Is your car like a garbage can on wheels?

   Very few of us have actually seen a Maserati - let alone driven one, but that doesn't mean you can't drive a spiffy clean nice car.  With just a few changes in how you do things every day, you can keep your car looking as good as the day you bought it!   

 



Here are a few tips that help keep your vehicles from being an embarrassment - especially if you have small children.

1-If you do let your children have food in the car - be discriminating on what you are giving them. Ask yourself a few questions -  Can it spill?  Does it drip or ooze? How sticky will the little fingers get?  Food options might be - fruit snacks, crackers, cups with secure lids, raisins or other  died fruits.

2 - Keep wipes in the car.  Both kinds ( a ) for the kiddos, and ( b)  for the car when accidents do happen.

3 - Have small garbage bags tucked into the car door pockets, and after consuming fast food, train yourself to pass the bag around for garbage collection, so it does not get scattered all over the floor.  Have a garbage can close to where you park at home, and make sure before you exit the car, all garbage is in the bag and thrown away.  This one is so simple - and makes such a big difference.

4 - Don't view your car as a traveling storage bay.  What goes in the car, comes out of the car, wether it is a trip around the block, to the market, or a long road trip.

5 - Have a car vac handy by your back door, or in your garage - and use it once in awhile.

6 - If you do have small children, and you want to keep them occupied with crayons, books etc. Have a container with a secure lid.  Mention to them when you are a few minutes from your destination, to get their activity items into the box. Thinking ahead is always good - especially if you are always in a time crunch.

Over time good habits will become instinctive, and a clean car is mostly about good habits, and thinking ahead. Teaching kids at an early age, to be responsible for their own belongings is not just about a clean car, but will produce long-term benefits that will produce dividends in so many other aspects of daily living.   

   

Hawaiian Haystacks or Chinese Sundaes

Hawaiian Haystacks (Or Chinese Sundaes)

Either way, you call it, this is an easy way to feed a crowd.  Just bump up the amounts listed in the ingredients, if more show up than you were expecting.  To make prep time easier and enjoy time with your company, much of the chopping can be done ahead of time.
Add a couple of side dishes of fruit, and maybe a couple of options on the cheese. With a simple beverage, you will have a buffet table full of color. and a meal that is filling. Bake ahead cookies or sheet cake for desert. 

Ingredients:
8 cups steamed rice
6 -8  boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 bag of crispy chinese noodles
1 1/2  cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup frozen baby peas, rinsed and thawed 
2 -3 chopped tomatoes
2 cups finely grated cheese
2 bunch sliced green onion (greens included)
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained (or pineapple tidbits)
peanuts, (salted, roasted -chopped optional)
flaked coconut (optional)

Directions:

1 -In saucepan, cover chicken with water add a few slices of onion, and boil until done.
2 -Remove chicken, cool and shred.
3 -Put soup in saucepan, stir and add enough chicken broth or skim milk to make a thick gravy
     (do not add too  much, it will thin as it heats).
4-Set out chopped ingredients in small bowls.
5-Serve buffet style, first 1 cup rice, then add whatever chopped ingredients you desire. Top with       chicken gravy mixture.

* an alternate to boiling chicken - adds a bit more fat grams, but maybe worth it in flavor - if you are not pinched for time. (cooks in crock pot for 6-8 hours)

1 family size can cream of chicken soup

1 8oz block of cream cheese

1 packet ranch seasoning

2 Tbsp dehydrated onion

milk, salt and pepper

4-8 chicken breasts
2 cups of water

Conversations Overheard at Airports.

   Airports are interesting places to watch people.  People are coming and going, some are tired, hungry, stressed and emotional about saying goodbye to loved ones.  Parents traveling with small children can be especially  vulnerable when it comes to keeping their cool.  Here are  a couple of conversations overheard by Nana on recent trips.

 The first one was in the Women's restroom.  (*side note - You know how there are times when you wish you had intervened, but did not?  This is one of those times!) 
Mom in the stall right next to me asking her crying toddler in an angry voice  "DO YOU WANT ME TO GIVE YOU A SPAKING?  DO YOU"   
I'm not sure that the child could actually formulate the words to give mom an  answer.  The child just kept crying.
And again the mother asked "DO YOU WANT A SPANKING....STOP IT RIGHT NOW!  DO YOU WANT ME TO SPANK YOU"?  
At which point I wanted to shout over the wall  - "of course not - that is really a dumb question,  what child would say  " sure - spank away" .


Another most unpleasant conversation not at the airport but actually after boarding. I happened to be sitting in the row in front of a couple, near the back of the plane.  I was tired and anxious to get home.  Only 5 minutes after takeoff  they started to go after each other.  The woman began the attack. I suppose she thought it was okay to level anything at the man next to her by masking her hurtful comments in terms of "feelings", and that everyone has a right to share what they feel.  You can share what you feel, but if you don't listen to the words that come out of your mouth, your "feelings" can ruin relationships. By the way,  15 minutes  before the flight landed, the man got up and found a different seat because he was so done with her.  I felt bad for both of them, but especially for that sad, angry woman who didn't have a clue how  to appropriately talk about her frustrations, and where to find positive, common ground on which to build.  

My mama always used to say that you get a free pass if you are hungry or tired or sick.   That may be true if you have previously established those rules, but still,  If you simply think before you speak and try to listen to yourself.  What do you sound like to others ?  What exactly did you say?  Maybe you do owe and apology.