Weekly Dinner Menu and Recipes

At Moms on Edge, LLC our products are created for peace, quiet and good behavior. We really encourage sitting down every night and eating as a family!

I tip my hat to Cari, the queen of creating peace and quiet around food shopping, menu planning, food prep, putting a meal on the table and quick clean up.

I often cheat right off of her paper when it comes to weekly menu planning-Why? Because every week since I have known her she has created a printed menu for the week and posted it on her refrigerator…her menus are easy to execute and even delightfully decorated, it looks like she is serving to guests at a bistro.

Cari has graciously offered to let you cheat off of her paper as well-we will post her weekly menu on our blog every Sunday.

Cari includes recipe links for the tougher menu items. You and I are on our own for the easy items (steaks, pizza etc.) and for sides like rice, baked potatoes, green salads etc. Shop at the beginning of the week and dinner will be stress free all week! (Copy and paste it into a word document and decorate yours for that bistro lookJ.)

Send us your recipes and we will incorporate them into our Moms on Edge menus.

Thanks again Cari and happy eating!

Elena

Dinner Menu

 

Monday

BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Fruit Salad

 

Tuesday

Chicken Tostadas and Sliced Avocados

 

Wednesday

Mexican Ham and Bean Soup, Corn Bread, Green Salad

 

Thursday

Satay Chicken Stir Fry and White Rice

 

Friday

Pizza and Salad

 

Saturday

Herb Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa, and Dirty Rice

 

Sunday

Steaks, Sautéed Portabella Mushrooms, Broccoli Salad and Baked Potatoes

 

Ask Moms on Edge!

 

Dear Parents,

Moms on Edge has been receiving a boat load of questions from you about everyday parenting issues. It is so great to hear from you and to give our input as moms. (We have been known to call on husbands and grandparents for questions beyond our scope.) Here is our weekly advice column to share your questions and our answers. Feel free to respond to the questions or our answers. You can e-mail us a question if you would like our two cents at info@momsonedge.com. All questions will remain anonymous.

Elena and Cari

 

Dear Moms on Edge,

My husband and I have a two year old baby who is still sleeping with us. We know that we need to move him to his own bed in his own room and feel like we have missed our window. Any thoughts?

Sincerely,

Ryan’s Mom

 

Dear Ryan’s Mom,

Sleeping issues have been really stressful for both of us.

We suggest making this transition special, understanding that your child will probably feel both excited and anxious about his move. It may take a while to get him used to his new sleeping arrangement. We are softies and have had all of our kids in bed with us at one time or another- this is how we have made the move.

• Designate a special bed for your child. (Elena’s parents gave each of the grandchildren a gorgeous bed for their second birthdays…big thanks to them!)
• Purchase a special set of sheets for your child and get his input (two year olds have strong opinions about sheets, pillows and blankets).
• Wind down for thirty minutes before bed. Dim the lights, turn off the T.V. stop wrestling, use calm voices, snuggle up with a book or do a puzzle.
• Use a bedtime ritual that you do the same way every night (once established don’t skip anything or she/he will come out of his room to remind you). For example: take a bath, put on jammies, brush teeth, get in bed, give hugs and kisses, tell a story, turn out the lights, say prayers and thanks (“now no talking make happy pictures in your head”).
• If your toddler gets up, quietly put him back in bed without saying anything. You don’t want to positively reinforce his “pop up.”

Give this move time and don’t beat yourself up if your child has setbacks. We have a girlfriend who counted 80 “pop ups” in one evening…We Moms on Edge don’t have that kind of stamina in us and are sure that Mom, Dad, kids and dogs would be in the bed together after a lot fewer than 80 pop ups!

 

Dear Moms on Edge,

I am desperate to try and get help for my daughter who is 3.5 yrs. she is having a problem pooping in the toilet. This is my first child and I have tried all that I know and have even gotten advice, but nothing is working. She urinates fine and even goes through the night but will NOT poop. HELP ME!

Dear Reader,

Been there! One of our four year olds…we won’t name names but you know who you areJ has had, and occasionally still has, this problem. Some experts say that children can feel as though pooping and then flushing can be like losing a body part. They hold and hold and hold and hold and then when they finally go it is painful-then they are afraid of the pain and hold for another week…again, no names.

You should of course discuss this with your pediatrician. I can tell you what our pediatrician said and what has worked for us.

– Fruit

– Water

– High fiber foods (check your labels on breads, crackers etc.)

– A little Milk of Magnesia (again ask your pediatrician!)

– NO PRESSURE from Mom and Dad!

– Gentle guidance-when you see the “look” or the posture. (Our “holder” would hide behind a chair or find a hidden corner of the house and stop his little body from going). Lead your child to the potty and encourage. If your child doesn’t want to go let her hop back down; you can lead a horse to water…Eventually she will have to go back in.

– PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE when your child goes and NEVER SCOLD or PUNISH if she has an accident.

– PATIENCE – It took our little guy a year and he still doesn’t go every day or every three days, but he goes and the pediatrician said his schedule is just fine for him.

– Some stages that kids pass through are tougher than others but as one of our mothers repeatedly says about (sleeping, eating, potty training, etc), “He will be “fill in the blank” by the time he enters Harvard.”(How’s that for pressure!)

Cari says, “TIME OUTS FOR EVERYONE!”

 

I was having one of those days.

 

I was one of the “Moms on Edge” that we (at Moms on Edge) sympathize with.  The kids were fighting, the house was a mess, I was late getting dinner together…I was losing my cool.

 

“I need a time out!” I said to myself. 

 

To my kids amazement I pulled out The Original Naughty Spot and placed it on the floor of my family room.  I announced, “Mom’s having a time out. For five minutes I am just going to take a breather.”

 

I set the timer and we all sat in silence for five minutes.

 

After the timer beeped my kids asked, “What did you do wrong Mommy?  Why were you in time out?”

 

I explained to them that time outs are not always for disipline but they can also be a nice time to just be quiet, sit still and take a break. 

 

I felt rejuvenated and able to handle anything that came my way for the rest of the night.

 

When my husband came home from work, the kids had the mat out and the timer set. They asked, “Dad, do you need a time out?”

 

This little experience has taught me that I can change the mood in my house. A time out can work both ways.

Results of the Moms on Edge Parenting Survey

We received an overwhelming response to our parenting survey. Thank you for your insightful and thoughtful answers.

The information that you gave is really interesting. Some answers we expected and some surprised us.

We were thrilled to hear that the majority of you said that playing outdoors and reading to your kids are your top ways of spending time with your children.

Discipline is your number one stressor.

Listening and sibling fighting tied for the most difficult parenting hurtles, and again these were the concerns that you would like to hear the experts address. You would also like to hear some advice about sleep habits (getting kids to bed and rousing them in the morning).

With regard to parenting tools, you put time-outs, visiting internet parenting sites, and watching Supernanny at the top of the list.

We both nodded in agreement and then chuckled about the next two answers. The vast majority of you label yourselves as “The Negotiator” when describing your parenting style. The next question asked about your ideas for making your life easier as parents, and you said over and over again, “Stop Negotiating!” And “Be Consistent!” Go figure!

I read the responses to our last question first, “What is the best part about being a parent?” Your answers were a joy to read and the reason we started Moms on Edge. Here are a few; get your tissue ready:

– Knowing that you have experienced the greatest miracle, joy and love that is humanly possible.

– There are so many “best parts” that is hard to name just one! Watching my eldest grow into a sensitive kind child makes me melt inside. Having my baby look at me like I am the only person in the world also gets me, too!

– The sweet things they say or do, watching them grow and change, knowing that they need me and love me very much, getting to relive a part of my childhood through them.

– That moment in the morning when my baby awakens, our eyes meet, and we are madly in love.

– Everything!

Thanks again for all of your great responses. The thought that you put into parenting your kids is inspiring to us as both parents and designers of parenting products. Love your kids up one side and down the other.