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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Hollie</title>
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	<link>http://www.wirlproject.com</link>
	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>Nine is the New Thirteen</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/nine-is-the-new-thirteen/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/nine-is-the-new-thirteen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2015 10:00:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hollie]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[9 is the new 13]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[parenting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[teen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tween]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4189</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are on the edge at my house. A very delicate, confusing, frustrating edge. You see, I have a nine year old. And not just any nine year old, but one of the female kind. We are teetering on the edge of being a kid and coming into her own, and let me be the first to tell you: it’s maddening. I understand it’s a struggle, and people warned me, but honestly, I thought all this drama was saved for the teenage years. Not the pre-pre-teen years! SHE IS NINE!! When did nine become the new thirteen? Why didn’t this mom get that memo?! You’d think with the endless emails and pieces of paper sent home from the school that clutter up my inbox and counter top, one of them could have mentioned that nine is the new thirteen? All I can gather is that it’s very hard to be nine. Not the same way that it’s hard to be three because that one is different. When a child is three and tantrums are every other hour, the in-between hours are filled with cuddles and I love yous. Not when you are nine. The in-between hours of tantrums of a nine year old (yes, tantrums!) are filled with sassing and “why does everyone hate me?!” Just yesterday she was three. And I thought three was tough. But three has nothing on nine. Nine is a whole new scary beast that creeps up on your perfect little angel and eats them up and spits them back out in a form you do not recognize. I miss three. Every once in a while there is a glimmer of hope that my beautiful baby girl is still in there when she wants to cuddle on the couch or asks me to do her hair. Just as I realize how nice it is to have my baby back, she turns on me and screams…”WHO ATE ALL THE BLUEBERRIES?!?” She is beautiful, talented and caring. She’s not the “mean girl”. As a matter of fact, she is one who shuts down the mean girls at school and welcomes the new girl with open arms. I’m so proud of her. I thought I was doing everything right as a parent. We always think that, don’t we? But I fear that I’m doing it all wrong. That I’m an epic failure as a mom because I now have the sassy nine-year-old. Sure, sassy thirteen-year-olds people understand. But nine?!? I’ve clearly done something wrong. When she screams at me that I “don’t love her like a daughter!” – that is what makes this age different than thirteen. What does that even mean – I don’t love her like a daughter?!? I miss three. Thirteen is different from what I can remember. It’s hormones and boys and friends. This is different. It’s a conflicting age because while they want to be big, they still have the emotions and insides of a kid. A missed problem on “Extra Math” (don’t get me started on the Extra Math drama!) can result in a full, toddler-style meltdown. But then in the next moment, a tongue full of sass comes flying at me from across the room and almost takes off an ear because she can’t stay up all night. Who is this girl? I miss three. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning. We have many more years ahead of us to figure out and navigate together. They’ve always told me “big kids = big problems”. But she isn’t big! She is little! She is my baby!! This is the time that a parent’s patience is really tested. You thought the toddler crying in the hall from a drop-down tantrum because you wouldn’t let her stick something in the outlet was testing. This is different. This is one of those trials of a mom that we will all go through and come out the other side…in a decade or so. At least that is what I’m telling myself. This article first appeared on BabyGizmo.com.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>How to Remove Crayon from the inside of a Dryer</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-to-remove-crayon-from-the-inside-of-a-dryer/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-to-remove-crayon-from-the-inside-of-a-dryer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2015 19:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hollie]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crayon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DIY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dryer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to remove crayon from a dryer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4106</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The last thing I needed on the day before Christmas school break and while I’m trying to finish holiday shopping online AND pack for our trip to see family is to find blue crayon in my dryer ALL OVER MY KIDS’ CLOTHES. Lucky me, that is exactly what I got this morning! Ugh. Yep, a blue crayon, and a green one, I think, somehow got past me in the laundry and ended up going through the washer and into the dryer. Maybe because I didn’t check all the pants pockets?! Yeah, who has time for that with 8 loads of laundry staring you down? Clearly, I got smacked in the face with reality that clearly I need to check pants pockets. What? A five-year-old would smuggle blue crayons in his jean’s pockets?!? Who knew?!?  Okay, so my clothes disaster fix is still in the works so stay tuned for that outcome but I do have an answer on how to get crayon out of the inside of your dryer. The last thing you want to happen is that you put ANOTHER load in there and the crayon re-melts and ruins an entire other load, right?! So, I lay it all out for you in today’s 2 MINUTE Baby Gizmo video!]]></description>
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		<title>Dear Judgy Judgersons</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/dear-judgy-judgersons/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/dear-judgy-judgersons/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2015 10:00:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hollie]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[judgersons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mommy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mommy wars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moms judging moms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open letter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4102</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; We all know that once you become a mom, you enter the world of Judgerville. It’s a mean and brutal sorority that you don’t have to ask to be in because you are thrown into it whether you like it or not. Judgerville is the place where everyone judges your every parental move and rakes you over the coals for not doing it their way. Before the internet, it was just nosy neighbors judging everything you did, but now with social media, moms have taken it upon themselves to be so much more brutal and mean to other moms online. Saying things they would never have the nerve to say to someone’s face but since they are sitting behind the security of their own computer, they feel a need or a right to chastise other moms as if they are the end-all, be-all of parents. Here is my open letter to all the Judgy Judgersons out there… &#160; Dear Judgy Judgerson, Yes, you are perfect. You are the image of sheer perfection in mommy-world. Obviously, every choice you have ever made is the right decision and you are brilliant. For that – I bow to you. Can’t you just be happy knowing that, and not share all your wisdom, critiques and outright judging with every single mom you encounter? Being a mom is hard. Some days it feels like the hardest job in the world and I’m not sure how I’m going to make it to bedtime. Some days the crying, fighting, whining, temper tantrums, and chaos just feel a bit overwhelming. Kids are…well…kids. They can be awesome but they can also be exhausting. The last thing I want to hear is that I’m doing everything wrong from the same women who are going through the exact same thing that I am. The same women who are supposed to feel my pain not give me more pain. You’ve done everything right. You breastfed until your child was 3. You never checked your smart phone or watched TV while breastfeeding because you were constantly making eye contact for proper bonding. You never nursed your baby with intention of getting him back to sleep. When you did bottle feed, you had your child weaned by their first birthday without fail. You had your baby sleeping peacefully through the night at 2 days old with your strict schedule. You never let your baby cry themselves to sleep. You never rocked your baby to sleep. You never propped up a bottle with a receiving blanket so that your baby could eat (in a car seat – gasp!) when you didn’t have a free hand. You never forgot to restock diapers in the diaper bag and were left diaper-less with a diaper blowout at the car dealership. You never used a pacifier. You never used the Exersaucer as a babysitter to just to get a few things done around the house. You always cloth diapered to be the greenest mommy you could be. You read your kids countless books every single night no matter how tired you were. You never got tired. You never cried in the middle of the night that you just wanted the baby to go back to sleep. You never raised your voice to your children. You made all your own baby food all from organic fruits and vegetables, of course. You never missed videoing a baby milestone. You never gave your babies one taste of sugar (especially lollipop sugar!). You never stopped by McDonald’s because you just couldn’t bear to make dinner. You never contemplated calling a dry cleaning service to pick up all 10 loads of laundry that you just didn’t think you could get done. You never let your kids watch TV so you could have time to yourself. You never let your kid play with your iPhone so he would be quiet in the store. You never let your kids eat a piece of cheese and an ice cream cone for lunch because you just couldn’t argue about one more thing. You never felt happy that you were on vacation away from your kids because you got to have a little me-time. You never had the kids that turned into a train wreck in Walmart. You never did any of that!  I get it. You. Are. Perfect. But me?  I am not.  And most moms aren’t either. I have done all those things and am probably still doing some of them. I stopped breastfeeding at 6 months. I’ve checked my iPhone or watched TV while breastfeeding because you know why? Babies breastfeed A LOT!  Like every 2 hours. There is only so much eye contact bonding I can do. I nursed babies back to sleep. My 3rd baby drank from a bottle until one week shy of his 2nd birthday. My last baby didn’t sleep through the night until 9 months and still at 2 years old may wake up from time to time. My babies many times cried themselves to sleep. My middle child slept in a crib until he was almost 4. I rocked my babies to sleep from time to time. I propped up that bottle in the car seat! I was diaper-less at a car dealership with a diaper blowout. My babies used pacifiers and it took until my oldest was 3 to wean her from it! The Exersaucer was my best friend when my kids were babies. I use and always have used disposable diapers. I get tired and sometimes don’t read to my kids. I’ve cried in the middle of the night that I wanted the baby to just SLEEP. I’ve screamed at my kids. I’ve have never made my kid’s baby food. Yes, they ate from the jar. (gasp!) I’ve missed videoing plenty of milestones. I’ve given my babies Dum Dum lollipops on more than one occasion. Dinner is out of a bag many nights and McDonalds isn’t a strange place to us. I’ve thought about the dry cleaning service. I let my kids watch TV. Even my toddlers!! My kids play with my iPhone. Often. My kids have eaten cheese and ice cream for lunch. I’ve been happy on vacation (and not guilty!) for having me-time. That train wreck in Walmart has been, and will be again, MY KIDS. Yep, that’s me. Little Ms. Non-Perfect Mommy!  Sure, I put myself out there all the time online and pretty much ask for judgment. I get it. I’m a little different because I run a baby website. But I’m writing you this letter on behalf of all those other moms who are just online or at your playgroup or at school or at the mall or at the restaurant that do not have as loud a voice!  They are all not perfect, but they don’t need you to tell them so. They say something here and there only to have you jump down their throat for not doing something right. Yes, I’m totally not perfect in the way that I judge others too. I’m not going to lie and act like I don’t. When it comes to things like car seat safety, my brother putting Mountain Dew in his kid’s sippy cups, and people having iPads for their kids who are sitting in a piece of crap stroller- I’ve judged. Yep. I did it. I can admit it. I am not perfect. Add it to my list. But I ask you, Judgy Judgerson, to have a heart. Keep most of your judging to yourself. We all love a good discussion but sometimes your judging turns mean, brutal, unnecessary and people’s feelings get hurt. Remember we are all moms and all in this crazy ride we like to call motherhood together. Just give us imperfect moms a break. Please? Thank you. xoxo, The Mom Who Has Had Enough PS. If you have to judge – just judge the celebrity moms. They aren’t really like us anyway with their nannies, night nurses and 1.3 million dollar births. Judge Beyonce. Whatever. The celebrities don’t care if we judge them, I’m sure. They probably expect it because they are “celebrities”. Opps…was that judging?  First appeared on www.BabyGizmo.com.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Peanut Butter Caramel Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Recipe</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/peanut-butter-caramel-toffee-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars-recipe/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/peanut-butter-caramel-toffee-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars-recipe/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hollie]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caramel bars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caramel chocolate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cookie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[peanut butter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipe]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4039</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is so much gooey awesomeness that combines peanut butter, oatmeal, caramel and chocolate that I think you should make today! Ingredients Caramel Filling 11 oz bag vanilla caramels 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk 4 Tbls butter Cookie Dough 12 Tbl unsalted butter 2 c light brown sugar 1/2 c creamy peanut butter 2 eggs 1 Tbl vanilla 2 c flour 1 c old fashioned oats 2 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 cup chocolate chips 1 cup Reese’s peanut butter chips 1 cup Heath toffee bits Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal of the bars. Unwrap all the caramels and place in a small saucepan with butter and sweetened condensed milk. Cook over medium-low heat until caramels have fully melted and the mixture is nice and smooth. Set aside caramel to cool while you make the cookie batter. Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add peanut butter and continue mixing. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix. Add the flour, oats, baking powder and salt slowly mixing until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and toffee bits. Evenly spread 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the pan. Slowly pour caramel mixture evenly over the dough. Drop the remaining dough on top by the teaspoon. Try to flatten evenly over caramel layer. Bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool completely and then cut into bars. Serve warm topped with ice cream or at room temperature. Recipe appeared on BabyGizmo.com.]]></description>
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