Gingersnaps and Snickerdoodles

Voila! 

 New "acceptable" blog name,

"Gingersnaps and Snickerdoodles: Missives of a Redheaded Momma."

 Doesn't have quite the flair of remembrance as "Hooker Shoes and Sticky Fingers," but I shall take it and make it mine just the same. Granted, Miss A is adamantly trying to take over as I try to type this so we will have to see who wins. She seems to be going through the must-be-touching-mommy-at-all-times phase of turning one. Hello Separation Anxiety!

Blog Name Change In the Works

With all the time I spent coming up with a fun and catchy blog name, I'm sad to announce that I will be changing the name shortly. Hooker Shoes and Sticky Fingers is a quirky mention to being a wife and a mom, sadly, it is being looked upon in a negative fashion from some of those who have viewed my blog. 

Oh, and all those creepy people checking this blog out from search engines. You wouldn't believe some of the key words that have sent traffic this way! 

Don't despair (I kid), I am fervently traipsing through my wit in search of another awesomely fantastic title. Loves and hugs 

*muah*

Book Review: I'm a Dog, You're a Cat

First, I want to say thank you to MPressive Results Inc and NetGallery for giving me the opportunity to review the ebook version of "I'm a Dog, You're a Cat: Love Lessons from Our Furry Friends."

Second, while I've provided small reviews on Goodreads, this is my first book review on my blog so be a mite but understanding. I promise to improve as I continue to provide reviews here!

That being said, what a fun read this book was! Cattitude vs Dogsense really hit home relating to personal interactions in my life.

I am a cat, hands down. While I may have some excitable moments and enjoy interaction with others, it needs to be on my terms. Hubby is a such a dog. He wants attention and love all the time, which, truth be told, I had found annoying before reading this book. Sitting in my bathtub last night reading about dogese (language and communication style of dog-people), I realized that all it takes is a little extra effort on my part to satisfy what he needs from me. Compliments, compliments, compliments!

At only 52 pages (including pictures!), I'm a Dog, You're a Cat, was a cute and quick read. Pretty sure I'm going to have Hubby read it so that he can understand my catness better. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants a fun, simple approach on human interactions. The lessons learned can be applied to more than just your spouse or partner, they can be applied to children, neighbors, friends, and coworkers.

You can find my further review on Goodreads. Over and out from this cool cat!

Funny of the Day

I've been procrastinating creating a new post because I want it to be perfect. If I can't make it perfect then I should wait until I have time to do so. As you can see, that method is not very effective so I'm trying a new approach. If I think about posting it then I have to do so. Even if it's not all unicorns and rainbows!

With that being said, a quick funny for today is in order. Preceded by a small backstory of course. 

Dear Hubby called me on his lunch break while Baby A and I were grocery shopping. (Although now Baby A is Miss A! She crossed that 12 month threshold almost a month ago... eep!) Miss A's favorite thing to do is scream, "HI!" into the phone. Repeatedly. Used to be cute, not so much now a month later. 

Not long after, he posts this following picture to my Facebook page. Ignore the incorrect spelling, he was sharing the post off another page. 

Feeling very self satisfied, I posted the following in response:

I love flirting with my husband. I also have a feeling that I will be abusing this ecard thing now that I've created an account. 

More fun to come!

Staring Ugly in the Face

Originally, today's post was going to be about the awesomeness of Miss K, our eldest daughter, losing her first tooth. With both kids tucked into bed and Hubby tucked safely away into the garage, I had just sat down to begin writing.

In the blink of an eye, today's topic changed from the wonderful happenings of children growing up and lamenting of the time already passed to musing about how being a parent forces one to either endure and become better or to break and give up.

Thrice tonight my darling girl has woken up restless teething Baby A while she was supposed to be going to sleep so the tooth fairy could come. First by jumping around in her loft bed, under which Baby A's crib resides. Second, by bawling about losing her tooth out of her tooth fairy pillow. (And Hubby wonders why I queried him on making sure she knew not to play with the pillow. Silly Hubby). And most recently, by peeing on the floor.

Yep, you read that right: Peeing on the floor! Climbing down from her loft bed over an hour past going to bed and she manages to soak the ladder, floor, toys and clothing underneath. She's yelling for me down the hall, Baby A is screaming and all I can do is resign myself to the situation.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my kids. At least up until the age of 4 1/2 when all hell breaks loose and the emotional catastrophe strikes. Constantly. I'm waiting for 6. Six years old has to be better, right?

After throwing everything into the hamper (toys included), changing Miss K, and wiping down what I could, all while holding and soothing Baby A, I came to a startling and wonderful revelation  I'm not mad. Not in the least. Where a month ago I would be snarking at Miss K over the whole situation, I find myself chuckling thinking about how the greatest adventure in life is to be a parent.

There is no great adrenaline rush packed, exciting, heartbreaking and physical endurance testing thing in life. No other way you could learn so much about yourself as a person, inside and out, good and bad, than to try and raise a child. They make you stare the ugly right in the face and never back down.

The Perfect Fluffy Pancake

At 25 years of age, I have finally discovered the secret to the perfectly delectable fluffy pancake like at Ihop. Goodbye pancake mixes and Bisquick, hello flour and vinegar!

I know, vinegar?! In a pancake! I was skeptical at first but I figured giving it one good go wouldn't hurt anything. If they were awful, well, the cats would still eat them. (And yes, I meant the cats. Our dog seems to have decided he doesn't like people food anymore... why do we own a dog?)

Anyways, back to the pancakes. This is another wonderful Pinterest find, although I've doubled the original recipe. C'mon, who can eat just two pancakes?

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Baking Powder

pinch of salt

2 Eggs, beaten

2 1/2 cups Buttermilk

4 Tbsp Butter, melted

1/2 cup Sugar

Now if you're like me, buttermilk is not something you keep on hand. Any time I buy buttermilk I'm trying to figure out how to use the remainder before it goes bad. White vinegar, however, is something I always have on hand. And often in bulk...

Did you know you can substitute milk and vinegar in place of buttermilk? Mind blown, right? Take a one-cup measuring cup, add one tablespoon white vinegar and then fill to the top with milk. Stir and let sit for five minutes. Voila! Buttermilk!

So back to the recipe:

Stir flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Combine beaten eggs with buttermilk, then add to dry mixture. Melt butter and sugar, add to mixture. Stir all ingredients until smooth (flour clumps begone!) Spread mixture on griddle and cook for between 3 and 5 minutes per side. 

I always cook our pancakes on a griddle. They turn out amazing and perfectly evenly cooked every time. These pancakes were a total hit with the kids and husband. JUST like Ihop, fluffy and delicious!

Splitting Chocolate

Like every parent, I often wonder if I'm doing enough to create an environment where my children can thrive and become worthwhile people. Am I setting the bar to high? Do I expect too much from the little people in my house? Am I letting them get away with things that will turn them into lazy, manipulative brats as they grow? Are they going to turn out as damaged as me? I think it's natural of a parent to question his or her parenting, natural to wonder what the long-lasting effects of his or her behavior and fireballs are.

No parent is perfect. 

After another bout of self-incrimination on Valentine's Day for getting frustrated with Miss K, I received the best gift a mother could have: proof that Miss K is a loving, giving person capable of putting others ahead of herself.

Miss K brought home Valentine's from school, half of which contained candy, although only one contained nuggety goodness of chocolate. She knows I'm a major chocolate fiend and she wanted to eat it herself. A couple cutesy fun pouting contests with her and Miss K let me know she would thing about it and get back to me.

Final decision? She would share it with me! I broke it as close to in half as I could, but it was definitely more 1/3 vs 2/3. Without even a moment's hesitation, Miss K reached for the smallest piece and then kissed me on the cheek. 

Heart melted. 

I'm doing something right with this girl. Even with all my mistakes and human weakness, I'm doing just enough right that Miss K might not turn out like me.