Bottle cap Ornaments..

This Year I am putting a tree in my front lawn, I kept my tree from last year (yes, stop laughing!)  and I spray painted it white,  it got me thinking into making a theme.. I will decorate it with trash! yes.. I am taking regular things that end up in the trash and turning them into Christmas beauties!

This is the firs one..

I love diet coke, I also collect the rewards on the bottle caps so after I take time to put the rewards up I wold be left with a bunch of bottle caps, I just knew I cold do something with them other than throwing them away..  and  I  came up with a perfect Idea! Christmas ornaments..

It's simple take 2 bottle caps and with a hot glue stick them together and add a piece of ribbon on top.

brush them with glue and add some glitter and voila!

Get creative! you can add feathers or beads or fabric!  It doesn't have to go into the landfill or use energy to be recycled it could turn into family fun!

3 Moms Hanukkah Correspondent-Jenni

We are so grateful to Jenni for taking time to help us out with this post.  All of the moms here at 3 Moms celebrate Christmas but we want to make sure all of the Holiday celebrations and traditions are represented.  If you celebrate a holiday other than Christmas in your home and would like to share your Holiday's traditions with us please contact us at cookinmamas@yahoo.com

Jenni is a long time friend of all of ours, we have all known each other since 2006 and met in the same Mommy Group.  Thank you again Jenni, I can't wait to try some traditional Latkes-MINUS the onions of course haha.

 Hanukkah! The Festival of Lights.     

The name "Hanukkah" is interpreted in many ways:

Some scholars say the word was derived from the Hebrew verb "

On Hanukkah, Jews mark the rededication of the House of the Lord. Others argue that the name can be

broken down into "

the 25th day of Kislev, the day on which the holiday begins. Hence, the Jews sat in their camp, that is,

they rested fighting, on the 25th day of Kislev. Hanukkah is also the Hebrew acronym for “

Halakha KeBeth Hillel”

disagreement between two rabbinical schools of thought - Hillel and the House of Shammai - on the proper

way to light Hanukkah candles. Shammai said that eight candles should be lit from the start, and reduced

by one candle every night, whereas Hillel argued in favor of starting with one candle and lighting an additional

one every night. Jewish law adopted the position of Hillel

Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the oil.  According to tradition recorded in the Talmud, when the temple was rededicated, there was very little oil. Oil was needed for the lighting of the menorah in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night, every night. There was only enough oil left to burn for one day. The miracle was that the oil burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah.

Latkes are a traditional food of Hanukkah.

Recipe for Latkes:
Makes approximately 12 palm- sized latkes

4 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
2 eggs
3/4 cup matzah meal (flour or bread crumbs can be substituted)
salt and black pepper to taste
vegetable oil


Shred the potatoes and onion into a large bowl.
Press out all excess liquid.
If using a food processor, use the chopping blade for 2 or 3 seconds after pressing out liquid to avoid stringy fly-aways.
Add eggs and mix well.
Add matzah meal gradually while mixing until the batter is doughy, not too dry. You may not need the whole amount (depending on how well you drained the veggies).
Add a few dashes of salt and black pepper. (Don't taste the batter, it's really gross!). Don't worry if the batter turns a little orange; that will go away when it fries.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil to medium-high heat.
Form the batter into thin patties about the size of your palm.
Fry batter in oil. Be patient: this takes time, and too much flipping will burn the outside without
cooking the inside. Flip when the bottom is golden brown.

Latkes can be eaten as is or topped with a variety of toppings.

Love,
Jenni
ךנח " meaning "to dedicate" or to"educate."ונח ", from the Hebrew word encampment, and the Hebrew letters ה"כ , which stand forHeth Neroth We-meaning "eight candles as determined by House of Hillel" This is a reference to the.

Recipe Index

3 takes on:

Lasagna

Fan Friday Recipes

FF#1 Mandaring Jello salad and "nana" crackers

FF#2  Hand and foot print reindeer



Crockpot Ideas

Lazy day 2 ingredient ideas..

Apples and Porkchops

Taco Soup





Side Dishes

Bacon and Garlic Green Beans with Balsamic glaze

Easy Garlic Bread

Butter Rolls

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Easy Mexican Salsa

Baked Mac and Cheese (Velvetta)

Home Made Mac and Cheese (No Velvetta)

Tuna Tostadas

Sweet Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Gravy


Main Course, Dinner

Turkey

Mashed Potato Tacos

"Until next payday" Pasta Bake

Ratatouille

Shepard's Pie

Gyozas

Corn Flake Oven fried Chicken

Shredded Beef Tostadas

Meat Loaf

Apples and Pork Chops

Spring/Egg rolls

Chicken Stir Fry

Taco Soup

Beach Enchiladas

Mexican Lasagna

Ravioli Spinach Lasagna

Traditional Lasagna

Cheesy Garlic Pinwheels

Taco Pizza

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Desserts

Sweet Potato and Pumpkin cupcakes

Home made Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin Cookies

Apple pie

Pie Crust

Butter Rolls

Pumpkin and apple empanadas (turnovers)

Blueberry Muffins

Crock pot Chocolate Cake

Grandma's Peach Cobbler

Pumpkin Doughnuts

Smore Brownies

Tye Dye Cup cakes

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Home made "Oreos"

Thumb print cookies

Reindeer cookies

Cinammon Rolls

Soups

Potato and Bacon Soup

Grandma's Egg Noodles

Grandma's Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Taco Soup
Appetizers

Toasted Raviolis

Almond Truffle Balls

Carrot Salad

Black Bean and Spinach Hummus

Tuna Tostadas

Gyozas

Latkes

Taco Pizza

Home Tips

Dryer balls

cook book

Taco seasoning

Breads

Butter Rolls

Buiscuits



Breakfast

Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole

Pumpkin Pancakes

Buiscuits

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cinammon Rolls

Banana French Toast 


Holidays

Latkes

Bottle cap Ornaments

Hand and foot print reindeer

Christmas Countdown chains

24 symbols of Christmas in Clay

Reindeer Cookies

Crafts

Bottle cap Ornaments

Photo Cubes

Purrfect Play Giveaway-Purrfect for your Fur Baby this Holiday Season!

Are you ready for our first ever Holiday Giveaway here at 3 Moms?  I know we are!
Did you see our 2010 Holiday Shopping Guide?  Just in time for the Holidays one of the awesome companies we listed on our guide, Purrfect Play, would like to offer up your choice of a 100% Organic Carrot Catnip toy for the cat in your life OR a medium  Organic Plush Fortune Flyer for that special dog in your life.  The winner will be allowed to choose which they would like to receive.

The Happy Carrot Catnip toy is a durable and yummy, our 6 inch carrot contains over 1/2 cup of fragrant organic catnip! Thick brown colorgrown fleece. Lined with organic cotton canvas. Crowned with fun hemp cord "leaves". (taken from their website). 

The Happy Fortune Flyer dog toy is is tough, washable, and made without synthetics. Easy to throw, durable, and dogs love it!
The Outside = Two sturdy layers of hemp canvas
The Inside = Two tough layers of organic cotton denim
Stuffed with agave fiber, a straw-like by product from tequila production that supports a small regional workshop in Mexico (again taken from their website)






So, are you interested in learning how you can win your pick of the 2 wonderful products above?  Just do 1 of the following and report back here ON THIS BLOG as a comment.  You must leave your comment on this blog below in the comments sections to enter.  We may miss you if you just leave a comment on our FB wall or Purrfect Plays FB wall so be sure to leave your comment below.  You can do as many or as few of the "requirements" as you would like but you do get 1 entry for each one you complete so the more you do the more your chances of winning.

Giveaway Entry-


1. Follow 3 Moms and a Kitchen on Facebook-
Go to our Facebook Page and "like" us there.  Come back to the blog and leave a comment that says "I 'like' 3 Moms and a Kitchen on Facebook".  Do you already follow us on FB, this a freebie for you too then, just leave a comment saying "I already 'like' 3 Moms and a Kitchen on Facebook"

2. Follow Purrfect Play on Facebook-
Go to Purrfect Play's Facebook Page and Click "like".  Leave a comment on their facebook wall that 3 Moms and a Kitchen sent you and then Come back here to the blog and leave a comment saying "I 'like' Purrfect Play on Facebook".  If you already "like" Purrfect Play on Facebook then just leave a comment here saying "I already 'like' Purrfect Play on Facebook".

3. Suggest 3 Moms and Kitchen AND Purrfect Play to your Facebook Friends-
Once you have "liked" our pages suggest all of your friends "like" us as well.  Come back here and leave a comment saying "I suggested 3 Moms and a Kitchen AND Purrfect Play to my friends on Facebook"  You have to suggest both pages to earn an entry with this one.

4. Like one of the other blogs we are working with for our 2010 Holiday Guide-
We are working with Job Description: Mommy and Mama Eve in a collaboration with the Holiday guides.  If you go and "like" one of them on Facebook and leave a comment back here that you have done so you will earn another entry.
You Must "like" 3 Moms AND Purrfect Play on Facebook too before doing this step

Suggest Job Description: Mommy or Mama Eve to your Facebook Friends-
After you have liked 1 (or both) of them suggest them to your friends.  Come back here and leave a comment that you have suggested them to your friends.

So, in total you can earn 4 entries if you complete all of the above.  If you are already doing 1 of the above it still counts for you, just leave a comment saying you already do this.  the more you do the better your chances of winning.

As with our first contest we had, the winner will be picked at random.  This is why it is so important that you leave your comments here on this blog.  Each comment will be assigned a number 1 through how ever many comments there are.  So, for example, if there are 50 comments each comment will be assigned a number 1-50 based on the order the comments are left in.  We will then use random.org to randomly choose a number 1-50 and whatever number is chosen will be the winner.  We will post a blog announcing the winner next Tuesday, Dec 7.  So you have between now and Dec 6 to complete the tasks above and enter to win.

Have fun and Goodluck!

Love,
Christy, Tanya and Jess
xoxo

A Story A Day Until Christmas

Last year at our church we made the cutest Christmas books to use with our family called "A Story A Day Until Christmas".  I wanted to share this idea with all of you as I think these books are adorable and my children love theirs.  Its very simple and inexpensive to make and they make great gifts to give to others.  Although, if you would like the recipient to get use out of the book this year you would have to give them as an early or pre-Christmas gift.

What You Will Need:
1 3 Ring Binder that has a see-through plastic cover so you can add a "cover" to your book
A hole puncher (preferably a 3 ring one to make it easier on you)
A picture to use as the "cover"
Printer, printer ink and printer paper
At least 24 stories that capture the essence of Christmas to you

Step 1: Find the stories and a Photo to use for the cover-
This can easily be done using your computer.  It would take me forever to sit here and type out all of the stories that are in mine but I will type a few of the titles to inspire you.  All you have to do is a google search for "Christmas Stories" and you will find plenty to choose from to print out and use.
"Why the Chimes Rang" by Raymond MacDonald Alden
"The Offering" by Ray Goldruan
The Christmas Story from the Book of Luke in the Bible (Chapter 2)
True Christmas Toy, a poem by Jenett Morell
"Davey and the First Christmas" by Beth Vardon
so on and so on
You could even type up real life stories of Christmas's from your childhood or the first Christmas for each of your children.  You can type up your children's favorite Christmas books, or even use your own imagination to fill the pages with fictional stories you have written.  Its your book and it can be whatever you want it to be.

The book I made at church is perfect for our family as we try to center Christmas around Christ.  We do the whole Santa thing for the kids but we also want to make sure they recognize the true meaning of the holiday.  This is what works for our family and therefore the book is filled with stories tailored to that.  That is the beauty of making these yourself.  If you are not particularly religious in your family but enjoy celebrating Christmas then you can find more stories tailored to that.
If you do not celebrate Christmas at all but a different holiday then you can create a book centered around that instead.  For example, if you celebrate Hanukkah in your home then you can make a book for the 8 days of Hanukkah and read 1 story each night for 8 days.

Once you have all of the stories you want, choose a cover.  Mine was pre-chosen for me but I love it.  It again captures the essence of what we want to teach our children about Christmas.  Your cover may be a picture of Baby Jesus, Santa, Rodolph, a Snowman or even a Holiday portrait of your own family.

Step 2: Assemble the Book-
Once you have found all the stories you want, a minimum of 24 for the Christmas book, (you can use more if you want, our book has 2-3 stories to choose from for each day) you are ready to put it together.
Slip the photo you have chosen into the cover of the book.
If you choose, print out not only the stories but pages to divide each day.  Our book has a sheet that says what day it is (day 1-24), a scripture for that day and a suggested carol to sing as a family.  Again, I did not design this but we like it and it works for us so we kept it.  You book may only have pages that say the day.  They may have pictures on them, or silly Christmas songs to sing.  I always read the scripture to the kids but we may not always sing the carol (I honestly do not know them all haha) but may sing "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" or "Frosty the Snowman" instead.
Arrange papers so that there is at least 1 story behind each day.
Punch holes in papers and insert into the 3 ring binder.
Your book is now ready for use.

Last year our oldest was 3, it was the first year any of our kids had been old enough to truly understand and be excited for Christmas.  That's fun but with it comes the "is today Christmas?"  "what about today?" "how many more days until Christmas?".  I found this book was a very helpful tool in helping us count down the days.  Each night when we read we could say "see, now there are X amount of days until Christmas".  Did this stop him from asking a dozen times a day still, NO, but it helped and gave me a point of reference when he did ask.  I could just say "well, what number story did we read last night?" and if he didn't remember I could show him.

These books would be great for grandparents to make and give to grandkids too.  They will create a lifetime of memories for your children.  As mine was all premade I plan to do my own searching for stores to add and swap out as the years go on.  Many of them are long for the attention spans I have so I will look for some shorter stories and some pictures to add inside to help keep everyones interest.  I plan to add photos of our family, baby Jesus, Jesus throughout his ministry and of course pictures of Santa, Christmas trees, snowmen, etc.

Other things you may want to add to your book:
1 picture of your kid(s)/family taken each yr on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day
1 photo of your Christmas tree taken each year.
Fun recipes for holiday treats like sugar cookies, gingerbread men, etc (don't forget the picture of you and your children making these treats together)
Lyrics/Music Sheets to the songs you love to sing this time of year
Scripture references to go along with the stories
A Step by Step guide to your families Christmas traditions-for example the steps you do on Christmas Eve, when you put up your decorations, where you celebrate the holiday, etc.  A timetable of events.
The possibilities are endless and can be tailored made to fit your family.

I think the cover photo on our book is so beauiful I display it as part
of the Christmas decor when it is not in use.

As with the big Family Recipe Book I am making, eventually I plan on making a separate copy of these book for each of my children and will give it to them when they are grown and have started a family of their own.  Then they can add to their book with their own children.

If you make your own book take a picture of the cover and upload it on the wall of our FB page, we want to see it!

Love,
Christy

Inspired by Finn Discount

Have you seen our 2010 Holiday Shopping Guide?  One of the companies listed on there, Inspired by Finn, has extended a 20% discount to us for including them.  All they ask in return is that you click on their Facebook Page and "LIKE" them first, suggest the page to your friends and then you will be able to use the code  BLOG20 at check out.  This is good only 1 time per person and is applied when you check out.  This will be good through Christmas.

I am very excited about this as I have been wanting to buy one of these for Miss Tub Tub and this coupon will help me be able to do so.  Remember, the necklaces help people of all ages with a variety of pains and ailments, they are not just for teething babies.
This coupon is good for those of you who follow Mama Eve and Job Description: Mommy too, please just make sure you "like" 3 Moms and a Kitchen on Facebook as well before using.

Love,
Christy, Jess and Tanya
xoxo


P.S.  Feel free to share this with your friends, tell them yo "like'" 3 Moms and Inspired by Finn on FB and then give them the code.

3 Moms 2010 Holiday Shopping Guide

We are teaming up with 2 awesome blogs, Job Description: Mommy and Mama Eve  to bring you a Holiday shopping guide with online stores that are Eco-Friendly and/or USA based so that you can shop for great gifts and help make a difference this season at the same time.  Many of these stores are also small, independently owned by moms just like all of us.  So help support another mom, show the environment and the USA some love and get your shop on at these awesome sites:

The Natural Toy Box

Giraffe teether,
one of the many cute
gift ideas you will find

The Natural Toy Box sells toys all handcrafted or handmade by a small group of women who are all mothers to small children.  They make all natural wooden and organic toys, 

I love that they break their toys up into age categories.  This is perfect for grandparents or other family members trying to buy toys for baby's/children and are not sure about what to buy for that age.  Just click on the age group you are looking to buy for and shop from there.

They even have a section full of items for under $10 for those of you shopping on a budget

They are based in Westchester, IL and can be found on FB.

Shannon's Accessories
Based out of New Jersey, Shannon's Accessories sells all  kinds of cute creations for baby AND mom.  The first page of the website says:
Welcome to a wonderful world of glitz and glam! Where little girls and big girls alike love all we have to offer. All of our handmade accessories are created with highest quality products to enhance the beauty of your little princess. Check back often to see our latest styles and seasonal items
There was a cute slide show going on the main page and just for the brief time I was there I must've seen at least 10 things I wanted to buy.  A girl could get in serious trouble at this site!

Chulamaiz Jewelry
Chulamaiz Jewelry is based in San Diego, CA and sells, well I am sure you can guess, jewelry.  The pieces on the site are beautiful, I am partial to the butterfly necklace myself.  These would make the perfect gift for teenage daughters, your mom, MIL or any special lady in your life-maybe yourself even.

Paipaioppai
Paipaioppai; based out of Anaheim, CA; sells hand knit hats in a rainbow of beautiful colors, as well as scarves and gloves.  They also currently have a contest going so head on over and check them out.

Lock Ness Lassies
Can I just say I am in love with this site, click on them and you will see why.  Their creations are just so beautiful and magical.  I have a feeling one of Miss Tub Tubs Christmas gifts may be coming from here!
They are based in Eureka, CA and sell handmade, beautiful jewelry as well as these adorable little creatures.  You will have to see them for yourself as they are too cute and unique to describe here.  It looks like they have a FB page link on their site and rumors of some contests (hehe) so be sure to follow them, I know I will be!
P.S. I just found out they can custome create a doll for your child if you contact them with the specifics you are looking for, even better!

Little Sapling Toys
Little Sapling Toys are based in Boise, ID and Highland, UT.  They make the cutest wooden creations using organic wood.  If you are looking for a one of a kind unique gift to give to a baby/child this year then they are the site for you.  They have wooden teethers, blocks, stackers, trains, etc.  All beautifully unfinished and natural looking.
The best part is that for each wooden toy they sell they plant one tree through Trees for the Future.  So you have the knowledge that not only are you buying a great toy but you are also making an eco-friendly contribution.  They also use local beeswax and organic jojoba oil finish to bring out the natural beauty of the woods and all wooden teethers are left bare.
They have a FB page, which I already follow, and constanly have fun contests/other promotions.

Inspired by Finn
Based out of Phoenix, AZ, Inspired by Finn sells Baltic amber and hazelwood jewelry that, when worn, reacts with your skin and helps all sorts of different ailments. I discovered them from friends while searching for something to help my teething baby but the healing powers of Baltic amber are for all ages, not just babies.
Taken directly from their site:

When Baltic amber is worn on the skin, the skin’s warmth releases trace amounts of healing oils from the amber. These oils contain succinic acid and are absorbed into the skin. Baltic Amber helps with the pain and discomfort of different pain associated with dental issues, headaches, joint pain, etc.

Hazelwood helps to relieve and prevent ailments such as ulcers, acid reflux, heartburn, skin problems (psoriasis, eczema, acne), arthritis, constipation, migraines, sensitive & bleeding gums, helps reduce dental cavities and more.  It can even help relieve heartburn and nausea during pregnancy and would make a great gift for any pregnant women you may know.

It looks like they are sold out of a lot of merchandise at the moment, most likely due to all the shopping that's been going on the past few days, but they will restock soon so keep checking back.

They also have a FB Page that I currently follow.

Rockin Green Soap

Rockin Green, based in Castroville, TX, sells green laundry detergents.  They have a variety of scents and formulas for soft, normal and hard water.  With funky names like Classic Rock, Hard Rock, scents like Smashing Watermelons and Mighty Mighty Marshmallow and even a fun Holiday scent called Jungle Bell Rock this gift will delight any "greenie" in your life.  They also sell many green laundry accessories, like wool dryer balls if you don't want to make them yourself, and even a few green skin care products.

I have used some of their products and can attest to the quality and performance of them.

They can also be found on several social media sites including FB and Twitter.  Be sure to follow them as they constantly have give-a-ways.

tea set

Cotton Babies

Cotton babies, who are based in St. Louis, MO, are much MUCH more than just cloth diapers.  They sell all kinds of baby gear, wraps and carriers, maternity and nursing wear for mamas and baby/toddler toys.  Check out their site for a ginormous selection of goodies to choose from.

If you are lucky enough to live in the St. Louis area they even have a real store you can go to and shop in person.  If you are able to do this I am SO jealous!
I have purchased from them many times and their shipping is always quick, best of all it is also ALWAYS FREE!  No matter how big or small your order, it is free to ship within in the US!  So you do not have to worry about figuring shipping costs into your gift budget.

They are also on most social media sites including FB and Twitter.

The Happy Baby Company

Again, so much more than just cloth diapers they have lots to offer for mom and baby alike.  Several different types of baby wraps/carriers, plenty of fun things for mom and tons of adorable toys for a baby/child.

The Happy Baby Company is based in McKees Rocks, PA and they also offer free shipping within the USA.

They can be found on FB and are worth following so that you can be kept up to date with sales and promotions as well as the occasional contest.

Purrfect Play

We can't forget about the fur babies this holiday season.  I had a cat and dog before I ever had kids and I spoiled them rotten too.  I only have the dog now but she is just as spoiled as ever.

Purrfect Play offers dog and cat toys made of dye free organic all natural fibers and materials.

They are located in Chesterton, IN and 5% of each purchase goes to animal rescue groups so purchasing from them not only benefits you and your pet but many other homeless pets out there looking for forever homes.

They even have gifts for people too.

They can be found on FB and Twittter

Didn't find what you were looking for on this guide?  Mama Eve and Job Description: Mommy

also made great guides for you to follow.  Between the 3 of us you should (hopefully) be able to find exactly what you are looking for.

Mama Eve's Gift Guide

Job Description: Mommy's Gift Guide

If you are like most of us, things may be a little tight this year when it comes to gift funds.  We at 3 Moms have you covered for that as well.  Be sure to follow us on FB for many MANY upcoming DIY gift ideas starting Dec 1.  We will have plenty of yummy creations to make as well as some fun crafty ideas as alternatives to giving food.

I must apologize that this guide is a few days late as everyone in our family was sick for the last week.  We meant to have it up before Thanksgiving so that you all could take advantage of any Black Friday deals the sites may have, there is still always Cyber Monday to look forward to.
I also had plans of contacting the stores to see if any of them would be willing to give us a sample to use in some upcoming giveaways this Holiday season and will be doing that today but as of now I cannot promise anything.  We are a small blog, but we are partnered with 2 larger blogs so lets keep our fingers crossed that a few will be willing to help out with this.  We will let you know if they do.  For now just drool over all their adorable merchandise and make some purchases!


Love,
Christy, Tanya and Jess