about his words. He is just trying to get a reaction out of you.”

“But he’s ruining my day. It’s my birthday!”

“YOU are in control of your day. He is not. Don’t let this seep in and ruin it for you. You can’t cry on your birthday. Let’s think about how you’re going to celebrate. Are you doing anything special with your family?”

“Yes,” he said, brightening up immediately, “We’re going to Sonic!”

Sonic really *does* make everything better, doesn’t it?

There are many lessons I work on regularly to impart on my kids. Not getting bogged down by other people’s negativity is a huge one. Sometimes you can’t help the things that happen to you. It’s not in your control. What you CAN control, however, is how you handle it. How you react to your situation. And I’ll be darned if someone else is going to ruin my day (or my kids’) just for the sport of it.

It’s about living positively. And living passionately. And living intentionally.

These are small, but hugely important, lessons that I want to drill into my kids because they are lessons that can serve them well for years to come, whether they’re 3, 13 or 53. I can teach them to clean up after themselves, to do chores around the house, how to cook a solid meal while paying strict homage to the food pyramid, and how to master the multiplication tables even if it kills us all, but all those things pale in comparison to learning how to treat others and how to treat themselves.

Be nice. Live life. Love others. Can I get a chorus of kumbaya?

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail asking if I wanted to attend an event put on by Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. In Atlanta. They’ll pay my expenses. So besides the fact that I practically live on McDonald’s yogurt parfaits and am powered some days solely by Diet Coke and lots of laughter, I get an opportunity to cross Atlanta off my bucket list of cities never visited? I didn’t even need to finish reading the e-mail to know my answer. But then, being all practical and all, I read it through to the end. During my visit, I get to visit with top leaders from Coca-Cola and learn about their message of living positively. Pinch me. I’m a lucky girl. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say. And, um, hello Atlanta! And a few hours on a plane where someone isn’t pulling at me asking me for goldfish, milk with a straw and how to do remainders in division? Color me happy.

So that’s next week’s adventure. In the meantime, though, the folks putting on the event would like some help from you … are there any burning questions you have for the masterminds behind Coca-Cola and/or McDonald’s? Something you’d like to know? Ask? Say? Please share with me so I can share with them.

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January 2010 Recipe Round-Up

February 1, 2010 · Narrative, Project 365

A few years ago, when I started Sweetnicks (can you believe next month it will be five years?!), I did a monthly recipe round-up, listing all the new recipes I made during the month. I liked it because it was a quick trip down Memory Lane, recalling some new favorites and new duds, and after seeing the list every month, I felt I was making a good dent in my to-try recipe pile. Truth be told, I could probably make 30 new recipes every day from now until the day I die, and I won’t make a dent, so it’s purely a mind trick, but humor me.

One of my small goals this year was to start doing the monthly round-up again, so here we are. It’s fun to go back and see where our taste buds have taken us; I definitely quickly forget some of the recipes. Yes, even just a few short weeks later. All of the below were new recipes we tried in January. Some you haven’t seen here yet. Some of those you will, some you won’t (they just don’t make the cut).

Booze Battered Shrimp – hands down, my favorite recipe from the month.
Oatmeal Toffee Cookies – quick and easy cookies from Tasty Treasures that were liked by all.
Three Herb Chicken Drumsticks – a Weight Watchers recipe that Nick and Gigi made recently for dinner. Easy peasy, and coming here soon.
Gorgonzola Burgers with Cucumber Sauce – my number three favorite recipe from January. Loved the sauce and used it for many things after.
Extra-Special Chocolate Chip Cookies – from Woman’s World magazine, the surprise addition of potato chips made this a favorite with Gigi, and pretty much anyone else who ate them.
Oatmeal Carmelitas – made yesterday for two platters. Old recipe from Pillsbury, coming soon here.
Charmin’ Cherry Bars – see above.
Five Minute Lentil Soup – Definite soup weather here lately, this one comes from Martha Stewart, and you’ll see it here this week.
One Bowl Easiest Ever Brownies – recipe from Tasty Treasures. Just didn’t do it for us.
Sicilian Lentil Soup – made this one last week. Easy and makes a ton, so perfect for freezing for one batch servings to grab and go. Coming here soon.
Turkey Piccata – full of flavor and super simple to make. Guilt-free.
Bleu Cheese Onions – this was last week from Taste of Home and will be making many more appearances in our house. So very good.
Not Your Mama’s Green Bean Casserole – loved, loved, loved this one. This was a fight for the #2 spot of favorite recipe this month, barely edging out the Gorgonzola Burgers.
Artichoke Bread – a fun starter that was gobbled up even by those who don’t like artichokes. ‘Nuff said.
Broccoli Pie – recipe from Stacey’s Snacks; a great thing to make in the beginning of the week and have for lunch all week long. Perfect recipe to change up based upon your family’s preferences.
Meatloaf from Martha. I know the world is strongly divided into “hate it” and “love it,” but since I’m firmly in the “love it” camp, I was happy with this one. Coming here soon.
Truck Stop Potatoes. They looked good. They sounded good. But the love affair ended there.

So that was our January. Can’t wait to see what February brings to our tastebuds. What about you? New favorite recipes from last month? Would love to hear about it!
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