Welcome To The Jungle

We just started school this week, but the two weeks before school started were full of visits from family.  My kiddos had a great time with their cousins.  The weather was not hot enough to spend a day in the pool (Oklahoma... in August... what??) but it was absolutely perfect for a day at the zoo.  
You are either a zoo person, or you are not. We are zoo people.
For my sister and I, the day was a time of reflection from zoo trips as kids.  My mom was quick to mention the polar bears mating at my 6th birthday party.  My sister had sweet memories of riding on the train with our grandfather.  Me?  I just love the zoo.
I'm fairly certain the boys' memories for the visit will revolve around seeing this.

I wonder what has captured the boys' attention?

I have video (of course!) but I will not make you watch the horrors we witnessed. We went straight from butt-picking monkeys to nose-picking statues. That's how it is when you have boys.

Picking the Chia Head's nose...

My oldest son, Michael, took a selfie with a goat in the petting zoo.   I guess this goat gets his picture taken a lot because he put a nice big grin on his face!

Say CHEESE!

Every trip to the Tulsa Zoo involves spinning the world around.  If you've been here, you know what I am talking about.  No matter how many times you come here, they must must must spin that thing.

My two boys with my three nephews

When it was all said and done, big red (my Michael) carried little red (my nephew) out of the zoo so we could go get some ice cream.

And in case you were wondering, the ice cream was my favorite part of the day.
Fall is almost here and the weather will be perfect for being outdoors. How will you spend your days?




Mrs. Priss
Hanging outdoors for a change like...

Tips for Surviving a Family Vacation

So I'm planning a quick get away for the family. What happened to the days of throwing a bikini in a bag & hitting the road? Oh I know, 4 kids, a husband, a business & a dog made those days disappear.  I Googled tips on family vacation survival. Here is what I learned:
Take lots of food.   For when kids {and adults} get hungry they get cranky. It's called "hangry" people.

Take time to exercise.  Bwahahahahaha.

Recognize your child's limits.  Hey, forgot to add, "and your husband's limitations".

Take lots of pics of happy memories.

Yes, like this lovely example from last Christmas with my precious children. Such sweet memories.

Embrace technology.

We had to count cows on road trips when I was kid. I don't want to be without my technology on the road. Why not let the kids enjoy a movie, game, app or text while driving countless hours down the road.

Perhaps the most important tip for planning a family vacation is to remember to enjoy the moment. Especially given the technology today. It makes it hard to put down the phone to take a pic, which requires editing, before posting on the 5 different social media sites. Vacay means taking a break from our normal routine to have fun, relax, enjoy the moment. With that said, I need a vacay from my vacay.

xoxo, Mrs. Montgomery Summer Traveling Like...

Meet the RHOC

We recently received an email that started like this:

Okay, you Okie housewives, I hope you will consider me to be an honorary RHOK. I think my chances are pretty slim, but felt I should put my best foot forward anyway. I don't live in Oklahoma (anymore), but I know how to pronounce Muskogee.  I am a former resident of Lawton and Tulsa, a graduate of Memorial High School. In my past life, I was a frequent guest at the home (and dinner table) of "The Doc's" parents. I even attended the wedding of Ms. Priss and the Doc one hot and steamy Texas summer day! I am not a housewife, but I am a wife and I do live in a house. I am not a SAHM, but I am, in fact, a mom, a mother of four (three boys and one girl). I am a school nurse at an elementary school and an advocate for all children, especially those with special needs.

I'm not certain what you are looking for in a guest post, but feel that my observations of the following are worth sharing...somewhere!

And with that kind of intro, there is a guarantee you will be showing up here on our website!
We would like you to meet Mrs. Nightengale!  We are hopeful to have many future guest postings from our honorary RHOK star.  In fact, it is convenient that she lives in Connecticut because this makes her a RHOC star, right?

And with that, we bring you Mrs. Nightengale's first guest post.

The other day I had an epiphany, or two, when I observed the action of a young child. 

This child, a boy, was probably three or four years old. The approximation of his age is based on the fact that he was sitting in a booster seat in the back seat of his parents shiny, new automobile. I could tell in an instant that he had wonderful, caring parents. His proud father was sitting smartly in the driver's seat and slowly maneuvering the parking lot of the local supermarket. His mother,  in front passenger seat, was well dressed, hair perfect and adorned in fine jewelry (most certainly purchased for her by her adoring husband). 

This young man and his brother were sitting in their car seats with belts carefully locked about them to keep them safe. They too, were dressed impeccably with not one hair out of place or a speck of dirt to be found on their face. As a mother of four, this was a clear indication to me of the great deal of attention paid to these boys. I am convinced jealousy is the reason I was able to remember the details of this family with such clarity. 

I thought to myself, "Why is it that when I go to the store with any number of my four children, they are not sitting so still, quiet and well-kempt? Where have I gone wrong?" 

And then all of a sudden, the action happened. An action, especially when performed publicly, offends most and sends even the most relaxed of parents into a frenzy. A habit, a disgusting habit, I am sure most parents have lost their mind over at one time or another. A habit every parent has tried ten million different ways to break. 

Yes, folks, the little boy, adorable, well dressed, perfectly coiffed, took his pointer finger and placed it so far up his right nostril. I was convinced beyond all odds, he would never get it out. 

And it hit me - hit me hard... ALL CHILDREN PICK THEIR NOSE. Nose picking does not discriminate color, creed or socioeconomic status. And I thought to myself, "If those perfect children pick their noses, maybe I'm not such a bad parent after all!" 

* One of Mrs. Nightengale's own little nosepickers *

I left that supermarket parking lot in my messy, battered old mom taxi, with a smile on my face!

Mrs. Nightengale
Scrubbing her kiddos hands like...

Ready.Set.Summer!

Are you ready for summer? Do you have all your activities scheduled? If you're like me, you just now realized it's almost June 1st. The few camps that I have on the calendar are not going to keep the family engaged for the next few months. Here are some things I have found to mix in with the pool, camps, library & summer trips.
iMOM always has some fun, family friendly ideas for summer. Be sure to check out their website for great games, printables, craft projects & more.

Summer movies are always a hit. Get out of the heat for a couple of hours & escape. Many of the theaters offer $1 movies. Check out Money Saving Queen's list which includes national movie theaters.

For N.E. Oklahoma Moms there are a few road trips you do could do in a day. Remember to get your kicks on Route 66. The Blue Whale, Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory, Tow-Mater & more. Be sure to hit Pops for cool treats & eats.

Or you could always journey to the center of the universe. 

Anytime of day or night, it's free & fun...for about 5 mins so be sure to plan other fun activities in downtown Tulsa. There is Guthrie Green, Drillers Stadium and tons of great eateries. 

So what do you have planned this summer? Share all your fun with us!

xoxo,
Mrs. Montgomery
Summering in The Burbs Like...

School Lunch Ideas

If you clicked on this post thinking I was going to offer up some great lunch ideas, you have come to the wrong place.  If you want to commiserate with another parent about your child's horrible eating habits, you have arrived.
I have the worst time making a lunch for Jacob to take to school. He is Picky McPickerson when it comes to food.  The child doesn't even like peanut butter or any form of a sandwich - the staple of my own personal school lunches.  No lunch meat for this kid.
I make him eat in the cafeteria as many days as I can.  He is more likely to get a little bit of protein that way. But then there are the days when the cafeteria serves... sandwiches.  And other ghastly foods.  
I've been sending this.

Yup.  Whole grain peanut butter crackers. It's the one peanut butter this child of mine will eat and I'm pretty sure it isn't really peanut butter. It may say "whole grain" but it isn't really good for him.
I put this in his lunch with an apple and some chips. I am a HORRIBLE mother.
I'm seriously out of ideas so I googled for some new ideas.  I did not see one thing I thought my child would eat.  In fact, I found some sights with school lunches that had stuff that not even I would eat.    Surely I am not the only one who has this problem packing a lunch.  Right?  RIGHT?!!
I did come across one site with some good ideas for those of you with normal kids who might eat normal food: http://www.school-lunch-ideas.com/
Things are going to change around here.  I may go with the eat it or starve method.
I really want to know -  What's in your kiddo's lunchbox?


~ Mrs. Priss

Planning a lunch box revolution like...

Good Morning, Sunshine!

I am not a morning person. I have never been a morning person. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say something radical. I'm never going to be a morning person.
Middle school has been a real awakening, if you will.  It starts incredibly early.  We wake at 6 a.m. every weekday morning to be sure to make the bus.   A certain red-head in my family has decided to hate mornings. He refused my requests to set his alarm.
It started with some complaining, then this appeared on his door one morning.

It was dark and I didn't see it.  Upon wakening the boy, he referred me to the sign on his door. Believe me, he got up anyway.
He came home to this.

And quickly amended to this.

"Do not ignore the sign above this one!
*even if you can't read"

Game on, my boy.   Game on.
And there's this chalkboard painted onto the wall outside the boys rooms...

He thought he found a loophole...

Of course I just removed the paper. You probably guessed that.
Victory was mine and Michael admitted defeat.
But the real solution is this.  I am no longer a human alarm clock.  I informed the crazed red-headed boy that he would be waking himself up in the mornings from now on.
There was wailing and gnashing of teeth. He said it wasn't going to happen.
I just smiled sweetly and said that I would be happy to wake him up for school every morning.  It would only cost a dollar per day.  He thought I wouldn't make him pay.  I gave him another big smile and walked away.
I haven't needed to collect that dollar yet.
First they ignore you,  then they laugh at you,  then they fight you,  then you win. ~ Mahatma Gandhi



Mrs. Priss

Working for a dollar like...

You've Been Elfed!

We have a fun, Christmas tradition we started a couple of years ago.

We are Elfing!

No, it's not the cute lil video you can make called Elf Yourself.

No, it's not the cute lil Elf on the Shelf either. 

Elfing is where we go and drop off treats at our the homes of our neighbors & friends.

Here is the cute card we use.  

From twocrazycupcakes.blogspot.com 

Everyone joins in the fun.

Brother and Sister help bake.

We place our treats in plastic containers.

Attach the poem with cute, grosgrain ribbon.

Easy, peasy.

Then my kids favorite part...sneaking up to the front door, ringing the door bell and running!

My oldest loves this activity and wants to "Elf" everyone we know.

We have so much fun!

When we Elf one friend we always get caught?! Jboy thinks this is hilarious.

We are looking forward to Elfing YOU this year.

xoxo, Mrs. Montgomery Ringing & Running Like...

RHOK'n Kids Cook Thanksgiving Dinner

My first writing was published in 1979. It was a recipe that appeared in The Daily Ardmoreite. It went something like this: Go to Super C (the grocery store in my hometown of Wilson), get a frozen pizza, take it home, turn on the oven, cook according to directions and then EAT! Trust me, my cooking skills have come a long way since Kindergarten, and now if I want Pizza I just call 918-664-4444 or drive to Little Caesars. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of the paper or my writing due to a house fire, but I have my mother's memories to tell me. 

I collected a few recipes from my 1st grade teacher from Facebook for this post. Hard to believe she kept these so long! The recipes she shared are from 1984- thank you Mrs. Chaney for letting me also share these.

RM - Turkey... Buy a 9 pound turkey. Clean it out and stuff it with 10 cups of flour. Put it in a pan and cook it ten minutes. When it tastes good that means it's done.

JSD: white Cake with Blue Icing- Put 2 cups of sugar, 2 teaspoons of powder, 2 eggs, and white icing to make the cake white. Mix all of this together. Put it in the oven, wait 4 minutes until it's done ( it will look brown). Icing- Just get it out of the can you buy and mix dark blue stuff you put on Easter eggs. Mix it and put it on the cake. If it's your birthday you could decorate it.

DB- Coconut Pie... Make the crust out of dough. Put 1 can of coconut in the crust and bake it for 1 hour let it cool for 30-35 minutes. Put just enough cream on the top to cover the coconut. This will serve 5 people.

DS: Apple Pie- Get some crust from the store. Put twenty apples in it, then put the other crust on after you cook it. Bake it about 4 hours. Take it out and let it cool. Then eat it.

Now I will share with you some recipes from children of the 21st Century- the RHOK kids! 

I think we will find they aren't that much different.

Kaybrie age 5, Mrs. H's daughter-  Little Cornbread Muffins...one box of cornbread, one box of milk, crack an egg- don't put the shell in. Put them in Mommy's big mixer bowl. Grab a big spoon. Mix it up. Grab a small spoon and put in Grandma's little muffin pans. Then let Mommy put it in the oven until its finished. I'm not allowed to touch it when its hot.

Grayce age 8 (Mrs. S's daughter)- 

Jalyn age 8, Mrs. M's daughter-

Jillian age 5, Mrs. M's daughter-

Jax age 11, Mrs. M's son-

Michael age 13, Mrs. P's son- Chocolate Cake... is made from rainbows, happiness, bunny kisses and lots and lots of chocolate.

Camryn age 5, Mrs. A's daughter- 

Turkey...To make the turkey you need to add some chicken in it. Ummm...some cookies. Ummm bananas and umm umm sugar. That's it.

Brownies...ummm...some chocolate and then you get a roller and you roll it. Then you put it in the oven in a pan. Then you eat it.

Mashed Potatoes...Put I don't know. Ummm bananas and then you put some little drops of white in it. And then put little black dots. Then put sugar in it. That's it.

(Remember, Mrs. A is our resident chef here at The RHOK. Obviously she substitutes sugar for the salt in most of her recipes and never told us her other secret ingredient is banana, lucky for us her 5 year old told- LOL.)

Mrs. M's kids writing their recipes. I just love her Thankful Tree!

What kind of memories have you made with your children in the kitchen? How do they think you "cook"?

Wonder how many of the above recipes will appear on Thursday's Thanksgiving table this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

♥Mrs. Hart♥ Who is sending my kids out of the kitchen this Thanksgiving, like