When one parent works from home full-time it takes some effort on everyone’s part to make it successful — after all, in our house it is what allows the kids to have relaxing school breaks versus being in camps full time. I’m super grateful that I can solely support my family, and my husband is the best stay-at-home-dad on the planet. They all do a great job of keeping busy, but they also deserve some downtime at home to spend time with friends, each other, and after the holidays, some new toys and gadgets.

I thought I’d list a few tricks that work for us and help me maintain that work/life balance during school breaks.

1. Expect an Adjustment Period – Going from a completely quiet house for a solid 7 hours each day, to having 3 people (plus friends) there a lot of the time takes some getting used to on everyone’s part. I let them know each morning when I have calls scheduled, and those that are with clients and therefore need a little more privacy. Often they’ll work errands or outings into these times to leave the house a bit quieter. When the children are feeling rambunctious, I plug the headphones in and am glad if I’m not on the phone!
   

   Allowing access to the home office can be a slippery slope. Image credit: http://cedricstudio.blogspot.com/2005/08/speed-bump.html

2. Don’t Judge - I think I do a pretty good job of not telling my husband what to do with his time just because I happen to be there. He also is a fan of lists and constructive things to do-it turns out he’s quite handy! He usually has a running list of normal everyday things that need to get done like laundry, dishes, etc. But, when I do catch him laying on the couch watching 90210, I don’t judge. I truly believe he has the more difficult job between the two of us, and kudos to him for taking a break when he needs one.
3. Don’t Schedule Time for the Other - My husband wouldn’t dream of scheduling activities for my precious evening free-time, so if there is an activity or camp I think the kids would like, I run it by him first. Even with carpooling, shuttling kids around requires logistics and can be tiring. I like to make sure it’s how all of them want to spend their time.
4. Remind Yourself Why it Works - I keep a list next to my desk of the things that I love about working from home. When things get hectic, or it’s a particularly long day in the office, I refer to it to keep me grounded where I need to be in that moment: at work!
5. Have Fun – One of my favorite evening activities is to pack a quick dinner of sandwiches, fruit, chips and drinks and head to the pool. When we arrive at about 5:30 many people are leaving after an afternoon of fun, and the lines for slides and diving boards are typically shorter. I focus on the kids, re-connect and share about our days, and keep cool in the process. If I was commuting even 30 minutes, these trips would be difficult, as the pool does eventually close each evening!

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Now, KOA camping is perfect for many people, and I admire them for that. Getting outdoors, especially toting kids, is commendable no matter how you manage it, in my mind. However, it is not my style of camping. At all. I was lucky enough to fall in love with tent camping from a very early age (6 weeks, my mom tells me), and I introduced it to my husband as soon as we started dating. My kids have now fallen in love with it, and I swear are the best campers on the planet.

Due to late summer colds, beginning of school stress and other factors, we could not execute a family backpacking trip. That’s when I cataloged our gear in my mind, and became determined to take my favorite girl into the woods and introduce her to backpacking. She was more than happy to spend a solid two days with me, and get away from her younger brother.

A beautiful weekend was in the forecast, and after a morning activity, we were on our way to the trail head. We’re lucky to live where we do because in about one hour we were at 10,000+ feet.

Ready to head up the trail!

The shadows in the forest were growing longer as we hiked.

The hike to Diamond Lake may be classified as easy to some with a moderate 768 feet of elevation gain on the way in. But, we did need to get to the campsite before dark, and we started a little later than I had planned. It took us a full 2 hours to hike into the lake, and we could see and feel dusk approaching since it was mid-September in the Rockies. My daughter was a little worried the longer we stayed on the trail, but I assured her we would make it and everything would be fine.

We arrived at the lake, sweaty from the final climb and feeling the evening chill at 10,957 feet. The first task was to choose a campsite, then get warm and eat some snacks. This felt great and gave us some energy to setup the campsite.

Our site had an amazing view for the sunset that we enjoyed over dinner. We took a walk around the lake and explored. Being two ladies, it was comforting to have other people semi-close to us.

Home sweet home with a

But for now she's still a tween.

Loaded up and ready for the hike out.

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And that’s when it occurred to me, that this tragedy is bringing our community together.  I know that is little consolation for the victims, but it is helping me deal with it. People at the park are friendlier and more watchful of each other’s children. There are more parents on the bike path on the way to and from school, which makes all of the children safer. With a 6-year old and a 12-year old, one is off in her own direction, and the furthest our son goes unsupervised is to a friend’s house. The girl has earned some freedom these last couple of years, showing us the responsibility and maturity we’ve instilled in her are sticking. She’s also taking opportunities to babysit for other families, so needs some freedom to get to and from her jobs. Yesterday, I walked her a mere two blocks, because I could, and because she let me. And you know what, two blocks of walking time is a good conversation with my girl, that we otherwise wouldn’t have had.

We live in a pretty idyllic neighborhood, and have designed our lifestyle so that we can spend a lot of time with our children, and as a family.

Fall in the hood.

However, just because the leaves are changing in our neighborhood, like they are in every other neighborhood in the country with deciduous trees, doesn’t mean our children are safe. But, if anything can make our children safer, I am all for it. I can’t imagine what the RidgewayFamily is going through and hope they find peace and solace.

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With two small children to take care of, we’re not doing a ton of shots around here, but I think these are an excellent appetizer and drink all in one and would be great for a party. Like, say, this weekend! This has me thinking, what other fruit would this work with?

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In support of this ban, and due to the fact that the holiday has snuck up on me, I’m gathering firework-alternative ideas to celebrate our country’s independence. We’ve started buying fireworks in the last couple of years, and while the kids absolutely love them, I loathe them. They’re expensive, dangerous, and over in just a few minutes. When I was younger my brother would stock up on illegal fireworks when we traveled to states that allowed them. After an errant firecracker burned me in my armpit area, I’ve admittedly never been a huge fan. Give me a comfy chair, a nice mixed drink, and a show high in the sky, and I’m happy!

With that in mind, here is my go-to for mixed fruit drinks. I like it because it’s refreshing and light, but also relatively low in calories.

• 2 shots citrus vodka
• 2 tsp Dole (any flavor you please) juice concentrate
• soda water/seltzer (citrus or lemon lime flavored works great too)

Mix vodka and juice concentrate in a pint glass until incorporated. Add seltzer water and ice to fill the glass and give it another stir. Garnish with a fresh lemon or lime wedge and r-e-l-a-x!

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I was in the wrap-up session of a work retreat when my co-worker and friend started passing these cookies around. Ann Marie claims it’s the ‘under’ baking that keeps the cookies soft. I also think it’s the oat flour, and the bonus is that it produces an earthy aroma while the cookies are baking (or maybe I just really love oatmeal). I also like to pretend they’re healthy because oat flour is usually in the ‘health food’ aisle of the store, and well, oats are good for you! These cookies can be baked according to taste. I like them doughy, but my husband likes them cooked through. Either way, they come out of the oven pretty thick and stay soft. I also used the frozen dough technique I outlined in another post, so I now have two batches of cookie dough in the freezer. I love my freezer right now!

Go-To Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 2 1/2 cups oat flour
• 2 cups white flour
• 1 1/2 bags chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)DIRECTIONS

1. Beat butter, sugars and eggs together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, baking powder, soda, salt and milk. Beat well.
2. Blend in the flours just until combined. Mix in the chips and nuts (if desired).
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Form dough into ping-pong sized balls and bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks.

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I’ve learned from baking and exchanging with friends over the years that there are many schools of thought on what constitutes a good cookie. Some like them brown and crisp, others won’t indulge unless the cookie is soft. Some must have nuts included, others are allergic, and me who just doesn’t care for them in most things. My preference is for a soft cookie, and I’ve been known to toss a crispy cookie in the trash to save the calories for something really good. These cookies fit that bill perfectly, as they’re slight crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside, with a rich, buttery, classic chocolate chip cookie flavor.

We’re going on a long camping trip in the mountains of Southern Colorado next week. I needed some cookies to take with us as a treat. They’ve also been known as barter to get a campground host on our side, to trade with another camper for a pantry staple that we forgot to pack, and finally to reign kids back to the campsite lest they get lost in the dark. One of my favorite tricks as a busy working mom is to freeze cookie dough, kind of like you buy in the store. I make the dough, and in this case form it into balls, then lay them on waxed paper on a baking sheet.

Homemade cookie dough-convenient variety!

Freeze the sheet overnight (you can cover it with foil if you want), then put the dough balls into a zip-top freezer bag.

Writing the instruction on the bag means I don't need to pull out the recipe to bake a batch.

I write the baking temperature and time on the bag. Then, I am that mom who can have fresh baked cookies on the table at a moment’s notice. Or, bake a couple of dozen cookies while busily packing for our camping trip.

Of course we bake one sheet to officially taste them, and make sure they’re worth freezing and baking next time!

My son was happy to be the "Official Delicious Taster" as it's known in our house for these cookies!

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The blogging world has been filled with homemade Oreo recipes for the last year, at least. At that time I also started making Dulce de Leche at home and literally fell in love with the concoction that comes out of the can. It’s a huge step up from the bland-tasting filling found in a traditional sandwich cookie. I found a recipe for the chocolate cookie portion and changed it to make a flatter but still soft cookie. Then, I experimented with making a buttercream filling that would hold up to the rich cookies in both taste and the classic sandwich cookie structure.

Even though these cookies are easy to make, I use them as gifts for friends, birthday parties, and also everyday lunchbox treats. They also won ‘most tasty’ at the annual cookie swap I attended last year during the holidays. I won a really nice evergreen plant, a Starbuck’s gift card, but most importantly, a lovely crown! It was my first time winning a crown in my whole life, and I still wear it every time I bake.

I’ve experimented with this recipe two ways: 1)creating balls of dough of equal weight and flattening them out; and 2) rolling the dough and using a round cookie cutter. I definitely prefer the latter method and it creates nicer looking cookies. I used a 2 1/2 inch round cutter but will use a smaller one next time, as the cookies are quite rich.

Try these and ask your friends and family how they stack up to the store-bought variety!

Dulce de Leche Duos

for the cookies:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla

for the filling:

• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 can Dulce de Leche*

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Refrigerate dough for a minimum of 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with partchment paper. Roll dough into 10 gram balls and flatten with the bottom of a glass on the baking sheet. Or, place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut cookies into circles and place them on the baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes and cool on a wire rack. To make the filling, beat butter and shortening until combined. Add vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar until incorporated. Beat in dulce de leche until combined, then beat on high until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). When cookies are completely cool, pipe filling onto one cookie, and sandwich with an empty cookie. Filling will set if these are left out. They’re best the first the first day, but will keep in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Makes 2 dozen cookies, but can easily be doubled or tripled.

*You can buy dulce de leche in the store, near the sweetened condensed milk. I prefer to make my own because I can cook it a little longer for a more caramelly flavor in some recipes. Put a can in the crock pot and cover it with water. Cover the crock pot and cook it on low for 10 hours. Make sure the can stays covered with water throughout the cooking process, and no bad things will happen-honest. Let the can cool, open it, and grab a spoon!

Yum!

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My baby girl is crawling and moving like crazy. Not quite pulling herself up to walk, but probably will soon. Not the best time to restrict her to a car seat. She’s a squirmy bundle of energy.

So I’m fantasizing about crawling obstacle courses and toys to help her safely cover some distance outside. Then I saw the toys on sale at Gilt.com.I recently learned about this site when some Gilt.com executives invited some of us mommy bloggers and mommy business owners to lunch to share about their awesome products and deals for Baby and Kids. In order to promote their site, they’re offering a special promotion right now:

In addition to the already discounted items, you will get 25% off the first purchase you make. You just have to

1. Register now (first-time users only; they can’t already have your e-mail address on record)
2. Make a purchase by Aug. 15
3. Follow this link to do it

The deals change daily, so just registering now will help you keep an eye out for top-quality shower gifts, strollers, and other purchases you might need down the road.

Remember, the deal is only good if you follow this link!

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For the record, the one thing I miss about California is the ocean. It can draw me in like nothing else and bring me a peace I never thought I’d find again. However, I can now gain about as much peace from a visit to the mountains: hiking, snowshoeing, or even skiing. Colorado suits our lifestyle so well, with tons of open space and mountain trails, an active community of people, and a laid back attitude and lifestyle.

This morning I was running on the treadmill and John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” played on my iPod. I cranked it up and soaked in the view of Long’s Peak and the rest of the back range as the sun slowly lit it up for the day. I grew up listening to many classics, our friend John being one of them since my Mom is a big fan. I took so much pride in the life we’ve built here, and how much my kids love the outdoors.

Oh, and I swear that Colorado chose me a very long time ago!

Translated: About Me "I would like to be a veterinarian when I grow up. I would like to move to Colorado when I grow up..." We found this amongst my things at my dad's house in California several years after I moved to Colorado in 1993. It was written in 1980, just before I turned 9.

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