Julie Pippert: Using My Words

When I was pregnant with my first, I was all full of how it was Going To Be. We would not be Those Parents, the ones who made it all about the gifts and went overboard. We would not be Those Parents who let Santa bring all the awesome gifts and get all the kudos. Since Christmas came only a few days after my daughter was born, how we'd Do Christmas was at the top of our First Parenting Tasks. And once we had both of our precious bundles of joy...it all went out the window. We just wanted to shower them with things that would make them smile. Eventually though, we realized the love we had for our kids and our desire to bring them joy made it all the more urgent to find a way to ensure other kids who might not get quite the same deluge did get joy for Christmas too. How I loved my kids somehow moved outward and made me want to protect and provide for every child. To know some children needed , hurt. It started when a club I was in adopted a family every Christmas. Their wis

Image shamelessly borrowed from Chobani because they took a better photo than I did and I like that yogurt and they have a fancier recipe. That involves a mixer. I just use a spoon. And I never thought of cream cheese. This time of year I feel stuck in molasses. Every little thing seems a monumental effort. I think it is a drowning pool of too many things. I also get asked to make and bring a lot of dishes to events. Ages ago, when my oldest was barely two, and I had first mom duty to bring a "healthy but tasty for toddlers" treat for a school party...I felt stymied. That's when I discovered Pumpkin Pie Yogurt. I think I made it accidentally. Or it flew to top of mind after I heard about it somewhere. Either way, I had all of the ingredients on hand and I test-mixed a batch. Winner winner with both me and the kid! I took it to school and BINGO...not  bit leftover. Here's the easy peasy pumpkin squeezy recipe: Mix half a can of pumpkin in about 4-6