Holiday Traditions–Cascarones (Confetti Eggs)

Posted by hellyontherun in Family, Not Running Related and tagged with Cascarones, Confetti Eggs, Easter, Eggs, Family, Holidays, How To, Kid Fun, Kids, Not Running Related, Personal, Traditions April 23, 2014

A non-running related post today friends

I was chatting with my friend Amy the other day and we were discussing holiday traditions we are trying to continue with our families. I mentioned how when I was little, my grandma would make “cascarones” for our Easter egg hunts. What are “cascarones”? They are hollow eggs filled with confetti. Amy was intrigued and suggested I blog about it and share how to make these confetti eggs with my readers.

As a child, I loved cracking and smashing the eggs when I found them and I always tried to find these eggs rather than the regular, boring, hard-boiled ones. I’m not the most creative person out there, but I knew I wanted to carry out this tradition with my own kids and knew that they’d love them as much as I do did 🙂

This is also a really inexpensive project–a great plus!

Step One:

Tap the top of an egg to create a penny-sized hole. Drain the egg and rinse the inside with water. Let dry.

I typically start saving eggs about two weeks before I’ll need them. So every time I make pancakes, scrambled eggs, or any recipe that requires an egg I make sure to drain it this way so I can start collecting them. I then store them in an old egg carton until I have my desired amount.

Step Two

Once you have enough eggs and you’re ready to start turning them into confetti eggs, take out the necessary supplies.

1. Eggs
2. Confetti (I used a three-hole puncher and newspaper ads)
3. Glue
4. Tissue paper (I reused saved tissue paper from past gifts)
5. Scissors

Step Three:

Decorate the eggs as you like. You can still dye them like you’d normally do to a hardboiled egg. For this post, I just wrote a little something on it 🙂

Step Four:

Fill the egg with a small amount of confetti (or however much you want).

Step Five:

Cut the tissue paper into squares large/small enough to cover the egg’s hole. Spread glue around the edge of the hole and place the square on top, pressing so that it sticks.

Place finished confetti egg in carton to dry and voila! Repeat the steps with each egg until you’re done with all of them. Simple right? And trust me, “cascarones” are definitely kid approved 🙂

My daughter's first confetti egg experience

You can throw them, crack them on someone’s head, or stomp them. Guess which one my daughter chose?

You can throw them or stomp them. Guess which one my daughter chose?

She’s a stomper!

Hope you liked the project! If you don’t celebrate Easter, there are many other festive holidays where you can have fun with confetti eggs 🙂

–What are some holiday traditions you remember as a child?
–Do you carry on any traditions now as an adult?
–Have you heard of/seen “cascarones” before?

It’s Not Easy

Posted by hellyontherun in Family, Running and tagged with Family, Kids, Running, Sleep, Working Out January 9, 2014

I’ve said before that the number one question I get asked is how I manage to find time to workout. I’ve always believed that if something is important enough, you’ll make time.

But I’m not going to lie, it’s not always easy.

My workouts happen in the evening when my husband gets home from work which is usually around 6 p.m. We put our son to bed and then I head out. I typically get home around 8 and my daughter is already in bed by that time. My husband and I have a small dinner and chat for a bit and then I shower and head to bed. I try call it a night by 10.

And then this is when it gets tough.

My son still does not sleep through the night. He wakes once for a bottle between 2-4 in the morning. My husband and I take turns each night as far as who wakes to do that feeding. The little guy always goes back down after his bottle, thankfully, and then wakes for the day around 6. My daughter’s waking time is around 6:30. Things are definitely difficult when both wake at the same time.

So there’s no continuous sleep. It’s hard. I’m tired. But it is what it is. As crazy as it sounds, you actually get used to it after a while. And there are worse days than others. Like today for example.

Our son woke up at 1 in the morning, early for his normal timing. Mind you I had gone to sleep at 10. He went back to sleep after his bottle but at 4:30 we heard our daughter. I looked at the video monitor to make sure she wasn’t just squirming around in her crib. Nope. She was standing, wide awake, ready to go. My son woke up soon after at 5:00 and our day officially began.

I’m typing this on coffee cup number 2. : )

Here’s hoping you’re having a good morning!

–Do you have kids? Is it difficult to manage kids and working out?

–What makes it difficult to find time to workout in your life?

(Don’t forget, The Color Run giveaway is still happening–today is the last day!)

time to run

Posted by hellyontherun in Uncategorized and tagged with Day, Happy, Kids, Running, Time October 8, 2013

I’m a new stay at home mom (SAHM). When my husband and I found out we were expecting #2, we knew that I’d be taking a leave of absence from my job as an English teacher. There was no way I could work and go home to my kids having stacks upon stacks of essays to grade.

I wasn’t sure what to expect about this SAHM business. I knew that I was a little (a lot) apprehensive about the whole thing because I’ve never not worked. I’ve worked for as long as I can remember, sometimes 2 and even 3 jobs at a time. I get bored; I need to be kept busy. But, I knew what the real reason was for my apprehension. My fears came from knowing this was going to be the toughest job of all.

So far it hasn’t disappointed. Staying home with 2 under 2 is. hard. work. There are days that I would rather go back to 100+ teenagers and stacks of essays than stay home with a 1 ½ year old and a 2 month old that doesn’t’ yet sleep through the night. It is non-stop running around making sure that they stay in one piece and that I stay in one piece. There are a lot of tears and a lot of crying. There are feelings of inadequacy, of frustration, of sadness. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my children and I’m very blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with them, but, there are days that I’d like to put make-up on and look like a normal person. Sometimes I miss talking to an adult. I’d like to go out in public without fear of public scrutiny because of my kids’ shrieking.

My outlet is running. With a husband that works 12 hours days—he leaves me at 6 and comes home at 6—it doesn’t leave me much time to run. My daughter, the oldest, goes to bed at 8 so we have to squeeze dinner, bath time, and bedtime routines in those two hours. Some days, most days, I have a mental countdown to the time when I leave to go to my gym. All I think about is that time-to-go number on the clock.

Yes, after my long day of tantrums, screams, and food fights, I go running.

My friends think I’m crazy. How the heck do you have the energy to go work out?! I’d go straight to bed! But in all honesty, running makes me feel better. Running gives me the energy to wake up the next day and do it all over again… rejuvenated. It’s like I sweat away the negative energy I built up from the long day and I wake up with a positive attitude ready to tackle what comes. My whole day is spent trying to entertain and keep my kids happy. Gym time is my happy time and I can’t think of a better way to end the day.